HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Council 062796CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL REGULAR MEETING
CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS
JUNE 27, 1996
The Special Regular Meeting of the City Council of the
City of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was called to
order by Vice Mayor Furtado at 6:30 P.M. in the
Assembly Room of the Municipal Complex, 10500 North
Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
ROLL CALL The City Clerk called the roll and present were Vice
Mayor Furtado, Councilman Jablin and Councilman
Clark. Mayor Russo arrived at 7:20 P.M., and
Councilwoman Monroe arrived at 6:45 P.M.
Vice Mayor Furtado requested that a moment of silence
be observed in honor of Tom Bergel, and employee of
the Public Works Department who had passed away, and
also in honor of the servicemen who had been killed in
Saudia Arabia.
PRFSFNTATTONS
ARCHITECTS DESIGN
GROUP New information included in the booklet provided were
space needs standards, cost breakdowns of all items
discussed the previous week, and recommendations. A
brief review of the items discussed at the previous
meeting was provided. Recommendations were to adopt
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 2
a total master plan for the site including recreation
facilities and outparcel additions to provide for
current needs to the year 2010; and to adopt Option C
which would provide for a separate Police building, a
separate City Hall, and improvements and expansion to
the existing Fire Station No. 1. It was also
recommended that the municipal center become a true
community focus by the inclusion of additional
outparcels so that cultural activities, a senior
center or municipal library could be developed. The
importance of forming Community Citizen Advisory
groups who would work with the City staff and take
voter referendum information to their special interest
groups within the community, as well as the importance
of a proactive campaign was emphasized. The
importance of grant funding was discussed, with
recommendation for immediate application to the State
program which provided assistance to cities and
counties with emergency operation complexes. The
revised Master plan was reviewed. During ensuing
discussion, the City Manager explained that in this
design square footage needs had been considered and
that parking could be shared between the municipal
complex and the northern ball field, however other
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 3
issues still existed. Keith Reeves reviewed the five
options available, and explained that the cost to
renovate the present building would be so high that
there would not be significant savings as opposed to
constructing a new Police station and City Hall.
Options for a possible new Fire station were
discussed. The most expensive option was to construct
all new buildings. Option C. which was recommended,
would renovate the existing Fire Station and construct
a new City Hall and a new Police Station. Option D
would provide a joint City Hall and Police Station,
however, savings would not be significant. Option E
would construct a new City Hall and a new Police
building which would be shared by Fire administration,
which also would not provide significant savings.
Costs of the different options were reviewed.
Councilman Clark questioned whether remodeling the
existing Fire Station would serve the City's needs
into the future, to which the architect responded that
site considerations were more important than the
building. The City Manager commented that ideally the
Fire Station would be located elsewhere with Fire
administration on this site, and that the level of
service was being challenged. The Fire Chief
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 4
commented that he believed the renovation would
accommodate Fire service needs, and if other stations
were installed there would still be a need for some
fire protection at this site. The City Manger
distributed a second handout which included additional
costs, what the total cost would translate to in a
millage rate, and comparisons with tax rates of
surrounding municipalities. The City Manager explained
that the millage rate for the current year was 4.04,
that there was a millage rate ceiling of 10, and that
other municipalities had sources of income with the
City did not have. In response to Vice Mayor
Furtado's concern, it was explained that there would
he sufficient space in the remodeled Fire Station.
Mayor Russo expressed concern that the increased taxes
might be phased in during a poor economic cycle, to
which the response was that staff's intention would be
to issue bonds in five million dollar segments which
would translate into approximately 15� in increased
tax rate. The grant available through DCA was
discussed, during which Mr. Reeves explained that
awards made the past year ranged from $12,000 to
$300,000. The City Manager explained that staff had
committed to meet with Tallahassee officials to learn
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 5
as much as possible about the grant application
process, and that a benefit of this particular grant
was that the Fire Station could be designed to also be
the City's emergency operations center, currently
housed at the Riverside Drive Community Center. In
response to Councilwoman Monroe's request at the
previous meeting, Mr. Reeves explained that the Palm
Beach County Court House had cost $142 per S.F., which
in 1997 dollars would be approximately $159 per S.F.;
the Palm Beach County School Board building had cost
$91 per S.F., which in 1997 dollars would be
approximately $107 per S.F.; the Juno Beach Municipal
Comple had cost $85 per S.F., which in 1997 dollars
would be approximately $102 per S.F. Councilwoman
Monroe questioned whether the proposed $110 per S.F.
for City Hall was too high compared to the Juno Beach
facility and the School Board facility. Discussion
ensued regarding contingency, and a cushion for the
cost of future construction dollars. A poll of the
City Council was unanimously in favor of Option C.
Mayor Russo and Councilwoman Monroe expressed concern
that $110 per square foot might be too high. Mr.
Reeves explained that built -in furniture and costs to
meet new hurricane standards were items which
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increased the square footage cost. Councilwoman
Monroe questioned whether the level of quality
proposed was the level expected by the City Council.
Further discussion ensued regarding items where costs
could be reduced. The City Council discussed whether
to include the church property in the bond issue, and
the decision was to include it and accept Option C as
presented.
RE -ORDER OF AGENDA Councilman Clark made a motion to re -order the agenda
to consider Resolution 96, 1996 next on the agenda.
Councilman Jablin seconded the motion, which carried
by unanimous vote of 5 -0.
RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTION 96, 1996 Vice Mayor Furtado made a motion to approve Resolution
96, 1996 - Calling a Referendum to decide whether a
majority of the electors participating in said
referendum are in favor of the City's proposal to
issue bonds; providing for a referendum to be held on
September 3, 1996; providing for the borrowing of a
principal sum of money for the payment of the cost of
demolition of the existing city hall and police
station, construction and furnishing of a new city
hall, new police station, an addition to the central
fire station and City Municipal Complex recreational
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 7
facilities and all costs necessary and incidental
thereto, adding that the amount shall not exceed $19.1
million. Councilman Clark seconded the motion, which
carried by unanimous vote of 5 -0. The ballot wording
was briefly discussed. The City Manager explained
that certain laws must be followed regarding the
language. Councilwoman Monroe made a motion to
reconsider Resolution 96, 1996. Councilman Jablin
seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous 5 -0
vote. Vice Mayor Furtado made a motion to approve
Resolution 96, 1996 in the amount of $19,100,000 with
the word improving changed to improvement of in
Section B. Councilman Clark seconded the motion,
which carried by unanimous vote of 5 -0.
PUBLIC H ,ARTNGS
ORDINANCE 9, 1996 Mayor Russo declared the Public Hearing open for
consideration of Second Reading and Adoption, which
was duly advertised 6/12/96 for Ordinance 9, 1996 -
Providing for Amendments to the City Charter, if
approved by Referendum Vote on 9/3/96; Providing for
a Ballot Title with captions not exceeding 15 words in
length by which the proposed Charter Amendments are
commonly referred to; Providing for summaries set
forth an explanatory statement, not exceeding 75
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 8
words, which describes the purpose of the proposed
Charter Amendments; Providing for the repeal of
certain provisions of the City Charter which are
obsolete, have been superseded by other State Statutes
and /or which were otherwise nullified or relegated to
the stature of an ordinance pursuant to Chapter 166,
Florida Statutes, The Municipal Home Rule Powers Act.
There being no comments from the public, Mayor Russo
declared the Public Hearing closed. City Attorney
Baird explained that previously discussed changes had
been incorporated into the Ordinance and in addition,
on page 4 of the Ordinance under Section 3 related to
changes to Section 6(1), 6(2), 6(3) and 6(4) of the
Charter, in the second line of the ballot language
shall section (1), 6(2), 6(3), the word establish
following amended had been changed to revise. Under
Section 6 -1 on the same page in Section A, a
suggestion had been made that the model charter
language be used to allow the City Manager to retain
other professionals in the interest of the City, and
it had been added and would now appear on page 7 of
the Ordinance as a new Subsection. S. Another change
would be added on page 8 immediately preceding Section
6 -2, regarding temporary absence of the City Manager
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 9
as follows: By letter of memorandum filed with the
City Clerk, the City Manager shall designate a City
Officer or employee to exercise the powers and perform
the duties of City Manager during the Manager's
absence or disability. The City Council may revoke
such designation at any time and appoint another
Officer or employee of the City to serve until the
City Manager returns. Councilwoman Monroe requested
the following changes: under the Whereas section
beginning on page 1 at the bottom reading, ...the City
has the governmental, corporate and proprietary powers
to enable them to conduct municipal government - -to
delete the word Council under the second Whereas on
page 2; to change they seek to he /she seek in the next
to last line on page 3; to delete the first line under
Section 3 and to insert the word of in Section 6 -1(b)
immediately preceding the wording the manager's
absence or disability on page 4; to begin item (6) on
page 6 with the word To and a capital T on the word to
at the beginning of item (7) ; to change the following
wording under Section 8 -2: substitute its for their
own and substitute the word it for they immediately
preceding the wording may raise or lower salaries of
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 10
all members of future councils. Vice Mayor Furtado
requested the following additional changes: Under
Section 8 -1 to insert a space between the words shall
and then, which had been typed with no space inserted;
and to change the word department to departments in
the sentence reading Any conflict of powers or duties
between department shall be resolved by the city
manager. Councilman Clark requested the heading
Section 2 be moved to be below the sentence The
explanatory statements of the proposed amendments are
set forth in Section 2 through 7, which follow.
Councilman Clark made a motion to approve Ordinance 9,
1996 on Second Reading by title only with the
amendments as read into the record. Vice Mayor
Furtado seconded the motion, which carried by
unanimous vote of 5 -0. The City Attorney read
Ordinance 9, 1996 on Second Reading by title only.
ORDINANCE 10, 1996 Mayor Russo declared the Public Hearing open for
consideration of Second Reading and Adoption, which
was duly advertised 6/12/96 for Ordinance 10, 1996 -
Amending Ordinance 24, 1995, same being the budget
ordinance of the City of Palm Beach Gardens for the
Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 1995, and ending
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 11
September 30, 1996, inclusive. Hearing no comments
from the public, Mayor Russo declared the Public
Hearing closed. Vice Mayor Furtado made a motion to
approve Ordinance 10, 1996 for consideration of Second
Reading and adoption. Councilman Jablin seconded the
motion, which carried by unanimous vote of 5 -0. The
City Clerk read Ordinance 10, 1996 on Second Reading
by title only.
RESOLUTIONS
RESOLUTION 95, 1996 Vice Mayor Furtado made a motion to approve Resolution
95, 1996 - Calling an Election on September 3, 1996,
to decide whether a majority of the electors
participating in said referendum are in favor of
amending the Charter of the City of Palm Beach
Gardens. Councilman Jablin seconded the motion.
Councilman Clark requested that language be changed as
in Section 5 to reflect the changes made in Ordinance
9, 1996. The motion was unanimously carried.
RESOLUTION 97, 1996 Councilman Clark made a motion to approve Resolution
97, 1996, adapted for purposes of Treasury Regulation
Section 1.150 -2, establishing official intent to
reimburse expenditures for the demolition of the
existing City Hall and Police Station and the
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acquisition, construction, improvement and equipping
of Administrative (City Hall) and Public Safety
(Police and Fire) and City Municipal complex
recreational facilities for the City from proceeds of
general obligation bonds issued for such purposes.
Vice Mayor Furtado seconded the motion, which carried
unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, the
meeting was adjourned at 8:10 P.M.
City Council Special Regular Meeting 6/27/96 PAGE 13
APPROVAL
s
MAYOR JO -RUSSO
L_
VICE MAYOR LAUREN FURTADO
COUNCILWOMAN LINDA MONROE
COUNCILMAN ERIC JABS
COUNCILMAN DAVID CLARK
ATTEST:
LINDA 47. KOSIER, CMC, CITY CLERK