HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Regular_10/11/2006MINUTES
VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA
REGULAR VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006
I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jim
Humpage at 7:02 p.m. A roll call was taken by Recording Secretary Betty Laur. Present
were: Mayor Jim Humpage, Vice Mayor Tom Paterno, Council Member Geraldine A.
Genco, and Council Member Pat Watkins. Also in attendance were: Village Attorney
Scott Hawkins, Village Manager Michael R. Couzzo, Jr., Recording Secretary Betty
Laur, and Department Heads.
II. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Council Member Watkins gave the invocation and led in the pledge of allegiance to the
flag.
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION: Council Member Watkins moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Vice Mayor
Paterno.
Council Member Genco requested that item 5 remain on the Consent Agenda for
• discussion, and to either pull item 2 or read a correction to that item. Attorney Hawkins
advised item 5 could be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion, but no action
could be taken. Council Member Genco read into the record the following correction to
item 2, regular Village Council meeting minutes of 9/14/06: on page 12, second
paragraph, last sentence-add review but with after the word without and before Council
so that the changed wording would be without review but with Council's approval.
Council Member Genco indicated the Council had received notice that items 5 and 7
were being pulled by staff. Village Manager Couzzo announced that item 7 had been
removed since no action was required by the Village Council.
Motion was to approve the Agenda with item S left on for discussion only and with item 7 pulled
by staff. Motion passed 4-0.
IV. PROCLAMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
1. Proclamation declaring the week of October 15-21, 2006 as "Florida City
Government Week" in the Village of Tequesta.
Mayor Humpage read aloud the Proclamation for the record.
V. STANDING REPORTS
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Village Attorney Scott Hawkins reported he had sent comments via email to the Village
Clerk last week regarding work his firm had performed during September which included
work on the Welch Tennis resolution, matters associated with Village Hall construction
issues, golf cart ordinance issues, and a number of community development issues, and
stated he would be happy to answer questions. There were no questions asked.
Village Manager Couzzo reported he had been on vacation last week and there were a
number of items that he would be addressing in the next two days. The Village Manager
thanked Assistant Manager Garlo for filling in while he was gone.
VI. CONSENT AGENDA
MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda with item S
being held for discussion. Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion, which carried by
unanimous 4-0 vote. Therefore the following items were approved on the Consent Agenda:
2. Village Council Regular Meeting Minutes September 14, 2006.
3. Village Council Tentative 2006/2007 Millage and Tentative 2006/2007 Budgets
Meeting Minutes September 14, 2006.
4. Village Council Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes September 8, 2006.
6. Approval to close Dover Road from Seabrook Road to Short Avenue from 11:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on November 11, 2006 for the Annual Harvest Festival held at
the Constitution Park.
DISCUSSION:
RESOLUTION 04-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Awarding a 10-Month contract for
Leadership Coaching and Development Services to Paula Knight in the amount of
$15,000.00 for FY 2006/2007, and Authorizing the Village Manager to execute the
Contract on behalf of the Village.
Mayor Humpage read Resolution 04-06/07 by title. Vice Mayor Paterno questioned
why this was pulled since Paula Knight was currently working in this position and by
law any contracts of $15,000 or more needed to be brought to the Village Council.
He was curious why she would be working if the Village Council had not approved
her contract. Council Member Genco stated she did not believe Ms. Knight had a
contract with the Village, since the Village Council had never approved one. Village
Manager Couzzo responded there had not been a contract because it did not exceed
$15,000. Council Member Genco commented it was $1,100-$1,200 per month.
Village Manager Couzzo responded that now it would exceed $15,000. Council
Member Genco concluded that by doing it on a monthly basis the Village Manager
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had never had to have it approved. Vice Mayor Paterno stated it was $1,400 per
month. Village Manager Couzzo stated he did not believe it had ever exceeded
• $15,000 per year. Council Member Watkins commented it had been for ten months.
Vice Mayor Paterno commented that was going forward, but going back it had been a
whole year. The Village Manager advised it had not been for a whole year.
Council Member Genco stated that Ms. Knight had been the Village's consultant
since the time of the employee problems 2-1/2 years ago. Village Manager Couzzo
asked Finance Director Forsythe if the amount had exceeded $15,000 per year. Ms.
Forsythe responded there had been no contract. Village Manager Couzzo advised
that this year it had been determined that the amount would exceed $15,000, so a
contract had been developed. Council Member Genco stated she did not think it had
been kosher to pay her a monthly stipend, and historically she had come to the
Village on referral by Attorney Hawkins' firm. Attorney Hawkins acknowledged that
was correct. Council Member Genco advised that Ms. Knight had been meant to be a
coach for Village Manager Couzzo for personnel problems and to be an ombudsman,
and once she departed, the Village would no longer have an ombudsman. Council
Member Genco expressed her opinion it was critical that the Village have an
ombudsman, which she had already discussed with the Village Manager, and she
would like it to be an attorney from the outside who did not answer to the Village
Manager but answered either to the Mayor or to the Village Council, because when
there were personnel problems what was happening was the personnel involved were
reporting to the Village Manager, and it ended up being another issue like the one that
had just happened. Council Member Genco advised this had been an issue that she
felt very strongly about supporting the employees on, and she had really stretched her
• neck out to do it, and she did not think the Village Council was doing right by them.
Village Manager Couzzo responded that was the direction that would be taken, and
Attorney Hawkins had researched a couple of attorneys and his recommendation
would be brought to the Village Council.
Council Member Genco responded she had a list of professional mediators in Palm
Beach County and asked to submit that list to have someone from it chosen. Mayor
Humpage commented he wondered whether someone was needed now that there was
a Human Resources Director. Council Member Genco commented she would
picture that this person would handle it on an as needed basis only, by the hour, and
Human Resources could probably handle everything else, but if there was a
harassment situation--particularly if it had anything to do with the Manager, then a
mediator would be better able to handle it. Council Member Genco stated she loved
Ms. Knight, and thought she was wonderful at coaching, but having someone like her
answering to the Manager ended up that the names of people complaining were
revealed to him and it became a very uncomfortable situation for those people.
Council Member Watkins expressed her opinion that Paula Knight provided a
valuable service to the Village and its employees, and one of the greatest things she
had going for her was that anyone would be comfortable speaking to her. Council
Member Watkins stated she was offended by the idea that Council Member Genco
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thought whatever was told to her in confidence would go to the Village Manager.
Council Member Genco stated she knew it had. Council Member Watkins stated she
• thought that was unfair, but also did not agree with just picking someone that a
Council Member recommended, and thought it should be a staff recommendation.
She was good with Council Member Genco submitting names to be considered along
with others, but did not think any one Council Member should dictate that one of their
people must be used. Council Member Genco indicated the list was of mediators in
Palm Beach County and she did not make that list. Council Member Watkins
expressed her opinion the attorneys recommended by Attorney Hawkins should also
be considered. Council Member Genco stated she did not want it to be a referral from
anybody, she would rather pick a name that was not a referral.
Mayor Humpage commented the Village now had a Human Resources Director,
which they dial not have until recently, and he was hearing in the background this
should be on a case-by-case basis, and he agreed with that. The Mayor stated nothing
definitive needed to be done-this was just discussion, and someone like Paula
Knight might be the right person or a paralegal might be appropriate, but that kind of
decision should not be made by the Village Council because he did not want to
micromanage Administration, and the Human Resources Director should be
knowledgeable enough to decide when she had exhausted her venues as far as
resolving the issue.
Council Member Genco stated that was not what an ombudsman wasr-and the
Human Resources Director might say an ombudsman was needed for an issue.
Mayor Humpage responded, right, but let her make that decision. Council Member
Genco that she could make the decision when one was needed, but what she was
asking was that the list of names the ombudsman was selected from not come in as
referral from any of the Council or attorney but from a list that none of them
generated. Mayor Humpage stated he had no problem with that. Council Member
Genco stated she did not want the taint of their selection to be in this process, and that
way the ombudsman would be totally on the outside and neutral.
Attorney Hawkins advised in his opinion the Mayor had some good points about the
Human Resources Director, and when he had suggested Paula Knight three years ago
it had been from working with her where there had been some personnel issues in
other situations, and it had been acknowledged she was quite capable. Attorney
Hawkins commented the role of an ombudsman was one she had been endeavoring to
fulfill. Attorney Hawkins suggested that the Mayor, with consultation with the HR
Director, could develop a list and make a selection, since he believed this to be within
the auspices of staff, which was how the charter was set up.
Vice Mayor Paterno stated he was a little tired of the way things now worked, and
thought the Council was getting misinformation, and he differed with Attorney
Hawkins and some members of the Village Council, since he believed some changes
needed to be made. Vice Mayor Paterno stated that Human Resources Director Reid
had done an excellent job since she had been with the Village, but she still answered
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to the Village Manager. The Manager therefore had an influence on her decisions,
and what ended up happening to have them pick somebody to solve a problem
involving the Manager just did not seem like the right way to go about it. Attorney
Hawkins stated that was why he had suggested the Mayor. Vice Mayor Paterno
responded he was also suggesting staff. Attorney Hawkins stated that would give the
Mayor the right to decide whether to have the Village Manager investigated, which
the way the Village had acted over the past four years. Mayor Humpage advised he
recently had some conversations with Human Resources Director Reid regarding a
private issue which never went farther than them, and never went to the Village
Manager, and in his absence when he left town the Mayor had asked Vice Mayor
Paterno to intercede, and at no time did he discuss the matter with anybody but Ms.
Reid. Council Member Genco stated that unfortunately it had already been revealed
to the Manager, which was the reason the entire situation got out of hand. Mayor
Humpage responded, but that was the Manager's job-if there was an issue with. an
employee there was one guy in charge. Council Member Genco responded that
wasn't the process that she and he and the rest of the Village Council set up, and
unfortunately it wasn't followed, and unfortunately there was a situation that went a
lot further than it should have. Mayor Humpage expressed his opinion the avenue
taken was appropriate and it was by policy and absolutely on track. Council Member
Genco responded if he had never worked for a corporation and had to deal with
harassment issues, he did not know what it felt like, and she did, and she had dealt
with those issues, and bottom line was the policy to immediately take this out to an
ombudsman to let the ombudsman deal with it was not followed, and this had nothing
to do with the Human Resources Director. Mayor Humpage stated it was the
employee who violated the policy. Council Member Genco responded no, that the
Village Council had put the policy in place and the policy was not followed, and she
had copies of the resolutions that the Village Council adopted and the policy was not
followed, and it was not the first time. Mayor Humpage stated she was incorrect.
Council Member Genco responded if she had to go pull her file and place it publicly
in a public meeting she would do so, and she was correct. Mayor Humpage stated he
disagreed with her.
Vice Mayor Paterno stated he did not know what Council Member Genco was
speaking of, but looking back at his involvement he had felt at the time it had been
handled in the best way. At this point, he saw it could have been handled a little
differently.
Mayor Humpage stated the bottom line was, and to take Attorney Hawkins'
comments into consideration, to take another look at the policy the Village Council
had put into place and see what had happened the last time, and review that, and a
workshop could be held on it. Mayor Humpage stated everybody here could use a
little improvement, and in the instance they had spoken about, which was a private
issue, he thought policy had been followed but if it could be better he would like that.
The Mayor asked if everyone would be okay with having HR look into the list of
neutral people who performed that function. Council Member Genco stated she
would like a Council decision on that, and Ed Gueddes was the one who had drafted
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the original policy that was currently in place. Council Member Genco asked that
when Ms. Reid was ready to decide what was to be done, she would like it to be a
• Council decision the same way the policy had been. Consensus of Council was that it
would be a Council decision.
END OF CONSENT AGENDA
VII. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS
Russell Von Frank, 489 Dover Road, advised he was an alternate member of Planning
and Zoning and would like that changed to selective. Mr. Von Frank stated the purpose
ofthe code was to promote health, safety, morals, general welfare, protect the taxpayers,
conserving values ofproperty. Mr. Von Frank recalled he had previously shown the
Village Council pictures of a vehicle in a driveway covered with a tarp, distributed a
photograph ofthat vehicle, and reported shortly after he had spoken with Council the
vehicle had been moved to the other side of the driveway. Mr. Von Frank reported he
had looked at the code under vehicles, and it said unsightly, unsanitary, nuisance,
inoperative, but said nothing about being registered. Mr. Von Frank distributed a more
recent picture, which showed the vehicle on the opposite side ofthe drive and with more
of a tarp over the vehicle. Mr. Von Frank asked what the problem was in enforcing the
Village codes, and noted there was a garage behind this vehicle. MayorHumpage
commented he would have an answer for Mr. Von Frank in November.
VIII. COMMUNICATIONS FROM COUNCIL
Vice Mayor Paterno expressed his opinion that Any Other Matters should be moved to
the front of the agenda because there was no one present by the end of the meeting, and
the staffand residents needed to hear some information or ideas; therefore, he was going
to speak now instead of at the end under Any Other Matters about misinformation or no
information being received. The Vice Mayor expressed his opinion that getting
information to the Village Council on Friday afternoon for the Council agenda should be
changed, because there was not always time to read the thick packet and make requests
and get information back in time. Vice Mayor Paterno noted he had brought this up
previously but it had not gone anywhere, and he thought the Village Council should get
the information earlier. He stated he had received a 41-page contract plus everything else
to review, research, and decide on, and there was not enough time, and when he asked for
information he did not get it. The V ice Mayor expressed his opinion the process for
getting information to the Village Council for the Council meetings needed to be
changed.
Vice Mayor Paterno commented on misinformation or saying it in such a way that it did
not convey what he and everyone else that was there interpreted. He recalled that last
month there had been an issue with a PRC and net versus gross. That had been an item to
be discussed, and the contract had not been in the packet. Vice Mayor Paterno advised he
had asked for that contract on more than one occasion before this meeting and never
received it. At the meeting, Attorney Hawkins had indicated he believed the contract said
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net. Vice Mayor Paterno advised this had really put him over the top-not getting the
information he needed to make his decisions, and he thought everyone here was a little
surprised by that. That was just one example. Another one was trying to appease the
residents by telling them the Village's insurance went up-properly insurance went up
five times what it had been, and that was true but what wasn't told was it was only going
to go up 20% for the whole package-all the insurance for the whole Village-because
realistically the number last year was around $365,000 and was going to be $420,000 thi s
year, a difference of $65,000. That had been put out, and when he got the number of
$420,000 to be approved tonight, he was thinking, five times asmuch-it must have been
$80,000 last year. Then he got the numbers and realized it was a play on words, and he
was tired of listening to the play and it needed to be corrected immediately by a policy or
whatever needed to be done to correct it. He felt it was unfair to the residents to tell them
it increased five times as much when realistically it was going to be 20%. He had read in
today's paper that the quote was 20% less than last year's insurance, which was true but
at the same time last year insurance was $365,000 including everything. Vice Mayor
Paterno asked HR Director Reid the quote from the old insurer, who verified it was
$481,000 and the proposal was to go with a quote of $402,000--which was 19%. The
information put out was the insurance cost was being reduced by 19%, but it was really
going up by 20% over last year, and with it in the newspaperpeople thought costs were
being reduced when it was really going up. Ms. Reid had been able to find another
insurer that would give the Village a better rate. This was an example of how things were
said so thatpeople, and even he, misunderstood because they were not given all the
information. These were just some examples. Another was the 25% reduction in
operating expense, and he understood what the problem had been there, but he was
getting a little over the top with this and thought this should be addressed in the policy or
• something should be done about it. It was getting to be too much.
Vice Mayor Paterno noted he had sent an email a couple ofmonths ago requesting
information regarding the Fire Department, and as of today he had not received al l of that
information. He had tried to work with them but it wasn't going to happen. The only
way he had gotten any response was he had said to give him the phone number and he
would call and get the information from the county. Then he only received half the
material. The Vice Mayor advised that now he understood a lot more of what Council
Member Genco said, and he was getting tired of it, and later he would bring up more
information that was very important.
Council Member Watkins commented she did not see the Village Council in an
adversarial role with staff, she thought this was a joint effort, and she appreciated staff
and the work they did; and stated she would stake her reputation that nobody on the staff
would provide Council with wrong information, and certainly not put it out to the public
in that form. Council Member Watkins expressed her opinion you could have statements
that said one thing and could be interpreted another way, but she was going to stand on
the fact that she did not believe they were purposely trying to mislead anybody, and she
was tired of that. At the last meeting there had been the example of an accusation that
they had purposely falsely made a statement in the front of the draft budget, but those
figures came from Finance Director Forsythe and she would stake her reputation that if
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Ms. Forsythe provided those figures, they were right. Council Member Watkins stated
she was tired of inflammatory statements being made here that were thrown out to the
public on a Council night, then Council found out the information was not accurate, but
there was no opportunity to come back to tell the public that was wrong, which was not
fair either, and ifthere was a better way to do this for everyone's sake including staff, she
was all for straightening this out. Council Member Watkins advised she did not want to
be in an adversarial role with any of the Council or staff; she thought this was a group
effort, and the Village was a Council Manager form ofgovernment and they seemed to
spend an inordinate amount of time accusing the Manager, implying wrongdoing,
attacking somebody for the current whim of the night, and she was really tired of that.
Council Member Genco responded as a follow-up to Council Member Watkins
comments that to see a Manager's report that operating costs were down 25% when the
public was going to read that document, without having a financial background, without
being able to go to the budget and understand what line items he was specifically
omitting to come up with that 25% savings, the average public citizen would think the
Village had a 25% savings. However, ifyou understood what was being omitted and
you looked at the bottom line, you would see that the Village in fact did not have a 25%
savings-the budget from one year to the next actually increased. The citizens who read
that would think the Village was saving 25% more, meaning 25% more that the Village
got to keep in their pocket over last year, when the reality was the Village was spending
10-12% more than last year for a net to net budget. That was misleading, and if people
on the Council did not understand that, then everyone had theirperception. Her
perception was to look at what the common man would look at when he picked up
paperwork, and that was what she wanted him to understand. If someone else's opinion
differed, that was fine, but she was going to continue to point those things out.
Council Member Genco advised that four meetings ago the Council discussed code
enforcement and Palm Beach County delegating in a mutual aid type of situation where
they would pay the Village to do code enforcement for Bermuda Terrace. She was very
eager forthis to happen, County Commissioner Karen Marcus was supporting it, and
asked the status of this. Mayor Humpage responded he did not know what was going on
with the code enforcement, but the Village just recently got a mutual aid agreement with
the Sheriff s Department for Coral Cove Park-the county did not want Tequesta to
annex the park basically because they did not want to lose control in that area. The
Mayor reported they were cutting down all the trees. Mayor Humpage asked the Village
Managerto follow up with Commissioner Marcus, and reported this was a political hot
potato. The only thing that could be done would be to implement the county code, and he
felt Commissioner Marcus and her staffwere trying to gain time to notify people this was
being considered. It was a manpower issue-the county just could not getup here, and
people would be responsible for issues on their property, which was a political hot potato.
Council Member Genco stated she would like to proceed with this and to let her know if
there was anything she could do. She was asking about this because she felt Tequesta
had possibly dropped the ball. Mayor Humpage reported he did not agree since
Commissioner Marcus' assistant just said it was going through the gristmill. Council
Member Genco requested that the Commissioner's office be told Tequesta's intent was
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there and they were still interested, and to keep finding out the status, because she felt
this would impact Tequesta's property values as well.
• Mayor Humpage commented regarding Mr. Couzzo and the staff that he felt everyone
tried to do a good job, and he understood what both Vice Mayor Paterno and Council
Member Genco was saying, and he felt everyone should directly communicate with Mr.
Couzzo. He felt the 25% was stated in a fashion that had to do a lot with capital projects,
and what could have been simply stated was: 25% due to the fact of capital projects.
Whatever the issues were with Mr. Couzzo, they needed to remain with him, not with
staff, the buck stopped with him. Mayor Humpage commented Council packets were
received on Friday for a Thursday meeting, and they were sometimes hard to digest, but
he thought the Council could make a greater effort and if a Council Member had an issue
with something, rather than come into a public meeting and get into aname-calling or
forger-pointing contest, they could get to the issue by getting hold of Mr. Couzzo and
saying, look, I don't like the way this is presented, or I don't understand this and I need
an explanation-and not air dirty laundry in public meetings. Council Member Genco
responded it was frustration-she had done that for seven years and she was frustrated.
Mayor Humpage commented he had an issue now going on and he would not let go, and
if he had to push it every day he would do so, because when his constituents asked him
questions he wanted to be knowledgeable. Mayor Humpage expressed his opinion that
the Village Council had an obligation if they had an issue with something to try to get to
the bottom of it before walking into a meeting, and they needed to have a nice decorum at
the meetings. Council Member Genco stated she agreed with that 100%, but asked what
happened if they each went in and each got a different story, and then all made their
decisions based on a different piece of the puzzle. A lot of times none of them had the
• whole picture, and a lot of them came in with impressions of something that she thought
sometimes were not correct or that they should voice in public so that they could ford out
the accuracy and the truth behind items. Regarding the financials, Council Member
Genco reported the Council did not even get those until they sat down at the meeting, and
there was a limited amount oftime and 60 hours a month fora $250 per month position
was a lot, and she had spent hours in the office and had given up, because what she got in
the office was totally different than she got here. Mayor Humpage commented as far as
financials, anytime he questioned Ms. Forsythe he got a straight answer. Council
Member Genco stated she did also, but two years ago they were prohibited from talking
from staffpeople. Mayor Humpage clarified they were not prohibited from talking, but
were asked not to try to micromanage and use stafftime, and were asked simply to say to
the Village Manager that they had an issue with whatever it was. Council Member
Genco stated she never did that but was accused of it, she had only asked what a general
ledger item was and if it was more or less, or how many calls did you do on something
last month, and did you have a report but she was accused of a lot more than that. She
would bury the hatchet on that, but she knew staff was told how to represent things to the
Council, which was what they did-they did what they were told-and anytime she saw
something that was coming to Council from the Manager she was going to hold him
responsible. Mayor Humpage responded he did not think Jody Forsythe did what she
was told-he thought she did a fine job and was honest, and Council Member Genco was
implying collusion, which was not the case. Council Member Genco responded ifyou
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were an accountant and you were told to add up certain columns and those were the
correct columns but would produce another way of looking at something, you could do
that, and if that was the way you were told to do it that did not mean it was wrong.
Mayor Humpage stated he never thought for one minute the Village saved 25% on the
budget and he was not a math whiz. Council Member Genco responded he knew that, but
he had spent hours on it, and asked what the common taxpayer would think when they
read that.
Vice Mayor Paterno clarified his beef that he talked about was not with staff, it was with
the Manager, and he would just like to have the facts. When he asked Ms. Forsythe, she
gave him the numbers, but during the last month when he made a request staff was told
what to give him. He didn't get everything, and had to make another request, and he had
explicitly asked for it. Information requested was given in such a way that it was sort of
what he requested but not exactly what he was asking for, and this was not requested of
Ms. Forsythe, it was requested ftom the Manager.
Mayor Humpage commented everyone who worked for the Village had a job and were
responsible to one person, Mr. Couzzo, and asked if anyone had a problem with him to
go to him and say this is the problem I have with you. If they did not get satisfaction then
come to the Mayor and he would get to the bottom of it. Everyone needed to work
together, quit finger pointing, and let Mr. Couzzo know to his face any problems, and if
they did not get satisfaction to report it to the Mayor.
IX. NEW BUSINESS
8. RESOLUTION 107-05/06 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village
of Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Approving the FY 2006/2007 Waste
Management Residential Curbside Collection Contract in the amount of $7.99 per
unit per month, an increase of 4 percent over the previous unit price of $7.69 per
month with funding having been allocated in the FY 2006/2007 Budget. [Tab 8]
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 107-05/06
MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 107-05/06.
Council Member Genco seconded the motion.
Public Works Director Bob Garlo announced this was the final year of the
contract with Nichols Sanitation and the Manager had already started to negotiate
a contract for next year.
Motion passed 4-0.
9a. RESOLUTION 01-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Awarding a bid proposal with the
Information Access Systems, Inc. (IAS), of Orlando, Florida, for the Purchase and
Installation of Computer Software (Verity) for the Village's Electronic Document
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Management (Imaging) System, in the amount of $10,700.00 funded in General
Fund #001 2006/2007, account #001 120 664.600, Machinery and Equipment;
and transferring $2,070.00 from account # 0 01-120-664.600, Machinery and
Equipment to account #001-120-546.301 Office Equipment/Repair and
Maintenance to cover the Annual Maintenance cost of the equipment; and
authorizing the Village Manager to execute the Applicable Contract on behalf of
the Village.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 01-06/07.
MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 01-06/07.
Council Member Genco seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0.
9b. RESOLUTION 02-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Approving a bid proposal with HP Online
Sales, (Local Government Sales- FL Information Technology Contract) for the
Purchase of a HP Proliant ML 350 Server; and the Purchase of Microsoft SQL
Server Software 2005, Standard Edition in the amount not to exceed $8,100.00 for
the Village's Electronic Document Management (Imaging) System, Funded in
General Fund #001 2006/2007 Budget in account #001 120 664.600 Capital
Outlay, Machinery, and Equipment; and authorizing the Village Manager to
Execute the Applicable Contract on behalf ofthe Village.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 02-06/07.
• MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 02-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0.
10a. RESOLUTION 03-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Awarding a bid proposal to Florida
Design Contractors, Inc., of Lake Park, Florida, in the amount of $2,622,000.00,
for the Expansion of the Water Treatment Plant, Funded in the FY 2006/2007
Water Utility Fund #401 Budget in Capital Expansion Projects account #401-414
662.700 allocation of $2,650,000.00 and authorizing the Village Manager to
Execute the Applicable Contract on behalf of the Village.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 03-06/07
MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 03-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion.
Public Services Manager Russell White reported there were two close bids with
Florida Design being about $50,000 lower, and they would be a good contractor.
Mayor Humpage indicated he was surprised Mr. White had been able to get the
contract at this number. The Mayor reported Jupiter Hills, even though they
purchased water from the Village, was looking into building a RO facility and
•
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were devastated with the potential cost. Because ENCON had more places to
share water, they were running out of water, and the biggest problem for Jupiter
• Hills was getting rid of the salt brine. The Mayor indicated he was pleased with
the price of this contract. Vice Mayor Paterno reported receipt of an e-mail in
which Council Member Genco requested information and he had not seen a reply
from the Manager with answers to the questions from Mr. Ori regarding proposed
plant capacity, etc.--the facts that she had requested. Council Member Genco
reported a lot of that information had been in the packets received last Friday, and
she had also asked for information on this contract, and Ms. Forsythe had done an
analysis that basically showed the Village was coming out 40 or 60 cents ahead
by doing this. Council Member Genco commented she did have questions she
had asked Mr. Couzzo about that had nothing to do with the negotiation, which
was good-she had asked for a Dun & Bradstreet report and a litigation check.
Village Manager Couzzo provided those documents, which he had brought with
him to the meeting. Attorney Hawkins noted only two cases from the early 90's
had been found. Mayor Humpage advised he had looked at the contractor's track
record from other projects and their rating, which was fine. Their performance
ratings were the best on the higher value, more intense projects. Mr. White
confirmed the contract would be based on this resolution and that the contract was
a lump sum contract. Mr. White also confirmed release of liens would be
obtained from all subcontractors, which would be written in the contract. By
approval of this resolution the contract would be approved. Bill Reese of Arcadis
advised the bid document would become the contract, which contained standard
conditions, and there was a payment and performance bond required. Attorney
• Hawkins called attention to B(1) bid condition, in which the contractor would
agree to everything mandated by Arcadis.
Vice Mayor Paterno asked how much water per day the new train would deliver,
to which Mr. Reese responded it would provide 1.2 MGD capacity. The contract
with Jupiter, which would be ceasing, was 1.35, and the Village was marginal in
how close they were to having sufficient capacity to cover demands. It was his
understanding that as the Jupiter contract terminated, the Village would be
negotiating an emergency interconnect to meet needs in the event of an
emergency, and he recommended if there were an opportunity to add the other
train, to do that. Demand depended upon how dry it got. With the additional
capacity, the capacity would be 5.1 rated capacity. Council Member Genco asked
if more storage would be possible. Mr. Reese explained that when dry times
came, demand was up over consecutive days and storage would need to be so
great that it was not practical, so plants were designed to meet max day flows and
reasonable storage. Mayor Humpage noted the Village planned to look for grant
money to build the new train, and also the contract with Jupiter Hills could be
terminated if needed. Vice Mayor Paterno asked if the pressure were reduced
during dry times if the Village could save on volume because they would be
pumping less, and by reducing the pressure by one pound how much less water
would be used in a day. Mr. Reese advised he could determine that, and noted
that was something that could certainly be done in dry times to conserve water.
I~
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Motion passed 4-0.
• l Ob. RESOLUTION OS-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Villa e of
g
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Authorizing the execution of a Fee
Authorization in the amount of $150,000.00 to Arcadis RMA, for the Engineering
Services during the construction with Funding from the Budgeted Engineering
RO/WTP Expansion account #401-41-665.632 and Authorizing the Village
Manager to execute the applicable Fee Authorization on behalf of the Village.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution OS-06/07.
MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution OS-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion.
Public Services Manager Russell White indicated the amount of this contract was
less than 6% of the cost of the expansion. This had nothing to do with design, but
was only for services during the construction. Council Member Genco referred to
page 2 of 4, and commented all of the design had been done. Mr. White
explained the original RO plant design had been built to accommodate future
additional trains, and there was a lot more involved than just buying a train and
hooking it up. Mr. White advised that also in this expansion the chlorine
modification to go from gas to liquid chlorine was included, which was much
safer, and that was just one of the items involved. Mr. White commented there
would also be a lot of work when the third train was added. Council Member
• Genco asked if payment was being made in advance for items 1 through 6, to
which Mr. White responded that was the design of the additional trains, RO well
No. 3, and the pipeline, which had already been paid. Items 7 through 10 were in
this scope of work, for services during construction. The $115,000 was for the
first six items, and items 7 through 10 were covered by this resolution. The whole
thing was costing $265,000 in engineering fees. Monitoring of the budget would
be done by review of the pay requests by both parties and material substitutions
would be subject to approval.
Motion passed 4-0.
11. RESOLUTION 06-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, to Ratify the CWA Contract for the 3-
Year period 2006-2009, and authorizing the Village Manager to execute the
contract on behalf of the Village.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 06-06/07.
MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 06-06/07.
Mayor Humpage passed the gavel to Vice Mayor Paterno and seconded the motion.
C]
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Human Resources Director Merlene Reid reported there were 26 employees in
this union, and during negotiations the union had made an offer. For this contract
• the union had focused on pay and benefits, because employees felt that was where
they were hurting most. This had to do with inflation, gas prices, etc. The entire
contract had really not been discussed, just where the employees wanted to focus.
Their offer had been presented to the Village Council in an executive session, and
the Village Council had made a counter offer. The union had accepted the
Village's offer, so now ratification by the Village was needed-the union had
already ratified it on September 22, 2006.
Mayor Humpage reported this was a contract with CWA, who represented 26
Village employees. One of the things Council did this year during the budget
process was to look at salaries whether in the unions or not, with the primary goal
to bring people into the 50 percentile range and also with consideration of
retainage and attractability to hire people, so adjustments had been made to
salaries. During the budget workshops, after negotiations at staff level the
Council received an offer from the CWA, which the Council rejected. The
Council then had countered the offer to try to keep levels at a maximum of 22%.
The counter offer, which was at 22% over the three years, had been accepted by
CWA, and they had ratified the contract. This was the Village's offer that had
been accepted by CWA and it was now presented to the Village Council for
approval. Mayor Humpage expressed his opinion that in good bargaining faith
the Village needed to honor its obligation and approve this item.
Council Member Genco referred to Article 2, Section 3 in the agreement, and
commented she agreed with donating time, but felt if people wanted to bargain
with the Village that should be done on their own time. She expressed her
opinion they should be following the same grievance procedure that the Village
had, and asked why a special one should be adopted for them. Attorney Hawkins
responded the bargaining unit assumed responsibility on behalf of its members.
Council Member Genco asked why the Village wasn't asking them to follow the
Village's grievance procedure, because it made it more difficult for the Village if
there were five unions all with different grievance procedures, and it would be
easier if the unions followed the Village's procedure. Ms. Reid advised the
processes were the same-first they went to their supervisor and if that did not
work, at any time they could go to the Village Manager. Council Member Genco
referred to Article 7, hours of work and overtime, which stated: unit members
shall receive a 30-minute unpaid meal break and may also receive a 30-minute
paid meal break. Council Member Genco stated she had not known the Village
paid people to have lunch. Ms. Reid reported this was the same as in the
previous 03/06 contract, and advised the main focus during bargaining had been
salaries and benefits, but this was a policy across the entire Village for full-time
employees. Council Member Genco commented that meant people did not really
work 40 hours per week, and this was a benefit Council should have known about.
Mayor Humpage asked if this was the same contract since day one, to which Ms.
Reid responded there had been some clean-up in terms of ambiguities, etc., but
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the major changes were the pay. Mayor Humpage asked the difference between
this contract and the previous one other than the funding. Ms. Reid commented in
. Article 10, Insurance, a clause about a maximum payout of $150,000 had been
added, which was in the actual benefits, and things like that had been added. Ms.
Reid explained that Article 23, certification pay, remained the same except for a
reverse osmosis certification to receive the additional 3% pay adjustment, which
was part of a bargaining strategy that was put forward, explaining there had been
quite a number of requests for certification, and when getting to an impasse, this
one had been negotiated. For benefits, especially medical, the contract was re-
opened each year to negotiate. Council Member Genco commented she had not
had enough time before the meeting to really go through the contract.
Vice Mayor Paterno expressed his opinion the environment had changed since
negotiations began, and without numbers from the Finance Department they did
not know how this would affect the Village financially for the next three years.
The Vice Mayor stated he did not see how this could be ratified without that
information. He had requested the information, but there had not been time for it
to be provided, and his own calculations indicated it would be a burden that the
Village would not be able to maintain at its present millage rate. He did not
understand how the Council could say they were going to do something without
evaluating how it would affect the Village. Anything that came to Council had to
first go to Mr. Couzzo for approval, and he should have provided Council with
that information before they were asked to approve this. The Vice Mayor advised
he had never seen this contract before Friday-it had never been offered to him
for review for any ideas, and he did not realize about the lunch, or that life
• insurance was provided.
Village Manager Couzzo recommended, based on the comments Council was
making, it might be appropriate to table this item tonight and bring it back to an
executive session to discuss these items and provide the information Council was
asking for, to give them an opportunity to evaluate the agreement. Council
Member Watkins stated that was reasonable. Vice Mayor Paterno asked Attorney
Hawkins what would have to be done if that was what the Council would like to
do. Attorney Hawkins advised there would have to be a motion to table and a
second, and no discussion permitted. Procedurally, a body was appointed to
negotiate, it reported to Council in executive session, it endeavored to proceed
based on what Council directed. Council would not be without potential peril if
they did not ratify the contract tonight; the current contract in place would control
going forward. If they did table, he urged that the executive session occur
forthwith and that Council consider a special meeting to further address this so
they could approve it quickly, because he believed there was peril to the Village
with regard to a possible claim of unfair labor practices being presented to the
Public Employees Relations Commission arising from a notion that it had not
been bargained in good faith. He realized everyone had received this late, but was
just giving his observation of potential risk.
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Mayor Humpage commented he did not know the numbers that made the Vice
Mayor think this would create a tax increase, but one of the things that Council
• had to do by January 1 was to take a serious look at the budget, and they had
already looked at areas where they could pull money from the budget. Mayor
Humpage stressed this contract was the same contract that had been in place for
ten years, and the only real issue was the numbers, which the Village Council had
come up with, and now they were at the 12th hour and it was a mistake to push
this off. Mayor Humpage advised he was going to be gone for 12 days, which
meant the other three members of the council must agree unanimously, and he
thought they should move forward and honor the agreement they had made and if
they had to dig in the budget they should do that, but he believed they should
move forward.
Council Member Watkins commented she agreed that all of the Council were
sensitive to monetary issues, but looking at this over three years they were not
that far off, and she did not want to put the Village in jeopardy in any way.
Council Member Watkins commented the night this was discussed would have
been the time to argue the points, and she would really be concerned about putting
this in peril at this point, saying after the Council had sent them this counter offer
that now they did not like their own counter offer, which was a credibility issue
with her. She expressed concern with putting the Village in jeopardy with a
possible unfair labor issue, and stated her opinion was to move forward with it as
is.
Council Member Genco commented the Council had been called into a closed
• door session and blindly had to go through it, and she had not been comfortable
with it, and was still not comfortable with it. She understood the legalities, but
expressed her opinion the Council should not have been put into that position to
begin with-they should have had all the financial information ahead of time.
Vice Mayor Paterno commented on getting this on Friday and having never seen
it before, he would have liked to have seen it earlier. Another thing that was
added on was in reference to the 3%, and it had been discussed that there would
be no certificate pay, so this had been materially changed, in more than the
ambiguities. Attorney Hawkins advised the Vice Mayor it was extremely
important that he not disclose the content of the executive session. Council
Member Genco commented this did not reflect what was agreed to in the
executive session; Attorney Hawkins advised then to go back into executive
session. Council Member Genco commented then it could not be discussed
tonight and to approve something that was not what the Council agreed to in the
executive session, she did not think should be done, so she agreed with Vice
Mayor Paterno that they could not approve something that was different than they
approved at the executive session. Mayor Humpage asked why it was different-
the Vice Mayor responded it could not be discussed. Mayor Humpage stated he
did not believe it was any different except for the numbers, and that was the only
difference in this contract for the past 12 years. Council Member Genco
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consideration of an executive session in the future to discuss the contract in closed
session. Council Member Watkins asked if this motion failed if they would have
• to address the contract issue again. The attorney advised they could then move to
table the whole thing and that would leave staff in a quandary. The following
three points were stated by Attorney Hawkins: (1) motion had failed; (2)
therefore an option was to take it to executive session, or (3) if that failed the
whole thing could be tabled. Attorney Hawkins stated his recommendation was
to take it to executive session.
Motion passed 4-0. Mayor Humpage stated that for the record, his vote was not the
numbers, it was for the Village 's health, and he was not happy about this. Council
Member Watkins, stated she dittoed that.
12. RESOLUTION 07-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Approving aOne-Year Contract extension
to Rood Outdoor Environments of Tequesta, Florida for Public Works Lawn and
Landscape Maintenance in the amount of $71,422.68 which $71,422.68 (Account
#001-210-546.309) was allocated in the FY 2007 Budget.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 07-06/07.
MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 07-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion.
Mr. Robert Garlo, Assistant Village Manager, confirmed the four resolutions on
• the agenda reflected the entirety of the commitment made during the budget
process to reduce these contracts in excess of $100,000 with the change made to
the Public Works Department, and all of those items discussed had been removed
from these contracts, and they now reflected only what had been discussed at the
workshop that would continue to be outsourced. Mr. Garlo advised this was
structured as four different items due to being billed to different accounts.
Motion passed 4-0.
13. RESOLUTION 0&06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Approving aOne-Year Contract extension
to Rood Outdoor Environments of Tequesta, Florida for Storrnwater Department
Landscape Maintenance in the amount of $2,139.36 which $2,139.36 (Account
#403-250-546.308) was allocated in the FY 2007 Budget.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 08-06/07.
MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 08-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion.
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responded this was not the same contract they had before. Vice Mayor Paterno
stated this contract was different in some terms than what the Council had
• discussed.
Attorney Hawkins advised if there were a motion and a second to table, they
would then take a vote, and if it passed 4-0 or 3-1, it would be tabled. Discussion
ensued. Attorney Hawkins advised that the maker of the motion to approve could
withdraw her motion and then another motion could be made, or it could be taken
to a vote. The maker of the motion requested to take it to a vote.
Motion failed by 2-2 vote, with Vice Mayor Paterno and Council Member Genco
opposed.
Vice Mayor Paterno passed the gavel back to Mayor Humpage.
MOTION.• Council Member Genco moved to have an executive session and look at the
contract being offered. Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion.
Mayor Humpage asked Attorney Hawkins what would happen if this motion
passed, being worried about the Village's position in this negotiation, because the
employees should be seeing this in their next paycheck. Attorney Hawkins
advised if it were passed tonight, they could have it in their next paycheck.
Mayor Humpage asked if whatever the Village negotiated in the proposed closed
door session would be retroactive. Attorney Hawkins clarified the Village
Council would not be negotiating in the closed door session-they would be
. responding and giving direction to staff as to how to proceed, and staff would take
their direction and proceed. Council Member Genco commented when they were
talking about finances at the closed door session, they were not talking about any
of the contract. Mayor Humpage stated he understood that, and to him the
contract was the same as it had been for twelve years-7-1/4 times 3 years was
22, and they were at 22 now, so where were they going-to nitpick through the
fine print? Mayor Humpage asked the Village Attorney what happened if this
motion failed. Attorney Hawkins advised if the motion to go to executive session
failed, they would not go to executive session, and he urged the Council to
reconsider another motion to address the contract. The attorney advised this
situation manifested the problem of only having afour-member Village Council.
Attorney Hawkins stated, hypothetically assume they went back to executive
session in 13 days and then the contract was blessed or modified and then blessed
by the Council in a special meeting; if there were salary increases they could be
made retroactive. Council Member Genco recalled that had been done in the past
when the Police had an impasse. Attorney Hawkins stated that was not an
unusual outcome, but urged the Council to proceed with all dispatch. Mayor
Humpage indicated he was leaving town the next day.
During ensuing discussion regarding the motion, the Village Manager clarified
that item had failed by 2-2 vote; and now the motion before the Council was
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Council Member Genco reported the sheet received from Assistant Manager
• Garlo on August 31, 2006, showed the amount for Dover Ditch as $5,351.00, and
this was saying it was only$2,139, and questioned whether more would have to be
paid. Mr. Garlo explained that was for Tequesta Drive Drainage, which was
different than Dover Ditch. Council Member Genco apologized, commenting she
had the wrong one.
Motion passed 4-0.
14. RESOLUTION 09-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, approving aOne-Year Contract extension
to Terracon Services, Inc. of Jupiter, Florida for Public Works Lawn and
Landscape Maintenance in the amount of $15,354.53 which $15,354.53 (Account
#001-210-546.309) was allocated in the FY 2007 Budget.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 09-06/07.
MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 09-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0.
15. RESOLUTION 10-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, approving aOne-Year Contract extension
to Terracon Services, Inc, of Jupiter, Florida for Stormwater Department
. Landscape Maintenance in the amount of $14,621.44 which $14,621.44 (Account
#403-250-546.308) was allocated in the FY 2007 Budget. .
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 10-06/07.
MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve Resolution 10-06/07.
Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0.
16. RESOLUTION 12-06/07- A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of
Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Placing the Village ofTequesta's
Property, Inland Marine, General Liability, Law Enforcement Liability,
Automobile and Worker's Compensation coverage with the Florida Municipal
Insurance Trust (EMIT) (Per attached Schedule A) for a combined premium of
$402,746 and authorizing the Village Manager to execute the applicable
agreement on behalf of the Village.
Village Attorney Hawkins read into the record Resolution 12-06/07.
MOTION: Council Member Watkins moved approval of Resolution 12-06/07. Council
Member Genco seconded the motion.
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Ms. Merlene Reid, Human Resources Manager, explained that originally all of the
insurance had been with the Preferred Government Insurance Trust (PGIT), and
clarified that the property insurance had reflected a 507% increase, creating an
overall effect on the insurance items listed of approximately 200+%. After
talking to PGIT, she had been able to get them to reduce that to 43.38% overall
increase. With the proposed move to the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust, that
overall increase would be further reduced to 20% increase. Ms. Reid clarified this
did not include the new building. The original quote from PGIT for the building
had been $94,000, which they had reduced to $68,000, and Ms. Reid was
expecting a quote on that from Florida Municipal Insurance Trust. Ms. Reid
reported she had worked with the Gehring Group Professional Services during
this process, and had been referred to them by Patrice Monaco in the Finance
Department. Two representatives from the Gehring Group were present at
tonight's meeting.
Vice Mayor Paterno asked how much over budget the insurance cost would be
with the insurance on the new building, to which Ms. Reid responded there was
$12,000 left in the budget, and although she did not know the amount that would
be quoted, she suspected that it would be more than the amount remaining in the
budget. Council Member Genco asked if it were possible to raise deductibles to
reduce premiums.
Ellen Jones, with the Gehring Group, thanked staff for a wonderful job during this
process. Ms. Jones advised that they could go back and ask for increased
• deductibles to show what potential savings would be; and also reported that all of
the proposed coverages with Florida Municipal Insurance Trust would be
retroactive to October 1. They had already sent in the information to bind the
coverage so that the Village would not be without insurance in the interim; it
could be bound as is to move forward and then make changes by endorsement at
any point in time. Council Member Genco asked about the possible savings from
higher deductibles, noting that soon some form of self insurance might be
evaluated. Ms. Jones responded there could possibly be a great savings by
looking at something in a very high deductible range, instead of $10,000 possibly
$25,000, and they could bring back a range of deductibles for the Village to look
at options side by side. Council Member Genco indicated it was her
understanding that the Public Safety building and the Water Treatment building
had been built to withstand a 500-year storm, so that she expected insurance to
cost much less for those. Ms. Jones reported the $10,000 deductible shown was
for fire and normal things that might be experienced, but a different deductible
would kick in for windstorm events and it would be 5% of the total insured value
of the building at the time or the amount of the deductible, whichever was greater,
so the deductible might be higher in those examples. The policy had been rated
based on when the number of buildings, distance from the water, year built,
construction types, etc. Vice Mayor Paterno asked if the deductible would be
approximately $500,000, using 5% of the total insured value. Ms. Jones
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explained it would apply per building damaged in that particular storm at that
particular location.
• The Vice Mayor complimented Ms. Reid for doin such a ood 'ob findin
g g J g
another insurance provider, and presenting a simple explanation on a spreadsheet
that could easily be understood.
Motion passed 4-0.
17. Council appointment of 3 "Regular Members" to the Board of Adjustment for
each member to have a term of 3-years.
Mayor Humpage explained that these members were already on the board, and
commented the Village was lucky to have them. Council Member Watkins asked
if the Village sent out-thank you letters for volunteering again. Mayor Humpage
advised he had attended the last Board ofAdjustment meeting and thanked them.
MOTION: Council Member Watkins moved to reappoint as regular members to the
Board of Adjustment Mr. Paul P. Brienza, Mr. Jon Newman, and Mr. Steve Pullon for
three year terms. Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0.
18. Update for Council consideration and possible action concerning the proposed
Contract Resolution with Welsh Tennis Courts, Inc.
Village Attorney Hawkins advised that the materials in the packets consisted of a
• series of letters between him as Counsel for the Village and Attorney Jeffrey
Kuhn as Counsel for Welsh Tennis, relative to a tentative settlement to resolve a
dispute between the Village and Welch Tennis concerning work Welsh Tennis did
in improvements to Constitution Park. Attorney Hawkins reported the original
contract value had been $357,000, Tequesta had paid all but $132,000 and made a
liquidated damages claim of $51,750--which was on page three of his September
27, 2006 letter in the packet. Attorney Hawkins advised that Welsh Tennis had a
agreed to accept a settlement payment of $76,446.39 from the Village, and the
Village had agreed to absorb a permitting fee. The problem had been that the
work was materially late.
Vice Mayor Paterno stated the Village Manager had done a great job representing
the Village on this item; Council. Member Watkins and Mayor Humpage
expressed agreement. The Village Manager explained the situation with the
permitting fee.
MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve the proposed Contract
Resolution with Welsh Tennis Courts, Inc. Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion,
Motion passed 4-D.
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X. ANY OTHER MATTERS
• Council Member Genco announced she had a check for $218.05 from the Action
CommitteeofTequestaforthePublicSafetyMemorial.Fund. Mayor Humpage advised
the last golftournament had been held forthe Public Safety Memorial, and the committee
had met. They had roughly $48,000 in the bank, and were trying to get the matching
funds from the county. They were doing a call to artists, and the people representing
them would provide a briefpresentation at theNovember Village Council meeting ifthe
other members of the Council agreed. The other members ofthe Council concurred, and
congratulated Mayor Humpage for a great job on this project.
Vice Mayor Paterno asked if any contracts to be carried forward needed to be brought up
today in order for them to keep going on, such as Mr. Cory's contract, which was more
than $15,000. Council Member Genco indicated she believed an annual contract went
until the expiration date no matter where that was in the budget process. Village
Manager Couzzo advised he would check to see if anything was outstanding.
Attorney Hawkins advised he had received an email from a resident regarding the golf
cart registration program, who reported it was working extremely well. Mayor Humpage
reported he went to the Country Club and no one was complaining, and he had met a
woman who needed her cart adapted and wanted to do it herself, and the Police Chiefhad
told her it was okay so long as it passed the inspection. Mayor Humpage reported
everyone seemed to be happy with the program.
. Council Member Watkins reported Council did not get a lot of feedback from residents
and requested if a lot of calls on an issue were received by the Village that the Manager
include that in his monthly report. Mayor Humpage suggested a town meeting might be
held.
The closed door executive session was set for October 24, 2006, which everyone seemed
to have available. Mayor Humpage requested that everyone be sent an email to firm up
that date within the next 2-3 days.
XI. ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion by Council Member Watkins, seconded by Council MemberGenco, and
unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 9:12 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Betty Laur
Recording Secretary
•
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