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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-07-15 - City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes (2)CITY OF TAMARAC CITY COMMISSION BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2004 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Schreiber called the Budget Workshop Meeting of the City Commission to order on Thursday, July 15, 2004, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 105 of Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 88th Avenue, Tamarac, Florida. PRESENT: Mayor Joe Schreiber, Vice Mayor Marc L. Sultanof, Commissioner Edward C. Portner, Commissioner Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco, and Commissioner Karen L. Roberts. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, Deputy City Manager Michael C. Cernech, and City Clerk Marion Swenson. Mayor Schreiber led the pledge of allegiance. Budget Review Public Works: Public Works Director Strain gave an overview of the Public Works budget. Commissioner Partner questioned page 12-23 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 34-00 and asked if this covers the entire City. Public Works Director Strain explained this is for Prestige Landscapers and covers the extra landscaping and it is for the entire City. Commissioner Portner questioned page 12-24 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 52-18. Public Works Director Strain said this is for small tools. Commissioner Portner questioned page 12-31 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular the Pier Elevator. Public Works Director Strain explained this would make the job more efficient. Vice Mayor Sultanof questioned page 12-23 of the FYO-5 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 34-09. Project Manager (Solid Waste/Recycling) D'Amato explained that recycling is charged on the utility bills and we pay All Service to pick up and dispose of the recycling. We get a credit from the sale of the disposables, and said credit shows up in revenues. Commissioner Roberts questioned the decrease in salaries on page 12-9 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, and Management and Budget Officer Sammartino explained it may be due to the rate of pay people starting at or transfers out of the department. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 14-14 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular vehicle purchase and replacement. Operations Manager Ritchie explained the replacement cost is $35,000. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 14-21 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, fire station facades. Public Works Director Strain explained July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 1 Revised 7/27/04 $50,000 is for the Station next to City Hall (renovation) and the $250,000 is for two station facades. Mayor Schreiber asked what the facades would look like and Public Works Director Strain said they would be updated architecturally to better tie in with City Hall or Station 15, and a presentation would be made to the Mayor and City Commission at a future workshop. Financial Services Department: Financial Services Director Newman gave an overview of the department's accomplishments and said it was decided to hold off on the reorganization of the department until a new Financial Services Director is brought on board. Mayor Schreiber questioned page 6-6 regarding the number of time clocks. Financial Services Director Newman said there are six. Commissioner Portner said he hoped the next Financial Services Director would carry on with the great ideas instituted by Financial Services Director Newman. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said she agreed with Commissioner Portner and asked Financial Services Director Newman what she would change were she a new Financial Services Director coming on board. Financial Services Director Newman responded she would recommend incremental process improvements and use of more technology. It is also important that the CFO stay involved with all departments and understand their projects and needs. Vice Mayor Sultanof said it has been a delight having Financial Services Director Newman here; she is very capable and has vision. Vice Mayor Sultanof credited Financial Services Director Newman with maintaining the loyalty of the department staff, and said she will be missed. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 6-6 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular contractual services for the time clock. Controller Nealon explained the lease of the equipment and software as well as interface with existing equipment. Controller Nealon said the $4,000 is a one-time fee. Commissioner Roberts asked what the annual cost is now and Controller Nealon said we currently use manual time clocks. The advantage to this system is the employees will use their ID cards to clock in and there will be more accuracy with regard to hours worked. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned the advantage of leasing the equipment and Controller Nealon said this is the proposal that the City received, but he will look into a purchase. Vice Mayor Sultanof said he would like to see cost factors for purchasing the equipment and how it compares with leasing. July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 2 Revised 7/27/04 Commissioner Roberts questioned page 6-9 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, decrease in contractual services. Management and Budget Officer Sammartino said it was a one- time study that was funded this year. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 6-16 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 34-02. Financial Services Director Newman said this is the program modification for document imaging. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 6-20 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 34- 02. Management and Budget Officer Sammartino said this is the imaging system that is also used for utility customer service. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 6-20 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 46-02. Financial Services Director Newman said the decrease is due to outsourcing printing of utility bills and the lock box. Commissioner Roberts questioned pages 6-15 and 6-19 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular the salaries and percentages. Financial Services Director Newman explained cross training and rotation of customer service representatives. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 6-14 of the FY05 Proposed Budget. Financial Services Director Newman said the hours were expanded and the parking area was fixed. The site is more visible and we are expanding services. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned a co -tenant in Satellite City Hall and Financial Services Director Newman said the City had hoped to find another agency to share space, which would be convenient for the citizens and help pay for the space. Commissioner Portner said he thought BSO had space in the Satellite City Hall and Revenue Officer Cox said they do stop in from time to time but not on a regular basis. Commissioner Portner asked what percentage is paid to the credit card service and Controller Nealon said depending on the transaction it could be up to 3%. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 6-14 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, projection of less utility payments. Revenue Officer Cox said this is a more realistic number than last year. Mayor Schreiber thanked Financial Services Director Newman for stabilizing Financial Services and bringing Tamarac up to a higher level. Mayor Schreiber said while it is sad to see Financial Services Director Newman go, he wishes her well. Parks and Recreation: Parks and Recreation Director Margoles thanked the Mayor and City Commission, City Manager and City Staff for their support and assistance throughout the year. Recreation Superintendent Zimmer reviewed the goals and objectives for Recreation. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Warner spoke about national accreditation for Tamarac Parks and Recreation through NRPA. Commissioner Portner asked what the accreditation would bring to the City and Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Warner said an extensive self -evaluation, an environment for regular reviews, and we July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 3 Revised 7/27/04 will be recognized nationally. Commissioner Portner asked if we pay for the accrediting committee to come to Tamarac, and if it is a federal program. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said NRPA is a professional association for parks and recreation (non-profit). Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 11-4 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, how it is determined what residents want. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Warner said there is a public input process — comment cards and program evaluation with the public. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles added we would also go through a needs assessment to see if there is a need to update the master plan. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Warner explained the funds requested are to cover the expenses of the four member visiting team for four days. Mayor Schreiber said anything any department does to enhance the reputation of the City adds to the possibility of achieving the Sterling Award. Recreation Superintendent Zimmer spoke of fitness repairs and preventive maintenance (page 11-5 of the FY05 Proposed Budget). Mayor Schreiber asked if the fitness room is adequate for the current usage. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said a 3,000 sq. ft. fitness center is being considered for the aquatic center. Mayor Schreiber asked if there would be showers and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said yes. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 11-2 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, the Teen Council Program expansion, and questioned what is being done for families with small children. Recreation Superintendent Zimmer said there is currently a Mammy and Me program, but the number of participants does not necessitate expansion at this time. There are also Saturday programs and programs planned for the fall for those aged 3-5. The programs are advertised via flyers, newsletters, Tam -A - Gram, the Forum and the web page. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said there are restrictions on what we can do as the school uses three rooms in the Multi - Purpose Center. Commissioner Portner questioned page 11-5 of the FY05 Proposed Budget and asked if it is more beneficial to replace than repair equipment. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Warner explained every treadmill from the old fitness room has been replaced. The life of the equipment is 7-10 years and repairs are minimal but we want to be prepared if something goes down. Commissioner Roberts asked about a replacement/repair program. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said it would be started this year. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 11-3 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 29-00. Management and Budget Officer Sammartino said there were a number of moved positions and reorganization last year. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 2-2 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, and if the lightning detection was for all parks. Assistant July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 4 Revised 7/27/04 Parks and Recreation Director Warner said this was talked about at a workshop and two parks were funded this fiscal year. Next year funding is for three additional parks. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 11-5 of FY05 Proposed Budget, and said residents are concerned that the gym will be closed if another one is opened. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this is an operational decision to be discussed. Parks Superintendent Mall spoke of goals and objectives. Commissioner Portner questioned why we pay BSO to patrol our parks. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said it is not in their contract with the City. Mayor Schreiber suggested inclusion of this service in the new contract. City Manager Miller said it would be discussed when the Mayor and City Commission return from their vacation. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 11-8 of the FY05 Proposed Budget. Parks Superintendent Moll said these are yearly costs. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 11-7 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, and asked if there is an anticipated need for more staff. Parks Superintendent Moll said down the line when Southgate Park opens there will be. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said staff complement is continually reviewed. Commissioner Roberts said residents would like more concerts and asked about the cost. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said it is $3,000 for each concert. Commissioner Roberts asked City Manager Miller to move $6,000 into the line item for concerts to provide for two additional concerts next year. Commissioner Portner asked if the concerts could be moved to different venues and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said she would look into that. Vice Mayor Sultanof said originally a bandstand was being considered for the Linear Park and he is still in favor of it. Vice Mayor Sultanof agreed the concerts should be brought to different parts of the City. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said she recently visited New York and was impressed with their `Swing Bands' program and would like to see something similar in Tamarac, in addition to the concerts. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said she would look into it. Commissioner Roberts questioned sponsorship for concerts and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said there is sponsorship. July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 5 Revised 7/27/04 Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said the New York program she previously mentioned was underwritten, and she is aware that we tried, unsuccessfully, to attract sponsors for July 4t". The program needs to be tweaked. Vice Mayor Sultanof said there might be money available for us through the Cultural Affairs Committee for Broward County. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said she is on the committee and would look into it. Mayor Schreiber suggested Parks and Recreation forward information regarding programs to the Mayor and City Commission so they could contact the appropriate people in the County for funding. Mayor Schreiber asked for an expression of interest to increase the budget for concerts by $6,000. All were in agreement. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 11-12 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular expansion of the para-transit service with no increase in passengers. Administrative Services Manager Maldonado explained there would be an expansion of destinations based on interest from customers. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 11-13 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, increase in `other operating'. Administrative Services Manager Maldonado explained this is for fuel. Vice Mayor Sultanof asked if ridership for the buses is on target and Administrative Services Manager Maldonado said after reorganization of the routes we meet or exceed the necessary ridership. Commissioner Roberts questioned unfunded request for social worker and said she thought this was in the CDBG monies. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said the social worker would start in October, but ultimately it would be better to have a social worker as a full time employee. Commissioner Portner questioned page 11-14 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, small maintenance vehicle. Parks Superintendent Moll said this is for the maintenance technician. There was discussion about vehicles and Mayor Schreiber said it might be a good time to think about a motor pool. City Manager Miller said it would be looked into and a report prepared. Commissioner Portner questioned page 11-14 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, maintenance vehicle for $27,000. Parks Superintendent Moll explained this is a larger vehicle and the functions between the two vehicles are different. Commissioner Portner questioned the necessity for the riding lawn mower and Parks Superintendent Moll explained. July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 6 11 Revised 7/27/04 Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned page 11-15 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 13-02. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this represents the growth of the summer camp program. Commissioner Flansbaum- Talabisco questioned page 11-15 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 34-00. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this is storage and installation of the holiday tree and menorah. Mayor Schreiber questioned page 11-15 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 13-01. Management and Budget Officer Sammartino said line item 12-99 should have been included in line item 13-01. Mayor Schreiber questioned page 11-15 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 40-01. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this is included in the program modification for accreditation and NRPA conference, plus additional training and certification for staff. Mayor Schreiber questioned page 11-16 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 57-12. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said an assessment was made after the last Junior Orange Bowl event and it was decided that was not the most effective use of funds. The program in the budget is currently being developed. Mayor Schreiber questioned page 11-16 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 62-00. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this is the lightning detection system. Commissioner Roberts asked for an explanation of the Youth Summit Program. Recreation Superintendent Zimmer said it is a two-day program where students from area high schools are invited to attend sessions on career development, money management, drugs and alcohol. Commissioner Roberts questioned page 11-16 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 57-07. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this reflects efficiency in transportation costs for summer camp. Commissioner Portner questioned page 11-16 of the FY05 Proposed Budget, in particular line item 56-03 and asked if the monies are subsidized. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this is revenue associated with trips that the seniors pay for. Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Warner distributed a handout regarding fee changes. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said it is not fair to the Mayor and City Commission to receive the information without having had time to review the figures. Management and Budget Officer Sammartino explained this information is included in the budget as an assumption. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said the Mayor and City Commission is not being asked to make a decision on the fees at this time, it would be brought back to them in the future with the appropriate resolution. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco asked how residents feel about sharing the fitness room with non-residents. Commissioner Roberts said when the fitness room first opened many residents worked out with friends from neighboring cities. When the non- residents were no longer allowed to use the fitness room, some of the residents were upset about this. July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 7 Revised 7/27/04 City Manager Miller said fees would be discussed at a workshop in September. There being no further business to come before the City Commission, Mayor Schreiber adjourned the Budget Workshop meeting at 11:20 a.m. Marion Swenson, CIVIC City Clerk July 15, 2004 City Commission Budget Workshop 8 1 Revised 7/27/04