HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-02-06 - City Commission Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC
CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2006
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Schreiber called the Workshop Meeting of the City
Commission to order on Monday, February 06, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 105 of
Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 88th Avenue, Tamarac, Florida.
PRESENT: Mayor Joe Schreiber, Vice Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco,
Commissioner Edward C. Portner, and Commissioner Karen L. Roberts.
ABSENT: Commissioner Marc L. Sultanof.
ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, Assistant City Attorney Julie Klahr,
Deputy City Manager Michael C. Cernech, and City Clerk Marion Swenson.
Mayor Schreiber led the pledge of allegiance.
1. FEBRUARY 08, 2006 AGENDA ITEMS:
a. Item No. 6(d). AQUATIC CENTER FEES AND SUMMER CAMP FEES:
(TR10895) Establishing user fees for the City of Tamarac's Caporella Aquatic Center
and Summer Camp Program, effective fiscal year 2006. Director of Parks and
Recreation Warner appeared and said this item addresses fees for the Caporella
Aquatic Center and 2006 Summer Camp. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner
spoke of pool fee comparisons with other communities in the county, and Mayor
Schreiber questioned the fact that the Ellis Company will receive 80% of anticipated
revenues on top of their fee for managing the pool. Director of Parks and Recreation
Warner responded part of the Ellis Company's responsibility is to publicize the Aquatic
Center to user groups, which will take away a lot of administrative costs that would have
fallen to the City. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner said the increase in summer
camp fees is because of increased transportation costs due to higher gas prices, and
added as discussed during budget workshops, the fee will be cost neutral.
Commissioner Portner suggested instead of a $2.00 per day fee or a ten -punch card for
the pool, the fees be paid monthly, for a six month period, or even yearly. Director of
Parks and Recreation Warner explained it is the City's desire to provide the best service
to the customers, and the suggested fee structure will be taken into consideration. After
a trial period Director of Parks and Recreation Warner said he will come back to the
Mayor and City Commission with a final fee structure for the Aquatic Center. Vice
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked if locker facilities will be provided and Director of
Parks and Recreation Warner said they would. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco also
suggested an incentive for people who join the pool in May and June; Director of Parks
and Recreation Warner said this, too, would be considered, and explained that we are
currently trying to establish a history for the operation. Commissioner Roberts
confirmed that during earlier discussions about fees and opening the center in the
spring the City was to take into consideration what the residents want. Commissioner
Portner asked about hours of operation for the pool and Director of Parks and
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City Commission Workshop
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Recreation Warner said staff took the Mayor and City Commission's recommendations
under consideration and are doing further research on pool hours and we are currently
gathering information regarding daily visits to pools in other cities. The Ellis Company
will present a settlement regarding the hours and Director of Parks and Recreation
Warner said he would bring the information back to the Mayor and City Commission at a
future workshop.
At Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco's request, due to the fact that Dr. Cendan and
Principal Goldstein were in the audience, Mayor Schreiber moved out of the regular
order of business on the workshop agenda to take up item No. 3.
3. DISCUSSION RE: TRAFFIC STUDY FOR NW 94T" AVENUE AND 57T"
STREET: Kathleen Goldstein, Principal, Challenger Elementary School and Dr. Cheryl.
Cendan, Principal, Millennium Middle School appeared. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-
Talabisco said at the last Challenger Elementary School PTA meeting, which both she
and Commissioner Roberts attended, the issue of traffic came to the forefront. Vice
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said in discussion with staff the suggestion of a traffic
study for 94th Avenue and 57th Street was brought forward. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-
Talabisco provided photos for the Mayor and City Commission to look at (copies of the
photos are attached hereto and incorporated as part of these minutes). Principal
Goldstein said a joint effort is needed from both the school system and the community
to resolve the issue. Mayor Schreiber said there is no question that the subject area is
heavily trafficked, particularly when the students come and go; perhaps there is a need
to control traffic lights to handle the excessive traffic; but the matter definitely deserves
attention. Principal Goldstein added the morning traffic is the biggest problem; road
patrols on Commercial Boulevard are helpful and the school's SRO and Principal
Goldstein monitor the situation daily. Commissioner Roberts said she contacted Jerry
Grazioso to meet with the School Board this month. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco
said this needs to be a collaborative effort, parents need to be educated about the rules,
and it would help the situation if parents followed the rules more closely. Dr. Cendan
said the SROs asked if the principals wanted the parents ticketed, and she told the
SROs to do what they have to do. Dr. Cendan added the crossing guards assist
students crossing Commercial Boulevard, and as everyone is aware, the City of Sunrise
is on the south side of Commercial Boulevard and Tamarac is on the north side. Dr.
Cendan continued it is just a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Commissioner
Roberts said the City of Sunrise has indicated none of their residents attend these
schools so they are not willing to put a school guard on their side of Commercial
Boulevard; however, there are Sunrise residents in these schools. Vice Mayor
Flansbaum-Talabisco said students are not supposed to be dropped off on the Sunrise
side of the street. Dr. Cendan explained the schools have children attending on
reassignment and the parents are supposed to provide transportation; however
transportation may include walking. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco suggested City
Manager Miller talk to Sunrise again and explain to them we have had this discussion.
City Manager Miller said he would revisit the matter with the City of Sunrise. He did
speak with them before; initially there was a school crossing guard on the south side of
Commercial Boulevard, but then the guard was eliminated as Sunrise said they did not
have students attending these schools. City Manager Miller added he believes a traffic
February 06, 2006
City Commission Workshop
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study is warranted. The Aquatic Center will open soon, and the Main Street Project will
bring in more traffic; we need to look to the future. Before an outside traffic engineer
can be brought in an expression of interest is needed so this can be included in the
budget. Commissioner Portner asked why we did not consider using Broward County's
traffic engineer and the general consensus was because Broward County did not have
the same sense of urgency as Tamarac with regard to these matters. Commissioner
Roberts added the Centex project is opening up and that, too, would generate more
traffic. City Manager Miller explained traffic delivery methods have been devised to deal
with the Centex project and the residents need to be educated on traffic movement.
Additionally, there will be signage directing turn restrictions. Commissioner Portner
questioned the hours of concern and Principal Goldstein said for her school it is from
8:30 a.m. — 8:40 a.m. Commissioner Portner asked about the possibility of a temporary
detour away from the school at Commercial Boulevard and Pine Island Road. City
Manager Miller explained a study would provide the Mayor and City Commission with
every possible alternative, and there are a lot of potential fixes that can be employed.
Principal Goldstein suggested looking at the way traffic comes in to both schools, and
spoke of a crossing guard location at 94t" Avenue. Commissioner Portner said he was
not in favor of an outside engineer creating a traffic study for a 15 minute period, and he
felt we could come up with a solution to the problem by consulting with BSO.
Commissioner Portner said if the Mayor and City Commission go to the County
Commission they could put pressure on the County to move forward with the study
timely. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said this is a safety issue which she did not
think we could solve without expert assistance. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said
she would not want to take the responsibility of a study in an area in which she has no
expertise. Mayor Schreiber asked for an expression of interest for a traffic engineer to
work on a study for this area of concern. Commissioner Roberts, Vice Mayor
Flansbaum-Talabisco, and Mayor Schreiber were in agreement. Commissioner Portner
was not in agreement.
Mayor Schreiber returned to the regular order of business on the workshop agenda.
b. Item No. 6(e). AMENDING EXHIBIT "A" OF RESOLUTION R-2004-63 —
AMENDING THE PROJECT BUDGET: (TR10897) Amending Exhibit "A" of Resolution
R-2004-63; authorizing the appropriate city officials to amend the project budget as
necessary. Director of Financial Services Chapman appeared and gave a presentation.
Director of Financial Services Chapman explained due to Tamarac receiving grant
funding for some projects and reevaluating other projects, we have been able to save
money and would like to amend the project list. Director of Financial Services Chapman
spoke of east side water distribution improvements, Main Street, traffic calming at 70th
Avenue, Southgate Boulevard streetscape and boat ramp, and the Woodlands drainage
study. Commissioner Roberts said she was under the impression the traffic calming
project was not part of the bonds in question and Director of Financial Services
Chapman said bond funds were for the stormwater drainage portion of the project.
Commissioner Portner confirmed there would be no increase in the budget. Deputy City
Manager Cernech explained the stormwater project was engineered and a construction
estimate prepared in advance of debt issuance. When Public Works Director Strain
came on board he reevaluated the project before it was let out for bid, and said the city
February 06, 2006
City Commission Workshop
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could do the project for less money than outsiders if the project were to be approached
differently. This was done in advance of other scheduled projects, cost less than
originally proposed, and caused less inconvenience to the people who live in the area.
Commissioner Portner questioned the budget since we saved money on this project,
and Deputy City Manager Cemech explained costs were based on the larger project
and this portion of the project was scaled back. Mayor Schreiber asked for an
expression'of interest for moving forward with the temporary resolution and all were in
agreement.
C. Item No. 7. AMENDING CHAPTERS 19 AND 22 OF THE TAMARAC CODE —
UTILITIES: (T02111) Motion to adopt Ordinance on first reading to provide for the
discontinuation of utility and solid waste service at consumer's request due to
uninhabitable conditions as determined by the city's Building Official; specifically
amending Chapter 19, Solid Waste, Article II, Collection, Section 19-26; further
amending Chapter 22, Utilities, Article III., Rates and Charges and Billing Procedures,
Division 4, Generally, Section 22-136, of the Tamarac City Code of Ordinances;
providing for codification. Director of Financial Services Chapman gave a presentation
and said this ordinance was drafted based on a request several weeks ago from
Stephen Taylor through the Vice Mayor. Mr. Taylor lost the roof to his home during
Hurricane Wilma and as such, he is unable to live in his home which is currently
undergoing reconstruction; it is anticipated he will be unable to return to his home for a
minimum of six months while the work is being done. Tamarac code does not allow the
city to stop service and turn it on, unless it is for a period of 12 months or more, without
the resident being back billed. The ordinance as drafted provides for a customer to
have service shut off for a period of time based on an application filed with the Building
Department stating that the customer's home or office is uninhabitable. When the
structure is habitable there will be a small turn -on fee. Commissioner Roberts
questioned the procedure when residents go away for a period of time and also
questioned how the residents get their bill, and asked about late fees. Director of
Financial Services Chapman explained 'vacation credit' and said the water does not get
shut off but the customer can request a reimbursement if there is zero usage for two
months or more. Additionally, there are many billing options, such as automatic debit,
internet, and having one's mail forwarded. Director of Financial Services Chapman said
this has never posed a problem. Commissioner Portner asked about the effective date
of the ordinance and Assistant City Attorney Klahr explained the ordinance would
become effective upon adoption on second reading; however, those who suffered
catastrophic losses due to Hurricane Wilma would be covered by this ordinance, with
the Building Official's approval and agreement that the structure is uninhabitable.
Commissioner Roberts asked how residents would be notified about this ordinance and
Director of Financial Services Chapman said it could be done through the Tam -A -Gram
and/or utility billings.
2. DISCUSSION RE: REORDERING ITEMS ON COMMISSION MEETING
AGENDA: Commissioner Portner said at the last commission meeting he asked that
this item be placed on the workshop agenda, as he does not think it is right for people to
wait until the end of the commission meeting to have their quasi-judicial items heard.
Commissioner Portner questioned the language regarding cost efficiency in the staff
February 06, 2006
City Commission Workshop
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memorandum. Assistant City Manager Phillips explained other cities were contacted
regarding the order of their agendas and surrounding cities' agendas are typically
structured the same as Tamarac's. Consent items are fairly expedient, and staff is in
attendance to answer questions from the Mayor and City Commission and the public.
Then staff can return to their respective tasks, which is more cost effective for the city.
Quasi-judicial items, which follow the regular agenda, tend to take more time.
Commissioner Roberts said city staff attending commission meetings whether morning
or evening meetings, have traditionally been at work since 7:00 a.m. — 8:00 a.m., and
for an evening meeting may have to stay until 9:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m. Those who
appear on behalf of quasi-judicial items get paid for their time; quasi-judicial items
traditionally do not start until 9:30 a.m. or 7:30 p.m. and those involved in the items can
call and find out where their item is on the agenda. There have been occasions when
the Mayor and City Commission had to wait for people to arrive before hearing quasi-
judicial items. Commissioner Roberts said she would like the agenda to stay as it is.
Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco agreed, and said people who come before the Mayor
and City Commission are on billable hours and they can call to find out where their item
is on the agenda. Additionally, Vice Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said she did not
believe quasi-judicial items should be put before public participation. Mayor Schreiber
said the cost with regard to people attending the meetings on behalf of quasi-judicial
items is the cost of doing business. The Mayor and City Commission is an elected body
to serve the public, and our agenda is predicated on that purpose. Mayor Schreiber
said he saw no reason to change the order of the agenda. Commissioner Roberts, Vice
Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco and Mayor Schreiber expressed a desire to keep the
agenda status quo. Commissioner Portner withdrew his request.
Commissioner Portner spoke of an advertisement for the "Say I Do Again" event that
appeared in the Community Section of Sunday's Sun -Sentinel. Commissioner Portner
asked whether this was city sponsored or a private function, and said if it is a city
function he did not understand why only the Mayor received an invitation and not the
rest of the commission. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner explained it is a city
event and spoke of the late start the city had organizing the event, the necessity to
move forward quickly, and the direct part the Mayor would play in the event. Director of
Parks and Recreation Warner said information was being distributed to the entire
commission today. Commissioner Roberts said since she had not received prior
notification of the event she did not have the opportunity to notify her residents, or
decide if she, herself, would like to attend with her spouse. Vice Mayor Flansbaum-
Talabisco said this is a celebratory event, and it would be nice for the entire commission
to celebrate with the participants.
There being no further business to come before the Mayor and City Commission, Mayor
Schreiber adjourned the workshop meeting at 10:25 a.m.
Marion Swenson, CMC
City Clerk
February 06, 2006
City Commission Workshop
Page 5 of 5
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