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Lazy Lake council reviews planner fees, FPL rate change, records‑scanning plans and accounting firm search
Summary
The council reviewed several administrative items: planner review fee structure for development applications, an FPL rate increase that will slightly raise franchise revenue and residents’ bills, a cloud document scanning evaluation estimated at $350/month, mandatory Broward County ethics training, and an update on accounting firms that flagged concerns about restricted system access and historical accounting issues.
Council reviewed multiple administrative reports at the Feb. 5 meeting.
Pamala Ryan, the village attorney, clarified the planner review fee structure: developers must pay a $1,300 consultant fee in addition to the application fee; the developer pays the Village during the application process, and the Village pays the planner for review work. Council noted future consultant expenses will generally be tied to new development applications.
Council discussed the Florida Power & Light rate increase notice. Administration said the Village will receive a modest increase in franchise fee revenue and that residents should expect a modest rise in electricity rates.
On records management, administration reported it is evaluating cloud‑based document storage solutions, including a potential Google Government cloud option, with estimated costs of around $350 per month; the proposed system would provide storage, keyword search, indexing and public records retrieval features.
Councilmember Dana Merrill reported the village contacted four accounting professionals; three firms submitted proposals estimated at $250–$300 per month (about $100 higher than the prior firm), but the firms identified concerns that prevented them from accepting engagement at this time. Key firm concerns included restricted access requirements for financial systems (access limited to the accounting firm, the village attorney and the village clerk) and unresolved historical accounting issues.
Council also discussed Broward County mandatory ethics training and compliance monitoring by the Broward County Office of the Inspector General; administration will send reminders, add agenda reminders before due dates and maintain certification records on the Village website. Newly elected officials must complete required training within the designated timeframe.
