Residents press for zoning clarity and school‑board engagement; vice mayor urges city outreach on immigration enforcement

During the public comment period at the Jan. 26 Lauderhill City Commission meeting, residents and elected officials raised questions about zoning process clarity, school‑board responsiveness and immigration enforcement.

Barry Harris, president of the United Lauderhill Community Association, asked the commission to ensure city decisions are transparent and well documented and argued that zoning map or code changes must be adopted by ordinance rather than by resolution or site‑plan approval alone. Harris asked the city attorney to confirm whether Resolution 26R‑0105 (a Lauderhill Mall site plan and transaction overlay) required ordinance adoption and moved to refer the matter to the Planning & Zoning Board for clarification. City Manager Kenny Hobbs said staff received a public‑records memo on the T5/T6 transit overlay, offered to pull the resolution for review, and proposed meeting with Harris and Development Services to trace required steps.

Alan Brown asked whether the Broward County School Board, including Superintendent Dr. Hepburn, had responded to a city letter (dated 04/17/2025) about Smart Bond allocations. Brown alleged the district had a large shortfall and that funds earmarked for local schools had been reallocated; city intergovernmental staff said the city had not received a response to the letter and that Smart Bond program funds had been allocated to projects under a facilities improvement plan.

In communications from elected officials, Vice Mayor Campbell delivered an extended statement urging city action to educate immigrant communities about recent federal enforcement developments. He said enforcement has swept up people who are not undocumented and urged the city to provide legal advice and navigation assistance, arguing the city should not ignore the issue because it affects Lauderhill’s diverse immigrant population.

What’s next: City staff said they will review the referenced resolution and meet with public commenters about the zoning question; the manager and intergovernmental staff will continue to press the school board for a response. The city also noted ongoing programs including a water‑rebate for seniors and a $100,000 CRA allocation for local businesses.