Lakeland moved its city election date to coincide with the November general election date in a split vote at Thursday night’s board meeting. The change is expected to save thousands annually and also boost voter turnout for local elections.
The change requires a one-time term-limit extension for some current city and school board members, which alarmed two citizens who spoke out.
Commissioner Sherri Gallick was the only board member who voted against the ordinance. Thursday night was the ordinance’s final reading.
In the public hearing on this topic before the vote, Lakeland resident Stephanie Lefler expressed doubts that the date change will really help voters make informed choices. “I believe it will be very hard for the average person to be educated on local issues during the intense news coverage and brouhaha that surrounds a national election.”
She suggested an alternative she believes would be less overwhelming for the average voter — moving the city’s election date to coincide with county elections. She asked for a city-wide vote to avoid dividing the city once again on a hot issue.
Lou Melton of Lakeland praised the board’s decision to reduce costs but also questioned why citizens didn’t get a chance to vote.
Commissioner Sherri Gallick said such a vote would require a legislative act, and city attorney Chris Patterson confirmed her comment. He explained that there’s nothing that authorizes the city currently to send this kind of issue to a referendum.
Lakeland Mayor Wyatt Bunker also said that advocating for a legislative change is costly, complex and likely to take years of work toward an outcome that’s not guaranteed.
“We don’t find it appealing that this impacts our term, but there’s no other way around it,” Bunker said. “It’s going to impact someone’s term, and if we delay, it will cost dollars. The thing that we need to remain focused on is that doing this will boost turnout and will save money, to the tune of $100,000 over the next 10 years.”
Under the new ordinance, these officials will have their terms expire in November 2018 instead of September 2017: Lakeland Commissioners Sherri Gallick and Clark Plunk, as well as school board chair Kevin Floyd and school board members Laura Harrison and Kelley Hale.
These officials will have their terms expire in November 2020 instead of September 2019: City Commissioner Michele Dial, Commissioner and Vice-Mayor Josh Roman, and school board members Teresa Henry and Geoff Hicks.
School board members are also affected because state law requires them to have the same election dates and methods as their city boards.
Public hearings
No citizens spoke up at either of the two other public hearings:
- The public hearing on an ordinance that amends the city’s zoning map. The change rezones the Evolve property (just west of Chambers Chapel Road), from Agricultural (AG) and R-1 (Low Density Residential to R-1, R-2 (Medium Density Residential), OS-3 (General Open Space) and OS-5 (Conservation Area C). The ordinance passed on final reading later in the meeting. Online, see the map and the staff report on this ordinance.
- The public hearing on an ordinance that makes administrative edits to the Land Development Regulations for the city. The ordinance passed on final reading later in the meeting. See details at lakelandtn.gov/Document Center/View/4818.
Retaining wall bid approved
The board also approved a construction agreement with low bidder Magnolia Underground Construction Inc. for the Oakwood Subdivision Retaining Wall Project.
The bid was for $39,530 plus a construction contingency of $2,000 to cover unforeseen costs, creating a total project cost of $41,530.
The work is needed because a property at 4562 Mitchwood Oak Drive backs up to a drainage outlet structure. Because of the steep slope, the homeowner’s back yard is severely eroded, and large sinkholes have appeared. A2H designed a retaining wall to reduce the slope and added a drainage inlet to capture the excess water. Riprap will also be installed at the outlet structure and along the drainage swale behind the property to stabilize the banks.
Online, see this project’s staff report and the resolution.
Software buy approved for data management
The city a management software. The board authorized City Manager Jim Atkinson to execute a contract with Beehive Industries LLC for up to $30,500, which is $19,500 under the city’s budgeted amount. The software is designed to efficiently and effectively track and maintain city assets (such as infrastructure and fleet) while also tracking the delivery of services (such as permits and code enforcement).
Atkinson recommended the system after much research and demonstrations, saying the system’s ability to consolidate data and generate reports will help both staff and elected officials in making decisions.
Modules in the system include wastewater, stormwater, fleet, streets, signs, code enforcement, permits, work engine, parks, facilities and homebase (public interface).
Other business
In other business, the city board also:
- Was reminded by Atkinson that the city would open bids on the Lakeland Middle School project on Jan. 19. Details were not available at press time on Tuesday.
- Accepted the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. The city received a clean audit. The full 101-page document can be reviewed online at lakelandtn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4826.
- Approved an amended preliminary development plan for the Kensington Manor Planned Development. The board compromised with developer Paul Ryan of Regency Home Builders in Germantown, who asked for in-lieu-of payments to be made in Phase 5 of the project. The city’s normal requirement is payment in Phase 1, but because of several considerations the board compromised on payment in Phase 3. Online, see the staff report, supporting documents and the resolution.
- Authorized the mayor to execute a residential subdivision development contract with Regency Homebuilders, LLC for a 24-lot subdivision to be known as Kensington Manor Phase 1.
- Killed a resolution to make the KLB campaign an official sub-committee of the Parks and Recreation Board. The vote was split, with Bunker as the lone “aye” voter, noting that the change would have opened up new resources for KLB’s work. The vote means that KLB will remain as a distinct entity for now. A later ordinance could make it an official separate board of its own.
- Approved a new logo (text only) and an alternate logo (text plus an image of a tree) for the city.
- Approved “Where Quality is a Way of Life” as the city’s new slogan.
- Appointed City Engineer Emily Harrell to the Shelby County Municipal Solid Waste Planning Board.
- Authorized Atkinson to negotiate a contract with Lend Lease (US) Infra-structure LLC to site a communication tower on five acres of city-owned property located west of Canada Road and east of El Hill Road.
Approved the city’s gateway signs design. Lakeland is using EDGE grant funds to construct the signs. (See conceptual sketches at right for the large and small gateway signs.)- Approved the first reading of an ordinance to amend the city’s FY2015-16 budget. Several new revenues/expenditures were identified after the budget passed on June 11 and was initially amended on Aug. 13. The changes will account for various administrative revisions, the capital outlay note (CON) premium, the first interest payment for the CON, the addition of unlimited yard waste pick-up for Lakeland residents, and various School System Fund corrections. See details online at lakelandtn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4839.
- Approved the first reading of an ordinance to amend the membership of the Economic Development Commission and updating the Lakeland Code.
- Approved submission of applications for funding through the 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
See all supporting documents, staff reports, resolutions and ordinances linked within the agenda for this meeting.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
