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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-04-09 - City Commission Workshop Meeting MinutesCity Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 1 CITY OF TAMARAC CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1993 CALL TO ORDER_ Mayor Bender called this meeting to order on Friday, April 9, 1993 at 9:00 a.m. in the Conference Room #1 of City Hall. PRE3RNT•_ Mayor H. Larry Bender Vice Mayor Irving Katz Councilman Norman Abramowitz Councilman Henry Schumann Councilman Joseph Schreiber John P. Kelly, City Manager (entered at 9:40 a.m.) Dina McDermott, Assistant City Manager Mitchell S. Kraft, City Attorney Karen Jackson, Secretary 1. DISCUSSION regarding prioritization of city-wide median beautification projects. Ms. McDermott said in the planning for this year's budget, Council allocated monies to provide for beautification of City medians. She said when this money was allocated, Council requested that Public Works bring back to Council a list of projects for review and discussion. Ms. McDermott said this meeting is to discuss and prioritize in a ranking order which projects that the Council would like to see started. Ms. McDermott said there is approximately $90,000 in the Beautification Account after maintenance of certain medians and the purchase of fertilizer, trees and plants for various projects throughout the City. She said Council has been provided with a listing from Alan Levine of the Public Works Department and a landscape architect with their recommendations. V/M Katz said Council budgeted $50,000 for irrigation and an additional $50,000 for plants and trees. Ms. McDermott said there was $100,000 for beautification and there is approximately $90,760 left for beautification. She said the $50,000 is a separate line item for irrigation. C/M Abramowitz asked about the entrance signs to the City and stated they are too small. Ms. McDermott said the existing sign meets the County Traffic Engineering specifications and the Florida Department of Transportation requirements. She said the sign on Southgate Boulevard is the only sign in the City that is on a City road. She said the other nine signs will be on County and Department of Transportation roadways, where the City has to have permits, insurance and other such legalities. Ms. McDermott said where the signs are being placed, there will be landscaping so there will be an entranceway feature. She said the sign is the size it has to be. C/M Abramowitz asked about the City of Sunrise signs and the size that they are. City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 2 Ms. McDermott said when she worked for Sunrise, she put the signs in, but Broward County and the DOT are cracking down on illegal signs. She said if the proper permits and licenses are not in hand, they will be removing the signs and fines will be levied. She said there are liability factors involved if the proper vehicular visibility is not available and the sign is in the way. Mayor Bender said all rules and regulations have exceptions. He requested that the City get a special exception for larger entranceway signs. C/M Abramowitz said Sunrise, Lauderhill, Coral Springs and North Lauderdale all have larger signs. He said Tamarac's sign is too small. Mayor Bender said this sign is not the sign that Council approved and Ms. McDermott said it is the sign which Council approved. Ms. McDermott said blueprints were brought in for a bigger sign, and when going to the State, the blueprints were brought back to Council. She said the actual sign was brought in to a Council meeting for viewing and Council agreed to build that sign. Mayor Bender said when driving down Southgate Boulevard, the sign is unreadable until you are two feet in front of it. He said the City needs to make an effort to go after the County for permits for a bigger sign. V/M Katz asked if the signs are already built and Ms. McDermott said the signs are in stock and ready to be placed in their locations. C/M Abramowitz requested the minutes regarding the signs being approved. Ms. McDermott said there is one sign in the ground which does not have the landscape and design features that go with the sign in order to notice upon approach. She said the signs were approved by Council and are in stock pending installation. She said this discussion is for Council to approve funding for the landscaping for the signs and for the pavers adjacent to the signs. She said the second concern she has is the liability factor. Ms. McDermott said some of the signs which are currently in the medians will be removed by the County and State within the next year. She said Tamarac has received DOT and County approval for the signs at six locations. She said there are three locations which are pending approval by Broward County. C/M Abramowitz reviewed various projects regarding County approval. He said all of the surrounding cities have larger signs and suggested that Tamarac do something with this to make the City proud. V/M Katz said the City has already paid for the signs which are in stock. He suggested that the beautification of the entranceway involving the signs be completed prior to any further discussion. Mayor Bender said he does not want the signs placed in locations "as is". He said there are other locations to place these small signs. C/M Abramowitz asked if there is any possibility of making these signs larger. Further discussion was held regarding the size of the sign on Southgate Boulevard. Mayor Bender suggested that Council ride on Southgate Boulevard and observe the sign. City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 3 Mayor Bender referred to the list of proposals and questioned the recommendations for NW 80 Street and NW 81 Street. He said the address was changed and asked which one was correct. Ms. McDermott said this is a breakdown of what the landscape architect had suggested. She said there is a listing of the public improvement projects on Page 4 and the estimated costs of the projects. Mayor Bender said on Page 2, Design of Landscape is listed in two places and asked why. Ms. McDermott said when the landscape architect proposed the letter, he had written Woodmont Boulevard and Mayor Bender said this was changed to NW 81 Street, but there is a second NW 81 Street listed. Ms. McDermott said one of them was supposed to be NW 80 Street. C/M Abramowitz referred to Page 2 regarding the cost estimates on the eight Public Works improvement projects and reviewed the rates. Ms. McDermott said Mr. Levine met with the landscape architect at no cost to the City and asked for an estimate of the cost for these projects. She said this meeting is for Council to suggest which projects to primarily focus on and look for the funding for these projects to begin them. She said the City can incorporate other projects while preparing for the 1993/94 budget year. She asked what Council would like Public Works to focus on to begin beautification. C/M Schreiber asked about the agreement by Lennar for them to do beautification on Nob Hill Road. Ms. McDermott said at present, the City is working on Nob Hill Road from Commercial Boulevard to McNab Road. She said the item listed is on Nab Hill Road, from McNab Road to Southgate Boulevard. Discussion was held regarding the agreement by Lennar for beautification and curbing. C/M Abramowitz said Prospect Road is not the most important project in the City. C/M Schreiber recommended the Sports Complex and C/M Abramowitz agreed. C/M Schreiber said it would be feasible for the City to do as many projects possible with the funds available and then prepare for the forthcoming budget to include additional projects. He asked if the cost of the trees and shrubs is based on commercial prices or is the City able to provide its own plants. Mr. Levine said when this was done by the landscape architect, there were no guidelines for the proposal. Ms. McDermott said these numbers are based on wholesale prices plus installation from a nursery. C/M Schreiber asked if the City can provide some of these plants and Mr. Levine said some of the plants are available through the City. Ms. McDermott said when the City provides its own plants, it is still the City's money being paid. Mr. Levine said once a determination is made as to which project Council desires to begin, he will meet with the landscape architect for review of his proposals, then follow up with the nursery and then bring it back to Council. City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 4 C/M Abramowitz asked what is being done on University Drive. Ms. McDermott said the City has received a grant for the installation of approximately $30,000 worth of pavers and the City will be redesigning bullnoses. She said the State purchased the pavers for the City. She said Mr. Levine's recommendation was to enhance certain areas on University Drive and there will be a complete entryway feature along University Drive. C/M Abramowitz asked if an additional $10,000 is needed to complete this particular project and Ms. McDermott said if Council agrees to fund this project, there will be a complete median design along the entire length of University Drive from Commercial Boulevard to Southgate Boulevard. Ms. McDermott said the irrigation and big trees are already in place. She said in order to finalize the median for the proper model median look and a beautiful City, we can put in ground cover and shrubs and some understory trees. Mr. Levine said if this is approved, it will cut down on maintenance by Public Works staff. Discussion was held regarding prioritizing the projects. C/M Abramowitz suggested that the City work on the University Drive project and the Sports Complex. He said those projects which already have money into them should be completed. C/M Schreiber recommended that the University Drive, Sports Complex and signs projects be handled first. Ms. McDermott said she would research the sign possibilities. C/M Abramowitz asked if this money would complete the Sports Complex and Mr. Levine said, yes. Ms. McDermott said Council had budgeted for irrigation which was specifically for Commercial Boulevard. Mr. Levine said in May, the County will be tearing up Commercial Boulevard from NW 64 Avenue to University Drive and at the time the budget was created, Staff was not aware of this. He said all of the irrigation previously planned for this location is not going to be done at this time. He recommended that the $20,000 be transferred from Irrigation to Beautification, which will give an additional $20,000. Discussion was held regarding the irrigation funding. Ms. McDermott said the Beautification Account is an all-inclusive account and if Council gives direction to complete the Sports Complex, which includes irrigation, this can be funded by the Beautification Account. She said she would not recommend completing a project piecemeal, but irrigation, mulching, and soiling needs to be done. Discussion was held regarding the separate line item for irrigation on Commercial Boulevard. Mr. Levine said all of these projects are based on questions and concerns over the last three years which Public Works has received. C/M Abramowitz recommended that the City pursue the University Drive project, the completion of the Sports Complex and the City entrance signs in that order. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: ALL AGREED City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 5 C/M Abramowitz said he would like to review other options at a later time. 2 , 1319Qjgum regarding staff recommendation for Social Services Division. C/M Abramowitz read a note from the Social Services representative stating that on Monday and Tuesday, there are 10 or 12 people needing transportation to the Lighthouse for the Blind; this trip has been cancelled due to two volunteer transporters being on vacation. Mr. Kelly said there is a need to have someone in the Social Services Department on a permanent, full-time basis. He recommended that Council consider someone with a social services background be retained for this position. He said there is a big concern with the insurance and many of the volunteer drivers are leaving the City because of the exposure that they have had which they were not aware that they had. Mr. Kelly said these drivers were convinced that the City's insurance was covering them, and when the drivers found out that they are at primary risk, they are dropping out of the program, especially when driving their own cars. Mayor Bender asked if the City can legally use employees on light - duty in assisting Social Services. Mr. Kraft read the recommendation regarding this. He said there are several variations which need to be discussed, such as a person being injured and then putting them back to work for the City. C/M Schumann asked if the City can use a person who is on temporary disability, who is drawing compensation, as a chauffeur and pay them for their services. Mr. Kraft asked why the City would want to do this. Mayor Bender said the City is trying to establish a drivers pool so the City will have access to individuals on an as --needed basis. He asked if this can legally be done. C/M Abramowitz said the City has had many occasions where people who are on light -duty status answer phones or other such chores. Mr. Kraft said light -duty positions could be created similar to this, but the relative risk would need to be weighed as to their insurance issues and other such factors. He said there would be some concerns regarding this. TAPE 2 V/M Katz asked if the City would be obligated to pay the light - duty person the same salary as on their regular duties and Mr. Kelly said, yes. Mayor Bender said their payment schedule cannot be altered. He said there are two main problems with the Social Services office, the availability of drivers and the number of vehicles. He said there are no reliable schedules at present. C/M Schumann suggested that the City hire two full-time drivers and pay them approximately $7.00 per hour and that would be the end of it. C/M Schreiber asked when this program is anticipated to begin and Mr. Kelly said this should begin as soon as possible, but definitely in the new fiscal year. City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 6 C/M Schreiber said this is going to be a type of pilot program. He suggested that the City Clerk's office handle the incoming calls and other details prior to the hiring of a social worker. Mr. Kelly said at present, there are a number of dedicated volunteers handling the calls and transportation. He said it takes too much time to follow up to make the calls and cross-reference the information. Mayor Bender said every incoming call kicks off a different type of action and a reaction, including followup appointments and additional phone calls. C/M Schreiber asked if the volunteers and the City Clerk's office staff can be coordinated. Mr. Kelly said the people in every office have job descriptions which specify what their work responsibilities are. He said this would entail considerable more responsibility which would be above and beyond that for which they are currently responsible. He said the Social Services office needs someone who is more experienced in this occupation. Mayor Bender said this program began as a "Mom and Pop" operation, but it has become much more sophisticated, which is why he suggested that the City get a professional in to run it and eventually be computerized. Mr. Kelly said there needs to be a professional worker to provide the necessary referrals and to coordinate the activities because there are so many sophisticated social service agencies throughout the County, the City needs someone who is knowledgeable, who can make the appropriate referrals. Further discussion was held regarding this. Mr. Kelly said he is looking to place the social worker position and two full-time drivers on an agenda for Council consideration and approval. C/M Abramowitz asked if Mr. Kelly can designate someone to drive the 10 or 12 people who need to be transported to the Lighthouse for the Blind and Mr. Kelly said he would have to check with the drivers' attorneys and the City's attorney for the legalities. C/M Abramowitz said if he has time, he will drive them and Mr. Kelly said C/M Abramowitz can drive them on Monday and C/M Abramowitz agreed. Further discussion was held regarding this. Mayor Bender requested that Mr. Kraft review the legal stipulations regarding the changes. Mr. Kraft said he is in favor of the City hiring two licensed and insured drivers for the Social Services office, which will eliminate some risks that the City has been exposed to in the past. 3. pISCUaarON of six-month budget review of Fire Department. Mr. Kelly said during the last budget process, Council directed that a mid -year review be conducted of the Fire Department reorganization and the budget. He said the Fire Chief has worked and has prepared a report which has been given to Council for review. Jim Budzinski, Fire Chief, said the report reviews the activities of the Fire Department during the past year. He said runs have increased and the Department is currently running approximately 400 responses per month, which is an increase over previous years of approximately 25%. He said the majority of these calls are I City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 7 rescue calls and at this time, about 80% of the runs are rescue calls. He said the Department is making the runs maintaining two front line apparatus and the aerial platform in service also. He said there are three vehicles in service and quite often, all three vehicles are utilized. Chief Budzinski said the manning on these vehicles is a minimum level of three people on the front line apparatus and two people on the ladder vehicle. He said many times, all three units are tied up at the same time in conjunction with the advance life support by Broward County. Chief Budzinski said there has also been an increase in overtime, which was anticipated. He said at present, the Department is operating within the approved budget; however, the Overtime Account has been exhausted. He proposed that a reassignment be done for two of the administrative people who are currently working a day shift to the shift operations, which will save some money on the base salary but will increase the burden on some of the clerical staff. He said there will be a minimal amount of money being saved with this proposal. V/M Katz asked why the City does not return these two administrative people at the rating they had prior to becoming Commanders. Chief Budzinski said they are being returned to their previous positions at their previous pay. He said the change will be from the administrative position as Commander back to shift work as drivers. V/M Katz said he is concerned about the pay scale. C/M Schumann asked where the third Commander would be going and Chief Budzinski said he would have the third Commander as the Assistant Chief. C/M Schumann asked if this is going to create a morale problem in the Department. C/M Schreiber asked if this reassignment will save enough money to increase the salaries of some of the other employees and if the City is going to save $3,569.00 and Chief Budzinski said, yes. C/M Schreiber asked how the Union is going to feel about this and what sort of problems will surface. Chief Budzinski said there should not be a problem with the Union due to these employees being classified as managerial and not currently in the Union. C/M Abramowitz asked what will be accomplished by doing this and Chief Budzinski said this will help to alleviate the overtime problem. C/M Abramowitz said the City of Tamarac has a 3-tiered system and he has been told that it is mandatory that the first response must be by an engine, which is not true, and Chief Budzinski agreed. C/M Abramowitz asked if there is any way of alleviating the use of these fire engines in 80% of the calls. He said an engirCe is not needed on a good percentage of these calls. He said there is a reason for all of this overtime. Chief Budzinski said there is a way to alleviate this problem. He said he is looking to do this with another proposal. C/M Schumann referred to the reorganization which occurred last year when the Department added the Commanders positions and removed the Captain rank and Chief Budzinski said that occurred City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 8 several years ago. C/M Schumann questioned the scheduling of the Commanders for the day shift and the scheduling of the Department personnel. Discussion was held regarding the structure of the Department. Chief Budzinski said he needs to reassign the duties that the Commanders were handling to the Assistant Chief, Office Manager and Secretary of the Department. He said in some cases, this work is already being handled by these employees. C/M Schumann questioned the reasoning for the requests by the Fire Chief regarding the various positions. Mr. Kelly said by putting these Commanders back on the trucks, the City will be getting more work on the shifts and some of the overtime will be reduced. He said after doing this, the Fire Chief will still need to have someone in administration, who can fill in when he is away, who would be the Assistant Chief. He said this type of service cannot be accomplished by the office personnel, the Office Manager or the Secretary. Mr. Kelly said in the evaluation process, the administrative personnel, Dee and Tania, are doing more work. He said Chief Budzinski has had an opportunity to review what they do. C/M Schumann said there are Lieutenants on location and Chief Budzinski said the Lieutenants handle various business, but there needs to be someone who is designated with the authority to command the central location, which would be the Assistant Chief or himself. Mr. Kelly said regarding the morale concern, if the City took the three Commanders and put them all back, a morale problem would still exist. He said there is always someone who is not happy in all reorganizations. He said this is something that works in the negotiating process with the Commanders. He said the Commanders were trying to get the total administrative package and when they could not get that, they tried to get the Union package. He said the Union has basically agreed with the City's position. C/M Abramowitz questioned the job descriptions for the Data Entry and Office Manager positions. Mr. Kelly said Chief Budzinski is confident that they can do the jobs. Further discussion was held regarding the proposal and the previous elimination of various positions. V/M Katz said Chief Budzinski was a Plan Reader and Fire Marshal when he held the position prior to becoming Fire Chief. He asked if it is possible to hire a person who would be able to handle all three designations as he did —Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal/Plans Examiner. Chief Budzinski said he continues to function in the role as Fire Chief/Fire Marshal/Fire Code Official; he is the only one in the Department at present with the qualifications to do this. He said Dave Viele handles the Plans Examiner function. Discussion was held regarding this. C/M Abramowitz said he is unhappy with the word, "step" in the recommendation. He said he will never vote for something which has the word "step" in it. He said if Mr. Kelly and Chief Budzinski feel that they have two very valuable employees in the Department, then he has no problem giving them more money, but he does have a problem putting a title designation to them. Mr. Kelly said the word "step" will be eliminated. Mayor Bender referred to Page 3 of the proposal which reflects the City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 9 advantages. He asked if the savings of $3,569.00 is a one-time effort and Chief Budzinski said it is an annual savings based on the current year's budget. Mayor Bender asked if overtime is included in this and Chief Budzinski said, no. TAPE 3 Chief Budzinski explained the need for overtime. Ms. Blasi said there has been $27,482.00 used to date out of $30,000.00 budgeted for the entire year. She said the overtime is paid after 48 hours. Discussion was held as to the scheduling of the personnel on the various shifts and leave times. C/M Abramowitz asked if the Department can function with employees being absent and Chief Budzinski said the Department cannot function fully with absences. C/M Abramowitz asked what is stopping him from taking one of the Commanders from his administrative duties and sending him out on the truck and Chief Budzinski said the Union contract has negated that. Chief Budzinski said there is a problem assigning a Commander to an apparatus. By contract, they would then become a part of the Union which they are not a part as management. C/M Abramowitz expressed his concern regarding employee morale and said he does not want to see anyone punished unless there is a reason. Chief Budzinski said he is not trying to punish anyone. C/M Schreiber referred to the Assistant Fire Chief's job description and asked what the Chief does and Chief Budzinski said the Chief and the Assistant Chief work together. Chief Budzinski said the Assistant Chief is the same as any other Assistant Department Head. He said there will be times when the Assistant Chief will function in his place. C/M Schreiber said he sees no problem with this proposal. C/M Schumann expressed his concerns regarding the absenteeism in the Department and Chief Budzinski said there is sick leave taken as well as vacation time, which leaves the Department short most of the time causing overtime pay. Further discussion was held regarding this. C/M Abramowitz said there are two people being changed back to their old jobs with a loss in pay and a third person will not have a loss in pay but will be getting a 5% increase in pay. He asked if it would be equitable and fair to say to the third person that he will not be taking a cut in pay, but would remain at the Commander salary with new duties. He said this would not necessitate a Union problem because they are not members of the Union. C/M Abramowitz said if a Commander is unhappy with this, then let him be a Lieutenant. He said there are always going to be people who are unhappy with a reorganization. Chief Budzinski said one of the problems which arose this year with the current structure is that the Commanders do not achieve the benefits that the Lieutenants do being in the Bargaining Unit because they are in a management status. He said the Commanders do not receive longevity. He said a Lieutenant with a maximum longevity receives 7--1/2% incentive, through negotiations, where a City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 10 Commander receives 2%. He said Commanders in this perspective trying to correct this problem there is a 5% salary loss for the by taking the promotion. He said is with this proposal. Mr. Kelly said the Commanders are not entitled to overtime. He said two of the Commanders have petitioned to get back into the Union. Chief Budzinski said three of his existing Lieutenants have held the Commander position and went back to Lieutenant based on the loss of money taking the promotion. C/M Abramowitz asked if the Chief could accommodate the three Commanders by putting them all back on line duty. Chief Budzinski said he could not run the Department this way. Discussion was held regarding the previous positions of these three employees. Chief Budzinski said he had lost three Commanders to the rank of Lieutenant because they felt it was in their interest to go back. C/M Schumann asked if this has been discussed with the Commanders and what their response was and Chief Budzinski said it has been discussed with several people at the Fire Department, but not with all of the Commanders to date. Chief Budzinski said two of the Commanders have petitioned the Union for representation, but they would like to go back to the Union as Commanders. He said he cannot justify to Council putting a Commander in the Union position and not have the -administrative support that the City needs to operate the Department. He said if they are placed in the Union, the confidentiality will be lost. C/M Abramowitz asked what other benefits the Assistant Chief will receive other than the 5% increase and Chief Budzinski said the Assistant Chief classification would be an executive position and the only difference would be 5% longevity and life insurance. C/M Abramowitz asked if the money being save by the Commanders stepping down will compensate for the Assistant Chief's increase and Chief Budzinski said it will be exceeded by approximately $3,600.00 and there will be a reduction in the overtime. Further discussion was held regarding the shift scheduling. 4. 12ISCUSSION of Tamarac"s Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Mr. Kelly said he and Mayor Bender met with the County Administrator and Chief Budzinski regarding their proposals for EMS. He said a number of cities have entered into this. He said all of this depends on the community which is involved, the demographics and size of the community, and the political power of the community to get the County Commission to go along with them to get certification, which is the key. Mr. Kelly said Deerfield Beach has a positive outlook as to what they are going to get. He said some cities claim that they are going to make money on this. He said the County representatives state that no one will ever make any money on it. He said Pompano Beach feels that they are going to lose money on it. Mr. Kelly said this will also depend on the criteria that the individual cities place on the service that is being provided. He said Tamarac has a Fire Department that is prepared and is qualified to implement the service for which Council will have to decide. u Mayor Bender said he had inquired as to where the resources will City Council Workshop Meeting. 4/9/93/KJ Page 11 come from to support this program. He said the County had indicated that they would give $12.00 for each citizen. He said this will be based on population.. Chief Budzinski said the other money that does come in is through the insurance companies and Medicare. C/M Abramowitz suggested that Council listen to what Mr. Kelly said. He said the entire crux of this program is in the type of service that Council wants to supply to the people. He said without the reimbursement money from the County, the program could not survive. He said the Chief had stated in his report that they estimate to take 60%, which seems to be overly ambitious. C/M Abramowitz asked what happens if one of the citizens owes $175 to $200 for transportation and you do not receive the money from their insurance company. He asked if the City would sue that person or is it written off. He said 40% of the residents do not have insurance or Medicare does not always pay. He requested that Council give serious consideration to all aspects of this. Discussion was held regarding the service. Mayor Bender asked why the City could not accept the money from the County for this function if the firefighters are trained and Mr. Kelly said the City would. Mayor Bender said the City will have to supplement the Pension Fund and receiving the money from the EMS would help to offset some of the cost for the Pension Fund and Chief Budzinski said it would indirectly help with the budget. V/M Katz asked what the City has done to investigate what the City's position would be in getting permitted so that the City could start its own EMS service. Mr. Kelly said the question is whether Council is willing to become certified. V/M Katz asked if the administration has looked into this to find ou�-if the City can become certified. Mager Bender said the permit needs to be accessed from the County " an-r the County implied that some cities have it and they may colzi-sider=other cities for this. He said the County wants this repbrt_tofinalize their decision. V/N-mitz asked what Tamarac has done to prioritize getting a permit and Mayor Bender said it cannot be done until the County offers it to the City. Mr. Kelly said the City has to have all of the equipment prior to the County's consideration. Discussion was held regarding the capability of the City to handle this service. Mayor Bender said the County is so unhappy, they are willing to agree to the cities handling it. C/M Abramowitz said the County has a fixed cost which is under the Union. Mayor Bender suggested that the City pursue this to the extent of seeing how far the City can go before making any further commitments financially or otherwise. C/M Schreiber asked if the money the County is to allocate to the City is included in his figures and Chief Budzinski said it is part of the proposal. Chief Budzinski said he is looking for some direction from Council City Council Workshop Meeting 4/9/93/KJ Page 12 as to whether they want to continue to investigate whether this is a practical program or not, then he will make the application to the County EMS Council, which will review the application. Mayor Bender said he wants to do everything possible to increase the service and availability of the ambulance service to the residents. He said he wants it to be handled effectively and economically. TAPE 4 Chief Budzinski said he will explore all aspects of this and report back to Council with any other information he may receive regarding this. Nathan Peretzman, resident, asked if Council is considering a one or two-tier system and Chief Budzinski said the plan being proposed is a single -tier system. V/M Katz said he will be absent for the scheduled Tuesday, April 13, 1993 meeting and would like to be a party to making a decision as to what will happen regarding the single-family garbage issue and Mayor Bender said the adjustments will be made to accommodate him. C/M Schumann asked if a paramedic has to be a certified firefighter and Chief Budzinski said no, but would need to be a certified paramedic. C/M Schumann asked why the term, "Paramedic/firefighter" is being used and Chief Budzinski said that will allow the City to utilize those people in whichever position they are needed. Chief Budzinski said the City has three employees who have completed that course and four who are currently taking the course. He said if there is a fire, they are to act as a firefighter. Further discussion was held regarding this. With no further business, Mayor Bender ADJOURNED this meeting at 11:20 a.m. CAROL A. EVANS CITY CLERK 11 r-]