Lakeland’s city board swore in two new members at the Oct. 20 meeting and also had first reading of two ordinances governing trees on development sites and door-to-door salesmen.
Board members also approved resolutions related to the 156 single-family-lot subdivision of Oakwood Grove.
Tree bank
The new ordinance will ease fees that developers must pay for the Tree Bank Contribution and is expected to create more business development opportunities that will offsee the fee change. Two months ago, the Municipal Planning Commission discovered that the Tree Bank Contribution formula appeared too punitive in the case of the Krystal site plan.
The fees, established in 2013, were designed to ensure that trees felled during development are replaced with new plantings.
The new ordinance is intended for circumstances where on-site planting of replacement trees is not possible due to the physical condition of a lot, when tree canopy requirements cannot be met due to site constraints, or for mitigation of violations.
Options were presented to the MPC last month and the discussion indicated that action was needed and that action seemed to favor a sliding scale or fixed cap on the Tree Bank Contribution.
Door-to-door
The vendor ordinance is designed to protect Lakeland citizens from unwanted sales calls at their private residences and ensure through a permit process that the approved vendors are legitimate. It also protects the rights of vendors to conduct sales calls unless citizens have registered with a “do not knock” list on file at city hall.
Vendors who receive permits will get a copy of the list, and there is a $50 fine per violation.
Oakwood Grove
The board approved the concept sanitary sewer plan for the Oakwood Grove subdivision.
The request letter from the developer formally asks for access to the city’s sanitary sewer system and provides a plan of action. Part of that plan is a proposed relocation of the city’s existing pump station currently located at the eastern terminus of Maple Walk Drive to the eastern portion of the proposed subdivision.
Another approved resolution also applies to that same subdivision. The resolution authorizes the city manager to advertise and contract for necessary storm water improvements in that subdivision. The area has storm water issues that require immediate attention and repairs will likely exceed $10,000.
Other business
In other business, the mayor and city board:
- Swore in new board members Josh Roman and Michele Dial.
- Chose Roman as vice mayor.
- Appointed Steve Snow to the Parks and Recreation/Natural Resources Board.
- Appointed board liaisons to other city organizations: Parks and Recreation/National Resources Board, Dial; Board of Appeals/Storm Water Board of Appeals, mayor Wyatt Bunker; and Design Review Commission/ Municipal Planning Commission, Clark Plunk.
- Rescheduled one of the two annual town hall meetings to Nov. 17. It will begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the city’s regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m.
- Discussed a suggested ordinance to require public trash cans be placed at commercial shopping centers and office parks.
- Discussed a suggested ordinance to require trash can pads on new home sites.
