Village Council

Village of Wellington 12300 Forest Hill Blvd Wellington, FL 33414 Action Summary - Final Thursday, December 17, 2015 5:00 PM Special Meeting Village Hall Village Council Bob Margolis, Mayor John Greene, Vice Mayor Matt Willhite, Councilman Anne Gerwig, Councilwoman John T. McGovern, Councilman Village Council Action Summary - Final December 17, 2015 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Margolis called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Margolis led the Pledge of Allegiance 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There was no approval of the agenda. 3. REGULAR AGENDA A. 15-947 RESOLUTION NO. R2015-95 (APPROVAL OF BALLOT SUMMARY LANGUAGE) Mr. Schofield introduced the agenda item. Mr. Cohen presented the item. Council discussed the ordinance relating to the filling of vacancies. Ms. Cohen stated that there was the possibility that Council could reconsider and withdraw the ordinance; however, Roberts Rules of Order stated that they could not reconsider a motion to reconsider; however, the Village Code permits them to dispense with them but they would need four votes. A motion was made by Vice Mayor Greene, seconded by Councilman Willhite, and unanimously passed (5-0) to dispense of Roberts Rules. Public Hearing A motion was made by Councilman Willhite, seconded by Vice Mayor Greene, and unanimously passed (5-0) to open the Public Hearing. 1. Anthony Forgione, 12685 Coral Breeze Drive, Wellington. Mr. Forgione stated he has been a proud member of this community for seventeen years. He indicated he had a statement to read and that he was representing a coalition of residents in Wellington who were extremely concerned about the proposed referendum regarding filling future vacancies on the Council. He said they believe the ballot language and entire issue were confusing, and they asked that Council redraft the proposed Charter amendment. He mentioned they have spoken to attorneys who have said this could create a loophole for term limits and be challenged in court. Mr. Forgione stated they were prepared to fight this but would rather not. He thought the only way to fix this was to take it off the ballot and put it on at a future election. 2. James Williamson, 9657 Warswick Court, Wellington. Mr. Williamson thought this issue was very confusing. He said he was at the last Council Meeting when it even appeared confusing to Council. He thought they were the professionals and the politicians who knew the election laws, as the residents do not. He did not believe the residents needed to spend a lot of money to fight this, although he thought plenty of them would. Mr. Williamson Village of Wellington Page 1 Village Council Action Summary - Final December 17, 2015 stated it was up to their Councilmembers to do what is in the best interest of the residents, which is to make sure there are no loopholes for term limits. He asked Council to pull this from the ballot. He said they were in no hurry, as two more elections were forthcoming. He stated they would have plenty of time to work on it, clean up the language and do the best they could. 3. Rick Asnani, Cornerstone Solutions, 6917 Vista Parkway North, West Palm Beach. Mr. Asnani stated he was at the last Council Meeting when they were addressing this issue and they have heard comments tonight from some of the residents he is working with. He said they believe the voters will have a voice if the language is adjusted, but they would need to balance that with what they were dealing with. He mentioned they were putting together a coalition of Wellington residents to raise money to fight this issue and to keep term limits, because of the unintended consequences. Mr. Asnani indicated they would rather avoid that situation and partner with the Wellington Council to fix the language. He said the residents appreciated all the efforts of the Charter Review Committee and the Council. He strongly encouraged Council to reconsider this issue, as it could be put on the ballot in future elections. There being no further public comments, a motion was made by Vice Mayor Greene, seconded by Councilman Willhite, and unanimously passed (5-0) to close the Public Hearing. A motion was made by Councilman Willhite, seconded by Councilman McGovern, and passed (4-1) with Councilwoman Gerwig dissenting, to remove ballot #1, to reconsider it, and remove it from either resolution. Ms. Cohen indicated she prepared a revised resolution that eliminated that ballot question for Council's review. A motion was made by Councilman Willhite to support Resolution No. R2015-95 (Approval of Ballot Summary Language) with the caveat of removing lines 41 & 43 on page 1 as well as lines 14 & 16 and 33 & 35 on page 2. Councilman Willhite indicated his motion died for lack of a second and asked Mayor Margolis to call for another motion. A motion was made by Vice Mayor Greene, seconded by Councilman McGovern, and unanimously passed (5-0) to approve Resolution No. R2015-95 (Approval of Ballot Summary Language) as amended with the three questions. 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS None 5. ATTORNEY'S REPORT Ms. Cohen presented the following report: • She expressed her thanks to the SOE for her willingness to work with the Village. She appreciated it and was grateful for her cooperation. • She wished everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Safe, Happy, and Healthy New Year. 6. MANAGER'S REPORTS Village of Wellington Page 2 Village Council Action Summary - Final December 17, 2015 Mr. Schofield presented the following report: • He thanked Vice Mayor Greene for his participation in the employee function this afternoon. Vice Mayor Greene thought it was a great team building experience. 7. COUNCIL REPORTS Councilwoman Gerwigh indicated she had nothing to report. Vice Mayor Greene presented the following report: • He recognized staff for the great luncheon that was held that day. He said Council does not see the work that goes on, just the results. He thanked Mr. Schofield for that leadership, as it was a great way to acknowledge everyone for what they do every day all year long. • He wished everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and to be safe. Councilman Willhite had already left the meeting. Councilman McGovern presented the following report: • He echoed Vice Mayor Greene’s comments about the employee luncheon. • He also hoped to see everyone at the Anniversary celebration at the amphitheater from 9:00 am to 11:00 am on December 31st. Mayor Margolis presented the following report: • He wished a Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating and a Healthy and Happy New Year to all. 8. ADJOURNMENT NOTICE Village of Wellington Page 3