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Minutes 09-24-84MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET HELD IN CHAMBERS, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 AT 7:30 P. M. PRESENT Carl Zimmerman, Mayor Robert Ferrell, Vice Mayor Nick Cassandra, Councilman James R. Warnke, Councilman Samuel Lamar W~ight, Councilman Peter L. Cheney, City Manager Betty S. Boroni, City Clerk William P. Doney, Assistant City Attorney Mayor Zimmerman called the meeting to order at 7:30 P. M. PUBLIC HEARING TO MAKE FINAL DECISION ON THE MILLAGE RATE AND BUDGET Mayor Zimmerman told the audience the Council was obligated tonight to set the final tax millage rate for the upcoming budget. If anyone wished to speak, they were to fill out the forms provided and hand them in as the Council proceeded with the meeting. City Manager C~eney stated that Union negotiations have not been completed and, therefore, any decisions on wage and salary adjustments should be held off until a later time at a regular CounCil meeting. He said maybe by next Tuesday, they will have completed that. City Manager C~eney talked in the past about separating out a special fund for Vehicle Maintenance and a special fund for Sanitationi Once the Council has adopted the budget, the City will do that. Appropriate adjustments have to be made from what is adopted by the Council. City Manager Cheney said thOse adjustments will not change the bottom line of the bul~get but will simply reallocate it. He said they will be r.~ady to do that in a couple of weeks, after Council adopts the budget. City Manager C] shops and had the questions millage rates. should conside set and said i' dential taxpay. ~eney said the Council went through the Work- )ne public hearing. He responded to some of ~he Council had and suggested three alternate City Manager Cheney thought the Council the millage rate they had already tentatively does not make a major impact on the resi- rs in the city. City Manager C]~eney said that millage rate will provide some opportunities ~o move into the capital improvements program which was before the Council. There are a couple of actions in the areas o~ capital improvements and land acquisition. If the City wants to take advantage of the availability of - 1 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 land, City Manager Cheney said they should do it in this coming fiscal year. Otherwise, the land may not be avail- able or will be developed at a much higher price. City Manager Cheney told the Council this is a reasonable year to stick to the millage rate the Council tentatively set to provide the beginning of some capital improvements. Mayor Zimmerman asked how much of the capital outlay program the Council wanted to discuss tonight. As the capital out- lay program is so complex and far reaching, Councilman Warnke thought they could not come to a decision tonight. He felt Alternate 3, which would provide seed money for a feasibility study, etc. should be a part of the discussion tonight, as he thought they should provide seed money for a feasibility study. Vice Mayor Ferrell agreed. Councilman Cassandra said the item tonight should be the budget millage, which has to be final tonight. Capital improvements is a program that can take place at another meeting. Councilman Cassandra stressed that the budget had to be settled tonight, and he strongly recommended that the Council stay with the budget and the alternative the Council takes will determine if there are any monies for capital improvements. Mayor Zimmerman presumed they would have that at the last part of the public hearing. REQUESTS TO SPEAK Fire Prevention Bureau Mr. Morton Goldstein, 130 N. E. 26th Avenue, Boynton Beach 33435, said in 1977, a very knowledgeable body recommended that the City of Boynton Beach review the need for addition- al Fire Inspectors. At that time, we had Alan Nyquist, Fire Marshall; Stanley Porter, Fire Inspector; and William Cavanaugh, Fire Inspector. All of them were State certified. In March, 1982, Fire Marshall Allan Nyquist retired. In January, 1983, Fire Inspector Stanley Porter retired. This happened in a rapid building boom in Boynton. For ten months, the City operated with only two full-time State certified Fire Inspectors. After one year, the City oper- ated with only one certified Fire Inspector. In January, 1984, the City certified one more man (John Martin). Mr. Goldstein said it has been 2-1/2 years since we have had a Fire Marshall. Mr. Goldstein understood there was a recommendation to separate the Fire Inspectors and move one to the Building - 2 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Department along with his Secretary and confine him to new construction. His concern with this was fourfold: (1) Were they taking away a check and balance system that is absolutely necessary in the City? (2) Will the City be able to maintain the integrity of its current files on existing and new constr~cti°n plans and specifications? (3) Is the Inspector who is staying in the Fire Department fully quali- fied under our present Civil Service guidelines to carry out his assigned activities? (4) Is it a good idea to remove a Fireman who is a full-time Inspector from the area of the Fire Department where, of a necessity, he has immediate access to any and all fire information including current fires? In Mr. Goldstein's professional opinion, the Fire Prevention Department belongs in the Fire Department, and we should have a Fire Marshall. He asked City Manager Cheney when we are going to fill the Fire Marshall's position. Mr. Goldstein also asked if the City is going to schedule an eXamination for the best qualified man in the Fire Department for that position. Councilman Cassandra recalled from the minutes of the last workshop that he and Councilman Wright asked about the Fire Marshall. At that time, he remembered City Manager Cheney said the Fire Marshall slot, which was not actively filled, will be restructured into a different classification. City Manager Cheney did not propose to have the title, "Fire Marshall", but proposed to strengthen from what the City has had. He thought Fire Chief Rhoden agreed with him on the Fire Prevention and Fire Inspection Program. City Manager Cheney said the inspection of new construction is a very specialized, highly technical, fire alarm and fire construction code speciality. With the construction going on now, that is very important. Construction inspections are an integral and parallel part of building construction, which is one reason ~hy we have a total review of all new plans by both the Building Department and the Fire Department. Fire preventio has not done e the need for p be in the futu of constructio recommending t upgraded, and on a regular b n of existing structures is something the City hough of. Primarily, City Manager Cheney said revention had not been as serious as it will re. With the city getting older and the kind n getting more complicated, the City is he inspection of existing buildings be improved, done by Certified Inspectors or Firefighters ~sis. - 3 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 City Manager Cheney advised that Certified Firefighters as required by the State was a brand new requirement by the 1983 Legislature. The City immediately began sending people to school. City Manager Cheney told Mr. Goldstein the City does not propose to take fire prevention out of the Fire Department but proposes to use on duty Firefighters and find out if that is successful. John Martin is a Firefighter who passed certification and, at the moment, City Manager Cheney said Mr. Martin is coordinating the fire prevention program. One of the advantages of using on duty Firefighters is it gives them something to do and gives the City a chance to do fire pre- vention in the evenings and on weekends. City Manager Cheney said the City proposes to leave the Fire Prevention there, increase the number of people, and build Fire Prevention up. As to the issue of new construction, City Manager Cheney said it does not matter where the person is located. They talked about putting personnel in the Building Department. The reason for that is because of space, and that is where all of the building plan review goes on. That decision has not been settled as they have to face problems in the Fire Department. City Manager Cheney said they want to highlight the inter- reaction on new construction between all Inspectors, be it Plumbing, Electric, Mechanical, Construction, Fire, or what have you. They should be interrelated, and that is part of the idea of taking the Inspector involved with that and having him do lust that on a specialized basis and integrate that with building plan review and construction. By moving the Fire personnel into the Building Department with an associated Clerk, Councilman Cassandra wondered how his voting power would go. Suppose he says something does not follow the Fire Code. City Manager Cheney said the person is still responsible to the Fire Chief. City Manager Cbeney suspected Councilman Cassandra heard about some allegations in the last two or three weeks and said they were no secret to him. He referred to suggestions and memorandums going around about things that have not been done and said the Fire Chief is aware of some of those things and is satisfied that all is well. City Manager - 4 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Cheney stated it appears there is nothing in the manual that requires some of those things. He added that the ultimate decision will be that of the Fire Chief and the Building Official. When you have a concept in Code, City Manager cheney said there better be a decision made some- where. Councilman Cassandra asked if that was why a personnel report forwarded to the Fire Chief was physically located in the Building Department. City Manager Cheney replied, "Yes." Mr. Goldstein was still concerned and thought someone should head up that department. He reiterated that the City oper- ated with a Fire Marshall for many years. City Manager Cheney said this idea has been talked about for a couple of years, and he explained. He informed Mr. Goldstein someone is in charge and has always been in charge, and the person in charge is the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief was in charge when the City had the Fire Marshall, and the Fire Chief will still be in charge. What they think is best for the City today may not be the same as it was for the City in 1966. City Manager Cheney used the new Chief of the Palm Beach County Fire District as an example. When he was Chief in Miami, he put the Building Department under the Fire Depart- ment. City Manager Cheney did not think that was appropriate here, but he suspected it was done because the judgments in Miami at the time were that the Fire Department was better able to operate than the Building Department. Some Building Departments do not function too well. City Manager Cheney stated he would never suggest that here because he did not think it was necessary. In other cities, City Manager Cheney said fire construction inspections are totally in the Building Department. The City is trying to do something which appears to work well in the city between the Fire Department and the Building Depart- ment on both construction inspections and the inspections of existing buildings. Someone will be in charge, and someone is always in charge. That is the Fire Chief. Mr. Goldstein Said in the past Mr. Nyquist was somebody with vast experience that was always there. There is a difference between preventing a fire and putting a fire out. City Manager Cheney was not sure the City did that much fire pre- vention in the past. Fire construction was more important. By using Firefighters who are on duty on a 24 hour basis, the City is increa~ing fire prevention. They are trained by the State and certlfi~d.- City Manager Cheney did not think the City was shirking or irresponsible. CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Fire Chief James Rhoden said the City has six certified Fire Inspectors. TWo are on 40 hour weeks, and four are on 48 hour weeks. The ones on 48 hour weeks make their inspections during the day, provided they are free to do so. Under our present Civil Service Rules and Regulations, Chief Rhoden said they do not have a man for the Fire Marshall's job. You have to be a Fire Inspector II for a period of two years before you can become a Fire Marshall. Chief Rhoden said we have more than one Fire Inspector I and, under the new budget that they are anticipating, they would have some- body coming up that would be eligible for Fire Marshall. Today, they do not have anyone in the Fire Inspector II position. Fire Chief Rhoden said the man Mr. Goldstein was talking about is in the Fire Inspector I position, and he has to go to Fire Inspector II for two years. Mr. Goldstein was not talking for one particular person. He was concerned about one basic thing, and that was not having a sufficient amount of full-time Fire Inspectors. Mr. Goldstein thought fire prevention done properly would save a lot more lives than an after the fact situation. He did some research as far back as 1977 and saw the recommenda- tions. At that time, the City had three full-time Fire Inspectors. City Manager Cheney said the City did not send people out to do inspections before but just started doing that. City Manager Cheney explained that what they have done is a part of the whole judgment of melding the decisions together. The City has added personnel to the Fire Depart- ment and when they dropped the hours from 56 to 48, they added six new people. As they addressed the Fire Department, the City had to address the whole picture of the Fire Depart- ment, and City Manager Cheney thought they kept it in balance. Mr. Goldstein was not against the basic principle of a Fire Prevention Engineer, which he thought City Manager Cheney proposed in 1982. City Manager Cheney said that did not apply, so they are trying something else. Mr. Goldstein thought it did not apply because the City cannot afford a first class Fire Prevention Engineer and he explained. City Manager Cheney stated the City could have gotten one at that time. Councilman Cassandra asked Mr. Goldstein if he was advocating that the City maintain a Fire Marshall or develop a Fire - 6 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Prevention Department. Mr. Goldstein was not concerned so much with the Fire Marshall per se as he was with having a sufficient amount of full-time Fire Inspectors in the field, in addition to the part-time Inspectors he knew the Chief was not using so the City can adequately prevent fires. If Mr. Goldstein was supporting that the City put into the budget two additional Fire Inspectors , City Manager Cheney could buy that but he could not buy that in the context of the budget as a whole. Mr. Goldstein referred to the National Fire Protection Guide- lines and said each Inspector makes 500 to 600 inspections a year in about 360 working days. He again referred to 1977 and said since then, the City probably has another 1500 inspec- tions they must do a year over what we had in 1977. At the very least, Mr. Goldstein determined the City should have at least five full-time Fire Inspectors working for the City. City Manager Cheney did not know if they could go with two more this year but thought they could go with one more this year. In the context of the budget, as City Manager Cheney put it together, he did not feel comfortable in making that recommendation but would not object to Council doing that if they did not t&ke away some other important things. Mr. Goldstein thought the need for a Fire Inspector or Policeman was far greater than buying additional books for the library when there is not enough room to put them on the shelves. He thought it was fine to advocate spending a lot of money for the library and for parks but if people cannot safely walk through the streets to get there, they will not do us any good. ~hat was what he was pushing for, even though he knew the City was limited in its expenditure of money° Mr. Goldstein knew every department wanted as much money as they c~uld get, but he felt there were certain basics they should take care of first. City Manager Cheney thought they agreed and said where the adjustment is made is a Council decision. That was Mr. Goldstein's recommendation to the Council, and he knew a lot of people in the City agreed with him. Councilman Cassandra asked how many full-time Fire Inspectors the City has. Fire Chief Rhoden replied that we have two full-~ime and four part-time. Councilman Cassandra questioned whether four part-time were equivalent to two more full-time Inspectors. City Manager Cheney answered, "No." - 7 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Mr. Goldstein clarified that he was very proud of the Fire Department and thought it was a very fine department. He was not criticizing the department or Fire Chief. Frankly, he wanted them to have more because he thought there was a need and necessity, and the City should take care of that first. Councilman Warnke asked Chief Rhoden if he felt the Fire Department was adequately inspecting the City at the present time. At this point, Fire Chief Rhoden said he could use another Inspector and thought they had one in the budget. He said there are so many buildings in Boynton and there are so many coming in every year that it is hard to keep up with it. Fire Chief Rhoden told the Council he has a problem hiring a man for a 40 hour week when they are accustomed to the benefitsof a 48 hour week. He went along with Mr. Goldstein and felt that in the future, they would see a Fire prevention Bureau would be the nucleus of all of the depart- ments, and he explained. If an extra Inspector is added at this point, Councilman Warnke asked how it would affect the budget. City Manager Cheney guessed it would be 3/4 of a year by the time they get someone aboard, so it would probably be $20,000 or $22,000. Mr. Goldstein concluded that they need to train people who are aware when they go into buildings, who will find out, ask questions, and get the job done. The big concern is what you cannOt see because that more often causes the fires. Vice Mayor Ferrell suggested maybe the City Manager and the Fire Chief could come back with a detailed organizational plan on what is what. Councilman Wright pointed out that the budget reflects the Fire Department requested one Fire Insector I, and the City Manager recommended that. He guessed Fire Chief Rhoden was being conservative in his finding. Fire Chief Rhoden said he had no place to put Fire Inspectors. Sidewalks Mrs. Wilda Searcy, 402 N. E. 13th Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida 33435, has been writing letters for about 1-1/2 years to the C6uncil about the N. E. and N. W. areas. Eyerybody wants sidewalks, and Mrs. Searcy said they have given up hope ~or the community. Mrs. Searcy stated she has signed petitions. She said it is awful driving down 13th Avenue with people walking in the streets. - 8 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 TWO or three years ago, a pipe was put in front of a lady's house on N. E. 12th Avenue. Mrs. Searcy said a spot was torn up and never repaired. People at Seacrest and 13th will keep it cleaner if they have sidewalks. They are disturbed at the way trash is picked up. Mrs. Searcy said people want the Council to stop raising taxes. She stated she has 226 signatures on petitions now and will turn them in to the Coun6il this week. Mrs. Searcy also wondered what happened with the dogs. Mayor Zimmerman advised that was not a question to be considered tonight. Councilman Warnke asked if any member of Council had a side- walk in front of his house. He did not and neither did Mayor Zimmerman. Councilman Warnke explained the City has many projects to do before sidewalks. Some of the roads must be improved. Mayor Zimmerman asked Mrs. Searcy if she had any idea what sidewalks throughout the city Would cost. Mrs. Searcy exClaimed that they would not get anything in her community and asked if that meant they would not get anything. Mayor Zimmerman said sidewalks will be replaced. Councilman Warnke informed Mrs. Searcy that 230 homes in her neighborhoOd have been condemned to be demolished, so the City is working on the problem. Councilman Wright asked when ~the request relative to priority projects for the Neighborhood Strategy Area comes from Community Development again. City Manager Cheney replied that the funds for 1984-85 have been committed. The next $400,000 or $500,000 has also been preplanned. The next open peri6d would be in three years. City Manager Cheney pointed out that the City has built Sara Sims park and has torn down 170 substandard houses. The City knows there is more to do but City Manager Cheney did not want it left that the City did nothing. Mayor Zimmerman said the City does have money in the budget for street and sidewalk repairs. In the past, City Manager Cheney said the City built side- walks on special assessment projects. Some sidewalk construction was done when they were on the bike way system. Councilman Wright thought the people who signed the petitions for sidewalks understood the petitions to mean it would be no cost to them for the sidewalks other than regular tax increases. Mrs. Searcy asked, "Where is the Community Development?" CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Councilman Wright stated he was a person who did not want a sidewalk because he and others wanted to make sure there was a decent street in the black community. Councilman Wright said he and others were concerned about how the main street in the black community looked, and they completed that. Once they complete what they started on Cherry Hill, Council- man Wright said maybe they could come on the other side of Seacrest and complete the sidewalks. He did not want Mrs. Searcy to continue saying nothing is being done and clarified his statement. Councilman Wright told Mrs. Searcy the Council still had to see the petitions. Fire and Police Departments and Library Mr. Ralph Marchese, 1901 Roma Way, Boynton Beach, 33435, trusted that when the Council considers the expenditure for capital improvements that simultaneously the 91 priority will be the Fire and Police Departments. He thought they should have a place to work and the equipment to work with. As far as he was concerned, Mr. Marchese would take an increase in his taxes to see that they get that. Mr. Marchese also wanted to see the library supported for the youngesters who are going to school and do research. thought education should be right on the line. Re Councilman Wright said there were concerns with the Fire and Police DePartments in terms of the buildings. He was still very adamant about his position to work for some indoor facility for children in the North BoYnton area. Councilman Wright liked the proposal about the civic auditorium ~n . Congress as well, but he was concerned about a gymnasium an the North Boynton area. Mr. Marchese and he told Co things he thou said he was re City Manager page 9 of the which he thou¢ things° Golf Course thought the Council would have to have a list uncilman Wright he merely pointed out three ght were very important. Councilman Wright spending to an article in the paper. heney referred the Council to the formula on Summary of the Capital Improvements Program, ht might help them in weighing some of these Mr, Ben Uleck, 1507 S. W. 17th Avenue, Boynton Beach 33435. read the port~on referring to the golf course from an article - 10 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 which appeared in the Post on September 11, 1984 about the budget and said it had several people confused. Not only Mr. Uleck but the taxpayers thought the golf course was supposed to be self supporting. He asked the Council if they wanted $648,000 for replacement of bonds. City Manager Cheney told Mr. Uleck the golf course is supposed to be self sufficient. The Six Million Dollar figure is a total of the construction and all that goes with the construction and reserve of the first five months of operating it in 1983-1984 and 12 months of operating it in 1984-1985. Those total costs were $6,1~77,000. City Manager Cheney said this budget would also point out that there Ks income of $6,177,000 from the golf course bond issue and the golf course revenue. City Manager Cheney said the City is now beginning to pay back the $4,000,000 bonds it borrowed. The City is paying $710,000 in debt service. After that, the debt service is around $500,000 a year but that is calculated in the income and expenses, and the income will equal the expenses totally from the Golf Course Fund. City Manager Cheney informed Mr. Uleck that there are no General Fund monies in the golf course. City Manager Cheney also informed Mr. Uleck that the golf course pays the Sanitation Fund for garbage pickup and pays a little bit of administrative overhead to the General Fund for supervising the golf course. That will increase as time goes on. City Manager Cheney assured Mr. Uleck that the golf course is self supporting under this proposed budget. Starting October 1, the operating budget for 1984-1985 is $1,443,000, and the income is $1,443,000. The tax payers will pay zero. City Manager Cheney told Mr. Uleck that is no different but is what the City was instructed by th~ City Council to do four years ago. It was well mandated, that is what the City's objectives have been and is what the City is going to do. City Manager Cheney stated the City has money in reserve too. In case ~ome year there is aproblem, we still have a year's debt service of $500,000 plus set aside. At the last Council meeting, it was agreed to refund the bond issue. City Manager Cheney said that will produce about another $20~,000 that Will go into reserve for a disaster like a hurricane that may happen. - 11 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 If Mr. Uleck would look at the budget, City Manager Cheney said he would see calculations for a time replacement of all equipment. There is $269,000 worth of maintenance equipment at the golf course. The City developed a replacement schedule for that equipment and 1/4 of that is being budgeted each year based on the life of the equipment. The City bought golf carts so they built in a replacement program right from the beginning and City Manager Cheney explained. Mayor Warnke interrupted to tell Mr. Uleck the budget for the golf course is 72 pages as opposed to an article in the Palm Beach Post. The Council haS gone through the 72 pages line by line, and they are satisfied. Mr. Uleck explained that many taxpayers asked him what they would be charged for the golf course. Caloosa Park Mr. Uleck was informed this is a County park, and the County maintains it. He said some of the residents also asked about that. Copies of Budget City Manager Cheney said the City will make copies for any- one who comes in. He added that they are also on file in the library. Summer Programs - Recreation Department Jean Ruzycki, 416 S. W. 10th Avenue, Boynton Beach 33435, and Linda Scheu, 444 S. W. 7th Court, Boynton Beach 33435 came before the Council. Mrs. Ruzycki complimented Mr. Charles Frederick, Recreation Director, and his staff for their year-round program and the summer programs. However, Mrs. Ruzycki said there is a problem with the summer pro- gramso Some are from 9:00 A. M. to 12:00 Noon and some are from 9:00 A. M. until 3:00 P. M. Inasmuch as mothers are working and the population of Boynton is getting younger, Mrs. Ruzycki said there is a need to extend the hours of the summer camp program. She stated that Boca Rato9 and Delray Beach run their programs from 8:00 A. M. until 5:00 P. M. and she elaborated. Councilman Cassandra questioned whether Mrs. Ruzycki was asking for a program for parents or children. Mrs. Ruzycki replied, "For children." She explained it is very awkward - 12 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 for someone that works to get their children to and from the programs. Mrs. Ruzycki told City Manager Cheney she would be willing to pay more for the programs so they would be self-supporting. At this point, Mrs. Ruzycki thought the prices were very reasonable. Delray Beach-charges more but offers lunch, and all of the field trips are included. Here, the parents pay for field trips and the children take their lunches. Councilman CaSsandra thought this was something Mr. Frederick should look into. If it was self supporting, City Manager Cheney said the Council would have no objection. He referred to the After Care Program. Mrs. Ruzycki also pointed out that the children are only allowed to sign up for four weeks. Other cities have it for the entire summer. Mrs. Ruzycki felt there was a definite need for the ~ecreation Department to extend the program. She stated a lot of things are going on at the Civic Center during the day when they cannot attend. Councilman Wright thought it would be great if a program could be designed that would alleviate Mrs. Ruzycki's concern and he gave reasons. Mrs. Ruzycki asked if Mr. Frederick would have to get approval from the Council to extend his budget to include something like this. Based on her request, City Manager Cheney replied that the City would look at the problem and prepare a repcrt of the cost, funding, etc. and show what the financial impact would be. The report would be shown to the Council. City Manager Cheney said maybe in a of months they would let Mrs. Ruzycki know about it. coupleHe said Mrs. Ruzycki and Mrs. Scheu should feel free to stop in any time and see Mr. Frederick at his office. Mrs. Scheu commented that the program here is super. She works and said when children are alone after school, they look for trouble and need to keep occupied, especially in the summer. Mrs. Scheu asked the Council to consider this request and help all of the working mothers. Gymna s ium Mr. Louis Skinner, 437 N. E. 16th Avenue, Boynton Beach 33435, N. E. 16th Avenue, Boynton Beach 33435, appeared on behalf of concerned citizens to ask that the Council set aside funding for a gymnasium. Mayor Zimmerman said the - 13 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Council will discuss the capital improvements when they are finished, and 27 capital improvements are on the list. He stated it will be considered but all 27 improvements could not be completed in one year. Councilman Wright informed Mr. Skinner it will take $910,000 to build such a facility because the City already owns the property in that particular area. Councilman Wright thought Mr. Skinner was concerned that something get started. Mayor Zimmerman asked if anyone else wished to speak for or against the proposed budget. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. Capital Improvements Program Mayor Zimmerman asked if the Council wanted to discuss the capital improvements. Vice Mayor Ferrell thought they would be premature to discuss them and felt the Council should take some time to set priorities. Councilman Wright thought City Manager Cheney should give the Council a brief summary and reiterate again how much he would recommend be put aside. Councilman Wright did not think they could go into any details on pro~ects now and suggested perhaps they could be listed in the paper at a future date. Mayor Zimmerman referred to the budget of 6.83 tax millage and asked how much was set aside for the Capital Improvements Program in the way of planning. City Manager Cheney said he made a mistake in multiplying in the short page he did the calculation on. The figure Alternate 3 would produce, which is excess, should be $294,754 and another $52,000 is avail- able in Alternate 2, making a total of $346,754. Unappropriated Fund Councilman Cassandra asked about the unappropriated fund. City Manager C]leney said he had not included any assumption of funds left There will be that the Counc general unappr( things such as "kitty". As a Manager Cheney not know what ~ until they clog )ver from the current budget year to next year. tome left over, and he strongly recommended .1 do nothing with it but leave it in a ~priated reserve fund for totally unanticipated a hurricane and that it not be looked at as a result of shortages in income last year, City said the City basically has nothing. He did .he figure was and said they would not know ~e the books, but he thought they should leave - 14 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 it and begin to build up the unappropriated reserve in the operating fund to as much as $400,000 or $500,000 because the City is gettng too big to have nothing. Budget *Councilman Warnke complimented City Manager Cheney and the City because he thought the City was very well satisfied with the budget. Councilman Cassandra also complimented the City Manager and staff but warned Mayor Warnke not to be misled by apathy. Parks Councilman Cassandra asked how many more parks the City has from 1978 to 1984. He was informed by Mr. Fredericks it was around five or six, and the City has the upkeep of them too. Building Department Needs Councilman CasSandra wondered if the Electrical Inspector requested in this General Fund was taken into consideration or if it was in addition to the Emergency Needs the Building Department has. City Manager Cheney said it was in addition. People added a~e shown in the current column because they were in this current budget year. Alternates In the approval of any of the Alternates, Councilman Cassandra asked if the Council had to accept the structure approval. He did not see any structure changes except Parks and Utilities and wondered if the budget approval included an automatic approval of the organizational chart. City Manager Cheney said it implies approval. Councilman Cassandra wanted to keep it as a separate consideration because there Manager Cheney meeting, if he City Clerk's D In the General Councilman Cas City Manager C was changed. ~ere things he did not agree with. City said that could be scheduled in Tuesday's wanted. spartment Fund, Grade Change, Position Reclassification, ~andra asked if the Clerk III was a downgrade. heney said the grade of that vacant position No one is being downgraded. -,Correcti°n ~ ~ minutes of 10/3/84 - 15 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Data Processor Councilman Cassandra noted a grade change of three grades. He asked if this is normally a 35, 36 concept. City Manager Cheney replied it is related to other department heads and is one that was negotiated in the past. Planning Department Councilman Cassandra called attention to the promotion requested to upgrade someone to Secretary III and and asked if the person was being upgraded from Secretary I. He noted she was going from Grade 19-2 to Grade 22-1 and was curious as to why there was a two grade change and it was not a progressive type step. City Manager Cheney replied it has been a Secretary II position and the comparable duties and responsibilities justify the Secretary III. Councilman Cassandra did not know what Grade 19 was. Summary of Vehicle Purchases for 1984-1985 Councilman Cassandra noticed they were going to a lot of four door sedans and asked why the City does not go to com- pact or subcompact classes. He did not think they would be using a four door sedan for four people at one time because these would be for people out in the field. City Manager Cheney advised that the city has had very bad luck with sub- compacts. City Manager Cheney said the City generally buys from the State. They have never found that local advertising beats the State bid. With the State bid, the City gets a good price but he did not think they could get the compacts with State bidding. Councilman Wright expressed concern about subcompact cars because he has had one for six months and still has problems with it. Councilman Cassandra felt the quality of American cars is poor. It appeared they were going into big cars, and he asked how many cylinders they have. Councilman Cassandra thought the Parks Department was buying station wagons. There was discussion. Sanitation Capital Replacement Fund Councilman Cassandra observed that the City bought a trash and bucket dump truck and felt this was our Sanitation Capital Replacement Fund concept. City Manager Cheney believed Councilman Cassandra was looking at the Street Division's budget. That equipment is used by the Street Maintenance DiVision and is a legitimate expenditure. - 16 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 City Manager Cheney said the City is continuing to use the Sanitation Capital Replacement Fund for Sanitation vehicles. When they redo the Sanitation Fund, they will reincorporate that. 2% Gas Tax Councilman Cassandra was looking at the 2% gas tax for streets. City Manager Cheney was looking at it to improve our capital equipment that works in the Street Division. That seemed to be a legitimate way of not eating into the property taxes. Millage Rate Mayor Zimmerman said they had on first reading of an Ordi- nance a millage of 6.8316. Last year, the City only had 5,9. The rollback rate for this year is 5.9871. They had several proposals. Training Officer, Fire Department Vice Mayor Ferrell understood City Manager Cheney to say if they approve this, in concept they are approving the struc- ture. He made two points at the first hearing and one at one of the workshops. One was in relation to the Training Officer at the Fire Department and said he did not object to adding that position at this point. Police Department Instead of four Patrolmen and two Detectives, Vice Mayor Ferrell suggested using six Patrolmen. City Manager Cheney wanted to come back in November and discuss that specifi- cally with the Council. They will not be added now. Alternate 1 Councilman Cassandra noted Alternate 1 talks about a net effect on the budget of a reduction of $160,000. In adding in the items of an increase of the building fee, the Library budget, $10,000 for the Historical Society, $1,000 for Youth Advisory Council, the ads for the Police Department's capital safety, and the barricades thrown in therer he asked if it also included the four Patrolmen and one Detective. Councilman Cassandra determined that City Manager Cheney was saying the Council had everything that was given them in the printed budget. Nothing has been CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 deleted, and they are now adding the request by Councilman Warnke for the Historical Society and the added $20,000 for the Police Department. City Manager Cheney added, "Plus those things you people suggested." Councilman Cassandra thought 6.0173 was low millage. City Manager Cheney said it was $160,000 less than he recommended in his budget and gave an increase over rollback of 4.7. Councilman Cassandra asked how much it would be over last year's millage. Last year, it was 5.9. Mr. Grady Swann, Finance Director, replied it is 6.6% over 5.9. By relating it to last year's millage, City Manager Cheney said they were creating themselves trouble because the current assessed value of last year's property is less than it was last year. When you have a lesser total valuation, you have to have a higher millage. By looking at last year's millage, City Manager Cheney said they were cutting into new goals this year. Councilman Cassandra said they brought to the General Fund $859,000,000 versus last year's of $818,000,000 so they have an increase of assessment comprised of construction etc. In Councilman Cassandra's mind, everything in the budget on Alternate 1 (blue book) and all that was requested on the yellow sheet, including personnel, capital equipment, etc. will be a budget item with no cuts plus the addition of those itemsw and there will still be a millage of 6.073. Councilman Cassandra asked if City Manager Cheney was saying he has a chance now to get some monies into a capital improve- ments plan by taking Alternate 3. City Manager Cheney said he went to Alt~rnate 2 then, and it produced those things which he felt comfortable with and which he thought were worthwhile recommending. Councilman Cassandra remarked that the Alternates are actually recommendations and he wanted to make sure he understood what was entailed in them. Councilman Wright understood if someone has a home worth $100,000, he will only have to pay $30 more in taxes. There was discussion about property assessments and taxes. Council- man Cassandra called attention to the substantial increases of Bethesda Hospital and the County and said the Council does not know What the School Board will do. Votes Necessary For Various Proposals The first thing Attorney Doney said the Council had to do was adopt the millage rate. For Alternate 2, City Manager - 18 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Cheney advised they would need only three votes. For Alternate 3, they would need 4 votes. City Manager Cheney clarified that they would need 4 votes for anything above Alternate 2. Councilman Cassandra asked the Council to consider what comes out of the pockets of the citizens. He stated he has always been an advocate of conservatism in the budget and still was. Councilman Cassandra felt Alternate 1 gave more than the City Manager requested, and nothing is being taken away. Also, they are adding the three or four requests made by other Council Members in Alternate 1. Mayor Zimmerman suggested adopting a millage rate which left off the 2nd and third figures after the decimal point. He did not think the extra points meant much anyway. Land near Boat Ramp Park City Manager Cheney said the City may be able to buy land near Boat Ramp Park, but he pointed out it may be a now or never situation because of what is happening on Federal Highway. The purchase was authorized several years ago. City Manager Cheney said the owner contacted him. City Manager Cheney did not want the land to be developed several months from now without letting the Council know they may miss the boat. He wanted the Council to understand it was an issue they had to address. Advertised Millage Rat~ Councilman Wright asked if anyone complained about this. Mayor Zimmerman replied that he read one letter into the record at the first hearing on September 6 and received one other letter, which was very brief. He asked if anyone else received letters. Mayor Zimmerman read a letter dated back in August that was written to the Council stating it was unfortunate that a vote on Proposition 1 was delayed by questionable methods until 1986. Alternate 3 Vice Mayor Ferrell favored Alternate 3 because he thought money to begin some planning for changes and improvements of city facilitie~ were long past due. He recalled that a second floor for the Police Department was needed four or five years ago along with the purchase of the property at Boat Ramp Park. That and the construction at the Mausoleum - 19 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 could have been done then for less than the second floor on the Police Department which is proposed now. If they wait, Vice Mayor Ferrell was afraid they would be in a jam. Vice Mayor Ferrell worked in the Police Department for ten years and knew there were three or four men in the Traffic Division working out of a closet. Community Relations will not have the people they need, as proposed in Alternate 2. Vice Mayor ~errell also mentioned Crime Watch and referred to the burglaries people spoke about over the last weeks. He felt there was a big need for a lot of improvements in these areas. Vice Mayor Ferrell also called attention to recreational facilities. Although the Council had 28 items before them, he did not %hink anyone expected them to do all of them. Mayor Zimmerman asked what Alternate 3 would do over and above what the other two Alternates would do. Vice Mayor Ferrell replied that it would allocate $346,754 to the capital improvement program. Alternate 3 made sense to Mayor Zimmerman. Councilman W~rnke agreed with what Vice Mayor Ferrell just said and did not think anyone in the City could find fault with the Council for voting for a Crime Watch, Police training, capital items for the Police Department, and setting asid~ money for capital improvements. He recalled that 7 or 8 ~ears ago Councilman deLong advocated getting some of thes~ capital improvements done. Nothing was done, and the City probably lost hundreds of thousands of dollars it could have saved. Councilman Warnke was firmly in favor of Alternate 3. In working w last 3-1/2 y, best with as ment, Council job without councilman ~ Councilman W~ight thought the City had done well by moving forward with the golf course. He hoped they would continue to move things along in the City of Boynton Beach. Council- man Wright h~s been in favor of cutting back the budget. [th the City staff and the City Manager over the ~ars, he thought the City staff tries to do its little as possible. Being employed in govern- [man Wright knows what it is like to try to do a ~dequate staff, supplies and funds. ight was tired of people saying to him that there is not] ing for young people in the community. He thought the Council should take this opportunity to move forward. - 20 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Councilman Cassandra informed Councilman Warnke and Council- man Wright there was no question about capital improvements but that was a separate issue. He said they had two issues: the budget and capital improvements. They are taking the ad valorem tax and saying because of an increase in the ad valorem taxes, they will have money for capital improvements. Councilman Wright referred to the money used for downtown redevelopment and the golf course and advised that it takes money. To the best of Councilman Cassandra's knowledge, they had only increased the tax base. Next year they will go higher. Councilman Cassandra was not against the fund for capital improvements, but he told the Council not to put it on the millage. Councilman Wright asked what Councilman Cassandra would suggest. Councilman Cassandra said three suggestions were submitted on the proper way to go: revenue bonds, franchise tax, or Alternate 3. He was saying they were go- ing to extend the millage rate, and next year they will build upon it. There was discussion about money, capital improvements, and studies. Mayor Zimmerman asked what the money difference would be between the two millage rates. City Manager Cheney advised the difference between Alternate 2 and Alternate 3 is $294,754. vice Mayor Ferrell stated they were talking about putting money aside, which no one had the foresight to do in a lot of years. There was more discussion. City Manager Cheney was concerned about the land near Boat Ramp Park. Councilman Cassandra commented that the City is spending a lot of money to revamp that area. He thought the mobile homes were an eye sore and said what it came down to was they need the increase to buy the land, not for a feasi- bility study, 6r there would not be enough money. City Manager C! couple of week~ why it was not stated he wouL the use of the Manager Cheney will do it. C¢ over will go t¢ ~eney's concern about this came in the last ;, since he put out the blue book. That was addressed in the book. Councilman Cassandra [ not be adverse to Alernate 3 if they direct money for the purchase of that land. City said the Council could say that, and the City ~uncilman Cassandra added that what is left a capital improvements feasibility study. City Manager C~ that if it was just that amount of money. eney stated he would not continue to mention That amount of - 21 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 money of $300,000 was purely the Council's judgment of whether to do it now or wait until next year only because it was a now or never situation. Mayor Zimmerman was concerned about the total and was trying to simplify it. After dis- cussion, City Manager Cheney advised that they make the total millage 6.8 instead of 6.8316. THE COUNCIL TOOK A BREAK AT 9:25 P. M. Mayor Zimmerman called the meeting back to order at 9:40 P. M. Proposed Ordinance 84-37 Attorney Doney filled in the blanks of the Ordinance, as follows: Page 1, Section 1, second line - 6.5929; third line - 6.5264 for the General Fund and .0665 for the Publicity Fund; fourth line - .2071; and next to the last line, "Proposed Tentative Millage Levy o~ 6.8000". Page 2, Section 2, second line - 13.5 per cent. Letter written to Council Councilman Cassandra asked City Manager Cheney to look into the comment in the letter written to the Council. He said it did not hav~ to be done tonight. Councilman Wright commented that at least the letter was not anonymous. City Manager Cheney said the letter was not sent to the Chief or to him, but he would have seen it anyway. Councilman Wright suggested that maybe the staff needed training for grievance procedures. Since the letter came to the Council, Councilman Cassandra thought a response was due. City Manager Cheney commented that all of the Council Members received the letter. He had not responded because he did not get the letter. Councilman Wright said maybe they should tell the person to write to the City Manager. City Manager Cheney stated he would respond to the Council's request. Councilman Wright advised City Manager Cheney to send the Council a letter, and the Council will ~ake a copy available to the person. Council- man Wright requested City Manager Cheney to address the letter to the Council, and City Manager Cheney agreed to this. - 22- CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Addition of a Professional Engineer and one Inspector for the Utility Department Per the memo written by Craig Grabeel dated September 6, 198~, as far as the projects performed by Russell & Axon, Councilman Cassandra recommended the above, as it would save the City money. He asked City Manager Cheney to consider this. Councilman Cassandra thought there was a need for restructuring the Utility Department anyway. When you look at the Utility Budget as proposed this year with no change in rate, City Manager Cheney said it has a projected net income of $58,516. He thought the Profession- al Engineer and Inspector could fall within that, and they would not have to change the bottom line figures. Councilman Cassandra thought they could take the $639,000 they paid Russell & Axon with no changes in rates, and they would save money in the long run. The other Council Members agreed. City Manager Cheney said it was no problem. Proposed Ordinance 84-38 Attorney Doney filled in the blanks on the Ordinance as follows: Page 1, Section 2 - $14,824,471. Page 2, Section 3 - $175,992; Section 4 - $5,858,209; Section 5, second Tine - $944,475; fourth line - $1,806,000; last line - $2,750,475. Section 6 - $56,450. Section 7 - $225,350. Section 8 - $549,212. Section 9 - $936,609. Section 10, second line - $494,337; fifth line - $12,814; last line - $507,151. Stipulation Attorney Doney advised the stipulation did not need to be in the Ordinance but should be in the Minutes. When they reprint the final budget, City Manager Cheney said it will be clearly identified. (See the motion under Ordinance 84-37 below.) City Manager Cheney said he will be working with the Police Department and will have some lists of what they would prefer and will come back and let the Council know where they think the additional Police small capital equipment should be. Councilman Wright wanted to see requisitions for some of the requests they made in Recreation as soon as the budget is - 23 - CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 approved and did not want them to wait until the end of the year. Mayor Zimmerman said they have to have the money first. City Manager Cheney wanted some way to schedule all of it in case they have a shortfall. He asked that Council- man Wright let him know what the requests are. There was discussion. City Manager Cheney reminded Councilman Wright that purchas- ing, requisitioning, etc. take time. Councilman Wright said they did not ask for that many things. Dinner for Board Members at Hunters Run City Manager Cheney was thinking about the holiday season and Hunters Run again on December 6, which is the first Thursday of the month. He gave his reasons for choosing this date. The Council was agreeable to this. LEGAL Ordinances - Second Reading - PUBLIC HEARING Proposed Ordinance 84-37 Re: Stating the Aggregate Millage Rate to be Levied Against Property Owners Within the City for the 1984-85 Fiscal Year; Providing that the City Manager Shall Have the Authority to Adjust the Aggregate Millage Rate Upon Receipt of the Final Tax Roll; Providing for an Effective Date and for Other Purposes Attorney Doney read proposed Ordinance 84-37 in its entirety on second reading. The title of said Ordinance is: "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, STATING THE AGGREGATE MILLAGE RATE TO BE LEVIED AGAINST PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN THE CITY FOR THE 1984-1985 FISCAL YEAR; PROVIDING THAT THE CITY MANAGER SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ADJUST THE AGGREGATE MILLAGE RATE UPON RECEIPT OF THE FINAL TAX ROLL; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES." Mayor Zimmerman asked if anyone wished to speak in favor of the proposed Ordinance. Mr. Ralph A. Marchese, 1901 Roma Way, Boynton Beach 33435, thought the Council did a wonderful job and told them to,"Go to it!" Mayor Zimmerman asked if anyone wished to speak in opposition to the propoosed Ordinance. There was no response. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Mayor Warnke moved that Ordinance 84-37 be adopted on second and final reading with the stipulation that the extra money allocated in the City Manager's Letter under Alternative 3 be used for the purchase of the property in front of Boat Ramp Park on Federal Highway. Vice Mayor Ferrell seconded the motion. Mrs. Boroni took a roll call vote on the motion as follows: Mayor Zimmerman Vice Mayor Ferrell Councilman Cassandra Councilman Warnke Councilman Wright Aye Aye Aye Aye Aye Motion carried 5-0. Proposed Ordinance 84-38 Re: Adopting a Final Budget for the Fiscal Year Beginning October 1, 1984, and Ending September 30, 1985; Providing for an Effective Date and for Other Purposes. Attorney Doney read proposed Ordinance 84-38 on second and final reading in its entirety. The title of said Ordinance is as follows: "AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ADOPTING A FINAL BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGIN- NING OCTOBER 1, 1984, AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1985; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES." Mayor Zimmerman asked if anyone wished to speak in favor of the proposed Ordinance. There was no response. Mayor Zimmerman asked if anyone was opposed to the adoption of the proposed Ordinance. There was no response. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. Vice Mayor Ferrell moved to adopt Proposed Ordinance 84-38 on second and final reading, seconded by Councilman Wright. Mrs. Boroni took a roll call vote on the motion: Vice Mayor Ferrell Councilman Cassandra Councilman Warnke Councilman Wright Mayor Zimmerman Aye Aye Aye Aye Aye Motion carried 5-0. - 25- CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING, 1984/85 BUDGET BOYNTONBEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 24, 1984 Announcements Councilman Warnke announced that there would not be a meet- ing tomorrow night (September 25, 1984). City Manager Cheney told the Council that the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council voted unanimously to recom- mend approval of the Riteco Developmental Regional Impact. He also informed the Council that the train whistles at night have stopped. Priority Determination Councilman Cassandra recommended that City Manager Cheney break up Public Works and Parks Maintenance and also break ~up Cultural and Recreation because some people may feel strongly for one and not the other and they would be forcing an opinion on both. He noted they had "Urgent, Necessary and Desirable." Councilman Cassandra thought they should have one entitled, "Not in the Next Five Years," and he explained. Executive Sessions City Manager Cheney said they would be having executive sessions but he did not know when. ADJOURNMENT Vice Mayor Ferrell moved, seconded by Councilman Cassandra, to adjourn, and the meeting adjourned at 10:05 P. M. CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Mayor ~ce Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk :ia Ramseyer Recording Secretary (Three Tapes) - 26 -