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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-12-11 - City Commission Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY COMMISSION MINUTES WORKSHOP MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2023 10:00 AM CONFERENCE ROOM 105 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Michelle J. Gomez called the Monday, December 11, 2023, City Commission Workshop, being held in Conference Room 105, to order at 10:01 a.m. She wished Commissioner Elvin Villalobos a happy birthday. ROLL CALL Present were Mayor Michelle J. Gomez, Vice Mayor Marlon D. Bolton (at 10:08 a.m.), Commissioner Kicia Daniel, Commissioner Morey Wright Jr., and Commissioner Elvin Villalobos. Also present were City Manager Levent Sucuoglu, Assistant City Manager Maxine Calloway, City Attorney Hans Ottinot, and City Clerk Kimberly Dillon. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Villalobos led the Pledge of Allegiance and moment of silence. AGENDA La. Solid Waste Services REP Update Troy Gies, Assistant Public Works Director, and Allison Trulock, Managing Director Solid Waste Practice, NewGen Strategies & Solutions, LLC provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Ms. Trulock participated via Teams. Commissioner Villalobos asked how many cities have stopped recycling. Assistant Public Works Director Gies reviewed the list of cities with currently paused or restricted recycling programs. Commissioner Villalobos advised he believed there should be more bulk pickup at the condominiums and the residential should remain the same. Commissioner Daniel asked for clarification on what would happen at the consumer end if the City stopped recycling. Assistant Public Works Director Gies explained that other cities are continuing to use two (2) separate carts but collecting them in one (1) truck. Commissioner Daniel asked about use of the garbage and recycling carts, cost effectiveness of recycling, flexibility in the contract, and potential savings in not recycling. Assistant Public Works Director Gies explained. Item 1.c. was addressed beginning at 10:37 a.m. The Commission returned to Item 1.a. at 11:06 a.m. Commissioner Daniel stated she was open to change and believed once a quarter was not enough for bulk pickup. She asked if single family residents were paying more for garbage collection. Assistant Public Works Director Gies explained single family is paid through taxes and multi -family pays directly. Discussion continued regarding level of service needs. Commissioner Wright asked how the multi -family charge is billed and if there would be a cost to the City in increasing the frequency of pickups. Assistant Public Works Director Gies stated the cost would bear out in the proposals, but he believed more frequent collection would be beneficial to the contractor. City Manager Sucuoglu advised these services are pass -through services, so if more services were provided, the City would likely see additional revenue. Commissioner Wright stated he agreed monthly condo bulk pickup was needed. He stated even with weekly services in the Woodlands, he constantly gets calls with complaints. Vice Mayor Bolton asked whether HOAs could choose to stay with quarterly if the City went to monthly bulk pickup for multi -family units. Assistant Public Works Director Gies advised that he would not suggest making it an option to select a frequency. Discussion continued as to setting the schedule for bulk collection. Vice Mayor Bolton stated the change was an advantage to the City. He asserted that he had heard from condo owners and residents that they would like pickup to take place more frequently, but the residents could be negatively impacted. He noted at times complaints related to bulk pickup are because Waste Management did not pick up the waste. Assistant Public Works Director Gies noted the general volume would remain the same, so the cost would be reflective. Vice Mayor Bolton commented on the integrity of the waste survey conducted and stated he would not want to change the frequency of single-family bulk pickup. Discussion continued. Commissioner Villalobos stated he was in favor of reducing single-family bulk pickup based on usage. Minutes December 11, 2023 — Workshop Page 2 Commissioner Daniel stated that if single-family residents are paying for weekly and did not ask to change, it was not right to change to monthly without a cut to the cost. Assistant Public Works Director Gies and City Manager Sucuoglu clarified. Commissioner Wright commented that they were just looking to set the framework for the RFP, not discussing costs. He stated he would like to see the costs of improving the services. Assistant Public Works Director Gies responded briefly. Commissioner Wright noted that IP addresses could be pulled from Survey Monkey to ensure the waste survey was completed by Tamarac residents. Mayor Gomez reiterated that this discussion was just about giving staff a blueprint so they could create an RFP as the City is at the end of a contract and are no longer able to extend it. She stated there is some confusion over what is bulk and what is regular trash or recycling, and an education campaign would be helpful, along with better communication and cooperation. Mayor Gomez stated there was consensus to look at the options for monthly multi- family bulk pickup. City Manager Sucuoglu stated staff would structure the RFP to provide options. Discussion continued. Consensus was to include once per week and twice per month for residential bulk pickup and once per month or every two (2) months for multi -family. Assistant Public Works Director Gies stated those timeframes would go into the proposal, and under that construct, the City would have the ability to negotiate best and final options. Mayor Gomez asked about yard waste. Discussion ensued briefly. Mayor Gomez sought and received consensus to keep twice weekly trash pickup for residential trash pickup. Assistant Public Works Director Gies explained there are options to continue with recycling as it is now or to direct everything to the waste -to -energy plant. He discussed the State's recycling goals briefly. Commissioner Villalobos stated he was comfortable with the staff recommendation to go to single stream. Vice Mayor Bolton commented on the results of the study. Assistant Public Works Director Gies clarified the results as related to recycling. Discussion continued. Vice Mayor Bolton asked if the City would get 50 percent credit for recycling if they sent all waste to the waste -to -energy plant, and inquired as to volumes and costs. Assistant Public Works Director Gies explained. Vice Mayor Bolton discussed the feel -good aspect of recycling and the potential for contamination to ruin the efforts. He asked how the City could accommodate Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 3 recycling while moving to single stream. Assistant Public Works Director Gies shared examples from other communities, including a drop-off center for recycling. Vice Mayor Bolton suggested including a requirement to provide a recycling drop- off center in the RFP. Commissioner Daniel asked if there was a non-profit that was available for the residents that want to recycle. Assistant Public Works Director Gies stated there are alternatives available. Consensus was to move forward with single stream to the waste -to -energy plant. Mayor Gomez and Commissioner Wright asked that the RFP include recycling options to determine what choices are available. Commissioner Villalobos highlighted the need for education related to waste collection and recycling. Assistant Public Works Director Gies shared the remainder of his presentation, discussing the evaluation criteria for the RFP and asking for feedback on how the points should be assigned. He shared an example cost evaluation and Allison Trulock, Managing Director Solid Waste Practice, NewGen Strategies & Solutions, LLC, provided additional details. Vice Mayor Bolton asked for clarification on the criteria listed. Assistant Public Works Director Gies explained. Commissioner Daniel inquired as to how proposals are evaluated. Assistant Public Works Director Gies advised on the process. Discussion continued and consensus was to set the evaluation criteria for the RFP as follows: 1. Proposer's experience and qualifications — 15 points 2. Proposer's prior performance when providing similar services — 20 points 3. Proposer's equipment, personnel, resources, technical approach, methodology, and implementation plan — 30 points 4. The cost of the proposer's service (utilizing formula) — 35 points Mayor Gomez called for a recess at 12:48 p.m. Mayor Gomez called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. The Commission returned to Item 1.a. at 2:56 p.m. Troy Gies, Assistant Public Works Director, and Keith Glatz, Purchasing and Contracts Manager, introduced a discussion regarding commercial solid waste options within the solid waste RFP. Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 4 Mayor Gomez shared an image of overflowing dumpsters and asserted residents are using commercial dumpsters. She noted plaza owners have expressed an interest in having choices for service providers. She asked that right -sizing containers and protecting against third party dumping be addressed. Assistant Public Works Director Gies shared that when the contract was last bid, the City shifted from effectively an open market to an exclusive hauler, and there was very little information on commercial solid waste. He advised that was not the case in this process. Ms. Trulock commented on the potential impacts of dividing between multiple vendors and noted that residential and commercial in the contract was more attractive to bidders. She discussed options to make the hauler a partner for the City in order to alleviate illegal dumping. Discussion continued regarding options to address the dumping issue. Mayor Gomez noted there may be a need for cameras or locks on the dumpsters. She stated that multiple vendors would provide opportunities for small businesses. Ms. Trulock stated she would add a question to the RFP to ask the providers to share ideas for addressing the illegal dumping issue. She advised of the challenges of bidding without knowing the customer base. Discussion continued regarding cost evaluation and dumpster security. City Manager Sucuoglu and Assistant Public Works Director Gies provided details. Commissioner Daniel left the dais at 3:15 p.m. Mayor Gomez asked if household hazardous waste was included. Assistant Public Works Director Gies advised that it could be included in the proposal, but he did not recommend it. Mayor Gomez shared that there were concerns voiced by those who celebrate Sabbath on Saturday that they were left out of the household hazardous waste collection events. Assistant Public Works Director Gies advised that staff would look at options. Assistant Public Works Director Gies shared recommendations for the Recyclable Materials Processing Fee which would be before the Commission at their Regular Meeting on December 13. He noted this was independent of the decision on whether to continue with separate recycling. Vice Mayor Bolton asked for clarification on the dates of the recycling contract. Assistant Public Works Director Gies stated the agreement renewed in July and the rates were updated in October. City Manager Sucuoglu clarified that these were tipping fees only. Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 5 Vice Mayor Bolton asked what percentage the increase represented. Assistant Public Works Director Gies advised it was roughly a 60 percent increase. He stated he did not have an explanation other than that this was the rate being charged by the provider that is available. He noted the rationale communicated stated there had been price controls over the past five (5) years, and costs were increasing. Commissioner Daniel returned to the dais at 3:25 p.m. Lb. Feasibility Analysis for Nob Hill Government Compound and City Hall Properties to Evaluate New City Hall/Municipal Complex Redevelopment Options Colliers International: Ken Krasnow, Vice Chair — Institutional Investor Services; Brooke Mosier, Associate Vice President — Public Institutions; Verity Mosquera, Research and Consulting Manager; Ken Guyette, Senior Director — Engineering; and Scott Brenner, Executive Vice President — Capital Markets, provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Commissioner Villalobos asked about the impact of interest rates in 2025. Mr. Krasnow stated he believed there would be some relief over the next 18-24 months. Mayor Gomez stated the City Hall was at the end of its useful life and asserted they should not be throwing good money after bad. She asked if there was any part of the process that would include renovation of Fire Station 41. City Manager Sucuoglu advised that Fire Station 41 was not part of the scope of work for this project, but it is part of the future Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Vice Mayor Bolton asked for clarification on what would be provided by the analysis. Mr. Krasnow explained. Vice Mayor Bolton shared comments from a resident regarding the overall cost of the project and asked what locations were being contemplated. Mr. Krasnow stated they were looking at locations currently owned by the City. Discussion continued regarding the requirements of the site and the City's needs. Vice Mayor Bolton asked about funding sources. City Manager Sucuoglu discussed opportunities. Mr. Krasnow highlighted the public/private partnership model as another option to explore. Vice Mayor Bolton stated if the City was going to spend this kind of money to explore options, they need to consider the residents on the east side of Tamarac. He asserted he was not necessarily keen on the idea of everything under one roof. Discussion continued regarding the amount of space needed, considering the changing work place. Mr. Krasnow noted renting versus owning was another consideration, but the City needed data in order to look at all available options. Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 6 Commissioner Villalobos commented on the City boundaries, public/private partnerships, and inflation, and asserted the funds for this study were necessary. Commissioner Wright commented on the valuation of a completed government compound and potential for associated private development. Mr. Krasnow provided additional details. Commissioner Wright asked about public input. Mr. Krasnow advised that eventually, once there is material to look at, the public will be invited to provide input in the plan. Commissioner Wright stated that seeing all of the options and having the facts to make a decision as to whether it is something the City should pursue is important. He asserted rental should not be an option for government buildings. Mr. Krasnow outlined reasons leasing might be considered and stated the study would bring forward all of the options. Mayor Gomez asked that information regarding how often satellite offices were utilized be included in the study, along with how often people use online services versus in person. Commissioner Daniel asked for clarification on the locations being reviewed. Mr. Krasnow responded. Discussion continued regarding potential sites. Item 1.c. was heard prior to completion of Item 1.a. due to availability of the speaker. l.c. 2024 State Legislative Agenda Neysa Herrera, Chief of Staff, along with Ron Book and Rana Brown with Ronald L. Book, P.A., provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Mr. Book and Ms. Brown participated via Teams. Commissioner Villalobos asked about requirements to fund condominium and Homeowners Association (HOA) reserves and insurance by 2025. Mr. Book acknowledged there is a crisis in Florida and something needs to be done. He stated he believes there will be a condominium and HOA bill this year. Mayor Gomez commented on the struggle with insurance and reserves and stated she would be going to Tallahassee to speak with legislators. She asserted this needed to be the top priority. She highlighted discussion of utilities needing permission to put up facilities and a bill to clean up issues in the Live Local Act. Discussion continued briefly regarding the condominium and HOA issue. Item 1.g. was heard following Item 1.c. Ld. Selection of Vice Mayor Minutes December 11, 2023 — Workshop Page 7 Kimberly Dillon, City Clerk, sought consensus for an individual to serve as Vice Mayor for 2024. She advised formal adoption would be on the Regular Meeting agenda on December 13. Commissioner Villalobos nominated himself, highlighting that he and current Vice Mayor Bolton are the senior members of the Commission. Commissioner Wright nominated himself, noting he had been a team player and a unifier on the Commission. Commissioner Daniel asked if there was a cycle, or if the Commission could set a cycle for the position. Mayor Gomez responded briefly. She noted that there had not been the ability to maintain a cycle, but there was a rule against back-to-back years in the role. Commissioner Daniel seconded the nomination of Commissioner Wright. She stated she believed they could implement an order in the future. Vice Mayor Bolton stated he was also told there was a rotation when he joined the Commission. He asked City Clerk Dillon for clarification. City Clerk Dillon advised there was a previous attempt at a rotation, but ejections and elections had impacted the order. She suggested going in order by district. Vice Mayor Bolton commented that the title causes confusion. He suggested a rotation be worked out going forward to take the guessing and unfairness out of it. Commissioner Villalobos agreed that a rotation would be more collegiate. Mayor Gomez outlined a potential appropriate order for a rotation of the Vice Mayor position based on election years. Discussion continued regarding an equitable cycle and repeat terms in the role. Commissioner Daniel asserted Commissioner Wright should serve next as Commissioner Villalobos had served one (1) term and been Vice Mayor once, and Vice Mayor Bolton had served two (2) terms and been Vice Mayor twice, and she liked the suggestion to go in order. Mayor Gomez stated going in order of district did not work with the election cycle. Vice Mayor Bolton asserted both Commissioner Wright and Commissioner Villalobos would serve the City well, so he was torn. No consensus was reached. Mayor Gomez stated the item should be pulled from the Consent Agenda for the December 13 meeting. 1.e. September llt' (Patriot Day) Observance Discussion Lorenzo Calhoun, Human Resources Director, provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 8 Commissioner Villalobos asked what Parks and Recreation was planning to do and what the associated costs would be. City Manager Sucuoglu stated that BSO puts on a memorial event, and noted staff believes it makes more sense for larger agencies to manage the planning and the City to accommodate attendance. Mayor Gomez stated she attends several events in the City. She advised she would prefer the day off to allow for events throughout the day. She asked that there not be a Commission meeting on September 11, 2024. Commissioner Daniel stated she did not think it was wise to consider a day off because it is not a Federal holiday at this time. Commissioner Wright shared his personal connection to September 11 and stated he saw a study conducted by the Federal government which had included loss of productivity. He asked if that was considered here. Human Resources Calhoun advised that it did. Commissioner Wright asked if anything had been done on the State level. Human Resources Director Calhoun stated there had been discussion on the Federal level, but they did not find discussion on the State level. Commissioner Wright referenced the proximity to Labor Day and stated two (2) shortened work weeks in a row would impact business. He stated that based on his research, there was not a momentum for holidays recognizing tragedies. Vice Mayor Bolton suggested giving employees two (2) hours off like for Employee Recognition and having the City plan an event. Commissioner Wright stated that she believed Patriot Day celebrated resilience, rather than recognizing a tragedy. She commented that Tamarac should not be afraid to be a trailblazer on the issue. Commissioner Villalobos commented on how important the U.S. is as an immigrant to the country. Discussion continued regarding hosting an event. Commissioner Wright noted that Tamarac had been a leader in making Juneteenth a holiday the year before the Federal government recognized it. He stated he wanted to follow that trend and lend his support to making it a City holiday. Consensus was for a day off in recognition of Patriot Day. Vice Mayor Bolton supported offering employees two (2) hours off. Commissioner Wright left the dais at 4:20 p.m. 1.f. Sabal Palm Park Discussion Melissa Petron, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation, and John Doherty, Public Services Director, provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 9 Commissioner Wright returned to the dais at 4:25 p.m. Commissioner Villalobos stated he liked the dog park. He asked for clarification on the picnic shelters. Public Services Director Doherty responded. Mayor Gomez advised that she believed the dog park had been part of the direction at the community meetings. She suggested a ground spray in place of the full of splash pad and asked if that would allow for an additional shelter. Public Services Director Doherty stated that would be an option and noted it could be similar to what is in place at Tamarac Village. Vice Mayor Bolton asserted he was in support of a full splash pad. He agreed that the community had said they wanted a dog park, but there had also been some discussion of that bringing in additional people. Consensus was to move forward with option two (2) with an additional shelter subject to engineering. Item 1.g. was heard following Item 1.c. Mayor Gomez called for a recess at 2:20 p.m. Mayor Gomez called the meeting to order at 2:52 p.m. 1.g. BSO Update Captain Jeremiah Cooper provided a presentation regarding recent homicides in the City and what Broward Sheriffs Office (BSO) is doing in response. The full presentation is on file in the City Clerk's Office. There was no discussion from the Commission. Vice Mayor Bolton returned to the dais at 2:55 p.m. The Commission returned to Item 1.a. at2:56 p.m. Lh. Discussion on the Amendment to the Sale and Purchase Agreement to Extend the Due Diligence Period for the Purchase of the Shaker Village Clubhouse Hans Ottinot, City Attorney, presented the item. He explained that the lawsuit filed by a unit owner in Shaker Village was still pending and requested a one (1) year extension of the due diligence period for purchase of the Shaker Village Clubhouse. Mayor Gomez commented on correspondence received from the attorney for Shaker Village and past reports as to whether a 75 percent approval was required before moving to next steps. She reviewed the Title Commitment provided and asserted it required conveyance of all deeds and partial release of mortgages. City Attorney Ottinot stated that could be litigated as part of the existing lawsuit. Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 10 Vice Mayor Bolton left the dais at 4:38 p.m. Mayor Gomez continued her review of title issues and stated she had searched a random sampling of 25 properties and identified mortgages that would require release of the clubhouse property. She stated judgement searches on the owners of all 358 units were also required by the Title Commitment. She asserted these were issues which would be expensive and could not be rectified within a year. Vice Mayor Bolton returned to the dais at 4:40 p.m. Mayor Gomez provided a packet of information regarding title claims to the Commission and staff and asked that it be reviewed prior to the December 13 Regular Meeting. She suggested the Commission have the $750,000 earmarked for Shaker Village in the 13th Floor development agreement be released to the community to allow for removal of the eyesore. She stated this title would remain clouded for years, if not permanently, and this would allow for the community to start to rebuild itself. Commissioner Villalobos stated the Shaker Village budget shows 361 units, not 358. Mayor Gomez clarified the source of information. Commissioner Villalobos advised that he had an issue with the communities identified to receive infrastructure dollars from 13th Floor. He agreed that the eyesore needs to come down as soon as possible. Commissioner Daniel asked the City Attorney to provide an update based on the information provided by Mayor Gomez. City Attorney Ottinot stated the pending lawsuit had been the major impediment to gaining title insurance. He advised that there are title issues when purchasing property, and the seller is responsible for clearing those to move forward. He stated the attorney for Shaker Village is aware of the title issues identified. He commented that a year may or may not be long enough, but it would allow the lawsuit to move forward without requesting additional extensions from the Commission. Mayor Gomez argued that the resolution of the lawsuit would not correct the title issues. City Attorney Ottinot stated it was keeping the City from moving forward with pursuing a title insurance policy. Discussion continued regarding the title commitment and title insurance. Commissioner Wright asked why the request was for 12 months. He noted in August, the request had been for a three (3) month extension. City Attorney Ottinot stated he had assumed the plaintiff would request an emergency hearing, but they had not. He advised that in reviewing the docket, it appeared it could be some time. Minutes December 11, 2023 — Workshop Page 11 Commissioner Wright suggested another three (3) month extension rather than a year. City Attorney Ottinot stated he would recommend a year based on the nature of litigation, but this was also an option. Commissioner Wright asserted this meant driving along Commercial Boulevard for another year and seeing that eyesore. He asked what other options were available. City Attorney Ottinot advised that eminent domain was a tool available and had been previously discussed. Commissioner Wright inquired as to how the funds could be used while waiting for the lawsuit to be resolved. City Manager Sucuoglu explained the funds were in the CIP and if they were not used, they would be in the General Fund during the next budget process. Commissioner Villalobos stated it was his understanding that the walls of the Shaker Village Clubhouse were being held up by beams and the property was at risk of being found unsafe. He asked about the cost of the eminent domain process. City Manager Sucuoglu explained an eminent domain process would go against the community. Discussion continued. Mayor Gomez reiterated that she believed the extension should not be granted and Shaker Village should be given the opportunity to use the $750,000 from 13'i' Floor to heal their community and use the funds to get a loan to make the needed repairs. Commissioner Daniel stated she had no issue with the extension. She asserted that without the $1.5 million in escrow for infrastructure repairs, the problems would still exist. She stated the contract solved three (3) problems, including the eyesore being removed, the Shaker Village infrastructure being repaired, and the east side of Tamarac getting a community center. Discussion continued regarding the Shaker Village infrastructure needs. Mayor Gomez stated with the extension, they would be waiting at least a year for the funds. She asked how much more damage would take place in that time, and how much more expensive the repairs would be following the delay, in addition to the costs of the litigation. Commissioner Wright echoed Commissioner Daniel's comments that this was a move for the public good. He shared feedback he had received in the community. He stated he was in support of the extension. Li. Privatization Committee (Add -on item) City Manager Sucuoglu explained that there was an item on the agenda for the December 13 meeting to establish a Privatization Committee. He stated the Commissioners had submitted their nominations for six (6) members, but a seventh Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 12 member should be selected at -large. He advised there was a list of the nominees and applicants in the backup materials. Commissioner Villalobos asked for clarification on the purpose of the committee. City Manager Sucuoglu explained it was an ad -hoc committee which would serve for approximately one (1) year. Consensus was to name Jill Gerber as the at -large member of the Privatization Committee. ADJOURNMENT There being nothing further to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m. Minutes transcribed by Crysta Parkinson, Prototype, Inc. and submitted by Kimberly Dillon, City Clerk. Kimberly Dillon, City Clerk ly Michelle J. Gomez, Mayor Note to the reader: The above signature is the City Clerk, of the City of Tamarac, Florida. If the minutes you have received are not signed, or completed as indicated above, they are not the official minutes of the City Commission Workshop held Monday, December 12, 2023. Pursuant to Chapter 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. The City of Tamarac complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a disabled person requiring any accommodations or assistance, please notify the City Clerk's Office at (954) 597-3505 of such need at least 48 hours (2 days) in advance. Additionally, if you Minutes December 11, 2023 —Workshop Page 13 are hearing or speech impaired and need assistance, you may contact the Florida Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1. Minutes December 11, 2023 — Workshop Page 14