1999.04.20_TC_Minutes_SpecialTOWN OF HIGHLAND BEACH
MINUTES OF TOWN COMMISSION MEETING
SPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 1:30 P.M.
Mayor Thomas J. Reid called the Special Workshop to order in
Commission Chambers at 1:30 P.M., stating its purpose was
discussion regarding expansion of the library into the existing
chambers, building of a new Commission Chambers, and increase in
parking facilities.
The Mayor, Vice Mayor Michael W. Hill, and Commissioners John J
Sorrelli, Paul R. Kane and Robert L. Lowe were present.
Town Attorney Thomas E. Sliney and Town Manager Ben Saag were also
present, as were members of the general public.
The Pledge of Allegiance was given.
During brief introductory remarks, Mayor Reid referred to
correspondence relating to the discussion of this meeting provided
by Town Manager Ben Saag, which included approximate 5-year long
and short-term goals and needs, and revenue projections through FY
• 2003-2004 (attached to and made part of these Minutes). The Mayor
next requested Mr. Saag to display by projection overhead the
possibilities of parking lot expansion with and without a provision
for new Commission Chambers (attached to and made part of these
Minutes). After this was done, Mayor Reid opened the meeting to
Public Comments and the following residents addressed the
Commission:
Favoring expansion of the library:
Marlene Roberts Banet, Casuarina Condominium
Helene Silver, Dalton Place Condominium
Pat Cayce, 4105 S. Ocean Blvd.
Betty Graham, Carlton House Condominium
Richard Karp, Carron House Condominium
Requesting a playground or "tot lot" on the land behind Town
Hall:
Vinnie Gordon, Grand Cay Court
Mattie Weiner, Bel Lido Island
Marie Goff, Highland Beach Drive
Lisa Miller, Boca Cove Lane
Favoring expansion of parking facilities:
• Anna Roy, 4301 Tranquility Drive
Bill Paul, 1126 Russell Dr., requested this discussion be an
agenda item at a regular Workshop Meeting.
Minutes of Town Commission. Special Workshop Meeting
' April 20, 1999 Page 2 of 3
• There being no further input from the public, Mayor Reid next asked
the members for their comments.
Vice Mayor Michael W. Hill said he had been convinced by residents'
remarks that the library did need to be expanded; however, he
favored the expansion in conjunction with a comprehensive master
plan which would identify priorities and include space
considerations.
Commissioner John J Sorrelli said he favored library expansion and
also expressed agreement for the need of a park. The Commissioner
assured those interested that this possibility was being addressed;
however, he also recommended the development of a master plan.
Commissioner Sorrelli further noted that the Commission would
carefully consider all options before deciding on a plan of action.
Commissioner Paul R. Kane advised he was not in favor of library
expansion at this time, citing current bond indebtedness and other
issues that he felt should take priority within the next few years
because of the Town's projected growth, i.e., possible construction
of a reverse osmosis plant to ensure availability of afresh water
supply, and expansion of the wastewater conveyance system. The
Commissioner further stated he was in favor of expanded parking
facilities in conjunction with the renovation of the maintenance
facility, which he felt should go forward at this time.
. Commissioner
saying that
facilities,
build a new
agreed that
needs was in
Robert L. Lowe concurred with Commissioner Kane,
while he was in favor of expanding existing parking
he did not feel it necessary to expand the library or
Commission Chambers at this time. Commissioner Lowe
a master plan fixing priorities and including space
order.
Mayor Thomas J. Reid first made several points pertaining to the
concerns expressed regarding financial considerations:
.Some of the Town' s indebtedness is funded and paid for within
the Town's budget. Other indebtedness can be paid for, on
time, with a sufficiently low interest rate.
.Mr. Saag's previously referred to revenue projections through
FY 2003-2004 assumes permit fees due the Town for new
construction, with individual units eventually being added to
the revenue rolls.
.Mr. Saag's revenue projections also assume an increase in
reserves from $1,154,000 to $4,776,000, an increase of
approximately $3,620,400, over and above necessary expenses,
at the end of the fifth year.
.A reduction in taxes: using an example of 1/2% decrease at a
continuing rate of 4.0000 mils, a resident's entire (county)
• tax bill would be reduced by less than 15°s.
Mayor Reid next noted that if the library function was to be of
viable service to the residents, the Commission must consider
expansion into audio-visual, Internet usage, etc., utilizing the
Minutes of Town Commission Special Workshop
April 20, 1999 Page 3 of 3
existing Chambers as a reading room and other-service
Mayor also noted that whenever such expansion
accomplished, he felt it properly fit into the list
short-term goals presented in the Town Manger's
mentioned memorandum.
room. The
might be
of long and
previously
The Mayor then enumerated the reasons why he felt the library
should be expanded, including overcrowding, lack of storage space,
cultural aspects, and the fact that the sliding door separating the
Chambers from the library was put in place during the recent
renovation for library expansion purposes. During the course of
his remarks, the Mayor also complimented the 22 volunteers who
assist in the running of the library.
Regarding the building of a new Commission Chambers, Mayor Reid
suggested that his present office would be better suited for the
Town Manager, and the Commissioners' offices are no more than open,
shared spaces set within the administration conference room, which
he did not feel was appropriate for elected officials.
:]
Concluding his remarks, Mayor Reid stated that the Commission would
diligently work toward the development of a master plan and bring
it to implementation as soon as possible.
It was the consensus to continue discussion at the April 27, 1999
regular Workshop Meeting.
There being no further business to come before the Commission at
this time, Mayor Reid adjourned the Special Workshop Meeting at
2:25 P.M. upon MOTION by COMMISSIONER SORRELLI/COMMISSIONER LOWS.
dmt
Appro
~~ ~ -•
Thomas J. Reid, Mayor
ohn J. orrelli, Commissioner
Michael W. Hill, Vice Mayor
~~~_
Paul R. Kane, Commissioner
obert L. Lowey/Commissioner
• MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Reid and Town Commissioners
FROM: Ben Saag, Town Manager
DATE: April 15, 1999
RE: Long and Short Term Goals and Needs
In response to a request from Mayor Reid, the department heads and I have
compiled a list of long and short-term capital and staffmg needs for the Town. This list
extends roughly five years into the future. I would like to preface the list by stating that
neither the department heads nor I have crystal balls that we can look into and predict
every need the Town will have now and in the future. Rather, we have attempted to use
our experience and knowledge to predict what the needs will be and "guesstimate" what
the cost of these needs will be. The costs associated with these needs are tentative and
subject to a great deal of change over time.
I have broken the needs down into categories. Major expenditures are items
classified at more than $40,000. Mid-range expenditures are those items classified at
between $10,000 and $40,000. There are many items that will be needs which will
• likely cost less than $10,000, and those are not listed. The final category is StaiTmg
Needs. This listing is the anticipated needs for either upgrading of part time positions to
full time or the increase of additional employees to keep up with the needs of the Town.
I hope the list is of some benefit to you.
MAJOR EXPENDITURES:
1. WATER TREATMENT: The Town will be faced with a major decision in the next
five years regarding both the quality of the water and the method which the Town
obtains water. The Town is currently looking at options available. It is expected that
depending on which approach the Commission takes, this item will likely cost
between $350,000 and $2,000,000.
2. FORCE MAIN CONSTRUCTION: The Town has plans to run a parallel force main
under Al A in the next several years to keep up with the new development needs of
the Town. The new force main would go from the current lift station 3 to the Delray
Beach line connection. The estimated cost of this line, with engineering services, is
$570,000.
3. RESCUE TRUCK: The fire services for the Town are provided by Delray Beach,
however, the Town owns its own equipment. The Town has been advised that
•
• sometime within the next three to five years it will likely be necessary to replace the
Town's rescue truck. Costs for a rescue truck can vary greatly depending on the
equipment that is necessary. The Fire Department has estimated the cost of a new
rescue vehicle at $130,000 to $140,000.
4. 84D MZ COMMUNICATION SYSTEM: The County will be upgrading its police
communication system to an 800 MZ system and it will be necessary for the Town to
upgrade in order to insure public safety communication. The exact timing of this
matter is not known, but it will likely be in the next five yeazs. The estimated cost for
this item is $40,000 to $50,000.
5. GARAGE EXPANSION: The Town is already in the process of preparing plans for
the expansion of the maintenance gazage in back of Town Hall. This expansion will
roughly double the size of the gazage, remodel the office and restroom in the gazage,
and aesthetically match the building to Town Hall. The estimated cost of this project
is $100,000 to $150,000, of which $100,000 will be used from the Sprint lease with
the Town.
6. PARKING LOT EXPANSION: In conjunction with the garage expansion, the Town
will be proposing to increase the size of the parking lot behind Town Hall. The
current proposal would add 28 spaces to the lot. The estimated cost for this project is
$56,000 ($2,000 per space).
MID-RANGE EXPENDITURES:
1. POLICE VEHICLES: It is anticipated that the Town will continue with its current
police vehicle replacement program, which has been to replace one vehicle per year.
Once all of the equipment is figured in, the cost of a police cruiser is estimated at
$30,000 per yeaz.
2. LAP TOP COMPUTERS: Within the next several yeazs, it is anticipated that the lap
top computers servicing the officers will need to be replaced to keep up with modern
technology and advanced communication needs. The total cost to update the laptops
is estimated at $28,000.
3. MAINTENANCE TRUCK: While the maintenance truck is currently in good
running condition, it is six years old and has over 40,000 miles on it. It is estimated
that it will need to be replaced in approximately three years at a cost of approximately
$25,000.
4. COMPUTER UPGRADES: Computer upgrades in various departments, including
the police department, the finance department, the library and the clerks office will be
needed over the next three to five yeazs. The cost on these upgrades will vary, but
should not exceed a combined total of $30,000 to $40,000.
•
• 5. STATEAND FEDERALLYREQUIRED MONITORING: Government regulations
require that the Town monitor for salt water intrusion and NPDES. An annual cost on
this monitoring is estimated at $37,000 ($17,000 NPDES; $20,000 Salt).
6. LIBRARYSHELVING: As the library continues to grow, it will. be necessazy to
increase the amount of shelving, even if that means going to a different type of
shelving than that which is currently used in order to accommodate more books.
This is estimated to cost between $15,000 and $25,000.
7. AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT: The library will also need to keep the audiovisual
equipment current. Some donation funds are used for this, but it is still estimated to
cost the Town $10,000 over the next three to five years.
PERSONNEL NEEDS:
1. BUILDING DEPARTMENT: The Town has two inspectors who are both over the
age of 70. Once these inspectors retire, it is likely that it would be appropriate to
replace them with one full time multi-line inspector who has credentials as a Building
Official and can not only assist with inspections, but can also assist with reviewing
plans and issuing permits. This is not anticipated in the immediate future, but may be
necessary in the next three to five yeazs.
• 2. FINANCE DEPARTMENT: With the constantly changing technology age and the
increased need for assistance in the Finance Department, staff will be requesting that
the contract position which currently exists in the Finance Department be upgraded to
a full time position in the 1999-2000 budget.
3. CLERK/ADMINISTRATION.• At the current time, it is too early to tell whether
there will be a need for additional support staff in the Clerk/Administration/Elected
Official azea. If, workloads continue to increase, it may be necessary to employ an
additional support staffemployee at some point in the next three to five years.
4. UTILITYMAINTENANCE: Should the Town, at some point in time, determine that
they would like to do more of its utility maintenance work in-house, rather than
contracting out some of the more minor work, it will be necessary to hire one to two
employees who aze skilled in this azea. Some equipment will also likely be necessary
should that decision ever come to pass. However, it should be noted that such a
decision would only be made if it were cleazly in the financial best interest of the
Town and if it could be accomplished without decreasing the level of service
provided in this area. There would be no additional costs for this staffing need, as the
costs would be offset by the savings on the contractual services.
5. POLICE DEPARTMENT: I have authorized the Police Chief to prepare a job
description for aclerk/receptionist for the Police Department. I anticipate filling this
position within the next sixty days. This is a clear need for the Town, especially with
• the proposed separation of the Police Department phone lines from the current Town
. Hall system. Currently, when the Chief is out of the office, he either has to lock the
door or call in a Sergeant or Officer from the street. Having a presence in the
department will not only be advantageous from a public relations stand point, but will
also allow the department to operate more efficiently and allow the Chief more time
to get out into the community and monitor the operations of his department.
6. LIBRARY: I have also authorized the Library Director to hire an additional part-time
employee to assist in the growing needs of the library. Over 4200 library cards have
been issued and circulation has increased dramatically in the past year. In addition,
assistance is needed in training residents on the use of the computers and other
technology related areas. This position will assist during peak periods of library use
and will increase the efficiency of the department.
Hopefully, this information will provide you with a brief overview of how staff views
the needs for the next three to five years. Should you desire to discuss any of these items
with me, please do not hesitate to come in,
cc. Tom Sliney, Town Attorney
Financial Advisory Board
Department Heads
•