HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-08-10 - City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting MinutesCity Council Budget Workshop Meeting
8/10/93/KJ
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CITY OF TAMARAC
CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING
TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1993
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Bender called this meeting to order on
Tuesday, August 10, 1993 at 9:00 a.m. in the Conference Room #1 of
City Hall.
Mayor H. Larry Bender
Vice Mayor Irving Katz
Councilman Norman Abramowitz
Councilman Henry Schumann
Councilman Joseph Schreiber
John P. Kelly, City Manager
Dina McDermott, Assistant City Manager
Mary Blasi, Finance Director
Thelma Fagelbaum, Deputy Finance Director
Karen Willard, Comptroller
Carol A. Evans, City Clerk
Larry DuPre, Personnel Director
Kay Mitchell, Risk Manager
Paul Forsberg, Acting Fire Chief
Karen Jackson, Secretary
CITY MANAGER - Page 40
Mr. Kelly said there appears to be an increase in the Department,
which has occurred due to taking Debbie Newton, Financial Analyst,
out of the Finance Department's budget and placing her completely
in the City Manager's budget. She does almost all of the grant
work for Ms. McDermott and it is more appropriate to have her
under the Manager's budget.
Mr. Kelly said on Line Item 220, Pension Contribution, the Manager
Recommended is the correct amount. Discussion was held regarding
the pension contribution figure being increased due to the
additional employee, Ms. Newton.
C/M Schumann asked about the part-time position and Ms. McDermott
said that is Robin Thalenfeld, who has been working in the office
for three years.
V/M Katz questioned the Deferred Compensation and Mr. Kelly said
he is not in the program.
Ms. McDermott said there is a typographical error under the
Deferred Compensation, it should be $4,099, not $9,099. Discussion
was held regarding management opting out of the Pension Plan.
C/M Schumann asked if this is similar to a 401K and Ms. Blasi said
it is like a 401A and is taxable when it is drawn out.
301 - Gas & Diesel
C/M Schreiber asked if this is for Mr. Kelly's and Ms. McDermott's
City cars and Mr. Kelly said, yes. Discussion was held regarding
current expenditures of car allowance.
V/M Katz asked where the vehicle allowance is reflected and Ms.
Blasi said a separate W-2 is issued at the end of the year and
there is a certain amount per day to be reflected in the W-2 for
taxing purposes.
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C/M Abramowitz asked if the copy paper allocations have been moved
from the individual departments and placed the entire charge under
a single department and Ms. Blasi said, yes.
Ms. McDermott said the office supplies in the Manager's budget are
high due to the grant work. 0
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - Page 75
Mr. Kelly said the miscellaneous line item shows a $10,000
increase which was based on Council's discussion regarding issuing
the Chamber of Commerce the money so that their person would work
along with the City to do the brochure on economic development.
Discussion was held regarding the last Chamber of Commerce
meeting.
Mayor Bender said he received a response back to a letter he sent
to Wayne Huizenga requesting assistance with the economic
development. Further discussion was held regarding the
miscellaneous costs involved with economic development.
C/M Abramowitz requested that the City's logo be sent to the
Governor's office. He said the Governor is decorating his office
with the logo from every city that provides him a logo and Ms.
McDermott agreed.
BOARDS AND COMMITTEES
PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE- Page 74
Ms. McDermott said the Public Information Committee publishes ten
issues of the Tarn -A -Gram throughout the year, six issues are four
to six pages and four issues are eight pages. She said they
usually suspend printing during July and August. She said the
Committee has been doing a good job and have made a concentrated
effort on informational --type articles.
Ms. McDermott said there is still a major concern with
distribution. She said the City has a very good volunteer network
of distribution; however, Council needs to think about the future
and how distribution is to be handled. She said the current means
of distribution gets to most, but not all, of the residents.
C/M Abramowitz said there are some locations that hand them out
person -to -person and others that place then in the clubhouses. He
said the cost would be prohibitive to mail them out individually.
Mayor Bender said he received a call from the President of the
Woodmont Property Association asking that they be supplied with
enough Tam -A -Grams for them to include it with their mailing of
their Property Association notice. He said Woodmont needs 2,000
copies of the Tam -A --Gram. He said this will provide copies to all
of the households in Woodmont.
Ms. McDermott said she would contact Stan Bernard, Chairman of the
Public Information Committee, regarding this. Further discussion
was held regarding this.
Ms. McDermott said there are 17 or 18 cities that mail their
newsletters to the residents quarterly or every two months. She
suggested that Council give consideration to this for the future.
She said there are other options to handle this within the
budgeted amount.
C/M Schreiber said this paper is highly regarded due to the
monthly distribution and it provides the public the information
they need. He said there are numerous homeowners associations
throughout the City that have a distribution of their own and
City Council Budget
8/10/93/KJ
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Workshop Meeting
possibly the City can have the Tam -A -Gram enclosed with their
newsletters.
Ms. McDermott said there are 63 associations who currently pick up
and deliver the Tam -A -Gram to their residents.
Mr. Kelly recommended that Council consider a special issue of the
Tam -A -Gram for the Water Management Program and it should be
mailed in order to have all residents receive the appropriate
information.
V/M Katz suggested that bulk mailing be utilized for a cost
savings.
CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE -- Page 82
Ms. McDermott said their budget consists of basic office supplies.
VETERANS COMMITTEE - Page 83
Ms. McDermott said this budget encompasses four picnics per year
for Veterans within the Tamarac area. It also provides for the
cost of flyers and other such materials needed.
CITY CLERK - Page 46
Ms. Evans said Lillian Marcus was previously listed under
Department 713 - Telecommunications, which has been deleted, and
Ms. Marcus is now listed under Department 112 - City Clerk.
C/M Abramowitz said he had renewed his drivers license over the
phone with a voice mail system which was excellent. Discussion was
held regarding voice mail.
Ms. Evans said Ms. Marcus is listed as a Receptionist/Clerk
Typist, but this should be amended to read, "Receptionist". She
said Belle Vitrofsky remains a part-time employee.
C/M Abramowitz asked if the salary schedule is the same as last
year and Ms. Evans said there are no changes in the salary
schedule.
V/M Katz referred to Line Item 492 - Elections and asked what the
$30,000.00 is for and Ms. Evans said this is for two elections,
the March, 1994, and any other election Council may want in
September to piggyback on Jane Carroll's election. She said the
1993 budget reflected $37,000.00, but she removed any monies that
were placed in the account for any type of mailings that Council
may have wanted to send to the public explaining the items on the
ballots. She said the City would not be allowed to piggyback on
any run-off election in October.
V/M Katz asked what the current balance is for this year and Ms.
Evans said approximately $15,000.00.
V/M Katz asked how much a Special Election would be and Ms. Evans
said if it were a stand alone election, the cost would be
approximately $20,000.00, but if it were a piggyback to Jane
Carroll's election, it would be substantially less.
Ms. Evans said the long distance commissions are estimated at
$1,000.00. She said last year, the City Clerk's office brought in
over $19,000.00 for lien searches and this is also estimated for
the new year.
GENERAL SERVICES - Page 165
Ms. Evans said this is for postage, UPS, and the copy machines
throughout City Hall.
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V/M Katz said he receives copies of the Planning Commission and
Council agendas mailed to him, which is unnecessary when he
receives it at City Hall.
Ms. Evans said all Council members receive mailings. She said the
mailings were started for the purpose of Council receiving the
agendas even if they did not come into City Hall.
V/M Katz said these are mailed to people who were on a committee
several years ago.
C/M Abramowitz said there are 50 or 60 mailed out of Council's
office to people who are not in office at all and to many
political activists.
Ms. Evans said some people pay a subscription to receive them, the
media receives the copies for free and the President's Council
trustees and officers receive it for free. Discussion was held
regarding this.
Mayor Bender requested that a list of people receiving the
mailings be drafted. He said too much money and time is being
spent on agendas.
C/M Schreiber referred to Line Item 440 and asked what this is for
and Mr. Kelly said this is for all copy machines are now being
charged out of Department 712.
C/M Abramowitz referred to a lease agreement being prepared for
copy machines throughout the City and suggested that this be
examined carefully.
Ms. Blasi said this has been done. She said the City pays
exorbitant amounts for maintenance every year.
Ms. Evans said the department has had several machines on a trial
basis, but to -date, the Kodak copier is the best to serve the
needs of the City.
V/M Katz said the Council voted on a Buy -American policy and
suggested that the City do this whenever possible. Discussion was
held regarding this.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - Page 166
Mr. Kelly said this is the Department that was zeroed out.
Mr. Kelly said during discussion regarding Risk Management, the
Budget Workshop will break for Executive Session due to labor
negotiations. Discussion was held regarding holding Executive
Sessions.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT -- Page 59
C/M Schreiber asked if the Community Development Director will be
replaced and Mr. Kelly said Ms. Carpenter had resigned and there
is a bit of uncertainty in the City at present. He said this is an
awkward time to bring in a new Department Head. He said the City
has not advertised for this position for this reason. He said
applications have been given to two people in-house, Mike Vonder
Meulen and Fredalyn Frasier.
TAPE 2
Mr. Kelly said he chose Larry DuPre to act as Acting Community
Development Director, but Mike Vonder Meulen and Fredalyn Frasier
are handling the Department on an alternate basis in order to
assert themselves and to grow into the position.
C/M Schumann said Ruth Russo, the Landscape Inspector, is
retiring.
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C/M Abramowitz asked how the Building Department's being so busy
reflects on Community Development.
Mr. Vonder Meulen said they are the lead department. He said on
the Council's upcoming agendas there will be numerous site plan
requests for over 2,000 units to be developed in the City.
Discussion was held regarding hiring for the department.
Mr. DuPre requested guidance from Council on this matter.
Mr. Kelly said the function of the position that Ruth currently
holds needs to be changed to be more consistent with what is being
done in the Department, such as a Planning Technician. He said
Ruth never got certified as a Landscape Inspector, which is
needed. Further discussion was held regarding this position.
Mayor Bender requested that a proposal be sent to Council
regarding this.
V/M Katz asked how this will be different from what the Code
Enforcement officers are currently doing. He said if Ruth was not
certified to do landscape inspections, there is no one else
certified to do this.
Ms. McDermott said there are people in the industry who are
certified to do exactly what the City is looking for. She said the
City has individuals on contract, but no one who works for the
City that is certified.
C/M Abramowitz said he does not object to a job description
change. Further discussion was held regarding this.
C/M Abramowitz referred to Line Item 318 and asked if some of the
responsibilities have been changed.
Mr. Vonder Meulen said the money in Engineering Services is a
refundable front money program. He said the City does not have a
Traffic Engineer on board. He said the City hires a Traffic
Engineer to redo the plans if there is a possible traffic problem.
He said the City has created an ordinance last year where that
money would be reimbursable to the City from the developer, but
the City needs to have the money up front.
C/M Schumann asked why the City is fronting money and losing the
interest on it.
Mayor Bender said there are also administrative costs involved to
handle this.
V/M Katz said one of the reasons that growth, under some
conditions, has been restricted in the City is the fact that when
a developer comes into the City and looks at a seven or eight per
cent engineering fee, some of the City's other fees are
prohibitive compared to other cities. Discussion was held
regarding projected growth in the City and what would happen if a
developer walks off the job prior to completion.
Mayor Bender said the City can recover in many different ways.
Mr. Kelly said the money is there as a cushion or protection.
CODR ENFORCEMbtNT - Page 118
Mr. Kelly said the Supervisor position was filled and Jo Forti
left the City. He said Gary Phaneuf is on light -duty in the
department.
V/M Katz said for a long time the City has had serious problems
with some of the aspects of code enforcement. He said some of
these concerns have been addressed over the past two years. He
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said one of the main concerns was that there were no inspections
done after hours or on the weekends and many of the violations
took place during these hours. He said if Jo Forti's position is
eliminated, it could cause these problems again.
Mayor Bender said the City also has ordinances and different
regulations governing the City, where the BSO steps in. He said
the Sheriff's office is responsible to enforce these ordinances.
V/M Katz said the Sheriff's office will not go on private
property. He said they have certain restrictions. Discussion was
held regarding this.
C/M Schreiber suggested that the City promote from within.
Mr. Kelly said all who applied were interviewed. Discussion was
held regarding hiring from within and qualifications.
Mayor Bender said the employee may be technically qualified, but
may not be administratively qualified.
Mr. DuPre said it would have been better for the City to have
promoted from within. He said each employee was interviewed and
measured against the same criteria. He said during the interview
process, it became clear that there was a lack of understanding of
what a Supervisor's responsibilities were and a lack of knowledge
of administrative procedures. He said there were also some
disciplinary problems with some of the people. Further discussion
was held regarding this.
POLICE SERVICES (School Crossing Guards) - Page 95
Ms. McDermott said this item was zeroed out and is now listed
under Other Contractual Services.
C/M Schreiber suggested that the City reduce the number of
crossings that the City provides guards for, such as the one
behind the school and at the overhead ramp by the school.
Mr. DuPre said the cost savings would be minimal by privatizing,
but the general liability to the City would be reduced, as well as
the Worker's Compensation. He said the private company has agreed
that they will offer jobs to every crossing guard currently
working for the City, however, they would reduce the pay from
$8.50 per hour to $4.25 per hour, in compliance with the
resolution passed in November, 1993.
Mr. DuPre said the City currently has three guards who remain at
the $8.50 per hour salary. He said he spoke with Bill Bell,
Principal at Tamarac Elementary, and explained to him that under
the private contract, only Tamarac residents would be hired, as
far as the law would permit, and that there would be sufficient
substitutes hired so that the City would not have to use Code
Enforcement Officers to do guard work.
Mr. DuPre said the City measured a 60 day period from April 16 to
June 16, and 64 times the Code Enforcement Officers filled in as
School Crossing Guards. He said during these times, the Officers
were working in Guard capacity making $15.00 per hour and one of
these cases involved a Worker's Compensation injury.
Mr. DuPre said in speaking with the County, they said the City can
drop three posts, one at the overpass, a location which is
actually in the City of North Lauderdale, and the apartment
complex behind the school. Further discussion was held regarding
this.
Mr. DuPre said there are two issues which need to be reviewed with
this private company, one is their Certificate of Insurance for
review to see how much distance can be placed between the City and
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8/10/93/KJ
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their company during a lawsuit, and the other issue is what
Council wants to do. Further discussion was held regarding the
crossing guards.
C/M Abramowitz requested a list of the guard absenteeism.
C/M Schumann said he would like to know how many guards were fired
and the reasons for it, which caused the City to put $15.00 per
hour Code officers on guard duty.
Mr. Dupre stated the various reasons for the absenteeisms.
TAPE 3
C/M Abramowitz suggested that the City pay a little more to have
guards who are consistent.
C/M Schumann asked if the private company is going to hire Tamarac
residents and whether they are from a certain age bracket and C/M
Schreiber said they cannot discriminate.
C/M Schumann asked what the wages would be and Mr. Kelly said
$4.25 would be their take-home pay. Further discussion was held
regarding the pay scale for crossing guards.
C/M Schumann said the children have gained a rapport and trust
with these guards.
Mr. Dupre said the guards will be permanently assigned to their
posts.
Mr. Kelly said the City of Pompano Police Department trains the
crossing guards. He said the Personnel Department is looking into
a couple of options for training. He said if the City is involved
in the training process, then the City is responsible if any
accidents occur. Discussion was held regarding the City's
liability.
C/M Abramowitz asked why training is needed for someone who has
been on the job and Mr. Dupre said the law requires a certain
amount of training every year.
Mr. Dupre said if the City is going to get out of the crossing
guard business, then get completely out of it. He said the City
would have the ability to break the contract due to negligence.
Further discussion was held regarding this.
Mr. Kelly said $2,000.00 needs to be added to Line Item 470 -
Printing and Binding for parking citations.
Discussion was held regarding Robert Lockwood's office and
possible money due to the City.
PERSONNEL - Page 78
C/M Abramowitz questioned Line Item 155 and Ms. McDermott said
this item was from last year's budget when there were temporary
employees in the department.
Mayor Bender asked what account would be used if the City wanted
to use a temporary agency for help and Ms. McDermott said that
would be Line Item 338.
Mr. Dupre said the figure in this item is city-wide and is
difficult to estimate.
C/M Schreiber asked why Line Item 306 is increasing to $11,000.00
from $8,700.00 when a total of $3,600.00 has been expended to -date
and Mr. Dupre said the City will be expending the money with the
seniority awards and other such things.
Ms. McDermott said on the August 25th agenda, there are
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approximately 15 employees who will be receiving service awards.
Ms. McDermott said the Public Information Committee luncheon will
be held in the fall.
Mr. Dupre said the background checks are a little more extensive
than previously done.
C/M Schreiber asked if this is all charged to Item 306 and Ms.
McDermott said, yes.
C/M Schumann questioned Item 340.
Mr. Dupre said historically, some positions are in the Union but
should not be, and there are others that are not in the Union and
should be. He said the City is going to approach the Public
Employees' Relations Commission and requested that they correct
these problems. He said he feels strongly that all employees in
the Personnel Department should be confidential. He said all
Department Head secretaries should be out of the Union. Further
discussion was held regarding various positions.
Mr. Dupre said also in this line item is the Employee Assistance
Program part of which will be for drug -free workplace.
C/M Abramowitz asked if this has anything to do with Union -busting
and Mr. DuPre said absolutely not, he is a lifetime member of the
AFL-C1O. Further discussion was held regarding reorganization.
C/M Abramowitz asked about the insurances under Item 230.
Ms. Blasi said the difference in prices is based on the different
types of coverage the employees carry. Discussion was held
regarding insurance coverages.
Mayor Bender RECESSED the meeting at 11:00 a.m. and RECONVENED
at 11:09 a.m, with ALL PRESENT.
BUILDING DEPARTMENT - Page 111
Mr. Kelly said the Building Department is doing much more work. He
said with the two temporary employees and the vacant inspector
Position, the Department needs an additional $12,000.00 in the
budget.
Mr. Wood said the Department's revenue calculations have
substantially increased over the past nine months. He said the net
projected above the budget would be approximately $291,200.00. He
said the expenditures of about $628,000.00 verses $465,000.00
would have left a deficit to the budget.
V/M Katz asked what the duties are of Mr. Barreiro.
Mr. Wood said the City is told by the Board of Rules and Appeals
how many inspections are to be made. He said there are two
separate positions, an electrical inspector and a vacant plumbing
inspector.
V/M Katz suggested that the City go to a Plumbers Hall or Union
Hall to hire qualified people.
C/M Abramowitz asked if the two extra people are needed due to
having too much work or to meet the requirements of the Board of
Rules and Appeals and Mr. Wood said it is a combination of both.
Mr. Wood said there are two facets to the job. He said one is for
a man to go out to do inspections and the other is to do plan
reviews prior to issuing permits.
C/M Schreiber asked about the amount of inspections required and
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Mr. Wood said the Board of Rules and Appeals states that 15
inspections per day should be done. Further discussion was held
regarding the number of inspections required.
Mayor Bender said those inspections which fail are red tagged. He
asked what the follow-up procedure is for failed inspections.
Mr. Wood said there is nothing in the Code stating that the
contractor must respond within a specific time period, with the
exception of the fact that the permit will become null and void in
six months if it is not final. He said the City does notify the
contractor that their permit is going to be voided.
Mayor Bender said the contractors are behind on final inspections.
Discussion was held regarding permit reinspections.
Mayor Bender asked if there is a method where the computer
indicates a lack of final inspections.
Mr. Wood said Staff can pull out the number of unfinished
inspections, but it is not automatic.
Mayor Bender suggested that the City have a procedure where the
computer automatically issues a printout of all inspections that
have not been finalized at 30, 60 and 90 day intervals and the
City does not issue any more permits to these particular
contractors until they have completed their other work.
Mr. Kelly instructed Mr. Wood to meet with Glenda Christian of MIS
to set up a program to handle this function.
TAPE 4
Discussion was held regarding developers and various problems
which may arise.
Mr. Kelly asked if Council is comfortable authorizing the Finance
Director to increase the revenue line by the projections and the
Council indicated, yes. Further discussion was held regarding
revenues.
Discussion was held regarding an FP&L Letter dated 6/10/93.
Mr. Kelly said the big item change in the Building Department is
about $33,000.00. He said there are four vehicles in the
Department which need to be replaced. He recited the circumstances
for each vehicle.
C/M Abramowitz asked what will be done with the old vehicles and
Mr. Kelly said they would be used for parts or auctioned.
Mr. Kelly said there are 33 new bus benches in the City.
Mayor Bender asked how many benches there are and requested that a
survey be done to be sure that the company is complying with the
agreement made with the City. He requested the number of benches
present in the City, how many are authorized, how many have
advertising and how many do not have advertising.
Discussion was held regarding the bus benches.
RISC MANAGEMENT - Page 388
Mr. Kelly said there is a modest increase reflected in the salary
line.
Mr. Mitchell said Line Item 306 reflects monies needed for
actuarial studies on self -insured liability and worker's
compensation programs. He said $10,000.000 should cover these
studies. He said the State requires the City to do actuarial
studies periodically.
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Page 10
C/M Abramowitz referred to Line Item 230 - Health insurance.
Ms. McDermott said this amount is higher based on the different
coverages that the employees carry.
Mr. Mitchell said Staff is hoping to spend some of the 493 money
for safety expenses to lower some of the compensation costs.
Discussion was held regarding safety procedures and equipment.
Mr. Mitchell said this money would not only be for the hiring of
outside people, but also for safety equipment and communication to
the employees.
Mayor Bender referred to Line Item 493 and asked what has been
done with it and Mr. Mitchell said there has not been a lot done
this year with the safety program.
Ms. McDermott said this account would be to purchase any type of
safety equipment which may be needed.
Mr. Mitchell said this item charge can be cut in half and the
department may be able to get by with it.
C/M Abramowitz said a certain amount of money must be allocated
based on an estimate of needs. Further discussion was held
regarding the preparation of the safety budget.
Mr. DuPre said the City was scheduling three management classes
for next year. He said a 15-week course was already held. He said
two segments of this course were devoted to safety and a safety
consultant was going to be brought in for this. He said he
recently hired a Safety Coordinator and was looking to train this
person as an Adjuster to be able to handle the insurance
situations in-house. He said the City spent a lot of money hiring
from outside for accident investigations.
Mr. DuPre said since Mr. Mitchell came aboard and during their
discussions, it was decided that it would be more economically
done by hiring from outside for investigations of claims. He said
Adjusting School is very expensive.
Mr. Mitchell said with the number of occurrences that the City has
per year, it is cheaper to hire from outside.
C/M Schreiber recommended that Line Item 493 be changed to
$5,000.00 instead of $10,000.00.
INSURANCE OPERATIONS - Page 393
Mr. Mitchell said at present, the City is utilizing Crawford as
the third party administrator for the Worker's Compensation.
C/M Abramowitz asked if they are paid by occurrence or flat
retainer fee.
Mr. Mitchell said the City has a contract which calls for a flat
fee, but once an occurrence is over 12 months old, then it goes on
a time and expense method of payment. He said this is a very
expensive way to adjust claims. He recommended that the City go
out to bid third party administration for a January 1 effective
date. He said there are probably 10 or 12 very good administrators
in the area to choose from.
C/M Schumann questioned the purpose of utilizing Crawford once a
claim has been processed and has been active and Mr. Mitchell said
the main reason is to maintain the records on extended cases in
order to have a continuous record of the claim activity.
C/M Schreiber asked if it would be cost effective to handle the
Worker's Compensation cases in-house on the computers and Mr.
City Council Budget Workshop Meeting'
8/10/93/KJ
Page 11
Mitchell said not with this size entity.
C/M Abramowitz asked if the excess liability is doubled and asked
if the coverage has been increased.
Mr. Mitchell said the Worker's Compensation excess coverage
follows in two layers, one is in the first layer package of
general liability, auto liability, public official liability and
worker's compensation. He said this takes the City from
$100,000.00 deductible up to one million. He said another type of
coverage is then purchased up to whatever the statutory limits
are. Further discussion was held regarding various coverages.
Mayor Bender asked about the City's flood coverage and Mr.
Mitchell said the City is covered up to one million dollars with a
deductible that is based upon $200,000.00 for the second layer of
coverage. Discussion was held regarding flood and damage insurance
coverage.
C/m Schreiber asked about the self -insured assessments and Mr.
Mitchell said the self -insured assessment is calculated by the
State. He said they take all of the City's employees, based on the
classification of their job, and compute a manual rate. Discussion
was held regarding this.
Mr. Mitchell said the pre -employment physicals are very important.
He said the City is billed semi-annually, which totals
approximately $14,000.00.
C/M Schumann asked if there are any claims currently being handled
in-house and Mr. Mitchell said, yes, they are handled by Risk
Management and the City Attorney's office.
C/M Schreiber asked if there is an in-house investigation done and
Mr. Mitchell said, yes.
Mayor Bender RECESSED the meeting at 12:10 p.m. for an Executive
Session and RECONVENED the meeting at 2:16 p.m. with ALL
PRESENT.
FIRE DEPARTMENT - Page 104
Mr. Kelly said there are a couple of issues the City is being
faced with, one being the proposal to go with the Advanced Life
Support (ALS).
TAPE 5
Mr. Kelly said the City needs to make some kind of determination
as to whether or not the City will go with ALS.
C/M Schreiber asked what the timeframe is for a decision.
Mr. Kelly said the package must first be approved downtown by the
County and certification has to be given to the City to provide
for the program.
V/M Katz said an application cannot be made to the County unless
the funding is in place.
Mr. Kelly said in order to be considered, the City needs to show
that it is willing to commit to the funding.
C/M Abramowitz said he would have no problem making a decision if
he is told that the City will be receiving the Minnet money.
Discussion was held regarding this.
C/M Abramowitz asked if the City can take whatever steps are
necessary to go along with the process with the determination that
without the Minnet money, there would be no deal.
Mr. Kelly said this is a possibility. Further discussion was held
City Council Budget Workshop Meeting
8/10/93/KJ
Page 12
regarding the Minnet money and ALS contract.
Mayor Bender asked what the cost would be to the City for the
ALS, including the equipment and vehicles.
Commander Forsberg answered anywhere between $553,000.00 to
$736,000.00, but it is figured more to the lower end. He said
this would also include the salaries for year.
C/M Schumann asked why the City needs a firefighter doing a
paramedic's job. He said there is a big difference in salary.
Discussion was held regarding the duties of firefighters and
paramedics.
Mayor Bender said the City needs to clear up what is required to
place this on the County's agenda.
Mr. Kelly said this cannot be pursued and the Department cannot
proceed with the application unless funding has been committed by
the City. He said the Council may consider that the application
will not be approved for October 1. He suggested Council consider
funding for six months of the year for a six-month proposal.
C/M Schreiber said the first step is to see if the City can get on
the County's agenda. Discussion was held regarding this.
C/M Schumann asked what the problem is with the current service
being rendered by EMS from the County.
C/M Schreiber said the County currently has a 3-tier system and
they are trying to bring it to a 1-tier in order to reduce the
response time and the cost and at the same time, provide better
service and possibly develop it into a system which will function
and will cover with the revenue that is derived through the Minnet
money and via the collection procedure.
Mayor Bender said the County has different response times for
different cities. Discussion was held regarding this.
V/M Katz said there are 11 cities currently that have their own
ALS and there are 17 that do not and also unincorporated Broward
County. He said the reason that the County Administrator would not
like this to happen, is that every time that you dilute the
process, it means that unincorporated Broward has to pick up the
tab and pay that much more per capita for the same level of
service as they currently get that the City is subsidizing.
V/M Katz said as of June 1, 1993, the County has charged
approximately $100.00 for the second response and prior to that
date, the County did exactly the same thing. He said the insurance
companies do not cover this additional $100.00, which means that
it is an additional $100.00 out-of-pocket expense for something
which is not totally necessary.
V/M Katz said if the residents are going to get the same level of
service and the City can provide that level of service for $100.00
to $150.00 less per capita or per transport or per 911 call, how
could the Council not look to see if it can be done.
V/M Katz said this study will be done and completed in December
and in the interim, the City will be six months behind anything
that may happen. He said if they do not approve a license, the
City has not expended any money. He said if this money is funded
in the budget, and a license is not granted, the City has not
spent any money.
Ms. Blasi said the City can put this in two offsetting revenues in
order to offset the transport fees that may be received. Further
discussion was held regarding the ALS contract.
City Council Budget Workshop Meeting
8/10/93/KJ
Page 13
C/M Abramowitz asked how much this will cost and Ms. McDermott
said it will cost $553,372.00.
C/M Schumann said let the County fix their problems.
Mr. Kelly suggested that Council project to fund for half the
amount in order to begin the application process.
C/M Abramowitz asked if it would make a difference in the millage
rate and Mr. Kelly said, no.
C/M Abramowitz asked what would happen if the City does not put it
into the budget and Mr. Kelly said the County would not accept the
application without a commitment from the City. Further discussion
was held regarding this.
Mr. Kelly said he has been told that the City must show a
commitment for at least half of the money in order for the
application to be accepted. He said there is no risk involved.
C/M Schumann asked if the County is duty-bound if they approve the
City's application to give the City the Minnet money and C/M
Abramowitz said, no.
Mr. Kelly said if the application is approved, but the City does
not receive the minnet money, then the City can state that they
are not interested in the ALS process. He said this can be a
condition the City places on the County.
Ms. Blasi said Chief Budzinski's figures on the proposal are on
target.
Mayor Bender said this should not be rushed. He said this should
be delayed for a decision by Council.
Ms. Blasi said this can be added during the first Public Hearing
on September 7.
C/M Abramowitz said Jack Osterholt of the County is against the
ALS.
Mr. Kelly said there are no changes in the salary line of the Fire
Department budget.
C/M Schreiber asked if the Department is going to fill the
vacancies and Commander Forsberg said the Fire Inspector position
was filled yesterday, but the other vacancies are the same as have
been on the books.
Commander Forsberg said the Department has not grown since 1987,
but the number of calls have increased 120% and the population of
the City has increased by approximately 40%.
C/M Schreiber asked what the number of actual of fire calls
responded to and Commander Forsberg said structure fires are
approximately three per month, vehicle fires are 3 to 5 per month.
He said the majority of calls are 20% accident and 60% medical. He
said it is anticipated that the Department will run 5,100 calls
this year.
Mayor Bender asked if the actual fire calls are all in Tamarac and
how many are outside Tamarac.
Commander Forsberg said those he just reported are in Tamarac and
the Department runs 9 or 10 mutual aid calls outside the City per
month.
C/M Schumann asked if the Department uses the same radio frequency
as the BSO and Commander Forsberg said they connect with the 911,
City Council Budget Workshop Meeting
8/10/93/KJ
Page 14
but not with the BSO.
C/M Schumann asked if the police respond to calls before the Fire
Department and Commander Forsberg said sometimes they are there
first. He said sometimes there is a 20 minute wait for an officer.
He said if they get to the scene first and if it is determined
that the Fire Department is not needed, their call is cancelled.
C/M Abramowitz asked what condition the transport equipment at the
City's stationhouse is in and Commander Forsberg said the EMS at
the stationhouse does not transport.
TAPE 6
Ms. McDermott said the City's Fire Department is almost always on
the scene first.
C/M Abramowitz asked if an ambulance breaks down in this sector,
is it part of the report for the City's knowledge and Commander
Forsberg said Tamarac does not document whether the EMS breaks
down or not. He said the ambulances are the strict responsibility
of EMS.
C/M Abramowitz asked why it is necessary to send a truck out on
the emergency calls and Commander Forsberg said the trucks are
equipped with defibrillators, which are needed to prevent brain
damage which can occur within 4 to 6 minutes from the time someone
stops breathing. He said if the Fire Department responds, there is
a chance that they can save a person's life. Discussion was held
regarding this.
Ms. McDermott explained the grant process and educational
requirements for the Fire Department.
C/M Abramowitz asked how other cities can provide a one -tier
system and Commander Forsberg said they provide total services.
Ms. McDermott said Tamarac provides service, but then turns the
patients over to the County immediately. Further discussion was
held regarding services.
Mayor Bender referred to Line Item 220 and asked about the
increase of $62,000.00 in the Pension contributions.
Ms. McDermott said the City's contribution is 19% and there are
some disability firefighter pensions that the City is currently
paying. Discussion was held regarding the firefighter pension
contributions.
Ms. Blasi said actuarial studies are done annually and they don't
contemplate disability pensions when the studies are done, so when
a disability pension is approved, it is usually at 75% of that
person's salary. She said it is estimated at $296,000.00 this
year.
Ms. McDermott said the City had three firemen go out on full
disability pensions this year. Discussion was held regarding
disability and retirement payments.
C/M Schreiber asked what the difference is between a normal
pension retirement and a disability and Ms. Blasi said on
disability, you normally get a flat 75% of the salary and it is at
3% per year for the number of years of service for normal
retirement. Further discussion was held regarding this and the
State requirements.
Ms. McDermott said recently the Pension Board went to a new
mortality table, which currently reflects a $50,329.00 increase
for the firefighter's pension alone.
V/M Katz referred to Line Item 716, Page 109 - Notes Payable
City Council Budget Workshop Meeting
8/10/93/KJ
Page 15
Principal and asked when this would run out.
Ms. Blasi said this consists of the financing for two pumpers and
will exist for two more years.
V/M Katz asked what improvements are included for the $33,000.00
on Line Item 630, Page 108.
Ms. Blasi said it is 7.85% and the total interest is $25,073.00 on
the two vehicles.
Mr. Kelly said the $33,000.00 is broken down as $22,000.00 for an
engine exhaust extractor for Station 1 to remove the diesel fumes
from bays and living areas and the balance is for another in
Station 2. Discussion was held regarding this.
C/M Schreiber said the City is running way below on the revenue
for inspections and asked if this is why another person has been
hired.
Commander Forsberg said the Department has been short an inspector
for over a year and a half.. He said hopefully with the new
inspector on board, the revenues will improve.
V/M Katz asked if the City has a level of responsibility between
the three inspectors.
Commander Forsberg said there is a one year probationary period
for new inspectors and then there is a regular Inspector and a
Inspector, Plans Reviewer, who has additional responsibilities.
V/M Katz asked if the City is going to establish a Grade 1, 2 and
3. He said Dave Viele has been with the City for 18 years and may
be retiring in a couple of years. He said another classification
is needed and he suggested that discussion take place with the
City Manager, concerning the different levels and what
responsibility each of the three inspectors are going to have.
Commander Forsberg said part of this would be under the Union
negotiations as all three inspectors are members of the Union and
part of the Bargaining Unit. Further discussion was held regarding
this.
PURCHASING - Page 365
Ms. Blasi said she is proposing to eliminate two positions in the
Purchasing Department and proposing to add two different positions
to better enhance the purchasing function. She said there are
currently two Buyer/Storekeepers, one Purchasing Assistant,
Storekeeper 1 and a Purchasing Officer.
Ms. Blasi said she is asking that one Buyer/Storekeeper be
eliminated and replace it with a Buyer 2, which is a certified
purchasing officer with experience and training in governmental
buying.
Mayor Bender asked what is meant by, "certified" and asked who
certifies them.
Sherry Bauer, Purchasing Officer, said an organization, the "NIGP"
certifies these buyers in government purchasing agencies. She said
it is an association similar to the ICMA or GFOA.
C/M Schteiber said the Department did not have a Secretary last
year and -asked if an Administrative Secretary is needed this year.
Mr` -Kelly said in order to be efficient, it would be necessary.
.-Mr.-
was held regarding the functions of the Purchasing
r -Department .
City Council Budget Workshop Meeting
8/10/93/KJ
Page 16
Mayor Bender asked if there is a minimum requirement any
department can order and Ms. Bauer said up to $500.00.
Mayor Bender asked who does printing for $300.00 and Ms. Bauer
said that is utilized for Diamond Printing, who was the lowest
bidder on any type of odd jobs that need to be printed and located
in Sunrise.
Mayor Bender said there are a number of printers in Tamarac and a
couple of them have phoned him for business. He recommended that
this be considered.
C/M Abramowitz said these companies have responded through the bid
process, but have not been competitive in the bids.
Ms. Bauer said the City is using some of them. Discussion was held
regarding this.
C/M Abramowitz said he has been most dissatisfied with the
Purchasing Department in the past. He said the sharpest department
in the City should be the Purchasing Department in looking for
competitive prices.
Ms. Blasi said over the past two years, there has been
approximately $100,000.00 saved. She said this slight
reorganization will make the department as professional as
possible. Discussion was held regarding the discounts the City
receives from various office supply companies.
Mayor Bender recommended that Office Depot and other such places
be utilized for purchasing supplies.
C/M Schreiber asked why the City needs two buyers and Ms. Blasi
said the Buyer/Storekeeper positions that currently exist are not
filled with Buyers/Storekeepers, but with clerical employees who
handle purchase requisitions, phone calls and quotes, but are not
experienced buyers.
C/M Schreiber referred to Line Item 410 - Telephones and asked
what the increase is for and Ms. Blasi said Ms. Bauer handles all
of the repairs and the research or review of the monthly phone
bills. She said telephones have been moved out of General Services
into Purchasing.
C/M Abramowitz asked if Ms. Blasi approves of these moves and Ms.
Blasi said, yes.
C/M Schreiber asked if the same was done for office supplies, Line
Item 510 and Ms. Blasi said the copy paper is coming from
Purchasing.
C/M Abramowitz asked about Item 643 - Machinery and Equipment and
Ms. Bauer said there is a proposal for a forklift.
Ms. Bauer said in the past, the backhoe was called in for moving
heavy work, but this is very inconvenient and ties everybody up.
With no further business, Mayor Bender ADJOURNED this meeting at
3:45 p.m.
CAROL A. EVANS -
CITY CLERK 77