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With the holly jolly season just around the corner, the Windermere Town Council Tuesday approved a nearly $36,000 proposal to festoon the town with seasonal lighting and decor — with one lone vote against allocating the money.
The proposal to pay $35,955.37 to Humbug Holiday Lights — the firm that decorates Ocoee and Winter Garden for their seasonal festivities — for installing (and later removing) new lights and other holiday decor, passed 4 to 1.
“It will be much nicer than what you have previously seen,” Assistant Town Manager Tonya Elliot-Moore assured the council. “This [proposal] is for not just trees, but also your light poles and your garland on your light poles and your tree lighting.”
In recommending the proposal, Elliot-Moore explained that the town’s current lights were now outdated and that contractors refused to install them because they were “considered unsafe and a liability for that company to put them up.” According to the staff report, the Public Works Department lacks the necessary in-house staff and equipment to install the lights themselves.
Council Member Tony Davit questioned the $20,000 cost increase over last year, noting, “$35,000 is a lot of money.” Mayor Jim O’Brien agreed that it was a lot to spend, but indicated he thought it was worth it considering the feedback they got from last year.
But when it was time to vote, Council Member Brandi Haines wrestled with her decision.
“Aye —” she said. “I guess ... since this year is the centennial.” Then she stopped. “I don’t know, I’d rather it be less trees.”
“Sorry, I need to be clear,” O’Brien said. “Are you an aye or a nay?”
“Are we going to look at less than 25 trees?” Haines asked. “Because that would bring the quote down.”
And that re-opened the discussion.
Elliot-Moore explained that a fewer-trees proposal would be a non-starter for Humbug Holiday Lights because the project would be too small and not “worth the vendor’s time.”
“We chose the vendors we did because they work with Winter Garden and Ocoee,” Elliot-Moore said.
The staff report noted that those cities drop more than $200,000 on their holiday lighting.
Haines asked if staff still had time to come up with “something else.”
“No. You need your lights installed,” Elliot-Moore replied. “In fact, I was worried [about delaying it] until this meeting. The lights have to be in place, sort of beginning in November … I can say I will be out here with the vendors personally, both myself and my staff, to make sure this looks nice.”
Haines wasn’t done. “I know it looked like crap last year, but how much did it cost?”
Informed the town spent $15,000 on the display that “looked like crap,” Haines was incredulous.
Elliot-Moore also explained that other fixed costs, like the bucket trucks used for installation, are often factored into the proposal price, regardless of the number of trees adorned.
“Even when we do it in-house,” said Elliot-Moore, “we pay at least $6,000 in bucket truck costs just to have that.”
After the discussion, O’Brien again requested a vote.
“I’m gonna go with no,” Haines said. “I think it’s kind of expensive. I don’t know.”
The council agreed to evaluate the lights and then revisit the issue again next season.
