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HomeMy WebLinkAbout336 - MINUTES - City Commission MINUTES OF BUDGET WORKSHOP DANIA BEACH CITY COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2006 - 9:00 A.M. 1. Call to Order Mayor Flury called the workshop to order at 9:00 a.m. 2. Roll Call Present: Mayor: Patricia Flury Vice-Mayor: Bob Anton Commissioners: John Bertino Anne Castro C.K. McElyea City Attorney: Tom Ansbro City Manager: Ivan Pato City Clerk: Louise Stilson Also Present: Patricia Varney, Finance Director Nicki Satterfield, Assistant Finance Director Dominic Orlando, Director of Public Services and Utilities Leo Williams, Public Services Department Superintendent Mary McDonald, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management Laurence Leeds, Director of Community Development Ken Land, Fire Chief Michael Cassano, Deputy Fire Chief Kristen Jones, Director of Parks and Recreation Bryan Cowart, BSO Chief 3. Presentation and discussion on the City Manager's Proposed FY06/07 Operating Budget Appropriations: 9:00 a.m. City Manager/Finance Director Summary Presentation City Manager Pato presented his opening statement: As you are well aware, the City has not raised its present millage rate since October 1, 2002. Since then costs have risen by as much as 12% yearly, especially in the areas of salaries and benefits, much of it a result of past collective bargaining agreements. In 2004, the City Commission, reluctant to raise taxes, chose instead to transfer $1.4M from fund balance in order to balance the budget. To the Commission's credit, the City has maintained the 6.39 tax rate for the last four years. Additionally, during these last four years we have been able to increase our fund balance and continue to work to meet the Commission's stated goal of achieving a$20M fund balance. Even though some limited residential development has taken place in parts of our City, the large- scale redevelopment envisioned by this Commission has yet to materialize. The double digit increase in property values is in fact suspected to have peaked and in some cases may in fact decline. At this time, the earliest we can project any significant expansion of our tax base is in the 2008-2010 time period. This will pose a significant challenge and may make it difficult for the Commission to maintain the present tax rate in the near term. It will be difficult, but with the strong business disciplines we have in place, it should not be impossible. The Commission has already taken significant steps to address some of our needs, including: Rehabilitating the City's infrastructure (necessary to redevelop) Updating many of our buildings, parks and public services complex The long overdue expansion of City Hall The construction of a Fire StationBSO office in the western suburbs Our proposed budget is ambitious but timely and doable without raising the ad valorem tax rate. It will bring improvements in our delivery of services and it is designed to address the needs of a growing City. It includes requests for the staffing necessary to address many of our Commission's concerns, and the growing demands for better services. Also included is the restructuring of the City Manager's Office and the Community Development Department. The addition of three firefighters and two code enforcement officers will improve public safety, enhance our quality of life, and addresses many of the concerns and priorities identified by this Commission. You have a budget before you that we believe deals with THE NECESSITIES for moving our City forward. There is also flexibility built into this proposed budget so the Commission can adjust some of the funding being proposed. We have spent the last few years fixing what had been ignored for years, now we have to deliver the services you have told us are long overdue. I believe this Commission will support this budget because it is designed to do just that! We look forward to a businesslike exchange of information and to discussing any adjustments you may wish to make. Patricia Varney, Finance Director, presented a Power Point presentation to the Commission as an overview of the proposed Budget: Personnel Services ® Total Pension Contributions: FRS,pick-up and actuary calculations: $2,742,812 Minutes of Budget Workshop 2 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. il City's Pension Plan funded based on actuary calculation $1.53M: General Employees: $668,860; Police: $164,014 and Fire: $695,945. Increase compared to FY 2006 is $142,232 B COLA (citywide): 3.2% based on maximum cap in the General Employee & Fire Contract e Part-time salaries: 10% decrease, however, after re-opening 2 new Recreation centers, it will reflect an increase of 16.8% ® 5% decrease in health insurance 13 4% increase in Worker's Compensation Insurance, due to salary increases Operating Expenses 48% ($241,300) increase in property and liability insurance ® BSO, 5% ($428,245) contractual increase 19 Grant Matching: $150,000 ® ADA Consultant: $50,000 Economic Development: $100,000 ® Operations for CRA: $200,000 ® Contract Building Official and other inspection service from the County: $584,000 (includes 37% rate increase) ® 39% ($32,650) increase in water, due to meters installed in the medians and parks 24% ($76,222) increase in streets maintenance:FEC crossing maintenance IN Election Expense: $109,000 to cover both primary & general election ■ $25,000 increase in the Commission's promotional activities for hosting FLC events, special celebrations and sister city relationships ® Overall Operating Expenses Increase from FY 2006: $273,955 (2%) before implementation of program modifications Other Uses Aid to Private Organizations: $14,688 General Fund Contingency: $846,840 (to fund for unforeseen circumstances, rising fuel and construction costs, FPL fuel adjustments etc.) IN Fire Reserve $187,197 IN Reserve for Comprehensive Plan (3 cents gas tax): $124,600 Program Modifications IN Requests from staff above current year levels of service totaled: $2,217,974 ® City Manager's recommendations for funding is: $1,466,411 Personnel: Upgrade Assistant to the City Manager to Assistant City Manager: $30,843 ® Upgrade Administrative Technician to Administrative Assistant: $16,281 m Upgrade to Training Captain Position: -$5,982 Upgrade Recreation Leader to Recreation Program Manager: $12,525 91 Grants & Special Projects Coordinator: $78,831 N 2 Full Time Code Enforcement Officers: $211,456 (includes vehicles) ® 3 Firefighters: $224,204 Clerical Services Specialist(Citywide): $28,371 (6 months) Minutes of Budget Workshop 3 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. 8 Maintenance/Equipment Operator: $49,427 Operating Expenses: 0 Actuarial services for the implementation of GASB 45: $18,000 10 Central City Traffic Study: $200,000 El Consolidated City Wide Zoning: $110,500 Local Activity Center Amendment: $81,000 Click to Gov. Code Enforcement: $5,064 Construction Inspection Services: $208,000 E3 Unsafe Structure Demolitions: $17,250 Comprehensive Plan Update: $53,000 Laptops for Fire Field Inspectors: $13,682 Employee Assistance Program: $5,760 10 Area Aging Donation: $10,000 53 P.J. Meli & C.W. Thomas Recreation Center operations: $98,222 Capital Projects Fund N City Hall Expansion and Renovation: $100,000 El Generator for 2nd Floor at City Hall: $250,000 11 Fire Inspector Vehicle: $20,000 EM 2 Parking Meters: $22,000 Repave P.J. Meli Parking Lot: $30,000 Pier Deck Replacement, Trex Railings & Sun Shelter: $50,000 P.J. Meli fencing: $40,000 El Replacement of a Community Development vehicle: $22,000 R Bucket Truck: $77,000 (3 cents gas tax) El Public Works Compound: $2.6M Revenue Sources Property Taxable value increase by 19.8%; generates approximately an additional $3.07M. Parking — with the opening of the restaurant, parking fees are budgeted with a 15% increase Pier Lease—rent from restaurant, $103,500 Interest earnings— 110% increase Enterprise Fund M Consultant Engineer costs: Mainly due to infrastructure projects funded through SRF M Interfund Transfers from Water and Sewer funds to General Fund is $478,394, an increase of$18,399 (4%) ® 1 Plant Operator(6 months): $32,265 0 1 Utility Mechanic: $64,129 0 25% Sewer rate increase by City of Hollywood: $305,000 E Reserves for Water Fund for SRF Debt Service: $336,700 E3 Reserves for Sewer Fund for SRF Debt Service: $249,200 ED Reserves for R& R: $125,000 Minutes of Budget Workshop 4 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. F_ Y 2006/2007 Proposed Annual Rates 0 Millage Rate: 6.39 (same since FY 2003) S Voted Debt Service: 0.149 EM Garbage Rate: $240.12 (1% increase) El Stormwater Rate: $23 per ERU(no increase) Fire Assessment: $95.55 for residential (1.2% decrease) Water Rate: 12% increase Sewer Rate: 8%increase Other Sources of Balancing the Budget 0 3 Cents Gas Tax: $ 77,000 0 Water Fund: Retained Earnings: $118,312 Impact Fees: $492,500 M Sewer Fund: Retained Earnings: $197,120 Impact Fees: $130,000 Marina Budget e Total Budget $332,998 Rate: Floating dock: $230 @ month Permanent dock: $430 @ month Security: 24/7, 8 hours City staff and 16 hours contractual security service 19 Dockmaster 13 Repairs &Maintenance: $30,000 El Contingency: $12,313 Mayor Flury commented that the City cannot afford 193 employees; this is 20 more employees than in 2004. She would like the $200,000 construction overrun budget to be included as reserves, and require Commission approval. She would also like the Commission to approve the compensation plan for all employees on an annual basis. She stated the Public Services Compound would not spend $2.6M in twelve months. She wants to see the Debt Service benchmark and where the City is located on that benchmark. She commented contract services and personnel services cannot both rise; one needs to come down. Commissioner Bertino commented we need to look at revenue from the slots, and push some projects into the future until the revenue is received. He stated contract services should decrease, especially on construction services. Commissioner Castro commented a lot of things in the City were neglected in the past. She thinks water will be the most valuable commodity in Broward County in the next 20 years, and we need to make long-range plans to improve our water facilities. We do not know what will happen in the future with the slots, so we need to work toward providing the services needed in the Budget. She would like to see a 12 month trailing (actual) versus what is proposed for 2007 Budget; this would provide a more accurate picture of where we are versus where we want to go. She indicated tax cuts need to wait until buildings come out of the ground. She noted the results Minutes of Budget Workshop 5 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. of several CPTED studies are not included in the Budget; money is needed to remove septic tanks in the City; and there are several other challenges for the City. The next three years will be the most critical for the City to correct all the things that were neglected in' the past. She noted we spend too much money on studies, and we should look at doing some things ourselves. She concluded by saying that we need to start our long-range planning goals. Vice-Mayor Anton commented the key element is long-range planning, which is something that has been neglected in the past. He noted additional expenses will come with the slots and we need to start planning for the services required. He is trying to keep an open mind, and is interested in what the Department Heads and the community has to say. He stated Code Enforcement needs to be corrected throughout the City so that we operate with one Code, as opposed to three. Commissioner McElyea commented that people will not be able to pay their taxes over the next few years and their homes will be repossessed, which will reduce revenue for the City. He commented that the infrastructure in the City has been replaced through the years and is not as bad as people think. He stated we need to cut back on engineering costs. Mayor Flury commented we are all looking at different things in our long-range planning. She sees a decrease in home sales, and layoffs. She wanted to clarify that the infrastructure program is not what she is talking about; the $2.6M she is talking about is the Public Services Compound improvements. 9:45 a.m. City Manager/General Administration City Manager Pato commented there is no significant financial increase in the City Manager Budget. He stated the City is getting too big for one City Manager to handle; so he proposed an Assistant City Manager to handle Code Enforcement, Fire Rescue, Parks & Recreation, BSO, u and the Marina. His focus has been on the rearrangement of his office. City Manager Pato stressed the importance of a Grants Writer as a separate position from the Assistant City Manager position. He suggested an intemship.pro gram to obtain the grant writing expertise he needs; or obtaining a grants specialist on a contract basis. His main concern is the position of Assistant City Manager. The consensus of the Commission was to upgrade the Assistant to the City Manager position to an Assistant City Manager position, and to look.for a company to look for grants and are only paid if we receive the grant. Finance Director Varney noted the proposed Budget includes a 7-8% increase for FPL, and a 46% increase for fuel costs. City Manager Pato noted he is researching different types of vehicles, such as hybrids. He would like to see a 10% reduction in fuel consumption. Minutes of Budget Workshop 6 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. Mayor Flury is concerned that we have pumped up the end of year figures. She suggested taking $150,000 out of Projects and placing it in hurricane expenses. Commissioner Bertino suggested we could have cost savings by reducing the insurance coverage on some properties. Mary McDonald, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, responded we did this last year and updated our inventory list. She doubts costs will come down because we were told to expect an increase. We are currently out to bid for insurance services, but we only expect 2 companies to bid. Mayor Flury commented on the $100,000 for City Hall. She stated we do not need new furniture for the second floor, except for new employees. She also commented that the $250,000 for the generator should have been included in the construction cost. City Manager Pato responded the Commission approved $1.4M for the City Hall expansion project; the generator is for the entire building, not just the second floor. Dominic Orlando, Public Services Director, advised the generator for the second floor would be under $100,000. He indicated the replacement generator for the first floor could be in the next year's budget. The $250,000 was for one large generator for the entire building, which requires major electrical and structural modifications. He recommended purchasing the $100,000 generator this year, and purchasing a second generator in the future. Mayor Flury wants the $100,000 for furniture to be itemized. City Manager Pato will bring an itemized list before we spend the funds. It is currently a general estimate for ADA compliance and facelifts to City Hall. He suggested we place the money someplace else in the Budget and move it when we need it. Commissioner Bertino suggested taking $50,000 out of the Line Item and placing it in Contingency. Commissioner Castro wanted to be on the record as opposing reducing the $100,000 for City Hall. The consensus of the Commission was to take $50,000 out of the $100,000 for City Hall. Mayor Flury recessed the workshop at 10:45 a.m. for a break. Mayor Flury reconvened the meeting at 10:55 a.m. 10:15 a.m. City Commission City Manager Pato commented it is our turn to visit our Sister City, and we also budgeted money to host receptions. Minutes of Budget Workshop 7 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. The consensus of the Commission was to keep at least $10,000 for promotional activities. Mayor Flury noted that Professional Services needs to be reduced by the eminent domain costs. Commissioner Bertino suggested making the CRA Consultants hourly, rather than a monthly retainer. The consensus of the Commission was to keep $40,000 in the Budget for the CRA Consultants, on an hourly basis. Commissioner Anton questioned the $200,000 reserve for the CRA. Commissioner Castro cautioned if the City wants to purchase property there would be costs associated that would not be covered by the County. She suggested reducing the cost, but not eliminating it completely. The consensus of the Commission was to keep $50,000 in the CRA Reserves. 10:45 a.m. Department of Fire Rescue Fire Chief Ken Land noted he previously presented a summary that outlined the needs of the department. He stated the main problem is personnel, which they have been requesting for 8-12 years. He indicated we need to find a way to start hiring personnel for when the proposed development projects develop. This includes placing 3 people on an engine to make it safe; he noted the surrounding cities take their engines out of service if there are only two people on them. We need to add personnel over the next 2-3 years until we are at the necessary range. He noted the City Manager told him not to budget for any more large vehicles, however, they will always need to keep some SUV's or large pickups for emergency situations. He stated vehicles for administrative staff will be smaller, more economical vehicles. Mayor Flury does not support additional personnel. She commented that over 90% of rescue calls are medical, not fire related, and we provide more mutual aid to other cities than we receive. She commented if we continue to add 3 additional personnel over the next three years, the Fire Department will be turned over to the County because it will be too expensive for the City to keep. She stated she does not want to lose our Fire Department because it is one of the best in the County. Fire Chief Land understood her point, but noted that they give back 42% of their budget every year. He indicated the first 3 additional personnel are currently needed because we promised them to the community years ago. Mayor Flury remarked we promised them good service and that is what they are getting. Commissioner Castro commented it is imperative to start adding personnel because there will be 6,000-8,000 additional residents in the City, as well as a pari-mutuel complex. She stated Dania Minutes of Budget Workshop 8 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. Beach has the best Fire Department in the County, and she trusts the judgment of the Chief. She questioned if the CERT Program was included in the Budget. She stated she is supportive of adding personnel and upgrading the training position. Fire Chief Land noted there would be a small decrease in overtime if additional staff is hired. Commissioner Bertino stated he is willing to add the 3 additional personnel. Vice-Mayor Anton commented that he supports 3 additional personnel for the Fire Department. The consensus of the Commission was to include 3 additional positions for the Fire Department. Fire Chief Land explained overtime is up because we paid overtime to bring in personnel to man the shifts before the Fire Inspector was hired, and they also had some non-work related injuries. Finance Director Varney advised she reduced the overtime by $18,000 with the addition of 3 additional personnel. The figures will change when they are added to the Budget; overtime will go down, and salaries will increase. She stated increases in salary causes the overtime rate to rise. City Manager Pato indicated we will need to address overtime during the Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The consensus of the Commission was to recalculate the overtime rate. City Manager Pato mentioned the unresolved issue of the pension plan for future hires. He intends to have discussions with the Fire Department before moving forward with the new hires. Commissioner Castro asked about the CERT program. Mike Cassano, Deputy Fire Chief, responded it is a platform for organizing volunteers for emergencies. It involves getting citizens to volunteer for coordinated activities and training during emergency situations. There are no costs involved at this time because they want to see how many people are interested before spending money. Mayor Flury stated she does not support the Training Captain because there are too many officers in the department. She commented we will be providing more services to Broward County. Vice-Mayor Anton questioned why we needed to promote the position to a Captain; when a Lieutenant could provide the training, as well as a paramedic. He stated he does not support the position. The consensus of the Commission was to eliminate the Training Captain position. Minutes of Budget Workshop 9 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief Cassano advised the position does not have to be a Captain, but it requires . removing someone from shift work to work days. He does not know if anyone will want the position with no increase in pay. Commissioner Castro noted that she supports the change in the training position. Vice-Mayor Anton suggested negotiating an incentive into the contract for the Training Officer. 11:45 a.m. Department of Community Development Laurence Leeds, Director of Community Development, commented the new Code Enforcement Manager has experience in IT and has made the department more effective. He noted the outstanding issue for the past five years is staffing. He indicated that people have higher expectations of how their neighborhoods should look than two years ago; another problem is rentals. He requested 2 additional Code positions because we are trying to be pro-active as opposed to reactive. We would also like to assign one officer to a patrol zone, as is the norm in other cities. He indicated the cost would go down the second year because the vehicles and laptops are purchased in the first year. He noted the Code Enforcement division would be under the supervision of the Assistant City Manager. Vice-Mayor Anton commented the Code Manager is responsible to ensure we have done our job, and should not be in the office pushing paper all day. He affirmed that Code Enforcement is the number one problem in the City. He stated we are on our way to revamping the department and • he is comfortable with what is budgeted. Mayor Flury commented the current vacant positions have not been filled this year. Commissioner Bertino questioned if the rezoning of Griffin Road was included in Budget. Director Leeds responded there was no consensus of the Commission at the Strategic Planning Session. Commissioner Castro agreed with Commissioner Bertino that it needed to be included in the Budget. Mayor Flury commented that revenue should increase with the addition of Code Officers. She suggested the second Code Officer be budgeted for the second part of the year. Commissioner Castro suggested we begin the process of making one code for the City as soon as possible. Director Leeds commented he has not seen anything from Dania Jai-Alai for their traffic study. The study in the Budget will take into consideration the possibility of extending W. Dania Beach Boulevard to Bryan Road. Minutes of Budget Workshop 10 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. The consensus of the Commission was to keep the traffic study in the Budget and to ask Dania Jai-Alai if they would be willing to share the cost. The consensus of the Commission was to establish one consolidated Code. Commissioner Castro suggested revamping the Park Impact Fees and looking at new Impact Fees for planning services and beautification projects, not just for parks. Mayor Flury questioned the increase in Broward County fees for building services. Director Leeds advised a private provider would result in a 50-60% increase. He commented the Commission has indicated they do not want to hire full-time inspectors, which makes sense because we would need to lay them off when construction subsides. He indicated the additional funding would provide the equivalent of one person to provide plans review plus additional electrical and plumbing review. Mayor Flury said to take $40,000 from the $200,000 for contract services with Broward County. 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break Mayor Flury recessed the Workshop for lunch at 12:42 p.m. Mayor Flury reconvened the Workshop at 1:23 p.m. Mayor Flury opened the workshop to the public for comments. She noted that George Jason had to leave but asked her to comment that the lighting for the west side of the City is not included in the Budget. Joe Van Eron talked about interviews he had with the newspapers. He commented that he assumed the Budget did not include a line item for Neighborhood Development. He asked the Commission to consider funding for this mechanism. He stated the City has the best hard working employees. He has major concerns with the reorganization of the City Manager's office, and thought we needed a person experienced in urban planning who reported directly to the City Commission. William Walton.commented it is okay to say no; and no means approving a huge Budget. He stated it is good to say no to tall buildings. He commented it is a pain in the neck to drive in Dania, and we haven't done anything yet. He cautioned that adding more cars and trucks does not make for a leaner and meaner fighting machine. He is against adding more vehicles, but is in favor of better service, but until our crime rates get reduced he is for less Police cars. He wants to see results, but he has not seen any measurements. He asked the Mayor for the litmus test for each department in 2006. He wants to see verifiable results for any dollars approved. 1:15 p.m. Police(BSO) BSO Chief Bryan Cowart commented next year's budget is $8.5M, as approved in the contract. Minutes of Budget Workshop 11 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday, July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. Mayor Flury commented there is a perception that Dania Beach has a high crime rate. We need to determine how to measure the crime rate; we need solutions, not excuses; and we need to figure out how to solve the problem. BSO Chief Cowart responded they are working with neighboring Cities to displace crime out of Broward County. Mayor Flury questioned if we could change some positions in order to have security in the parks. She asked the City Manager to work with BSO during the remainder of the contract period. 1:30 p.m. Department of Public Services Mayor Flury commented we need a Columbarium but we cannot use the $650,000 in the Cemetery Trust Fund. The General Fund has been paying for maintenance, and the money in the Perpetual Care Fund just remains in the fund. She suggested the Perpetual Care Fund reimburse the General Fund for cemetery expenses. City Manager Pato responded if the City Attorney says it is appropriate, we can make a transfer. He suggested the Commission change the Ordinance. City Attorney Ansbro responded we need to investigate how other cities run their cemeteries. He commented we should use the Perpetual Fund for maintenance, and budget General Funds for the construction of the Mausoleum/Columbarium. Mayor Flury suggested the City Manager and City staff investigate the alternatives and bring a recommendation forward before September. Mayor Flury questioned how we were paying for the Public Services compound. She commented that we can't spend $2M in ten months. Dominic Orlando, Director of Public Services, responded we are currently looking at pre-fab buildings, and the best footprint to accommodate what we need. Once we decide to move forward, it will go up. First we need to tear down the structure used to store the generators. We need a temporary facility; then the membrane skids need to be installed, and we are proposing to put them in the garage, which will need to be relocated. He commented the main building needs to be replaced, and all of this will be completed in the next 1-3 years. Mayor Flury questioned why all the funding was in one year. The Commission concurred that we needed the cost of the entire project. Finance Director Varney noted we need to go out to bid for the funding, and it will be hard to finance the project in two separate years. She indicted it is more competitive to borrow a higher amount. She noted we borrow money as a tax incentive; we are making money on the money we borrowed for City Hall. Minutes of Budget Workshop 12 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26, 2006—9:00 a.m. • Mayor Flury commented the Debt Service is putting us in a dangerous position. Commissioner Castro commented if we are going to start the project we should borrow the money up front; if we do not move forward with the project, we give the money back to the bank and reduce our Debt Service. She noted we have hard decisions to make, and we need to set our priorities. Director Orlando indicated that by changing the project into three projects, the cost could be as high as $5M. He commented he intends to proceed and complete the project; construction costs have gone up, so the sooner we complete the project, the cheaper it will be. Mayor Flury noted the consensus is to put in the $1M now, and come back to the Commission when additional funds are required. Mayor Flury confirmed the consensus of the Commission for the Part-Time Beach Custodian to pick up trash on weekends, repair meters, and change air conditioner filters is 14 hours per week at approximately$13 per hour. Commissioner Castro suggested doing a vehicle analysis so that we do not need to discuss every vehicle. City Manager Pato noted he is looking at installing GIS devices in each vehicle in order to track employees. Director Orlando stated we currently have 6 Treatment Plant Operators; he has checked with other facilities our size and they have 7 operators. The requested position would be for the second half of the year after the Treatment Plant is updated. He indicated overtime is currently the only way to provide coverage if someone is sick, and it would be reduced substantially if the position was approved. Commissioner Bertino left the meeting at 3:30 p.m. Mayor Flury stated she would not support 2 additional positions, only 1. Director Orlando responded the Sewer Mechanic is more important than the Treatment Plant Operator. The consensus of the Commission was to approve the Sewer Mechanic only. Director Orlando noted the Treatment Plant Operator would be needed at that beginning of 2008. 2:30 p.m. Department of Parks &Recreation Parks and Recreation was discussed after Human Resources. Minutes of Budget Workshop 13 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26, 2006—9:00 a.m. Mayor Flury noted that the $10,000 for the Seniors is only while Chickee is heading the program,when she leaves the funds will be reduced. Commissioner Bertino returned to the Workshop at 4:22 p.m. Mayor Flury requested a retaining wall at the beach. Kristen Jones, Director of Parks and Recreation, responded it is not recommended by the Cities of Hollywood and Hallandale Beach because of the Pier Restaurant and the buildup of sand. Mayor Flury asked to replace the existing split-rail fence with an 18"retaining wall. She said Ft. Lauderdale said we should put in a retaining wall because we just had the beach re-nourished. Commissioner Castro questioned playground equipment for Melaleuca Park. Mayor Flury did not see the Linear Park in the Budget. Director Jones responded she will check on the playground equipment as a grant program. She advised that C.W. Thomas Park is currently out to bid, and demolition should begin October 1, 2006. The project should be completed by June 2007. City Manager Pato noted we are having difficulties with part time help, and suggested we may want to rethink our process. Mary McDonald, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, noted the benefits of moving part-time Parks and Recreation employees to contract services, such as that used for the Crossing Guards. She indicated there is a lot of turnover with part-time employees, and with the required FRS contributions, they are expensive for the City. She stated we could state in the contract that we want to retain the employees we have. Vice-Mayor Anton would like to see a cost analysis. Mayor Flury stated she is not in favor of contract services because it takes opportunities away from kids in the neighborhood. She said she is not impressed with the quality of summer help. She indicated the trouble is with the hiring process and we are not bringing in the right candidates. She does not support outsourcing jobs and still creating new positions because we haven't grown in three years since the annexation. She remarked the Parks are busier because the Parks are better. She indicated outsourcing would bring in perverts. Director McDonald responded Dania Beach residents would not lose jobs; and the hiring process ,is not the problem, it is the nature of the job. Commissioner Bertino agreed with Mayor Flury. He worries about people not in our control working with our children. He wondered how private companies can be more efficient than us. He stated we need a supervisory person who works nights and weekends in all the parks, not a . part-time person. Minutes of Budget Workshop 14 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. City Attorney The City Attorney Budget was heard before Parks and Recreation because Attorney Tim Ryan was present. Mayor Flury would like to reduce Other Legal Fees. Finance Director Varney advised Labor negotiations would resume next year. Tim Ryan, Code Attorney, noted the $150,000 for Code Legal.Fees is a combination of Code Enforcement and Litigation. It also includes any other related litigation and services, and County Court prosecutions. Mayor Flury requested an update on foreclosure cases. Attorney Ryan responded we have 5 pending foreclosure cases in which the City is the plaintiff, and 4 pending cases in which banks are foreclosing. Mayor Flury recognized Mr. Rhodes and moved the Human Resources section of the agenda. 3:40 p.m. City Clerk Mayor Flury questioned the Records Technician position. Louise Stilson, City Clerk, responded the position would handle the document imaging system that was approved by the Commission. 3:50 p.m. Department of Human Resources and Risk Management Mr. Lloyd Rhodes noted we have realized a 5% decrease since moving to AVMED. The City has saved $200,000 in hospitalization during the first nine months. Mayor Flury returned to the Parks and Recreation section of the agenda. Mayor Flury questioned the upgrade of a position and the addition of a new position. She noted she does not support the new position because of all the other positions in the Budget. Mary McDonald, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, responded the additional position would be used in all the departments, and would eliminate the need for temporary services. City Manager Pato noted the demand on elected officials is growing and this position would provide clerical assistance, and the Assistant City Manager would need help. The consensus of the Commission was to wait until next year for the additional position. Minutes of Budget Workshop 15 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday, July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. Commissioner Bertino commented the $10,000 for the Area on Aging should come from the Bus Bench money, not tax dollars. Mayor Flury agreed, provided we also include the Bus Shelter money to the Human Resources Board. The consensus of the Commission was to appropriate the Bus Shelter and Bus Bench money to the Human Resources Board, with $10,000 earmarked for the Area on Aging. 4:00 p.m. Marina Fund Mayor Flury questioned the Dockmaster position. City Manager Pato responded we have budgeted $40,000 for a Dockmaster. He is comfortable with the Marina Budget, but would like approval of the proposed fees. The consensus of the Commission was to approve the proposed rates. Commissioner Bertino asked if the issue with FAU was settled. Vice-Mayor Anton responded we need an agreement between FAU and the City, and the attorneys are working on it. He is comfortable that FAU is extremely cooperative to turn the marina over to the City in 2046 when the lease expires. He advised FAU agreed to a flat dollar fee as opposed to 20% of the net revenue, and the attorneys are negotiating the paperwork. Commissioner Bertino commented FAU should help with repairs if they are receiving significant dollars. City Attorney Ansbro responded it is not part of the deal. 4:30 p.m. Department of Finance/Information Services There were no questions on the Finance Department Budget. 4:45 p.m. Revenue Mayor Flury remarked the revenues are extremely conservative projections. 5:15 p.m. City Manager Performance Review City Manager Pato noted he received an evaluation from Mayor Flury, Vice-Mayor Anton and Commissioner Castro which results in a 5%pay increase, and a bonus of 3%-5%. Commissioners Bertino and McElyea stated they would submit their evaluations of the City Manager. Minutes of Budget Workshop 16 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. Vice-Mayor Anton noted today's discussion was moot because two evaluations are missing. City Manager Pato commented this needs to be done tonight because it needs to go into the Budget. Mayor Flury clarified to budget 5% for the City Manager's salary increase, and we will deal with the bonus at a later date. Mayor Flury commented the Compensation Plan should be approved by the Commission on an annual basis. She also noted the $200,000 construction subsidy for overruns needs to be addressed. She wants the Commission to approve construction overruns. City Attorney Ansbro responded there is a not to exceed amount or a bid amount in the contracts. Finance Director Varney noted we could set up a reserve account that needs to be approved by motion of the Commission. The consensus of the Commission was to have a reserve account for construction overruns. Commissioner Bertino questioned why the Griffin Road study was not included in the Budget. Director Leeds responded it was not supported by the Commission in the Strategic Planning Session. The cost would be $100,0004150,000 and would include Griffin Road, Stirling Road and Sheridan Street. Mayor Flury remarked we have too much on our plate, and she would rather deal with it next year. Commissioner Castro asked to change the Budget Workshop process next year. She would prefer to have the workshops before the date we have to set the not to exceed millage rate. Finance Director Varney summarized we have a total savings of$503,384 today, which equals .179 millage for the General Fund. 4. Adjournment Mayor Flury adjourned the workshop at 5:50 p.m. CITY OF DANIA BEACH PATRICIA F URY • MAYOR-COMMISSIONER Minutes of Budget Workshop 17 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m. ATTEST: LOUISE STILSON, CMC CITY CLERK Approved August 22, 2006 • Minutes of Budget Workshop 18 Dania Beach City Commission Wednesday,July 26,2006—9:00 a.m.