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2007.04.24_TC_Minutes_Workshop TOWN OF HIGHLAND BEACH MINUTES OF TOWN COMMISSION MEETING WORKSHOP Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:30 P.M. Mayor Harold R. Hagelmann called the Workshop to order in Commission Chambers at 1:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Roll Call : Members present: Mayor Harold R. Hagelmann; Vice Mayor Joseph J. Asselta; Commissioner Miriam S. Zwick; Commissioner Jim Newill, CPA; and Commissioner Doris Trinley. Also present: Town Attorney Thomas E. Sliney; Town Manager Dale S. Sugerman; Town Clerk Beverly M. Brown and members of the public. Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was given, followed by a minute of silence in honor of members of the military, both living and deceased, and to remember the students and faculty that recently loss their lives suddenly at Virginia Tech. 1.ADDITIONS, DELETIONS OR ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA Receiving no additions or deletions, Mayor Hagelmann declared the Agenda accepted as presented. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Leonard Bell ? 2727 S. Ocean Blvd. - During the last meeting, several people lost their tempers. The Mayor and I have disagreed on a number of subjects, but still remain friends. We all need to learn to agree to disagree. Mazel Tov to the new Chief. Joe Yucht ? Boca Highlands ? Yesterday took the bus trip to the University of Miami and had a great trip. Another one is scheduled for the Fall if anyone is interested in attending. Attendance at Board Meetings - Resolution #835 requires at least one board member from every town board to be in attendance at the Commission Meetings. The Commission needs to either enforce the Resolution or repeal it. Allen Teller ? 4210 S. Ocean Blvd. ? Last meeting was a classic. The rebroadcasts start at 7:30 pm and last until 11 pm, right during prime time television. Right at the Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 2 of 9 beginning of the meeting, a woman spoke and she seemed quite animated, but the speaker was not working and you could not hear what she was saying. Money was recently spent on updating this building, how about buying a new microphone? Town Manager Sugerman ? Have had audio people in to have it balanced. The system needs to be replaced, but have been waiting until it is determined if the police department will be using this part of the building. 3.PRESENTATIONS A)Oath of Office Mayor Hagelmann administered the Oath of Office to Police Chief Carlo Angelillo. Chief Angelillo introduced his family. 4.BOARDS AND COMMITTEES A)Board Correspondence - None B)Board Vacancies ? ? One (1) Board of Adjustment; One (1) Planning Board; One (1) on Cultural Board Mayor Hagelmann stated the term of Joseph Yucht on the Board of Adjustment terminates at the end of the month, and he has submitted a form to serve on the Planning Board. Appointment to be included on the Consent Agenda for the regular May meeting. An application was received from David Goldberg to serve either on the Planning Board or the Board of Adjustment. David Goldberg introduced himself and gave his back ground. Mayor Hagelmann requested that he contact the Chairman of the Board of Adjustment. Commissioner Trinley reminded the Board that Neal Burd submitted his name to be considered for the Board of Adjustment. His appointment to be included on the Consent Agenda for the May meeting. C)Board Action Report ? None D)Monthly Board Meetings ? ? Beaches & Shores Advisory ? May 8th ? Regular ? 9:30 A.M ? Planning Board ? May 9th ? Regular ? 9:30 A.M. th ? Code Enforcement Board ? May 16 ? 9:30 A.M. ? Cultural Society Advisory ? May 24th ? Regular ? 9:30 A.M. ? Board of Adjustment & Appeals ? None Scheduled ? Financial Advisory Board ? None Scheduled Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 3 of 9 5. PROPOSED ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS None 6. NEW BUSINESS A) Authorizing the Purchase of Roll-down Hurricane Shutters for the Water Treatment Plant Town Manager Sugerman: This year?s annual operating budget includes an appropriation of $43,000.00 for the purchase of roll-down hurricane shutters for the front entranceway of the water treatment plant. Jack Lee and his crew have obtained three quotes for the installation of these shutters and they have been able to secure a low bid, fully installed, at about half the original budgeted amount. We want to install these shutters for a number of reasons, most having to do with safety of our employees. At present, we have a screen that we put up to protect the front glass of the building. During Hurricane Wilma, that screen got ripped a bit. But more importantly, the anchors at the top of the screen are very high and we have always been concerned that one of our employees may fall onto the asphalt, especially if we are put into a position of having to set the screen once the winds begin to kick up. We are proposing to install an automatic (electric) shutter system that can be engaged at the switch of a button. The original construction plans for the water plant called for the installation of this type of roll-down hurricane shutters. They were removed from the original project as part of the value engineering decisions that were made at the time. Comm. Newill ? Electric shutters ? can they be hand-cranked? Reply ? Yes. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Discrepancy in price. Is there a difference in quality? Public Works Director Jack Lee ? Category Hurricane Shutters Co. gave us the price of $43,000 last year. When I notified him of the dollar amount of the other bids, he dropped his price. Vice Mayor Asselta ? What is the gauge, rating, and warranty? Maintenance Supt. Bill Moore ? Two of the bids are rated at 140 mph and one bid exceeds it. The gauge is within our ratings and they have a one year warranty. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Still concerned about the $10,000 difference. Supt. Moore - Requested that the three bidders meet with me to review the specs, and the top bidder did not even bother. Mgr. Sugerman ? Will have the staff talk to the three bidders again in reference to the wind rating and the gauge. Comm. Newill ? Will the shutters lock in? Supt. Moore ? There will be three separate lower units and one on top. We will be able to raise and lower the lower center unit to allow egress and ingress during the storm. B) Authorization of SR A1A ?Phase II & III? Tree Planting Project Town Manager Sugerman ? The agenda packet has a memorandum from Jack Lee asking that the Town Commission considers entering into an agreement with the Landscape Architectural firm of Cotleur & Hearing for the Phase II/Phase III SRA1A tree planting project. Cotleur & Hearing is the LA firm that handled our Phase I project that was recently approved by FDOT, so they are very familiar Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 4 of 9 with our situation and our needs. We are also going to ?piggy-back? an existing FDOT contract, so there was no need for us to go out for bid for these services. The contract is broken into two parts. Part one is the actual submittal of the Town?s grant application for the next round of funding. Part two of this contract is for the firm to do the actual plans which will be submitted with our grant application. The two phases together exceed my spending authority of $15,000, so this item needs to be considered and approved by the Town Commission. One other item that needs to be considered is the ?nature? of the plantings that the Town Commission wants to see during Phase II/Phase III. I have heard both that some want to keep the project limited exclusively to royal palm trees; others have mentioned that they would like to see a variety of plantings that will lead to more of a canopy effect along SR A1A. The staff would like to have some direction on the scope and nature of the types of trees to be planted during the next phase. There is one final issue that I would like to mention to the Commission. The grant program is a competitive grant program, so there is no guarantee we will be awarded the funds. Mayor Hagelmann ? I would like to see the royal palms up and down A1A. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Do not believe we can have all the same trees due to disease. Supt. Moore ? Phase I was approved through the District Grant Committee with reservations due to the single tree selection. From what I have heard, they will not approve it again. Infestation of disease of one type of tree, will wipe out the whole town. Our landscape architect knows what works well in our climate, and has a very good working relationship with the District. With Phase II & III, we will be trying to fill in with what Wilma removed. The money can also be used for vegetation and smaller trees. Do not have enough room to put in a considerable amount of trees. The application is due on 5/25/07. There will be a lot of give and take with the Grant Committee. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Believe there are a sufficient amount of people asking for shade trees. Comm. Newill ? Agree with the Vice Mayor ? needs a variety of trees. Mayor Hagelmann ? I still want to stay with the royal palms. Comm. Zwick ? A variety of trees is the safest bet. Comm. Trinley ? Agree with the variety of trees. Mgr. Sugerman ? Will include on the Consent Agenda for the regular meeting. C)Recommendation of a Solution for Well #7 Pump Motor Town Manager Sugerman ? The Commission has been previously advised, that Well #7 pump motors have been failing. Hillers Electrical and the Town?s staff have investigated the issue and have not found a smoking gun. Maintenance Supt. Bill Moore - One item that remains a possibility is that a FPL feeder that was buried near the motor leads for the well might be interfering with the power to Well #7. Paul Hillers feels very strongly that we are picking up induced voltages from the FPL feeder. A company was hired to perform a power quality investigation. A model 4300 Dranetz disturbance analyzer was installed and monitored to capture any induced voltage. Unfortunately, we were not able to record any induced voltage in the three month monitoring period. What we do Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 5 of 9 know is the Town has spent thousands of dollars on motor repairs and a considerable amount of time investigating the cause of the motor failures. We have been operating the R.O. Plant solely on one well for the past 9 months. The Town?s consulting engineers have recommended relocating the motor leads now and installing a surge suppressor on the main switch gear prior to running the rebuilt motor in Well #7. The surge suppressor was scheduled to be installed during the R.O. Plant Expansion but due to the recommendation of our engineers were eliminated. Jack Lee has been working with the electrical contractor to have the installation of the surge suppressor expedited. The Public Works Staff makes the following recommendations: 1) Install a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor (TVSS) on the main switch gear; 2) Relocate the motor leads around the FPL feeder lines: 3) Install shielded VFD cable in lieu of the VHHW wires that are currently being used for the motor leads: 4) Install a TVSS at the VFD terminals and one at the junction box where the wiring changes to go down the well. The total cost of these improvements is approximately $30,000. Supt. Bill Moore at the request of the Commission drew a configuration to further explain their recommendation. In addition he explained that the motor is a 175 hp submersible motor located at 85 feet down. Item to be included on Consent Agenda. D)Consideration of Establishment of Board Appointment Procedures Comm. Zwick ? To have written procedures will be a form of attraction for people. It is an honor and a privilege to serve on a Town Board. We need to try to get new volunteers. When residents apply, they need not only to meet the Commission but attend at least two meetings of the Board they applied and meet with the Board Chairman. The Charter also states that they must be full time residents. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Each Board has certain requirements. Need to be sure applicants meet each board?s requirements. Would like to see the chairman of the board make a recommendation on appointments. Would like to see a mandatory visit of the applicant to a board meeting with an interview by the chairman. Comm. Newill ? Need to tighten up the requirement of the people serving on the boards. Table until next meeting. E)Purchasing of an Ad for the Conference Issue of Quality Cities Magazine Town Manager Sugerman stated that the Town has previously purchased an ad in the conference issue of the Quality Cities Magazine and wanted to confirm their desire to do so this year. Consensus - Ad will be placed with the correct spelling of names. thth F)Delegation to the Florida League of Cities Annual Conference ? Aug. 16 ? 18. Town Manager Sugerman inquired if the Commission was interested in attending the annual conference in August. Commissioners felt that the program last year did not lend anything useful for the Commission. Once the registration material is received, it will be circulated to the Commission for review and determination. Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 6 of 9 7) MISCELLANEOUS ? ITEMS LEFT OVER A)Community Meeting to explain the water rate adjustments Town Manager Sugerman ? During the regular monthly meeting, it was suggested that a date be set to have an evening presentation to answer any questions residents have about the water rates. Suggest that it be scheduled for Wednesday th. evening May 16 This will give residents 2/3 weeks notice. Also recommend that it be held in the community room at the library. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Did not realize that there were three steps to the rates. Suggest that we review the rate schedule and eliminate one of the steps. How many complaints have we actually had? Manager Sugerman ? Between 40 and 50, and they were all substantial single family users. Comm. Newill ? We need to sell the old water plant and retire the debt, Resolution #755 is very clear. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the two parcels of land where the former well field and water plant were located will be invested and equally distributed over the life of the debt service. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Everyone thought that the total price would be $8 million. Comm. Zwick ? People overlooked all the extras. Nor did we have a suitable buyer for the property. Public Works Director Lee ? When the first water bill was sent, it was for a ten week period. The second bill was for the normal period and residents saw a reduction 15/20%. Comm. Zwick ? Should we initially do a mailing to distribute the information? Manager Sugerman ? I recently met with members of the Bel Lido Homeowners Association and shared the research information with them. The folks were not happy with the answers, but it is culmination of decisions made in 1999/2000. Keep in mind single family rates kick in at 50,000 gallons and the condo rates start at 25,000 gallons. To be equitable, we would have to bring the top rate down for everyone. Supt. Lee ? When you look at the top users, a lot of it is landscaping. We have surveyed the town and had people readjust their times and correct leaking pipes. Manager Sugerman ? An alternative is to go through a couple of cycles of billing to see if single family home owners are avoiding the third tier. If people can avoid the third tier, their rates will go down. Wait for another two cycles, and then discuss it again. B)Minutes: Workshop Meeting 3/27/07 Move to Consent Agenda. 8) REPORTS ? TOWN COMMISSION Commissioner Trinley ? Will our partnership with Sozopol, Bulgaria involve public funds? Manager Sugerman ? The partnership involves sharing of information, friendliness and technical advice. It is likely that sometime in the future they will come over here. To date, no one has asked for any money. th Commissioner Newill, CPA ? Commend the Town Manager on his April 4 memo Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 7 of 9 advising staff to submit budgets that are 10% and `15% below what they have this rd year. The State Legislature either has to come to a compromise before May 3 or go into special session. The budget approved by the House would cut $2.2 million from our funding, and the Senate budget would cut $1 million. The Commission needs to support staff in cutting services. Do not want to depend on a fire truck stationed in another town. The next highest budget is the Police Department. We need to check with the Sheriff?s Department and Delray Beach to see how much we can save there. Also, would like to suggest that the Commission consider taking a 15% cut in their salaries for the upcoming year. Commissioner Zwick ? No report. Vice Mayor Asselta - Milani Park Committee ? I have requested that the Beaches and Shores Committee submit a report indicating the programs that the Committee has sponsored in regards to the turtle program, erosion, etc., to be included with our findings. The initial engineering report was paid for by the Milani?s. Would it be a conflict if we used this individual? Attorney Sliney replied that it would not be. Mayor Hagelmann ? I would like the Board to consider an exception of paying the extra fee for the people who have received notes from a doctor stating that they are medically unable to bring their trash out to the curb. Manager Sugerman stated that we have received notes from doctors on five individuals, but only one has asked for an exemption from paying the fee which is $5.50 a month. Comm. Zwick ? Do not want to sound like scrooge, but you will be opening the door. Mr. Sugerman would you write a letter to the person who requested the variance? Reply ? Yes. 9.REPORTS ? TOWN ATTORNEY None 10. REPORTS ? TOWN MANAGER My weekly memo of March 23, 2007 referred to two pending matters with the FOP, and I would like your feedback. 1) Under the terms of the current Collective bargaining Agreement, there is a provision which calls for management to propose a new performance evaluation process. I have developed a new performance evaluation program for the Police Department and have presented it to the union. The main modification is to change the value from 1-5% to 1-7%, adding more value and percentage increase. The FOP wants feed back from The Town Commission. 2) , Prior to Chief Goss leaving the Police Departmenthe forwarded on to me a recommendation to modify how our police officers were paid. The union contract is very specific. It clearly states that the amount of base compensation is calculated using 2,184 working hours in a fiscal year. While all of the parties agreed to and Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 8 of 9 signed off on that, former Chief Goss convinced me, and others, that the intent of our negotiations with the union was to base the annual calculation of compensation on 2093 hours. By doing so, each police officer would see an increase in their hourly rate of pay, as well as a retroactive payment. As previously mentioned, this interpretation could be seen as a unilateral ?give-away? to the union. My position was that I would be willing to support the modification, however there would have to be a trade-off. Comm. Newill ? Why are we changing the contract mid-stream? Mgr. Sugerman ? Do not have an obligation to change anything, only to consider a new evaluation form. Put it in place, but not implement it. Under no obligation to change number of hours. Vice Mayor Asselta ? Do you have a recommendation? Mgr. Sugerman ? Have asked Departments to cut back 10/15% in their budgets for next year. The evaluation form will cost money. Open and receptive to added value performance evaluation form. Comm. Newill ? Not fair to the other employees. Will not agree to add anything that would increase the budget. Comm. Zwick ? Agree. Try evaluation form at the beginning of next fiscal year. Comm. Trinley ?If the police department is brought to a full complement, will it decrease the overtime? Reply ? Yes. Mgr. Sugerman ? Presently they work 84 hours before receiving overtime. With the change of hours, they will work only 80 hours before the overtime begins. Comm. Trinley ? What are you doing for the rest of the employees? The police receive education incentives and gym memberships. Everything increases the budget. Mgr. Sugerman ? revamping the evaluation form for the employees, but will be keeping the value at 0-5%. Comm. Zwick ? Is the value the only thing being changed? Reply ? Yes. Will be included on the regular agenda. Vice Mayor Asselta - Recently received copies of pleadings from the Town Manager. Who calls an Executive Session? Town Attorney Sliney ? The Town Attorney calls it. The Board needs to review the cases. Before a meeting is called, I will contact Attorney Roberts to find out when he is available. The Town Clerk and I will co-ordinate a date with the Commission. 11. CONSENT AGENDA None 12.PUBLIC COMMENTS AND REQUESTS RELATED TO ITEMS DISCUSSED AT MEETING Pat Patrone ? Seagate ? Do you have the number of hours involved in the police overtime? Whatever it is, if we had a sufficient number of officers, it would be cut considerably. Let?s hire new officers. Am against bringing in the Sheriff?s Department, there is nothing like an in-house police department. 13.ADJOURNMENT Town Commission Workshop Minutes April 24, 2007 Page 9 of 9 There being no further business to come before the Commission. Mayor MOTION Hagelmann adjourned the Workshop at 4:15 P.M. upon a by Commissioner Zwick seconded by Comm. Newill. APPROVE: __________________________________________ Harold R. Hagelmann __________________________________________ Joseph J. Asselta, Vice Mayor __________________________________________ Miriam S. Zwick, Commissioner __________________________________________ Jim Newill, CPA, Commissioner _________________________________________ Attest: Doris M. Trinley, Commissioner _________________________ Date: ____________________