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Minutes 07-12-21 Budget Workshop Minutes of the City Commission Budget Workshop Meeting Held on Online Via the GoToWebinar Platform and In-Person at the Police Community Room 2100 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach, Florida On Tuesday, July 12, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Steven B. Grant Lori LaVerriere, City Manager Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay Jim Cherof, City Attorney Commissioner Justin Katz Crystal Gibson, City Clerk Commissioner Christina Romelus, (arrived at 5:47 p.m.) Commissioner Ty Penserga A. Welcome and call to order Mayor Grant called the workshop to order at 5:33 p.m. Mayor Grant led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. City Clerk Gibson called the roll. A quorum was present. Mayor Grant welcomed all to the Budget Workshop. B. Budget Overview Lori LaVerriere, City Manager, explained that Fiscal Year 21/22 is a balanced budget. The larger departments will present a brief PowerPoint on each of their departments. The remainder of the budget's smaller funds, smaller departments have staff present and ready to answer questions. The City is not proposing any adjustments to the millage rate or the fire assessment. Tonight, we are going to review the FY2021-22 Proposed Operating & Capital Budgets with the Commission. There will be an opportunity for the public to comment and discuss the budget with the Commission. The proposed millage rate and the preliminary rate for the fire assessment will be discussed and approved. Also, there is special assessment for canal maintenance that will be discussed and approved as well. There will be two adoption hearings. The first hearing, due to the Trim Schedule, cannot take place on a regular Commission Meeting on Tuesday, September 7th it will take place on Wednesday, September 8, at 5:30 p.m. to adopt the Proposed Budget, the Final Fire Assessment Rate Resolution and the Canal Maintenance Special Assessment Resolution. Tuesday, September 21, 5:30 p.m. will be the Second Public Budget Hearing to adopt the final millage rate and final budget. City Manager LaVerriere took a moment to say how proud she is of staff and the way the City managed through the pandemic. The City did not lay anyone off, the City kept people working, and accommodated staff that needed help with their children in being able to come back to work. Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mara Frederiksen, Director of Financial Services, provided an overview of funds and sources which totaled $249.7M. Provided a breakdown by department: Water & Sewer Utility fees $54.7M, Property Taxes $42.9M, Capital Sources (Reserves, Bonds.) $42.2M, Fund Transfers $21.3M, Internal Services $16.7M. The proposed expenditures of $249.7M: The General Fund $102.4M (41%), Utility $54.7M (21.9%), Capital (General and Utility) $42.2M (16.9%). The General Funds by Departments: Police $38.09M (37.2%), Fire $27.58M, General Government $12.53M, Public Works is $8.8M. Fiscal Year 21-22 proposed highlights: Established minimum pay standard of $15/hour (affects 65 employees); all Funds (Blue, White, General) 2%wage increase; a new Cyber Security position; a new Organizational Development Manager; Fire & Rescue reorganization added 3 Firefighters and 1 Lieutenant, eliminated a vacant Deputy Chief and Administrative Assistant positions; expansion of first responders wellness program (Police & Fire); expanded economic development grants; established Building Fund per Florida State Statute 553.80; and Risk Management initiative for improved safety and cost reduction. Commissioner Penserga pointed out that the millage rate impact on Commercial Property slide contained more information than what was in the agenda packet. City Manager LaVerriere stated that the Maximum 10% Increase Citywide column was added so that the Commission can see what that scenario would look like. Commissioner Katz inquired and supported a 3% increase for the Blue, White and General employees. City Manager LaVerriere replied that the impact on the General Fund is from the increase of minimum wage to $15.00 per hour for 65 employees and the 2% increase for the Blue, White and General employees is $414K. A 3% increase for the Blue, White and General employees would be $605K. Mayor Grant stated that he would like to lower the millage rate from 7.9 which it has been for the last eight years to 7.89. He said he believes that it is not asking much. He feels that the $120 fire assessment can be increased by one dollar. It is an equal increase to the residents year-round and seasonal. He is in favor of not basing salary increases on individual salaries but rather the difference of 2% and 3% be divided by the number of employees and that increases each salary equally rather creating a disparity between the highest earning employees and the lowest earning employees. Commissioner Katz stated most of the employees are in labor unions so this would need to be negotiated and the unions would never agree to creating a flat dollar raise across all employees. 2 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mayor Grant responded we can do it for the General Employees, and since he does not know much about the bargaining units, there could be a closed-door session to review everything. City Manager LaVerriere replied no, once the ratification is done with the Unions they will be brought to Commission and it would not be a closed-door. Vice Mayor Hay agrees with Commissioner Katz, it was going to be his suggestion as well to go from the 2% to the 3% for wages. However, he does not agree with the millage rate reduction-it needs to stay where it is at 7.9. It has been 7.9 for a few years and the City has been doing well. He also supports the Fire Assessment remaining the same. One dollar is not going to make that great of an impact. The City has a great staff that put together a balanced budget based on amounts and percentages across the board that keeps the City from laying anybody off. Mayor Grant inquired if Vice Mayor Hay was okay with going into the reserves for the extra salary. Vice Mayor Hay replied, yes. Mayor Grant inquired if Vice Mayor Hay was in favor of the Premium Pay from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Vice Mayor Hay responded, at this point yes. City Manager LaVerriere commented that the Premium Pay will not be going to anybody who makes over$75K dollars a year. Therefore, the premium pay will help the lower-paid population. Commissioner Katz pointed out that anything from the federal stimulus money is a one- time bonus. It will not affect salaries on a reoccurring basis. He is in favor of the increase of the 2% to 3% based on cutting that cost from existing budgeted expenses and not going into reserves. Mayor Grant inquired where the additional funds could come from. City Manager LaVerriere responded the City revenue loss experience through Covid that that staff calculated through ARP Act is $3.7M dollars. Staff recommends only utilizing $1.6 this year. The City can claim additional revenue loss earlier. The City can request $1.9M of the $3.7M and leave the balance for next year. Mayor Grant inquired if the revenue loss can be higher to lower the millage rate. City Manager LaVerriere replied, not directly. 3 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mayor Grant inquired about the revenue loss that can be used for increased wages on a one-time basis and not a continual basis, which he said is not a good idea. City Manager LaVerriere responded, it will help us this year in the budget but the City will have to continue to fund the 3% increase going forward. Once the $3.7M is used up, the City will not have that as future revenue. Commissioner Katz remarked that once the City gets past the ill effects of Covid, on the $1.6M the City needs to cover losses this year, in two years, if the economy is back to normal, the City will make the $1.6M in regular revenue. City Manager LaVerriere agreed that is likely to happen. Commissioner Katz stated that he is comfortable staying with the current rates for the fire assessment and the millage rate and the 2% to 3%. Commissioner Romelus stated the standard to the fire assessment is inequitable, where the millage rate is equitable. The millage rate is affected by the value of homes. The fire assessment is assessed on every property regardless of the value of the property. Whereas the millage rate is assessed based on value of the property. She would also like to keep the rates as they are. She does not see the value in increasing the fire assessment and decreasing the millage by .01%. How much would the .01% be on the budget? City Manager LaVerriere responded that the .01% would be a difference of $50K. Commissioner Romelus inquired if the millage is being decreased by a tenth of a mill and would only increase by $50K and increase the fire assessment, which is inequitable in because of the way it affects different homes. She does not see the value of doing these two things. Mayor Grant commented that he is trying to put the City in favor of the people living here to start lowering the millage rate and make it a process of lowering it every year. The City should not keep taxing the residents at a higher number and not leave any room for emergency such as a major hurricane, then have to go up to 8.5 mil. Moving the fire assessment from $120 to $121 dollars, he does not know what the one dollar will do. City Manager LaVerriere commented that the fire assessment would have go up by a minimum of$10 dollars. The City would have to talk with the consultants and have them calculate the difference. Mayor Grant withdrew his suggestion of raising the fire assessment by one dollar. Commissioner Romelus inquired how does the City account for the wage increase that the Commission is contemplating. If that is the case, that means this workshop would 4 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 have to be extended and go line item by line item and find places in the budge to cut. She will not go into the reserves. She is willing to entertain the 7.89 millage rate and understands what the Mayor is trying to do with the millage rate by decreasing it overtime. Especially if the City has the revenues to keep it balanced moving forward. Mayor Grant stated that instead of using the $1.6M to use half of the $3.7M loss revenue which would be $1.85M to help with the employee merit raises. There is also the premium pay coming from ARPA but that is only a one time it is not a continually expense. The General Employee Pension fund went down by$300K, is an indication that in three years it will go down $3M. City Manager LaVerriere stated the General Employee Pension Fund will be in the black in approximately five years. Mayor Grant commented that the City is going to incrementally lower the millage rate and there is the 20% increase in housing sales this past year. This will affect property taxes as well. He believes that this will be able to maintain the request of lowering the millage rate. Commissioner Romelus inquired if the additional funds can be used to cover the salary increases. City Manager LaVerriere replied no, what the City can do is fund other areas. Commissioner Romelus stated that she will be willing to entertain the millage rate of 7.89 and getting the additional funds to from the ARPA so the City will be able to fund employee raise up to 3%. Commissioner Penserga stated that he agrees with Commissioner Romelus. He is in favor of a long-term step-down plan on the millage rate. The City can make sacrifices in the budget but it could be done gradually and responsibly. He is not in favor of changing the fire assessment fee. The City can stay at $120 dollars and he is in favor of going line item by line item to make the 3% increase to salaries. Commissioner Romelus requested a direction of staff to supply the information on what was done to the budget to allow for the salary increase. City Manager LaVerriere commented that if the Commission is okay with using the additional ARPA funds that will wash out this year the difference, it will not require cuts to the budget, unless the Commission chooses not to use the ARPA funds then the budget would have to be reviewed line item by line item and identify $290K in cuts. Commissioner Penserga stated his intention is not for a one-time reduction in the millage rate, it should be a long-term plan. He would like to ask staff to make projections on what 5 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 kind of increments need to happen so this can be done gradually and responsibly while maintaining a balanced budget. Mayor Grant suggested to look at the increased cost for expenses. How much has the budget increased over the past five to six years and then how much has the property values increased of the past five to six years and find the difference so the lowering of the millage rate can be phased in. Commissioner Romelus stated that this is an impossible task to put on staff. Knowing that property values fluctuate every year and the new Commission may not want to continue to decrease the millage rate. There may be other circumstances or situations that happen that dictate having to raise the millage rate. No one knew that Covid was going to happen. No one knew that the housing median in Palm Beach County would be $500K dollars. It is hard to tell staff to go do this when there really is no way it could be done. Mayor Grant commented, that is simple numbers. City Manager stated that staff can always project out, finance does that all the time. Staff is always looking at ways to raise revenues, that does not mean taxes. As the City Manager she will do everything in her power to never see the millage rate at 8, 7.9 is high. The City has to control cost and/or increase sources of revenue. Seems simple but it is not. 73% of the budget is personnel cost, if the City wants to control cost that is where the City needs to look. It is not the pens and pencils or widgets that has been cut to the bone. The City is a service organization. Your primary cost is personnel. Staff will be bringing a program to Commission to address all of the City's fees on an annual basis to keep them current and staying with what is acceptable in the market. Being at 7.9 for eight years, the City has been able to do with what the City has without raising taxes. Vice Mayor Hay commented that he has spoken with people around the City and many of them suggested raising the millage rate. He wants to keep the millage rate at 7.9. Being able to keep it the same is a savings in itself. The City is a growing city. The City has many programs that are being added that need to be funded. He does not see the big difference between 7.9 and 7.89. He wants the City to be able to expand programs for the citizens. In order to do that, the City is going to need that income. He would like to see the "what-ifs". He does not see the purpose of the decrease from 7.9 to 7.89 just to say that it has been reduced. He does support using the ARPA funds. Commissioner Penserga is concerned that with the influx of businesses coming to Palm Beach County, the businesses are not coming to Boynton Beach. They are moving into Boca and West Palm. The City needs to find ways to attract companies so salaries could be raised. Reduction in the millage rate is a step in the right direction. The City is at a critical moment. When other cities are starting to see economic boom, the City is not. What are the advantages of coming to Boynton Beach? 6 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 C. Public Comments Debbie Lytle, Palm Beach Leisureville, asked that the City consider installing lighted stop and speed limit signs in Leisureville. The Community has a lot of issues with the traffic. City Manager LaVerriere stated that the City has added money to the budget for additional traffic calming measures. Mayor Grant agrees the lighted stop signs will help the traffic issues in Palm Beach Leisureville. Ms. Lytle stated that Leisureville has received a lot of assistance from Public Works. They are making sidewalk improvements. There is a storm drain issue on Ocean Drive and Leisureville Boulevard. Jessica White introduced her business regarding sexual crimes against children. She suggested to use some funds to educate the citizens on sexual crimes against children. Mayor Grant stated he attended Ms. White's presentation. It was informing to realize that people tend to forget that child exploitation happens with loved ones, family, friends people close to the children and not necessarily strangers. He would like to use ARPA funds to educate to assist the children. Staff that interacts with children directly should have the education to recognize issues. City Manager LaVerriere commented that this will definitely go on the project list and review the ARPA. Commissioner Romelus commented that child exploitation is also happening over social media. Her thirteen-year-old niece is being approached by strangers on Snapchat to have her become a sugar baby. It is important that the work that Ms. White is doing is continually supported. The Mayor recessed the meeting at 6:52 p.m. The meeting was reconvened by the Mayor at 7:23 p.m. D. General Fund Police Department Deputy Chief Vanessa Snow, on behalf of Chief Gregory who was unable to attend the meeting, gave a presentation on the Police Department's proposed FY 2022 budget. Commissioner Romelus inquired what is "part one crime." Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Deputy Chief Snow responded that "part one crimes" are the more serious crimes which includes rape, robbery, homicide and certain grand theft. Petty theft would fall under a "part two crime." Commissioner Romelus inquired what happened to make these decreases. Deputy Chief Snow replied that the Police Department had a multi prong approach to attacking crime reduction in the City. One of the efforts that was initiated was the implementation of a weekly strategic patrol meeting. During that meeting, the internal stakeholders look at the weekly crime trends, where are the hot spots, what can we do to shift our assets and resources to, as an example, address the increase in vehicle break- ins within a certain community. Once that is identified, the Police Department deploys the appropriate resources and at the next meeting the Police Department hopes to see reductions in those types of crimes. Commissioner Romelus stated that she made the inquiry so there can be a spotlight on the good things that are happening and for the betterment of the City. She thanked Chief Snow and the officers for the work that is done day in and day out. She added that she would like to see more community events with the Police Department. It will help with maintaining the low crime rates within the City. Deputy Chief Snow commented that some of the successes have been the Police Department's continued outreach activities. Certain activities did slow because of the pandemic; that did not preclude the Police Department from engaging the Community virtually during the pandemic. There was virtual story time, there was opportunities for the community to interact virtually during town hall and other events that the Police Department has had. The Police Department is excited to have been able to get back out there and hold events like Kids, Cones and Cops. The Police Department is planning National Night Out which will be next month, August 3rd. The explorer program is being re-initiated. Community outreach has played a role in reduction in crime rate. Commissioner Romelus requested the breakdown of the demographics of the new hires. Commissioner Penserga inquired about the large number for overtime expenses. He is not only concerned about the financial aspect, he is concerned about how much work the officers are taking on. What is the cause of the high overtime expenses and what is being done to bring that number down? Deputy Chief Snow responded that overtime is factored into annual budget operations as a general course of business. The Police Department did experience a staffing shortage which has caused the Police Department to fill those vacancies with overtime. The Police Department has encountered complex criminal investigations. The awful crime that occurred in March, of the homicide of Mary Gomez-Mullet that caused an increase in staffing needs from multi disciplines from around the agency that far exceeded the original projection. There are also events that popup that need to be staffed from a security 8 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 perspective, that the Police Department feels obligated to staff those events adequately so the Police Department is not caught short in the event that something adverse occurs. The Police Department has implemented a steady flow of police applicants' reviews. The Police Department currently has sixteen openings as of August that will go down to 14 openings. Commissioner Penserga commented it would be safe to say that the Police Department's projection for overtime should decrease. Deputy Chief Snow stated that it is the hope of the Police Department that the vacancy rate next year will be in the single digits and the overtime expenditures will be decreased. Mayor Grant inquired if the police department has any programs for cyber fraud education for the public, specifically prepaid cards. Deputy Chief Snow responded, absolutely. If it is not already in the Citizens Police Academy, it will be part of the curriculum. The FBI has also approached the Police Department to partner with them in senior fraud cases and investigations. The Police Department is looking internally for the appropriate person to be assigned to be the point of contact. Mayor Grant stated Deputy Chief Snow already answered his second question that there will be Citizens on Patrol. The Police Department is going to have another class this winter. Deputy Chief Snow replied, absolutely. The Police Department would like to have two classes a year. Vice Mayor Hay inquired how many officers will be in the real time crime center. Deputy Chief Snow replied that the Police Department plans on having one full-time real- time crime center analysis to staff it and the Police Department also intends on having staff from PCF Security to be available to work in the Center on weekends. Vice Mayor Hay inquired what was done with the 133 guns that were collected at the buyback event. Deputy Chief Snow responded that every single firearm that was received, the serial number was recorded and ran through databases to ensure they were not already previously reported as stolen. To date, none of the guns were stolen or used in a crime. Approximately 30 of the firearms were immediately set aside for destruction because they did not have a serial number. Serial numbers were not required to be placed on firearms until the 1960s. Once the guns have been verified, they will be melted down. 9 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Vice Mayor Hay inquired if the Police Department had statistics on the guns being purchased in the City. Deputy Chief Snow replied that regrettably, with firearms there is no requirement for them to be registered. The only identification that occurs is at the original point of sale. Commissioner Romelus inquired if funds have been allocated to continue this process or was it a grant. Deputy Chief Snow responded that the funding was from the Law Enforcement Trust fund. Another request is being prepared to bring to the Commission to vote on to use the same resources. City Manager LaVerriere thanked Deputy Chief Snow for her great presentation on such short notice. Fire Department Fire Chief Jim Stables gave a presentation on the Fire Department's proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget. Commissioner Romelus inquired why Community Standards is now being moved out of the Fire Department. City Manager LaVerriere responded that Community Standards being under Fire was not practical. Community Standards has been part of Development for the past year. The funding is now being moved over to Development. Fire Chief Stables stated it makes sense that the role and responsibility of a Community Standards/Code Enforcement Officer is a little different then what a Fire Inspector does. Commissioner Romelus asked has there been an improvement in Community Standards? The department was having issues. City Manager LaVerriere replied, absolutely. Morale and performance has improved. There are fewer personnel issues. A career path has been implemented in the department. There has been a 100% turn around. Assistant City Manager Mack stated Community Standards has done an amazing job turning things around within the department. Commissioner Romelus inquired what is the hierarchy breakdown. Fire Chief Stables replied he will provide that information to the Commission. 10 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 City Manager LaVerriere confessed she removed the slides containing that information from the presentation. Chief Stables stated the slides would need a lot of explanation; they are busy and a bit confusing. Vice Mayor Hay inquired who would take his place if something were to happen. Chief Stables replied his Deputy Chief. He builds for resilience. Things happen to all of us all the time. Department operations still need to go on, no different than Deputy Chief Snow stepping up and filling in for Chief Gregory. Commissioner Penserga inquired about the $1.5M for overtime, why has it tripled. Chief Stables responded it will be spent this year. Commissioner Penserga asked if the increase was due to Covid. Chief Stables replied there are many different plots that go into the overtime. Part of it is the vacancy rate, the speed that a vacancy is filled. Employment can happen quickly yet they don't become part of affective staffing until oriented and on-boarded. There is a gap between the employed and the vacancies and the overtime fills that gap. Covid did contribute, but it is not the only thing. His goal is to suppress the overtime, yet at the same time paying overtime over having additional staffing is cheaper in the long run, as long as employees are not being overworked. Commissioner Romelus inquired in addition to telling business owners we help decrease insurance rates, what else does the accreditation do for the City? Chief Stables responded that the Fire Department is held to a standard of doing what they said they will do on a continuous basis. With accreditation, the Fire Department goes through an intensive process. The Department is reviewed by a peer group and they award you accreditation. Once awarded, the accreditation an annual compliance report needs to be submitted and the Department has to continue to meet their performance metrics that they are evaluated on. It gives the public a good snapshot of the investment of public dollars into the service that is provided. Commissioner Romelus asked does the City receive any tangibles from the accreditation. Chief Stables replied no, there is nothing that you can put your finger on. The direct result is that it affects insurance premiums, it affects how the community is defined as safe. City Manager LaVerriere stated it is the crème de le crème of operational excellence. The Police Department is accredited and to maintain that accreditation is extremely difficult standards to meet. 11 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Chief Stables stated that there are three components to the accreditation. There is a community driven strategic plan that is required of the agency that dovetails with the City's strategic plan. There is a standard of cover community risk assessment that is conducted. The final component is the self-assessed manual. The manual is multiple chapters of specific area of fire rescue operations, administration and budget. It says that you are planning ahead and doing what is supposed to be done. Commissioner Romelus stated that the break down the Chief provided helped her understand the tangibles of accreditation. City Manager LaVerriere remarked that by following the accreditation requirements, you are operating the best you can and that keeps people from getting hurt. Mayor Grant asked for a rundown of what takes place when responding to an overdose. Chief Stables replied that the Fire Department is dispatched by the Police Department. Dispatch determines who is supposed to respond and why. Dispatch does an Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) response and they prioritize what the call is. Depending on the level of the call determines what units will go to that call. It is no different than a fire call. One of the difficulties the Department has in some instances is cell towers. When cell towers hit, the call might go to a different public safety answering point and it may slow the process. Mayor Grant stated that answered his question. Once fire rescue is on the scene what is the protocol? He has received phone calls from parents whose children have passed away from overdose. He is trying to get the information for them. If the person is not breathing and no pulse, is there an attempt to get a pulse or is the person dead on arrival? Chief Stables responded the answer is that effort is put forth if the patient is viable. Through the medical evaluation of the responding personnel, they determine whether the patient is viable or not. How long has the person been down? How long have they been breathless? Those are things that are really important. Is rigor mortis setting in? That means the person has been down for a long period of time. That is where the determination comes into play. Mayor Grant inquired about the computer tablets. How are they connected? Chief Stables replied there are technical issues taking place with mesh network and connectivity, which has created some problems with the recording process. Having a mesh network will allow connectivity all over the City. The tablets use a wi-fi or cellular signal. There are dead spots in the City were the tablets may not work. This has been a challenge and the Department is working through that. Mayor Grant remarked that the Department is no longer paper and pen. 12 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Chief Stables responded the Department can be if there is a technological failure. Paper and pen have never let him down. Computers are sometimes not reliable. Vice Mayor Hay inquired about the $770K price tag for an engine. Chief Stables responded that is the average price, somewhere between $600K and $700K dollars. City Manager LaVerriere remarked that is not a ladder either. Chief Stables stated that a ladder goes for $1.2M. City Manager LaVerriere pointed out that the City started a prefunding program. Every year, the City puts in the budget what will be needed in the future to be able to pay for the trucks. Chief Stables remarked that is a thoughtful program and thanked the City for that forward thinking. Commissioner Penserga inquired about the emergency management and there is so little of the budget devoted to it. City Manager LaVerriere replied that is for the budget for the equipment in the EOC. Chief Stables commented that staff double duties as emergency management. The funding level is appropriate. There is not a need to put additional funding there. Development Adam Temple, Director of Development Services, gave a presentation on the Development Services Department's proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget. Commissioner Romelus inquired about the internship program. Who is the City partnering with? She also inquired about the permitting workshops. Mr. Temple responded that the workshops are going to be geared toward the public and the construction industry as well. The workshops will not be the same, they will cover different information or changes as they arise. Commissioner Romelus suggested that the staff focuses on frequently requested topics, such as fence permits and pool permits. 13 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mr. Temple responded in-house videos are being created including the topics Commissioner Romelus has suggested. How-to videos will be created and placed on the website. Commissioner Romelus also suggested that the videos be done in Spanish and Creole. Mr. Temple stated that the internship program has received state approval and will be bringing in people from trade schools and high schools. It is a rigorous process that they have to pass in a two-year period to become a licensed building inspector. Commissioner Romelus stated what irks her about government is they wait for the problems to present itself to finally create a solution. Are there other places that the City can identify that there is bottleneck issues happening where the City can say let's do something differently to prevent bottlenecking? The City needs to learn from this and not wait for Tallahassee to finally say we see the problem. Mayor Grant asked, is there an association for building directors? Mr. Temple responded that there is a Building Officials Association of Palm Beach County and the State of Florida. Mayor Grant stated that the Commission needs to look at liens that are 10 to 20 years old and decide what should be done with them. He is not in favor of foreclosing on residents' homes. He suggested send notification of the lien reduction process. He inquired if the Commission would be in favor of notifying the residents of the lien reduction process. Mr. Temple stated that Community Standards does review their active lien list on an annual basis. For those liens approaching the 20-year mark, a letter is sent as a reminder of the lien and that there is a lien reduction process available. Mayor Grant suggested sending the letter starting after the 10-year mark. City Manager LaVerriere inquired is this would be a mailing that would go out in the utility bills notifying residents of the lien reduction process. Mayor Grant stated it would be a letter that is sent out by Community Standards notifying the property of the outstanding lien and the lien reduction process. Commissioner Romelus requested that the notification be a positive notification and not make the property owner feel like they are in trouble. She feels that will help with people being responsive. Mr. Temple stated that Community Standards is currently identifying all the vacant lots that have lot mowing liens. There are properties that the City has been maintaining for years and Community Standards wants to get the property owner to come in and take 14 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 care of the liens. There are lien amnesty programs that are available that can be offered as well. Commissioner Romelus asked Mr. Temple to review some of the improvements that have taken place in Community Standards. Mr. Temple stated that Community Standards gages their improvement on the reduction of complaints that are received. He has certainly received fewer complaints from members of the public. 90% of staff resides within the City. It is a very diverse division of personnel. Staff cares about the City and they are empathetic with the needs of the City. Timeframes have been shortened for people being unresponsive to staff and those who work with the City receive more time. The department has two supervisors, one that handles the administrative staff and the other supervisor handles the field staff. There is a wide variety of things that the team is committed to. Commissioner Romelus remarked that she has noticed the positive changes in Community Standards. She also inquired if the Community Standards division is fully staffed. Mr. Temple replied that Community Standards is not fully staffed. They are recruiting for a Community Standards Specialist. Also, there are interviews scheduled next week for the Director of Community Standards. City Manager LaVerriere commented that Community Standards staff is a close group and she has never seen that before. She credits Mr. Temple's leadership and caring about your staff and they know that. Mr. Temple stated that the Community Standards staff was supportive from the first day he stepped into the position. He recognizes his staff is here for the right reason and that is to help people, not hurt them. Commissioner Romelus stated it is time to thank the Community Services Department for the changes and the improvements are continuing to be made. Mr. Temple stated that the department celebrated Code Enforcement Month in June. Recreation and Parks Kacy Young, Director of Recreation and Parks, gave a presentation on the Recreation and Parks Department's proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget. Mayor Grant inquired about how the memorial tree fund is doing. Mr. Young responded that the memorial tree fund is starting to pick up. 15 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mayor Grant believes that this will help the urban tree canopy program become more implemented. Commissioner Romelus inquired if this was an option to be used at the cemeteries around the City. City Manager LaVerriere suggested that the City Clerk's Office hands out the brochures when cemetery arrangements are being made. Mayor Grant inquired if the amphitheater is under Recreation and Parks. Mr. Young replied that the amphitheater is part of Recreation and Parks' revenue policy. City Manager LaVerriere stated to make reservations for the amphitheater, the City Manager's Office needs to be contacted. The City is currently putting the master calendar together for all City events. Mayor Grant asked if reservations can be made now. City Manager LaVerriere responded yes, by contacting the City Manager's Office. Mayor Grant inquired about the senior tennis tournament. Will the tournament be taking place next year? Mr. Young responded yes, and Recreation and Parks is working with a contractor to run the tournament for the City. There will also be two tournaments prior that will lead to the senior tournament. Mayor Grant inquired if the less used tennis courts in the City could be converted to pickleball courts. Mr. Young responded that at the tennis center there are pickleball courts. Mayor Grant suggested converting the courts at Pioneer park to pickleball courts. Mr. Young stated that two courts at the Tennis Center can be converted to six pickleball courts. Mayor Grant suggested partnering with CRA to have lights put in at Galaxy little league baseball field and at Denson pool. Mayor Grant stated that it should be noticed to the public that they can sign up for recreation programs at the Culture Center and not just at Intracoastal Park Clubhouse. 16 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mayor Grant inquired if the Commission would like discuss the parks and recreation bond to offer enhancement to the City parks. He would like to have the community involved with discussion on how to spend the money. City Manager LaVerriere commented that through the accreditation process, community outreach and surveys through the RecTrac system, the City gets continual feedback throughout the year from residents on the types of programing the City offers. Mr. Young stated that Recreation and Parks just had a needs assessment that was conducted by interviewing stakeholders throughout the community and a survey was provided throughout the community. Commissioner Katz stated that he has spoken to residents in his district. He would not be opposed to putting the question with one caveat that it is made clear in the language that funds are spent equally in each district. He has spoken with residents in his district. They have conveyed they do not object to the idea; they want to make sure that if the bond is going to impose additional debt on the city that is paid through taxes, the funding is split equally amongst the four districts. Mayor Grant agreed with Commissioner Katz, and as he mentioned that each of the districts can use the funds. City Manager LaVerriere commented that this discussion should be at the next Commission meeting. So, the diameters of the project can be discussed and set in place. Vice Mayor Hay agrees that the funds should be split equally amongst the four districts. He does not want the conversations to lead to "my park your park". The parks in the City are accessible to everyone. Assistant City Manager Matos thanked Mr. Young for his leadership and the entire staff of Recreation and Parks for dealing with Covid during the past year and modifying their operations throughout the year. Summer camp was provided through Covid under extreme conditions and restrictions and spearheaded the food distribution throughout the Community. Thank you. Mr. Young thanked the Commission for recognizing Parks and Recreation Month. Golf Course Tommi Ylijoki, Golf Course Manager, gave a presentation on the Golf Course's proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget. Commissioner Romelus inquired if the rain water is being reused. 17 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mr. Ylijoki responded in a way yes, the water used at the golf course is taken from the canals and the lakes that gather rain water. Commissioner Romelus inquired about the two to three dollars increase. Is the golf course still affordable? Mr. Ylijoki responded yes and they want to be affordable and competitive. Commissioner Romelus inquired if the $300K has been paid back yet. City Manager LaVerriere stated that there is still $125K that needs to be paid back and that should be accomplished in the next year or two. City Manager LaVerriere stated that Mr. Ylijoki has done an amazing job at the course during his first year with the City. Mayor Grant inquired about the vendor at the clubhouse. Does the agreement end in November and will there be a request for proposal (RFP) out again? Mr. Ylijoki replied the contract is up in November, the contract was extended last year for one year. Mayor Grant asked is it possible for the vendor to have a liquor license? Mr. Ylijoki responded currently it just a beer and wine license. Mayor Grant inquired if the Commission would like the course to have a full liquor license. Commissioner Katz asked what is the cost of the liquor license? Mr. Ylijoki replied the cost is not much. It is only a few hundred dollars for beer and wine. A full liquor license could be in the tens of thousands. Commissioner Katz is not apposed if the tenant wants to acquire a liquor license or make it part of the contract that the cost would be covered. Mayor Grant wanted to confirm that the vendor would have the capability to obtain a liquor license. Mayor Grant inquired about the old landfill. When will it be developed? Assistant City Manager Mack stated that the City is still in the process of closing out the landfill with the health department and confident that it will happen this calendar year. Once that happens, then the City can start looking at options for future growth at either the golf course or installing solar on the landfill. 18 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Commissioner Romelus commented that she likes the idea of the solar farm. Marketing Mayor Grant thanked Marketing for all the great work they have done this past year. He believes that the tours with the Mayor needs to be updated. What are the events planned for next year? Eleanor Krusell, Public Communications and Marketing Director, replied that the amphitheater is going to be activated. The City has taken over the CRA concerts and movies. Marketing has received 24 calls interested in the amphitheater. A discussion is needed on what the City is going to permit or allow what goes in the amphitheater. The plan is to activate the amphitheater on October 1St. There will be a tree lighting celebration and that will be more of a family event and it has been budgeted to bring the tree back as well. Commissioner Romelus inquired where will the tree be. Ms. Krusell responded where the butterfly is located, the pad was designed for the tree. The contract for the butterfly expires in February. She has had discussions with Assistant City Manager Mack and suggested that the tree goes back to the front of the Children's Museum to coincide with the parade, so the lights and celebration will be earlier. The parade is the first Saturday of December. Dollars have been allocated to do a Caribbean Festival or a Cultural Festival at the amphitheater this year. There will be additional lighting at Sara Simms during the Holidays. Mayor Grant inquired if the City is planning on partnering with a nonprofit. Ms. Krusell replied that money has been budgeted to contribute. Ms. Krusell would love to work with a committee. Mayor Grant stated that having committee for the event will make a huge difference. Commissioner Romelus asked in what month will the Caribbean Festival take place. Ms. Krusell replied she does not have a month yet. Commissioner Romelus suggested to hold the Caribbean Festival in May and she will be happy to help build the committee. City Manager LaVerriere noted that the budget for special events went from $190K to $335K in special events and holiday lighting. 19 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Mayor Grant suggested partnerships by reaching out to the radio stations, television stations and the newspapers. This is something that needs to be done. Mayor Grant suggested using the 3rd and 4th floor lobbies for a VIP section. City Manager LaVerriere stated that the 3rd and 4th floors are secured and not for public access. There is a community room downstairs with a kitchenette set up. The 4th floor balcony is for having small events with the Commission and not necessarily opened up to the general public. Mayor Grant stated he always envisioned the 3rd and 4th floor as a VIP area. He understands the safety and liability. Safety and liability are at all of the facilities. He asked the Commission if they would like to move forward with determining fees for both liability and safety for us to use the 3rd and 4th floors as a VIP area. Ms. Krusell stated the area where the butterfly is would make an awesome sponsor area. City Manager LaVerriere stated the vision was to use City Hall Lobby for events as well. The area could be used a private area by a sponsor. She cautioned on using the 3rd and 4th floors for VIP space for private productions of events. If the City is holding the event and want to use the 3rd and 4th floors, that is okay. Mayor Grant thinks that it is wrong to say the 3rd and 4th floors are for City employees only. Commissioner Katz stated setting fees for the use of the 3rd and 4th floors should not be done by Commission. If management feels that there are security concerns and a proximity concern, he defers to staff because they work there. Commissioner Penserga inquired about how the Marketing team is growing. Ms. Krusell stated that Laura Lansburgh has been moved to Assistant Director, Chelsea Sanabia has been moved to Coordinator for events, and last Friday an offer has been made to an Events Manager. In addition, there is an events specialist position open that has been noticed internally. The Digital Media Marketing Manager position is open as well. City Manager LaVerriere commented that the CRA will be handing the Pirate Fest over to the City within the next 3 years. Mayor Grant announced that the workshop will continue tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. 20 Budget Workshop City Commission Boynton Beach, Florida July 12, 2021 Adjournment The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 10:07 p.m. CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH Mayor- Steven B. Grant Vice Mayor—Woodrow L. Hay Commissioner— Justin Katz Commissioner— Christina Romelus Commissioner—Ty Penserga ATTEST: /4 C tal Gibson, MMC Ci y Clerk 4f ilAe dud, Tammy Stan '.ne Deputy City lerk 21 Prepared By: Prepared for: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Child City of Boynton Beach Protection Agency, LLc .�' ' �� Mayor Grant & Board of Commission a ♦ I /f( 1141" MY CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAM PITCH PROPOSAL Program Description The My Child Protection Pilot Program is a series of comprehensive training that teaches community residents, leaders, and staff the skills needed to protect our children from sexual crimes. The program curriculum uses evidence-based practice coupled with practical strategies and, activities that can be implemented within everyday life and lead residence to honor their roles in the community. Targeted Goal My Child Protection Pilot Program aims to effectively provide clear education about sexual abuse prevention, learning the skills needed to safeguard children within the community. Objectives Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to: • Define child sex crimes and the elements associated with each offense. • Identify signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse. • Define Mandated Reporter and their legal and ethical responsibilities. • Talk to children about sexual abuse prevention. • Develop a prevention action plan. COMPANY: SEACAP,LLC Session Projections • Introduction Seminar CONTACT: • Session 1 : Preparation through Education Jessica T.White, M.S • Session 2: Prevention Advocate to Empower PHONE: • Session 3: Protection Application for Implementation 561-485-8318 EMAIL: info@mychildprotection.com Copyright©2021 Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Child Protection Agency, LLC All right reserved. Mychildprotection.com `Q,ttll,tf t ftii Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Child 4 ) Protection Agency, LLC. State Alleged Child Sexual Maltreatment August 2021 (1160 Sexual Abuse Cases ) REVIEWING THE Alleged Maltreatments•Statewide NU M B E R S oisplay Counts or Percentages Select the Report period to Display Select maltreatment ttpQ Count of Alleged Maltreatments Select ennry,eval The data displayed in the charts are alleged sexual maltreatment percentages provided by 3,160 the Florida Department of Children and families dashboard. Count of Verified Finding Please note: Charts reflect alleged sexual abuse Select Ma[ maltreatments from February 2020 through Maltreatment finding August 2021 on the state, regional, and county 22/ levels. Alleged Maltreatments by Circuit e Display Counts or percentages Select the Report Period to Display Select Maltreatment Type Percent of Alleged Maltreatments Select Entity level - Hover on ageographu area to highlight Haat -.✓ area in the views. Click oo an area to filter the views. t tri(link or lasso to filter try multiple areas. Regional & County Percent of Verified Finding Alleged Child Sexual Maltreatment Select Maltreatment Fi ndmg August 2021 (74 Sexual Abuse Cases ) „t��T,f,t Jessica T.White, M.S Chief Executive Officer t • f Sexual Exploitation&Abuse Expert • •a —_- • • }; ; 561 -485-8318 1P91, � � ' l��%�� Copyright©2021 Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Child Protection Agency,LLC All right reserved. info@mychildprotection.corn "EQUIPPING WORLD ;'�><' ye • LEADERS TO COMBAT . :' ) ,"'"- SEXUAL .,±roSEXUAL CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN " 1 � f 1` 1 T F 1 1 !, 1 iii 6 4 T. • O • ♦ t ,• •..a ♦ .t • • a / 0 / A 411 e 41. f • V ' f s " of i 414 ' , ' INTEGRITY LIBERTY JUSTI%1 6CE • .tet L : .,rte(Li ..... _w 0 011/4`'‘'J 4.... . •1 ; Contact Us ,/. r 4k I +561-485-8318., � „. Infro mychildprotectionmos .co , ♦ Ajii f •mycmidprotection. „ I 4- ' *O'" ""Illr '.` We have been sent to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives. Isaiah 61:1 Our Services . �Q,AIT:IT/p1- ` ' k N.'' Ili JI T r • , ,,, , We specialize in services that develop a "°'' :Ti ,....1World Leaders, build community alliances, 100,,_ os 1..c' promote prevention and equip for child protection against sex crimes About Us Training Our Global Sexual Exploitation and The Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Child Abuse Prevention Academy is a training Protection Agency, LLC. ( SEA-CPA) is a Vision platform that enables us to provide our multinational faith-based child protection clients with engaging classroom-style agency based in South Florida. We have a Our vision is to develop a united alliance virtual and face-to-face training. global initiative to equip World Leaders for the protection, liberty, and justice of all through instructional training and through the eradication of sexual crimes consultation services to combat sexual against children. crimes against children. Consulting We offer one-on-one and group Core Vaules consulting with various professionals and organizations nationally and internationally. Our Mission The Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Child O Protection Agency, LLC. exists to equip ,\+ ,\� * , Keynote Speaking world leaders to combat sexual crimes 7 We provide speaking services for against children. conferences and events. Honesty PLiberty Justice Integrity