A clash between the developer and residents of a gated community near Lakeland Linder Airport appears to be a straightforward case but it’s not: Morgan Creek Preserve homeowners want to stop Landstar Lakeland from moving a portion of a visually appealing stormwater retention pond to make room for eight houses.
Category: City Hall
Posted inCity Hall
Commission Chips Property Taxes, Declines Homeless Funding
Highlights of tonight’s Lakeland City Commission budget hearing: Commissioners unanimously approved a $612 million 2019 budget as recommended by their staff. They granted a small reduction in the property tax rate. Compared with the current rate, the 2019 rate of 5.4644 mills will save property owners a dime for every $1,000 of taxable property, or […]
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Commission Declines to Endorse Felon Voting Amendment
Voters will decide in November whether Florida should join 37 other states that allow people convicted of felonies to vote after they have served their sentences, an issue that the Lakeland City Commission decided by a 5-to-2 vote Monday not to take a stand on.
Posted inCity Hall
Will 3 p.m. City Meetings Increase Citizen Participation?
When city commissioners changed their twice-a-month meeting time from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., they said they hoped the late-in-the-day start would encourage more citizen participation. With only two meetings held at the new time, it’s too early to draw any conclusions, but so far nobody has taken advantage of the public speaking time near […]
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First-Person Test: New Lakeland Electric Outage Map
On Tuesday afternoon, I heard a presentation about Lakeland Electric’s new online outage map. Early this morning, I got to experience it in real life when a transformer blew in our neighborhood near Dobbins Park.
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Electric Bill: After Base Rate Increase, Fuel Charge Falls
What goes up can also come down. You might remember that city commissioners raised the base rate for Lakeland Electric customers last month. On Tuesday, they reduced the fuel charge for October through December. Bottom line: The “typical” residential customer using 1,000 kWh a month will see a 50-cent reduction in the electric portion of their […]
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Mutz: Plan Would Reduce Lakeland’s Homeless Population
Mayor Bill Mutz is convinced that four steps recommended by a local steering committee will significantly reduce homelessness in Lakeland. On Friday morning, he tried to convince his colleagues on the City Commission that the plan needs the city’s financial backing, but several of them questioned whether government should take the lead on the homeless […]
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City Investigating Its HR Director
Mark Farrington, hired by the city of Lakeland as human resources and civil service director in 2014 after his predecessor left under a cloud, is on paid administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation, City Manager Tony Delgado acknowledged. It’s “mostly aimed at managerial responsibilities and managerial style, but I can’t go into […]
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City Commission Changes Meeting Time to 3 p.m.
In an attempt to make it easier for members of the public to attend, the Lakeland City Commission will start holding its twice-a-month Monday meetings at 3 p.m. instead of 9 a.m. next month.
Posted inCity Hall
Lakeland Plans to Keep Same Millage Rate
In a session to plan next year’s city budget, Lakeland commissioners voted 5-2 to keep the property tax rate at $5.5644 for every $1,000 of taxable value. Commissioners Michael Dunn and Justin Troller dissented, saying the city should forego the extra 8 percent that tax rate will bring in because of rising property values. Mayor […]