Several residents urged the Eustis Community Redevelopment Agency July 17 to reconsider board composition and to clarify how CRA funds reach Easttown, saying neighborhood voices need stronger representation.

Deidra Lewis, who said she lives at 1992 Meadowside Drive, asked the board whether any of the two newly added community members represent Easttown and where Easttown projects appear in the CRA budget. “I wanted to know, are any of those community members out of the Easttown area?” she asked, and later, “Can you tell me in your budget where is it that East Town is getting any of the dollars and funds? Because I don't see it.”

Tom, a city staff member, told residents that CRA projects are not always separated by neighborhood in the CRA packet and that many East Side improvements are funded through the city’s general fund. He also explained that Palmetto Plaza has been a multi-year roll-forward project and that staff would involve community input during planning.

Theo Waugh, a longtime resident, asked the board to “relook at” the legal structure and membership, saying he wanted more community members serving. Waugh asked whether the community member Tanya Wilder was the only Easttown voice; board members replied Wilder is present but not the only community voice the city recognizes.

Board and staff provided two explanations for why some community members serve as nonvoting participants. Tom and another staff presenter said the commission decided to limit voting members to those who are answerable to voters and taxpayers — meaning elected commissioners — and noted a legal limit. Tom said the state allows two additional community members when the city commission itself serves as the CRA board, which is why the CRA roster was expanded from five to seven members but limited to two community voting members.

At the meeting Mary, the CRA presenter, and other staff encouraged residents to use the planning process for projects such as Palmetto Plaza; staff said the project’s next steps would include planning for a tot lot, parking and active recreation and that community input has been part of past planning efforts.

No change to board voting rules was made at the July 17 meeting. Residents asked staff or the city attorney to provide the statutory language; Tom and other staff said they or the mayor could provide the statutory citation. The board’s composition and the question of whether to convert community members to voting members can be revisited in a future meeting, staff said.