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Minutes 07-28-01MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WORKSHOP HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON SATURDAY, JULY 28, 2001 AT 9:00 A.M. Present Larry FinkelStein, Chairman Jeanne Heavilin, Vice Chair Jos6 Aguila (arrived ~ 10:15 a.m.) Alexander DeMarco Quintus Greene, Director of Development Absent Don Fenton Michelle Hoyland Henderson Tillman I. Call to Order Chairman Finkelstein called the workshop to order at 9:00 a.m. The Recording Secretary called the roll and noted the absence of three Board members. A discussion ensued about the attendance policy at CRA meetings and workshops and there was general agreement that in order to move forward, the Board members needed to commit to meeting attendance. After discussion, Mr. Finkelstein asked that two items be put on the next agenda: 1) meeting requirements and sanctions for the CRA including regular meetings and workshops; 2) day and time of workshop meetings. The Board was under the impression that there were no formal requirements for attendance at CRA Board meetings or workshops and wanted to institute a policy. The Board asked that Mr. Greene's staff telephone the Board members on Thursday before Saturday workshops to determine their status and notify Mr. Finkelstein of the results prior to the next workshop meeting. The ABC's of the CRA Vice Chair Heavilin distributed a draft of an article entitled "The ABC's of the CRA" that she had prepared for placement in the City newsletter. The Board wanted to inform the community about the CRA's existence, goals, and objectives. They discussed the draft at some length and offered their comments and suggestions but overall, were very pleased with it and thanked Ms. Heavilin for preparing it. Mr. Greene was going to review it, add his comments, and e-mail it to Mr. Finkelstein for the Board's approval. It was hoped that the article could appear in the next issue of the City newsletter. Mr. Finkelstein advised the Board that the minutes would be done in an overview style and that if they wanted to see something in the minutes, they should note it to the Recording Secretary during the meeting. II. Workshop Topics A. Budgetlssues During the discussion of the previous item, Mr. Finkelstein had mentioned wanting to inform the community that the CRA was not funded by the City but by its T.I.F. income. Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida July 28, 2001 He had also wanted to know what money was allocated for the CRA and what money was allocated for the City. Mr. Greene elaborated on the financial issue(s), referring to the 5-year budget forecast report for the CRA that the Board members had received. He noted that prior to the establishment of the CRA, the City Commission was the CRA. The Community Redevelopment division of the Development Department was using CRA incremental dollars for land acquisition and improvements in the CRA area. When the separate CRA was establish!ed, Mr. Greene had asked Ms. Reese, the Finance Director, to separate the Community Redevelopment Division from the new CRA and she had done so, but not 100%. There was still some residual from the Community Redevelopment Division in the budget and Mr. Greene knew that this was cause for concern to the Board. Mr. Finkelstein mentioned that he was at the meeting where the Commission stated they wanted the bUdgets separated. The overlap between the Community Redevelopment Division of the City and the CRA was discussed. Mr. Greene suggested that an umbrella staff services contract, where all City staff would be under contract with and responsible to the CRA on a real dollar basis, would be a useful tool. The Board agreed and Mr. Greene offered to draft the contract. Mr. Finkelstein asked Mr. Greene to determine the circumstances surrounding the $32,678 item that came out of their budget in May and report back to the Board. The Board also asked Mr. Greene to draft a budget for the CRA showing sources and uses of income and a prioritized annual work plan with dollars applied to each item. In the draft budget, the Board wanted to see contract services from the City and from other than the City, because the CRA was going to need some consultants. They wanted to see debt service, contingencies, and legal fees also. Mr. Greene advised that the draft budget would definitely be completed before the end of the fiscal year in September and that if possible, he would bring it to the Board's next meeting on August 14. Mr. Finkelstein asked Mr. Greene to send him the drafts by e-mail. The Board wanted to arrange a workshop meeting with the CRA and the City Commission, at which they would present and discuss the new budget, work plan, and umbrella services contract. T.I.F. Discussion The Board wanted to know for certain how much money was available to them so they could leverage the funds to do what they were mandated to do. The Board believed that a staff person dedicated to CRA projects would be a necessity in the future if they were to move ahead with their mandates. They asked Mr. Greene to see that an analysis of the T.I.F. income received by Boynton Beach's neighboring cities was sent to the Commissioners. They had been waiting for that money for the last five years so they could start doing things. Now that it was finally here, they thought it was very important that the funds be separate and secure. Mr. Greene mentioned that the budget had been prepared before the CRA knew they would be getting $800K next year in T.I.F income. In the budget the CRA was shown as having $305K in T.I.F. income and it was projected that they would grow at a rate of 4 to 2 Meeting Minutes Community Redevelopment Agency Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida July 28, 2001 4.5% a year. The increase in the incremental income from $305K to $800K (with a projected increase to over $1M the following year) will be going to the CRA and the City's General Fund will not realize any of it. In a tight budget year, this was of some concern to the City. The Board agreed that it was important to know the percentage of the tax revenues the City would receive if the revenue went to the City instead of into the CRA's T.I.F. They asked Mr. Greene to follow up on this and report back to the Board. Sign Project Mr. Finkelstein commented that money existed in the Visions Plan for this project and that if the City put in $10,000, the CRA $10,000 and BODA $2,000, the sign project could be completed in three weeks, by an outside firm if necessary. The signs would provide visual confirmation that the CRA was doing something, and the Board wanted this to happen as soon as possible. CRA Brochure The Board agreed that a simple pamphlet would suffice. They asked Mr. Greene to have his staff survey other cities in the State with active CRAs and obtain copies of their brochures. They also asked Mr. Greene to determine whether the City's previously printed CRA pamphlet was still available. The Board could then review the brochures, choose a format they liked, edit the information, and publish the brochure in a very short period of time. Property Acquisition This item was a top priority for the CRA and Mr. Greene noted that the City was trying to hire an individual to manage property acquisition. The Board wished to move ahead in parallel with this effort and begin some property acquisition, but needed a separate and secure source of funds in order to do so. The Board discussed the possibility of obtaining a 108 loan from HUD for land acquisition. Mr. Greene pointed out that the City and the CRA overlapped here and that a 108 loan would mortgage the future Community Development Block Grant money. Also, this was something that had to start at the grass roots level and that community workshops had been held in the MLK area between the residents, the consultants, and the City. The first workshop covered the community's perception of its needs and Mr. Greene was to provide a copy of the results to the Board. He suggested that the CRA Board members attend the next community workshop on August 11 at the HeadStart Office at 909 N.E. 3rd Street from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Original Goals and Objectives The Board briefly discussed the status of its original goals and objectives and there was some feeling that this topic should appear on every agenda. Funding Proposal from Bank of America for $3M Loan The Board discussed a commitment letter from the bank requiring that the CRA pledge its T.I.F. and that the City stand behind it in the capacity of co-guarantor. Negotiations are underway. 3 Meeting Minutes - Community Redevelopment Agency Workshop Boynton Beach, Florida July 28, 2001 USDA Landscaping Materials Mr. DeMarco stated that the director of the USDA in Broward County was willing to provide plants and trees for the City's use. The E~oard was interested in the idea and asked Mr. DeMarco to contact Kevin Hallahan, the City's Forester, to pursue it. 50 Foot Frontage Lots Mr. Greene reported that the problem was being addressed globally by a Proposed Ordinance that would grandfather in the lots that were platted prior to the effective date of the Ordinance. This would allow building to take place on lots that the City had, by its own actions, made non-conforming in the past. Use of Speaker Cards at CRA Meetings The Board discussed the pros and cons of having speaker cards similar to those used by the City Commission at their meetings. They also discussed the issue of time limits. The Board did not advocate the use of speaker cards in general. It was felt that it was important to allow people to speak and that if they became too verbose, the Chairman could handle it on a case-by-case basis. General The Board believed that a copy of the LDR and any pertinent Ordinances should be available at each of their regular meetings. Mr. Greene agreed to see that this was done. Mr. DeMarco commended Mr. Finkelstein on his capable handling of the meetings and dedicated service to the affairs of the CRA. All in attendance concurred with this. There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (three tapes) (8/3/01) 4