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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-06-12 - City Commission Special Meeting Minutes7525 NORTHWEST 88TH AVENUE 0 TAMARAC, FLORIDA 33321-2401 TELEPHONE (305) 722.5900 RECORD OF COUNCIL ACTIONS/DISCUSSIONS NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING CITY COUNCIL OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA PUBLIC HEARING There will be a Special Meeting of the City Council held on Monday, June 12, 1989 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Tamarac City Hall, 7525 N.W. 88th Avenue, Tamarac, Florida. The purpose of this meeting is to conduct a Public Hearing on the BSO matter. FINAL ACTION: Public Hearing was held with discussion by the City Council. The City Attorney was directed to add language to the Police Facility Lease Agreement that the lease on the Police building will be in effect as long as Tamarac has the contract with BSO. Additional public hearings may be called if necessary. All meetings are open to the public. CAE/nr Carol A. Evans City Clerk Pursuant to Section 286.0105, P8orida Statutes I' r p.. s:3n decide., to apes 9 lry dac= tiio;,l iaadn by tbS Cii ct AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAPPED STATUS CITY OF TAMARAC CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL b ►,ETING MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1989 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Abramowitz called this meeting to Order on Monday, June 12, 1989 at 7:30 P.M. in the Council Chambers. MEDITATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Abramowitz called for the Pledge of Allegia ce followed by a Moment of Silent Meditation dedicated to Rabbi Kurt Stone, who was operated on and in the hospital. PRESENT: ALSO PRESENT: Mayor Norman Abramowitz Vice Mayor Jack Stelzer Councilman Dr. H. Larry Bender Councilman Bruce Hoffman Councilman Henry Rohr John P. Kelly, City Manager Richard Doody, City Attorney Patricia Marcurio, Office Manager/ City Clerk's Office Pauline Walaszek, Special Services Secretary This meeting was a second Public Hearing regarding the proposed Broward Sheriff's Office Contract. Mayor Abramowitz announced that City Attorney Doody would be getting married this weekend and he congratulated him. Mayor Abramowitz said the City Manager read the Contract at the last meeting and there were statements made that should be answered. He said the City Council would take this time to comment on the matter. C/M Stelzer said he would like the Lease and Contract Agreements to indicate the "Broward Sheriff's Office" as opposed to "The Sheriff of Broward County". C/M Stelzer said there has been information and rumors being circulated and he would like the residents to listen carefully to what he said because _the newspapers did not print the information correctly. He said he wanted to discuss the financial status of the City. C/M Stelzer said last week he stated that there were unknown figures; however, he wanted the record to reflect that the figures were not unknown but undisclosed and were evident in the Books. He.said there were statements made that the City had a shortage in Development Fees; however, this was not correct. C/M Stelzer said the Budget indicated 1.5 million dollars of Development Fees to be collected by the Community Development, Engineering and Building Departments. He said there was approximately $700,000.00 collected for 7 months, which was approximately 15% of the total receipts and the City received approximately 46%, which should be approximately $178,000.00. He said there was a mistake made in discussing a shortage of income and Development Fees; therefore, there was no shortage of 1 million dollars in Development Fees. Page 1 6/12/89 /M Stelzer said when the tax was first proposed last year, the Finance Director reported wi"at a 10% Utility Tax would bring into the City. He said everyone disagreed that the Utility Tax should be 10%; however, four of the City Councilmembers agreed that the Utility Tax should be 5%. He said he informed the City Council that collecting 5% as a Utility Tax would cause a shortfall because the figures submitted by the Finance Director was for a 10 month period. He informed the City Council that the Utility Tax would have to be 6% in order to prevent a shortfall and this caused a rumor that Jack Stelzer proposed a 6% Utility Tax. C/M Stelzer said during the second meeting for the Utility Tax, the discussion was based on whether 6% would be implemented. He said an Ad Valorem Tax was given to the County and the City was locked into those figures. He said the City Manager confronted him regarding the possibility of eliminating the proposed Utility Tax and he informed the City Manager that this could be done; however, there would be a shortfall of approximately 1 million dollars. He said he informed the City Manager that 1 million dollars could be borrowed from the Utilities Budget; however, it was decided by four City Councilmembers that $500,000.00 would be borrowed from the Utilities Budget and approximately $260,000.00 would be deducted from the Escrow Account for Interim Service Fees. He said it was expected that $260,000.00 was expected to be collected for Interim Service Fees during the year. He said he informed the City Council that he felt this was illegal because Impact Fees for Interim Services were declared illegal in the City of Oakland Park. He said City Attorney Doody was aware of this matter because his brother handled the Case. C/M Stelzer said the City Council carried through with this matter and the City Manager decided, after a few months of the Fiscal Year, that the Interim Service Fees would be placed into an Escrow Account. He said there was approximately $520,000.00 taken out of the Budget income and the other amount from the Utilities Budget was being credited on a monthly basis. C/M Stelzer said the residents were constantly asking if the taxes would be increased. He said the City had to make up 1 million dollars of shortfall in income this year which was $500,000.00 in Impact Fees and $500,000.00 borrowed from the Utilities Budget. He said he asked that the Utility Funds be placed in the General Fund; however, there were complaints that it was illegal. He said he felt that the $500,000.00 should be returned to the Utility Budget next year because there were too many people benefiting from the monies that should not be such as the people east of 441. He said these areas did not pay Utility Funds; therefore, the Ad Valorem should not have been reduced to their benefit. C/M Stelzer said at the beginning of the Fiscal Year there was $613,000.00 of a prior year's surplus which was deposited into the General Fund to take care of the City's needs. He said this would not occur this year and there was little hope in having any type of surplus. He said every year the City Manager, Finance Director and he, as Liaison to the Budget, would review every fund in Page 2 6/12/89 the City as well as the funds of the previous two years. He said anything that did not have activity for a few years would be transferred into the General Fund to reduce the Ad Valorem. C/M Stelzer said Tallahassee had a Storm Water Management District which was very successful. He said he collected all of the information on this program and submitted it to the previous City Planner. He said every time a building was erected, concrete was laid and drainage had to be provided. He said there was a plan to charge $.75 for 1,700 square feet, which was submitted to the previous City Planner; however, there was nothing ever created for this program. He said he reviewed the Drainage Fund which was created in 1976 or 1977. He said the Fund was created when Leadership withdrew and the funds were accommodated for improvements on the homes. He said thereafter, Drainage Funds were being collected from the Developers as they came in; however, the Funds coming from the Developers were not as expedient as expected; therefore, the City contributed to the Fund. He said at the end of last year, the City contributed an excess of $600,000.00 and there was a remaining balance. He said the City Council decided to transfer the Drainage Fund amount of $600,000.00 into the General Fund. C/M Stelzer said this left a shortfall of 1 million dollars in Utility Tax, $600,000.00 short from the prior year's surplus and $650,000.00 short in the Drainage Fund. He said this totalled 2.25 million dollars. He said every 1 million dollars needed was equivalent to $1.00 in Ad Valorem Tax. He said it would cost $2.25 for $1,000.00 of assessed value more for next year. He said the Budget would have to be increased at least $2.25 which did not include the matter with the Tamarac Police Department. Referring to the Financial Statement submitted by the City Manager, C/M Stelzer said this Statement was a comparison of last year's Budget, the Tamarac Police Department proposed Budget for this year and the proposed Budget for the Broward Sheriff's Office. C/M Stelzer said the first column indicated the Budget for the Tamarac Police Department last year. He said the original Budget was $4,786,839.00 and the second column reflected adjustments. He said $167,579.00, $220,539.00 and $52,960.00 balanced out to -0-; therefore, they would be considered as reclassifications as opposed to adjustments. He said the City would provide crossing guards because the Broward Sheriff's Office did not want to include this in the Contract. He said this cost would be deducted from last year's Budget. He said the Insurance and Utilities Funds net adjustments for next year's Budget would be an increase of $71,680.00 which left a total of $4,858,519.00. C/M Stelzer said the Tamarac Police Department proposed a Budget of $4,924,546.00 for Personnel Services which included all of the fringe benefits. He said there were five Receptionists eliminated from the proposed Broward Sheriff's Office Contract at a savings of $150,000.00 plus $50,000.00 for salary adjustments. He said the Police Department's original proposal had adjustment of salaries; therefore, the original proposal became $5,740,155.00. Page 3 6/12/89 C/M Stelzer said last year and this year there was a Debt Service of $264,000.00 which had to be paid by someone. He said there would be cleaning services in the amount of $50,000.00 for the Police Facility this year. He said last year's Budget for the Police Department was $5,122,519.00; however, the proposed Budget for this year is $6,054,155.00. C/M Stelzer said the Broward Sheriff's Office original proposal included the five Receptionist positions; therefore, $200,000.00 was deducted. He said the direct operating expenses were $184,912.00 and the Insurance and Utilities would be $88,000.00 and $48,000.00. He said the capital outlay would be $253,300.00 and the reclassification would be in the amount of $47,400.00. C/M Stelzer said the original Budget for the Broward Sheriff's Office was $5,425,444.00 with an adjustment of $200,000.00 and $142,800.00; therefore, the proposed Broward Sheriff's Office Budget was $5,082,644.00, which was the actual cost of services that the City would be paying the Broward Sheriff's Office for protection. He said the Broward Sheriff's Office would be paying the City $20,000.00 per month for renting the Police Facility and $70,000.00 for cleaning. He said the net figure of the Contract would be $4,772,644.00. C/M Stelzer said there were additional costs such as the shortfall of $24,000.00 on the Debt Service. He said the first year the City would be receiving $50,000.00 for furniture and equipment in the Police Facility. He said the City would be paying $4,722,644.00 for the Broward Sheriff's Office services. C/M Stelzer said the residents were concerned about paying 27 million dollars to the Broward Sheriff's Office for 5 years; however, the City would have to pay approximately 35 million dollars in 5 years if the Police Department was retained. He said the City had a guarantee cap with the Broward Sheriff's Office; however, the Police Department may not have a cap; therefore, he did not want to compare the two. He said at the end of the fifth year with the Broward Sheriff's Office there would be an increase of 19%, which could not amount to more than $950,000.00. He said payment after 5 years to the Broward Sheriff's Office would be approximately $5,600,000.00, which was less than what the Police Department was asking for this year. C/M Stelzer said the City's insurance policies referred to Police Activity and he asked the City Manager and Personnel Director to indicate how much would be saved in insurance by eliminating the Police from the policies. He said if the City contracted with the Broward Sheriff's Office, all of the City's insurance policies would have to be revised; therefore, the savings would be evident. C/M Stelzer said the City was presently negotiating with the Police Department and, if the City did not Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office, Union negotiations had to take place. He said the City Manager submitted information about the Pension Plan and it was possible that there would be an additional savings of $500,000.00. C/M Stelzer said Sheriff's Office million dollars. tactics; however, by contracting with the City could save He said he was not if the City had to the Broward approximately 1.7 trying to use scare make up the increase I� 1 Page 4 6/12/89 1 1 [l of last year, which was $2.25 in Ad Valorem Tax and the City did not Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office, the Ad Valorem Tax could be $3.75 more than last year, which was $3.66. C/M Stelzer said when the Broward Sheriff's Office proposal was introduced, the people in the audience wanted a Referendum which he favored; however, the City did not have the time to hold a Referendum because the City must supply the County Appraiser with an Ad Valorem Tax rate by July 31, 1989. He said a Referendum could not be held until the end of October, 1989, or early November, 1989, because the paperwork and procedures had to be complied with. He said he suggested a "yes/no" vote be placed on the letter sent to the residents; however, the letter only contained public input. He said approximately 1,500 letters were returned and approximately 12 indicated that they did not want the City to Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office. C/M Stelzer said the residents submitted a petition to the City Manager and the City Attorney was directed by the City Council to draft an Ordinance that would be ready next week. He said if the Ordinance was ready next week, it would take time to process; therefore, a Referendum would not be held until November, 1989. C/M Stelzer said he recently suggested that the City Manager create two Budgets, one that included the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract and the other that included the Police Department. He said the Budget which included the Police Department figures should be submitted to the County Appraiser because it would be higher than the Budget including the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the residents had the right to do anything they wanted to stop the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office; however, two injunctions have recently been thrown out of the Courts. Ci':,. Stelzer said it would be a bad situation if the lower Ad Valorem Tax was submitted to the County Appraiser's Office and an injunction was approved at the last minute to stop the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract. C/M Stelzer said there were several statements from the public that caused arguments and the City Council was not answering the statements. He said there was a comment that the City had a 7 million dollar surplus; however, he had no idea where there was a 7 million dollar surplus. He said the residents indicated that there would be 27.5 million dollars spent for the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract; however, there were no statements regarding what the City would spend for retaining the Police Department. He said there was a statement that there would be a $.13 increase in the Ad Valorem Tax if the City merged with the Broward Sheriff's Office; however, he did not know how this was established. He said a resident indicated that 840 people voted against the Broward Sheriff's Office when it was proposed years ago; however, this was incorrect because there were over 15,000 votes cast and approximately 8,300 people voted no. C/M Stelzer said the City Council had no alternative because next week the Contract had to be decided upon and the City Manager would indicate the money points of the Contract. He said the Police receive more benefits from Page 5 6/12/89 the Broward Sheriff's Office than the City could provide. He said the Union negotiations had to be decided, the County Appraiser needed an Ad Valorem figure and every Department had to establish a Budget; therefore, this matter could not be detained. He said when the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract was brought before the City Council for approval., he would vote for it because it was in the best interest of the City. Mayor Abramowitz said this matter was a very important issue and the City Council expressed their concerns as to why he would not allow them to respond to the incorrect statements. He said the City Council had a right to discuss these issues and he asked the residents to allow their elected officials to comment on the matter. C/M Rohr commended C/M Stelzer for his Report and, if the residents had any doubts as to why the Broward Sheriff's Office was being proposed, C/M Stelzer listed all of the reasons why the merger should take place. He said on top of the financial problems, the City would have more essential protection and safety. He said he listed answers to some of the statements made by the residents which were not correct; however, he would not submit the answers at this time. He said the City Council spent a lot of time to review the Contract and their concerns were submitted to the City Manager. He said it would be unfair to the citizens to allow the residents who did not understand the ramifications or total purpose of the Contract to vote on the matter. He said the residents should rely on the people that were spending their time to do the work for the City and he was pleased that he was able to do this. He asked the residents to show confidence in the men that were elected to run the City of Tamarac with the professional help they had. C/M Hoffman commended C/M Stelzer for the amount of work that he put into his presentation. He said C/M Stelzer covered so many items, it would be impossible for anyone U0 Lullow along; however, he did not know where C/M Stelzer figured an increase of $2.25 per $1,000.00 in Ad Valorem Taxes exclusive of the Police Contract. He said there was no basis for this figure and he did not know if it was necessary to return 1 million dollars to the Utility Fund; however, he was sure that there would be a needed increase for the general operation of the City. C/M Hoffman said the City Council was asked several times what taxes would be involved if the City retained their own Police Department. He said 1 million dollars equalled $1.00 in Ad Valorem Taxes. He said if a house was assessed at $75,000.00 with a $25,000.00 Homestead Exemption, the taxes would have to be raised by approximately $50.00 per year for only the operation of the Police Department. He said at the end of 5 years, if the City retained their own Police Department, the estimates would be payment of approximately 9.4 million dollars more than for the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract. He said the Contract costs with the Broward Sheriff's Office were capped and it was unreasonable to think that the City could retain their own Police Department for at least 10% per year. He said the City would be paying an additional 9 million dollars, which represented an increase of $450.00 per each $75,000.00 for the operational costs of retaining the Police Department and this was more than what the City would be paying the Broward Sheriff's Office. Page 6 6/12/89 C/M Hoffman said the City Council would be fiscally irresponsible if they did not considt.;, the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said he indicated several times that he did not come to a conclusion regarding the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract; however, he was open to anyone that could give him a valid reason for not merging with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said he received several reasons; however, no one indicated why the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office would not be good for the City. C/M Hoffman said there were several residents who did not like Sheriff Navarro personally; however, this was not important. He said it was important what service the Broward Sheriff's Office could provide to the City at a specific price. He said the Broward Sheriff's Office could give the City a greatly improved Police presence at TAPE 2 a greatly reduced price. C/M Hoffman said there would be public input on this matter and, if the residents could submit feasible reasons why the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office should not be approved, he would vote against it. He said he has not received one valid, legitimate reason to this point why the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office should be denied. He said he was very interested in what the public had to say; however, he felt at this time that the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office should be approved. VIM Bender commended C/M Stelzer for his presentation and said he noted that there would be a savings of $37,721.00 in the Pension contributions by the City. C/M Stelzer said he did not agree with everything the City Manager stated in his letter regarding the Pension Fund. He said if the City contracted with the Broward Sheriff's Office, the employees who were not vested in the Pension Plan would only receive the monies they contributed and the monies contributed by the City would remain. He said these funds would be deducted from next year's contributions to balance out the Pension Plan. He said this was how he established the figure of savings. VIM Bender said a resident indicated that the City Council inherited a Budget in March, 1988, with a surplus of $6,338,376.00. He said the resident indicated that it seemed the Administration was not doing it's job or did not know how to handle money. C/M Stelzer said this was a misstatement because the City never had a surplus of 6 million dollars. He said there was a surplus of funds; however, surplus funds were different than surplus that could be retained or applied. He said the City was not permitted to retain 6 million dollars of surplus. VIM Bender said he reviewed the publication of the Budget and found the amounts of $6,338 and $376.00; however, in the Budget, several pages later, the actual fund balance was $820,000.00, which was either committed or obligated money. He said committed money was money set aside for programs that the City intended to start. He said when the programs were started the monies became obligated for use to pay the contractors; therefore, it was not money available in the General Fund for the City to use. He asked the residents to do a complete job when checking Page 7 6/12/89 the documents before commenting on the monies of the City. He said he reviewed the documents before commenting on them because he wanted to be fair to the City. Mayor Abramowitz said there were several misstatements given by Harold Newman, Resident, at the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing. He said the statements that regarded him personally would not be answered; however, he would assure the residents that they would be answered. Mayor Abramowitz congratulated C/M Stelzer for his presentation and said he would like to place the information into language that would be understood by every one. He said it was stated that if the City merged with the Broward Sheriff's Office, the City would spend $27,452,001.87 over a 5 year period. He said he was disturbed about what Mr. Newman did not state as opposed to what he did state. He said Mr. Newman did not indicate that it would cost the City $36,935,855.00, which was a differential of approximately 10 million dollars. Mayor Abramowitz said the City's contractual obligation called for a 5 year Contract with a 2 year option. He said he figured the cost for 7 years as opposed to 5 years and what was great about the Contract was that the City would have a cap in cost. He said C/M Stelzer indicated that at the end of the 5th year of the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office the cost would be less than the cost of this year's Contract with the Police Department. Mayor Abramowitz said he reviewed the Budget from 1986 and computed what the City could have saved if they went with the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract in 1986. He said he was not involved with the Broward Sheriff's Office regardless of what the residents hear. He said if the City would have gone with the Broward Sheriff's Office in 1986, the City would have saved approximately 2 million dollars plus more each year because of the cap. He said the Police Department Budget increased each year 62.1%; however, the greatest advantage of merging with the Broward Sheriff's Office was that the City would have greater Police service. He said it was not because the Broward Sheriff's Office was smarter than the City but because the Broward Sheriff's Office had the manpower. He said every resident in Broward County paid for the Broward Sheriff's Office now without benefit. He said the City Council became very upset when the residents made statements that were not correct because they were misinformed; therefore, the City Council had to respond. C/M Hoffman said he wanted to make certain that as long as the City renewed the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office, the Broward Sheriff's Office would be obligated to rent the City's Police Facility. He said he wanted to prevent a new Sheriff being appointed that did not want the City's Police Facility. He said he wanted the Lease to run concurrent with any Contract renewal made with the Broward Sheriff's Office. Mayor Abramowitz said he used the inaccurate term "Development Fees" as opposed to "Revenue". He said the amount of 1 million dollars was incorrect. He said he objected to a "yes" or "no" vote on the letter sent to the residents because he felt that the residents should have the right to express their opinion. Page 8 6/12/89 Mayor Abramowitz asked City Manager Kelly for the latest amount of responses to the letter sent to the residents and City Manager Kelly said 976 responses were received and 922 approved the merger, 31 were against and the balance had more questions. C/M Stelzer said C/M Hoffman indicated that the residents may not understand his comments regarding the $2,250,000.00 shortage. He said there was a $650,000.00 Drainage fee that the City would never have again, $613,000.00 surplus for the prior year, which would never be added again, $500,000.00 in Impact Fees for Interim Services was lost and the City must return $500,000.00 to the Utility Fund because it was an inequitable reduction of taxes that some people were not entitled to. He said this amounted to $2.25 per year that the residents would have to pay without Budget changes and merging with the Broward Sheriff's Office. C/M Hoffman suggested that C/M Stelzer not write the Budget for the City Council because C/M Stelzer only cast one vote as opposed to five. He said when the figures were available, the City Council should discuss and vote on it. A Resident had concerns regarding all of the residents not receiving the letters. She said the count of letters received was very deceiving because the letters were not submitted to all of the residents. Mayor Abramowitz asked the City Manager to indicate what the changes were in the Contract and Lease Agreements. City Manager Kelly said the Contract for Police Services, Page 4, Item H. "Five Receptionists" clause was deleted. He said Page 7, Article III, third line, "Vehicles" was underlined because it was not specifically stated that vehicles would be included. He said Page 9, there were underlinings that indicated "Personnel within the Police Department" because there would be other personnel besides "Police Officers". He said the intent on the last line was to comfort the Unions regarding light duty personnel or excused personnel and personnel that may fail the required drug test. He said the Broward Sheriff's Office agreed to include all other Tamarac Police Department personnel within the Broward Sheriff's Office. City Manager Kelly said Page 11, Article 8.1, first and second line referred to $1,033,000.00, which was the sum paid by the City'to the Broward Sheriff's Office for the the last three months of this fiscal year. He said this would remain constant as monthly payments of $344,527.00. He said it was previously $5p042,644.00 and, after the elimination of $150,000.00 for the five Receptionists and an additional reduction of $50,000.00 for salaries, the final payments made by the City to the Broward Sheriff's Office would be $5,082,644.00 with monthly payments of $4,023,544.00. He said the next change was significant because if factored in the Police Facility Lease Agreement. He said this meant that $240,000.00 would be reduced because this was the amount that the City would receive from the Broward Sheriff's Office for the rental of the Police Facility. He said the Broward Sheriff's Office would also be paying the City $70,000.00 for maintenance of the Police Facility and $50,000.00 for equipment. He said the City bought $46,000.00 worth of Page 9 6/12/89 equipment and the furniture for the Police Facility and refurbished the balance of furniture. He said the refurbished equipment was included with the vehicles but the Broward Sheriff's Office would be submitting a check in the amount of $50,000.00 for the new equipment. He said the total cost to the City would be $4,722,644.00. City Manager Kelly said Page 12, "Broward Sheriff's Office" was inserted to replace "Sheriff". He said Page 18, bottom of Page "of" was inserted after "expiration". He said Page 19, end of first Paragraph, "At the end of the 5 year Agreement, the value of the appraised vehicles and equipment may be negotiated as a credit towards the option renewal costs." C/M Stelzer suggested that "Sheriff" be changed to "The Broward Sheriff's Office" throughout the Police Contract and Lease Agreement and City Manager Kelly said the documents would be changed throughout. C/M Rohr asked if Page 17, Article 18, Termination, referred to the Leasing of the Police Facility and City Manager Kelly said this pertained to the first 5 years. C/M Rohr asked if the Broward Sheriff's Office paid the City for the use of the Police Facility as long as the City Contracted with them and City Manager Kelly replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz asked that the residents limit their remarks to three minutes and give courtesy to the people speaking. Corporal Phil Forsberg, President of the Tamarac Fraternal Order of Police, said he sat with the City Manager and the Broward Sheriff's Office during the Contract negotiations. He said there was a savings of money; however, the issue was that of the people doing the Police work. He said the Police and staff were often forgotten; however, because of economics, this could be understood. He said the Police Officers worked the roads and the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office was totally supported by the members of the Fraternal Order of Police. He said the Fraternal Order of Police was planning on negotiating with the City this year to get a 28% raise over a two year period. Corporal Forsberg said the Police felt that they would have a safer working environment, appropriate equipment, needed support and services and a good benefit package with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said on behalf of the Tamarac Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 97, the City Council and staff had their support in merging with the Broward Sheriff's Office. Morris Glicksman, Resident, said the Police Department had to be paid regardless of whether it was by the City or the Broward Sheriff's Office. He suggested that the City continue negotiations with the Police Department and submit a Contract that would be suitable to allow them so that the City could remain a whole City and not an amputated one. He said he lived in Tamarac since 1970 and the relationship between the Police Department and residents has always been friendly and harmonious and the residents liked their own Police Department. He said Page 10 6/12/89 that divorcing the residents from the Police Department was foolish, unthinkable and ridiculous because the Police Department was servicing the City of Tamarac to the residents satisfaction. Mr. Glicksman said the reason given by the Administration for Contracting with the Broward Sheriff's Office was financial which did not seem right. He said on June 10, 1989, V/M Bender stated that he did not mind paying more than the City of Lauderhill as long as the service was better. He asked if there would be a different quality in service. He said he would like to be able to take his grandchildren to the new Police Facility and show them the City of Tamarac's Police Department. He asked the City Council to reconsider this merger and, if needed, hold a Referendum to see how the residents feel. C/M Hoffman said he was concerned with the differential in payment of the City of Tamarac and the City of Lauderhill. He said he did not feel that the City of Tamarac should pay more than the City of Lauderhill; however, he found out that the City of Lauderhill had a total area of 7 square miles compacted when the City of Tamarac's area was approximately 14 square miles strung out in a long stretch of road. He said this made a big difference in the Police activity plus there would be an addition of 13 people to the City of Tamarac as opposed to the City of Lauderhill. He said even though the population of the City of Lauderhill was comparable to the City of Tamarac, the area covered and the responsibility of the control work was different; therefore, there was a difference in cost. Charles Wiesenthal, Resident of Timber Point, said during the 1986 Referendum the residents of Tamarac voted to retain their own Police Department. He said the Mayor and City Council was now ignoring the will of the people. He said the City Attorney stated at the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing that the Mayor and City Council could sign the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office since there was no transfer of power. He said the City Attorney cited the Palm Beach Case; however, the Case did not apply since there was no Referendum involved; therefore, the Mayor and City Council were misled. Mr. Wiesenthal said the Mayor and City Council were elected to carry out the will of the people and not tell the people that they did not know enough to make a decision. He said this was a Democracy and the people should be given the information to make a decision; however, the residents were not given all the facts. He asked why the City held Public Hearings if no one listened to what the Public had to say. He asked why there was such a rush to begin the Contract when there were holes in the Contract that favored the Sheriff. He said the rental of the Police Facility only covered the blind interest; therefore, the City could not be gaining because there was no provision for a Performance Bond or the funds needed if the City had to retain their own Police Department if the Broward Sheriff's Office merger did not work out. He asked if the Fire Department would be next because the City was becoming a second class City as opposed to a full service City. Irving Polk, President of Belfort Neighborhood Association in Kings Point, said in a Democracy there were people with different ideas and there were times when people had strong opinions on a given subject. He Page 11 6/12/89 said he respected the people's views; however, he may not agree with them. He said the Mayor and City Council had to sometimes make hard decisions and they had to have an open mind on the issue concerning the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said he believed the issue to be a matter of economics because of the financial problems expected in the upcoming Police negotiations and City Budget. Mr. Polk said in order to resolve the financial problems the City Council had to make decisions such as raised taxes, salaries cut and staff elimination which all were necessary to upgrade the City. He said the residents could only make suggestions as to how to resolve the problems and the City Council must make the hard decisions. He said if the City could save money and assure more protection it was the step in the right direction for the Administration to consider. He said he had faith in the City Council to do what was right for the City and he felt it would be a waste of time and money to hold a Referendum on this issue. He said it was unwise to leave the decision to the people who elected the City Council to make these decisions. Mayor Abramowitz said the previous speaker sounded like the City was transferring their Police personnel to the City of Sunrise. He said the City was keeping the Police personnel in the City and the City was pleased to have the current personnel. He said the only thing being done was that the Tamarac Police Department were changing uniforms. City Manager Kelly said Mr. Wiesenthal referred to the rental of the Police Facility. He said the City would not be required to pay the utilities, telephone communication or maintenance costs for the Facility. Herman Schuman, Resident, said he believed that the Contract was good and the only thing the City would lose was prestige which was a cheap price to pay for the added sate ty that the residents would receive. He said the existing Police Department should have more manners when handling the residents. He asked if a high Ad Valorem Tex g0)mitted to the County Appraisers Office would increase the taxes. TAPE 3 C/M Stelzer replied, no, because the Ad Valorem Tax would be lowered before the Budget was adopted. He said if the City did not submit a high Ad Valorem Tax to the County Appraisers Office, the City would be committed to the lower Ad Valorem Tax. Sam Nadan, Resident of Kings Point, said he was speaking as representative of the Independent Political Action Committee of Tamarac (IMPACT). He said they were not concerned with the economics of the matter and their Case in the Courts would be heard in the future. He said the Board of Director instructed their Attorney to pursue the action and, if necessary, to the Supreme Courts. He said a previous City Council gave the residents the right of Referendum; therefore, this City Council should not take away the right to vote on the same question: He said the way to fight City Hall was through the Ballot or groups such as IMPACT; therefore, IMPACT would use the right during the March, 1989/90 Election to vote the City Council out of Office. Page 12 6/12/89 1 Mayor Abramowitz said he quoted an Article from the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel dated Maur 5, 1989, last week and he wanted to requote the Article.' He said the Article related to the County Commission; however, he would like to change "County Commission" to "City Council". He read as follows: "City Council's were elected to make tough decisions about taxes and spending and to be held accountable for their decisions not pass the buck to Voters in a Referendum." Mayor Abramowitz said this decision was not easy but it was the elected officials decision to make. He said if the residents wanted trained monkeys as opposed to a thinking City Council, then the residents knew what they had to do at the next election. Abe Garr, President of Kings Point Civic Association, said everyone that attended the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing certainly understood the Broward Sheriff's Office proposal clearly. He said the air should be cleared and it was obvious that the people opposing the merger were political and wanted to kill a deal that would benefit the City. He said he opposed the 6% Utility Tax from a constructive point of view because there were other alternatives. He said he felt that Mayor Abramowitz would do his best for the City and he did not operate under the premise that to be Mayor, all he had to do was kiss babies and shake hands. Mr. Garr said Mayor Abramowitz worked diligently with the City Manager on the Broward Sheriff's Office proposal and a Contract was created that increased safety and saved money. He said the political residents wanted a Referendum. He said he worked on Contracts for several years and he felt that the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office was one of the best Contracts that he ever saw. He congratulated the City Manager for negotiating the Contract. Mayor Abramowitz asked that Abe Garr include the City Council, who have been working hard and conscientious on the Broward Sheriff's Office proposal. Sol Regen, Resident of Lakes of Carriage Hills, said he approved of the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office because it would give the residents better Police protection. He asked how much of the County taxes paid by the residents was allocated to the Broward Sheriff's Office. Mayor Abramowitz said 58% of the County taxes were allocated to the Broward Sheriff's Office. Mr. Regen asked what the extra cost would be to the" taxpayers if the City merged with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said he would waive the answer until the other speakers completed their comments. C/M Hoffman said the taxable assessed valuation of the City was approximately 1 billion dollars and the current County Ad Valorem Tax was $6.07 per thousand. He said the residents were paying approximately $6,585,000.00 to the County and 58% went to the Broward Sheriff's Office regardless of whether the City received the services of the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the City was paying for the upkeep of the Broward Sheriff's Office in Page 13 6/12/89 the amount of $3,800,000.00. He said this was unfair; however, there was very little that could be done. He said the way taxes were in Florida, t""12 City must pay the full tax rate that was paid by every resident of the County. C/M Rohr said Mr. Regen asked how much more the residents would have to pay for the Broward Sheriff's Office if the City merged with them. He said the City would not pay any more because the Budget would be less with the Broward Sheriff's Office than it would be if the City retained their own Police Department. Sonny Winnerman, Resident and Officer of Ashmont/Kings Point, said that there were over 500 residents of the Ashmont Section that did not receive the letter to the residents. Mayor Abramowitz said the City received the list of Registered Voters from Jane Carroll's, Supervisor of Elections Office. He said the City was informed that Lakes of Carriage Hills and certain Sections of Kings Point did not receive the letters. He said the residents were asked at the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing to inform the City if they did not receive their letter. He said there were approximately 700 letters hand delivered over the weekend; however, if there were residents who did not receive their letter, they should inform him or the City Manager and every effort would be made to have the letters delivered. David Krantz, Resident of Section 23, said the City Manager listed three options in his letter to the residents. He said the first option to decrease City services was not acceptable and the second option to increase taxes with the possibility of a Utility Tax would be disastrous as well. He said the third option to merge with the Broward Sheriff's Office was the most feasible option when all of the facts were considered. He said the merger would mean more Police Officers on duty, more Police patrol, better crime prevention, protection and investigation. He said the Contract provided the City with a well organized County agency and it removed the City's Police Department from the possible stigma of local politics. He said the Contract would also save the City an excess of 1.million dollars per year. Mr. Krantz said at the last City Council Workshop meeting, Police Chief Joseph McIntosh indicated that he favored the merger and practically every Police Officer in the Police Department favored the Contract. He said there were 41 Presidents of the United States and they were never asked for a Binding Referendum. He said the 9 Justices of the Supreme Court were never asked for a Binding Referendum. He said Congress of the United States passed legislation every day that affected the Citizens; however, no one ever asked Congress for a Binding Referendum. He asked that the residents allow the City Council to do their jobs without the restrictions of Binding Referendums. He said there were 922 letters approving the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office and 31 against; therefore, this was a Binding Referendum. Don Perlman, Resident, said he was ashamed of what he saw at this meeting because the matter of concern was not a political issue. He said he approved a County wide u Page 14 6/12/89 Sheriff's Department by an appointed official as well as for a Fire Department. He said this was where the City was to be looking and there was an easy way of getting the Broward Sheriff's Office services free of charge by eliminating the Charter. He said the entire County should be one Police Department and the Police Officers and Firefighters should be paid living wages. He said the residents would not refuse to give the Police and Fire Departments what they wanted; therefore, the City Council had a lot more work to do on this matter. Anthony Grimaldi, Resident of Sunflower/Heathgate, said there were several people in the Sunflower/Heathgate area that did not receive the letter. Mayor Abramowitz asked if Mr. Grimaldi could see that the distribution was done and Mr. Grimaldi said there would be no purpose in doing this because the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office would be approved. Mr. Grimaldi said there were comments made that this matter was political and it was unfair for the residents to make this statement. He said he supported Bernard Hart for Mayor; however, he came to know Mayor Abramowitz during the election and he felt that Mayor Abramowitz would be a good Mayor because of the platform that was presented. He said, unfortunately, during Mayor Abramowitz's first presentation of the Budget to the residents, everything said on his platform was not true. He said there were reasons for people to think that there were things wrong along the line. Mr. Grimaldi said within the last few weeks there were things occurring with the School Board that pertained to busing. He said the people expressed their concerns; however, the School Board did not hear them. He said this was the same thing with the residents regarding this issue and, as long as there were people who asked him to assist in matters, he would even though he did not intend to run for office. Mr. Grimaldi said for 3 weeks in the City of Beijing thousands of young people and students fought to present their program to the leaders of their Country and the leaders allowed this to occur until they decided to stop them by shooting them. He said he was thankful that the City Council was not shooting at the residents of Tamarac. Mayor Abramowitz said the City has been tranquil and quiet which has not occurred within the last few years. He said his political advisors informed him that it was crazy to be involved in this issue because it was detrimental and the political enemies were being given an issue. He said he was not elected to cut ribbons, kiss babies and kick footballs onto a field. He said the City Council had to do what they felt was the proper thing because this was what they were elected for and that was what the City Council was supposed to do. He said if residents wanted less than that, they wanted trained monkeys. C/M Rohr said there were approximately 42,000 residents and the issue was presented for several weeks. He said there were 230 seats in the Council Chambers and, at the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing, there were approximately 175 people who attended. He said there were approximately 200 in attendance at this meeting; therefore, if there i Page 15 6/12/89 was such opposition to the Mayor and City Council deciding this issue, there would be more people attending. He said most of the residents in the City had confidence in the City Council and Mayor and they knew that the City Council and Mayor would not do things to hurt anyone because if the residents were hurt the City Council and Mayor would hurt. He said the City Council and Mayor were residents of the City and all of the opposing residents did not review the matter thoroughly because they would find that it would cost the City much more by not Contracting with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said he was honored that people had respect and confidence in their City Council and he would continue to do what he could. Ben Goldberg, Resident of Royal Palm Court, asked that the City Council allow the voters of Tamarac to express their opinions by a Binding Vote. He said the Police Expenditures for 7 months was $2,549,652.00 against a total Budget $4,840,816.00. He asked why there was a hurry and the matter could be completed at the Fiscal closing and the residents could be given a binding vote. Mr. Goldberg said the proposed Budget given to Harold Newman indicated a proposed Budget of $6,204,155.00 and a proposed Budget for the Broward Sheriff's Office for approximately $425,444.00. He said the proposed Police Budget suggested that they were looking towards the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the City did not attempt to review or revise the City Budget before beginning negotiations with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said he was never given a free ride on maintenance or utilities as a leaser and the costs were usually doubled. Alfred Winder, Resident of Bermuda Club, said he objected to the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office because having a Police Department in Tamarac was very important. Abraham Feldman, Resident of Westwood 22, asked if Cities which merged with the Broward Sheriff's Office were investigated to see if they were receiving the services promised in their Contracts. He asked what recourse the City had if the Broward Sheriff's Office did not adhere to the Contract. Mayor Abramowitz said he received two letters, one from the Mayor of the City of Lauderdale Lakes and the other from the Mayor of the City of Lauderhill. He said both letters gave opinions of the Broward Sheriff's Office and he submitted these letters to Mr. Feldman. C/M Stelzer said the Contract specified penalties if the City did not receive the amount of Police enforcement as contracted. C/M Rohr said at the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing, a former Council person stated she knew that the Cities Contracting with the Broward Sheriff's Office were very unhappy. He said he was upset that he could not respond to this statement; however, at the Northwest Council of Mayor's Meeting held today, he sat next to the Mayors of Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes and they both indicated that they were happy with the arrangement with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the Mayors were upset with anyone making this kind of remark about their Cities and their connection with the Broward Sheriff's Office. 1 1 1 Page 16 6/12/89 TAPE 4 Joseph O'Loughlin, Resident and Police Officer, said he was a Police Officer in the City for approximately 9 years and a Sergeant for 3 years. He said he approved of the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office because of the higher wage scale, better benefits, greater opportunities for the Police Officers to receive career advancement and greater job satisfaction. He said the advantage to the residents was easily seen and, as a resident who was concerned about taxes and the health and welfare of his family and City, he favored the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the citizens would have a guaranteed level of higher services at a lower and fixed cost for 7 years. He said the City would maintain control of the Police Department by controlling who transferred in and out of the District and who was appointed District Commander. Mr. O'Loughlin said the City would be patrolled by the same Police Officers and the Broward County Chiefs of Police Association recently began a study for a large integrated Police Agency, County -wide. He said this type of organization already existed, which was the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said a large organization would be able to focus and concentrate it's resources in areas of high crime when needed with Officers available for these purposes as opposed to Officers that would be taken from other duties within the City. He said since the population in Broward increased the Broward Sheriff's Office reflected the obvious answer to the problems. Mayor Abramowitz introduced Joe Varcelone, Vice Mayor of Margate. Vice Mayor Varcelone said he was not present to take a stand on the issue; however, he did want to compliment the City Council, staff and audience for listening to each other regardless of what side they were on. Mayor Abramowitz said the Mayor of North Lauderdale was .resent at the beginning of the meeting. Bernard Hart, Resident of Section 16, said he intended to read what he wrote even though newcomers to the City accused him of being political. He said the main question was if the citizens had the moral right to vote on a proposal that would change the structure of the City. Mr. Hart said he has said after all facts were made known and it was in the best interest of the City, he would endorse the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the right of those who pay the bill to vote "yes" or "no" should not be questioned. He said he and several others asked how much the taxes would be raised if the Police Department Budget was given a reasonable increase and the questions were almost answered tonight by C/M Stelzer; however, Mayor Abramowitz refused to answer this question. Mr. Hart said the Contract amount was reduced last week by $300,000.00 with the concurrence of Chief McIntosh. He suggested that the City Council review the Contract further to see if additional costs could be cut. He said there was still enough time to review, prepare next year's Budget and allow the residents time to vote. He said during the June 5, 1989 Public Hearing, a misguided person gave the impression that at the last Election on this issue, 840 voted. He said 7,770 voters rejected the Page 17 6/12/89 previous proposal by the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said the Action Committee of Tamarac, IMPACT, Concerned Citizens, Tamarac Democratic Club, Tamarac Presidents Council and Sunflower/Heathgate Homeowners Association were requesting that the residents be allowed to vote on this issue. Mr. Hart challenged anyone on the City Council to make a Motion to go to Referendum to determine who opposed and who approved of the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said if the City Council was so sure that the Public supported them on this issue why not allow the residents to vote. He said C/M Rohr's statement regarding there being 220 people in the audience did not mean that these people represented 29,800 Registered Voters in the City. He asked the City Council to allow the residents to vote and he would voice his opinion as well. He said that employees of the City and Police Officers were still employees of the City until the Contract was signed. He said he resented the Police Officers who booed the speakers they did not agree with. C/M Rohr said he remembered the previous straw vote on the Broward Sheriff's Office matter and the only difference was approximately 700 votes. He said when the vote came in, the City Council was very disappointed and Mr. Hart indicated his disappointment to the people because it was a straw vote. He said the City Council had the right and the duty to decide whether or not negotiations should take place with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said there was a lot of talk regarding whether the City Council should pursue the issue; however, there were several people. C/M Hoffman said Mr. Hart mentioned Civic Organizations that opposed the merger with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said 6% of Sunflower/Heathgate came out to vote during an Election that concerned a School Board matter. He said Concerned Citizens consisted of two peox)le and he would like to know how many more people Mr. Hart spoke for in the other Organizations. He said he attended the Democratic Organization and the vote was taken illegally and improperly which he protested to the D��<<uc�di:ic Executive Committee about the action. He said the difference was not more than 5 people and one of Mr. Hart's cronies did the counting. He said Mr. Hart mentioned statistics as falsely as things Mr. Hart did as Mayor. Shirley Blumfield, Resident of Isles of Tamarac, said when the Contract was signed, she would feel more secure and comfortable knowing that the residents would be supported by the Police Department and with the knowledge of the Broward Sheriff's Office. She said it disturbed her to hear the residents degrade the City Council. She said the residents were not sticking to the issue which was the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract. She said the res=d'nts were consistently referring to their rights; however, no one was referring to the rights of the City Council. Mrs. Blumfield thanked the City Council for answering all of her questions and she said the rights of the people would not be infringed upon if the residents allowed the City Council to sign the Contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office; however, the rights of the City Council would be infringed upon if the matter went to Referendum. She said the City Council was elected to legislate as Page 18 6/12/89 opposed to being allowed to legislate. She said for the good of the people, the Contract with. ,°-,he Broward Sheriff's Office must not be delayed "ay further. Harold Newman, Resident, said the last twelve years he was asked to run for the Mayor and City Council seats; however, he would never seek Public Office. He said he wanted the residents to have the right to vote either "yes" or "no" on the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract; however, the residents were being denied this right because the City Manager failed to provide to the Members of the Petitioners Committee the necessary blank form, as required by law and stated in Ordinance 76-34, Article VI, Section 6.09 and Section II, Paragraph 2 of the City Charter which stated: "The City Manager shall promptly prepare at issue the appropriate petition blanks to the Petitioners' Committee." Mr. Newman said Webster Dictionary indicated "promptly" to be "at once, or without delay, ready, quick." He said his concern on the Broward Sheriff's Office matter was devoted to make certain that the Contract between the City and the Broward Sheriff's Office was to the best interest of the residents. He said he did not feel that the Lease Agreement was in the benefit of the City and he questioned how some of the terms were arrived at such as, how the $10.00 per square footage was determined. He said considering the Police Facility was constructed in the amount of 2.5 million dollars and was never occupied, it was a great deal for the Broward Sheriff's Office to pay $10.00 per square footage. He said rentals for stores in new shopping centers where they could not get tenants, cost $14.00 to $20.00 per square footage. Mr. Newman asked to meet with City Manager Kelly regarding the other questions that he had. He said he felt that a good business sense would have been to have a triple net Lease. He said the Mayors of Lauderdale Lakes and Lauderhill praised the Broward Sheriff's Office as having performed their Police duties in an exemplary fashion. He said the subject of the Broward Sheriff's Office was a defeated question; however, he asked that the Broward Sheriff's Office perform their Police duties in the same professional manner to the people in Tamarac as they do elsewhere. City Manager Kelly said Mr. Newman indicated that there were shopping centers who could not get tenants but they charged $14.00 to $20.00 per square footage. Mr. Newman said some of the shopping centers were having a hard time; however, when they rented, they received $14.00 to $20.00 per square footage. Mayor Abramowitz said Mr. Newman stated that the City Manager did not submit the necessary documents for a petition to him. He asked Mr. Newman if he informed the residents that the document was delivered to the City Manager late Thursday which was turned over to the City Attorney. He said the City Attorney was in Court Friday, June 9, 1989, getting the proposed injunction denied and dismissed by the Judge. He said the City Attorney has been researching the matter and he has informed that the information would be ready tomorrow. He said he did not understand Mr. Newman's comments since the information was submitted just recently. Page 19 6/12/89 Mr. Newman asked City Attorney Doody i.f he was supposed to submit the information to him todaf. City Attorney Doody said he received a copy of a Petition that was delivered at 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 8, 1989. He said Friday morning he was in Court. He said an Ordinance was submitted to him that had a title of approximately 90 words which did not meet 101.161 of the Florida Statutes that required 75 words. He said these were the types of issues that he was responsible to research. He said it took Mr. Newman one week to draft the Ordinance; however, he only had 1-1/2 days to submit a 3,000 signature petition. He said he resented the fact that he dropped several items that were needed to get the petition. He said he dealt with the matter promptly and the documents would be ready tomorrow. Irving Lopatey, President of the Tamarac Presidents Council, said the Tamarac Presidents Council began their meeting last Tuesday, June 6, 1989, with 40 voting members. He said when there were 13 voting members, a Motion was made and remade until finally the Motion was clarified. He said the Motion which was passed was to refer to the Advisory Committee for advice to the Board of Directors for a recommendation as to whether there should be a Referendum or not. Sam Schwartz, Resident of Concord Village, said he supported the Broward Sheriff's Office merger. He said he worked in many different developments and it pleased him to see a Sheriff's vehicle being brought home and visible. He said the Tamarac Police Department did not have the appropriate equipment or backup when there was a vehicle or Police Officer out of service. He said when these things were needed so drastically, he was ashamed that anyone opposed it. Mr. Schwartz said there were several comments made regarding this matter not being political which he disagreed with because in 1986 he and Shirley Blumfield were passing out booklets on the issue. He said the matter did not pass and the Mayor at that time promised that the City Council would abide by the residents' wishes which they did. He said there were papers being passed around that indicated in 1990 the Mayor and Council would be eliminated because they were not giving the people the right to vote. He said the Mayor and City Council were elected by the people to do a job and he felt they were doing a great job; therefore, the residents should allow the City Council and Mayor to continue. C/M Stelzer said he sat through the Tamarac Presidents Council meeting last week and he informed them that he was disappointed that the Tamarac Presidents Council never came to a determination as to whether a Referendum should be held. He said Mr. Newman made several Motions that a Referendum should be held and the final Motion was that the Tamarac Presidents Council should come out with a stand that they were in favor of a Referendum. He said this was what happened as opposed to what Mr. Lopatey just stated. Mayor Abramowitz thanked the residents for their consideration and patience. He requested those who professed an interest in the City support the Broward Sheriff's Office Contract and, if it was not an appropriate decision, the residents could resolve the Page 20 6/12/89 �J 1 F---j matter during the March, 1990 Elections. He said he would like the residents to give the Contract an opportunity because it would be in the best interest of the City if it worked as it was created to work. With no further business, Mayor Abramowitz ADJOURNED this meeting at 10:35 P.M. 42 Z6�� �- ROL A. EVANS, CITY CLERK "This public document was promulgated at a cost of $180.80 or $22.60 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. CIT Y OF TAMARAC APPROVED AT MEETING OF City Clerk Page 21