The following actions were taken at the December 9 Miami Lakes Town Council meeting:
• Manny Cid was unanimously elected to remain vice mayor for 2015.
• Councilmembers gave their final approval for an ordinance to alleviate police resources by reducing the number of calls for false alarms, eliminating the annual $15 registration fee, establishing a $50 fine for the third instance of a false alarm and revising the fees for subsequent false alarm incidents for registered and unregistered alarms users.
According to the new ordinance, residents face a fine increase from $200 to $250 for the sixth and subsequent false alarm instances.
• On first reading, lawmakers approved an ordinance to amend Miami Lakes’ official zoning map from the RM-23 District to the RO-13 District for a section of Shula’s Par 3 golf course.
The Graham Companies is requesting the rezoning for the site located on the east side of N.W. 77 Avenue and south of Miami Lakes Drive from low medium density residential district to low density residential/office district.
The property is 2.59 acres fronting on the east side of N.W. 77 Avenue/Palmetto Frontage Road.
The proposal includes releasing the property from a restrictive agreement that was imposed on the entire Par 3 golf course, as well as the four office parcels immediately south of the site, in connection with a former Miami-Dade County zoning public hearing process for the site.
A public hearing and final vote on the ordinance will take place at the January 13 Town Council meeting.
• Councilmembers approved a resolution to create a special taxing district for the Lake Patricia neighborhood lake maintenance services to be performed by Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management.
The residents of Lake Patricia requested assistance from Miami Lakes to provide a more structured payment process for maintaining their lake.
To ensure a more stabilized process, the town suggested the county’s special tax district initiative which provides a more stable and secure funding mechanism to maintain the lake.
In order to move forward, per County Code, the Town Council must approve the district’s creation by passing a resolution. If the resolution passes, a public hearing will be held by county commissioners to approve the district by an ordinance. If approved, an election will be conducted by mailed ballot to those in the district boundaries. A majority vote of returned ballots is needed to ratify the district creation.
The Town must also provide the Miami Dade County service provider with access to a community park located at 14105 Lake Childs Court via an ingress/egress easement.
• Lawmakers approved a resolution to create the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program to assist homeowners and business property owners with financing the installation of energy efficiency, wind resistance and renewable energy enhancements by executing an interlocal agreement with the Green Corridor Property Assessment Clean Energy (PACE) District.
State law allows local governments to create a PACE program in order to provide the upfront financing for energy conservation and efficiency renewable energy, wind resistance and other improvements.
PACE programs assist residents and business property owners in reducing their carbon footprint and energy costs, fortify private properties, preserve property values, stimulate the local economy by the creation of needed construction jobs and improves the Town’s overall storm resiliency and reduces its carbon footprint.
Miami Lakes must take three steps in order to establish the PACE Program, including sponsoring a resolution, execute an interlocal agreement to join other established PACE entities through the Green Corridor District like Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Cutler Bay, Miami Shores, Pinecrest, South Miami and Palmetto Bay, and the Green Corridor District must vote to approve Miami Lakes’ bid to join the District.
• Miami Lakes approved a resolution to award a contract in the amount of $88,000 to AUM Construction for sidewalk, curb and gutter replacement work.
The work includes the neighborhoods of Lake Katharine (north of Miami Lakeway South; Lake Martha and the “tree” streets; Lake Mary, Lake Suzie, Lake Sarah, Lake Adele and Lake Hilda; and Lake Patricia (south of Miami Lakeway South).
• Lawmakers gave Town Manager Alex Rey the green light to piggyback a contract through the National IPA Cooperative to purchase Informational Technology Solutions.
National IPA is a national municipal contracting cooperative comprised of governmental entities.
Purchases made during the fiscal year enable the upkeep of the information technology infrastructure and services at Town facilities. These include computer network management and security, wireless capabilities and security, network cabling management, power management, web and SPAM filtering, mobile computing and voice services.
• Lawmakers approved a resolution to allow Rey to piggyback a contract through Miami Beach to purchase painting and waterproofing services in an amount not to exceed money in the general fund budget.
Councilmember Tony Lama requested that the town manager consider the option of allowing Miami Lakes business owners to bid for those services.
In September 2014, Miami Beach awarded a contract for citywide painting (interior and exterior) and waterproofing services for city facilities. After reviewing their contract and its pricing terms, Rey recommended that the town access and piggyback the same contract, which is allowed under Section 7 of the Procurement Code.
Town staff reviewed the three contracts Miami Beach has in place. Depending on the scope and services required for individual projects, the Town will select the most cost-effective contractor on a per project basis. Pricing is 40-70 percent lower than the price available from any of the town’s current vendors.
• Councilmembers approved Cid’s recommendation to make a one-time purchase and installation of a canopy cover over the playground equipment at Royal Oaks Park.
During the budget hearings, Cid and Mayor Wayne Slaton requested that $50,000 be earmarked for the structure to prevent health problems for kids playing in the park.
• Lawmakers’ approved Lama’s request for town staff to schedule a workshop next month to discuss possible solutions to the ongoing traffic gridlock and the construction of the Palmetto Expressway that is causing additional vehicle pile ups.
Lama is inviting residents and Miami-Dade County and Florida officials to attend the session. Rey recommended a summit that would include county transportation and Florida officials and the town’s engineers.
• Councilmembers approved Slaton’s recommendation for town staff to create a resolution to finalize the proposed Miami Lakes Education Compact in coordination with Miami-Dade Public Schools.
The measure would go before councilmembers at the January Town Council meeting.
The town has five schools within its boundaries and one school outside the town that service students who live in Miami Lakes, including Barbara Goleman High School, Bob Graham Education Center, Miami Lakes Educational Center, Hialeah Miami Lakes, Miami Lakes K-8 Center and Miami Lakes Middle School.
Through the Education Compact program, the Public Schools District and the town will strive to meet the educational needs of youths in Miami Lakes and help to enhance the learning opportunities for all students. The Education Compact will include programs and projects that can be enriched, expedited or better realized through collaborative efforts.
• Lawmakers approved Councilmember Ceasar Mestre’s suggestion to use $50,000 in carryover money from the 2013-2014 budget for a joint marketing program with The Graham Companies and other property owners.
Mestre initially made the request during the budget hearings.
• Lawmakers approved Mestre’s recommendation to switch the regular Town Council meetings to the first Tuesday of each month and the fourth Tuesday as an alternate.
Mestre, an attorney, said the town’s meeting on the second Tuesday of each month poses a conflict with some of his clients business on land-use issues.
The change will take effect following the meeting in February.
• Town staff gave a report on exploring opportunities to encourage more outdoor dining in the town, including seeking feedback from the business community.
Based on the input received during a dining forum at Town Hall last month, staff addressed some concerns including parking requirements for outdoor dining, the required six foot wide clear regulation, unobstructed pedestrian paths that may be excessive, the prohibition on signage on umbrellas and canopies, and outdoor furniture that is required to be removable and can’t be permanently attached to the ground.
Staff’s preliminary plan includes regulations for sidewalk dining on the public right-of-way should be adjusted to properly account for outdoor dining; site plan review for outdoor dining does not necessitate an administrative site plan review; as required by the ADA, the unobstructed pedestrian path requirement be reduced from six feet to three, but town staff retain the ability to require a larger unobstructed path in cases of a public sidewalks that is an integral part of the town’s Greenways and Trails Master Plan; outdoor furniture be permitted to be permanently secured to the ground, subject to any applicable building code requirements, but attached outdoor furniture in connection with outdoor dining would continue to be prohibited in the public right-of-way; a public hearing is required when an outdoor dining area would create zero front setback be eliminated; and the town should consider requirements or incentives that would produce more attractive opportunities for outdoor dining upon any new development or substantial redevelopment of commercial areas.
Over the next few months, town staff will develop and bring for discussion amendments to the Land Development Code to address those issues.
• Rey released the town’s wish list for state funding during the 2015 Legislative Session including five different capital improvement projects, for a total request of $3.7 million.
The projects include the West Lakes Drainage Improvement plan, canal bank stabilization program, and stormwater drainage improvements for the areas of Lake Sarah, Lake Adele, Lake Hilda and Lake Suzie.
Miami Lakes will also request state funding for the Par 3 golf course to be converted to a passive park, and the town’s Greenways and Trails Master Plan.
• Following up on Cid’s recommendation to urge Miami-Dade to use the increased revenues for library taxes for improvements at the Miami Lakes branch, Rey brought back some good news.
After meeting with county’s officials, Rey said the library at 6999 Windmill Gate Road is already in the county’s pipeline for upgrades with money left over from the General Obligation Bond (GOB).
Rey said the county has allocated about $2.5 million for the library, including developing a library park plan with outside benches and tables, on the north side of the facility.
In addition, Rey said the parcel on the east side the library adjacent to the Miami-Dade fire station is owned by the county and the town is working to convey the area to expand the park library, including lush landscaping.
Rey said the town has been maintaining the land for years.
Also, Rey said on the south side of the library, the road adjacent to the Windmill Gate Shopping Center also belongs to the county and Miami Lakes is working to covey the land to expand the road to two lanes in and two lanes out to prevent traffic gridlock for residents living in the Windmill Gate community, shoppers and library users.