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Minutes 08-09-07 MEETING MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BUDGET WORKSHOP HELD AUGUST 9, 2007 AT THE WOMEN'S CLUB, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA @ 6:00 P.M. Present: Jerry Taylor, Chair Jose Rodriguez, Vice Chair Carl McKoy Lisa Bright, Executive Director Susan Harris, Interim Finance Officer Margie Adelsperger, Marketing & Communications Director Vivian Brooks, Planning Director Mike Simon, Development Manager Absent: Mack McCray Ron Weiland I. Welcome Lisa Bright, Executive Director, opened the workshop at 6:06 p.m. and welcomed all. She provided a description of the CRA area and explained the CRA was a quasi-judicial board with the goal of increasing the tax base. She explained the function was to reinvest those revenues back into the community through programs and projects. Ms. Bright introduced the CRA team present. Margie Adelsperger, Marketing & Communications Director, thanked all for attending Summer Fest. Special events were an important part in marketing the downtown. She reviewed their goals and announced they were establishing a "Brand" to attract developers to build within the district, attract and retain visitors to the downtown to work and visit and deliver a clear message of the CRA program. In 2005, the CRA published an RFQ for a marketing and public relations consultant. Four companies responded and Ambit was selected and hired in 2006. Kathy Koch was present to make the first presentation. II. Presentations · Marketing and Communication Program - Ambit Marketing Kathy Koch, Creative Director, explained Ambit Marketing was a full service public relations and marketing firm. She highlighted the firm has a close relationship to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) South East Florida District Council. Articles and advertisements have been in Florida Trend magazine and the firm had over 20 years of public relations and marketing experience, as well as extensive economic development 1 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 experience. Stan Brown, Ambit President was a Trustee in the ULI and the Broward Alliance, which works closely with the Palm Beach County board. Ms. Koch explained Boynton Beach has to compete with other areas and she had worked closely with Ms. Adelsperger on goals to develop the Brand. She explained the team, comprised of Ms. Adelsperger, Ms. Bright, other CRA staff members as they relayed feedback from the community, and Ambit staff, created a new CRA Brand and logo to characterize the area. As a result, CRA projects are now easily identified and they created a positive, contemporary, upbeat image. Ms. Koch emphasized how important advertising was. She announced they created a new CRA website that contained over 75 pages with pdf files to download for developments and events. Collateral projects were reviewed such as homebuyer's assistance programs. The annual reports were well received and reprints were frequently requested. The CRA held neighborhood cleanups and had T-shirts created. Ms. Koch spoke about the trolley and advised they developed a program for businesses to advertise in. The trolley had easy to understand information and was a moving billboard. Tri-Rail now offered information on the CRA; additionally, trolley use increased. Community events were heavily marketed through The Palm Beach Post and flyers. Events were anticipated to become self-supporting through business sponsorships. She spoke about Summer Fest and the walking tour for the Public Avenue of the Arts. Community Workshops were promoted. They publish a newsletter called Heart Beat with stories from the community. To date, the newsletters were mailed three times within the last 18 months. Ambit works with the media and provides articles in daily, weekly, local and area publications. They have a monthly column showcasing accomplishments. The mailing C8StS for the Heart Beat newsletter totaled $3,871. Ambit negotiated ad rates for ULI magazine, Florida Trend and International Council of Shopping Centers among others. These negotiations resulted in thousands of dollars in savings and receiving great value. Ms. Koch highlighted they market outside Florida and internationally to put Boynton Beach on the map. Chair Taylor inquired about advertising on the trolley. He thought advertising on the trolley was free. Ms. Koch responded there was a charge, based on how many ads were taken. Vice Chair Rodriguez explained the proposed budget showed zero in the 07/08 budget for trolley marketing income. It was $1,000 in 06/07. Ms. Adelsperger explained the current revenue was minimal and not meant to be a high investment 2 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 Susan Harris, Interim Finance Officer explained last year they budgeted $10K in trolley revenue and got only $5K. To be conservative, she included zero dollarsbecause it was going to be promoted differently this year. Vice Chair Rodriguez was told there was a separate website on the trolley program. He asked whether it was tracked and commented if it wasn't, it would be difficult to determine the programs success. Ms. Adelsperger responded they would review that and agreed it should be tracked. . Trolley Program - Molly Stahlman Molly Stahlman, Proprietor of Molly's Trolleys was present and announced she has been in business for 10 years. She marlaged the system in West Palm Beach and Jupiter, and offered services for charters, weddings and conferences. She reviewed a detailed powerPoint presentation of the demographics which is part of the meeting backup and explained the route encompassed two trolleys to the mall. She reviewed the routes, which had nine stops, and connects people to where they live and work. In summary, the trolley serviced 76K riders per year, 6,300 per month, which was 211 riders each day. There was a substantial increase in use from its first year of operation in July of 2005 to July of 2007. The respective figures for the first month of the trolley's operation was 600 riders per day compared to 4,261 in 2007. The most popular stops were the Boynton Beach Mall at 26%. Stops along 4th Street serviced 15-17% of the riders, Boynton Beach Boulevard at Federal and Seacrest serviced 12-14% of the riders, Tri-Tail serviced 10%, Village on the Green Condos served 9%, Publix had 4%, and the remaining nine stops serviced 3-6% of the riders each. Ms. Stahlman surveyed who was riding the trolley and provided a handout. Thirty percent of the riders were under age 18. Twenty one percent were aged 18-14; 11% were 25-34; 8% were 35-44; 14% were 45-54, and 3% were 55 or older. Fifty-five percent of the riders had zero 01' one other vehicle. Most riders walked zero to three blocks to a stop. Twenty-five percent of the survey participants did not respond to the household income survey questions. Forty percent indicated they had income less than $20K and 28% had incomes in the $30k to $40K range. The destinations by percents were the mall at 66%, work at 33%, school at 21 %, Tri-Rail at 26%, Catalina Shopping Center at 10% and Palm Tran was 37%. Most riders did not drive. Twenty-nine percent, however, used the trolley because they felt safer and it was less stressful. The cost per rider was $8.99 in July 2006 compared 3 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9,2007 to $4.99 per rider in July 2007 with the average amount being $6.28 for the prior 12 months. The total cost to operate the system was $500K. Chair Taylor asked about trips to the beach. Ms. Stahlman explained this was a separate trolley route which would end in October, and that trolley ran only on the weekends. She explained it had not had a lot of riders. Ms. Harris explained because of low ridership on the beach trolley, the CRA was planning to eliminate that trolley and save about $46K per year. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked how much more would it be to add an additional beach stop to an existing trolley route. Ms. Stahlman was open to suggestions but indicated when she surveyed the riders and asked where riders wanted to the trolley to go, most respondents said SuperTarget and Wal-Mart, not the beach; however, as to how much more it would cost to add a beach stop to an existing route, Ms. Stahlman agreed to provide that information to the board. . Proposed CRA Police Program - Matt Immler, Chief of Police Matt Immler, Chief of Police, made a brief presentation. He reviewed in 2004 the CRA had funded four police positions exclusively for the downtown Heart of Boynton (HOB) area, but the program was discontinued in 2006. Chief Immler announced he was looking to revitalize that plan within the boundary area. The target area was from Woolbright Road North, the C-16 Canal and from the Intracoastal East to 1-95 West. The Community Action Team (CAT) would be the primary unit to establish contact with area residents and neighborhood leaders and they would work with the community to ensure resources were properly targeted. Chief Immler explained there was an anti-gang activity in the area in the C-16 north area and the department was looking to add discretionary services. Discretionary Deployment was the ability to deploy officers that could be pulled away from handling calls and deploy them as needed. They wanted to try to deploy a portion of the shift away from handling calls for service and servicing the area through bike patrols and other neighborhood activities. When the workload increased, calls started to stack up. Chief Immler announced the Police Department does not have much in the way of discretionary patrols. He explained the Traffic Unit was occasionally used and was typically assigned to high traffic areas and communities with a high number of residential complaints of speeding. In October, almost all officers would be assigned to Congress Avenue because of the holiday traffic. The only true deployment capability they had were two sergeants and eight officers on the CAT. He explained the CAT team had become so effective in their investigations that they were working with other law enforcement agencies. He explained if they could fund a sergeant and five officers, 4 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 those officers could be totally dedicated to the CRA area and would' guarantee coverage. The proposed total amount requested was $573,853 which covered the officer salaries, equipment and vehicles. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked if the officers were in addition to the existing head count and questioned if the additions would result in double protection or if they could be redeployed somewhere else. Chief Immler explained the present team assigned in the area could be redeployed as needed. The new officers would be dedicated to the HOB area, allowing for a daily presence. The officers would be deployed in twelve hour shifts. Chair Taylor explained for a viable downtown, the area needed to be safe. He had concerns because he still receives complaints from area residents about the area between Federal Highway and the C-16 canal, and Boynton Beach Boulevard. Citizens had complaints about prostitution at night and about vagrants and possible prostitution during the day at the marina and Mangrove Park. He thought the area could be serviced better with the additional force. Chief Immler explained the officers would be hired directly into the unit and they would go out for bid as per the union contract. Board member McKoy observed the team was more community policing than hard core policing. The team would be assigned by Major Briganti. The hours could change but the positions would be full time. At the moment, there was a police presence at the marina, with four officers and two marine boats assigned there. The officers assigned to patrol the water also patrol the area on foot. Ms. Bright explained the CRA was working with Lt. Harris to keep one of the marine vehicles at the marina. Chief Immler indicated the goals were to increase police visibility and presence; foster a working relationship with downtown businesses and residents and open the lines of communication between the CRA and the Police Department. There were no further questions on the presentation. III. General Discussion of CRA Proposed Budget Ms. Harris distributed handouts and reviewed the change was a new salary chart. She explained the General Fund Revenues were anticipated to be $l1M with the bulk was in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) at $9.5M. Despite the City having to rollback rates due to property tax reform, they anticipated an increase in TIF. She suggested reviewing the General Fund Expenses by department and answering questions. She also pointed out the eRA was looking for business sponsorships of Festivals and Events. CRA General Fund Revenues & Expenses 5 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 Vice Chair Rodriguez reviewed the CRA General Fund Revenues & Expenses and noted there was a 262.2% increase in Planning. Ms. Harris clarified the increase was due to an increase in contractual expenses to cover the cost for plans. Code 51440 delineated the exact expenses included in the total. Vice Chair Rodriguez requested clarification of the 211 Ocean Feasibility Analysis. Vivian Brooks, CRA Planning Director, explained those costs were needed to determine whether to rehabilitate a building in its current configuration or add on to the structure. It did not include actual work; only for an architect to conduct a full analysis. Vice Chair Rodriguez preferred the study be done before the purchase and thought the process moved in the reverse. The building was usable in its current state; however, Ms. Brooks clarified when the structure is converted from residential to commercial, alterations would need to be made. She explained this item would be brought back to the board. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked about the Seacrest streetscape plans. Ms. Brooks responded this item was supposed to be done in 2005 but was added to a contract that it shouldn't have been added to. The streetscape was being undertaken in anticipation of Ocean Breeze and the area in question was Boynton Beach Boulevard just north of the C-16 Canal. The CRA was working with the County on traffic calming issues. Vice Chair Rodriguez acknowledged the CRA was doing great things in the CRA area, but expressed concern that by improving areas, the south side would become slum and blighted. He referenced Gulfstream Mall as an example of areas that slowly deteriorated. He asked how the entire area could be managed. Ms. Bright responded that was a City Commission issue. She had worked with the City Manager regarding that issue and there were parcels that were not grandfathered in. Many residents south on Seacrest to Woolbright assumed they are in the targeted area, but were not. Vice Chair Rodriguez wanted to see a proposal from the CRA to the City Commission about continuing the process across the City and not just certain pockets. The board discussed the City Commission could expand the CRA district or the City would have to budget money to the abuttir.g areas. Vice Chair Rodriguez did not want to fix part of the City. Ms. Bright explain~d the plans were there because they were activating redevelopment in that particular portion but agreed to discuss the issue with the City Manager. Vice Chair Rodriguez indicated he would like to collaborate on the matter. CRA Travel Expenses Ms. Harris explained the CRA had an inquiry regarding the CRA Travel Expenses. Ms. Harris referred the board to the handouts which controlled spending within the budget and advised the procedure was similar to the City's. There may be trips budgeted and for those that are not, they have to be approved by the Executive Director and board Chair or Vice Chair and the expenses linked back to the trip. 6 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 Ms. Bright explained the policy was the recommended practice used in other CRAs. Chair Taylor asked if there were certain conferences the CRA was required to attend. Ms. Bright responded some were required for credentialing purposes and other conferences were key conferences such as the Florida Redevelopment Association Conferences. She explained downtown associations have venues and best practice conferences which were helpful and some of the conferences were the same ones attended by City personnel such as the Center for Financial Agencies. Any conference thought to be necessary and not budgeted would be taken from contingency through the budget amendment process. Resolution 05-17 covered expenditures made by the Executive Director. The Rules of Governance also supported that policy. The Sunshine Credit Card summary was referenced for information only. Ms. Bright explained expenses are more traceable with credit cards; however receipts must be provided, and if a member anticipates having to use the card, it must be logged. The Executive Director has the ability to move money internally within a department budget, but not from one department budget to another. Employees are not reimbursed without a receipt for needed expenditures. Marina Planning, Code 51440 Ms. Brooks explained this was a plan for the property they own at the marina. She clarified items need to be installed such as a public restroom, electricity, a pump-out station and others and they have to plan how to do that. Additionally they need to plan for foot traffic, the trolley, vehicular traffic and appropriate signage. Ms. Brooks explained the goal was to create a destination as contained in the Visions 20/20 plan and she noted the City does not have many destination spots. The CRA was trying to connect to the Mangrove Walk and there were some serious issues that needed to be addressed. Some of the boat slips needed to be dredged and some of the piers need to be structurally addressed. The CRA owned the dock where the fuel station was and they have a temporary trailer there but they needed to address it. Chair Taylor thought the marina was a gem and they have to improve it. The area needed to be made visible and friendly to the public. Ms. Bright explained the removal of the trailer and addressing the fuel docks were their number one priority. Ms. Brooks explained they had a continuing contract and issued an RFQ. They selected Rick Gonzales of RNG who provided them with an estimate. The numbers used in the budget were based on their actual quote. This would be work order number one of their continued contract. The cost of the actual development was not listed in the budget. The money was from a grant and when they received the funds, they was entered into the cash ledger as accounts receivable and encumbered for the marina. 7 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9,2007 Vice Chair Rodriguez questioned the Relax Inn Rental item. Ms. Brooks explained the CRA purchased that hotel in 2004 for $90K. Currently, the income was coming from the Panther Group, who was renting the facility for their sales group. Vice Chair Rodriguez observed the CRA was not truly earning money from the marinas. Ms. Harris explained the marina purchase was fairly new and they were working off three months data, but had three good numbers. The revenues reflected slip rentals, fuel costs and the offset of fuel costs. If all progressed well, by the end of the year they anticipated seeing income of about 40K. The premise of the CRA buying the marina was to preserve the historic value which was for the marine industry. She explained the Boynton Beach Marina was different from other marinas. The marina was commercial whereas other marinas were recreational. Vice Chair Rodriguez commented most marinas make money. Ms. Brooks explained what was hindering municipal marinas were taxes. The $2M County grant did not require a deed restriction which meant they could not be tax exempt because there was income coming in. They would revisit with the County to get a deed restriction, but if they bought the facility and invested the money, it should be preserved for the public. There was $4.8M debt service and the marina was purchased with funds from bond one. Professional Services, Code 51420 Chair Taylor had questions on the $90K lobbying budget. The inquiry was for the $30K needed by the CRA to keep their lobbying relationship with U.S. Strategies. U.s. Strategies has always been shared by the City/CRA and is necessary in order to assist with trolley funding. Also, the Federal government is offering a new affordable housing initiative the CRA would like to pursue. The Aleksandr Group provides the CRA's State lobbying needs such as Community Workforce Housing Initiatives Program (CWHIP). This program was necessary to offset the high cost of development of affordable housing. It is a program that supports public/private projects needing gap financing to make the project happen. The State has budgeted 62.4M of CWHIP and the CRA will need this money for Ocean Breeze, MLK or the Gulfstream Mall site. C.R.A. Board, Code 51010 The Miscellaneous Costs of $13,000 in line 203 was discussed. Ms. Bright explained this was for community support items. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked what the CRA spent last year. Ms. Harris responded $6,600 year to date. The CRA Director stated the Board has discretion in the amount of support, and after further discussion, the budgeted amount was not changed. 8 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 Ms. Bright explained they did have some discretionary funds, they had budgeted $13K in Donations and Community Support. The CRA was going to be sharing some costs but after further discussion, the budgeted amount was not changed. C.R.A. Director, Code 51230 Vice Chair Rodriguez questioned the amount of the Executive Directors Conferences, Meetings, Seminars as well as Career Development budgets. She explained Career Development paid the fees for her State certifications and other training. Vice Chair Rodriguez recommened the amount of the Career line be increased by $1,500 to a total of $2,500. Vice Chair Rodriguez questioned personnel included in Personnel Services, line 100. Ms. Bright responded personnel services was salary for three employees. Ms. Harris clarified the equipment line item could be for projectors, printers, and those types of equipment. There were no changes made to this line of the budget. Finance, Code 51325 Payroll process charges were discussed. Vice Chair Rodriguez wanted to see if there was a cost benefit to leveraged services with the City. City Attorney Cherof advised shared services could be used, but it would require an Interlocal Agreement. It was unknown if there would be a cost benefit, but Vice Chair Rodriguez thought this concept should be investigated. Ms. Harris would investigate this concept. Insurances, Code 51510 Line Item 214 was discussed. Ms. Harris explained she reviewed this line item with Chuck Magazine and she could process an RFQ for a broker of record. The insurance covered theft and crime by an employee. Ms. Harris indicated this would have to be amended because recently, a lightning strike occurred and the insurance did not cover the WiFi system. The CRA would develop a list and request a quote. The strike occurred after the budget was produced and as a result, they would have to take funds from the contingency account. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked if the CRA monitored the WiFi. Ms. Bright responded Peter Wallace, ITS Department, monitored the hits. The coverage was for 12 stations. Vice Chair Rodriguez requested statistics. It was noted WiFi service was billed to the City and then the CRA reimbursed for it. Buildings and Grounds, Code 51620 9 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 Vice Chair Rodriguez requested clarification of the $10K Office Space Charges. Ms. Harris explained they were for building repairs such as a roof leak or restroom repairs. The building lease would expire next Spring of 2008 and the CRA would be agreeable to stay another year; the lease is renewed annually. The budgeted amount for Ocean Breeze maintenance costs would be eliminated when the property was sold. Chair Taylor asked about money budgeted for demolition. The CRA calculated $25K for that and there was money in the contingency fund. Marina, Code 51630 Vice Chair Rodriguez questioned the Marine Fuel Station overhead. The credit card equipment lease fee was for one machine and Vice Chair Rodriguez advised the fee was too high. He offered to help when the contract expired. Ms. Harris clarified the marina temporary building was being leased and the contingency fees would go down based on what the insurance broker says. Police, Code 53120 Vice Chair Rodriguez expressed concern that with the addition of police staff for the area, the officers would be a replacement and not in addition to. Chair Taylor explained that was not what was conveyed by the Police Chief and as long as they stick to the program there would not be an issue. He did, however, acknowledge the INCA community had several complaints. Transportation, Code 55110 There were questions on the trolley expenses. The cost to extend the current trolley run to the beach will be provided. Ms. Bright explained the CRA would like to buy two trolleys of their own. The third trolley presently used would be returned to her own inventory. Grants, Code 57200 Vice Chair Rodriguez requested a summery of the three grants listed. Ms. Brooks explained the Palm Beach County Development Regions Grant required the CRA to match County Funds and was tied to job creation. The ratio was one job would be created per $10K of County money. This was a business grant for ne~ or expanding businesses and Ms. Brooks oversees the applications and Ms. Brooks announced they just awarded a grant to Marina Village. Another grant was awarded to Village Homemade Ice Cream, which was an ice cream manufacturer. 10 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9, 2007 Chair Taylor asked about the Residential Improvement Program. Ms. Brooks explained the program concentrated on the Heart of Boynton area. She explained no one applied for it and the money kept accruing. Chair Taylor took issue with grants to improve rental units and there was discussion other cities dropped that part of the program. Ms. Brooks commented a lot of landlords do not participate because they don't want to match the money. Vice Chair Rodriguez wanted to see the program open up again and wanted to see a full press marketing campaign on expanding homeowner improvement outside of the HOB area. The funds for this program came from bond two under affordable access. Vice Chair Rodriguez explained the cottage district looked terrible. The district was supposed to be historic, but it was slum. There are many rentals in the district and he thought Code Enforcement would be there. The Commercial Fa<;ade Grant was discussed and Ms. Brooks explained they consistently award grants for this program. The Peacemakers was an organization that operated through the CDC and was a huge program. They picked an area, cleaned it up and the workers received a gift card to Target and other stores. This was not a direct incentive program. There was $12K left and monies for clean up projects would come out of that account. Also, signage for certain districts could be included in the program. Marketing and Communications Code 57400 Vice Chair Rodriguez explained in busine5s and marketing, the results are measured and he would like to see the program results. Ms. Harris noted part of the measurement could be collateral, but also noted there were different ways to measure. The website was only launched in April and they receive 10 to 20 inquiries per week. They could do logs if requested. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked why there was such a large discrepancy between the Heritage Fest and the Holiday Extravaganza expenses. Ms. Bright explained they absorb 49% of Ms. Biscuti's salary and the full cost of the event. Vice Chair Rodriguez showed line item 219 showed the concert at $110K and then Heritage Fest was $70K. Ms. Bright explained for the big events, the CRA was bearing those costs. The only thing that was changing was the concert was removed. The actual cost for Kool and the Gang was $65K, and Crystal Gayle and Larry Gatlin was $60K. Development Projects, Code 58300 Vice Chair Rodriguez inquired about a home located on MLK, listed in the budget as line item 200. Ms. Brooks explained St. Paul's Church was going to use it for the youth group and lease it back to the CRA. Ms. Bright explained there were several community 11 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9,2007 groups asking if they could use it. The long term plan for the building was to take it down in Phase II of MLK corridor development in about five years. The interior had metal studs and no walls and it was considered the building was not usable. Board Member McKoy suggested conducting an internal needs analysis to determine what the best use for it was. There would be operating expenses associated with its use. There was also discussion on tearing the building down. The building exterior was in fairly good shape. It was the interior of the structure that was lacking. Chair Taylor wanted the demolition line item to be increased to cover the possible demolition of the old high school. The potential usage of the old high school would be determined after the completion of the Downtown Master Plan process and the CRA Board was not sure if the entities vying for the building would achieve necessary funding to renovate the building. The major redevelopment issue of the old high school had been the lack of parking. CRA staff has been successful in accumulating a one block area just east of the City Hall parking garage and the block is ready to be turned into parking with the exception of Mrs. Jones' home on the corner. Mrs. Jones was 84-years old and had lived in the house since 1946. CRA staff successfully negotiated the sale of the property with the caveat that Mrs. Jones would have one year to remain in the home while searching for a new residence. Mrs. Jones found a new home and will be relocating in the near future; thus allowing for the parking lot to be constructed. Employee Benefits, Code 56000 Vice Chair Rodriguez asked how much of these costs were being piggy-backed off of the City. Ms. Harris explained the amounts were the actual estimated costs for those services, and they were shared services costs. Transfers to Debt Service Fund, Code 59800 Ms. Harris explained the email in the handout she distributed discussed bonding capacity in the future with the debt service schedule for the two bonds and the Bank of America loan. The schedule in the Total column was the total debt service for each fiscal year. The number for 2007/2008 through the year 2026 showed the CRA currently had $54M outstanding. The debt service funds shown were the minimum payment. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked whether the CRA could pay more. Ms. Harris did not believe there were prepayment penalties. Only the Bank of America loan did had the prepayment penalty. Ms. Harris would confirm the prepayment on the bonds. Vice Chair Rodriguez asked whether there was financial opportunity to prepay some of the debt down. Ms. Harris explained 12 Meeting Minutes eRA Budget Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida August 9,2007 they could by allocating some contingency funds. She pointed out the entire schedule showed what was coming in anc1 going out of each bond and the service was quite even despite two huge balloon payments. It is up to the board if they wanted to pursue the prepay option. The only real significance was the project fund summary tab and salaries and benefits. She pointed out she took the lowest numbers they had. Debt service showed $3M would be due this coming year. Employee Benefits, Code 59000 The corrected chart segregated out the merit pool of 8%. The 8% included the Executive Director and the Board reserved the right to go beyond the recommended amount. Ms. Harris checked with other CRAs and that figure was lower than the typical amount used. She pointed out CRA employees do not have a pension, rather they have 457b and 401a Deferred Compensation Plans that provide a dollar to dollar match, up to 5% of salary, with zero vesting, as well as an annual non-contributory contribution by the CRA into the employee's 401a. The total column reflected salaries without the 8% increase. There was discussion the increases should be commensurate with City employees. It was noted City wages were in negotiation. Ms. Bright explained she needed to hire a Finance Assistant immediately. There was discussion to wait on the other vacant positions in the organization chart until after the Visioning process was completed. IV. Closing There was no further business and the meeting ended at 8:50 p.m. C . rlkw.j. ~u.&PJVYl% Catherine Cherty-Guberman Recording Secretary 13