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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-08-14 - City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes7525 NORTHWEST 88TH AVENUE & TAMARAC, FLORIDA 33321-2401 TELEPHONE (305) 722-5900 August 10, 1989 NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING for FISCAL YEAR 1989/90 There will be Workshop Meetings of the City Council held in Conference Room #1, City Hall, 7525 NW 88 Avenue, Tamarac, Florida. The purpose of these meetings is to review the budgets for the following Departments for Fiscal Year 1989/90: MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1989, 9:30 A.M. Fire Department Building Department Code Enforcement Community Development Economic Development Office • TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1989, 1:00 P.M. Data Processing Purchasing Engineering Street Lighting Personnel Insurance Operations Insurance Services WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1989, 9:30 A.M. Charter Board Public Works Administration Parks and Recreation Parks Facility Drainage Fleet Maintenance City Hall Operations Street and Road Buildings and Grounds Police Building All meetings are open to the public. Carol A. Evans City Clerk AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAPPED STATUS I 1 CITY OF TAMARAC CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1989 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Abramowitz called this meeting to Order on Monday, August 14, 1989 at 9:30 A.M. in Conference Room #1 (City Clerk's Office). PRESENT: ALSO PRESENT: Mayor Norman Abramowitz Vice Mayor Dr. H. Larry Bender Councilman Jack Stelzer Councilman Bruce Hoffman Councilman Henry Rohr John P. Kelly, City Manager Ken Burroughs, Finance Director Bob Hoyt, Deputy Finance Director Dina McDermott, Assistant to the City Manager Ray Briant, Fire Chief Jim Budzinski, Fire Marshall. Pauline Walaszek, Special Services Secretary The purpose of this meeting was to review the budgets for the following Departments for Fiscal Year 1989/90: Ambulance Fire Department Building Department Code Enforcement Fire Department Budget i Pa2e 39 City Manager Kelly said the Salaries were slightly increased because last year the City Council authorized three new,positions, which were not filled; however, this year's Budget would provide for those positions. Mayor Abramowitz said Item 124, Holiday Pay, was increased by approximately $12,000.00 and City Manager Kelly said this increase was because of the three ,additional people and the Contract. C/M Hoffman said Stem 140, Overtime Pay, was increased by approximately $5,000.00 for the estimated cost of last year and City Manager Kelly until the year was over the estimated was not certain. Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 124, Holiday Pay, was estimated to be $10,035.00 last year and Ray Briant, Fire Chief, said this Item was Budgeted for $15,000.00; however, he was trying to hold the cost at $10,035.00. Mayor Abramowitz said every Department was being reviewed to see that their Budgets were as close and tight as possible. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there would be more people receiving Longevity this year and Chief Briant said the increase was due to the Union Contract last year. Page 1 8/14/89 City Manager Kelly said it was expected that two employees would be retiring this year and Chief Briant said there were two people on Workers' Compensation; therefore, the Budget should include vacation pay if they decided to leave in the middle of the year. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this was included in last year's Budget and Chief Briant said the Item was Budgeted last year; however, the employees did not retire last year. He said he requested the Item be Budgeted last year; however, it was cut during the Budget review. Mayor Abramowitz asked what would have happened if the employees decided to retire last year and City Manager Kelly said if there were funds available in the Budget for salaries it would have been transferred to cover the costs. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the funds could be accumulated for the employees this year if it was eliminated from the Budget and City Manager Kelly replied that if all of the positions were filled, there would be no funds available. Mayor Abramowitz said this matter existed last year and Chief Briant said no one was hired last year. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the employees were on limited duty and Chief Briant replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Fire Department was functioning without these employees and Chief Briant replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this pertained to last year as well and Chief Briant said this did not occur for the entire year last year because the employees were only on Workers' Compensation for 14 months. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not want to penalize the Fire Department; however, he would like to know why the amount was in this year's Budget as opposed to last year's Budget. C/M Hoffman said three additional people were Budgeted last year that were not hired and City Manager Kelly said the three additional people were Budgeted because of the annexation. C/M Hoffman said the Fire Department functioned last year without the three additional people and he asked if the Fire Department would function if the three employees were not hired this year. Chief Briant said the services may be restricted because of the manpower. He said a fire truck had to operate which may have less men responding with them. He said in a Mutual Aid Agreement, the City was required to have three people responding to another City along with the fire truck. He said eliminating the manpower may cause a jeopardy in the assistance from another City. C/M Hoffman said the Fire Department was presently functioning without the three people and Mayor Abramowitz said he would not be happy if the residents were jeopardized by cutting the Fire Department Budget; however, if something was not Budgeted for last year and then, Budgeted this year, he would question it's need. Page 2 8/14/89 Chief Briant said the Fire Department had a ladder truck that required two people; however, there were days that only one person was available. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there was anything that Chief Briant felt was detrimental to the residents and Chief Briant said having one person available for the ladder truck was not appropriate. C/M Hoffman asked how many highrise buildings were in the City requiring the ladder truck and Chief Briant said the ladder truck could not reach the roof at Sabal Palm from the front of the building. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Mutual Aid Program had a truck that could assist with this problem and Chief Briant said the setback requirements could be a problem for use of the trucks. Chief Briant said a ladder truck was used for two or three fires; however, the primary use of the ladder truck was for rescue on second and third floors. C/M Rohr asked if Chiet Briant felt he would be restricted in aiding another City and Chief Briant replied, yes. C/M Rohr asked if Chief Briant could request overtime from the employees during emergency situations. Chief Briant said the Firefighters worked 24 hours with 48 hours off; however, when there was an emergency, there may not be enough time to call an employee for the emergency. Mayor Abramowitz said he understood that the Fire Department was different than the Public Works Department; however, the services of the Fire Department were very important to the City. Mayor Abramowitz said he would be monitoring the Fire Department Budget very carefully and Chief Briant said he felt he submitted a Budget that would provide the services as best as possible. C/M Hoffman asked if the Broward Sheriff's Office assisted in providing oxygen and Chief Briant said the patrol cars were not equipped with oxygen tanks. Mayor Abramowitz said he reviewed Chief Briant's monthly Reports and he asked if the Fire Department was obligated to send out the fire truck for automobile accidents. Chief Briant said he recommended that the fire trucks be sent to automobile accidents because of gasoline and oil leaks. He said front end accidents were very dangerous because a fire could be ignited. He said if the fire truck was not needed, the Police could cancel the Fire Department's response. Mayor Abramowitz said he reviewed the fire Department Reports and he found that there were not many fires during automobile accidents. He asked if it was possible to eliminate the fire truck if it was not needed. Chief Briant said this was presently being done. He said the Fire Department's response to automobile accidents may be the reason there were no fires during an Page 3 AKYA automobile accident. He said there was one loss of life in the City because of a fire which was because of a car accident. Mayor Abramowitz said the procedures for the fire truck should be reviewed and possibly changed to allow a savings in the City without reducing the services. He suggested that this matter be discussed with the City Manager. Chief Briant said the fire truck responses were cancelled by the first responding unit if they were not needed and Jim Budzinski, Fire Marshall, said it may be possible to have the responding unit inform the Fire Department if they were needed before the fire trucks left the stations. Mayor Abramowitz asked if another unit responded to the accidents before the Fire Department and Chief Briant said this depended on where the accidents occurred. Mayor Abramowitz suggested that Fire Marshall Budzinski's suggestion be considered and possibly implemented. C/M Stelzer asked who carried the jaws of life and Chief Briant replied, the Fire Department. C/M Stelzer asked if the fire truck was needed and Chief Briant said it required a whole compartment. C/M Stelzer asked if the need for the jaws of life was known at an accident and Chief Briant said the need was known by the first unit on the scene. Mayor Abramowitz asked how many times the jaws of life was needed this year and Chief Briant said the jaws of life were needed approximately 12 times this year. City Manager Kelly said Chief Briant requested approximately $9,000.00 for Item 170, Paid Vacation, last year; however, it was cut from the Budget. Mayor Abramowitz said City Manager Kelly was approving the request this year and City Manager Kelly said it was relatively certain that the employees on Workers' Compensation would be retiring. Chief Briant said one of the employees was a Fire Inspector, which may be the reason why the revenues were down. He said this employee has not been active for approximately 4 months. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the City paid for Workers's Compensation and Chief Briant replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this was a reason for the decline in the revenue and Chief Briant said the fees were impacted. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this employee was replaced and Chief Briant said the Budget would not allow this. Chief Briant said there were only two Fire Inspectors in the Department and there was no one in the Department certified by the State to fill the position. City Manager Kelly said approximately $35,000.00 was lost in revenue because of this and Mayor Abramowitz asked if the employee could be asked to retire on Disability after a specific amount of time. Page 4 8/14/89 Chief Briant said this ^ould not be done; however, the Personnel Department was investigating these problems in the City. City Manager Kelly said Item 210, FICA, increased approximately $13,000.00 this year and Mayor Abramowitz asked why there was a difference of $19,000.00 from last year. City Manager Kelly said this Item included the three additional positions and, because of the annexed area, the three positions were planned for this year's Budget. City Manager Kelly asked how tall The Gate Condominium was and Fire Marshall Budzinski said 5 stories; however, there were problems with the ladder reaching the top story. Mayor Abramowitz said the City had a Mutual Aid Agreement that would assist in this matter and Chief Briant replied, yes. City Manager Kelly said the City had to pull their own share in the Mutual Aid Program. City Manager Kelly said Item 230, Health Insurance, decreased because the Fire Department had their own insurance last year; however, they were required to rejoin the City this year, which reduced the cost. He said the Health Insurance costs were not determined at this time; however, the cost would be more than the allocated amount of $63,260.00. Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 220, Pension Contribution, was increased by approximately $32,000.00 and Ken Burroughs, Finance Director, said because of the Amendments to the Plan, there was an increase. Mayor Abramowitz asked who authorized such a large increase and Mr. Burroughs said the City would not receive the contingency if the increases were not made. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the funds were precise and Mr. Burroughs replied, yes. C/M Rohr asked why Item 306, Special Supplies/Services, was increased by approximately $4,000.00 for the estimated amount of last year. Chief Briant said $25,000.00 was Budgeted last year; however, radios were purchased on an emergency basis; therefore, he transferred funds from this Account to buy the radios. He said Item 306 was created because of a certain Team from Broward County through the Mutual Aid Program. He said if a suit was torn during a duty, it would cost approximately $1,500.00. He said this Budget was created to cover the equipment that may be damaged. He said he requested $25,000.00; however, the City Manager was recommending $5,000.00. C/M Rohr asked why Item 340, Other Contractual Services, was increased by approximately $4,000.00 from last year. Chief Briant said he requested $8,000.00 for an Employee Assistance Program; however, the City Manager reduced the request to $3,000.00. He said the City did not have an Employee Assistance Program and he thought the City was obligated to provide this type of program for people addicted to alcohol and drugs. Page 5 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz asked if $5,504.00 was spent last year for this program and Chief Briant said the Account included, aerial testing of the ladders, annual pump tests, medical testing for employees and exterminator charges for the two stations. Mayor Abramowitz asked why this Account was increased this year and C/M Rohr said the Employee Assistance Program was being added. C/M Rohr asked if the City was obligated to provide assistance to an employee with a substance abuse problem and Chief Briant said if an employee came to the City regarding a problem, it was only appropriate for the City to assist the employee with the problem. Chief Briant said if the City provided assistance and the employee did not cooperate, the City would be able to terminate the employee. C/M Rohr asked if this was covered under the health insurance plan and Chief Briant replied, sometimes. Mayor Abramowitz said he was uncomfortable with this Budget because there were several things in the Budget that were not allocated last year. He said he hesitated to inhibit the Fire Department in any way; however, he questioned the necessity of some items. He said the amounts were not large; however, the Departments had to bite the bullet. C/M Rohr asked what Items 401, Meetings and Seminars, and, 402, Travel -Other, were for. He asked if the City was able to receive funding through Grants for these Items because the training was mandated by the State. Chief Briant said the National Fire Academy was attended each year, which was like the Federal. Bureau of Investigation for the Police Department. He said the Lieutenants requested to go and, if approval was given, there would be no cost for the education. Fire Marshall Budzinski said generally, there were no reimbursements to the City for the training costs; however, if certain seminars were selected, the costs were greatly reduced by the Federal Government. He said the only costs would be for meals. Mayor Abramowitz asked why there was a request for $6,100.00 and Chief Briant said these Items included certain Seminars and Conferences for the Captains, Fire Marshall, Inspectors and Chief to maintain credentials. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the State mandated that this education be continued and Chief Briant replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz said the State mandated; however, the State did not pay for it and Fire Marshall Budzinski said the State provided the courses to assist the City. Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 410, Telephone, did not exist last year and Chief Briant said this Account was new. Ken Burroughs said the Telephone costs were in the City Hall Account last year. Mayor Abramowitz asked why $20,000.00 was allocated for Item 460, Auto Repairs, and Chief Briant said Item 466, Fire Apparatus, was combined with Item 460. Page 6 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz asked if Item 475, Protective Clothing, was for the three new people and Chief Briant said this included the three new employees plus $1,000.00 per man to provide protective clothing. Mayor Abramowitz said if the three new employees were not hired, there would be a lot of money saved and C/M Hoffman said there would be a large savings in the salaries. City Manager Kelly said the new annexed areas also needed to be covered and Chief Briant said if the City Council decided not to hire the three additional people the largest savings would be in Item 153, Personnel Services. Chief Briant said when the County property was annexed into the City, he was asked to determine what was needed to provide services in the area, which was three additional people. C/M Hoffman said the annexed area was not very large and the Fire Department traveled through the area to get to other parts of the City; Chief Briant said need for employees was determined on the population of the City and the average recommendation was 1.87 per thousand and the Fire Department was not at 1.0 yet; therefore, the Fire Department was lower than other Cities in Broward County concerning manpower per thousand. C/M Hoffman said the Fire Department did not attend too many fires and Fire Marshall Budzinski said this was true throughout the Country; however, the Fire Department provided other emergency services. Fire Marshall Budzinski said the Fire Department responded as medical units and backup to the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) when there was a multi -unit accident. He said this occurred quite often. Mayor Abramowitz said there were joint services performed in the City by the Departments. He said the City did a great job in the consolidation of time and funds. He said he would like this applied to every Department in the City. He said the Fire and Police Departments services were separate from the other Departments; however, he would like consideration in consolidating some of these services to save money. TAPE 2 Fire Marshall Budzinski said these steps were taken in things like the Mutual Aid Program. He said if the City Council viewed the services as supplementing each other as opposed to duplicating each other, it would be a more accurate representation of what was occurring with the Fire Department, the Emergency Medical Services and the Broward Sheriff's Office. C/M Hoffman said the Fire Department has operated appropriately without three additional people. He said the annexed area was not adequate reason to add to the personnel. He suggested that the personnel not be hired for this Budget year. He said at the six month review the matter could be readdressed. C/M Hoffman said if there were employees retiring they should be replaced; however, three new people were not required. Page 7 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz said he was concerned with Items in the Budget that were not allotted for last year and C/M Hoffman said the only reason for hiring three additional people was because of the annexed area; however, the area was not that much larger; therefore, this reason did not seem appropriate. Mayor Abramowitz said this was being considered because of experience in the World and C/M Hoffman said the City of Tamarac could not compare themselves to Cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale, who have large slum areas where fires were constantly generated. He said he would like emergencies in the City covered. Chief Briant said in 1977, the Sabal Palms fire was the largest ever in Broward County and, in 1980, Woodmont Country Club had a 5 million dollar loss, which was the largest in Broward County that year. He said the amount of fires were not many; however, the dollar amount in loss was great. C/M Hoffman asked if the Fire Department was able to handle the fires with the existing personnel and Chief Briant said when Sabal Palms was on fire, there was not enough personnel to prevent it from burning. C/M Hoffman asked if the Fire Department had the ability now and Chief Briant replied, yes; however, it seemed that the City needed a crisis to realize what was needed. C/M Hoffman said new equipment, such as a fire truck, was being purchased because it was needed as opposed to an emergency. Chief Briant said the fire truck was a replacement. C/M Hoffman said the City Council wanted to do what was needed and he was not convinced that three additional people were needed at this time because an area was annexed. Mayor Abramowitz said he attended the recent fire at Sabal Palms and he saw what the Mutual Aid Program provided, which worked magnificently. He said the City of Tamarac had services that were utilized by other Cities. He said if Chief Briant stated that the residents would be in jeopardy if the three additional people were not hired, the City Council would not fight it; however, there was a financial problem in the City and the City would receive what they needed but not what they wanted. He said he did not understand why requests this year were not made last year. Chief Briant said the City was very lucky last year; however, he said as President of the Fire Association, he was concerned that the Mutual Aid Agreement continued. He said if one City did not provide the appropriate services in the Agreement, it may affect the assistance from the other Cities, which would eliminate the program. Mayor Abramowitz said he understood Chief Briant's concern; however, there was a priority system to follow. He said the concern was what was needed on a priority basis, such as State mandated education; however, he would not approve if the Fire Department requested funding for education if it was not mandated by the State. He said the City had to do what was needed as opposed to what was wanted. 1 1 Page 8 MIME Chief Briant said he was only trying to defend his Department and Mayor Abramowitz said he would do the same thing and he respected Chief Briant for doing this. C/M Rohr said the three additional people would be more than $100,000.00 in salaries and he asked if the Fire Department could call in the men off duty for emergency situations. He said because of the financial problem, the City could not anticipate a problem. He said the Mutual Aid Program should be reviewed to see if there could be a larger savings for the Cities. He said the tax expenses were increasing rapidly for the residents and there would come a time when the residents could not afford the services. He said the Federal and State were causing additional expenses without providing any type of aid. He said he hoped that the Fire Department considered these problems when providing their services. V/M Bender said he reviewed this matter as a form of insurance. He said insurance was great to have in abundance if it could be afforded. He said there were several Items in the Budget that were contingent and he would lake to give as much as possible to the Fire Department; however, it could not be done realistically until there was a six month review of the Budget. He said waiting for six months should not make a big difference in the services of the Fire Department. He suggested that certain Items be deferred until the six month review. C/M Stelzer asked how the percentage per thousand people was determined and Chief Briant said from the IMPA Books of the National Fire Services. C/M Stelzer asked there was a lower residents. Chief 2.0%; however, the important factors. if this affected the insurance rate if percentage of employees per thousand Briant said the City was close to being manpower, training and equipment were Mayor Abramowitz asked if C/M Stelzer was indicating that the residents would be charged more for fire insurance if the City did not provide the appropriate services and personnel. C/M Stelzer said the City did not have a good fire rating before the Fire Department was implemented. Mayor Abramowitz asked what it was last year and Chief Briant replied, 5. Mayor Abramowitz asked what it was this, year and Chief Briant replied, 5. Mayor Abramowitz said the things Budgeted this year were not Budgeted last year; however, the rating was 5. Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 620, Buildings, in the amount of $16,800.00 was for and Chief Briant said a request for a second floor was made for Station #1 which would eliminate the trailer. Chief Briant said this would allow the Station to function appropriately and fit in with the beautification of the City. Chief Briant said the City Manager reduced this amount. He said the Fire Department requested to purchase the trailer which was presently being used by the Fire Prevention Bureau. He said the City presently leased the trailer and it would be more feasible for the City to purchase the trailer. Page 9 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz asked why the trailers from the old City Hall was not used and Fire Marshall Budzinski said this was the trailer used by the Building Department at the old City Hall building. Mayor Abramowitz asked how long the trailers were being leased and Chief Briant said the Fire Department has leased the trailers for one year. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there were any other expenses incurred with owning the property as opposed to leasing the trailers. Chief Briant said the on -going electric and water fees which were being paid by the City now. Mayor Abramowitz asked if $16,800.00 was for the purchase of the trailers and Fire Marshall Budzinski replied, yes. V/M Bender asked why 59E, Fleet Maintenance Services, was increased and Mr. Burroughs said the total garage expenses were pro -rated among the Departments based on their percentage of usage by the Departments of these services. He said the percentage was submitted to the Finance Department by the Public Works Department. C/M Hoffman asked if the Accounts would be adjusted if the City Council found a savings in the Fleet Maintenance Department and Mr. Burroughs replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz asked when the Fire Department would be receiving the fire truck as allocated in Item 640, Vehicles. Chief Briant said the vehicle would be delivered on November 16, 1989 and the first payment was due on November 16, 1990. Mr. Burroughs this was an Accounting Budgetary entry to accommodate an accounting requirement. He said the Lease/Purchase of the vehicle cost $248,890.00 and Page 10, Debt Proceeds, indicated the cost to be $248,890.00 which was a wash. He said the Debt Proceeds represented the funds the City would be receiving from the leasor for the equipment. He said in future Budgets commencing in November, 1991, the City would be paying back the Note at approximately $50,000.00 per year. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the cost was projected as income to the City and Mr. Burroughs replied, yes, to offset the expense. Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 647, Special Equipment, was for and Chief Briant said he requested $65,000.00 worth of equipment; however, the City Manager reduced the request to $44,780.00. Mayor Abramowitz asked why the request last year was not met and Chief Briant said the City Manager requested that the Fire Department hold their costs. Chief Briant said every year it seemed that the City bought 14 fire trucks in 14 years; however, the truck was never bought because the City property was not sold. Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 647 included and Mr. Burroughs said the equipment was conditional with the sale of the old City Hall property. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this pertained to this year's request and Mr. Burroughs replied, no. Page 10 I 1 1 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz said last year the purchase of the equipment was contingent upon the sale of the old City Hall property; however, this year the funds had to be expended. Chief Briant agreed. Chief Briant said some of the special equipment was impacting membership. He said he received a Safety Inspection from Gallagher Bassett Insurance Company requesting Items that were needed. He said the Items included breathing apparatus in the amount of $30,000.00 because the liability would be large if someone was harmed because of the existing equipment. Mayor Abramowitz had concerns regarding the need for mats and Chief Briant said the mats were needed for training purposes with the children. He said the Fire Department was consistently borrowing the mats from Broward County which was very difficult. Mayor Abramowitz said the Inspection did not indicate that the breathing apparatus was defective and Chief Briant said he did not know if Gallagher Bassett was aware that the apparatus was defective. He said he was concerned that the apparatus would cause a large liability for the City. Chief Briant said the jaws of life cutting sheer tool was 10 years old and needed to be replaced. C/M Rohr suggested that Chief Briant eliminate the three additional positions in order to purchase the required equipment. He said the equipment seemed to be needed more than the three additional people. Mayor Abramowitz said he agreed with C/M Rohr's suggestion. He said he saw Items in the Budget that had nothing to do with the safety and welfare of the residents in the City. He said he would like Chief Briant to inform the City Manager if there was a need of the three people in the future. He said this year, he did not care if the Departments ever attended Conferences or Seminars. He said he would agree with C/M Rohr's suggestion providing the City Council agreed that actions would be taken to provide the additional manpower in the future if Chief Briant came to them stating the need for the additional staff. Chief Briant said he would do the best he could with the Budget approved by the City Council and Mayor Abramowitz said he knew this. V/M Bender said he would approve of the elimination of the three additional people providing the matter was reviewed in 6 months. C/M Hoffman said if Chief Briant came to the City Council in the future regarding the need for additional personnel, the City Council would consider it. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the two people on Workers' Compensation would be replaced if they retired and Mr. Burroughs replied, yes, providing the employees were eliminated from the City's payroll. Mayor Abramowitz said he approved C/M Rohr's suggestion and C/M Rohr said he did not feel that eliminating the three employees would damper the services of the Fire Department; however, not having the appropriate equipment would. Page 11 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz suggested that Chief Briant do a Study of the Fire Department's services by interacting with the surrounding Fire Departments as well as the need to send out the fire truck to minor automobile accidents. Chief Briant said there was not a paid Department in Broward County which did not send a unit out to an automobile accident. He said time was of the essence when there was an accident and there were Cities that sent a fire truck and paramedic unit. Mayor Abramowitz said the City of Coral Springs did not spend $.14 for their Fire Department and Chief Briant said the City of Tamarac did not have the same sources as the City of Coral Springs. Mayor Abramowitz said safety was the prime concern and there had to be ways to provide the safety and services in a cost efficient manner. Chief Briant said an in depth study could be done regarding the cost of the fire truck attending accident scenes; however, $1,000.00 per year may be saved by not using gasoline or tires. He said he would not recommend eliminating this service. C/M Hoffman asked what the effective tax rates were of the other Cities as compared to the City of Tamarac and Chief Briant said Tamarac had the cheapest tax rate per capita. Mayor Abramowitz said if Chief Briant could change this, the Fire Department would receive anything they wanted and Chief Briant said he did not want to change the tax rate; however, he did want to provide the same services that were presently available. Mayor Abramowitz asked that a memorandum and Report be submitted to the City Council regarding the breathing apparatus. Chief Briant said he would like to present the old apparatus with a new apparatus so that the City Council was aware of the difference. C/M Stelzer suggested that the cost for the three positions remain in the Budget contingent upon the funds not being used until there was a 6 month review and C/M Hoffman said if the positions were in the Budget they would have to be included in the tax rate. C/M Hoffman said he did not want these positions in the tax rate if the positions would not be filled. C/M Stelzer asked where the funds would come from if Chief Briant came to the City Council requesting the three positions. C/M Rohr asked Chief Briant if he could cover emergencies with the existing employees and Chief Briant said on calls for a fire, he could not wait 15 minutes for an employee. Page 12 8/14/89 Chief Briant said he recently submitted an emergency memorandum to the City Manager regarding the repair of the windshields for the ladder truck. He said he received bids on this project and the lowest bid was in the amount of $2,558.00. He asked that the City Council approve the City Manager's direction to the Fire Department in having this repair. City Manager Kelly said he would authorize this repair; however, the Item would appear before the City Council for approval at the August 23, 1989 City Council meeting. The City Council DIRECTED the City Manager to authorize this repair. ** Three Firefighter positions were eliminated; the Fire Chief was asked to submit a Report on the condition of the existing breathing apparatus and, the City Manager was Directed to authorize the repair of the windshield on the ladder truck in the amount of $2,558.00. At 11:00 A.M., Mayor Abramowitz RECESSED this meeting and RECONVENED at 11:10 A.M. with ALL PRESENT. Fire Chief Briant and Fire Marshall BudzinskP WITHDREW from tFe meeting and Steven Oxenhandler, Director of Development Services, and Dan Wood, Chief Building Official, ENTERED the meeting. Building Department - Page 42 Steven Oxenhandler, Director of Development Services, thanked the City Council for giving him and Dan Wood, Chief Building Official, the opportunity to be part of a team that sets the standards from which excellence was measured. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department was trying to build a commitment to quality through services and attitudes. He said some people state that Government could not provide good services; however, he was not influenced by snide remarks and the negative influence of other people. He said he knew the quality could be good and, with the City Council's assistance, it would be good. r Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department would be committed to service, thereby cutting time frames in plan review and inspections. He said the Building Department would be customer oriented. He said the goals for next year were to set the standards from which excellence would be measured and provide services in a cost effective manner. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Budget demonstrated this goal which included a reduction of salaries in the Building Department of $100,000.00. He said positions were eliminated so the Department could operate in a more cost effective manner. He said the Building Department was down 17% from last year's Budget which included the elimination of the Code Enforcement Department from the Building Department Budget. Mr. Oxenhandler said well thought out attempts would be made to improve and provide a better quality of service. He said the Building Department would be building a "We" Team as opposed to an "I" Group. Page 13 8/14/89 TAPE 3 Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department would be encouraging creativity through computer enhancements and site plan streamlining. He said a proposal would be before the City Council concerning an increase in the Building Department Permit Fees. He said with the staff, City Council and residents working together, the Building Department would become a Team. City Manager Kelly said the Building Department dramatically reduced their operational costs and he thanked Mr. Oxenhandler and Mr. Wood for their input. City Manager Kelly said the Budget last year for the salaries was $787,632.00 and the estimated cost was $738,910.00. He said the salaries this year were recommended to be $604,850.00 and this was done by consolidating and eliminating positions. City Manager Kelly said Item 122, Part -Time Employee Wages, was close to last year's Budget. He said Item 155, Temporary Employee Wages, was recommended in the amount of $1 0,370.00. Mayor Abramowitz asked"what Item 122, was for and Mr. Oxenhandler said this Item included Summer employees which assisted the Department tremendously on their personnel shortfalls. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Department expected temporary employees after the Summer and Mr. Oxenhandler said this was not expected; however, he would like to have funds available in case there was a need for temporary help. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department was dependent on interest rates, inflation, property values, etc. He said if these Items decreased the experience could be like that in 1987. Mayor Abramowitz said he was informed that the Building Department had a large surge of interest within the last 5 months. Mayor Abramowitz said he visited the Building Department often and he noticed that the Building Inspectors were constantly in the Office. He asked if there was enough work for the Building Inspectors. Mr. Oxenhandler said a Structural Inspector was eliminated from the Budget; however, the Building Department presently had three Structural Inspectors. He said the Board of Rules and Appeals required 20 minutes per property inspection, which included travel time. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not approve of a Department Head wanting 1 million dollars and agreeing to accepting $800,000.00. He said he would like to know what was wanted, what was needed and what was working. He asked if the entire staff in the Building Department was needed at this time. Mr. Oxenhandler said each staff member in the Building Department at this time was needed. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Department paid for itself and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no, because of the decrease in the Building Permit Fees. Page 14 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz asked if this decrease meant there were less inspections and Mr. Oxenhandler disagreed. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department had approximately 20,000 building inspections that expired and needed to be completed. He said these inspections were never called into the Department; therefore, the inspectors were working overtime to get these inspections completed. Mr. Oxenhandler said these incomplete inspections dated back to 1985 and Mayor Abramowitz asked if the City was reimbursed from those people who failed to get these inspections. Mr. Oxenhandler said these people were being contacted, their permits were being reactivated, they were being charged with their occupational license pulled for doing work without having final inspections. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the people failing to get the final inspection were paying a penalty for not having the inspection. He said this matter should be considered by the City Council because it cost the Building Department money to make the inspections. C/M Hoffman asked if it would cost the people money if they would have called in for the inspection after the work was completed and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no. C/M Hoffman asked what the difference was between inspecting the work immediately or later. . Mayor Abramowitz said there was a difference because the Building Department now had 20,000 inspections backlogged and Mr. Oxenhandler said a person was charged if the work was not approved by the Inspector. Mayor Abramowitz said a person was charged if work was done without a permit and C/M Hoffman said this was a different circumstance. Mayor Abramowitz disagreed. Mayor Abramowitz said if the Building Department was working overtime because a person failed to call in for an inspection, that person should be charged for the hours spent to correct a situation that was not the City's responsibility. C/M Hoffman said this matter was a legislative decision and did not pertain to this Budget. Mayor Abramowitz said he wanted to know if all of the Inspectors were needed. He said the revenues were down; however, a large staff was needed to correct problems of the past. He said this procedure should pay for itself because the Department lost money if it did not. Mr. Oxenhandler said this was one of the reasons he would be requesting that the Permit Fees be increased and Mayor Abramowitz said he was not criticizing the Building Department; however, there were certain Departments that could not pay for themselves but licensing and permitting should pay for the Department. Mayor Abramowitz said he agreed with Mr. Oxenhandler's explanation and he saw a big and better difference in the Building Department. He suggested that the inspections for previous work be reviewed so that they would pay their share toward the expenditures of the Department. Page 15 8/14/89 Mr. Oxenhandler said if work was done without a permit, the person was charged double until a permit was obtained. He said the Building Department was aware that development was down in the City and this was why there was approximately $100,000.00 cut from the salaries. He said this cut also reflected in the operating expenses as well. He said the Building Department Budget was approximately $231,000.00 less than last year. C/M Rohr asked if the 20,000 inspections could be done in one year and Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department was doing a little bit each day. C/M Rohr had concerns with it taking 5 years to complete and Mr. Oxenhandler said it would not take 5 years. Dan Wood, Chief Building Official, said a lot of the work was Administrative, such as files, roofing permits, etc., that were not called in for final inspection. Mr. Oxenhandler said this problem would be eliminated in the future because of the upgrade in the computer system. He said after 90 days, the computer would inform the Department of what inspections were needed. C/M Rohr asked what Mr. Oxenhandler felt was needed to correct this problem and Mr. Oxenhandler said C/M Hoffman was correct in stating that an inspection was generally done at no additional cost to a person when work was completed. Mr. Oxenhandler said if a person did not have a permit, double charges were implemented. Mr. Wood said it would be difficult to call a contractor who did work in 1985 for additional fees because the contractor may no longer be in business. Mayor Abramowitz said the person who had the work done should be responsible. C/M Hoffman said instead of charging a double fee, a fine should be implemented and Mr. Oxenhandler said it would be hard to collect a fine because some cases may have to be settled in the Courts. C/M Hoffman said the fees could be tripled as opposed to doubled; however, the City Council should concentrate on the Budget and discuss this matter later. Mayor Abramowitz asked Mr. Oxenhandler to justify the need for his staff when the revenues were down and Mr. Oxenhandler said in 1987, the City did not have enough Inspectors which caused defaults in a lot of the work. Mr. Wood said before the Board of Rules and Appeals required 20 minute inspections, it was not uncommon to make 60 to 70 inspections per day per man; however, now there were approximately 18 inspections made per day per man. Mayor Abramowitz asked if it was mandated that the Inspectors spend 20 minutes on each inspection and Mr. Wood said this time was recommended by the Board of Rules and Appeals. Mr. Wood said the Board of Rules and ` Appeals felt that it would take 20 minutes to do a proper inspection. City Manager Kelly said the Board of Rules and Appeals had a lot of influence on the Building Department. Page 16 8/14/89 Mayor Abramowitz asked if an Inspector stayed at an inspection 20 minutes even though it did not take that long and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no. Mr. Wood said the inspection may take 45 minutes and Mr. Oxenhandler said the 20 minutes requirement was just a guideline. Mayor Abramowitz asked how many inspections were done per day and Mr. Wood said he would submit this information to the City Council. Mayor Abramowitz said he would like information regarding how many inspections were done per day, how long the Inspectors were working each day and how long it took to do each inspection. City Manager Kelly asked if the Board of Rules and Appeals checked these matters and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, yes. City Manager Kelly said the Board of Rules and Appeals could shut down a Building Department based on doing too many inspections causing the inspectors to be over worked. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Board of Rules and Appeals reviewed the fact that the Building Department had too many Inspectors causing the Department to lose money and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no. Mayor Abramowitz said every regulatory agency was mandating the City to do certain things; however, they did not want to assist the City in paying for these things. He said he did not see any reason, except for the safety and welfare of the City, for the Departments to be losing money. He said there had to be a legal answer to these problems, such as increasing revenue or cutting the overhead. C/M Hoffman asked if the overhead could be reduced and Mayor Abramowitz said Mr. Oxenhandler said it could not be done in the personnel. C/M Rohr asked if there was a Statute of Limitation on doing the inspections and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no. C/M Rohr asked if the City was responsible for seeing that the work was done correctly and Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Board of Rules and Appeals had this type of requirement when they decided to shut down a Building Department. Mr. Wood said the Board of Rules and Appeals could investigate the background of the actions and C/M Hoffman said Mr. Oxenhandler indicated that the Building Department would have a computer program that would eliminate this from occurring in the future. Mr. Oxenhandler said most of the inspections being done were for small things, such as pool heaters, solar water heaters, etc. He said it was the contractor's responsibility to see that these inspections were done. Mr. Oxenhandler said the law provided that a permit expired if inspections were not called in every 90 days. He said a red flag would. be implemented in the computer system to inform the Building Department that an inspection was required regardless of whether the contractor called in. Page 17 8/14/89 C/M Hoffman asked if the Building Department could be cut and Mr. Oxenhandler suggested that funds be reduced from Item 155, Temporary Employee Wages. V/M Bender said the Department did not ask for Annual and Sick Leave Funds; however, City Manager Kelly allocated $860.00 for these Ttems and Ken Burroughs, Finance Director, said these funds were required under the Union contracts. V/M Bender asked if Mr. Oxenhandler was aware of this requirement and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no. Mr. Burroughs said if a. Department did not request funding for something required, he and the City Manager implemented the appropriate funds. Mr. Oxenhandler said funds could be cut from Item 155, Temporary Employee Wages. The City Council agreed to cut $5,000.00 which reduced this amount from $10,370.00 to $5,370.00. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Building Department received new vehicles this year and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, yes, two vehicles were received. Mr. Burroughs said all capital equipment was recorded in the General Fixed Assets Fund. Mr. Burroughs said each Department had an inventory. C/M Hoffman asked what Item 460, Auto Repairs, was for and Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Department had a truck with bad exhaust and air conditioning. He said the Building Department had to place their trucks in the garage for repair several times during the year. Mayor Abramowitz said he understood the need for capital equipment and, as soon as possible, the equipment would be replaced. He said he hoped that the repair on the trucks did not delay the productivity of the Department. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Building Inspectors were in the field by 8:00 A.M. and came back to the Office by 11:30 A.M. to answer telephone calls. He said the Inspectors returned to the field after lunch and returned at 3:00 P.M. to answer telephone calls. Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 470, Printing and Binding, was for and Mr. Oxenhandler said this Item included inspection tickets, application forms, copies and permit cards. Mr. Oxenhandler said this Item could be reduced by $2,000.00 and the City Council agreed. Mayor Abramowitz said he was very pleased with the function of the Building Department. ** There was a $7,000.00 reduction in the Building Department Budget. The City Council requested that a Report be submitted regarding how long it took it took for inspections and how long the Building Inspectors worked per day. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Code Enforcement Budget - Page 44 Mayor Abramowitz said there was a question of why Mr. Oxenhandler's salary was placed in the Code Enforcement Budget and Mr. oxenhandler said his salary was in the Building Department Budget. Page 18 17 8/14/89 Mr. Oxenhandler said 4 months ago there was a positive approach started for Code Enforcement. He said the Department would be a part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem. He said the Department was not using the Code as a hammer but for negotiations to assist people to understand that a specific amount of time was allowed to correct a problem. He said the Department was explaining the benefits of complying with the Code because Code Enforcement was the future of the City. He said the City was becoming older and there were things that needed to be repaired. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Department instituted one of the best Code Enforcement computer programs in the State. He said with the Data Processing Department's assistance, the program was instituted in 3 months. He said the program allowed the elimination of one Code Enforcement position, which was vacant and reduced the paperwork threefold. He said everything was being generated by the Computer, such as Notice of Violations, Hearings, labels, etc. Mr. Oxenhandler said with the enhancements made to the computer program, the City could market the program because Cities were in need of this type of program. He said the time frame and cases going to the Code Enforcement Board would be reduced because people were complying more than they were. Mr. Oxenhandler said the staff was training in negotiations and sales to assist and understand people. Mayor Abramowitz said he was very pleased with the recent change in the Code Enforcement Department. C/M Hoffman asked why there was no Budget for the Code Enforcement Department last year and City Manager Kelly said Code Enforcement was in the Building Department Budget last year. C/M Hoffman asked if the reduction in the Building Department was because of the elimination of Code Enforcement and Ken Burroughs said Page 213 indicated the change. Mr. Oxenhandler said including the elimination of Code Enforcement from the Building Department Budget, the reduction was $210,000.00 from last year. Mayor Abramowitz commended Mr. Oxenhandler for having Code Enforcement Officers in the field on Saturdays and Mr. Oxenhandler said the procedure would also include Sundays. C/M Hoffman asked if anything could be cut from this Budget and Mr. Oxenhandler said this Budget was bare boned. Mayor Abramowitz asked how much the Code Enforcement Department generated in fees as compared to how much was spent and Mr. Oxenhandler said the Code Enforcement Department was not a fee generating Department. Mayor. Abramowitz asked how much in fees were generated in the Code Enforcement Department and Mr. Oxenhandler said there may have been approximately $10,000.00 in liens last year. Page 19 8/14/89 TAPE 4 Mayor Abramowitz said he attended a few Code Enforcement meetings and found there were several high paid professionals present; however, there were no Petitioners present. He said there was a Petitioner who did violate the Code and the Code Enforcement Board refused to act on the violation because they did not interpret the case to be in violation of the Code. Mr. Oxenhandler said the Department was trying to get the people to comply before they had to be required to go before the Code Enforcement Board. He said there were Workshops held with the Code Enforcement Board and the Board was informed that the Board was not supposed to interpret the Code but to determine if the evidence presented was a violation of the Code. He said the Board has been doing very well with this change. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there was a need for the Prosecuting Attorney and Mr. Oxenhandler replied, no. Mr. Oxenhandler said he was there representing staff and he was asking the Code Enforcement Officers questions. He said the City Attorney was needed for the Board and City Manager Kelly agreed. C/M Rohr asked how much was spent for the Prosecuting Attorney last year and Mr. Oxenhandler said this information would be submitted to the City Council. Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 543, Educational Expenses, was for and City Manager Kelly said the Personnel Manual provided for the education of the staff. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this Item was mandated and City Manager Kelly said it was important that the employees had the opportunity to have the education. Mayor Abramowitz asked what the employees were going to school for and City Manager Kelly said an employee was taking a course in Building Construction, which presently allowed $600.00; however, he was allowing $300.00. He said another employee was taking a Business Administration Course and $300.00 was being allotted as opposed to $600.00. Mayor Abramowitz said he was not concerned with continued education of the employees unless it was mandated. He said the cost was not large; however, he did not feel that the City could afford this type of education. He said the Code Enforcement Budget was bare bones; however, he would be reviewing the Budgets to see if the education was really needed. Mr. Oxenhandler said the City could not forget that their most important inventory went home at night and Mayor Abramowitz agreed. Mayor Abramowitz said if the education costs were higher, he would not approve. Mayor Abramowitz congratulated Mr. Oxenhandler for doing a great job in the Departments and on the Budget. ** The City Council requested a Report regarding the fees of the Prosecuting Attorney for the Code Enforcement Board. There were no cuts from this Budget. Page 20 8/14/89 Cl 1 Ambulance Service - Page 41 Mayor Abramowitz said the City Manager informed him several months ago that Mr. Cohen, President of the Atlantic Ambulance Service, said there was no way the ambulance service would be approximately $145,000.00. He said he informed the City Manager to inform Mr. Cohen that the City was not interested in the ambulance service. Mayor Abramowitz said the newspapers indicated that the City of Tamarac would be eliminating their ambulance service. He said Mr. Cohen obviously thought about his proposal and the cost was expected to be $100,000.00. He said he was very disturbed with the newspaper article because he was not willing to give up the service. City Manager Kelly said the Contract was still being negotiated because Mr. Cohen indicated he wanted a two year Contract before the start of the Fiscal Year. He said Mr. Cohen indicated that he would agree to the reduction for the first year; however, the second year would have a rate determined by the percentage of increase approved by the Broward County Commission. He said Mr. Cohen also wanted to eliminate the transportation of house guests and the transfer fee of $100.00 for transporting from one hospital to another. Mayor Abramowitz said he was not willing to give up anything in the Contract and C/M Hoffman said he would like a Report regarding the number of house guests transported. City Manager Kelly said this matter would have to be negotiated with Mr. Cohen. There were no cuts from this Budget. Mayor Abramowitz announced that a Workshop meeting would be held tomorrow, August 15, 1989, at 1:00 P.M. and the following Budgets would be reviewed: Community Development Economic Development Data Processing Purchasing Engineering Street Lighting Personnel Insurance Operations Insurance Services With no further business, Mayor Abramowitz ADJOURNED this meeting at 12:10 P.M. CAROL A. E N , CITY CLERK "This public document was promulgated at a cost of $173.40 or $21.68 per copy to inform the general public, public officers and employees of recent opinions and considerations of the City Council of the City of Tamarac." Page 21