##VIDEO ID:p2LPWNYPZp0## [Music] the broadcast is now starting all attendees are in listen only mode good evening we are calling this meeting to order this is our first budget hearing Tuesday September 3rd 2024 the time is now 6:39 p.m. Madame clerk please call the role councilwoman Marin poras here councilman present councilwoman digal pres vice mayor corve here mayor chis FR pres may please rise for pledge of allegiance led by vice mayor P corve to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all all right Madam clerk um any agenda items order of business at this time no okay we will now open to public comments the public comments portion of this meeting is now open anyone who would like to speak on any item on this agenda or anything remain to this Council now would be the appropriate time please approach the podium state your name and address for the record and please speak in a respectful manner I have no comment cards at this time being none okay public comments is now closed Madame clerk would you please read the instructions into the record yes madame mayor uh the order of the council action items during this meeting should be as follows open the discussion on the proposed military item which is a resolution item 5A allow the administration to make its presentation and announcement and table the item then you will open the discussion on the tentative budget item which is the ordinance item 5B discuss a budget and reach consensus onchanges and then table the tentative budget item then you will take from the table item 5A the resolution discuss it have public hearing on the item and make your motion then you would take from the table a tentative budget item which is the ordinance item 5B discuss the budget have public hearing on the item and make your decision thank you madam clerk would you please read the first item into the record yes madame mayor item 5A a resolution of the mayor and the city council of the city of D Florida establishing and adopting a tentative military and Levy of avalor taxes for f year 2425 in the amount of 1.71 66 Ms which is 9.93% greater than the roll back rate to balance a general fund for fiscal year 2425 establishing the roll back rate to be 1.56 one5 Mills establishing and adopting The Debt Service milit rate for fiscal year 2425 in the amount of 4810 Ms for the general obligation bonds parks center creation projects series 2019 and 2021 providing for implementation and providing for an effective date thank you madam clerk would the administration like to make a presentation at this time yes good evening uh Madame mayor city council members on the July 29th 2024 special council meeting the proposed operating millage rate was set at 17166 Mills with the rolled back rate of 1.56 one5 The Debt Service millage rate is 4810 for fiscal year 2425 at this time if there are no questions for staff the administration is request reting a motion to table this item thank you Mr city manager is there any questions for the administration at this time now would be the appropriate time to do so as were this is the open discussion being none I need a motion to table motion to Second motion to table the item by councilman P second by vice mayor P corvey motion to table the item by Council P second by Vi mayor PVE Council P yes VI mayor PVE yes Council m yes Council M May FR yes motion passes okay Madam clerk please read the second item into the record next item item 5B ordinance number first reading 202 2426 adopting the budget for fiscal year 2425 an ordinance with the name of the city council of the city of D Florida finalizing and adopting the budgets for the general fund Transportation fund people's Transportation plan fund Park impact fee fund police impact fee fund the developmental Services technology fee fund the building fund the public arts program fund the American Rescue plan act fund The Debt Service fund fund the capital Improvement fund the infrastructure replacement fund the park General obligation bond series 2019 Capital project fund the vehicle replacement fund the park General obligation bond series 2021 Capital project fund the storm water fund the other post-employment benefits fund retitling the infrastructure replacement fund to Capital asset Reserve fund of the city of dado for the fiscal year beginning October 1 2024 and ending September 30th 2025 as reviewed modified and adopted by the city council at the meetings held on September 3rd 2024 and September 17 2024 authorizing the expenditure of funds appropriated in the budget authorizing the levy and collection of taxes on real and personal property and other revenues necessary to meet the expenditures provided in the budget specifying the methods by which grants and gifts are addressed in the budget providing for transmitted by the city clerk implementation stability conflicts and an effective date take a breath okay we'll now open it up to staff good evening mayor council members I am pleased to present the city of dalal's updated proposed operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2025 beginning October 1st 2024 and ending September 30th 2025 the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget is Guided by and is consistent with the vision mission core values and goals and objectives of the city of Durell the overall budget is prepared to meet the criteria of the council's Strategic priorities it also reflects administration's commitment to sound financial and operational practices that realizes our growing communities needs and and expectations of exceptional Services the fiscal year 2025 updated proposed budget as presented here is based on the proposed millage rate of 17166 Mills the proposed budget remains a balanced budget with the use of reserves only for Capital outlay and transfers out to Capital Improvement funds on August 14 2024 city council conducted a public Workshop to discuss the proposed budget the recommendations made at the workshop are included in the updated proposed budget and are as follows funding for adult day training program subsidy for special needs residents Additionally the proposed budget has been updated for changes in Revenue projections and expenditures detailed in exhibit a as your city manager I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the members of the city council for their continued guidance and support throughout the development of this proposed budget at this time I turn the presentation over to Michelle G assistant Finance director good evening mayor City Council Members Madame clerk city manager and City attorney the fiscal year 2025 updated proposed budget remains a balanced budget with the use of reserves only for Capital outlay and transfers out to Capital Improvement funds the budget is balanced with an inuse of reserves in the amount of 13, 38,6 56 which rep which equals the total Capital expenditures for fiscal year 2025 the total general fund proposed expenditures for fiscal year 2025 are 87 M1 124,00 348 as a manager mentioned on August 14th 2024 city council conducted a public Workshop to discuss the proposed budget the recommendations made at the workshop are included in the updated proposed budget and are as follows funding for adult day training program subsidy for special needs residents Additionally the proposed budget was updated for changes in Revenue projections and expenditures which are detailed in exhibit a at this time I would like to share with you how these budget dollars are being spent it in summary for every dollar paid to the city in ADV valorum taxes 41 cents goes towards funding police 20 cents towards Parks 8 cents to Public Works two cents for Debt Service two cents for planning and zoning and Code Compliance 25 cents for General government which include all other departments thank you thank you very much does that conclude staff's presentation that concludes this portion of the presentation yes ma'am thank you Mr city manager we will now open it up to discussion of the council any questions comments if there are no questions or comments we will need a motion to table the tensive budget item motion to Second motion to table by councilman Pino second by vice mayor P corve Madam clerk motion to table ordinance number 202 2426 on first reading made by councilman P seconded by Vice May corve Council Peno yes vice mayor corve yes Council Manas yes counc yes yes motion passes okay we will now need a motion to take from the table the proposed mill rate item motion motion to take from the table by councilman Pat second by vice mayor P corve Madam clerk do you need to read the resolution once against to the record sure Madame mayor thank you item 5A a resolution of the mayor and the city council of the city of D Florida establishing and adopting a tentative military and Levy of avalor taxes for fiscal year 2425 in an amount of 1. 7166 Ms which is 9.93% greater than the roll back rate to balance the general f for fiscal year 2425 establishing the roll back rate to be 1.5 615 Ms establishing and adopting The Debt Service military for fiscal year 2425 in an amount of 4810 Mills for the general obligation bonds Parks and Recreation project series 2019 and 2021 providing for implementation and providing for an effective date thank you madam clerk I'll Now open up the public hearing for the proposed millage rate if anyone would like to speak on this item and directly towards this item please approach the podium at this time being no public comments on the proposed millage straight we will now close public comments and move on to the discussion believe the city manager has already made his presentation on this item is there any discussion otherwise I need a motion to approve motion to approve motion to approve by councilman Pino second second by vice mayor P corve if there's no discussion Madam clerk please call the role motion to approve if by counc Pino second by Vi corve Council Pino yes vice mayor B corve yes councilwoman poras yes Council yes mayor FR yes motion passes okay we now need a motion to take from the table the tensive budget item motion to take from the table motion to take to the table by vice mayor P cor second by councilman Pino Madame clerk please call the rooll motion to take from the table ordance number 2024 26 on first reading by Vice May cor second by counc P Vice corve yes Council P yes councilman Cal yes Council poras May FR yes motion passes I will read the ordinance into the record one more time ordinance number 202 2426 adopting the budget for fiscal year 2425 an ordinance of the mayor and the city council of the city of dado Florida finalizing and adopting budgets for the general fund the transportation fund the people's Transportation plan fund the park impact fee fund the police impact fee fund the developmental Services technology fee fund the building fund the public arts program fund the American Rescue plan act fund The Debt Service fund the capital Improvement fund the infrastructure replacement fund the park General obligation bond series 2019 Capital project fund the vehicle replacement fund the park General obligation bond series 2021 Capital project fund the storm water fund the other post-employment benefits fund retitling the infrastructure replacement fund to Capital asset Reserve fund of the city of D for the fiscal year beginning October 1 2024 and ending September 30th 2025 as reviewed modified and approved by the city council at the meetings held on September 3rd 2024 and September 17 2024 authorizing the expenditure of funds appropriated in the budget authorizing the levy and collection of taxes on real and personal property and other revenues necessary to meet the expenditures provided in the budget specifying the methods by which grants and gifts are addressed in the budget providing for transmittal by the city clerk implementation cability conflicts and an effective date thank you madam clerk I will now open up the public comments for the budget item anyone who would like to speak on the budget please approach the podium at this time all right being no public comments public comments is now closed and we will take up the discussion on the budget the city manager has made his presentation as well as staff is there any comments on the budget there the mayor ccas okay so I'll start the discussion looking at the just studying the proposed budget the Evergreen study and looking at the overall findings I've just I've made a couple of observations in the different departments and I just want to put on the record a couple of those observations as per the Evergreen study the study finds that the cost of living index was pretty much the same across the board for comparable cities in aggregate the city's current salaries are above Market average the city's pay range exceeds the market average pay um for certain positions it lags in other positions including police off officers laborers custodians what I call Essential workers what's being proposed to us is to provide a 7.5% Cola increase and a 3% Merit increase across the board to all um staff right that is correct which would be a essentially a 10.5% race for all members of the city for all staff members given the findings of the Evergreen studies I mean it does demonstrate that we are highly competitive in many of the positions except for what I again would consider um roles that are either hard to hire or Mission critical roles such as the ones that I that I mentioned so for me I think providing a 10.5% increase across the board is not something something that um is fiscally uh responsible I think that again I would propose adding that 7.5 Cola per plus 3% Merit increase to specific dep departments and specific roles which I can you know I can I can talk about in in more detail if you all want to um consider this again and so that's the first thing I I think that um a 10.5% is is extremely high we have a lot of salaries that are very high um specifically in some of the Departments that I think we are extremely competitive in and that we have um that our salaries are above way above the market average pay and so that is the first observation that I that I'm making and the first thing that I would like to um propose is is choosing and and looking at the different departments and adding the proposed 10.5 to specific departments again Mission critical and also essential um workers and a 5% across the board which can be either broken down in you know 3% Cola 2% Merit however you know the council wants to see fit that's my first observation I don't know if anyone has um any comments on that but that's my the initial proposal so that I'll I'll give out there through the May yes vice mayor pu Corin I have a similar um point of view of the budget um but I did tell the manager that um employees that on the pay grade 316 113 113 I'm sorry 113 that was what we discussed uh 113 and below and Below uh well I I think that that our uh that they do need the the C that 7% maybe adding that and your observation on critical sta essential essential or critical positions that's what I was looking for uh maybe will work for the city at this time so that was my comment through the mayor yes Mr city manager okay the ever green study that was done and by the way I have Evergreen on hold if you'd like to speak to uh the gentleman he'll be available but the Evergreen study placed Dalal 8% below the top 25 percentile of the Cities we compete with when you consider the aggregate of all the cities the smaller cities that we don't compete that we're not losing employees to that's where we're at 1% above the market but when you compare us to the 25 5% of the top percentile we are 8% below okay I want to say something and I want to be very clear on this this proposed raise of 7.5% this is not a raise per se this is a cost of living adjustment that is directly pegged to the Consumer Price Index during the last four years the Consumer Price Index has risen 21.1% during that same time period 4 years doral's collabs have amounted to 11.8% while I appreciate your concern for our police officers our laborers and such I humbly submit to you my unsolicited opinion that the implementation of a cola that is not leveled across all employees is going to result in disparity which is going to result in low morale it's through the effects it's going to have an impact on compression of of pay scales specifically May create situations where you have employees who earn more than their supervisors it's also going to discourage uh employees from seeking supervisory positions so like I said um when I met with you initially upon the beginning of my tenure I would always tell you what I felt you needed to hear and not what you want to hear even though we may disagree on something I will always follow direction from the council and I will Implement whatever measures you tell me but I needed to go on the record and and say this that I don't feel that this is you know uh giving certain amounts to certain people and not to other people I mean I try to envision myself being a supervisor in one of these departments where I have two sets of employees that are being treated differently simply because of the job classification that they have um you know um it is what I said I have some alternatives for you that I'd like for you to consider you know if we give a 5% Cola across the board it's going to result in two 2459 two basically $2.5 million will save roughly uh $950,000 if we go with a 3% Cola across the board it's going to result in roughly $1.5 million roughly about $1.8 million less so you know these are alternatives I'm willing to work with you at the end of the day like I said I will Implement whatever you tell me whatever measure you tell me I will go that route but I have to say that um I'm concerned about the impact that this is going to have on our Workforce um and and the disparity it could create uh and and frankly some people may see it as unfair and and that's again that's my humble unsolicited opinions I thank you for your time and listening to me thank you thank you Mr city manager any other comments from the Council on this item um Council M Badoo sorry thank you mayor uh I just want to also share and and certainly I support the the manager's position because listen when when we speak about what is happening in Dale and staff and employees and retention and all that is based on salaries and I heard from the manager I heard from the directors when you when you ask the manager about or Mr Fernando I was goingon to say Fernando uh why is taking so long to find a procurment person is because of salary as building department as the parks department it Department police Department each department is having a retention issue based on salaries so when we sit here I believe it's our responsibility to follow your recommendations regarding why we have to do and how we can adopt a budget that can help the city to move forward when we speak about retention and at the end of the day retention means Services the better service that we provide the quicker services that we provide as a city comes down to our staff so for me certainly I don't see any difference between the custodial worker or the director or the police department yes of course safety is my priority and will continue to be a priority and that's why if you ask me probably the police department deserve to have a 15% as some members actually suggested from from PBA and the people that know about law enforcement but we're sitting here today listening to your recommendations and I want to first of all I want to thanks all the directors and all the staff because you guys do a great job every day despite and regardless the retention issues and the staff issues that you all have in each department so I think it's my responsibility to make sure that you guys have what you need in order to move forward and for us to offer better better services to our residents so I want to thank the manager and the administration as well again you guys are are making sure that this budget actually uh for the next fiscal year starting in October uh it's something that you not only make sense to to the staff and the directors but obviously is a budget that will benefit all the residents of the city of the thank you mayor thank you councilman Pino any comments at this time I have more I don't know if anyone wants to that hasn't had a chance if you don't mind if we could wrap up one item at a time just so we don't get um no I have comments on this oh okay yes no you can go go ahead Council Bas I just want to respond um you know thank you Mr manager councilman so the first thing is that the Evergreen report states that the city asked Evergreen to do a proposal to place the salaries in the 75th percentile which again for those of you that don't know that means we would be at the top of the market currently where we are again the cost of living index is is very similar to all the other cities our current salaries are above Market average and what I am proposing is actually going to reduce that disparity between the wages of a labor that's about how much $440,000 45,000 31,000 $30,000 okay I'm going to give you an example someone that's making $150,000 which we have a lot of directors a lot of other positions that are making way more than that giving giving them a 10.5% increase equals to $15,000 giving them $165,000 giving the labor and I put it at 40 because I honestly thought it was at 40 not lower giving them a 10.5% increase or 10% increase puts them at $44,000 so you are actually widening the disparity and the Gap by applying a 10.5 % um increase across the board you would need a lot more than a 10.5% to bring them to even half probably even a third of what some of our directors are making so when I'm proposing increasing for essential workers I'm not talking about you know those that are at a median average and again we can discuss that I am referring to those that are making $30,000 $40,000 and our police officers who are an essential service to our community and that is where what I'm proposing and also and you know the Evergreen um folks can correct me if I'm wrong but I think that part of their proposal is to increase or propose 5% of an increase so which is what I I'm I feel comfortable with um but again they can correct me if I'm wrong through the mayor yes if I could just add one thing um the 10 and a half is divided into 7 and a half for Cola cost of living adjustment and the three and a half is Merit okay the Merit would be individually that's separate on the anniversary date of the individual but the the cola is what I um humorally refer to as the gallon the gallon increase because it's I pay the same thing for a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas that the councilman would do or that a laborer or that the police chief at the end of the day we all pay the same thing for household goods that we depend for us and our families on an everyday basis so it's not I don't like to think of it as a raise per se it's an adjustment to basically allow us to live decently taking into account the cost of living which is as we know here in South Florida is ridiculous it's gone up in the stratosphere if I may if I may so um I'm I'm hearing the conversation and I I have a suggestion but also I understand this the disparity that we're facing and I I don't disagree with you Mr city manager on the morale concerns in picking and choosing the cola adjustments however I do understand the councilwoman's concern as well and and I have it in certain cases in the sense that you know the city's overall Revenue has grown about 14% yet our budget's grown 26% and so this is a concern that we have to start looking at we're lucky that we have a very healthy Financial standing as a city this has been a year where we're adding a lot of new a lot of Firsts because draw Central Park is online we're also planning for the second phase of draw Central Park coming online so um you know this is something I'm going to look at very seriously and next year um also we anticipate that there'll be certain revenues that will come in um with these this new project coming online there's projects that will come into the pipeline as well that should increase revenues in certain departments um that I know are accounted for but you know we we're we're very conservative in projections I think that the councilwoman's concern and it's not one that that that that foro me is the disparity between how how long it'll take that foreman or that labor worker to bridge the gap that it takes for someone in a higher executive paying position and in today's world where everything seems to be much more expensive and inflation has affected everyone there is a concern that that that laborer is struggling more than the executive and so I understand that concern um from the perspective that's being placed today so my proposal or my observation and how we can possibly uh find a resolution because I do agree I don't necessarily think that we disparage some over any because at the end of the day that executive positioner the one who has been here for 20 years and has worked their way to that salary should not be penalized you know because of of of that that labor worker the issue here that we see too is that you know the State of Florida also a couple years ago and year over year has increased the minimum wage so now you have people who can choose to go and work at McDonald's with all you know with all due respect very very you know honorable job but they're making you know $15 an hour $16 an hour $1 an hour and they go home and they don't take their work home necessarily with them and then you have an office job or a secretary job that you know makes about the same and so it's hard to um to kind of equate those those disparities that can happen so my recommendation would be that we leave the cola the way it is okay um at at where it is right now so that we come up with the index that has been set for the cost of living however that we look at those positions that are making below what the averages in other areas such as the ones that were pointed out in the Evergreen study the laborers you know the maintenance individuals that are having to work two jobs because they can't afford um you know to live off one salary of $30,000 and that we come back with a one-time adjustment to possibly bring them up so that they are making a more decent wage for what they are doing and then our our cost of living adjustments will continue to be uh steady across the board as we move forward in in different years but that we bridge that Gap sooner for those individuals and those laborers and those employees that are making very little I'll tell you an experience I had recently I was driving down 41st Street I tend to when I see our Public Works employees um picking up trash or working on the side of the street I stop and I thank them and I say you know thank you for what you do I very much appreciate it um and one of them asked me straight out you know when are we going to get a raise are we make very little a I have your number please I you know I I have to work two jobs and I understand um that and and so I can sympathize very much so with that worker I sympathize and understand the councilwoman's concerns um I have a I have a I have a hard time reconciling the difference in Cola but we did this once um and I I can't remember the year the first year I think we did a uh an evergreen study where we did that we bridged the gap of disparity by just raising salaries so that they were more equalized versus saying this as a cola adjustment everybody got the same Cola merits were merits based on their job performance and then there was uh you know there was a an increase to certain salaries that were just found to be way above way under the the standard so I don't know if that's something that we can all agree to um maybe we can come back during Second reading and take a look at that we can also amend and and do that at another point but I think that that's something that needs to be looked at very carefully you know also understanding the economic conditions of the economic climate of our economy today and where we are as a community um that's something that I'm very sensitive to and I understand because you know our residents also even though we did not increase our tax um rate are still paying more because the values of properties have gone up and so they are impacted too so you know also taking all of that into consider consideration and understanding that every department and every position has a value added to our community and provides a service and that cannot go un um you know unnoticed and and and unrecognized through the mayor yes Council for us last thing um I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree I don't I'm not going to support a 7.5 I'm not going to support as it stands right now and to to propose keeping it this way and then increasing it just for the um laborers and all the essential workers is actually adding more to our budget um what was last year's Cola 3% 3% so going from 3% to 7.5% correct okay and how do we compare to the County's proposed post Cola on their employees I believe for the county is 4% for non-bargaining employees so General non-bargaining employee is 4% okay so I mean again is what's being proposed right I I think seven and a half is more than double it's more than we really should be um again I I am proposing taking a look at this and adding that 10 and a half% to the the positions and the Departments that are essential all of our departments are essential but we have people that keep the city going that are cleaning that are keeping our streets um paved that are that are really doing the work that needs to be done for us to continue doing what we need to do here so um again that's just my respectful descent and and I'm not going to be supportive of this finally Council M so as you may know last year did not support the other budget because I saw that there was many discrepancy and different departments um and increases in positions that were not really married and I do agree with uh Council woman poras we should really look into it I know the Evergreen what he explained was a view of overall and there are many areas that really need attention um so I definitely uh wanted to still have a conversation with you city manager we all due respect I understand what you're explained and all of that but I really think that there are many areas that we have to sit down we really have to evaluate much more deeper than just something general and I still have many things that I need to address with you so um and and especially I know that there were some changes and you you know that I like to see um line item by line item also other precisions that I don't think that should exist so um I still need to sit down with you and go over a few other things very well okay um is there any other comments on another item no for the mayor yes coun foris well given that I don't think we're moving forward on a consensus with this I think that I mean I do have two other Pages um perhaps it's it's the it it's best for us to meet address this individually I don't know if that's how you guys want to move forward but I mean if we can agree even on on the first item I don't think I want to go ahead and propose these other things I think I would rather um speak to each department managers and um and and come back I agree with that I also that's something that I wanted to because there's like I said there's many other areas that I need to address for our city manager is there any other comments at this time so here I'm going to make one comment this is we've been working on or the staff has been working on this budget how long since July several months uh when I got here June it was already the process was already underway so so the the budget has been moving along I think we each had several opportunities to meet with staff I believe the manager put out several emails asking to meet with us individually we had a workshop where we had the opportunity to bring some of these items forward um you know I I think that it's a little disrespectful to our residents um and to our staff that we are sitting here today with a budget in front of us that we all had an opportunity to meet individually as well as in a workshop to discuss items that were particularly of important to important to us the staff does the job of putting together the budget and then we have the obligation to sit down and talk about what we would like to see changed adjusted we had a workshop to do that we've had individual meetings to do that you know the fact that we want to do that again you know we have we have a a requirement to the city to get this done and to pass a budget it's our fiduciary responsibility to this city um so you know I am I'm happy to sit here and find a solution to how we move forward if we want to come to an agreement on a lower cost of living adjustment across the board we can bifurcate parts of the budget and come to agreements on what we agree with and what we don't agree with but at the end of the day each of us going back and trying to negotiate with the manager on what we want I think is um it's it's really unproductive um to the staff and and really to our residents so I could tell you I've been doing this for 13 years uh I've sat through eight City budgets I'm sorry nine City budgets two Schoolboard budgets $7 billion and it shouldn't be this difficult and um and I can tell you quite frankly I didn't vote for the manager not my manager um so this was put together by the people you all asked to be here and put this together so I'm really quite concerned over what we're what we're actually uh discussing here um I don't think that it's something that we can't come to an agreement for because at the end of the day it's a benefit to our community I think that in our strategic plan we've very eloquently discussed the Strategic initiatives that our budget needed to meet um which were level of service and quite frankly I think this budget does that in a very conservative way we could have our disagreements about certain increases and we're happy to to discuss that and come to some type of terms but I don't think that not making a decision is going to fix that necessarily and I can sit here and pick at things line item by line item but I don't think that's necessarily healthy for our city for the employee morale and for um the work effort that's been put in so you know if there's no consensus or if there's not a majority that would like to move forward and allow for there be to be discussion from first to second reading then so be it but I can tell you that out of all the years doing this this is the first time I've seen something extremely ridiculous the mayor us yeah I I mean I think your outrage is a little exaggerated I just received this much of the budget last week right when did you guys drop this off last week last week and this morning that I have to update and so it's September 3rd we have time and I want to do this correctly we're not going to do this at your pace we're going to do this at the council's pace and it does warrant a very close look because this is the budget we're talking about money your taxpayer dollars we have to make sure that they're being spent correctly that they're going to the right departments to the right Serv serves so that you have a voice in the Sue it is literally the third day of September we have until September 30th so personally I'm not going to be rushed into making a decision about this that's super important and I have another job by the way so we can throw that in the mix and I'm doing the best that I can with that and I really hope that um the Departments are going to be flexible about that and understand that it is a very important decision that we're making and I'm not going to make it lightly nor at anyone's Pace we're going to get a budget done and passed before we need to but this is not the way bullying and pressuring us to do this right now so I will propose again if we if we couldn't even agree on the first item that's very important I'm going to propose that we again sit individually I'm not going to have anything else to discuss today because I do want to sit individually go through my proposed changes and see if it's something that you're going to adopt or not and then we'll come back I have a question for the city manager was there any changes um in the overall budget detrimental to because I got the new budget too the new book with the changes but there was a memo attached with what changes were included there like line item by line item correct yes several housekeeping items related to uh individual positions that and things that may have been added that were minor or due to just current operations or current uh scope of business uh with some additional maybe uh five or six items that were uh pulled from the one-on ones with the uh each of the elected officials but the overall for out in salaries percentage changes that was not changed from our Workshop to that is correct all the changes that that were made are summarized in the attachment uh which is about a a 68 page document I believe okay would you make available please um the emails that were sent to each council member for an opportunity to meet and who responded that's an official public records request yes ma'am I will look into that great thank you if I may first all was really disrespectful when you're calling that is not my manager he is the manager of all of us even if you voted against it I mean because he's the one that is representing here by majority and things are voted by majority but going again the same thing I don't need to be pressure for this I mean we are being responsible by taking our time and going through this if you're ready great that you are but there are many different details that have to be taken in consideration and things are really going to be affecting a group of people not another group so we really have to look into it so I think that all the comments that you did so disrespectful here for your council members that are here they're trying to do the best that they can I think it's really out of order so if I may I would like to request a recess set to set another meeting for another day so we can actually be able to address any issues that we may have with you so I uh if the majority of the council also agree that that will be my suggestion through through the mayor uh I'd like to call upon our assistant city manager and Chief Financial Officer Fernando casamayor he has something uh very important that he needs to explain regarding timelines I think that is until the last until the end of the month that we have there's Public Notices that go out on your tax yeah if if you would allow me um and I'm going to also defer to our City attorney because again he is um the legal Steward the State of Florida has certain requirements of every municipal government particularly with setting millages and adopting passing budgets the reason why we have two budget hearings the reason why they have to be after 5:00 the reason why they're set on particular dates where we can't meet on the same day Miami D county has their budget meeting and we can't meet on the same dates that the school board part of the requirements of the State of Florida is that we pass a balanced budget and we pass a millage rate you've already done the first part for the first time whatever we decide to do this evening um we need to pass a balanced budget whether it includes cost of livings or zeros out cost of livings or whatever that is my suggestion is that we pass I know it's difficult and I'm sorry but I I hate to be the guy who has to talk about the rules right but we have to pass a budget this evening per state statute per requirements um it can be back to the base budget that we had we can put the balance into reserves there's a variety of options that we can do to pass this evening and you can amend it at the second hearing once you've had more information and more time what is not flexible there are the dates of the hearings they've been published they're part of the truth and millage notice that was sent out by the property appraiser uh last month and um again those are the rules of the State of Florida regarding the responsibilities of the municipal government go going on to what uh Mr casor said and and he is he is correct some of this uh information has already been been sent out and has already been distributed to all the residents and under Florida law we do need to have these meetings published and and and we need to have them uh after uh 5:00 p.m and they can't conflict also another part of is that they can't conflict with any other Miami day County meeting or or budget hearing so there there's some scheduling involved an idea uh could be if there is some disagreement and and you want to have more time to be able to have a public meeting that's fine you can pass something tonight in in first reading you can also schedule I think would be improper a workshop in between first and second reading to have a public meeting and flush all these ideas out uh that way it gives you time to between now and and the second uh reading to meet with a manager to have a public Workshop where you can up here on the Das have all these discussions and it's public and then come back on second reading and and wrap it up it's a suggestion to to clarify I don't think anyone's requesting a meeting outside of the parameters that were set right we're what I want is to meet individually and talk about this but yeah we do have to come back and um have a a hearing under the requirements of Florida Statutes and everything so if what you're suggesting is what you're telling me is that we have to pass a budget right now then you know we can I think we can do that but know that between now and second reading unless this gets resolved you know we're going to be back in the same boat so I'm happy to approve and vote on this knowing with the understanding that we need to talk about this as well and through the mayor I am at your disposal to meet uh any day this week I mean we still have three days this week I'd be more than happy to meet yeah and I want to I'm in the date and I will be there and I will I'll make something clear I'm going to meet with the manager when I can and when I need to so yes I just got through reviewing all of the budget just to add what I was given this morning and whether some consider it um something small or not I don't I'm going to review it all I'm going to take every time moment that I need to review and go through pages because I want to do that so um yes and that is what I'm saying I will be meeting with you to do this so I am on board with passing this as it is I don't know if everybody else is again with the understanding that there's a lot to talk through me May it's only because you're saying that we must to do it today because of the day that will be the only reason that I will be supported as well but if we have other time then I will go for it but if you're saying that we must do it tonight because we cannot move for another date then I agree to councilwoman the point that director sorry assistant manager casamayor brings up is a very important one um there are some procedural things you could do but at the end the cleanest way to be able to handle it would be to vote on the budget as is if you wish no uh and you have time between now and second uh reading to meet with the manager if you want to have an open workshop and discuss this again and on the day you can do that as well and then nothing gets finalized until second reading yes counc thank you mayor I just want to leave something for the recer as well I we were here for the workshop I was back in June July J June June July I think it was August oh a was last and the manager's office Reach Out to me if I wanted to have a meeting and I had an hour meeting with the finance department and Mr gamor to answer and clarify any questions or concerns that might have so I believe that I mean this process is a process that takes weeks takes a lot of work and I don't think that we're rushing any decision I mean we're doing what we're supposed to do what has been taking place in the city of the for 21 years nothing nothing different is it's just a it's a business and we have to move forward is a budget so and I went through the budget and again I had the chance that I want to thanks the administration to allowing me to have the time to review it and the time with Mr casamayor and the finance finance department to go over my questions and my concerns I'm okay with the 7.5 Cola I want to stay that clear and I'm not going to change my position today or second reading or if we have another meeting in between it's going to be the same so I just want to state that for the record and having said that and obviously because we have to move forward and if we are legislating and we're council members we should know that we have to move forward today is not a surprise so I place the motion to approve the budget the way that it is a motion to approve by councilman B is there a second so we have the ability to make changes from here to the second reading ABS I'm going to when I make sure I'm going to propose amending your motion councilman to reduce the to pass the budget with a redu A reduced Cola of 3 and a half% and then we can talk about changing it between now and second reading all right there's an amendment to the pro to the motion do you accept the amendment no okay there's no acceptance do you still second the motion with the current budget the way it is okay so there's a withdrawal of the second so the motion dice I'm going to make a motion to pass the budget with a reduced Cola of three and a half% second okay there's a motion on the table by councilwoman poras second and by councilwoman cabal any discussion okay Madam cler please call a roll I have a motion to approve ordinance number 20242 on first reading as amended to reduce the cola to three and a half% is that correct councilwoman poras correct made by councilwoman por seconded by councilwoman cabal councilwoman poras yes councilwoman cabal yes councilman Pino no vice mayor P Cor yes mayor Fraga no motion passes okay we will now need a motion to adjourn the meeting would you like to say anything Mr city manager close no ma'am thank you okay Madam motion to sorry motion to adjourn by vice mayor P corvis second by councilman Pino Madam clerk oh well actually on favor say I sorry on favor say I I meeting is adjourned thank you --------- ##VIDEO ID:cc49-Idgiqk## the the broadcast is now starting all attendees are in listen only mode good evening we're calling this special meeting to order today is Tuesday September 3rd the time is now 5:44 p.m. Madam clerk please call the role councilwoman pores councilman Rafael Pino councilwoman din vice mayor Oscar boy cor here mayor Chrissy frag presid mayor have please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance led by councilman poras flag unit States America na indivisible andice okay thank you very much the agenda order of business I don't believe there's any additions or deletions at this time to this agenda okay moving on to public comments the public comments portion of this meeting is now open I will first call those who have filled out common cards and then everyone will have an opportunity to approach the podium should they wish please approach the podium you have 3 minutes to speak state your name and address for the record we ask that you please speak in a respectful manner towards this Council we will start with uh IET Gonzalez pekovich good morning Council IAC Gonzalez Pekovic 10352 Northwest 46 Terrace D Florida 33178 thank you for the opportunity to give public comment um I just wanted to take a quick moment to number one um I appreciate immensely and I know the residents do the fact that you've put this on um to be addressed today obviously this is an incredible issue for a city we've made so much advances um in such a short period of time and so um I want to commend all of you for putting this before you and giving it the priority that it needs to be given also um I do want to state that there's been a lot of talk about where the site would be located I think that we're at a point now where we really have to figure out what are going to be the strongest Arguments for this site to be located well outside of the city of D I think that mayor um commissioner bermuda's um prop current proposal is incredibly promising and God willing the commission will consider it and do what they need to do to make it one of the potential sites but I also think that we need to start speaking more about um the city these negotiations with the county regarding the interlocal agreement and what that's going to look like um uh I I do I believe that that particular agreement and the details of that may have a lot to do with whether or not other Commissioners get on board with what uh the commissioner is proposing and I think that we need to have really healthy conversations um throughout the city like we've had on other issues just to ensure that everybody's point of view is presented and for those who Maybe either agree or don't agree there could be strong dialogue and an understanding of wherever it lands why it is that the city decided to do what it did um for me personally I've been working on this issue for several years um I I never really knew exactly what it might look like but it's beginning to take shape and I I believe firmly that we're already at a point where we need to give commissioner Bermudez all the tools that we can possibly give as a city to ensure that he can secure the votes that he needs to finally move this facility out of the city of JAL so thank you so very much I commend the work all of you are doing s Jim good evening um in order to to get the B the BCC to accept the full side uh I want to ask you how can we prepare to get together for September 17 I mean if you have some stragedy or to mobilize uh people Barner or clothing something like that thank you sweet Mr Amando codina Madame mayor members of the commit uh this is my first time in front of all of you in fact as as much as I can remember this is the first time that I'm in this chamber since I built it on time and on budget by the way so I'm here to not to comment or much less oppose the the the resolution I I can't imagine a single resident of theal that would be opposed to moving the incinerator but I'm here to talk about a related issue that is not getting as much attention as I think it should so the incinerator has your complete attention ER the incinerator is a the shiny object and may I say rightfully so uh but I'm here to talk about the proposed trade and the development of the 60 8 Acres of County property and how is that going to be developed ER much much of this decision by the way I realize is going to lie within the county is there property ER but I think Doral needs to be clist clear about having a vision for what may happen there and I want to humbly share with you ER my vision uh and equally we should should be in your Forefront as almost as much as incinerator and is a message that I plan to convey to the residence of the so while there are a number of things that come to my mind I want to offer three concrete H and fundamental musts ER and and I'm going to say on the doctrine of fair and good for Dalal I think this is the minimum that you should expect is the minimum that I expect is the minimum that the resident should expect so number one related to that property even though the property is a county owned property it should be entitled consistent with the land use of the city of the I don't want to wake up on that and find this property being swn in day County without any guard rails so the county needs to be very clear I think this is fair and good for Dale number two traffic H we need to address the traffic this property going to generate this property going from government so it's going from zero to I don't know what kind of density that's why one this to come Toral we need to address how we're going to handle the infrastructure ER so you have Trump National is entitled and they have as a right 4 and, 1498 units that's those are brand new units of traffic that that is done what's going to happen to this property we need to shat about addressing ER and mitigating the traffic on 54th and 87th I think that is fair and good for the city of theal number three I think this property needs to provide some public benefit to the ciences of Dalal I think that is again fair and good for Dural are these three requirements reasonable I think they are the bare minimum and I would like to contrast that to what I had to go through to build downtown Dal so reference to number one downtown D was master plan in accordance to the land use and we had the input of the residents we had a chared at what was D Country Club and the input of the founding fathers so D was done downtown D was done respecting D traffic downtown Dalal is the only project that I know of in day County certainly in Doral that reduced peak hour traffic so unlike the government property is going to go from no nothing there to whatever the density that we need to put some guard rails on downtown D all were 31 buildings of government offices that are PE hour generated 8:00 in the morning and 5 so we reduced traffic on 87 how do we do that by balancing the uses and I what someone some people question at the time about are you going to be able to balance uses I think the proof is in the pudding so if you see the kids going to school in the morning walking to school uh if you look at our retail our retail the number one customers of our retail are the residents of downtown Dalal first and Dalal second H so people don't have to leave to go to urgent care um we're going to be building a an outpatient facility ER and I'll shout about that so all of these other trips are all brand new trips so thirdly er providing some good for the citizens of Doral the citizens of theal have always been front and presence for me about whatever we did there and the reason is that the residents of theal have been very good to me so I build all the beacon centers I have never had one single Neighbor come and complain about our development not one so every time I have proposed something ER the residents have been very supportive when we are Cina I'm so sorry to interrupt you but we've given you 3 minutes extra so if we can wrap it up just because I have to be fair with everyone that wants to speak in public comments okay I I will stop but I will tell you that I have it a number of other things that that we were going to that I wanted to be you to make you aware of it but I'm going to close with this the well-being of Dalal is always been front and center for and I give you the best example when the state of Floyd where the legislature passed and the government signed a bill approving casinos one in Dural and one in the fountain blue Norman bman and I sued the State of Florida in federal court and we won ER so otherwise you would have had a casino I I view the development of this property in the similar fashion this we need to to move the incinerator and we need to be respectful of what happens with this property so I don't want you to take your eye off of the development of the property so I had a lot more to say but I stop at that I appreciate it thank you very much is there any other public comments at this time any other public comments being none public comments is now closed okay we will move on now to the discussion items resolution discussion item 5A resolution of the mayor in the city council of the city of D Florida supporting the relocation of the kavant waste to energy plant site providing for authority to the city manager and the City attorney to negotiate an agreement with Miami day County providing for expended of budgeted funds and providing for an effective date okay thank you very much Madam clerk um before you members of the council there is a resolution that has been drafted by our City attorney which discusses the matter of um of importance that has been brought before all of us uh several times which is that of the relocation of the waste energy facility that is located within the city of derow but belongs to the Miami Dade County Solid Waste um there has been new developments um in this um in this project for the county and I think everyone has been made aware of the fourth site that came um came up very recently additionally uh there have been discussions about a memorandum of understanding with the county on der's financial contributions should a location outside the city of Dural boundaries be chosen um there have been several conversations back and forth with the county on this the resolution that was adopted by the county originally back I believe in October said that we would uh have 60 days after a location was chosen to negotiate with the county and I believe we all have every intention of doing that however being that this discussion is coming up before the County Commission most likely on September 17th we felt that it was prudent and I did have a conversation with our commissioner about it uh it was prudent for the city to put more of an official position without taking any not without making any binding agreements um being that I've also had several conversations with stakeholders of our community such as uh codina partners and Mr Armando codina who graciously uh came today to speak and give uh his perspective on this item and understanding the impacts of this land Swap and the development that it would create on 58th Street and how we would uh have part in that should the county move forward and and what our limitations would be I've also had several conversations with the um proposer um to better understand how this impacts d uh I would like for Mr uh Goa to discuss the resolution there was an additional section put in um that you all just received it's highlighted it is the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 the 11th whereas clause which includes implementing includes the following language whereas implementing a new development D urges the county to use best practices to ensure that every consideration is given to the zoning Aesthetics and the traffic engineering of the surrounding ing areas um which basically would ask the county even though as very well stated by Mr codina um it's not in the city's jurisdiction therefore we would not have a say over the zoning that we are taking into consideration and our growth is taken into consideration as this moves forward obviously I think we're all on the same page we do not want to see the Redevelopment of this waste energy facility in our city for several reasons I think that the Arcus report that was um commissioned by the county also makes a very good argument as to why it should not be developed in D again um but we do have some work to do and I know that we all have each individually done that work and we also have uh lobbyists that have been working at the County Commission to understand all the the the implications um of of this very large project so Mr COA thank you Madame mayor um Council uh the resolution that you have before you is is basically uh what what the mayor has um eloquently expressed um what it does is just it gives the county uh our uh position that we do not want the incinerator uh to be located we want the uh County to give all and full consideration to this fourth site um which as Mr Kina pointed out uh does bring its challenges because it it's very close proximity to uh the city of Dural it's a very very large site uh and it would uh intensify uh the development around that area that being said it can be done in a in a way that uh takes into account uh traffic engineering the the zoning of Dural it can be done in a way that uh would benefit the city of Dural uh also uh this discusses our opportunity for both the manager and myself uh to continue uh working with the county on a memorandum of understanding uh that may uh consist of some contribution on on the behalf of the city of Dural uh but to bring that a memorandum of understanding back to this uh body uh for your full consideration and your vote uh so uh that's basically what this resolution does in a nutshell I will also just Express I have had discussions with almost every single County Commissioner and as it was stated before and to Express and also um speak to some of the concerns of some of our residents um that this will help us ease the concerns of certain County Commissioners on our desire to contribute and be partners in this process um while I know that it's not uh something we're all pleased about um because something we've had to deal with for many years um I think that it's the best way forward to be able to get a a resolution finally you know we're all elected to solve problems we didn't create um and so it's important for us to take this position I think it would ease the minds of several Commissioners as they move forward in studying a fourth option and also eliminating d as a possibility some of the residents have asked um when would be the time to go to the County Commission to my understanding um there has been an item placed on the agenda tomorrow by the county mayor as an information item it will go to a committee meeting the following week the solid waste committee and it will be officially heard on the 17th of September now whether a decision will be made on the 17th of September we are not certain of but it would definitely be an opportunity for us to go and have our voices heard and be present if you so choose um and then we will follow this continuously and closely as we have over the past year and certainly we'll make sure that our residents are informed as to how the county is moving forward and proceeds um on choosing a final location um that's all I'd like to say on this I think that it's very self-explanatory and really gives um support to the commissioner on this fourth item as well as the county mayor and eases the minds of uh the rest of the County Commissioners on on our position as far as financially contributing is there any comments from Council Members through the mayor council andas I just want to um underscore the importance of where we are today I think it's been um many months perhaps years in the making um I want to thank everyone that's here today and the audience everyone that has contributed the residents the one that's that have spoken today Mr codina suie IET everyone we've seen how we've mobilized our residents we've seen how other cities have mobilized their residents as well rightly so and so for me I think that we are at a at a crucial point where we have momentum and I think that we need to continue to build on it and continue to push this I I have I just have a couple questions my first question is or perhaps a request if it's not already in here I I was just taking a look at it and correct me if I'm wrong but I would like to add that we are supporting the commissioner bermuda's request for a comprehensive and expedited review of the fourth location is it in here or do we or can we just add it it's on the 1 two 3 4 5 six seventh whereas Clause four uh 7th and eth okay that was the really the intent of this resolution to provide that support just so right review the fourth location right which I think you know again it's it's a it's a great opportunity I think that um it is a result of a lot of again mobilizing um advocacy and a lot of the work that we've done um and that has been done in this commission the other um question that I had actually was we're directing the city manager and the attorney to work with the Commission in negotiating what we're going to be essentially uh contributing but I just want to clarify that we're going to be doing that in the same manner that we've been doing this throughout the last couple of months where you are meeting with us because it is going to come before us and obviously we want to make sure that the final product that comes is something that we um we won't have to really just you know negotiate too much here on the council so I just want to make sure that you know the current um structure that we have where you are speaking with all the com the the council members is going to continue of course we have not committed to anything with the county uh one way or the other uh and we would keep you informed of every step we take before we make that step and then the last thing is and I know I've spoken to um the our city manager and our attorney individually about how else we can put this forward and how else we can push this and you know our lobbyists need to be very involved in this as well so I'm hoping that we can also engage them in making sure that we have a plan for us to uh promote and also um ensure that we are speaking to our the the other Commissioners as well that's all thank you okay anyone else uh when was the last report that we got from you may want to turn on your mic yeah there when was the last time that we receive uh a review or a summary from the our lobbyist I speak with them uh report uh as far as a written report I don't have anything uh that I received uh uh I as a matter of fact I did I did receive something last week that showed the uh the specifics on the swap on the land swap uh sh both lands both the one that that he owns and the one that he is proposing to swap with and I'll be more than happy to to share that with you as a matter of fact I'll share it with all of you uh and during the break I'll email it to you okay thank you so motion to approve second motion to approve by councilwoman kabad second by councilman Pino any other comments yes Council Pino thank you uh first of all I want to acknowledge some of the incredible work of our community Advocates such as and some of them are present here and I know Council woman poros recognizing as well uh Cesar and Su is here Selma uh residents like any other resident that has been they have been working on this since day one so I want to I want to thank you for that and they have hosted so far and I'm saying this because it's important for them to be recognized uh they have hosted close to 10 community events already trying to inform the residents being proactive so I want to thank you guys last week we hosted one at the Landmark Community and I think that that's what is really making the difference at the end of the day you know Community getting together residents working together the council working together at the same time and certainly helping and supporting our County Commissioner and working with other County Commissioners and the county mayor as well to make this happen uh certainly I believe as I as I said last year this is this decision is not just moving is is not just about moving a facility is about taking a stand for environmental responsibilities so I think that we're in a in a great position we have been working on this since day one and I want to recognize my my uh colleagues as well because this is a matter that we all United and that's the message that we're sending out today one more time because we did it last year as well we have been working together on this and we're going to continue doing this until until the end so once again I want to thanks my colleagues I know we have more work to do I want to thanks the residents are here today as well because at the end of the day is yes it's going to be a County Commission decision however we're we're doing what we're supposed to do and residents need to know that your your leaders and your and the administration is doing what we are supposed to do to make sure that this new facility is relocated somewhere else that is no deral so once again I want to thanks everyone thank you councilman all right if there's no discussion Madam clerk please call the role motion to approve made by Council second by Council Council yes Council yes councilwoman poras yes yes may FR yes motion passes all right thank you very much I need a motion to adjourn oh I'm sorry that's right thank you Madame mayor um Council uh I do need to ask for an executive session on two matters uh 20200 433 ca01 and 2018 02135 ca01 um and I'll have uh that the clerk will help uh and coordinate a date for for us to meet not a problem thank you all thank you very much all right I need a motion to adjourn and then we will Reon for the budget hearing motion to adjourn by vice mayor P corve second by Council M all in favor say I this meeting is adjourned we'll see you back in five minutes [Music]