Village Council Workshop

Village of Wellington 12300 Forest Hill Blvd Wellington, FL 33414 Action Summary - Final Monday, February 22, 2021 4:00 PM Village Hall - Conference Rooms 1E & 1F Village Council Workshop Anne Gerwig, Mayor Tanya Siskind, Vice Mayor John T. McGovern, Councilman Michael Drahos, Councilman Michael Napoleone, Councilman Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Gerwig called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Council Members in Attendance: Anne Gerwig, Mayor; Tanya Siskind, Vice Mayor; John McGovern, Councilman; Michael Napoleone, Councilman and Michael Drahos, Councilman. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Gerwig led the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. REVIEW OF COUNCIL AGENDA Mr. Barnes introduced the agenda for the February 23, 2021, Regular Council Meeting for review. A. 20-4254 PACK 125 ANNUAL PINEWOOD DERBY INVITATION Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is a Request from Pack 125 to address the Mayor and Council to extend an invitation to them to participate in their Annual Pinewood Derby. He said that Mr. Wertepny would be in attendance to make the request. He said that last year was a banner year for the Village, given that it was the first time we contended and actually won. He said that Mr. Wertepny would be here to issue the challenge and the Village has already challenged the PBC Sheriff's Department and Fire Rescue Department. Mayor Gerwig asked Councilman Napoleone if the team was ready. Councilman Napoleone stated that the car was still in the box, but they still had two weeks and they are ready. B. 20-4267 RECOGNITION OF 2021 PALM BEACH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR FROM PALM BEACH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, JUSTIN ARNONE Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is the recognition of the 2021 Palm Beach County School District's Assistant Principal of the Year, Justin Arnone, from Palm Beach Central High School. He said that Mr. Arnone will be in attendance for the Village to recognize for that achievement. C. 20-4260 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL WELLINGTON COUNCIL MEETING OF JANUARY 26, 2021 AND MINUTES OF THE REGULAR WELLINGTON COUNCIL MEETING OF FEBRUARY 9, 2021 Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is the Council Approval Village of Wellington Page 1 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 of the Minutes of the Special Wellington Council Meeting of January 26, 2021 and Minutes of the Regular Wellington Council Meeting of February 9, 2021. He said that if there were any comments or modifications, please send those to Ms. Addie and she will make sure those are incorporated. D. 20-4233 AUTHORIZATION TO AWARD A TASK ORDER TO PROVIDE ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is the Authorization to Award a Task Order to Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to provide Engineering Consulting Services for the Chemical Feed System Rehabilitation and Improvements Project, in the amount of $99,630. Ms. LaRocque said that staff is requesting an approval of authorization to award a task order with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc to do design work for chemical system improvements at the water plant in the amount of $99,630. She said that we have about six chemical various feed systems that we use to ensure that we meet all regulatory requirements and maintain adequate finished water quality. She said that these systems are at their useful life and they require complete replacement. She mentioned that with this work authorization, we will get a design package that we can utilize to select a contractor to install. She said that this is budgeted in the Utility Capital Budget. E. 20-4265 ORDINANCE NO. 2020-22 (REPEAL HOUSING ELEMENT AND REPLACE WITH THE HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS ELEMENT) AN ORDINANCE OF WELLINGTON, FLORIDA’S COUNCIL AMENDING THE WELLINGTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, MORE SPECIFICALLY, TO REPEAL THE HOUSING ELEMENT AND REPLACE WITH THE HOUSING & NEIGHBORHOODS ELEMENT, IN ITS ENTIRETY, AS CONTAINED HEREIN; PROVIDING A CONFLICTS CLAUSE; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is the Approval of Ordinance No. 2020-22, a Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment (CPTA) to Repeal the Housing Element and Replace with the Housing and Neighborhoods Element of Wellington's Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Stillings explained that this is one of the required elements. He said that they are renaming it from the Housing Element to Housing and Neighborhoods Element. He said that this is really just to focus on the fact that our housing is more than just the housing themselves but also the neighborhoods that make them up. He said that it has been expanded Village of Wellington Page 2 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 from one goal to five goals, which focus on protection and preservation, housing choice and availability, senior housing, attainable housing and sustainability. He said that the Planning Board heard the element in December and recommended 6-0 for approval. He said that there would be a lengthier presentation at the next meeting. F. 20-4266 ORDINANCE NO. 2020-21 (REPEAL INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENT AND REPLACE WITH THE PUBLIC FACILITIES ELEMENT) AN ORDINANCE OF WELLINGTON, FLORIDA’S COUNCIL AMENDING THE WELLINGTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, MORE SPECIFICALLY, TO REPEAL THE INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENT AND REPLACE WITH THE PUBLIC FACILITIES ELEMENT, IN ITS ENTIRETY, AS CONTAINED HEREIN; PROVIDING A CONFLICTS CLAUSE; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is the Approval of Ordinance No. 2020-21, a Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment (CPTA) to Repeal the Infrastructure Element and Replace with the Public Facilities Element of Wellington's Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Stillings stated that this element is repealing the Infrastructure element and replacing with Public Facilities Element. He said that this is also a required element. He mentioned that each of the facilities is set up with a goal with a specific objective and policies. These range from water/wastewater, surface water, solid waste, transportation and public buildings/facilities. He said that this was also heard in December by the Planning Board and the board recommended approval 6-0. Mr. Stillings stated that with these 2 proposed elements, it will take staff halfway through the ten that they will be bringing forward to the Council. Councilman McGovern asked when they get into transportation/mobility and multi-motor transport, if there is a clear statement that talks about traffic mitigation. He asked if that is in the current element and if not, should it be. Mr. Stillings stated that in this particular element, it is about the facility itself. He said that the mobility element is where there will be the more focused discussion on traffic mitigation, traffic calming and lane widths. Councilman McGovern asked if that was not in the first part of this element. Mr. Stillings stated that on page 102, staff placed language in there to recognize that the transportation system is a key component to the public facility. He said that is because there is a specific element where the Village of Wellington Page 3 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 bulk of the goals, objectives and policies will be. Councilman McGovern stated that the Village will have them, but it will be in a different place. Mr. Stillings stated that was correct. He said that would be coming to Council somewhere around April or May. Mayor Gerwig asked if Mr. Stillings would be going into more detail at the next meeting. Mr. Stillings replied affirmatively. G. 20-4255 APPOINTMENT OF CANVASSING BOARD MEMBER AND AN ALTERNATE Mr. Barnes introduced the item. He said that this is the Council's Discussion and Appointment of a Community Member and Alternate to the Village Canvassing Board. Councilman Napoleone stated that the Village only had two people that applied, so there is one person for each. Mayor Gerwig stated that the Village needs a canvassing board appointment because an odd number on the board is needed. 4. WORKSHOP Mr. Barnes stated that they have two items they would like to cover as a presentation for workshop items in the workshop setting. He said that one item will be with Mr. Watson and Mr. Coker attending via Zoom to provide an update on the early legislative happenings in Tallahassee. He said that after that item, they have Captain Silva there to give a general presentation on an operation that the Sheriff's Office in District 8 has been working on as it relates to traffic, accidents and enforcement. Mr. Watson thanked the Council for having them at the meeting. He congratulated Mr. Barnes on his new position. He gave a summary of what was going on in Tallahassee regarding some of the bills. He mentioned that it has not been "business as usual." He discussed the atmosphere at the Capital with meetings with the legislators under the current COVID-19 conditions. He said most meetings are taking place via Zoom, text messages or calls. He mentioned a few of the bills that are up for discussion. The first one was Mr. Willhite's Fireworks Bill that involves the equestrian area. He said that there is a bill number, but had not been referenced. He said that they used to put all the smaller local bills together and hash them out all at once, but that is not how it is done Village of Wellington Page 4 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 this year. Each bill is being treated like its own individual bill. This means that they are not doing Consent agreements for local bills on the Consent Agenda. Each bill must be presented on its own. Mr. Willhite has talked to a few senators and talked to Travis Hussin last year about this bill and did not feel there would be a problem. Mr. Willhite has also talked to both Republicans and Democrats about the bill. He said that Mr. Willhite is doing his job, but it probably will not be until March before they have any momentum with this bill and other local bills. He mentioned that if there were any local stories of a horse being injured because of fireworks or maybe a veterinarian that has seen something, Mr. Willhite has indicated that any real/true life/hometown stories of problems surrounding fireworks during certain holidays would be helpful. He stated that the other bill was the Indian Trail Improvement that has the very same situation with its' references but no real movement and they will be monitoring that. He mentioned that there are some local preemption bills in the Florida House and Senate. He said that there are three that they have monitored, which are building design preemption, public works restrictions and home based businesses. He said that they have not moved in the Senate, but they have companion bills and have had at least one hearing in the House. He mentioned that they are seeing a lot of fast track bills. Mr. Watson stated that the House has taken a lead in moving these bills and the Senate has not. He said that the Senate could possibly not be moving them or they may just get delayed. There is a fees and impact fees bill, SB750, in the House and Senate and it has not moved in either chamber. There are some special district bills, such as SB1103 which has not been referenced and has no companion bill. There is SB62, which has been through one committee in Senate but no companion bill in the House. Neither one of the Regional Planning Council bills have companions. He said that the Local Government Transparency bill is back again, being backed by Senator Diaz. He said that it has no companions and no hearing in the Senate yet. He mentioned that there is a Reverse Preemption bill on tree pruning by Senator Stewart and Representative Eskamani with no movement in either chamber. He mentioned that there are three other bills that they may have heard about. The first is COVID Liability with business and some issues in the bill regarding local governments. That bill has been through one committee in the Senate and got TP'd in the second committee, but is already on the floor of the House. The other bill is the Public Protest bill, which there are no Senate hearings on that, but has had one stop in the House. Finally, the Vacation Rentals bill has been through one hearing in the Senate and one hearing in the House. He said that there has been some quick movement in the House and in the Senate on several bills. He said that there is a concern in Tallahassee that they may not finish this session. Mr. Watson indicated that they have told staff not to plan for anything in June to be prepared on the budget in June. He mentioned that there is Village of Wellington Page 5 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 some thought that if they have some members dropping, that they will not have a quorum and then they would have to take a possible recess. Because of this, they are seeing some things move fairly quickly, like the COVID issues and a few other things that some would like to get out in the first two weeks of session. They will then start working on the budget and some other bills. He said that he does not see a lot passing. For some sessions, they get a lot done early. He mentioned that reapportionment will not be discussed this session, but may start discussions in the fall. He said that he was going to have Mr. Coker speak on the budget because they are addressing that a completely different way. Mayor Gerwig suggested that they take questions at that point. She asked that if he has a strong prediction on Vacation Rentals, if he could speak on that. She mentioned that the Council did passed an ordinance that would totally wipe that out. She asked Ms. Cohen if that was correct. Ms. Cohen stated that she would have to read the language of the bill. She said that she cannot answer that, but will take a look at it before the next meeting. Mr. Coker stated that Ms. Cohen needed to make sure that she was looking at the correct version of the bill, because they amended it the previous week. He said that he spoke with the sponsor of the bill and he told him that many of his clients had issues with the preemptive section of the bill and felt that was pretty common around the State. He said that they looked at when the bill died last year, it was in the Senate at the point of where that preemptive language was removed. The sponsor indicated that if we were willing to work with him through the process, he would be happy to have that be the ending language without the preemptive language within it. Mr. Coker stated that he felt the sponsor also wanted to see what the industry partners were going to have to say about it. Mayor Gerwig stated that Mr. Coker could move on to the budget. Mr. Coker stated that in December, Amy Baker and her team of economists came out with the estimated projection of $3.3 billion in the hole when it comes to the revenue statewide. He said that in January, they were then looking at $2.2 billion down. He said that they have taken a few actions to try and get ahead of the negative that the state is in. He said that the Senate is essentially starting over from the beginning, starting at 0. Every project that the Senate is going to buy or fund this year, including recurring dollar projects, are all going to have to be justified and proven to be with merit. They will scrutinize every bill. He Village of Wellington Page 6 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 said that they have discussed passing some language trying to collect sales tax from internet purposes from places like Amazon. He said that they think it would be around approximately $600-$700 million that could be recovered to put towards our revenue shortfall. He said that he believes they will be funding Visit Florida in some form or another because it is really important to get tourists back to the State. He mentioned that there is a major Medicaid shortfall around $700 million. All this shortfall has to be recovered from other places because there is not a savings account or a backup to fill the shortfall we are in. He said that the Senate will be scrutinizing every project and the Governor has made it very clear that he will exercise the veto. He said that outside of all that, he does not feel they will be funding too many new projects. He said that there will be a lot of trimming that takes place to make up for how bad we are in the hole. Mayor Gerwig asked if conservation dollars are an issue. Mr. Coker replied that the Governor and legislature has shown that conservation is something that is important to all of them to invest in, such as water storage on the north side of the lake versus the reservoir technology they had previously discussed. He said that he does not believe there is any plan to cut the conservation dollars. He said that he just thinks that they will have to put every single dollar on the table and divide it up in the most equitable fashion that they can. Mr. Watson stated that they are looking at zero based budget in the Senate, which has not been done since he can remember. He said that on re-occurring dollars, you have to come in justified. He said that could come on the land conservation items, P2000 and all those other projects. He said that they are asking agencies come to their hearings and go through their budget to show not where their budgets are, but where they are cutting. He said that they will see more discussion on Lake Okeechobee storage as well as other water projects. He said that anything with the pandemic or health related will go quickly. Items with infrastructure and toll roads will be discussed. There may be some discussion on the Seminole Compact. Mayor Gerwig stated that the Village was ready for not asking for money this year and staff has prepared Council for that. She said that she appreciates them looking out for the Village in Tallahassee. Councilman McGovern asked that when looking at this preemption of local occupational licenses, is that the same thing from before. He said he was referring to SB 268 and HB 735. Village of Wellington Page 7 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 Mr. Watson stated that was correct and said that he believes it is the same, but he will dig a little deeper so that he can back up what he is telling us. He said a lot of the bills are the same ones that they have seen before. He said that he does not believe that the Home Based Businesses was in its current form. He said that the League of Cities is fired up on that one. He said that he will look up that one and let Council know for sure. Mr. Watson stated that he would be shocked if these preemptive bills are on the fast moving train for early in session. Mr. Coker stated that as far as conservation dollars, he knows that there has been a big push by a number of different groups to continue the funding levels for septic to sewer conversion, which is something the Village could possibly benefit from down the road. He said that there is a measure that is being considered to make up some lost revenue and bring back some money to some restaurants. He said that "booze to go" may become a permanent thing as he did not see a sunset provision in the latest version of the bill. Mayor Gerwig asked if that Occupational License bill was the exact same one that came up last year. She asked if it was the one where it said no matter what your business was you could do it in a residential neighborhood. Councilman Napoleone stated that there are two different ones - Home Based Businesses and Occupational License. Councilman McGovern said that the Home Based Businesses bill is what the Mayor referenced and the Occupational License starts down the road of taking them away. Mr. Coker stated that he does not know if those bills are identical from 2019 to 2020 to 2021. He said that he can also research those as well. Mayor Gerwig informed Mr. Watson and Mr. Coker that the Village does not consider the Occupational Licenses a "money maker" for the Village. She said that it is used to monitor the economic activity here and helps the Village know what it has and does not have. She said that our fees are very low comparatively. She said that as it is not a money making thing, it is very important to the Village. She said that if Mr. Watson and Mr. Coker need stories about that, they would be happy to help in that aspect. She asked Ms. Quickel how much the Village charges for the licenses. Ms. Quickel stated that she was not aware of how much they are individually. She said that they do send out a little under 4,000. Village of Wellington Page 8 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 Mayor Gerwig stated that she thought her occupational license for her business was around $100. She said that by the time the Village monitors and maintains it, it really is not a big money maker. Mr. Watson stated that he and Mr. Coker will do a little more digging and speak with a few more members. He said that they may come back to the Village and ask for some stories. Mayor Gerwig stated that the Village had revised license requirements. Each professional business, each licensed professional did not have to have a separate license. She said that they may want some stories on that. Mr. Watson stated that there are a lot of bills out there such as health care bills and lawyer bills. Another thing that has gotten a lot of attention is broadband. They are working on expanding broadband in the rural areas. He said a lot of us are lucky to have it and there are large areas of Florida that do not have it. It has been more evident with people being at home and children in school and the disadvantages of some of these areas that do not have broadband. Mayor Gerwig stated that she felt we would be a good example on that one too. She said that the Palm Beach County League of Cities, Palm Beach County School District and Palm Beach County have all gotten together to determine where the need is. She said that the Village has partnered with Comcast and have tried to figure out good ways to provide those services. She said that if they need stories about that, the Village can provide those. She asked Mr. Watson if there were any benefits to municipalities passing resolutions in support or against SB62. She said that the Regional Planning Council is a partner to the Village. She said that the way she understands it, that bill just guts the whole thing. She asked if there really is a benefit in doing that. Mr. Watson stated that it depends on the situations. When they are attacking governments or quasi-governments, then hearing from governments that they do not like it, may or may not be a good thing. He said that he leans toward saying it is fine, but sometimes there may be instances where you do not want to do such a thing. He said that you have a right for them to hear you, they should hear you and you have experienced the benefits of this. He said that he says "why not" if you feel strongly about it. Mr. Coker stated that he agreed. Village of Wellington Page 9 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 Councilman McGovern stated that he felt Ms. Cohen or Ms. Quickel should send Mr. Watson and Mr. Coker a copy of the Vacation Rental Ordinance for their reference. He mentioned that the ordinance was much more about the number of how many people could be in the home, parking spaces, how many vehicles could be on site and how late people could be there visiting. He said that the Village's issues were much different than what other communities are dealing with and what has drawn the eye of people in that industry and the attention of legislators. He stated that he thought it would be beneficial for them to have that information. Ms. Cohen stated that she would be happy to send it to them. Mr. Watson stated he agreed with Councilman McGovern. He stated that one other thing to be on the lookout for is another legislation of the Right to Farm. He said that it has a lot of momentum in the Senate and has not left the House yet. This basically says that if you move into an existing farm operation that has been in business for over a year, they cannot sue them for nuisance. There are some that do not like this, but there have been some instances in various parts of Florida. Some of the issues are crop dusters, smells and dust. You would have to be within a half mile and the business would have to have been in operation for over a year. If they change the use of the farm operation, then it does not apply. Mayor Gerwig asked if he was saying that there could likely be an expansion of the protection or an erosion of the protection. Mr. Watson said that it would be an expansion. Certain people do not believe the current right to farm goes far enough in the rural areas. Mayor Gerwig stated that she does not foresee that kind of an issue being a problem in Wellington. Mr. Barnes asked Captain Silva to give the Council an update on Operation Bent Metal. Captain Silva gave the Council a copy of the action plan. He explained that each year they do different operations and this year they changed their focus to Operation Bent Metal. The focus in the past has been the mitigation of sales of alcohol to minors and impaired driving, in general. This year, they are focusing on the mitigation of traffic crashes and particularly, fatalities. He mentioned that because of the pandemic, they took a "hiatus" with a hands off approach with traffic enforcement, in attempt to mitigate the chance of spreading the virus. He said that at the end of the year, they determined they were going to get back on track Village of Wellington Page 10 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 because the culture of the roadway started changing. He pointed out an article from USA Today, regarding traffic fatalities during the pandemic going up 18% nationwide. He said that is a trend that they do not want to see in Wellington. He said that the main plan of this is strategic deployment. He pointed out that on Page 3, there is an analysis of where the crashes are occurring in the Village, with the times and days that they are generally occurring. They are strategically deploying officers geographically and time wise to try to head that off. He said that Forest Hill Boulevard and State Road 7, Wednesday through Friday, and later in the day is the peak of when these crashes are occurring. He mentioned that there was a fatality coming out of Kobosko's Plaza with an older gentleman pulling out in traffic and resulting in a fatality. They started this plan January 13th and it will be extended through the end of March. He mentioned that so far, it is yielding some pretty good results. Year to date comparison of last year (2020) January 13 through February 13, they had 884 traffic stops and this year, we are up to 1,333 traffic stops. That is a 33% increase in traffic stops. Captain Silva stated that the good news is that in 2020, the traffic crashes were 208 and the same time period this year, we went to 159. That is a reduction of 23.5%. He said that he feels that it is due partly to their efforts paying off. He explained that there are some other strategies that they still have to do that are listed on Page 1. He said that they will be getting with Mr. Barnes and do something on social media and the Village's television station. He stated that they have been moving people's schedules and they have been getting motor men from other regions to help out with traffic enforcement. He mentioned that there is something called the "symbolic effect" that when they have traffic enforcement going on they are hoping that the traffic crashes will stay at bay. He said that they are very visible and people have mentioned that they see officers out on 441 and Forest Hill alot. Mayor Gerwig asked Captain Silva if there could be more enforcement in the neighborhoods. She said that there is crazy driving behavior on the residential streets and people ignoring the speed limits. Captain Silva stated that he has gotten complaints from neighborhood areas that they do not see enough of the police in the areas. He said that he understands with everything going on, people are stressed and that is showing in all aspects of life. He said that they are getting in the neighborhoods, often in unmarked cars. He said that they have been focusing on the main thoroughfares a little bit more with this plan, but they still are making appearances in the neighborhoods. Councilman McGovern asked about the information on Page 1, that has an emphasis on Forest Hill Boulevard and State Road 7. He asked what Village of Wellington Page 11 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 the difference is between the number of crashes and the number of accidents on the chart. Captain Silva stated that the number of crashes in red are within a six month period at that particular location and the number of accidents in blue is how many crashes are happening within that time period for the whole Village. Mayor Gerwig asked if that chart could be broken down a little more to make it clear to be read and if the intersections could be more clearly identified. Councilman McGovern asked if they are concentrating on the areas where they are seeing the most crashes and moving people into those places. Captain Silva stated that was correct. Councilman McGovern asked if they were looking for just speed or speed and potential for devices, such as phones. Captain Silva stated that everything is in play. He said that it all plays a part, even seatbelt violations. He mentioned that speed is the main thing that they are trying to slow down. He said that when the pandemic was going on, traffic became more sparse and people started driving a lot faster. He said that they are trying to use this effort to reign all that back in and get normalcy back. Councilman McGovern asked if we have flexibility with this and are able to move from point A to point B. Captain Silva stated that was correct. Mayor Gerwig stated that we really need people to realize how significant these accidents can be. She said that whatever they have the Village will help get that message out. Captain Silva stated that they are more than happy to hear and use any ideas that the Council may have. He said that traffic enforcement is their number one priority. He said that thankfully Wellington is a low crime area. Captain Silva indicated that the other crime statistics are very low, so if someone is going to get hurt, it is usually by a traffic incident. Mayor Gerwig stated that golf cart safety is a needed emphasis. Village of Wellington Page 12 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 Captain Silva stated that was another one as well as the small motor bikes on the trail ways. He reminded the Council that on Wednesday, February 24 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., there would be a forum on policing held in Royal Palm Beach and that they are invited. 5. ATTORNEY'S COMMENTS Ms. Cohen mentioned that there is a dispute with Waste Management, as the Council is aware, and they have asked for mediation pursuant to our agreement. She said at the next meeting, she will be looking for a Council representative to attend the mediation. Ms. Cohen stated there is not a scheduled date as of yet, but they expect to have one soon. She said that she will need a representative who can be flexible enough to attend that mediation. 6. MANAGER COMMENTS Mr. Barnes stated that as a follow up on the presentation from Mr. Watson and Mr. Coker, on the topic of Business Tax Receipts, we had nearly $1 million of revenue in 2019 and dropped to $860,000 in 2020. This year we are targeting around $700,000 fiscal year to date. Mayor Gerwig stated that it is a significant amount. Mr. Barnes stated that yes, it is a chunk of money. It is not a big part of the budget, but $1 million is a considerable source of revenue. He said that the amount we get is covering the cost of maintenance. Mr. Barnes stated that we could collect more, as it is all based on interpretation. Mayor Gerwig asked if we lost that many businesses last year or does it have something to do with the new system. Ms. Quickel stated that we are off about $100,000 year to date from where we were a year ago with collections at this point. Staff has had 169 actually notify us that they are closed, but they have about 800-900 that they have not renewed yet. Mayor Gerwig stated that she felt we were just facing some difficulties in that process still. Ms. Quickel agreed. Councilman McGovern asked about the location of the Civics program. Mr. Barnes stated that it was on Zoom and would be best done at individual desks. Village of Wellington Page 13 Village Council Workshop Action Summary - Final February 22, 2021 7. COUNCIL COMMENTS None. 8. ADJOURN There being no further business to discuss with Council, the meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m. Village of Wellington Page 14