HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-18 - City Commission Special Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC
SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP
1s� QUARTERLY FY 2016 FINANCIAL UPDATE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Harry Dressier called the Workshop of the City Commission to
order at 8:48 a.m. on Thursday, February 18, 2016 in the Mango Room at the Tamarac
Recreation Center, 7501 NW N. University Drive, Tamarac, FL 33321.
ROLL CALL: Mayor Harry Dressier, Vice Mayor Diane Glasser, Commissioner Pamela
Bushnell, Commissioner Michelle J. Gomez, and Commissioner Debra Placko were in
attendance.
Also in attendance were City Manager Michael Cemech, City Attorney Samuel Goren,
Assistant City Manager Diane Phillips, City Clerk Patricia Teufel, Information Technology
Director Levent Sucuoglu, Public Services Director Jack Strain, Human Resources Director
Maria Swanson, Financial Services Director Mark Mason, Parks & Recreation Director Greg
Warner, Assistant Chief Percy Sayles, Chief Building Official Claudio Grande, Community
Development Director Maxine Calloway, BSO Chief Neal Glassman, Assistant Community
Development Director Frank Zickar, Planner Robert Johnson, Assistant City Engineer Samira
Shalan, Fire Inspector Tommy Demopoulos, Assistant Building Official Pat Richardson and
BSO Deputy Jennifer Marion.
City Manager Cemech said this is our quarterly financial update for the first quarter of
FY2016. This morning we are going to discuss and update the commission on several things.
City Manager Cemech said the complete Development Review Committee (DRC) is hen; to
talk about the development process and what an applicant has to go through before getting to
the Planning Board and the Commission for a decision on site plans, etc. Financial Services
Director Mason will also talk about the Auditor Selection Procedures as we will be going out
with an RFP for a new auditing firm. Dr. Cheryl Cendan, Principal of Millennium Middle
School will join us to talk about a proposal she has been working on for the past three years
regarding creating a University School at Millennium Middle School and will be asking for
support from the Commission.
Planning & Zoning Manager Zickar gave a brief overview of Section 10-2 of the Code of
Ordinances - "Site Plan Review Procedures & Standards". Planning & Zoning Manager Zickar
introduced the members of the DRC to the Commission. The DRC members gave a
presentation, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Planning & Zoning Manager
Zickar gave examples of past Major Revised Site Plans: Fire Station 78, Central Parc South
and Chelsea Place. Planning & Zoning Manager Zickar talked about the process after DRC
Review. Staff responded to questions from the Commission.
Mayor Dressler recessed the meeting at 10:31 a.m. and reconvened the meeting at 10:41
a.m. with all present as before.
Financial Services Director Mason gave a presentation on the 1Sr Quarter FY 2016 Financial
Update, a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Financial Services Director
Mason responded to questions from the Commission throughout the presentation.
Page 1 of 3 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 18, 2016
1ST QUARTERLY FY2016 FINANCIAL UPDATE
Financial Services Director Mason gave a presentation on the Auditor Selection Procedures,
a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. After a discussion about the new Ethic's
Ordinance which now allows Commission Members to attend a Selection Committee —
meeting, City Attorney Goren urged the Commission members not to attend the meetings.
1 Mayor Dressier said he was opposed to any Commission member attending the Selection
Committee meetings. There was a discussion regarding the relationship between an auditor
and auditee and the length of time to have the same auditor.
City Manager Cemech said Dr. Cheryl Cendan has been the Principal of Millennium Middle
School for thirteen years and has been a good friend to staff, the City of Tamarac and has
done a great deal for our children. Dr. Cendan has a proposition that the School Board
supports and is here to tell us about that proposition and ask for the Cky's support.
Dr. Cendan said Millennium Middle School has very exciting news to share. This idea has
been developing over the past three years. Currently Millennium- students have the
opportunity to accelerate their high school career by taking high school courses in middle
school. You might wonder why a child would want to accelerate into high school courses
while in middle school and should be enjoying their teenage years. If you accelerate your
high school career as you roll into a traditional high school you then have the opportunity to
take college courses with Broward County Public Schools paying for 80 college credits, which
is basically an Associate's Degree or the equivalent. This is an excellent opportunity for our
Tamarac working class parents to get two years of college free. We have very dedicated
parents that want the best for their children and education opens the door and college grads
create better citizens for our community and Broward County. Dr. Cendan said their goal was
to accelerate these children in middle school so that they can open those doors in high
school and afford themselves the opportunity to take these 60 college credits free. Dr.
Cendan said that after pursuing this successful innovative program over the past three years
they are now looking to expand this program into grades 6 through 12. Dr. Cendan said they
have gotten tremendous support from the District and presented this to City Manager
Cemech last week. At that time Dr. Cendan indicated that she was ready to talk with the
Commission and get the support of the City in order to show a unified front that this is what
we want for the children and the families of Tamarac. What is being proposed for school year
17/18 is to re -purpose and then become a grade 6 thru 12 school. Dr. Cendan said she
hopes that it will be called something like Millennium Middle School College Academy or
Preparatory in order to draw attention. Dr. Cendan gave an overview of how the program
would work. Dr. Cendan said the only other school like this is College Academy at Broward
College and Millennium will be the only other school to have such a program in Broward
County. Dr. Cendan responded to questions from the Commission. All were in agreement
that this is an excellent program and Mayor Dressler asked what how the Commission can
help make this happen. City Manager Cemech said staff will find out exactly what we need to
do to initiate the boundary process and will get back to the Commission to formalize the
process.
City Manager Cemech said staff has requested a representative from the MPO to come to a
Workshop and provide the Commission with an update regarding the proposed
infrastructurettransportation sur tax. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the proposed _
surtax.
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Page 2 of 3 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 18, 2016
15T QUARTERLY FY2016 FINANCIAL UPDATE
There being no further business to come before the City Commission, Mayor Dressler
adjourned the meeting at 12:26 p.m.
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Page 3 of 3 SPECIAL COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING February 18, 2016
1ST QUARTERLY FY2016 FINANCIAL UPDATE