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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-02-21 - City Commission Special Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP 1s' QUARTERLY FY 2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018 CALL TO ORDER: Vice Mayor Michelle J. Gomez called the Workshop of the City Commission to order at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 in the Mango Room at the Tamarac Recreation Center, 7501 N. University Drive, Tamarac, FL 33321. ROLL CALL: Vice Mayor Michelle J. Gomez, Commissioner Marion Bolton, Commissioner Julie Fishman and Commissioner Debra Placko were in attendance. Mayor Harry Dressler joined the meeting at 9:36 a.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Vice Mayor Gomez led the pledge of allegiance Also in attendance were City Manager Michael Cernech, City Attorney Samuel Goren, Assistant City Manager Kathleen Gunn, City Clerk Patricia Teufel, Information Technology Director Levent Sucuoglu, Public Services Director Jack Strain, Human Resources Director Lerenzo Calhoun, Financial Services Director Mark Mason, Parks & Recreation Director Greg Warner, Fire Chief Percy Sayles, Chief Building Official Claudio Grande, Community Development Director Maxine Calloway, BSO Chief Neal Glassman, Management Analyst I Laura Karpaviciute and Public Information & Media Specialist Elise Boston. City Manager Cernech said last month we talked about how Tamarac is changing and how it will continue to change. We also talked about things Tamarac needs to do. There are things planned and things need to be addressed to meet the needs of the changing population. At that time, we said we would hold a series of meetings relative to issues the Commission has raised and things that staff needs to do relative to the situation with our schools, economic development and redevelopment, safe neighborhoods and create things of value in Tamarac. City Manager Cernech said today we have a broad agenda to talk about: Vacation Rentals, Tamarac Village, Financial Update, schools, community appearance & Code Enforcement, Overnight Parking and Closed Caption TV Commission meetings. Commissioner Fishman also wants to share information about early childhood development. Finance Director Mason will talk about how the next five or six years looks like and how we are paying for all the CIP's. City Manager Cernech said it has been one week since the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School and there are a lot of things happening related to that and there is a lot of grief, anguish and confusion which changes the perspective on moving forward. One of the things that is important for Tamarac is that we have people with questions and concerns and we need to be there for people and be good listeners. People want action from this Commission and organization. It is important for this organization to provide a safe community to live in, safe schools, parks, and places. People have the expectation that schools are safe places to be and our children need to be safe in schools. As local officials you have a burden to bear and be there for your residents and expect to hear some anger and anguish. City Manager Cernech ended by saying that this meeting is designed to be positive about the progress we are making, and we are looking forward to a discussion on improving Tamarac. Community Development Director Calloway gave a presentation on Vacation Rentals, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Community Development Director Calloway said a copy _. of a proposed draft Ordinance is in the binders that were provided to the Commission members. City Manager Cernech said staff's recommendation is to bring the Ordinance for first reading at the April 11, 2018 Regular Commission Meeting. Commissioners Fishman and Bolton said they Page 1 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE would read the draft ordinance and get back to staff with comments later. Community Development Director Calloway responded to questions from Commissioner Placko and Mayor Dressler. Commissioner Bolton left the meeting at 10:00 a.m. and returned at 10.18 a.m. Vice Mayor Gomez commented that Vacation Rentals are a business; the application fee should be increased — including the renewal fee; there should be a fee per lease; likes that the permit is not transferable and should include something about being subject to HOA approval. Mayor Dressler called for a minute of silence at 10:17 a.m. in memory of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Community Development Director Calloway, City Attorney Goren and City Manager Cernech responded to questions and concerns from Vice Mayor Gomez and Commissioner Fishman. Mayor Dressler talked about the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School and said people are looking for action and to do something that makes people feel safe. Mayor Dressler said he has received 5 or 6 proclamations from other cities and organizations. People do not want empty suited politicians issuing proclamations a month after the incident and he personally is not interested in issuing a proclamation. Instead, Mayor Dressler said he would like to invite people to a community meeting and have them talk to us about how they feel, what they expect, what they can do and what is realistic. We need to find a location and date to host a Town Hall meeting on violence, gun violence and mental health. Vice Mayor Gomez and Commissioners Fishman, Placko and Bolton all were in favor of a Town Hall Meeting. Commissioner Bolton said he believes supporting other organizations is sending the message that we are a team player, thinks proclamations are meaningful and we should do both. Vice Mayor Gomez asked City Attorney Goren to look into a proclamation being deemed to be more than a support document. Mayor Dressler said people that he has spoken with want an opportunity to tell us what they think; they don't want to hear what we have to say. We should not be taking a political position as this Commission is non -partisan. There was a consensus to hold a Town Hall Meeting and City Manager Cernech said he would figure it out. City Attorney Goren talked about, and read portions of Section 790.33 F.S. relative to Firearm Regulations — State Preemption. Commissioner Placko left the meeting at 10:58 a.m. Mayor Dressler recessed the meeting at 10:59 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 11:25 a.m. with all present as before, except for Commissioner Placko. Finance Director Mason gave the Financial Update 1st Quarter FY 2018, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Assistant City Attorney Julie Klahr joined the meeting at 11:29 a.m. and City Attorney Goren left the meeting at 11:33 a.m. Finance Director Mason responded to questions from the Commission. Information Technology Director Sucuoglu talked about Closed Captioned TV for Commission Meetings. Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said our website needs to meet ADA requirements and one of the areas is the accessibility of streaming of Commission Meetings both live and on demand and providing closed captioning. Assistant City Attorney Klahr said individuals are going on Government websites and if meetings are not closed captioned they are filing suit. Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said we have been streaming for a few years and the equipment needs to be replaced, the system needs to be updated and we are planning additional cameras for the Commission Chambers. Vice Mayor Gomez asked how do Page 2 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE we guarantee clarity and Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said we are not aiming for clarity what we are aiming for is closed captioning. Assistant City Attorney Klahr said the ADA requires having things visible and audible. Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said it would cost $58,410 for both the Chambers and Conference Room 105 for a complete upgrade with an annual service charge of $28,000. Vice Mayor Gomez questioned the accuracy of closed captioning script and Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said it is 90% - 95% accurate and within three to four days the on demand would be 100% accurate. Mayor Dressler said we need to protect the City from being sued. Commissioner Fishman asked what we currently pay for the annual service charge and Information Technology Director Sucuoglu responded $13,000. Mayor Dressler said this is something we need to do. There was a consensus to move forward with the upgrade. Mayor Dressler recessed the meeting at 12:14 p.m. for lunch. Commissioner Placko returned to the meeting at 12:20 p.m. Mayor Dressler reconvened the meeting at 1:03 p.m. with all present as before. Community Development Director Calloway appeared and gave the Tamarac Village Update presentation, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Both Vice Mayor Gomez and Commissioner Fishman objected to the 2nd Rezoning Hearing, Site Plan and Plat being heard at the March 14, 2018 meeting as they would not be there, and they felt it was too important for them not to be there when a final vote is taken. City Manager Cernech said if the Commission wants to move this two weeks until the March 28, 2018 meeting it can be moved. City Manager Cernech said the issue is we have business to conduct sooner rather than later. The developer has financing in place and the sooner this is approved the sooner they can start construction. City Manager Cernech said he understands the Commission is busy; we only have two workshops and two commission meetings a month. Vice Mayor Gomez said it is not easy to call in and this matter is not simple and she wants to be able to be heard and participate. City Manager Cernech said he understands and respects her position. City Manager Cernech said one of the things he wanted to talk about and propose going forward, is scheduling another meeting each month about items coming up and discuss timing and sequence. City Manager Cernech said scheduling has become a challenge and we have proper noticing issues. Vice Mayor Gomez said it is an important National League of Cities Conference and she is not comfortable doing this by phone and wants this moved two weeks. City Manager Cernech said he understands the frustration but we are struggling with planning things around your calendars and we are trying to establish another way of planning things. Commissioner Placko said she certainly understands Vice Mayor Gomez's position. Commissioner Placko said she was scheduled to go to that conference and was asked to change plans so there would be a quorum for the March 14th meeting. Commissioner Bolton said if we can change the date for Vice Mayor Gomez and Commissioner Fishman we should be flexible. Mayor Dressler talked about the importance of this project and economic development and said we do not want to jeopardize this project. A trip out of town is not as important as a Quasi -Judicial item. Assistant City Attorney Klahr said it is not good to be calling in on a Q-J item. Mayor Dressler asked if IT could provide Vice Mayor Gomez and Commissioner Fishman with the proper technology with high quality visuals and audio, so they can participate and Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said there is never a perfect connection. Mayor Dressler asked if an outside vendor would be able to provide the service and Information Technology Director Sucuoglu said they would be challenged as well. There are other aspects of this, they need to see the presenter and the presenters need to see Vice Mayor Gomez and Commissioner Fishman. Mayor Dressler asked if there would be potential r. consequences for delaying this item for two weeks and the risk to the developer. City Manager Cernech said there are none to the City and the downside is that the feedback from the developer will not be positive. City Manager Cernech said he is sorry this has turned into an issue and Page 3 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE regrets having this conversation. When we talk about Tamarac being open for business and economic development we need to be there; if you want to delay this it is not a problem for us, but this is about doing business in a timely manner — John Markey will be frustrated by the delay. _ Vice Mayor Gomez said this is one of the items that is important enough and she wants to be part of it. If there is something in the site plan that she does not like she might not be able to question it because of technical issues and could be questioned by the other parties. City Manager Cernech said he did not want to discuss scheduling today, but we need to have that discussion to resolve some issues about scheduling and reach an understanding about scheduling. Staff tries to schedule things when all the Commissioners are there to participate. Over the course of the last year it is becoming more difficult because of the two new Commissioners. We went from a Commission with little activity to a Commission that got very active very quickly. We are not asking the Commission to step back from anything and we understand that it is important to go to conferences and bring back ideas and network with other elected officials. If the Commission wants to delay this for two weeks, you can — we scheduled it because of our partners and the process in place. There are things we need to plan for if we need to change the date of the meeting. Mayor Dressler said sometimes we need to decide what is more important. Commissioner Fishman said they only found out it would be on the March 14th agenda today and they were not given a choice earlier to change plans and now it will cost Tamarac money if we change our plans. City Manager Cernech said since he made the decision to schedule the items for March 14th he will make the decision to change it to the March 28th meeting. The Mayor asked for a consensus and received a consensus to move the item to the March 28th meeting. Community Development Director Calloway continued with her presentation. Public Services Director Strain talked about the proposed layout for the wet retention ponds along Southgate -- Blvd. and said staff has worked with FPL for a long time - almost two years, and went over the timeline. Finance Director Mason said if we didn't put the retention ponds along Southgate we would have lost 3 acres from the Tamarac Village site. Mayor Dressler recessed the meeting at 2:02 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 2:14 p.m. with all present as before. Mayor Dressler passed the gavel to the Vice Mayor at 2:14 p.m. and left the meeting and returned to the meeting at 2.21 p.m. City Manager Cernech gave a presentation on Tamarac schools, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. City Manager Cernech said last month we talked about the changing demographics in Tamarac and that things really need to be done to address the changes in a positive way so that when people move into Tamarac they get what they bargained for. One of the things we talked about were the schools in Tamarac. We need to approach this with the understanding that we don't control any of the schools that serve Tamarac residents. Most of the schools that serve Tamarac are not in the Community and there are only three schools in Tamarac. The current education options are average and more challenging geographically. Thirty percent of Tamarac students leave Tamarac to go to school. City Manager Cernech said schools drive the quality of life and economic development. Management Analyst I Karpaviciute talked about the statistics of students and schools. City Manager Cernech said when you look at the numbers they are not bad. Millennium and Taravella help but when you look at where the schools are, it is not conducive to attracting families. City Manager Cernech said one other thing to consider is the reason why it is important that the schools be good is because people moving .__. into Tamarac have some options. They can relocate to another school in Broward County but there are some people that do not have that option. City Manager Cernech said the best place for your child to be is in a school close to their home. City Manager Cernech said Tamarac Page 4 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE Elementary was always an "A" school but that has changed, and they have slipped to a "C" and that is a problem. Millennium is a "B" school with the most Tamarac students and he expects that grade will get better. The schools that are "C" that serve our students need to be better. Taravella is a "B" school but when you look at the other three high schools that serve Tamarac, they are all "C" schools. City Manager Cernech said we need to work with the School Board to get better schools and grades. We are not getting what we need, want or deserve from the School Board. It is possible to get better grades, but we need to get the School Board interested in Tamarac in order to get the schools where they need to be. This is a serious issue as schools are the cornerstone of a community. It is important for our schools to be great schools and provide the value that they should to our students because when a school is a great school, everyone wants to get into that school. Parks & Recreation Director Warner said Tamarac Elementary had in the past 1,200 students and now their enrollment is 800 because the school is not offering what students need. City Manager Cernech said we are just getting started with this and we are at the mercy of others and staff will work with the Commission in the future and put together a strategy for outreach, organize people and establish advocacy to improve our schools, but first we need to get to the parents into the equation and bring the School Board along as well. We need to play a role and advocate for better public schools. The parents and the Commission had to bully the School Board to create Millennium Collegiate Academy. City Manager Cernech said former Commissioner Karen Roberts was a staunch advocate for public schools. She was in Tamarac Elementary each week and she advocated for that school to make sure it was a great school. We need to examine how we advocate for the schools and we have to do something different than we are doing now. Tamarac can help by providing resources, but this will take some time to fix. Commissioner Fishman said according to the demographic information we got last month 2,793 children in Tamarac are under the age of 5. Commissioner Fishman presented to the Commission her "Whole Child Initiative Tamarac", a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Commissioner Fishman put forth her ideas for a School Readiness Advisory Board; City run Voluntary Pre -Kindergarten Program; City Programs; Summer Camp with education component; After Care Program with education component and Parental Involvement Component. Vice Mayor Gomez said she appreciated all the work that Commissioner Fishman put into her Initiative. The Commission does believe we need to do what we can to help our kids with all levels of education. Vice Mayor Gomez spoke about the importance of a good education. Vice Mayor Gomez said she had the pleasure of visiting Junior Achievement. Vice Mayor Gomez said that we can host a Town Hall meeting with the School Board to talk about their responsibilities and what they can do to improve our schools. Commissioner Bolton said he has had conversations with principals and School Board members and was able to get some good insight. Some teachers think that a "C" school is okay. Commissioner Bolton said it is not impossible to get to an "A", but it takes hard work. Commissioner Bolton talked about the graduation rates from some of our schools. Commissioner Bolton said he has some ideas that could really help schools improve their grades. Commissioner Bolton noted that while walking in Manor Park he talked to people about what they thought of the schools and they indicated that they don't plan to stay here. Commissioner Bolton said when he was talking with School Board members they said the amount of politics that goes into changing the grade of the school is very hard. We need to do something about our schools now and it will take at least three years to change the grade of a school. It is our responsibility to help improve the grades of our schools and make sure kids are graduating. Commissioner Bolton said each Page 5 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE school should have a "Claim to Fame" element. Commissioner Bolton said Commissioner Fishman's proposal is a good proposal and he needs to process some of the ideas. Commissioner Placko said Commissioner Fishman did an excellent job on her Initiative and she needs time to process the information and asked how the schools are graded in the State. Human Resources Director Calhoun said it is determined by the State and explained how the grading is done. Commissioner Placko talked about 5 ladies from Boyd Anderson that attended Leadership Tamarac and how intelligent and well grounded they were. Human Resources Director Calhoun said Boyd Anderson's Claim to Fame is its International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Commissioner Placko said we need to get the parents and School Board involved. City Manager Cernech said perceptions based on the grade of school is not the full measure of a school; the grade of a school is the largest indicator of people's perception. There are several things we can do to change the perception of schools. We think it is important that we make sure we are on the right path and this is something we will have to plan, and these things take years to see any impact on these schools. We don't see a lot of bad kids in Tamarac. We see a lot of good children and it is important they get the opportunity they deserve. Commissioner Placko said we need to start now. Commissioner Placko suggested adopting a school and do some sort of pilot program. Commissioner Bolton said we should not single out a school. City Manager Cernech said we need 100% support from the Commission. We will identify other cities that have gone through this process and we will bring recommendations back to the Commission. We don't want to repeat any mistakes other cities have made. Mayor Dressler said Tamarac Elementary being a "C" school is intolerable. We need people to want to move to Tamarac because of their schools and we need to develop a five-year plan. Mayor Dressler talked about the Massachusetts's school system. Mayor Dressler said staff needs to come up with concrete strategies to make an impact on the School Board. We have to identify our goals, who are key decision makers and look at what other cities do. Mayor Dressler said we cannot target just one school in Tamarac, we need to target all of them. Mayor Dressler said we need to brainstorm with other schools and let people know about Boyd Anderson's International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Vice Mayor Gomez said we should not lose children to other cities because of our school grades and we need to do something sooner rather than later. Vice Mayor Gomez said the Commission needs to be involved with the schools. Commissioner Fishman said she has already started reaching out to our schools and Human Resources Director Calhoun has been meeting with School Officials. We need to pay attention to all the schools that serve Tamarac. Vice Mayor Gomez said her Principals Networking Group should be revived. City Manager Cernech said staff will sit down with Commissioner Fishman to figure out where to go with her Initiative and get back to the Commission with that information. Mayor Dressler said we need a business plan and a budget. Community Development Director Calloway appeared and gave a Code Enforcement update, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. City Manager Cernech, Community Development Director Calloway and Assistant City Attorney Klahr responded to questions throughout the presentation. Community Development Director Calloway talked about recommendations for Code Amendments and the objectives of the changes. Captain Glassman appeared and gave a presentation relative to overnight parking, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Captain Glassman Went over parking restrictions and enforcement in other cities in Broward County. Captain Glassman said there have been no instances of emergency vehicles being impeded by overnight parking. Captain Glassman said he Page 6 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE does not think it would be a good thing if law enforcement officers are writing overnight parking citations as it would alienate residents. It would look like we were unfairly targeting the people that are the most likely unable to pay. Captain Glassman said this is not an issue that is affecting public safety. This will not be conducive to a good relationship with the community. HOA's want to use BSO to get renters to move out. Captain Glassman said this ordinance is outdated. Captain Glassman spoke with other BSO Chiefs and no one enforces it. Captain Glassman and City Manager Cernech responded to questions and concerns from the Commission. Captain Glassman said HOA rules are more effective than an ordinance violation. Mayor Dressler commented that HOA's can call and have vehicles towed. City Manager Cernech said this ordinance does not make any sense. City Manager Cernech said staff will bring this back to the Commission at a workshop with a revised ordinance. Mayor Dressler said he had no objection for staff bring this back to the Commission for a vote. There being no further business to come before the City Commission, Mayor Dressler adjourned the meeting at 4:47 p.m. Patricia Teufel, City Cler TA�9���': ESTABLISHED Q 1933 _� = ��. SEAL Off`; Page 7 of 7 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 21, 2018 1st QUARTERLY FY2018 FINANCIAL UPDATE