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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-03-08 - City Commission Regular Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC CITY COMMISSION MEETING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Harry Dressler called the Commission Meeting of the City of Tamarac to order at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 in City Commission Chambers, Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 88th Avenue, Tamarac, FL 33321. ROLL CALL: Mayor Harry Dressler, Vice Mayor Debra Placko, Commissioner Marlon Bolton, Commissioner Michelle J. Gomez, and Commissioner Julie Fishman were in attendance. Also in attendance were City Manager Michael C. Cernech, City Attorney Samuel S. Goren and City Clerk Patricia A. Teufel. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Gomez led the Pledge of Allegiance. 1. PROCLAMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS: a. Presentation of a proclamation by Mayor Harry Dressler proclaiming the month of March 2017 as "Women's History Month". (Requested by Commissioner Marlon Bolton) 2. CITY COMMISSION REPORTS: a. Commissioner Bolton: Commissioner Bolton said he attended an Interfaith Group meeting, of which he is a board member, that was attended by 45 Pastors from in and around Tamarac and Broward County. Prior to the meeting they were asked to survey their members to see how many Tamarac residents were active members in their churches and it was reported that almost 4,000 Tamarac residents are part of their churches to date. Commissioner Bolton said he attended the State of Black Broward Event that was held at the African American Resource Library and was attended by 500 to 1,000 elected officials and residents. Commissioner Bolton said he also attended the School Board Meeting; the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce After Hours Mixer with the City of North Lauderdale, the Ethics Boot Camp for elected officials and the Concert in the Park in Mainlands Park. Commissioner Bolton said he was in contact with 5 HOA presidents and board members and continues to walk his district. He was invited to the Harvard Academy and was given the opportunity to motivate the students and talk about his journey in becoming a Commissioner. Commissioner Bolton said it is International Women's Day and women are very special and we do not raise our voices to or threaten women. Women are strong leaders and as men we should show respect in the presence of women. Commissioner Bolton quoted Malala Yousafzai "Do not wait for someone else to come and speak for you. It is you who can make change in the world". b. Commissioner Gomez: Commissioner Gomez welcomed the newest member of the Commission Office, Pam Miller. Commissioner Gomez attended the Broward County Planning Council meeting where they were given a legislative update. There is a lot of legislation out there trying to preempt cities regulating businesses and went over an extensive list of businesses that cities would have the potential of not regulating. Commissioner Gomez said the City Attorney and the City Manager will be looking into these Page 1 of 5 COMMISSION MEETING March 8, 2017 bills as well as other bills. Commissioner Gomez attended the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce Business Expo; the Boot Camp for Elected Officials Ethics Training, the COPS's breakfast, the Concert in the Park; the School Board meeting; the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce Breakfast and attended the Legislative kickoff. Commissioner Gomez encouraged people to contact their representatives with their concerns. c. Commissioner Fishman: Commissioner Fishman wished everyone a Happy International Women's Day and noted that she was happy about the Women's History Month proclamation. Commissioner Fishman said she is wearing red as it represents the accomplishments of women. After last year's historic election only 19.1 % of the US Congress are women; only 21 women are in the Senate and 83 women in the House. In Florida only 39 of the 160 members are women, which is only 24.4%. Over 51 % of the population is women and we can be agents of change. Commissioner Fishman said she is pledging to help other women who want to get involved in public service and urged them to contact her at City Hall. d. Vice Mayor Placko: Vice Mayor Placko thanked the School Board for revisiting the Millennium Middle School issue and doing what is right for the students. Vice Mayor Placko said she has spent a lot of time out at Woodmont and is pleased that there is so much going on with the golf course. This is the first activity that anyone has seen in 10 years. Vice Mayor Placko said she attended the first Board meeting of Family Central. Once a year Family Central has a combined Board and Staff meeting and when she listened to the staff she was in awe of what they do on a daily basis and their dedication to children is overwhelming. Vice Mayor Placko said she is hoping to bring back the food -drive this summer because when school is out children go hungry. Vice Mayor Placko said the District 4 Neighborhood Meeting is on March 29th at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center and invited people to attend the meeting. Vice Mayor Placko said the Arts & Craft Festival is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 1st and 2"d from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on 57t" Street behind the Community Center and the Library and encouraged people to attend. e. Mayor Dressler: Mayor Dressler said he is on the Broward League of Cities Board of Directors and at the last meeting they had an interesting legislative update on pending bills. Mayor Dressler said one of the bills HB17 and SB1158 have to do with the limitation of home rule for cities. One issue that came up was what happens if the State wants to regulate permits and code issues. The question arose as to who would then do the inspections, who would process the permits and would people have to go to Tallahassee for permits. Mayor Dressler questioned the thinking behind such a bill and if passed would have an impact on cities which would create total chaos. Mayor Dressler talked about HB897 regarding the publication of legal notices on municipalities websites. Mayor Dressler said next week he will be traveling to Washington D.C. with his colleagues for the National League of Cities Congressional Conference and he will get the opportunity to learn how issues are being approached by other cities. Mayor Dressler said he would give a report when they come back from Washington D.C. 3. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT: City Attorney Goren said that earlier today his office sent the Commission a 68 page legislative update report which is tailored to all the cities they represent. It is a compendium of important bills that might impact Tamarac and other cities. City Attorney Goren said Shana Bridgeman is working with him on drafting the document and what they have done is put a legend on the form where if a bill is noted in red the Florida League of Cites opposes it and if it is green the Florida League of Cities supports the bill. City Page 2 of 5 COMMISSION MEETING March 8, 2017 Attorney Goren said the last of the bills were filed on Monday night and we did not want to publish this report until after the close of business because now no new bills can be filed. City Attorney Goren highlighted numerous bills that had the potential to impact cities. City Attorney Goren said at the Ethics Boot Camp Training presenters advised people to file their objections and get involved early. City Attorney Goren said when you get with public officials you get to talk about your concerns. This is serious as bills were filed that essentially remove the Commission's authority under Chapter 166. City Attorney Goren said his office will keep the Commission posted. City Attorney Goren said the Zaveco vs. Woodmont trial ended and thanked all the staff involved for their efforts to be fair, accurate and truthful. City Attorney Goren reminded the Commission that Tamarac was neutral during the process. City Attorney Goren responded to questions from Commissioner Gomez relative to the bills regulating drones. Commissioner Gomez said she would like staff to look into something quickly regarding a local ordinance to regulate drones. Mayor Dressler spoke about Home Rule being established in 1968. 4. CITY MANAGER REPORT: City Manager Cernech said if HB17 passes it will cost the City almost $1 million a year which will be a devastating blow to our 2018 budget. Someone will have to make up the difference if we want to continue to do the things we need to do for the City. City Manager Cernech reported that the Building Dept. is providing a permitting workshop on Wednesday, March 15th at 10:00 a.m. at their office located at 6011 Nob Hill Rd., first floor. Any resident who has questions relating to permitting, etc. can attend and take advantage of a more personal setting. It is recommended that you register to attend by calling Maria Aviles at 954-597-3420 or Gerry Smilen at 954-597-3420 and you can also register at the front counter. City Manager Cernech said that the City is required to retain records and has traditionally sent those records to a storage facility for a fee. The City Clerk's Office has undertaken a project to digitize records in order to reduce storage costs. We are happy to report that over the last 12 months 285 boxes have been removed from storage saving the City just under $1,700 annually. City Manager Cernech said his office has reached out to our State representatives to request their assistance in opposing SB596 and HB687. Several years ago the City approved an ordinance that allows the City to control both the location and appearance of Telecom Company infrastructure. Both bills seek to limit the fees charged to the Telecom Companies for these services which would result in our residents subsidizing the cost. On Tuesday, March 7th SB596 passed the Senate Communications and Public Utilities Committee by a vote of 7-1. City Manager Cernech announced that our new City Engineer Mustafa Albassam was the recipient of the Florida Engineering Society "Young Engineer of the Year" at the Broward County Chapter Florida Engineering Society Annual Award Dinner. Page 3 of 5 COMMISSION MEETING March 8, 2017 City Manager Cernech said the National League of Cities has recognized Tamarac as a Leading Digital City because we strive to employ the best technology available. The City has now transitioned to cloud based Microsoft Office 365. In addition to making us more efficient, every computer system is now equipped with encryption capabilities that further ensure the security of our data. Upcoming Events: City Manager Cernech said the Groove on the Grass Concert in the Park, featuring the group "Motowners", will take place on Friday, March 10th from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sports Complex. The Movie in the Park featuring the movie "Storks" will take place on Friday, March 24th at the Tamarac Sports Complex. Pre -movie activities start at 6.30 p.m. and the movie starts at 8.00 p.m. City Manager Cernech said Public Services has begun the installation of the electronic signs. Signs have been installed at City Hall and the Community Center. Staff is currently reviewing a number of Gateway and Facility signs for further processing. 5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Mayor Dressler opened Public Participation and with no one wishing to speak, closed the public hearing. 6. CONSENT AGENDA: Mayor Dressler asked if there were any changes/additions to the Consent Agenda and City Manager Cernech said there were no changes/additions to the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Gomez seconded by Vice Mayor Placko moved approval of the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion passed unanimously (5-0). a. TR12914 - Opposition to Removing Federal Tax Exempt Status to Municipal Bond Interest: A Resolution of the City Commission of the City of Tamarac, Florida opposing any effort to reduce or repeal the federal tax exemption on interest earned from municipal bonds, authorizing the Mayor to execute a letter in support of maintaining the present tax exempt status of municipal bonds; authorizing the delivery of this resolution and letter to the Florida Delegation to Congress and to Senators Nelson and Rubio; providing for conflicts; providing for severability; and providing for an effective date. RESOLUTION R-2017-15 b. TR12913 - Purchase of Showmobile Mobile Stage: A Resolution of the City Commission of the City of Tamarac, Florida, authorizing the appropriate City Officials to approve the purchase of a Showmobile mobile stage at a cost not to exceed $146,589, from Wenger Corporation, utilizing "TCPN - The Cooperative Purchasing Network" Contract Number R- 14084; approving funding from the appropriate Parks and Recreation Account; providing for conflicts; providing for severability; and providing an effective date. RESOLUTION R-2017-16 c. TR12905 - Execution of Agreement with Murphy Pipeline Contractors, Inc. for the University Drive Water Main Upgrade Project (Pipe Bursting): A Resolution of the City Commission of the City of Tamarac, Florida, authorizing the appropriate City Officials to accept and execute a Purchase Order Agreement between the City of Tamarac and Murphy Pipeline Contractors, Inc. utilizing pricing from an agreement obtained through a formal competitive process by the Allied States Cooperative, Education Service Center (ESC) Region 19, RFP Number 13-6903 for an amount not to exceed, $933,598.60 for the Page 4 of 5 COMMISSION MEETING March 8, 2017 u fl 1 replacement of 4,059 linear feet of water pipe together along with 22 existing fire hydrants and 3 new fire hydrants on the east side of University Drive from NW 77th Street to Southgate Boulevard; a contingency of 10% or $93,359.86 will be added to the project account for a total amount of $1,026,958.46 authorizing the appropriate City Officials to administer the contract; providing for conflicts; providing for severability; and providing for an effective date. RESOLUTION R-2017-17 d. TR12912 - In -Kind and In Cash Support and Waiver of Fees - Tamarac Chamber of Commerce Arts & Crafts Festival: A Resolution of the City Commission of the City of Tamarac, Florida, approving a request from the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce for in -kind and in cash support and to waive fees for the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce 2017 Arts & Crafts Festival to be held in and around the Tamarac Community Center, along 57th Street, Saturday -Sunday, April 1-2, 2017, from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., in an amount of approximately $12,950; providing for permits, proper insurance, execution of a hold harmless agreement, and an executed lease agreement, providing for conflicts; providing for severability; and providing for an effective date. RESOLUTION R-2017-18 7. REGULAR AGENDA: There were no Regular Agenda items scheduled for this meeting. 8. ORDINANCE(S) - FIRST READING: There were no Ordinance(s) — First Reading scheduled for this meeting. 9. PUBLIC HEARING(S): There were no Public Hearing(s) items scheduled for this meeting. 10. ORDINANCE(S) - SECOND READING: There were no Ordinance(s) — Second Reading scheduled for this meeting. 11. QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARING(S): there were no Quasi -Judicial Hearing(s) items scheduled for this meeting. 12. OTHER. - There being no further business to come before the City Commission, Mayor Dressler adjourned the meeting at 8.10 p.m. Page 5 of 5 ff� UA lnl COMMISSION MEETING arty Dressler, Mayor March 8, 2017