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07-01-81SpMtg JULY 1, 1981 A Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Delray Beach, Florida, was held in the Council Chambers at 4:00 P.M., Wed- nesday, July 1, 1981, with Mayor Leon M. Weekes, presiding and City Manager J. Eldon Mariott, Assistant City Attorney Herbert Thiele, and Council members James H: Scheifley, Charlotte G. Durante, Leo A. Blair, and Malcolm T. Bird, present. Mayor Weekes called the meeting to order and announced that this meeting has been called for the purpose of ratifying (1) South Central Regional Wastewater and Disposal Board action at its June 24th meeting to proceed to prepare bid documents for the entering of com- petitive bidding for an operations and maintenance contract with a third party; (2) SCRWTD Board action at its June 24th meeting to enter into competitive bidding for a mechanical screening to be installed at the Plant; (3) SCRWTD Board action at its June 24th meeting to appoint Mr. Willard Young as Interim Administrative Director; (4) SCRWTD Board action at its June 24th meeting relative to entering into a contract to place-hydrogen peroxide facilities on the Regional Plant site; (5) Hoffman property appraisal. 1. Mr. Bird moved to ratify the action of the SCRWTD Board at ~ts June 24th meeting to proceed to prepare bid documents for the enter- ing of competitive bidding for an operations and maintenance contract with a third party, seconded by Mr. Blair. Upon roll call Council voted as follows: Mr. Scheifley - Yes; Mrs. Durante - No; Mr. Blair - Yes; Mr. Bird - Yes; Mayor Weekes - Yes. Said motion passed with a 4 to 1 vote. Before roll call, Mrs. Durante, for the record, noted that she stated at the Sewer Board Meeting, at the time this action was taken, that she cannot support it. She feels that there are political organizational problems with the Sewer Board; she would not be against invited bids for the operation of the plant, but feels this is not the time for it to be done. At this point the roll was called to the motion. 2. Mr. Bird moved to ratify the action of the SCRWTD Board at its June 24th meeting to enter into competitive bidding for a mechanical screening to be installed at the Plant, seconded by Mr. Scheifley. Said motion passed unanimously. 3. Mr. Bird moved to ratify the action of the SCRWTD Board at its June 24th meeting to appoint Mr. Willard Young as Interim Admini- strative Director, seconded Mr. Blair. Upon roll call Council voted as follows: Mr. Scheifley - Yes; Mrs. Durante - No; Mr. Blair - Yes; Mr. Bird - Yes; Mayor Weekes - Yes. Said motion passed with a 4 to 1 vote. Before roll call, Mrs. Durante stated that this item is an example of the board trying to get more politics involved in the opera- tion of the plant, and she is not in favor of this appointment. At this point the roll was called to the motion. 4. Mr. Bird moved to ratify the action of the SCRWTD Board at ~ts June 24th meeting relative to entering into a contract to place hydrogen-peroxide facilities on the Regional Plant site, seconded by Mr. Blair. Before roll call, the Assistant City Attorney informed Council that the Board Attorney, Mr. Federspiel, made a request to clarify the motion as follows: (1) that by this action they are not ratifying or approving of any proposed contract; and (2) that the motion be made subject to the entering into of the contract by both the City of Boynton Beach and the City of Delray Beach. Mr. Bird amended his motion as advised by the Assistant City Attorney, seconded by Mr. Schiefley. Said motion passed unanimously. 5. Mayor Weekes stated, in regard to the Hoffman property ~praisal, that a decision needs to be made as to whether or not this item will go to referendum; that's the reason he asked that this item be put on the agenda. Mrs. Durante stated she is in favor of going to referendum. This is an expensive piece of property and she would like to see the City obtain it, even at the appraised high price. Mr. Scheifley stated that it would be desirable to obtain this property, but it is also impractical. When the voters are faced with this, he believes it will be turned down due to a cost of about $2,000 to each property owner over a 20 year period, at $100 per year plus interest. The Bond Issue would be a total cost of over eighteen million dollars at the present interest rates. However, he would like the voters to have the opportunity to express how they feel about it. Mr. Blair noted that~ the price is higher than he figured, and he agrees along with Mr. Scheifley that the voters should have the opportunity to consider the property. Mr. Bird stated that all the facts pro and con should be heard, and a referendum may be appropriate but it should not be an either/or referendum, which is expensive and does not give the voter much to work from. He proposed that additional facilities be placed at the golf course to make it more usable to the residents of the City, and put in racket sports, and a pool. The proposal and the referendum should give the citizens those choices as to how the money should be spent. Site preparation and purchase of the property would cost approximately nine million dollars, and the only improvements would be for rest rooms, and a parking lot. Mr. Bird agreed with Mrs. Durante, that it is nice to save ecological sensitive land. If it goes to ref- erendum, he would like it to be a two part question. Mayor Weekes suggested possible wording for the referendum questions as follows: (1) Would you favor the selling of the revenue bonds not to exceed nine million dollars for the purpose of recreational use? Yes or No; and (2) Would you favor the purchase or development of recreational facilities within the City not to exceed X million of dollars? Mr. Bird stated that Council needs to explain what the citizens will get for their nine million dollars. Mr. Scheifley noted that a referendum would be a specific bond issue, and the others would be straw votes. One would be binding and the other would be an opinion question. The City Manager stated that there would be two types of financing used for the Hoffman property and for property now adjacent to the Country Club property in that the Hoffman property, he feels, would have to be financed solely by a General Obligation Bond Issue and would have to be submitted that way. It would be a passive park and it would not bring in revenue. With regard to the other possible development, that could bring in revenue and either be self supporting or largely self supporting, however it turns out to be. That is just one of the many details that would have to be worked out and submitted at referendum but he feels that it is a very important one. It was the consensus of Council that the Hoffman issue be put to referendum, and development of questions be~worked on. Mr. Schwimer stated that Council is asking for a duplication of efforts with the straw vote and referendum. He would like to go ahead with the referendum and have it be held in November or December, when the majority of the out of town property owners return. Mayor Weekes noted that there is a site plan being processed on the property, so a referendum would need to be put forth as soon as possible; the longer the decision is delayed the more legal jeopardy is involved pertaining to the property. Assistant City Attorney Thiele stated that a minimum of seven or eight weeks would be needed from the advertising date of the issue and the earliest date would be October for the referendum. Mayor Weekes stated that a motion needs to made to have the City Attorney's office prepare a proper legal form to place the Hoffman property on the referendum. - 2 - 7/1/81 Mr. Bird moved that the subject of the General Obligation Bond issue to purchase the Hoffman proPerty be placed on the referendum ballot at the earliest possible date, seconded by Mr. $cheifley. Said motion passed unanimously. Mr. Bird moved that, as an additional question on the same referendum ballot, a question be framed by the City Attorney addressing itself to the purchase of additional park and recreation facilities within the City and that it also should be put to referendum as a General Obligation Bond issue, seconded by Mr. Blair. Said motion passed unanimously. Before roll call the following discussion was had: Upon question by Mr. Scheifley, Mr. Bird replied that there will have to be a price tag; he assumes that Mr. Winters or the City Manager will come up with a figure. The City Manager stated that he will come up with a figure. Mayor Weekes asked if they could legally frame the question so as to authorize the sale of General Obligation Bonds not to exceed X dollars; the Assistant City Attorney replied yes. Mayor Weekes stated that then they would not have to have an exact dollar amount. At this point the roll was called to the motion. Mayor Weekes declared the meeting adjourned at 4:25 P.M. Mrs. Durante noted that the Roots Festival sent Council a letter asking for a Resolution to be adopted in support of the Festival. She requested a special meeting be held for this item. ATTEST: ~~ City Clerk MAYOR The undersigned is the City Clerk of the City of Delray Beach and that the information provided herein is the minutes of the meeting of said City Council of July 1, 1981 which minutes were formally approved and adopted by the City Council on /~ / ~ /~/. City Clerk NOTE TO READER: If the minutes that you have received are not completed as indicated above, then this means that these are not the official minutes of City Council. They will become the official minutes only after they have been reviewed and approved which may involve some amendments, additions, or deletions to the minutes as set forth above. - 3 - 7/1/81