Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-10-23 - City Commission Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Schreiber called the Workshop Meeting of the City Commission to order on Monday, October 23, 2000, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 105 of Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 88th Avenue, Tamarac, Florida. PRESENT: Mayor Joe Schreiber, Commissioner Edward C. Portner, and Commissioner Marc L. Sultanof. ABSENT AND EXCUSED FOR CAUSE: Vice Mayor Karen L. Roberts and Commissioner Larry Mishkin. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, Assistant City Manager Tim Hemstreet, City Attorney Mitchell S. Kraft, and City Clerk Marion Swenson. Also present, students from Taravella High School participating in City Government Day: Julie Kleiner shadowing Mayor Schreiber, Jacob Sparks shadowing Commissioner Sultanof, Adam Sutton shadowing Commissioner Portner, Alan Rubin shadowing City Manager Miller, and Genevieve Knolle shadowing City Clerk Swenson. 1. OCTOBER 25, 2000 AGENDA ITEMS: a) Item #8(d) NEXTEL LEASE AGREEMENT: (TR9176) Executing an Agreement with Nextel Communications for the installation of a telecommunications tower, antenna and associated equipment; authorizing the appropriate City Officials to sign all necessary permit applications on behalf of the City as owner. Mayor Schreiber moved out of the regular order of business on the agenda to take up item 1(b). There was discussion about the virus that had entered the computer system through the e-mail. b) Item #80) USER FEES — PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND SOCIAL SERVICE FACILITIES AND SERVICES: (TR9096) Establishing user fees for the Parks and Recreation Department Facilities and Services at the Tamarac Community Center and Tamarac Park locations, as well as City transportation services, effective Fiscal Year 2001. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles gave a presentation and addressed the Mayor and Commissioners' concerns expressed at the October 10, 2000 Workshop meeting. Mayor Schreiber asked about evening rentals and Commissioner Sultanof asked about weekend rentals. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said with the opening of the new Community Center there is more flexibility in the calendar. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said the current fee structure was established in 1987. Mayor Schreiber questioned the ability of organizations to hold evening meetings at the Community Center since the Center closes at 9:00 p.m., and the fee structure speaks to four-hour blocks. Parks and City Commission Workshop October 23, 2000 1 Recreation Director Margoles said if special accommodations are needed they will be made, and said rentals are on an hourly basis. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles addressed the Commission's concerns about the para-transit program, and said the system serves a variety of riders. There was discussion about instituting an annual fee and a per use fee. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles suggested offering a trip pass for incremental amounts, and a pay per trip of $1.00 each way. Commissioner Partner said he would like to see a semi-annual pass issued at $25.00 for six months and an annual pass at $50.00 per year, each pre- paid, and with unlimited ridership, in addition to $1.00 per trip for those who do not wish to purchase a pass. Mayor Schreiber asked if the use of the service is based on income, and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said the only criteria is that the people have no other means of transportation. Commissioner Sultanof said the passes give flexibility. Commissioner Sultanof suggested charging $35.00 for a single membership and $70.00 for a family of two for the fitness room. Mayor Schreiber suggested leaving the fees as they are, and if the center does not get the participation, the fees can then be changed. Commissioner Sultanof said the fees can always be raised, and he would like to see the fitness room attracting people. Commissioner Portner asked student commissioner Adam Sutton for his opinion, and Mr. Sutton asked about membership during the past year and if $35.00 would be enough to recover fees. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles responded. Commissioner Sultanof said residents pay taxes for the facilities, and anyone who pays taxes has the right to feel government is responsive to their needs. Commissioner Sultanof said he would like input from the other Commissioners, Commissioner Portner said since only three Commissioners are present, it may be wise to put this discussion off until a later date. Mayor Schreiber said the decision should not be delayed, and he would go along with whatever Commissioner Portner and Commissioner Sultanof decide. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said that John Ralston, Management and Budget Manager Officer explained to her that out of the general fund the average taxpayer contributes about $8.00 a year to Parks and Recreation, and in return they get five parks, two buildings, special events, etc. For those persons using the fitness room, only a small portion of the $8.00 goes to pay for the fitness room. Mayor Schreiber asked for an expression of interest. Commissioner Portner agreed with Commissioner Sultanof. Mayor Schreiber said he agreed to change the fee to $35.00 for individual membership and $70.00 for family of two. Mayor Schreiber suggested taking this item off the consent agenda for Wednesday's meeting and placing it on the regular agenda. c) Item #8(m) LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR THE 2001 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: (TR9175) Approving the City of Tamarac Legislative Agenda for the 2001 Legislative Session; directing the City Clerk to send a copy of the City of Tamarac Legislative Agenda for the 2001 Legislative Session to the Broward County Legislative Delegation and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners for consideration. Assistant to the City Manager Kristin McKew gave a presentation and reviewed each of the items. City Commission Workshop October 23, 2000 2 Commissioner Sultanof said he would like the , legislative delegation to address loopholes in the additional senior homestead exemption, because there are people who have money in trust funds and they can still apply for the second exemption. Commissioner Sultanof said there is a need for the second exemption, as 2,100 people in Tamarac already applied to Broward County. Assistant to the City Manager McKew said this is being addressed by asking the legislature to further define household income. Mayor Schreiber spoke about interest earned and reported to the IRS, and asked how income on non-taxable bonds would be established. Assistant to the City Manager McKew said it would have to be done using a method other than the 1040 definition of adjusted gross income. City Attorney Kraft said there are other alternatives, perhaps an affidavit under penalty of perjury could be considered. Mayor Schreiber said the exemption could be lower than $25,000. There was discussion about availability of home addresses and phone numbers for public employees. City Attorney Kraft said the current exemption is only for some public employees, but there are categories of employees who have no protection under the law, and it is a right to privacy issue. Personnel Director Maria Swanson said there is no public purpose for everyone's home telephone number and address to be available to the public, as people can be reached through work. Commissioner Portner asked if the Mayor and Commissioners are excluded from this proposal, and City Attorney Kraft said the exemption could be waived. Assistant to the City Manager McKew said the Commission expressed an interest in changing the election date from March to November to coincide with the general election. Mayor Schreiber said it is more expeditious to vote once a year than twice a year. Commissioner Sultanof said the upcoming election ballot consists of three pages, and expressed concern that people will stop after the first page or two and not get to the municipal issues. Commissioner Sultanof said November is a bad time of the year for municipal elections as there are a lot of individual items on the ballot. Commissioner Portner asked what the cost would be for a separate election in November, and City Clerk Swenson and Assistant City Manager Hemstreet responded. Commissioner Portner said turnout for the last election was about 13% of the registered voters. Commissioner Portner addressed the students in the audience and said voting is very important, it is a right and privilege that many have worked hard for and died to protect. a) Item #8(d) NEXTEL LEASE AGREEMENT: (TR9176) Executing an Agreement with Nextel Communications for the installation of a telecommunications tower, antenna and associated equipment; authorizing the appropriate City Officials to sign all necessary permit applications on behalf of the City as owner. IT Director Sucuoglu gave a presentation on the Nextel Lease Agreement. IT Director Sucuoglu discussed the procedures to restore the e-mail. Mayor Schreiber asked what the cost would be and whether the City is insured, and IT Director Sucuoglu said between $250.00- $1,500.00 to recover the data, and the City is self -insured. d) Item #8(k) PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES FROM BROWARD COUNTY LOGISTICS: (TR9168) Authorizing the Fire Rescue Department to purchase medical City Commission Workshop October 23, 2000 3 supplies and firefighting supplies from Broward County Fire Rescue Division Logistics Warehouse during FY01, in an amount not to exceed Ninety -Seven Thousand Two Hundred Dollars ($97,200.00); authorizing the appropriate City officials to execute a liability waiver for the purchase. Fire Chief Budzinski gave a presentation. e) Item #8(b) WAIVER OF ENGINEERING FEES FOR REPAIR OF SEAWALL: (TR9173) Approving waiver of engineering fee for the reconstruction of seawall at 9414 NW 72nd Street, Tamarac, Florida 33321. Public Works Director Verma gave a presentation. Mayor Schreiber asked for an expression of interest to waive the fee and all agreed. Commissioner Portner questioned whether the permits would be taken care of in time for the carnival in Item 8(c) on the Regular Commission Meeting agenda. Item 8(c), CARNIVAL- ST. MALACHY CATHOLIC CHURCH: (TR9108) Granting a waiver of fees to the St. Malachy Catholic Church to conduct a carnival beginning Thursday, November 16, 2000 through Sunday, November 19, 2000, located at the northeast corner of NW 61 Street and University Drive, providing that such approval is contingent upon obtaining the required permits and that all State inspections are obtained; providing for conditions of approval; Case No. 21-MI-00. Community Development Director Chris King responded. 2. VETERANS' DAY PARADE: Parks and Recreation Director Margoles gave a presentation and overview of the parade and said the program would be changed from past formats. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said thanks to Commissioner Sultanof the Grand Marshall of the parade would be a person of high-ranking military stature. Mayor Schreiber called for a recess at 10:45 A.M. The workshop meeting reconvened at 11:00 A.M. with everyone present as before. 3 ANNEXATION: Community Development Director Chris King gave a presentation and discussed the various methods of annexation. Mayor Schreiber suggested adding another item to the legislative agenda that before any unincorporated area is annexed into a municipality the County repair the infrastructure and bring it up to standards. Commissioner Portner agreed. Commissioner Sultanof said several years ago the County proposed to begin infrastructure repairs and did not follow through. Commissioner Sultanof asked if the County is still obligated under the program, and Community Development Director King said yes but the money was never allocated among the 54 unincorporated areas at that time. Many areas since then have been annexed, and the money is still out there. Community Development Director King said the reduction in cost to the City to annex the selected properties from 1998-1999 is due to the water and sewer lines. Mayor Schreiber asked how Tamarac could be assured the County would pay for the improvements, and Community Development Director King said Tamarac requested assurance from the County in writing. City Manager Miller said an Interlocal agreement would have to be worked out between the County and the City before annexation takes place. There was discussion about Mira Lago, City Commission Workshop October 23, 2000 4 and Community Development Director King said ,from a taxable standpoint this is the most beneficial area to the City. Another area that may benefit the City is Kozy Kampers, because the infrastructure is privately owned and the water lines fall under Ft. Lauderdale's jurisdiction. Commissioner Partner suggested looking at US441/SR7. Commissioner Sultanof asked about a corridor study along SR441, and Community Development Director King said Tamarac is looking at redeveloping the corridor, and other areas can be included in the study. Commissioner Portner said he worked with the Annexation Committee, and suggested further investigation into Mira Lago, US441, and Kozy Kampers. Tamarac is growing and these properties will add to the tax base and future development. Commissioner Portner asked the Commission to look beyond five years, and asked if there are grants or federal monies available. Assistant City Manager Hemstreet said part of the annexation process is identifying areas owned by Broward County, and then entering into negotiations; and the agreement would be part of the Annexation Bill. However, the first step is to see whether the Commission is interested. City Manager Miller said if there is an expression of interest for further work on this project, the City Manager would need direction from the Commission to talk to the County Manager. Mayor Schreiber asked for the Annexation Committee's recommendation. Bruce Hoffman, Chairperson of the Annexation Committee gave a presentation and said the Annexation Committee studied all the areas presented to the Commission, and before consideration of any area, Tamarac needs assurances that the County or State would assume responsibility for infrastructure. Mr. Hoffman said the only place that would be profitable in the long run would be Kozy Kampers. Commissioner Partner said Tamarac gave away prime land many years ago but times have changed, and Tamarac is an active community. These areas will be profitable for Tamarac in years to come, and the City should study the three areas for annexation. Commissioner Portner thanked the Annexation Committee for working so diligently on the project. Mayor Schreiber said more study is needed and Commissioner Sultanof said Tamarac should find out whether the County would allot money or take responsibility for these areas after annexation. Mayor Schreiber asked how annexation would help the future growth of Tamarac, and Commissioner Portner said through redevelopment. All agreed not to move forward until the County gives assurances about the infrastructure. City Manager Miller said the annexation notebook distributed for this meeting is some of the finest planning work he has seen, and commended Claire Lyte-Graham, Planner II on her work. 4. PROPOSED ROUTE REVISIONS FOR THE TAMARAC COMMUNITY BUS SYSTEM: Parks and Recreation Director Margoles gave a presentation and said since the new Community Center has been added to the routes, ridership has doubled. Commissioner Sultanof said some riders on the Yellow Route want to go to Las Olas Boulevard, but there is a time delay for the County bus to hook up with the City bus at Midway Plaza. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said she would discuss this City Commission Workshop October 23, 2000 5 with Broward County. Parks and Recreation Director Margoles proposed that the two new buses be used for shuttle service, and said she would like to do a needs assessment to determine where people want to go. Mayor Schreiber suggested putting the survey in the next Tam -A -Gram. Commissioner Partner asked if the shuttle bus would be available to pick up 15-20 people on the east side of Tamarac to bring them to an evening Commission meeting, and Parks and Recreation Director Margoles said it could be arranged. Mayor Schreiber suggested holding the Commission meeting on the east side of Tamarac. There was an expression of interest to move forward with changing the bus routes. 5. DISCUSSION REGARDING APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Mayor Schreiber said he wanted to appoint two people to fill vacancies in the Consumer Affairs Committee, Jerome Finnk and Alan Smith. There was an expression of interest to move forward with the appointments, and City Clerk Swenson was asked to prepare a resolution for Wednesday's meeting. Mayor Schreiber said there was an expression of interest on the Investment Advisory Committee to increase the number of members and asked for an amendment to the Code to allow for seven members. 6. CHANGING THE SEQUENCE OF VOTING: Commissioner Portner asked to have this item pulled from the Workshop Agenda and Wednesday's Commission Meeting agenda for further research. Commissioner Portner asked about holding a Commission meeting at Satellite City Hall, and Mayor Schreiber asked City Manager Miller to see how many people can be comfortably seated there. Mayor Schreiber asked about staff attendance at meetings, and City Manager Miller said it is part of staffs job to support the Commission. City Manager Miller said he would investigate meeting at Satellite City Hall and place it on the next workshop agenda. There being no further business to come before the City Commission, Mayor Schreiber adjourned the Workshop Meeting at 12:05 p.m. Marion Swenson, CIVIC City Clerk City Commission Workshop October 23, 2000 6 F1 1