Avon Park Council Suspends CRA Activity

The City Council unanimously voted to temporarily suspend all Community Redevelopment Agency activity until state redevelopment agency officials answer questions about some legal issues.

Questions have been raised recently whether actions taken by the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, which has three advisory boards, should have happened during an advertised public hearing.

While the three advisory boards make recommendations, the actual vote lies with the CRA board, which is also the City Council.

Establishing or changing a CRA plan requires a public hearing, but the CRA board hasn't had one since March 2007. The CRA board has amended CRA budgets several times at public meetings, without holding a public hearing.

Does amending a budget equal a change in the plan, which requires a public hearing?

"I would strongly recommend that we ... curtail any new activity with CRAs including meetings," City Manager Sarah Adelt said at Monday's CRA meeting

Also, representatives from the Florida Redevelopment Agency (FRA) should be invited to the city to review the CRAs and answer questions, she said.

"At least we will have the questions we've had for many years finally answered and we would know what we can do," Adelt said. Representatives from FRA can come to the city after Jan. 5.

Deputy Mayor George Hall said the FRA has provided definitive answers to the city in the past.

Merle Bishop, a senior planner with Kinley-Horn and Associates and a former Polk County planner, told the council how the FRA could assist the city with its CRA concerns.

"I know that there are some issues associated with the creation of your CRAs and I think that the FRA will be able to come in help and evaluate what was done," Bishop said. The FRA may recommend additional measures to rectify any particular issues, he added.

Historically, CRAs have benefitted local governments, he added. Some have seen tremendous success in improving property values, economic development opportunities and creating jobs.

Hall was in favor of giving the public, the staff and the CRA advisory boards enough time to respond with their input, and recommended not setting the FRA workshop date too soon.

"The perception now when you tell people that we haven't had public hearings on issues ... is we haven't wanted to hear from the public," he said.

Hall said if they are not given the time they need to respond, it would appear that their perception is right.

"I think the perception is wrong because I don't think we've ever not taken public input from anyone," he added.