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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-10-26 - City Commission Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING CITY HALL - CONFERENCE ROOM 105 MONDAY OCTOBER 26, 2009 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco called the workshop meeting of the City Commission to order at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, October 26, 2009 in Room 105, City Hall, 7525 NW 88 Avenue, Tamarac, FL. PRESENT: Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco, Vice Mayor Patricia Atkins -Grad, Commissioner Pamela Bushnell, Commissioner Diane Glasser, and Commissioner Harry Dressler. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, Assistant City Attorney Jacob Horowitz, Deputy City Manager/Interim Financial Services Director Michael C. Cernech, and City Clerk Marion Swenson. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco led the pledge of allegiance. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco thanked the City Clerk's office, in particular City Clerk Swenson and Assistant City Clerk Teufel, Assistant City Attorney Horowitz, Assistant City Attorney Klahr, and City Attorney Goren, City Manager Miller, Deputy City Manager/Interim Financial Services Director Cernech and the City Manager's office for their assistance over the past week. The ,election next Tuesday for the District 2 Commissioner will take place as scheduled. The Sun- Sentinel's article last Saturday with regard to the election situation in Tamarac was right on point. If Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco draws an opponent there will be a special election on December 18th; and if no one challenges her by November 4th, she will become Mayor for another term by default. The residents are upset by the unintended consequences; and they would like to be done with the election. The potential cost to the City of Tamarac for a special election is upward of $90,000. Many people have already returned their absentee ballots, and if another election is scheduled the entire process will have to be restarted. 1. Presentation by Charter School of Excellence ("CSE"). Mr. Robert Haag, Ms. Tracy Nessl, and Mr. Jeremy Westbrooks appeared. Ms. Nessl gave a presentation. Vice Mayor Atkins -Grad asked if St. Malachy is involved in the curriculum and how many Tamarac residents are enrolled in the school. Mr. Haag explained the school only leases the building; Charter School of Excellence teaches character education — no religion is taught. Ms. Nessl said she does not have the exact statistics, but she can get them; students are from Tamarac and surrounding cities. Charter schools are not attendance boundary schools. Vice Mayor Atkins -Grad said she is the education liaison for the Mayor and City Commission and she would be happy to include Charter School of Excellence in her rounds for PTA and SAC. Commissioner Bushnell said the entire Commission is happy to help and welcomed the school to Tamarac, and asked if the school is currently open and where students are drawn from. Ms. Nessl replied the Tamarac campus opened this year with 320 students grades K-5. Mr. Haag explained there is open enrollment and anyone can apply. Students are accepted as long as here are openings. The goal of charter School of Excellence is to fulfill the students' needs and give the students the opportunity for quality education. There is no competition with district schools; this is another option for parents. Commissioner Bushnell asked about Page 1 of 5 City Commission Workshop October 26, 2009 students walking to and from the school and Ms. Nessl said the majority of parents drop off and pick up the students. Some parents walk to pick up the students, and there is one parent who picks up their child via bicycle. Commissioner Glasser asked for a clearer explanation of two campuses in Tamarac and Mr. Haag explained the incubation/mentoring process thereby preparing teachers for any new schools they may open in the future. Commissioner Dressler commended the school on the culture/core curriculum of cultural literacy, geography, civics, etc. Vice Mayor Atkins -Grad suggested the school look into joining the Kiwanis, which teaches leadership, and mentioned the park slated for the corner of 61 Street. Commissioner Glasser asked if a child left the charter school and went to public school, would that child be on a par with the public school; Mr. Haag said many students who leave the charter school come back because they are more challenged at Charter School of Excellence. When students leave the school they are well rounded; the school provides the opportunity for success for its students. The state of education today is disgraceful and Charter School of Excellence is doing something about it. Commissioner Glasser commended Hamilton Foreman, who is involved in the school and his interest in education. Vice Mayor Atkins -Grad said because the school is on the church grounds people may think they are affiliated with the church and Ms. Nessl said the school's publications spell out the fact that the school and church as separate; many of the parents network for the school. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked where the students go after grade 5 and Mr. Haag said they stay in district schools and many are recruited for magnet schools. We are currently working on an agreement with Somerset Academy for middle/high school to carry on the core knowledge program. Mr. Haag invited the Mayor and City Commission to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony on November 12th at 10:00 a.m., and thanked the Mayor and City Commission and City Manager for their support. 2. Presentation regarding the Design Phase 1 Bikeway/Walkway Project. Public Works Director Strain and Director of Parks and Recreation Warner appeared. Public Works Director Strain gave a presentation and spoke of the fact that funding is being given to the City of Tamarac because we are tying into the greenway master plan. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said based on citizen surveys this would satisfy a number of requests; and confirmed the grant is through the MPO. Public Works Director Strain explained funding is not available until next fiscal year but we must pay for the design and be ready to go when the funding is authorized. Commissioner Glasser said the street in question (108 Terrace) is impacted by condominiums and homeowner associations and she expressed concern over the fact that the road will go from four — two lanes. Public Works Director Strain assured Commissioner Glasser that as a two-lane road, traffic will remain at the same level of service as the four -lane road. Commissioner Glasser questioned the number of bicycles that would use the bike lanes and Director of Parks and Recreation Warner said as a nation we are trying to get more cars off the road and more bikes on the roads. We hope people will start riding their bikes. Public Works Director Strain added the area is essentially built out, and the traffic volume does not justify four lanes. We hope to get more people to utilize alternate methods of transportation; and we will create a safe situation along 108 Terrace which will prohibit people from speeding. We received very few negative comments from areas where we have already designed traffic calming. Commissioner Glasser said she is concerned with the safety of the people in that community. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner spoke of the Southgate Boulevard traffic calming project and the fact that once it was built it was a benefit to the area and the City received only positive comments. Vice Mayor Atkins -Grad said it is one of the most beautiful streets in the City and she would like to see something similar to Southgate Boulevard incorporated into this design if possible. Public Works Director Strain said it would be a major Page 2 of 5 City Commission Workshop October 26, 2009 reconstruction and not in the cards for this project. Vice Mayor Atkins -Grad spoke of the bike path stopping at 64th and restarting at Rock Island Road. Public Works Director Strain said the bike path on Commercial Boulevard is not safe, which is why we are trying to install it on secondary roads. Commissioner Bushnell asked if we will install bike paths further east and Public Works Director Strain said we are headed in that direction; however, in the east we do not have a lot of neighborhoods over which we have control — the venues to connect to these neighborhoods are County and State roads. We were successful with this grant because we showed we are connecting the north and south, but we do not have that ability with neighborhoods in the east. Commissioner Dressler said he would speak with the MPO. Commissioner Bushnell said bike paths will not take people out of cars, but is a recreational alternative. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner said while biking is essentially a recreational function quite a few people do ride bikes to work. Commissioner Dressler spoke of the MPO and mass transit, and said people do not realize how much time and effort both on the County and City level goes into acquiring $750,000. It is a lengthy process and everything the City does long term is tied into our long term strategic plan. Commissioner Dressler spoke of a transportation hub to bring people into and out of the area. Traffic calming will make our City safer and there is also the environmental impact to reduce our carbon footprint. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said she watched this project evolve over the years and it is her belief this is one of those projects we will end up reading about in best practices magazines. Both Southgate and 70th Avenue have been successful and this will be as well. Mayor Flansbaum- Talabisco asked how wide the bike lanes will be. Public Works Director Strain replied a minimum of 5' but along 108th Terrace, closer to 7'. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said 108th Terrace is one of the prettiest streets in the City and lends itself to bikeways. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked how long the process will take and Public Works Director Strain said we will do the design phase in the next 6-8 months. The funding for construction will not be available until the next fiscal year, and when it becomes available we will go out to bid. It will probably be a 12 month project. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said with regard to District 1 on the east side of Tamarac, Saturday morning there was a ribbon cutting for Mainlands 4 — they received a Broward Beautiful grant. We are also constructing sidewalks at Mainalnds 6, and there is a lot of positive feedback for these projects. There is a difficulty with the bikeway program in that neck of the woods, but perhaps down the road more sidewalks would be an alternative if the funding is available. Public Works Director Strain explained the sidewalk project in Mainlands 6 is in response to the neighborhood's request. If a neighborhood wishes to have sidewalks and they notify us, we will add them to our list; however, some neighborhoods do not lend themselves to building sidewalks. 3. Item No. 6 (e) on the Consent Agenda: (TR11703) Requesting that the City adopt Green Standards for new and substantially renovated government buildings (Case No. 27-MI- 09); providing for conditions of approval. Community Development Director Bramley gave a presentation. Commissioner Glasser left the room at 10:55 a.m. and returned at 11:00 a.m. 4. Item No.6 (c) on the Consent Agenda: (TR11700) Granting approval of the Special Extended Hours permit, requested by Gary Bruce Walker, owner of the Oasis Pub of Tamarac, Inc. (dba: Oasis Pub), to extend the hours of the on -premise sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages and to open for business at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, pursuant to the City of Tamarac Ordinance No. 0-85-38, for the Oasis Pub of Tamarac, Inc. (d/b/a: Oasis Page 3 of 5 City Commission Workshop October 26, 2009 Pub) located in the Three Lakes Plaza at 3224 West Commercial Boulevard (Case No. 26-MI- 09); providing for conditions of approval. Community Development Director Bramley gave a presentation, and explained in accordance with the Code of Ordinances we must revisit this request every three years. 5. Item No. 6 (f) on the Consent Agenda: (TR11704) Authorizing the appropriate City Officials to execute Change Order No. 1 to the agreement with Charland Rurey Construction, Inc., for additional work at the Fire Station 41&78 Renovation Project; authorizing an additional expenditure in the amount not to exceed $111,666.00; authorizing budget amendments for proper accounting purposes. Public Works Director Strain and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz appeared. Public Works Director Strain gave a presentation. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned the date of completion and Public Works Director Strain said about 6 months. Commissioner Bushnell questioned the weight room and IT room and Public Works Director Strain said those items were missed during the original design and the cost is under $1,000 each. 6. Item No. 6 (d) on the Consent Agenda: (TR11708) Approving an agreement between the City and ACAI Associates, Inc. for the specification writer and administrator of Community Development - Housing Rehabilitation Programs; authorizing and directing the appropriate City Officials to take any and all action necessary to effectuate the intent of this resolution. Housing Administrator Bauldree and Purchasing/Contracts Manager Glatz appeared. Housing Administrator Bauldree gave a presentation. Commissioner Dressler asked if this is a HUD grant and Housing Administrator Bauldree said it is Federal and State grants. Commissioner Glasser asked if it replaces SHIP and Housing Administrator Bauldree explained the State funding source and ACAI's administration of the funds. Commissioner Dressler asked how much money was awarded for the neighborhood stabilization program and Housing Administrator Bauldree said $4.7 million; about 50% has been expended on purchases and the other 50% is encumbered. Commissioner Dressler commended Housing Administrator Bauldree on a great job. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said Tamarac is the leading City in Broward County, having closed on 20 homes. City Manager Miller introduced Lt. Wood, Executive Officer, BSO and Public and Economic Affairs Officer Berns. Lt. Wood, Executive Officer, BSO spoke of an incident that occurred in Tamarac Commerce Park with regard to a shooting, and said while the report was initiated in Coral Springs, during the chase something ensued and resulted in a shooting. Coral Springs is handling the investigation with Tamarac BSO assisting. The media attention is in the City of Tamarac, but the case originated in Coral Springs. Assistant City Attorney Horowitz said the Vacancy of Candidacy Ordinance will come before the Mayor and City Commission for second reading on Wednesday morning. There is also a walk-on resolution to be added, which follows the ordinance and authorizes and directs the City to initiate the election process for December 18th, and authorizes funding, if necessary. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked if she needs to pay a new qualifying fee, to which Assistant City Attorney Horowitz and City Clerk Swenson said no. Mayor Flansbaum- Talabisco questioned the filing of her termination report, and City Clerk Swenson said not at this time, new dates would be calculated. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco confirmed the vote on absentee ballots sent out are null and void. If she draws an opponent new absentee ballots would be sent out. Commissioner Bushnell confirmed absentee ballots would be sent to Page 4 of 5 City Commission Workshop October 26, 2009 1 1 those who originally requested absentee ballots. Commissioner Dressler asked which, if any of our representatives have stepped forward to sponsor a Bill to avoid something like this happening in the future. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said she enlightened the newspaper with regard to the candidacy vacancy statute and a very good editorial was run in the Saturday Sun -Sentinel. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco also called Governor Crist's new Chief of Staff, Shane Strom and he has all the background information on this matter. There are many unintended consequences. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said she will also bring this up at the next Broward League meeting. The statute needs to be amended and clarified. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked for an expression of interest to add Temporary Resolution 11714 to the regular agenda on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. All were in agreement. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned the date of swearing -in for Mayor should she have no opponent, and Assistant City Attorney Horowitz said if there is no opponent by noon on November 4, it is his belief Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco can be sworn in on November 10tn There being no further business to come before the Mayor and Flansbaum-Talabisco adjourned the workshop meeting at 11:25 a.m. Marion Swenson, CM City Clerk City Commission, Mayor Page 5 of 5 City Commission Workshop October 26, 2009