Casselberry City Commission Meeting - February 23, 2026

The Casselberry City Commission met on February 23, 2026, at 5:30 PM in City Commission Chambers. The meeting covered routine approvals, a proclamation, discussion of future agenda items and commissioner compensation, first reading of a police pension ordinance, public hearings on a firefighter pension extension and two zoning/land use changes, a board appointment, and citizen comments. All actions were approved unanimously.

Proclamation

• Mayor Henson presented a proclamation declaring February 22–28, 2026 as National Engineers Week, recognizing the contributions of engineers to public infrastructure and safety.

Consent Calendar

• Amendment No. 6 with Yellowstone Landscape: Added 161 Quail Pond, Wheel East/Wheel Park Phase I, and Wheel West/Wheel Park Phase II to the annual maintenance schedule for an additional $74,804 annually ($1,862 per visit).
• Budget Amendment #26-018: Reallocated $14,815 for the purchase of Flatbed Roll-off Truck Accessories.
• Task Authorization No. 3 with CPH Consulting, LLC: Approved $69,517.04 for design services for the Cedarwood Water Main Looping Project, along with Budget Amendment #26-019.
• Budget Amendment #26-017: Approved a Core & Main quote for Casselton Water AMI Base Station Repair and Warranty of Parts and Service.
• Amendment No. 3 with MCCi: Renewed the Laserfiche Cloud Electronic Records Management Software for one year at $26,109.10. All items were approved by unanimous vote.

Discussion Items

• Future Agenda Items: Commissioner Kirk proposed revisiting city restrictions on parking vehicles with commercial signage (vehicle wraps), citing changes in workforce and cost-of-living pressures. Other commissioners strongly opposed, noting past extensive public debate, attorney hours, and resident satisfaction with current rules. The consensus was not to pursue the item further.
• Discussion of Commissioners' Compensation: The commission reviewed current compensation: Mayor – base salary $10,170 + travel allowance $4,200 (total $14,370); Commissioners – base salary $8,606 + travel allowance $2,400 (total $11,006). Benefits include 15% retirement contribution on base salary and a $10,000 life insurance policy. Salaries have not changed since at least 2008. A survey of comparable cities showed mayor salaries ranging $7,700–$30,393 and commissioner salaries $5,145–$25,000. Commissioners expressed that they did not run for office for the salary and were wary of optics given recent tax and water rate increases. Some suggested wrapping the travel allowance into base salary to simplify, but the City Attorney noted that would require a charter amendment (via ordinance) and could not take effect until after the next election, and would also increase retirement contributions since they are based on base salary. The general consensus was to make no changes to compensation. A suggestion to allow commissioners to purchase health insurance through the city at cost was raised but not formally advanced.
• No formal vote was taken on compensation; it remained a discussion item.

First Reading of Ordinances

• Ordinance 26-1633: Created a Police Officers' Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) with a 60-month participation period. The pension board recommended approval on February 10. The ordinance passed first reading unanimously.

Public Hearings

• Second Reading of Ordinance 26-1630: Extended the Firefighters' Deferred Retirement Option Plan from 60 to 96 months. Approved unanimously on second and final reading.
• Second Reading of Ordinance 26-1631: Amended the Oxford Planned Unit Development (PUD) Agreement and Concept Plan for two parcels (approx. 4.48 acres) at the southeast corner of Oxford Road and State Road 436. Approved unanimously on second and final reading.
• Second Reading of Ordinance 26-1632: Changed the Future Land Use Map designation for five parcels (totaling about 4.48 acres) adjacent to 1775 Seminola Boulevard (Geneva School) from Low Density Residential (LDR) to Low Intensity Nonresidential (LINR), consistent with the school's existing designation. The parcels are currently zoned R-12.5; rezoning to PMXL is planned. Approved unanimously on second and final reading.

Board Appointment

• Planning and Zoning Commission: James Witherspoon was appointed to fill an unexpired term (through January 31, 2027) following the resignation of Ron Bryan.

Citizens' Comments

• Susan Amell (1203 Quinteplane Court): Expressed concerns about the Winter Park development project (likely the Central Casselberry Connectivity Project), including emergency response times, speed humps, traffic congestion during construction, road narrowing, visibility issues at the Quinteplane/Winter Park Drive intersection due to overgrown bushes, and wasteful median irrigation. She asked if the fire department had responded regarding the project's viability. The Mayor noted the project plans would be discussed at the March 9 meeting and directed her to staff for specific issues.
• Vicky McCullough (190 North Sunset Drive): Began speaking but the transcript cuts off before her full comment.

Key Outcomes

• Approved consent agenda items as presented.
• Approved First Reading of Ordinance 26-1633 (Police DROP).
• Approved Second Reading of Ordinances 26-1630 (Firefighter DROP extension), 26-1631 (Oxford PUD amendment), and 26-1632 (Land use change for Geneva School).
• Appointed James Witherspoon to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
• No action taken on future agenda item (vehicle wrap restrictions) or commissioner compensation.
• Next meeting scheduled for March 9, 2026, to discuss the Central Casselberry Connectivity Project.