HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-06-18 - City Commission Special Workshop Meeting MinutesSPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING
CITY COMMISSION, CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA
MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2007
SATELLITE CITY HALL
4267 W. COMMERCIAL BOULEVARD
TAMARAC, FL 33319
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco called the Special Workshop
Meeting of the City Commission to order on Monday, June 18, 2007, at 9:00
a.m., in Satellite City Hall, 4267 W Commercial Boulevard, Tamarac, FL.
PRESENT: Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco, Vice Mayor Marc L. Sultanof,
Commissioner Edward C. Portner, Commissioner Patte Atkins -Grad, and
Commissioner Harry Dressler.
ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, City Attorney Samuel S. Goren,
Deputy City Manager Michael C. Cernech, Assistant City Manager Diane Phillips,
Financial Services Director Steve Chapman, Human Resources Director Maria
Swanson, Community Development Director Jennifer Bramley, Director of
Utilities Ray Gagnon, Public Works Director Jack Strain, Director of Parks and
Recreation Greg Warner, Building and Code Compliance Director Gary B. Jones,
Fire Chief Jim Budzinski, I.T. Director Levent Sucuoglu, Interim Public
Information Officer/Economic Development Officer Andrew Berns, BSO Deputy
Fred Wood, Management Intern Anthony Campbell, City Clerk Marion Swenson,
and Kathy Koch and Stan Brown of Ambit Marketing.
City Manager Miller gave an overview of today's agenda and spoke about High
Performance Organizations (HPOs), the City's Vision, and Strategic Plan.
Commissioner Portner requested a list of all criteria team members.
Assistant City Manager Phillips explained the process used to arrive at our vision
and strategic plan.
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco left the room at 9:31 and returned at 9:33.
Vice Mayor Sultanof asked whether there is flexibility in the budget to
accommodate the tax cuts proposed by the legislature.
Assistant City Manager Phillips replied our method of budgeting is flexible,
depending on resources available and the Mayor and City Commission's
direction.
Commissioner Dressler spoke of budgeting and strategic goals and objectives
connecting to the vision statement, and said the difference between scaling down
a budget to implement a strategic plan and a strategic thought process is that if
Commission Special Workshop
June 18, 2007
Page 1 of 7
we find ourselves in an economic environment where our resources are limited,
we must decide which programs we want to move forward with; if we can not
provide programs or services to the highest standards, we should not scale back
but rather eliminate those programs.
Assistant City Manager Phillips spoke of the five guiding strategies.
Commissioner Partner said he preferred the use of the word `citizens' over
'customers'. Commissioner Portner questioned retention of employees, whether
employees are given the opportunity of promotion, and how involved BSO is in
the strategic planning process. Commissioner Portner also asked whether crime
in Tamarac is committed by senior citizens.
City Manager Miller said the City usually goes the extra mile to try to retain the
exceptional employee; however, that is not always an available option. City
Manager Miller said BSO is very much involved in the Sterling process and public
safety is of utmost importance. The crime rate this year is lower than in previous
years and there is no indication crimes are being committed by senior citizens.
Human Resources Director Swanson said the employees are delighted with the
9-day work period and this is a good retention tool.
Commissioner Dressler said while the crime rate may be down, the perception is
different, especially in his district, because of slow or no response to burglar
alarms. When people call BSO they are given a list of priorities for officers, and
the perception ties in heavily with the Sterling process.
Assistant City Manager Phillips distributed a draft of the Strategic Plan and said
this is a marketing tool which can be handed out to citizens and employees, and
used for educational purposes.
I.T. Director Sucuoglu spoke of his department's business plan, in particular
Guiding Strategy 1, Goal B, Action Item 10.
Director of Utilities Gagnon spoke of his department's business plan, in particular
Guiding Strategy 1, Goal D, Action Item 8.
Commissioner Atkins -Grad suggested the FAQ's being developed by the Utilities
Department be placed on the City's website.
Public Works Director Strain spoke of his department's business plan, in
particular Guiding Strategy 1, Goal F, Action Item 5.
Building and Code Compliance Director Jones spoke of his department's
business plan, in particular Guiding Strategy 2, Goal J, Action Item 14.
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June 18, 2007
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Commissioner Atkins -Grad said there are still elderly people who have no access
to computers.
City Clerk Swenson spoke of her department's business plan, in particular
Guiding Strategy 2, Goal J, Action Item 2.
Financial Services Director Chapman spoke of his department's business plan, in
particular Guiding Strategy 2, Goal M, Action Item 10.
Human Resources Director Swanson spoke of her department's business plan,
in particular Guiding Strategy 3, Goal N, Action Item 25.
Commissioner Portner questioned language in Guiding Strategy 3 regarding "the
employee of tomorrow will be trained in skills and competencies needed to fulfill
job requirements after they begin work", and asked how potential is determined.
Human Resources Director Swanson explained in the future there will be less
people to fill vacant positions and we expect we will have to train people to do
jobs rather than them coming to us with required certifications and training.
Director of Parks and Recreation Warner spoke of his department's business
plan, in particular Guiding Strategy 3, Goal O, Action Item 1.
Deputy City Manager Cernech spoke of the City Manager's Office business plan,
in particular Guiding Strategy 3, Goal P, Action Item 5.
Commissioner Atkins -Grad left the room at 10:16 a.m. and returned at 10:20 a.m.
Vice Mayor Sultanof said he is delighted with our directors and asked if there is
resentment among employees if one employee is chosen over another for a
particular job.
Deputy City Manager Cernech said we do not see much of that; department
directors have done good jobs developing personnel.
Interim Public Information Officer/Economic Development Officer Berns, spoke of
Public Information's business plan, in particular Guiding Strategy 4, Goal T,
Action Item 1.
Community Development Director Bramley spoke of her department's business
plan, in particular Guiding Strategy 5, Goal X, Action Item 2.
Commission Special Workshop
June 18, 2007
Page 3 of 7
Vice Mayor Sultanof said Tamarac is just about built out and we must ensure
development and redevelopment is at a level the City can sustain. Additionally,
for redevelopment we must look at increased building height.
Commissioner Atkins -Grad said the City of Lauderhill purchased land on Sunrise
Boulevard which it will redevelop it into a Main Street area.
Fire Chief Budzinski spoke of his department's business plan, in particular
Guiding Strategy 5, Goal Z, Action Item 1.
Commissioner Portner confirmed that redevelopment is more difficult than
development.
Vice Mayor Sultanof said the presentation was put together well and we are on
the right track, but he is concerned with the bottom line.
Commissioner Portner referenced a report he wrote from his trip to the NLC
Training Institute June 7-9, 2007 and asked the Mayor and City Commission and
staff to take this into consideration.
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked when staff would bring the strategic plan
back to the Mayor and City Commission for finalization and Assistant City
Manager Phillips said staff is in the process of costing it out to make the strategic
plan a pullout as part of the Tam -A -Gram. There would be additional copies for
distribution in the community and for employees.
Vice Mayor Sultanof said in reading Commissioner Portner's report, it is clear
that Tamarac is one step ahead of other cities.
Commissioner Portner asked for an explanation of CRA's and City Manager
Miller addressed the issue. City Attorney Goren said the Kilo decision regarding
eminent domain put a stake in the heart of CRA's.
Vice Mayor Sultanof spoke of the area in West Palm Beach that was declared
blighted and ultimately redeveloped as City Place.
City Manager Miller said after the Mayor and City Commission adopt the goals,
staff will make arrangements to send out the strategic plan in the Tam -A -Gram.
The Mayor and City Commission were in agreement to place the strategic plan
on the July 9 workshop for discussion.
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco recessed the Special Workshop Meeting at 10:50
a.m. and reconvened the meeting at 11:12 a.m. with all present as before.
1
Commission Special Workshop
June 18, 2007
Page 4of7
Kathy Koch and Stan Brown of Ambit Marketing gave a presentation on branding
for the City of Tamarac, and said they met with various groups, individuals and
the Mayor and City Commission, and held focus groups with businesses and
residents. The goal of the interviews was to document different perspectives,
and the initial step involved new and existing research; why people choose to live
and work in Tamarac, and what they foresee in 5-10 years. Key message
observations were Tamarac is a friendly place; there has been a shift in
population; younger residents want more to do here in the way of leisure,
entertainment, and cultural arts. Residents are also appreciative of the green
space in Tamarac. Ms. Koch unveiled the two logos prepared for the City of
Tamarac (attached and incorporated as part of these minutes).
Commissioner Partner asked why the decision was made not to create a logo
that reflects southeast Florida and said while he liked the wording, he did not like
either of the logos.
Ms. Koch said the consensus of the focus groups was that they did not want
palm trees, birds, or the sun, as they felt it was overdone. Additionally, the colors
were tested with the focus groups, and while the colors are not south Florida
colors, the objective was to settle on the tone of the residents.
Vice Mayor Sultanof said he knows the firm worked hard, but he, too, did not
understand why the logo did not reflect a Florida tone.
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said she loves the colors, and the wording
`Welcome. Home.', and this will be seen on City trucks and facilities.
Interim Public Information Officer/Economic Development Officer Berns said part
of the process was to establish a new and different identity for Tamarac; a City
with a distinctive identity.
Ms. Koch said the logo needs to appeal to all ages. The firm tried to bring the
key words to life; a go -to City, a cultural City, environmentally aware, and
friendly.
Commissioner Atkins -Grad said she likes the geometrical logo. Our current logo
is similar to that of other cities, and Tamarac is unique and a City going through
change.
Commissioner Dressler said he is not struck by either logo, nor is he especially
fond of the wording.
City Manager Miller said he was not fond of the logo depicting the house.
Commission Special Workshop
June 18, 2007
Page 5of7
Vice Mayor Sultanof asked how the geometric logo could be restructured, still
keeping the wording "Welcome. Home." Perhaps different colors would be
better.
Ms. Koch said she and Mr. Brown need to understand what the Mayor and City
Commission want. There were other versions of the logos that Ms. Koch and Mr.
Brown did not feel warranted showing to the Mayor and City Commission.
Vice Mayor Sultanof said he would like to see some previous versions.
Ms. Koch suggested perhaps a totally different logo might work.
Commissioner Dressler said he is looking for an emotional reaction to the logo.
Interim Public Information Officer/Economic Development Officer Berns added
the colors are deliberately vibrant and we tried to capture a unique identity and
vibrancy.
Ms. Koch said it is her understanding that the wording is right but it is not
depicted correctly.
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco suggested saving this version and coming back to
the Mayor and City Commission with another logo. This is very exciting and has
not been an undertaking of previous commissions. This will change the face of
Tamarac and the Mayor and City Commission will come away feeling good about
this project.
City Manager Miller confirmed the more modern design has bolder colors and
asked if the Mayor and City Commission were okay with that.
Commissioner Dressler said he is fine with bright, but not dark, bolder colors.
Vice Mayor Sultanof said he would like to see more vivid colors.
Commissioner Portner said he is okay with Florida colors, but they need to be
more intense.
Deputy City Manager Cernech said these logos evolved through a process. Of
the current drafts, the geometric draft evokes emotion, warmth, and is inviting. If
he were to choose a place to live, sight unseen, he would choose Tamarac
based on this particular logo. However, if the Mayor and City Commission do not
like what has been presented to them today, the Company should go back to the
drawing board and provide something else. Commissioner Dressler made
reference to a new car, and the fact that he did not like the lines when he first
saw it, but a year later, he did like the lines. When Deputy City Manager
Cernech first saw this logo, he was sold on it, and he can envision it on water
Commission Special Workshop
June 18, 2007
Page 6of7
1
tanks and city vehicles. It says something about who we are. It makes a bold
statement.
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked if a new logo could be ready for the budget
workshop meeting on June 28th. Ms. Koch said it could.
There being no further business to discuss, Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco
adjourned the Special Workshop meeting at 12:12 p.m.
Marion Swenson, CIVIC
City Clerk
Commission Special Workshop
June 18, 2007
Page 7of7
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