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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-25 - City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes City of Tamarac City Commission Workshop - Minutes Tuesday, February 25, 2020 CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Gomez called the Tuesday, February 25, 2020, City Commission Workshop/Quarterly Update Meeting, being held at the Tamarac Park Recreation Center at 7581 University Drive, Tamarac, Florida, 33321, to order at 9:31 a.m. ROLL CALL: Mayor Michelle J. Gomez, Commissioner Debra Placko and Commissioner Julie Fishman were in attendance. Vice Mayor Marlon Bolton arrived at 9:40 a.m. and Commissioner Gelin arrived at 9:45 a.m. Also present were City Manager Michael C. Cernech, City Attorney Sam Goren, and City Clerk Jennifer Johnson. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Fishman led the Pledge of Allegiance. 1. Quarterly Financial Update Director of Financial Services, Mark Mason, provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Discussion by the Commission ensued with questions related to having the City Commission listed as full-time employees in budget book, when the Property Appraiser distributes property tax money to the City, and entities that are exempt from paying impact fees. Mason stated most of our property taxes are dispersed November— February, and they trickle in after that. Mason clarified that certain entities are exempt from paying impact fees by state statute, some of those being special districts and the School Board are exempt. 2. Update: Broward Sheriff's Office Capt. Jeff Cirminiello, BSO-Tamarac District, provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office, detailing the staff structure, crime statistics and trends. Lt. Warnell Williams provided information related to the Police Explorer program. Commissioner Fishman stepped out at 10:34 a.m. and returned at 10:36 a.m. Commissioner Gelin stepped out at 10:39 a.m. and returned at 10:42 a.m. Discussion by the Commission ensued related to the age of current car"hoppers" being 13-19, 21 days being the maximum amount of time kids can be held in detention, programs that assist with kids after they are released are funded by Broward County and not the Sheriff's Office, juveniles are most successful when they have a home front after they have been released, the target age group for getting kids in the Explorer Program is middle school and there is a growing interest in the program. Fire Chief, Percy Sayles, will follow up on an inquiry regarding padlocking a home's electrical panel. City Manager, Michael Cernech, asked the members of the Commission if they are hearing any issues from the community that need to be addressed. Discussion by the Commission ensued regarding traffic, speeding, increased car burglaries, use of the Ring (surveillance device) and Next Door as helpful deterrents, officers not being visible enough, and a potential RIDE (Resident Inclusion for Diversion and Education) program, which would act as a neighborhood watch. Page 1 of 4 CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP/QUARTERLY UPDATE February 25, 2020 Capt. Cirminiello responded stating, zone coverage is a balancing act. Units respond to a crime, outside their zone, then they must go back to their zones. Cirminiello also requested additional information regarding the RIDE program. Discussion by the Commission ensued regarding parking restrictions from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. The consensus of the Commission is to repeal that section of the Code at a future meeting, and to make sure any new developments would have ample parking. Mayor Gomez recessed the meeting at 10:55 a.m. and reconvened at 11:11 a.m. Commissioner Gelin joined the meeting at 11:14 a.m. 3. Discussion: BSO Contract Renewal Director of Financial Services, Mark Mason, provided a presentation, which is on file in the City Clerk's Office. City Manager, Mike Cernech, asked the members of the Commission to consider the topic and bring back questions or requests during the budget process. No discussion by the Commission. 4. Update -Strategic Plan 2040 City Manager Michael Cernech, Assistant City Manager Kathleen Gunn, and Assistant to the City Manager Laura Karpaviciute presented the item. Discussion by the Commission ensued with a request that there be more communication, via the Tam-A-Gram or social media, and to residents regarding what Tamarac is doing to prepare for the Coronavirus. Tamarac Fire Chief, Percy Sayles, stated the City is monitoring information from the CDC, there is a new protocol for respiratory issues and the Department is purchasing what supplies are available. Sayles also recommended getting a flu shot. Discussion by the Commission ensued related to creating green business partnerships, becoming a SMART city, training and certification related to human trafficking awareness, workplace culture and professional development for City employees, increasing communications and social media presence, University Hospital's reputation, improvements, communications, etc., becoming a paperless City, instituting DocuSign, potentially adding a track at one of our parks, tuition assistance guidelines and availability for City employees, and creating a college-to-job or internship pipeline. City Manager, Michael Cernech, suggested having Ben Harris, the new CEO of University Hospital, speak at an upcoming workshop for an update on improvements/initiatives at the facility. In the future, the Commission would like a copy of the Strategic Planning presentation prior to the meeting. Mayor Gomez recessed the meeting at 12:25 p.m. and reconvened at 1:18 p.m. 5. Discussion - Commission funds, Initiatives and Events Director of Financial Services, Mark Mason, presented a presentation that is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Mason stated the topic is two-parts. One being how/if we reimburse for Commission expenses, or two, how we move forward with Commission event requests. Discussion by the Commission ensued related to the current budget practice, and a request for all reimbursements by the City Commission thus far, and a potential safe harbor opinion from the City Attorney's Office related to the legality of those reimbursement. Page 2 of 4 CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP/QUARTERLY UPDATE February 25, 2020 The consensus of the Commission is to keep the initiative budget as a reimbursement process as well as an updated memo from the City Attorney's Office clarifying allowable expenses, and to memorialize the process through the adoption of a resolution at a future meeting. Discussion by the Commission ensued related to creating a formalized process, with a timeline component, for submitting event requests, and if the Commission was going to go forward with joint or individual requests, options for covering costs of an event if two Commissioners are present and notice requirements of such events. The Commission requested information about which cities have elected officials who do things separately? The consensus of the Commission is to formalize a process, with submission deadlines, for staff to properly estimate costs and execute an event. Discussion related to increasing the initiatives budget will be brought back for discussion at a future workshop. City Manager, Michael Cernech, asked that the members of the Commission to consider what events they would like to see next year so they can be discussed and properly budgeted. 6. Discussion—Civility Policy Levi Williams, Esq., presented background related to the item. Discussion by the Commission ensued related to comparing the policy to what we already have in the Code of Ordinances, friction and disagreements being inevitable, respect for one another, procedures for attending joint events, options for having the Vice Mayor, Mayor, or all of the elected officials sign the document, goal of being one Commission, etc. Commissioner Gelin stepped out at 3:51 p.m. and returned at 3:52 p.m. Commissioner Gelin stepped out at 4:16 p.m. and returned at 4:24 p.m. Discussion related to the Civility Policy continued. The consensus of the Commission is to discard the version presented by Mr. Williams, look at other city's policies, then discuss and create a new policy at a future workshop. There being no additional business to discuss, Mayor Gomez adjourned the meeting at 4:29 p.m. Minutes respectfully transcribed and submitted by City Clerk, Jennifer Johnson. ji Je. fifer J6hn on, CMC City C erk Mic elle J. Gomez, Mayor Note to the reader: The above signature is the City Clerk, of the City of Tamarac, Florida. If the minutes you have received are not signed, or completed as indicated above, they are not the Page 3 of 4 CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP/QUARTERLY UPDATE February 25, 2020 official minutes of the Tamarac City Commission Workshop/Quarterly Update held Tuesday, February 25, 2020. Pursuant to Chapter 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. The City of Tamarac complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a disabled person requiring any accommodations or assistance, please notify the City Clerk's Office at (954) 597-3505 of such need at least 48 hours (2 days) in advance. Additionally, if you are hearing or speech impaired and need assistance, you may contact the Florida Relay Service at either of the following numbers: 1-800-955-8770 or 1-800-955-8771. Page 4 of 4 CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP/QUARTERLY UPDATE February 25, 2020