04-10-12 Workshop Meeting Minutesi
WORKSHOP MEETING
APRIL 10, 2012
A Workshop Meeting of the City Commission of the City of Delray Beach, Florida, was called to
order by Mayor Nelson S. McDuffie in the First Floor Conference Room at City Hall at 6:04 p.m.,
on Tuesday, April 10, 2012.
Roll call showed:
Present - Commissioner Thomas F. Carney, Jr.
Commissioner Alson Jacquet
Commissioner Adam Frankel
Mayor Nelson S. McDuffie
Absent - Conunissioner Angeleta E. Gray
Also present were - David T. Harden, City Manager
Brian Shutt, City Attorney
Chevelle D. Nubin, City Clerk
Mayor McDuffie called the workshop meeting to order and announced that it had been called for
the purpose of considering the following Items.
WORKSHOP MEETING AGENDA
1. Discussion of proposed agreement with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser
related to a Fire Assessment Fee
Mr. David T. Harden, City Manager, presented this item stating this would keep our options
open if we were to decide at a later date to do a fire assessment. The option that would be kept
open is the ability to allow it to go on the tax bill versus requiring us to bill it separately. He
stated this would be the best course of action and the timing works out very well for budget. the
amount would have to be decided prior to July 28, 2012. Mr. Harden recommend going into the
agreement. He stated the agreement does not commit the Commission to doing anything.
Mr. Frankel stated no questions and he is for it.
Mr. Carney stated we always need to keep our options open and feels Commission has made it
very clear regarding a fire assessment fee as an add on.
Mr. Jacquet stated he had no comment.
Mayor McDuffie stated it is appropriate do this and he thinks we will see another down in
property values. He discussed budget cuts.
The City Manager commented that we are faced with an approximately $1,350,000 million
increase in pension costs; and health insurance is up and instead of splitting it with employees
the city needs to absorb some of that In addition, Mr. Harden stated property and casualty and
liability insurance costs will increase significantly as well as cost increases we have no control
over.
Mayor McDuffie mentioned the cost of economic development incentives. The City Manager
stated the incentives will need to be budgeted.
2. Discussion on the Possible Privatization of Code Enforcement Officer Position
Mr. Harden stated some of the commissioners inquired about this specifically the position that
was created and staff has researched this. Mrs. Lula Butler, Community Improvement Director
and Mr. Bruce Koeser, Human Resources Director presented this item. Mr. Koeser provided an
overview regarding what to consider regarding privatization and Mrs. Butler reviewed the
organization of the Code Enforcement Division via PowerPoint highlighting how it works
internally and the community oriented approach for handling code enforcement issues.
Mr. Jacquet stated he had no comment.
Mr. Carney stated he agrees that segmenting a portion of the system will be more expensive per
capita. He stated he reviewed the Pompano Beach contract and asked if pension costs were
included in the personnel costs presented.
Mrs. Butler stated it includes pension costs.
Mr. Carney mentioned the individual contact with the residents and stated that there are some
suggestions that we could save money by outsourcing and thinks this is a broader brush than
code enforcement. He stated he thinks there are savings to be had and suggested a thorough
look be taken at the entire process.
Mr. Frankel stated the current level of service that code enforcement provides has to be taken
into consideration and he does not know that if you privatize it, you will get the same level of
service. He is not in favor of the proposal of privatizing any part of code enforcement.
Mr. Harden discussed the costs for code enforcement.
Mayor McDuffie stated if there is a dramatic savings in cost, then privatization should be
considered. However, we cannot buy institutional knowledge and he referenced the interaction
with the community. He stated it is hard to extract services because they are so tightly entwined.
He stated he is not against outsourcing but does not think it makes sense for us at the moment.
Mr. Carney stated every single area of what the city does needs to be reviewed to see if it can be
done as efficiently by outsourcing which puts less pressure on pension systems and tax payers.
3. Presentation on Proposed Changes to the 4' of - ull ZOn the Avenue Special Events
Mr. Barcinski stated the thought process for this was to hold On the Avenue the Thursday
before July 46, changes in location and why; and where the fireworks would be take place due to
issues and costs, etc. He stated the BPOA Board did not support this concept. Ms. Sarah Martin
will discuss the proposed move of "On The Avenue" to July 3, 2012 from the Central Business
District to the intersection of A -1 -A and Atlantic. Ms. Martin discussed the changes in location
and setup regarding On The Avenue. She stated by changing it to this date it encourages visitors
to book longer hotel stays so the hotels and merchants support this. She stated the new setup
for both On the Avenue and July e will be significantly smaller than the former On the Avenue
setup and July 4t' setup in regards to the barge and docking costs. Therefore, it will result in a
cost savings. She discussed the traffic routes, road closings and the two locations for fireworks.
She stated with these changes the approximate savings will be $29,000.
Mr. Frankel stated he spoke with Ms. Martin this morning and his concern is safety and that the
city is not held liable for some catastrophe. At this point, Ms. Martin passed out a hold harmless
agreement. He stated he has no problem with the changes.
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April 10, 2012
Mr. Carney stated this saves money however; he does not want to disregard the Beach Property
Owners Association (BPOA) concerns; and spoke regarding the road closings.
Mr. Jacquet stated he is concerned with the costs. He asked will this result in savings for the
city. He stated he is also concerned about the road closings for two days. Mr. Jacquet stated he
wants people to know which routes to take and wants to meet with Ms. Martin to get a better
understanding of this.
Ms. Martin stated the Delray Marketing Cooperative (DMC) communicates effectively with
hoteliers regarding maps /routes and can do this for the residents.
Mayor McDuffie mentioned the fast cleanup of the city that takes place after events. He stated
he does not feel the routes will impose hardships.
Mr. Barcinski stated on July 3, 2012 the music will end at 10:00 p.m.
Ms. Martin stated she would like to extend the Beer Garden as a fundraising opportunity for the
BPOA.
Mr. Barcinski thanked all of the staff involved with this event.
Mayor McDuffie asked that Commission be provided updates periodically regarding the July 3`d
and July 4`h events.
Mr. Carney asked that the DMC address the BPOA traffic issue.
Mayor McDuffie stated this is a great idea and far better and more controllable plan.
Mayor McDuffie adjourned the Workshop Meeting at 7:09 p.m.
City Clerk
ATTEST:
Jr.
s
MAYOR.
The undersigned is the City Clerk of the City of Delray Beach, Florida, and the information
provided herein is the Minutes of the Workshop Meeting of the City Commission held on Tuesday,
April 10, 2012, which Minutes were . formally approved and adopted by the City Commission on
April 17, 2012.
April 10, 2012
City Clerk
NOTE TO READER: If the Minutes you have received are not completed as indicated above, this
means they are not the official Minutes of the City Commission. They will become the official
Minutes only after review and approval, which may involve amendments, additions or deletions to
the Minutes as set forth above.
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April 10, 2012