Haines City adopts facility-naming policy

HAINES CITY — It took only about 25 minutes for a shorthanded City Commission to get through Thursday night’s meeting.

There was no dissent throughout the meeting and only one member of the audience was in attendance. Mayor Morris West and Commissioner Anne Huffman were each attending a Florida League of Cities event and were absent Thursday night.

The commission voted 3-0 to approve guidelines for naming city parks and facilities. The item was previously before the City Commission, but commissioners didn’t like the idea of having the naming committee comprised of five city employees.

Instead, the committee will consist of five residents and the parks and recreation director or someone the director designates. The five residents will be selected by the commission.

“Each one of you guys will have to come back with a recommendation for the board,” Terrell Griffin, the city’s parks and recreation director, told the commission Thursday night.

Any resident or business owner can suggest a name for a facility or honorary plaque but when suggesting a person, the guidelines require that he or she have made significant contributions to the city. Renaming of parks named in honor of an individual will be discouraged unless it is determined that the person’s character was such that a facility bearing his or her name could be considered detrimental to the community.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business Thursday night, the City Commission voted 3-0 to adopt the 2019 meeting schedule. The only change outside of the traditional first and third meeting dates will come in July. Rather than meeting the first Thursday, which falls on Independence Day, commissioners will meet on Tuesday, July 2.

The City Commission also voted 3-0 to continue transit service with Citrus Connection. The city’s portion for the 2018-19 fiscal year will be nearly $46,000 – an increase of almost $17,000 or 58 percent. The city will not see increases in either of the next two fiscal years.

Mike Ferguson can be reached at Mike.Ferguson@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.