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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-01-10 - City Commission Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2005 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Schreiber called the Workshop Meeting of the City Commission to order on Monday, January 10, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 105 of Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 88th Avenue, Tamarac. PRESENT: Mayor Joe Schreiber, Vice Mayor Marc L. Sultanof, Commissioner Edward C. Portner, Commissioner Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco, and Commissioner Karen L. Roberts. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, City Attorney Mitchell S. Kraft, Deputy City Manager Michael C. Cernech, and City Clerk Marion Swenson. Mayor Schreiber led the pledge of allegiance. 1. JANUARY 12, 2005 AGENDA ITEMS: a. Item No. 6(b). AGREEMENT — DISASTER RECOVERY SERVICES: (TR10587) Executing a Master Agreement to allow the City to use the services of the State of Florida State Technology Office and a Service Level Agreement that specifically covers the provision of Disaster Recovery Services by and between the State of Florida State Technology Office and the City of Tamarac; authorizing an expenditure in the amount of $11,820 annually, for a five year period effective February 1, 2005 through January 31, 2010. IT Director Sucuoglu and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz appeared, and IT Director Sucuoglu gave a presentation. Vice Mayor Sultanof expressed concern over the fact that if after 30 days the equipment is still inoperable we would have to pay a daily amount of $1,250. IT Director Sucuoglu explained we are purchasing essential services and 30 days is a lot of time to rebuild the system. Vice Mayor Sultanof asked if this is a piggy -back contract and IT Director Sucuoglu said it is. Commissioner Roberts questioned whether it is 30 working or calendar days and IT Director Sucuoglu said calendar days. Commissioner Roberts added we would have to pay our workers overtime to get things up and running. Commissioner Portner asked about Sungard, whether this is an unfunded mandate from the state and if it is a State requirement to use this company. IT Director Sucuoglu said it is the largest recovery service provider in the country, and as an aside, it is also the parent company of HTE. The State provides services for its own operations and each municipality is then responsible for their own operations. This item was requested in the FY05 Budget and approved by the Mayor and City Commission. We can get our own service but it is more beneficial to use the company recommended by the State. 2. DISCUSSION REGARDING USE OF ON LINE GOVERNMENT SURPLUS AUCTION SERVICES FOR DISPOSAL OF CITY SURPLUS PROPERTY: Deputy City Manager Cernech and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz appeared. Deputy City Manager Cernech explained this item is an extension of the City's ability to take care of January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 1 of 7 things quickly and efficiently and to auction surplus items routinely. Mayor Schreiber said he is glad this item is being brought before the Mayor and City Commission as he recommended it some time ago. Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz gave a presentation and spoke of the changes to the purchasing code in January 2004. Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz said the new flexibility provides an opportunity to look at this type of service which has a great potential for improved revenue and reduced costs. Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz spoke of the various on-line governmental sites and the fact that they do a better job of targeting customers interested in government surplus equipment. Benefits to the City are better exposure, lower overhead and quicker turnaround, reduction in storage, and higher revenue and lower cost to the city. Vice Mayor Sultanof questioned payment for and shipping of the items and spoke about wire transfers. Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz replied standard terms and conditions must be incorporated so everyone understands up front what is required. Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz said most services are set up so that if we do not receive payment or the successful bidder changes his/her mind, then they are disqualified from any future business on the site. We can make wire transfer part of the terms. Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz explained the process and spoke of equipment that sells well on-line and equipment that does not sell well. Commissioner Roberts asked when this would be done and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz said it could be year round. Commissioner Roberts asked if there is a fee to register and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz said there is only the commission to be paid. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said asked how this will be handled if a bidder wants to make a bid at 2:00 a.m. and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz said the bid opening date and time can be set to fall within business hours and the City will be notified 15 minutes after the bidding closes. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco asked if there would be one staff member dedicated to the new endeavor and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz said it most likely would be him and/or the controller's office. Commissioner Portner asked if there is a minimum bid requirement on anything and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz replied we can establish minimum bid requirements. Commissioner Portner said he likes the program but he wants to make sure the donation of computers to the schools continues. I DISCUSSION REGARDING PREPARATIONS FOR THE FY06 REFERENDUM FOR GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT ISSUANCE: Deputy City Manager Cernech, Parks and Recreation Director Margoles and Public Works Director Strain appeared. Deputy City Manager Cernech explained the projects are almost 100% parks projects; public works is responsible for capital improvement plan management. Deputy City Manager Cernech said this is the first of multiple progress reports to the Mayor and City Commission on this subject and gave an overview of upcoming projects included in the strategic plan and the CIP, as well as projected projects discussed by Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and staff that will be brought to the residents and then to the Mayor and City Commission. Mayor Schreiber asked if the Aquatic Center is for Tamarac residents only and Deputy City Manager Cernech said it will be open to everyone and there will be a fee to use the facility. There are multiple facilities throughout the county and he does not feel we will be overrun with people wanting to use only our facility. Commissioner Roberts asked if the new residents of Hampton Hills January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 2 of 7 will think this is their private pool and Deputy City Manager Cernech replied Hampton Hills will have its own pool. Commissioner Roberts questioned the absence of lounge chairs depicted in Phase I of the Aquatic Center, and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles responded there will be chairs in Phase I. Commissioner Flansbaum- Talabisco asked if different types of memberships will be offered and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said at conception of the Aquatic Center a business plan was developed to identify different types of memberships. Vice Mayor Sultanof asked if the county would want to receive some of the membership money and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said we are required to allow all county residents to use the facility but we are allowed to set our own fees; Deputy City Manager Cernech added the county does not participate financially in our revenue. Deputy City Manager Cernech spoke of the cost of the Maintenance and Transportation Compound, which was taken out of Phase II because at the CIP discussion the Mayor and City Commission asked to have that removed from the site. Deputy City Manager Cernech said contingency planning for funding is being visited for the Cummings Parcel, Southgate Linear Park and Waters Edge. Mayor Schreiber asked how much money we have received from the county and Deputy City Manager Cernech said between the county, FCT, and land preservation grants we received $3 million. We continue to pursue grant opportunities. Vice Mayor Sultanof asked if this is part of the 5-year CIP and Deputy City Manager Cernech said it is. Deputy City Manager Cernech continued with the discussion on projects not already identified in the CIP, costs, and how much we are willing to spend for the projects. These projects are targeted for debt funding through referendum. We have not yet established a range for the referendum but it will be at least $10 million. Commissioner Roberts asked about the dog park as part of the Southgate Linear Park project and Deputy City Manager Cernech said the funding is built into the cost of the park. Mayor Schreiber asked if we must go to referendum for general obligation bonds and Deputy City Manager Cernech and City Attorney Kraft replied in the affirmative. Mayor Schreiber suggested exploring the possibility of generating more tax revenue for the city; e.g. people are not happy with the cable service. Perhaps we can get into that business and find a way to generate tax revenue to overcome the additional cost of the contemplated services. This is a good program and will put Tamarac on the map. There is no guarantee we will get more money from the County. Deputy City Manager Cernech continued the discussion with the Tamarac Community Center expansion, Tamarac Recreation Center demolition/construction, and the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Complex. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles spoke of the Tamarac Community Center expansion and said we are maxed out in space. Contemplated is an 11,000 sq. ft. two story addition, reorientation of the entrance to 57I" Street, enhanced recreation space, enhanced programming space, a lounge area, moving the existing fitness room to the Aquatic Center and using the current fitness room area for a game room, kitchen expansion, a new aerobics room new meeting rooms, a new suite of offices, return of the transportation division back from BSO and office space for Social Services, at a cost of approximately $2 million. Mayor Schreiber asked whether in order to use the fitness center at the Aquatic Center one need be a member or will there be a separate membership for the fitness center? Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said this is being discussed. Commissioners Roberts and Portner said originally there was to be a fitness room at the Tamarac January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 3 of 7 Community Center as well as the Aquatic Center, and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said at this time we are proposing moving the fitness center to the Aquatic Center to an area of 3,000 sq. ft. as opposed to the current 1,700 sq. ft. Commissioner Portner questioned whether a two-story building for the Tamarac Community Center was projected at one time and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles replied at the time the building was designed it was cost prohibitive, but we were assured there was space available for an additional 10,000 sq. ft. addition. Commissioner Partner spoke about having vision and looking to the future when making decisions of this magnitude. Mayor Schreiber said it would have been difficult to sell the idea to the public at that time. Vice Mayor Sultanof said he believed the architect discouraged the Mayor and City Commission from building a two-story building because the design did not have the structural strength to hold a second story. Commissioner Roberts added the architect said it would cost an additional $50,000 to enhance the structure for a second story and the majority of the commission sitting at that time was not in favor of spending the money. Commissioner Roberts said she wanted the then sitting commission to take a chance with the residents and go for the extra money; now we will have to spend an additional $2 million, which Commissioner Roberts feels is a waste of taxpayers' money. Commissioner Portner said if we do not look at history we will repeat the same mistakes. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles spoke of the Tamarac Recreation Center demolition/reconstruction plan and said there has been an increase in youth programming; plans are to build a two-story building with the same footprint as the current building with a small theater downstairs, and classroom and meeting rooms on the second floor. Commissioner Roberts said primary school children were not to go to the second floor, and asked how often the kitchen is used. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said it is used about two -three times a week, and if it is expanded then perhaps cooking classes can be offered. Vice Mayor Sultanof asked if there was not mention at one time of moving the fitness portion of the community center to the recreation center and Commissioner Roberts said it was mentioned at one time. Vice Mayor Sultanof asked about a facial renovation rather than complete demolishment of the building. Deputy City Manager Cernech explained these are projects the staff came up with from input received, and there is no decision necessary on the part of the Mayor and City Commission at this time. In late May, early June during budget talks the list of projects will be finalized for referendum. Depending upon user groups, the plans may change. The Mayor and City Commission will never be without knowledge of staff activities as far as the referendum goes. The cost to move the maintenance compound could be more or less than the projected amount depending upon the location. The ultimate cost of the referendum is just under $14 million. We need to talk to the community and if these projects are what they are asking for and they are willing to pay for them, then we will go forward with general obligation bond referendum and ask the voters to voluntarily increase taxes through debt service mil. To be successful we need projects that the community supports. We will also move forward with a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Shurette and the user groups will talk about the projects and whether they want them. We will also find out if there are additional needs we missed. User group outreach and community surveys will begin and we will return to the Mayor and City Commission in February with a progress report. Commissioner Roberts asked if at the February status report the Mayor and City Commission will be told what the January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 4 of 7 people like and what they do not want. Deputy City Manager Cernech said the Mayor and City Commission will be advised of the time and place of the meetings and suggested if any of the commissioners wish to attend they listen more than speak because staff feels they are well tuned in to what the Mayor and City Commission wants and now needs to hear from the community. 4. DISCUSSION REGARDING CHANGE OF LOCAL ELECTION DATE FROM MARCH TO NOVEMBER BEGINNING IN 2006: Commissioner Portner said he previously proposed a change of election date from March to November so the public can vote during the gubernatorial election and there will be a much better turnout than during March elections. Commissioner Roberts asked how this would affect the terms of the Mayor and herself that end in March 2006. City Attorney Kraft explained the law allowing the Mayor and City Commission to place a referendum on the ballot approving a charter change, and the process to make this change, should the voters approve. However, Tamarac commissioners serve for three-year terms and the law providing for even numbered year elections will not work with three-year terms. Additionally, after a referendum is approved and an ordinance is approved, there will be no election date change for an additional 18 months. There was discussion about when the change, if approved would take affect and the fact that Tamarac Commissioners serve for three years. Mayor Schreiber said he was also in agreement with changing the date from March to November, as it is less expensive for the City. Vice Mayor Sultanof spoke of the large ballots in November elections and the fact that municipal questions and candidates would be at the end of the ballots; and expressed concern that voters will not read the entire ballot. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said people who vote in March are in tune with, interested in and aware of what is going on in the city. Commissioner Roberts added the commissioners already decided not to put a referendum on the ballot to extend terms from three to four years, so this is a moot issue. Mayor Schreiber asked for an expression of interest to change the election date from March to November and Commissioner Roberts, Vice Mayor Sultanof, Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco, and Mayor Schreiber were against the change. Commissioner Portner was in favor of the change. 5. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION REGARDING THE TAMARAC FORUM'S NEW FEATURE SERIES HONORING "TAMARAC RESIDENT OF THE MONTH". Commissioner Portner said about a year ago he recommended the city recognize Tamarac residents for the good things they do. He contacted the Forum and they will take nominations from the residents. Commissioner Portner thanked the Forum and said anyone who would like to make a nomination should send it to the Forum. City Manager Miller said he was advised by Commissioner Roberts that Broward County Commissioner Lieberman indicated she will make an appointment of an elected official to the Broward County Planning Council and is asking each city in her district to recommend an elected official for eventual appointment. Several cities will provide nominees. City Manager Miller said the Broward County Planning Council is one of the more important Broward County Boards and is a prime appointment. City Manager Miller asked for a name so a resolution can be prepared for Wednesday's meeting. January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 5 of 7 Mayor Schreiber asked for an expression of interest. Commissioner Portner nominated himself. Commissioner Roberts, Vice Mayor Sultanof and Commissioner Flansbaum- Talabisco said they did not want to be considered for appointment. Mayor Schreiber said he would like to be considered. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco suggested submitting both names as both are qualified to represent the City. All were in agreement. City Manager Miller said Broward County Commissioner Lieberman asked us to provide the Broward County Commission with a resolution for full funding for the Waters Edge Parcel. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said she spoke with Broward County Commissioner Lieberman, who is meeting with staff from the County and putting together an agenda for the workshop. Broward County Commissioner Lieberman told Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco she was going to ask for the full amount. City Manager Miller said it is in the city's best interest to place the resolution on the upcoming agenda. Commissioner Roberts said this falls under the $2 million the land preservation board allocated. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco said this will also be discussed on February 15t" at a county workshop and we should call Broward County Commissioner Lieberman's assistant, Desiree, if we plan on being represented. City Manager Miller said we do plan a full presentation with staff and our lobbyist. Commissioner Portner said this past year we have seen two major disasters, one man made and one natural disaster. We are known as the City with a Heart and Commissioner Portner said he would like the Mayor and City Commission to consider making a donation of $100,000 to the relief effort for the Tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004. The other disaster is the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 1,500 U.S. soldiers have been killed and the government's death benefit is only $12,000 per family. Commissioner Portner said he would like to see the city set aside $50,000 to assist widows or mothers of Tamarac soldiers in their time of need. Mayor Schreiber said there is a problem sending money overseas because it does not always get to the people who need it. Vice Mayor Sultanof said many entities are donating money and asked how it is possible for us to know if the government will get the money to those in need. It is difficult to decide on a flat fee until we understand what the City can accommodate. Vice Mayor Sultanof said he agrees it is a world catastrophe and agrees with the concept but we need to find the proper avenue and asked staff to look into it. City Manager Miller said money is set aside in a discretionary fund each year for the Mayor and City Commission; this year there is $100,000. If it is all spent here then the Mayor and City Commission will have nothing left for anything else that might come up during the year. Mayor Schreiber said these are public funds. Perhaps we can waive the monies given to the various charities each budget year and use the funds for other purposes as we see fit. Commissioner Roberts disagreed and said the organizations we give money to each year depend on it and appreciate it. Commissioner Flansbaum- Talabisco suggested adding Tsunami relief to the list of organizations. Deputy City Manager Cernech explained the money budgeted for local charities in the FY05 Budget has already been disbursed. Vice Mayor Sultanof suggested perhaps giving $50,000 instead of $100,000. City Manager Miller explained use of the discretionary fund is totally at the Mayor and City Commission's discretion, but there is only $100,000 for the January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 6 of 7 year. Vice Mayor Sultanof suggested instead of a monetary donation to the service peoples' families in Tamarac, perhaps we may want to consider paying their water or electric bills to help them over their situation. City Manager Miller said the Tsunami is more urgent; money needs to get there quickly. For the other issue we need time to conduct research, and there may be other things we can do beside cash donations. City Manager Miller said staff will look into it and come back with options. Commissioner Flansbaum-Talabisco expressed concern that families of other wars, e.g. the Persian Gulf War, may feel they are left out. City Manager Miller said he assumes the Mayor and City Commission does not want to spend the entire discretionary fund on the two items and Commissioners Roberts and Flansbaum-Talabisco agreed. Commissioner Portner suggested finding a way to get some money from each department, and City Manager Miller explained everything has been budgeted. There may be something that can be cut; for example, one city decided not to hold its July 4t" fireworks display and instead donate the money to the Tsunami effort. Commissioner Roberts asked staff to speak at the next workshop about private homes being turned into ALFs in Tamarac. Vice Mayor Sultanof said he knows of two homes in Coral Springs that operate as ALFs under the sanction of the State. There being no further business to come before the Mayor and City Commission, Mayor Schreiber adjourned the meeting at 11:30 a.m. Je / Marion Swenson, CMC City Clerk January 10, 2005 City Commission Workshop Page 7 of 7