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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-08-14 - City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting MinutesCITY OF TAMARAC CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1990 cALL To oRDEg: Mayor Abramowitz called this meeting to order on Tuesday, August 14, 1990 at 10:00 A.M. in Conference Room #1. PRESENT: Mayor Norman Abramowitz Vice Mayor Bruce Hoffman Councilman Dr. Larry Bender Councilman Henry Schumann Councilman Henry Rohr "SO PRESENT: John P. Kelly, City Manager Dina McDermott, Assistant City Manager Ken Burroughs, Finance Director Mary Blasi, Deputy Finance Director Thelma Fagelbaum, Chief Accountant Pauline Walaszek, Secretary The purpose of this meeting was to review the proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 1990/91. City Manager Kelly said the first items that needed to be discussed were the shortfalls that should be considered before the final budget amount was reviewed. City Manager Kelly said the proposed budget reflected a 13.6% increase which was not over the roll back rate. He said the roll back rate was approximately 2% and the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel deducted the Debt Service from this amount, which was a rate of 11%. City Manager Kelly said after the City Council left for vacation there was notification given that there was a shortfall from the State Revenue Sharing in the amount of approximately $80,000.00. He said in order to get back to the maximum increase of 13.6%, the budget had be deducted by $80,000.00. Mayor Abramowitz said he would like the record to reflect the shortfalls and what was needed to get everything back to the proposed millage rate. City Manager Kelly said the bids came in for the health insurance costs and the lowest bid indicated a shortfall of approximately $85,000.00. He said the employees were informed of the amounts and there would be negotiations held with the carriers to try to further reduce that cost. Mayor Abramowitz said the amount needed for the insurance was not a fact and City Manager Kelly said the amount for insurance was an upset limit; however, the City Council would be asked to decide how much the City would contribute. PAGE 1 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw City Manager Kelly said approximately $100,000.00 was naeded for the Multi -Purpose Center for water, sewer, electric'and equipment to maintain the facility. City Manager Kelly said there was a shortfall of approximately $265,000.00. He said the funds for the Mu:.ti- Purpose Center was an upset limit. He said he was working with the School Board concerning their assistance for some of the costs and, after further negotiations, the cost maybe reduced. City Manager Kelly said the recent effort to sell the old City Hall was not successful at this time; however, there were appointments scheduled in the next few weeks. He said all capital equipment in the budget for Fiscal Year 1990/91 was contingent upon the sale of the old City Hall. He said the amounts were based on the $600,000.00 provided for in the proposed budget. City Manager Kelly said the capital equipment costs were indicated in the budget; however, there would be no equipment purchased unless the old City Hall was sold. Mayor Abramowitz asked if all the capital equipment in the Departments was contingent upon the sale of the old City Mall and City Manager Kelly said the Drainage Account was the only exception to this. V/M Hoffman asked if the services would be lessened if equipment was not bought, such as a new car and City Manager Kelly said equipment for the various Departments would not be purchased unless there was an emergency need or the old City Hall was sold. City Manager Kelly said if there was only $400,000.00 in capital equipment budgeted and the City received $600,000.00, the additional funds should not be used elsewhere because it was a non-refundable revenue source; therefore, it should not be applied to the operating budget or taxes would have 'to be increased next year to meet the obligation. V/M Hoffman asked if the capital equipment was includedin the proposed increase and City Manager Kelly replied, yes; however, it was offset by the proposed amount of $600,OQO.00 from the sale of the old City Hall. V/M Hoffman said this should not be reflected in the in�xease of taxes and City Manager Kelly said that it was not reflected in the tax increase. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there were any other shortfalls and City Manager Kelly replied, no. At this time, the City Council began to review the proposed budget document. ONERAL FUNP REWNUES - PAIPA 15 City Manager Kelly said this budget indicated the ad valorem taxes to be increased from $4,943,130.00 to $6,013100.0c. i He said the local option gas tax was estimated to ncre�se from $475,700.00 to $486,780.00. 1 City Manager Kelly reviewed this page with the City Council. City Manager Kelly said the building permit revenues haire decreased from $890,000.00 to $675,000.00. He said next year the economy would be tighter and there would be a smaller amount of permits being secured. He said the largest projects were not anticipated for two or three years. PAGE 2 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw 1 1 I City Manager Kelly said the burglar alarm permits, parking tickets and handicapped parking violation tickets would be improved in the future; therefore, an increase of revenues was expected. He said the percentage increase for cigarettes increased; however, there was a lower amount received than was projected last year. He said approximately $83,000.00 was estimated for next year. City Manager Kelly said the projected State revenue indicated that $1,149,710.00 was expected; however, it should be reduced by $80,000.00. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the revenues were projected for the population before the recent Census. Ken Burroughs, Finance Director, said the projections were not based on the population figures and City Manager Kelly said the State may use a population figure; however, the figures from the recent Census would not be reflected in the budget for Fiscal Year 1990/91. City Manager Kelly said the gas tax rebate for City vehicles was expected to increase; however, because of the actions overseas and the fact that the City was not using their own gas, the projections may not be accurate. Mayor Abramowitz said Candidate Filing Fees, Line Item 341- 900, in the amount of $100.00 should be addressed and City Manager Kelly agreed. City Manager Kelly said the amount of revenues for the filing fees was not great and would not affect the overall revenues. City Manager Kelly the only increase the residents would see in October, 1990, for Solid Waste Disposal Fees would be a Consumer Price Index (CPT). He said the rates would increase on June 1, 1991, from $39.00 per ton to $62.50 per ton. He said the average single-family resident would pay approximately $14.00 per unit. Mayor Abramowitz said he had concerns with the increases; therefore, he would be asking that a Special or Workshop meeting be held in the near future. City Manager Kelly said the parking lot charges increased and the Recreation Activity Fees included adult trips that were self-sustaining. Mr. Burroughs said this Item did not belong in the budget; therefore, the trips were being taken from the budget and Mary Blasi, Deputy Finance Director, said the funds were being taken from the expenditures because the expenditures and revenues offset each other. City Manager Kelly said the Summer Recreation Fees, Engineering Fees, Planning Fees/Charges and Lot Clearing Charges were lower than anticipated. He said the Lot Clearing Charges were expected to increase in the future. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the 30 year old equipment for lot clearing was replaced and City Manager Kelly said the equipment was received; however, revenues were not generated at this time. PAGE 3 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw City Manager Kelly said the Pubic Works Department has had a lot of work to do because of the rains and there have been complaints regarding the maintenance of the City. He said the Public Works personnel were trying very hard to keep up with the demand; however, this was not unique in Florida because other Cities were experiencing the same problems, City Manager Kelly said lot clearings, etc., have not been a priority because the regular work for the Parks and Recreation Department has increased. Mayor Abramowitz said he would like to see Public Works getting more personnel to assist with the increase of work. He said he wanted the City Manager to keep this in mind because the beautification of the City was a concern, City Manager Kelly said the anticipated parking violation fees were lower than expected; however, he felt that this could increase. He said it was anticipated last year that there would be $285,000.00 in Fines and Forfeitures; however, $499,540.00 was received. He said this year's estimate was for $420,000.00 and this was not a decrease from last year. He said last year the County was late in getting funds to the City; therefore, it seemed that a large increase was received. V/M Hoffman asked how parking violation fees were generated and City Manager Kelly said the parking violations fees were for lane violations and handicapped parking. Mayor Abramowitz said the Broward Sheriff's Office had a program that taught residents how to write citations for violations and City Manager Kelly said this program was in progress at this time. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not approve of people parking in handicapped areas if they were not handicapped and City Manager Kelly said the explanations regarding parking violations were ridiculous. V/M Hoffman said the drivers should be checked to see if they were handicapped because some people abused the hand -capped spaces just because a member of their family was handicapped. He said most of the people did not have the handicapped person in the car when they used the spaces. City Manager Kelly said the bulk of Miscellaneous Revenues was from the Broward Sheriff's Office in the amount of $50,000.00 for furniture at the Police Facility. C/M Bender asked why Item 361-0000, Interest Income, decreased so much and Mr. Burroughs said the decrease was caused by the sale of the City property Escrow Account ]being put in the Public Service Administrative Complex Construction Account. Mayor Abramowitz asked if Item 381-251, Fire Station Loan, decreased and Mr. Burroughs said the loan was secured by the Telephone Franchise Tax. He said the loan principal remained the same but the franchise tax increased each year due to growth. He said the residual was transferred to the General Fund every year. City Manager Kelly said Item 389-105, Resources Available - Net Begin, was carry-over funds for two years, which wab $796,800.00. PAGE 4 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw City Manager Kelly said the Debt Service last year had an addition of the 1975, 1986 and 1987 General Obligation Bonds. He said in 1975 the bond was for the old City Hall, 1986 the bond was for the Municipal Complex/City Hall and 1987 the bond was for 1988, the Police Facility. City Manager Kelly said the total of the bond obligations was 0.6755 which was added to the operating budget of 4.1143 for last years budget millage rate of 4.7898. He said this year the old City Hall was paid off and the general obligation on the Municipal Complex/City Hall was 0.4213 and for the Police Facility, the bond obligation was 0.2002. He said the bond obligation decreased from 0.6755 to 0.6215 which was approximately .05 deduction. He said these figures were fixed; therefore, it could not be changed. City Manager Kelly said before the individual elements in the proposed budget were reviewed he would like the City Council to review the fixed costs that were shared by every Department. Mayor Abramowitz said he would like the City Council to review their calendars to see when they would be available to meet and complete the review of the proposed budget. At this time, City Manager Kelly submitted proposed meeting dates and he said the Department Heads were not scheduled for the review; however, he felt they would be available when the City Council wanted to review the budgets. Mayor Abramowitz said he would like the City Council to agree on a schedule and he did not object to holding more meetings so that the City Council comprehended everything. He said he did not want staff to be interrupted because of the budget review. City Manager Kelly said the proposed schedule was based on the times that staff was available. He said the Department Heads were willing to address their budgets when the City Council was ready. Mayor Abramowitz said he would like the City Manager to indicate an estimated time for each budget review. He said the City Council was available for review of the budget. City Manager Kelly said if the City Council agreed to the proposed schedule he would inform the Department Heads of the schedule. City Manager Kelly said the Finance Department would be given the revision stipulated by the City Council and the final proposed budget would be given to the City Council, staff and residents for the Public Hearings to be held on September 15 and 27, 1990. Mr. Burroughs said the budget for the Management Information Systems (Data Processing) totalled $275,110.00, of which $255,110.00 was backcharged to the using Departments. He said staff remained the same and there was no additional capital equipment. He said the operating expenses increased slightly because of the insurance charges of $16,230.00. PAGE 5 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw Mr. Burroughs said each user of the computer system received charges as per use of the system. He said the Building Department was the largest user, Customer Services/Utility Billing was the second largest user and the Finance Department was the third largest user. He said throughout each departmental budget there will be charges for data processing, which would equal the amount of $275,110.00 as indicated on Page 187. City Manager Kelly said the right hand columns of the budgets would indicate an increase because there was an extra day in Fiscal Year 1990/91. He said the increase should be approximately $30,000.00 throughout the budgets. He said there was a big difference in the pro -rating of the insurance services, which consisted of the insurance reserves which were paid by every Department. He said Workers' Compensation would reflect a -0- amount because it was combined into insurance service charges. He said the service charges could be reduced which would change the line Item in every Department. ;!ARA 2 City Manager Kelly said the insurance charge reserves were split up between the General and Utilities Funds; therefore, every dollar decreased would equal $.63 to the General Fund and $.37 to the Utilities Fund. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the insurance charges would be explained during the insurance budget and City Manager Kelly agreed. cENL Pjj)k(;HASING/STORES FUND - PAGES 190-194 Mr. Burroughs said the Purchasing Budget was $141,890.00 and $139,490.00 would be backcharged to the Departments bashed on a percentage of the appropriated operating expenses. He said there was no increase in staff and the cost increase was caused because one person was hired July 1, 1990, and next year's budget would include the entire salary. He said the insurance charges for this Department were $9,210.00, � Mayor Abramowitz complimented the Finance Department for providing such a detailed budget and he felt a lot of the questions were eliminated by implementing the detailed budget. FLEET_AXRyXCES FUND -- RAGES _1,96 201 Mr. Burroughs said all of the expenses for the City vehicles were included in this budget which was a total amount of $503,890.00. He said $460,890.00 was backcharged to the Departments using the service. He said all fleet expenses were contained in this budget and the insurance charges were $28,990.00. He said the largest increase was the gasoline and diesel Item. City Manager Kelly said the increased by $20,040.00 and and retailing gasoline was was reviewed. gasoline and diesel accountjvras Mr. Burroughs said the economy consideration when this budget City Manager Kelly said there was a bottom line increase of $108,240.00 reflected. He said the insurances charges were $28,990.00, the fleet maintenance charges were $18,000.00, the purchasing costs were $6,650.00, the gasoline and diesel costs increased by $20,040.00 and the auto repairs/partly increased by $90,000.00. C 1 I PAGE 6 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw Mayor Abramowitz said there was a large increase in the repair/machinery equipment cost and City Manager Kelly agreed. City Manager Kelly said he recently authorized another emergency repair for the Fire Department and the proposed budget indicated the equipment being refurbished as opposed to being replaced. He said when the equipment and vehicles get older, more time and money is spent by replacing and repairing them. M4.10*AW41 Mr. Burroughs said the largest increase was for the insurance charges of $975,000.00, which was backcharged to the Departments. V/M Hoffman asked why there was an increase in Item 394-000, Insurance Service Fees, and Mr. Burroughs said this was revenue going to the Insurance Department. He said the premiums were being backcharged to each Department. V/M Hoffman asked what the actual insurance cost was and Mr. Burroughs said the actual cost was $1,017,000.00 to operate the Insurance Department and operate the Insurance Reserve Fund. He said the Reserve Account was indicated on Page 206, Item 983, Insurance Loss Reserve, in the amount of $491,800.00. V/M Hoffman asked if the Risk Manager was aware of what was needed because the reserves were increased by $580,260.00 and C/M Bender said the Insurance Budget should be reviewed separately because he had several questions. Mayor Abramowitz said last year the City was very fortunate and made a very good decision by going self -insured; however, the Risk Manager informed the City Council that in order for the program to be successful, a reserve fund must be available for claims. The City Council agreed to detain the conversations on the insurance until the Insurance Budget was reviewed with the Risk Manager present. City Manager Kelly said there seemed to be an increase of $16,692.00; however, the insurance charges were $13,650.00 and the purchasing charges were $2,650.00. There were no changes to this Budget. City Manager Kelly said there may be a change in this budget if the proposed amendment to the Charter was approved by the voters on September 4, 1990. He said the budget provided for both the amendment and the existing situation. City Manager Kelly said the salaries were not changed to reflect an in-house attorney; however, there were funds available under legal and prosecution services to be used if the Charter amendment was not approved. City Manager Kelly said there was an increase in part-time employee wages, which would be the person presently working for the Charter Board. He said this employee would assist in the City Attorney and City Manager's Offices. PAGE 7 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw Mayor Abramowitz asked if there would be a big diffexence in the personnel costs if the proposed Charter amendment was not approved and City Manager Kelly said there were funds in this budget to cover the costs; however, if the amendment was approved, this budget could be reduced. City Manager Kelly said there was a bottom line increase of $15,530.00 which included office equipment; however, if the old City Hall was not sold, the equipment would not be purchased. He said there were increases in the insurance charges; therefore, nothing could be done until the referendum was held. QTTY-MANAGEP, AjjArAXT - -PIGLS 22 23 City Manager Kelly said the salary increase reflected the change in appointing Dina McDermott as Assistant City Manager. He said the insurance services charges were $13,620.00 and there was $4,040.00 for the part-time employee. C/M Schumann asked if auto repairs/parts in the amount of $4,000.00 was needed and Mrs. McDermott said this Item contained the service contracts for the City vehicles. After further discussion, the City Council agreed that Item 473, Auto Repairs/ Parts, in the amount of $4,000.00 should be deleted. Referring to the City Attorney Budget on Page 20, Mayor Abramowitz asked if there would be a need for a full time Secretary in the City Attorney's Office. City Manager Kelly said the City Attorney generated work while he was present and the Secretary had work to do the entire day every day. V/M Hoffman asked if the publications could be eliminated if the referendum regarding the City Attorney was approved and City Manager Kelly said there were several things that could be eliminated if the referendum was approved. At 11:25 A.M., Mayor Abramowitz RECESS$D this meeting and R&CO NYENED at 11 :30 A.M. with ALTj_,RMJ9 iT, including Carol A. Evans, City Clerk. r,I,TY CLERIC AVDGET - FArQAA 24-25 City Manager Kelly said the salaries increased because last Year there was an Item for paid annual leave at a cost ct $3,780.00; however, this amount was not included in this year's budget because an employee retired. He said there were some employees eligible for paid sick leave and vacation this year. He said the insurance charges were $23,870.0 0 and the other increase was for elections, which would cost ' approximately $38,000.00 because there were two elections in Fiscal Year 1990/91. 1 Mayor Abramowitz asked what type of equipment was needed and Ms. Evans said the Department needed a new camera for microfilming because the existing camera was 12 years old and Kodak may not renew the maintenance contract. City Manager Kelly asked if leasing the equipment was investigated and Ms. Evans said this was not reviewed; however, the camera was 12 years old and served the City well in the past but was quite old. PAGE 8 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw 1 L-1 C/M Bender asked if privatization was considered for this job and Ms. Evans said this was done with the records of the Building Department; however, the work was done inappropriately and the cost was very high. She said it would be in the City's best interest to keep this job in- house. C/M Bender suggested that privatization be investigated because there may be a company that would do the work appropriately. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not feel that leasing equipment was cheaper than purchasing it and C/M Bender said the salary for this position was a consideration as well. Mayor Abramowitz said the person assigned to the job did other things in the office as well. V/M Hoffman suggested that leasing the equipment and privatization be investigated and Ms. Evans said it would cost less in storage by microfilming the documents. Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 641, Office Equipment, in the amount of $7,680.00 was for and Ms. Evans said this was for amber screen terminals for the computers. City Manager Kelly said this equipment would not be purchased without the sale of the old City Hall. Mayor Abramowitz asked if a payment plan for office equipment could be established and City Manager Kelly said this could be reviewed; however, no Department would receive their requested equipment until the old City Hall was sold. C/M Rohr had concerns with equipment for the Departments being detained. He said there will come a time when equipment was needed and money may not be available. He suggested that a program be considered that would allow funds to be accounted for over a period of time for the needed equipment. He said this was foolish for a City with a budget of over 15 million dollars detaining the purchase of needed equipment. Mayor Abramowitz said if there was a vital need for equipment in any Department, the City Manager would review the matter and determine where the funds would come from. He suggested the City Manager review a time payment plan for equipment. Mayor Abramowitz had concerns with the funds for the elections and Ms. Evans said there would be two elections held for Fiscal Year 1990/91, one would be held in November, 1990, and the other would be in March, 1991. Mayor Abramowitz asked if it would be cheaper to join the County during the elections and Ms. Evans said it would be cheaper; however, it was not guaranteed that the County would have items on the ballot for the March, 1991. She said if the County did have items on the March, 1991 Ballot, the City's cost for that election may be cheaper. Carol Evans withdrew from the meeting at this time. TAPE 3 City Manager Kelly said there was a change in the salary account because of the two new positions and there was a decrease in the Finance Director's salary. He said the PAGE 9 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw previous Deputy Finance Director retired; therefore, the salary for that position was reduced. He said there was request for an Internal Auditor at a cost of $34,740.00'arid a Financial Analyst position would be added at a cost cf $19,490.00. He said the two new positions would begin in November, 1990, to allow time for advertisement. City Manager Kelly said staff and the contractual au it have recommended for several years that an Internal ludittr be hired for the City. He said the Internal Auditor wo assist in exploring new revenue sources and making s re t1at the City was receiving their share from the existing franchises. He said he felt the position would offset the salary within one year. Mayor Abramowitz said he felt that an Internal Audit r cculd assist the City in several areas such as revenue shazin4 , etc. He said last year there was a concern regardinc t telephone franchise taxes, etc. C/M Bender said the City has never had an audit on tie franchise taxes and he felt uncomfortable with this kece there were several things that needed to be reviewed said he felt this would be an asset to the City. V/M Hoffman asked the difference between an Internal Audi or, Deputy Finance Director and Chief Accountant. He asked x, at an Internal Auditor did that was so different than the existing personnel. Mr. Burroughs said the other Finance personnel could do internal audits if there was time allotted; however, th was not enough staff time to do what an Internal Aud to would do. City Manager Kelly said there were several types of a ud and an Internal Auditor could review the Utilities aid Recreation Departments as well as the Waste Manageme t, Inc., records. He said an Internal Auditor could explore everything in the City to see that the programs Ares nt enacted were working at the best interest of the Cit . C/M Bender said the consulting auditors also submitt d statements with their yearly audits indicating that he could not certify the accuracy of the information be ng. furnished to them by the City; therefore, they were of responsible for it. He said the Internal Auditor wo Id check the validity of the information submitted to the con ul g auditors. C/M Schumann asked what would occur with the existing auditing services the City presently had when the In er Auditor was hired. Mr. Burroughs said the City was required by the State law to have an external independent audit done of the City ec s; therefore, staff could not prepare the annual financ al audit. C/M Schumann had a concern with the type of auditor ha would work for $34,740.00 and Mr. Burroughs said the In nal Auditor would be for part of the year; however, this ma e a low salary. C/M Bender said last year there was indication that som'f the utility companies were not providing the correct am t to the City as a franchise tax because some of the a dr es were post office boxes registered in Fort Lauderdale therefore, the City was losing money from this. PAGE 10 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 306, Special Supplies/Services, increased and Mr. Burroughs said most of the funds for this account were for computer programs to assist the Department in operating more efficiently. He said there were other items in this account as well. Mayor Abramowitz asked if time and money would be saved with the computer programs and Mr. Burroughs said having the programs would make the Department more efficient, which would, in time, save time and money. Mayor Abramowitz said he wanted to make sure that the items being purchased would assist the City in the future and Mr. Burroughs said the programs that were being requested would provide several things that the Finance Department did not have at this time. Mayor Abramowitz asked if there was anything that could be eliminated from the budget that would not affect the Finance Department and Mr. Burroughs said there was a request to have a financial program licensed so it could be used by any Computer in the City. C/M Bender said it was not a lot of funds for the programs and he would not feel comfortable eliminating something that may assist the City financially. He said the Finance Department was a very important Department and the update of the records was very important because specific information was needed immediately in some circumstances. Mr. Burroughs said he has been trying to have an Internal Auditor for the City which may be approved this budget year. He said the computer programs he was proposing would eliminate a lot of the manpower time that was being used now; however, the program could be detained until a later date. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not agree in eliminating things that would assist the Department and the City in the future and Mr. Burroughs said the program would be a benefit to the City; however, it could be eliminated. At 12:00 P.M., Mayor Abramowitz RNCESSRD the meeting and RZCONVENED at 1: 40 P.M., with & L_X2XA,F* �', including Ray Briant, Fire Chief. City Manager Kelly said there was a difference of $140,938.00 from last year's budget for Personnel Services. He said this was caused because of the City's obligation with the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) for a 3%, increase in salaries. City Manager Kelly said Page 59 indicated the budget this year to be $2,873,140.00, which was an increase of $327,673.00. He said $248,370.00 was for capital outlay which would not be considered until the old City Hall was sold. V/M Hoffman asked what Item 625, Fire Station #1 (NW 88 Avenue) was for and Fire Chief Briant said he requested that the Fire Station by the City Hall and Police Facility be refurbished to match the two facilities. V/M Hoffman asked if the estimated cost was $338,000.00 and Fire Chief Briant said this would include an addition of a second floor. PAGE 11 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw V/M Hoffman said he would like to see the Fire Station conform with the City Hall and Police Facility; however, at this time, the color could be changed. Fire Chief Briant said there was not enough room at this time in the Fire Station and the Fire Prevention Department Should be in the Fire Station. City Manager Kelly said he felt that there should be funds available to begin this project; therefore, Page 58, Item 311, Architectural Services, was included in this budges: in an amount of $30,000.00. He said the insurance services charges were $164,900.00 and this Item plus the capital outlay items approximately equalled the increase in the overall operating budget. At this time, the City Council reviewed the operating budget for the Fire Department. Mayor Abramowitz asked what item 306, Special Supplies/Services, on Page 58 was for and Fire Chief Briant said this Item was for the Mutual Aid Program. He said there were five Hazmat Teams in the County and, if these Teams assisted the City and damaged their equipment, the City would be responsible for repairing the equipment. V/M Hoffman asked how many times the City used these Teams and Fire Chief Briant said the City needed the Teams to handle dumped hazardous materials last year approximately 5 times. He said the suits used by the Teams were approximately $6,000.00. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not agree with budgeting this amount of money for this purpose and Fire Chief Briant said the City was responsible for getting rid of any hazardous chemicals that were dumped in the City. He said he would like money in the budget in case a contractor had to be hired to remove the chemical. He said he did not want to have. to worry about how a hazardous chemical would be removed because there was no money available to do it. He said hazardous chemical dumping was becoming a big problem in South Floxida and there has been consideration about taking the Hazmat Teams out of the Mutual Aid Program because of the costs. Mayor Abramowitz asked what the $15,000.00 grant would be used for and Mrs. McDermott said the grant was for the hydraulic extraction equipment. She said the grant funds could not be used for this type of cost because Hazmat was a very specialized matter; therefore, the City had to be very careful of how to approach the costs. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not approve of Item 311, Architectural Services, in the amount of $30,000.00; therefore, he would like to see it removed. City Manager Kelly said he felt that the actual building or renovation of the Fire Station could not be done this year; however, until funding was planned for this project, it would never be done. He said he felt that $30,000.00 was a reasonable amount to begin commitment for the project. Mrs. McDermott said C/M Bender asked if there were grants available for this type of project. She said there were no grants available for capital or architectural designs. C/M Bender said there may be grants available because of the necessity to have room for the fire equipment and pexso4n.el. PAGE 12 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw v/M Hoffman asked if there would be funds available when the old City Hall was sold and the capital equipment was purchased for the Departments and City Manager Kelly replied, no. City Manager Kelly said if the funds were detained at this time, it would actually be detained a total of two years because it would take approximately one year to get the architectural design drafted. He said if funds became available for the construction it was better to have the plans reviewed and approved. He said the amount he budgeted would cover the architectural services and construction services. He said the amount could be reduced to $24,000.00 for the drafting of the plans and the construction costs could be negotiated at a later date with the architect. Mayor Abramowitz asked what would occur if nothing was done especially with the discussions at the County level. He said several times he reviewed and approved plans that came back before the City Council with revisions. He said after the revisions were made, the plans cost more than expected. He said he did not feel that this was the appropriate time to provide this type of money in the budget for this type of project. City Manager Kelly said the reorganization of the personnel should be discussed at this time. Fire Chief Briant said he requested that the existing Administrative Secretary and Clerk Typist be promoted to Office Manager and Data Entry Operator. He said the Clerk Typist has been with the City for two years and was still making $13,250.00 per year; however, she was doing all of the computer work for the Fire Department. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not disagree with the reclassification. Fire Chief Briant said he eliminated the Captain position and the Administrative Secretary was presently managing the Department; therefore, he would like the Administrative Secretary reclassified as Office Manager. He said the total of the two reclassifications was $4,834.00. Mayor Abramowitz said he did not disagree with this change. C/M Schumann said there was an increase in the Incentive and Overtime pay; however, the FICA taxes and Pension contributions were decreased. He asked why more money was needed for Holiday and Incentive Pay. Fire Chief Briant said all of the increases were in compliance with the IAFF Contract and the more degrees the Firefighters had the more money they made. He said the Holidays were based on 14 hours per person per Holiday and there were 10 Holidays in the contract. He said with the salary increase the amount was $67,760.00 for each Union personnel. Mayor Abramowitz suggested that Item 311, Architectural Services, in the amount of $30,000.00 be eliminated. The City Council agreed to eliminate Item 311, Architectural Services, in the amount of $30,000.00. C/M Rohr asked why Item 464, Repairs Machinery & Equipment, increased by $22,200.00 and Mrs. McDermott read the list of equipment that needed repairs. PAGE 13 BUDGET WORKSHOP 8/14/90-pw C/M Bender referred to the insurance item and Mayor Abramowitz asked if they have City insurance now and City Manager Kelly i;aid that is correct. C/M Bender asked if Item 220, Pension Contributions, was a straight contribution of what was deducted from the salaries and Mr. Burroughs said no, this amount is what the Actuary determined. He said this is historically a low figure. Tape 4 C/M Rohr asked why the cost for data processing services has ]peen reduced and Mr. Burroughs said their use of the system this year is less; however, the total cost for data processing has stayed the same. V/M Hoffman asked what the communication equipment amount of $109,500 was for and Fire Chief Briant said the 800 frequency that the City has is not compatible with the County's and all of the existing radios have to be replaced. He said all the cities in Broward County have this problem. Mayor Abramowitz asked who made the determination to go to an 800 frequency and Fire Chief Briant said the voters approved this system five years ago when there was a County referendum. Fire Chief Briant said the building will be built this year and the City must budget this year to be certain to be on line when the frequencies are changed this fiscal year. V/M Hoffman asked since this is a capital outlay contingent upon the sale of the old City Hall, what would happen if the building is not sold. Fire Chief Briant said if this system is in place in January and they give the City a three month lead time to go on line, they can shut the City's radios off and there will be no communica- tion. Mayor Abramowitz said the County will not shut the City's fre- quency off and Fire Chief Briant said they have already shut off the 156 frequency. He said this is the third time the City has changed frequency. V/M Hoffman asked what advantage the 000 frequency has and Fire Chief Briant said there is but he cannot justify it. Mayor Abramowitz said if the City does not sell the old City gall they will have to have the needed money or other accommodations will have to be made. In reference to salaries, etc., Mr. Burroughs said every dep4;7t-- ment has requested this and it has all been cut from the budget. He said when he addressed his department this morning he did not bring it up because he took the City Manager's recommendation. He said he has people in his department that need reclassifica- tion. Mayor Abramowitz asked Mr. Burroughs if there is anyone in his department making $12,260 per year and Mr. Burroughs said he did not think so. Mayor Abramowitz agreed with Mr. Burroughs' concerns. City Manager Kelly said if a Department Head can make voluntary cuts and feels they are warranted. He said Mr. Burroughs' consideration for his people is legitimate based on an evaluation that has been made. He said at this time with Mr. Burroughs leaving and Mary Blasi becoming Finance Director, there will be a shift in the personnel that may allow that to occur in a more reasonable sequence. Mayor Abramowitz said he would hesitate to do anything at this time. City Manager Kelly said the philosophy that Ms. Blasi has is exactly the same as Mr. Burroughs. Mayor Abramowitz referred to Page 58, Item 306, Special Supplies. He asked what this is for and Fire Chief Briant said for the Hazmat teams in the City. Mayor Abramowitz recommended that the amount of $15,000 for this be cut to $7,500. Council agreed with this. City Council Budget Workshop Meeting Page 14 8/14/90/pm I" 1 1 City Manager Kelly said for every $13,000 cut there is one penny. V/M Hoffman referred to Acct. 526, Ambulance Services, and said last year the Fire Chief took a reduction in this area and Council agreed that if there was an increase in the cost of living index, the City would pay the increase up to $7,000. Mayor Abramowitz asked the City Manager if the agreement the City has with the Medics Ambulance has gone bad and City Manager Kelly said no. He said one of the concerns is that the ambulance company gets reimbursed by Medicare, etc., and some people have said they should be entitled to monies returned. He said the City still feels they have never exceeded that cap of $140,000 but this year Mr. Cohen has told him that soon Medicare is going to raise their rate of reimbursement and the City will see a large increase. He said the City should negotiate what will be done for this budget process. City Manager Kelly said they will try to get Mr. Cohen to reduce the cost of the basic provision and discuss what type of re- imbursement the City will get. He said Medicare has put some conditions on this and, unless the people brought to the hospital are admitted to the hospital, they are not going to be covered for the reimbursement. V/M Hoffman said there was a built-in possible increase if Mr. Cohen could substantiate it and City Manager Kelly said this was the maximum to which it could be raised. Mr. Burroughs referred to Page 59, Principal, and Item 726, Notes Payable the loan on the fire truck the City amount of $49,790. Community Development Department Item 716, Notes Payable Interest. He said that is purchased, with a total Mayor Abramowitz recognized Kelly Carpenter, Director of Community Development, who joined the meeting. City Manager Kelly referred to Page 28, on Total Personal Ser- vices, the amount is increased from last year's amount of $255,349 to $273,630. He said the majority of that difference is contained in the temporary summer employee wages and the elimina- tion of the overtime pay. In reference to Item 156, Temporary Summer Employees wages, Ms. Carpenter said they identified the need for three substantial activities which have not been undertaken in the past; first, a full tree survey for the City. She said the City should seriously be a "Tree City U.S.A." and to do so tree surveys should be done. She said secondly, a zoning history map is needed which shows the history of each rezoning case that appeared on that particular parcel. She said that is important in a variance situation or dealing with a title company. She said usually cities would have done this from the beginning but this was not done and must be reconstructed. Ms. Carpenter said the third activity would be to input the coded sheets of paper regarding the geographic information base system from the master file system. She said these people are envisioned to be $8.00 an hour interns from a local university. She said in a national survey it was determined that interns are paid between $7.00 and $15.00. C/M Schumann referred to Item 311, Architectural Services, $15,000. Ms. Carpenter said this is to allow the City to do something of a planning nature by reviewing the landscaping and pedestrian ways of the City. She said this is a study which they are Galling a City Center Concept Plan which would tie the City Hall, the Police Complex and the shopping center to the south all together in a landscaped pedestrian system and plan an outdoor feature that would combine everything. City Council Budget workshop Meeting Page 15 8/14/90/pm Ms. Carpenter said the purpose would be that with, a public/private partnership and the seeking of a national endowment for the arts grant, the City can begin to get this paid for toward the end of the next fiscal year. Ms. Carpenter said an urban designer is needed to assist in starting this. Mayor Abramowitz said he would prefer taking this $15,000 and put it into Public Works to allow them to do their jobs. C/M Rohr asked how much the total plan would be for this besides the architectural services and Ms. Carpenter said they estimated $100,000. She said this was envisioned to be funded as a public/ private partnership since there is activity in the private sector along the corridor which may generate the funds. C/M Rohr said if there were amounts pledged it would be a more feasible pro- ject. Mrs. McDermott said a grant is easier to obtain when the City has a commitment up front, whether financial or plans, V/M Hoffman said he would not expect much grant money since the City is being cut $80,000. Mrs. McDermott said there is 1.3 million dollars budgeted this year for the Department of Matural Resources alone. Mayor Abramowitz said Council would be willing to put aside this amount of money if there was commitment made. He suggested the amount of $15,000 be removed at this time. Council agreed with this suggestion. Mayor Abramowitz asked if Item 59E, Fleet Maintenance Service is a fixed amount and City Manager Kelly agreed. V/M Hoffman asked if Item 319, Office Equipment, was a capital expenditure and City Manager Kelly said that is correct. Ms. Carpenter said this consists of MacIntosh computers, a program called TOPPS, which is a networking program and a program called DREAMS, which is a program that will allow the department to do all the graphics for the Land Development Code. She said there is also the beginnings of a system called map graphics, which is the geographic based system which will be able ultimately to tie the Ci.ty's laser scan, master file and all printed information about every parcel in Tamarac together. Mayor Abramowitz asked Ms. Carpenter to review the suIIYumer employee wages program to determine if this is necessary and lbs. Carpenter agreed to do so. Mayor Abramowitz called a five minute recess and reconvened w_th all present. Tape 5 Building Department Mayor Abramowitz indicated that Steve Oxenhandler of the Building Department and Dan Wood, Chief Building Official, have joined the meeting. Mr. Oxenhandler said approximately a year and a half ago they started a mission to improve their services and Code Enfoscezent and they have made tremendous strides in this area. He proceeded to show a video of his department. Mr. Oxenhandler said through July the Building Department has issued 4400 permits and have conducted approximately 38,000 inspections. He said the total cost of construction projects permitted is $33,748,000. He said this year Council approved a permit fee schedule to insure that even though the cost: of construction is down, the City will still be able to generate sufficient revenues to help pay for the department. He said !the cost of construction is down almost six million dollars from Mast year and, in total revenue generated, they are just about equal with the same amount last year. 1 1 1 City Council Budget Workshop Meeting Page / 4 8/14/90/pm Mr. Oxenhandler said they have improved their computer system and use them for reports. He said they have the only automatic expiring inspection ticket to eliminate expired permits. He said the department has new radios as well. He said Tamarac is the only City that hand delivers building permits. He said they have a separate sign coordinator to handle the sign permits in much less time. He said they have cross trained and used educational tools with their personnel as well. Mr. Oxenhandler said he believes his department provides the best service, has the best telephone skills and the best customer relations skills. He thanked Council for their consideration. V/M Hoffman asked if there is a problem with people adjusting to the new sign Ordinance and Mr. Oxenhandler said they did a study with the City divided into three zones. He said they checked every shopping center, wrote every violation and are now hand delivering them. He said prior to that the sign coordinator called every shopping center owner and put out the criteria. He said many of them are upset they have to change their signs. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the counter area in the Building Department has improved and Mr. Oxenhandler said he does not know of anyone who has not been happy with the service they have received at their counter. V/M Hoffman said one of the biggest complaints he has heard is that the residents are not given complete information and he asked if that has been eliminated. Mr. Oxenhandler said he feels this has improved. Mr. wood said they try to take care of the problems at the counter. Mayor Abramowitz asked if the City's fees are higher than surrounding cities and Mr. Oxenhandler said Tamarac's is pretty high. Mayor Abramowitz said some of the cities in the area are cutting back on their Building Departments to a great degree. He said he would like to see this City to be able to generate income when doing the work of the other cities. Mr. Oxenhandler said this could be done. Mayor Abramowitz said there is a loss of revenue and costs increase and the fees should be reviewed constantly. Mr. Oxenhandler said they have reduced their budget tremendously except for the capital expenses with the vehicles. He said they have reduced personnel and City Manager Kelly referred to Page 62, Personal Services, the budget was $908,490 and is being recommeded for $842,680, which is a decrease of $66,000. He said that is offset by the increase in the insurance service charges. He said when the workers comp is added it is a wash and the net result is the difference in the about $10,000 overall. Mr. Wood said there are numerous cities in the area that want to increase their fees or generate enough revenue to cover their department. C/M Bender referred to item 543, Educational Expense. City Manager Kelly said that should reflect the same amount as last year, $1,440. Mayor Abramowitz referred to Page 66, Code Enforcement, and Mr. Oxenhandler said the total number of investigations from August through July is 2100. He said there have been 1750 cases that complied through this time with a compliance rate of 85%. He said of the total cases, 1,202 are field observations. He said the types of complaints include landscaping, etc. He said they have written and developed their own Code Enforcement computer program that eliminated a vacant position and reduced the time that an officer spends in the office from four hours per day to one hour per day. He said it reduced the time it takes to complete all the notification work from one hour by hand to five minutes on the computer. City Council Budget Workshop Meeting Page / i 8/14/90/pm Mr. Oxenhandler said other cities are now requesting infoxma on this program and they are submitting this program f national contest that will be for public efficiency. Ee they have improved the notification procedures by c ur notices, hand held notices of violation, thank you for com li post cards, reminder notices and letters of appreciation people in businesses that keep their properties in exemp form. Mr. Oxenhandler said they started public awareness programs Code Enforcement whereby he attends various homeowner asso is meetings and they help people comply. He said the Code E fo ment Officers are trained in sales and negotiation. He there is a departmental mission statement and they bra g revenue into the City by having the Fire Department a d Occupational License area give them delinquent notices to brought into compliance. Mr. Oxenhandler said they started the Broward Count Enforcement Association of which he is President. C/M Be questioned Item 543, Educational Expense, which was in re from $600 last year to $2,400. Mr. Oxenhandler said each of Officers expressed an interest in going to school this year upgrade their education. C/M Bender asked if this is not Oro ed for under the Benefit Option Plan the employees have nd Oxenhandler said this is job related education. V/M Hoffman asked Mr. Oxenhandler if they are collecting against liens and Mr. Oxenhandler said yes, so far this year have collected approximately $6,000. He said there axe vacant lots on which utility liens have been placed. Consumer Affairs Board City Manager Kelly referred to Page 44, Consumer Affairs B and V/M Hoffman asked if there was enough money for b si cards and Mrs. McDermott said yes. Safety Committee Mayor Abramowitz referred to Page 45, Safety Committee, an n that this is a zero account. City Manager Kelly said th s been put under Insurance so that the Risk Manager can ve this. Veterans Committee Mayor Abramowitz referred to Page 46, Veterans Commit Mrs. McDermott said they need $3,000 for their exp during the year. Economic Development City Manager Kelly referred to Page 39, Economic Developme Mrs. McDermott said she has been in the training mo economic development in the past year. She said they prom City through plant sites and parks area development in the Herald South Florida Focus. She said they advertise the future industry and businesses approximately every two mo. various magazines that are sent out nationally. She sa the responses are received from various companies, they fo with a small one page City brochure that tells all about t as a demographic profile mainly for Land Section 7. it t, e to Mi it th d to a d y e 0 y d e L d s e 0 n n 1 City Council Budget workshop Meeting Page 19 8/14/90/pm Mrs. McDermott said through economic development they have advertised locally to promote the City and in the past year they had Tamarac become better known throughout the area. She said they have reached the Florida League of Cities Innovation Show- case which Tamarac has never done before. She said they are also members of the Broward Committee of One Hundred Economic Develop- ment Board, the American Economic Development Council and the Florida Economic Development Council. Mrs. McDermott said she has been able to get many sponsorship donations through the networking through economic development. She said the City will be included in the commercial for Broward County that advertises what Broward County consists of to film producers, etc. She said this could bring much revenue into the City. Social Services Board City Manager Kelly referred to Page 94, Social Services Board, and said he is recommending $23,110. He said provisions have been made through this budget for the Area Agency on Aging and the Early Childhood Development groups. Mrs. McDermott referred to Item 402, Travel - Other, which is the reimbursement for gas charges. She went through each item and explained their needs. Mayor Abramowitz said he feels more money should be allocated for the vans for Social Services. He said Fleet Maintenance should be increased changing the total figures for Social Services budget to $25,000. C/M Schumann said $1,890 should be added to the Total Direct Operating Expenses. Solid Waste Disposal Fund Mrs. McDermott referred to Page 180 and 181, Item 470, Sold.Waste Disposal Fund, which is just a pass through. She said there is a new State requirement on solid waste and that is what this Tape 6 account reflects. Mr. Burroughs said the State must be notified either by first class mail or a quarter page ad to notify what the City's solid waste cost is. Mayor Abramowitz asked the least expensive way to comply with the law and Mr. Burroughs said probably a quarter page ad in the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel. Mr. Burroughs said whatever way Council does this revenues will be reduced since it is offsetting. City Manager said Pages 179 through 183, Solid Waste Disposal Fund, are all pass through accounts. Mr. Burroughs said everything from Page 171 through 178 should not need discussion. He said Page 170, TUW General Reserve Fund may need some discussion and should wait for the Director. He said Page 166 through 168, TUW Renewal & Replacement Fund, cannot be changed. He said the only items to be reviewed for TUW are the operating fund and the reserve fund. With no further business, Mayor Abramowitz adjourned this meeting at 3:30 P.M. , geA: 0 If �/ 'Carol A. Evans City Clerk This public document was promulgated at a cost of $172.60 or $21.58 per copy to inform the general public, public officers and employees of recent opinions and considerations of the City Council of the City of Tamarac. City Council Budget Workshop Meeting Page / 9 8/14/90/pm