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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 02_12/14/2006MINUTES VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA REGULAR VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006 I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jim Humpage at 7:00 p.m. A roll call was taken by Recording Secretary Sharifa Tharpe. Present were: Mayor Jim Humpage, Vice Mayor Tom Paterno, Council Member Geraldine A. Genco, and Council Member Pat Watkins. Also in attendance were: Village Manager Michael R. Couzzo, Jr., Village Attorney Scott Hawkins, Recording Secretary Sharifa Tharpe, and Department Heads. II. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council Member Genco 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 as amended; seconded by Council Member Genco. Motion was to approve the Agenda with item 10 removed from the Consent Agenda and Item 12 struck from the Agenda by staff,• Motion passed 4-0. Mayor Humpage announced Chief McCollom removed Item 12 from the Agenda. Council Member Genco removed Item 10 from the Consent Agenda. IV. STANDING REPORTS VILLAGE ATTORNEY -None VILLAGE MANAGER Village Manager Couzzo reported if the Village Hall was inspected by the Fire Department and some minor work was completed, the staff would be moving to the new Village Hall. He stated they would get a temporary CO, and there were some issues which still needed to be addressed, but the furniture had been delivered, the power was up, and everything was ready to go. Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 2 Council Member Genco asked the status of hiring a Village Clerk. Village Manager Couzzo stated Human Resources Manager Merlene Reid and Finance Director Jo-Ann Forsythe interviewed today, and he had an appointment on Tuesday morning to meet with the finalist. He stated it looked very positive. Council Member Genco asked if the move in date for the next Village Hall would be this weekend. Village Manager Couzzo stated it would be November 10, 2006. Council Member Genco asked if they wanted to hire the new Village Clerk to help with the move. Village Manager Couzzo stated they had not conducted the final interview. He advised that the next interview would be next Tuesday and hopefully they would be able to make an offer, and the start date would be in two weeks. Council Member Genco thought they would expedite the process so the Clerk would be able to organize the files. Village Manager Couzzo stated Recording Secretary Ms. Betty Laur and Office Assistant Sharifa Tharpe would organize the files when they moved to the new Village Hall. V. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION.• Council Member Watkins made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as amended with item 10 being removed. Council Member Genco 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 October 11, 2006. 3. Village Council Special Meeting Minutes (Final Public Hearings) FY 2006/2007 Millage and Budgets September 28, 2006. 4. Planning and Zoning Advisory Board Meeting Minutes August 3, 2006. 5. Board of Adjustment Meeting Minutes November 21, 2005. 6. Board of Adjustment Meeting Minutes September 25, 2006. 7. Special Master Meeting Minutes January 26, 2006. 8. Special Master Meeting Minutes August 31, 2006. 9. General Employees Pension Board Quarterly Meeting Minutes April 24, 2006. END OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA 10. Public Safety Officers Pension Board Quarterly Meeting Minutes April 18, 2006. 2 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 3 Council Member Genco stated she was following up on this. She stated the Public Safety Pension Funds with Rockwood Investment Advisors had been in a hole for the last six quarters. She commented that was not good, and it meant if they were not getting their target the Village would have to make up the funds. She stated she wrote her own personal memorandum to Attorney Bonni Jensen and expressed her concern, and she thought after six quarters they should be doing something about it and moving forward. She commented the Village had to keep up to date with it because every time they fell behind the taxpayers had to pay for it. She stated other than that, she did not have any other issue with the minutes. She stated she wanted to point that out. Council Member Watkins stated on the minutes of April 18, 2006 it stated Council Member Genco was resigning and she wanted to know if she resigned officially. Council Member Genco stated they received an official letter of resignation from her in person. She explained the Village Clerk wrote it for her and she went into the office, she signed it, and they retained a copy of it. Council Member Watkins stated it was in the minutes and she was curious. Council Member Genco stated she resigned in 2005 and she thought Village Manager Couzzo should follow up on it. MOTION.• Council member Watkins moved to approve Item 10. Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-0 VI. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Russell Von Frank, 489 Dover Road, stated he had a short story. He mentioned Mr. Omblebee and explained he was the brother-in-law of his oldest sister. He stated he was a vineologist who was sent out to find ores for mining companies; he also participated in the royalties. He stated after the war began, he offered his services to the Unites States Government, which they accepted. He pointed out his salary was $1 a year. He stated his point was to make an offer for $1 a year to help Officer Joe Petrick in his endeavor to enhance the Village Codes because he has had a problem on the last one, and he has not been able to get to a few of Mr. Von Frank's own. He thought it would be helpful if he could give him a hand. Harold Taylor, 13 Chapel Court, stated he would like to discuss what was going on in the north end of Tequesta Park. He pointed out Jupiter Hills had installed a fence and landscaped that area. He explained the fence ran approximately 700 feet from the west end to about 2/3 of the way across the north side of the park. He mentioned the fence company was Martin Fence Company in Lake Park. Mr. Taylor stated when he walked his dog, they were out there working on it. He pointed out the only problem was they did not finish the job properly and if someone walked their dog along the north side and met someone walking towards them, most of the fence posts, approximately 95, have not been back filled properly. He stated there was a possibility someone could walk along the fence and get their foot stuck in the hole, which was about 1-1 /2 feet deep, and break a leg which would leave the park, or the state, facing a lawsuit. He asked if the Village 3 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 4 could call the fence company and have them finish the job completely or have one of the maintenance crews do it. Mr. Taylor commented it was not a safe condition. He asked what responsibility the Village had regarding Tequesta Park. He stated he knew the Village leased it from the State. He pointed out at one time the fence was where the center of the berm was but now the fence was 20 feet inside the park. He asked if that was part of the agreement between the Village or Jupiter Hills with the State. He pointed out a length of 700 feet with a width of 20 feet would be taken out of Tequesta Park. He commented it seemed like a strange place to put the fence, but from a practical perspective he could see why they did it because they did the landscaping and if they put the berm of the fence on their side they would not be able to get to their landscaping. In the meantime it looked strange to place the fence there with out any prior approval from anyone. He asked if someone could check into that, to see if everything was according to plan and get back to the residents at the next Regular Village Council meeting. Mayor Humpage stated yes they could do that. He explained the criteria was set with Jupiter Hills and he had helped to negotiate that deal. The Village would fill the holes tomorrow. He stated they had a survey from the State and Jupiter Hills was supposed to put the fence back at the original location. Mr. Taylor pointed out that would be at the center of the berm; he doubted they could do that because that would leave some of their landscaping, especially their palm trees, on the other side of the fence. Mayor Humpage stated the agreement was that Jupiter Hills would go over and maintain the property even on the other side of the fence. He stated it didn't make a difference and he would connect with them tomorrow. Carl Hansen, 264 River Drive, stated he would like to talk about Tequesta Memorial. He stated people were working on it for the most part of 2004 and at Publix he met his friend Mr. Carlton Stoddazd and he asked Mr. Hansen to talk to Council about it, because he wanted to see some action. He stated he was speaking on behalf of Mr. Cazlton Stoddazd, and certainly Mr. Edward Resnik. He stated they had several meetings at that time and they looked at the locations and a decision was made to wait until the new Village Hall was built so they could find a better location for it. He pointed out the Village Hall has been built and it was a good time to decide where the memorial should be. He reminded Council they already had the Indian head logo that was supposed to be in the memorial.. He hoped the Village would take a positive look at it. He thought it would be a good thing to have and it would be a wonderful tribute to Mr. Resnik because he was chairman of the Memorial Committee at that time. He stated Mr. Fred Menor of Lake Worth Monument Company came up with a place, the first phase, which would be good for the next 5 or 10 years and would cost $35,000. Council Member Watkins stated at a previous Council meeting she had suggested they have a workshop including the Committee that worked on the memorial and the Village Council to discuss it again, now that the building was there and they could address it. She stated she had asked the Village Manager to bring it to the forefront. She stated they 4 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 5 were definitely going to address it and it had not been forgotten. Mr. Hansen stated he had minutes where it was discussed Council Member Genco announced they were having a memorial service for Mr. Edward D. Resnik at 8:30 a.m. in case anyone was interesting in attending. VII. COMMUNICATIONS FROM COUNCIL COUNCIL MEMBER WATKINS Council Member Watkins thanked Mr. Taylor for bringing the issue of the fence in Tequesta Park to Council's attention because they needed to be aware of that, so that no one got hurt. She expressed she was glad Mr. Hansen mentioned the memorial because November 8, 2006 was the anniversary of Mr. Resnik's death and as Council Member Genco stated, the memorial service was tomorrow morning. She commented they would just like to remember him. She stated she had asked Village Manager Couzzo and Chief McCollom about having a system to identify the elderly residents who did not have any family, so if they wanted, the Village could contact them to give them particular information like hurricane warnings. She commented she would love to get input from residents about that idea. Mr. Hansen stated about 1-1 /2 years ago, there was an initiative regarding that idea. He stated some residents met and spoke about it, but the people who were contacted were not interested. He stated there were some people who were willing to make the calls in the morning from the Police Department but there was no interest from the people who were contacted. Council Member Watkins stated that was the type of information she was looking for. COUNCIL MEMBER GENCO Council Member Genco stated she heard from a developer and a few citizens that the Village was having problems with the fee increases which were made in Community Development, and the budget was based on those fee increases. She pointed out apparently there was something that was not legal about them. She stated they could not implement them. She asked Village Manager Couzzo what was happening and why Council has not heard about it. Council Member Genco specified they increased all the permit fees by 200% and others by 20%. Attorney Scott Hawkins thought they were referring to the Occupational License fees. Council Member Genco stated it was not the Occupational License fees, it was also Building Permit fees. She reminded Council they did a fee increase approximately seven meetings ago before the budget, and when Community Development Director Catherine Harding asked for the three or four people to be added to her staff, their salaries would be covered by those fee increases. She stated a Developer had made a 5 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 6 complaint to the State Attorney's office about the fees for the developments or something being illegal. She explained because it was no longer an Enterprise Fund, they are not allowed to do that. Attorney Hawkins stated he knew there was a complaint but did not know the State Attorney's Office was involved. He stated the complaint was four to six weeks ago and what they learned was that what Council had approved had been implemented more broadly than what had been approved. He explained the charges had been reversed. Council Member Genco asked what would happen to the Village's budget because that would have a big effect on the budget. Attorney Hawkins stated he was not sure about the budget impact but he knew the way it was implemented appeared to be incorrect, and it had to be rectified. He stated it had to be done, and that was his recommendation. Council Member Genco expressed she was amazed no one advised Council because the budget projections that came from Community Development and all the staff that Council approved, including the Inspector, was based on those additional revenues. Attorney Hawkins stated he did not know anything about the budget impact, but when it came to him it had already been put in the mail. Mayor Humpage asked if they were talking about Permit Fees or Licensing Fees. Council Member Genco stated they made across the board increases to every type of fee. She listed Permit, Development, Fire, and Inspection Fees. Mayor Humpage stated he was only hearing of one thing that had been changed. Attorney Hawkins believed they approved a modest fee increase. He stated he did not draft it and when it came to him it appeared it had been implemented more broadly than Council approved. Mayor Humpage asked if it was regarding Permit or Licensing. Attorney Hawkins stated it was a whole range of fees. Council Member Genco stated Council increased the Fire inspection and Inspection costs, the Development fee, Occupational License fee, and almost every fee collected by Community Development was increased from 25% to 300%. She stated the budget projections they utilized in the past budget and the salaries of those new positions they approved had been based on those fee increases and Council approved it because they thought they were getting the extra revenue. Council Member Genco expressed she was shocked they did not know what effect resulted from the reversal. Council Member Watkins stated she received a call from a business owner about the Occupational License. Attorney Hawkins stated he was familiar with the issue regarding the Occupational licenses and it was implemented more broadly than was proper; and it was reversed. He stated the charges brought forth were nullified and it has returned to its last schedule. Council Member Genco asked what impact it had on Fire. Village Manager Couzzo stated he did not believe there was any impact there. He stated the only impact was with the Occupational Licenses. Council Member Genco thought it was an important issue for Council to be aware of. Village Manager Couzzo stated he would prepare a report for Council and give any thoughts on the 6 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 7 impact it would have on revenue. Village Attorney Hawkins stated when it was brought to their attention, it had been rectified very quickly. Vice Mayor Paterno asked if they were talking about the Occupational or the Permit Fees. Village Manager Couzzo stated it was the Occupational License fees. Vice Mayor Paterno asked Attorney Hawkins if that was correct. He commented it seemed they were talking about two separate issues. Village Attorney Hawkins commented he has not looked at it in six weeks nor had he heard about it in six weeks, but he recalled the Occupational License issue and it had been rectified. He stated there was something about a range of fees and he did not recall that being an issue. Council Member Watkins asked if he had been contacted by a Developer. Attorney Hawkins stated he had not been contacted by anyone but Community Development Director Harding, who told him they had an issue, and it had been resolved in 48 hours. Council Member Genco stated she talked to one Developer and three residents, but she had not gone into Community Development. She stated she was relaying what she had been told. Mayor Humpage stated a restaurant owner told him he got a check back from the Village for $30 for the license. Village Manager Couzzo specified it was a reimbursement. Mayor Humpage stated he was not aware of a Permit Fee issue but he was not aware that had occurred as a complaint either. Attorney Hawkins stated staff misapplied the statute, the statue changed with in the last six months, it was a complaint or two com-plaints and it went to staff, who brought it to his attention. Council Member Genco asked that they let Council know if it gets any further than the Occupational license. Mayor Humpage asked Village Manager Couzzo to do a report. Village Manager Couzzo stated he would. Vice Mayor Paterno asked if the Permit Fees were affected. Village Manager Couzzo believed it was the Occupational Fees only. Council Member Genco explained the reason was because the Village changed it from an Enterprise Fund to a Government Fund, and it was not a State Statute change. Attorney Hawkins thought it was reclassified. Council Member Genco stated they requested by the Departments so it put them into a different category. She explained instead of falling under one area of the statute, which would have been the Enterprise Fund, which would have allowed them to increase funds based on their cost when they changed it to the Government Fund, they were not allowed to do that because they have a cap on the fee, which was a statute. Attorney Hawkins stated he was not prepared to respond but he knew it was reclassified in some way. Council Member Genco stated she looked it up as a result of someone questioning it. Council Member Watkins asked Village Attorney Hawkins to let them know if anything came up. Council Member Genco stated she had another issue she had been addressing for quite a long time, and she wanted people to understand her reason for addressing it, because she felt as an elected person, her job was to represent the taxpayers; and in order for her to make decisions based on her own expertise, she needed information. She stated that information was very important for her decision making and it had to do with financial data, projections, and staffing. Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 8 Council Member Genco stated an example of something she was asking for which she finally received, had begun on January 16, 2005 when she sent an e-mail to the Village Manager regarding Mutual Aid Information and background. She stated she asked for specific information so she knew what projections and cost would be affecting the Village residents when they entered into a Mutual Aid Agreement. She stated she did not receive a response to that and that was January 2005. Council Member Genco stated in April 2006 she asked for more information and that did not mean she did not have conversations in the meantime. She specified these were memorandums she wrote to the Village Manager. She stated Council was being given information about the number of calls of Mutual Aid the Village gave and the number they received. Council Member Genco stated if they did not know the total number of calls for Tequesta, Palm Beach County, and Martin County, those two numbers by themselves were numerators and there was no denominator to know how many calls the Village had. She explained they could not know what effect the Mutual Aid had on the Village Staff and the costs. She stated she asked for that and she never got it. She stated she asked for it again in November, and finally after the second memo, she got a response. She pointed out it was a year and six months later. Council Member Genco stated the next one was March 9, 2005, when she found out they had an on going litigation with John Zuccerilli. She explained he had a judgment that the Village did not have closed or dismissed in Court and it took a total of five months to get a response to that, at which point in time the Attorney took care of it and it was resolved. She stated she had to make at least a half of a dozen calls to get any response from the Village Manager. She stated this was over a period of time. Council Member Genco stated the next one was on September 26, 2005 and it had to do with something Council asked the Village Manager to do because there were development plans for the Western portion of Island Way that the Village felt would impact the traffic of the Village along Country Club Drive. She stated she asked the Village Manager to write a letter to Martin County Planning and Zoning on behalf of the Village, and to be copied on any pending applications and petitions. She stated nothing was done. Council Member Genco stated she sent another memorandum on September 29, 2005, waiting to hear if he would send a letter, she found instead of going to her, he went to legal council to have them draft a letter. She pointed out he could have written the letter instead of having legal Council do it ,which cost the Village money. Council Member Genco stated she sent another memo on October 10, 2005 and she was still waiting to get an answer. She stated this was from September 26, 2005 to October 10, 2005 to find out about the letter. She stated she understood the Attorney eventually sent the letter and she was not sure if she received the letter or not but she did not have it in her files. She stated she had another issue with the budget. She explained after meeting with Village Manager Couzzo, she sent a follow up to him on October 7 where he had told her in the previous meeting that she would have a graph and budget projections for Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 9 the up coming budget. Mayor Humpage asked if this was 2005 or 2006. Council Member Genco stated she was still referring to 2005. She stated she never got it, and it would have helped Council understand the budget if they had gotten it. Mayor Humpage asked Council Member Genco if they were going to go through a litany of these things. Council Member Genco stated there were four or five of them. Mayor Humpage asked what her point was. Council Member Genco stated she would like to finish making her point because she had been made fun of, had been called a liar, and labeled a crazy woman, for the kind of information she had been requesting. She stated she wanted the public to understand why she was doing it because she felt she needed the information to make a decision, and that other Council Members would benefit in their decision-making ability if they got this sort of information. She stated the only reason she had put them into writing was because when she stated them verbally, they were completely ignored. Mayor Humpage stated this was information she did not receive from the Village Manager. Council Member Genco stated it was affecting her job and she was not able to make informed decisions on behalf of the taxpayers because she was not being provided information for her decision-making ability. She stated if it was one instance, she could understand. She stated if it was two she could have forgiven it, but when it was more than four times that written requests were not responded to, she had a problem with it. Council Member Genco stated she would like to finish because it was important to her and the taxpayers. Council Member Genco stated this issue had to do with the bridge. She stated she requested engineering reports three times during the months of December. She stated she never received them. She stated Mayor Humpage received it, because that was what Village Manager Couzzo responded. She stated the rest of the Council Members did not receive it until the Council Meeting. She mentioned someone told Council they had information regarding the bridge that was outdated and asked why Council did not do anything about it. She stated she asked for that information three times and never got it. Council Member Genco stated February 27 had to do with the annexation of Coral Cove Park, and the Village was devoting staff to look at annexing it. She stated she wanted to know what the cost to the Village would be for lifeguards, for bathrooms, for asphalt, and cleaning the beaches. Mayor Humpage stated he responded to that. Council Member Genco stated he did not until the Council meeting. Mayor Humpage stated he did not know the answers until he met with Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus. Council Member Genco stated she wanted to finish speaking. Council Member Genco stated she called Village Manager Couzzo to find out why they were looking at annexing Coral Cove Park. She stated he told her the reason was kids were having beer parties, they were making trouble, and the nearby condominiums were having trouble because by the time Palm Beach County got 9 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 10 there, the kids were already gone. Council Member Genco stated she suggested to Mr. Couzzo the Village do a Mutual Aid Agreement. She stated there was no feedback until Mayor Humpage said it at the meeting four months later. Mayor Humpage stated no one had the answer to that until the week prior when he met with Commissioner Marcus, and there was no cost. Council Member Genco stated that was not her point. Mayor Humpage stated how could someone respond when there was no answer to be given. Council Member Genco stated if they were looking at the annexation at that point in time, they should have been looking at the fiscal responsibilities the Village would have as a result of that annexation. She stated she asked Mr. Couzzo at a that time what the responsibilities were, she did not receive a response, and it took two more conversations with him before he had the courtesy of discussing it with her, at which time the real reason the Village was doing it was for Police Patrol. She stated she suggested they do a Mutual Aid Agreement, which was what happened. Mayor Humpage pointed out they would have also picked up three acres of green space. Council Member Genco stated there were eight staff members there. Mayor Humpage stated there were not eight people, there were two. Council Member Genco apologized and stated he was right. She listed Assistant Village Manager Robert Garlo, Community Development Director Harding, and Mayor Humpage. She stated the other five attendees, were from Palm Beach County. She stated her issue was she asked for information and she never got the courtesy of a response. Council Member Genco stated she wanted a response because she wanted to know where they were going for the taxpayers. Mayor Humpage stated they were not going anywhere without Council's consent. Council Member Genco stated if the Village Manager had responded perhaps they would have gotten somewhere. She commented they ended up with the Mutual Aid Agreement, which was very good. She stated she had questions in June and on the 2nd of January because the different Boards requested information on the Charter and the Sunshine rules, on which Scott Hawkins did an educational session. She stated the different Board Members wanted to attend those meetings and she got no response. She stated on the 20`~ and the 24a' she followed up and he never told anyone about it. Former Village Clerk Gwen Carlisle called and informed them, and that was why there were so few people from the boards. Council Member Genco referred to October 10, 2006 and pointed out as a result of the budget this year, Council decided to look at what their hurricane expenses were for their Hurricane expense and she asked for information from the Acting Village Manager Garlo. She stated she wanted to know what the total hurricane costs were and what the gross costs before reimbursement were. She stated Mr. Garlo had that memorandum done on October 13, 2006 and it was on Village Manager Couzzo's desk until October 31, 2006. Council Member Watkins stated he was on vacation. Council Member Genco stated he was gone on the 11~', 12~'' and 13~'; on the 13`t' Assistant Village Manager Garlo hand delivered the response to him and it took weeks to get to her. She stated when she asked for it, Mr. Garlo was blamed for giving it to Village Manager Couzzo late. Council Member Watkins stated she would 10 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 11 take issue with that. Council Member Genco stated yes, why should Mr. Garlo be blamed for it. Council Member Genco referred to September 28, 2006. Council Member Watkins stated she thought this was inappropriate. She described it as a public grilling with no opportunity to respond. Mayor Humpage commented if Council Member Genco wanted to vent, he did not think it was appropriate to do it at the meeting. He stated for what it was worth, he felt the Council has been kept informed by the Village Manager and he was sure he made mistakes with the number of things he had to do and he was sure he did not always get back to every request. Council Member Genco asked how often was someone not to respond. Mayor Humpage stated he did not know what to tell her. He stated he ran into Council Member Watkins and Vice Mayor Paterno all the time at the Village Hall, and he did not always send a-mails but he continually made phone calls when he had questions; or he would ask the Village Manager if he could speak to a department head. Mayor Humpage stated the Village Manager was accountable to them, but he had a number of things on his plate every day, and that Council in their own conscience would contact the Village Manager. He pointed out he always bumped into Vice Mayor Paterno and Council Member Watkins at the Village Hall, who were also trying to get answers to their own questions. He commented it was Council Members' responsibility to contact and get information and if it fell in a hole, or if the information were not received in 10 days, he would find out why. Council Member Genco asked what happened the last time she did that. She pointed out Mayor Humpage stated it was a Sunshine violation. Mayor Humpage stated that had nothing to do with something from Mr. Couzzo. Council Member Genco stated yes, it did, and specified it had something to do with October 10, 2006. Mayor Humpage expressed he did not want to go there and that was not the case; he did not think she had to go there nor did he. He stated his point was they were beating the dog to death from March 2005 and now she was upset, she was coming out, and she was going back a year and a half ago. Council Member Genco stated she was not angry. Mayor Humpage stated these issues were done and over with and Council needed to make a consolidated effort to work towards the betterment of the Council. Council Member Genco stated Council made a decision October 26, 2006 and they were given an agenda which stated the Items in the Regular Council meeting were for discussion only. Mayor Humpage stated no and specified that was in the Closed Door Session. Council Member Watkins stated that was the notice. Council Member Genco stated they were also given a memorandum a day before the Special meeting saying it was for discussion only. Mayor Humpage stated it was. Council Member Genco stated she went into the meeting and found out they would be voting on a ratio of what the salaries were versus the revenues. She pointed out that omitted from the salary benefits were things such as insurance and pension benefits. She commented that was not an accurate ratio. She pointed out she asked for that and she noted to the 11 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 12 Village Manager that Council did not have enough information to make an educated vote. She stated Village Manager Couzzo responded it was for discussion and Council was not voting on it. Mayor Humpage stated that was completely incorrect. Council Member Watkins pointed out the discussion was regarding the Police Benevolent Association and the agenda clearly stated "Discussion and Possible Action". She commented this was not fair, and Council Member Genco had to be accurate in what she was saying. Council Member Watkins emphasized the agenda stated "Discussion and Possible Action", and discussion regarding the Fire Department was included. Council Member Genco stated the public agenda stated discussion and that was all the notice the public received. She stated she was only concerned about what the public got. Mayor Humpage asked if they were talking about the Executive Session or the Special Meeting. Council Member Genco stated they were talking about the Regular Council Meeting. She explained the Village Council Special meeting was where they did action afterwards. She stated she asked Village Manager Couzzo if they were going to be voting on the Communication Workers of America only. She stated Village Manager Couzzo stated yes, but instead Council voted on information on the Fire Department and the General Employees. Council Member Watkins commented Council Member Genco knew they were voting that night. Mayor Humpage stated she knew and pointed out it was on the agenda. Council Member Genco stated if they had had the pension information and the Insurance information, Council would have voted differently. Vice Mayor Paterno commented there had been a lack of communication on occasion. He stated he agreed with Council Member Genco on that issue, but they had a choice to make the right decision and do the right thing for the Village and move on, and if it did not get rectified then they would take care of what ever they had to, and let everyone know that communication is the most important thing here. He stated they should do something about it and move forward and if it did not get better, she could do what she had to do, but to keep going on at this point would alienate other people she would rather not alienate. Council Member Genco stated although she respected her fellow Council Members, she was a financial consultant, a Principal, former Controller of a Bank, and an expert in financial matters who testified all over the world, and had a very high level of fiscal responsibility. She believed there was information that had to be provided to make fiscally responsible decisions and she would not change that belief regardless of whether or not her fellow Council Members thought they were important, and she apologized to them if they did not understand why she felt it was important. She stated if they asked her questions she would explain it to them. Vice Mayor Paterno stated he was the one person out of the four of them who was more inclined to agree with her on some things, but he was saying if it did not get better he would support her to fix it but he would rather not go on about it; and starting today if it did not change immediately then she could bring it up and they 12 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 13 would do something if they had to. He stated he agreed to some extent that Village Manager Couzzo and staff needed to communicate better with them. He stated he was not sure where she was going when she kept on going on about it. Council Member Genco stated the Village Manager had the responsibility to provide the information they requested promptly, completely, without omission and personal interpretation. Mayor Humpage stated he agreed. He asked if they could agree to have a protocol to follow. He stated if they were going to hold the Village Manager accountable for information, the information they sought needed to go through the Village Manager. Council Member Genco stated that was the policy. Mayor Humpage stated it was the policy set by the Charter. He commented he knew that one of the issues she was upset about was the issue with the "hurricane numbers." Council member Genco stated that was one of many. Mayor Humpage referred to when she had asked Assistant Village Manager Garlo for the information when Village Manager Couzzo was on vacation, and suggested if the Village Manager was away and a Council Member had a request, they should send him a memo and copy the staff member of the department involved. Council Member Genco stated it was sent to the Village Manager. Mayor Humpage stated his understanding was Mr. Couzzo never received the request for the hurricane. She stated Mr. Garlo told her Village Manager Couzzo got the request, as well as the response when it was placed on his desk on October 13, 2006. Mayor Humpage stated he agreed but he did not want to get into the details. He explained he spoke to Mr. Garlo about it and there were errors in the report and that was why it was delayed, because the Finance Department did not agree with it. Council Member Genco stated that happened after the fact; she called Finance to find that out. Mayor Humpage stated they were hearing two different explanations. He stated they needed to follow the protocol. Council Member Genco explained after she got the response, she sent an e-mail to Village Manager Couzzo saying that was not sufficient information, then he brought the memo to Finance at the end of the month. Mayor Humpage stated this Council was entitled to any information they wanted and it should be supplied to them in a timely matter. He stated if Council Members wanted information they should run it through the Village Manager, and copy the department heads, and the Village Manager was accountable because he would be aware of it at the same time the information was being requested. Council Member Genco stated she did not send it to the department heads because she felt it was the Village Manager's responsibility to respond. Mayor Humpage stated Council should follow the protocol and the Village Manager and staff would be required to follow up on their side and if that did not occur, he would want to know. Council Member Watkins asked Council Member Genco to be very careful with the comments and the accusations said in the public because she personally felt some of them were coming very close to slanderous, and she as a Council Member would not want to be apart of a lawsuit. She commented she did not know Council Member Genco's daily business but she had a hard time believing the Village Manager would intentionally not give her answers if for no other reason than not to be held up to public ridicule. She stated they had to work together and move forward and be fair 13 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 14 and operate under the conditions they could best operate. She stated she had registered the complaint about the information many times and commented she felt staff would work very hard. She pointed out the problem she was seeing was staff had limited time, and were bogged down with incessant questions. She stated they were concerned about the accuracy of reports and made an extra effort to ensure accuracy. She mentioned they sometimes included Attorney Hawkins in making sure it was accurate and commented it was exhausting. She asked Council Member Genco to be careful with her comments, and let them work with the Village Manager. She pointed out by Charter they should go through the Village Manager and they all agreed by policy if they had a problem with the Village Manager they should go to the Mayor. She commented she did not want to be a part of accusations that were faceless and which could open the Village up to a lawsuit. Council Member Genco stated as a Public Official she was worried the lack of information was interfering with her responsibility of making an informed decision. Vice Mayor Paterno stated they needed to come up with a way they could get the information everyone needed. He pointed out Village Manager Couzzo tries to find the information but by the time he goes to someone and gets the information and responds, it takes a while. He asked how they could solve the information problem with out overstepping their authority. He stated sometimes he sought the information himself but he did not tell them what to do. He stated they should come up with something where they could go through the Village Manager and get the accurate information. He stated sometimes he would ask for specific information, but Village Manager Couzzo would not understand exactly what he was looking for and by the time he received what he wanted it was a week later. Vice Mayor Paterno stated the problem was he was not getting the information he wanted, but what Mr. Couzzo thought he wanted. He stated they needed to do a better job with communication and he wanted ideas because he did not want it to continue. Mayor Humpage suggested when Council requested information, they could put a deadline on it or state they wanted it in a certain amount of time and if there was a problem, staff needed to know Council must have the courtesy of a response by stating they were working on it. Council Member Genco stated she usually gave 10 business days and if there was a problem they should call her. Vice Mayor Paterno stated that was a good idea and referred to what Council Member Genco was saying earlier. He commented if the Village Manager did not have the answer he should at least contact Council Member Genco to say he did not know the answer, or state the reason. Attorney Hawkins stated he intended to address some of the issues in a memo he was working on. VIII. NEW BUSINESS 11. RESOLUTION 11-06/07 - A Resolution of the Village Council of the Village of Tequesta, Palm Beach County, Florida, Approving a Memorandum of Understanding for participation of the Tequesta Police Department in the Palm 14 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 15 Beach County Multi-Agency Violent Crimes Task Force and Authorizing the Mayor to execute the same on behalf of the Village. Chief McCollom stated the Village was already a participant in the violent crimes task force under the signature of Chief Allison, and they requested that the Village refresh it with his signature now that he has taken the reins of the Police Department. Mayor Humpage asked if there were any questions from Council for Chief McCollom. MOTION: Council Member Watkins moved to approve RESOLUTION 11-06/07; Vice Mayor Paterno seconded the motion; Motion passed 4-0. Council Member Genco asked if there was any financial impact from this. Chief McCollom stated there was no obligation on the Village's part and their detective would be the Liaison Officer in case they would need any assistance from the Task Force. He stated with the Village being a participant they could call upon combined resources since the Task Force was a conglomerate of several agencies in Palm Beach County and the Sheriff's Department. He explained they worked primarily on violent crimes and were very busy now in the middle and south part of Palm Beach County. He mentioned it was his understanding the Village had used them in the past on a robbery that turned into a homicide in Broward. He explained those services were made with no charge to the Village and it cost nothing to be a participant. Council Member Genco asked if it were a reciprocal type of arrangement where if they needed the help they could call on them and they could call on the Village. Chief McCollom stated they did not need the Village's manpower. He explained the way the Village was situated and the way the agreement was set up because they would liason with them they would not have to reciprocate which meant they would have to help them. IX. ANY OTHER MATTERS -None Mayor Humpage thanked everyone for attending and wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. X. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Council Member Watkins made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Council Member Genco, and unanimously carried; therefore, the meeting was adjourned at 8: OS p. m. 15 Minutes -Village Council Regular Meeting 10/11/06 Page 16 Respectfully subtted, %, r' Sharifa Tharpe / Office Assistant l6