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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Council 080971N WORKSHOP MEETING CITY OF PAIM BEACH GARDENS August 9, 1971 The City Council met in Workshop session at 8:00 P.M. on August 99 1971 in the assembly room of the Municipal Complex at 10500 N. Military Trail. Mayor DeLonga presided and opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL: Roll was called by the City Clerk and present were: Councilman Orr, Councilman Kiedis, Vice Mayor Wiley and Mayor DeLonga. Attorney Brant was present. Mr. Carlson and Councilman James were on vacation. OPENING BIDS. The bids for the tractor and mower, as advertised for the Public Works Dept. were opened by the City Clerk as follows: Trail Ford Tractor Co.-- $4753.20, Sunrise Ford Tractor Co, Inc. -- $4797.00, Hendry Tractor Co. -- $4850.00 and Smitty's Service Shop -- $4720.00. Mayor DeLonga referred the bids to the City Manager, Robert Carlson and Leonard Devine, Public Works Director for review and recommendations to the Council. REPORTS: Council reviewed and discussed the monthly reports for July 1971 as presented from the Building Department, Public Works Department, Fire Department, Recreation Department and Police Department. Approved by the Council. Lt. Nolan of the Police Department reported the organization of the Junior Police and stated there were 22 members to date. He reviewed the outline of the program which will be used in teaching the Junior Police. PRESENTATION City Manager, Robert Carlson, submitted to the Council the 1971 -72 Budget message, BUDGET MESSAGE: which was read by the City Clerk as Mr. Carlson was on vacation. Mayor DeLonga remarked that the presentation seemed to be in line with what Council intended in doing, such as lowering of the millage due to the reevaluation of the City by the Palm Beach County Assessors. Council will have a Budget Workshop at the conclusion of the Regular meeting of August 16, 1971. CENTRAL r'inE Vice Mayor Wiley reported on the meeting of the Fire Station Committee and stated STATION the final plena are being considered with minor alterations suggested. A firm cost estimate will be presented to the Council for approval within a very short �. time. He stated also that the bond validation for the General Revenue Bonds for the fire station and purchase of land, as voted on by the electors, had been held on Thursday, August 5, 1971 at the Palm Beach County Court House. He proposed a schedule for October 1, 1971 for start of construction. Page 2 \ PETITIONS AMID COMMUNICATIONS: A letter from Stan D. Trahan requesting a street light be placed on the corner of Hickory Drive leading out to PGA Blvd was referred to the Public Works Department for a survey of this street and others and recommend to the Council. MERIT BOARD: Three members of the Merit Board were present and stated their meeting which was scheduled for this evening had been postponed because, Mr. Larry Hood was unable to be present. A date will be set for the next meeting. Present were: David M. Runkel, Albert W. Pollard, Louis F. Oxnevad. SCHOOL BUSING: Mr. MacIntire, Chairman of the Save Neighborhood Schools organization was present and distributed handbills to the Council giving notice and inviting everyone in the Community to attend the Palm Beach County School Board meeting at the Northshore High School on Wednesday August 11, 1971 at 7:00 P.M. He asked permission of the Council to have a group of people pass out these handbills in the City, which was granted. Mr. Shearin of the Concerned Parents organization asked that anoiice be sent out to announce that the meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 was rescheduled 1� for Thursday, 7:30 P.M. at City Assembly room. ORDINANCES: Ordinance #12 -- Amending Chapter 27-- Swimming Pools and Ordinance #27 -- setting a schedule for Council meetings were authorized to be placed on second reading at the Regular Meeting, August 16, 1971. .RE: LOT MOWING: Mr. Wm. Lanier who is a lot owner in the City protested to the Council because the City was notifying owners of the charge for mowing of vacant lots and which cannot be built on at the present time because of the moratorium. Mr. Lanier: I agree with the Public Works department mowing the lots but as a tax payer I should get something back for the tax money. We can't build on this lot and I don't see where this will change. In reality we are getting nothing and it would appear to me that the City should at least take the responsibility of keeping these lots mowed. MAYOR I just talked with our Public Works Director before the meeting about the DeLonga: notifications sent to lot owners. There are some areas of the City that are looking a little shoddy and I would like to get them straightened out. This was a notification and not a billing and notsne will be billed as a result Page 3 of that first notification letter. From here on in every lot will be inspected prior to the notice being sent out to them. In regard to your comment the Council was not too happy about declaring the moratorium and we are still not and are still hoping that we will get some relief in the not too distant future. I'm inclined somewhat to agree with your comments. Perhaps we whould assume a little more of the responsibility in cutting the lots and in doing things for the people who haven't been able to build. However, I think quite a bit of the responsibility should fall also upon the people who own the Utility Co. I was just wondering if anyone has contacted Mr. MacArthur relative to asking BA -leers Life Co if they would purchase back the property that was sold by them." MR. Lanier: "I personally contacted him and the answer was a firm,no.11 Mayor DeLonga: "Do you know if there was any action by a group of the property owners relative to this subject." Mr. Lanier: "Not that I know of." Mayor DeLonga: "I think your request deserves some consideration." Councilman "There is only one problem though, how many of the people who own lots would Kiedis: want to relinquish them if they could." Mayor DeLonga: " I don't know." Councilman Kiedis: "You'd have somebody who would say they don't want the lot anymore but how many of these people would there bet" Mayor DeLonga: "I am not exactly sure of the number, but approximately 270 owned by the MacArthur companies and 70 under private ownership. So there would be 70 people to be contacted or perhaps we should sort of assist them relative to this lot mowing. The other 270 I am sure we could get them to cooperate, and cut their own lots. Councilman Kiedis "How many mowings do you give them a year Leonard ?" U L. Devine: "Under the program we discussed we propose to start. Here is my feeling on this if we revoke the billing on the 70 lots, I'm afraid that unless we impose a charge on these lots, Mr. MacArthur may dump the 270 lots on us to mow free, Page 4 ADJOURNMENT: Motion for adjournment made and seconded and meeting adjourned at 10:25 P.M. Mayor DeLonga Councilman James Vice Mayor Wiley Councilman Orr Councilman Kiedis fi. Compton, City Clerk that is if we attempt to set up a free program and that would cost us a lot more than what it will cost each one of us to pay now." %Layor DeLonga: "They have been fairly diligent about coming over to mow when they are requested, haven't they ?" L. Devine: "That's right." Mr. Lanier: "As a taxpayer, the money that I pay in each year should entitle me to something." Mayor DeLonga: "We'll see if we can help out a little in this regard." SIGN ORDINANCE: Council reviewed and discussed the Sign Ordinance for revision and amendment. Mr. Dave Runkel, Advertisement Manager for Community Federal, offered to prepare a review made through various Sign Companies as to their specifications and present them to the Council. Mr. Munsell, Building Official, was directed to research other municipalities as to their sign regulations and to review the present City ordinance and make recommendations to Attorney Brant for the preparation of an ordinance for amendments. RECOWENDATIONS AND DISCUSSION BY MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY EMBLEM: Mayor DeLonga stated he had been contacted by the Garden Lane Restaurant who requested use of the City Emblem for their menus. Council was not in favor and agreed that the restaurant submit an idea of what they would use and Council would reconsider their request. FIRE HYDRANT: Mayor DeLonga announced that he had an article from the Post Times which stated that the City was being sued for $38,000 for fire hydrant rental by Palm Beach County Utility Co. The City Clerk reported that a billing in the amount of $38,690 for hydrant rental had been received August 9, 1971,due for 1967 through 1970. ADJOURNMENT: Motion for adjournment made and seconded and meeting adjourned at 10:25 P.M. Mayor DeLonga Councilman James Vice Mayor Wiley Councilman Orr Councilman Kiedis fi. Compton, City Clerk