Ocoee approves amendment to add $5.8 million to general fund budget

At its April 15 meeting, the Ocoee City Commission unanimously approved — with Commissioner George Oliver III absent — an amendment that adds $5.8 million to the city’s 2025 operating budget.

The funds will be used to combat unexpected demands, including new program opportunities, particularly within parks and leisure services; additional funding requirements for essential services such as the general fund and water and wastewater fund and rising costs related to the city’s health insurance program.

The originally adopted general fund budget was $75.8 million, but with the additional expenses to the employer health insurance contribution because of escalating claims, a transfer of appropriations as a loan between the general fund to the water and wastewater fund to implement the seventh amendment to the city’s lease agreement with Forest Lake Golf Club, and an unanticipated increase in the contractual services and legal expenses for police operations, the fund requires the additional $5.8 million.

However, the city’s finance department has identified $529,611 that can be returned to the general fund reserves from the remaining balance from the capital fund completed projects. This lowers the total required amount to $5.3 million.

Also included in the amendment was the addition of $12,000 to the recreation program fund from revenue generated from taking over Ocoee Little League operations, an appropriation of $869,137 to the water and wastewater fund, an additional appropriation of $43,323 to the stormwater fund, $11,092 to the solid waste fund and $9,553 to the community redevelopment agency. 

Envision 2045

City Manager Craig Shadrix and Zoning Manager Anoch Whitfield presented an updated large-scale comprehensive plan amendment, Envision 2045, to replace Ocoee’s current comprehensive plan from 2002.

During the presentation, Whitfield displayed Envision 2045’s vision statement: “The city of Ocoee is a vibrant, attractive and economically sustainable community where businesses thrive and neighborhoods flourish through diverse, compact and complementary land uses that produce quality development and safe, connected mobility systems through adequate movement of people and goods while simultaneously preserving environmental systems and creating parks and open spaces to promote social engagement and enhance community health leading to the overall wellbeing of the city.”

The commission voted to authorize the transmittal of the Envision 2045 Comprehensive Plan to the reviewing agencies, as is required by Florida statutes. 

Forest Lake Golf Course interim operator update

During the staff report section of the April 15 meeting, Shadrix asked the commission to remove item No. 3 — the approval of a management agreement with SSS Down To Earth OPCO LLC, as the interim operator of Forest Lake Golf Course — from the consent agenda and grant himself and the city attorney the power to finalize the agreement after a few small alterations.

“As of this moment, we have reached tentative agreement (with the interim operator), but we don’t have the signed document, and we have a few things to wordsmith,” he said. “I would ask the commission to … change the staff recommendation to authorize the city attorney and city manager, to execute the agreement in its final form.”

IN OTHER NEWS

• Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson read a proclamation declaring Friday, April 25, as Arbor Day in the city. Originally proposed in 1872 to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture, the purpose of Arbor Day is to set aside a special day for the planting of trees; the first-ever Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. Now, Arbor Day is observed throughout the nation and world.
• The City Commission recognized the winners of the 2025 Drop Savers Water Conservation Poster Contest. Fourth- and fifth-grade division: Kaitlyn Gokool, first place; Presley Knop, second place; Toni Brown, third place. For second and third grades: Thomas Houchin, first place; Amanda Bessa, second place; Elissa Bohlok, third place. For kindergarten and first grades: Rebeca Steward, first place; Amelia Ramirez, second place; Mason Harvey, third place. All eight winners were from Thornebrooke Elementary School. 
• City Manager Craig Shadrix announced Ocoee, along with the cities of Winter Park, Apopka, Winter Garden and the town of Windermere, have reached a tentative agreement with Orange County Public Schools on a school resource officer contract. “Hopefully, by the next meeting, we’ll have it on the agenda for your consideration and approval, but we have reached a tentative agreement with Orange County Public Schools on the school resource officer contract,” he said. “(The contract) has to formally come before (the commission) for review, consideration and vote. But I will say that a little special thank you to Randy Knight, the city manager of Winter Park, who served as a spokesperson for the cities. … (Also) our police chiefs worked very hard … this was a good process and I thank the commission for their efforts in supporting us as we’ve been negotiating.”