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Minutes 06-01-00 MINUTES OF THE AGENDA PREVIEW CONFERENCE HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM "B"~ CITY HALL~, BOYNTON BEACH,, FLORIDA ON THURSDAY,, 3UNE 1, 2000 AT 5:00 P.M. PRESENT Gerald Broening, Mayor Bruce Black, Commissioner Charlie Fisher, Commissioner Kurt Bressner, City Manager ]ames Cherof, City Attorney OPENING Mr. Bressner began the agenda review at 5:00 p.m. At Commissioner Fisher's request, Item III-B.3 will be added to the agenda. He reported that the Advisory Board on Children & Youth presented a young lady with the Bob Borovy Student Citizen of the Year Award. Commissioner Fisher will provide the name of the recipient so that it could be included on the agenda. With respect to Item IV-B.1, mention was made of the fact that if fireworks are prohibited in inland areas, we could experience large crowds for our display. Mr. Bressner urged the Police Department to stay on top of this situation. Item IV-C.2 - Ratification of Labor Contract with Firefighters - It was suggested that Commissioner Fisher pull this item from the Consent Agenda so that Fire Chief Bill Bingham could comment on the results of the negotiations as follows: · Three-year agreement effective October 1, 1999. · There is an arrearage that goes back to October 1, 1998. The 2.5% pay matrix was in effect at that time, but no contract was negotiated for additional money. · There is a 4% salary adjustment retroactive to October of 1999. The 2.5% matrix is no longer in effect. · On October 1, 2000, there is a 4.5% salary adjustment and there is a combination salary adjustment for the final year of the agreement (2.5% salary adjustment and 0% to 4% merit adjustment based on performance.) · In the wage part of the contract, the 0% to 4% performance appraisal component would carry on beyond the term of the contract. · Ther6 are specific requirements in the duration article to sit down and have the contract ratified. Item IV-C.7 - Employment Contract for Karen Lee Lattuca as Golf Course Restaurant Manager - Mr. Bressner requested that this item be removed from the agenda because it would be his preference to hire this staff member as an exempt employee rather than by employment agreement. She would be a full-time employee subject to normal benefits, evaluation and probationary period. Mr. Bressner said he has been reviewing the employment agreements and realizes that the list in the APM does not match up with the current practice. He will systematize this process. Although this is a supervisory/management position, it does not rise to the necessity of an employment agreement. MEE'I'~NG Mi'NUTES AGENDA PREVZEW CONFERENCE BOYNTON BEACH, FLOI~DA .1UNE 1, 2000 Dale Sugerman, Assistant City Manager, reported that up until 18 months ago, there were no City employees running this operation. It was a concession. When two or three concessionaires failed, a decision was made that the City should try to handle it. However, at that time, part of the decision was that if that attempt failed, the City did not want to have full- time employees to deal with. Mr. Bressner felt that if an employee were valuable to the organization, he would find room for that individual in the organization. This individual is creative and that skill could be used elsewhere in the organization. · Ttem E - Costa Bella Stormwater Improvement Project · Item F - Industrial Avenue Stormwater Improvement Project Because the nature of the drainage problems associated with these two projects warrants quick attention by the City, Mr. Bressner recommended that even if the Stormwater ERU were delayed, it is imperative to continue to move forward on these two projects. Mr. Sugerman advised that approval by the Commission would award the design portion of the project. The timing of this project would take the City through the rainy season and we should be able to award a bid for construction at the end of the rainy season. Mr. Bressner feels it is important for the City to communicate with regret to the property owners in the area that they would have to contend with one additional rainy season before results would be obvious. Commissioner Fisher requested that a brief presentation be provided at an upcoming meeting to advise the public of our plans with respect to emergency response for the upcoming season. Chief Bingham said a presentation would be made on June 14th to the Chamber of Commerce with regard to hurricane preparedness. He will combine this presentation with his departmental PowerPoint presentation. Attorney Cherof stressed that the public should be made aware that the City's efforts are not a substitute for individual property owner actions and responsibilities. Ztem z - Funding for Repairs and Tmprovements to the Tennis Center - Mr. Bressner will provide the Commissioners with a report on Tuesday regarding the revenue benefits that could be realized with respect to major events such as the North American Corporate Games. V-CITY MANAGER'S REPORT: (~uestions & Answers for Proposed Storrnwater ERU Increase - Mr. Bressner said he will be presenting responses to questions that were posed by the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Bressner reported that many of the people who come to live in Boynton Beach do not understand the concept of having separate stormwater systems and sanitary sewer systems is unique to their experience. Mr. Bressner will clarify this situation. MEETTNG MTNUTES AGENDA PREVt'EW CONFERENCE BOYNTON BEACH, FLORZDA 3UNE 1, 2000 Commissioner Fisher questioned whether it would be wise to remove the second reading of the Ordinance until the Commission has an opportunity to review facts and figures. Attorney Cherof advised that the Ordinance had been advertised as a public hearing. He recommended tabling the item during the meeting if that is the desire of the Commission. Tn this way, the notice requirement would be satisfied. V]:TT-A. - Review Proposed Policy for Cemetery Late Arrival Fee - Mr. Bressner said he would like to spend a little bit of time with the funeral industry, the Cemetery Board members and members of the community to review this issue one more time to ensure that all of the facts and opinions are brought forward. This item will remain "on hold". · VZZT-B. - Update of Enforcement of Non-conforming Signs - Mr. Bressner will provide the Commissioners with a recap as prepared by staff. · XZ-A.:t - Proposed Ordinance No. O00-:t4 - Tf it is the Commission's desire, second reading of this Ordinance could be tabled. ]:n response to Mr. Bressner, Attorney Cherof advised that if the Commission decides to change the ERU increase to a number other than $6.000, a motion to establish a different rate would be required and the Ordinance would be amended. The Ordinance would come back for first reading. Commissioner Fisher talked about establishing a workshop meeting if the Commission decides to table this item. · Fir. Bressner advised that the Police Drop Plan would appear on the June 20th agenda. X~-B.4 - Proposed Ordinance No. 000-24 - Billboard Ordinance - Attorney Cherof advised that there will be a number of people present at the meeting who will want to help the Commission understand this issue from their perspective. XZ-C.2- Proposed Resolution No. R00-79 - Dispute Resolution Agreement with the Town of Ocean Ridge - Hr. Bressner said he had discussions with Mr. Dunham. He reviewed the revised agreement and felt that if there was any possibility of incorporating the outline of how the shared parking would work, there would not be a need for a subsequent agreement. He is comfortable with the agreement and supports it, but pointed out that it would take' a majority vote by his Council to approve the agreement. Hr. Bressner feels this is a fair deal for both parties and he recommends favorable consideration to allow us to move on. AD.1OURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting properly adjourned at 5:50 p.m. MEETt'NG MTNUTES AGENDA PREVZEW CONFERENCE BOYNTON BEACH, FLOI~DA 3UNE 1, 2000 CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH ~'ice Mayor A~E~: City~lerk (DeJ;/uty City Clerk "('Une Tape) Mayor Pro Tem Commissioner t~ J ~issioner May 12, 2000 Mr. Kurt Bressner City Manager City of Boynton Beach Boynton Beach, Florida Dear Mr. Bressner: The retreat last week was very successful. The Mayor and Commissioners communicated well with one another, and as a group they were appreciative of your role as the City's CEO. My report is attached. It summarizes the actions and conclusions reached at the meeting and also presents my own observations and recommendations. Thank you for your diligence and good humor at the workshop, and for allowing me to help guide the discussion. Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, Lance deHaven-Smith, Ph.D. Improving Political Institutions and Civic Culture in Boynton Beach, Florida Lance deHaven-Smith, Ph.D. May 12, 2000 Contents Introduction Stages of Urbanization in Coastal Cities Stage One: Old Florida Stage Two: The Retirement Boom Stage Three: Urban Deterioration Stage Four: Urban Redevelopment Political Constraints on Boyntons's Redevelopment Discontinuity of Leadership Limited Business Participation Absence of a Clear City Image Strained Race Relations A Problematic Civic Culture Decisions Made at the Retreat Continuing to Reestablish Appropriate Roles Improving Community Relations Setting Long Range Policy Increasing the Involvement of Large Local Businesses Municipal Governance in Boynton Beach, Florida Lance deHaven-Smith, Ph.D. Introduction This report offers observations and recommendations about politics and civic culture in Boynton Beach, Florida. The report is based on background materials, interviews with staff and elected officials, reviews of newspaper stories, and a one-day retreat with the Mayor, the Vice Mayor, two City Commissioners, the City Manager, the City Attorney, and one other staff member. The retreat took place on May 9, 2000, at the united Way building of Palm Beach County. Its purposes were to (1) discuss issues, explore options, and agree on actions; (2) help the City Commission, which has two new members who were elected in March, continue to gel as a group; (3) provide a forum for discussing how the City Commission would work with the new City Manager, who was recently hired after an extensive search; and (4) revisit the conclusions reached at a similar retreat in October 1999. The 1999 retreat was held to resolve issues that had arisen during the search for a new City Manager. The Commissioners had become divided over whom to hire and could not achieve the four-fifths majority necessary to select a new Manager. One of the main outcomes of the 1999 retreat was agreement among the Commissioners on exactly what qualifications would be required for the position. Once this issue was resolved, the Commission quickly got back on track, reopened the search, and located and hired a new Manager who has many years of experience with the kinds of issues Boynton Beach is addressing. The Mayor and Commissioners who held office in 1999-2000 (who I will refer to as the 1999 Commission), and the Acting City Manager, deserve credit for a number of accomplishments. They moved forward at a steady pace with implementation of Vision 2020 projects. They made a number of improvements to the Commission's decision-making processes, such as instituting a meeting every other week to go over the agenda for upcoming Commission meetings. And they were able to successfully conclude the Manager search despite intense media scrutiny and editorializing, community pressure to move more quickly than would have been wise, and difficulties inevitably arising from having to reach a four-fifths majority. The 1999 Commission also moved forward with some internal restructuring, hired a public affairs director, and recruited a new director of planning and zoning. The new City Manager and the Commissioners who were elected in March are coming into a situation that is ripe for success in a number of areas. Stages of Urbanization in Coastal Cities I began the May 9 retreat with a presentation on "The Politics of Mature Coastal Cities in High-Growth Counties." Florida's population growth includes a high proportion of retirees, who contribute to a particular pattern of development that impacts coastal cities like Boynton Beach. Unlike those in other age groups, seniors can usually chooSe a residential location without concern for being near a place of employment. Retirees have frequently chosen to reside on the fringes of the major employment centers, notably on the outskirts of Tampa and Miami. By creating their own outlying suburbs, they can remain close to urban amenities but escape the noise, crime, and crowding of the city center and also skip over the traffic, children, and high 2 taxes of the suburbs closer in. Put briefly, retirees extend urban sprawl even further out than itis normally taken by middle class commuters who work in the city but live elsewhere. Because of this sprawling pattern of development, Florida is a state of small and medium-sized cities. Aside from Jacksonville, which is really a combined city and county, the largest city in Florida is Miami, with 365,000people. Next in line in population are Tampa, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Tallahassee, Hollywood, and Clearwater. For its part, Boynton Beach is among the top 30 largest cities in Florida. Stage One: Old Florida. In the midst of Florida's sprawling pattern of urbanization, the state's coastal cities almost always go through a predictable series of changes as they grow in population and reach build-out. The first stage is characterized by land-use patterns that were the norm in Florida between 1940 and 1970. At this time, much of Florida's east coast was dotted by a string of small tourist towns running from Jacksonville to Miami. The white population typically lived east of Federal Highway. Inland along the railroad tracks resided an indigenous African-American population who worked in the hotels and motels during the tourist season and on the inland farms during planting and harvesting. During the era of segregation, these segregated housing patterns were established by law through zoning codes that included separate zoning categories for "Negro Housing." Stage Two: The Retirement Boom. The second stage of the development of these coastal cities begins with an influx of retirees. At first the retirees live in high or medium-rise condominiums near the coast, but, as the barrier island and intracoastal region becomes urban, retirement communities start to spring up in the inland areas. The indigenous African-American population continues to reside in a narrow strip between the retirees to its East and West. Stage Three: Urban Deterioration. In stage three, economically active young adults, the vast majority of whom are white, move into the area to provide services to the seniors. Historically, this population has tended to locate further inland. The incoming adults do this in part to be able to send their children to predominantly white schools, in part because the housing and land are less expensive there, and in part because they are accustomed to a suburban lifestyle. Once a substantial population exists in the inland areas, malls are built at roughly six mile intervals along the coastal ridge inland from the African-American area to attract consumers from both the suburbs and the affluent condominiums along the coast. As a result, many of the small, tourist-oriented retail shops near Federal Highway start to go under, the appearance of the area deteriorates, tourists begin to go elsewhere, and the old motels start to go out of business as well. At the same time, because agriculture is replaced by large suburban communities, the agricultural jobs vanish, too. The end result of these changes, which take about a decade to play out, is that the job base for the African-American population dries up, and the African-American neighborhoods rapidly deteriorate. Exacerbating the economic problems of these communities, the school districts have tended to close the coastal schools, build new schools in the middle of the county, and bus students inland from the coast to achieve at least some degree of racial balance in the suburban schools. Closing the old coastal schools removes a critical component of the social life of the African-American neighborhoods. The effects of this policy, combined with the economic transformation just discussed, can be seen in the belt of urban blight that extends in a dotted line along Dixie Highway through much of Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The deterioration of the coastal cities can be ameliorated by public investments and social services, but these cost money, and the coastal cities also begin to experience fiscal problems as 4 the population sprawls inland. The cities must rely heavily on property taxes, but there are a number of factors that prevent property tax revenues from keeping pace with the cost of public facilities and services as cities become more densely developed. These include political opposition to property taxes, state requirements regarding the so-called "roll back milage rate," the Homestead Exemption, the Save Our Homes amendment, and the like. However, while property tax revenues are constrained, the cost of government increases rapidly in growing areas because urban facilities and services are much more expensive than their rural and suburban equivalents. Waste water treatment plants cost more than septic tanks, SWAT teams and vice squads cost more than road patrols, and highways with overpasses and traffic signals cost more than two-lane roads with stop signs. With costs skyrocketing and revenues lagging, most coastal cities find themselves unable to come up with enough money to prevent or reverse the downward economic spiral in their historic down towns, African-American neighborhoods, and motel strips. Another factor that weakens the financial circumstances of coastal cities is dual taxation. City residents pay both a city milage and a milage levied countywide by the County Commission to fund services delivered by the County. However, city residents benefit only marginally from some of the most expensive county services, such as the Sheriff's road patrol, so, in paying the county milage, they are actually subsidizing services in the unincorporated area. In addition, residents from the unincorporated area use the coastal cities' beaches, roads, libraries, and other municipal services, and yet they do not pay any city taxes. The strain on city budgets can be severe. Stage Four: Urban Redevelopment. The final stage of development involves the redevelopment of the coastal corridor. This can take many forms, depending on city policies. Land in the coastal corridor is valuable, and, once land prices drop as a result of urban blight, 5 developers will come in, buy contiguous lots, and consolidate these lots into parcels suitable for office buildings or strip commercial malls, Cities can stall this process, influence it to benefit existing residents, slow it down, or actually initiate the lot consolidation process themselves. Political Constraints on Boynton's Redevelopment The tools available to cities to facilitate redevelopment for thc benefit of their residents are well known, and the Boynton Beach city government is already using most of them. Cities can: · Restructure local taxes and fees to reach Homestead-exempt properties. · Rezone to allow limited commercial development in select areas. · Annex inland suburban development to improve the tax base · Leverage development with geographic and/or architectural assets · Keep and improve public schools · Invest in infrastructure, especially road routing, recreational amenities, landscaping, and school sites · Rigorously enforce codes for property maintenance · Upgrade sign ordinances Boynton Beach is in the fourth stage of development. Although the City has not yet experienced the renaissance seen in the 1990s in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, it has done quite well in managing the stages of its maturation. It has worked with the school district to keep its community schools open. It has strictly enforced its building codes. It is using its zoning code to facilitate development in select areas. It is redesigning key roads. It has improved its tax base by attracting commercial development west of the Interstate. And it has shifted its revenue 6 structure aware from ad valorem taxes and toward fees. It is very likely that economic activity will continue to expand in the city, housing will be maintained and improved, property values will rise, and Boynton will become one of Palm Beach County's most livable cities. However, Boynton Beach is experiencing the same kinds of political challenges seen in other mature coastal cities in high growth counties, and there are difficulties on the horizon that could easily prevent Boynton from achieving its full potential as it begins to blossom. Discontinuity of Leadership. Most important among these is the lack of continuity in leadership on the City Commission. The principal causes of this are the two-year terms and two- term limit for the Mayor and Commissioners contained in the City Charter. Continuous turnover among City Commissioners makes it very difficult for the City to maintain momentum and direction over extended periods of time. It also prevents the City from developing enduring ties between its elected officials and other leaders in the community and economy. A related factor contributing to turnover and making it difficult to achieve stable leadership is the low salary paid to the Mayor and City Commissioners, who must devote countless hours to their municipal responsibilities. The idea behind the salaries is that the City's elected officials are simply part-time policy makers, but, while this may have been true when the salaries were first established, it is certainly untrue today. Boynton Beach is the third most populous City in Palm Beach County. The City government is a large, complex organization that raises and spends millions of dollars and affects every life within the City's boundaries. Those who serve on the Commission must have other sources of income and a flexible schedule to accommodate the hectic life of a local elected official. The problem, of course, is convincing the electorate to change these charter stipulations. This would not be difficult if the electoral process allowed for a reasonable discussion of 7 proposals along these lines, but politics usually sinks to the lowest common denominator, and when proposals are made to set aside term limits or increase salaries, there are almost always candidates or citizen activists who will appeal to the cynicism of the electorate and accuse advocates of these proposals of being self-serving, wasteful, or in pursuit of hidden objectives. Limited Business Participation. Another barrier that could prevent Boynton Beach from achieving full prosperity is the lack of involvement of its largest employers in the civic and political life of the City. For the past few years, relations between the Chamber of Commerce and the City Commission have not been particularly warm, but more recently relations have begun to improve and some cooperative initiatives have started. However the Chamber membership is made up mainly of small businesses. The City's relationship with the Chamber cannot by itself meet all of the City's needs for business involvement. Boynton Beach has some major employers, including Motorola, Sensormatic, and Bethesda Hospital. All of these businesses have a big stake in the City's prosperity and governance. But they may not be aware of how important municipal government is to the things that really matter in their day-to-day work activities. Executives in large corporations often focus more on federal and state tax issues, state policy on Workman's Compensation, and so on. Not much about local government is taught in the public schools at any level. Hence the executives in most large corporations do not know that their local City government is a great asset they can collaborate with to facilitate their relations with nearby residents, protect the community character of which they are a part, and improve business-related services such as public transportation and traffic control. The role of the business community in other nearby cities is instructive. Business leaders in both West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, cities comparable in size to Boynton Beach, have played an enormously important role in establishing a progressive policy agenda for their 8 municipal governments. The Chambers of Commerce in both cities are known throughout the state and beyond for their high degree of professionalism, service, and political influence. They are led by executives who are at the very top of their field. The Chambers have been important partners with the City in lobbying higher levels of government for new resources. They have worked with their cities to lobby the State Legislature, to influence school siting decisions, and to seek County resources and facilities for the cities' benefit. They have also assisted West Palm and Boca in finding businesslike approaches to government and administration, while at the same time standing side-by-side with City leaders when it comes time to ask voters to make reasonable adjustments to taxes, fees, and investments. Boynton Beach will need this kind of business involvement if it is to successfully revise its City Charter, modernize its tax structure, keep resources flowing to its schools, and secure the assistance of the county and state governments. Greater business involvement would also help the City become less prone to pressure from behind the scenes power brokers. Grassroots political participation by major segments of the community is limited, and a few power brokers are thought to be constantly manipulating Commission decisions. The active involvement of the City's largest employers could give Boynton's civic culture some much needed ballast. The business most glaringly absent from political life of the city is the local hospital. As a nonprofit corporation, the hospital receives many City services even though it is not subject to the City's ad valorem taxes. The hospital has an obligation to the community to be a good corporate citizen, and yet it is perceived as having little interest in doing so. This was evidenced recently when the hospital decided to expand its facilities and offer nearby property owners a deal to purchase their homes if they would all agree to a set price. The City could have assisted 9 the hospital in this expansion, but the hospital administration did not even notify the City of its plans. Hospital expansions are of[en controversial when they extend into established neighborhoods. The hospital's standoffish behavior may come from the administration and not the Board of DirectOrs. City officials should approach the administration and members of the board and alert them to fact that the hospital may be missing opportunities to show good faith and also gain the assistance of the City administration. Absence of a Clear City Image. A third factor which is not so much a barrier to success as an ingredient now missing is involvement by the City leadership in networks and organizations at the county, regional, state, and national levels. The success of a City depends to a great extent on the image it projects outside its borders. For small and medium-size cities, this image is seldom established by direct observations by outsiders, because any City receives only a limited number of visitors. Admittedly, cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta will be defined in part by characteristics and events that attract media attention, but cities that are not the equivalent of celebrities have a much greater ability to shape their profile themselves. The identities of such cities are created in large measure by the profile their representatives present in other settings. Boynton Beach officials should pursue opportunities to attend conferences and participate in state and national organizations. Sending several participants to the same conference is a good way to increase the city's visibility, gain information, and share information on innovations. Also, the city should maintain a membership in state and national associations of city government. Strained Race Relations. Another potential stumbling block for Boynton Beach is a long history of dissatisfaction among its African-American neighborhoods. African-Americans in 10 Boynton have accused the City government of giving unequal attention to their needs, failing to hire qualified African-Americans at high levels in City positions, and wanting to gentrify their neighborhoods so that they would be pushed out. These bitter feelings have deep roots in a long history of oppression and discrimination, and City officials must be sensitive to them and work to overcome this residual resentment. However, the Commission must do so without going so far as to discriminate against other areas of the City. The experience of nearby cities shows that this is a very difficult task. For example, the City of Delray Beach has had a participatory planning process for over a decade that has allowed it to successfully pass bond issues, refurbish the areas around its schools, rehabilitate its downtown retail district, improve the City's appearance through aggressive code enforcement, and become a model of community redevelopment. However, despite its many successes, Delray has found it impossible thus far to fully redevelopment the Atlantic Avenue corridor entering the City at 1-95, which is the center of the City's indigenous African-American population. There has been general agreement across all segments of the community in Delray that this gateway to the City needs beautification and fewer men hanging out there and drinking. However, the difficulty has been arriving at solutions that do not simply push people out or deprive property owners of homesteads that have been in their families for generations. The City administration in Boynton Beach has already had some success in working with leaders in the African-American neighborhoods to plan and implement redevelopment projects impacting the local lifestyle. The City deserves credit for having done this, and African- American residents deserve appreciation for their willingness to trust the City government to address these sensitive issues fairly and with respect for African-American culture and traditions. 11 A Problematic Civic Culture. A final impediment to the City's full realization of its potential is Boynton's civic culture. By civic culture I mean the expectations, motives, and tactics of the main participants in City government and politics. Over the years, a number of groups have developed dysfunctional patterns of political action. Problems with Boynton's civic culture probably began to develop because it had a City Manager and a Mayor or Commission who were insensitive to the importance of maintaining a strict boundary between the policy making role of the Commission and the administrative role of the Manager. The Manager probably allowed or was unable to prevent Commission intrusion into administrative decision- making. When this occurs, two problems follow rather quickly. First, the authority of the Manager over the City staff and the employees' unions is weakened, and end-ms around the Manager to the Commission begin to occur. Second, the Commission's time becomes consumed by administrative issues, and attention to questions of long term direction and policy declines. In turn, as the Manager and the Commission become weaker because of their blurred responsibilities, citizen input into the policy making process starts to be disruptive rather than constructive. Citizen advisory boards absorb the policy making role abdicated by the Commission; they do so because the Commission itself fails to set and carry out firm policies in such areas as zoning and development review. The buck begins to stop, so to speak, at the advisory boards rather than at the City Commission. Conflict rises between the Commission and the City Manager as the Commission micro manages the City government. Commission decision-making tends to become characterized by frequent reversals and shifts in direction, because the Commission's focus is too narrow and Commissioners are being whipsawed by staff, the employees' unions, and the citizen boards. Finally, as residents and the media become concerned about what appears to them as immature behavior and personality conflicts, citizen 12 activists come forward and try to stabilize city policy making by exerting influence over the Commissioners. However, this just makes the situation worse, because the activists usually lack cohesion, and their pressure on the Commission pushes policy first in one direction and then in another. Once this dysfunctional civic culture begins to take hold, it can become self-perpetuating and self-expanding. The Manager grows weaker; the City employees become increasingly effective at manipulating the Commissioners; the Commissioners slide deeper and deeper into a quagmire of administrative issues; power flows to the advisory boards, citizen activists, and power brokers; and the Manager grows even weaker ..... The evolution of Boynton's civic culture has followed this pattern, at least in some respects. The good news is that over the past five years or so, the City Commission has been taking steps to reverse the cycle of decline and restore the community to civic health. It has restored the boundary between the Commission and the administration; it has implemented a visioning process to foster cohesion and consensus among the most politically active residents; and it has established some long term goals for rebuilding the City's infrastructure, expanding the City's tax base, raising residential property values, and taking advantage of the City's marina and waterfront land. Decisions Made at the Retreat At the retreat, all of these issues were discussed, and the participants reached a number of agreements about how they should be addressed. Some of these decisions involve undertaking new initiatives. Others continue existing programs or make some mid-course adjustments. 13 Continuing to Reestablish Appropriate Roles. One area of agreement was to continue trying to improve the City's civic culture. The following decisions were made: The Mayor, the Vice Mayor, and the Commissioners made a strong commitment to respect the prerogatives of the City Manager. The Manager was encouraged to be assertive with staffand to put an end to any staff maneuvering that threatens the administrative hierarchy. The City Manager suggested that the Commissioners should feel free to contact his top staff, and he gave them a card with the names and phone numbers of these individuals. But he requested that they not direct the activities of staffbut instead go through him when they believe that a particular administrative action may be needed. The advisory status of citizen boards will be clarified and reaffirmed. Only the City's quasi-judicial boards have a problem in this area, but they definitely need to be reined in. Toward this end: Commissioners will establish appropriate distance between themselves and the quasi-judicial advisory boards. They will no longer attend board meetings but will instead wait for board recommendations along with the staff's analysis and recommendations to be transmitted to them. The Planning and Development Board will be moved from meeting in the Commission chambers to meeting in a conference room, sO that the meeting space will reflect the status of the board. The City Manager and City Attorney will meet with the Planning and Development Board to discuss with the Board members the importance of their being cognizant of their advisory status and of treating City staff with respect and professionalism. It will also be explained that the Board member should not call staff and direct their activities but instead should go through the City Manager, just as the Commissioners do. The City Commissioners agreed that some reference to these actions should be made at one of the City Commission meetings. The announcement could be simply that steps are being made taken to improve the functioning of the advisory boards by clarifying their roles and responsibilities. Consistent with the advisory status of the citizen boards, and with the fact that City Commissioners will no longer be attending board meetings, staff will be expected to prepare presentations that adequately describe the positions presented at the board meetings. The City Manager will review the staff's recommendations before they reach the City Commission to assure that they are well timed and that they provide a judicious rendering of alternatives. At the Agenda Meeting, 14 the Commissioners will review the background material for upcoming items and will inform staff if additional material will be needed for the Commission meeting. Improving Communi _ty Relations. The Mayor and Commissioners have already initiated some activities to bring the City government closer to the people. They have begun to hold some of their Commission meetings in the neighborhoods rather than at City Hall, and they have initiated a series of community meetings to gather input on how to spend funds in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). In line with these initiatives, retreat participants made the following decisions: At the beginning of each Commission meeting held in the community, the Mayor will explain the nature of the meeting so that there is no confusion about the meeting's purpose. The concern here is that those in the audience may mistakenly believe that these community-based Commission meetings are intended to be like a New England town meeting, when in fact they are regular Commission meetings with all of the usual rules of decorum and limits on public participation. Informal meetings with constituents will be scheduled by Commissioners at their convenience to allow for person-to-person interaction. A Commissioner might meet with constituents for a couple of hours one particular day of the week, or might advertise his availability on a set day so that those who want to see him can call and make an appointment. Commissioners will take the initiative in scheduling these meetings. Staff will advertise the meetings in appropriate media. The development of neighborhood plans and zoning overlays will be participatory in nature. For example, in the redevelopment of Martin Luther King Boulevard, residents will be asked to bring in pictures fi.om earlier periods and also to make other contributions in planning the design of the area. Setting Long Range Policy. Several actions will be taken to keep the Commission focused on policy and long range goals. At the direction of the City Manager, staff will develop a long-range personnel plan, so that multi year contracts can be negotiated with the unions representing City employees. The negotiators will negotiate for authority to hire outside the organization at higher ranks in an effort to bring minority personnel into the upper levels of the police and fire departments. 15 Vision 2020 will continue to be used as the guiding framework for many of the actions of the Commission and the administration. A number of projects will be wrapped up before the vision statement is revisited to develop further principles for its implementation. These projects include Pond B, Ocean Avenue, the apartments at Quantum Park, the Marina, and others. The City Manager will go through the Vision 2020 statement, identify who is responsible for implementing each recommendation, and determine what progress has been made on each. From these findings, the Manager will develop a matrix for the Commission. The Manager will also provide regular updates to keep the Commission informed about the City's progress on Vision 2020 projects. Many of the recommendations in Vision 2020 have already been implemented, but this progress has not been well publicized, and most residents are probably not aware of it. For example, the City has spent about $300,000 on neighborhood improvements throughout the municipality. To publicize this in a visible way, staff will have a thermometer placed in front of City Hall showing how far along they are in making the purchases and improvements recommended in vision 2020. The new public affairs officer will take the lead in increasing the community's awareness of progress with respect to vision 2020. Increasing the Involvement of Large Local Businesses. The retreat participants recognized that it will not be easy to persuade executives in the City's large businesses to take time from their schedules to become involved in City government. It was decided that these individuals will not be approached until the City is ready to ask for specific input on matters of great significance. The areas where business leaders can be of most assistance are in helping to revise the City Charter and broaden the City's tax base. Progress in both of these areas is critical to the City's political stability and long term prosperity. Business input and assistance will be sought first on the City Charter. The City Manager and City Attorney will review the Charter and compare it to the charters of other Florida municipalities and to the model charter of the National Civic League. They will then prepare a report containing their findings along with some proposals for Charter revisions. 16 The Commission will review this report and then seek formal input from the business community. Business involvement could be structured through a business-only task force or made part of a larger and more diverse Charter Revision Commission. 17