Watch the City Council Workshop and Council Meeting online.
Workshop
Budget
On Friday, Mayor Buddy Dyer delivered the combined State of the City and Budget address. He laid out a vision for the future of Orlando and outlined some of the planned budget expenditures in the year ahead including funding for additional police officers and firefighters and efforts to increase affordable housing options for our residents – all while keeping the mileage rate the same.
On Monday, July 24, Council held its second Budget Workshop. Mayor Dyer recognized the staff in the Office of Management and Budget for their hard work year round to ensure departments stay within budget and to craft a balanced budget.
City Council
General Update:
Billy Manes and Alonzo Adams
Mayor Dyer asked Council to remember and honor two community icons who recently passed away.
Billy Manes, a reporter an LGBTQ activist in our community, passed away last week. He was always a vibrant force of nature with a healthy dose of wit who loved our City and helped make Orlando fiercely unique.
Local business owner, Alonzo Adams also passed last week. He was a business owner in our Downtown for years, operating a men’s clothing store that provided some of the most stylish fashions available in our community.
Mayor Dyer asked for a moment of silence to remember these two inspiring men who so enriched our community…
Our thoughts and prayers are with both Billy and Alonzo’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Deborah Girard Recognition
Mayor Dyer recognized Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Deborah Girard, for receiving the 2017 Florida Government Finance Officers’ Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was selected by her peers in recognition of her unwavering commitment and long-standing service as a leader, advocate and mentor in our City and the local government finance industry.
Congratulations Deborah and thank you for your dedication to our City!
LYMMO Lime Line Grand Opening & 20th Anniversary Celebration
On Friday, August 4, Commissioner Hill and Mayor Dyer will join LYNX to celebrate the official opening of the newest LYMMO route, the Lime Line, as well as celebrate LYMMO’s 20th anniversary. The Lime Line is the fourth route of the LYMMO service and provides convenient access to LYNX Central Station, SunRail, the Parramore Neighborhood and Creative Village.
LYMMO originally launched in 1997 and has since grown to serve over 1 million passengers per year.
The event will start at 10 a.m. at the Lime Line stop on the northwest corner of North Terry Avenue and West Livingston Street in Creative Village. Attendees are encouraged to bring school supplies to the event to donate to the new Parramore PreK-8 school.
Poet Laureate Competition
Earlier this month, in partnership with United Arts of Central Florida and Orlando-based nonprofit literary publisher Burrow Press, the City launched a process to select and appoint Orlando’s first Poet Laureate to share the important stories of our young, vibrant city.
Now through August 7, qualified applicants can submit an application for the position by visiting UnitedArts.cc/Poet-Laureate/
We look forward to announcing selection of our Poet Laureate in October during National Arts and Humanities Month.
Items of Note:
New City Flag
On Monday, City Council approved a new City flag. Just like national flags bring entire countries together, City flags are a source of civic pride that help to unify residents and make people feel more connected to their city.
We had more than 1,100 submissions, of which 950 of those came from Florida.
More than 23,000 individuals connected with us on social media and more than 156,000 individuals visited our website to learn, vote and comment. Plus our flag tour, was a huge success, and visited 6 different community centers in every district plus Lake Eola Park and city hall.
We even had a volunteer committee lead the contest.
Flag Committee
- Chad Miller
- Cole NeSmith
- Grace Chewning
- John Schott
- Joy Dickinson
- Kyle Shephard
- Orlando Robles
- Rob Montilla
- Stephanie Darden
- Ted Bogert
- Terrance Hunter
Mayor Dyer also recognized Tim Eggert, the designer of the new City flag. Tim earned a B.S in Graphic Design at UCF and is a graphic designer for Kimley-Horn, an Orlando-based engineering firm.
Tim designed the new flag with thoughtful symbolic imagery regarding our city’s rich culture and bright future.
- The design features the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain at Lake Eola Park, one of the most distinctive and recognizable symbols in our City.
- The six equal segments on the base of the fountain embody the city’s six commission districts.
- The iconic fountain is surrounded by the letter “O”, which symbolizes Orlando’s unity, connectivity and timelessness.
- The color yellow represents the sunshine, hope and happiness that thrive in our great city.
- The reflection of the “O” in the water symbolizes our careful consideration of our past and our bold vision for the future.
- The flag is set on a two-toned background of blue and white representing patriotism, perseverance and peace.
