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CCMtg01-30-12Min(WS) LONGWOOD CITY (COMMISSION Longwood City Commission Chambers 175 West Warren Avenue Longwood, Florida WORK SESSION MINUTES JANUARY 30 2012 5:00 P.M. Present. Mayor Joe Durso ][Deputy Mayor H.G. "ButchS Bundy Commissioner John C. Maingot Commissioner Bob Cortes Commissioner Brian Sackett Jon Williams, City Administrator Sarah M. Mirus, City Clerk Bill Gulbrandsen, ]Fire Chief John ]Peters, Director of Public Works /City Engineer Sheryl Bower, Director of Community Development Services ]Fran Meli, Director of Leisure Services Wanda Broadway, Human Resources .Manager Craig Dunn, ]Information Technology Manager Michelle ]Longo, Executive Assistant to City Administrator 1. CALL rL TO ORDER. Mayor Durso called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. SET PRIORITIES AND DISCUSS PROJECTS FOR IFIISCAL, VEAR 2012/2013. Mayor Durso said in conversation with the City Administrator, they talked about what he would like to see come out of this particular Meeting. He said in order to make the Meeting as efficient as possible and to allow the Commissioners to get a. full picture of what was happening, he has asked that each department give their presentation without any questions or interruptions and after the final presentation all department heads and the City Administrator will take questions. He asked the Commission if they had any objections to the process. Commissioner Maingot stated it would be better to take them individually and ask questions after their presentation. Discussion ensued regarding the process of the Meeting. CC 01 -30 -12/1 Mr. Williams said they wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the priorities that they were working on and make sure they were consistent with the priorities of the Commission. He said the results of this Meeting would formulate the official budgeting process in which they would incorporate over the next few months, and ultimately, present to the Commission in a timeframe that was consistent with the Charter. Commissioner Sackett thanked the City Administrator and said this was an excellent way in starting the process. Mr. Williams said this process officially kicks off the budget process for 2013. He said this was an opportunity for staff to present their priorities and to make sure they were consistent with the Commission's priorities. He said to assist with the discussion, earlier today he ran some preliminary numbers on fund balances for the General Fund, Stormwater Fund and the Utilities Fund. He emphasized these were pre -audit numbers and were subject to change. He said he calculated the General Fund balance to be about $5.4 million and that was within a range of thirty (30) to forty (40) percent. He said the Stormwater Fund was about $1.2 million, and as a percentage of Expenditures, that was about 150 percent of what they budgeted currently, and the Utilities Fund was in the range of about $1.2 million and was also within the range of thifty (30) to forty (40) percent. He said he knew the Property Appraiser, Mr. David Johnson, has tentatively calculated another drop in taxable value which he would be formalizing in the form of a written notice to the Commission of about three (3) to five (5) percent. He said for the purposes of budgeting, he would take the most conservative and estimate everything on a five (5) percent decrease. He said hopefully, when the actual numbers do come in they would come in much higher and that equates to about $205,000. He said they know right now, revenue would be short next year. He said the priorities were the Transit Oriented Development (T ®D) improvements for the SunRail Station. He said not just the funding of the capital, but the need to ensure the staffing levels were adequate for potential investors in the community as SunRail becomes online and the demand picks up. He said since being appointed as the Administrator, he has changed their approach from being reactive to being more proactive. He said our reactive nature was somewhat be dictated by the staffing levels and what the staff was currently capable of absorbing and continuing to handle. He said they will hear from staff the, need to add more staff, along with planning for the capital improvements that were needed. He said for the remainder of this fiscal year, they have a lot of projects that were currently ongoing. He said the first was the completion of the Wage and Classification Study, He said they were rewriting the Personnel Policies and Procedures, and they have received a draft. He said he has looked at it, and made his comments and forwarded it to the Human Resources Manager, Ms. Broadway. He said she would incorporate her comments and would distribute it to the Commission to allow them to look at it. He CC 01 -30 -12/18 also said lastly, the International Union of Operating Engineers contract was open, along with the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Teamsters Local Union. He said those were three (3) items they would be placing a very strong emphasis on, the second half of the fiscal year in wrapping up for this year. He then called on Chief Gulbrandsen to identify priorities he has been working on. Chief Gulbrandsen provided updates on pending projects, and reviewed the equipment and additional personnel that was needed. in the Fire Department. He then outlined the costs of the proposed equipment and personnel. He stated some of those costs could be off -set by applying for grants. Mayor Durso requested the Commission be provided in written form the breakdowns of costs and the level of importance of the items being requested by the department heads at the next meeting. Chief Gulbrandsen stated with the TOD, he had met with Ms. Bower and looked at the plans. He said in a five (5) year plan, if they were looking at three (3) and four (4) story buildings, they would need to look at purchasing an aerial -type truck and that cost would be $700,000 and a new Station 417, which would cost about $1.2 million. Ms. Broadway provided updates on current projects within the Human Resources Division. She stated one of the projects she inherited was the Health Clinic and asked for feedback from the Commission if they would like for her to continue with researching the Health Clinic. She continued to provide updates on other pending projects. Discussion was held with regard to the Health Clinic for the City. It was a consensus of the Commission to have Ms. Broadway research the Health Clinic for the City. Mr. Peters provided updates on current projects within the Public Works Department and reviewed his recommendations for the upcoming projects with the one (1 ¢) cent sales tax. He said during last week's interviews with the developers, stakeholders and Commissioners, it became very evident that the TOD was extremely important to the future, and his Department was going to be a key element of that -- specifically with regards to stormnwater, streets, and water and sewer improvements needed for the initial stage. He then outlined the proposed costs for those upcoming projects and recommended completing Phase I of the TOD by deferring some projects and stated they would have sufficient funds. He noted that would be their priority for next year. CC 01 -30 -12/19 Mr. Williams said before the Commission weighs in on deferring any projects associated with one (10) cent.sales taxes, lie wanted to take the opportunity to evaluate the overall consequences of that. Deputy Mayor Bundy stated they received that money based on a specific list of projects and need to find out. if they can change the list of projects. Mr. Peters stated based on previous conversations, they could request by letter to modify that listing. Deputy Mayor Bundy stated he wanted an answer in writing. Mr. Williams said another thing he wanted to mention was they do have a. funding source available for next year with the local option gas tax that they adopted when they adopted the budget this year. I-Ie said they would keep those funds dedicated to the Public Facilities Improvement Fund for future road projects and resurfacing, etc. and would have it available. Commissioner Sackett asked how much money that generated. Mr. Williams said roughly about $350;000. He said hopefully, through the completion of the audit, they can identify some additional funds they may be able to move over to the Public Facilities Improvement Fund to comingle with the additional $350,000. He said there may be some excess funds. He said before they make a decision to defer, they would like to look at the total consequences of that. Mayor Durso said regarding any changes that they make; it would be nice if they had formal approval in writing before they did anything significant to jeopardize that money. Commissioner Sackett stated the Public Works Department was a major Department with major projects and asked Mr. Peters where his numbers were coming from. He inquired if they were sufficiently staffed to meet the needs of the T ®D. Mr. Peters said based on what they have learned from the Public Works Facility, they do not have current staff capable. Ide said when he did the estimate; he included construction engineering services (CEI) services for the consultant to manage the project, so they do not have to. Commissioner Sackett asked Me. Peters if he needed additional staff for the day -to -day operation. Mr. Peters said it was a difficult question to answer because coming before the Commission on Monday night was the item to bid the mowing services. He said to truly see a cost savings, they would have to reduce CC 01 -30 -12/20 staff appropriately. He said the reality was back in 2009, they had a contract mowing service, and he had a staffing level that was one (1) person more than he currently has. He said in 2009, they had a level of service based on that and were attempting to do as much work that they did in 2009 and do the mowing services. He stated it has been difficult. He said the real question was what level of service they were trying to achieve. Commissioner Sackett said he would ask the Administrator and inquired if this was a number they can't look at yet. Mr. Williams said he thinks through the initial construction process of these improvements, staff was not needed at that time. He said once they have completed the street landscaping, then there may be an additional need out there to maintain it to our standards. Mayor Durso said what they were trying to get was, to not be with their backs against the wall at the last minute, and then be told by seven (7) members of staff at that time they needed thirty -five (35) new people on staff in the City. He said they would like to be able to plan for these things because they know it was coming. Mr. Williams said they agree and recognize that, and 'their approach was somewhat incremental. He said, as Mr. Peters pointed out, he asked the Commission on Monday night to go forward and allow them to draft a Scope of Services to evaluate whether or not in -house services versus contractual labor was the best way to go. He said essentially it was managed competition. He said they were going to present that Scope of Services to the Commission, so they can see what they were going to go out with, on the street. He said upon their approval, they would go ahead and issue that bid document: request for qualifications (P.FQ) or request for proposal (RFP), and they would start accepting bids. I-Ie said at the same time, City staff was going to respond to that same bid. He said at the conclusion of that process, they were going to bring it back to the Commission and say they have five (5) solicitors, including the City of Longwood, and these were what the cost.can do. He said at that time, they may be in a better position to say they can generate some savings by eliminating some staff, but it may make sense to go ahead and keep this staff to deal with some of the other priorities, such as sidewalks, stormwater, and to put ourselves in a position to go forward in terms of street landscaping. Deputy Mayor Bundy said when they brought the mowing in- house, they budget it for October 1 and it did not go into effect until June 1st. He said when it was brought to the Commission to bring, it in- house, they were told no more staff would be needed. He made the previous Administrator and everyone involved understand that they were saying no CC 01 -30 -12/21 more staff, and no more staff means zero (0) people. He said if they go back out for bid and do privatize it, they were going to have a very difficult time convincing him they needed to keep everybody that was mowing grass now because, if they can mow the grass and if they can do what they have been doing, now they were not going to have them mow the grass. Commissioner Maingot said he does not have a problem with the concept of cross utilization. He said what he has a problem with having people do a particular job that they do not know anything about. He said it was not only the person, it was the capability of the individuals and they have quite a lot of that. He said people were doing certain things that they were not physically suited to or qualified to do, but they were still there. He said if they do any assessments, numbers was one thing, capability was something else; otherwise they would not be going through this exercise they were going through right now. He said he wants to move in the right direction. He said if they were going to select people to fill in other capabilities, let's make sure they know which side to place a Level on the ground and how to mix cement, and eveiything else that goes with that kind of endeavor. He said otherwise, they were just doing a disservice to the City. Ms. Bower said she looked at all the projects and all that they could be working on and she said she boiled it down to what was critical for SunRail. She said that includes not only infrastructure, but also just preparing the City for day one when the train starts running, the City would be ready and will have our SunRail face on. She stated they have done as much as they can in the Historic District and have signage, at the Station that leads people around the district points, and the business points. She said when people get off that train, they lu they are in Longwood and know there were things to do and things happening. She said that was how she geared everything she was doing, and looking at her staff resources and determining how best she could utilize theirs to make the City ready for that day, as far as the planning site goes that includes her Planners and the Economics Development /Special Projects Manager, if they could concentrate on the SunRail Projects. She then described the projects the Planning Division and Economic Development would be working on in conjunction with the SunRail Project. She stated she would not need additional staff on the Community Development Division. She stated they needed to focus on what was going on with the T ®D and SunXall. She continued to outline the projects the Cornrnunty Services Division was currently working on. She said for the Building Division, she would be coming to the Commission next week and asking them to let her hire a .full -time person for a Building Inspector. She stated she would not go into the justification now and said she could justify moving that position from a part -time position to a full -time position. She CC 01 -3'0 -12/22 recommended having another part -time person but was not asking for that at this time. Discussion was held if the operation of the Building Division could pay for itself based on the fees collected and the current staffing and work load within the Building Division, the Fire Marshal and Engineering. Discussion was held into looking at performance measures within the City that were agreeable to staff and the Commission and outlining the necessary staff and equipment needed to accomplish those performance measures. Ms. Bower continued to outline the projects the Cominunity Development Department was currently working on. Mr. Williams said lie wanted to wrap -up the discussion on [lie TOD Project. He said Chief Troy Hickson was not with us tonight, so lie would be presenting some of his items on behalf of the Police Department. He then outlined projects with the TOD and noted he waisted the City's projects to be done before the developer. He said that way, when they come they were not waiting for the City to respond. He noted they were already taking action and taking the necessary steps to start to get that ball rolling, and rolling faster. He stated they decided they were going to meet weekly, whether it was needed or not, just to keep Sunl'.ail fresh in everybody's mind. He discussed the short-term needs and long -term needs of the TOD, and looking into alternative financing mechanisms for funding and provided an example. He said that was concerning because if they look at the budget, they do not have that capacity, and they know they have got to look at alternatives and provided examples of some alternatives. He noted that he had individual conversations with each of the Commissioners and wanted to assure them that it was a priority, and they were looking for as many options that they can bring back and try to pursue with more individual time to be able to satisfy that long -term need. Discussion ensued regarding the focus on the TOD Project and the need for developing an action plan. Mr. Williams reviewed the strategic budget topics for the Police Department that were submitted by Chief Hickson that included additional personnel, equipment, vehicles and malting repairs to the Police and Fire Administration Building. Mayor Durso requested a breakdown on these specific costs and they should come in priority, and if there could be some indication to them of where that money was coming from, whether from a grant or through a line item they were cancelling, or if it was new money. He said that would give them 2 better idea of what they have to plan for accordingly. CC 01 -30- 12/23 Ms. Meli outlined the projects for the Leisure Services Department and provided updates on Reiter Park and activities held at Longwood Elementary School. She requested additional personnel to assist with the administrative needs of the Department, a part-time Recreational Aid and a Program Coordinator. She discussed the Parks and Recreational Advisory Board and stated she would need additional furniture at Longwood Elementary School next year. Discussion was held in regards to the Leisure Services Department and how it relates to the mowing services with regards to keeping the mowing in -house or contracting the mowing services out. Discussion was held in regards to the grant for Reiter Park and the continuation of expanding a vendor sponsor program throughout the City. Mr. Dunn provided updates on current projects in the Information Technology Division that included the status of "the One Solution software, and the request for additional personnel in the Police Department and the new requirements by other Agencies. Discussion was held in regards to the additional personnel to be added to the Information Technology Division rather than to have the additional personnel added to the Police Department. Discussion was held with regards to the City cellular telephones and to look in the future at the possibility of providing stipends. Discussion was held in regard to grant opportunities and what the next steps would be after the Meeting, based on the current finances to complete the various projects for the City. Mr. Williams stated they have a short -term need and a long -term need and they have to look at all the options available to the City before they come back and make a formal recommendation. I-Ie said they would like to have many options, so when they were presented with an idea, they can say this one suits better. Commissioner Maingot said he knows Lake Mary was soliciting developers without the constraints the City was faced with. They were going to start building and the City would find themselves being outdone after doing all this work, and they can't talk turkey to these developers. Mr. Williams stated one of the other items they did not get into a lot of detail on was through the discussions they had the other day. They all learned that developers had unique needs, whether it's assistance on the front end or on the back end. He said "there were various different ways to CC 01 -30 -12/24 provide that assistance to attract that quality developer to the City. He said through those discussions and discussions he had with Ms. Dower, they were trying to look at developing an incentive program that would allow them to be able to offer some assistance on the front end and back end; abut more importantly, maybe an incentive program that would help from an economic development perspective to generate redevelopment. He said they have talked about it, and were going to reach out to some contacts and ask those folks what does it take if they offer this from a tax perspective, if it was a tax incentive program, or whatever it may be. He said they were going to sit down and see what type of incentive programs they might give and develop them and bring them back to the Commission in the form of a recommendation; but it was very conceptual and something they have talked about and realized it was something they needed, but have to look at the options that were available to Mlle City. Deputy Mayor Bundy said people were going to meet weekly regarding SunRail and the T ®D. He said he would like to see on a weekly basis something like a recap of that meeting. Mayor Durso asked Mr. Williams if he could get an electronic mail out every two (2) weeks to the Commission regarding this. Commissioner Maingot said they have spoken a lot about the City's needs and wants, and when it came to personnel, he feels to an. extent it was justified. He said when it comes to equipment, they have to exactly prioritize what was the minimum requirement and to be very realistic about it. He said he supports the City moving forward, but with everything well thought out and justified. Mayor Durso asked Mr. Williams, at Monday's Meeting, to discuss what the timeframe would be for their next meeting. He said this would give Mr. Williams a week to put the documentation together to make a proposal. 3. ADJOURN. Mayor Durso adjourned the meeting at 6:59 p.m. A. Jose, pq U ayor ATTEST- Sarah M. Mirus,1 IWC, MBA, City 0erk CC 01-30 - 12/25 This Page Left Blank Intentionally. CC 01-- 30-12/26