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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-05-24 - City Commission Retreat Meeting MinutesCITY COMMISSION RETREAT CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 20061:30 PM TAMARAC CITY HALL 7525 NW 88T" AVENUE, ROOM 204 TAMARAC, FL 33321 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco called the City Commission Retreat to order on Wednesday, May 24, 2006 at 1:40 P.M., in Room 204, Tamarac City Hall, 7525 NW 881h Avenue, Tamarac, FL 33321. PRESENT: Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco, Vice Mayor Edward C. Portner (arrived at 1:45 p.m.), Commissioner Patte Atkins -Grad, Commissioner Marc L. Sultanof, and Commissioner Harry Dressler. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Jeffrey L. Miller, Assistant City Attorney Julie Klahr, Deputy City Manager Michael C. Cernech, City Clerk Marion Swenson, Assistant City Manager Diane Phillips, Fire Chief Jim Budzinski, BSO Chief Ken Dugger, I.T. Director Levent Sucuoglu, Human Resources Director Maria Swanson, Public Works Director Jack Strain, Director of Utilities Ray Gagnon, Director of Community Development Chris King, Public Information Officer Lucy Crockett, Financial Services Director Steve Chapman, Director of Parks and Recreation Greg Warner, and Building and Code Compliance Director Gary Jones. City Manager Miller welcomed everyone, said this is a continuation of the retreat format, and introduced Public Information Officer Crockett. Public Information Officer Crockett introduced Ron Ishoy, a seasoned reporter and editor for the Herald, author of a Broward County Column, wrote about air traffic safety and the tragedy of children who drown, which was the precipitator of the SWIM Central movement. In 1999 Mr. Ishoy left the Herald to become Communications Manager for Michael Satz, State Attorney's Office. Mr. Ishoy brings several perspectives to the table as he is a Broward resident, journalist and communications manager. Mr. Ishoy said it is important to do the right thing. In dealing with the media, one should never lie. Mr. Ishoy spoke about what makes a good reporter and said reporters get annoyed if we do not get back with them before their deadlines. One should try to be courteous and get what reporters want for them, if possible. It is always better to err with extra courtesy. Mr. Ishoy spoke about why reporters focus on bad news rather than what we want them to cover. After Watergate in 1972-74, the mindset was that reporters are the watchdogs of society; it is an important function of the press. Reporters do not want to be hand fed stories from public relations people. Mr. Ishoy said Tamarac's Public Information Officer does a good job getting things that Tamarac is doing into the newspaper, and this is very hard to do, as there is a lot of competition with other stories. Saying `no comment' makes it appear as though one is hiding something. It is better to give the reporter something `vanilla'. If erroneous information Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 1 of 9 is printed in a story, the Mayor and City Commission and/or staff should call Public Information Officer Crockett. Do not assume any conversation is off the record just because a reporter says it is. Do not go off the record if there is any way to avoid it. Friendship between reporters and elected officials is almost never real. Do not chat with reporters. Commissioner Sultanof spoke about a reporter putting into print what the reporter thought Commissioner Sultanof was saying, not what he actually said and asked what recourse he would have. Mr. Ishoy said the question to ask oneself is how big a deal is it? If it is insignificant, let it go and hope the reporter gets it correct next time. Or, do not talk to the reporter next time. Mr. Ishoy continued, when a reporter calls, look at talking to the media as an opportunity, not a challenge. Make sure you get the reporter's name, media affiliation, and contact information. Think before you speak and if necessary, tell the reporter you need a few minutes to collect your thoughts. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco questioned whether it would be appropriate to tell a reporter she will call him/her back after she hears his/her question; she always says she will call back before the deadline. Mr. Ishoy said if you are unable to respond by the deadline, tell them you will get the information for another time. Feel free to ask the reporter where he/she is headed and what they are talking about. If you have time before an interview, do your homework. If you do not know the answer then do not answer, but tell the reporter you will get back to them. In speaking with reporters, do not memorize your response and do not read it. When you call back a reporter, have your response in outline format and you can ask the reporter to send an e-mail with questions and you will find out the answers. Speak slowly and in short, concise sentences. This is even more important when dealing with broadcast. If you get a query from a reporter and are uneasy with where you think it is going to go, you then need to contact your Public Information Officer or someone for help to interpret the reporter's questions. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said she is sure everyone has had these moments; they are awkward and do not always flow the way Mr. Ishoy has indicated. Mr. Ishoy said you must make it flow that way; if you are uncomfortable there is no sense to talk to the reporter. You can say you are in the middle of something else and will call them back. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said by the time the reporter is called back he/she says they do not want that story and you are left hanging. Mr. Ishoy said if you call the reporter back in five minutes and the reporter says they already did that story, then you need to talk to the editor. Vice Mayor Portner questioned Mr. Ishoy's statement in which he indicated instead of saying `no comment on ' X"' saying `let me comment on "Y". Mr. Ishoy responded often reporters will ask questions but they are asking the wrong questions because they do not understand the issue. Try to spin that back and say I think what you mean to ask is Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 2of9 "Z", then give the answer. There is nothing wrong with trying to turn around the question. Mr. Ishoy continued, if you do not know the answer to a question, say so. Do not let reporters put words in your mouth. If you feel a reporter is doing that, feel free to say to the reporter, ask me a question. Speak with conviction in a conversational tone while retaining your composure. Feel free to ask questions. Ask the reporter when the story will run. Vice Mayor Portner asked how to handle a reporter who becomes antagonistic and Mr. Ishoy replied just kept to task; be civil, convey information, and send e-mails. City Manager Miller asked if the Mayor and City Commission get a call on a subject they do not want to talk about, would it turn the reporter off to say please speak to our Public Information Officer? Mr. Ishoy said it would be a turn-off. It would be better to say you are not in a position to offer insight other than what the reporter or you know. Then call the City Manager or Public Information Officer. There is nothing wrong with saying "I do not know". Do not tell a reporter to call you back; you always call them back. Vice Mayor Portner asked what affect letters to the editor have on the general public and Mr. Ishoy said newspapers do not have the profound effect they had 20 years ago. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said what she, and she believes the rest of the commission want, is to have evenhanded, fair coverage for the City. The Mayor and City Commission are working as hard as they can to do what is in the best interest of the City. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said there are provocative issues coming up and to that end she would like to see Tamarac covered as fairly as possible, and asked if the City Manager and Public Information Officer could approach the reporters first to give them a grasp of the situation. Mr. Ishoy said yes, they could go to the newspaper in advance of an issue and tell the newspaper it is coming up. Commissioner Sultanof left the room at 2:55 p.m. Vice Mayor Portner said he has known Mr. Ishoy for a long time and served with him on the Lauderdale Lakes Alzheimer's Board. Without Mr. Ishoy's assistance the Lauderdale Lakes Alzheimer's Board would not have been able to survive through the early years. Vice Mayor Portner thanked Mr. Ishoy for his efforts. Commissioner Dressler thanked Mr. Ishoy for joining the Mayor and City Commission this afternoon and said he found the discussion to be very informative. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco called for a recess at 3:00 p.m. and reconvened the Retreat at 3:10 p.m. with all present as before. Assistant City Manager Phillips said one issue identified by the Mayor and City Commission was the desire to look at the Boards and Committees due to the changing Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 3 of 9 face of Tamarac and diversity. Some Boards and Committees are provided for in the Charter and some in the Code of Ordinances. Commissioner Sultanof spoke of residency requirements and confirmed the Mayor and City Commission may waive these requirements. Assistant City Manager Phillips said the City is looking for residents of the community to serve on Boards and Committees. In the past, one resident did move out of the City but ran a business in the City and the Mayor and City Commission waived the residency requirement for that member. The past 10 years the median age in Tamarac has dropped from 65-51. Approximately 30% of the response to the Citizen Survey was from people 18-35; it is anticipated that the next census will find a drop in age again. Response from ethnic groups showed 23% identified themselves as not white; 11 % said their primary language was not English. Boards and Committees typically meet during the day, and the Mayor and City Commission talked about providing leeway. Appointments to Boards and Committees will be made in June, and we may want to think about who will be serving on the Boards and Committees and what is happening to our Boards and Committees. Commissioner Sultanof said several members of the Public Art Committee who are artists, have expressed a desire to have the Chairperson position rotated. Additionally, there have been attendance issues. Commissioner Sultanof said no city will be able to stay alive unless there are museums and theaters. Assistant City Attorney Klahr said if the Mayor and City Commission choose it can be set up so the Board members themselves can change Chair people or the Mayor and City Commission can amend the Code. Assistant City Manager Phillips said the issues raised are good ones and the staff has thought about them. We are in the process of developing a Public Art Master Plan, which Director of Community Development King is facilitating. Sometime toward the end of the summer we will have the Public Art Master Plan ready, and if the makeup and role of the Public Art Committee is a concern we can incorporate this into the plan and come back to the Mayor and City Commission with suggestions. Director of Community Development King said part of the contract with the consultants is for them to look at the rules and regulations which the Public Art Committee has framed and make suggestions to make the Committee more efficient. Deputy City Manager Cernech said the Public Art Committee started out very strong and art was placed quickly and there is a significant amount of money in the fund. Managing the money in the fund, as well as the master plan and makeup of the committee is very important and we need to have guidelines in place. The current guidelines are very restrictive. It is encouraged that we remain with the status quo at this time until we are able to come back to the Mayor and City Commission with suggestions. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco asked if there would be a gap from June through September for this committee due to lack of quorum and asked how many times the committee must meet. Deputy City Manager Cernech said there has been a quorum in Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 4 of 9 the number of members on the committee but not enough show up for a quorum at a meeting. Assistant City Manager Phillips said the committee must meet a minimum of one time each year. City Manager Miller said the Mayor and City Commission may want to wait until the Master Plan is done and then they can rework the Code to be in compliance with the new Master Plan. After that a new Committee can be appointed. Commissioner Sultanof asked that the committee hold off on meetings until then. Building and Code Compliance Director Jones spoke about the Code Enforcement Board, which meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. The Code Enforcement Board hears cases with regard to community appearance issues. A parallel procedure is in place for the Special Master, who handles more technical cases. Building and Code Compliance Director Jones said he would come to the Mayor and City Commission at a later date to discuss an abatement process. Commissioner Sultanof and Vice Mayor Portner said this is a punitive board, and it has teeth. It is a strong Board. Assistant City Manager Phillips said the Consumer Affairs Committee is provided for in the Charter. The Consumer Affairs Committee recommended at their last meeting to sunset the Committee for one year and then reconvene in one year, if needed. Human Resources Director Swanson spoke of the Insurance Advisory Board and said over the past year their focus was on hurricane related matters. They participated in the Hurricane Expo one month ago, and their primary discussions over the last six months were with regard losses to the city, pet shelters, generators and city insurance coverage. The Board meets in the morning. Sometimes the timing of the meetings is not in sync with issues, such as the employee benefits and insurance renewals. There is a limited window to get the rates to the Mayor and City Commission, and Human Resources Director Swanson said while she would like to bring this information to the Insurance Advisory Board before bringing it to the Mayor and City Commission many times this is not possible. Human Resources Director Swanson spoke of flexibility in meeting schedule for this Board and Assistant City Attorney Klahr said the ordinance can be amended to say the Board will meet at least one time each month at a regularly scheduled time or any other time as required. City Manager Miller said when the vision is prepared for the Mayor and City Commission's review in the fall, the Mayor and City Commission may, at that time, find they want to realign committees to meet with their goals. Perhaps appointees can be taken from one committee and moved to another, to bring their expertise to the forefront. Financial Services Director Chapman spoke about the Investment Advisory Committee, and said last year the meetings were changed from monthly to quarterly meetings. Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 5 of 9 Financial Services Director Chapman spoke of the history of the committee and added current meetings last about 30 minutes. The City's investment portfolio is not trading at this time; there are no speculative interests. Vice Mayor Portner asked if due to the volatility of the market now, it would be advisable for the committee to meet every month in the foreseeable future. Financial Services Director Chapman said he did not think so, as we are not investing in stocks and the Investment Advisory Committee is on board with keeping the investment periods short and liquid. If the feds continue to raise interest rates our strategy is well in place. Commissioner Sultanof asked Financial Services Director Chapman if he supervised signatories and Financial Services Director Chapman said all investments are monitored according to our investment policy, to which this commission subscribed. One member has difficulty attending the 10:00 a.m. meetings as he is still working. Commissioner Dressler said he also works and has a problem attending the morning meetings of the committee, and if we are going to raise the bar and get quality people on the committee the meetings must be either early in the morning or 6:30 p.m. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said it would be necessary to consider the time element and frequency of the meetings. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner spoke of the Parks and Recreation Board and said it is difficult to get total representation of the community at 4:00 p.m., and this has been discussed with the committee. The current members like the 4:00 p.m. time as the majority of the members are retired. City Manager Miller said when we advertise the Boards and Committees we advertise the dates and times of the meetings, and if people are working during those hours they do not apply. City Manager Miller suggested we do not advertise the dates and times of the meetings, then the Mayor and City Commission could make their appointments and set the time of the meetings. Commissioner Dressler said if the Mayor and City Commission and executive staff have policy making functions and the Boards and Committees need to be open to working people, we should determine whether to defer to people already serving who may be inclined to keep the status quo. We should advertise meeting times as 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. so more people would show up. Commissioner Sultanof said there are two people who are consistently ill on this Board. It behooves us to try not to advertise the hours but see if we can attract younger people who are working part time or have jobs starting later in the evening. The two people who are unable to attend should be let go. Vice Mayor Portner suggested going to the schools to ask for volunteers for every committee so the students can get high school credit. Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 6 of 9 Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said Coral Springs has a junior committee and we can look into that. Assistant City Manager Phillips said Coral Springs has several committees with high school students as members. Commissioner Atkins -Grad said at a Millennium Middle School event a young High School student ran the whole show. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said the idea behind this is for people to have pride in themselves and the committees on which they work for the City. Anybody who serves on a committee is very valuable. We want to get as many folks of all ages involved as possible. It is important to keep that in mind. If we need to change the time we will try to make it as equitable as possible, and for those who can continue, we want them to, but we also want to make it more available for working people. Deputy City Manager Cernech said there was a time, not too long ago, where we advertised Boards and Committees and did not specify the dates and times. Many people dropped out when they found out the time of the meetings. We need to be more proactive about changing the times of the meetings. Commissioner Dressler said many cities bring kids in who offer end user opinions on the programs. We need diversity on the committees. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said if we do bring in junior or high school students, they should be Tamarac residents. Human Resources Director Swanson spoke of the Pension Boards and said they are running well. Director of Community Development King said the Planning Board has a good attendance and the Board is working well. Vice Mayor Portner asked why there is no Commission Liaison to the Planning Board and City Manager Miller said the items they discuss are quasi-judicial and if there were to be a Commission Liaison that person would have the benefit of hearing information on the items that his/her colleagues would not be privy to. Commissioner Sultanof said additionally, he was told that elected officials may intimidate the members of the Board. Public Information Officer Crockett spoke of the Public Information Committee that is created by Charter. The focus of this Committee has changed over the years, and with the publications being put out by the City, it may be necessary to review and reconfigure the Committee and perhaps the current monthly meetings need to be looked at also. Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 7 of 9 Vice Mayor Partner said this Committee is vital to the City and many of the members have been on the Committee for several years. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco suggested another component to the Committee. Commissioner Dressler suggested sub committees that report to the Public Information Committee. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner spoke of the Social Services Board and said they are working on a community survey for youth and family issues. The Board may not need to meet every month, and it might be better for them to meet earlier in the morning. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner said he will bring code revisions to the Mayor and City Commission at a future date. Commissioner Sultanof said this Board is functioning well. Building and Code Compliance Director Jones said the Special Magistrate is similar to the Code Board and is working well. Director of Parks and Recreation Warner spoke of the Veterans Affairs Committee and said they meet as needed. They have good participation and support of the members for Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Veterans Assembly. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said if something needs to be changed, it can be addressed accordingly. Assistant City Manager Phillips spoke of the City of Character Committee and said Vice Mayor Portner attended a conference in Oklahoma last year and Tamarac adopted a resolution affirming the intent to be a City of Character. Vice Mayor Portner had suggested we look into the formation of a Character Council Advisory Committee, and Assistant City Manager Phillips said she researched it and is struggling with what this Committee would accomplish. Vice Mayor Portner said North Lauderdale is a City of Character, as well as West Palm Beach. Perhaps someone from those cities can come to Tamarac to discuss what it is they do. One time Tamarac honored a person for courageousness, and we should find ways to recognize individuals in Tamarac aside from our employees. Perhaps a Committee is not the way to go, but we should find people in the community to honor. Our own characters are involved, for instance, what we do as a commission or staff to make Tamarac better. Commissioner Sultanof agreed there are people of character in the City of Tamarac; a woman who has reached 107 years of age; one of the last Veterans, who has reached 102 years of age; the young man who dove into the canal to save someone. People in Tamarac have done monumental things and have not been recognized. Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 8 of 9 Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco suggested staff come back with recommendations. Vice Mayor Portner said this is a faith based organization. Assistant City Manager Phillips spoke of the Education Advisory Board and said she contacted Parkland, where an ordinance was adopted but the board has not yet met, as they have no clear goals or objectives. Coral Springs also has several Education Advisory Boards, which were formed in response to their strategic plan and visioning objectives. Commissioner Sultanof said we have no control over the school system or the school board. We have to depend on our representatives. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco said this needs to be explored more and the age of our residents could be indicative of what we need. This could be a vehicle to get kids involved with the City and vice versa. This is not curriculum based. Assistant City Manager Phillips said since Commissioner Atkins -Grad is the school liaison perhaps it would be good for her to get involved and bring information back to the Mayor and City Commission regarding potential Boards. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco suggested Commissioner Atkins -Grad get in touch with Coral Springs and go to their meetings and come back to the Mayor and City Commission with information. Commissioner Dressler asked what the next step would be after this meeting. City Manager Miller said staff has the gist of the direction the Mayor and City Commission wants to go with regard to the Boards and Committees. We will address this again in the fall after the visioning is completed. The appointments for Boards and Committees in June will continue. Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco confirmed changes as a result of this meeting will not take place until at least the fall. There being no further business to come before the Mayor and City Commission, Mayor Flansbaum-Talabisco adjourned the Retreat at 4:55 p.m. Marion Swenson, CMC City Clerk 1 t Commission Retreat May 24, 2006 Page 9of9