Ocoee Music Festival finances dominate commission discussion

The city has set up Fund 615 to separate all monies pertaining to the festival from the General Fund.

ANDREA MUJICA

STAFF WRITER

Finance line items sparked spirited discussion regarding the upcoming Ocoee Music Festival at the Ocoee City Commission, held Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Commissioner George Oliver was the lone dissenter in a 4-1 vote approving payment for the 2023 festival. Oliver took issue with how funds pertaining to the festival were notated within city budget documents.

“I was looking through the budget book, and I was looking for those funds as to where they are coming from for the music festival,” Oliver said. “We are moving this money. We are asked to approve this movement of funds, but I was trying to figure out where it came from. When I saw the music festival, there is a line for the music festival and it shows zero, so where is it actually located in our actual budget book — the funding that we are asking for? I know we voted for it, but I don’t know where to find it.”

Ocoee Finance Director Rebecca Roberts said the Department of Finance created Fund No. 615 specifically to account for all revenues and transfers that pertain to the festival.

“A couple of years ago, we began putting it under transfers out music festival, because we don’t let it sit in the General Fund … to account for it properly and to discretely account for it — and not to co-mingle it to additional General Fund dollars and general fund expenditures,” Roberts said. “We moved it into a separate fund, Fund No. 615, and we hold it there, and we run all of the additional revenues that are generated by the music festival and all of the expenditures of the music festival out of Fund 615.”

The term discrete in accounting is defined as data that can be recognized on its own.

“In this case, discrete means separate, individualized,” Roberts said. “Separately identified and separately accounted for. … The transfer out in governmental accounting is an expenditure, so once I transfer the money out, it becomes an expenditure of the General Fund. If you look at Fund No. 615, which I have provided to the commissioners the accounting of that fund, you will see the transfer in — which is a revenue in that fund — you do not see it in the budget book because that fund is only for the purpose of the music festival and the expenditures in that book are not governmental revenues or expenditures. So, therefore, we do not present them in the budget book.

“The revenues that come in the (Fund No. 615) are of specific use in conducting the music festival,” she said. “It would be misleading for the public if I were to budget the music festival expenditures and revenues in the General Fund. It would appear that those funds are for general purpose use and they are not for general purpose use of the government.”

The funding for the Ocoee Music Festival totals $115,000, which already has been allocated to Fund No. 615.

For future reference however, Oliver petitioned the funds that pertain to the festival to be stated in the budget fund, despite being an item of thorough discussion during the budget meetings that took place Sept. 15 and 21, 2022.

“Having that discussion and not putting it on paper — you can see where the problem lies there, because I can’t find it,” he said. “It’s all about transparency, So it should’ve been written on the budget as opposed to zero.”

Commissioners Larry Brinson and Rosemary Wilsen voiced their opinions on the matter during the meeting.

“I know during the budget workshop I actually pointed this out when that money was apart,” Brinson said.

“Based on what Commissioner Oliver is saying, my concern is only based on transparency for the public. I know we called it out here, but the public, if they look through the budget, and they can’t find it, they are going to wonder where the money is going — or any event we have.”

“I know that during the budget, we discussed this; it was very obvious, it was no secret to me,” Wilsen said.

“I just find this very valuable not to say it, but a lot of times, we talk about transparency. (If) anyone wants to know something, we are more than transparent.”

Oliver also questioned the date of this year’s festival — March 10 and impact on the local community.

Signature Bakehouse hosted its first sale on National Pie Day, Jan. 23.

Lenhart and his son put together a free pie giveaway at Independence Community Park after school. Lenhart made 25 pies, cut them up into little slices and gave the pieces away.

“It was really cool,” Lenhart said. “It was cool to see him (McKinley) and his friends there giving away pie. It allowed us to have a presence within the community and to give back a nice little sweet treat.”

With his cottage bakehouse license, Lenhart is currently limited to only fruit and nut pies.

However, his offerings are extensive with seasonal pies and flavors using regional produce including pecan, chocolate bourbon pecan, cherry, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, blackberry, raspberry, gluten free and even a shoofly pie that pays tribute to Lenhart’s hometown as well as his Dutch upbringing.

Another one of Lenhart’s staples is his classic apple pie.

The double-crusted apple pie focuses on accenting a strong apple flavor, similar to Snapple Apple, with no cinnamon using a Stayman Winesap apple. The apple, which is much like a heritage apple, is not typically grown in major orchards and is most popular in the Washington State area and central Pennsylvania. Lenhart said the apple is perfect because it’s beautifully sweet but also has the starch to hold up in cooking so it does not turn to mush.

— Will Lenhart

pie business fell to the back burner, it wasn’t long before pie made its appearance again.

The family took their first cruise in Thanksgiving 2022, a Disney cruise, and became obsessed with the experience.

“Then, my kid is like, ‘Hey, I want to go on another cruise,’” Lenhart said. “And I said, ‘This is great, I do too, but your dad is never going to let us spend anymore money.’ He said, ‘Well let’s make money. Let’s sell pies.’

“And that’s really what kick started it all,” he said. “McKinley is a fiercely independent, strong willed ambassador of courage. I’ve never had someone hold me more accountable than a 5-year-old.”

SIGNATURE BAKEHOUSE

The business already is making an

In Other News

n The Ocoee Commission proclaimed the month of February as Black History Month.

n The Ocoee Commission celebrated the Asian Lunar Year with the Lion Dance, performed by the Dynamics Lion Dance Team prior to the meeting.

n The Ocoee Commission approved unanimously several items on the consent agenda. These included the approval of a new appointment to the Citizen Advisory Council for Ocoee Police Department; the approval of a contract to install new athletic flooring for the Jim Beech Recreation Center; and the approval of the Florida’s Bicycle Pedestrian Focused Initia-

11 — which is three days before the Ocoee municipal elections for mayor and district 1 and 3 commissioners.

“I have a problem with that, because we have candidates (who) are running for office that would take center stage (and) that could possibly be construed as campaign cry or a campaign rally for a particular candidate because we are having it two days before an election,” he said. “I do feel that there is definitely some mechanisms here to have this right before, and you are taking tax dollars. I love the music festival; I go to the music festival. But to have (it) right before an election when there is a candidate (who) can take center stage, I think that’s quite divisive.”

Wilsen voiced her thoughts pertaining this matter.

“I would hope that our candidates would not be using the music festival as a tool — and that goes for everyone and not just the one I think you are focusing on,” she said.

“We used to have it (the festival) in October, November, then it got

His family, who loves to visit Florida, brings the fresh fruits from central Pennsylvania frequently.

Lenhart’s most recent business adventure is his addition to the Windermere Farmers Market. His first time selling was with his son Friday, Feb. 3.

In the future, in addition to doing pop-up pie shops and offering cream and meat pies, Lenhart said his main objective is to start a nonprofit centered around pie.

Lenhart said his life would not have been the same without his passion for baking.

“I saw the benefit of pie,” he said. “It taught me finances, it taught me business, it gave me life experiences. The math behind pie led me to sell pie to make money to better myself and find my dreams. Dreams take work, and it would be nice to allow other people to be able to financially support their own dreams.” tive: Communication and High Visibility Enforcement Grant, which will help reinforce safe pedestrian, bicyclist and driver behavior. The transfer of funds within the Parks and Recreation capital budget for the installation of a pedestrian entrance at the Ocoee Skatepark — also was approved. n The commissioners have until Feb. 17 to appoint new members to the 2023 Canvassing Board. n The commission approved 3-2 — with commissioners Larry Brinson and George Oliver dissenting — the tabling of the new appointments to the Human Relations Diversity Board until after the March 14 elections. changed. … I don’t recall it being April or May, because it’s so hot. … So, I think no matter when you do it, someone is going to have an issue with it and having been in that committee years ago, you have to work with when the artists are available. … This time, the artists were available during that period of time. So I hope our candidates will not use it as a tool and be professional.”

The 2022 festival took place April 8 and 9.

During public comment, Ocoee resident Brad Lomneck shared his opinion on the topic prior to the end of the meeting.

“The city doesn’t make the date; the promoter does,” he said. “I would also like to ask Commissioner Oliver that if you think that way so much so (that) you’ve made it tonight to vote against the music fest, I would ask that you don’t attend and you don’t ask for 30 to 24 wristbands for the VIP that you normally ask for every year.”