During its April 5 regular meeting, the Miami Lakes Town Council approved a handful of resolutions, one ordinance and a some new business items proposed by Council members.
• Council members approved a smaller information guide of the proposed charter changes for mailing to registered voters along with a postcard before they are set to vote through a mail-in ballot for the May 17 special election.
Council members shot down Mayor Michael Pizzi’s proposal to do away with the guide and place the suggested charter changes on the town’s website instead.
Lawmakers decided not to go with a larger version developed by town staff for placement in this issue of The Miami Laker as an insert and delivered to homes within the town’s boundaries and businesses.
The town will also create a link on the town’s website with the proposed amendments.
Council members also agreed to send the information guide to the Good Government Initiative for a review to make sure the language is accurate and understandable.
According to the town, the mail-in ballots are scheduled to go out on April 27 and residents must return them before the date of the special election.
• Council members gave their initial approval for an ordinance to amend the town’s sign code to address a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to provide better organization and clarity and address sign types that are currently not addressed.
• Lawmakers approved a resolution expressing support for the creation of a dormant multipurpose maintenance special taxing district for the proposed residential development by Lennar at the northwest corner of N.W. 154 Street and 87 Avenue.
Miami Lakes support the creation of the Centre Lake Community Development District in which the county has the authority to create CDDs and special taxing districts, which requires that when a CDD is created that there also be created a dormant special taxing district that can assume responsibility for certain maintenance functions should the CDD fail to perform those functions.
In a related matter, Council members approved a preliminary plat entitled Dunnwoody Lake for the Lennar Corporation to develop a subdivision of homes (156 single-family homes and 226 town homes on a 142-acre property along N.W. 154 Street and west of N.W. 87 Avenue.
The project is part of the N.W. 87th Avenue Development agreement between Miami Lakes and the developer, which requires the property owner to reimburse the town for construction of N.W. 154 Street for roadway improvements, donate $300,000 for education and allow residents limited access to Madden’s Hammock as a passive park.
The developer must meet the terms of the covenant before the town issues the first building permit for the project.
• Council members approved a resolution to allow a conditional use and site plan for a private college, Ana G. Mendez University, at 15201 N.W. 79 Court in Miami Lakes Business Park West.
Last year, the council approved a temporary use for the college in a building near the permanent location, an 8.53 acre site which is owned by The Graham Companies.
The fully credited college was founded in Puerto Rico and has Florida campuses in Miramar, Tampa and Orlando.
For traffic concerns, students and staff’s trips to and from the facility are during off peak hours with morning classes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and evening classes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The maximum enrollment is 525 students and no more than 50 staff members for 500 parking spaces.
• Council members approved an amendment to a 2009 interlocal agreement with Miami-Dade County that transferred the former special taxing district parks to the town and outlines the town’s pro-rata share of the Quality Neighborhood Improvement Program.
The amendment generates a savings of $162, 442 to the general fund over the course of the life of the loan.
The combined impact of the approval of these items is a net gain of $90,757 to the town, which results from the savings of the refinancing of the two bonds issues, QNIP bonds ($162,446) and storm water utility bonds ($73,491) off-set by the cost of funding a portion of the local share for the canal drainage project ($145,180).
• Lawmakers approved an interlocal agreement to refund Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department for the local share (12.5 percent) for a FEMA funded dredging project along the N.W. 57th Avenue canal. The total amount of reimbursement due from the town is $145,180 which will be repaid over the next 10 years at the rate of $14,518 per year.