HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 1996-12-07 Minutesi+�iT�► ii
OF MEETING HELD ON QECEMBER 7, I996
BUDGET WORKSHOP
PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
I HALL
WALTER J. FOEMAN
CITY CLERK
9
INDEX
MINUTES BUDGET STRATEGY WORKSHOP MEETING
December 7, 1996
ITEM
PAGE
SUBJECT
LEGISLATION
NO.
NO.
1.
POLICE - DISCUSSION CONCERNING
DISCUSSION
1-18
ALLEGATIONS BY POLICE CHIEF OF
12/7/96
UNREALISTIC BUDGET FIGURES.
2.
CITY CLERK- DRAFT LOBBYIST ORDINANCE
DISCUSSION
18-20
/ ENFORCE PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION
12/7/96
FEE ANDE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE OF
LOBBYING ACTIVITY- DISCUSSION
3.
COMMUNITY PLANNING & REVITALIZATION-
DISCUSSION
20-24
SUBMIT PARROT JUNGLE LEASE TO
12/7/96
-
COMMISSION PRIOR TO FINALIZING / $1
MILLION PAYMENT TO CITY BY
BEDMINSTER -- CITY MANAGER TO
INCREASE HIS STAFF- DISCUSSION.
4.
PUBLIC FACILITIES- INCREASE
DISCUSSION
24-31
SURCHARGE AT ORANGE BOWL FROM 500
12/7/96
TO $1.00 -- GIVE BREAK TO CITY
RESIDENTS ON MARINA FEES --
DISCUSSION.
5.
SUBSIDIES TO CITY FACILITIES: MANUEL
DISCUSSION
31-35
ARTIME / TOWER THEATER / MIAMI
12/7/96
CONVENTION CENTER / BOBBY MADURO
STADIUM -- SALE OF CITY PROPERTIES:
DRAFT NOTIFICATION TO METRO-DADE
COUNTY IN CONNECTION WITH
F.E.C./BICENTENNIAL TRACK PROPERTIES.
6.
BUILDING AND ZONING - NEED FOR MORE
DISCUSSION
35-42
INSPECTORS -- INCREASE CODE
12/7/96
ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS -- DIRECT
ADMINISTRATION TO BRING BACK
EMERGENCY ORDINANCE IN CONNECTION
WITH FEE INCREASES NEXT WEEK --
DIRECT CITY ATTORNEY TO SOLICIT THRU
BAR ASSOCIATION ATTORNEYS WHO ARE
E
INTERESTED IN HANDLING THESE CASES --
DISCUSSION.
ti
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
FIRE- OCCUPATIONAL LICENSES AND
CERTIFICATES OF USE TASK FORCE
STATUS / DEVELOPMENT OF FIRE SERVICE
FEES / ASSES FIRE FEES ON COMMERCIAL
AND NON RESIDENTIAL -- PROVIDE
COMMISSION WITH LIST OF NAMES OF
TASK FORCE MEMBERS -- MAYOR
CAROLLO REQUESTS OF MANAGER TO
MEET ONE ON ONE CONCERNING
GARBAGE, CERTIFICATES OF USE AND
OCCUPATIONAL LICENSES COLLECTION
EFFORTS.
N.E.T. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT -
CLARIFICATION OF COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS
(CDBG) FUNDS AVAILABLE TO CITY --
PROVIDE BREAKDOWN OF $1.6 MILLION TO
COMMISSION -- DISCUSSION.
PARKS AND RECREATION - CREATE AN
"ADOPT A PARK" PROGRAM -- CREATE FIVE
MEMBER COMMITTEE TO SOLICIT
CORPORATE WORLD -FOR FUNDS TO
MAINTAIN PARK SERVICES ALL YEAR --
EACH COMMISSIONER SHALL APPOINT ONE
MEMBER TO SAID COMMITTEE. --
11100UNMIMN.
POLICE- CONTINUE DISCUSSION -
REINSTATE TELEREPORTING FOR STOLEN
CARS -- DISCUSSION -- SEE LABELS 1 & 12.
GSA / SOLID WASTE- INCLUDE
BIOHAZARDOUS MATERIAL FEE FOR
PICKUP -- IMPLEMENT STREET CLEANING
FEE ORDINANCE -- FURNISH LIST TO
COMMISSIONERS OF PRIVATE HAULERS
DELINQUENT ON FRANCHISE FEE
PAYMENTS -- DISCUSSION.
POLICE- CONTINUE DISCUSSION --
IMPLEMENT POLICE ACCIDENT REPORT
FEE --SEE LABELS 1 & 10.
DISCUSSION
12/7/96
DISCUSSION
12/7/96
DISCUSSION
12/7/96
43-54
54-58
58-59
DISCUSSION 59-64
12/7/96
DISCUSSION 64-75
12/7/96
DISCUSSION
12/7/96
75-76
13. NON - DEPARTMENTAL RESOURCES: DISCUSSION
SPECIAL EVENTS / WATSON ISLAND 12/7/96
TERMINAL FOR MEGA CRUISERS /
MARITIME PARK INTERLOCAL
AGREEMENT -- DISCUSS ON 12/12/96
COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION AGENCY
BOARD M (EE)TING:(1) SALE OF FEC
PROPERTY, INSTRUCT
MANAGER AND CITY ATTORMOTOR NEY TO BRING
BACK NECESSARY LEGISLATION TO
OBTAIN APPRAISALS FOR CITY PROPERTY
TO BE SOLD, (4) FIRE INSPECTION FEES, (5)
MIAMI SPORTS AND EXHIBITION
AUTHORITY CONTRIBUTIONS,(6) SALE OF
SOUTH POLICE STATION -- INSTRUCT
MANAGER TO DIRECT POLICE CHIEF TO
FINALIZE NUMBERS IN CONNECTION WITH
APPRAISAL VALUE OF SAID FACILITY IN
ORDER TO PROCEED WITH SALE OF SAME,
(7) FEASIBILITY OF RETURNING
COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
(CRA) UNDER AUSPICES OF CITY
MANAGER -- INSTRUCT MANAGER TO
UPDATE COMMISSION ON STATUS OF
METRO-DADE COUNTY SIGNING CRA
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
77-91
MINUTES OF SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING
BUDGET STRATEGY WORKSHOP
On the 7th day of December, 1996, the City Commission of Miami, Florida, met at its
regular meeting place in the City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida in special
session.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Joe Carollo with the following members of
the Commission found to be present:
Mayor Joe Carollo
Vice Mayor Tomas Regalado
Commissioner Wifredo Gort
Commissioner Humberto Hernandez
Commissioner J.L. Plummer, Jr.
ALSO PRESENT:
Edward Marquez, City Manager
A. Quinn Jones, III, City Attorney
Walter J. Foeman, City Clerk
Maria J. Argudin, Assistant City Clerk
An invocation was delivered by Commissioner Gort, and Mayor Carollo then led those
present in a pledge of allegiance to the flag.
------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I POLICE- DISCUSSION CONCERNING ALLEGATIONS BY POLICE CHIEF
OF UNREALISTIC BUDGET FIGURES.
Mayor Carollo: Thank you. Good morning. This is the second of a series of workshops the
Commission is holding over the finances of the City of Miami. Mr. Manager, do we have all the
department directors ready to present different estimates than the ones that we have had already
from them as this Commission requested for 5, 10, or 15 percent?
Mr. Edward Marquez: (City Manager): We've been concentrating on the 15 percent number,
but the answer's yes.
Mayor Carollo: Very good. How would you like to proceed for each department to come before
us?
Mr. Marquez: Well let me ask... at the last commission meeting you had said that we would start
off with revenues first, it's the will of the commission to go there or go directly into the...
Mayor Carollo: We could begin with revenues, it's no problem in that, but as far as the
departments goes, how would you like to have them at the appropriate time come up to the
1 December 7, 1996
1i
commission and give us their 15 percent so we can decide if each department can do 15 percent
or if it's not realistical for some departments.
Mr. Marquez: Well, I think we should start with Police and Fire first because they're the biggest
departments by far and then we can go from there.
Mayor Carollo: Very good.
Commissioner Plummer: Before you start, can we ask some questions?
Mayor Carollo: Absolutely, Commissioner.
Commissioner Plummer: A statement has been made by the police department that 97 percent of
their budget is employees. I find that difficult to explain in the budget book. Can you explain
that to me if it's true?
Chief Donald Warshaw (Chief of Police): Commissioner what I said is that 97 percent of the
budget is employees' salaries, personnel benefits, pension costs, health insurance, and everything
other than operating costs. And those basically the operating costs in the department are under 3
million dollars ($3,000,000). So, if you add up your pensions, your internal service costs, your
benefits and your salaries, you're gonna get that number, 97 million.
Commissioner Plummer: Well let me tell you why I have a problem, Chief. According to my
budget book, you're... for all practical purposes, which is not a true statement, your budget is a
hundred and one million dollars. And total all divisions shows personnel services at 86 million,
and operating expenses at 11. Now, I, then, find it very difficult to understand at best...
Mr. Marquez: Commissioner Plummer, I think I have a partial explanation on this, and I will ask
the budget people to walk up. In past years a portion of the pension liability citywide was
funded by bond issues. In '97, this year's budget, there is no contemplation of doing that, so
from what I understand there's about a 32 million dollar ($32,000,000) line item that was not
covered at all. A good 9 million dollars ($39,000,000)of that amount was put into the police
department's budget by the budget department in this document.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, you know, that gives me the feeling of your robbing Peter to pay
Paul, not you, you didn't do it. Okay? But how am I to sit up here and make votes that are
supposedly intelligent when we don't have that information, and yet you're gonna ask me to
make votes today with that kind of information which is totally, totally misleading?
Chief Warshaw: And, Commissioner, I couldn't agree with you more, and I have to tell you that
the budget book that you have which I don't even have a copy of it with me, I've got a copy of
the best I can put together, a line item budget. That book which has been prepared in this city all
the year's I've been working on the police budget has never once been an accurate reflection of
the police department's budget. I don't have any idea how the numbers in that budget book have
ever related to the police department's budget, or for that matter, any other budget, and that's
where I think where we got to where we are now because just as an example, last year in the
police department our total budget was 92 million dollars ($92,000,000) and we have fewer
people today than we had last year and yet our budget is 101 million and that's why I was trying
to explain the other day that that difference between 92 and 101 which you and the public sees as
an increase in the police budget is in no way impacting on police services, there's not one dime
of that money that's going for additional police services. Those are the makeups for the way
money was misspent and now is being made up by being tacked on to a police budget and that
budget book was prepared by the former finance director, and I just want to say I spent the night
going through these numbers again, and I don't want you to have misinformation that does not
2 December 7, 1996
reflect any increase in police services. There are numbers in there that have nothing to do with
the police department.
Commissioner Plummer: What does it reflect, for example, 4 million dollars ($4,000,000) in
non -operating revenues?
I
Chief Warshaw: That's the budget reserve?
i Commissioner Plummer: I'm asking. I don't know. It says non -operating...
Mayor Carollo: What page are you reading from, Commissioner?
Commissioner Plummer: The budget book.
Mayor Carollo: Yeah, I know.
Commissioner Plummer: Page 100.
Commissioner Gort: Let me ask a question, maybe we can clarify this a little bit. My
understanding, the budget that we looked at, the budget that we looked in the past has not really
been a realistic true financial picture of the of our finance. My understand is we had a group of
individual, over 30 individual come in, went into each one of our departments; looked at each
one of our departments; they came up with recommendation which I believe according to what
I've read here, if we were to implement all of these strategic financial recovery plans, we should
be in good shape. I think we all agree more or less with al.l of them with one exception, the one
exception is the Sanitation. And that exception is one of the reasons we wanted to wait until the
12th, cause we said rather than double the fee or propose that let's look at reducing the costs, see
what other alternatives we can come up with so that we can come up with 10 million dollars
($10,000,000). And this is what I'm looking at, I'm not looking at the old budget, J.L., I'm
looking at this recommendation which is twenty some people looked at each one of our
departments and came out with this recommendation.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but again, how did the so-called experts, and I don't mean to
demean them because they were good people, how did they come up with numbers to determine
the bottom line problem and if they did why don't we have it? That's not for you to answer.
Mr. Marquez: Within the task force report, and I've gotta find the section,...
Commissioner Gort: From what I've read, you get some ideas what the problems were, and how
to fix them, how to change their structures.
Mr. Marquez: Commissioner, in tab 1 of the task force report, there's a memo from Merrett
Steirhiem to the city commission...
Commissioner Plummer: Correct.
Mr. Marquez: Pages 1, well you've got Page 1, 2, and 3 and then it starts out 1 and 2 again...
Commissioner Plummer: Okay.
Mr. Marquez: It's call elements of fiscal year... this is where their coming up to the number of
the gap that ought to be filled. They started off with the appropriation levels that are contained
in this document, now all of the appropriation levels within this document you can look at it
from a top line perspective and said all of the appropriations will pay for a city-wide services.
3 December 7, 1996
r
From there they went through the detail to determine what were items that were not gonna be
covered. They first looked at the revenues, and said which revenues are overstated. They
looked at the expenditures, which ones are understated, and they also... included in that revenues
out of the cash, we've brought forward from the following year was that a correct number...
Commissioner Plummer: Where did they get the bottom line on the expenses though, I can
understand on the revenues, where did they get the bottom line on expenses? If the Chief is
saying that in his particular case, that it was x number for employees, and you are saying it was x
number for pension that was charged to his account, why don't we have that information? The
Chief doesn't vote and you don't vote, you're asking me to vote and I'm asking you why I
don't... maybe some of my colleagues might have that information but I don't, and I'm asking
why?
Mr. Marquez: I don't believe there was ever a revised... and staff, please correct me if I'm
wrong, but I don't believe there has ever been a revised departmental budget persay. What
they've done... and, please correct me where I'm wrong, what they've done is they've held
budget hearings with each one of the departments and just concentrated on the differences that
were not covered or, were again, only differences. What was understated, what was overstated,
what is not covered. And that's what...
Commissioner Plummer: Was that information ever forwarded to the commission?
Mr. Marquez: I believe this memo was their attempt to do that.
Commissioner Plummer: No the memo is not numbers.
Chief Warshaw: Can I interject, Commissioner?
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah.
Chief Warshaw: I'm gonna... we wanna put everything on the table here so let's put it on the
table.
Mayor Carollo: It's about time to do it, Don, it's now or never.
Chief Warshaw: We went through the budget hearings with the former city manager and the
former finance director, let's just talk about Police. And those budget numbers, give or take,
were 97 million for the police. We submitted paperwork back and forth, we had budget hearings
with the city manager, on the day after those hearings faxed to our office the next day, the
number jumped to 101 million, somebody plugged in 4 million dollars ($4,000,000), and until
today, and even today, I still don't know what that 4 million dollars ($4,000,000) is except that
it's covering the costs of deficits throughout the city which might be real.
Commissioner Plummer: That's not my point, Don.
Chief Warshaw: Well I'll answer the other part of your question.
Commissioner Plummer: My point is, you've had subsequent budget hearings with the new
manager...
Chief Warshaw: No, we did not.
Commissioner Plummer: Then you had to have it with somebody, who got the bottom line true
number?
4 December 7, 1996
1i
Chief Warshaw: Merrett Stierheim's people because they did not have enough time to look at
everything, accepted the baseline departmental budgets that were prepared by the previous
administration. They did not have the time to look into the 101 million and police or any of the
budgets for the rest of the departments so you are working with 101 million dollar
($101,000,000) budget...
Commissioner Plummer: I have nothing else.
Chief Warshaw: I agree, but that's the budget that was left from the previous administration.
Commissioner Plummer: I have nothing else and I don't know as I sit here now and maybe one
of my colleagues might know what is the true number. I don't know that.
Mayor Carollo: From what I understand, Chief, you are telling me that the true number was 97
million. That based upon what you all had presented...
Chief Warshaw: Mr. Mayor, that's true except in that 97 million, if you were to compare last
year to this year, is also this huge increase in paying back pension debt, alright, that was
borrowed money that now has to be repayed because it's owed and its tapped into there's a 13
million dollar ($13,000,000) item in the police department for pension budgets; that's a 9 million
dollar ($9,000,000) increase from last year.
Commissioner Plummer: Is that part of Gates?
Chief Warshaw: That's a part of the 101 million.
Mayor Carollo: So you got another 9 million...
Chief Warshaw: That's correct.
Mayor Carollo: ... that is not for paying salaries for personnel...
Chief Warshaw: That's correct.
Mayor Carollo: ... and then you have from what I understood, if I'm understanding you
correctly, another 4 million that was thrown in there that you don't know where it came from...
Chief Warshaw: That's correct.
Mayor Carollo: ... and nobody consulted with you to include that in there.
Chief Warshaw: That's correct.
Mayor Carollo: Well, Don, I'm glad that you are explaining this clearly because I think it's
about time that everybody comes clean. This is another prime example, prime example of the
mismanagement that we have had here where millions of dollars are placed into budgets, taken
out of budgets, without consulting with department heads, the people that are responsible for
those budgets, and this is what we have to get to the bottom of and make sure that this never
happens again. It's impossible to run a city in the fashion that we're seeing time and time again.
I mean, Merrett's whole strategic financial recovery plan, every other page you go through here,
I don't care who was brought in, what expert doing, what task force, you find it in page after
page that the problem that we were having was pure mismanagement. You see it everywhere,
mismanagement, mismanagement, and 1, forthe life of me, cannot understand how we can still
5 December 7, 1996
En
have some people out there, especially some, they're supposed to be in positions of leadership,
that still want to be apologist for the people that caused this problem to our city. So, I am very
grateful that your putting in the open... I understand and, I mean we could get into back and
forth why wasn't this said by you, by others in the past, but that's not gonna do any good at this
point and time. This is the time that all of us have to come together and look towards the future
in resolving this. And I understand, very well, the situation that all the department directors
were in. If anybody opposed the games that were going on, they simply were not gonna be
working in the City of Miami, and those were the marching orders that everyone understood.
So, we have to get through this so we can understand what your real budget is and the numbers
that you're giving, they're starting to be clear to me. There was some major amount that was put
into your budget that's not really from your budget. Part of it is to pay the games, the illegal
games, I might add, that were being done with the bond issues. And then others, you don't know
where they came from.
Chief Warshaw: Mayor, that is 100 percent correct and that's why to look at 101 million dollars
($101,000,000) compared to a 92 million dollar ($92,000,000) budget for last year and not be
able to say that there's better service or more service, that's the difference, there is no more
service. There is actually fewer people this year than there were last year, those are numbers that
have nothing to do with police service.
Commissioner Plummer: Can I get to my bottom line? Do we have a realistic and true budget of
each department including Police? Now, if you're telling me, as the Chief is telling me, that this
number is not correct, does anybody have the correct numbers?
Mr. Marquez: No sir.
Commissioner Plummer: Nobody has them.
Mr. Marquez: May I continue on for a second?
Commissioner Gort: Let me ask a question.
Mr. Marquez: It's an important point that I need to make. We do not have an accurate
department by department budget. I'll take the City Manager's budget as an example. I, my
own salary is split between two different places, two other departments. There are multiple... my
receptionist is funded out of Fire Department. There's a whole bunch of cross fundings
throughout the entire city. We just don't have... we did not have the time to recompute the
budget, and that's one of the items that I've asked the State of Florida for support, because it's
gonna take time because there's a lot of detail there. However, to address the bottom line
concern beyond individual appropriations for budgets, I am convinced from what I've heard and
talked to the task force before they left is that on a global basis we are... we can make sure that
the city's expenditure needs can be covered. They took the budgets as is in this book and they
met with department by department and figured out which revenues were overstated or
understated and corrected those. They figured out which expenses were not picked up on a
global basis, and they made the adjustments on the grand total and that's what is part impartial of
the 68 million dollar ($68,000,000) deficit that we're... What's being handed out right now is
that the Commission had asked for information on 15 percent cuts and this is the backup so that
when we get into the departmental things...
Commissioner Plummer: My next question... through you to the Chief of Police of Fire. On the
largest amount of increased revenue that I see is the fire fee. You have indicated that which was
profered by Stierheim, in your estimation is optimistic. I would like to hear from the Chief of
Fire, in whose lap that fire fee is falling, what is realistic?
6 December 7, 1996
En
Mayor Carollo: J.L., before we go right into that let's finish and... that's the point that I made
last week that we have to be realistical but before we go into the Fire Chief, and we'll go right
next into him, if we could finish real briefly with the Police Chief, then let's go to the fire chief.
Commissioner?
` Commissioner Gort: I wanna ask a question that I think it might clarify some of this. My
understanding in reading this document, cause this is why I'm basis myself on, in tab 4 you have
your fiscal year which you have expenditures, capital improvement, and your projected cash
requirement.
Commissioner Plummer: 4?
Commissioner Gort: Yeah, tab 4. My understanding from looking in here, you're looking at the
total revenues of 203 million dollars ($203,000,000), and then the total expenditures 203... it
shows the balanced budget at the end with a deficit. This is what I've been looking at more or
j less.
Mayor Carollo: This is really what we're gonna need to end up looking at, Commissioner.
i
Mr. Marquez: If you look in the September 96-97 column, go straight down to the bottom line
number, 68 million dollars ($68,000,000) deficit by the end of the fiscal year, and that's what the
j gap that we're trying to make.
Commissioner Plummer: The 58, not 68?
Mr. Marquez: 68.
Commissioner Plummer: 68, Okay. Now, one of the problems that I have looked, let's
understand before we get into revenues, and I understand where you're coming from Mr. Mayor.
It is my understanding if departments across the board do not cut 15 percent that is the number
that is, in effect, going to be needed to meet the deficit with other projected revenues. Okay?
That was my understanding, that's not my understanding.
Mr. Marquez: No. This plan... the plan that's here has a certain laundry list of revenues
enhancements. And, we talk special assessment fee, solid waste fee, etc., etc. It has specifically
named expenditure deductions the union concessions, the pension contributions, departmental
cost reductions, and another item that was, reductions already taken place.
Commissioner Plummer: My question is , it would be understood whether it was done
individually or collectively. There is a certain amount of reduction anticipated from all
departments, Whether it is a bottom line number or individually.
Mr. Marquez: Right that's part of, that's section B in here.
Commissioner Plummer: Okay. Then if you went across the board evenly, what percent would
that be? Is it 12 percent, is it 8?
Mayor Carollo: The problem is you can't go across the board evenly, J.L., it's very difficult to
do that.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, Joe, I understand, but you can still do it from a number that says
that you've got x number of dollars that has got to be cut. You've got over here x number of
dollars that can be raised, and that's what we're trying to do as a balancing act. For example,
and I'm just throwing this out for what it's worth. If you equate out that there is no increase in
7 December 7, 1996
t
the garbage fee, that's 10 million dollars ($10,000,000) that equates to, in my estimation, 200
layoffs. That's approximately, you have 20 layoffs per million. In other than police and fire, it's
• more there. But, in the regular layoffs, you're looking at 20 employees to 1 million dollars, 10
million dollars that's in deficit is 200 employees. Now, what we've got to understand with I
think, in the bottom line when we get to that bottom line, we don't want layoffs but if we do,
how else are we going to come to a number that's going to be able to tell us where that is.
1 Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor?
i
Mayor Carollo: Go ahead, sir.
Mr. Marquez: An altenative way of looking at this is that this book represents a puzzle. This
book has, you've had a group of people go in, work with all of the departments, come out with
expenditure reductions of certain types, revenue enhancements of a certain type, and they fixed
the problem on paper here. If this is a plan, it is balanced, it's a puzzle, it has a number of pieces
on there, I believe a much faster way... no a lot of work has gone down in determining what type
of expenditure cuts made sense. They did not wanna take, they did not wanna decrease asset, the
asset management group by 15 percent persay because that would've gutted that department out.
Across the board don't work easily because a lot of departments are marginally funded right
now. Now what I would recommend as a much faster way to approach the problem, and where
we all wanna be is figure out what components, what elements of this plan just won't work.
Evidently the biggest single concern we have is the solid waste fee. Alright, then let's then look
at, try to examine those things that can take the place of that, and that may be amenable to the
unions because the unions represent major pieces of concesions in this document.
Commissioner Plummer: That's what I'm trying to get to, and then the Mayor asked to wait to
go to Fire because that is the major, the biggest portion of the increase is the fire fee. And that's
why I think we've gotta know that before we start into this other stuff here.
Mayor Carollo: Absolutely. That's what I brought up last workshop, that the two main pillars
that we have going into the future are the fire fee and the union concessions. Without those two,
if they are not real, or if they do not come through, it would be really difficult, if not next to
impossible to make this work. Now, if I may, Mr. Manager, may I ask Dipak to come up here
and maybe he can shed some light into some of this. You've heard the statements, Dipak, that
the Police Chief has made. Can you give us some information on that, can you shed any new
light into these statements?
Dipak Parekh, Deputy Finance Director: Sure, yes Mayor. In the last couple of years we have
funded many of the operational, for example the fringe benefits... pension from bonds, proceeds
of bonds. Last year we funded about 34 million, this year we're only going to fund about 12
million dollars ($12,000,000) so, the rest of the money has to come in from normal distribution
from the rest of the other city departments. And one of the distributions, obviously, the majority
of population, employee population also belongs within the police department, therefore, you
saw a 9 million dollar ($9,000,000) increase in the pension cost as far as the police department is
concerned. There are other areas as well, the fire department in a similar respect, some of the
other smaller departments the same thing. Now the issue of the 4 million ($4,000,000) dollars,
the direction which we were given was that we had to fund a contribution towards the 102 police
officers which were grant funded of which 1 million dollars was levied for that. However, there
was still some monies which we needed to put within the pension, the self insurance funds and
so on. So, the other rest of the 3 million dollars ($3,000,000) was put at the last moment, o.k., on
Saturday night, and that's how the 101 million dollar ($101,000,000) figure came up.
Mayor Carollo: Does anybody have a breakdown, a sheet that would show you dollar by dollar
where the other 3 million that you're telling me out of the 4 was going to?
8 December 7, 1996
r
Mr. Parekh: Absolutely, 678,265 towards pension; 484,471 towards insurance liability; 177,284
for workers compensation; 1,657,769 dollars for group health. Now those costs, if you take a
look at reality, and this is just, just like we do the internal service funds, and some of the other
distributions, they are not earmarked exactly by population, and let me qualify why I'm saying
that. In many instances, the mayor's and the commission's budget, in fact over the last six years
has not changed one dime. Now obviously, the cost has gone up. We have more employees in
some cases than we used to, so that was a fictitious amount. What happened was that the rest of
the other departments absorbed the pension costs, group health costs, that's a reason also for
example, in terms of operating expenses, as far as I'm concerned, in a professional perspective,
the mayor and commissions does not have any operating expenses. You have some, but it's not
enough. The manager's position is the same thing. The manager's office... majority of the
positions are funded from other places. In fact the manager's salary is funded between the
manager's office and community development block grant.
Mayor Carollo: What you're basically telling me, Dipak, is what we have is a shell game?
Mr. Parekh: It is a shell, it's no doubt about it.
Mayor Carollo: You know, you constantly had to try to find where they had the bean, in which
shell. The only question I've been having for a long time was this shell game just done out of
pure mismanagement, or was this shell game done in part out of mismanagement, in part being
planned to be the way that it was done purposely, so that people couldn't find out what was
going on with our monies. And, how we had gone through every reserve completely, and, then,
when we got the bond money, how it was actually spent?
Mr. Parekh: Let me answer it in this particular way. First of all, it was done for perception.
That the mayor and commission budgets have not gone up over the last 4, 5, 6 years. That is
completely fictitious. If you take a look at the real expenditures at the end of the day, you will
see that they're far more than what was appropriated, and that was dealt with in the cleanup
ordinance at the end of the year, and that's been a historical tradition. That's point 1. Point #2 is
that you have in this budget, aspects which should have been categorized by department. For
example, if the fleet management costs... the majority of the costs for the fleet costs is in the
Police Department. However, you have some costs, and I'll give you a concrete example, of an
internal service charge for the public facilities where they don't have the car but they're charged
the costs. At the end of the day, the issue is.. we have to pay, one way or the other, for the
internal service charge, but the distribution wasn't done in the way it should be. Pension costs
the same thing. If you look at the pension costs the realistic expectations should be the people
who have been here the longest have a higher so-called pension costs over the years. So that
department should absorb that costs. Is that a fact? The answer is absolutely no. So, therefore,
in certain instances, just like garbage, let me give you another example. We mentioned... and I
think Ron Williams came up the other day over here and mentioned the figure of 16.5, he's right.
As far as the budget is concerned 16.5. Is that a true cost of the operation? Absolutely not. The
cost of the operation is around 22 million dollars ($22,000,000). So, you have in a sense, a
perception and a shell game. The costs are real but the way it has been presented to the
Commission over the years has been different.
Commissioner Plummer: Stop. Let me just ask one... I read in the paper, and I don't always put
that as gospel. Is it a true statement in the paper today, that the cost to the city for garbage and
trash and recycle collection is $400? Is that a realistic figure?
Mayor Carollo: It's less than that, Commissioner, let me tell you. It's less than that, that is not a
realistic figure. First of all, even with the numbers that we have now given to us by the task
force, it's not a realistical figure, but beyond that, what it didn't take into consideration is that we
9 December 7, 1996
Ei
spend approximately at least 1 million dollars ($1,000,000) in street sweeping that never should
be included with the cost to the average home owners. Every other city, the county, puts that in
another category. Usually it's charged to GSA or other departments depending on what city
you're looking at. But the bottom line is, that's always charged to the general fund by other
cities. We have been included in that as part of the overall garbage costs to the average home
owner. That is not accurate, beyond that we have... and the estimate that I was given was
10,000 tons, I don't know if that's accurate or not, I don't know if it's 5,000 tons that's real, and
5,000 that we're dumping away of trash for somebody else in the private sector that ain't paying
the city, but the estimate that I was given is that internally in the city of Miami for all the
departments, we're also collecting garbage and trash that comes to some 10,000 tons a year that
again we have no record. We don't bill departments for. We just lump that into the costs to the
average home owner. And that 10,000 tons comes to maybe another half a million dollars or
more, at our rates it's over half a million dollars ($500,000). So there you have at least over a
million and a half dollars ($500,000) out of the figures that you've been given that is being
added as to the actual cost to the homeowner when it's not.
Commissioner Plummer: Well I will ask before the day is out either the manager or the
department what it actually cost the city to pick up garbage, and if the number 400 is wrong then
I'd like to know what is the real number.
Mayor Carollo: But, you know I think that one of the things that we have to bring out is exactly
how everybody was fooled in this whole shell game. The Chief has come out and made a very
good explanation with his own budget what was happening. Dipak has given some additional
information... but, even here, and I even remember before coming back to the commission,
editorials on this. Here we have in the same budget book that we're looking at the distinguished
budget presentation award presented to the City of Miami, Florida for the fiscal year beginning
October 1, 1995. Boy that looked good didn't it! The only thing they didn't tell you is that this
was the equivalent of, you know, when you look at some of these publications that you could
buy a college degree for about $1,000, in this case I'm told it's about $500. So it looked great,
people thought "Gee we've done a great job!", but again this is part of the game of fooling the
commission, fooling the public, fooling everybody. In fact, the truth of the matter is that this
commission some six months ago hadn't said no to the proposal that the manager and the
finance director had made, in Operation Greenpalm would not have come into play, we would
have been fooled for maybe another couple of years, and by the time we would have found out,
then ladies and gentlemen, it really would have been too late for the City of Miami. And what I
am talking about precisely is that about six months ago, more or less, the former manager, the
former finance director presented a resolution to this commission where they were asking us to
approve carte blanche, with our eyes closed, that they could go and sell another 200 million
dollars ($200,000,000) worth of bonds... 200 million dollars in bonds at any time they wanted to
however they wanted to, without ever coming back to the Commission again for approval. Now
with that amount of money, they could have kept the city afloat for another 2 years. They could
have included a big chunk of that into the general fund as they needed, and lie to the people that
bought the bonds, lie to us. They could have gotten more of these distinguished budget
presentation awards. And then by the time we would have found out, then that would've been an
unsurmountable amount for us to have gotten over. So thank God for Operation Greenpalm,
thank God that this Commission said no some months ago to them, because if not this same lie
would have kept going on, and on, and on.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Mr. Manager, having heard all this shell games and not surprising
information. Can we decide fairly today about budget cuts in each of the departments, knowing
that there's this juggling from one department to another department? We came here this
Saturday to sort of decide on the budget cuts, and I guess that the citizens of Miami, the press,
the governor, Wall Street, the world is waiting for us to make some decisions. Do you think that
we can be fair in deciding today on the budget cuts for each departments?
10 December 7, 1996
r
Mr. Marquez: Probably not be fair, alright? And it's gonna be very difficult for you to gauge
exactly what you're gonna be doing to departments operations, and I'll use the City Manager as
an example. The Fire Department may decide to go, or you may decide to a 10% cut in the Fire
Department's proper, well if that's the case, the 10% cut might take out 2 receptionist over at the
City Manager's office, and that impact would not be known. And you get to me, to my
department, and you cut 10% and all of a sudden it would be extremely confusing. What I
would suggest, again, is getting back to the puzzle that we had mentioned earlier, I really would
like to get into the revenues so that we could have completed that section of all the task force
recommendations. At that point in time, get feedback from the Commission as to what aspects
of a, b, and c you do not like, you do not think are realistic, and then from there arrive at a total
that we have to cover in some other method. Now, we have certain ideas, we've been meeting,
staff has been meeting a lot since the last meeting and we have some ideas to present to the
Commission as to how to cover, or at least partially cover, what you may decide is unrealistic in
this plan... or undoable in this plan. So, if we can go into the revenues I think we can move
along and get to where I think everyone wants to be.
Mayor Carollo: I agree with you Mr. Manager. Commissioner Gort?
Commissioner Gort: Before we go into that, one thing we need to know. You don't get into this
deep hole just over night. The shell game's been played forever from what I've been reading the
documents that reading from way back from 1955. My understanding is everytime the city
manager wanted to balance the budget they went to the pension and borrowed money from the
pension and they played with that. You do that in the private sector, you do that everywhere.
Unfortunately, they went to different game. That was my understanding from some of the things
I read, J.L. Now I think this document was put together by a group of professional that spend
many hours. Now my understand is when we approve this document, most of the departments
had input in this document. I mean this document was put together with the input of everyone
put a lot of hours into it. I think we should try to follow... my understand is we can take this
decision based on what is in this document and we can still continue to provide the same service
that we've been provide. It's my understanding in reading this. At the same time, I ask today
not only about the budget, but it's lot of recommendations, and changes that they request on each
department that should be done in order to really come to better professional departments. And,
like when they come with a proposal, how much of these, how many of these have been
implemented. For example, in Finance and we talked about those accounts, we talk about certain
accounts that should be separate and deposits should be made every month so we can cover our
debt services. That's the type of answer I would like to see also from the departments. Thank
you.
Mayor Carollo: Mr. Manager?
Mr. Marquez: In the grand scheme of things, you've got the individual, we've got to arrive at a
plan, some plan to give to the oversight board for review. We're very much in the middle of that
right now. The policy recommendations that are contained in the back part of the report, are
solid managerial direction that ought to be followed in order to make the City much more
efficient in going out into the future. And one of the... in keeping with that and what you've
pointed out another thing that we have to do is get this budget in order so that we can evaluate it
reasonably for the next budget season but way before the next budget season. I think it's going
to be up to us to give you some preliminary heads up as to what real funding levels for different
departments given the service levels of today, and we'll go from there. But that's exactly, that's
the way I see it. And if we can go back into the revenue section, then, we can move forward on
the first task which is adoption of a plan.
Commissioner Plummer: That's not a true answer. It's not a true answer cause it's not gonna
give you the true answer until you can sit here with this Commission and say to us, this
11 December 7, 1996
Wm\
department costs x, this department costs x, and until we, the commission, know those numbers,
I gotta tell you I think it's unfair to ask s to make decision predicated on unrealistic numbers.
So, I'll go through with you, that's what the Mayor wants to do and that's important, we've gotta
go through the revenue to see how much we can increase our revenue. Go through these things
here that are planned, and I agree with that. But, we've still got to come to the bottom line, and
that bottom line it seems like we're getting away from, away from, and away from. So, let's go
through revenues.
Mayor Carollo: Alright, Mr. Manager go ahead.
Mr. Marquez: I'm sorry I just got... the plan... whatever we do, and however the departments are
funded, we are providing a certain level of service today. The plan here talks... is a development
with basically keeping that level of service today. Regardless of how much police costs, or how
much fire costs, this plan contemplates that the police and fire services will basically stay the
same, as is today, so the individual... and I absolutely agree with you, Commissioner Plummer,
that we... in order to make good sound budgetary policy decisions going forward, we ought to
know what each department costs us so that you can evaluate the work of the service against that
departmental cost. That's critical for budgeting the city. But, for aspects of addressing the
financial crisis that we're in, if you keep service level the same and you adjust the revenues
accordingly you can get there, I mean you can solve the financial crisis keeping the service level
the same, or you can even decrease the service level and we have to give you that kind of
information. But, it's still without knowing the total by department, and I firmly believe that.
Mayor Carollo: Well, I could understand how Commissioner Plummer feels and he's right to a
degree, but I feel what the manager's stated is correct, I think what Commissioner Gort is
eluding to is in the right track. We can basically follow the strategic plan making some changes
and get to where we need to go. When I say making some changes, nothing is written in stone.
There are areas where we can and will find, and have found new dollars for that's not in the
strategic plan, and I'm talking about serious dollars that we have found already that's not part of
the strategic plan. At the same time, there might be some areas there outside of garbage fees that
we have to be realistical about if we can implement them or not, or if truly the dollars that will
be saved or the actual cost is real or not. We just received the proposals from each of the
j departments, on what are they recommending if we go to a 15% reduction cost?
Commissioner Plummer: 15?
Mayor Carollo: 15. That's what we have here. I understand that the department heads and
management tried as hard as they could to get this information before right now, and obviously
we cannot read all these pages now. I'm not blaming the administration for this, I know that it's
been very time consuming, and since we've met last there's only been a couple days in between
so you haven't had much time to really put it together. But, nevertheless police and fire are the
two biggest budgets that we have and I'm gonna try to go over a few of these areas with the
Police Chief. Obviously reducing the Police budget by 15% is not realistical. And, I've made it
clear the last workshop that I am not gonna be in favor of reducing any patrol personnel that we
need so badly out on the streets, but there are some areas that I think that we can reduce that are
not going to affect life or property. Maybe public relations, but I think that's one that we can get
by right now.
Commissioner Plummer: Joe, my problem if you go with this which was handed to us this
morning, which we have not been able to have the time to read. O.K., the problem that I have,
even this morning information being given to us, shows the reduction in the Police Department
based on the top number of 101 million dollars ($101,000,000). Now if they're using that
number to apply the percentage and that number is not correct, it blows everything out of the
water. And here it is, this is what's been given to us this morning, and the Chief is standing here
12 December 7, 1996
1
saying; that that number is not correct. We don't know what that number is, yet they predicated
the 15% reduction in they're department on that number.
Mayor Carollo: Commissioner, you're absolutely correct in the statements that you're making,
but nevertheless, we have to move forward as much as we can, and what I'm suggesting is
besides looking at the final numbers which is the bottom line no matter where they're being
allocated to. And, at the same time, combine our best judgment on what we can reduce from
each department, then we will get there. Now the actual numbers that originally were given to
us by the police chief were 5,905,833. Out of that 3,930,000 was from the C.O.P.S. funding
which, as we discussed last week, that wasn't really a realistical reduction. The reduction we
were really getting was 1,975,833 dollars. I don't think the C.O.P.S. funding which is federal
funding should have been part of that. Now my next question is, Chief, what areas can we look
at in reducing? For instance, in this fiscal budget, you have been allocated within this budget, 8
positions for public information, 18 positions for community affairs. I don't know how many of
those are actually filled, how many of those are not filled. This is in page... you don't have that
before you.
Chief Warshaw:
I do have it...
Mayor Carollo:
Oh, you do? O.K., it's on page 98.
Chief Warshaw:
... but I've got more updated numbers. On the community affairs area is
staffed by, I think
I mentioned the last time 5 people who are sworn and 3 civilians. That's PIO.
Mayor Carollo:
You had said 5 sworn personnel...
Chief Warshaw:
Right, a lieutenant, 3 officers.
Mayor Carollo:
Excuse me?
Chief Warshaw:
A lieutenant, and 4 officers, and 3 civilians.
Mayor Carollo:
And how many civilians?
Chief Warshaw:
Three.
Commissioner Plummer: Hold it Joe, he's jumped on you. Are you talking about community
affairs which the Mayor was talking about, or PIO?
Mayor Carollo: No, he's talking about public information now.
Chief Warshaw: I'm sorry it's PIO, right.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K. cause you asked community affairs.
Mayor Carollo: Well both, both.
Commissioner Plummer: Well it's two separate numbers.
Mayor Carollo: Yeah, well sure it's two separate numbers. You have 5 sworn police officers,
and 3 civilians. Now granted, Chief, it's important, particularly for the Police Department, to
have a public information office. But at times like this, that's one area that we can afford to cut
back on and frankly I don't think necessarily that it was a good idea to have so many sworn
personnel within that department that could have been used better in other areas. Now again,
13 December 7, 1996
0
77
lA
with the 8 people that we have in this department, if we take even 5 that are sworn out of here,
they're still gonna be in the budget, but you're gonna use them somewhere else that they're more
useful, so you're not gonna be cutting from the budget sworn personnel. But this is one area that
if we're gonna have at least some police officers doing it we could certainly cut back on the
civilian side of it in the meantime.
Chief Warshaw: Mr. Mayor, I couldn't agree with you more that when it comes to service cuts,
at the operational level on the streets before I would ever do that it's in places like this and others
i where the cuts would come first. I would just like to add and not to go through the whole litany
of things they do, in addition to public information in that office we have the film and permit
office, which coordinates the film industry in the city setting up... well it was transferred when
the city manager reorganized, and at first I didn't agree with it, but in looking back at it now,
because there are permits required to close streets and get into parks and do the things they've
tremendously enhanced the number of film crews that have come here from all over the world,
but I hear you loud and clear. They do other things. They do community events, and they do a
lot of presentations to citizen groups, but if we're gonna have to take people off the streets, I'm
prepared to shut down or minimize many, not only this, community affairs and public
information, and certain areas of investigations, and whatever it takes not to compromise street
safety until we get back to a position where we can refund them.
Mayor Carollo: Well, this is exactly what I am talking about, Chief. Community affairs, you are
budgeted for 18, is this what you have actually or do you have any vacancies there?
Chief Warshaw: Let me double check the exact numbers. There are 15 in community affairs.
There's a lieutenant, a sergeant, 1-2-3 police... 5 police officers and the rest are civilians, and
they're doing things like the Police Athletic League, the Soccer League that we have as part of
the Explorer program, and a whole host of other community things. Some of those people are
community involvement specialist, and they work out in the neighborhoods, and I know that you
know they've done some tremendous things but again the sacrifice...
j Mayor Carollo: We're not questioning that, Chief. They have done a tremendous amount of
work.
Chief Warshaw: I couldn't agree with you more.
Commissioner Plummer: Could I have a copy, Chief, of what you're reading from, of how many
people are in what division?
Mayor Carollo: Page 98 out of the budget...
Commissioner Plummer: I'm on page 98, but, for example, tell me how many men, how many
P.O.'s you have in robbery. Will that sheet tell you that?
Mayor Carollo: You gotta go...
Commissioner Plummer: You can't break it down from the budget book?
Mayor Carollo: No, you really can break it down in the budget book, you have to go to some
other pages that give you somewhat of an idea.
Chief Warshaw: Robbery is a decentralized service now into the 3 districts, so there are 27 in
`I investigations and they're split, 3 sergeants, and they're split between the 3 districts. Now that,
of course, has the potential to dramatically change as a result of the north and south substations,
so I mean a lot of what happens here today will send me back to the drawing board with staff to
,
14 December 7, 1996
re-evaluate how we're gonna then deploy our people from one location when we've been doing
1 it all these years from three.
Commissioner Plummer: Chief, there's a lot of difference in cost to the tax payers between a
sworn police officer and a civilian.
Chief Warshaw: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K. I think what I'm trying to say, and I think the Mayor's trying to
say that there are many positions in your department, as well as others, that could be done by
civilians that are not being done, for example, do you still have a sworn officer doing burglar
alarms?
Chief Warshaw: No, we have a light duty officer and a civilian.
Commissioner Plummer: But he could be doing other things...
i Chief Warshaw: I'll go one better than that, I'll give the whole alarms unit up which is
something that I've been offering for years because I don't think we should be in the revenue
collection business at all...
Commissioner Plummer: And I don't disagree with you, alright, you have a police officer who
does nothing but off -duty detail jobs that could be done by a civilian. And it's not...
Chief Warshaw: You're right, it could. It's a little bit complex...
Commissioner Plummer: You have sworn officers doing motor pool, fleet management can be
done by a civilian. Those are the points I'm trying to make.
Chief Warshaw: You know I'll give you that back. I agree.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Chief, what we are going to do with the school guards when we finish
that program? Those are PSA's and we're talking about they are not... they are PSA's.
1
Chief Warshaw: No we've been using PSA's to fill in when we don't have sufficient numbers of
school crossing guards at the sites, so the school crossing guards are basically temporary
employees and if we get out of the school crossing guard business one of two things could
happen, hopefully, whoever takes it over would utilize the people we have and I can't imagine
that the County wouldn't want to use them. Otherwise, basically, they would lose their positions
but I'm sure the County woouid take them.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Right, but, what I've seen in at least in two schools is PSA forever.
Chief Warshaw: And that's probably because at those schools on those days we just don't have
the school crossing guards so, we use PSA's. Sometimes we use police officers.
Vice Mayor Regalado: So, when we finish that program on generally the 1st, those PSA's will
be back doing what?
Chief Warshaw: Will be back on the street responding to calls and doing all the things that
PSA's do which is predominantly to relieve full-time police officers from handling the so called
non -enforcement calls for services. Service calls where a sworn armed police officer is not
necesary - right a report for a burglary that's occurred after the fact, or vandalism, auto thefts and
a whole host of others including accidents.
15 December 7, 1996
M.
ri1
Commissioner Plummer: And, would reduce response time on non -essential calls which today
soemtimes run 3-5 hours to an hour.
Mayor Carollo: These are just a couple of the areas, Chief that... I think you realize that while
they'd be very nice to have at this point in time they're a luxury to have.
(� Chief Warshaw: I agree.
} Mayor Carollo: That we need to cut back on. There are others that I'd prefer for us to be able to
sit down on so that they won't have to be hatched out here, but we must cut in some of these
areas. Now, maybe what we can cut is minimal, but we can certainly cut more... certainly cut
more than the 1,975,000 that we have here.
Chief Warshaw: I agree and, Mayor, several members of my staff are here and this is not news
to them they've heard me say it over and over again that in the event the cuts are made that we're
gonna continue to do the service that we have to perform which is put uniform officers on the
I streets and everything else is up for grabs.
I
I
Mayor Carollo: Well, what I wanna make sure that is clear here is that we're not talking about
` making any cuts that are going to give the public any less police services, in fact, with some of
the events that we're talking about here is gonna do just the contrary, give the public more police
officers in the streets, give more patrolment to different neighborhoods, it would do just the
opposite. But, at the same time, it woould cut from the budget, and then, 3-4-5 years from now,
when this city is gonna be having the kind of surpluses that I envision Miami to have, then, we
can look at some of the luxury positions or items that we have now. But, right now it is a must
that we cut into some of these areas, and the recommendations that you've made here for 15%
reduction, some I think are in target, it could be made, others certainly not. We're not about to
reduce any police officers from the budget, so having said that I don't know if any of my
colleagues would like to ask any other questions. Commissioner?
Commissioner Hernandez: Chief, outside of expenditures and cuts, speaking revenues, what's
the city charging for alarm user fees these days?
Chief Warshaw: Twenty-five dollars ($25.00). But in my revenue presentation which I have as
part of the matrix in addition to several others, there's an increase proposed to go to 50 as well as
a reduction of the number of free calls from 5 to 2 and then it increased fine amount for numbers
after that.
Commissioner Hernandez: For false alarms?
Chief Warshaw: I'm sorry?
I Commissioner Hernandez: For false alarms?
I Chief Warshaw: False alarms.
Commissioner Hernandez: After 2 you're gonna...
Chief Warshaw: Yes, in addition to that I was gonna speak to the commission about something
we're looking at which is to get out of the alarm business all together. Take the revenue. We
had 40,000 calls last year for alarms, 2 police officers per call, 98% of them were false alarms.
Getting out of the alarm business, taking the revenue we get generated from fees. Contracting
with private security which is being done in other cities, and then only then, when a private
16 December 7, 1996
�i
security officer sees a break, then, that security officer would call the police and, then, we would
have an enforcement situation.
Commissioner Hernandez: What is the current enforcement of these delinquent alarm user fees,
is there a lot of money owed to the city at this point in time?
Chief Warshaw: It's about 200,000 in uncollected alarms and one of the other parts of the
revenue presentation, is to put out an RFP to hire a collection agency to collect those other
monies.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Chief, I know that you don't have any idea of how much money will be
seized by the Police, but can you give us an idea of in the past, because they could be a pattern
here of seized money, and what use that money has in the past?
Chief Warshaw: Commissioner, there's a long history to the trust fund. We've probably seized
since the inception about 16 million dollars and a lot of that came in the early 80's when we
were making huge cash seizures when we had a lot of major cocaine dealers here. A lot of those
monies have gone in the past to fund community groups, community organizations, and then we
started using those funds in the early 90's to make up in areas where the general fund was
normally paying for things that we could legally use those funds for like rental cars, the costs of
certain types of protracted investigations, in some cases telephones, pagers, and equipment that
met the criteria. And it's gotten somewhat more broad in terms of what we can do. Right now
we expect large amounts of money to come into this fund based upon seizures we've made and I
have shared with the mayor and other members of the Commission, I think I've shared it
publicly at the last meeting, that as these monies come in I'm prepared to do whatever we can in
accordance with the statute to do replacement for what was once general fund expenditures
without surplanting but following the law and being able to save the general fund millions of
dollars and I see that begining to happen probably the next quarter of this year and certainly into
1998.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Other than that, the cars that are seized by the Police Department,
usually they are sent to different auctions and yet you rent some cars. Would it be possible to
use those cars as part of the police fleet instead of auctioning, and instead of renting a car for
them to cover drugs?
Chief Warshaw: We have done that, and we still do it. One of the problems we ran into is
because, and this goes back before we took over the motor pool but would certainly apply now,
we don't always have the mechanical ability and the parts to service some of the types of cars we
would seize. The other thing was we would be seizing Mercedes and luxury cars that I was not
gonna allow police officers to use unless they had a real direct application to an undercover
operation, and the other side is a lot of the cars are in disrepair, and it costs us more so we've
converted most of them into cash through auction deposited the money into a trust fund, but we
do use some of them. The problem is it's a long procedure, civil procedure, the cars sit in the
garage for long periods of time. We start them up periodically, but sometimes it can be a year or
two before we actually take legal control over them.
Commissioner Plummer: And a lot of finance charge.
Chief Warshaw: A lot of finance charge.
Commissioner Plummer: No, a lot of the cars you can't take simply because the more money
owed to the bank then the car's worth, and we don't even get involved with those. Likewise
with boats, Are we into, Mr. Mayor, into going into the revenues, cause I want... if we're gonna
start with the Police Department. Is that how you're gonna proceed, however you want?
17 December 7, 1996
Mayor Carollo: We could proceed whichever way the Commission would like to. I would
suggest that we probably would follow the guidelines that we established at the last workshop.
Commissioner Plummer: And that was?
Mayor Carollo: That we would have each department head go through it and we would ask
questions at the end.
Commissioner Plummer: That's fine.
Mr. Marquez: Let's go...
Chief Warshaw: I'll do it if you want.
Mr. Marquez: ... no go sit down for a second, rest for a minute. Let's go from page 10 top and
just go in order. First item is the City Clerk item.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. CITY CLERK- DRAFT LOBBYIST ORDINANCE / ENFORCE PAYMENT
OF REGISTRATION FEE ANDE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING
ACTIVITY- DISCUSSION.
Commissioner Plummer: That's easy it's one line. What would be the registration fee?
Walter Foeman (City Clerk): The registration fee we're proposing would be $100 for each
lobbyist. Currently we're not receivng any revenue.
Commissioner Plummer: Is that per appearance or per year?
Mr. Foeman: That would be per lobbyist and each additional issue that they have or each
additional principal there would be an additional $25.
Commissioner Plummer: I think it ought to be $1,000 then we'll have less lobbyists. I mean, let
me ask you, is there a possibility, Walter, that we could charge a $1,000 fee to begin with and
then $100 per appearance.
Mr. Foeman: What we've tried to do is we've...
Commissioner Plummer: Is it legal?
Mr. Foeman: I don't know whether or not it's legal or not, I guess the Commission has...
Commissioner Plummer: Is it as legal as the one for $100 and $25.
Mr. Foeman: Well I don't see any stipulation as to the dollar amount. We've looked at what the
County has done and what the State has done. I believe the State charges $30 per lobbyist and
additional per, per each House, for the House and the Senate and an additional $10 per principal.
The County which has a bi-annual registration fee charges $125 every two years.
Mayor Carollo: Well, the amount that we'll charge the lobbyist, I think, certainly is valid to
discuss whether we should even increase an amount or not. We can work it out in different
18 December 7, 1996
ways, but no matter what we charge them, if there is no enforcement, Walter, what's the use.
We have an ordinance that all lobbyist have to register. I was the one that brought that up back
in '86. And how many have not been registering. For instance, Mr. Jorge de Cardenas who
lobbied here in so many things. He was a lobbyist. He was lobbying all the way to jail, but he
didn't register, so if your department doesn't make sure that when people stand up here that the
first question they're asked is if they are representing anyone while lobbying to this
Commission, or if you know that people are going to commission to lobby them, that you have
to make sure that this city is going to enforce that law and the fines, I think, are going to have to
be real stiff if people lobby and they haven't registered, they haven't paid the original fees I
think the fines are gonna have to be major. I would even take it further than that. I would like to
ask the City Attorney to see how far we can go in having financial disclosure from lobbyists on
each client that they represent. How much are they being paid and compensated if they are
awarded the contract, how much are they being compensated if it's not awarded? Are they
getting stock in lieu of cash and how much are they being given in expenses? And at the same
time, even in public relations, cause the game is being played by some of these lobbyists
sometimes is that they hide a lot of the dirty work through the monies they have for public
relations, supposedly to spend on diffferent areas, and those monies are used to attack some of us
up here, some of us in government if we don't go their way. So we need to, and I'd like for you
to give me a legal opinion as soon as you can next week on that, so that if we're going to charge
them, we really create something that is not only going to bring revenue to the city of Miami but
that we can enforce and is really going to have some bite behind it.
Commissioner Plummer: I think if you follow the state statutue it answers almost each one of
your questions. My question is this, define a lobbyist. If a lawyer is here, and basically a
lawyer, and he's representing a client, is he a lobbyist or is he not? And that's a question that
I've always had. If they come around and they try to talk in behalf of their client and they're a
lawyer, to me that's a lobbyist.
Mr. Foeman: I think under the definition, what we're proposing is any attempt to influence any
elected appointed official as well as city staff an the city manager to support or oppose a
particular issue, whether or not it's legislative or administrative he would be a lobbyist.
Commissioner Plummer: Well I think you're gonna come down to the point can a lawyer say
hey I'm a lawyer and I'm not a lobbyist so I don't have to pay anything. Well, I mean that's... I
have no problem, Mr. Mayor, increasing that fee to $500 for an annual fee and $100 per
appearance. I have no problem with that at all.
Mayor Carollo: Neither would I, Commissioner.
Mr. A. Quinn Jones, III (City Attorney): Let me do this, Mr. Mayor, Commissioner. Let me
look at that because basically when you impose a fee it has to be, has to have some degree of
reasonableness and reasonable related to the activity that's being regulated, so it can't be such or
so outrageous that it could be challenged on the basis that it isn't reasonable, but...
Commissioner Plummer: I'll give you a better one, I'll take 10% of what they make. That's
fair.
Commissioner Gort: Mr. Mayor?
Mayor Carollo: Commissioner?
Commissioner Gort: I think you should add also to it, major cities and counties, they have a
sheet in front of them when they go to visit everyone that they have to sign in, and that should be
part of the process also. Also this does not apply to non-profit groups, am I correct? To non-
profit groups like...
19 December 7, 1996
Mr. Foeman: That's one of the categories of exemptions, non-profit organizations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. COMMUNITY PLANNING & REVITALIZATION- SUBMIT PARROT
JUNGLE LEASE TO COMMISSION PRIOR TO FINALIZING / $1 MILLION
PAYMENT TO CITY BY BEDMINSTER -- CITY MANAGER TO INCREASE
HIS STAFF- DISCUSSION.
Mr. Marquez: Community Planning and Revitalization.
Mr. Jack Luft (Director, CPR Dept.): We have two items in your strategic plan, upon execution
of the lease from Parrot Jungle we will contribute $30,000 back to the fund, general fund, and we
have prepared and I have ready for you at December 12th commission meeting an emergency
ordinance, a code increase for all Class 2 permits which will bring...
Commissioner Plummer: How much are they now?
Mr. Luft: Between 15 to 300 dollars depending on the size of the project whether it's
commercial or residential, we're gonna increase that by roughly 50% more if it's on the
commercial projects. We're bringing in 50 to 70,000 depending on a good year, average year I'd
say at $60,000 a year. We see incrasing that by 25 to $30,000. In addition, now that's the
immediate action that came out of the strategic plan, we've acted on that and we'll have that for
you. We're now in the process of reviewing our major U special permits which range from 5 to
$30,000 per permit. We'd like to look at increases for commercial projects on those. We're
introducing administrative fees for referral, research fees for public requests for research
information, all of these are ongoing services from our land development division. Certificates
of appropriateness, review fees starting with $100, application fees for historic preservation
districts. These are all areas that we can introduce additional fee increases, and we're reviewing
those at the moment.
Mayor Carollo: Jack, the contract that we re -negotiated at the commission level with Parrot
Jungle, when does the $200,000 start kicking in?
Mr. Luft: Upon execution of the lease, and we were told that Mr. Lavin was planning on doing
that this next week...
Mayor Carollo: I just got a message from him, and there's something that we have to work out
that we will with him, but...
Mr. Luft: When that is executed, we anticipate the next few days, the clock starts ticking, twelve
months from that execution day the first $200,000 payment is due, and then...
Mayor Carollo: So, basically, we can look at getting an additional $200,000 from him this fiscal
year, and 200,000 next fiscal year.
Mr. Luft: No, if the lease is executed say next week then...
Mayor Carollo: He's got twelve months.
Mr. Luft: Twelve months from now we would get our first payment.
20
December 7, 1996
Mayor Carollo: I understand that. But we would get our first payment in this fiscal year, that I
am sure that Vern would do that.
Mr. Luft: This fiscal year will end October 1st, we can talk to him about moving it up a few
months.
Commissioner Plummer: We will see that before it's executed.
` Mr. Luft: The lease?
Commissioner Plummer: Yes.
Mr. Luft: You've already seen it. What we've done is we're incorporating the language that
you added to it at the commission meeting.
Commissioner Plummer: Are there any modifications?
Mr. Luft: Just the language that you've asked for in the commission meeting.
Mayor Carollo: Yeah, we went through it all in one whole commission meeting, if you
remember?
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., well, we have a commission meeting next Thursday. I for one
would like to see the final document prior to it being executed next Thursday.
Mr. Luft: Yes sir.
Mayor Carollo: That's fair enough. We went through it in a public meeting, let's make sure that
the changes that this commission asked for are there.
Commissioner Plummer: Well Joe, that was done about what three months ago - and if it was
just a changing in wording why is it taking three months? That's my question.
Mayor Carollo: Well it's more than changing in some wording...
Commissioner Plummer: That's why I wanna see the final document.
Mayor Carollo: It was changing in hard dollars that we were going to be receiving that before
we were not. But nevertheless, once this is done, to put it plainly, this fiscal year and next fiscal
year combined, we have $400,000 that we will be receiving, $400,000 that's not in the strategic
plan.
Mr. Luft: Yes, sir.
Mayor Carollo: There's also a million dollars that we received last 23rd of November from the
Bedminister people, it said that they couldn't do it but they did it. When we said that if they
won't do it they would lose their contract that's not in the strategic plan. So that's another
million dollars that the city received and we deposited that was not in the strategic plan. I may
add that both of these were...
Commissioner Plummer: Strategic... Bedminister's in here.
Mayor Carollo: The million dollars from Bedminster, no.
21
December 7, 1996
Ina
Commissioner Plummer: It's a shortfall.
Mr. Marquez: The million dollars was shown in the plan as not coming in as a negative amount,
however, what the mayor's saying is that it did come in so it's a million dollars add back to this.
Mayor Carollo: So, that's another million dollars that we have now that was not being included,
so we got another million four for the next two fiscal years, this one and the next one, and
actually for this one it's a million two that we'll have.
Mr. Marquez: Well, I'm not sure, personally, I'm not sure if the Bedminster is recurring in
nature.
Mayor Carollo: Well, no I'm talking from this year, we have one million from them. That's
what I'm counting. I'm not counting the next fiscal year what's gonna happen. That's up to
them and the county.
Commissioner Plummer: They paid it?
Mayor Carollo: They paid it, yes, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: Why haven't... are you telling me that that which we had an argument
about previously, that in fact they have paid that million dollars?
Mayor Carollo: They have paid the million dollars.
Commissioner Plummer: And we were notified of that? Hello?
Mr. Marquez: I'm not sure if you've been notified of it until now, sir.
I
Commissioner Plummer: You know... by memo?
Mayor Carollo: I have not received any memo, Commissioner. I have not received any memo.
Commissioner Plummer: You know we get a million dollars in here on an item that was a very
large scenario, and the... when did we receive it?
Mr. Marquez: I'm sorry, sir...
Commissioner Plummer: When did we receive it?
Mr. Marquez: Just before Thanksgiving, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: And the Commission has not been notified.
Commissioner Gort: Nor the news media.
Commissioner Plummer: What?
Mr. Marquez: No sir. That's my fault. I was aware that it came in and I did not notify the
Commission 'cause I did not know that was gonna be a requirement.
Commissioner Plummer: It's amazing, it's amazing that I'm looking at a book that's telling me
that Bedminster is a million dollar shortfall and I'm gonna be making my vote predicated on this
book that for the best is a million dollars off.
22 December 7, 1996
r
lull
+�:.
Commissioner Gort: That's good news.
Commissioner Plummer: It's excellent news. The bad news is we don't know... I didn't know
about it.
Mayor Carollo: This is why, Commissioner we need to implement some additional areas. You
know, we're dealing with a manager that is so short staffed it's not even funny. When we have
to have your two key deparment heads- Police Chief and Fire Chief, that I don't know of any
other city in the country that is using them above and beyond of what they're supposed to be
doing for us like we're doing in the City of Miami. Frankly, and I'm sorry if I hurt anybody's
feelings, you know, you could throw darts at me if you'd like, because we don't have sufficient
competent personnel to bring in to help the manager. You know, the Police Chief, the Fire
Chief, they shouldn't be doing all the additional work that they're doing. They should be
running their own departments, but thank God that we have them, they're willing to help the City
Manager. That's part of the problem that we have Commissioner and there's only so much that
any competent manager could do with the situation that they've ran into here, getting hit from all
over and being so short staffed on people that he could bring in that can help out. Anyway, for
whatever it's worth, I think that's amount that is a plus... A million two for this year. The Parrot
Jungle amount, there's no doubt in my mind that they will work it out with us and bring the
$200,000 this year after we work some final points for them.
Mr. Luft: I have a correction, Mr. Mayor, out of mistake. The $200,000 is due from the date of
possession, O.K., so depending on how long it takes them to get their permits and go through our
DRI procedures, from that date then, the $200,000 is... twelve months... that's what I said, one
year after the date of possession.
Mayor Carollo: Well what are you saying, basically, J.L., that we will have the $400,000 within
the second fiscal year?
Commissioner Plummer: Oh yeah, yeah.
Mayor Carollo: It's another $400,000 that in the two budgets, the fiscal year '97 and fiscal year
'98 that we weren't counting that we would have, so that's $400,000 more. Any which way you
cut it. The million dollars is in already.
Commissioner Plummer: That's great. Nice to hear it now, even though it's now, Merry
Christmas.
Mayor Carollo: Well, let me say this to you, that million dollars has cost me many, many scars...
Commissioner Plummer: A lot of friends... all of us.
Mayor Carollo: ... well all of us, you're right of that, but me in particularly have received the
bulk of that, and you know what, before it's all over, we haven't heard the end of that. Because
I'm not gonna stand by and let the kind of games that have been going on, be played again.
When Commissioners and all of us that were here voted together on that, we voted for the best
for the City of Miami. They brought in all their lobbyist, non of which had paid a penny for the
percentages they had in that deal, and they wanted us to waive a contract that was entered into
about four years ago, so that they won't have to come up with their million dollars, and after we
forced them of either paying the million dollars or losing the contract, yeah, they finally paid the
million dollars. They launched a full scale campaign to defame, to attack members of this
Commission, but we'll deal with that at the appropriate time, but deal with it we certainly will.
23 December 7, 1996
Mr. Marquez: Next up the Department of Public Facilities. Before, excuse me...
Commissioner Gort: Excuse me I have a question of Community Planning. You show a one
time adjustment of $30,000, $26,250.97, and $35,098. Is this including all the fees that you
talked about?
Mr. Luft: Yes. Right. We don't... we wouldn't have a full year for the FY '97 'cause the fee
increase would go in January 1st. But, with a full year following we would see that go up to at
least $30,000.
Commissioner Plummer: That's including the new fees he talked about.
Commissioner Gort: That's what I'm asking. Does that include?
Commissioner Plummer: This here is the full twelve months, the other figure is for nine.
Commissioner Gort: ... the new fees that you were talking about a while ago?
Mr. Luft: This fee here is solely the Class 2 permit increase which is the ordinance you'll see on
the...
Commissioner Gort: That's all, not the other one?
Mr. Luft: ... that's all. All the other one's are under review and we'll bring those back as soon
as we can.
Commissioner Plummer: But short of a year. Short of a year.
Commissioner Gort: O.K. Thank you.
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------
4. PUBLIC FACILITIES- INCREASE SURCHARGE AT ORANGE BOWL
FROM 50o TO $1.00 -- GIVE BREAK TO CITY RESIDENTS ON MARINA
FEES -- DISCUSSION.
----------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, from what I understand the City Manager is allowed two pocket items
on a normal Commission meeting.
Mayor Carollo: Well, with the rules that we're working under, emergency rules, you are allowed
more than two pocket items, Mr. Manager.
Mr. Marquez: Thank you sir, this will be a pocket item.
Mayor Carollo: I'm sure that all the members of the Commission would agree to that.
Ms. Christina Abrams (Director, Public Facilities): The Department of Public Facilities, excuse
me, recommends rate increases for the marinas for the total amount of $320,411 for '97, and for
'97-'98 $452,814. I'd like to emphasize that these rate increases that are proposed are
comparable, if not, are comparable to Metropolitan -Dade County and also the private marinas in
the area.
24 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Well, the only problem I've got there is you are saying to eliminate the
discount for city residents. It would seem like to me that city residents who pay the taxes
overall, and you know this has been a long standing argument that I've had, people living in the
marinas do not pay ad valorem tax. They pay a personal property tax. They get police service.
They get fire service. They get garbage, sanitation service, and it would seem like to me the
people who are city residents should be the ones getting the break, and if anybody gets the gaff,
it's the people who are living there who do not pay ad valorem taxation. And, so I would say to
you, my opinion, I come to the same bottom number that you come to but still give the break to
the city residents, and increase to the non -ad valorem, city non -ad taxes. I mean to me, it's only
fair. To me it is only fair that those who have people in the marina should get a break, and the
people who don't pay ad valorem should pay the difference. Now that's my opinion, it's been
long standing, unforunatly some people don't agree with me because they're not as smart as I
am, but I still say the city residents should get a break.
Commissioner Gort: I've a question. If you apply what J.L. has stated now, the 20% which is
$109,000 and you add it to the others, would you still be in the market or would you be out of
the market?
Commissioner Plummer: Oh, yeah.
Ms. Adams: Well, no, let me clarify something here. The live-aboards pay 38 cents a linear
foot, non -live aboards pay 30 cents linear foot. And the difference counts for the electricity and
the water and the different additional services. We are the only municipal marina that offers
live-aboards the opportunity to live aboard. One of the options was to prohibit live aboards and
that would reduce our expenses. It would also reduce our revenue stream. It's up to the
Commission, if the Commission wishes we can raise it, but I must caution you that that is the
average rate of live aboards in all private marinas in South Florida.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Mayor, just example, in the City of Coral Gables if you're a city
resident, you pay less for the golf course. If you are a city resident, of Coral Gables, your
children pay less to go to Venetial pool, if they pay at all. And I just feel that it's only right that
city residents should get the break and not be broken.
Mayor Carollo: Commissioner, I tend to agree with you, but the bottom line is that if we take
those monies out then we've gotta replace it from somewhere else, so that's the decision we have
to make. Once we get the full amount, if we can take it from somewhere else, we can find it
somewhere else, or cut it from somewhere else, then we could do that, if not that's one of the
many, many small and big bullets we're gonna have to bite.
Ms. Adams: If the Commission would like to compensate it by increasing the rates of live
aboards, it would be roughly increasing the live aboard rate from 38 cents a linear foot to
somewhere in the area of 58 cents a linear foot in order to make up that difference.
Commissioner Plummer: You're not talking the same language that I'm talking. I'm not talking
about live aboard against non -live aboard. I'm talking about city residents and non -city
residents. That city residents whether they line aboard or do not live aboard, many of these
people that live back here have homes in the city also, and they pay ad -valorem taxation, so I'm
not talking about live aboard, non -live aboard. I'm talking about city residents, non -city
residents.
Ms. Adams: Just so that I understand what the Commission desires, in order... the savings for
the 20% discount amount to $145,000 a year. In order to still increase our revenues by that
level, we'd have to raise it somewhere else, and that would be, if I understand what you're
saying, is to raise the rates of the live-aboards from 38 cents a linear foot to...
25 December. 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: No, that's not what I'm saying.
Commissioner Gort: No, let me ask you a question, can't you increase in all three of the other
ones that you have, not just for one? It'd be more proportionate. I'd be better proportionate
then.
Commissioner Plummer: Sure you can, it's a balancing act.
Commissioner Gort: You go through marina increase in the sight seeing, commercial?
Mr. Marquez: Can we take the time to have her analyze it off to the side and then report back to
US.
Ms. Abrams: Thank you.
Commissioner Gort: Do it all cross the other three.
Mr. Marquez: She'll do the calculations now.
Mayor Carollo: Before you go, Christina, I need to ask you something on the record. The
financial plan that you had given us on Virginia Key Marina, the monies that you put forth that
we could make this year additionally, to what we have been making, if we made a minor
investment there, those numbers were based upon if we would have started in the first day of the
fiscal year of this year?
Ms. Abrams: Yes.
Mayor Carollo: Basically in those numbers we could have recouped our investment in the first
year and still made around $160,000, and in the second year we would have had an additional
profit of $290,000 beyond the approximate $338,000 that we're making a year now. What I'd
like for you to do if you haven't done it yet is to contact the vendors that we needed to go to for
those improvements. 'Cause I'm sure once that the County makes the approval of the 13
million plus dollars from the Sports Authority, that's gonna free up some money so that we
i could immediately make those improvements that amounted to, I believe no more than $150,000.
We will still be able to recoup that $150,000 within the remaining part of this fiscal year and still
make more of a profit this fiscal year than we made last fiscal year and then we could come in
with the following fiscal year October 1st and make almost $300,000 more than the $338,000
we're making already. So if you could do that I'd appreciate it cause we need to move quickly
in doing things like this that will bring the city the recurring revenues to run it. And maybe
$300,000 doesn't sound like a lot with the problems that we have but we put enough of those
together and it will be a lot and sufficient.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Christina, the Bobby Madura Stadium, in the revised budget you're
about $50,000. We agreed to close that facility, so what's the time table for definite closing and
possibility of coming out with a plan to sell the property?
Ms. Abrams: Commissioner that property has already been closed excluding the exterior
grounds which we have leased. So that savings has already started. The expense that you see is
for the insurance for that property which is in the area of $65,000 which has already been paid,
and it's for the period until May of '97, so we need to reflect that expense in the budget, but the
facility is closed. Now, as far as diversing ourselves of the property, Asset Management is
putting together a list of properties that they plan to advertise and start in the process of selling,
or leasing, or you know whatever the best scenario is for the property. Does that answer your
question sir?
26 December 7, 1996
Vice Mayor Regalado: But we are still operating the parking lot?
Ms. Abrams: The parking lot is still in operation... again, because the insurance has already been
paid through May of '97, so the expense is been incurred, at least we have a revenue stream to
cover that expense until May when that insurance expires and then all activity will have to cease.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Have we notified the people from the flea market that we're thinking of
doing away with the property probably by May of the coming year?
Ms. Abrams: I'll make sure that they're notified if they haven't been.
Commissioner Plummer: What are we getting in a way of surcharges now?
Ms. Abrams: Ticket surcharge?
Commissioner Plummer: Ticket surcharge.
Ms. Abrams: Well it depends on the sale... on the price of the ticket, but ticket prices over $10
are $1.
Commissioner Plummer: No, not the cost, I'll talk to that. I'm asking you what do we derive
annually in surcharge for tickets now?
Ms. Abrams: Tickets to events at the stadium?
Commissioner Plummer: Surcharge. Any tickets that are sold that you collect a surcharge on is
about how much a year?
Ms. Abrams: It's about $1 a ticket and the total amount, I believe, is in the area of $360,000 if
my staff will verify it... O.K. we'll verify it for you.
Commissioner Plummer: I would think that it would be very much in line that is not been raised,
that we should have a minimum of $1 a ticket surcharge. I don't think that's out of line.
Ms. Abrams: It is $1 a ticket, but the ordinance reads that on price wages, so in other words, if
the tickets are $4, the surcharge is 50 cents.
Commissioner Plummer: I'm saying $1. I don't think $1 is out of line. And, then 'cause on the
other hand, when you've got these rock 'n roll shows that their tickets are $50, and you're only
charging $1, I think that we can increase and damn near double you're surcharge by just going to
a flat dollar. The other question I have is in reference to parking. I was surprised to find out
that, and maybe I'm wrong, for example Dinner Key, that parking is sold?
Ms. Abrams: The way it works is the promoter has the option to purchase the parking lot for
their event that they want to offer free the public. They pay the City amount, or they let off-
street parking operate it and off-street parking charges the amount per day.
Commissioner Plummer: The City doesn't do it?
Ms. Abrams: Well, the City department of off-street parking.
Commissioner Plummer: But that revenue goes to off-street parking?
27 December 7, 1996
Ms. Abrams: Well they split it with the City. The City gets 60% and they get 40%.
Commissioner Plummer: We need to talk to Mr. Cook.
Ms. Abrams: We have a meeting scheduled.
Commissioner Plummer: Is it true that the basic...
Commissioner Gort: I'm meeting with him.
Commissioner Plummer: ... yeah, I think that's ridiculous. Is it true that they're selling that out
for about $800 a day?
Ms. Abrams: $900 per day, so events like the Antique Show can run...
Commissioner Plummer: And how many cars can you put in there?
Ms. Abrams: About 600.
Commissioner Plummer: So that's $1800 that could be going in to our till. I think we need to...
Mayor Carollo: Not fully $1800 cause you've gotta withdraw from that the personnel costs.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but Joe, that's 900 cars total which go in and out and I would
assume...
Mayor Carollo: If you get the 900 cars, you might get more than that 900 cars keep corning in
and out.
Commissioner Plummer: That's what I'm looking at, yeah. O.K., I think...
Vice Mayor Regalado: And still, J.L., the perception that you get is that these are City of Miami
employees. They have their, the one's that are charging the parking lot, to me they looked, this
morning like City of Miami employees.
Ms. Abrams: Well they are, they're the department of Off -Street Parking which is, well...
Commissioner Plummer: Well I think we ought to talk to Mr. Cook who should let us have
100% of that money.
Ms. Abrams: Commissioner, if I can point out in the task force recommendation, we've
provided them with proposed plan for the Coconut Grove Convention Center, and that includes
raising rates, it includes revamping how we charge for parking. We're in the process of looking
at it in greater detail before we presented the commission because we wanted to be sure that it's
something that will not result in us losing clients, and that we could modify existing contracts to
do.
Commissioner Plummer: Who does the parking in the Orange Bowl?
Ms. Abrams: Off -Street Parking.
Commissioner Plummer: I thought we did it.
Ms. Abrams: Off -Street Parking took control of it two years ago. They also control the Miami
Convention Center parking lot #4.
28 December 7, 1996
r
Commissioner Plummer: No I understand that. That's a building. That's a different story. O.K.
I just think that Mr. Cook ought be asked to kick in that money to us.
I
Ms. Abrams: Well, we're working very closely with Mr. Cook.
Commissioner Gort: Like I said, J.L., I'm meeting with him.
Commissioner PIummer: O.K., no don't meet with him, beat him.
Mayor Carollo: I had asked at the last workshop, Commissioner Gort to meet with him. And
not only see what other concessions we can get in rate cuts but at the same time how much out of
i the reserves they could send our way.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Mayor, let me ask a question if I may, it's now five minutes of
lunch time.
Mayor Carollo: Nope. We started, I think, somewhat late today Commissioner, we're not...
Commissioner Plummer: That has no bearing on my stomach, the clock that says it's five
minutes to lunch time. Now, what are we gonna do?
Mayor Carollo: I would suggest, Commissioner, that we try to work through for a couple more
hours. I'll be happy to sent out for McDonalds or Burger King for your stomach...
Commissioner Plummer: The hell you say.
Mayor Carollo: ... and try to finish all that we can in the next couple of hours, cause if we go out
for lunch, you know, it...
Commissioner Plummer: I thought we were gonna break and come back.
I
Mayor Carollo: No, we were gonna work through is what we said last time. Maybe your
stomach didn't communicate with the rest of you.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Mr. Mayor, I'd like to remind the Commission, that we had a
committment for an organization that it's going to commemmorate the 100 years of Antonio
Maceo and this has been advertised.
Commissioner Plummer: What time is it?
Vice Mayor Regalado: Three o'clock. Still we can push it.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, we can come back tomorrow.
Commissioner Hernandez: Christina, I got a question for you. Do we still offer some kind of
credit or discount for commercial fishing boats, and shrimpers, and stuff like that?
Ms. Abrams: Yes, if they're City of Miami residents they get the 20% discount, and they pay 22
cents a linear foot, so it comes out to somewhere like 14 cents a linear foot, which is less than
half of what the county charges.
29 December 7, 1996
a
Commissioner Plummer: Except Jumbo's. Except Jumbo's.
Ms. Abrams: He's not in my marina.
Commissioner Plummer: Jumbo's doesn't pay anything. And also for your information...
Ms. Abrams: It's not our marina.
Commissioner Plummer: ... there is a special scenario for Pier 5 boat and that is, I think, 40%.
Commissioner Hernandez: Right, that's under contract. That's what I'm eluding to.
Ms. Abrams: They have to pay the same rate.
Commissioner Plummer: Well the Pier 5 Boatmen, this city made a special deal because without
them making that deal, we would have never had Bayside. So I think their discount is 40...
Ms. Abrams: They pay the same. They pay the same as our other marinas. The rate is exactly
I the same so they pay the same as commercial vessels. So, in other words if commercial vessels
are 22 cents a linear foot, that's the rate that they pay. Except for sight seeing vessels, they pay
40 cents a linear foot.
Commissioner Hernandez: Now the agreement you're talking about, that has a determination
that...
Commissioner Plummer: With Pier 5 Boatmen Association, right, and it gives them certain
locked in privileges for certain amount of years.
Ms. Abrams: They have the exclusivity to the pier for a period of 19 more years what we
calculated, but they do have to pay the same rates as Dinner Key Marina. So we're raising the
rates at Dinner Key Marina, it affects them.
Commissioner Plummer: That's a gold mine.
Ms. Abrams: A gold mine.
Commissioner Hernandez: And they got certain amount of years that they didn't pay?
Ms. Abrams: Yes, I believe they got three years when they settled.
Commissioner Hernandez: And that's over with?
Ms. Abrams: Oh yeah, yeah, they're definitely paying.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, and they also got lump sums of $500,000 when they moved
over to Watson Island.
Commissioner Hernandez: Right, right.
Ms. Abrams: They had a lot of earning potential. That's why we're proposing raising the sight
seeing vessel fee from 40 cents a linear foot to 80 cents a linear foot. So we can double it very
fairly.
Commissioner Hernandez: That sounds good.
30 December 7, 1996
Ms. Abrams: I was incorrect with our estimate on the ticket surcharge. It was not $360,000 like
I had estimated, it's $750,000.
Commissioner Plummer: That's even better.
Ms. Abrams: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: It could be a million and a half if it's done another way.
Ms. Abrams: Well this is in the books.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, at the last commission meeting you asked for a listing of the subsidies
to the various facilities that we had. We subsidized the Miami Convention Center, we're
subsidizing in this fiscal year the Miami Convention Center, $3.2 million dollars and change...
Mayor Carollo: Three point two million plus, that's the Convention Center.
Mr. Marquez: ...$3,215,958 is the projection. Bobby Maduro Stadium $47,479, the Manual
Artime Community Center $183,618.
Commissioner Plummer: That's the center alone without the office.
Ms. Abrams: Both is 183 if you separated them like you requested the office building is
$111,678 and the auditorium is $71,939.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. SUBSIDIES TO CITY FACILITIES: MANUEL ARTIME / TOWER
THEATER/ MIAMI CONVENTION CENTER/ BOBBY MADURO
STADIUM -- SALE OF CITY PROPERTIES: DRAFT NOTIFICATION TO
METRO-DADE COUNTY IN CONNECTION WITH F.E.C.BICENTENNIAL
TRACK PROPERTIES.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vice Mayor Regalado: Christina, do we have any open space, office space on the Manuel
Artime?
Ms. Abrams: Oh, definitely.
Vice Mayor Regalado: We do.
Ms. Abrams: Yes, we do.
Commissioner Plummer: And the problem there is most of that space is let out at no charge.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Well, but I guess that there is a group that wants to set up a foundation to
help children, and they come up with the idea, and they can even take care of the maintenance
and repairs of the Manuel Artime and these are very popular hispanic singers and actors so, but
the first thing that we need to know is whether there is open space in the office.
Ms. Abrams: In the theater or in the office building?
31
December 7, 1996
Vice Mayor Regalado: In the office building, and in the theater?
Ms. Abrams: There's a whole floor open in the Manuel Artime Center office. In the auditorium
there are some vacancies but I don't have the exact amount. We'll be happy to talk to them sir if
you'd like to give us the number.
Mayor Carollo: Do we know the appraised value by the county for tax purpose, the tax
assessment that we have on that building?
Commissioner Plummer: We paid a million dollars for it.
Mayor Carollo: We paid a million for it back then.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah. How many days of play do we have there do you know? In the
auditorium?
Ms. Abrams: I seem to recall a figure of 130 event days.
Commissioner Plummer: And how much revenue?
Ms. Abrams: Oh, the revenue there, excuse me let me get my financial statement.
Commissioner Plummer: No, answer the Mayor I was just trying to supplement.
Mayor Carollo: I think Mr. Rodriguez has the answer, it's his department.
Mr. Eduardo Rodriguez: I don't having at this point, but I will having in five minutes, we have
access in a computer here.
Mayor Carollo: Can you bring that back, if you can, and also I'd like to have this discussed at
the next regular commission meeting on the 12th, we'll bring it up as a pocket item. As to the
possibility of doing an RFP in that complex to see what we can get for it. I think there might be
some people out there that might be interested and if we can get a fair market value for that
property that's one of the things that we should consider doing is just selling it out. If not, then
we will go to the next step of what Commissioner Regalado has suggested, that might make
sense.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Edward do we know how many of the clients that we have in Artime are
paying now or...
Mr. Rodriguez: Basically we have like a 60% of the tenants are getting waivers, so that's one of
the things, they come to the commission and they asking for waivers. We gonna be
recommending no more waivers of course, but that's happen.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Can we have a breakdown of this and the cost of the maintenance, too?
Mr. Rodriguez: Yes, we can do that. Alright, sure.
Commissioner Gort: Mr. Rodriguez, when I read the report that Asset Managment recommend,
and I don't know if you already implement it, to do an inventory and to see all the facilities that
we have - which are not useful for us, which is the one that we can sell. We're doing that right
now, right?
Mr. Rodriguez: We are in the process of doing that right now.
32 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Let me ask one other question. Where are we with three million
dollars of the Tower Theater? Three million dollars, and we can tear it down and build a new
one?
Mr. Luft: The three million dollar figure is now 2.2, 2.3 million based on revised architectural
drawings and engineering estimates.
Commissioner Plummer: Is that include the acquisition of the property?
Mr. Luft: No sir, that's the construction estimate.
Commissioner Plummer: Just the construction?
Mr. Luft: Correct.
Commissioner Plummer: And how much is... it's over three million dollars total.
Mr. Luft: We acquired it for $380,000 we've spent $180,000 on final working drawings
documents.
Commissioner Plummer: So it's three million dollars?
Mr. Luft: O.K. We have...
Commissioner Plummer: Now where's the City gonna get the 2.2 million dollars to do the
theater?
Mr. Luft: Alright, we have a half million dollars...
Commissioner Plummer: From the state?
Mr. Luft:... from the State Division of Cultural Affairs.
Commissioner Plummer: Right.
Mr. Luft: We have $350,000 from the State Historic Preservation, we have approximately
$450,000 in community development block grants from prior year allocations reserved. We are
now in the neighborhood of a million two...
Commissioner Plummer: Joe... Jack would you give us a breakdown on that for the next
commission meeting or the next workshop?
Mr. Luft: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: Because I'm very concerned about there's a million dollars in there
that's being looked at from capital improvements which has a zero balance.
Mr. Luft: We need 1 million dollars to put this under construction.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, you know, I've said it all the way along and I continue to say
you can tear the place down and build a new one for half the price of what we're talking about,
O.K.?
33 December 7, 1996
�i
Mr. Luft: I don't believe that's true.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, you don't believe it's true but you're not in the financial aspect
of business.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Jack, are we in danger of losing the State money coming January? My
understanding is that we are.
Mr. Luft: Not at the moment, but we have about six months. We have six months to put this
project under construction. That's going to take some time to get the bids in.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Six months beginning...
Mr. Luft: Now.
Vice Mayor Regalado: ... beginning now. My understanding was that we could lose it by
January or February. So, you're saying six months then.
Mr. Luft: I don't believe that's correct. I believe we have til this summer before we lose the
first grant which is the historic preservation grant, then we lose the State's $500,000 after that.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Is any way that we can start using that money some of the repairs?
Mr. Luft: What we have is an approach which would require $500,000 in reprogrammed past
year CD allocations. With 500 I can do an alternate plan and subtract the cinema equipment, the
seats now essentially taking out equipment and hardware of about $500,000. So I've got half of
my million that I need, I can put the shell structure, the physical facility, the exterior
renovational all under construction by June 1st which would be about 2/3 of the way the
construction program. I would look for another half million from next years CD block grant
allocation which would become available June 1st. And that way we could complete the project
by next fall.
Commissioner Plummer: I think we need to talk more about this project because let me tell you
something, if you haven't read it already, as bad as our problem is financially, the State is worse.
They admit to $434 million that they're short and if they're looking for money like we are and
they see that one there not being used, you better check back.
Mr. Luft: We have a contract... that money is ours to spend under a certain deadline. If we
proceed, we will keep it. We are not asking for any additional state dollars, but we... this project
is also a critical component of the latin quarter specialty center across the street which has
another one million dollars in investment in it, in which we are now looking to build a mixed
used project, and we need this facility to pair with that to create the economic impact we're
trying to do on 8th street, so there's really another 4 million dollars at stake in getting this project
out of the ground.
Commissioner Gort: Mr. Mayor, I'd like to give you a suggestion, Jack, because after we build
it we have the support and administration. Do we do an RFP to get the private sector to come in
to run it?
Mr. Luft: Yes we can, we are new discussing with Angelica Films out of New York. We're
talking to MovieCo. in Broward and Dade county. Both of them... well MovieCo. has actually
submitted to us a proposal that would not have any administrative or operating cost they would
shoulder all of that. We foresee within three to five years when the Performing Arts Center is
complete that they would step in from the county side with substantial supplements on operating
34 December 7, 1996
rl
costs as part of the Performing Arts Center. We believe that once we build this project, we will
not have any risk to the City for operating maintenance costs. This will be a self-supporting
facility because it does have a commercial component, it has a food service component, we've
very carefully planned this to stand on it's own, but we have to build it first.
Commissioner Gort: O.K., thank you.
Mayor Carollo: Mr. Manager?
Mr. Marquez: First of all Dinner Key Boatyard $214,766 is the operating subsidy for this fiscal
year. I wanted Eduardo to come up to talk a little bit about the information on assets for sale.
Mr. Rodriguez: At this point we're preparing a list of surplus property. I have a preliminary
here that have about 6 properties. We're going to classify that in property that are difficult to
sell and property that are easier to sell. The easy way is basically of course selling to
governmental units. In the past you know we sold to Dade County 3 or 4 property in the past
two years. That the easy way. We have a provision, a lot of provision in the charter that step by
steptell us what to do and it's a lengthy ver len th almost a year to sell a property
� g Y Y g Y� Y P l� Y
' to a private sector. We're gonna come back at the next agenda and probably pocket item if the
manager wants to do, and make a couple of modification in the code. For example, we have to
offer to the School Board and Dade county any properties that we're gonna sell. That take
minimum 30 days between a letter sending to them and the answer come back to us that take
time. We like to have that option also but we don't need that as a requirement as we have today.
That will facilitate the process. So we're reviewing the whole process and we come back to you.
Mayor Carollo: Can you do us a favor?
Mr. Rodriguez: Yes sir.
Mayor Carollo: Can you start drafting up notification to Dade County as far as the selling of the
FECJBicentennial track?
Mr. Rodriguez: Of course, I do that.
i
Mayor Carollo: Thank you. We'll follow our City code and offer to them first.
Mr. Rodriguez: O.K.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. BUILDING AND ZONING- NEED FOR MORE INSPECTORS -- INCREASE
CODE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS -- DIRECT ADMINISTRATION TO
BRING BACK EMERGENCY ORDINANCE IN CONNECTION WITH FEE
INCREASES NEXT WEEK -- DIRECT CITY ATTORNEY TO SOLICIT
THRU BAR ASSOCIATION ATTORNEYS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN
HANDLING THESE CASES -- DISCUSSION.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Marquez: Building and zoning.
Mr. Carlos Smith (Assistant City Manager): Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, the Building and
Zoning Department is proposing to increase revenues three ways - by increasing certain fees, by
a new inspection fee that we propose to implement, and by increasing enforcement of certain
35 December 7, 1996
r,
inspections, and let me go one by one. We are proposing that we increase certain electrical
structural, and mechanical fees. There's an emergency ordinance that is prepared in the agenda
for next Thursday. There is a... in January we will bring an ordinance to the Commission to
create a certificate of re -occupancy fee. This is a fee that is similar to one that is in effect in the
cities of North Miami and the Village of El Portal and requires an inspection of a home before a
home is sold. Having the increase enforcement of inspections, we are talking about. Code
compliance cases where we have received complaints of illegal construction. We estimate that a
percentage of those would result in building permits being taken out. Increase enforcement of
the silence ordinance especially in the areas of electrical science, and permit fees. The total that
we're proposing in revenue increases for this fiscal year is $595,000. We are also proposing that
we add 8 inspector vacancies that we have currently in order to be able to do this program for a
net revenue this year of $300,000.
Commissioner Plummer: What... does the county, did someone tell that the County uses private
individuals to do inspections?
Mr. Smith: I'm not aware of that Commissioner.
Commissioner Plummer: Do some municipalities use the private sector?
Mr. Smith: We have used...
Commissioner Plummer: ... that are certified, of course.
Mr. Smith: Currently we're using an engineer on a contract that we gave him about three
months ago...
Commissioner Plummer: Who is not a city employee?
Mr. Smith: ... he's not a city employee, but to help us in the review of structural plans, not with
inspections.
Commissioner Plummer: We saw on television last night, that somebody went to the building
department and there was only one inspector... or one person working for the desk.
Mr. Smith: We have been operating with 8 vacancies in the inspectors ranks now for a couple of
months. Back in late October we sent the letter or the memo to City Manager Stierheim asking
for permission to fill those vacancies. That has not been done yet, we have been waiting to get
approval from the Commission...
Commissioner Plummer: You know all of that is...
Commissioner Gort: Upon your question, let me ask...
Mr. Smith: But let me tell you the other thing that's happen. The manager has given us
permission to fill two clerical positions. Behind the counter we used to have 3 clerks, we're
down to 1 clerk. Luckily we've had... we've done cross training of secretaries and even the
supervisor of the area, and what the person has seen is that sometimes if the one lonely clerk that
we have calls in sick, we may have one or two persons attending behind the counter.
Commissioner Plummer: You said to me before that you were contributing a million something
to the general fund.
Mr. Smith: Next year's... excuse me, this fiscal year's contribution is a million nine.
36 December 7, 1996
1i
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., now you know it's to me this is very simple. If you can justify
the number of people that you need to adequately do the job, then, you've got to raise the fees to
generate enough revenue to pay those people and the cost factor. Now you know, look, it's like
somewhere around here the developers are sacred cows, and they're not. The developers are not
gonna make any less percentage off the house that he sells whether his fees are $100 or $1,000
or $10,000. I have heard from a lot of developers who said "charge us more, but for God's sakes
get me an inspection!"
Mr. Rodriguez: Commissioner...
Commissioner Plummer: ... get me somebody down there than can do... to do the processing of
the plans. I hear this and I'm sure others hear the same day in and day out. Now Mr. City
Manager in my opinion, if they're willing and they want to pay the fees to get what is necessary
in the way of actual warm bodies down there to do the job, let's do it.
Mr. Smith: Commissioner, let me state...
Commissioner Gort: Let me ask a question, this is inspectors. What are the qualification they
need to have?
Mr. Smith: The electrical inspectors, they need to be certified by the Dade County Board of
Professional Regulations.
Commissioner Gort: Question. My understanding it's been done in other cities, if you have the
private sector, they have the certification, you could probably subcontract the private sector or
you can pay a flat fee and you don't have to pay all the other benefits that we paid which is about
35, 40%.
Commissioner Plummer: Sure, that's what I was talking privitization.
Commissioner Gort: So I think this is a short...
Mr. Smith: We can certainly look into that, I'm not aware of other departments that do that, but
we will certainly look into it.
Commissioner Gort: I think the County has used that at the airport, and there's other cities that
would use that. The people have to have the certification.
Mr. Smith: Now you mention the airport, you know, the vacancies that I have today do not
include a building inspector who, I believe, is already accepted a position to go to the airport. So
we'll have another vacancy very soon. And Commissioner Plummer...
Commissioner Gort: But I think you should look into that.
Commissioner Plummer: Absolutely.
Mr. Smith: ... back in April we increased the fees, is you remember, some fees. We're now
proposing that we increase some other fees that we have not.
Commissioner Plummer: Hey, I'm saying is if the industry wants better level of service, and
they have said they're willing to pay for it, give it to them.
Mr. Marquez: Commissioner Plummer, you'll have a report on this matter in January.
37 December 7, 1996
0
1
Commissioner Plummer: Fine, fine, no, don't give me a report. Give me the ordinance to
change it.
I
j Mr. Smith: The ordinance to increase the fees will be here as an emergency ordinance next
Thursday. I would hope that you would accept this proposal so that we can go out and hire the
inspectors that we need, or contract out the inspectors that we need.
Commissioner Gort: You might save a little bit more, if you can subcontract it.
Commissioner Plummer: Absolutely.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Carlos, we have heard about expediters trying to get licenses. Could you
tell us if this is a normal thing that's been done throughout other cities and counties or... I know
it is in some counties or city, but, the reason I'm asking is because I myself had to go and get a
permit for an addition, and I had to go through at least six or seven steps. That took a lot of time.
Now those expediters, how much do they charge, and what do they do, how do they expedite?
Mr. Smith: I really do not know how much they charge, but basically they take the place of an
architect, architechtural firm, or a contractor in moving the plans through the process. I really
believe, and I have asked the director, Michael, who can probably go into more details, but I
think we'll probably have one, in my opinion, one of the best plans review areas any place here.
Expediters go to the County, they go to Miami, they go to Miami Beach, they go every place.
The way we do it now is we have one central, one point of control, where...
Commissioner Plummer: How can you say that and tell me on the other hand that you're 8
inspectors short? I ... two and two isn't making four here.
Mr. Smith: Because commissioner, let me tell you everything what's happening. I need to staff
the...
Vice Mayor Regalado: You mean one point only, one stop? You don't say one stop, you said...
Mr. Smith: You do one stop only, well, two stops, you have to go to a permit counter, and then
you go, like from there to here, and you turn in your plans. And all of the plans disciplines - fire,
public works, zoning, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and building, are in that section.
Everybody's there. Now in the old ways in the old building, you have to go to different floors,
and you carry your plans with you. Now you come in and you drop them, that's all you have to
do. But Commissioner Plummer, let me say, we are short but I also recognize that our income
comes from plan reviews, or from the issuance of a permit. Therefore, I have to have that fully
staffed to give good turn around and have the money come in. My problem is in the inspections
area.
Commissioner Plummer: And good service costs dollars. And all I'm saying to you, sir, if the
industry wants it and they're willing to pay for it, do it.
Mr. Rodriguez: I fully agree, like I said before, if you all approve this plan, I'm sure the
manager will allow us to go right away.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. City Attorney, after the last meeting that we had in reference to
code enforcement, which aside from the fact is an embarrassment and a big joke, .... and two
hundred million in fines. I spoke to the issue of going to private attorney's and allowing them to
handle cases on a percentage of collection. I had any number of calls from attorney's who are
interested. Their only proviso was that they would not work on a percentage because the courts
38 December 7, 1996
�i
set their fee. I would like to see however you do it, whether through advertising, to solicit
through the bar association, or however, of people, attorneys who are interested in handling
some of these cases. That we tried to get and develop through an outside practice that which
would take the burden off of your department, and try to collect some revenue for this city.
Mr. Jones: Commissioner, I'll do that, but that belies what the problem is. The problem is not
just you take 50 or 100 here and collect, it goes well beyond that. And a lot of it has to do with
the data...
Commissioner Plummer: I understand that.
Mr. Jones: ... that exists whatever else. So unless you have that in place, my office, nor anybody
else's office can do it and that's part of the problem. That's what I was trying to explain to you
yesterday.
Commissioner Plummer: A lot of lawyers, from what I am being told, sit around and looking for
work. And if they're looking for work and they're willing to do the data that is necessary and we
can collect 10%...
Mr. Jones: Commissioner I'm not going to argue with you. I'm just trying to tell you that the
g g l;
jlawyers can't collect the dat. The data is in transit within the city system. Unless, I mean, the
data is only as good as the people who work and then give it, so, you know, no lawyer can come
in and produce data that only the City has control of and can produce.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, we can sure supply him with it.
Mr. Jones: Well, that's what I'm saying we're in the process of doing.
Commissioner Plummer: One thing I can't accept, Mr. City Attorney, is the fact that we have,
Carlos how much is it now? Give me that big, big, big number.
Mr. Smith: The total number is 188.
lCommissioner Plummer: $188 million.
Mr. Smith: I do have a report that shows that of that 36 million is homestead property. So that
leaves... the figure's still high, it leaves $151 million.
Commissioner Plummer: Carlos, if I got half of that money, the city has no financial problem.
Now, I can not sit here and continue to sit here and let $188 million less 36... $150 million
dollars, people saying out there you've got $150 million dollars in fines, and we're doing...
Mr. Smith: Commissioner, I have to agree with the city attorney in that the amount that can be
collected form that is probably a very small fraction, still a significant amount, but a small
fraction.
Commissioner Plummer: Then don't impose the fine. You're making a joke of the department.
Mr. Smith: Commissioner, we have been meeting with the Law department and one other
proposal we'll be bringing to you and to the Code Enforcemtn Board is to actually put a cap on
the fine so that the fines don't get so exhorbitant.
Commissioner Plummer: And I watch the Code Enforcement Board on television and they give
90 day extensions, and they do this and they do that. They do everything but collect money, and
!
39 December 7, 1996 `
t
r
yet, is it not my understanding that it cost a million dollars a year for code enforcement... that's
what it costs the city?
Mr. Smith: Yeah, approximately a million...
Commissioner Plummer: A million dollars a year.
Mr. Smith: ... we pay half, we pay almost half of it with community development block grants.
Commissioner Plummer: I don't care where you get the money from. It's a million dollars
you're spending. And all your giving me is big numbers without dollars in the bank.
Commissioner Gort: So, you're gonna come back to us with the resolution or the...
Mr. Smith: There's an ordinance to increase the fees already on the agenda.
` Commissioner Gort: ... with the ordinance. Alright, O.K.
Commissioner Hernandez: Carlos, backlog of code compliance cases. You have here $100,000.
Is that what you expect to raise this year?
Mr. Smith: Yes. We're estimating that if there's about 1,000 complaints on illegal construction
that we have not been able to get to because of a lack of inspectors. We believe that if half of
those turn out to be true illegal construction, that the average permit fee on those would probably
be in the neighborhood of $250 and that would raise that amount of money, yes.
Commissioner Hernandez: This has nothing to do with $188 million, right?
Mr. Smith: No.
Commissioner Hernandez: That's just on ticketing?
Mr. Smith: No this is actually on permits issued to correct illegal construction. That's separate
from paying the fines.
Commissioner Hernandez: What are your averaging, what, $200,000 in code enforcement
settlements?
Mr. Smith: Last year I believe the city colelcted about $340,000. But you know let...
Commissioner Plummer: So it cost you a million to do business to collect 340.
Mr. Smith: Commissioner, let...
Mr. Jones: Well, compared to...
Commissioner Hernandez: Quinn, I got it. I remember there was...
Mr. Smith: ... no, wait a second, because I really have to clear this issue. Code enforcement and
our main interest, and I've always said it to the board and to anybody I talk to, our main interest
is the quality of life for the neighborhood, and to make sure that people are following the law.
Commissioner Hernandez: That's the intent of the statute, that they comply.
40 December 7, 1996
rr..
r
Mr. Smith: That's the intent. Now, the fact that we may get some money from it.
Commissioner Plummer: And you don't even come close. You know that and I know that.
What they do... you see one of our problems in this City is weekend warriors. From Friday
afternoon at 5:00 until Monday morning at 8 a.m., it is amazing what they can construct. Do you
have any inspectors out on weekends?
Mr. Smith: Yes sir, we have two inspectors out...
Commissioner Plummer: Where are they?
Mr. Smith: ... every Saturday. I cannot tell you whethere they're in... every Saturday.
Commissioner Plummer: What about Sunday?
Mr. Smith: ... we don't have them working on Sunday.
Commissioner Plummer: Nothing on Sunday. So, no illegal work happens on Sunday.
Mr. Smith: I'm sure it does. But Commissioner let me say this. We have been working for
some years now, catching up on the lax of code enforcement that existed in this City for many
years. I think we have done a tremendous job in trying to turn this around. We're not bringing
to Code Enforcement Board anymore cases that have to do with people parking cars on the grass.
I think that's ridiculous. I think you'll probably have 14 to 15 million dollars out of the 150 or
188 that are because people park their cars on the grass. Now that is totally ridiculous and those
we don't allow to come to Code Enforcement anymore. We bring to code enforcement board
cases that have to do with illegal units, illegal construction, lack of certificate of use, and those
kinds of things. And we have easily 40 to 60 cases everytime we meet. We're trying to make an
effort to clean up the City, but we're catching up to many years of lax enforcement.
Commissioner Plummer: I'm glad to hear that because I'll tell ya, a man came to me about a
month ago. The man was about to have a heart attack. He owned an apartment house and you
had indicated to him there was going to be a $5,000 fine because one of the tenants, not him one
of his tenants in the building, had a car parked there with an invalid license tag. And you... his
potential was a $5,000 fine. I mean...
Mr. Smith: Commissioner, we have traditionally, I'm not too sure if it's really the law, and
maybe Commissioner Hernandez used to work with code enforcement a couple of years ago as
our attorney could clarify it. But basically we go after the owner of the property because the
owner of the property has something of value that we can lean on and really put pressure on. He
or she has a contract with the tenant that he or she can enforce that basically says they have to
abide by the law of the city or the municipality.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Carlos, going back to ilegal construction, this Commission several weeks
ago, I think, passed a resolution, was it J.L., about notifying the businesses...
Commissioner Plummer: We're still waiting for that ordinance. Also, and I think your aware of
it, that no building construction materials in excess of $500, which today you don't get for
anything less...
Vice Mayor Regalado: So, we have not...
Mr. Smith: I think we passed it on first reading.
41 December 7, 1996
Mr. Jones: We gave you that the last commission meeting.
Vice Mayor Regalado: It was passed. It was...
Mr. Jones: Gave you right it then in the meeting.
Commissioner Plummer: So, we're waiting now for the second reading?
Mr. Jones: Yeah.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K. And as Tomas was saying, I hope that you have notified people
of the industry for that second and final reading.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Absolutely, that's what I was gonna say.
Mr. Smith: Once the second reading takes place, it takes 30 days for it to become effective. We
make sure that we notify everybody in that time period. Let me also go back to the certificate of
reoccupancy fee. I watched the end of the Code Enforcemet Board meeting, the last meeting,
and one of the members complained because of this problem that many home owners have that
construction, illegal construction, have been done on the property before they buy it and they
come in and say I bought it this way. This certificate of re -occupancy, we hope, will do away
with that problem. Slowly, but it will do away with that problem.
Commissioner Plummer: Does it... Mr. City Attorney?
Mr. Jones: Yes.
Commissioner Plummer: Very quick question. Does the City have any right to go and check
homes that have already done, or does that take a warrant. In other words, can we send
inspectors out and say, "hey, we want to make sure your house is in compliance with the plans
on schedule."
Mr. Jones: Well, it depends. If it's on the outside or the inside. I think basically at that point
you are trespassing on private property so you would need some sort of administrative warrant to
go on.
Commissioner Plummer: I tell you all you'd need to scare is about 100 and the rest of them
would come in and pay their fines. O.K., thank you.
Mayor Carollo: Maybe we ought to send you with one of your business vehicles.
Commissioner Plummer: I'll send a hertz out. That will send them a message.
42
December 7, 1996
rl
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. FIRE- OCCUPATIONAL LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES OF USE TASK
FORCE STATUS / DEVELOPMENT OF FIRE SERVICE FEES / ASSES FIRE
FEES ON COMMERCIAL AND NON RESIDENTIAL-- PROVIDE
COMMISSION WITH LIST OF NAMES OF TASK FORCE MEMBERS --
MAYOR CAROLLO REQUESTS OF MANAGER TO MEET ONE ON ONE
CONCERNING GARBAGE, CERTIFICATES OF USE AND
OCCUPATIONAL LICENSES COLLECTION EFFORTS.
Mr. Marquez: O.K. the fire department.
Mayor Carollo: Chief, before you begin I think, you know, the first question I'm going to ask
you. We had four and a half days on the two task force. I need a report on what you collected
on both of the task force and what we cited that wasn't collected that we expect to be paid for.
Chief Carlos Gimenez (Chief of Fire): Yes, sir. The report I have again today is based on
occupational license and certificates of use. Cash on hand and also collectibles from the task
force to date basically four, a little bit over four days is close to $115,000.
Mayor Carollo: One hundred fifteen thousand dollars ($115,000) in approximately four days.
Did this take you all the way 'til Friday working?
Chief Gimenez: Yes, that's up until yesterday, that's correct, sir.
Mayor Carollo: So you have $115,000 in about a little over four days of work?
Chief Gimenez: That's correct.
Commissioner Plummer: Could I have a copy please...
Vice Mayor Regalado: Is that only downtown, still?
Chief Gimenez: Yes, now what we're gonna do is this. Starting Monday we're gonna go out a
little bit different, so we can give you what we consider to be the best estimate on the total on
both of these task forces. We're going to distribute the task forces to different areas around the
city, and we're gonna try to compile a percentage on the non -collectible and then try to
extrapolate that out and give you our best estimate of what the real dollar figures are for garbage,
for CU's, for OL's for this year and also what will be recurring for next year.
Commissioner Plummer: Chief, that $150,000, is that what you just...
Mayor Carollo: One hundred fifteen.
Chief Gimenez: One hundred fifteen.
Commissioner Plummer: One -one -five. That is delinquent only?
Chief Gimenez: No, that's new CU's that's businesses that were not in the system.
Commissioner Plummer: That are in business, had not taken out an occupational licenses.
43 December 7,1996
r
Chief Gimenez: That's correct.
Commissioner Plummer: I would like to see a copy that represents the companies of the one -
one -five.
Chief Gimenez: The companies?
Commissioner Plummer: Yes, I'd like to see a list, I'm sure you have it somewhere, whether it's
in the computer or where...
Chief Gimenez: As we input those in the computer, sure.
Commissioner Plummer: ... that says company A did not have license and he paid X. And then
j at the bottom it's gonna say how many companies and $115,000. So you will send that to me
over the weekend, please.
Chief Gimenez: I'm not sure I can give you that information over the weekend. It has to be
input into the computer. We have it right now on pieces of paper. We know what we've
collected in checks. As fast as we can put it in there...
Commissioner Plummer: You've deposited $115,000.
Chief Gimenez: We have deposited... we have cash on hand $67,914.09 and we have
collectibles of approximately $47,000.
Commissioner Plummer: That's 100,000 where's the other 15?
Mayor Carollo: Nope that's 115.
Commissioner Plummer: Give me the numbers again.
Chief Gimenez: Our total, grand total right now 67,914.09...
I
i
Commissioner Plummer: And.
Chief Gimenez: Forty-seven thousand approximate in collectibles, that's $114,914.09.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., I stand corrected.
Mayor Carollo: Now, you know the next thing I'm gonna ask you about.
Chief Gimenez: Yes.
Mayor Carollo: And I hope you have a better answer than the last one you gave us, Chief.
Chief Gimenez: What's that?
_ Mayor Carollo: Garbage.
Chief Gimenez: The garbage. We frankly, we're not pleased with the information that we've
gotten so far and... partly it is trying to put this task force together; we're learning as we go. But
I am confident that on Wednesday I'll give you a good figure on the garbage as we do the
sweeps around the City and we can estimate, get a better estimation on the City. If we had kept
44 December 7, 1996
it up the way we were going in the Grove it would not have been an accurate figure. We have to
do this canvassing of the entire City to give you really good figures all the way out.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, I've also approached the University of Miami to see if we can get a
statistician out here to assist the task force so that, oficially in this area, we can hopefully project
out a collection rate that's reasonable.
Commissioner Plummer: You know what's amazing to me. Why in the old days as I remember
when I was much younger, there used to be a decal...
Commissioner Gort: Long time ago.
Commissioner Plummer: ... there used... you ain't that much younger. There used to be a decal
that you had, alright. Now on the police department right now if you don't have a decal on your
front door with an alarm number you know what they call you? NR... no response for a decal,
OK. Why doesn't the Sanitation department have a decal that if in fact the decal is not there they
don't pick it up or they report it and send somebody out to collect it.
Mayor Carollo: Well, that's a little harder I think to enforce in that way for the simple reason
that the Police Department responds directly to the front door when there's an alarm, and they
can see there if the decal is there or not. I think we'd have to do it in another way where we
would have it in the computer who has paid and who's not.
Commissioner Plummer: Fine, but if they don't have a decal they report it and they...
Mayor Carollo: But before Ron steps in on the decal question, Chief, frankly, I am surprised.
We have gone over in numrous meetings how important it was to assign sufficient personnel to
go into different areas in the City, not only did we assign sufficient personnel to this particular
task force, but we started in the area of the City where we would probably find the least revenues
that haven't been paid to us. You know, I don't know why we still can't get answers, I'd like to
get a list of the names of the people you have in that task force, maybe that would bring some
light into the situation for me. I hope that people aren't dragging their feet purposely on this one.
Chief Gimenez: No, I don't think so, sir, and again let me apologize to you for that. I think, like
I said before, that we're learning as we go, and that we have made a couple of mistakes but that
by Wednesday you should have an accurate number on the garbage and on the CU and on the
OL's. And we're gonna start doing that on Monday and we're gonna do that for two days and
give you a pretty good number by Wednesday.
Mayor Carollo: I've heard that before, that's why I'm getting concerned, 'cause the meeting of
the 12th is coming real quick, and I expected to use those numbers so that we could have used it
in the overall budget, so that we could have made accurate decisions. Now, Mr. Manager, the
minute we're done with this workshop I'd like to meet with you one on one in this issue. And I
don't mind going myself out there, if need be, and doing whatever needs to be done, as long as I
have your authority which is what the charter requires, that we go through you. But, you know,
this is just unacceptable. We could put one task force that finds $115,000 but the one that should
be even easier, we can't put it together, and...
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, since you and I had talked on this matter on Friday, I've met with the
Chief and have impressed the need for quick action on this thing and we are adding added
resources to the task force. But I'd be more than happy to meet you right after this meeting.
Mayor Carollo: Well, frankly, if some of my suggestions might have been looked at in how to
implement that aspect in the garbage part of it, we probably would have been a lot farther today
than we are.
i
45 December 7, 1996
t
Car.•
Mr. Marquez: Some of your suggestions are gonna be implemented on Monday and Tuesday.
Mayor Carollo: I would appreciate that, sir. And I need at the end of the day to have final
figures. It's beyond me why we've gone through four and a half days and we can't get any
figures at all on the garbage. But, I would like to see final figures on a daily basis.
Commissioner Plummer: Am I completely out of reach, Carlos? We know how many
residences there are in the City of Miami. The Finance Department knows that. You know it
from your ad valorem tax portfolios. Does it take a rocket scientist to know through the finance
department as to whether or not they're paying or not paying? I mean, I don't see where you
really have to go make an inspection.
Mayor Carollo: You do J.L., because...
Commissioner Plummer: Joe?
Mayor Carollo: ... we're not only looking at residence themselves...
Commissioner Plummer: Well, I'm saying just the residential.
Mayor Carollo: ... yeah, the residentials. We're not only looking at an address as not paying,
but we're also looking at an address that might have one number on the door, but actually has
been converted to three units. So they're paying for one, and not paying for the other two. So, if
you go through that system, you'll find that they're paying for one and the other two they have
there are not paying. In other words, we're looking also for all the illegal units that are out there
that are not paying that should be.
Commissioner Plummer: It legitimizes them if you charge them for three. You know, there
might be a problem there. If you charge them for three and their in a single family residence,
you've legitimized three..
Mayor Carollo: We are looking into, that aspect of...
Commissioner Plummer: One of the reasons they don't...
Mayor Carollo: I'm gonna present an ordinance for our consieration on Thursday...
Commissioner Plummer: Alright one of the problems that you have with the flower vendors is
I've been told on many occasions is they don't have occupational licenses because to issue them
would legitimize them and the city doesn't want to do that. Is that correct?
Commissioner Hernandez: That's not the same in this case, J.L. There's properties out there
that are right now paying taxes to Dade County and they're still not legitimate. They're not legal
persay on the zoning end, you can still find them and what have you.
Commissioner Plummer: Fine.
Mayor Carollo: See what has traditionally been done, and J.L., is that once in the blue moon
when inspectors knew that there were units that might be paying for one but they two or three
additional ones illegally done that they weren't paying for, once in a while somebody would say
go get that guy, and for whatever reason, and then the inspector would issue the citations and
they would have to pay for these other units. But that's rare in between. We're talking about a
tremendous amount of revenue that's out there, as much or more as we have on the CO, CU side,
46 December 7, 1996
go
and for the life of me I can't understand how the money's flowing in from one task force, but we
can't get any information on the other.
Commissioner Plummer: I hear you.
Mayor Carollo: Chief, give me a list of the people in that task force.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Chief, how many, excuse me, Chief, how many people you have in the
task force in the licenses and in the garbage detail?
Chief Gimenez: We normally put out ten teams for CU and OL and I believe that there's four
teams for the garbage. I think we have eight; we have four inspectors from Solid Waste and four
Internal Audit people that are teamed up to do the Solid Waste residential, and then like I said
before, we have ten teams doing the CU and the OL's.
Commissioner Plummer: Are these task forces also, while they're going around door to door
reporting when they see any construction without a permit?
Chief Gimenez: Well, right now the task forces that we have on the CU and the OL is working
the downtown business area.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but you're gonna do residential on the garbage?
Chief Gimenez: Yes, right.
Commissioner Plummer: And it would seem logical to me that if they see construction going on
without a permit, I would hope that they're going to report it.
Chief Gimenez: We could add that as to one of the responsibilities. We're developing new
forms so they can check off a lot of different things on that residential and get all... try to put all
this stuff together.
Mayor Carollo: When you say, Chief, you could add that on as one of the responsibilities, my
understanding was that what we were going to be doing was just in fact doing that, check off if
there was anything else that was going on we would check it off. We would not use those
inspectors to be the ones going from top to bottom, just individual they would mark it off so that
some other units could go and be sent to those residences and handle that.
Chief Gimenez: That's correct. They're going door to door seeing what they see checking it off,
and then if it needs follow-up it'll be follow-up later. On the CU, on the OL side, since we have
2 inspectors already on the scene we wanted to get them to take care of whatever problems were
there already in the business as much as possible, collect the money so we don't have to send
inspectors back. Only those cases where they couldn't handle are gonna be referred.
Mr. Frank Rollason (Deputy Fire Chief): Now, the task force is working today. They are
h sicall at the MRC now. The are goingthrough and startingto analyze a lot of data that
physically
collected over the last couple of das. They say it loos very promising. They have
hundreds of occupancies that they have to sort and put into places of whether they're paying or
not paying. They're not exactly sure what they have, but they have a lot of data and what the
Fire Chief doesn't know is later today he's gonna be meeting with them, and they're gonna get
some direction from him as to where to go on the next step, but they're telling me that they have
a lot of information to sort and they've gathered a lot. So they've been working, they're working
today and they're gonna have stuff for you the first part of the week. Have a good afternoon.
47 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Let's go to the biggie.
Chief Gimenez: That would be the fire assessment fee, I gather. The fire assessment fee what
we have done so far is we have contracted with a consultant who will be in on Tuesday to start
the work with the fire rescue people, our staff. Also we have individual meetings with members
of the Commission for Tuesday and Thursday to try to bring you up to speed as to what this
particular issue is about and how we go about implementing it.
I
Commissioner Plummer: You're best estimate as to the amount of dollars it will collect on a
j recurring annual basis.
j
Chief Gimenez: Merrett Stierheim's group put in the $22,500,000. That comes from a 50%...
estimating at 50% of the budget of the Fire Department less the revenues we collect like the
transport fees, and the fire inspection fee, etc., and any capital needs that we need that would
represent half of that budget. When we looked at cities in Broward county where this fire
assessment fee is currently being implemented, 19 to 100% of the budgets of those systems,
those ten odd systems, was being funded through this fire assessment fee. Some are being
funded 25%, some 50%, some 75%, 100%, 19%. So the former manager, Stierheim, felt that a
f50% funding of the Fire Department through this fee was a realistic figure.
1 Commissioner Plummer: O.K., I've said it to you and I'm gonna go on the record. You're
gonna have to go a long way most likely impossible to get my vote to assess this against
residential property, O.K.? Now, what I'm saying is that you can assess it against commercial
property at a higher rate and leave the residential alone, and I say that because commercial, as a
regular way of doing business, can charge it off. A homeowner has no way to charge a fee. If it
was part of the ad -valorem it's tax deductible. But as to a fee it is not. So I'm saying for one
vote, when you come back on Tuesday or Thursday if that's when you're gonna come back and
try to convince us what to do, don't come to this Commissioner with that fee imposed on
residential property. I'm not talking about condiminiums, I'm talking about residential property
as I know residential property. So when you base your numbers, base it on it being opposed
against commercial, but not against residential. I think that we're hitting every way we can
residential but I cannot sit here and go further against them with a fire fee when they're paying
ad valorem taxes today to provide that kind of service, so I'm just speaking for one.
I
Mayor Carollo: The way that we were looking at going at it would be that if the fire fee would
be implemented on the residential units, then, we would be reducing the milage rate back.
That's the way that it was contemplated. I still have some questions on the amounts that I'm
given. Basically we're looking at approximately what, Chief, $22,500,000... ?
Chief Gimenez: That's correct.
Mayor Carollo: ... that we estimate that's going to produce?
Chief Gimenez: That's correct.
Mayor Carollo: What was the amount of milage reduction that you were looking at
approximately in reducing back in that?
Chief Gimenez: On the 22.5 if you place the entire Fire Rescue Departmet under the fee you
would need to generate $44,000,000 from the fee. If you add a reduction of two mills from the
City then that would reduce... that would be a $22,000,000 from the City so you would generate
44 reduce 22, you'd end up with 22 on the plus side.
Commissioner Plummer: Wait a minute you're, excuse me Joe... we're not apples and oranges
here. A mill raises...
48 December 7, 1996
Mayor Carollo: A little over ten million.
Commissioner Plummer: ... about 10 million so you're going to 4 mills in 40... are you talking 2
mills in 22.5?
Mayor Carollo: Two mills is what would be reduced. He's anticipating that it would produce
some 44 million 22 to make up for the 2 mills that we've reduced, and an additional 22 million
22 and a half million.
Commissioner Plummer: So in effect what you're doing is you're not giving the homeowner a
break at all. You're reducing it but you're charging.
Mayor Carollo: You're taking it out from one end and adding it on the other. It's gonna even
out.
Commissioner Plummer: She's still getting the gaff.
Commissioner Gort: But my understand is since certain properties, J.L., and this has been your
argument all the time, certain properties that presently are not paying any tax at all. They're
gonna be paying some of this tax.
Commissioner Plummer: Absolutely, but they're not residential.
Commissioner Gort: That would give some benefits to the...
Mayor Carollo: No, you have a lot that are residential. Not a majority but you have sufficient
amounts.
Commissioner Plummer: No, Joe, I don't know of any of the properties, and I sat on this pilot
committee and I think I'm still the chairman of a non-existent committee, there are no single-
family residences that are tax exempt. There are halfway houses that are in single-family zones
and yes they should be a fee that there should be paying a fee for this fire service and I totally
agree with that. I'm talking about the individual homeowner.
Mayor Carollo: There you go. You just mentioned halfway houses are in residential areas so.
Commissioner Plummer: But they're not residential.
Mayor Carollo: They're looked upon the way we're going about it.
Commissioner Gort: Let me see if you understand this correctly.
Commissioner Plummer: I made my point.
Commissioner Gort: I might be understanding wrong. My understanding is that you reduce the
mills because that expense instead of being paid by the same people that are paying right now is
gonna spread around with a lot more units. That's my understanding, because you're gonna
have people, my understanding is, there's buildings that now do not pay any tax at all that will be
paying this tax. .
Chief Gimenez: That is a policy decision of this board if you want to assess this fire assessment
fee on tax exempt properties there are a lot of options that are available to the commission. Once
the consultant...
49 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Gort: That was part of my understanding so by doing that and spreading the cost
of the Fire Department equally to among other people, we're gonna reduce what the residentials
are gonna pay in their own land. That's my understanding.
Chief Gimenez: Well, this is what I'd like to say at this point, because this is somewhat
premature as to what is gonna come out. Number one, the consultant has to come in and work
with our staff. We have to look at the run data that we've had, the historical run data. The
consultant will then draw up several options for us to look at, and based on the historical data
that has some correlation to the services being delivered to the property, and then give their
recommendation as to what kind of fees are imposed on different properties. And then it's up to
the commission to make the policy decision of what options it is that it wants to go in. But
before we even talk about the speifics of the plan, the consultant has to come in and look at the
historical data.
Commissioner Gort: I understand, but the concept more or less is what I expressed a little while
ago.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but Willie, the problem is if you lower the millage by 2 for
residential and you turn around and you charge them a fire fee, he's paying basically the same
amount of money.
Commissioner Gort: Alright let me ask you a question.
Mayor Carollo: He is but he's not. The only difference is, J.L, and I'll tell you, that through the
millage they can deduct that in their income tax, we can deduct it in our income tax. The fire fee
you won't be able to deduct a fee which is the same problem that I had with the garbage fee.
Commissioner Plummer: But they can't deduct the fee, that's the right. And the same problem
you're gonna have next year because now you're gonna hear about a thing called a police fee
next year.
Mayor Carollo: The bottom line is, Chief, and it would be simpler and better if we could
implement this fee strictly to commercial, industrial, non -profits, governmental buildings. I
don't know if it's possible or not to do it that way.
Chief Gimenez: I don't know either because I haven't spoken to the consultant about that.
Mayor Carollo: We have to go to our consultants cause if we try to do it that way, maybe, there
might be something in the law that would prevent us from then doing it all together. So we have
to come back with hard information from them, and you have to ask that of them first thing
Monday. That just should be a simple question they could answer for you. Can we just put the
residentials aside and not complicate that to many of our residents and just deal with the non-
profits and the commercial properties? If we can't, then, it's obvious the only way that we're
gonna be able to do it is by putting the fire fee on everyone.
Commissioner Gort: Mr. Mayor let me ask you a question cause maybe I don't understand this,
and I'm not too bright on this. My understand is we'll reduce two mills, we can reduce two mills
but the same time when we apply the fire fee might be one point five, so there'll be a savings of
point five. That could happen, am I correct?
Chief Gimenez: It's possible. I mean like I said...
Commissioner Gort: So there'll still be a saving. I think we should look at all the options, and
then we'll take the decision according to that. That's my understanding that that would happen.
50 December 7, 1996
Chief Gimenez: Well, what we intend to do with the consultants is, obviously, take any input
that comes from the commission, give it to the consultants and say how can we best do this in
this fashion. But again I must caution you that the consultants have to have a rational basis for
their recommendation, and a lot of that is based on historical data and a lot of that hasn't been
done yet, so it would be premature for me to promise anything to the commission saying that we
can do this we can do that before we do the actual work.
Mayor Carollo: Where are these consultants located at in Florida?
Chief Gimenez: They work out of Tallahassee.
Mayor Carollo: Well, I tell you what Chief, I think we should have a meeting with them. Either
some of us would fly to Tallahassee or they would come here.
Chief Gimenez: They're coming here.
Mayor Carollo: O.K., when are they coming here?
Chief Gimenez: They're meeting with us an you all, four of you, on Tuesday. We have
meetings scheduled for it.
Mayor Carollo: Now, the bottom line is that this is the main area of revenues that we're looking
at for the next fiscal year in as far as recurring revenues. And if all that we're doing is kidding
ourselves and throwing numbers that are not gonna pan out at the end, then, we'd better know.
If we're gonna be putting numbers that we're gonna be approving, they'd better be hard, hard
numbers. And this is scaring me tremendously, because I'm seeing this somewhat shaky when I
can't even get a straight answer on whether we can include residentials or not. It's scaring me.
Plus there are other factors that are of concern for me. So we need before we approve this final
proposed, new proposed budget, we need to be absolutely sure on those numbers. And you in
particular, because the consultants they go to Tallahassee, you're left behind.
Chief Gimenez: Again I have to make this very clear that the final decision of how this goes
rests with the Commission. And...
Mayor Carollo: Chief, obviously, we understand the buck stops here, and in particular the buck
stops even more with me. But I want you to understand that we can only make decisions based
upon the information we are given. And I don't wanna be given information that says that you
do this and you're gonna save 22 and a half million dollars ($22,000,000), or bring 22 and a half
million dollars in new revenue ($22,500,000). And we based all our calculations on that, and
then somewhere in the next fiscal year, we find out that we're having a tremendous shortfall.
Commissioner Plummer: Whistling Dixie. Mr. Mayor, let me tell you what I'm trying to do
right now, and you're the one who's saying business is gone be done differently around here.
Mayor Carollo: Absolutely.
Commissioner Plummer: I don't want these consultants who we're paying to come in and tell us
here's the way it should be done, and if you don't do it it's your fault. I'm telling you up front
the way I, my vote, is predicated on what is going to be done. And if you don't wanna do it that
way, and you wanna do business as usual, then you've lost this vote, O.K. So, all I'm saying to
you is, I'm not voting to put it on residential property. I'm making it clear so don't come here to
me and present me with a plan that says you're going to tax residential property, 'cause I'm
telling you up front.
51 December 7, 1996
r
Mayor Carollo: J.L., look, I think we understood you're position, but let's not complicate things
even more for the public and the residents of Miami.
Commissioner Plummer: Go on, next item.
Mayor Carollo: We're not discussing this particular fire fee to increase any fees for residents.
This is not a new tax that we're creating. The only discussion that we have had is that we will
apply to residential properties only if that's the only alternative that we would have so that we
could bring in the non -profits into it. Now if we must, and it's the only way that we could do it,
bring the residentials, then we would deduct that amount from the millage rate for residentials. I
would prefer, very much so, to do it the way that you described. That's the easiest and best way
of doing it. But, if we are told that tlegally by doing it that way, we're gonna be shooting
ourselves in the foot, and we can't get another 15 or 22 and a half million dollars like we're
being told that we can get, then we have to be realistical and open minded.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, I don't know who's been talking to you, but the Fire Chief has
been talking to me and his contention all the way along has been the residential and it has to be
uniform across the board.
Mayor Carollo: Well, the Fire Chief has been talking to me also.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K. is that what not you've told me.
Chief Gimenez: The information that I've gotten so far, and again we still need to get the studies
done, is that the information from the consultants is that if we put the cart before the horse, that
we are placing ourselves illegally for challenges, and so...
Commissioner Plummer: Carlos, would you answer my question. My question to you very
simply is have you not said to me all the way along that it is to be applied across the board?
Chief Gimenez: That has... that's what I've stated to you, yes.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor?
Commissioner Gort: Let me ask a question, J.L., let me ask you this question. Suppose you
reduce...
Commissioner Plummer: Talk to me through the manager.
Commissioner Gort: J.L., hold a minute. You reduce 2 mills.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Commissioner Gort: And then by imposing this fee, this fire fee, you increase it by one point
five.
Commissioner Plummer: One point five what? Dollars, mills.
Commissioner Gort: Mills.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Commissioner Gort: Which means the resident by being part of this plan, will save .50, will you
vote for it?
52 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah.
Commissioner Gort: O.K.
Commissioner Plummer: No, no. Let me tell you why, and I think the problem we don't want to
admit. That the people and the residents of this community have lost credability with this
Commission and that they're gonna say is you gonna give me a 2 mill reduction and next year
you're gonna hit me with 3. O.K., now look let's call it like it is. I'm saying to you don't take
me with one hand and give me with the other hand. Don't imply it against residents. I'll say no
more, that's my position, I'm entitled to it, and a nervous breakdown, and nobody's gonna
deprive me of it.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor?
Mayor Carollo: I would like to clarify something to the Commissioner. A majority of this
Commission is new, and in fact 80% of it has been here for less than 3 years. I don't agree with
that statement.
Commissioner Plummer: What the breakdown?
Mayor Carollo: No, well the breakdown is up to you. The loss of confidence in this
Commission.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, you are staff will try to accommodate the will of the Commission as
it is being expressed right here.
Commissioner Gort: I think the Commission needs to look at all the alternatives, cause if that
can save the residents .5 or .3 or .4, I'm gonna do it. And especially if we can get the revenues.
Chief Gimenez: We understand the policy direction, and we'll try to implement those things in
the final proposal, and again the consultants will come...
Mayor Carollo: Well, if they could be implemented, Chief, and this is what I've been saying.
The way that would be ideally to do is the way that we would like it to be. But that might not
necessarily be the way that we could do it. So we need to have the facts as they are so that we
could decide which way we go and be absoutely sure in the dollars that we're gonna get.
Chief Gimenez: Right.
Mr. Marquez: The second item for Fire.
Chief Gimenez: Agressively pursue EMS collections. We are drafting a reso to come before the
Commission to allow us to actively pursue the collection on residents that has.. we been not
allowed to do that in the past on these collections.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., two questions sir. Number one are we... our prices
competitively with the private sector? Are we charging at least he same amount as the private
sector?
Chief Gimenez: I believe that on transports, yes we are. We're gonna take a look to make sure...
those things change everyday, I mean people raise the rates.
53 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., I'm just saying that I don't think we should he paying... we
should not be charging any less, O.K., because the greatest bulk of your money is coming from
insurance, Blue Shield, Blue Cross, and whatever...
Chief Gimenez: Medicare, and Medicaid.
Commissioner Plummer: Now, the only problem that you're gonna have, Carlos, is don't turn
over to collection agencies people that are on welfare. I mean you ain't gonna get blood out of a
turnip, and they're gonna pursue and use their staff numbers or stat numbers on cases that there's
no way in hell's half -acre you're ever gonna collect. So what I'm saying to you is if a person is
legitimately on welfare, don't turn it over to collection agency. Don't waste his time and your
money and that's what has happened in the County.
Chief Gimenez: Anything else?
Mayor Carollo: Alright, thank you, Chief.
------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. N.E.T. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT- CLARIFICATION OF
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS (CDBG) FUNDS
AVAILABLE TO CITY -- PROVIDE BREAKDOWN OF $1.6 MILLION TO
COMMISSION -- DISCUSSION.
Mr. Marquez: Neighborhood Enhancement Teams.
Mr. Elbert Waters (Director, NET/Community Development): Good afternoon Mr. Mayor,
members of the Commission. In the revenue enhancement recommendations, the department of
community development/NET is, or will be before this commission with a recommendation to
reallocate Community Development Block Grant funds in the amount of one point six million
dollars. We expect to be before you first meeting in January.
Commissioner Plummer: Well wait a minute, I'm lost Bert. This is reference to the NET teams
which I would assume is the NET offices and yet you're speaking to the CDBG funding. I'm not
making sense here.
Mr. Waters: Let me clarify it commissioner. The Department is Community
Development/NET. What is being proposed in terms of assisting the city in looking at
prioritizing those projects that the Community Development Block Grant dollars can be used for.
We're looking at reprogramming those dollars and bringing them back before you for approval.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Mr. Waters: These are eligible federal dollars to be reprogrammed to assist the City on its CIP
projects.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., the question is, as you know I brought out day before yesterday.
And I'm sure every office up here is been plagued from the CBO. Is this money coming from
the CBO's?
54 December 7, 1996
ri
Mr. Waters: This is different. These would be projects that we've had and activities over the
various different years, program income, projects that are not coming on line yet where we can
utilize the dollars now, and then as new CDBG funds come in we can reprogram.
Commissioner Plummer: So this which is proposed does not in any way indicate a dollar against
a present CBO recipient.
Mr. Waters: Not this proposal, sir. No.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., and the other one, we have a full understanding, that none of
those dollars will be reallocated without a public hearing.
Mr. Waters: Oh yes, most definitely, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: They got the impression that it was otherwise. Would you send us a
breakdown on this please? I think we would, I would like to see the breakdown on the million
six. What projects you're going to take from and give to?
Mr. Waters: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Hernandez: Is the NET programs producing any income? They produce any
income?
Mr. Waters: Yes sir, we do from the standpoint of collections. As an example, the NET
program has collected revenues in the amount of approximately $859,000 but again those
revenues that are being collected that's through code enforcement, inspection services. It's
applied through another department, so a NET program does a lot of collections but in terms of
the credit for those, it's applied to one of our other departments, Building and Zoning.
Commissioner Plummer: How come you don't show here a savings in elimination of 5 NET
offices?
Mr. Waters: Where on revenue, here, in this, we're on revenue enhancement recommendations
so...
Mr. Marquez: But you show... it's in Section B where we had expenditure reductions.
Commissioner Plummer: It's an enhancement of basically...
Mr. Marquez: Well, as an expenditure reduction.
Commissioner Plummer: And when is it anticipated to close those 5 offices?
Mr. Waters: Well, what we had asked again was to come back before this Commission
sometime in February to give the administration an opportunity to meet with the community to
discuss the recommendation and therefore, be back before this body for its final
recommendation.
Commissioner Plummer: So by the time you do it, it'll be no savings this year?
Mr. Waters: In February we should be back...
Commissioner Plummer: No, there'll be no savings, O.K.
55 December 7, 1996
Mayor Carollo: What is the maximum amount of dollars that we could pool from there to the
general fund?
Mr. Marquez: From CDBG?
Mr. Waters: Right now it's the one point six Mr. Mayor. What I would want to do is to go back
with staff and look at how we could reprogram those dollars. In addition to that, be mindful of
the fact that we're in the midst of our 23rd year, whereby we anticipate receiving from US HUD
approximately 13, again our same allotment 13.3 million. Of that we're looking at
approximately 65% of that which would encompass roughly eight million dollars that could be
utilized under eligible activities that the city commission could fund various different projects
within the city.
Mayor Carollo: Well, that's a lot of money and that's where I was heading to. It's not where
you might feel in your heart or where the money should go to. It's where we need to figure out
in our heads where it has to go to now. And we're in more need of that money in the City of
Miami government than any organization that we could find out there. So, we need to get some
hard figures of how much of that money we could pull in, and here we are already going into the
2nd week of December and all I'm hearing is one point six.
Mr. Waters: Be mindful, Mr. Mayor, that our fiscal year differs from the City...
Mayor Carollo: I understand that but is that the true maximum that you can squeeze out of it?
I'm not sure that that's the maximum that you could really squeeze out of it.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, they're getting more than that now. Is the City getting more
than that now than the million six? A lot more.
Mr. Waters: Oh yeah, I mean in terms of... this is only, this is additional but...
Commissioner Plummer: This is on a top and above.
Mayor Carollo: Yeah, this is additional, I understand. Yeah, this is on top of what we're
getting.
Mr. Waters: ... but be mindful, Mr. Mayor, members of the commission, the program also pays
an indirect cost approximately one point three million dollars. In terms of indirect costs that
goes directly to the general fund as a process of actually administering the program. So, the
department is paying more than what's reflected here.
Commissioner Plummer: And when you break down the amount of administrative fees and
other things that that's paying in the city's behalf from CDBG, it's an incredible number.
Almost your entire department is CDBG, and how much is that?
Mr. Waters: Yes sir. On the CD side in terms of administration, total grant is 13.3 million.
Commissioner Plummer: To Community Development?
56
December 7, 1996
r
Mr. Waters: Community development only. Then we also have our home ownership which is
housing, that's approximately four point three million dollars, then we manage the HOPA
program, housing opportunities for Persons With AIDS, eight point three, and another special
program emergency shelter grant, 347, giving us about 26.3 million. But again, be mindful
especially on the housing side, those are special dollars for special purpose needs. And so those
would not be a part of the actual profit that the department would be making.
Mayor Carollo: Can you put something in writing specifying clearly the additional 1.6 that
we're getting plus out of the other approximate S million that we might be able to use, what
exactly we would be able to use it for. Anything else that you have forgotten? Any other
amounts that you have forgotten that possibly could be taken out?
Mr. Waters: O.K.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Mr. Mayor, those 12 personnel actions that you have listed here, are they
going to be effective as of now or when you bring the plan to restructure the NET?
Mr. Waters: Commissioner Regalado, again, what the administration will be attempting to do is
to bring back to you the response from the community and if in fact this body determines that
you would direct the manager to implement it, then, we would be implementing those personnel
actions in February.
Vice Mayor Regalado: You say in February.
Mr. Waters: Yes, sir.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Mr. Manager we understood that we were going to have a meeting about
the NET sooner than February.
Mr. Marquez: No, what he's saying is that...
Vice Mayor Regalado: I know what he said but...
Mr. Marquez: ... the final actions would start going into effect in February. All the planning
would be done way before that. The meetings that you're talking about where we're talking
about a purpose and coverage, etc.
Vice Mayor Regalado: The purpose of that meeting will be to bring that to the public, was it?
To explain to the public what we're going to do.
1i
Mr. Waters: It's two -fold, Commissioner. One is to have meetings within the communities that
would be effected by the proposed consolidation to basically explain to the community the
rationale and also what impact, if any, that recommenation would have to the community. We
then would bring through the manager, back to you, the information that the community would
be espousing, and we would be making our recommendation based on that. Thank you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. PARKS AND RECREATION- CREATE AN "ADOPT A PARK" PROGRAM --
CREATE FIVE MEMBER COMMITTEE TO SOLICIT CORPORATE
WORLD -FOR FUNDS TO MAINTAIN PARK SERVICES ALL YEAR --
EACH COMMISSIONER SHALL APPOINT ONE MEMBER TO SAID
COMMITTEE. -- DISCUSSION.
----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------
Mr. Marquez: Parks.
Mr. Alberto Ruder (Director, Parks and Recreation): Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and
Commissioners. What you see here is an increase in park user fees. You have already taken
action on some of these fees back in November which involved rentals of equipment, and small
parties in parks. That alone should probably generate about $20,000 of the $100,000 that you
see here, so you've already taken action on that. What we're doing now is we're going through
the other user fees in parks like tennis courts and things like that, and comparing them to other
cities and bringing them back to you with a recommendation and an ordinance and paying
special attention to what Commissioner Plummer mentioned before. Their giving a break to city
residents having different fees for city residents and non-residents. And in this plan, this
additional revenue that were supposed to bring in is intended to be revinested into the park
programs since they're so little resources there now.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Albert, what kind of use we have for the funds that were approved by the
voters of Dade County. The City of Miami's getting about nine million...
Mr. Ruder: No we're getting 21.367 million. That's just for capital, it's not for maintenance or
for operations for programs. So, the City is gonna have to show that we're maintaining a level of
maintenance in these parks to qualify for these funds. They're not gonna be available for
probably for about 6 months to a year, 'cause it was just approved and they have to go out with
the bonds and everything, but it's strictly for capital.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Can we not have a waiver from the County to use part in...
Mr. Ruder: No because that's the way the ordinance...
Commissioner Plummer: The bonds are sold.
Mr. Ruder: ... that's the way we're structured and that's the way the voters voted on it.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K. let me tell you what I would like Mr. Manager. About two years
ago we started into a program around here that started to blossom and all of a sudden died. And
many other cities have used it extremely successful of getting corporations to come in and adopt
a park. Pillsbury was it over at Shenandoah?
Mr. Ruder: Yeah, well it was Pepsi -Cola.
58 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Pepsi -Cola, I was close. They came in there and they must have spent
$50,000 putting in gym equipment, and all of that kind of things. And then what you do is you
get one corporation vying against... Budweiser against Miller, but we're not gonna have alcohol.
But you get one corporation vying against another trying to get a better scenario. And I think we
need to go back to that and get a committee of like 5 people, who will go out and solicit the
corporate of Miami, Dade County who would be willing to come in and take over a park and to
help out in whatever way whether it's equipment or maintenance, even people working and
helping and supervising in those parks. As you know the Little Havana Kiwanis have adopted
and done tremendous things in Douglas Park and Jose Marti and Curtiss Park. And that's the
kind of thing that I think that if the people of this community really wanna see this community
be something to be proud of, if we could have and establish, Mr. Manager, a 5 member
committee, each one of us would appoint someone, to go out and really work the corporate
community to try to get them to adopt a park I think would be pretty much worth... if you get
anything you're ahead of the game.
Mr. Ruder: I think it's a good idea. We continue to do that with as limited staff and I...
Commissioner Plummer: Al, I would ask you that I know... I think it was Philadelphia did it
tremendously successful and there's two or three other cities that so we don't have to go out and
re -invent the wheel to contact those cities, and find out what they did and then bring it back to
this commission so that we'll know what we need to do.
Mr. Ruder: O.K., fine. Any other questions or...
-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. POLICE- CONTINUE DISCUSSION- REINSTATE TELEREPORTING FOR
STOLEN CARS -- DISCUSSION -- SEE LABELS 1 & 12.
Mr. Marquez: Police department.
Commissioner Plummer: Ah, the biggie.
Chief Donald Warshaw (Chief of Police): Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, I'll take you through the
matrix starting with the sale of the 2086 helicopters which we discussed at the last meeting. The
aviation unit, for all intent and purposes, is shut down. We've spoken with procurement, it's
approximately a 45 day process to request bids. We've already had some informal interest -
those are the 2086's approximately valued at $150,000 each so there's potential for $300,000.
We're still going to look although I'm being told that the other two helicopters and the parts that
are worth somewhere between three and a half and four million have to either go back to the
federal government or to others law enforcement agencies but if there's any revenue that can be
made from them in selling them, we will do that. The next item is enforcing the parking code in
downtown, and I think we had discussed that at a previous meeting as well. Just to briefly tell
you that as a result of a lot of things that happened downtown, including changing deployment,
as well as the fact that on Biscayne Boulevard we lost the islands on the boulevard that were
metered, and the meters were gone, they were taken over by Off-street parking, impacted on the
revenues. But why you saw a decrease in the revenue produced by the police department, keep
in mind that there is a task force out of the finance department that simultaneously was put in as
we reduced, so these decreases in revenues should be off -set and then some by revenues being
produced by that task force, and I think they are.
59 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: But the islands on the boulevard, you haven't had those for years.
Because those are used to pledge against the Off -Street Parking Authority bonds.
Chief Warshaw: It's been a couple of years.
Commissioner Plummer: Many couple.
Chief Warshaw: The other thing is I said about the deployment. One of the problems we've had
downtown is the visibility of police. We worked with the DDA and the Downtown Business
Partnership to put police officers on fixed beats and really take away from them parking ticket
issuance as part of their responsibilities because we needed the visibility. That's not to say they
weren't writing tickets, but again they were being placed in fixed places. The next item which is
the towing administrative fee, back in October that item came before you when you awarded the
towing contract, and as part of that the administrative fee was increased from $15 to $20, and
that netted an additional approximately $172,000. The next item which is scheduled to come
before you in January, is an increase in the private property towing fee from $5 to $15 and that
has a net gain of approximately $24,000.
Commissioner Plummer: Alright, would you stop for one second?
Chief Warshaw: Yes sir.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Manager, I'm getting, and I'm not picking on Don on this one, but
I'm losing your numbers. His numbers are predicated on the amount of saving. He's talking
about bringing, this particular just use this one, O.K., private property towing, administrative fee.
He's talking about bringing it before the Commission on January 1, and that figure, I'm sure, is
predicated on that. Not implementing, which is on our matrix, there's a difference between if
it's a change in an ordinance, O.K., it's not gone be implemented on the 1st of January. That's
gonna change that number, you understand what I'm saying?
Chief Warshaw: Yes, we do.
Mr. Marquez: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: So it's gonna be a less money, unless you bring it before us in
December on an emergency basis, and implement it on the 1st of January.
Chief Warshaw: That one we could probably bring but some of the others...
Commissioner Plummer: Well, that's why I'm stopping you because there's a difference
between talking about it in January and implementing in January. Mr. Mayor, I would like to
seriously ask that you call a special meeting, just for the purposes of implementing all of these
items not at a commission meeting, but implementing all of these items on an emergency basis,
that we can in fact implement on the first day of January... well you implement them, if it's an
emergency basis, you implement them the day that they're second reading.
Mayor Carollo: We're ahead of you on that one. We're looking at to do that already, I just
wanna see which is the best date that everybody could be ready to bring everything up so we
could do it all together.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., if you share it with us then I don't have to bring it up. O.K., but
we're talking about the 12th. I would hope that any...
Mayor Carollo: Well, not necessarily, we could do it on the 23rd, we could do it before that.
60 December 7, 1996
EM
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., my scenario is very simple, that any matters that pertain to
revenue should be handled on an emergency basis which should implement them immediately.
Mayor Carollo: We stated that in the last workshop that that's how it would be done. That takes
priority.
Chief Warshaw: And, Commissioner, I stand corrected on that one and that one only. That has
been through the Law Department process and we do have it scheduled to come as a pocket item
on next Thursday's agenda. The other ones I'm about to give you, are in various stages in the
law deprtment, and I know the earliest that they will come out, probably won't be until January.
For example, this next one which is to amend the city ordinance to include a $500 fee used in
crimes. Let me tell you a little bit about this and potential we have 750,000, and that could be a
low number. It could be considerably more. In Portland, Oregon, Philadeplphia, even in West
Palm Beach, this is something that's been done there. Basically, it's a civil proceeding, either
before, in our case could be before code enforcement, or the nuisance abatement board. And
basically these are vehicles that were used in crimes, where people were arrested, where we
impound the car, and basically there's a $500 fine to get the car released. And this is a great
deterrent particularly to street drug crime use, over and above the fact that it has tremendous
revenue potential.
Commissioner Plummer: In other words, if they use the car in buying drugs, you can confiscate
the car and fine them $500 to get it back. You can set up at Grand and McDonald a table with a
cash register and you've made your budget for next year. How in God's name are you going to
confiscate, and I'm trying to be realistic Don, alright, and I like the idea, O.K. But how are you
realistically going to... where're you going to put that amount of cars? If you go down there you
will confiscate, in Coconut Grove, where all the drugs are being sold, 200 cars a day.
Chief Warshaw: With the towing companies. That's a great... I'd love to have that problem.
Commissioner Plummer: Well you've got it, right now. You could actually confiscate 200 cars
a day.
Commissioner Gort: J.L., we could find the spaces, don't worry. We'll find the space.
Chief Warshaw: Yeah, this has tremendous deterrent potential as well, and it certainly can be a
revenue enhancer. Now, each of the municipalities and the cities who have done this have done
it with different wrinkles, so we're gonna work with Quinn and give him copies of the
ordinances which we've got from these other cities and come up with something and bring it
back to you in January. Alright, the amendment of the cities alarm ordinance, which I talked
about earlier, talks about doing two things. Number one, doubling the permit fee from 25 to 50,
reducing the number of free calls from the police department from 5 to 2, and then increasing the
fine structure, thus raising this additional revenue and again, I wanna state on the record, I really
think we need to get out of the alarm business all together. It's just... it's too much of a drain on
our resources, and I know your concerns about response time, 40,000 calls a year times two
officers a call, sometimes being out between 30 minutes and an hour.
Commissioner Plummer: But here again, the people of this community have a certain feeling of
comfort with their alarm. Then what you need to do is to adequately charge so that it covers the
cost. One of the things, and I'm talking against myself, I don't know if others have burglar
alarms, is that if I don't have an alarm during the year, you don't charge me. Yet, you have to
process my papers, you have to process my application. And I've always said I thought that that
was absolutely crazy.
61 December 7, 1996
�i
Chief Warshaw: That's part of the change.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, here again, if people have alarms and they have alarms that are
faulty, and I mean, I'm sure this Commission is aware that you have to, by your own standards,
dispatch every 30 or 60 minutes... 30 minutes. If you have an alarm going off for 12 hours,
you've dispatched 24 times. And, if that person's out-of-town, and they don't have a reset on
their alarm, every 30 minutes by their standards they have to go back out again and again and
again.
Chief Warshaw: Let me just say what's coming before you is only the amendment to the
ordinance. This is me speaking on a side issue of getting out of the business altogether. There
are some other things.
Commissioner Plummer: Who would do it?
Chief Warshaw: Well you take the revenues that you've got. You contract with a private
security firm give them your revenue stream, let them respond and only when there's a break let
their security people then call the police, and then they're calling you only two percent of the
time, the other 98 you're not going.
Commissioner Plummer: Are you saying go private?
Chief Warshaw: Basically.
Commissioner Plummer: Can we do that? I think it's worth consideration.
Chief Warshaw: We're gonna look at it.
Commissioner Plummer: Absolutely.
Chief Warshaw: The next item which is for $69,000 basically is amending the ordinance as it
relates to fees for records reports. In accordance with state law that has to do with certified
copies and it's so much per page, rather than per document, and rather than go through the whole
thing it'll come back to you. It's being reviewed by the law department to ensure it's in
accordance with all of the state laws. The next item is changing the surcharge fee. Right now on
off -duty work we charge an $8 per job surcharge.
Commissioner Plummer: No, you don't.
Chief Warshaw: Yeah, we do.
Commissioner Plummer: No, you don't. I pay it remember? Talk to the man who pays it.
Chief Warshaw: That's a motorcycle escort.
Commissioner Plummer: It's a surcharge. I pay $10 and 15.
Chief Warshaw: But it's a different charge. But only on motorcycles are 10, I'm talking about
all other jobs. I stand corrected, O.K. It's an $8 surcharge for the vast majority of our off -duty
jobs. What this change will do, will attach a $3 per hour surcharge. So on a 3 hour minimum
job, we'll get $1 more but on every hour thereafter there will be a $3 per hour surcharge.
Commissioner Plummer: Do you know what you're charging right now, per man per funeral
escort?
62 December 7, 1996
r
Chief Warshaw: I don't even know what that number is... $50.
Commissioner Plummer: $25, O.K., I'm hit with a... not me, I'm not paying it, O.K. I'm hit
with a $10 surcharge and a $15 administrative fee plus $30 for the man, O.K. You're almost
pricing yourself out of business, now let me bring to your attention one problem that's existing
because we're seeing more of it everyday. In my particular neighborhood, we hire an off -duty
policeman, 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon. And you're trying to hit us
twice for the surcharge. That's unfair.
Chief Warshaw: You are talking about the surcharge on the cars? Cause we're not doing that
anymore.
Commissioner Plummer: I dont know what your surcharge is on but I'm saying to you that that
surcharge per man should be for a one day rather than twice a day, alright? And in this particular
case where they're doing police work for a neighborhood, I really seriously question any high
surcharge.
i Chief Warshaw: Commissioner, we're gonna bring it back. I'll look into what you're telling me
and it will be at the commission's discretion, I hear what you're saying. And again, this isn't
etched in stone, this is something that we came wup with that was compatible with what other
police municipalities and agencies were doing, but again it's not etched in stone for us so we'll
bring it back to you. There's one other item that's not on here that I wanted to just mention very
quickly and that's another thing we'll bring in January. We are mandated under state law to do
certain regulatory checks with pawn shops. The City of Miami does not have a pawn shop
administrative fee in effect, a separate occupational license to run a pawn shop in the city.
We're gonna bring before you proposing a $250 annual fee for pawn shops as well as a $1.50 per
pawn card inspection that we are required by state law to inspect. And my feeling is if the state
is requiring us to do it, and there's no way that we can get the money from the state then we're
gonna pass the cost on to the pawn shop dealer, and that, by the way, is something that is done in
other places as well. That'll be here in January.
Commissioner Gort: Mr. Mayor? Chief in this parking enforcement, particularly in downtown
Miami, I received a lot of complaints where the enforcement are taking place, where the signs
are not up. As you're all aware, Dade County's in charge of the signs, there's lot of places
where the signs are not up so people are not aware of no parking or illegal parking and they're
being fined and towed away.
Mr. Raul Martinez (Asst. Chief): Yes sir you're right. We had spoken to a NET administrator
from downtown, Ms. Gelabert, and we're trying to get those signs up as quickly as possible. So
they'll be warned before they get the ticket.
Commissioner Gort: But in the meantime, I think you should not issue the ticket if the sign is
not there.
Chief Martinez: We're not sir, or we're trying not to at least.
t
Commissioner Plummer: Can I suggest that you instigate or look into a policy that's both in
New York and in San Francisco, and that is a commercial decal? As you know and I know,
downtown people are using loading zones and commercial zones for the purposes of their own
private vehicles. And they have in San Francisco, if you are legitimately entitled to be in a
loading zone, you pay, I think it's a $50 fee for a decal. If you don't have that decal, you are
towed, O.K.? And I think it's only legitimately so that the concern that I have is that in fact that
you have people utilizing that for private parking, and it's not a loading zone, which then brings
63 December 7, 1996
the other problem of all the trucks having to park in the middle of the street congesting the
streets, because there's no loading zone available.
Chief Warshaw: We'll look at that Commissioner. I'd just like to add, before I, just in
conclusion that for the last couple of days including earlier this morning you've been taking a
look at some other potential revenue enhancements, or other income that we can bring into the
city, and I'm working on something that I consider to be very substantial to bring before you in
the next few days, hopefully before next Thursday that will make an impact. I realize the police
department has some enormous opportunities and potential to get generate monies whether it be
through the cops office or other places and I will be bringing that before you, Mr. Mayor.
Commissioner Plummer: The only thing I would ask of the manager is to, and the same way that
the Building Deprtment came back and said that they wanted from their savings to instigate and
hire 11 more inspectors, the Chief has indicated that if he had 15 civilians, that he could
reinstigate telereporting.
Chief Warshaw: That's correct.
Commissioner Plummer: And as such, I think, that in fact, that the amount of money and time,
and service level that is money that would be well spent.
Mr. Marquez: Commissioner Plummer, from my education here, are you talking about an
increase in service delivery?
Commissioner Plummer: Oh absolutely, where people today are waiting 3 to 5 hours for a
police car to be dispatched, we should learn from the County and you should know better than I
that in the County for a stolen car they don't send a police car out, they do it over a phone. And
you don't have to have a man tied up a car tied up, and the rest tied up, you have a person on a
telephone. So all I'm saying is, I think it's money that if well spent, would save money, save
time, save effort, and give better level of service.
Chief Warshaw: Commissioner, through the manager, to yourself and the other members of the
Commission, I've prepard something about the history of teleserve PSA's what we've done, and
you should have that on Monday.
Commissioner Plummer: That'll be fine.
Chief Warshaw: O.K. Thank you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. GSA / SOLID WASTE- INCLUDE BIOHAZARDOUS MATERIAL FEE FOR
PICKUP -- IMPLEMENT STREET CLEANING FEE ORDINANCE --
FURNISH LIST TO COMMISSIONERS OF PRIVATE HAULERS
DELINQUENT ON FRANCHISE FEE PAYMENTS -- DISCUSSION.
Mr. Marquez: Solid waste.
Commissioner Plummer: And your one line item.
Mr. Ron Williams (Assistant City Manager): The messenger right? Mr. Mayor, Commissioners,
my leading comment would be that the Solid Waste service, and I'll call it that, to our citizens
64 December 7, 1996
functions in the city as an enterprise fund. In that vain, as all of you know, it should be self-
supporting, and we should parallel the cost to the revenue. We should either adjust our cost
schedule, raise our revenue so that they're in balance, and the true and actual enterprise concept
is realized. I'm sure when former manager Stierheim made his recommendation I believe he
took that into consideration. He may have discussed it with you all individually, but by whatever
means we achieve that balance or that parallel that I referenced, the enterprise concept requires
that they meet. That they meet at point zero, and my recommendation to you certainly would be
that we operate the service level within the confines of that enterprise concept and then we
provide a service level with cost equal to the revenue that we generate. And that would be my
thoughts on it, I'm open for questions.
Commissioner Plummer: I have a quick question. I asked it earlier and I haven't heard an
answer. What does it cost the city per household to deliver the level of service that we are
providing today?
Mr. Williams: This present level of service costs $322.
Commissioner Plummer: That's what it actually costs the city?
Mr. Williams: That's what it cost us in this fiscal year '97 budget.
Commissioner Plummer: So, the morning paper at 400 is wrong. O.K.
Mayor Carollo: However, out of the $322 per household, you have to deduct the percentage that
would be deducted from each household for at least another million and a half. Actually over a
million and a half that we're including in the cost of the waste and garbage collection to the
homeowner that's coming from street sweep -cleaning and the collection to the city itself.
Mr. Williams: And a minor portion, Mr. Mayor, that would add to that called special events.
And I know this Commission has developed a new and current policy of making sure that any
special event support is 100% funded so moving forward that should go down. But, we have
broken those numbers away from that 322 if the Commission would want to look at that
differently.
Commissioner Plummer: What is our estimate tunnage a year?
Mr. Williams: 172,000.
Commissioner Gort: Is that the average in other cities, remember I asked you to check that,
Ron?
Mr. Williams: Yes we... it is average on the garbage side Commissioner Gort and I think that
works out to be like a little over 2 tons, 2.5, 2.6 tons per household. It is high on the trash side as
you well know, because of our method of collection and the availability based on that method for
illegal, non-residential materials that we also have to collect, commissioners. And I want
everybody to be aware that we collect it because it's there.
Commissioner Gort: No, I understand that. My question is you're looking also at reducing that
trash pickup at the same time if you'll recall, I think in most neighborhoods we know where the
illegal dumping is taking place. If we put an inspector there, we might be able to start enforcing,
I mean we need to start enforcing this. f
Mr. Williams: Commissioners, you're absolutely right, this is an issue enforcement, that you all
know, we need to increase that area. I know you've talked in other areas here about adding
y.
65 December 7, 1996
i
C
inspection capability, it pays for itself particularly in this area. The revenue is there, the
suspension of illegal activity is there with increased enforcement, but probably more important
than that, certainly from my perspective, is the city is cleaner, it looks cleaner and more sanitary.
So, I couldn't agree with you more that inspection is worth its weight, Commissioner Gort.
Commissioner Plummer: What was our tipping fees estimate?
Mr. Williams: This year $45 per ton.
Commissioner Plummer: No how much total?
Mr. Williams: 7.6 million.
1 Commissioner Plummer: O.K., now Mr. Manager, I would ask so that I don't walk around
uninformed, as to someone, whoever you designate whether it's Mr. Williams or otherwise, to
bring me up to speed on Bedminster because we're talking about possibly going out private,
that's the discussion I've heard. And yet Bedminster is going to be taking all of the refuge
which in fact would not be for the tipping fees. They would be creating compost which could be
sold. And so I think that we really need to sit down, I don't remember the next date of
implementation when Bedminster would have to be under construction, but its not too far off as I
recall. Now, that would affect, because as we must recall, one of the greatest savings in the
Bedminster plan was the savings of being able to throw everything on to one truck. Trash,
garbage, and recycling onto one truck for delivery to them where they could separate at their
facility, and that could make a big difference in an RFP. So I need somebody... I'm not gone
take the Commission's time, I think all of the commissioners should have the opportunity to be
refreshed on that because it would make a big, big difference when you start talking about going
private.
Mr. Williams: Commissioner, with the managers approval I'd be happy to work with you to
make sure that informaion's available.
Commissioner Plummer: I think each one of us need to know that.
Mr. Marquez: Commissioner...
Mayor Carollo: We're aware of that Commissioner. Basically, as I see it we're looking is a
tipping fee difference. Our cost for the county is 45, 1 think under the Bedminster contract we
gotta pay them 52, was it?
Mr. Williams: Correct, yes, Mr. Mayor.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, where the savings comes, and Joe I'm not gonna go into it
now...
Mayor Carollo: So we're looking at a million fifty thousand dollar ($1,050,000) difference, and
whatever...
Commissioner Plummer: My upsetness is simply coming from that it was today that I found out
that that was still a go item. O.K., and I've been looking at the idea they're talking about
privitization, and the are unions all upset. And I don't blame them, but I think that... when I
found out today that Bedminster is still alive...
Mayor Carollo: But it still has nothing to do with privitization or some of the others that we're
talking about.
66 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Oh, absolutely will, absolutely.
Mayor Carollo: No, I don't see it that way Commissioner, but it's one man's opinion.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, excuse me, the big savings with Bedminster is the fact that they
send one truck and collect all three. So that I see is a... the private sector is not gonna be
involved, what they are gonna be doing collection only?
i
iMr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, earlier today...
Mayor Carollo: But that's in essence what they're gonna he doing with the contract that we have
for 20 years with Dade County. They're gonna be collecting only, they have to bring it to Dade
County s Monterey plant.
j Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, I had asked Ron to update me on Bedminster as an overall item
earlier today. I would ask him to work with the Law Department to get the facts straight as far
as the Bedminster contract, and to put a report in writing for all of us.
Mayor Carollo: Ron, you said that the actual cost that you calculated per household is based on
the 62,500 units that we have is that correct?
Mr. Williams: That's correct, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Carollo: That's $322 a year. We figured out that at least we have $1,562,500 that is
being attributed to residential units that is got nothing to do with that. We said a million would
be coming from the street sweeps, and another over half a million would be coming from the
trash and garbage that we pick from City of Miami facilities plus a little bit from the private,
ispecial events that you have.
Mr. Williams: Special event, that brings that number, Mr. Mayor...
Mayor Carollo: That cuts the number down another $25 per unit, so you are down now to $297
which is our real cost per unit, $297. Now on top of that, that number will be reduced even more
once we find out how many units are out there that are not paying. So the actual number that it's
costing us to collect garbage on each unit is $297 is gonna come down even more so once we
find out how many units aren't paying there and once we cut back on the 40,000 tons that we
know is not coming from the residents. Once we cut back on the extra $9 per ton that we're
paying by bringing it to the transfer stations, and once we cut back on a few other areas that we
can. I just wanted to give you the real figures that we're working with.
Mr. Williams: Well, Mr. Mayor, mine are very close to yours.
Mayor Carollo: No charge.
Mr. Williams: My numbers are very close to yours, but certainly we have to take those into
consideration. I would add, Mr. Mayor though, that the dollars that we spend collecting from
city facilities are real cost, that I think we do it more efficiently than the private sector would,
and I think that we're more responsive. I'm just saying to you that if we do not make the
collections at the Orange Bowl after a major event, we would have to pay somebody to do that.
So, yeah, that cost is thrown into the residential number and it could be extracted out but clearly
it's a real number. Our employees have to make that run; they have to go to our facilities, they
have to pickup those rolloffs; they have to dispose of that material.
67 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Williams, where do the public facilities that you collect from get
their money to pay you with?
Mr. Williams: Sources, Commissioner Plummer.
Commissioner Plummer: The taxes.
Commissioner Hernandez: Ron, I have several things I need you and the manager to get me.
Number 1, numbers that were done in the past for street cleaning fees for commercial properties
only under the ordinance I mentioned last Thursday.
Mr. Williams: We've worked on that Commissioner Hernandez and we'll be prepared to
respond to it.
Commissioner Hernandez: Second, I remember on the franchise fee that we collect from the
private haulers, we don't collect any franchise fee from haulers that deal in bio-hazardous
materials. That was not included in the ordinance when it was originally drafted. I think we
have to look, and I recommend strongly that we amend the ordinance to include companies that
collect bio-hazardous materials which are currently not paying a cent in franchise fees to the city.
Third, how many private. what's the last audit we've done of private waste hauling companies,
and how many have been audited if not all? In a report that you had drafted, I read yesterday, if
we go from 4 trash collection pickups a month to 2, but it in half, we'd be saving about
$943,000?
Mr. Williams: That's our best estimate at this point...
Commissioner Hernandez: How did you figure that number out?
Mr. Williams: We figured that, and I preface it, and I apologize for making this qualification,
we preface it by taking away the ability of illegal material to get dumped out there on us. It has
to be enforced though, Commissioner, that's one that you'll hear me say over and over again.
We think that if we don't allow this every week, throw anything out you want, then our rhythm,
our schedule will not be available to those people who want to dump this cost on our residents.
And if we enforce it, make sure that the schedules are very clear, we can get into a situation
where that amount of waste is just not out there.
Commissioner Hernandez: I think it's imperative, and that's why I mentioned it, and I bought it
up, and I think it's really a big revenue enhancer to the city, and we're talking millions of dollars
when we talk about the street cleaning fees specifically for commercial properties. An example
that comes to mind is commercial property or residential property where you have more than 4
units that obviously a private hauler collects the fees... collects the trash, and collects the fees for
the services. In the case lets say we have an 8... 12 unit apartment building, and one of the units
moves and dumps a whole bunch of trash out or garbage out in front of the property. We're the
ones that pick that up right, usually?
Mr. Williams: After an inspector from a NET office takes a look at it, Commissioner, attempts
to identify within the pile evidence of where it came from. If they're unable to do so it's on our
public right away.
Commissioner Hernandez: And we pick it up?
Mr. Williams: And that's our cost.
Commissioner Hernandez: The reality is, and the truth of my experience is that it happens a lot
in the entire City of Miami, and we're flipping the hill. We're picking it up, we're not passing
68 December 7, 1996
s 4'
on the service charge and I think it's a must that we implement... the ordinance exists and I think
we, as a commission, should think of implementing the street cleaning ordinance. One more
question. Last I knew the demolition, construction and demolition debris roiloff those big... I
think they're...
Mr. Williams: They're rolloff, the 30-40 yard rolloffs at construction sites.
Commissioner Hernandez: 30 or 40 yard rolloffs. Are they contributing to the franchise fee of
the private haulers. I remember there was a big... that's what led to the lawsuit that I filed. They
i promised they were going to include it, but I remember a lot of the companies were against it
because some of them just dealt with construction and demolition debris. And they felt that was
i not part of the definition of the ordinance going back to garbage and what have you.
Mr. Williams: Commissioner your memory's clear. As I recall also they tried to categorize
those as temporary arrangements, temporary contracts, temporary situations meaning once the
construction was finished and done they would move on maybe out of the city to the next job
site, and I do remember the lawsuit. As I recall we made some arrangement to try and settle
those issues, but I would work with the audit department to see that we include those in there and
if the ordinance is not very clear after the result of those settlements, we would bring it back to
you and make sure it is clear.
Commissioner Hernandez: The ordinance mentions construction materials, not bio... they talk
about wood and stuff that you can include, and what construction materials are but I think we
have to amend the ordinance to include number one bio-hazardous materials, and two,
construction materials point blank just calling it construction and demolition debris. Because it
makes no sense if the company's doing business in the city whether it's temporary or not, they
should be included in the franchise fee to the city.
Mr. Williams: We agree with you, we will look at that and prepare the necessary amendments.
Commissioner Hernandez: Do we have numbers or can we get the numbers on approximately
what... how much revenue would be in, we can get on franchise fees from just construction and
demolition debris.
Mr. Williams: I don't know, I would hate to guess at it Commissioner, but clearly we know the
tunnage is there because of just the makeup of the material itself. And we know that htere's a lot
of that going on. If it doesn't come through our system, we don't really have the ability to
capture it, so I would guess at an answer if I gave you one, but we can do the best we can. And
certainly if we bring it in that's additional revenues for us.
Commissioner Hernandez: O.K.
Mayor Carollo: Commissioner?
Commissioner Gort: Let me ask you a question, can you check with the Building Department,
and see how many new building permits have been pulled out for construction, and that might
give you some instruction, some idea?
Commissioner Plummer: Demolition.
Mr. Williams: Yes, we can, yes, we can.
Commissioner Gort: You got your demolition permits, and you got your building permits,
they're the people who will be using those. At the same time, my understanding is some of the
69 December 7, 1996
things that happen, we have lot of people that live within the city, they're in the business and
rather than do away with the trash and take it to where they should, they dump it in front of the
houses. That's something we need to check on.
Mr. Williams: That's true. If I may, Commissioner Gort, you reminded me of an issue that you
and I worked on and the manager's asked me to give him feedback on our participation in
commercial down the road, and what the advantages and disadvantages would be. I recall when
we made those decisions to not pickup at residences above 2 units initially, in other words
excluding the tri's and quad's, your office in particular got a lot of calls about, quite frankly,
citizens preferring to do business with the City, we then opened up the option of tri's and quad's
to either come with the City or not. There was a minor piece of confusion there initially as to
whether or not the contracts were signed and sealed and whether people could switch back. I
assure you most, if not all, of those people that could switch back to the City because of our
service level, did switch back. The Commission may want to give consideration to, and I would
certainly recommend it, that for clarity and for additional revenue, that we include all tri's and
quad's again in the residential definition meaning that those units would all be available for city
collection, therefore, increasing our revenue base, and I'd have to look at the expense side of it.
But I tend to think it might justify itself. That would be at whateve our fee ended up being per
unit.
Commissioner Gort: But, Ron at the same time my understanding was one of the reason we
dropped it because the fee after it went up after a duplex, triplet, and a fourth didn't pay us this
fair share. But if we apply the right fee to it, it could be a revenue producer.
Mr. Williams: Commissioner, but we corrected that. You corrected it by your action here. That
fee, whatever it is, is per unit at this point and that's the amount that the city should be
collecting.
Commissioner Plummer: Ron, the County charges how much per household?
Mr. Williams: 349.
Commissioner Plummer: And Coral Gables is 495?
Mr. Williams: I think it's 495 with a plan to go to 528 sometime during mid year.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., I always make the statement up here I find it hard to understand
how some other maybe smarter than we are. Now I would assume it cost them just as much for
collection as it does us. And in the County in particular, their level of service doesn't even start
to compare with ours. Now how do they justify charging that amount of money. Maybe Ed you
can answer it. You come from the county. How do they justify charging $390 a year...
Mayor Carollo: 349 is what the County charges.
Mr. Williams: 349.
Commissioner Plummer: How does the County justify charging 349 for a level of service a lot
less than ours... what is it you have to take your stuff to a central location plant to dump off your
trash?
Mr. Williams: Let me just comment, and I do want the manager to answer that, let me just
comment on the 349 just as a point of reminding the Commission that the County's rate was 399
but my dear friend Tony Clemente at WASA, we moved some things around there, lowered your
solid waste fee from 399 to 349, and I think all of us have seen the increase in our water and
70 December 7, 1996
sewer bill. So that was a bit of a switch off that happened there too, I just want the Commission
to be reminded of that.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, O.K., it's just to me...
Commissioner Gort: Are we paying for Dade County's waste?
Mr. Williams: Sorry?
Commissioner Plummer: No our waste out of that.
Commissioner Gort: You're telling me that we're paying through our water bills Dade County's
waste?
Mr. Williams: There was a reconfiguration there, Commissioner.
Commissioner Plummer: I just don't understand how they can justify to their tax payers
charging that amount of money for, I don't want to say a lousy level of service, a lesser level of
service.
Mayor Carollo: Well, J.L., I'll tell you how.
Commissioner Plummer: Please.
Mayor Carollo: 'Cause they have put out the notion out there that it's costing them so much to
collect the garbage and no one has really questioned it, really looked at to see how much it really
costs to collect the garbage. And at the same time, their millage rate is lower than ours like other
cities, the Gables. Now when you start comparing the garbage fee and the millage rate it's
another story but the Gables for instance has a millage rate of about 5.4 while ours is almost 9.6.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but there's a difference there, a big difference there because the
reason for it, the average home in the City of Coral Gables, and the average home for assessment
purposes in the City of Miami is a lot, lot different. Now what I'm trying to do...
Mayor Carollo: It's still constantly the same thing.
Commissioner Plummer: ... Joe, you know what I'm trying to do? I'm trying to say to these
people who have this cock-a-mamie idea of dissolving the City and going to the County... you
want it, you gone pay double whether you like it or not and your gonna get a damn lousy service.
Go ahead, baby, enjoy it.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Ron, do we know how many waivers we have for not picking garbage
outside of a property in the residential area. My understanding is that, I've talked to many of the
department employees, that there are some waivers that have been issue and they go in and pick
up the garbage, is that a common...
Mr. Williams: Are you talking about the handicap pick-ups?
Vice Mayor Regalado: Yeah, handicap, but, they say other people, not handicap especially.
That's... I mean they don't know, they do not know if the person in that house is a handicap, they
just, they're told to go inside and pick up.
Mr. Williams: Commissioner Regalado, certainly there are no waivers that I know of, and I've
not been advised by the NET office who will do the enforcement and inspection of those
71 December 7, 1996
r
waivers. Let me say this that when our citizens work with us to accept the transition from
backyard pick-up to curbside, one of the committments that we made to them were was that if
there was a situation where there were residents that could not physically handle the carryout,
that we would support them. However, we required a couple of things, we wanted medical
information, we also wanted to know if there were other able bodied individuals within the home
as another member of the family that oculd put that out so that we would not have to do it. If... I
would like to know that if someone feel like there' a waiver, we would certainly go to that
citizen and talk to them because I don't know of any particular waiver for backyard collection
outside of the ones that we advise our citizens of.
Commissioner Plummer: You are talking about handicap people?
Mr. Williams: Yes.
Vice Mayor Regalado: Yes but also, J.L., I'm talking about complaints, and I don't know the
exact numbers. Complaints from your employees that I've talked to many times, and they say
well we're told, or we were told to go inside because an inspector said that you have to pick-up
the garbage inside the property, so I just wanted to know whether we have a record of if we have
knowledge, if we don't have that's O.K., but if we have so many, if we have a medical record of
the handicap people that's O.K.
Mr. Williams: We should have a medical record, Mr. Vice -Mayor, of all of those. If we do not
have that and there are collections made we should certainly resolve that right away. I would say
to you though that initially because of the transition that we made, initially we had a high, high
number of people who had problems and reasons for wanting backyard pickup, and we
attempted to comply with them because that was our committment. That number has
subsequently been reduced substantially and we think that our garbage collection program at
curbside with the caveat of taking care of those people with physical handicaps is working very,
very well.
Commissioner Plummer: It's like the day when the handicap parking decals on your rear
window, when they start putting photo on those things, they'll be decreased by 90%.
Commissioner Hernandez: Ron, I'd also like a list, if possible, a list of all the private haulers
that are delinquent at this point in time with their franchise fees. And I have one last question, if
we move from 4 once a week trash collection to 2, or once a month, would that mean laying off
trash collection employees.
Mr. Williams: No, we would not contemplate that at all. As you know, Commissioner
Hernandez, we've really, really reduced department manpower, I mean down to a level that I'm
sure some of the employees as do I, feel is much too low. We think that we've got a
repsonsibility to place the resource where we need it. We need to enforce our code, we need to
clean up our city, we need to clean up our streets. We think that a reduction in the trash
collection service which I think all of you recognize as excessive, a level of service that's far and
beyond and very expensive. But we think that our employees, then, would be able to handle a
lot of those issues that quite frankly you all may get complaints about. In the trash area, so that
our whole sanitation issue in the city would be better, so, no, we're not contemplating that at all.
Commissioner Hernandez: Ron, how's the sale of mulch and composting coming along, it's no
big deal?
Mr. Williams: The market is up and down, but let me say this, we do have a lot of arrangements
that we've worked out with landscapers, farmers in South Dade, we give a lot of mulch to
community groups and schools, we've got an arangement with FIU where we help them with
72 December 7, 1996
environmental projects. So all that we can divert away from our neighborhoods that's clean
organic material and get out to Virginia Key is a major savings for this City.
Commissioner Hernandez: Are we selling sludge to the County?
Mr. Williams: No, no we're not at this point. As you know, the sludge issue is one that we've
discussed many times, but we're not at this point.
Commissioner Hernandez: Is that a possibility?
Mr. Williams: Not at... where we are now, we would have to look at that, Commissioner, as we
decide what we're going to do with a long-term disposal arrangement, and discuss that with the
County and WASA.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Mayor may I revert back and ask one quick question of the Police
Department?
Mayor Carollo: Absolutely.
Commissioner Gort: Let's finish with this.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K. go ahead, I can wait.
Mayor Carollo: If you're not finished, go ahead Commisioner.
Commissioner Gort: Question. My understanding is for next Thursday's meeting we should
have an idea the delinquents, the revenues that we can receive from the special task forces out
there, the cost reduction that we can have by changing some of the services so we can vote on all
that information. I think it's very important that people know that. Same time I had two
individuals visit me today with a plan here which I asked them to... I'll give you the copy which
is a Solid Waste disposal charge system that I don't know if you looked at it, I'll give it to you
Mr. Manager...
Mr. Williams: They handed it to me too, and we're gonna take a look at it also. There are a lot
{ - of options out there Commissioner, to reduce the cost here. You've committed to a high level of
service to your citizens, we think that we can perform that service, a lesser service that works for
you. There are some ideas there. Our long-term aspect is for the economies of it and the
cleanliness of our city that we eventally get out of the business of trash in our street. Someone
said to me, which was absolutely correct, at some neighborhood in the city everyday it's legally
dirty because we've authorized it to be thrown in the streets. We'd like to work with this
Commission to get to the point that it's not that way, and I think our residents expect it.
Commissioner Gort: Thank you sir.
Mayor Carollo: Thank you Ron.
Angelo Shapiro: Mr. Mayor can I get one question please? One question for the employees of
Solid Waste.
Mayor Carollo: Hold on for a second. This is not a public hearing in the sense that the public
was going to participate, it's a workshop for the commission. However, I know that this is a
very dear issue to you. This is the second workshop you've come in here, and I will only open it
up to you to speak for a reasonable amount of time. No one else, just yourself.
73 December 7, 1996
Mr. Shapiro: Thank you. O.K. the employees are here...
Commissioner Plummer: Your name and who...
Mr. Shapiro: My name is Angelo Shapiro, I'm a union representative for LIUNA, for Solid
Waste, the employees wanna hear from you Commissioners, I mean from the Mayor through the
manager, where is they future with Solid Waste. Even if you have to privatize; they wanna
know where is they future, if their jobs gone be there, if their salaries are gone be there; if their
sons are gone be there. We understand that you have problems but we don't want it taken out on
Solid Waste. It seems to us everytime it's a problem with the City's finances, it's always solid
waste get picked on. And since the City of Miami is made up of more than just garbage workers
and trash workers. You got administrators, secretaries, right on cross the board. I don't hear
nothing about none of their jobs are being threaten or been privatized. We a part of the City.
We pay taxes. Our kids go to school just like yours. We wanna be able to buy a car every now
and then. We wanna be able to buy a house every now and then. But privatizing is not gone
help us, if they are coming in here and cutting the salaries. So we wanna hear on the record from
each and every one of ya'll, you supposed to represent me as well as you represent your special
interest peoples and anybody else. And I feel like I'm special, I feel like if you eat a steak, I
should eat a steak, and if I get a cut in my pay, I feel like yu should get a cut in your pay, and this
is all we are asking, is to be fair. (APPLAUSE). From each one of ya'll...
Commissioner Plummer: The first question is, will you work for $5,000 a year, cause that's
what we work for, and if you'll take a cut, we'll take a cut.
Mr. Shapiro: And plus benefits, I don't want ... let's talk about the whole picture.
Commissioner Plummer: I hear you, I hear you.
Mr. Shapiro: $5,000, plus the benefits, plus the trip to Hawaii, plus the cellular phones, the
private cars, it ain't coming from a $5,000 salary.
Commissioner Plummer: Who the hell went to Hawaii?
Mr. Shapiro: Well, wherever you go, some people go to Hawaii, some people go to Disney
World, some people just go in the water in the middle of the sea with they yacht. Let's just be
real about it.
Commissioner Plummer: Who's got a yacht?
Mr. Shapiro: All I'm saying...
Commissioner Plummer: Look let's stop the monkey business, alright, you wanna know where
this Commissioner is I'll flat out tell you.
Mr. Shapiro: That's right.
Commissioner Plummer: You'll know as soon as we develop an RFP and not a minute sooner.
We cannot sit here and tell you what we're going to do until we have a meeting and knowing
about the garbage tax. We've gotta know about the increase in fees, we've gotta know about
Bedminster and I can't sit here and tell you what this Commissioner is going to do as far as you
and individuals concerned, until I know the total picture. Now I've told you as I've told others
in that department who stop me on a regular basis, as long as you stay competitive, you've got a
job with the City of Miami for my vote, but you've gotta stay competitive.
74 December 7, 1996
I
Mr. Shapiro: Right, and I appreciate that from you....
Commissioner Plummer: You hear it. And I didn't go to Hawaii, and I ain't got no yacht, and I
don't have any of the other stuff.
Mr. Shapiro: I don't want to get into that. Wherever you go...
Commissioner Plummer: I go to Key Largo in a motor home.
Mr. Shapiro: See that's the problem we got now, that's the problem we got now...
Commissioner Plummer: You heard from this one.
Mr. Shapiro: And I believe in you. Seems like you have been with us everytime that I've been
here.
Commissioner Plummer: For 60 years I've tried to learn how to lie, and I've been a tremendous
failure.
Mr. Shapiro: O.K., alright. We can make jokes but we've got a real problem here.
Commissioner Plummer: I ain't making no jokes, I told you.
Mr. Shapiro: O.K., alright, I mean each one of ya'll, that's all I'm asking.
Mayor Carollo: I think Commissioner Plummer has spoken very clearly for all of us here, thank
you Angelo.
Mr. Shapiro: O.K., see you Thursday.
Mayor Carollo: We'll see you Thursday.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. POLICE- CONTINUE DISCUSSION -- IMPLEMENT POLICE ACCIDENT
REPORT FEE -- SEE LABELS 1 & 10.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Mayor very quickly, I'd like to ask the police department. What
do you charge for an accident report.
Chief Donald Warshaw (Chief of Police): You are talking about charge to get a copy of one?
Commissioner Plummer: An accident report, what do you charge, I assume either insurance
company or a personal...?
Chief Warshaw: For the report itself a piece of paper?
Commissioner Plummer: A reproduction of a report?
Chief Warshaw: One dollar.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Mayor this is...
75 December 7, 1996
Chief Warshaw: That's state law.
Commissioner Plummer: What he means one dollar, state law. You can only charge $1.
Chief Warshaw: Right, one dollar.
Commissioner Plummer: Who set that fee?
Mayor Carollo: It's based on state law.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, O.K., then I think we need to talk about changing the state law,
you know why. When I take the budget book, adn I go down the line, the only reason we're
doing that is for insurance companies. California does not write accident reports. Your own
figures indicate to me $176 is what it costs this City to produce an accident report. If you take
the number of accident reports and divide it by the cost of that department its $176 per report.
And if we're only, by law, allowed to charge one dollar, I think we ought to take it to our
legislative people.
Chief Warshaw: And we'll do that sir.
Commissioner Plummer: So be it. Would you do me a favor? Find out for me how California
avoids writing accident reports. I'm told they only write accident reports if in fact engineering is
made or critical or fatalities are involved. Now, how in the hell do they get away with it and it's
costing us millions of dollars every year.
Chief Warshaw: We'll find out.
Commissioner Plummer: Thank you Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Carollo: Surely. Mr. Manager?
76 December 7, 1996
hr_w
�i
-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. NON- DEPARTMENTAL RESOURCES: SPECIAL EVENTS / WATSON
ISLAND TERMINAL FOR MEGA CRUISERS / MARITIME PARK
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT -- DISCUSS ON 12/12/96 COMMUNITY
REVITALIZATION AGENCY BOARD MEETING:(1) SALE OF FEC
PROPERTY, (2) MOTOR POOL, (3) INSTRUCT MANAGER AND CITY
ATTORNEY TO BRING BACK NECESSARY LEGISLATION TO OBTAIN
APPRAISALS FOR CITY PROPERTY TO BE SOLD, (4) FIRE INSPECTION
FEES, (5) MIAMI SPORTS AND EXHIBITION AUTHORITY
CONTRIBUTIONS,(6) SALE OF SOUTH POLICE STATION -- INSTRUCT
MANAGER TO DIRECT POLICE CHIEF TO FINALIZE NUMBERS IN
CONNECTION WITH APPRAISAL VALUE OF SAID FACILITY IN ORDER
TO PROCEED WITH SALE OF SAME, (7) FEASIBILITY OF RETURNING
COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (CRA) UNDER AUSPICES
OF CITY MANAGER -- INSTRUCT MANAGER TO UPDATE COMMISSION
ON STATUS OF METRO-DADE COUNTY SIGNING CRA INTERLOCAL
AGREEMENTS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Marquez: Alright, we have a number of non-specific revenue sources and I'm gonna ask the
department directors to line up over here ready to go first.
Mr. Elbert Waters (Director, NET/Community Development): The first item Commissioner,
charge for special event costs, creating guidelines for fee waivers. The administration will be
coming back before you to amend certain legislation for sspecial events. One is to look at the
possibility of charging an administrative fee associated with granting special events. In addition
i to that we will be proposing that there be no fee waiver. Historically we've had such fee waivers
in some instances and the administration would be proposing a no -fee waivers be made
therefore...
Commissioner Plummer: But, Bert, under this here, you're talking about in the city as far as the
rental is concerned, because the police money go to the police, the fire go to fire, sanitation goes
to the sanitation and to the employees and the overtime, so you really... I don't see where you
come up with$300,000 as savings to the city or increased revenue to the City when the most of
the amont of money for special events is going to the individuals who work it. Come back and
explain it to me later because I don't agree with it.
Ms. Christina Abrams (Director, Public Facilities): Well, I think that several departments have
provided estimate for portion sof that amount. For example, in the Department of Public
Facilities over $100,000 worth of fee waivers were granted in the last year.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but you know it's not realistic. I'm sorry. and by the way, Mr.
Mayor, we will be bringing to you for... you know we've taken a cut in Bayfront Park and my
board has recommended that there be no further free days in Bayfront Park.
Mayor Carollo: I agree, Commissioner, I agree...
Commissioner Plummer: Alright so we will be bringing that to you in the way of an ordinance...
Mayor Carollo: ... in fact, I would suggest to your board, and I know some of them have felt
very strongly against taking certain action and the dockage that serves ships out there but, we're
gonna have to explore everything at this point in time.
77 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: Let me just put it right on the record very quickly and each one of you
appointed people to that board, and I would wish you would talk to your board members. I had
to turn down $200,000 a year for a casino boat to dock at the Bayfront Park, and I'll tell you, it
hurt. But my board, is my board, and they're nice people, and...
Mayor Carollo: You could probably make much, much more than that for casino boats to dock
there.
Commissioner Plummer: I understand that but that was just for openers, and it wasn't whether I
can make more, it was we don't want it period.
Mayor Carollo: One area that I'd like to bring up to the Commission to get some guidance from
my colleagues if I shoudl keep pursuing this and I think we should, is the area of Watson Island.
The south side of Watson Island is deep enough for us to have three terminals there for mega
cruise liners. Two for mega cruise liners, and one for a smaller one. Obviously we're not
contemplating competing with the other port at this time, even though I will say this, that Miami
being the cruise ship capital of the world, is the cruise ship capital of the world with only 10
terminals at the Port of Miami. We have sufficient space for 4 terminals at FEC Bi-centennial,
and three additional ones at Watson Island. So we could conceivably increase the tourist traffic
by about 70% of what the present Port of Miami has now.
Commissioner Plummer: Well you are aware that there are 9 super mega structures that are
coming in over the next 3 year period.
Mayor Carollo: I am aware of that.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., now the other problem as I see it, is the fact, and I want you to
know I assume you did what I asked, and that was to put for discussion this coming Thursday,
FEC and Bi-Centennial Maritime expansion...
Mayor Carollo: I haven't seen the agenda but if it's not there we'll bring it up as a pocket item,
it's no problem.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., well I ask that it be put on the agenda, I hope it was. O.K., I'm
sure Mr. Lunetta's gonna have a heart attack and Armando's gonna jump out the window, but
maybe tht might help him to approve your 13 million dollars, the CRA and the other things. But
unfortunately they haven't signed the agreement, so we are opening the door for re -negotiation
or possible sale.
Mayor Carollo: The area that I wanted direction from this Commission on to see if I'm gonna be
spinning my wheels on it is the following area. What would cost a very reasonable amount
versus building regular cruise ship terminals would be, and I'm trying to get exact figures on
that, would be to build terminals, very plain, inexpensive terminals, for the U.S. navy. We can
get at least three out of four weeks out of the month where we can get the U.S. navy to dock at
Watson island. Pay us a substantial profit, and at the same time, bring millions of dollars that we
need to downtown Miami that will create additional jobs, and then in essence, they will be
paying additional taxes that we would receive.
Mr. Marquez: I'm sorry for interrupting, but I was under the impression that the County had a
lock on port services. And the reason why I say that is 'cause I was working on their bond
transactions, Jack seems to recall a charter provision of the county that reserves them the right to
have ports. We have to check it out legally.
78 December 7, 1996
Mayor Carollo: I'm not so sure that's the case. I've been hearing that for some time, I do not
believe that necessarily that's the case, and particularly... and let me go right to the point. The
provision is in as far as competing with them, they do not take any navy ships to the Port of
Miami, so we would not be competing with them. Secondly of all, even if at any time in the
future we would consider, which I'm not saying that that's the case, creating our own port for
cruise ships, as long as they don't have any other room in their port for any additional cruise
ships, I would not consider that competiion either. So let's put it on the table exactly what the
provision is.
Commissioner Plummer: Joe, I would suggest that you work, and I hate to say this with the
Chamber of Commerce committee. Don Slesnick in particular, is the head of visiting ships
program...
Mayor Carollo: Yeah, I have been receiving notifications from him lately, we all have, but not
on that subject.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, O.K., he is very much versed on the naval vessels and has a lot
• to do with bringing them. He will very quickly tell you that you should pursue it, because to the
city of Fort Lauderdale, they estimate to the community about 35 million dollars a year from
visiting...
Mayor Carollo: They sure do, but I wanted to get direct approval from all of you before
spending any more time on that because what it basically comes down to is I have to figure out
and I'm hoping to get that done pro Bono for us, what it would cost us to build, I mean just a
very plain, plain, plain terminal at Watson Island southside for navy ships.
Commissioner Plummer: That's not your biggest problem there, your biggest problem is the
depth. You have eight foot...
Mayor Carollo: Commissioner, that would not be a problem, that's been checked out already...
Commissioner Plummer: It's expensive and permitting is unbelievable.
Mayor Carollo: ... and explore all those areas.
Vice Mayor Regalado: If I may, Mr. Mayor, if I may add, the navy has one facility that is
closing near Jacksonville so the Atlantic Fleet is only using Guantanamo Naval Base as a
training and repair facilities. However, on visiting boards they have pinpointed Ft. Lauderdale,
and I think that that number is that 6 or 7 out of 10 navy ships on the Atlantic Fleet dock at Ft.
Lauderdale, and maybe one in the City of miami, and when they do they dock at near the
Bayside, Bayfront area and not in the Port of miami. So I don't know why is that, but still I
think that we can work even if there is something in the County Charter that we can facilitate the
docking for navy ships. But as of now, and I still don't know why, out of 10, 7 navy ships go to
Ft. Lauderdale and not to the City of Miami. So I guess that we agreed on having the mayor
proceed with the...
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor...
Commissioner Plummer: Can I just make sure... the interlocal agreement is not signed, is that
correct?
Mayor Carollo: It's not signed, in fact it would have to be redone, as I understand it, from the
previous one in some areas.
79 December 7, 1996
` Commissioner Plummer: O.K., so, even though Commissioner, Mayor Carollo and I are now the
members of the Maritime Board of a meeting that's never been called nor a committee that's
never been put into action, I would hope that we're telling the City Manager that under no
circumstances is he to sign that interlocal agreement, that it's to come back before us for a
renegotiation.
Mayor Carollo: Well, if you want to make it clear to him...
Commissioner Plummer: Well I can't make a motion today.
Mayor Carollo: Well, I understand that it's a workshop but he understands, he understands.
Mr. Marquez: City Manager understands.
{ Commissioner Plummer: The City Manager understands that's fine.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, Commissioner Plummer, the item as far as discussing the FEC
Bicentennial Park property was not listed on the agenda formally, as far as...
Commissioner Plummer: I asked you to put it under as a discussion item.
Mr. Marquez: It did not make it onto the agenda as such.
Mayor Carollo: Well, we'll bring it up as a...
Commissioner Plummer: Excuse me, Mr. Marquez I would hope in the future, not for my sake
but any of us 5, when we ask for something it takes priority. I would hope that in the future.
Mr. Marquez: I agree, sir.
Commissioner Plummer: Thank you.
Mayor Carollo: If at the same time, Mr. Manager, I know that these are trying times, you're over
your head like all of us are and so is your staff, but if we can make sure that whoever your
appointed person is that handles the agenda can coordinate with me in my office as the charter
requires before items are placed on the agenda so we can be appraised of them. And I'm not
complaining, I understand how difficult things are, but we need to do that to make sure that
items such as Commissioner Plummer's get in quickly on the agenda.
Mr. Marquez: My chief of staff and I've hired someone by the name of Aaron Weeks, he begins
Monday morning, and it's gonna take him a week or two to get acclimated but he's gonna be the
point person between my office and each one of the commissioner's offices.
Mayor Carollo: O.K., and in my office, the point person to be dealing with agenda items will be
Charlene Watkins, and secondly Marta Aleman.
Commissioner Plummer: Receive deposits on sale of motor pool.
Commissioner Gort: That hasn't been paid.
Commissioner Plummer: I thought it'd already been paid.
Mr. Eduardo Rodriguez (Director of Asset Management): It is. We have the money already in
the city.
December 7, 1996
tit:
Commissioner Plummer: Well, why are you counting that as a plus item?
Mr. Rodriguez: Because the date, check the date. This was done two months ago, basically, this
report.
Commissioner Plummer: Payment from WASA...
Commissioner Gort: Excuse me, let me ask a question.
Mayor Carollo: This is a one time adjustment but we had it before, so...
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, it's a sale.
Mr. Rodriguez: Yes, you had it at the last Commission and we bring it next week.
Commissioner Gort: This is the motor pool next to Jackson.
Mr. Rodriguez: Yes, that's correct, the one that we sold last year.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, we sold it to Jackson Hospital.
Commissioner Gort: No, I understand we sold it, and my understanding was six million dollars?
Commissioner Plummer: Yes.
Mr. Rodriguez: Six million but we have 300,000 on deposit that they hold we receive that
money back.
Commissioner Gort: Oh you received the deposit back, that's what that is, the six million
already be in.
Mr. Rodriguez: That's right, it was part of the six million dollars, that 300.
Commissioner Gort: Thank you.
Commissioner Plummer: I met with Tony Clemente yesterday and I told him until the County
starts understanding the word cooperation as to the Mayor's MESA (Miami Sports and
Exhibition Authority) funds, and CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) funds, and
everything else that they're holding up, we ought to think about talking more on that issue. But
the money is there, it's not going anywhere, it's just whether we get it tomorrow or the next day.
Now this next item, Mr. mayor, to me this is false hope, O.K.?
Mayor Carollo: Which one is that, Commissioner?
Commissioner Plummer: To sale assets as appropriate and to show it in a one time indicated one
year ten million dollars worth of assets. Unless you sold Bicentennial and FEC, I think it's
whistling in the wind.
Mayor Carollo: No sir,...
Commissioner Plummer: Well...
Mayor Carollo: No sir, let me say to you why not.
81 December 7, 1996
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Mayor Carollo: There are a couple other assets that we really do not need whatsoever, such as
Miami Springs Golf Course, that we're having negotiations there on that. We have the old
police station on 12th avenue, that is another one that's worth, you know I'm taking a shot in the
dark, but it's gotta be worth at least ten million in itself.
Commissioner Plummer: Alright, Mr. Mayor, without going into anything, you've mentioned
the Miami Springs Golf Course.
Mayor Carollo: Correct.
Commissioner Plummer: You might not be, from what I've heard, in the position of negotiating,
alright. And I'll be glad to tell you that later.
Mr. Rodriguez: I have additional information if you wanna hear that today.
Commissioner Plummer: I don't wanna hear it on the record.
Mr. Rodriguez: Alright.
Commissioner Plummer: I didn't hear it from you and maybe our information is not the same
but I'll share it with you.
Mayor Carollo: Well why don't you share it with the manager.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., I'll share it with the manager.
Mayor Carollo: So he could let me know, and at the same time if it's something different that...
` Commissioner Plummer: You can't negotiate that. They have eminent domain so they can take
it without any problem. Second of all, I think we need...
Mayor Carollo: Well that they do, but they have to... in eminent domain you have to justify, you
have to justify a real need for it, and just because they wanna have a park, that doesn't justify
eminent domain. Secondly of all...
Commissioner Plummer: We're not talking the same people, Joe.
Mayor Carollo: I know who you're talking about, I know who you're talking about, and if they
have eminent domain then...
Commissioner Plummer: They do.
Mayor Carollo: ... yeah, well they do, on any property, but they would also have to go the quick
take route, which I'm sure is t1ne one they'll go, and...
Commissioner Plummer: No, condemnation.
Mayor Carollo: ... well, condemnation, but eminent domain, condemnation which means that
once the court decides how much it's worth, that's what they're gonna have to pay us, and then
they won't be able to say, well we won't take it cause it's too much.
82 December 7, 1996
1i
Commissioner Plummer: Alright, the other item that I just based on your comments, and I think
you were gone during the period you were gone, we tried to sell the old police station, and I'm
still yesterday trying to talk Jackson Hospital to buying it for administrative purposes cause I
think it's a perfect, and there is somebody talking to Ira Clark, but I...
Mr. Rodriguez: And somebody talking to me also at this point.
Commissioner Plummer: Because I forced them to do it, I'm not taking credit. But my point is
Joe, when we tried to sell that property before, it was great, it was an idea another hotel, I think,
at one time, a shopping center with a major grocery store which doesn't exist in the area, and this
Commission said no, because the people of Spring Gardens came in and said they didn't want
anything on that property, so I'm just saying to you that the idea of the things that look good,
sometimes are pie in the sky, and that's the reason I'm concerned of ten million in one year.
Mayor Carollo: I'm aware of that Commissioenr, at the same time, I'm also aware that
unfortunately we're here to have to make decisions that might not be to the will of a small group,
but sometimes we have to make the decisions that are going to be in the best for everyone.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, I think we ought to instruct the manager right now, to come back
on Thursday with the necessary, for example, the police station. I'm in the court to sell it O.K.,
and I think you need to come back with the ordinance or whatever it takes to allow you to
proceed with getting the appraisals, and, you know, this... I think we need to move.
Mayor Carollo: I don't think it necessarily we should do those appraisals until we have
something firm, and let others pay for the appraisals, cause I don't wanna be paying for
appraisals, that...
Commissioner Plummer: You gotta have a... no, you got to do them, by city ordinance.
Mr. Rodriguez: We are have, pero, what we are proposing now, if I can say this...
Mayor Carollo: Go ahead.
Mr. Rodriguez: We proposing to publish a notice of interest and list the properties on that list,
and see what response are right there.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but people are not gonna tell you that they're interested without
having any idea what you're gonna charge for it, and the city charter says you got to have two
appraisals done by us.
Mr. Rodriguez: Yes, they will. Correct. Commissioner, in the past we spent money in that...
Commissioner Plummer: Eduardo, we can delay until hell freezes over, I'm trying to get things
done now. O.K., you've got to do the appraisals, you've gotta do them by charter, and all I'm
saying is, if I was interested in that property, my interest would be greatly determined by the
amount of the cost of the property, and you know, and I know that that building on that property
is totally full of asbestos, it's gotta be removed, so if you don't wanna do it, I just said I think
we...
Mayor Carollo: Whoever takes said property over is gonna get rid of the building regardless.
Commissioner Plummer: I don't disagree with you, but I'm saying is I would love to see the
manager come back with the idea of the monies for the appraisal...
83 December 7, 1996
Mayor Carollo: Well let's find out how much it'll cost and how long it takes to do appraisals
then we can make that decision at the next meeting if we get that back.
Commissioner Plummer: That's what I'm saying, that's waht I'm saying. He can come back
next Thursday.
Mr. Marquez: We'll be talking to you individually on the aspects of these land sales, cause
there's a story to tell on all of this.
Commissioner Plummer: Let's move. We've talked about the other fees. Oh my God!
Chief Carlos Gimenez (Chief of Fire): Next item is the establishment of fire inspection fee,
there is an ordinance that will be coming before you on the 12th, first reading to establish this
fee.
Commissioner Plummer: You know the County's got you out done, don't you?
Chief Gimenez: What's that?
Commissioner Plummer: The County has you out done. I was sitting in my office the other day,
and a fire inspector from the County came in and said may I see your assembly permit. And I
said what is an assembly permit, he said $50. I don't know, I'm a funeral home, and I assemble
people, and I had to pay an assembly permit. But I asked him, I said what is the assembly
permit, he said $50, I said here is a check, get the hell out of here.
Chief Gimenez: Guess we have an assembly here today to, right? We anticipate this to generate
a gross of about one point five. There's some money that needs to go into adding an additional
10 inspectors so your net revenue from that will be $970,000 for this year.
Commissioner Plummer: The money from MESA.
Mayor Carollo: It's a lot more than that. It'll come to over 13 million dollars
Commissioner Plummer: But did you see television, I love television. They said the Mayor was
screaming that the county should pay the money that they owe them.
Mayor Carollo: The who?
Commissioner Plummer: That the County should pay the money that they owed Joe Carollo...
it's MESA money.
Mayor Carollo: What channel was that?
Commissioner Plummer: I don't know channel XYZ, what the hell do I know. Said that they
were not paying the money that the City was owed.
Mayor Carollo: Well, it's not the case to run again, but...
Commissioner Plummer: No, it's just a matter of approval.
Ms. Christina Abrams (Director, Public Facilities): At the city's request, the Miami Sports
Exhibition Authority approved allocating 12.6 million dollars from their reserve funds to City of
Miami. And a portion of the recurring convention development tax dollars streams that they're
currently receiving that are at the amount of 753,000. This item has been approved and is now
84 December 7, 1996
r
gonna go before the finance committee at Dade County for review before being presented at
Commission.
Mayor Carollo: What is the amount that you said on the recurring?
Ms. Abrams: 753,000.
Mayor Carollo: 753,000 O.K., that's...
Commissioner Plummer: That is from who?
Mayor Carollo: It's every year.
Ms. Abrams: That is...
Commissioner Plummer: From MSEA.
Mayor Carollo: Yeah.
Mr. Marquez: Mr. Mayor, my understanding is that MSEA's gonna keep part of it, and what's
the difference?, the difference of 300,000 is coming to you under this plan.
Mayor Carollo: Well, the amount that MSEA will be keeping will be the operating budget
amount.
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but the 300,000 is repaying us for the land.
Commissioner Gort: What land?
Commissioner Plummer: The land that we gave them to build the arena was six million dollars
and they're paying us 300,000 for 20 years.
Mr. Marquez: That's separate. This is a new revenue source.
Mayor Carollo: That's separate.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Mr. Marquez: The last item we have here is receive the initial development fee from the County
for the FEC Bicentennial land lease. If we're...
Mayor Carollo: It's also non-realistical, Mr. Manager.
Mr. Marquez: I understand.
Mayor Carollo: It's either gonna go up big or there's not going to be anything from them. One
or the other.
Commissioner Plummer: Big time.
Mr. Marquez: Understood, sir. That brings us to the end of the revenue enhancement section.
Now down below the grand total amounts, I just wanted to highlight that there are add backs into
actually new appropriations if you would. And the thought process here by the task force is that
in order to implement some of the suggestions that you have in the back of the book as far as
85 December 7, 1996
managerial improvements, that you would have to spend some money. They have $900,000 for
management and key support positions, and about $350,000 for what they're calling here, a
management analysis capability, and that in essence is a productivity analysis group.
Commissioner Plummer: And that would have to come each and every one before the
Commission, as I understand.
Mr. Marquez: Absolutely.
Commissioner Gort: So my understanding is what we're saying here is for fiscal year '96-'97,
when you're at the one time adjustment, and the, what you have projected here, you are gonna
show about 75 million dollars additional.
Mr. Marquez: Correct, and you have a deficit of about 68 million dollars and the difference is
the beginning of funding some of the reserves going out into the future.
Commissioner Gort: Also, remember, Mr. Mayor, what I like, also, certain recommendations
that I've made here in each department, changes that should be made, I'd like to hear from them,
what's the feedback on them, if they agree with them, if they disagree, and if... how many of
them have been implemented.
Mr. Marquez: I believe as it stands right now, the departments are in agreement with all of the
expenditure cuts proposed here, and all of the revenue items. What.. between now and
Thursday, the Commission's gonna get a lot of separate reports from the requests that you had
today, and some from last time like I have several reports of minor discrepancies on this report,
that will reduce them to writing and get them back to you so you have the full picture before
Thursday.
Commissioner Gort: But also on the restructuring of each department, they recommend certain
restructures and changes, like 1 look at the Finance Department. There's lot of things that
they're requesting be changed in there.
Mr. Marquez: Yeah but that's... those type of... in the hack part of the book you have
recommendations for management improvement. That's gonna take time, and you know, a lot of
those restructuring items, I'm gonna be incorporating in when we do the next restructuring of the
administration end of this, will at least as far as recommendation to you.
Commissioner Gort: In particulars, there was certain in finance department that I think shold be
done especially with the debt services, and the special accounts.
Mr. Marquez: There's special accounts to be made yes, that I can do administratively, in fact
what you're talking about is restricting our debt service fund, in a separate bank account, that's
almost a requirement of the rating agencies and the insurance companies that have our bonds
right now.
Commissioner Gort: Also, as I recall, I was asked inone of the presentations I was making to
business people, I look at the debt services that we've had and the projections for December they
said it was a big payment, but the payment that I saw was about six million dollars.
Mr. Marquez: I'm not sure of the specifics on that but...
Commissioner Gort: Cash flow projections that you have here, I think it shows the interest in
principal payment for December is going to be six million dollars and people are asking if they
were going to be met and so on.
86 December 7, 1996
Mr. Marquez: To the best of my knowledge we're going to be making our debt service
payments, and if we, especially if we implement a plan relatively soon.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Manager, you talked about bringing CRA (Community
Redevelopment Agency) back in under city auspices. That would be a cut in expenses. Now I
don't find it int his matrix here of bringing CRA back under, you said under your control, or
under the city control.
Mr. Marquez: I believe that's one of the managerial recommendations for reorganization that's
in the back of the book.
Mayor Carollo: And it should be done.
Commissioner Plummer: Alright, and when are we going to speak about that.
Mr. Marquez: We can talk about it at any point in time you want.
Commissioner Plummer: Alright, I think we definitely should talk about it in the next CRA
meeting, before we go and allocate and indicate more money for the CRA. Mr. Bailey have you
signed a contract yet with Dupont for the additional time.
Mr. Herbert Bailey (Executive Director): I signed a contract because they wanted their rent...
Commissioner Plummer: I don't blame them.
Mr. Bailey: ... and we've been there for a little while now.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K.
Mr. Bailey: So, it has been signed, but I guess (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS).
Vice Mayor Regalado: But I still, are we having a CRA meeting on this month, Commissioner
Gort?
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but I think one of the items of discussion should be about
bringing it back under the auspices of the city, rather than an individual. Because remember, the
monies that are going out into the CRA, are monies that are not coming to the city, O.K.
Mr. Bailey: That's not correct, commissioner.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., let's talk about it on the next CRA meeting, and bring all of the
pros and all of the cons... Mr. Bailey, and I'll just wrap it up very quickly, it hurt me when the
person asked the question at the last meeting, we've been coming to meetings for 4 years, and
what can we say we've accomplished, and you know what the answer was, nothing.
Mr. Bailey: Which one was that, Commissioner, at the OMNI?
Commissioner Plummer: At the last meeting.
Mr. Bailey: The OMNI?
Commissioner Plummer: Yeah,
87 December 7, 1996
r
Mr. Bailey: Well, we all know why that is.
Commissioner Plummer: What's her name, the woman, the lady asked the question. Alright,
what are we doing;...
Commissioner Gort: Excuse me, on the CRA let me give you a report, you all instructed me to
go and meet with the Bailey and the county manager's who met with him, and we have worked
out a procedure that I think we'll be able to get the...
Commissioner Plummer: With who, Willy?
Commissioner Gort: We will be able to get the local agreement signed pretty soon, it's my
understandING.
Mr. Bailey: Interlocal agreement, we have made all the modifications that were requested, at the
last CRA meeting. We will assume tha tonce you approve that the next meeting, that the
County, or the Mayor will sign the document finally after 10 years.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Manager...
Vice Mayor Regalado: But, J.L., we I thought that we agreed that if commissioner Gort did not
have any concrete answer ont he half a million we wouldn't have the meeting, or...
Commissioner Gort: We have it, we have a complete answer. We have an agreement.
Vice Mayor Regalado: We have, O.K. So we have the meeting, O.K., good.
Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Manager, when are we going to do something about the south
police station? I mean have you bought a for sale sign to hang out on the front door? I don't
want this stuff to keep dragging on, and everybody's asking questions, when are we gonna move,
when are we gonna do somehting?
Chief Donald Warshaw (Chief of Police): We spoke about that yesterday, and the asset
management people are going to begin doing the process to...
Commissioner Plummer: Are they going out for an appraisal?
Chief Warshaw: Yes, I believe they are. Eduardo here?
Commissioner Plummer: Well it takes approval of this Commission for them to do it, that's why
I'm asking.
Chief Warshaw: I know that, and they know they have to come back, we discused that last
night.
Mayor Carollo: That's another item that we will need to deal with on the 12th.
Commissioner Plummer: Well, that's fine, but I don't... I wanna hear these things.
Mayor Carollo: It might not be on the agenda, but we'll bring them up as pocket items.
Commissioner Plummer: I don't want another Bedminster. What else we got to take up today?
Mayor Carollo: Anything else you need, Mr. Manager?
December 7, 1996
Mr. Marquez: No sir, I think we're set. A lot, like again, a lot of information's gonna come
back to you guys in the next couple days.
Mayor Carollo: Let me say this, Mr. Manager, we need to really tine tune the numbers now, and
any additional ideas, and there are more, I'll be bringing some myself, that we will include in
fine tuning the final numbers so that on the 12th we could have the best possible numbers that
we can have. That doesn't mean that they might not change, once we get more information as
we proceed, but I wanna be able to make the best intelligent decision that we can on Thursday,
on the items that we need to, so we'll be meeting on a daily basis to fine tune that.
A. Quinn Jones, III (City Attorney): Mr. Mayor may I ask a question?
Mayor Carollo: Yes, Mr. Attorney.
Mr. Jones: Have you made a definitive... I mean is it going to be a 15% cut per department, is
that exactly what it's going to be?
Mayor Carollo: No sir, the statements that this commission make, each commissioner has made
their own separate statements, but we've asked that we would get a 15% cut estimate that we got
today, then we will judge each department on it's needs. Obviously, it will be impossible to cut
15% from each department.
Commissioner Plummer: But some others would have to go above it to offset and balance it.
Mr. Manager may I ask of you please... these numbers that you gave us here, you're gonna have
to get somebody to decipher these numbers. For example, on asset management, I'm just using
that one, if they did a 15% reduction, how do you reduce electricity by 13,000 from 40.
Mr. Rodriguez: Turning off the lights, and, for example, and putting the...
Commissioner Plummer: Well, why don't you turn them off anyhow.
Mr. Rodriguez: We are at the Miami Riverside building, for example, we put at 6:30 all the
lights are off.
Commissioner Plummer: So, I mean, where's this big deal coming from, you're saving 13,000
on electricity.
Mr. Rodriguez: Let me explain, let me try, Commissioner. You want reduction, I have to put
reductions, so I'm going to do whatever I need to do to meet your...
Commissioner Plummer: So, you're going to turn out the lights.
Mr. Rodriguez: Yes. In property that are vacant. Let me explain to you.
Commissioner Gort: They're gonna issue flashlights.
Mr. Rodriguez: It's a lot of property vacant, that we have today. We have Fier House Four, it's
one of them. We have the new daycare in 27th that's also vacant. You have to put lights inside
the property otherwise you're gonna have vandalism to a property that yo're gonna pay more.
So, we're gonna reduce instead of 10 lights, 5 lights.
Commissioner Plummer: O.K., all I'm asking Mr. Manager... O.K., I hear you, I'll buy you
candles. Mr. Manager on the 15% reduction, and I assume, well, they're not, I assumed wrong.
89 December 7, 1996
r
That's the best one that we've got. I would like to know what of these items are already
included in the deductions they made originally, and I'd like to know which are not included
which would be beyond the amount of percentage that they have.
Mr. Marquez: In this office, in this particular...
Commissioner Plummer: See here, I don't know what's been.
Mr. Marquez: I know sir, in most of the write ups...
Commissioner Plummer: Let me tell you, I wish every department had a thing like this, alright.
If you look at budget reduction for Walter, you try to make heads or tails out of that thing. There
ain't no numbers in it. There's no numbers in it at all.
Mr. Marquez: Commissioner Plummer, Mr. Mayor, just to Commissioner Plummer through the
Mayor. We'll standardize the format and reissue reports out to you probably on Monday.
Commissioner Plummer: Thank you, thank you. In the format, would you indicate that which
has already been credited to make the percentage they presented to us, and those that are separate
or above that which has not been said.
Mr. Marquez: Absolutely, a lot of departments in your hand right now have it that way, but this
one's not.
Commissioner Plummer: Are we meeting tomorrow, Mr. Mayor?
Commissioner Gort: Mr. Mayor?
Mayor Carollo: Mr. Manager?
Commissioner Plummer: All these city employees love meeting on Saturdays and Sundays.
Mr. Marquez: An announcement to all my staff, there is an 8:00 Monday morning meeting in
the MRC building.
Commissioner Plummer: You ought to do it tomorrow morning, so they can all go to work on
Monday, and turn the lights off.
Mayor Carollo: Meeting's adjourned, thank you all for coming.
December 7, 1996
THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE CITY
COMMISSION, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 2:53 P.M.
JOE CAROLLO
MAYOR
ATTEST:
Walter Foeman
CITY CLERK
Maria J. Argudin
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
91 December 7, 1996