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Loch Lomond residents petition council for guardhouse renovation; petition reaches 10% threshold, council seeks clarification before ballot
Summary
Loch Lomond homeowners collected signatures to ask the town to send options for renovating the guardhouse to voters; council and staff asked residents to clarify whether signatures support minor renovation, full rebuild or both, and staff said cost estimates and a proper ballot mechanism must be confirmed before proceeding.
Homeowners in the Loch Lomond special taxing district gathered signatures seeking a vote on guardhouse improvements, but council members and staff said the petition needs clearer wording and cost details before the town advances a ballot.
What residents asked: Patrick Cumple, identified at the meeting as president of the homeowners association, told the council the petition was intended to give residents a choice rather than let the council decide. “Don't put it in our hands. You guys take the reins. You tell us, do you wanna spend the $2.50 to completely, you know, knock it down and build it back up or maybe a more modest amount to to renovate?” he said, explaining he collected the signatures to choose among options.
Council response and legal steps: JP (staff) and multiple council members said the petition reached the 10% signature threshold the STD ordinance requires to proceed, but they raised a procedural concern: the petition did not make clear whether signers supported a minor renovation, a full rebuild or a modest renovation with a bathroom. Councilman Herzberg and others recommended clarifying which option had support before sending anything to a ballot.
Costs and financing: Staff said ballpark construction-only estimates are in exhibit C of the agenda and that those figures did not include design and planning; council members asked staff to include design, permitting and potential sewer/septic connection costs in any estimate for bathroom installations. JP said construction would likely be funded by increasing the special district's assessment rate for one year (staff described a model in which the assessment would be increased for one year and construction would occur the following year), not through long-term bond debt.
Vote mechanics and scope: Council and staff discussed voting mechanisms. The county elections office handles formal elections tied to tax assessments and property owners, but the town is evaluating HOA-style electronic or phone-ballot mechanisms or straw ballots for preferences. Staff said Miami-Dade voter rolls may not match property ownership and that HOA-style or paid voting vendors could be used to reach property owners. Former Councilwoman Marilyn Ruano, who participated in earlier ordinance drafting, emphasized the distinction between repairs/maintenance and capital improvements and that residents should vote on additions that create a new budgetary obligation.
Next steps: Council asked the Loch Lomond petition organizers to return with clarified petitions specifying which option residents favored (minor renovation, renovation with bathroom, full demolition and rebuild) and asked staff to provide updated cost estimates including design and permitting and to confirm the appropriate ballot/HOA voting mechanism and estimated vote costs. No ballot was scheduled during the workshop.
