HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-08-15 - City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes7525 NORTHWEST 88TH AVENUE 0 TAMARAC, FLORIDA 33321-2401
TELEPHONE (305) 722.5900
August 10, 1989
NOTICE OF
CITY COUNCIL
BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING
for FISCAL YEAR 1989/90
There will be Workshop Meetings of the City Council held in
Conference Room #1, City Hall, 7525 NW 88 Avenue, Tamarac,
Florida.
The purpose of these meetings is to review the budgets for
the following Departments for Fiscal Year 1.989/90:
MONDAY. AUGUST 14. 1989, 9:30 A.M.
Fire Department
Building Department
Code Enforcement
Community Development
Economic Development Office
• TUESDAY, AUGUST 1.5, 1989, 1:00 P.M.
Data Processing
Purchasing
Engineering Street Lighting
Personnel
Insurance Operations
Insurance Services
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1989, 9:30 A.M.
Charter Board
Public Works Administration
Parks and Recreation
Parks Facility
Drainage
Fleet Maintenance
City Hall Operations
Street and Road
Buildings and Grounds
Police Building
All meetings are open to the public.
Carol A. Evans
City Clerk
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAPPED STATUS
CITY OF TAMARAC
CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1989
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Abramowitz called this meeting to Order on
Tuesday, August 15, 1989 at 1:00 P.M. in Conference Room #1 (City
Clerk's Office).
PRESENT:
Mayor Norman Abramowitz
Vice Mayor Dr. H. Larry Bender
Councilman Bruce Hoffman
Councilman Henry Rohr
Councilman Jack Stelzer
ALSO PRESENT:
John P. Kelly, City Manager
Ken Burroughs, Finance Director
Bob Hoyt, Deputy Finance Director
Dina McDermott, Assistant to the
City Manager
Bob Foy, Director of Utilities/
Engineering
Bill Land, Purchasing Director
Glenda Christian, Director of
Data Processing
Pauline Walaszek, Special Services
Secretary
The purpose of this meeting was to review the budgets for the
following Departments for Fiscal Year 1989/90:
Consumer Affairs Board
Data Processing
Engineering
Engineering Street Lighting
Purchasing
Personnel
Safety Advisory Board
Sanitation Services
Veteran Affairs Board
Finance De artment - Page 18
Ken Burroughs, Finance Director, said the proposed Budget
was the City Manager's recommendation to continue the
excellent financial record keeping of the City.
Mayor Abramowitz said Item 122, Part -Time Employee Wages,
reflected a -0- amount last year; however, this year
$6,140.00 was allotted. Mr. Burroughs said he provided
for this cost in Item 155, Temporary Employee Wages, in
the amount of $2,020.00; however, during the Budget
preparation it was not anticipated that the Senior
Citizen Program would eliminate the person in this
position. He said the Program was eliminated because the
employee has been working for the City for several years.
Mayor Abramowitz said the Senior Citizen Program was not
eliminated and City Manager Kelly said the employee's
eligibility in the Program was eliminated because of the
length of time the employee was working for the City. He
Page 1
8/15/89
said this employee had great skills and was familiar with
the Finance Department; therefore, he felt that the
employee should remain with the City as a Part -Time
Employee.
Mayor Abramowitz said he did not want to move the
employee from the Finance Department; however, the
employee may be able to work in another Department to
avoid the elimination from the Senior Citizen's Program.
C/M Rohr asked what the employee's functions were in the
Finance Department and Mr. Burroughs said the employee
handled the telephones, typing and filing.
Mayor Abramowitz said he did not know the employee;
however, he liked it better when the Senior Citizens
Program was paying the wages.
C/M Rohr asked if the employee would be receiving
benefits and Mr. Burroughs said the employee would
receive half of the benefits a full-time employee would
receive.
C/M Rohr said with the Benefits, the cost may be
$8,000.00 and Mr. Burroughs said approximately $8,000.00.
C/M Rohr asked if Mr. Burroughs could receive another
employee from the Senior Citizens Program and Mr.
Burroughs said the Program may give another Department an
Aide; however, he did not know if they would give the
Finance Department another employee.
Mayor Abramowitz asked who determined where the Aides
were placed and City Manager Kelly said the City made a
request to the Program for an employee for a certain
Department. City Manager Kelly said the City did not
always receive the top of the line people for the
position and there were several instances where the Aide
sent was not appropriate for the job. He said the
employee in the Finance Department was very qualified and
an asset to the Department.
Mayor Abramowitz said he understood that the employee was
an asset; however, he was disturbed that the City was
paying for a service that they once had for free. He
suggested that the City Manager investigate the matter to
see if other procedures were available.
City Manager Kelly said the first cost was good; however,
the City received what was paid for and the employee was
very qualified; therefore, he and the Finance Department
would like to retain her services. He said when a new
person was provided, the services were not as good
because they were learning.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 170, Paid. Vacation, was
increased by approximately $6,900.00 and Mr. Burroughs
said there were two employees, namely, the Finance
Director and the Deputy Finance Director, that may be
leaving within the next year. Mr. Burroughs said
accumulated vacation had to be provided for.
Mayor Abramowitz said when there was such a difference in
costs, the question had to be asked and Mr. Burroughs
said he would be remiss if he did not request the proper
funding for the operation of the Department.
Page 2
3/15/89
C/M Stelzer asked if paid vacation was accrued in the
Budget in the past until the Department felt the employee
was leaving and City Manager Kelly said last year the
Department Heads did not anticipate the employees
leaving; however, they did this year.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if this was done in the past and
Mr. Burroughs replied, yes.
Mayor Abramowitz said Item 402, Travel -Other, has
allocated $1,150.00 and he asked if the Finance Director
and Deputy Finance Director usually went to the seminars.
City Manager Kelly said there was a seminar for the
Finance Director and one for the Chief Accountant. He
said the Chief Accountant would be attending the Florida
Institute of Government Career Development. He said
there were instances in other Departments where employees
attended the seminars at their own cost.
Mr. Burroughs said the Florida Institute of Government
Career Development was at Florida State University and
sponsored by the Florida League of Cities. He said the
seminar was held for one week and the Finance Department
was trying to develop the Junior staff into
professionals.
Mayor Abramowitz said he did not want to vote on a
seminar for Mr. Burroughs to attend if Mr. Burroughs
intended on leaving this year and City Manager Kelly said
this was why he stated, "Finance Director".
V/M Bender asked why Item 463, Office Equipment Repairs,
was increased by approximately $730.00 and Mr. Burroughs
said he anticipated using less than what was Budgeted
last year because the Departments had a Budget
restriction. Mr. Burroughs said there were several items
in the Department that needed to be repaired.
City Manager Kelly said if repairs were put off for one
year, repairs would definitely be needed during the next
year.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if there was equipment that was
not working and needed to be repaired and V/M Bender
asked if there were service agreements on the equipment.
Mr. Burroughs said there were service agreements on the
personal computers and typewriters.
Mr. Burroughs said Item 463 included service on the check
signer, pool typewriters, personal computers and cash
registers. V/M Bender said most of the equipment was
covered by service contracts and he suggested this Item
be reduced by at least $500.00.
C/M Rohr asked where the costs were itemized for the
service contracts and Mr. Burroughs said it was listed in
Item 463. C/M Rohr asked what the service contracts cost
and Mr. Burroughs said the check signer was $480.00;
however, the entire contractual cost was $1,430.00. C/M
Rohr said this Item could not be reduced because it
covered the entire cost of the service contracts.
V/M Bender asked if the service contracts were for all of
the typewriters in the City and Mr. Burroughs replied,
yes. V/M Bender asked how the cost allotment was
determined and Bill Land, Purchasing Director, said by
Page 3
8/15/89
the number of typewriters in each Department. V/M Bender
asked if the service contracts were pro -rated into the
different Departments and Mr. Burroughs said there was a
set fee per unit.
V/M Bender asked if there would be a problem if $500.00
was cut from $1,430.00 and Mr. Burroughs said there would
be several service contracts that had to be cancelled.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 306, Special Supplies
and Services, was for and Mr. Burroughs said this Item
included $1,200.00 for Wells Fargo and $375.00 for GFOA
Application Fee for Certificate of Achievement.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what the Certificate of
Achievement was for and Mr. Burroughs said it was
Excellence in Financial Reporting. Mr. Burroughs said
the Item also included $300.00 for Express Delivering,
$1,500.00 for Financial Audit Systems, $100.00 for a list
of Taxpayers from Broward County and $1,000.00 for
miscellaneous software for various Financial Management
Applications.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if this Item could be reduced and
Mr. Burroughs said the City Manager reduced this Item
sufficiently.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 320, Audit and
Accounting Services was for and Mr. Burroughs said the
City recently entered into a Contract with Grant
Thornton, Auditors. Mr. Burroughs said this cost was 60%
of the Contract and City Manager Kelly said the other 40%
would be allocated in the Utility Budget.
V/M Bender had concerns with the difference in cost for
Item 59Q, Workers' Compensation Services and Mr.
Burroughs said the Finance Department refined the
indirect cost allocation system. Mr. Burroughs said some
Departments were not being properly charged and some were
over charged. He said Page 123 indicated the Workers'
Compensation cost last year to be $334,500.00 and this
year the cost was $226,120.00. He said the total
decreased; however, the cost was redistributed among the
Departments. He said this Item decreased because the
City no longer had a Police Department.
** There were no deductions from the Finance Department Budget.
Budget/Internal Audit - Pales 20 and 21
Mr. Burroughs said every year the Internal Audit was at a
critical stage. He said the external Auditors
consistently commented on the procedures needed by
Internal Auditing. He said the City Manager eliminated
the costs of $60,000.00 and $100,000.00. He said the
City was becoming too large, too professional and too
sophisticated for the Finance Department to continue the
Budget process.
Mayor Abramowitz said he understood Mr. Burroughs's
concerns and, hopefully, these matters could be corrected
when the financial concerns were not as large in the
City. He said because of the financial problems of the
City, he had confidence in the Finance Department
handling this matter.
Page 4
8/15/89
City Manager Kelly said he wanted to inform the City
Council that these Items were requested and the matters
would have to be considered in the near future. He said
this recommendation has been ignored within the last few
years; however, a decision had to made soon because it
would cost the City money if the procedures were not
implemented.
C/M Stelzer asked what Item 306, Special
Supplies/Services, was for and Mr. Burroughs said this
Item, in the amount of $60,000.00, would include one
staff person and related expenses.
Mr. Burroughs said the Budget was a constant year round
struggle because administrating the Budget was a lot of
work.
Management Information Service/Data Processing - Page 105
Mr. Burroughs said Page 106 indicated that the Data
Processing Division was reduced from $310,045.00 to
$282,990.00.
Mr. Burroughs asked Glenda Christian, Data Processing
Supervisor, to explain how the costs of Data Processing
were allocated to each Department.
Mrs. Christian said the total number of terminals, disk
readings and log -on time was accumulated and averaged to
determine the percentages to charge to each Department.
Mr. Burroughs said once the percentages were determined,
the costs were finalized and distributed to the
Departments.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the percentages were based on
usage and Mrs. Christian replied, yes. Mayor Abramowitz
asked if Data Processing was able to determine the time
spent on the computer by each individual Department on a
daily basis and Mrs. Christian said annual records were
kept.
Mayor Abramowitz asked how many employees there were in
Data Processing and Mrs. Christian replied, four.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if $145,430.00 was the total
salaries of the four employees and Mr. Burroughs replied,
yes, the only change was the FICA Taxes and Pension
Contributions.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 440, Rentals and Leases,
was for and Mrs. Christian said this included the
uninterrupted power supply system. She said at the end
of the 5 year lease contract, the City would own the
system.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 463, Office Equipment
Repairs, was for and Mr. Burroughs said the McDonnell
Douglas Computer cost $37,000.00. Mrs. Christian said
this was the maintenance contract.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the amount was actually spent
in repairs and City Manager Kelly said $3,083.00 per
month was spent for maintenance.
Page 5
8/15/89
Mr. Burroughs said the equipment was approximately
$50,000.00 and Mayor Abramowitz asked if the maintenance
contract was a year to year contract. Mr. Burroughs
replied, yes.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the contract could be increased
each year and Mrs. Christian said the company may
increase certain parts of the contract.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if this was the only company
available to maintain the equipment and Mr. Burroughs
said there was various equipment available from different
companies; however, the City bought equipment from
McDonnell Douglas Company.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if McDonnell Douglas hardware
could only be used with the system and Mr. Burroughs
replied, yes. Mrs. Christian said McDonnell Douglas
provided excellent maintenance service.
Mayor Abramowitz said when he became Mayor, he found that
the City was paying approximately $1,300.00 per month for
maintenance in the City Clerk's Office and, after further
investigation, the City found that the company would
charge the City less if they continued the contract with
them.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the City was being as cautious
and businesslike as possible and Mrs. Christian said
there was one other company that offered maintenance to
MicroData or McDonnell Douglas equipment; however, the
company did not service the City's particular model. She
said it was critical to have maintenance immediately on
the equipment and McDonnell Douglas provided immediate
service.
Mayor Abramowitz said he would not buy equipment that
only one company could service. He said this would be a
consideration when he purchased the equipment.
Mr. Burroughs said generally, most computer companies
operated in this manner and City Manager Kelly said when
a computer system was purchased a commitment was usually
made with the company to operate with their services.
V/M Bender asked if the City had a year to year contract
with McDonnell Douglas and Mr. Burroughs said the
contract was on -going.
Mayor Abramowitz suggested that a 5 year contractual
agreement be negotiated with the company in order to
maintain a reasonable cost each year.
V/M Bender agreed. He said because the City could not go
out to Bid for another company to maintain the equipment,
negotiations should take place with this company for a
contractual agreement at a fixed cost over so many years.
C/M Rohr asked if it would be feasible to change the
computer system for a system that may be more compatible
and City Manager Kelly said this would cost a lot of
money.
V/M Bender said most computer companies modify their
systems each year and the clients were asked to buy the
modifications. He said there came a point where the
Page 6
8/15/89
systems could no longer be modified and the clients were
asked to buy a new system.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 59Q , Workers'
Compensation Services, was increased and Mr. Burroughs
said this cost was reapportioned to each Department.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if Item 641, Office Equipment, in
the amount of $4,700.00, was needed this year and City
Manager Kelly said the equipment being requested was a
fire proof safe.
Mrs. Christian said if the Building was to burn down, all
of the computer records would be lost. She said this
would cause the City to start from zero; therefore, the
information had to be protected.
V/M Bender suggested that this information be stored at
another location, such as the fire station and C/M
Hoffman said the fire station could burn down.
City Manager Kelly said the City wanted to retain the
security of the information and V/M Bender said large
Corporations stored their information away from the Home
Base.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if there were surplus funds in the
Furniture Fund for the Municipal/City Hall project and
City Manager Kelly said he would review this matter;
however, the funds were close to the bottom line costs.
Mayor
Abramowitz
said if there were funds available, he
would
like them
used for the fire safe. He suggested
that
Item 641 be
deleted from this Budget if there were
funds
available
in the Municipal/City Hall Furniture
Account.
C/M Stelzer asked what was included in Item 994,
Depreciation Expense, and Mr. Burroughs said the
Depreciation in the City decreased by $95,000.00 to
$38,900.00. C/M Stelzer said the Departments were not
charged during the prior Budgets and Mr. Burroughs said
the Auditor criticized this matter; therefore, this was
the reason for the deficit.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why the Department requested
$30,000.00 and the City Manager was recommending
$38,890.00. Mr. Burroughs said $30,000.00 was a
preliminary figure and, when a detailed calculation of
the Depreciation was done, $38,890.00 was the factual
amount.
Mr. Burroughs said this was one of the strong criticisms
from the external Auditors. He said the City was not
charging the Departments sufficiently for Data
Processing, Fleet Maintenance and Purchasing services.
He said there was a negative equity position because of
this.
Referring to Page 106, Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item
99A, Fund Equity Increase, was for and Mr. Burroughs said
this Item was the amount of money necessary to bring the
funds out of a negative equity position to a positive
equity position.
Mr. Burroughs said in prior years the Internal Service
Funds, Data Processing, Fleet Maintenance and Purchasing
Services, and now, Workers' Compensation, were not
Page 7
8/15/89
TAPE 2
charging the Departments a sufficient fee for
rendered to break even on the costs. He said
created a negative fund equity and he has been
phase the deficit into the Budget. He said if
no changes made, the Budget for 1989/90 would
fund equity in a positive position.
services
this
trying to
there were
show the
Mayor Abramowitz asked how much was needed to eliminate
the negative position and Mr. Burroughs said
approximately $125,000.00.
C/M Rohr asked if the deficit was caused because the
costs were not allocated properly to each Department and
Mr. Burroughs said the costs were not allocated
sufficiently. Mr. Burroughs said the previous Finance
Directors were remiss in not providing adequate funding
for the Internal Service Funds. He said he recognized
this error and was phasing the costs in each year to
avoid paying the deficit in one lump sum. He said,
hopefully, this would be the last year for phasing these
costs into the Budget.
C/M Hoffman asked if this affected the Ad Valorem rate
and Mr. Burroughs said, proportionately, yes, because it
was an expense in the Internal Service Funds; however,
the Utilities Fund was paying a portion of the deficit.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if this matter was a normal
accounting procedure that was not done and Mr. Burroughs
said this was done as an accounting procedure but not a
Budget procedure. Mr. Burroughs said the depreciation
was charged; however, the depreciation was not allocated
properly.
C/M Hoffman asked how much was being Budgeted this year
and Mr. Burroughs approximately $30,000.00. Mr.
Burroughs said he has been phasing these costs into the
Budget for two years.
** The City Council requested that a multi -year contract with McDonnell
Douglas company be negotiated and the funds to purchase the fire
safe be investigated.
Purchasing - Page 109
C/M Rohr asked why Item 120, Regular Salaries, was
reduced and City Manager Kelly said the previous
Department Head retired; however, the remaining positions
were consolidated.
Mr. Burroughs said this Budget's bottom line decreased
from $131,114.00 to $107,450.00.
C/M Rohr asked why Items 543, Educational Expense, and
402, Travel -Other, were related and Mr. Burroughs
replied, no. Mr. Burroughs said Item 402 was a
reimbursement to one of the employees for use of their
car to place property tags on new equipment.
City Manager Kelly said Item 543 was allocated to upgrade
the performance in the Department. He said he was
insisting that the employees became certified purchasing
agents.
Page 8
1
I
1
8/15/89
Mayor Abramowitz said the existing system in the City for
purchasing was not appropriate and seemed to be leaving
the City open for over -charges. He said when items went
out to Bid, the vendors were aware of the City's funding.
He recommended that an investigation of the procedures
be done to reduce the costs in purchasing.
City Manager Kelly
said Bill Land, Purchasing Director,
was investigation this
matter; however,
there were
certain liabilities
in the public sector
purchasing that
were not unique to
the City of Tamarac.
He said any
Municipality making
purchases was stuck
because it was
competitive and the
Budgets were known.
Mayor Abramowitz said this did not prevent the matter
from being corrected and C/M Hoffman said the
Municipalities were limited by State Law. Mayor
Abramowitz said there were reasons why the City could not
beat the prices; however, there was room for improvement
and there had to be improvement in the purchasing
procedures of the City. He said his concerns had nothing
to do with the personnel; however, the method of
purchasing had to be changed.
V/M Bender asked why Item 410, Telephone, was allocated
this year and Mr. Burroughs said this Item was created by
eliminating the costs from the Switchboard Account
because the telephone lines were direct lines to the
Depar tments.
V/M Bender asked how the allocated costs were determined
and Mr. Burroughs said the actual costs were accumulated
and allocated to the Departments for usage. He said the
question came up during the Broward Sheriff's Office
merger. He said the City Manager asked how much the
telephone charges would be reduced because of the Broward
Sheriff's Office merger and he reviewed the Account and
found that Utilities, Purchasing, Building and Police
Departments were being charged to the Switchboard
Account. He said he analyzed each Department and
allocated the appropriate costs.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why the Departments needed
separate lines and Mr. Burroughs said the separate lines
kept many telephone calls from the Switchboard.
Bill Land, Purchasing Director, said the Department had
several calls from the vendors; therefore, the separate
lines were used for direct contact with the Purchasing
Department to eliminate the calls going to the
Switchboard.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the costs would be cheaper to
have the Switchboard direct the calls and Mr. Burroughs
said it would be cheaper; however, the costs would be a
trade-off because the Switchboard would be handling the
calls. Mr. Burroughs said the Building Department had
separate lines because of the calls from the contractors
and inspectors. He said if the private lines were not
provided to the Departments, the Switchboard would be
overloaded.
Mr. Burroughs said Page 63, Item 410, Telephone,
reflected a decrease from $66,000.00 to $25,000.00
because of the private lines being allocated to the
appropriate Departments.
Page 9
8/15/89
Mayor Abramowitz asked who was receiving Longevity Pay
and Mr. Land said he and another employee. Mr. Burroughs
asked how long the other employee was working for the
City and Mr. Land replied, 7 years as of October, 1988.
C/M Rohr asked if the Purchasing Department could
purchase the office supplies from any vendor as opposed
to going to bid.
V/M Bender asked when the Purchasing Department had to go
to bid for an item and Mr. Land said when the purchase
was over $2,000.00. VIM Bender suggested that purchases
under $2,000.00 be investigated as far as cost by
soliciting costs from various suppliers, such as Office
Depot. He said Office Depot was very cheap and they
provided wholesale costs.
Mayor Abramowitz asked how much volume of work was done
in the Purchasing Department and Mr. Land said there were
approximately 4,000 purchase orders per year.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Departments ordered items
without the services of the Purchasing Department and
City Manager Kelly replied, no.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Purchasing Department had
people knowledgeable of items such as auto parts for the
Public Works Department and Mr. Land said the Public
Works Department created the purchase requisition and
state the vendor source. He said the Public Works
Department had their own Storekeeper for ordering parts,
etc.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Purchasing Department only
handled the processing and Mr. Land said the Purchasing
Department did more than processing.
Mayor Abramowitz said he would like the experts needing
the items to make the decisions as to the appropriate
price for the items. Mr. Land said the Purchasing
Department had the right to question anything over
$200.00. Mr. Land said the Purchasing Department could
investigate the purchase request to see if the cost was
appropriate and the Departments were contacted regarding
additional information.
C/M Hoffman asked how much was spent on purchases each
year and City Manager Kelly said this information would
be submitted to the City Council.
** There were no reductions from the Purchasing Department.
Street Lighting - Page 51
Mayor Abramowitz said he informed the City Manager about
conversations he had with Representative Graber and
Senator Weinstein. He said the discussion concerned what
the City would need from the Legislators. He said the
City was very fortunate to have received two requested
Grants. He said he and the State Legislators felt there
were several priority items that may receive funding from
the State.
Mayor Abramowitz said everyone was
asking the City Council to approve
Street Lighting and Sidewalks. He
Page 10
aware that he would be
a Referendum for
said he received a
8/15/89
Report from the Engineering Department regarding the
annual expenditure for street lighting being
approximately $84,000.00. He said the Engineers informed
the City that to complete the lighting problem would take
approximately 25 years. He said he would like a
Referendum to ask the voters to approve the funding by
either Bond or Bank loan. He said a Survey on sidewalks
was presently being done and he would like both projects
done at one time as opposed to waiting 25 years.
Bob Foy, Director of Utilities/Engineering, said a
preliminary Sidewalk Survey was completed and Mayor
Abramowitz said when he received the Report on the street
lighting, he found that it would not be appropriate for
the residents to have to wait 25 years to have the
appropriate street lighting in the City. He said he
would like the residents to vote at the next election on
borrowing the funds to get the projects completed as soon
as possible.
C/M Rohr said he agreed with Mayor Abramowitz; however,
it was not fair to have the projects done immediately
without spreading the costs over several years.
Mayor Abramowitz said he did not want to pay for the
projects immediately for someone who would benefit from
the project 15 years later without cost.
C/M Hoffman asked if $50,000.00 could be eliminated from
this Budget if the projects were approved and Mr.
Burroughs said Item 435, Electricity -Streets, would have
to remain in the Budget to pay for the energy costs.
Mayor Abramowitz suggested that $100,000.00 be eliminated
from the Budget and C/M Stelzer said the Building Code
provided for Local Assessment Districts. C/M Stelzer
suggested that the City Council consider this route.
Mayor Abramowitz said approximately 28 special taxing
districts would have to be included and C/M Stelzer said
the assessment cost should be paid by those residents who
wanted the lighting.
C/M Hoffman said there were areas that had adequate
lighting; therefore, those residents should be liable for
paying for the adequate lighting.
C/M Stelzer said the Developers paid for the adequate
lighting and Mayor Abramowitz said he was making this
suggestion because the lighting and sidewalk situations
were the residents' largest complaints.
C/M Stelzer suggested that the City Council discuss the
street lighting concerns because it was different from
sidewalks and Mayor Abramowitz said he was suggesting
that the residents be asked to allow the City to borrow
the money for the street lighting and sidewalk projects.
C/M Hoffman said when he ran for the previous election he
informed the residents that he would favor the street
lighting and sidewalk projects.
Mayor Abramowitz suggested that $100,000.00 be eliminated
and Mr. Burroughs said this would not allow any
renovations for street lighting after September 30, 1989.
Mr. Foy agreed.
Page 11
8/15/89
C/M Stelzer asked if there were any commitments for next
year and Mr. Foy replied, no.
C/M Hoffman suggested that $75,000.00 be deducted, which
allowed $25,000.00 for emergency use.
C/M Rohr asked if $100,000.00 was to install lighting and
Mr. Foy said the funds were to renovate existing
lighting. Mr. Foy said Florida Power & Light installed
any new lighting.
C/M Rohr asked if the renovation was to increase the
illumination and Mr. Foy replied, yes.
C/M Rohr had concerns with Florida Power & Light
providing service to the City within an appropriate
amount of time and Mr. Foy said he contacted Florida
Power & Light regarding this concern. Mr. Foy said he
was informed that it took nearly the same engineering to
do one light as it would for a section of lighting. He
said if the City requested the engineers to do an entire
section, it would be done within a specific time. C/M
Rohr asked if the project would be completed within two
years and Mr. Foy replied, yes.
** There was $75,000.00 reduced from the Street Lighting Budget.
At 2:30 P.M., Mayor Abramowitz RECESSED this meeting and
RECONVZ, NED at 2:35 P.M. with ALL PRESENT except Mrs. Christian and
Mr. Land.
Engineering - Page 24
Bob Foy, Director of Utilities/Engineering, said the
personnel salaries were reduced by 15% by eliminating
half of a Secretary position, transferring 25% of the two
Draftsmen salaries to the Utilities Budget and
eliminating' his salary and allocating 100% of his salary
to the Utilities Budget.
C/M Hoffman asked if there was elimination of personnel
and Mr. Foy said there was half a Secretary position in
both the Utilities and Engineering Budgets that was
eliminated.
Mayor Abramowitz said he did not want to bare bones the
Engineering Budget by transferring it to the Utilities
Budget and Mr. Foy said the allocations were honest.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 732, Paid Annual Leave,
was increased and Mr. Foy said there was a Secretary with
a lot of annual leave who could retire anytime she
wanted.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if there were restrictions on the
amount of time that could be accumulated and Bob Hoyt,
Deputy Finance Director, said 520 hours could be
accumulated by this employee because she fell under the
old employee contract. Mr. Hoyt said since 1988, the
employees could only accumulate 210 hours and Mr. Foy
said this employee has been working for the City for 9
years.
1
1
Page 12
8/15/89
C/M Rohr asked if there were indications that the
employee would be retiring and Mr. Foy replied, no;
however, the money had to be available.
Mayor Abramowitz asked how many hours the employee
accumulated last year and Mr. Foy said he believed the
employee took the hours accumulated last year.
Mayor Abramowitz said last year there was nothing
Budgeted for this employee and Mr. Foy said the City had
a recent contractual obligation to pay the money;
therefore, the funds had to be available.
C/M Stelzer suggested money be taken from all Budgets and
placed in a Contingency Fund for the vacation and leave
pay.
Mayor Abramowitz said he saw several things in this
Year's Budget that were not considered last year and C/M
Stelzer said because there were things done incorrectly
in the prior years it did not mean that these things
could not be corrected this year.
V/M Bender asked what Item 302, Tires, was for since
there was -0- allocated last year and Mr. Foy said this
was a new account for tires.
V/M Bender asked why tires was not included in the Item
460, Auto Repairs. He said Item 461, Auto Parts,
indicated a -0- amount and he asked if the Department
would do without auto parts.
Mayor Abramowitz said Item 461 was eliminated and
transferred to Item 460 and V/M Bender asked if $1,000.00
was needed for tires. Mr. Foy replied, yes.
Mayor Abramowitz asked how many vehicles the Engineering
Department had and Mr. Foy replied, 4.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if there were tires purchased last
year and Mr. Foy replied, yes; however, the purchase may
have been included in the Item for auto parts.
V/M Bender asked if Item 460, Auto Repairs, in the amount
of $1,500.00, included the tires and Mr. Foy said he
received this information from Public Works. Mr. Foy
said one set of tires was being requested for each
vehicle and City Manager Kelly said there were 5 cars in
the Department.
V/M Bender suggested that this matter be investigated
because some of the cars may have received new tires last
year. He said he was not comfortable in placing funds in
different Items.
V/M Bender suggested Public Works submit a Report
regarding the actual need for Items 302 and 460.
TAPE 3
Mr. Burroughs said the cost of operating the fleet in the
City, excluding the Fire Department, was fractionalized.
He said Fleet Maintenance covered all of the services and
each Budget contained auto repairs, tires and auto parts.
He said the total cost of the fleet operation was not
known.
Page 13
8/15/89
Mr. Burroughs said it would be more efficient for
accounting and procedurally to take all repair costs for
automobiles and place in the Fleet Maintenance Budget.
He said this would consolidate all of the fleet costs
into one Department and then, the costs could be
allocated to the Departments.
V/M Bender said this procedure would be more accurate and
C/M Stelzer asked how tires could be allocated. Mr.
Burroughs said the allocations would be based on each
Department's usage.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the costs could be
distinguished accurately. He had concerns with the
Public Works Department agreement on this procedure and
Mr. Burroughs said he discussed this matter with Mike
Couzzo, Director of Public Works/Parks and Recreation.
Mr. Burroughs said Mr. Couzzo agreed with this procedure.
The City Council agreed with this procedure and Mr.
Burroughs said he would eliminate auto repairs, parts and
tires from each individual Budget and place it as one
Item in the Fleet Maintenance Department. Mr. Burroughs
said the total cost would be pro --rated into each
Department's Budget.
C/M Stelzer had concerns with who would keep the records
on this procedure and V/M Bender said every Department
was retaining records at this time; however, this
procedure would consolidate the records into one
Department.
V/M Bender suggested the City Manager and Finance
Director enact this procedure.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 517, Drafting, was
increased and Mr. Foy said the Engineering Department had
a blue print machine which was old and needed
maintenance. Mr. Foy said there were several supplies
needed in the Department; therefore, $1,500.00 was not
unreasonable.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the machine operated on $353.00
last year and Mr. Foy said the Department was smelling of
ammonia because there were repairs needed.
Mayor Abramowitz asked why Item 647, Special Equipment,
in the amount of $20,500.00 was requested and City
Manager Kelly said this Item included a computer and a
plotter.
Mr. Foy said the equipment was a Geographic Information
System which was needed and, the longer the City waited
to purchase this system, the more it would cost. He said
everyone was using this system and the City was making a
mistake by not purchasing the system.
** There were no deductions from the Engineering Budget.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Personnel Department - Page 29
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 220, Pension
Contribution, was for and Mr. Burroughs said this was the
City's share in funding the Pension for the Department.
Page 14
8/15/89
City Manager Kelly said this Item was listed in every
Department and Mr. Burroughs said this was the contract
with the Union.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Personnel Department was
receiving revenue from the Pension Board and City Manager
Kelly said the revenue was very small.
Mr. Burroughs said
either way, the City would be
paying
the costs and Mayor
Abramowitz said
he was tired
of the
Pension Board not
being charged
for the services
of the
Departments. Mr.
Burroughs said
the City paid the
remaining costs of
actuarial and
administration
expenses
when the employee
expenses were
deducted.
I
1
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the City paid for the entire
legal and administration expenses of the Pension Board
and Mr. Burroughs replied, yes.
Mr. Burroughs said the administration expenses could not
exceed 2% of the Pension Plan Funds. Mayor Abramowitz
asked if the Plan had approximately 8 million dollars and
Peter Mack, Personnel Director, said the Pension Plan had
approximately 8.7 million.
v/M Bender said the Pension Board presently approved and
paid their expenses and Mr. Burroughs agreed.
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the City reimbursed the Pension
Fund and Mr. Burroughs said the City's share of the
Pension Contribution was determined by the Actuary. Mr.
Burroughs said the City contributed approximately 1
million dollars per year to the Pension Fund; however,
the contribution may have changed since the City no
longer had a Police Department.
Mayor Abramowitz announced that Peter Mack, Personnel
Director and Susan Tillman, Consulting Insurance Advisor
were present.
Mr. Mack said the Personnel/Insurance Department was
dedicated to service the City and employees. He said the
Department was interested in changing the perception of
the Personnel Department. He said the Budgetary
requirements of the Department were reviewed very
carefully and the proposed Budget adequately meets the
opportunity to accomplish the goals of the Department.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 306, Special
Supplies/Services, was for and Mr. Mack said there were
several Items reflecting a --0- amount because these Items
were consolidated into Item 306.
Mayor Abramowitz asked how much was expected to be spent
and Mr. Mack said the City Manager reduced this amount by
$1,500.00.
Mayor Abramowitz suggested that $1,000.00 be reduced from
Item 306 and the City Council agreed.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what
Wages, was for and Mr. Mack
employee in the Department.
Mr. Mack felt this employee
replied, absolutely.
Item 122, Part -Time Employee
said there was one part-time
Mayor Abramowitz asked if
was necessary and Mr. Mack
Page 15
8/15/89
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 309, Labor Relations,
was for and Mr. Mack said this was for negotiations with
the Unions. Mr. Mack said he was taking over a lot of
the procedures; however, there was still a need for
professional experience.
C/M Hoffman asked what Item 31A, Medical Expenses, was
for and Mr. Mack said this Item was for pre -employment
physicals.
C/M Hoffman asked how many employees were hired per year
and Mr. Mack said the expenses varied for each
Department. City Manager Kelly said there were people
who resigned from their positions during the year and
pre -employment physicals were needed for new employees.
Mr. Mack said there were occasions during the year for
special physical and medical examinations for the
employees. Mayor Abramowitz asked if this included drug
testing and Mr. Mack replied, yes.
V/M Bender asked if the medical examinations could be
covered by the employee's medical insurance and Mr. Mack
agreed and he said if the City requested the physical, it
was the City's responsibility.
V/M Bender suggested that the insurance companies be
asked to supplement these physicals and Mr. Mack said the
insurance companies would not approve of this because the
City was liable for the expense.
C/M Hoffman suggested that $2,000.00 be reduced from Item
31A and Mr. Mack said because of previous experience in
back injuries, etc., the Personnel Department was
presently instituting an additional physical requirement
which would preclude several of the back injury cases in
the City. He said additional testing would be required
at the pre -employment level which would require
additional funding; however, the City would be saving
money in the long run.
V/M Bender suggested that $1,000.00 be reduced from 31A
and C/M Hoffman had concerns with being able to tell in
advance who would have a back injury after being hired.
Mr. Mack said if a back analysis was done through x-rays
and a back injury occurred before employment, this type
of injury could be precluded from the City's coverage.
The City Council agreed to eliminate $1,000.00 from Item
31A.
At 3:15 P.M., V/M Bender WITHDREW from the meeting.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 440, Rentals and Leases,
was for and Mr. Mack said the Personnel Department was
the only Department in the City without a copy machine.
Mr. Mack said the Personnel Department had several
documents that had to be copied and productivity was
constantly lost in that Department because staff had to
leave the office to make the copies. He said Item 440
would be for the rent of a copy machine for the
Department.
C/M Hoffman asked what Item 490, Advertising, was for and
Mr. Mack said this was for employment recruitment. He
said the cost of advertising was very expensive.
Page 16
WmAE
U
City Manager Kelly asked if the Insurance Budget could be
reviewed and Mayor Abramowitz said V/M Bender asked that
he be present to review this Budget; therefore, he would
like to do this at another workshop meeting.
City Manager Kelly said Ms. Tillman adjusted her schedule
to attend this meeting; therefore, the City Council
should suggest a time when Ms. Tillman should attend.
Mayor Abramowitz said he would inform the City Manager of
when the Insurance Budget could be heard because V/M
Bender wanted to be present for the discussion.
** There was a deduction of $2,000.00 from the Personnel Department.
Consumer Affairs Board - Page 31
** There were no discussions on this Budget; therefore, no deductions
were made.
Safety Committee - Page 32
1
**
Mr. Mack suggested that this Budget be increased because
the Committee was anticipating to strengthen the ability
of the Committee. He said the members felt there was a
need in the City for a safety conscious population. He
said there were programs that the Safety Committee wanted
to institute, such as educational programs for the
employees, speakers and presentations regarding avoiding
back injuries, safety signs, etc. He said he was not
sure that $400.00 would not be enough; however, more
money would assist the Committee if it was needed.
Mayor Abramowitz said he hoped that the Committee would
be eliminating the many employees going to have
cigarettes. He said this was a safety hazard because the
employees could fall while going to have a cigarette.
The City Council approved an additional $100.00 for the
Safety Committee Budget.
C/M Rohr suggested that the Committee contact the
National Safety Committee in the City. He said the
Committee would assist the Safety Committee on several
matters. Mr. Mack said he would inform the Committee of
this matter.
There was a $100.00 increase for the Safety Committee Budget.
Veterans Committee - Page 33
Mayor Abramowitz said the Veterans Committee held
approximately 4 picnics each year for the Veterans. He
said the funds would be used only for the picnics and he
was sure that the funds would not be abused. He said
there were approximately 40 volunteers from the various
Alliances.
C/M Stelzer asked if the funds collected from dues and
membership fees could be used for these functions and C/M
Hoffman said this was the business of the Alliances.
Page 17
8/15/89
Mayor Abramowitz suggested that everyone go to a picnic
to see what a wonderful gift it was for the veterans to
receive the events.
** There were no deductions made from the Veterans Committee Budget.
Public Information Board - Page 27
Mayor Abramowitz asked what Item 402, Travel -Other, was
for and City Manager Kelly said "Travel" should be
eliminated because this Item pertained to the
Distributor's Luncheon. He said the Item should be
referred to as "Other".
Mayor Abramowitz asked if the Parks and Recreation
Department was paying the Public Information Board for a
section of the Tam -A -Gram and Dina McDermott, Assistant
to the City Manager, said the funds were eliminated from
the Parks and Recreation Department and placed in the
Public Information Budget. She said $6,000.00 was
eliminated from the Parks and Recreation Department;
however, only $3,800.00 would be required for the insert
in the Tam -A -Gram.
Mayor Abramowitz suggested that there be competitive
bidding done on the costs for printing the Tam -A -Gram and
Mrs. McDermott said the specifications were recently done
regarding competitive bidding for printing.
C/M Rohr said Mrs. McDermott was doing an excellent job
as Staff Liaison for the Public Information Board.
** There were no deductions from the Public Information Board.
---------------------------------------------------------------
TAPE 4
Sanitation Services - Page 54
City Manager Kelly said this proposal was based on the
projected rate increases; however, $1,653,060.00 did not
include the new rates. He said this cost did not make a
difference because because it would be collected from the
residents.
Mayor Abramowitz asked what the increase would be and
City Manager Kelly said he was informed by telephone
that, based on the existing contract, there would a $.19
increase per $1.00 in tipping fees. He said the tipping
fees were expected to increase by approximately $5.00
this year. He said there would also be a CPI increase;
therefore, a single family unit paying $7.95 would pay
$9.33 and a condominium paying $3.88 would pay $4.59. He
said written confirmation would be submitted to the City.
Mayor Abramowitz said the tipping fee costs were
investigated and the costs being proposed were correct.
C/M Stelzer asked who set the tipping fees and City
Manager Kelly replied, Waste Management, Inc.
Mayor Abramowitz asked how long the contract was for and
City Manager Kelly said the Contract would expire in
1992.
Page 18
8/15/89
C/M Stelzer asked if the City would receive credit if
they set up trenches in Land Section 7 for the dumping
and burning of newspapers.
C/M Rohr said this could not be done because there was
certification needed by a company.
With no
further
business, Mayor Abramowitz ADJOURNED this
meeting
at 3:90
P.M.
C ROL A. R ANS, CITY CLERK
"This public document was promulgated at a cost of $171.00 or $21.38 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."
Page 19