When the City of Westlake was incorporated in 2016, it was hard for most people to visualize anything beyond fallow fields, gator-filled canals and blighted orange groves. But Minto Communities USA Senior Vice President John Carter and a few other men and women had a vision for what has since become one of the most desirable planned communities in Florida and perhaps the country.
Now that full self-government is a reality in Westlake, it’s time for municipal officials to take a fresh look at where the county’s youngest municipality is headed, Westlake City Council members agreed at their Tuesday, Jan. 7 meeting.
They approved plans for a two-day workshop through the International Institute for Leadership Development to help them define a strategic plan for the next two to five years.
It’s something that has not been done since the early days of incorporation, said City Manager Kenneth Cassel, who has been with Westlake since the start.
“It’s a look at who we are, where we’ve been, where do we want to go and how do we get there,” Cassel explained.
The sessions will be led by Dale Sugerman, who is a former city administrator and for 20 years an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University. According to the proposal he submitted to the council through Cassel, Sugerman is a “trained facilitator in group dynamics and the goal-planning process” who has conducted strategic planning sessions for a number of Florida communities.
Sugerman explained that the process would involve preliminary one-on-one sessions with each council member, followed by two days of meetings on various topics, with the final half day set aside for public input.
The entire two days will be open to the public but not for participation, Sugerman said.
“This is [the public’s] opportunity to truly shape the strategic plan for the city,” Mayor JohnPaul O’Conner said.
The planning sessions are expected to take place in March, but the exact dates have not been set.
“It sounds like a good process,” Councilman Gary Werner said. “I wish we’d begun it sooner.”
The workshops have a $9,775 price tag.
The planning session comes amid a call by some for Westlake to rethink its comprehensive plan, which is the foundational document of long-term planning and zoning for municipalities. The strategic planning workshops are not part of that process, Cassel emphasized.
Approval of the planning sessions did not come without a few moments of controversy that caused Sugerman to offer to withdraw his proposal.
Rebecca Taylor, who described herself as a new resident, spoke during public comment to Sugerman being hired without the city issuing a formal request for proposals.
“I think it sets a dangerous precedent,” she said.
“I agree 100 percent,” O’Connor said.
At that point, Sugerman offered to step aside. O’Connor said that he was not referring specifically to the current instance, but that “moving forward, we should get multiple proposals” even for professional services.
He encouraged Sugerman to stay onboard, adding, “We’re in desperate need of this strategic planning workshop.”
In other business:
- The council passed a resolution supporting the procurement and oversight of consultants for the development of a Countywide Transportation Plan at no cost to Westlake.
According to the resolution, “a Countywide Transportation Plan is the only way to effectively address the issues involved with the transportation network and services that exist now, and in the future… The Board of [Palm Beach County] Commissioners, the City of Westlake, the other municipalities, and the taxing districts recognize that working together in a constructive and proactive manner is the only way forward for the benefit of all our citizens.”
Cassel has said that the current effort to create such a plan is unique because in the past plans have either been made piecemeal by various municipalities or imposed by the county on local governments with little input.
- The council heard frustration from the public regarding traffic issues, including drivers going the wrong way at the Town Center Parkway roundabout, the exit from the Cresswind development onto the parkway, and drivers turning two and three abreast in the left lanes from Waters Edge Drive onto Seminole Pratt Whitney Road.
At its Dec. 10 session, the council agreed to spend $20,000 to install a four-way stop at the intersection of Cresswind Place and Town Center Parkway. Cassel also said modifications were being made to the turn lanes from Waters Edge Drive to create a single safer turn lane onto Seminole Pratt.
Cassel said this week that improvements should be completed within four to six weeks.
O’Connor said that rumble strips have been installed at the roundabout to make drivers more aware of their direction of travel.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s a real problem,” he said.
During her monthly presentation, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Darla Sauers said that within Westlake, deputies issued 124 written warnings and 44 traffic citations in December.
“People are just driving carelessly,” she said. “We’re doing the best we can.”
Cassel said it may be time for more citations and fewer warnings.
