HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-09-22 - City Commission Special Meeting MinutesCity Council Special Meeting
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CITY OF TAMARAC
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1992
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Bender called this meeting to order on
Tuesday, September 22, 1992, at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers of
Tamarac City Hall, 7525 Northwest 88 Avenue, Tamarac, Florida.
PLEDGE OF ALAXQjANQj: Mayor Bender called for the Pledge of
Allegiance.
PRESENT:
Mayor H. Larry Bender
Vice Mayor Henry Schumann
Councilman Joseph Schreiber
Councilman Norman Abramowitz
Councilman Irving Katz
ALSO PRESENT:
John P. Kelly, City Manager
Mitchell S. Kraft, City Attorney
Carol A. Evans, City Clerk
Mary Blasi, Finance Director
Karen Jackson, Secretary
1. ANOUNPEMFNT of the percentage increase in the proposed
millage rate over the rolled -back rate necessary to fund the
General Budget for Fiscal Year 1992/93.
4XNPR S I A,. QF, A�QT T�QN
Announcement was made'. The tentative General Fund budget of
$17,300,367 is greater than the current Budget. Council has
proposed to increase the current millage rate of 4.4603 mils to
4.8293 mils which is a 3.08% increase in the rolled -back rate of
4.6851 mils.
Mr. Kelly announced the percentage increase in the proposed
millage rate as indicated above.
2. PUBLIC HEARING on the final millage rate for Fiscal Year
1992/93.
SYNOPSIS OF ACTION`
Public Hearing was held.
Mayor Bender OPENED the Public Hearing.
Irving Hoffman, resident of Kings Point, asked if the millage rate
being discussed is the total millage rate with the County and Mr.
Kelly said this is the millage rate for Tamarac only.
Mr. Hoffman asked what the County increase will be and C/M
Abramowitz said the County is proposing an 11% increase.
Mr. Kelly said in Tamarac, if a person owns a $60,000 unit, the
net increase to that person would be $11.72 per year. He said a
$100,000 unit would pay approximately $25.00 per year.
C/M Abramowitz said in the total millage rate, the following are
included: Hospital district, School district, Broward County,
Special Assessment district, Port Authority and the South Florida
Water Management district. He said the"City of Tamarac has no
control over these districts.
Mr. Kelly suggested Mr. Hoffman attend the Public Hearings for the
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various entities which dates appeared on the tax bills.
Walter Rekuc, resident, said there is a need for an internal
audit.
Mr. Kelly said these comments would be more appropriately
addressed to the budget, which is Item U.
Mr. Rekuc asked how the millage rate can be discussed prior to the
budget and Mr. Kelly stated that the Trim Bill outlines it this
way.
Mayor Bender CLOSED the Public Hearing with no further response.
3. PVBLTC,,--ARING on the final Budget for Fiscal Year 1992/93.
SYNQR,A;S OF ACTION_
Public Hearing was held.i
Mayor Bender OPENED the Public Hearing.
Walter Rekuc, resident, expressed his concern regarding the need
for an internal audit. He requested that the City Council
reconsider the organization in the Public Works Department. He
said the budget includes;18 additional employees at a cost of
$500,000 to $520,000. He said the City taxes are increasing
$534,000, which is about 5.5% over the prior year. He said the
City had a cost reduction of an ambulance service of $100,000, a
reduction of Bond costs.of $38,000. He asked where the reduction
is for the Woodlands Country Club takeover of maintenance of their
property. He said the City has a refund due from the ambulance
contract of $43,000, a reduction in the Sewer and Water Bond
Interest of $200,000 and the City has over $1,000,000 there. He
said the City had a surplus of $793,000 at the end of the year. He
asked why the City is gong up to $1,500,000. He said there is no
reason to have a tax increase at this time.
C/M Katz said Council held a workshop meeting for a presentation
by Kathy Dearon from the Broward Homebound Program. He said she
identified that there is a service from this Organization tD the
City where they aid a certain amount of people. He said this is
the only Organization that services people from 18 to 59 and the
Area Agency for the Aging that this City contributes to services
only seniors. He said the only other Agency that does come in and
service people younger than seniors is the Broward Homebound
Program. He said they have a Matching Fund Grant available -o them
and for every dollar that the City may contribute, the Broward
Homebound Program will get $9 in -kind from other organizations.
C/M Katz MOVED to APPROVE that the City of Tamarac contribute to
the Broward Homebound Program $1,000, taken from General Fund,
Non -Departmental Contingency and transfered to Social Services
Division Operating Budget, SECONDED by C/M Abramowitz.
C/M Schreiber said this Motion is Out of Order and C/M Abramowitz
said this item should be placed on the Regular Council agenda for
September 23, 1992 for consideration based on recalculation of the
budget.
C/M Katz stated that this would not affect the budget in any way.
He said the millage rate does not change, the ad valorem does not
change and, while the residents are present, these people most
likely would not be here for the meeting of September 23, 1992,
due to different interests.
C/M Schreiber said during the last meeting he had stated his
opposition to the increase to the millage and stated that he must
take the City, the Mayor, and the City Manager to task for
misleading the public. He said he has a Public Notice that talks
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about the City of Tamarac tentatively adopting a measure to
increase its property tax levy by 3%. He said the actual increase
of the property tax is 8.03%. He said the City is misleading the
public by talking about the rolled -back rate when the actual rate
is 4.4603, but is actually 8.03 not 3.08%. He requested that the
City inform the public of what is going on.
C/M Schreiber said there is no real reason for the City to raise
the tax millage rate and increase the taxes. He said the City
will have a surplus of over $2,000,000 in this existing 91/92
budget which will be more than enough to cover any anticipated
shortfall in the tax revenue and any increase in the budget
itself. He said in the budget, Council raised two Departments over
$52,000 each - the City Attorney and the City Clerk. He said the
City changed and got rid of a $100 an hour Attorney for a $32 an
hour Attorney and yet the budget in that Department goes up over
$52,000.
C/M Schreiber said during the last meeting, one of the Councilmen
made a comment regarding having enough surplus in the event that a
hurricane hits Tamarac. He requested that Council review the
Investment Report by Karen Willard dated September 9th, which
shows in Long -Term Investments alone the City has over
$10,900,000. He said there is more than enough money there to
cover any emergency. He requested that Council not raise the
taxes.
V/M Schumann said to follow that philosophy would be like a battle
commander going in and committing his reserves, who would be sure
to lose. He said everyone saw what happened in Dade County and
the slowness in which F.,E.M.A. is trying to pay these claims. He
said one insurance company has already gone belly -up. He said no
one knows when something like this is going to happen. He said the
City has to maintain a certain reserve, which is called a carry-
over. He said the City cannot go into a budget with no reserve. He
said this would leave the City wide open in the event of a
catastrophe.
Mayor Bender asked if a good portion of the $10,900,000 is
obligated and Ms. Blasi said, yes, the majority of those funds are
reserve or customer deposits or impact fees paid by developers
that are earmarked for certain Parks and Recreation Trafficway
improvements.
Ms. Blasi said in the General Fund the tax is basically revenue
and she is estimating that the City will have $2,000,000 in carry -
forward as the Vice Mayor said and the City is budgeting
$1,500,000 of that $2,000,000 leaving only $500,000 in an over
$17,000,000 budget as reserve funding. She said as a Finance
Director, she needs that money for cash flow because the City does
not receive its taxes, until the end of November through March,
which represent 36% of total revenue in the General Fund. She said
the City would run into significant cash flow problems in
September and October if the City did not have that funding
available.
C/M Schreiber asked what that has to do with long-term. He said
the City has short-term for cash flow. He said he is talking about
long-term. He said the City has investments from one year to 20
years in strip notes, zero bonds, in CD's and Ms. Blasi is
stating that the majority of those funds are restricted funds that
cannot be used. He asked how the City can use this from year-to-
year.
Ms. Blasi said the City does not use that. She said the money he
is discussing is regarding the longer -term Treasury Bonds, which
are for the Water and Sewer Obligation Reserve Funds that the City
needs to have in place, which are required by the City's Bond
Covenants and will be able to be used once those Bonds are
expired.
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C/M Abramowitz said Mr. Rekuc made a statement regarding the
additional personnel in the budget. He said the City is inundated
with complaints from people with infestation of Hydrilla and algae
in all the waterways in Tamarac.
C/M Abramowitz said Tamarac is one of the very few cities that
takes care of the waterways in the City. He said last year Sunrise
turned the maintenance of their waterways to their residents. He
said the City is inundated with complaints about beautification,
cutting the grass and keeping the City clean. He said most of the
people who were put on were working people to take care of the
beautification, the health and welfare of the City.
C/M Abramowitz said the Trim Law prescribes how the City
advertises the increase in the rates.
C/M Abramowitz said during the first budget meeting, C/M Schreiber
said he had reviewed the budget and saw where he could save
$1,000,000. He said Council unanimously agreed to have a Wcrkshop
whereby C/M Schreiber would explain to Council how to save
$1,000,000, at which time, nothing was gained.
C/M Abramowitz said it is easy to state, "we don't want a raise in
taxes". He said this City Council and the Staff were able to keep
the City in the shape that its in by raising their taxes 1.5%,
which is the total raise,,,He suggested that the residents look at
the other cities - 11%, 16%, 18%. He said there are things that
the public generally demands, which includes the garbage pick up
and a clean City. He said he is proud that this City was able to
do what it could to go with the small increase in taxes.
Mr. Kraft referred to the advertisement that was in the newspaper
and said that this advertisement is statutory, prescribed by
Florida Statute 200.065, He read from Florida Statute 200.065,
Sub -Section 3(a). He said the advertisement was run on Saturday,
September 19, 1992 in the Sun Sentinel. He said Florida Statute
200.065 is also known as the Trim Law.
C/M Katz said he was appointed to the Florida League of Cities,
Municipal Taxation and Finance Committee. He said one of the
priorities of this Committee is to propose legislation and one of
the items of priority is to remove this Trim Law from the Statutes
so that, hopefully, next year during Budget Review, there will be
no misunderstanding.
C/M Katz said if the Council does not wish to act on the proposal
to Broward Homebound Program at this time, it will be represented
during the Regular Council meeting on September 23, 1992.
Mr. Rekuc said he visited Sunrise and spoke to the man who
maintains the canals. He said the Sunrise canals are perfec_ and
they get a response in 24 hours. He asked why the City is adding a
Developmental Review Planner to the Staff when there are no new
projects being discussed.
Mayor Bender said Mr. Rekuc was getting off the subject and
requested that he sit down.
Mayor Bender asked if C/M Katz would like to withdraw his Motion'
or have Council act on it.
C/M Katz withdrew his Motion and C/M Abramowitz withdrew his
Second.
C/M Katz said there will be no change in the budget with this
proposal.
Mr. Kelly said he would like to clarify a point because a lot of
the public here is not familiar and did not participate in the
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budget review process.` "fie said there are not 18 new positions in
this budget. He said the Council did not approve the Developmental
Review Planner position. He said the positions that were approved
were as follows: four maintenance workers in Grounds maintenance
in Public Works Department, a Field Superintendent, a Crew Leader
in City Hall operationv and a Senior Tradesman. He said the City
did not hire Administrative personnel and Council eliminated one
position.
Mr. Rekuc asked about the Field Superintendent position and Mr.
Kelly said that position was approved.
Anthony Grimaldi, resident of Heathgate Sunflower, expressed his
concerns and oppositions to the ongoing increases to the
residents.
ti ..
M yor Bender CLOSED the Public Hearing with no further response.
��. $Q N TO ADOPT Temp. RgjQ. #,43C7 adopting a final
-mi3Aage rate for Fiscal Year 1992/93.
X W QX ACTI�p*: RESOLUTION R-92-148-PASSED
APPROVED the final millage rate for Fiscal Year 1992/93 of 4.8293
which is a 3.08% increase over the current rolled -back rate of
4.6851 mils and the overall millage rate increase including the
debt service is 1.5%.
C/M Katz MOVED to APPROVE Temp. Reso..#6367.
Mayor Bender requested that the City Attorney read the Resolution
in its entirety.
Mr. Kraft read Temp. Reso. #6367 in its entirety.
SECONDED by V/M Schumann.
VOTE; C/M Schreiber
- NAY
V/M Schumann
- AYE
C/M Katz
- AYE
C/M Abramowitz
- AYE
Mayor Bender
- AYE
5. MOTION TO ADOPT Tegp. Reap. #6368 adopting a final Budget
for Fiscal Year 1992/93.
SYNOPSIS OF ACTION: RESOLUTION R-92-149--PASSED
APPROVED the final Budget for Fiscal Year 1992/93 of $36,667,223.
Mr. Kraft read Temp. Reso. #6368 in its entirety.
C/M Katz said during the budget process regarding the Fleet
Services Fund, he had concerns about the amount of money devoted
to fleet maintenance. He said the item was reduced by $65,000.00.
He requested the opportunity for Council to review this item and
possibly put the money into Contingency at the end of the six
months.
C/M Katz MOVED to APPROVE a review by Council of Fleet Services
after six months, SECONDED by C/M Abramowitz.
VOTE:
ALL VOTED AYE
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C/M Abramowitz MOVED to APPROVE Temp. Reao. #6368, SE,CONDXD
by V/M Schumann.
VOTE: C/M Abramowitz - AYE
C/M Schreiber - NAY
V/M Schumann - AYE
C/M Katz - AYE
Mayor Bender - AYE
With no further business, Mayor Bender ADJOURNED this meeting at
7:41 p.m.
oel
L BENDER
MAYOR := -f
CAROL A. EVANS
CITY CLERK
UTY OF "rAAjARA(:
APPROVED AT MEETING OF
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