Loading...
Minutes 07-10-23 and 07-13-23 Minutes of the City Commission Meeting Held Online Via the GoToWebinar Platform and In-Person at the City Hall Commission Chambers 100 East Ocean Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida On Tuesday, July 10, 2023, at 9:00 A.M., and continued on Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 5:30 P.M. Present: Mayor Ty Penserga Daniel Dugger City Manager Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin Mike Cirullo, City Attorney Commissioner Angela Cruz Maylee De Jesus, City Clerk Commissioner Woodrow L. Hay Commissioner Aimee Kelley 1. Agenda Items A. Call to Order- Mayor Ty Penserga Mayor Penserga called the meeting to order at 9:05 A.M. Invocation by Commissioner Hay Invocation was given by Commissioner Hay. Pledge of Allegiance by Commissioner Kelley The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Commissioner Kelley. Roll Call City Clerk Maylee De Jesus called the roll. A quorum was present. Agenda Approval: 1. Additions, Deletions, Corrections 2. Adoption Motion Commissioner Hay moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Kelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. B. Budget Overview • Revenues & Expenses • Fund Balance • Personnel Changes • Fire Assessment Rate • Proposed Rates & Financial Impact Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 • Property Millage Rate Budgetary Stabilization Options Mayor Penserga said that this is one of the most important jobs that they do as Commissioners. Ms. Frederiksen Frederiksen, Chief Financial Officer, spoke about the following regarding the Fiscal Year 23/24 2"d Public Budget Workshop: 2023 Budget workshop schedule and 2023 budget hearing/adoption schedule; agenda for July Budget Workshop; budget workshop- general fund revenue highlights; general fund balance status; general fund FTE count with other funds; appropriation summary; all funds-funding sources= $288.8M; millage rate; and general fund budgetary stabilization options. Mayor Penserga said that we have a $2.7M deficit. He stated that the first option is to use the ARPA Funds to fill this gap, but he is opposed to it. Ms. Frederiksen explained the four different options to fund the deficit. Commissioner Cruz asked for details in miscellaneous cuts. Ms. Frederiksen explained the reductions for the miscellaneous cuts. Commissioner Kelley stated that these cuts are more of a deferred expense. Commissioner Hay asked what the top priorities there are for the next year. Ms. Frederiksen stated that not all of these are deferrals, some are just ones that are not needed. Commissioner Kelley stated that if the majority of the cuts that we are making are one- time purchases, and we use ARPA funds for the one-time purchases, it would have significant benefits to the City. Daniel Dugger, City Manager, spoke about the reduction in funding and different obstacles that we have been combating. He mentioned the Davenport Report and the structural imbalance that we have, and solid waste fees. He stated that it is important to maintain the millage rate to give the Commission more ways to get to a balanced budget. Commissioner Cruz asked how we are at a deficit, even though we have increases in revenue. Ms. Frederiksen stated that it is because of expenditures. 2 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Commissioner Cruz stated that we should not depend on annexations to fill the gap in our budget, we should be working with the base that we have right now. She asked where the expenditure increase is coming from. Mr. Dugger explained where the increases in expenditures are coming from. Ms. Frederiksen stated that there will be individual department presentations. 2. Presentation A. Budget Review Ms. Frederiksen spoke about the following: existing reserve policy; historical reserve levels; peer comparison, available fund balance; peer comparison, unassigned fund balance; recommended reserve financial policy enhancements; and recommended reserve financial policy enhancements (continued). Commissioner Kelley asked if this is factored into the budget or do we need to take this into consideration. Ms. Frederiksen explained that the options would help grow the 8% shortfall that we have. She spoke about the Fire Assessment Fee as follows: fire assessment fee comparison. Mayor Penserga asked what the similarities are for the cities they are being compared to. Ms. Frederiksen explained why these were the cities that Boynton Beach is being compared to. She continued her presentation as follows: rate scenario. Commissioner Kelley asked if it is possible to increase the non-residential rate without increasing the residential rate. Ms. Frederiksen explained that the rate change has to be across the board, and we cannot do it for just non-residential. She explained the opportunity for staggered increases in rates. She continued her presentation as follows: hardship exemptions; and exemptions options. Commissioner Kelley asked what the impact would be if the exemptions were made for the median income and who can apply for the exemption. Ms. Frederiksen explained that she would not be able to know, unless they knew how many houses would be affected. She said that they typically have about 30 exemptions 3 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 that are applied for each year. • Police Department Chief DeGiulio spoke about the following: proposed budget; highlighted changes- Police Department/Uniform Services (11% increase), Police Department/Office of the Chief (23% increase); highlighted changes- Police Department/Support Services (10% increase); proposed budget for red light camera fund; highlighted changes- Police Department/red-light camera (15% increase); and successes. Vice Mayor Turkin asked how long has it been since a lot of Officers have not left to go to the County. Chief DeGiulio stated that it is the first time in the over 20 years that he has been here. Vice Mayor Turkin thanked the Chief for his work and being able to retain Officers. He commended the Commission and staff for making this work. Chief DeGiulio continued with his presentation as follows: successes; challenges; and initiatives. Commissioner asked what the 15% in traffic cameras is due to. Chief DeGiulio explained the personnel services and the operating expenses for the license plate readers and speed trailers. Commissioner Hay asked how many traffic cameras do we have now and are we adding any. Chief DeGiulio said that in regards to license plate reader cameras, we have 15 now, 3 additional will be installed and 3 are waiting on permits. • Fire Department Chief Bruder spoke about the Fire Department as follows: proposed budget; highlighted changes, Fire Rescue (8.2% increase), Emergency Management (18.2%); FY 2022/23 accomplishments; and FY 2023/2024 Goals. He mentioned that he distributed a letter from the Senate in regards to doing work for hurricane preparedness, and said that this is for all departments, for the work they do. Commissioner Hay commended the Police and Fire Rescue for the work that they do. He asked what the impact of speed bumps are in response times. 4 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Chief Bruder stated that they slow the trucks down a little, but that the traffic is what really slows down the response time. He said that the biggest challenge is being able to manage all of the calls of service, keeping response time down, and keeping his Firefighters safe to do their job. Vice Mayor Turkin asked what other municipalities we service. Chief Bruder explained what municipalities we service and said that some of those contracts are up for renewal soon. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that we should look into reinstituting the Fire Boat Program. Chief Bruder stated that none of the programs in the other cities are on the water. He explained fulfilling dual missions with the vessel they are looking at purchasing. Commissioner Kelley stated that although the fire boat is a budget cut, the Fire Department has been having this on their wish list for a few years. She said that we are putting our fire safety people at risk, by making these cuts. She commented that we should consider using ARPA funds for this one time purchase. She said that last year a fire truck needed to be replaced, and asked where we are on replacing some of the oldest equipment and fire truck. Chief Bruder stated that we do have some trucks in the pipeline, but we will not receive them for another 2-3 years. He said that they have increased the years of how long these fire trucks are on the road, but maintaining them is more money. He explained that in this upcoming year, we are getting 2 fire trucks and other equipment that needs to be replaced. Commissioner Kelley asked what the current fire prevention fee is. Chief Bruder said that they will come back before the Commission, with the list of fees that they will need. Vice Mayor Turkin asked for clarification if Commissioner Kelley would like to use ARPA Funds for the boat purchase. Commissioner Kelley responded yes, and explained why she suggested that. Vice Mayor Turkin said that he would support using ARPA Funds for that. Chief Bruder explained their portion that they have allocated towards the purchase of the 5 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 boat, which is $40K. Mayor Penserga stated that he looks forward to the service contracts with other municipalities coming forward, to make sure we are not getting ripped off. Chief Bruder stated that there is potential for more revenue without driving the other cities away. • Recreation Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, spoke about his budget as follows: proposed budget; highlighted changes, recreation general fund (11.3% decrease); recreation program revenue fund (6.1% decrease), parking service division (113.9% increase); park impact fund (113.9% increase); and successes, challenges, and initiatives. Commissioner Cruz said that she saw that the Park Ranger was moved to a different department, and she asked what department it was moved to. Mr. Young responded that it was moved to one source instead of splitting it with Public Works. Mayor Penserga asked about various venues and the plans moving forward. Mr. Young stated that some of the facilities are being moved to be under a different department. He explained the events that are under his department. Commissioner Kelley asked what will need to happen for the facilities, within Recreation and Parks, to be more desirable to rent. Mr. Young said that we have upgraded our facilities and there are more rentals because of it. Kathryn Matos, Assistant City Manager, stated that when Events give their report, there will be opportunity for rentals there as well. • Development Saleica Brown, Development Services Manager, explained the Development budget as follows: proposed budget (revenues); proposed budget (expenditures); highlighted changes, planning and zoning division (13.8% increase), Development Services (6% decrease), Community Standards (5.1% decrease), other notable changes; successes; challenges; and initiatives. 6 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Commissioner Kelley asked about the success of the pop up events. She said that she gets a lot of questions from residents about checking on their permit status. Ms. Brown explained the pop-up events, and said that the first one had about 22 attendees, and that most of them are residents. She stated that they have a call center for those questions, and there is access that residents can go into, to see the progress of their permit. Vice Mayor Turkin asked about staffing for Code Enforcement. Ms. Brown said that they have a 74% compliance rate, and they are fully staffed right now. She stated that they could use staff to help with the businesses. Commissioner Hay said that he has been getting a lot of questions on who is responsible for maintaining certain things like alleys, and asked if there is somewhere residents can go to get that information. Ms. Brown stated that it depends on the property owner, but that the call center will be able to help with those types of questions. Adam Temple, Assistant City Manager, stated that we are looking to have a contact center, which will encompass all of the departments, and that these types of questions can be funneled through that call center. • Public Works/Sanitation/Fleet Mario Guzman, Director of Public Works, spoke about the following: agenda; background; proposed budget; highlighted changes, Public Works Admin (10% decrease), Engineering (20% increase), Facilities maintenance (7% increase), parks maintenance (6% increase), construction services (11.1% increase); successes and challenges; initiatives; fleet maintenance proposed budget (internal service fund); highlighted changes (19% increase); successes, initiatives, and challenges; highlighted changes- memorial park- cemetery (9% increase); solid waste proposed budget; highlighted changes- solid waste (20% increase); and successes, initiatives, and challenges. Commissioner Kelley asked why we are seeing overtime increases. Mr. Guzman responded that we have staffing shortages and they are calculating overtime cost into the budget. Commissioner Kelley asked about recruitment and what are some of the things they are looking to do, to increase recruitment. 7 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Mr. Guzman stated that they do not have a formal contract with schools, but they are reaching out to schools and trying to get students in the door. Commissioner Hay stated that Mr. Guzman is doing a great job over there. He asked about the NAPA program, in terms of dollars. Mr. Guzman stated that there will be a reduction of cost because of opportunity cost, less staff involved. He said that this is exclusively for the City of Boynton Beach use. Commissioner Hay asked if this is anywhere else. He also asked about cemetery services. Mr. Guzman said that he implemented this at the City of West Palm Beach, and at the County. He explained the benefits of the NAPA program and the contract they have. He explained the cost of the cemetery maintenance. He said that he talks about moving the Public Works complex somewhere else, which he will have a presentation for later. Commissioner Kelley asked where in the budget it is the memorial budget. Ms. Frederiksen stated that cemetery is its own fund. • Events Gabriella Favitta, Events Manager, spoke about the following: proposed budget; FY 2022- 2023 successes and challenges; FY 2022-2023 initiatives; and budgeted events. Ms. Matos stated that overtime costs have been buried in each department, but they wanted to show what the real overtime cost is. Mrs. Favitta spoke about a possible Taste of Boynton Beach Event. Vice Mayor Turkin agreed with the flicks series being replaced with the taste of Boynton Beach Event. He said that there was an issue last year with the Pirate Fest, but that it is important to keep the identity of the City with Pirate Fest. Commissioner Kelley asked about the true cost of the Pirate Fest, and not costing the City as much as we have previously have spent. She said that she supports the Taste of Boynton Beach as well. Mrs. Favitta stated that she believes the Taste of Boynton Beach will have the ability to grow with the City. 8 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Vice Mayor Turkin stated that this was the best 4th of July Event the City has ever had. Commissioner Hay agreed about July 4th, and said that he gets a lot of comments on Pirate Fest as well. He said that with the Taste of Boynton Beach, there is a possibility of partnership with the County Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Favitta stated that she has been working with the Economic Development Department to partner with the County Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner Cruz said that even though there is a big increase, it is for a good cause. Mayor Penserga thanked the Events Staff for their help. He commented that these numbers do not show possible sponsorships. Mrs. Favitta stated that her department will start working with sponsorships, but that this is a base cost. Mayor Penserga said that with the cost of Pirate Fest, he would like to know the breakdown. Mrs. Favitta said that there is a lot of talents within the City and its employees, that can help with costs. Commissioner Cruz spoke about having a Hispanic Heritage Festival element to the first Friday in October. Motion Commissioner Cruz moved to recess for lunch at 12:00 P.M. Vice Mayor Turkin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Mayor Penserga called the meeting back to order at 1:00 PM (Commissioner Cruz entered at 1:04 PM). • Other Departments "as requested" Craig Clark, Library Director, spoke about the following regarding the Arts and Cultural Center: Proposed Budget; highlighted changes, Arts & Cultural Center, Women's Club; and successes and challenges. Commissioner Kelley asked if the electrical issues are preventing them from rentin out 9 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 the facility. Mr. Clark said no, but it will need to be shut down when the electrical does need to be replaced. Mrs. Matos said that it will cost between $250k-$300K. Mr. Clark continued his presentation and spoke about possible new revenues. Commissioner Kelley stated that she is excited about the partnership because it will bring a lot of new events to the City. She asked about the timeline to start the partnership events. Mr. Clark stated that in the Fall of 2024 is when their partnership will most likely start to take place. • Other Funds B. General Capital Improvements • 302 Fund Discussion Mr. Guzman spoke about the 302 and 303 funds as follows: Agenda; 303 fund-source of funding, 302 fund- source of funding; and 303 fund (surtax); Commissioner Cruz asked for more detail on this slide. Mr. Guzman spoke about the different projects that they have, plus the funds for these projects. He explained about the following: recreation and parks projects; public safety projects; information technology projects; and transportation projects. Commissioner Cruz asked where the $1.9M in road resurfacing is happening. Mr. Guzman explained that they look at the ratings of the road, and which roads get used more by residents. He spoke about whether or not they can get ARPA funds to fund some of these road projects. Gary Dunmyer stated that they have a few projects that they are trying to close up or turn into a grant project. He explained the areas that they are currently working on. Commissioner Cruz stated that she attends meetings and that there are residents that are upset because of roads that have not been updated in years or decades. She asked why we have more revenues but less projects. 10 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Mr. Guzman stated that the number of projects have decreased, but the amount it costs have increased. He said that the number of CIP Projects have decreased. Andrew Mack, Deputy City Manager, stated that the City does not have dedicated resources to pay for CIP Projects. He explained what they have been using in the past, and the infrastructure penny sales tax. Mr. Guzman spoke about micro surfacing the roads, which helps for 5 years. He said that he can provide the Commission with the project schedule for the $1.9M. He continued with his presentation as follows: Fund 303-for FY2023; 302 fund (surtax); Recreation and Parks projects, Public Safety Projects; transportation projects; and questions. Commissioner Cruz stated that TPA grants are funded a few years ahead of time, and said that it is important to know how we are funding these projects. Commissioner Hay asked if the $35K is included or separate from the budget. Mr. Guzman stated that it is included. Commissioner Hay asked how long a tennis courts' resurfacing lasts. Mr. Young responded 5-7 years. C. Government Surtax Capital Improvements • 303 Fund Discussion D. Utility Fund • Operating Dr. Poonam Kalkat spoke about the Utility Fund as follows: Utilities Proposed Budget, (overall 8.03% increase); utilities proposed budget- primary increase drivers; proposed budget; successes- operational; challenges- operational; Initiatives- operational; initiatives- sustainability and resilience; FY 23 Rate analysis- recommendations; and questions. Commissioner Hay asked if the class rating helps residents rates go lower. Dr. Kalkat responded that if they have flood insurance, the rating will help lower those bills. Commissioner Hay asked if there is anything they can do about the pipes that just burst 11 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 in the Intracoastal. Dr. Kalkat spoke about the pipe replacement project, which included these pipes. She explained the pipe issues and what they are planning to do to fix the problem. Commissioner Hay stated that we should have a way to process these issues without having to wait to go before a Commission Meeting, for emergency situations. Mayor Penserga asked if the issue was funding or was it a procurement procedure. Dr. Kalkat spoke about the consequences with the pipe situation. She said that deterioration of the pipe caused the break. She explained what helped with the break in the pipe. Commissioner Cruz asked about the procurement procedure and the bid that was over cost. Mr. Mack stated that the bid came in a few million dollars over what was budgeted. He explained the issue with this bid, and what their next steps are. He stated that the pipe that broke was replaced today, but they are expediting this replacement so that there is not another issue with this. Commissioner Kelley asked if everything is secure as of today, and that August 1st is okay to move forward with the rest of the pipe replacement. Dr. Kalkat explained what they have done on this pipe, up to today. Mr. Mack gave kudos to the Utilities staff for responding to this pipe break and working 24/7 to get it fixed. Mayor Penserga stated that we need to look Citywide at the pipes, as we look at the budget. He said that he would like to give staff the ability to move forward with getting this processed. Commissioner Hay asked if PVC is the best pipe to use. Chris Roschek, Deputy Director of Utilities, spoke about the different options that they are looking at, which are plastic, and not subject to corrosion. He said that it is the most economical and the best material for replacing the pipes. There was consensus to move forward with the procurement procedure. 12 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Dr. Kalkat stated that every municipality that she reached out to has helped her get the materials that they needed to fix this issue. Commissioner Kelley stated that it shows $1M in overtime. Ms. Frederiksen stated that the Manager has the capability of going up to $300K if there is an emergency, but they can come back to the Commission, if they would like to increase the amount. • Capital • Canal Assessment Discussion Dr. Kalkat spoke about the following: FY 24 Capital Improvement Program; FY 24 Capital Improvement Program, total CIP $32.12M; successes- CIP; FY24 Capital Project Budget Highlights; challenges- CIP; and initiatives- CIP. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that the Chapel Hill Stormwater Project is being pushed back, and that he believes it should be replaced because he would like to be proactive. He commented that he would like to have this project in the budget for the next fiscal year. Mr. Dugger stated that they will look for funding to have this project added. He spoke about an engineering report they received and said that he will send it to the Commissioners. Commissioner Cruz asked how much the study cost. Dr. Kalkat stated that it was about $32K. Commissioner Cruz spoke about the project and said that she believes it should be prioritized. She said that she would like to talk about ARPA Funds, to benefit the residents. Commissioner Hay stated that in the future, these types of things should be spoken about amongst the Commission, instead of going out to have a study done. Commissioner Kelley stated that she will defer to the experts for the projects, and that we look at safety issues. Dr. Kalkat stated that they try to look at which are the highest priority project. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that they voted on the most important project for the City at the moment, and said that we need to be proactive not reactive. 13 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Commissioner Cruz asked for the bridge situation to be looked at. She stated that she wants to look at ARPA Funding and road paving. She said that she would like to request ARPA funds to repave a specific road with it. Mayor Penserga stated that this should be addressed while they talk about ARPA Funds at the next meeting. Mr. Dugger stated that this can go on the August 1st Commission Meeting. Mayor Penserga stated that he would like the projects with the map of the paving added. He asked if the report included recommendations. Mr. Mack stated that there were a few options given, with cost. E. Budgetary Stabilization Options Consensus • Option 1 • Option 2 • Option 3 • Option 4 Ms. Frederiksen stated that there were 4 options that were given to the Commission. Mayor Penserga clarified that there are two sets of options. He asked what is the expected completion date of the dock. Mr. Dunmyer stated that this is still in procurement, because they had a few issues. He said that it will be about 6-8 months to have the design and permits complete, and construction would take a month. Ms. Frederiksen explained option 1. Commissioner Cruz asked what the parking increase would be. Mr. Mack stated that it will go from $1 .50 to $3 an hour. Mr. Dugger stated that they compared parking fees to other municipalities, which is where they got this figure. He said that they are being modest with estimates because they do not want to overestimate. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that he would like to have ARPA Funds used towards paving roads. 14 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Ms. Frederiksen explained options 2-4. Mr. Dugger stated that according to the Davenport Report, they are recommending about $9M to go to fund balance. Commissioner Cruz stated that she would like to have us look more into the budget for cuts, to balance the budget, and for more efficiency. Ms. Frederiksen stated that the budget team made recommendations in budget cuts. There was discussion regarding funds in the CPA; revenues of $7.7M that is mainly ad- valorem revenues; efficiencies in the budget; thinking outside of the box to bring in revenues; grant opportunities; and vehicle funding. Commissioner Hay said that he would lean towards option 3. Vice Mayor Turkin agreed with Commissioner Cruz about bringing on an additional grants writer. He said that there are a lot of options being thrown around, and he would like to see what else we can get out of the CRA. He mentioned not being in favor of increasing the Fire Assessment Fee, and said that he cannot make a decision right now. He asked to explore more cuts in the budget. Commissioner Kelley stated that she is on the fence on the different options. She mentioned that their goal has been trying not to decrease services while decreasing the millage rate. She said that she would be in favor of option 2, if we decrease the millage rate. Mr. Dugger said that we will be getting between $400K-$600K back from prescription rebates. Ms. Frederiksen explained that the money will be going back to different funds. Mayor Penserga spoke about the different options and said that the Commission is not ready to make a decision tonight. Commissioner Cruz spoke about being worried about next year, and the market crashing. She stated that she would like us to not spend on luxuries, and only spending on things that we need. Mayor Penserga asked for everyone to think of a plan to reduce overtime cost. He also asked for us to have a long term financial plan. 15 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Mr. Dugger stated that we do have a long term financial outlook. He mentioned that we have hired a lot of people, but this is an estimate on overtime cost. He said that we can cut overtime and maybe add it back mid-year, if needed. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that we cannot cut personnel, but we need to look at ways to be more efficient. He commented that he would like to see a more accurate number of the fund balance. Mayor Penserga asked if there are solutions to the problems that Davenport reported. Ms. Frederiksen stated that she can ask them for insight into that, but they have not provided that. Commissioner Cruz spoke about fiscal responsibility and hiring at a lower cost and people growing within the City. 3. Public Audience Individual Speakers Will Be Limited To 3 Minute Presentations (at the discretion of the Chair, this 3-minute allowance may need to be adjusted depending on the level of business coming before the City Commission). A. Public Audience (3 Minutes) Gary Fishman spoke about the culvert that needs to be fixed. He spoke about the seawall that needs to be replaced. He said that they need a bridge. No comments online. Motion Vice Mayor Turkin moved to recess the meeting until Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 5:30 P.M. Commissioner Hay seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 4:13 P.M. 4. Other A. Call to Order - Mayor Ty Penserga Vice Mayor Turkin called the meeting to order at 5:32 P.M. Roll Call 16 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 City Clerk Maylee De Jesus called the roll. A quorum was present. Mayor Penserga was absent. Invocation by Commissioner Hay Invocation was given by Commissioner Hay. Pledge of Allegiance by Commissioner Cruz The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Commissioner Cruz. Agenda Approval: 1. Additions, Deletions, Corrections Vice Mayor Turkin asked to have a discussion regarding the Culvert today after 4C, and to add Public Audience to the agenda. City Clerk De Jesus read the Mayor's email into the record. Ms. Frederiksen stated that we need to add the change of the 2nd budget hearing. She stated that the Commission has the 4 different options that were given on Monday, and she went over the options again. She reviewed the items that were proposed to be cut from the budget. Commissioner Hay asked if the cuts were for option one. Ms. Frederiksen stated that the cuts are across the board for all options. Commissioner Kelley asked what would be the priority to bring back from what was cut, if we get more revenue. Ms. Frederiksen stated that if there is potential for more revenue to come back, they would bring it back to the Commission for approval of any cuts to come back, such as the fire boat. Commissioner Hay stated that he wants to stick with option 1 . Commissioner Kelley stated that after speaking to staff and residents, she feels as though option 1 is the best for the residents. Commissioner Cruz thanked staff for their hard work on the budget, and said that she 17 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 agrees with option 1 as well. She stated that there is value to the conversations that they have had in the past with finding a more solid revenue for the future. Mr. Dugger said that 3 out of the last 4 years, the City faced a deficit and pulled from the reserve, and this year they have a balanced budget and added to the reserve. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that he agrees with option 1 , and he is not in favor of increasing the millage rate or Fire Assessment Fee. He said that he wanted to clarify that he had no intention of cuts to be in regards to personnel, and he thanked staff for the work on the cuts. There was consensus to go with option #1 . A. Adoption of Tentative Millage Rate Resolution Proposed Resolution No. R23-081- Adopt a Proposed Millage Rate of 7.8500 mills. Motion Commissioner Hay moved to approve Resolution No. R23-081 . Commissioner Kelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. B. Adoption of Preliminary Fire Assessment Rate Resolution Proposed Resolution No. R23-082- Adopt a preliminary fire assessment rate for FY 2023-24, per the Budget Workshop discussion on July 10 & 13, 2023. Motion Commissioner Cruz moved to approve Resolution No. R23-082. Commissioner Hay seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. C. Adoption of Preliminary Canal Rate Resolution Proposed Resolution No. R23-083- Adopt a preliminary canal maintenance assessment rate for FY 2023-24 per Budget Workshop discussion on July 10 & 13, 2023. Pursuant to the provisions of Ordinance No. 21-011, Sections 166.021 and 166.041 , Florida Statutes, and other applicable provisions of law. Mr. Mack stated that we have been able to carry the same cost as last year. He explained what this fund is for. He said that invoices were sent and some have not been paid. He mentioned that this will be for the following year. 18 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Ms. Frederiksen explained the process. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that hopefully we will have a conversation with this situation and the culvert. Mr. Mack explained how this will work in conjunction with the underlying issue. Commissioner Cruz stated that she proposed to use ARPA funding to create a bridge instead of using the culvert that is there now. She asked if putting in a bridge in the future would help with the maintenance cost that we have right now. Mr. Mack responded yes. Mr. Dugger stated that a bridge would make sense, and explained why. Motion Commissioner Hay moved to approve Resolution No. R23-083. Commissioner Cruz seconded the motion, with the understanding that we find a long term solution for the culvert. The motion passed unanimously. Added 4D. Discussion regarding Culvert Commissioner Cruz reiterated that she would love to use ARPA funding for the bridge. Mr. Dugger stated that there will be money that will be available from the Town Square settlement. Mr. Mack explained the process from the estimates that they received from an engineer. He stated that there are more options, and he would like consensus to get the proper cost and analysis on what would be the best option. Commissioner Kelley stated that she understands that this is not public property for us to manage because of the way it is platted, and asked what would have to be done for us to be allowed to take over this. Mr. Mack explained that the culvert is within our right of way, and they would have to replat the canal, if they plan to use public dollars on private property. He further explained the issue with the canal. He said that he would rather have the money in for this issue, until we have the long term solution completed. 19 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Commissioner Kelley asked what is the responsibility of the other parties that share the ownership of this project. Mr. Mack stated that as they move forward with the project, they will reach out to the other parties and will look for grants as well. Commissioner Kelley stated that she would like to have other responsible parties cost share, so that we do not have to pay for the entire project. She said that she would like to be able to use ARPA funds for other projects as well. She mentioned that she supports the Vice Mayor on this upgrade to the culvert. Commissioner Hay stated that he agrees with Commissioner Kelley, but he does not see a cost benefit analysis on this, and he would like to see how much the other parties would contribute because this will not only benefit us. He said that he does not think that we have to set money aside for it this year. He commented that we have to move cautiously until we see commitment from the other side. Mr. Mack stated that he needs consensus to move forward, to get a task order, and the cost of the project and then they will look at next steps. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that there is consensus to move forward with a replacement of the culvert with a bridge, and seek funding help from the other parties. Commissioner Cruz asked if there is a presentation for the CIP Project. Mr. Mack stated that there is a presentation ready for that. Mr. Guzman spoke about the following: Road Improvements; selection dynamics; improvements completed; and pending projects. Commissioner Hay asked what our overall goal is for road improvements Citywide. Mr. Guzman stated that he would like to have a good number of A's and have a plan to start payment when roads are at C's, so they do not get worse. He continued his presentation as follows: FY 2023/24 recommendations; needs; completion; and questions. Commissioner Cruz stated that she would like consensus to pave 27th Street in Golfview Harbor, because they have not had their roads paved in over 13 years, and that was micro paving. She requested ARPA funding to cover the paving of 27th Street, for about 20 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 $1 .2M. Mr. Guzman explained what the project for that area would cover. Commissioner Kelley stated that she would like to see the Meadows, in her district, as a priority, because they were told that it was already being worked on. She mentioned that they are having the same issue that Commissioner Cruz mentioned. Vice Mayor Turkin asked what is Commissioner Kelley's position is on Commissioner Cruz's request. Commissioner Kelley stated that she would like to support everyone, but she would like Staff to figure out how we can use the ARPA funds towards most of these projects. Mr. Mack asked the Commission to have consensus on how much they want to allocate towards paving. Commissioner Kelley asked if the money that is set aside for Chapel Hill is different from this project or is it connected. Mr. Guzman explained how they chose these projects and the schedules for the projects. Commissioner Hay stated that he is excited to see the way we are addressing the streets, since they are suffering from micro surfacing. He asked if there is way for residents to submit funding to help with the pavement of their roads. Mr. Guzman stated that he has not seen that, but he is not opposed to it. Commissioner Hay stated that there are some bad pot holes, and asked if there is a way for them to fix those issues. Mr. Dunmyer stated that there are sometimes things they can do to raise the lids of the manholes, and he explained ways to fix the issue. He said that they can reach out to him if there are any issues specifically that they would like him to look at. Commissioner Cruz stated that she would support paving in other districts as well. She said that infrastructure is their priority and she would like to have support from everyone equally. Vice Mayor Turkin asked if the percentages are the linear footage in the City. 21 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 Mr. Guzman responded yes. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that previously the Chapel Hill Project was $200K but is now $1 .3M. He said that this is a necessity, but would like to have the bridge as his priority. Mr. Guzman explained the expansion on the Chapel Hill Project. Vice Mayor Turkin asked if it would be possible to stick to the original project, and get the bridge done, and then go back to the other added projects afterwards. Commissioner Cruz stated that there are some districts that have not been equally treated. She spoke about the ARPA Funding, and stated that she thinks the ARPA funds could be split equally and the Commissioners can choose what they would like to do in their districts. Commissioner Hay stated that he agrees, but that when they started out, the amount of funding that should have been spent on each district was not done, and they might need to spend some extra dollars, to bring everything up to par. Commissioner Kelley stated that Districts 2 and 3 need attention, and she has support to do the best for all residents. Vice Mayor Turkin stated that he is okay with using ARPA fund equally in each district. He said that there may be extra funding available from the CRA. Added: reschedule September 19 Meeting. Commissioner Hay stated that all 5 Commissioners should be here. There was consensus to add this to the agenda at the next meeting. Public Audience David Katz spoke about page 43 of the budget. He stated that there was an email tree that was sent out that is going to make people mad, because they are putting an extra $36K in the pockets of each Commission. He said that the $180K can be used towards the paving. Gary Fishman stated that he lives in the area where there is an issue with the culvert. He thanked the Commissioners for discussing this today. He spoke about replacing the culvert with a bridge and the issues there has been in that area. He stated that 22 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 they should increase the salaries of the Commissioners. William Cunningham thanked the Commission for discussing the canal. He spoke about the benefits of this canal and selling the canal to the City, so that they can fix it. Cindy Falco de Corrado spoke about the LGBTQ+ Flag and having to spend more money on repairing it. She spoke about page 43 of the budget, regarding clothing allowance, car allowance, and HSA benefits. She said that the people do not agree to this budget. She mentioned that she would like to see more information about the budget. Susan Oyer spoke about the Commissioners giving themselves a raise of 125%, including the clothing budget. She commented on the taxes that were paid by the people who are being affected by the culvert. She said that they should take the money that they gave to the schools to use towards pavement. Nikki Issacson stated that she fell off her bike on one of the swales and she broke some bones, and said that they should take money and fix the sidewalks. Candace Rojas stated the budget should be transparent, and there should be something in place with the proposed budgets. Victor Norfus stated that he is a member of the HRPB and said that Mr. Bernard Wright recently passed away, and explained the history of what happened. He spoke about black awareness day and the heritage celebration that should be advertised. He mentioned that the pavements should be by need. He commented that they should not give themselves a raise, and if they do, they should give a raise to the rest of the employees. Phillis Pacilli spoke about the raise that the Commissioners are getting, and asked how they can serve the residents just in the afternoon, part-time. She said that she believes the Commission seat should be a full time job. She applauded the Commission for doing a full time job on a part time budget, and spoke about the budget for the Commission. John Daniels stated that he is concerned about Commissioners giving themselves a raise, when people in their districts are starving. He said that nobody working part- time gets a $35K raise. Harry Woodworth spoke about the $180K looking bad for the Commissioners. He 23 Meeting Minutes City Commission Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, FL July 10, 2023 said that all of these are expenses that they should spend themselves. He stated that the City Charter explains what they all do in their roles, and if they want this to be Mayor run, they should put it on a referendum. He said that the extra budget should be explained. Gregory Harp thanked the Commission for their work, and said that they do a thankless job. He spoke about the culvert, and the City as a whole paying for the bridge. He commented on the pay raise for the Commission. Virtual Comments: 3 hands David Rosenthal spoke about the resources needed for the Commission, and said that these positions should be full time jobs. He commented that our City staff is great, but they can only do so much. Natalie Piccata said that this is the most dedicated Commissioners that the City has had in over 18 years. She stated that she supports the benefits of the Commissioners. She thanked the Commissioners for helping her contact different departments that she has needed to contact, for the community she lives in. Christine Roberts did not unmute herself, to speak. 5. Adjournment Ms. Frederiksen thanked the Commission and Staff for taking their time and effort for this budget project. Motion Commissioner Hay moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Cruz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:17 P.M. CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH l�OFP'�YNTptiy � ATTEST: f -> :•GpRPOR,gT. 6 II JI . ! • AL ,' I ` 1111 • INCORPORATED: i Maylee Re -sus, MMC ��, :• 1920 City Cler 1 '`.FLORIDA N . " „-- 24