Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 04_08/05/2010 MINUTES VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA BUDGET STRATEGY WORKSHOP MINUTES JUNE 8, 2010 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pat Watkins at 8:01 a.m. A roll call was taken by the Village Clerk's Assistant Deanna Mayo. Present were: Mayor Pat Watkins, Council Member Vince Arena, Council Member Jim Humpage, and Council Member Calvin Turnquest. Also in attendance were: Village Manager Michael R. Couzzo Jr., Attorney Keith Davis, Village Clerk's Assistant Deanna Mayo and Department Heads. Vice -Mayor Tom Paterno was absent. 1. Budget Planning and Strategy Session- Village Manager Submits Draft Budget to Mayor and Council — Manager Couzzo stated the budget deficit came in with a 6.8% loss which was better than the projected 9 %. He noted several items that were contributing to the loss of revenues and expressed that the economy showed modest improvement. Council Member Humpage inquired on the projected revenue figure. Manager Couzzo replied the anticipated calculation was $8,817,530 which left the Village $500,000 short. He mentioned the probability of $250,000 being pulled from the Capital Fund and $250,000 from Reserves to cover the shortage and discussed options. Mayor Watkins inquired if money had been set aside for repairs in the Village which she believed to be safety related. Manager Couzzo responded yes, and explained different ways the Capital Fund could be utilized for Village needs. He noted that the Village had been thrifty and was in fairly good shape although it would become more difficult to manage the budget without raising taxes. Manager Couzzo mentioned the possibility of assisting Jupiter with their Fire Rescue and that that could bring additional revenues within the next year. Council Member Turnquest reported he had spoken to Jupiter Inlet Colony's (JIC) Mayor John Zuccarelli and that they would be meeting to discuss possible contract negotiations as well. Manager Couzzo pointed out that while the process of annexation could be three to five years it would be beneficial for the Village revenue once the preliminary costs were completed. Manager Couzzo noted the successful negotiations regarding the Fire Fighters contract and offered details of the ratification which affected the budget. He also stated a full time position in Finance would be reduced to part time with the remaining Village staff not affected. He referenced additional areas of the budget being affected including legal services receiving a 15% reduction. He stated too many departments had been reduced and the Village could not continue at this rate. Mayor Watkins agreed. Minutes — Workshop 6/8/10 Page 2 Manager Couzzo commented that completion of the bridge project would benefit the budget. Mayor Watkins expressed her concern for safety at the bridge now that the roads were built and made it more accessible to pedestrians. Manager Couzzo responded that the contractor and the State were aware and conscientious of the stage of the project and issues at hand. Manager Couzzo referenced the position of Director for Community Development (CD) and that the budget was not funded to replace it; although, alternate employees were assisting with the position at present, it would need to be filled in the future. Council Member Humpage stated that he had heard positive responses regarding the departmental changes as did Mayor Watkins. Manager Couzzo suggested that the full time position (in CD) that was reduced to two part time positions last year helped with budgeting but reiterated that the Village could not sustain with these cuts indefinitely. Manager Couzzo felt that department heads would be retiring in the next three to five years and the Village did not have employees knowledgeable enough to replace them. Council Member Humpage referenced the Police Captain retiring and felt that the Village needed to fill that position. Manager Couzzo stated the position was set to go part time and Council Member Humpage did not support that move. Manager Couzzo advised that Chief McCollom had committed to staying three more years. He stated that it would be difficult to replace the existing positions and all they accomplish. Manager Couzzo remarked on annexation and suggested the Village must illustrate the benefits of being part of the Village to allow residents to become interested. He noted that the process could take several years. Mayor Watkins responded that she was against forced j annexation and felt people liked the Village and its neighborhood feel but may not be comfortable with change. Manager Couzzo felt the Village should focus on annexation as he believed the time was good for such a move. Manager Couzzo pointed out budget items such as Tequesta Parks and Recreation which was a great positive and the Fire Pumper balance would be paid off in the next year. He noted the Water Plant bid for a Reverse Osmosis (RO) Trane expansion would be upcoming with a number of interested contractors. He explained that each Trane came with upfront expenses but could bring two point one million in revenue to the budget. Manager Couzzo clarified that Tequesta's water rates would remain the same for next year and pointed out that rates had consistently gone down in past years. He commented that loan rates were low and recommended holding on to cash if a small interest rate loan could be acquired. Mayor Watkins expressed gratitude for the Village's frugal attitude and low millage rate but was concerned with the economic state and the future of the Village. She commended the Manager on his relationship with the Unions and the recent Fire contract negotiations. Minutes — Workshop 6/8/10 Page 3 Manager Couzzo responded that the relationships between the Unions and the Village had been built over the years with a mutual trust and admiration; he reiterated the recent negotiation outcome was significant and set precedence for the future. Manager Couzzo verified Councils approval for two residents to assist him with a Strategic Planning project which would include items such as long term forecast and staff retirements. He suggested Council focus on property prospects and updated them with current status of the Corner Stone and Paradise Park properties. Mayor Watkins stated she was against the purchase of Paradise Park at the projected figures. Manager Couzzo felt it would be a difficult decision to choose between the two pieces of land as the purchase(s) would take a large part of the Village's funds. He felt the upcoming retirements of several department heads would be a huge cost to the Village and should not be excused as minimal. Council Member Humpage replied that, (for him) replacement of employees would take priority over purchasing Paradise Park. Manager Couzzo commented on the prospect of annexation and noted that the Village would spend approximately $100,000 to $200,000 (possibly more) on such a venture. Mayor Watkins asked about servicing the counties fire calls. Manager Couzzo stated that the Village's contract with the County was a very good (15 year) contract with a reopener to negotiate fees. He suggested contemplating what to do with the vacant Station 11. Mayor Watkins stated that the Clerk had shown interest in utilizing the building to store historical items. Mr. Frank D'Ambra III, Strategic Planning Board, expressed his opinion on what he believed the board would offer to the Village's future. Mayor Watkins stated that Ms. Mary Hinton (a resident) offered to assist as well. Manager Couzzo stated that the Village had been smart over the years and was in good shape. Any Other Matters Mayor Watkins asked if there were plans or figures for redoing the Parks and Recreation Center. Manager Couzzo presented the drawing which showed plans for the new building. Council Member Humpage stated that the existing problem with building the larger facility was the lack of parking and offered his opinion and possible options to get more. Council Member Turnquest mentioned that a Fourth of July celebration was being planned at the Village to benefit the Wounded Warriors along with details of the event. Manager Couzzo commented on the significance of the Distinguished Budget Award which the finance department had received. He established the benefits of offering transparency of the budget to residents. Mayor Watkins recognized how difficult the award was to receive and noted there were submissions from North America, Canada and the United States. Manager i Minutes — Workshop 6/8/10 Page 4 Couzzo stated that it was the Villages first time applying for the designation and very few first time applicants acquired the honor. Manager Couzzo stated he believed the County was experiencing difficult times and there was a possibility of them raising taxes 10 percent or more. He also mentioned an initiative where Tequesta could apply for a credit regarding their services but noted the County did not have to honor that request. Council Member Humpage offered details on the Village's September 11, 2010 event and that 911 beams from Ground Zero would be obtained and placed in the Village. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Council Member Tumquest, seconded by Council Member Arena, and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjoumed at 9:37 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Deanna Mayo Village Clerk's Assistant i MINUTES VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JULY 8, 2010 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pat Watkins at 7:02 p.m. A roll call was taken by Village Clerk McWilliams. Present were: Mayor Pat Watkins, Council Member Jim Humpage, and Council Member Calvin Tumquest. Vice -Mayor Paterno, Council Member Arena and Village Attorney were absent. Also in attendance were: Village Manager Michael R. Couzzo Jr., Village Clerk McWilliams, and Finance Director Forsythe. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council Member Humpage shared words of appreciation and respect for all Veterans and reflected on the July 4 th Wounded Warrior event. He then gave the invocation followed by the pledge to the flag. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Watkins noted Items 5 and 8 had been removed from the agenda. MOTION: Council Member Tumquest moved approval of the agenda as amended, seconded by Council Member Tumquest. Council Member Tumquest, Council Member Humpage, and Mayor Watkins noted they had items to discuss under Any Other Matters. MOTION (Continued) motion carried unanimously 3 -0. PRESENTATIONS /PROCLAMATIONS 1. Presentation of Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association Ms. Linda Davidson, President Elect of GFOA, presented the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to the Village. She stated the award symbolizes the preparation of high quality budget documents and encourages government to prepare excellent budget documents for the benefits of citizens and other parties. She noted this as the first time the Village had received this award and reflected dedication and leadership. i CONSENT AGENDA MOTION Council Member Tumquest moved approval of the following consent agenda, seconded by Council Member Humpage, motion carried unanimously 3 -0. 2. MINUTES: 5/13/10 Regular, 6/10/10 LPA, and 6/10/10 Regular Minutes Minutes —Regular Council Meeting 7/8/10 Page 2 END OF CONSENT AGENDA COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Mrs. Dottie Campbell, 30 Eastwind Circle, addressed Council as a History Committee member and suggested a banner be placed in the Chambers. She believed the Chambers should identify the Village and show its character. She suggested the committee make some recommendations on ways to give the room proper identification and its own personality. Council agreed to discuss under Any Other Matters. COMMUNICATIONS FROM COUNCIL Council Member Turnquest congratulated Finance on their award and commented on the employees that go above and beyond. He recognized Clerk McWilliams on receiving her MMC - Master Municipal Clerk designation. He discussed the success of the July 4 th celebration that honored the Wounded Warrior vets. Council Member Humpage echoed Council Member Turnquest's remarks and complimented Finance and the Clerk on their accomplishments. He thanked Council Member Turnquest for his role in ensuring the success of the Wounded Warrior July 4 th event. Mayor Watkins agreed with Council Member's Turnquest and Humpage and felt July 4 th was a great family day. She commented on Council's budget meetings and the 2010/11 budget which looked good. She stated Council would need to continue to look at the budget in the future if they wanted to continue at the same level of service. REGULAR AGENDA NEW BUSINESS 3. Approve Setting the Proposed Ad Valorem Millage Rate for the Village of Tequesta for Fiscal Year 2010/2011 at a rate of 5.7671 Mils per $1,000.00 of assessed value and setting the Budget Public Hearings as follows: September 9, 2010— 7:00 p.m. — Approve Tentative Budget; and September 16, 2010 — 5:30 p.m. — Approve Final Budget Council Member Turnquest stated the IT Department did not have a budget and the Director had to request the Manager's approval to spend $10. He would like to create a line item in the budget for the IT Department and suggested taking one half of one percent ($28,000) of public safety's budget and provide to IT for the next fiscal year. He commented on the training budget for employees and believes in order to retain the best employees they needed to be trained in the latest information in their field. He stated the training budget continues to be cut back and noted the Manager had zero training funds and therefore could not keep up with the trends. He Minutes— Regular Council Meeting 7/8/10 Page 3 asked to leave the departmental training budgets at the current funding level and increase the Manager's budget by $10,000 for training. Mayor Watkins agreed however stated this was a discussion that should have been discussed in one of the budget workshops and believed this should be discussed when the other two Council Members were in attendance. Consensus of Council agreed to place this on the August Council agenda. MOTION: Council Member Tumquest moved approval of setting the proposed Ad Valorem Millage rate for the FY 201012011 at 5.7671 Mills per $1,000 assessed value and setting the Budget Public Hearings as September 9, 2010 at 7.00 p.m. and September 16, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.; seconded by Council Member Humpage; motion carried unanimously 3 -0. 4. Council Approval to Surplus Computer Racks and Donation to Good Shepherd School MOTION: Council Member Tumquest moved approval to surplus the racks and donate to Good Shepherd School, seconded by Council Member Humpage. Item was opened for discussion. Council Member Humpage pointed out Attorney Davis' email recommended the racks be sold. Village Manager Couzzo explained the items were being surplused, therefore they had no value and allowed the Village to dispose of them. He suggested making a motion contingent upon the Village Attorney's approval that it is done as surplus and at no cost and if she disagreed it could be brought back. MOTION (Continued): Council Member Tumquest amended his motion that the racks would be surplused and donated contingent upon the Village Attorney's agreement, seconded by Council Member Humpage; motion carried unanimously. 6. CGunG D tG mGve Forward with Sidewalk installation Gn N. Cypress DF and Obtain QUGteS 6. Council Appointment of Florida League of Cities Voting Delegate MOTION: Council Member Humpage moved approval of Council Member Tumquest as the Florida League of Cities Voting Delegate, seconded by Council Member Tumquest; motion carried unanimously. Minutes —Regular Council Meeting 7/8/10 Page 4 7. Resolution 19 -10. Authorizing the Village of Tequesta to Approve and Adopt the 2009 Revised Palm Beach County Unified Local Mitigation Strategy Plan Mayor Watkins read the title of Resolution 19 -10 into the record. MOTION: Council Member Humpage moved approval of Resolution 19 -10, seconded by Council Member Tumquest; motion carried unanimously 3 -0. Manager- Gouzze [No 13aGkup] STANDING REPORTS • * Village Manager Village Manager Couzzo commented on engineering issues with the bridge construction project. He noted the Village would assist the contractors with some of the work. He mentioned there was a disconcerting moment when the contractors stated the bridge would not be completed until mid - September. He advised there was a meeting scheduled for July 9 at 10:00 a.m. with FDOT in order to obtain commitments on the status of the project and offer suggestions on expediting the project such as using Village personnel and resources which gives FDOT liability concerns. Mayor Watkins stated Council should continue to do everything possible to expedite the construction even if it meant utilizing Village staff. She noted it appeared the bridge would be delayed; it was just a matter of how long. Council Member Turnquest stated he spoke with the State Secretary of Transportation who inquired on how she could help keep the project on track. ANY OTHER MATTERS Council Member Turnquest gave an IPAD demonstration and suggested the agenda go paperless using the IPAD. He believed the IPAD's would pay for itself with the savings in ink, paper, binders, etc. within 6 weeks to 2 months. He stated this would bring Council into the 21 Century electronically. He asked for the item to be placed on the August Council agenda. He stated he was going to be out of town for the August meeting and asked Council to move the meeting to August 5. MOTION: Council Member Tumquest moved to change the August 12, 2010 Council Meeting to August 5, 2010; Council Member Humpage seconded, motion carried unanimously 3 -0. Minutes —Regular Council Meeting 7/8/10 Page 5 Council Member Turnquest asked Council to assist with the remaining costs of $3678.93 for the 4 th of July Wounded Warrior event. MOTION: Council Member Humpage moved to pay the entire $3,678.93 from the Aid to Community Organization account, Council Member Turnquest seconded, motion carried unanimously 3 -0. MOTION: Council Member Humpage amended his motion to include temporarily suspending the Council's Policies and Procedures for Any Other Matters and moved to pay the entire $3,678.93 from the Aid to Community Organization account, Council Member Turnquest seconded, motion carried unanimously 3 -0. Council Member Humpage noted the September 11 event was coming along well. He asked that the Village Attorney receive her agenda electronically at the same time as Council receives their agenda packets. Lastly, he commented on the allocation of funds for the Friends of Public Safety (FOPS). He stated $700 remained in a Village account for the bricks which cost $420. However, he noted the Finance Director did not want to return the $280 to FOPS, which was their profit. He requested the $280 be transferred to the FOPS account. Mayor Watkins suggested this be placed on the August agenda. Mayor Watkins reviewed Mr. Carlton Stoddard's Fountain of Honor request for an additional marble sign and a bench with a memorial plaque to be placed at the fountain. She explained he stated his family would pay the associated costs if necessary. Consensus of Council agreed the Fountain of Honor was complete and nothing additional would be added. Mayor Watkins mentioned the Manager's PRC needed to be on the August agenda as per his contract. Consensus of Council agreed. ADJOURNMENT Council Member Humpage moved to adjoum the meeting, seconded by Council Member Humpage. The motion to adjoum carried unanimously 3 -0, therefore the meeting was adjourned at 8:04 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lori McWilliams, MMC Village Clerk Note: These summa minutes are prepared in compliance with 286.011 F.S. and are not verbatim transcripts of the meeting. A verbatim audio record is available from the Office of the Village Clerk. All referenced attachments are on file in the Village Clerk's office.