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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-09-1993 Special Workshop• • CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING August 9, 1993 A Special Workshop Meeting of the Cape Canaveral City Council was held on August 9, 1993, at the City Hall Annex, 111 Polk Avenue, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 P.M. by Mayor Salamone. ROLL CALL: Mayor Joy Salamone Present Mayor Pro Tem John Porter Absent Councilmember Arthur Berger Present Councilmember Joan Calvert Present Councilmember Rocky Randels Absent City Manager Bennett Boucher Present City Attorney John Kancilia Absent City Clerk Faith Miller Present BUSINESS: 1. Discussion Re: Proposed Annual Budget for FY 1993 -94. General Fund - Operating General Fund - Capitol Mr. Boucher reviewed the General Fund revenue estimates and stated that the proposed budget included a 3.2% cost -of -living increase for all City employees. Legislative: No changes. Administration: Mr. Boucher stated that the amount charged back to the sewer fund for administrative overhead was increased from 25 % to 30%. He stated that the Accounting Clerk position had been cut from full-time to part-time. Mayor Salamone stated the funds for the newsletter needed to be put back in the budget. Mrs. Calvert disagreed. Ms. Miller advised that in order to directly mail the newsletter to each address an additional allocation of $2,500 would be required. Mayor Salamone stated that Council had agreed that in successive years, ways to make the newsletter more readily available would be researched and implemented if funds were available. Mrs. Calvert felt that the newsletter was not informative enough. Discussion followed. Mayor Salamone asked that the $4,000 necessary for printing the newsletter be placed back in the budget and that Council would look at including mailing costs if any contingency funds were available. Mayor Salamone questioned the unfunded contract services for microfilming. Ms. Miller explained that due to staff limitations, expenses for microfilming City records had been eliminated from the budget and that she was considering an arrangement with the City of Cocoa Beach to use their camera once a week to film vital City records. Planning & Zoning: No changes. Police: Lt. McGee advised that $1,300 could be deleted from the capital expenses for one less overhead light bar for a patrol car. Mr. Boucher advised that the total cost for police service had been increased by approximately $100,000 over the previous year. Fire: Mrs. Calvert questioned what was included in tradeoff for the Fire Department to provide fire protection services for no man's land. Dave Sargeant, Fire Chief, explained that the Fire Department received dispatch services (911 services) in exchange for providing fire protection services to the area. • • City of Cape Canaveral, Florida City Council Special Workshop Meeting August 9, 1993 Page 2 Mayor Salamone stated that she was pleased to see that the fire inspection services would be handled by the Fire Department. She felt that fees should be charged for fire inspection services. Chief Sargeant explained that Florida Statutes, Chapter 633, allowed municipalities to charge back to the builder /owner what it cost to provide the inspection. He stated that the City of Titusville would not issue an occupational license until all applicable fire inspection fees were paid. Mrs. Calvert stated that she had asked the City Manager to research raising the occupational license fees which had not been changed since 1987. An Equity Study Commission would need to be established prior to implementing increased occupational license fees. Discussion followed regarding the implementation of fire inspection fees. Mr. Boucher stated that the major change in the Fire budget was that the Fire Department would be handling the fire inspection services that the current part-time City individual had been handling at a cost of approximately $19,000. The charge for these services to be performed by the Fire Department would be approximately $9,700. Building Department: Mr. Boucher explained that the major change in the Building Department budget was decreasing a full-time secretary position to a part-time secretary. There was general discussion regarding the need for clerical assistance in the Building Department. Street Department: Mr. Boucher stated that the staffing level in the Street Department remained the same and that there was a limited amount of money available to conduct street repairs. There was general discussion regarding street repairs /maintenance needs. Animal Control: Mr. Boucher referenced the City Attorney's opinion regarding the contract with Wes Fox for animal control. Mr. Fox was a 40 -hr. per week City employee, but he also set -up a corporation to contract animal control services with the City. Mr. Boucher explained that since Mr. Fox was not totally dependent from the City (dependent on City for gas, uniforms, traps, etc.) it could be construed that the City might be violating IRS regulations as far as overtime costs. He had investigated alternative ways to address animal control including contracting with the City of Cocoa Beach for services and/or utilizing the County's animal control services at no cost. There was extensive discussion regarding the suggested alternatives. Council concurred to eliminate animal control as a contract service. Parks & Recreation: Mayor Salamone felt that the Parks & Recreation Department had taken a severe hit with the proposed budget. She stated that she wanted the expenditures for the summer recreation program, Patriot's Day Parade and teen dances put back in the budget and she further explained her reasons for same. Mr. Boucher stated that the recreation fees had not been increased since 1988. Discussion was held regarding increasing the tennis and racquetball fees. There was further discussion regarding whether or not to hold an annual Patriot's Day Parade. Mayor Salamone felt that events for young children and a general sense of community spirit were sorely needed. Mr. Boucher stated that there was a possibility of funding the teen dances with police forfeiture funds. Discussion followed regarding charging the teens a minimal fee for the teen dances. Mrs. Nancy Hanson, Recreation Director, stated that $1,400 had been expended on the Patriot's Day Parade in 1993 and Mayor Salamone asked that $1,400 be included in the Recreation Department budget for the parade. Mayor Salamone asked that the inclusion of Patriot's Day Parade in the budget be held until a full Council was present to discuss the matter. • • City of Cape Canaveral, Florida City Council Special Workshop Meeting August 9, 1993 Page 3 Mr. Boucher stated that he would replace the teen dances and childrens' events ($1,200) in the budget with the expenses to be paid by the forfeiture funds if possible and also add $5,910 to the budget to fund the summer recreation program. Mr. Berger and Mrs. Calvert agreed with including the summer recreation program and the teen dances, but not the Parade. Mayor Salamone stated that further discussion regarding the Parade would be held when a full Council was present. Legal Services: Council concurred to reduce the retainer fees by 10% ($2,640) from $26,000 to $23,360. Garbage Service: Mr. Boucher stated that the rates were frozen so there would be no increase for garbage service. He stated that the recycling grant money would be used to purchase recycled car stops and park benches made from recycled materials. Non - Departmental: Mayor Salamone stated that the City employees' picnic and Christmas party needed to be put back in the budget. Chief Sargeant suggested returning to the original picnic concept at Jetty Park or a pot luck luncheon for Christmas. Mayor Salamone asked that $1,500 be placed back in the budget to cover both events. After a ten - minute break, the meeting was reconvened. Capital Improvement Fund: Mr. Boucher stated that the funding for capital improvements was allocated under General Fund Reserves. Mayor Salamone stated that an increase on the utility tax from 8.53 % to 10 % would provide the funds necessary to fund capital improvements. She stated that she had asked Ms. Haggerty to look at reducing the Beautification tax by an amount equal to the amount raised by the utility tax increase. Mr. Boucher also suggested a freeze on capital expenditures until January 1, 1994, with the increased utility tax being implemented after January 1st. There was further discussion regarding pulling capital expenditures out of reserves, lowering the Beautification tax, and the ramifications on specific City Departments if capital purchases were postponed until January. Mrs. Calvert questioned if the purchase of the property across from the Recreation Department could be funded from the Beautification money to develop the property as a passive park. Mayor Salamone asked that Council consider reducing the Beautification tax by 20 %. Mr. Boucher stated that he would review again what Beautification funds could be utilized for and Council concurred to put capital expenditures on hold for further discussion after it was determined whether or not Beautification funds could be used to purchase the subject property. Mayor Salamone announced that the next budget workshop was scheduled for Monday, August 16th, at 5:30 p.m. Ms. Haggerty advised that she had researched the possibility of increasing occupational license fees. She stated that an Equity Study Commission made up of local business people would need to be established. Lt. George McGee stated that Council may wish to consider increasing parking fines and Mr. Boucher advised that an ordinance had been prepared for consideration in September to increase the parking fines. Mayor Salamone questioned the possibility of installing parking meters on beach end streets and she asked staff to investigate such a possibility. City of Cape Canaveral, Florida City Council Special Workshop Meeting August 9, 1993 Page 4 �pQ y VGf tAV ti'h.'4 ,t MayorSaPamone expressecf c il's appreciation to the City Manager, City Treasurer, and City staff fortht balance4 fidget atiedhe work involved in preparing same. Chief Sargeant spoke briefly regardiit Usti tion fees. There ling no further b sine "..the meeting adjourned at 7:38 P.M. 1 aith G. Miller, CMC/A �= City Clerk