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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-05-18 - City Commission Regular Meeting Minutes,lJ '•�� F TA �f. V (1 A.. MAIL REPLY TO: P.O. BOX 25010 TAMARAC, FLORIDA 33320 • 5811 NORTHWEST 88TH AVENUE TAMARAC, FLORIDA 33321 TELEPHONE (305) 722-5900 May 2, 1988 NOTICE OF TOWN MEETING TAMARAC, FLORIDA Please be advised that the City Council will hold a Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 18, 1988 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Tamarac Recreation Center, 7501 N. University Drive, Tamarac, for the purpose of discussion on Utilities. All meetings are open to the public. Carol E. Barbuto City Clerk CEB/nr AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAPPED STATUS CITY OF TAMARAC CITY COUNCIL'TOWN MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1988 TAPE 1 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Abramowitz called this meeting to Order on Wednesday, May 18, 1988 at 7:00 P.M. at the Recreation Building at Tamarac Park. PRESENT: Mayor Norman Abramowitz Vice Mayor Jack Stelzer Councilman Dr. H. Larry Bender Councilman Bruce Hoffman Councilman Henry Rohr ALSO PRESENT: John P. Kelly, City Manager Richard Doody, City Attorney William Greenwood, Director of Utilities/Engineering Carol E. Barbuto, City Clerk Pauline Walaszek, Special Services Secretary Mayor Abramowitz introduced the City Council and staff to the residents. He said City Manager Kelly would be conducting the meeting and, after the presentation was made, the residents would be allowed to speak on the subject. Mayor Abramowitz said a resident asked how the City Council could vote on a matter that included a lot of money. He said the consent agenda stops the City Council from spending several hours at a meeting. He said the City Manager discussed each Item individually with each Councilmember and if the City Council does not know about an Item or is not aware of what the Item entailed, the Item could be pulled out of the Consent Agenda for separate discussion. Mayor Abramowitz said the City Council received back-up material before every Council meeting. He said the back-up material informs the City Council about the Item. Mayor Abramowitz said the City Council held Workshop meetings which inform the City Council and City staff of several matters. He said the City Council discusses their concerns at these meetings to become more aware of the City. He said this meeting would be a minor version of the Workshop held recently on Utility/Engineering matters and he thanked the residents for their attendance at the meeting. City Manager Kelly said a few weeks ago he met with the City Council to advise them of the budget. He said on June 3, 1988 the Department Heads would be submitting their proposed budgets for the coming Fiscal Year. He said he would be comparing the proposals with the anticipated revenues and cut back where it is necessary. He said he calls Workshops for the City Council regarding the budget and, unfortunately, only a few residents attend. He said the City Council does not receive input on the budget until the final hearing. He said he asked the Mayor to consider a Town meeting to inform the residents about budget matters before the final hearing. Page 1 5/18/88 City Manager Kelly said it would be a tough budget year and the City needed the residents help. He said the City would be getting less money from the developers because development has slowed down. He said developers' fees are the life -line of the City and, when the development ceases, the Planning and Engineering Departments would diminish because they operate on monies from the fees. He said most of the Parks and Recreation programs are self-sustaining because of the fees. He said the decrease in development would affect each and every department in the City. City Manager Kelly said this meeting would pertain to matters concerning the Utilities Department. He said it was important to know the functions, responsibilities and events concerning the Utilities Department. He said the water in the City was probably the best water in Broward County. City Manager Kelly said in 1962, the United States Environmental Protection Act identified 25 contaminants in the water. He said in 1974, a Clean Water Act was adopted to enforce protection against the 25 contaminants. He said in 1974, scientists were just beginning to detect organic chemicals in the water. He said many Cities implemented disinfectant programs to protect the residents from chemicals that cause health problems. City Manager Kelly said when Bill Greenwood, Director of Utilities/Engineering, became employed by the City, he spent most of his time in front of Broward County's Environmental Control Board explaining why Tamarac was not doing what should be done. He said the debt service on the Utility bills was for the Bond issue received by the State which was approved by the voters. City Manager Kelly said because progress was not being made fast enough on protecting the water quality and because Congress's determination in seeing that the water was safe, the Safe Drinking Water Act was Amended in 1986. He said the Amendment requires that an additional 83 contaminants must be monitored and controlled by June, 1989 and, each year after, 25 additional contaminants must be monitored and controlled. He said the residents would have to pay for this monitoring. Referring to the corroded pipes on display, City Manager Kelly said the pipes came out of the ground and into the residents' homes. He said when the City installed the lines they were installed properly; however, the developers cut corners and did not compact the ground surrounding the lines. He said vibration from the trucks and cars cause the pipes to burst. He said all of the pipe lines in the City would go to Tampa if connected together because there are approximately 260 miles and the Utilities/Engineering Department maintains those lines. City Manager Kelly said 150 lines are water, 30 lines are force mains and 83.4 are gravity sewer mains. He said the City has 13 water wells, 68 sewage pump stations and 2 major water stations. He said there are 68 people and 7 engineers working in the Department. He said the average age of the vehicles date back to 1980 or later. He said Tamarac Utilities West (TUW) had 84.5 miles of asbestos cement water lines and it would cost Page 2 I 1 1 S/ 18/88 $10,000,000.00 to replace the lines. He said Tamarac Utilities East (TUE) had 7 miles of asbestos cement water lines, which would cost $790,000.00 to replace. He said the more the City waits to replace these pipes, the more the project would cost because of inflation. City Manager Kelly said what the residents pay on their utility bills did not pertain to property taxes. He said money paid by the residents for property taxes did not help funding the City's departments or staff. He said the utility bills pay for the department, operations, maintenance, etc. City Manager Kelly said recently, the City Council approved $98,000.00 for a study conducted by Hazen & Sawyer, Consulting Engineers, to assist the City in complying with the Safe Water Drinking Act. He said part of the Study would determine how to monitor the water and the economic impact for the coming years. He said for every disinfectant there are always by-products involved. City Manager Kelly said there are concerns recently regarding lead in the water and it is believed that the lead was caused by the lead soldering around the pipes. He said the City needs the residents help in finding solutions to these problems. He said this problem is nationwide and the residents would not be able to move and get away from it. He said the taxpayers would have to pay for the up -keep and repairs to the water system. City Manager Kelly said Mr. Stuart submitted a petition to the City Council which stated that studies were done during other reviews. He said these studies could not have been done. He said the petition stated that the water and sewer costs were too high. He asked Mr. Greenwood where the City stood on the chart of charges in Broward County and Mr. Greenwood said the City was 20 out of 24 with higher rates to the average customer. City Manager Kelly said the petition stated that garbage costs were very high for a community this size. He said Tamarac had the lowest garbage rate in Broward County which was $6.37. He said the petition mentioned the debt service which was the bond issue the public voted for. City Manager Kelly said when the budget is adopted, he did not want the residents to be surprised with the rate increase on their utility bills. He said the City Council wanted to attempt privatization whenever possible in the City. He said the City Council wanted to report to the people regarding their investigation in getting funds before they go to the residents for funding. Mayor Abramowitz said the residents will have to make the proper decision as the City Council would have to make the proper decision. He said he would like the public to attend the Workshop meetings for the Budget so they can be informed of what is happening in the City and why the City Council had to make the decisions they did. He asked the public to observe the pipes that were on display before they leave the meeting. At this time, Mayor Abramowitz asked for public input. Sylvia Brland, Resident of Colony West, had concerns with the sewer bills being so high. She said a petition was given to the City Council before the meeting which was barely addressed. She said most of the people present at Page 3 5/18/88 TAPE 2 this meeting were residents of Colony West and they were attending the meeting because of their bills being so high. Mayor Abramowitz said the petition was received before the meeting and the City Council would have to review it before they commented on it. Judy Campbell, Resident, asked if the asbestos piping was throughout Broward County and if the pipes would be replaced. Mr. Greenwood said there were no health hazards caused by that piping; however, the main concern about the piping was that it did not meet the structure requirement on County roadways. He said the Environmental Protection Agency is concerned about the short fiber piping; however, the asbestos piping was made with the long fiber piping. He said the State required the main lines to receive a thin coating of calcium on the inside of the pipes which would prevent the asbestos from getting into the water system. Carl Alper, Resident, asked when the water conduits had to be repaired and Mr. Greenwood said the small piping is the galvanized pipes along the road. He said the City was responsible for these pipes along the road right-of-way and the customer is responsible from the road right-of-way to their property. Mr. Alper asked how much it would cost to repair the piping and Mr. Greenwood said the galvanized piping would cost approximately $300,000.00 in the west and the east would cost approximately $30,000.00. Mr. Alper said the City relied on help from non -paid volunteers and suggested the City create a Committee of volunteers to concern themselves with the safety of the water in the City. He suggested the City investigate the water of the surrounding Cities to prevent the water in Tamarac from becoming contaminated. He suggested the City allow more Policing when the streets are being torn up. Irving Lopatey, Resident, asked Mr. Greenwood to explain the City's responsibility for the piping and Mr. Greenwood said the City's normal right-of-way is 70-feet; therefore, 25-feet would be property line. He said anything on the road right-of-way would be the City's responsibility and from the right-of-way to the dwelling was the resident's responsibility. Vickie Beech, Resident, asked how long these problems existed in the City and Mr. Greenwood said the City bought the system in 1979 and he could not explain the happenings from 1979 to 1984. He said when he became employed by the City in September, 1984, $24,000,000.00 in operation was needed to upgrade the system and supply test quality water in Broward County. Mrs. Beech asked why the problems were not corrected before this time and Mayor Abramowitz said two years ago, the Utilities Department was required by law to conduct 2 tests and, this year, the department is required to conduct 28 tests. He said the City would be mandated to conduct 83 tests next year and 25 additional tests Page 4 1 1 1 5/18/88 therein after. He said the Federal Government and the State have changed the rules and the City will have to comply to those changes. Mrs. Beech asked how much the City needed in costs and Mayor Abramowitz said until the budget is processed, the amount could not be determined. Unannounced Speaker from the audience said he investigated the meter system at his home because his bills were so high and found that the meter had so much mud on it that it could not be read. Mayor Abramowitz asked if a complaint was sent to the City. He said he has yet to see one complaint come before him that has not been addressed. He suggested a complaint be written to the City regarding these types of matters because the City would not know the matters needed correction without the resident's support. Mr. Greenwood said he would look into this matter. He said the meter reading system is computerized and were read by a hand held micro -processor. He said the actual consumption was registered from the meter. He said if the meter cannot be read, the computer would indicate so and, if there was a problem with the reading, staff will go and investigate the reason why. V/M Stelzer said because his bill was high, he spent a week in the Utilities Department investigated how the bills were determined. He said the department had a great computer system. Anthony Grimaldi, Resident, asked where the $98,000.00 approved by Council for the study by Hazen & Sawyer came from and Mr. Greenwood said the 4.7 million gallons of water treatment plant expansion came from developer's contribution in aid of construction, also known as, developer impact fees. Mr. Grimaldi asked what the City had to hire an outside firm for a study when the City had their own engineers and Mr. Greenwood said the technology and regulations were changing daily. He said the study would bring in the best knowledge and information regarding water treatment matters and the new regulations would be complied with more accurately and professionally. Mr. Grimaldi asked if it would necessary to hire outside engineers every year and Mr. Greenwood said it would cost the City more money to hire the personnel needed for the studies as opposed to hiring outside consultants. Unannounced Speaker from the audience asked if it was possible for a water bill to contain the same cubic feet and consumption for three months and Mr. Greenwood replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz said if the residents were aware of the procedures and operations of the Utility Department they would see that these types of things actually do happen. Unannounced Speaker from the audience asked if the City could get Federal, State or County assistance for the projects and Mr. Greenwood said there are no funds available at this time. Page 5 5/18/88 Unannounced Speaker from the audience had concerns with their water bills because they were away for 3 months and the bill remained the same as if they were home. Mr. Greenwood said the meters are read and rounded off to the nearest thousand of a gallon. Unannounced Speaker from the audience asked how long the current debt service would be active and City Manager Kelly replied, 30 years. Unannounced Speaker from the audience asked the City Council to comment on this matter. C/M Hoffman said the City Council paid the same taxes at the same rate as everyone else. He said the City must have pure water and in order to keep it this way, the residents will have to contribute. He said there was an Ordinance passed regarding the Utility Department allowing a resident not to pay their bill if they felt there was something wrong. He said the Ordinance was passed because a Councilmember had a problem with a high bill. He said if the residents felt their bill was not appropriate, they should report it to the Utility Department. He said Colony West's bills seemed too high and the matter would be investigated and corrected if a problem is found. C/M Sender said before looking to the residents for money to subsidize the problems, he would be looking to the County, State and the Federal Government for funding. He said he would do whatever is possible to reduce operating expenses within the City before the City turns to the residents. He said he would be looking in the Commercial and Industrial areas for additional monies. He said the City was investigating how the other Cities were raising funds for their projects and budget. C/M Rohr said the people have to be more conservative with their water. He said he would be willing to pay costs needed to keep the water healthy. He said in 1992, the City is expected to be built -out and the developer impact fees will not be available. He suggested the residents consider how they want their City to be in the future and what they will have to do to keep the City in good shape. V/M Stelzer said the reason he became involved with the meter system was because his bill was too high. He said the computer system used for meter reading was very good. He said the piping would be replaced when the City replaces their roads; however, the piping replacement was not an urgent matter. V/M Stelzer said there were chemicals in the system that correct the asbestos problems. He said there were several galvanized pipes that need to be replaced; however, the homeowners would have to pay approximately $450.00 for the replacement. He said the rusting of the pipes would cause breakage and leaking resulting in loss of water pressure. V/M Stelzer said approximately 70% of the money in the budget went to salaries. He said the Unions demanded raises for the employees every year. He said if 5% increases are given, the 5% turns into 30% because of the Page 6 H 1 IJ 5/18/88 1 benefits and this increase results in the budget increasing 21%. He said as long as the increases are mandated, the residents would have to pay higher taxes. Mayor Abramowitz thanked the residents for attending and he said if the residents had any questions or complaints they should contact the City. With no further business, Mayor Abramowitz ADJOURNED the meeting at 8230 P.M. CAROL E. BARBUTO, CITY CLERK "This public document was promulgated at a cost of $97.20 or $2.70 per copy to inform the general public, public officers and employees of recent opinions and consideration of the City Council of the City of Tamarac." Page 7