October 20, 2026 Town Council Meeting — Agenda Breakdown
A short agenda, in a different building. Both meetings move to the Denton Johnson Center while early voting runs at Town Hall. The 6:30 workshop has one discussion item, "Legal and Administrative Planning," with nothing attached. At 7:30 the Council takes its final vote on allowing farmers markets in the C-3 commercial district, and picks one of four applicants to recommend for the Town's historic marker task force.
At a glance: a new location and a short agenda
What it is. The Council's second meeting of October, Tuesday, October 20. Both agendas carry the note "Location Change" and put the meetings at the Denton Johnson Center, 400 Ruffel St. On October 6 the Deputy Town Clerk said Council meetings would move there while early voting for the November 3 election runs at Town Hall, October 19 through November 1.
The 6:30 workshop has one discussion item. The 7:30 meeting has one presentation, one ordinance on second reading, and one Council decision. There is no consent agenda, so no minutes are up for approval. The workshop notice is one page. The meeting packet is 28 pages, and 12 of them are the task-force applications. Both files' creation stamps are October 13.
| Section | Item | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 · III.1 | Legal and Administrative Planning | Discussion, nothing attached |
| 7:30 · IV.A | Dr. Phillips Charities: Hungerford update | Presentation |
| 7:30 · V | Citizen participation | 3 minutes each |
| 7:30 · VI.B | Ordinance 2026-7: farmers markets in C-3 | Second reading, public hearing |
| 7:30 · VII.1 | Historic Marker Task Force | Council picks one applicant |
Worth watching. Two items the Chief Administrative Officer mentioned on October 6 are not on this agenda: the Town's audit, which he said he hoped to present at the next meeting, and HostDime, which he said "will be at the next meeting." See the last section.
Ordinance 2026-7: farmers markets, final vote
What it is. The second and final reading of Ordinance 2026-7, which adds farmers markets as a permitted use in the C-3 commercial district. They are already permitted in C-1. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended the change on August 13. The Council passed it on first reading on October 6, with no opposition voiced. Section 7 says the ordinance "shall become effective upon its adoption," so a yes vote on October 20 makes it law that night.
What changed. Not the ordinance. Cheatonville compared its text with the October 6 packet. The ordinance and its exhibit are the same except that the second-reading date is now filled in as October 20. The cover sheet adds that "Approval of the first reading took place October 6, 2026, at 7:30 p.m." The item title now calls it "Resolution Ordinance 2026-7." It is an ordinance. The zoning map, the business impact estimate, the hearing notice and the newspaper ad are attached again.
What the rule would say. The October 6 breakdown and the September 15 breakdown cover the text. In short: a farmer's market is "a temporary, open-air use consisting of multiple vendors." Customer parking follows the code's general business ratio and may be off site; on-street parking is allowed, but not along residential streets. Each vendor booth needs one parking space. A market that is not a daily market may submit its own parking plan instead. The business impact estimate projects no costs and says "No impact is expected."
The notice names Town Hall. The one-page hearing notice says both hearings "will be held at Eatonville Town Hall, 307 E. Kennedy Boulevard." So does the ad the Clerk sent the Orlando Sentinel on September 22. The Sentinel's sworn statement says it ran on September 26. That was before the Clerk announced the move on October 6. The agenda now puts the hearing at the Denton Johnson Center. State law, §166.041(3)(a), says the notice of a proposed ordinance "shall state the date, time, and place of the meeting." The packet does not show a corrected notice. Whether one was needed, and whether the change was announced some other way, the packet does not say.
Worth watching. Whether anyone raises the location before the vote. The October 6 recap also records members' concerns about parking on narrow streets; the Town's planner asked that parking be treated as a town-wide issue apart from this use.
- The hearing notice and the Orlando Sentinel ad both say the hearing will be at Town Hall, 307 E. Kennedy Blvd. The agenda moves it to the Denton Johnson Center. Was the new location posted or advertised, and will anyone be at Town Hall to direct residents who go there?
- The signature block still reads "TG LAW, PLLC as Town Attorney." The Council hired Endow Law on September 15. Who will sign the ordinance as to form and legality?
- The use table points to standards at "Sec. 65-3(b)(3)," but the exhibit numbers them "3." under Sec. 65-3. Will the codified numbering match?
Historic Marker Task Force: the Council picks one applicant
What it is. The cover sheet asks the Council "to select one applicant to recommend for appointment to the Historic Marker Task Force." The task force "will help guide the review and development of the Town's historic markers in partnership with the National Park Service." Membership "is limited to 3-5 individuals with direct, longstanding ties to Eatonville." The cover sheet comes from the Clerk's office, and the fiscal line reads "N/A." Staff recommends that the Council "review the applications and select one applicant." The agenda calls this a "Selection"; the cover sheet calls it "Recommending." The packet does not say who makes the appointment itself, or how the other members will be chosen.
The applications. Four people applied, on the Town's three-page questionnaire. The forms are dated or marked received between August 20 and September 11, the deadline the Mayor announced on September 1. The form offers four ways to qualify: legacy descendant, longtime resident (20 years or more), a family connection to the town's founding, or business ties from before 1980. Two applicants checked longtime resident, one family connection, and one business ties. None of the four checked legacy descendant. Asked about experience with local history or preservation, the answers range from none to years of work on local history projects. Asked whether they could attend regularly, three answered yes, and the fourth gave a time of day that works.
The packet prints each applicant's name, home address, phone number and email address. Cheatonville is not republishing those details.
Background. The project has come up before. At the August 20 CRA meeting, staff reported on it and on the opening of applications. The August 18 Council minutes, in the September 15 packet, record a Deputy Town Clerk announcement that the National Park Service "would contribute $40,000 toward selecting vendors for the project." The packet does not mention that figure.
- The task force will have three to five members. The Council is asked to recommend one. Who chooses the others, and who makes the final appointment?
- The cover sheet says the Council will "recommend" its pick "to the Task Force." Does the task force already exist, and who is on it?
- What is the National Park Service's role, and is the $40,000 announced in August still the amount?
- The packet publishes each applicant's home address, phone number and email. Could future packets leave those out?
Workshop: "Legal and Administrative Planning"
What it is. The workshop agenda lists one discussion item, "Legal and Administrative Planning (Administration)," followed by staff comments. The workshop packet is the one-page agenda. Nothing says what the item covers. A workshop is for discussion only; any decision has to come back to a regular or special meeting.
Context. On October 6 the Town's new counsel, Camille Evans of Endow Law, listed her firm's work so far: open litigation, records on the Hungerford property and the HostDime project, a meeting with the CRA's attorney about the fee-waiver request, and a meeting with the Clerk's office on agenda development and public records. Whether any of that is what this item covers, the notice does not say.
Worth watching. The October 6 workshop notice was replaced at the same link the day before the meeting, turning a cancellation into a one-item agenda. This notice could change too.
- What is "Legal and Administrative Planning" about, and will any document be shared with the public before or at the workshop?
- The Town does not broadcast its workshops or post minutes of them. Will the Council summarize the discussion at the 7:30 meeting?
Dr. Phillips Charities: the standing Hungerford update
What it is. The charity's update on its plans for the Hungerford School property, which it has asked to give "during every town council meeting." Sponsored by Council Member Mack. Exhibits: "N/A." The cover sheet is the same as October 6's except for the date.
Where things stood. At the October 6 update, the charity said it has asked Orange County for $60 million from the tourist development tax, toward an $85 million project, and that a site plan is still "a little ways away." It had scheduled a community conversation for October 7. The lawsuit over how the property's sale was approved was reported on August 4 to be set for trial October 27. Background on the county request is in Cheatonville's TDT brief.
Worth watching. Whether the charity reports on the October 7 conversation, and whether the County has set a date to take up the request.
What the record still leaves open
The water and sewer billing review. On October 6 the Council passed Resolution 2026-52, giving staff and counsel 14 Town business days to deliver written findings. If Town Hall has been open every weekday, the deadline is Monday, October 26, after this meeting. The Clerk then places the report on "the agenda of the next practicable public Council meeting." The next Council meeting on the Town's calendar is November 3. The CAO also said on October 6 that members would get a dollar figure by email.
HostDime is not on the agenda. The CAO said on October 6 that HostDime "will be at the next meeting." It is not on this one. Amendment No. 2 to the development agreement sets a $250 charge for each day after July 31, 2025 that the building lacks a final certificate of occupancy. If none has issued by October 20, that is 446 days, or $111,500. The packet does not say whether one has issued.
The audit is not on the agenda. The CAO said on October 6 that a draft of the Town's audit had arrived, with some parts still to come, and that he hoped it could be presented at the next meeting. It is not in this packet.
The CRA fee waiver. Resolution 2026-51, the waiver of Town fees on four CRA homes, was pulled on October 6 and is not back. On October 15 the CRA Board agreed to proceed with two homes and consider a new bid for the other four, after all construction bids came in over budget.
Two chances to speak, at a new address.
Both meetings are at the Denton Johnson Center, 400 Ruffel St, not Town Hall. The 6:30 workshop opens with citizen participation (Section II), before its one discussion item. At the 7:30 meeting, citizen participation is Section V, after the Dr. Phillips Charities update and before the farmers-market hearing. Each speaker gets three minutes, which both agendas say is 'strictly enforced.' The farmers-market ordinance also has its own public hearing, where residents can speak on that item. You can also email the Town Clerk ahead of time to have a comment read into the record.
The farmers-market ordinance takes effect the night it passes, so October 20 is the last meeting to be heard on it before the vote.