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Home My WebLink AboutCC 1992-03-26 Minutes. . _....._..... . CITY OF MIAMI COMMISSION AAINU T Es OF MEETING HELD ON MARCH 26 1992 '! PLANNING & ZONIiJG PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK CITY HALL MATTY HIRAI City Clerk 0 a ITEM SUBJECT NO. INDEX MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MARCH 26, 1992 LEGISLATION PAGE NO. 1. APPROVE LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING AND R 92-200 BINDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF 3/26/92 FIRE, RESCUE AND INSPECTION SERVICES, AND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, WHEREBY PUBLIC WORKS SHALL ACT AS GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND CONSULTANT FOR RESTORATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROJECT CONCERNING OLD FIRE HOUSE NO. 2 (1401 N. MIAMI AVENUE). 2. AUTHORIZE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING OF THE R 92-201 ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM -- ALLOCATE FUNDS 3/26/92 ($70,000). 3. DISCUSS AND DEFER CONSIDERATION DISCUSSION OF EXISTING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST 3/26/92 HOLY CROSS DAY CARE - DE HOSTOS, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR DE HOSTOS SENIOR CENTER (2902 N.W. 2 AVENUE) (See label 5). 4. APPROVE INSTALLATION OF NAME PLAQUE R 92-202 HONORING HANSEL, BY LATIN STARS INC., 3/26/92 ON LATIN STARS WALK (S.W. 8 STREET BETWEEN S.W. 12 AND 13 AVENUES). 5. (Continued Discussion) CONCERNING DISCUSSION PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED ALLEGATIONS 3/26/92 AGAINST HOLY CROSS DAY CARE - DE HOSTOS, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR DE HOSTOS SENIOR CENTER -- SCHEDULE WORKSHOP TO TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 15TH AT 4:00 P.M., IN ORDER TO ACCEPT INPUT ON THIS ISSUE PRIOR TO FINAL CONSIDERATION BY CITY COMMISSION (See label 3). 1-3 4 m-*1 8-10 10-15 6. CITY MANAGER INFORMS CITY COMMISSION DISCUSSION CONCERNING FULL SCOPE AND DETAILS OF 3126/92 THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENT TEAM (N.E.T.) PROGRAM. 7. CODESIGNATE N.W. 4 STREET FROM MIAMI R 92-203 AVENUE TO N.W. 1ST AVENUE AS: RALPH 3/26192 RENICK WAY. S. CITY COMMISSION DISCLAIMS ANY INTEREST R 92-204 IN A PORTION OF UNPLATTED ALLEY OWNED 3/26/92 BY METROPOLITAN DADE COUNTY LOCATED BETWEEN N.E. 31 AND 32 STREETS, EAST OF BISCAYNE BOULEVARD. 15-125 125-126 126-131 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF MIAMI, FLORIDA On the 26th day of March, 1992, the City Commission of Miami, Florida, met at its regular meeting place in the City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida in regular session. The meeting was called to order at 1:03 p.m. by Mayor Xavier Suarez with the following members of the Commission found to be present: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner J.L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez ABSENT: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso A. Quinn Jones, III, City Attorney ALSO PRESENT: Cesar Odio, City Manager Rafael Diaz, Chief Deputy City Attorney Matty Hirai, City Clerk Walter J. Foeman, Assistant City Clerk An invocation was delivered by Mayor Suarez and then Commissioner Dawkins led those present in a pledge of allegiance to the flag. 1. APPROVE LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING AND BINDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF FIRE, RESCUE AND INSPECTION SERVICES, AND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, i WHEREBY PUBLIC WORKS SHALL ACT AS GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND CONSULTANT FOR RESTORATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROJECT CONCERNING OLD FIRE HOUSE NO. 2 (1401 N. MIAMI AVENUE). --- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayor Suarez: Ladies and gentlemen, the first item that we have for one p.m. { was scheduled at the request of Vice Mayor Alonso and I think in deference to her, we can probably dispose of a few other matters in the meantime while she I gets here. Mr. Manager, what are the other items that we can dispose of? Commissioner Plummer: All three of the others. f Mr. Cesar Odio: The others really. i Mayor Suarez: OK. Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Manager, I got a problem with item 2. i + 1 March 26, 1992 { Mr. Odio: OK. You want to... Commissioner Plummer: Item 2 is the museum... No, you can't defer it because if you do, you're going to lose the money. Mr. Odio: Yeah, this is for the... Commissioner Plummer: OK. First of all, I'm upset because of the fact that I don't think anybody is going to go the thing once it's completed. But more importantly, of all of the monies that are shown here, you show no money for security. We well know, without security, what has happened in that building in the past. Mr. Odio: Right. Commissioner Plummer: Now, I'm not talking about fire sprinklers, I'm talking about burglar alarms. You're going to be putting a half a million dollars into that building. And I want assurances that if I vote for this, that it's going to be... Even with a burglar alarm, you're going to have problems. OK. But I want assurances before the first contract is let, that I'm going to see a contract for a security system in that building. Understood? NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Vice Mayor Alonso entered the meeting at 1:05 p.m. Deputy Chief W.C. Huddleston: Yes, sir. Commissioner Plummer: Then I'll move it under those circumstances, item 2. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Commissioner Dawkins: I'll second but... Mayor Suarez: Second. Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: But I'm more interested in burglary retention devices than I am in an alarm going off once somebody gets in there. So if you're going to talk about securing it, J. L., let's talk in terms of trying to, as they rehab it, have less entries and make sure that those entries that you can go in are well secured. Commissioner Plummer: I totally agree, Commissioner, yet I have to bring to the sad tale that just two blocks down from there, they took twenty-two thousand dollars worth of air conditioning equipment off the roof of the building. They continuously go through the roofs of these buildings. They're going underground to get into these buildings. If there's one piece of aluminum that they can salvage, they'll get in. As my father always taught me, locks for honest people. At least we'll know when to go back and lock it up. 2 March 26, 1992 j U Commissioner Dawkins: Call the roll. Mayor Suarez: Any further discussion on the item? roll on the motion. If not, please call the The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Plummer, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 92-200 A RESOLUTION, WITH ATTACHMENT, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE A LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING AND BINDING AGREEMENT, IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE ATTACHED FORM, BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF FIRE, RESCUE AND INSPECTION t SERVICES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, WHEREBY _ THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS SHALL ACT AS GENERAL CONTRACTOR, PROJECT MANAGER AND ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING CONSULTANT FOR THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION PROJECT FOR OLD FIRE HOUSE NO. 2, LOCATED AT 1401 NORTH MIAMI AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA; FURTHER BY AMENDING RESOLUTION 90-271, ADOPTED APRIL 12, 1990, BY RESCINDING SECTIONS 3-6 IN x THEIR ENTIRETY, BY REVOKING THE DESIGNATION OF THE PLANNING AND DESIGN SERVICES FOR THE RESTORATION OF OLD FIRE HOUSE NO. 2 AS A CATEGORY "B" PROJECT, THE APPOINTMENT OF A CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE, THE APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF W. WATERS AS CHAIRMAN OF THE COMPETITIVE SELECTION COMMITTEE, AND THE AUTHORITY GIVEN THE CITY MANAGER TO ADVERTISE FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AS PART OF A "DESIGN BUILT" REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Commissioner Dawkins, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr. Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: None. ABSENT: Commissioner Victor De Yurre 3 March 26, 1992 Ate. 2. AUTHORIZE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING OF THE ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM -- ALLOCATE = FUNDS ($70,000). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Commissioner Plummer: I move item 3 with pleasure. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Vice Mayor Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Seconded. Any discussion on item 3? Commissioner Dawkins: I know... This should be deferred until next year this time. Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, I can see who the first alternative is. Miller Dawkins. Mayor Suarez: Cal the roll. Make sure you get him in the program if' necessary. The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Plummer, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 92-201 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING OF THE ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM AND ALLOCATING FUNDS THEREFOR IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $70,000 FROM THE LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST FUND, SUCH EXPENDITURE HAVING BEEN APPROVED BY THE CHIEF OF POLICE. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Vice Mayor Alonso, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr. Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: None. ABSENT: Commissioner Victor De Yurre 4 March 26, 1992 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. DISCUSS AND DEFER CONSIDERATION OF EXISTING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HOLY CROSS DAY CARE - DE HOSTOS, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR DE HOSTOS SENIOR CENTER (2902 N.W. 2 AVENUE) (See label 5). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mayor Suarez: Finally item 4, as long as we're on these other items. Do we have a report? I've received a written response from, I believe, the Chairman of the Board and I think it was directed to all the Commission members. Commissioner Plummer: I got one. Mayor Suarez: Did you? But I think that our prior resolution requested a report from the Administration. Have you been able to carry out a fairly complete inquiry or investigation of this and... Mr. Odio: I need to get a report from Frank and we have had meetings with both sides and I don't believe we have a final resolution. Mayor Suarez: How about the City Attorney's response to just how much we can even delve into any of this? Vice Mayor Alonso: That's right, but also we should have report of whatever investigation was carried on by the Administration. If we are going to even address the issue at this time, I think... Mayor Suarez: Or else we can... Vice Mayor Alonso: ... we should have a full report from the Administration. Mayor Suarez: What's the report from the Administration? (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mayor Suarez: All right. Mr. City Attorney, do you have anything to tell us, to warn us or to tell us that we can proceed as... Rafael Diaz, Esq.: From what we know so far about the issue, Mr. Mayor, it is our recommendation to... It's a purely internal matter and should not be delved in... The Commission should not deal with it in any way, shape or form. Outside the four corners of the... Mayor Suarez: Well, but we fund this program, don't we? Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Mr. Diaz: That is correct, but this is an internal matter and it's outside the four corners of the agreement. Mayor Suarez: When does it become something that should concern us... I mean, there's got to be a scenario where a board or a 501(C)(3) or nonprofit is so much in turmoil that we would be concerned to continue giving them funding, isn't there? 5 March 26, 1992 { � r Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, Mr. Mayor, the problem is it could be legally right, but morally wrong... Mayor Suarez: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: ... and then we have to act and I think that might be the case. What I feel, that if we are not ready at this point, perhaps a deferral of this item will be in order and then address this item in the next Commission meeting when the Administration has had an opportunity to complete the investigation and we will have had additional time to perhaps even meet with different groups in the hope that we can find an agreement among all parties involved and we don't have to take actions that we feel are not conducive to the best relationship among the community. So perhaps the best move, unless we can hear something else from some of the parties and the Administration... Is the Administration ready to give a report? Mr. Cesar Odio: We are not ready to bring this item. We have not... As of this time, there is not a solution to the problem there. In fact, it's more complex than we felt it was. There is no resolution to this and I think we need more time to bring a final report about this. This one week was... Vice Mayor Alonso: Then we should defer this item. Commissioner Plummer: Fine. Mr. Odio: I would like to defer it until at least May because there is... Mayor Suarez: You don't think you'll be ready in April? Mr. Odio: No, sir. No, sir. Vice Mayor Alonso: Well I would like to have some sort of understanding prior to the final vote of the funding. Just to... Mayor Suarez: How about the second meeting... Vice Mayor Alonso: ... make us feel a little bit better and also for the public... Commissioner Plummer: You can do it one of two ways. You can either withhold funding or just fund them at one -twelfth level. Commissioner Dawkins: One -twelfth level I would say. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yeah, we could do that and that'll... Commissioner Plummer: That'll sure put them on notice that something better straighten up and fly right. Vice Mayor Alonso: Let's defer this item and then work on that. Mr. Odio: OK. 6 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: Mr. Manager, be advised that the letter that they sent makes reference to the whole debate and, Bill, you probably ought to hear this and I don't know if anyone's here from the board. One of the things they mention is that the person who is now I believe the executive director who took your place, and this - just so you hear it so that you know that we're aware of what is in that letter - participated in one of the meetings in which your status was resolved, or rather discussed, and they felt that they needed her input. Probably they would have been a little bit smarter if they had simply had the person that succeeded you, the person that has now been hired presumably, there to give testimony, but not to participate as a board member. Now that was just sort of one feedback and as we look through this whole mess and try to get a report to the Commission, one thing that we ought to always advise our entities that receive City money is how they can best manage their own organizations in general terms, without trying to ourselves manage them and there is, of course, a point at which we would get involved and that is the point at which we think they're in such great turmoil that we would have to be concerned about their status and want to withhold funding. As of now, I think the Commission's intention is to do funding for one -twelfth of the year. And I don't know if we ought to... Should we take a vote on that at this particular point? Commissioner Plummer: No. Vice Mayor Alonso: I don't think so. Mayor Suarez: All right. Vice Mayor Alonso: I don't think we are ready to make any decision on a serious basis,... Mr. William Morales: Excuse me. Vice Mayor Alonso: ... so I don't think we should even consider the item at this time. Mayor Suarez: No, Bill, we're not getting into the item. We're deferring. I was just sending some signals here to board members that may be here. Do we have some board members here? No. Vice Mayor Alonso: No. Unidentified Speaker: From De Hostos, yes. Mayor Suarez: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: Oh, yes? Mayor Suarez: OK. You notice the remarks that I made about the letter. The letter is otherwise well written and quite interesting and I'm sure the Administration is going to take note of it and I think you're all acting in good faith, but just be careful on those points that we suggested. There is a point at which this Commission will say, the agency doesn't have its act together. Now I'm not saying that we're anywhere near that point. I'm just... Because the City Attorney is indicating that we have no role. We do 7 March 26, 1992 11 El have some role to play in any beneficiary organization from our funding. Even if it's Federal funding that we're basically allocating. OK. We have a motion to defer and we have a second, do we? Madam City Clerk? Commissioner Dawkins: Second. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Moved and seconded. Any discussion? If not, please call the roll. THEREUPON MOTION DULY MADE BY VICE MAYOR ALONSO AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DAWKINS, THIS ITEM WAS DEFERRED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner J.L. Plummer, Jr. Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: None. ABSENT: Commissioner Victor De Yurre 4. APPROVE INSTALLATION OF NAME PLAQUE HONORING HANSEL, BY LATIN STARS INC., ON LATIN STARS WALK (S.W. 8 STREET BETWEEN S.W. 12 AND 13 AVENUES). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mayor Suarez: All right. We're back to item 1. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. If I may, may I introduce a pocket item... Mayor Suarez: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: ... before we go into item 1? Mayor Suarez: Any emergencies, etcetera. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. This pocket item is in relation to Latin Stars and the reason I'm going to bring this is due to the fact that an artist has been, in my opinion, publicly embarrassed as a result of some actions that the organization took of approving the star, and I think it was the feeling of this Commission that we had no intention of embarrassing or doing anything negative to this artist, that we have the highest respect and consideration. So I felt proper at this time to introduce this pocket item and proceed to the installation of this one star that has been pending and resolve the case of the Latin Star as our actions of last week. So the resolution that I'd like to introduce at this time reads as follows: (AT THIS POINT VICE MAYOR ALONSO READ INTO THE RECORD THE RESOLUTION.) I so move. Mayor Suarez: So moved. 8 March 26, 1992 Commissioner Plummer: Second. Mayor Suarez: Second. Any discussion? If not, please call the roll. The following resolution was introduced by Vice Mayor Alonso, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 92-202 A RESOLUTION APPROVING HANSEL, AN INTERNATIONAL ARTIST, TO BE HONORED BY THE INSTALLATION OF A NAME PLAQUE ON THE "LATIN STARS WALK" LOCATED AT SOUTHWEST 8TH STREET BETWEEN SOUTHWEST 12TH AND SOUTHWEST 13TH AVENUES, MIAMI, FLORIDA AND AUTHORIZING SAID PLAQUE TO BE INLAID INTO THE EXISTING SIDEWALK BY LATIN STARS, INC., WHO SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SAID PLAQUE AND SHALL COMPLY WITH ALL CITY, COUNTY AND STATE REGULATIONS. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Commissioner Plummer, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr. Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: None. ABSENT: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Mayor Suarez: I don't need to ask this, and of course I very much support, but I should get a clarification - and I'll vote favorably, but let me do it after the fact. This does not entail any economic consequences for the City? It is revenue neutral? Vice Mayor Alonso: No. Mayor Suarez: Like everything else... Vice Mayor Alonso: Not at all. Mayor Suarez: ... we've done in relation to Latin Stars. All right. Commissioner Plummer: Well, let me also make sure that this is not an economic boom to the Latin Stars. In other words, they're not collecting money to do this. Vice Mayor Alonso: Here they are. E March 26, 1992 i` Commissioner Plummer: Oh. For the record, your name and mailing address, si r. Mr. Emilio Sauma, Jr.: Emilio Sauma, 2285 N.W. 11th Street. I am the present Nu President of Latin Stars... Commissioner Plummer: You're doing this at no cost to the individual? Mr. Sauma: Exactly. Commissioner Plummer: Fine. Mr. Sauma: OK. I want to... Mayor Suarez: OK. Thank you. Mr. Sauma: Thank you. —; Mayor Suarez: And I'm glad that's being done. I think it's a very important initiative. i j! Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, I think it was a matter that placed both the artist and the City of Miami in a very... Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor. Vice Mayor Alonso: ... uncomfortable situation. F Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. (Continued Discussion) CONCERNING PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HOLY CROSS DAY CARE - DE HOSTOS, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR DE HOSTOS SENIOR CENTER -- SCHEDULE WORKSHOP TO TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 15TH AT 4:00 P.M., IN ORDER TO ACCEPT INPUT ON THIS ISSUE PRIOR TO FINAL CONSIDERATION BY CITY COMMISSION (See label 3). Mayor Suarez: All the people... TODOS LOS QUE ESTAN AQUI EN RELACION A LO DE Holy Cross. (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.) Mayor Suarez: Wait, wait. I know you're not satisfied, but unfortunately that's not the way we work here. Mr. Odio: She's asking me to see if you can explain to them why... Vice Mayor Alonso: POR QUE NO LES EXPLICAMOS EN ESPANOL CUAL ES LA SITUACION. Mayor Suarez: LE VAMOS A EXPLICAR EN ESPANOL, POR FAVOR. 10 March 26, 1992 5. Vice Mayor Alonso: EL PROBLEMA QUE SE ESTA DILATANDO ESTA DECISION QUE CREEKS JUSTO PARA PROTECCION PRECISAMENTE DE TODOS USTEDES, LOS QUE VAN A ESE CENTRO, DE QUE SUS DERECHOS ESTEN GARANTIZADOS Y QUE SE TOME LA MEJOR DECISION... NOSOTROS NO TENEMOS EL PODER PARA CONTROLAR QUIENES DIRIGEN LA INSTITUCION PORQUE ES UNA ORGANIZACION NO LUCRATIVA QUE DIRIGE ESE CENTRO. PERO NOSOTROS SI TENEMOS CONTROL SOBRE LOS FONDOS QUE SE LES DAN A ELLOS. EN ESTE MOMENTO LO QUE ESTAMOS DILATANDO, PARA OBTENER TODA LA INFORMACION, Y SI CREEMOS NECESARIO DE QUE SE ESTA INCUMPLIENDO LAS REGULACIONES Y NO SE ESTA ACTUANDO EN BUENA FE, PODER ACTUAR Y PROBABLEMENTE TENER QUE HACER CAMBIOS 0 PEDIR CAMBIOS A ELLOS, EN FIN TRABAJAR Y HACER UNA COSA JUSTA. EN ESTE MOMENTO, SI TUVIERAMOS QUE TOMAR UNA DECISION, PROBABLEMENTE SERIA ADVERSA AL PLANTEAMIENTO DE USTEDES PORQUE NO TENEMOS BASES SUFICIENTES. NOSOTROS LE ORDENAMOS AL ADMINISTRADOR QUE HICIERA UNA INVESTIGACION. ELLOS NO HAN PODIDO CONCLUIR. NO HAN PODIDO LLEGAR A NINGUN ACUERDO POR AMBAS PARTES Y POR LO TANTO LA RAZON NOS INDICA QUE PARA BENEFICIO DE TODOS, LO RAZONABLE ES DILATAR UNA DECISION PARA QUE LA JUSTICIA SEA LO QUE SE IMPONGA POR ENCIMA DE TODAS LAS COSAS. Unidentified Speaker: MIENTRAS TANTO NOSOTROS NO HACEMOS UNA JUNTA... Mayor Suarez: You can... Unidentified Speaker: QUEREMOS ELIMINAR LA JUNTA DEFINITIVAMENTE. Mayor Suarez: OK. OK. Vice Mayor Alonso: ENTIENDAN QUE ESTA COMISION... Unidentified Speaker: HACEMOS UNA PRELIMINAR... Vice Mayor Alonso: DEJEME ACLARARLE UN PUNTO. ESTA COMISION LEGALMENTE NO TIENE EL PODER, PORQUE LA LEY NO NOS LO DA, DE PODER DECIDIR QUIEN ESTA EN LA JUNTA 0 NO. NOSOTROS PODEMOS DECIRLES A ELLOS, PARA QUE UNA JUNTA EXISTA EN ESE CENTRO, NOSOTROS QUEREMOS QUE PERSONAS MAYORES EN TAL PORCIENTO ESTEN REPRESENTADAS, POR EJEMPLO, ESO SI LO PODEMOS PEDIR. Y PARA DARLES LOS FONDOS, NOS GUSTARIA VER ESTO. ESO SI LO PODEMOS HACER Y ES LO QUE ESTAMOS TRATANDO DE ANALIZAR PARA VER COMO PODEMOS LLEGAR A UN ACUERDO. Unidentified Speaker: MIENTRAS TANTO, NOSOTROS, TENEMOS UNA JUNTA CON EL PROPOSITO DE REVISAR LOS POSIBLES DESVIOS ILEGALES QUE SE HAGAN. SI. Vice Mayor Alonso: YO CREO QUE TODA LA INFORMACION QUE USTEDES LES PUEDAN PROVEER A LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI SERIA MUY SALUDABLE PARA AYUDARNOS A ENTENDER. y Unidentified Speaker: PARA EVITAR MAS DESVIOS, QUE YA NO HAYAN LISTAS PARA BOTAR A FULANO Y SUTANO INJUSTAMENTE, NO. Unidentified Speaker: HABEMOS MAS DE LA MITAD DE LOS... P (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUD COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.) Mayor Suarez: OK. VAMOS A TENER UNA AUDIENCIA COMPLETA SOBRE EL TEMA. 11 March 26, 1992 ` � r f' Vice Mayor Alonso: YO, CON MUCHISIMO... EXACTO. VAMOS A TENER UNA AUDIENCIA... NR Mayor Suarez: ENTONCES, PREPARENSE. ii Vice Mayor Alonso: Y TODOS LOS QUE QUIERAN COMUNICARSE CON NOSOTROS, LLAMENNOS. Mayor Suarez: SI, PREPARENSE, Y CREEN LA JUNTA, LO QUE USTEDES QUIERAN, PARA LLEVAR A CABO SU PUNTO DE VISTA EN ESTO. Unidentified Speaker: LA JUNTA PRELIMINAR LA VAMOS A RACER. USTEDES LA APRUEBAN... SI. Unidentified Speaker: MR. SUAREZ, SE PIDEN CAMBIOS, NO QUEREMOS ESTA JUNTA AHI. ES UNA COSA QUE LA CIUDAD QUE ESTA... Unidentified Speaker AHI ESTAN BOTANDO A EMPLEADOS Y ESTAN HACIENDO LO QUE LES DA LA GANA DE RACER. Unidentified Speaker: YA NO PUEDEN YA. (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mayor Suarez: NO PODEMOS HACER UNA AUDIENCIA EN EL DIA DE HOY, PORQUE NO ESTA PREPARADA LA ADMINISTRACION, ASI QUE LO HAREMOS Y VAMOS A ANUNCIAR LA FECHA. ESPERENSE, VAMOS A ANUNCIAR LA FECHA. Once again, we got... ?: (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD) a: Mayor Suarez: Wait, wait, wait. Vice Mayor Alonso: DENNOS UN MINUTICO. ' Mayor Suarez: When have we scheduled it for? That we're going to have it for sure the first meeting in May? Can't we do it the second meeting in April, so that we... I'd like to try it for the last meeting in April. I don't thin that we should be telling them to come back in May. This is still... Unidentified Speaker: NOSOTROS NO QUEREMOS PERDER EL TIEMPO. Mayor Suarez: ESPERESE. ` Vice Mayor Alonso: Could we even have a hearing that doesn't have to coincide with the City Commission? ,Alli Unidentified Speaker: PERO QUE NO NOS HAGAN LO MISMO DE HOY. Till 1 Mayor Suarez: We could have a workshop on this issue. Vice Mayor Alonso: A workshop on this issue to see... }f' Mayor Suarez: VAMOS A TENER UNA AUDIENCIA ESPECIAL SOBRE ESTE TEMA PARA ESCUCHARLOS A USTEDES. i 12 March 26, 1992 s Unidentified Speaker: VENIMOS CON UNA JUNTA PRELIMINAR. Mayor Suarez: OK. Let's tentatively schedule a workshop on this issue so you can come and be heard on this matter for the... We can do it for the 15th of April, if you would like, or the 8th of April, Commissioners, and you can have your staff here to hear their views... Vice Mayor Alonso: I think so. Yes. Mayor Suarez: ... and yourselves if you're able to. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Mayor Suarez: OK? 8th or 15th, any preference? OK. Let's try for April 15th. PARA EL 15 DE ABRIL. Mrs. Dorothy Quintana: I'd like to be recognized. Mayor Suarez: No. Not right now. Mrs. Quintana: Yes right now. Mayor Suarez: No, no, no. Mrs. Quintana: Yes right now. Right now. Mayor Suarez: No, no, no. Ma'am. (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mayon Suarez: Have a seat. Have a seat. Please. Mrs. Quintana: (OFF MIKE)... this time you will listen to me. Mayor Suarez: We're going to have a hearing, ma'am, and you're going to be heard at that hearing. Mrs. Quintana: Wait. Mayor Suarez: Wait. You wait. Please, please. No, you're not going to be recognized. It's not at your discretion. We're going to be here on April 15th. QUIEREN HACERLO POR LA TARDE? Mrs. Quintana: (INAUDIBLE - OFF MIKE) 4 Unidentified Speaker: SI, POR LA TARDE. Mayor Suarez: A LAS 4:00 DE LA TARDE. On April 15th at 4:00 p.m. we'll have a workshop. We'll all be here. Set up the board. ESTABLEZCAN LA JUNTA Y <` VENGAN ENTONCES AQUI EL DIA 15 DE ABRIL A LAS 4:00 DE LA TARDE. OK? GRACIAS i< A USTEDES. is 'i 13 March 26, 1992 x -_ r Mr. Jim Pfleger: being... Mr. Mayor, could you tell us what we're talking... What's Mayor Suarez: We're going to do that in a second. We're going to do that in a second. All you want. We have plenty of time as long as people respect the Commission's order of business. (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mayor Suarez: OK. April 15th we'll be here at 4:00 p.m. Let me explain to them what has taken place. The Commission will hear the... Do you represent members of the board, by the way? Commissioner Plummer: Well, wait. Whoa, whoa. meeting of the Commission? Mayor Suarez: No, no. Vice Mayor Alonso: No. Mayor Suarez: We're going to have a workshop. Commissioner Plummer: OK. Are you calling a special Mayor Suarez: We're going to take their testimony and City staff will be present as part of their investigation and so will Commissioners. Commissioner Plummer: That's fine. Mayor Suarez: All right. Who do you represent, sir? Come up to the mike and give us your name and address and what your interest is in this matter. Mr. Pfleger: My name is Jim Pfleger. I represent the Miami Design District and I didn't understand anything that was going on because I don't speak Spanish and I was just asking... Mayor Suarez: OK. It was a procedural determination that was made by this Commission that the matter previously scheduled as item number 4 on the Commission, which has to do with a recipient of City funds called the Holy Cross Child Care Center and they've got a dispute over their executive director. That that matter will continue to be under administrative investigation, to report back to this Commission no later than May, because they've got to figure out what's going on, exactly what that agency is since 1t receives City money. In the meantime, these folks want to be heard on their views on that and we set up a workshop of this Commission which will be transcribed, but will not be an official City Commission session, but certainly will be transcribed and be part of that investigation and they will all be able to be heard, collectively, individually, whatever and so will anyone else for that matter if they want to on April 15th at 4:00 p.m. All right? Mr. Pfleger: We thank you for the explanation. 14 March ?6, 1992 0 Mayor Suarez: We were going to get to the had some people that were just a little procedural serenity and order. All right. translation at some point, but we bit difficult to maintain the 6. CITY MANAGER INFORMS CITY COMMISSION CONCERNING FULL SCOPE AND DETAILS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENT TEAM (N.E.T.) PROGRAM. [NOTE: INTERSPERSED THROUGHOUT THE HEREIN TRANSCRIPT ARE STATEMENTS IN SPANISH. FOLLOWING EACH AND EVERY STATEMENT, PLEASE FIND THE CORRESPONDING TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH OR SPANISH, AS THE CASE MAY BE. SPANISH STATEMENTS WILL BE DENOTED BY CAPITAL LETTERS. TRANSLATIONS WERE MADE BY MAYOR XAVIER SUAREZ.] Mayor Suarez: Item 1. Mr. Cesar Odio: Yes, sir. You asked me to make a presentation and I'm going to be very brief and then... However, he has... Mr. Michael Samuels: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission. My name is Michael Samuels. I'm chairman of the Coconut Grove Village Council. I may have to leave before Mr. Odio completes his presentation so I just wanted to say to you that Mr. Odio made a presentation in front of the last Village Council meeting about the NET (Neighborhood Enhancement Team) program. We asked him questions for about an hour. We're very encouraged by the program. We hope you support the program and that's about all I want to say. The Coconut Grove Village Council was very impressed. Thank you very much. Mayor Suarez: Tnank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor. As a result of numerous hearings here in the Commission, and as a result of meetings that I had individually with many members of the community that have been working for years out there, as a result of your concerns, the concerns of all of you about the crime problem in the City of Miami, and the situation that we had in the Police Department where we felt - I felt - just from listening that we could not... I can't hear myself. That we had problems in the deployment areas of the Police Department. I had a series of meetings with the Police Department. The first of such meetings lasted for two days. After that we had constant meetings, week after week. The result of those meetings was that we needed to do a face about on the way we were doing business in the Police Department. What may have worked ninety years ago or twenty years ago, might not work today. Commissioner Plummer, who is the Awareness Commissioner, has constantly kept me informed of the situation with the drug dealers, the burglaries, the muggings. So, the result was that by having this face-to-face meeting with the full staff of the Police Department, I decided that we had to change the way we were doing business. Now we needed an immediate impact on crime. We needed to send a message to the criminals of this community that the City of 15 March 26, 1992 Miami is not fair game. That we had to put a stop to it. For a year now, I have been working with T. Willard Fair in POP (Push Out The Drug Pushers). He was my professor, if you want to call it, on how and why we should do business. NET is a result of work with T. Willard Fair and his community in POP. NET is a result of the work that Father Menendez and others with PACT (People Acting for Community Together) in the Northeast, Wynwood, Overtown and other areas of the community. PACT showed me that the only way we could deal with the problems of the community was out there in the neighborhoods with the community involved to try to enhance their communities and therefore eradicating crime. The result of the NEON (Neighborhood Enhancement Operation Network) program that the Police Department started, which came from RED DOG program in Atlanta, which Commissioner Plummer was given to by the Chief of Police of Atlanta, in telling of the RED DOGS, we came out with NEON. NEON is a small example of NET. We came out of the task force meetings with the Police Department convinced that something had to be done and that the way we were doing business had to be changed. We then decided to meet with organizations that had traditionally been meeting with the City for years. And I want to put on the record the organizations that came because it has been said that we did this in a vacuum and we did call and invited... Commissioner Dawkins: I beg to differ. Hold it. Hold it. No one said you did it in a vacuum. What we said was you did it without any Commission input. Now there was not... Mr. Odio: Well... Commissioner Dawkins: No, no, no. Let's get the record straight. Mr. Odio: fine. Now Let's get the record straight now. Commissioner Dawkins: It was not said that you did it in a vacuum. What was said is that you did this without any input from the Commissioners. Mr. Odio: Fine. I stand corrected from your point of view, Commissioner. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. All right. Thank you. Mr. Odio: I did want to put on the record that the following organizations came to a meeting that then turned into another meeting and after that, individual meetings with each organization. By the way, I also - and I'm seeing him here - the last meeting that I attended in the community was in the design district and we sat there and listened to the same old complaints, the same gripes, the same problem and we had the same standard answers to their problems, we don't have enough police officers, we cannot do this, we cannot do that. All of that... Mayor Suarez: Mr. Manager, when you finish your presentation, would you, at the request of Vice Mayor Alonso, would you please give a quick paraphrase in Spanish for those that don't speak English. Mr. Odio: All right, I'll... Then... 16 March 26, 1992 Vice Mayor Alonso: I think you should have no problem with that. That's your native tongue. Mr. Odio: So the first meeting of the organizations were called. The following organizations attended: Model City Crime Subcouncil; ASPIRA, Incorporated; Bayside residents; the Northeast Task Force; Latin Quarter Association; Tigertail Association; Belle Mead Island; Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce; Brickell Homeowners' Association; Little Havana Development Authority; CAMACOL; Edgewater; Shorecrest; Morningside Civic Association; Center Grove; Coconut Grove LDC; Baypointe Homeowners'; Overtown Advisory Board; the Northeast Crime Prevention Subcouncil; the Northwest AC DC; Miami Roads Neighborhoods; Park West Association; the Northeast Task Force; Urban League New World Action Group; M-D Community College; Coconut Grove HOA (Homeowners' Association); Little Haiti; Miami -Dade Chamber of Commerce; Greater Biscayne Chamber of Commerce. Subsequent to that we had another meeting with most of the organizations that I just mentioned presiding. We talked to them... Mayor Suarez: These are organizations - let me just clarify for Ann Marie's benefit and anyone else's - which have participated in the process. You're not reading organizations that necessarily.... Mr. Odio: Support. Mayor Suarez: ... support or have taken any kind of formal votes or anything. Mr. Odio: No. Mayor Suarez: All right. Mr. Od1o: These are organizations that were here... Mayor Suarez: Let me go ahead and translate quickly... Mr. Odio: OK. Please. Mayor Suarez: LAS ORGANIZACIONES A QUE EL ADMINISTRADOR HA HECHO REFERENCIA Y QUE EL HA LEIDO LOS NOMBRES, CREO QUE TODOS RECONOCEMOS LOS NOMBRES, SON ORGANIZACIONES QUE HAN PARTICIPADO Y QUE NOS HAN DADO ALGUNA REACCION, IDEAS SOBRE ESTE PLAN, Y ESO ES LO QUE EL HA INDICADO HASTA EL MOMENTO. Mr. Odio: The plan... I said unless we, the community and us work together, we'll never make a dent on the situation that we have in the City, both crime and the Code Enforcement and other problems that we face. And I asked them then would you prefer that we, together, work at this problem, do we together take administrators that he have in a centralized location in the downtown area of Miami, Dupont building specifically, and transfer them out to different communities so that they will be your face, the face to bureaucracy, so that you can work with these people in trying to solve your everyday problems that you face in your community so that they can be the persons that can deal with your problems. Make sure that the directors that we have in the City that are responsible for those services are aware of your problems and that something is done about it. People that will be out in your community representing the Administration to make sure that if you have a garbage 17 March 26, 1992 s collection problem, if you have a crack house somewhere on the corner, make sure we take care of it. Those common day, everyday occurrences that bothers you. There are many areas of this City that don't even know how to deal with the City. I can... directly, for instance, Little Haiti, there are many people in that community that don't know how to deal with City business. So by having a representative of the Administration in a service center right there in the community, they can walk in and say, please help. How do I do this? How do I pay my bills? How do I get my garbage picked up? How do I get my parking ? How do I get a policeman to take care of this? That basically is the service that we're talking about. A service center in eleven service areas. We call them eleven service areas that will have a service center. That is a small office, preferably in a building that we own so that no rent is added, that no cost is added to the City budget which we cannot afford. And have a representative of the Administration there with the inspectors and in some areas, as your community might request, job counseling and job training programs that are now in downtown Miami when they should be in the areas that need it the most so that the poor people that need jobs or need job counseling or need job training don't have to ride a bus all the way to downtown but they can walk into a service center office and say, "I need help, I need counseling," and the counselor is right there where he belongs. That's basically the concept. It's a simple concept. NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Commissioner De Yurre entered the meeting at 1:37 p.m. Mayor Suarez: Can you... Mr. Odio: Take the City government that is centralized in downtown and take it out to the service centers in your neighborhoods so that you can come in and deal with it. So that you don't have to lose a day of work to come in all the way to downtown to do business. Mayor Suarez: Can you paraphrase that as quickly as possible in Spanish, or would you like me to try it or... Mr. Odio: Please you do it, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: I'm going to paraphrase the Manager's words. BASICAMENTE LA IDEA, and maybe the Vice Mayor will help me along too, ES COMO LO HA EXPLICADO EL ADMINISTRADOR, ES HACERLE LLEGAR A LOS VECINDARIOS TODOS LOS SERVICIOS MUNICIPALES DESDE EL PUNTO DE VISTA... HASTA EL PUNTO DE QUE NO TENGAN QUE ESTAR A VECES DESPERDICIANDO UN DIA PARA IR A LOS EDIFICIOS DEL downtown 0 DONDE ESTAN UBICADOS EN ESTE MOMENTO LOS DIRECTORES. SOBRE TODD EN EL CASO DE LAS PERSONAS DE BASTANTE ALTO RANGO QUE TIPICAMENTE EL PUBLICO NO LOS VE. Y ESA ES LA ESTRUCTURA BASICA, 0 POR LO MENOS EL CONCEPTO COMO LO HA EXPLICADO EL ADMINISTRADOR, E INCLUYE TODA LA GAMA DE SERVICIOS QUE LA CIUDAD PRESTA DESDE LOS CODIGOS DE TODO TIPO QUE SE ESTAN VIOLANDO A VECES EN LOS VECINDARIOS Y RECIBIMOS MUCHAS QUEJAS, HASTA LA RECOJIDA DE BASURA, PLANIFICACION, Y AL FINAL ESTABA HABLANDO INCLUSIVE DE LA SITUACION CUANDO LAS PERSONAS VIENEN A BUSCAR TRABAJOS QUE HAY EN LAS OFICINAS Y LOS DIRECTORES, POR LO MENDS, 0 UNA PERSONA DE LA CIUDAD QUE ESTE EN CADA VECINDARIO. ESO ES LO QUE EL HA EXPLICADO. 18 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: So basically what I'm saying is that the way we were going, in my mind, even though I felt in many cases we have the best garbage collection in the country, probably, for the best price and that we do have many, many services in the Parks Department and other areas that are very good that we had to change the way we were doing business. As I look through the maps and I talk to the people, there is no question we have eleven different areas, in most cases, distinct from each other and with different needs from each other. When I went and met with the Brickell Association and I heard their problem. They were talking about traffic problems and speeding through their area and nothing came up about we need jobs here. But when you go to Overtown, Liberty City and East Little Havana and areas like that, they're talking about jobs and that's what we need to address. And when you come to Coconut Grove, we're talking about over -development or whatever and you have to listen to that. So why not have a service center there? Why not have an administrator that can deal with those problems on a daily basis, and to make sure on a check and balance system that the directors that get paid to deliver those services pay attention to this particular community on an everyday basis, prioritize the services. And they will have somebody talking to me on a daily basis to address this problem. I want to say this, that there is no additional cost. Zero additional cost this program will create for the City of Miami. We're taking administrators that have been in the City for an average of eleven point five years. These are proven administrators. Proven professionals in their fields, expertise in planning, expertise in community development and economic development, expertise in every area that the City will need their efforts out there for. And the areas that they might not have that expertise, support will be there to give it to them so that they do not feel that they are by themselves. I will say this, there is zero cost. The persons that have been moved over, at their own choosing, because I called everybody in, I said would you like to take this challenge head on, on a special assignment for me so that we can deal with the problems of this neighborhood and all of these people, to my surprise in some cases, said yes. We want to do this, Mr. Manager. I said, do you understand that there is no salary increase, there is no more benefits, there is nothing to this but a lot of work, a lot of hours that you're going to have to put in to make sure this program works. All of them had said yes. And the ones that I did not appoint, the ones that I left out because I only had eleven, were also willing to do it. And it speaks highly for the professionals that we have in the City of Miami and that is simply part, the first phase of the civilian side. The police side - I want the Chief to come up for a minute, Calvin - and explain how NET which will have a civilian administrator in place on the eleven service centers will have also a Neighborhood Resource Officer (NRO). That is a police officer assigned by the Police Department to work together with the civilian and the Fire Chief of that area to work together as a team. Mayor Suarez: Please don't call them Fire Chiefs. We're not going to get... Mr. Odio: I mean they have so many chiefs... Mayor Suarez: ... into chief are we? Mr. Odio: Whatever they call them. Mayor Suarez: Please. Whatever you call them, don't call them chiefs. ' 19 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: The three together will have assigned teams. When the plan is totally in place, all of the communities will have the brochures that will show pictures of your administrators, your police officers, the police officers that are assigned to your neighborhoods so that you know who you're dealing with at all times. You will have every single City official that has to deliver services to your neighborhood listed there with their phone number so they can be reached at any time. I think that Commissioner Plumper reminded me the other day - I don't dwell much on history and just to finish that - President Eisenhower said that the best government is the government closest to the people. And that's simply what we're trying to do here. Mayor Suarez: And just to... Chief, if I may, just to tell them very briefly in Spanish that last point as presented by the Manager. Now this Commission obviously is going to make sure that this is the case as to any expenditure implications of this, but to tell you in Spanish at least what the promise is and we shall so to what extent that is in fact the case. EL ADMINISTRADOR INDICA QUE ESTO NO DEBE INCURRIR NINGUN GASTO Y QUE LOS ADMINISTRADORES QUE HAN SIDO NOMBRADOS, 0 LOS POLICIAS QUE ESTARAN EN LOS VECINDARIOS, 0 LOS MIEMBROS DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE BOMBEROS SON PERSONAS QUE YA SON EMPLEADOS DE LA CIUDAD Y NO SE HA CREADO NINGUNA POSICION. That's important for us to state, too, that there be no new positions created so we don't get swamped by applications. We don't need that at this point. Chief Ross, sir. Chief Calvin Ross: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Let me just start out by saying something for the record, after listening to the Manager and some other comments that were made, that I believe that the Commission, Commissioner De Yurre, Commissioner Dawkins, Mayor Suarez, Vice Mayor Alonso and Commissioner Plumper are all very much responsible for the enactment of NET and I think that you should, yourself, receive a round of applause for the point that we're at today in putting NET in place because you are the ones that inspired this concept. Mayor Suarez: From your mouth to the voters' ears. Chief Ross: Well, I believe more than anything else about this concept is - that 1t is a concept whose time has come in this City and I personally had personal meetings with each of you and the issues we discussed, the concerns that you have brought to my attention came directly from your constituents. It all has to do with the rising crime rate in this City and that something had to be done. In my meetings with the Manager, who also met with each of you, the concerns were the same. And I believe that you have given the citizens of this City something positive to look forward to and that is that we will try something different to see if it makes a difference and if it doesn't, then we'll change it and we'll try something else, but we will not fail for lack of trying and you're a part of that. I have looked at the J concept throughout the United States and other police departments that have put together police or community oriented policing concepts and none of them 1 that I have looked at have come along the same lines that we're implementing here in the City of Miami. Many of them have to do only with the police department going out into the community and becoming closer to the community and delivering service. But nowhere do we see the entire City government decentralizing and moving into the neighborhoods. We have implemented phase one of the NET concept. Phase one of the NET concept was to put an impact on 20 March 26, 1992 the areas where the citizens of this City were hurting most and those areas are in areas of crime and incidents of crime that has been most debilitating. Incidents where innocent victims are being shot in our high crime areas where drugs have flourished on the street. One single incident where someone is a victim, I don't see how we can put a price tag on the life of a small child that may have been injured by a stray bullet and I applaud you, the Commissioners, for recognizing that and giving the Manager the authority to take a look at means by which we can do something to alleviate those type of problems regardless of the cost. Phase one has put an impact on those type of street crimes. I want for you to take a look at something just briefly so you can see. We started out by putting onto the street, in phase one, extra police officers, extra police officers that would impact in our high crime areas, those incidents of crime. In a one -month period, phase one, as you can see, over and above the regular contingency of officers on the street, phase one, for one month, they made four hundred and seventy felony arrests. The same period last year, just with our regular contingency officers, there were only a hundred and thirty-nine arrests. So you can see the impact that phase one has made. In addition to that, misdemeanor arrests, for the same period last year, there were three hundred and sixty-three. Phase one twenty-three sixty-six. And another area that I think is of significant concern is the fact that police officers out on the street are going from call to call answering calls for service. That is not where police work makes the greatest impact. The greatest impact on police, work is when police officers can actually go out and give police service by doing pro -active police work. Actually going out doing some preventive type patrols. In 1991, we saw a total of almost ten thousand self -initiated calls by our police officers. And that was in a one -month period. The same month a year later when we implemented phase one of NET, there are a total of twenty-one thousand self - initiated pro -active police type calls, which means our officers, because we had the heightened amount of officers in there for phase one, have been able to make a significant impact on crime in certain areas. In one area that we have been most, we've been hit the hardest, and I'm sure Commissioner Plummer can agree on that, and that's in the area of twenty -nines or robberies. As you can see for robberies, City wide, one year ago for the month seven hundred and eighty-four. For the same month, one year later, we have impacted that area so greatly that the incidents have dropped. I think what we have seen, more than anything else, is that the impact teams of phase one have gone out and given the citizens the knowledge or giving them back the streets so that they know that they can now take part with City government in a plan. I would be remiss in asking the citizens of this City, and so would you, to involve themselves in any plan, in any type of function with City government to do something about taking back their streets or bettering their neighborhood when crime is running rampant and flourishing. But phase one has put police officers in the street, made the impact that the citizens of this City need to see, clearing out those criminals and cleaning up the criminal element and making the neighborhoods livable so that now we can move into phase two and three to put together our NET teams that can be somewhat of a maintenance factor in those very neighborhoods. Once again, we will not fail for lack of trying. We need to try and try until we're able, together, to beat this problem of crime, rising crime within our community. The Police Department hopes that in putting an NRO, which is Neighborhood Resource Officer, as part of the team that will be deployed in the various neighborhoods, we hope that the quality of service will be enhanced since the officer that will be responding to a particular neighborhood or that will be working within that 21 March 26, 1992 neighborhood, will be responsible for everything that occurs in that neighborhood. We're hoping to see a stronger partnership between the police and the community. We're hoping to see the empowerment of not only the police officers working in that area but the citizenry working in that area as well to let them know that they have a responsibility in that area to bring to forefront solutions to the problems that they're experiencing in that area, as opposed to bringing the problems here and dumping them at your feet, working together with the NET team, they can sit down and come up with viable, workable solutions that can be implemented in their prospective neighborhoods. The police officers will be a part of that. Mayor Suarez: Chief, before... Chief Ross: Yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: If I may interrupt you. I know Roger Biambi had wanted to make a statement and he's on his way out, has another appointment to attend to. The letter will be read into the record, Roger, basically not only do you support the program, but you get into the issue of who you support to be the person assigned to the Little Haiti community and now you're pointing at him. This is our own Fedy Viex-Brierre and we take note of the fact that you're lobbying us on behalf of a particular individual and we know that you're doing it in good faith and we like him, too. But basically you support the concept and we haven't seen you at City Hall now for about two years. It's always a pleasure to see you, sir. OK, Roger, and this will be introduced into the record. This will be your comments and I think they bear today's date. If not, I will go ahead and put today's date on it. Chief, I'm sorry. Chief Ross: The NRO is part of the NET concept. We'll look to reduce the fear of crime within the neighborhoods and by dealing with or attacking those problems that contribute to crime and to disorder and to create pro -active problem solving rather than reactive problem solving, as we have seen in times past. Each NRO that's a part of that team will have at his or her disposal and as a part of their team, all of the officers that provide services to that particular neighborhood, to include investigators, to include motormen, to include those individuals that are on special assignments that provides services to that neighborhood would be a part of the team for each one of those neighborhoods. Commissioner Dawkins: May I ask a question, Mr. Mayor? Chief, you're saying that even including motors, how many motormen do you have now in... How many men on motors? Chief Ross: Roughly twelve officers on motors. Commissioner Dawkins: Twelve officers on motors. So, therefore, if a motor officer is assigned to each one of these service centers, which is eleven service centers, we have eleven motormen for each center and only one motorman serving the rest of the City of Miami. Now is that a correct statement, sir? Chief Ross: Not necessarily. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Well, please explain it to me, Mr. Police Chief. 22 March 26, 1992 f Chief Ross: Keep in mind that... Vice Mayor Alonso: May I ask a question? It's just a clarification. Is it twelve or nine, for the record? How many do you have? Chief Ross: Right now, we have nine motormen but we have just recruited... Commissioner Dawkins: Well, why did you tell me twelve? Chief Ross: Wait a minute. Because we have just recruited three additional. Commissioner Dawkins: Thank you, Commissioner. Chief Ross: Three additional. So the number may be nine on the street. There is an additional three that are out right now that will be trained and will be on the street at the implementation of NET. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Manager. I am very disturbed that I would ask your Chief of Police how many active policemen we have patrolling the streets of the City of Miami and he would tell me eleven when you don't have but nine men riding motors. Now I am very, very disturbed. Commissioner Plummer: Just for the edification of everyone concerned, we have a total of thirty-three motors. And the redoing, they went down as low as nine motormen. A number of them have been transferred out. It is an extensive course of training for new motormen because of the traffic problems and the danger of riding a motor and there are motormen in training at this present time. There are... Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Plummer, how many are riding motors as of today? Riding now, patrolling the streets? How many? Commissioner Plummer: Nine. Nine. Commissioner Dawkins: Thank you. That's all I asked. I didn't ask how many you had training, I didn't ask how many you planned to hire, I didn't ask what you were going to do day after tomorrow. My question was how many are riding motors at this very moment, which is nine. Commissioner Plummer: Correct, sir. Mayor=Suarez: . Chief, going back to the chart that you were discussing before on arrests, and of course there's a huge number of arrests compared to the similar time last year, I believe the same month, what impact will that have ). on crime statistics now? The crime statistics that we typically rely on are f the ones that are generated by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), I believe. In fact I think in today's paper there's a, today's Herald, there's a... Commissioner Plummer: Point six. Mayor Suarez: Yeah. There's a substantial drop in Dade County in serious a crimes. They don't count arrests, I presume. They count actual serious crimes as determined by what? Part one is determined by the information being j brought against an individual or by what? 23 March 26, 1992 C Chief Ross: No, that's by reported crimes. Reported incidents. Mayor Suarez: Not arrests. Chief Ross: That's correct. They do have a separate category that they show arrests, but you're looking at reported incidents of crime. Mayor Suarez: And crime is not necessarily convictions either. They... Chief Ross: It's not necessarily arrests or convictions, you're right. Commissioner Plummer: Unfortunately not. Mayor Suarez: And so presumably if we arrest people and get them off the streets, assuming that that's what happens at the end of the process and I'm sure that's going to be some of questions that's going to be asked today, the crime rate itself will drop even though the number of arrests has gone up substantially. Chief Ross: That's correct. Mayor Suarez: Do you have any indication that, in fact, - I think you gave one chart, I guess this one here, calls for service that could indicate that reported robberies... Is that what that is? Signal 29. Chief Ross: That's correct. Commissioner Plummer: It's armed robberies. Chief Ross: That's robberies. Mayor Suarez: You're going to have mercy on us civilians and give us something other than Signal 29. OK. On armed robberies, that in fact reflects a substantial drop from last year for this particular month? Chief Ross: For the same period of time. Yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: And it is your professional opinion that, or is it, that that is any way related to the implementation of what I call the shock treatment part of this NET plan? Chief Ross: It is directly related to the phase one of NET. Mayor Suarez: OK. Now, if next month,... Chief Ross: Here is the... Mayor Suarez: ... we have a huge increase, that should worry us, too, about at least that aspect of the plan, right? Chief Ross: We took into consideration that we could not continue phase one forever. 24 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: Right. Chief Ross: However, the way the program is designed... Mayor Suarez: You call phase one what I call the shock treatment part of this plan. Chief Ross: The shock treatment, yes. The way it was designed is for phase one to go in and make the great impact on the areas where crime is flourishing. Keeping in mind that we never intended or thought that phase one would eliminate crime. This type of operation solely displaces crime. We understand that. It may have pushed it out into the county or neighboring jurisdictions. We understand that. At the same time, it has cleared the street of those customers that would come into the area to buy drugs and they have shifted their interest to go elsewhere. Supply and demand has played a very important part... Mayor Suarez: What percentage of those arrests that you previously referred to do you think are related to drugs? Chief Ross: I would say about eighty percent of those are related to drug theft. Commissioner Plummer: Right on the money. Chief Ross: So we have been very successful in shifting. However... Commissioner Plummer: One way or another. Chief Ross: ... phase three of NET will do this for us. Phase one will continue to a great degree or to some degree as we taper it off. It will start to taper off. And it will overlap with phase three, which is the implementation of NET. Once phase three and the NET program is fully implemented, phase one would have phased out. However, phase one, with the impact teams, we will have a contingency of officers in place that can respond to various areas at the beckoning of the NRO officer to add an additional impact on problems that they see reoccurring. Problems that may have been displaced by phase one but now tends to come back will have a contingency of officers that will move in to re -implement phase one to some degree. Vice Mayor Alonso: Chief, I have some questions and this is concerning cost. It is my understanding that the overtime cost of this program is very high for the City. I have heard numbers as high as one million, a million and a half every month or month and a half. I would like on the record to give us an indication of the cost of overtime and police additional cost in relation to this program. Is it true that it will cost the taxpayers of Miami, just in police overtime, in excess of one million a month or a month and a half? Chief Ross: The figures that I've been given by my budget man shows, as of March the 21st, the program started February 20th, as of March the 21st, the a Police Department expended four hundred and sixty-two thousand that's for sixteen thousand eight hundred and ninety-six man hours on the NET program. 25 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: What is a typical month in terms of man hours for the entire department? Any guesstimates? Lieutenant Don Marsh: (OFF MIKE - INAUDIBLE) Commissioner Plummer: Street or what? Mayor Suarez: Yeah, let's do it that way. Commissioner Plummer: It's eleven hundred men by forty hours. Mr. Odio: Let me point out, Mr. Mayor, while we're waiting on this number, I think I mentioned it to some of you that we have been doing some figuring on overtime. You know, it hit me that even though overtime has always been, as a matter of fact, if you don't know this, anybody in the City to be able to spend overtime has to send a memo to my office and then I have to approve it and then they do it. But when I began to check, to think about overtime, crime impact and do we use overtime or not, if you think that a police officer will cost the City of Miami taxpayers fifty-nine thousand dollars a year average and if we went out today and... Commissioner Plummer: Make sure that's understood with perks and total cost. Mr. Odio: Perks and the total cost. Total cost of a police officer is fifty- nine thousand dollars. I asked the experts in numbers to come up with a chart that will show a line where it is not... It is more feasible to pay some overtime and increase the police visibil.ity than to go out and hire police officers that take six months to be fully trained and whatever and then another six months while they know what's going on. In the meantime you have a force that has a lot of experience that are working forty hours, go home and then they have to go and get off -duty jobs or whatever jobs they have to find to supplement their income. When we figured out this line, it might be cheaper to pay an officer - and please don't hold me to this number, I'm just using a number for the sake of it - that it might be cheaper to pay somebody fifteen thousand dollars a year to have that police officer available so many hours without having to buy another police car and all the equipment that goes with it, than to go out and hire more police officers. So, for next year, I hope to bring to you for your approval and show to you these charts and why it makes sense than instead of always... I have been here for so many years and I always heard we need to hire two hundred more police officers and we never quite realize that it might be wiser to use our police officers more hours than we have been using them with their expertise and in the long run, more cost effective to the taxpayers of the City. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Chief Ross: In answer to your question... Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. I was going to ask. Chief Ross: In answer to your question, four hundred and sixty two thousand dollars which has been expended represents the salaries of nine full-time police officers for a one-year period. Now nine full-time police officers working forty hours a week during the same period that the NET officers worked 26 March 26, 1992 for that one month, as opposed to sixteen thousand eight hundred and ninety- six hours that were put in by the NET officers by that same period, nine full- time police officers would have only worked one thousand four hundred and forty hours. So there is a marked difference between the hours that you would have gotten for that amount of money with full-time officers versus the NET officers at sixteen thousand, or should I say around seventeen thousand, versus one thousand. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Let me go back to the issue of cost. 1 need to know how much will it cost in the seven months of operation of the present budget in additional overtime, and I imagine that the City Manager has worked out the numbers before going in the implementation of this program, because as I approved the budget of the City of Miami, I have no recollection that I was ever informed of NET or overtime in relation to this program. So I fear that before we complete this budget period, we are going to have a deficit, unless the City Manager has kept, in an un-labeled account, millions of dollars and has hidden that from us and I couldn't believe that. So I will have to ask where are we going to get the money to pay for the overtime to provide this service. Let me put for the record, first of a11, that I am very supportive of NET and when it comes to police service. The policemen going to the street, you and I have met on many, many occasions, at the beginning of 1980, we went to the streets and collected twenty-five thousand signatures to come in front of this Commission to get approval of what it is, mini -stations in the City of Miami, and then it went to the voters and we had to say yes or not. The City of Miami said yes. So having said this, my position is very clear. I'm very supportive of the Police Department and the work that has to be done. But it's also my obligation to the citizens of Miami and to myself to receive concrete and definite information. Where the money is going to come from. How the City Manager has planned for these expenses. Are we going to tell the taxpayers at the end of this budget period, we don't have enough money. Commission you have to approve additional bonds. You have to borrow money. I'd like to be told on the record today the cost to the taxpayers. Because you don't pay overtime from the budget that you had planned before, because NET was not planned. NET was not part of our budget, so I have problems understanding where are you going to get the money. And a yes or no. Is it going to cost the taxpayers of Miami a million monthly or every month and a half of additional cost for overtime? If it's a yes, tell me the monies where it's going to come from. If it's a no, how are you going to pay the Police Department? Because if it's a no, how are you going to have the additional men? And if it's a yes, tell me where the money is coming from. l Mayor Suarez: The question is directed at the Manager, right? Vice Mayor Alonso: I suppose the Manager is the one with the numbers, but if he wants to drop the bucket on the Chief of Police, I'll hear from the Chief and then I'll go back to him. E Chief Ross: I believe as an administrator... x Mayor Suarez: Chief, I don't think we're going to drop any buckets on you. I think passing the buck... Vice Mayor Alonso: I'll pass it again. I'll pass it again. 27 March 26, 1992 0 Mayor Suarez: ... or dropping the ball or one of those kinds of things I think it what was meant, but the moment we get too many buckets being dropped around here... Chief Ross: I believe that your concerns are very valid and stealing a phrase from Commissioner Plummer, that is... Vice Mayor Alonso: You people are getting too involved Commissioner Plummer for my taste. Chief Ross: Stealing a phrase from him, our budgets are but a projection and I believe that once we set this budget in place at the beginning of the year, had we anticipated NET, you're right. It would have been prudent to put some monies in place for NET. However, knowing that we had not done that and that the budget is but a projection and that we cannot predict what type of situations we're going to involve ourselves in, as an administrator in the Police Department and sitting down with my budget director and my staff and taking a look at what we would have in our budget should the City Manager or the budget director for the City, should they not identify additional monies that can be moved into the Police budget and into the overtime section of that budget, should they not have monies, what can we operate on and we have been able to look at our budget and identify some salary savings in this respect. At the beginning of the budget year, the Police Department, and this is after the retirements, the Police Department was authorized and funded to hire an additional thirty officers and that was back in October. Those officers that were not hired for five months, at least, when you calculate that using the numbers, the average number, is somewhere in the area of around five hundred thousand in savings or monies in regard to those police officer positions. Also in the budget, it was approved, to hire a total of ninety-three public service aides at the time we were down fifty-three and the monies were approved and funded to hire those personnel. As of to date, we have not hired those personnel, but the monies were approved in the budget from day one. So as of today, we can look at somewhere in the area of six hundred thousand dollars savings for not having hired those public service aides. Security guards, we were approved for twenty security guards. We hired those security guards some five months later. That five -month period represents around two hundred thousand dollars. Keep in mind that with the sworn police officers, even though we know that there is some recruitment and background checks, etcetera, we still had the option to check with other police departments and recruit from other police departments. Whereas if I were to find laterals, as we call them, police officers that are currently employed within this State, laterals that I could transfer into my police department without sending them through the academy, I would have brought them on board in a record time, in a minimum time so, therefore, we knew that those monies for police officers were there but we didn't find the number of laterals, we didn't find thirty laterals immediately, but we knew the money was there. So... Vice Mayor Alonso: Chief. I'm sorry that I interrupt, but let me ask you. Why in the world, with the crime situation in the City of Miami, did you delay five months in complying and hiring people that were needed to provide police protection in the City of Miami? Why the delays? Chief Ross: There was no delay. Let me tell you what we did as a matter of explanation. The most immediate way to get police officers into the 28 March 26, 1992 department was by way of identifying laterals. The term that I just used. So we immediately looked at forty applicants from individuals that are currently working on other police departments, we immediately geared up to do all of the background checks on these forty individuals. Keep in mind that each one of these applications take a lot of time. So by the time my background investigators went through those forty applications for laterals, we were already some months down the road from where we started and we only ended up, unfortunately, with about two to three of those forty that we felt comfortable, could come into this Police Department and impact crime and they didn't have a lot of administrative, as we call it, baggage tacked onto them. Vice Mayor Alonso: And the PSAs (Public Service Aides), why the delay in hiring them? Chief Ross: The public service aides, with the background investigators that we have - we have about ten background investigators, so as not to bring in more background investigators that we really need which would deplete our officers on the street. They worked on the backgrounds of the forty laterals. After working on the backgrounds of the forty laterals, then they started doing the security guards, which we felt would free up as another group that would come in could immediately impact the work force by freeing up police officers in the department. We were looking to impact the immediate transferal of police officers to the street, either by laterals or bringing in the security guards to free them up. So we did those two things immediately. Then we set out to identify police officers and do background investigations on police officers. We had to prioritize to try to get the immediate impact and that's the priorities that we went, to get immediate impact. Vice Mayor Alonso: You say you had a saving of six hundred thousand from the PSAs that were not hired. How long 1t took? Five months you said. A delay of five months. Chief Ross: About five months, yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: That's a long time. Chief Ross: There is a class, a public service aide class that started in April. Mr. Odio: In addition to that, when you approved the budget, you approved an additional one million dollars in added overtime for the Police Department. I, as the executive officer, and meetings with the Police Department, felt when we had the meetings and we heard the Commission concerns about crime, that we had to change our priorities and as far as the use of overtime and that it would be wiser at this time to put additional police officers out on the street. And, fortunately, it has worked out very well. So we did have additional monies in the police budget, and as I stated before, the NET program will not add cost to the budget of the City of Miami for this year. '( Vice Mayor Alonso: ( cost first and the much will it cost program? Give me basis. n Please, Mr. City Manager, let's see if we can clarify the we could make that kind of a to the citizens of Miami the the exact figure to the best 29 statement. Chief, again, how additional overtime for this of your ability on a monthly March 26, 1992 2 Chief Ross: The first month of operation ran in the area of half a million I; dollars. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Half a million a month in additional cost for overtime to the Police Department. So when we say that NET costs zero to the taxpayer, we are not really giving the total story to the public. We should say we are trying to implement a plan in which we have tremendous confidence, but it's going to be costly to you, taxpayer, in excess of half a million a month. Then we will be telling the public, this is the truth. But telling them that there is no additional cost, it's not necessarily telling them the —I truth. Chief Ross: Well, in answer to that, and I'm sure that's a question directed at the Manager, but from the police perspective... Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, it is. Mayor Suarez: That's good. Chief Ross: ... from the police perspective... I Vice Mayor Alonso: I'll get to him in a minute. �3 Chief Ross: ... the monies that we have identified and I, as an administrator witnin the Foiice uepartmenz, not reiying on mom es tnaz tine manager- may nave !; identified through his budget director, which he certainly can do, and supplement our budget, but monies that I've identified are at the tune of around one point three million and that's out of our budget, monies that taxpayers have already taken care of. These are not additional over and above, but on number with the budget that was approved. —s, Vice Mayor Alonso: No. Let's see. We can tell the truth or we can give a portion of the truth. If we come forward publicly and tell the citizens of Miami, NET will not cost any additional money and then you tell me that it costs half a million a month, at least. Half a million a month in additional costs of what we thought it was, the regular cost of the Police Department. !1 Indeed NET is costing at least this amount of money. Mr. Odio: No, no, no. Let me clarify. Mayor Suarez: Let me... Just procedurally, let me tell you that we're getting complaints here that we're not getting to the public hearing... Mr. Odio: OK. Mayor Suarez: ... portion of this thing. Mr. Odio: I just... Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, the problem is this,... i Mayor Suarez: You can take it any way you want. j 30 March 26, 1992 J Vice Mayor Alonso: ... Mr. Mayor, I think we should be here as long as is necessary. Mayor Suarez: Absolutely. Vice Mayor Alonso: I called... Mayor Suarez: Absolutely. Vice Mayor Alonso: ... for this public hearing because I felt that this Commission deserves at least one presentation on the subject and also that the citizens of Miami - and it was my initiative - to call for this public hearing because I felt that the citizens of Miami deserve to hear and to know costs, the content of the problem and the extent of it. And that's what we are trying to give the information and be able... Mr. Odio: Wait. Let me... Mayor Suarez: Madam, I am not arguing with you... Vice Mayor Alonso: If a person needs to leave... Mayor Suarez: I just want to plan... Vice Mayor Alonso: Exactly. Mayor Suarez: I just want to plan so that they know. Vice Mayor Alonso: And we will be here as long as we need to be here and if we have to have additional public hearings, we should... Mayor Suarez: But I... Vice Mayor Alonso: ... because the public has a right to know. Mayor Suarez: Yes, but I've got a couple of colleagues of yours to my right, both of whom have nudged me that there are a lot of people that want to be heard. So I just want to let you know that so that you know that some of them want to... Vice Mayor Alonso: At least for this Commissioner, I have a list of questions that I feel are essential to be answered. I've been asking these questions. I receive memos that tell me that there is no cost and to me half a million is quite a bit of money. Mayor Suarez: Yeah, and if you want, what I suggest Mr. Odio: I will... Mayor Suarez: Mr. Manager, please... Mr. Odio: I'm sorry. Mayor Suarez: ... so we can get some procedures here. 31 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: Sorry. Sorry. Mayor Suarez: What I suggest is complete that line of inquiry if you would like, maybe a presentation by the... I don't know if we're going to hear from the Fire Chief... Mr. Odio: No. Mayor Suarez: ... or we're going to go straight to some comments from the public and then right back to the inquiry by the Commission. Mr. Odio: We'll be... Mayor Suarez: It's up to the Commission. I'm just telling you that I've got... Vice Mayor Alonso: Yeah, I'm not through and I have every intention in the world of asking all the questions... Mayor Suarez: Absolutely. Vice Mayor Alonso: ... that I have to do on behalf of the citizens of Miami and on behalf of myself as a citizen of Miami, as well and I don't think I have been given the answers. Mr. Odio: They answered... Vice Mayor Alonso: The Chief has told me what the cost is going to be and I appreciate and I think he... Now the City Manager wants to tell me there is no cost. Mr. Odio: When I said... I'll repeat. There is no additional cost to the citizens of Miami. When you approved the budget, for instance, of two hundred million dollars, we are not going to spend two oh one. We're going to spend two hundred million dollars. The priorities within the Department have been changed so that we can attack the immediate problem of crime. I will repeat for the record that the Police Department and the NET program will not have additional cost added to this budget. That we are spending monies of overtime in impact to impact the crime problem in the City. It is true and it has cost four hundred and some thousand dollars with the results of almost three thousand arrests. How long we will proceed with the overtime I feel that you would be putting an advertisement out to the criminals, wait until we run out of money and come back out again. However, we will be prudent to make sure that we will not exceed the budget. Now, however... Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. Manager... Mr. Odio: ... you have the prerogative, Commissioners and Mr. Mayor, that if you don't feel that I should spend more monies in overtime in the Police Department and that we should hold on and wait and see what happens for the rest of the year, I will not do it. It's your policy decision. I will do that. But I felt, and the Chief felt that, it was important to impact on crime now and that as long as we don't exceed the budget that you approved, it would be OK. 32 March 26, 1992 .2 0 Commissioner Dawkins: Mayor and the Mayor. meeting. We did not Police Department is Department. You know, but... This has turne come here, me, to doing a good job Vice Mayor Alonso: Of course. d I'd like to say one thing, Madam Vice into a defend the Police Department beat up on the Police Department The and we stand ready to help the Police Commissioner Dawkins: We came here to discuss the NET program, the eleven service centers and what you are going to do about it. And all we have heard is the Police Department is this and that. Now, Chief you are to be commended for two things, for me. And that is you have started to increase the motors. You found motors down, so that's not... I'm not picking on you for that. That happened before you got here and you are working to correct it. And I'm also happy to know that you decided not to hire but two of the laterals when I don't think you should hire any of them, because if they were that damn good, the other police departments wouldn't turn them loose. So we're hiring other people's problems. So I think that, Mr. Mayor, we should move into the discussion of the NET program and if we have to come back and have another police hearing, let's come back and have another police hearing. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Let me finish on this inquiry. And it's true. I 'i agree with Commissioner Dawkins. This program has been sold to the community on the basis of the Police Department. People think that NET is only the Police Department and it is not. It has two phases. One that we all agree, j as I said at the beginning, the policemen going into the neighborhood, which is great. Also, we have to know how much it will cost because, as the City Manager said, when we run out of money, he will stop the famous NET and the j policemen in the neighborhoods... And he's going to say that the bad guys are 11 the members of the Commission. Mayor Suarez: Please, please. Vice Mayor Alonso: And also we have to address at this forum, perhaps a little bit later, till three o'clock in the morning, whatever time is necessary, but we should go back and the Manager should tell us next year's cost. Because as he says, he retired the people early this year so he saved five million. He also did not hire the number of people that he was supposed to rehire. He also asked the unions to come forward and help the City of Miami. They were willing to do it for one year, but then next year, we will go back to the normal situation. How much will it cost the taxpayers of j Miami? NET, when it comes to the mini -City Halls, or how much will it cost, i the police services. This is something that we as a Commission have to ask, that the public has a right to know and that the City Manager, I'm sure, has the numbers to provide to us because I'm .certain he couldn't possibly go into a program that he does not have all the information of the cost to the taxpayers. So I'd like to have, before I leave here today, the answers to some of these questions and I think the public would like to know cost today and next year, as well, to have an indication of how deep we will have to go !j in our pocketbooks to get the money to pay for all of these services that, after all, I thought that we were supposed to provide with the regular taxes that we pay, that are very high as they are right now. 33 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: Very good. Vice Mayor Alonso: Thank you. Mayor Suarez: OK. Chief, you want to complete your presentation so we can get to some of the citizens on both sides. Chief Ross: I think we have pretty much given the entire concept for the Police Department, unless there are additional questions directed at me. I'll be glad to answer. Mayor Suarez: Yeah. You are going to stick around, right? Chief Ross: I'll be here, yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Thank you. I think a few of us are going to ask a few questions here. Commissioner Dawkins: Yeah, questions after the public. Mayor Suarez: All right. We'll go back and forth. I had a note from Alfredo Bared and I gather that former City of Miami major and candidate for Miami City Commission, and he's not here, I don't believe. Ms. Annette Eisenberg: He's outside. Vice Mayor Alonso: He was here. Ms. Eisenberg: He's being interviewed. Mayor Suarez: OK. He's been here and I'm going to introduce this letter into the record. It expresses concern about the cost of the police mobilization and he says he's pressed for time and he wanted me to read at least part of this. He's saying that: "It takes years to have fully -trained police officers to fight crime. You're going to have individuals with untrained eyes reporting crime behavior and what is not crime behavior, that will become a big problem. What you are going to create is a big political power base. At election time you will be calling in the IOUs (I owe you). I think in times like today, the public is looking for you to put into effect programs which proven to be very effective in fighting crime. The most effective one, as we know, is police visibility. It increases the opportunity to apprehend the criminal after a crime has been committed and it decreases the opportunity for a crime to be committed. And, finally, I understand that at least twelve officers will be assigned to this concept. This is a cost of at least one half a million year in salary alone." Which corresponds to the same, similar numbers that you stated. Of course, it's been clarified, I think, where in the budget that money lies. And this is introduced into the record with today's date. Annette. Ms. Eisenberg: My name is Annette Eisenberg. 1180 N.E. 86th Street. And inasmuch as you named the program after me, NET, I have to be in favor of it. 34 March 26, 1992 Before I came here today, I was not involved with any group, did not go to any of your meetings, was not involved in any of the decision making. But the thing that appeals to me the most is the fact that there will be trained people out there in the street. I'm going to talk for the business sector of Miami. We are bleeding and we're dying fast. The vacancies in the commercial area are horrible. I believe that a coordinator in the area working with the people there, where somebody could go and talk to them might restore some confidence to bring people into the area. Another thing I feel that perhaps if this program, when this program is successful, perhaps the residents will come out of their shells and out of their houses and come on to the commercial streets. Ladies and gentlemen, we pay taxes. You can't raise our taxes any more. You can distribute the money around. And I, for one, who have been paying taxes here for forty-two years, don't care how you distribute it, as long as we get this City cleaned up. The Manager has appointed and selected really good people, and for me to say that a City employee does a good job is unusual, right? But the caliber of the people... Mayor Suarez: Music to our ears, Annette. Ms. Eisenberg: What, darling? Mayor Suarez: It's music to our ears that you... Ms. Eisenberg: Oh, I'm glad, dear. Mayor Suarez: ... praise our City employees. Ms. Eisenberg: Don't raise their salaries. No, but the caliber... Mayor Suarez: No chance of that. Ms. Eisenberg: Nobody has raised my salary... Mayor Suarez: No chance. Ms. Eisenberg: ... in years, either. The caliber of the people that we will have in the areas to communicate with are the caliber of the people that we can relate to. People who know how important it is to restore these neighborhoods so they don't become bombed out areas, including Biscayne Boulevard. I am going to ask... And I didn't come with the police aspect as much as I came with the community involvement of the coordinator. I'm going to ask everybody to give it a chance. What can you lose by trying? We're paying overtime now. The things that we've done before in community organizations, while they were certainly well intended, doesn't work. Try. If it's no good, I'll be the first one to come here and tell you, we made a mistake, we've got to try something else. But don't defeat it, and don't worry about the overtime and the money, because they're going to have to find money for it anyway. How often do they find money for foolishness that we don't want them to spend it on? So let's ask them to spend the money on whatever it takes to get this program going. Period. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, ma'am. Orlando. 35 March 26, 1992 Mr. Orlando Urra: For the record, may name is Orlando Urra and my address is 1890 N.W. 22nd Place. Aliapattah, Miami. I want to express very clear tonight here and I want to speak in Spanish with the permission of the Mayor and Commissioners. Mr. Alex will traduce [sic] for me in English. YO LES DIJE QUE YO QUERIA HABLAR EN ESPANOL PORQUE ES EL IDIOMA QUE MAS DOMINO Y QUIERO SER BIEN CLARO HOY AQUI CON USTEDES. YO VEO AQUI MUCHAS PERSONAS QUE ESTAN EQUIVOCADAS EN LOS TERMINOS QUE SE ESTAN EXPRESANDO SIN SABER EXACTAMENTE QUE ES LO QUE SE VA A REALIZAR EN LA COMUNIDAD. HOY PRECISAMENTE ANTES DE LLEGAR PARA ACA, ME ENCONTRE CON UN DIRIGENTE COMUNITARIO HISPANO MUY CONFUNDIDO. ME DIJO EL A MI, "VAN A TOMAR LAS CALLES Y LOS BARRIOS PARA LA POLITICA EN LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI. TODO SE ESTA VOLVIENDO POLITICA EN LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI. CADA VES QUE SURJE UNA IDEA QUE SIRVE DENTRO DE LA CIUDAD, YA ENTRA DENTRO DE LA POLITICA. LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI EN ESTOS MOMENTOS TODD AQUEL QUE TIENE UN INDICE ECONOMICO UN POQUITO ELEVADO, SE VA DE LA CIUDAD. Y NOS ESTAMOS QUEDANDO EN UN NIVEL MUY BAJO DE LOS QUE NO VAN A PODER PAGAR IMPUESTOS." YO LES DIGO A ELLOS QUE HAN SUFRIDO MUCHO EN LAS CALLES, QUE HEMOS SUFRIDO MUCHO EN LAS CALLES EN LA FORMA QUE CASI NOSOTROS NO PODEMOS ENTENDERNOS CON LOS POLICIAS CUANDO HAY UN ASALTO, HAY UN ROBO Y NO VIENEN A TRABAJAR JUNTO A NOSOTROS. CUANDO TENEMOS EN NUESTRAS CALLES HUECOS, PERO NO TENEMOS A QUIEN LLAMAR PORQUE NO ARREGLAN LOS HUECOS. Y ASI... TRANSLATION: I told them I wanted to speak in Spanish because that's the language that I best speak. I want to be very clear with all of you here. I see here many people who are mistaken in the way that they are expressing themselves without knowing what is going to actually be implemented in the community. Today, before I got here, I met up with a Hispanic community activist who I felt was very mistaken in his impressions. He told me they're going to take the streets in the neighborhoods for political reasons in the City of Miami. Everything's turning political in the City of Miami. Every time an idea comes up in the City of Miami, politics gets injected into it. Every one who begins to climb up the economic ladder leaves the City of Miami and we're staying at a very... The ones that are going to stay are going to be at a very low economic level and they're not going to be able to pay taxes. I tell them that those people who have endured for many years the difficulties in the streets of Miami, who have had a tough time communicating with the police in explaining the problems that we're having and having them come to our help. When there are potholes in the streets and we have no one to call and to come and resolve that problem. Mayor Suarez: Don't point at me. Mr. Urra: No, don't worry. Don't worry. If you want, I'll explain it very well. Don't worry. Mayor Suarez: We have very few potholes in the streets and if we do, call me. I'll take care of that. You don't have to call the Neighborhood Resource Officer. You can call me on that. f Mr. Urra: NO TE VOY A METER EN NINGUN PROBLEMA. EL HUECO ES LO MISMO, EL HUECO. YO QUIERO DECIRLES A USTEDES ALGO. LAS MENTES CONFUNDIDAS SON MUY MALAS. NOSOTROS NECESITAMOS QUE ESTA CIUDAD BAJE A NUESTRAS COMUNIDADES Y QUE NOS APOYE, Y QUE TRABAJEN CONJUNTAMENTE CON NOSOTROS PARA RESOLVER LOS PROBLEMAS QUE TENEMOS DENTRO DE LA COMUNIDAD LOS QUE VIVIMOS EN LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI QUE SOMOS LOS QUE PAGAMOS LOS IMPUESTOS. NOS ES SUMAMENTE DIFICIL PARA NOSOTROS RESOLVER NINGUN PROBLEMA EN LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, PUESTO QUE SON MUCHOS 36 March 26, 1992 LOS PROBLEMAS Y SI NO SE HACE ESTO QUE SE DIVIDE EN ZONAS PEQUENAS DONDE NOSOTROS PODAMOS DECIRLE AL ADMINISTRADOR QUE ESTA ALLI... YO NO SE COMO SE LLAME, YO NO ESTOY EN ESO. YO FUI A PELEAR EN CONTRA DE LOS COMITES, ASI QUE ESO NO ME PREOCUPA A MI. LES VOY A DECIR ALGO. TRANSLATION: I think there are many people who are confused and what I tell them is, we need to have the City come to our level and come to service at the neighborhood level where we can be heard and we can have our impact. We have to warn everyone... Mayor Suarez: Ma'am, don't speak out of turn. Sir. Sir. Sir. That includes you. We'll be happy to remove you. Mr. Urra: YO QUIERO DECIRLES ALGO A USTEDES. Mayor Suarez: Let me just put in the record the exchange has to with the characterization of the program as a committee of "barrios," which is something very, very distasteful to people in the Cuban community because it's something that was initiated by Castro to exert surveillance and to co-opt and otherwise oppress the people of Cuba and Mr. Urra has responded that he fought against that and this has nothing to do with that. But, I will warn you that there's no oppression here, but there is order. And you may not speak out of turn, and if you insist on speaking out of turn, you will be removed. So... OK? Please. Mr. Urra: YO QUIERO DECIRLES A USTEDES SI HAY INTERRUPCIONES PARA TRATAR DE QUE YO ME... COARTARME Y TODAS ESAS COSAS, COMO EMPLEAN LAS GENTES. YO SE LOS PERDONO. YO SE LOS PERDONO PORQUE EN DEFINITIVA NO VALE NI LA PENA POR ESO. AHORA, SI LO QUE QUIERO ES DECIRLES ALGO, SI LA CIUDAD NO BAJA A LOS BARRIOS Y NO TRABAJA CONJUNTAMENTE CON LOS ESTAN EN LOS BARRIOS, Y NO TENEMOS UNA PERSONA A LA CUAL DECIRLES USTED ES CULPABLE PORQUE LO LLAMAMOS PARA QUE RECOGIERA LA BASURA Y USTED NO LO HA HECHO, NOSOTROS MAS NUNCA PODREMOS LEVANTAR ESTA CIUDAD, Y ESTA CIUDAD NECESITA PRECISAMENTE QUE LOS BARRIOS SEAN LOS ATENDIDOS Y QUE SE LES ATIENDA PORQUE DE ESO, DE ESTA GENTE, DE ESTA POBRE GENTE QUE ESTAN VIVIENDO JUNTO CON NOSOTROS EN LOS BARRIOS NUESTROS, QUE LOS COMERCIANTES ESTAN SUFRIENDO ENORMEMENTE - POR QUE NO DECIRLO? ENORMEMENTE, LAS PERDIDAS QUE TIENEN, DONDE HAY CALLES QUE NO SE PUEDEN TRANSITAR EN NUESTRA COMUNIDAD Y DONDE USTEDES EN LA NOCHE SE MANTIENEN ENCERRADOS PORQUE NO PUEDEN SALIR. Y RECONOZCANLO, Y ACEPTENLO, PORQUE ES UNA REALIDAD. Y ESO, HAY QUE TERMINAR CON ESTO EN ESTA CIUDAD. YO QUIERO FELICITAR AL JEFE DE LA POLICIA Y LA POLICIA PORQUE YO HABLE CON CESAR ODIO, EL ADMINISTRADOR, LE DIJE LOS PROBLEMAS QUE TENIAMOS EN NUESTRA COMUNIDAD DE ALLAPATTAH EN LA CALLE 28 Y LA 17 AVENIDA, Y GRACIAS A DIOS, SE HA LIMPIADO LA CALLE 28 Y LA 17 AVENIDA. PERO ESO ES CON PRESENCIA DE LA POLICIA, NI SIQUIERA CON UNA ACTUACION RIGIDA DE LA POLICIA, SING CON LA PRESENCIA DE ELLOS CON SUS CARROS ESTACIONADOS ALLI YA EVITA EL CRIMEN EN ESAS CALLES QUE ERAN CALLES TERRIBLES DE NOSOTROS. POR LO TANTO, YO ESTOY AQUI EN APOYO. EN APOYO DE QUE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI BAJE HACIA LOS BARRIOS Y ATIENDA A SUS BARRIOS, PORQUE LOS BARRIOS SON LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI. MUCHAS GRACIAS. TRANSLATION: He forgives the interruptions directed at trying to keep him from speaking. He restated how important he felt it was for the City to come to the level of the neighborhoods and indicated that people would like to have someone that they can point to as being responsible for their neighborhoods and then gave as an example, the presence already established at 28th Street and 17th Avenue, Northwest, where the police have only been present with their 37 March 26, 1992 AhL patrol cars and already have had a great impact on crime in that area and ended up by saying that he supports this program because it is ultimately the neighborhoods that make the City go and the ones to whom we must be answer. Mayor Suarez: Ann Marie. Ms. Ann Marie Adker: Ann Marie Adker, 407 N.W. 5th Street and that is in Overtown. The Neighborhood Enhancement Team I think is a very good project for the different neighborhoods. However, the reason I need the Commission's support is to keep it straight. You know I attended the first meeting that Mr. City Manager called and in that meeting I asked him to please... He said he was forming a committee to iron out the wrinkles in the NET. I asked him to be sure that his committee member from Overtown was a concerned resident. And guess who he called and appointed to the committee from Overtown? Somebody who lives in Allapattah, has made her monies off the prostitution of Overtown and I must swallow that. I have a little problem with that. ?{� Mayor Suarez: Let me just clarify for the record. I don't think you mean prostitution in the literal sense. You mean prostitution in the sense of planning and... l j Ms. Adker: Ripping us off. That's what. Well, use the word ripping. Ripping us off. That's what. ;E Mayor Suarez: ... changing Overtown in some capacity or another. But certainly not prostitution in the other sense. Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor. If I may just for a second. Just to... Mayor Suarez. I don't even know who the person is. I just want to make sure she's not talking about the other kind of prostitution. Ms. Adker: It happens to be Jackie Bell. Mr. Odio: The person that also signed in for Overtown was Irbie McKnight. Ms. Adker: Yeah, but she sat on the committee. Mr. Odio: 224 N.W. 12th Street... Ms. Adker: I don't care. She sat on the committee. She ain't part of... Mayor Suarez: All I was doing was clarifying what you meant by that. Anyone later can respond to... Ms. Jackie Bell: Don't even use that word to identify me, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: I would strongly advise... Ms. Bell: And nobody else. Nobody but nobody... Ms. Adker: He didn't use it, I did. I used it. However,... 38 March 26, 1992 ANA Mayor Suarez: Please. Yeah, I know, Jackie. That's precisely what I wanted to clarify. Ms. Bell: Nobody. And I deserve an apology in private here, or I am going to court because nobody but nobody identifies me in that respect. And I mean nobody. Mayor Suarez: The record is clarified. Ann Marie, I really wish you would be very careful with the use of that word. Ms. Adker: Well, I mean I stilt think she'll have to prove that she did something in Overtown for our money. Ms. Bell: (OFF MIKE - INAUDIBLE) Mayor Suarez: Jackie, we can't make her apologize, but let me say this. That word is used in more than one meaning and I know she didn't mean it in that sense, Jackie. I didn't even know who she was referring to. Ms. Bell: Mr. Mayor, nobody else speaks in here until somebody apologizes. Mayor Suarez: No, Jackie. Unfortunately, we can't force that. But you have certainly my apology, and that of this Commission and anyone else who may have thought that she meant something derogatory. Ms. Adker: Isn't it on public record what I said? Mayor Suarez: Please, please, ma'am! Ms. Adker: What I said. Mayor Suarez: You're not recognized. Ms. Adker: Why? Mayor Suarez: You've caused enough problems already. Now please remove yourself from the microphone. Move back for a second. Jackie, do you need to say anything else, or has it been clarified enough, ma'am? You don't need to get upset about this. We understood the term and I put it into the record. Ms. Adker: That's right. Mayor Suarez: Ms. Adker, please. OK? Ms. Bell: I worked for this community... Ms. Adker: She did not. Mayor Suarez: Please, ma'am! (INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mayor Suarez: Ma'am. You're going to have to be removed and this is something I would hate to have to do because you've spent many years here 39 March 26, 1992 contributing to this Commission. Sometimes I disagree with you, but in this particular case you're not recognized to speak now. Miss Bell. Please. Ms. Bell: My name is Jackie Bell. I'm the executive director of New Washington Heights, 1600 N.W. 3rd Avenue. I worked for this community all my F life and I feel very, very bad and I feel very embarrassed. My parents... r Mayor Suarez: Jackie, you don't have to prove... You don't have to convince i( us of any of that. We know that you're a classy lady and we know exactly what was meant by that. The record will reflect that and to the extent that it didn't, it will be stricken from the record. You don't need an apology. No one is going ever believe other than that you're a classy lady. All right? Ms. Bell: I support the Manager. I support the plan. The community supports the plan. The community says it is time that this Commission recognized the things that they want to see in our community and they hope that this will help and I apologize, but my mother and my father would die if they heard somebody say such horrible things. Mayor Suarez: OK. Thank you, Jackie. I don't think it was meant that way. OK. Mariano. Mr. Mariano Cruz: Mariano Cruz, 1227 N.W. 26th Street. Allapattah in the City of Miami. I live in the City of Miami since 1962. I've been in the neighborhood of Allapattah since 1965, first on 33rd Street, now on 26th Street. A little background about me. I work. I don't have a problem. I don't have anything. I don't work for the City, but I come here. I work for the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier. Also I am a board certified pest control operator, State of Florida. I do public relations and consulting... Mayor Suarez: You know your occupation has been stated into the Commission minutes more than any other occupation of anyone else, other than the City Manager's I think, maybe, over the years. Mr. Cruz: But see, everybody makes jokes about the postal service., I work there and we do a really good job compared to other postal services around the world. Commissioner Plummer: No commercials, please. Mr. Cruz: Right. OK. Well, as I say. You can see, I have the wherewithal, have enough money to live anywhere else. I have property out of the City of y Miami, property in North Miami. I can live anywhere, but I choose to live in +, the City of Miami because the only way we're going to solve the problems in the City is by living in the City of Miami, not by working in the City and i fleeing to Kendall, other places, Miramar. Just a place to work, because the people make the money here. But they live in Miramar, they live in other places. And I have family that work for the City of Miami, but they live in Miramar, they live in Hialeah and they live in Kendall. Which is wrong. I consider that wrong. It's morally wrong to do that. And I am a hundred percent, more than that, two hundred percent for the NET program, because, as I mentioned before, I used to go to the Community Development office when it was in my neighborhood. Now they moved to Dupont Plaza. I can't visit them 40 March 26, 1992 k every Friday. I used to go there and visit them every Friday and see they were there at five o'clock working. That was true. I make sure I got there at five to five and they were working there. Now they will be closer to our community and when we have a problem, we can see them, which now, going to the Dupont Plaza is very hard to do. Because the other day I went there, a few months ago, and I saw an old lady and she was asking me how to get to Flagler Street to take the bus. And I said, lady you walk straight to Third Avenue going north and if you don't get killed by a car, you will make it to Flagler Street. Because she was going there to apply for housing. Whereshe should be applying for... Maybe that would happen like a year ago. She should go to Little Havana to the Artime Center or some other place to apply for the housing there. Why should she go to the Dupont Plaza? The government should be close to the people. This is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Not a government of the bureaucrat, for the bureaucrat and of the bureaucrat. No. Mayor Suarez: I always wondered what the opposite of, "of the people, by the people and for the people" was and I guess now we've heard it. Of the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats and by the bureaucrats. Mr. Cruz: No, call it another way. Call it nomenclature, too. Mayor Suarez: Nomenclature. I never thought I'd hear that word either. All right. i j Mr. Cruz: Nomenclature, you know. Like they have in Russia. You know. The l system there. Mayor Suarez: The City Attorney understands and nobody else does. All right. Mr. Cruz: Right. Now, one thing we can do besides that. They complain about police money. They don't say how many people live in the City limits and how many people use the City of Miami every day, come to the City, business, school, all of that. Half a million people? So you're talking about six hundred thousand dollars a month. That comes to about one twenty per person. That's very cheap. You can have my one twenty just now, to pay for that. I tell you. Because that's... You can get a lot of things for very little in a way. When you consider that many businessmen... Mayor Suarez: Any money you want to give, you leave it right here, Mariano. Mr. Cruz: I don't need to be... I'm having too much fun this way. Vice Mayor Alonso: Maybe he can start a system collecting from the people that come and work in the City of Miami but don't pay the taxes of the City of Miami. Mayor Suarez: There you go. There you go. We'll charge them on the way... Vice Mayor Alonso: That might be the solution to the problem. i Mr. Cruz: Yeah. When you give a million dollars to Miami -Dade you're taking property away from the tax roll... 41 March 26, 1992 E ] a Mayor Suarez: Let's not get into that. We had that argument already. Mr. Cruz: You're taking property away from the tax rolls. Mayor Suarez: We had that argument already. Mr. Cruz: and we have to service them with police, rescue, garbage, everything and that's wrong. You know. That's wrong. Vice Mayor Alonso: I couldn't agree more. Mr. Cruz: We need that money in the neighborhood. Mayor Suarez: All right. Mr. Cruz: You took that money away from Allapattah and you gave it to Miami - Dade. Mayor Suarez: Are you getting to the end of the point here, Mariano? Mr. Cruz: Well, another thing. Going back to the money. How many of the businessmen have to pay now off -duty policemen? Some places like La Mere they got two off -duty policemen at one time. Maybe now with this, they won't have... You have less crime. You don't need off -duty... I don't know how much it cost. That's a direct... Because they pay taxes. And on top of that they have to pay for police protection because they don't get enough. So maybe that will help them not to get so much... Mayor Suarez: That's an interesting point because we think that off -duty police officers don't cost us anything, and actually they're an indirect cost of the product that is being sold. So, ultimately they get reflected in the price of... Mr. Cruz: That's a tax in a way, on top of another tax. Mayor Suarez: Yeah, that's... Mr. Cruz: That's wrong, because if you pay already on your taxes, you shouldn't get any additional cost on top of that. Now, one thing besides that. We're going out to the infrastructure that we need in our neighborhood. Like, specifically, I went this morning to our park there, and we need the service of the people in the park. Because you can have policemen and all that, but you don't have the infrastructure, the people working the park, the people doing the things. People, when they buy property in a place, or they buy a house, they look at schools, police protection, crime, parks and all that. They look at all that. And like in our park - And that's... I go to the City Manager and I tell him, you got people there that have been part- timers for nine years and now they still... And they're going to leave the City and go into work like a lady, Valerie Spenser. She told me, I got to leave in September and go do some work in the school because I can't make a living here. I cannot make a living. So you got to keep those people. Those are the people that make our parks. People that have been there, dedicated and stay there. Not for the money, because five dollars an hour is no salary when you've got policemen making twenty -some dollars overtime. So you have to 42 March 26, 1992 compensate too with the civilian employees of the City. That's one of balance. We need that. And just another thing. The other day, the people at the Pub Restaurant told me that they need, they want the Domino Park to have extended hours. Now, we're going to gain back... f Mayor Suarez: Is this the final point to your... Mariano, please. You've really extended yourself. Mr. Cruz: If we're going to get the City - the streets back - we should " extend the hours of the parks and all that. That way, you have less crime. You have more people there. You know, I say those things because it's the only chance I get. See, today I have to ask off to be here today. But I f' wasn't going to miss it. But if I have this soap box, I have to say whatever the people out there tell me. I am repeating it to you here. One person said that. Another person said you got to go there and mention that the domino park we want to have extended hours. Instead of opening early, maybe you can close it late now it's summertime. Some people work and they come at six. They are fifty-five. They come at six and the park is closed. How could you E. leave the park, close it on account of the criminal element. Open the park. Keep it open. Why should you be afraid of them? I'm not afraid of them. I a walk Allapattah every night. I go to the park, I go to La Mere, I go to every place walking. I'm not afraid of anybody. I was afraid, well, in Cuba. I won't sure be afraid now. They can't do anything to me. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Mr. Cruz: Remember... Mayor Suarez: Finally. Mr. Cruz: ... be one hundred percent for this program because people they're coming down from the "ivory towers" and they're going down into the neighborhoods where they belong. The government for the people, by the people, and of the people. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Very good, Mariano. ±` Mr. Pfleger: My name is Jim Pfleger and I'm here to represent the Miami Design Center, the Shorecrest Homeowners' Association and the Biscayne Boulevard Chamber of Commerce. I was going to read a letter from the Shorecrest Community. However, I left my glasses in my car so I can't see it. But if you'd like to have the letter... Mayor Suarez: Commissioner will do you the honors here. i Commissioner Dawkins: 1 "Shorecrest Homeowners's Association. P.O. Box 380204. Miami, `1 Florida. March 26, 1992. Mr. Cesar H. Odio, City Manager, City of Miami. Dear Mr. City Manager. The board of directors of the Shorecrest Homeowners' Association on behalf of the residents and homeowners in our area would like to go on record as supporting the City Manager's concept of NET (Neighborhood Enhancement Team). In the information age in which we are living and with the philosophy of hierarchy being replaced by high and more progressive 43 March 26, 1992 0 2 realization of the need to reach out to people on a more personal level, it is reassuring to see the City of Miami leading the way in the decentralization of City government. If government is to be in step with a more informed and enlightened public, government at all levels must change as are all other types of businesses. We ask that our voice be heard by having this letter read at the City Commission meeting on March 26, 1992. Again, Mr. City Manager, thank you for the fine work you and and your office are doing for the good of all of our citizens. Most sincerely, Board of Directors, Donald J. Hensen, President." Mayor Suarez: Very good. Mr. Pfleger: Thank you. On behalf of the Miami Design Center, I would like to talk to you for a few minutes. I'd like to tell you who I am a little bit and what's happening. I'm fifty-three years old. I'm a fifty-one year resident of the City of Miami. I've always lived, since I was two years old, here in the City of Miami. I've been a taxpayer all those years and I've also been a voter for all those years, and I intend to live several more years here in the City of Miami. I am also a property owner in the Miami Design District and I represent all the property owners in the Miami Design District. Several years ago when we purchased property in the Miami Design District, the Design District was doing a tremendous amount of business. Because of several problems, and primarily crime in the City of Miami, the Design Center started losing a great deal of the business to one is to DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas), the other one was to the Coral Gables Design Center and as a result of the loss of this business and the crime that had been increased in the City of Miami, our community has reached a rock -bottom low as far as business goes. To answer your question, where would the five hundred thousand dollars come from to pay the City of Miami Police Department's overtime? The five hundred thousand dollars per month would come from the taxes that should be being collected in property taxes from that Miami Design District alone, which is a three -square mile area of the City of Miami. Our taxes in the Design Center, every single occupant or every single property owner in that Design Center, goes to the tax people every year and asks for reductions because our business has gone to hell. It is gone. We took one building on N.E. 2nd Avenue and 40th Street, the taxes were reduced from three hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars a year to eighty-five. The one directly across the street from it, went from three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to about sixty thousand dollars. My own personal building, my taxes the last three years have been reduced by fifty percent. We can look at every building in that Miami Design Center, and the same thing has happened because we cannot rent our properties. We cannot do business in that Design Center because of the crime that has been committed over the years. This is the first time in the fifty-one years I've lived in the City .of Miami that I've ever been to a Commission meeting. It's the first time in fifty-one years that I have ever met any of the people that are involved with the City and I know almost every one of them that I've had meetings with as recently as this week. And I'll tell you, we are committed to have something done and the City of Miami to take our crime problems away from us and take them off the street and let's get back to business. We have no problem with paying taxes. But we have to have our businesses be doing what we need to be doing in order for us to pay those taxes. I've had fifty percent of my building unoccupied for four years. I have just recently gained fifty percent occupancy. And my rental rates are 44 March 26, 1992 a down from twelve and fifteen dollars ten years ago down to three dollars a square foot. I practically have to give it away to get someone to come in there. That's why we jumped on this program and we started yelling at the u City Manager, at Chief Ross. We had Janet Reno, Mr. Plummer came to our meeting. We said we need help. And not only in our community, we need help in the City of Miami. This crime is out of control in this City. And if you read the report, or read the article in the Miami Herald today, Dade County is the biggest in Florida and Florida is the largest in the country with crime. So we have not done our job over the past several years to deal with the crime in our community and I think it's about time that something is done. And if we have to spend a million dollars a year in extra pay for the City of Miami Police Department, by God I think we ought to find it somewhere and spend it. Because I think the number one problem with Miami is crime. And unless we do something about it, the City of Miami is going to continue like it has over the past fifteen or twenty years and people are going to continue to leave I; here. We're going to have no tax base left whatsoever. And I think that the Police Department is doing an excellent job. We definitely would like to go on record that Mr. Odio's program is something that we think is absolutely excellent and that we are willing to work with him in every way and that we hope that somewhere down the road, we can come back and say this was a tremendous success and that we'll take a look at a new program that'll be even more successful on down the road. And I thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. Mayor Suarez: All right. Thank you, Jim. All right, sir. Mary. Ms. Mary Taylor: Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, Mr. Manager. I would like to read a letter to you from T. Willard Fair, President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Urban League of Greater Miami. Mayor Suarez: Could you give your complete name, Mary, before you read the letter. Ms. Taylor: Oh, I'm sorry. Mary Taylor. 8500 N.W. 25th Avenue. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Ms. Taylor: "Dear Mayor Suarez. This letter is written to voice the Urban League of Greater Miami's strong support for the Neighborhood Enhancement Team concept. We are cognizant of the value and importance of such a concept for it mirrors efforts which the Urban League has sought to implement through its Liberty City Renaissance Program and Operation POP (Push Out The Pusher) over the past five years. I apologize for not being able to personally endorse the NET concept for I am in New York on Urban League business. But I do want to state that, based on our experience, this concept can and will work. This community can only evolve with the establishment of shared values and goals, multilevel involvement, communication so that all the community is fully informed and included and through the existence of partnerships between the City of Miami and the people. We look_ forward to working with the Neighborhood Enhancement Team as community problem solving approaches are developed that address the underlying dynamics which 45 March 26, 1992 impact the quality of life in our community. Sincerely, R. Launita Gaiter for T. Willard Fair, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Miami." Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Mary. All right, ma'am. Ms. Larrie Johnson: My name is Larrie Johnson. That's with an "i," not a "y." I live at 1983 N.W. 46th Street. I am here today concerning the... I am here for the neighborhood centers, but I do have a question in mind. I wanted to know, since they said that you had to be here for a certain number of years in order to be one of the people that you consider as someone over the center, well now I have here a question in mind about a certain lady that I know who has been here and who has been implementing a lot of programs. Her name is Mary Hi11, and I do know that she has been here for quite a number of years. She has implemented a day care center, such as EOPI, when I was coming along, and I'm trying to find out how she wasn't recognized as one of the persons in the community who were able to come out and do something else for the community, because she is still there. Now she has a program now that she has called "economic opportunity program." I don't know whether anybody knows anything about it or not, but it is here to try to help alleviate problems which we have in our community. Crime and so forth. And if they have this program here and with all these other programs that are involved here, I believe if you could just listen to her and hear what she has to offer, I do believe that all of these other programs could be eliminated through this one particular program which she has here, because I, myself, I'm sick of crime. I'm sick of people walking around. I cannot leave anything down in my yard. I've got a fence around it and I have a dog, and sti11 they come in and take what they want to and go on about their business. I believe she has something that you can take from there and help the community in certain ways to alleviate a lot of these problems that we do have in our community. Furthermore, I can state for myself that I am from the grass roots program. I am here because I finished school in 1940. I had not seen a college door because I had five children, and I had to go from one place to another to get work in order to help out with these children. After I met Mary Hill, I got a job. A job paying something. I didn't just want a job, I wanted a position. Now they stress education. You cannot have an education with an three seventy-five an hour job. You cannot go to school with that. She gave me the courage and the opportunity to get in one of these Federal programs and I went to college at Miami -Dade and got an education there, and I did go to the University of Miami and got certain courses there which helped me to alleviate having to go to the Welfare Department, get food stamps and either get out and beg or whatever. And I think she is one of the persons that we can give credit in the community for a tot of these things that have gone on. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, ma'am. Thelbert. Mr. Thelbert Johnakin: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission. My name is Thelbert Johnakin. I'm the chairperson of the Model City Crime Prevention. My address is 1345 N.W. 51 Street. Before coming here today, I must say that I was deeply concerned in reference to funds, but I think that our Vice Mayor and the City Manager have basically cleared that up. I want to say to the City Manager that I am for one since 1979 that have been working very close with - a lot of people don't know where Model City is, but Liberty City, right 46 March 26, 1992 in the heart of it. I do know that the NET program does work. I do know that the POP team is working along with NET. I have seen it firsthand. It's hard to believe the area that we had out there, roughly 68th Street, 15th Avenue, 60th Street, 13th Avenue, 15th Avenue, all up in that area, the problems that we have out there and was having out there and to see... You go out there now and you '11 see the area now, and you '11 see it clear. First you have the POP team that goes in and they sweep the area clean. And then you have the NET team that comes by later and then they patrol that area, continue to patrol, keeping the street clean and everyday you can see unfortunate so many of our little young boys and girls that are coming in to the jail, which I hate to see young people coming in like that. But what can we do about it. But I do want to say, Mr. Manager, that Model City does support your program. I do want to say, Mr. Manager, that in the past we have worked very faithful with the Police Department, with City Hall and other local government. I would like to say again, Mr. Manager, with our community relations, I do have a deep concern about our community relations, our crime prevention program. As you might know, when I started back in 1979, I think we had roughly nine subcouncils, nine CISs, Community Involvement Specialists, we had also nine police officers working with that group. Now, I must say it now, Mr. Manager, that we have no police officers that are working with that group. We do have, I think, about three or four community relations people. Another thing I would like to say here, Mr. Manager, that we also have that POP team out there that we are so concerned about which we are going to have to make this program work ourselves. But that is community. With any programs that you put together, it will not work. We will have to make it work ourselves. I will tell you what a group of people that we have done to make their program work. We have sold dinners, we have washed cars, we have gone on bus tours, I mean boat cruises. We have done all this to keep the program going. And this is a City of Miami Police Department program. In order for it to work alone, and we work together, we figured that we know that we had to do something ourself. But, Mr. Manager, there are some things that I will be continuing to ask for. I have asked for two unmarked cars, or one unmarked car for the POP team, which we do not have. I will continue to ask for that. And, again, - I'm not going to prolong this any longer - you have our support, Mr. Manager. Thank you, Mr. Manager. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Mr. Johnakin. Mr. Young. Mr. Rubin Young: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and Commissioners. My name is Rubin Young and I'm a candidate for Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts. My address is 155 N.W. 167th Street, Suite 302, North Miami Beach, Florida, zip code 33169. I'm here to bring an oversight. On behalf of Mrs. Mary Hill, Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Economic Opportunity Act, and of members of 1962 through 1978, the effective community action and new day care human services program. She has been trying to implement a Federal program that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972 which was constituted in 1967 which advised the office of economic opportunities of 1964. Now this anti -poverty program is listed under the 1974 Privacy Act which means before any other program is designed or created, the services in which this program founded by Mrs. Hill should not be duplicated by anyone because her copyrights are exclusive. Since my coming aboard to resolve this matter and working along with our state as cooperatively as I can, it appeared to me that out of all the letters that I have sent to Dade County and the City of Miami, who in fact have not yet responded to me, 47 March 26, 1992 beginning on February 15, 1992, suggests it's going to continue doing business as usual. Public law 92-424 and public law 95-568 of the Economic Opportunity Act and amendments of 1962 through 1978 place all community actions, community development corporations, contracts and any program designed to assist the poor onto a regional office director to administer funds to set up to eliminate poverty on a national level using title XX funding on better words CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) grants now being used by our state. I urge the City of Miami to not stand in the way of this Federal program so that the billions of dollars, and these are billions of dollars, not tax dollars. These are dollars that have been appropriated by our Congress, dollars that have been set aside to alleviate poverty because the war on poverty is still in existence. It's now what it called anti -poverty. I came to this - and I just want to let you all know that Mrs. Hill's program can once again funnel down the millions and billions of dollars to cover comprehensive health, cover comprehensive education, assist our young and our old, prenatal to death, regards to race, creed or color. I think they are setting up these eleven new department heads after being fully aware of these laws doesn't make any sense because dollars have been appropriated. To introduce to you all, I have a copy of that public law and I also want to just quote to you some of what the law and its language entails. It says under the public law 95-568, which was enacted November 2, 1978, it says that the regional office director may utilize regional community service administration, better known in Dade County as General Services Administration, offices for the purpose of (1) carrying out the national responsibility and directive delegated to them. (2) Processing and finalizing grants and contracts authorized under this act, monitor all and evaluating programs funded under this act within the designated region. Monitoring and evaluating on an annual basis all relative regulations and guidelines applicable to programs funded under this act within the designated region and (5) provide technical assistance to the local community action agencies and other programs funded under this act. The director shall monitor and evaluate at least annually the activities of regional office as described in this section. And what this entails, when Congress enacted this law and put the monies aside to appropriate it, this law is still in existence. I had an opportunity to call Atlanta. I called Washington, D.C. The Secretary of State just responded to me. He recognizes as a viable program. The Treasury Department for the State of Florida, Tom Gallagher, he recognizes it as a viable program. The United States Attorney General's office recognizes it as a viable program... Mayor Suarez: We believe the law was passed in 1968. We believe that. Mr. Young: OK. Mayor Suarez: What does that have to do with the Neighborhood Enhancement Teams? Mr. Young: No. Due to the fact that... Mayor Suarez: Would you just wrap up on that, and by the way, you ought to meet on that with our Community Development people. They'll tell you how some of the CDBG funds have been used over the years... Mr. Young: Mr. Mayor. 48 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: ... wisely or unwisely, and you might want to address that at the hearing on that issue, which is not today. Mr. Young: Well, Mr. Mayor, the reason that I brought that up at this point, because of the fact what we're intending to do in Dade County, the regional office in which Mrs. Hill's program already enacted, provides for such services to eliminate poverty, to assist the poor, to address those economic problems within our community, throughout the entire Dade County and at the same time... Mayor Suarez: But you really ought to meet with the CD, Community Development... Mr. Young: The reason I brought that up... Mayor Suarez: You may agree with the way they're spending those very monies you're referring to. Mr. Young: Mr. Mayor, the reason I brought it up, because I had an - opportunity to go to Dade County myself and I was talking about title XX fundings, but the person over that department said that these title XX fundings are now called CDBG grants. Mayor Suarez: Right. Mr. Young: That's why I brought in that simple language so we would have an understanding. Mayor Suarez: Exactly, and my assistant, Debbie Ambey, can give you - 1n the back of the room there - can give you some of the information that you might need on how we spent our roughly thirteen million dollars this year. Mr. Young: I understand that, Mr. Mayor. I just wanted to bring these all, as far as relative facts, put my investigation and my research because I like to always have a cooperative kind of a system with the local government and community. -' Mayor Suarez: Very good. Mr. Young: OK. Thank you very much. Mayor Suarez: And good luck in the election. Mr. Young: OK. Mayor Suarez: Mr. McBride. Mr. Duke McBride: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission. My name, for the record, is Duke McBride. I reside at 200 S.W. 25th Road. I think one of the most significant items that you can observe of what happened here today, Mr. Mayor, is that every single one of today's speakers, with the exception of one, you were on a personal first -name basis with. That tells you that the hard-core members of this community and the representatives of this community feel very strongly about this. I, personally,... 49 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: Certainly have seen a lot of familiar faces today, I'll tell you that. Mr. McBride: ... do not agree with the fact that... Mayor Suarez: The opponents, too, are pretty familiar, some of them. But go ahead. Mr. McBride: ... Yes, yes. Some of them are and it's not too often I get an opportunity to concur and endorse the Administration of the City of Miami. I think the last time I did that was in 1982, but, you know, in this particular... Mayor Suarez: You go real well until you call it "Miama." Then that really messes it up. But go ahead. Mr. McBride: In this particular instance, for those who would detract from this program, saying it's a band -aid, give us the band -aid. We're asking for a band -aid. Give it an opportunity to work. Implement this program and implement it in a fashion that we, the members of this community, dictated to the Administration we wanted it implemented. Three weeks ago, for the third time in six years, I had one of my vehicles stolen from in front of my house overnight and it's a tremendous ordeal. And the very following evening, I had cause to go up to 24th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, one of the social programs I support was having a problem in the middle of the night, and at two in the morning I was standing out there on the corner waiting for the gas company to show up, and I saw not less than one dozen, one dozen, different patrol units go by that location. In my home on S.W. 25th Road, which is the only corridor that connects Miami Avenue, Brickell Avenue to Coral Way, I could sit there from twelve midnight till six in the morning, in the middle of the street, and not see a patrol unit. One year ago, the Administration of the Fire Department, Chief Perez's predecessor, announced that he needed another rescue ALS (Advanced Life Support) unit in the north end of the City. And his methodology behind creating that was going to be eliminate the ALS unit at Station 4 which services my area, and move it up there leaving us without an advanced life support. We live in a neighborhood that the Fire Marshal and the Vice President of the Fire Department Union live in and we had to fight to the top levels of this City to keep that from happening. Mayor Suarez: What are the names of the two people that you just referred to? I'd like to know of firefighters that live in the City of Miami. That's like music to our ears. Mr. McBride: Oh, we have former Chief Lutes, who is a longtime resident of the Roads neighborhood; Virgil, who is, of course, their Vice President. Mayor Suarez: Virgil. Mr. McBride: Yes. And of course I'd like to also plug my father, who was a thirty-year veteran of the City of Miami Fire Department. Mayor Suarez: There you go. OK. Thank you. 50 March 26, 1992 El Mr. McBride: What I'd like to say... Mayor Suarez: That concludes your remarks, right? Mr. McBride: No, sir. Mayor Suarez: No. Almost. Mr. McBride: What I would like to say is that it is imperative, and this City is on the verge, be it by referendum or however it needs to be done, of revolt by our people. And the problem is that we don't feel that we have input or access to the Administration of this City. And I think this particular program is most beneficial in that it decompresses the decentralization of power and what 1s perceived by my community as the "ivory tower." I think some of our departments need to be decentralized, as this program does, and I think these are very viable personnel that are being filtered to the community and even if it doesn't work, we need to create a perception that this City listens to us. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Duke. Vice Mayor Alonso: Excuse me, Duke. Mr. McBride: Yes, ma'am. Vice Mayor Alonso: If I may. Let me ask you some questions. And I'd like to, if you could clarify for the record, you stated that, and I'd like to see what is your impression. When you call the Administration, you mean the bureaucrats or are you referring also to this Commission? Because I do believe that we have listened very carefully every time you have come to us, and I would say that every member of this Commission has been very receptive to you, and to whatever demand you have come in front of us. Being in public at the session and otherwise, at a minute's time, we have responded to the needs of your community as well as yourself. Mr. McBride: I was... Vice Mayor Alonso: So I really think we deserve... Mr. McBride: Madam Vice Mayor, I was... Vice Mayor Alonso: ... a public clarification of what you meant by that. Mr. McBride: Madam Vice Mayor, I was very literal in my use of the term "Administration." Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Mr. McBride: I definitely separate the Commission, the elected body of this City, to be separate from the Administration and I very literally used that term. Vice Mayor Alonso: Thank you. 51 March 26, 1992 ,-&L 11 0 IR Mr. McBride: And, you know, this particular Commission in essence is us. That's why you're here. We put you there. We support you there and you represent us and our best interest to the Administration. And I definitely quite literally used that term and I don't want to offend any member. Mayor Suarez: OK. Commissioner Dawkins: Can I ask you a... Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: Can I ask you a question? What did you mean when you said that this Administration was not receptive to you and you were ready to lead a revolt. A revolt against who and why? Because as was stated, I can't recall one issue that you have ever come before this Commission with and this Commission was not sympathetic to that issue and your community. So now what is there to revolt about? Mr. McBride: Well, Commissioner Dawkins, when I brought up the ALS unit that the Fire Department wanted to remove from ours, that ended up a full public hearing before this Commission, and when our community in general goes to the Administration and says, no, we do not agree with the removal of an advanced life support unit in our district, and they say we're going to do it, physically we have to do it, and if you have a problem with that, take it up with the Commission. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Manager, please, did not this Commission sit with you when that unit was to be taken out of service and suggest to you that it not be taken out of service and your professionals told you that it needed to come out, but these Commissioners sitting here told you not take it out, sir? Mr. Odio: Yes, that's correct. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. You see, false innuendos are being given to people that are not true. Mr. McBride: No, Commissioner, I didn't say... I specifically clarified that my problem is not with this body. Commissioner Dawkins: Yeah, but only after we questioned you. Mr. McBride: My problem was is that our community feels like it is an impediment to have to come to a full Commission hearing to have our views carried forward. We feel that a decentralization of the Administration of this City into the neighborhoods will benefit us to a higher degree. Commissioner Dawkins: Let me ask you one question and I'll be finished. Mr. McBride: Certainly. Commissioner Dawkins: You feel that decentralization will take you to a higher degree, but when that decentralization does not work, where will you come? Back to who? 52 March 26, 1992 Mr. McBride: This Commission. Commissioner Dawkins: Thank you. Ms. Mary Hill: Hello, to the Commissioners and the audience here today. I am Mary Hill. I live at 1426 N.W. 67th Street. And I would like for this Commission today to take note, not only here today, ignore what has been said in my behalf and what I'm fixing to tell you today. And I would like for this to be recorded. Mayor Suarez: It's being recorded. You've got that. Ms. Hill: OK. Being recorded. Thank you. Now, first of all I would like to say to you, Mr. Mayor, Xavier Suarez, I would like to say to you. The gentleman, Mr. Rubin Young, that spoke before you, I believe that you gave him a band -aid to the problems and the laws that he has repeated to you in behalf of not only me, but to the people of this area. What I mean by this, is that you told him to see someone at the Community Development level which is local. That means you are putting local over Federal, which we are Federal and we are responsible for what he just read to you and I want that to be corrected. I want you to take note and try to do something about this situation. Now, let me bring you up to date about the neighborhood concept. The neighborhood concept was founded in my home. 2018 N.W. 1st Avenue. In order to expand these services that was founded and started in my home, I asked Mayor Robert King High to help me to expand my services to this area for us to take care of our own welfare. What you have heard today, too, we do for ourselves. In these neighborhood centers that were spread and was recognized and was put out here was at 817 N.W. 2nd Avenue. That was to expand and bring broader services in these areas, neighborhood concept. That 1s one of the concepts. 817 and from 817 N.W. 2nd Avenue, it was a reality. Then you placed in there Culmer Center. Culmer Center, which was a permanent office for neighborhoods. That's the first permanent neighborhood center. Now it has been abolished. It's closed down. Weeds are growing around it and you moved that - someone, not you, I just use the word you, OK? - You people moved it and its function of helping the poor regards to race, creed or color we're doing for ourselves. Our own self concept to 1600 N.W. 3rd Avenue. This is totally absurd but it's to happen. You have your Police Department sitting there already. You have had orders of decentralization to bring this body in which we are supposed to set up a regional office and we contract with these local agencies. We are local government, by law. Public law 95-68, 92-424, which I founded. These laws also will take care of crime. We have projects, titles to implement out of this regional office which you people are aware of. You people are aware. Mayor Suarez, Mr. Dawkins, and if I must call a name, Mr. Plummer and also Mr. i Odio. Mr. Odio went upstairs, got some documents to call us in and... Is he here? I don't want to talk behind his back. Mayor Suarez: Can you remember that the... Mary, what we're dealing with is the Neighborhood Enhancement Teams and if you have anything related to that. We know about the public laws you refer to and so on. In fact, Mr. Young made a pretty complete presentation on that, but please wrap it up and tell us what you think... Ms. Hill: OK. I'm fixing to wrap it up right now. 53 March 26, 1992 Mr. McBride: This Commission. Commissioner Dawkins: Thank you. Ms. Mary Hill: Hello, to the Commissioners and the audience here today. I am Mary Hill. I live at 1426 N.W. 67th Street. And I would like for this Commission today to take note, not only here today, ignore what has been said in my behalf and what I'm fixing to tell you today. And I would like for this to be recorded. Mayor Suarez: It's being recorded. You've got that. Ms. Hill: OK. Being recorded. Thank you. Now, first of all I would like to say to you, Mr. Mayor, Xavier Suarez, I would like to say to you. The gentleman, Mr. Rubin Young, that spoke before you, I believe that you gave him a band -aid to the problems and the laws that he has repeated to you in behalf of not only me, but to the people of this area. What I mean by this, is that you told him to see someone at the Community Development level which is local. That means you are putting local over Federal, which we are Federal and we are responsible for what he just read to you and I want that to be corrected. I want you to take note and try to do something about this situation. Now, let me bring you up to date about the neighborhood concept. The neighborhood concept was founded in my home. 2018 N.W. 1st Avenue. In order to expand these services that was founded and started in my home, I asked Mayor Robert King High to help me to expand my services to this area for us to take care of our own welfare. What you have heard today, too, we do for ourselves. In these neighborhood centers that were spread and was recognized and was put out here was at 817 N.W. 2nd Avenue. That was to expand and bring broader services in these areas, neighborhood concept. That is one of the concepts. 817 and from 817 N.W. 2nd Avenue, it was a reality. Then you placed in there Culmer Center. Culmer Center, which was a permanent office for neighborhoods. That's the first permanent neighborhood center. Now it has been abolished. It's closed down. Weeds are growing around it and you moved that - someone, not you, I just use the word you, OK? - You people moved it and its function of helping the poor regards to race, creed or color we're doing for ourselves. Our own self concept to 1600 N.W. 3rd Avenue. This is totally absurd but it's to happen. You have your Police Department sitting there already. You have had orders of decentralization to bring this body in which we are supposed to set up a regional office and we contract with these local agencies. We are local government, by law. Public law 95-68, 92-424, which I founded. These laws also will take care of crime. We have projects, titles to implement out of this regional office which you people are aware of. You people are aware. Mayor Suarez, Mr. Dawkins, and if I must call a name, Mr. Plummer and also Mr. Odio. Mr. Odio went upstairs, got some documents to call us in and... Is he here? I don't want to talk behind his back. Mayor Suarez: Can you remember that the... Mary, what we're dealing with is the Neighborhood Enhancement Teams and if you have anything related to that. We know about the public laws you refer to and so on. In fact, Mr. Young made a pretty complete presentation on that, but please wrap it up and tell us what you think... Ms. Hill: OK. I'm fixing to wrap it up right now. 53 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Ms. Hill: In a few seconds. But allow me to let this public know... Mayor Suarez: Yes, and we can... Ms. Hill: ... that we do have programs... Mayor Suarez: ..e put into the record your entire letter, but just... Ms. Hill: OK. OK. I will wrap it up. I want you Commissioners of today to take note because we do have four point seventy-five billion dollars ready to come 1n this City to implement our program. Title XX was founded by us. We don't want to burden these taxpayers any more than we can help. We have taxed them already for unnecessary things, such as crime. Alleviate poverty means crime. This is under our umbrella. We are to work with you people. We are to contract, by law, not you contract and bring whoever you want to raise the people's property taxes. We want you today, and I'm speaking from these United States law books right here... Mayor Suarez: All right, ma'am. Ms. Hill: ... and I want you all today to take note. We are here, we have been trying to come in, our money is there and our regional office is not in place because of such things as this. Please see that this regional office and support this regional office so that we can get on with our business. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you much, Mary. Mr. Fred St. Amand: Good afternoon... Mayor Suarez: Seems like we've seen you before at this Commission. Mr. St. Amand: Yes, I believe so... Mayor Suarez: In crime subcouncll. Mr. St. Amand: And then also I will say that you have been very receptive to us. So, distinguished Commissioners, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, I'm here for one simple reason. Mayor Suarez: Name and address, please, so we have that. Mr. St. Amand: I am here this afternoon for one simple reason. The NET programs work. Mayor Suarez: But put your name and address on the record so we have it. Mr. St. Amand: Fred St. Amand, 40 N.E. 54th Street. I am here as a businessman and I can tell you that we have about tried everything. That didn't work. But I think the people of this City is so optimistic about the NET program, that I think it's worth for anybody how important you may be to come here and address the Commission. I think we are at the end of our rope 54 March 26, 1992 ipp 0 because so far, the criminals have been winning. I think that this is an opportunity now to really do what we have been trying to accomplish for years. As a businessman, if I can tell you the amount of money I pay the City every year in taxes, it is frightening. Mayor Suarez: You must be doing pretty well judging from the suit and everything you're wearing and... Mr. St. Amand: Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, but the problem is he's got a Republican button on. Mr. St. Amand: Oh, yes. Yes. I am a black Republican and I am proud of it. Commissioner Dawkins: That's why he made money. Mr. St. Amand: Mr. Mayor. Commissioner Plummer: That' why the economy is so bad. Mr. St. Amand: I believe you do know my conditions better than anybody else. I want to applaud the Vice Mayor for asking some important questions. I am a supporter of the NET program, but as a businessman, I can tell you whenever you're going to change things, add things, you have to ask where the money is coming from and then I believe I'm satisfied to answer from the City Manager that it's going to be within the budget. I have always been an independent man. When I have to be supportive of a program, I am here. When I have to be a critic, I will do it, too. I believe this is a program that your Administration should support. I think it's going to work. We have had some meetings. I can tell you the people are very supportive and they are anxious. Please give it a good consideration because now the whole thing is on the back of the Police Department. The Miami Police Department has been working, I mean for the Fire Department, for the Zoning Department, for everything else. ` We are losing the war now. You know the situation where I am. 40 N.E. 54th Street is about right next to 54th Street and North Miami Avenue. We have illegal vendors. We have crooks. We have criminals. Everything. It looks i like, you know, the Police Department just did everything they could. But now with the NET program, it's not the Police Department against the criminals. It's everybody who has been sitting inside the office in the coot air conditioner doing nothing that's going to be out there in the community working. And that's exactly... And I, as a little activist, we are going to monitor everything that has been said and everything that will be done and we will report back to you. But, please if you fail to adopt that NET program, we are dead. That is the future. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Mr. St. Amand. Mr. St. Amand: Thank you very much. Mayor Suarez: We're pleased to see you looking a lot better than the last time we had you here at City Hall, sir. 55 March 26, 1992 Mrs. Jennifer Ashley Clark: Hi. Jennifer Ashley Clark. Bayside Crime Committee. I came down here to tell you that the Crime Committee supports the NET program. We do have some questions. Vice Mayor Alonso was alluding to the budget and the police manpower that was being utilized in phase one. In looking at the police budget, you can get like a whole tactical unit for a year and half to two years for the money that they're expending on phase one. That's the only question that we have regarding that. I think that someone should take a took at the budget again so that you're getting the services from the Police Department for the money that's been expended. That's the only question. Aside from that, we totally support NET. It's a good idea. You know, it's on the cutting edge of government. That's all. Mayor Suarez: I think the cost effectiveness of the shock treatment part of this is something that should be explored and I think you've hit that and... Mrs. Clark: I... Well, no... Mayor Suarez: ... and I'm not sure that I buy all of the calculations that talk about overtime, payment of existing police officers as much as they'd like that, being the way to increase police presence. I am sure that there would be all kinds of people that would argue that's not the way to do it, including maybe even some unions, but we'll have to get into that at some point. I'm not sure that it's such an integral part of the NET concept, per se. Mrs. Clark: But it is vital to have it work. Without the police... Mayor Suarez: Absolutely. Mrs. Clark: ... it's not going to work. But, on the second... You know, if you look at it again, just if you look at your line item budgets all right. For instance, community relations you spend three million dollars a year on. And they have more men than let's say the tactical units of the street narcotics. You spend for, I think sixty people, two and a half million dollars a year and you have a tactical unit that basically works as a... I call them fire stoppers, because they go all over the City and deal with problems everywhere in the City, OK. Now you have NET. You're paying them overtime, you're doing all this. You could have another tactical unit for phase one as NET, not street narcotics but other men within the Police Department, pay them regular salary, not overtime, and get more mileage out of the amount of money that you have. That's the only question that I'm throwing out at you, Mr. Odio. Aside from that, I totally support it. Mayor Suarez: All right. Thank you, ma'am. Mrs. Clark: Thank you. Mr. Rodolfo Villanueva: My name is Rodolfo Villanueva. I live at 4750 N.W. 7th Street. And I'm in total support of this NET program, but I do not support the implementation, how they're going to implement this program. First of all, I heard everybody and I think everybody here in the Chamber agreed that this is a nice program. But there's a lot of questions that have not been answered. I've been here in the meeting since one o'clock. And one of the questions Vice Mayor Alonso requested from the City Manager is the cost 56 March 26, 1992 ell � of this program. First they said zero. And then the last thing I heard the Chief of Police said there's going to be about five hundred thousand dollars in overtime. Another thing that I don't agree with is the persons that they are going to take to be in the neighborhood. They also said zero was going to be the cost of this. And I don't know. I can't understand how you're going to have one of the head of departments go to the different neighborhoods, which I think there are eleven neighborhoods, with the secretary, with their equipment and it's going to be zero cost to the city. You know, I'm getting tired. I come over every year here to the budget. We say we don't have any money and they raise taxes, they raise this. You know, I ... the chief explained how they come about with this money. You know about they postpone for five months the hiring of some policemen and everything, but what is going to happen next year? They're going to have to raise the taxes, and I agree the crime you know, and probably everybody here in the Chamber agree the crime, you know, is the first priority, but you also have to know the situation that the citizens of Miami are confronting. They are at work you know, and they cannot stand any more, you know, more taxes. The plan is beautiful, like I said, I have heard for two hours, or two and a half hours, and nobody has complained about it, the NET (Neighborhood Enhancement Team) program, but it is going to be the implementation. Another thing, I think that we don't need those people in the neighborhood. I think that we elected Commissioners you know to be in the neighborhood to work for the different neighborhoods. We don't need nobody from the departments to go over there. You know when I have a problem I come to one of you Commissioners. You know, I say I have this problem, that's why you got elected. If they going to do it this way, I think that we should, you know, we should not have any Commissioner or any Mayor. So that's all I want to say. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Rodolfo. Vice Mayor Alonso: Thank you. Mr. Elio Rojas: My name is Elio Rojas, I'm executive director of Latin Quarter Association. The program NET for me, was a surprise, the neighborhood, the Little Havana area which has been in receipt of thirteen calls last week related with the program NET. Pablo Canton, he approached me about a week and a half and told me that he will be working the area. He doesn't have offices already official but he planning to have it on the 22nd on Flagler Street which is where the police station is. I've been approached, he approached me and then he, I pass him all the complaints I have, was about thirteen already, and I believe I have five confirmed was taken care of by him complaints about violations and they're different address, 12th Avenue, Calle Ocho, Flagler Street and 13th Avenue, 5th Street Southwest. I think that this program is working, this program, we should maintain this program. If we the neighbors, we come, every time we have a problem we have to come to see the Commissioners and give the complaints, this Chamber would be full every week. We should maintain this program in our neighborhood. This is the best idea of the City Manager. My congratulations. My respect to you, Mr. Odio, and I think this is something that we should have before. We should maintain it as well as the police department plan which I don't know when we can maintain this program, because I can talk about my neighborhood and Little Havana and Calle Ocho is clean, not much drugs. You can see, not much vandalism. Everybody is happy in the street. The stores still open now until 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 o'clock they used to close at five before. I mean, I'm thinking we support this program. I am very pleased to have this program NET. Thank you. 57 March 26, 1992 -S 1 Ask i 1$ I i I t =�a Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Elio. i - Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. Manager, is the program in effect now? _ 'I - Mr. Cesar Odio: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: NET. The police part. It is. The other part, is it 1n effect? Mr. Odio: I have... the administrators have been assigned. I have... Vice Mayor Alonso: Let me ask you this. Is it working now? NET? The mini satellites, is 1t in effect now? i Mr. Odio: The service centers themselves have not been opened physically. The administrators are out there in the community now. Vice Mayor Alonso: So Mr. Pablo Canton, for example, he is already working in Little Havana? Mr. Odio: Yes. —� Vice Mayor Alonso: I thought he was on vacation for about two weeks. Mr. Odio: No, I saw Pablo here today. He's been working... Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, he came back two days ago. Has he been working in that post as Administrator of the mini satellite in Little Havana? Mr. Odio: He has been working in the service centers in Little Havana, yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: He has? Where? In what location? Mr. Odio: He doesn't have a physical location but he is working from his car, he's moving around, meeting every group and getting input from the community which was part of. The NET program is in partnership with the community to hear what their needs are so that when we open the service center, we would know what to address. Vice Mayor Alonso: So Mr. Pablo Canton has been in this new position, since when? Mr. Odio: Ah, I believe, I sent a memo out, I don't remember the date that I _ appointed him, but it has to be about two weeks ago. Vice Mayor Alonso: What about Arleen Weintraub? i a Mr. Odio: Arleen Weintraub? They all were appointed about the same day. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Has she been doing her new job? ' Mr. Odio: She's been doing part of her new job and part of the old job. Yes. i _ 58 March 26, 1992 'i i i i: i Vice Mayor Alonso: So she's been doing the two. She can handle both? Mr. Odio: Let me say this, Commissioner. She is phasing out, but she's going to keep, at the same time as she moves into Flagler Street somewhere, into her service center, she will keep part of her duties that she had before. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. But Pablo Canton has been working in his new position. Mr. Odio: Pablo Canton has been phasing out... Commissioner Dawkins: I hate to do this to everybody. Now, you said she's going to keep part of her duties and release part of her duties. Is that a correct statement, sir? Mr. Odio: Yes, Commissioner. Commissioner Dawkins: All right. Duties and responsibilities of Arleen Weintraub. I want you to tell me which ones she is keeping and which ones she is releasing. She prepares unified development projects requests for proposals for major joint private, public development projects. Will she keep that or release it? Mr. Odio: No, she will not keep that. Commissioner Dawkins: All right. Implement and administer all aspects of the unified development project process for major development projects as outlined in the city charter and Code Section 53C. Will she keep that? Mr. Odio: Major developments have traditionally been downtown, the reason I appointed Arleen Weintraub is that she would remain at least ninety percent of time doing that. Yes, the answer is yes. Commissioner Dawkins: She will keep all of that. Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: Prepare requests for proposal for selection of certified public accountant firms for analysis of proposals received for unified development projects, administer selection process of proposals received in response to solicitations. Will she keep that? Mr.Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Prepare all unified development projects to legislation for City Commission agendas. Will she keep that? Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: Prepare capital appropriation ordinance for current and proposed development projects. Mr. Odio: She will not. 59 March 26, 1992 j 3 Commissioner Dawkins: Negotiate professional services agreement related to unified development projects, monitor all negotiated and executed contracts. Mr. Odio: She will keep that. Commissioner Dawkins: Assist Director in developing or negotiations for major unified development projects. q Mr. Odio: Yes, she will keep that definitely. Commissioner Dawkins: Provide development implementation and project management to the designated unified development projects j specifically Watson Island Development, Fire Station No. 4, Bayfront Park Amphitheater and Miamarina redevelopment. J� Mr. Odio: It-'s funny. Part of her conditions for accepting to move to downtown was that she would keep that. Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: She will keep that. Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: She will assist in the initiation and implementation of the new unified development projects. Mr. Odio: I don't know the answer to that one. If it's in downtown. Yes. If it's not in downtown, no. She's going to... Commissioner Dawkins: If it is in downtown, yes... Mr. Odio: Major developments in downtown. Commissioner Dawkins: If it is in Little Havana, who will do it? Mr. Odio: Then it would be the Department of Development that would do that. Commissioner Dawkins: Department of Development. Mr. Odio: Right. Commissioner Dawkins: I'll get to... I'll remember that. I'm coming back to that. OK? Assist, direct in preparation and implementation of special projects and assignment as directed by the City Administration Commission or departments. Mr. Odio: No, she will not keep that. Commissioner Dawkins: Propose provide the Director with the direct staff review evaluation and coordination of all ongoing departmental projects. Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: Represent the director at community municipal... 60 March 26, 1992 04 0 Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: Now, of these duties, you say she will not do 1, 2, 3, 49 5, 6, 7. Who will do them, Mr. Manager? Mr. Odio: The Department of Development. Commissioner Dawkins: Who in the Department of Development? Mr. Odio: It's up to the Director, Mr. Herb Bailey, to come back to me and tell me how he's going to handle that. Co!runissioner Dawkins: So therefore, she could have been removed years ago because Mr. Bailey would have been able to spread her duties out. Mr. Odio: No, I didn't say that. Commissioner Dawkins: No, I am asking. Mr. Odio: No, I didn't say that. I said that Arleen Weintraub has been an asset to the Department of Development. That according to this Manager and looking at priorities, that her talents and her professionalism are better at use now in this role in downtown and we have to adjust to that. That doesn't mean that she hasn't been a valuable asset to the Department of Housing and Development for years. She is the best that we had there. Commissioner Dawkins: And you say she will prepare unified development projects requests for proposals for major joint private public development projects. You say she will keep that? Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: Why would she keep that for all of the City of Miami and not keep the other one for all of the City of Miami? Mr. Odio: Well, Commissioner, I think it's unfair for me to answer this question when we are still in the process of trying to determine what functions goes with what. We've been working fifteen hours a day. I have stopped working many hours a day trying to determine precisely what functions go where. Commissioner Dawkins: But you... Mr. Odio: I can assure you, though, that Arleen Weintraub will be able to do her functions very well in downtown with that functions that I just mentioned to you plus that the Department of Development will be able to deliver as they have in the past. Commissioner Dawkins: You have not said one time today it was unfair. When everybody was jumping on me for being anti -NET. Mr. Odio: I didn't know you were... Commissioner Dawkins: Wait, now, wait, wait. 61 March 26, 1992 U__ Mr. Odio: Commissioner, I didn't know you were anti -NET. Commissioner Dawkins: Wait, wait, wait, wait. I am. OK? I am, and I have no problems with it. You haven't said one time today that it was unfair for us up here, if anybody else is, was anti -NET. See, but I asked you from day one, Mr. Manager, that your conception is fine, but unless you conceptualize it in writing where I can look at it, I cannot accept it. Did I not... Mr. Odio: Yes, you... Commissioner Dawkins: ...from day one? So now you're telling me it's unfair for me to demand this of you when I demanded it from you from day one and you're going to implement the program and then people are saying that I'm crazy because I don't know what you're doing, but yet I asked you whether, what you're doing and you tell me it's not on paper, it's not formulated, I have not finalized it and I am working on it, but yet when I asked you about this, you don't know what she's going to do, what she's not going to be doing. Mr. Odio: I know exactly what she's going to do. What, the first duties that she will perform in the Service Center I know exactly what she has to do. We have explained that. I thought I did. Their first duties will be to communicate with the downtown people, start setting an agenda. We will tailor made the office according to the needs of the downtown people, or Edgewater or Wynwood, whatever. Commissioner Dawkins: All right. I will ask you another question. In the Northeast section... Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: ...in Little Havana... Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: ...in Overtown, and in Flagami, who will prepare unified development projects requests for proposals for major joint private public development projects? Mr. Odio: The Department of Development. Commissioner Dawkins: So what good then is the neighborhood center. If you're coming back to the department now. Mr. Odio: I'm glad you asked that question. Commissioner Dawkins: I am too. Mr. Odio: That's the best question today, because maybe what is happening here, some people... Maybe I have not expressed myself well enough. The first step of the NET program is to establish a relationship with the community, the neighborhood, the area that they will be representing as far as receiving questions, complaints, et cetera and what are the needs for services. We're talking about services and nothing but services. Once this 62 March 26, 1992 1s established, then we have to identify what people are moved there, and we have many staff people that want to work. If an office in Wynwood decides, by the community and the administrator and the department heads that a job counselor is needed there, then we will reassign somebody there. So the first step was to appoint the administrators and I wanted to look for the best professionals that the City had and that they would fit, and they would know their community. And then the second step was to identify the inspectors which will be assigned to each office, and after that, after that's settled in, and it could work three or four or five months, if the program is working then we might go to the next step. I don't want to rush the administrators. I don't want to overwhelm them. I went to a meeting of the Coconut Grove Village Council the other day, the first time I've been there, and I felt sorry for Joe McManus up there. Well, because they have so many concerns, and they have so many questions and all of a sudden, I had Joe there that is going to have to answer to those questions and then bring them back to us and if need be, for Commission action, to resolve them. So the first step is not a concept that we're going to go out there and create a full bureaucracy, decentralize all the departments at one time, and go into madness. That would be crazy. Commissioner Dawkins: But everybody that was here this morning, everybody was here thought, thinks that Mr. Manager. Vice Mayor Alonso: Thought that. Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: See, everybody who has left here, thought that. Mr. Odio: Well, maybe because, well fine... Commissioner Dawkins: But I understand, let me see if I understand what you're saying. OK. What you're saying is, you're going to each one of these centers, right? And you're going to identify the needs knowing that the needs on Brickell Avenue are different from the needs on 62nd Street. Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: ... And once you determine what's needed on 62nd Street, you will provide it because that necessarily will not be needed on Brickell Avenue. Mr. Odio: Correct, sir. Now Mr. Dawkins, and again thank you for the question and we get caught up. The problem is this, that once I see that the needs, that the requests are so great that I cannot deliver, because I am only the Manager, and you in fact are the elected officials and you do set policy, I have to come back to you and say Commissioner, we have a problem in "X" community , I cannot deal with it, we need "x," "x," "x." That's the idea of the program. The idea of the program is to establish. You know Father Menendez said it best and I didn't know how to say it before. I saw him, I said Father, you know, you created PACT (People Acting for Community Together). Is NET, OK? Are we doing OK? You think we're doing OK? He says, "Cesar, the only thing I will tell you, is you have given a face to bureaucracy. I can look at that guy and know he is my face. And I can go and complain to him and maybe something will happen." And I think, I don't want to... 63 March 26, 1992 i Commissioner Dawkins: No further questions, Mr. Mayor. Vice Mayor Alonso: I have some questions. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Commissioner. All right, Vice Mayor. - Vice Mayor Alonso: I have to ask these questions at this time because I have to follow what the Commissioner said. Your idea is to decentralize the system completely. Mr. Odio: No. Vice Mayor Alonso: You will not? Mr. Odio: No. Vice Mayor Alonso: To what degree you will? Mr. Odio: To the degrees that the community, the neighborhood offices would come back and say we need "X" services. We have the classical example Commissioner, and I tell you I've been consistent because I've been saying this for thirteen years. Vice Mayor Alonso: Is this a PR (public relations) person what you are placing... Mr. Odio: No. Vice Mayor Alonso: ...in the community to hear what they have to tell them? Mr. Odio: PR. I consider them... Vice Mayor Alonso: Well among the description in my memo, that's what you stated. Mr. Odio: Well, those descriptions were prepared because somebody wanted to... Vice Mayor Alonso: That's what you gave us in the memo. Mr. Odio: ...jump the... I think if you say PR in the sense that the — community needs to know what we are doing, what programs we have, in that sense, yes. Now, in any other sense, political or otherwise, no. And anyone of these people have been chosen because precisely they are the best professionals I could find in the City of Miami, even though - and we have many of them. Now, the idea is most of the departments, most of the departments like, GSA (General Services Administration) have to be centralized. Vice Mayor Alonso: What about the rest of the people located at Dupont Plaza? Are you eventually going to vacate that property, and if so, are you taking steps towards saving the money that we are presently paying for that building? 64 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: I hope, Commissioner, please let me use a classical example on that. Like I said, there's the job training program, which we get a lot of money for, have always been in a central location somewhere away from where they should not have been. They should have been out there where people need the jobs, not in downtown Miami, not in 1145. And this is the first opportunity that we have to say no - the jobs counsellor should be in Overtown, should be in Wynwood, should be in Little Havana, should be wherever they're needed... Vice Mayor Alonso: All through the city of Miami... Mr. Odio: Wherever they're needed. Vice Mayor Alonso: ...everyone needs jobs in Miami, it's a general need in Miami, everywhere. Mr. Odio: Now, the Code Enforcement people. I'll give you an example. An inspector comes into work every morning in a centralized location. He drives into work, he punches in, he comes in he does his business, by the time he gets out there and comes back into a central location you have lost three to four hours of time he should have been out there in the community. So now, this way, the inspectors which are the only ones at this time and the job counselor will be decentralized, will be out there, they report to this service center every morning, they check in, and they go immediately out to deal with the problems of that immediate service area. And these are not districts, these are not anything but service areas, so that we can pick... distribute the city into eleven pieces and we can deal with them in eleven small pieces instead of one chunk. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Would you please be certain that the people who are going to represent and I am not going to mention any names because I don't want to embarrass the individual but the eleven people assigned to the neighborhoods, will you be certain that they understand the limitations of the area they are going to cover. They should know the boundaries of the neighborhood that they represent because couple of days ago, I was talking to one of the representatives and he had no idea to where he was going to be representing the people. And I think it is of basic importance that the representatives of the neighborhoods understand what area they are representing in order to be able to help the people. Mr. Odio: You are absolutely correct. We had just Monday, we started a two day training program with them. They are being cross -trained, so that not only do they know about their particular cpLreers of planning or community, but that they also know about the total Cit*rvices that we provide and they can answer complaints. For instance, we will keep the complaint calls in one center and they... the difference will be the complaints will normally have been sent to the department director. This time, they will be sent to the department director and to the neighborhood. So that the neighborhood knows that whether the department director is taking care of that complaint or not. Vice Mayor Alonso: Well the complaints will go to the neighborhood and the neighborh000d will be the one taking care of resolving the problem. 65 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: Right. Dealing with the department director to get it done. And :! it really Commissioner, eliminates a lot of layers of bureaucracy. Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. Mayor, you know that one of the problems that I have C had and that I have with NET is the rush. Mr. Odio: They... Vice Mayor Alonso: The part of the Police Department, I saw the need to immediate action. Mr. Odio: OK. Vice Mayor Alonso: Send the policeman to the streets. We were running late. Mr. Odio: Right. Vice Mayor Alonso: So, we were behind our times for a long long time and we've been saying that for a long time. Mr. Odio: You're right. Vice Mayor Alonso: But then the rest of the program... Mr. Odio: You know why? Vice Mayor Alonso: ...when still we don't have answers to so many of our questions, then is where I have problems. Mr. Odio: Well, let me tell you... Vice Mayor Alonso: Why it has to be implemented in forty-five days from the day that you decided where the different districts were going to be. Why the rush? They should have taken a little bit longer to implement that part of the program in order to make it successful. Mr. Odio: You know... Vice Mayor Alonso: That, I have serious problems with that. Mr. Odio: Yes, and I respect your concerns. However, I tell you something, I think we are behind in years in what we're doing. I think we should have been thinking about this before we did. Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Manager, you remember that I talked to you the first day I got into my office. I 'gave you about this plan, but even though today I am saying I do have problems with this part of NET, even though I was the first day in my office, and the other day you reminded me of that and also reminded me that about two months I said exactly the same thing at this Commission meeting. And it's true, you were right. But I do have problems. Why the rush? Without unanswered questions. Mr. Odio: That's precisely what I was telling Commissioner Dawkins. I am not in a rush. I am not. When we first met with the police department I thought I had... 66 March 26, 1992 Vice Mayor Alonso: The police department we have no problems with. We're =_ talking about the other part. Mr. Odio: But I need to explain. I thought we had a police problem, which we do. I thought we had to change the way we were doing business 1n the police department, which I am convinced we have to, but at the same time discovered in talking to the staff of the police department for hours, hours and hours, that the problem is not only police, that if we are going to really do something about the particular areas or communities or whatever you want to call it, we need to tackle the other problems, the other physical appearances, the physical appearance, the cleanup, the educational and garbage pickup, many many things that we are responsible for. Vice Mayor Alonso: You know something that we should request? That the mini administrator should live in that community. Mr. Odio: Well, I tried, I tried to, as I interviewed fifty people, forty people whatever. I was hoping that I could find that they would live in it and then I begin to find that the people that met the particular criteria that we needed did not live in the particular neighborhood. Fred Fernandez is an example. He lives in the area of Shenandoah, what do we call that? Coral Way, and yet his talents which are many in the area of economic development is needed heavily in the area of Allapattah. Allapattah has many many small businesses and many many problems in dealing with CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) that it needed a Fred Fernandez. And that's why, I hope that eventually Fred will move to Allapattah. OK. That would be the ideal situation. The same way with the NROs (Nei ghborhoodResource Officers), the police officers. The first wave is that we are asking them to live in the community. We are also exploring the possibility of providing housing if we have to, or some kind of bonuses for them to move into the particular area where they live in. I am in agreement that the ideal situation, Commissioner, would be that they live there, yes, yes, yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Mr. Odio: Let me tell you, Commissioner, to finish your question. It is important that from the very first day that we have the police officers assigned to the particular area that you have a civilian working with him so that they can begin to mesh immediately. And that was... Leave him alone. Hello. Leave him alone, will you? Let him sit there. He has got the right to sit there. He's not bothering anyone. Mr. Manuel Gonzalez-Goenaga: He's a citizen. Mayor Suarez: OK. Wait a minute. Mr. Manager, if the group is going to. Whenever you get ready to leave, feel free to do so, you're not in any way expected to stay. I am also not asking you to leave now, either way, but just communicate to each other as you wish. Vice Mayor Alonso: Maybe they should use the time to tell Urra's group so that they understand in Spanish. Maybe the problem is they don't know whether they are supposed to leave or not. 67 March 26, 1992 , t Mayor Suarez: PUEDEN QUEDARSE, PUEDEN IRSE, SU PREFERENCIA. EL hearing DURARA ALGUN TIEMPO MAS, Y EN FIN, COMO USTEDES PREFIERAN. INCLUSIVE SI !` QUIEREN APROVECHAR AHORA A DECIRLE CLARAMENTE LO QUE PIENSAN RACER. NO SE, VI A ALGUIEN DECIR ALGO DE LOS AUTOBUSES, ASI QUE SI YA SE VAN, PUSS, DEN LA SENAL Y SE SABRA BIEN CLARAMENTE. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR ESTAR AQUI CON NOSOTROS EN EL DIA DE HOY. NOS VISITAREMOS. I just told them that they could leave or they could stay or if their buses were ready to take them maybe they should be advised of that and I could use the microphone to do that. The gentleman is obviously dressed pretty unusually, if there is any problem at any point, Sergeant, don't hesitate to let me know, please. Thank you, sir. Commissioner Plummer: He is one of the more affluent citizens of... Mr. Odio: And again, Commissioner, that's why I am not in a rush now to overwhelm these people. We are looking for the right locations. We have not identified all the locations. We want them to be, somebody offered me, let me give you an example, the DDA office, it's on the 20th floor. I said no way, no way... Vice Mayor Alonso: Please, no. Mr. Odio: You need to be on Flagler Street, down there where the people can walk in. We are talking to the Coconut Grove people and see if we can establish a... the Glass House, for instance. It would be a... Vice Mayor Alonso: I was very surprised to hear that. For example I live in Little Havana as you know, and I had no idea. I talked to Pablo Canton two days ago and I had no idea that Pablo was already working in Little Havana. Mr. Odio: Yes, Pablo is over there. Vice Mayor Alonso: I live in that neighborhood. I am a Commissioner in the City of Miami. I talked to him two days ago and I don't think he knew he was already working in this position. Mr. Odio: He knows. Vice Mayor Alonso: I think he was thoroughly confused. I was too. I had no idea that he was in the... he had changed hats and he was doing something different. Mr. Odio: No, he is in the middle of phasing... Vice Mayor Alonso: Now you tell me he has been working. I do have problems with that. Mr. Odio: He has been working part time. And he is phasing out. We are just trying to decide, Commissioner... Commissioner Plummer: Are you phasing out Code Enforcement? Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, it seems so. Commissioner Plummer: Thank God, thank God. 68 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: No. Mr. Odio: The idea is... Vice Mayor Alonso: Who is going to replace Pablo? Mr. Odio: No, no one. Vice Mayor Alonso: Nobody. Commissioner Plummer: They don't do anything, why replace them? Vice Mayor Alonso: So how are you going to enforce code enforcement in the City of Miami? _ Mr. Odio: The inspectors. OK. That's a good question again. Vice Mayor Alonso: Because Pablo was very effective. Mr. Odio: Very effective. Commissioner Plummer: Effective in what? Vice Mayor Alonso: In his job. I have highest respect for Pablo Canton. -- Mr. Odio: Me too. The inspectors will report directly to each office and they will be responsible for the work in that area. Then at the end of the day all... they will fax in and then whatever has to come to code enforcement will come to the Code Enforcement Board so forth. So, but the... Vice Mayor Alonso: Oh, it will have to be through the Code Enforcement Board? Mr. Odio: No, no, no, no. If we have complaints they have to come to the Code Enforcement Board. They all have to. Commissioner Dawkins: Do we have fourteen Code enforcement officers, that's what we got? Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, it was always the system, but we'll get into that in a little while. Commissioner Plummer: Yeah, thirty-two million dollars in liens is not enough. We need more liens. Try to cash those liens at the grocery store. Commissioner Dawkins: I got a lot, I got a lot of questions... Vice Mayor Alonso: I do too. Commissioner Dawkins: ...but I'm trying to let the public, let the public speak on liens, you know, because I got a lot of questions. -Vice Mayor A1oso: Who's next? 69 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: The gentleman was being interviewed. Commissioner Plummer: Mr. Mayor, not to short circuit the public, but basically what I think we've heard for the past three hours is that some are in favor and some are not, and I really don't think we need to hear more of that. I think what we need to hear if somebody has something to say other than we favor or we disfavor, the reasons why, and then the Commission can deal with it appropriately, but just to hear I am in favor of it or I am not in favor, I don't think we're really accomplishing what we tried to set out here to do. So let's take it from there if we can. Vice Mayor Alonso: Also it's important that the people understand that this project didn't need our approval or not. It was implemented without the input of the City Commission and it was implemented, as we have heard, without the City Commission. We're having this public hearing because I felt it was necessary for the general public to ask questions and for us to have at least one opportunity to inquire about the specifics that as we have seen we have many unanswered questions. Even the Manager has stated on the record that he has no answers to many of the basic questions because they have not come up with a complete plan in that sense. Mayor Suarez: All right. Go ahead, sir. Everybody try to keep the cap? Mr. John Viso: My name is John Viso. I live at 10777 N.W. 45 Avenue and I would like to speak in Spanish, if you don't mind. Mayor Suarez: Go ahead. Mr. Viso: ME GUSTARIA HACER ALGUNA PREGUNTA Y DESPUES HABLAR SOBRE LA RESPUESTA. CUAL ES LA FUNCION DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE DEVELOPMENT? TRANSLATION: I would like to ask a few questions and then talk about the answers. What is the function of the Department of Development? Mayor Suarez: Department of Development or Community Development? Mr. Viso: Community Development. Mayor Suarez: Community Development. Does anybody want to give it a try? Mr. Manager? Community Development? Commissioner Plummer: I think it's simply what the word says. It is to develop the community and it's basic... Mr. Viso: According to what you say, I am going to go into Spanish. I don't want to go back and forth. The... Mayor Suarez: They also, they also monitor all the groups that receive the funds. They make recommendations on approximately thirteen million dollars. Mr. Viso: PARA LOS BARRIOS, ES UN DEPARTAMENTO QUE SE SUPONE QUE TRABAJE MUY CERCA CON LAS BARRIADAS. TRANSLATION: It's the department that... you're stating that it's the department that should work very closely in tune with the neighborhoods and the answer to that is absolutely yes. 70 March 26, 1992 Mr. Viso: Is that right? Commissioner Plummer: That's why we have CBOs (Community Based Organizations). Mayor Suarez: That which... the Commissioner is saying that's why we have community based organizations. Mr. Viso: ESO ES LO QUE SE SUPONE QUE SEA ESE DEPARTAMENTO. QUIERE DECIR QUE ESE DEPARTAMENTO, DE ACUERDO AL Manager DE LA CIUDAD, HA ESTADO TRABAJANDO ONCE ANOS Y MEDIO Y NO HA PRODUCIDO NINGUN RESULTADO Y HA HABIDO QUE CAMBIARLO AHORA. ESO ES LO QUE YO ENTIENDO DE ACUERDO CON LO QUE SE HA HABLADO AQUI. QUIERE DECIR QUE LOS DEPARTAMENTOS QUE TIENEN QUE VER TAMBIEN CON LA BASURA, zoning, TODO LO QUE CONCIERNE A LA CIUDAD TAMPOCO HAN FUNCIONADO? PORQUE OBVIAMENTE LO QUE SE ESTA DICIENDO AQUI ES QUE SE VA A TRAER A UNO DEL zoning A ESTA AREA PORQUE SE ESTA CONSTRUYENDO. SE VA A TRAER UNO DE LA BASURA PARA ESTE OTRO LUGAR. ENTONCES, QUE HAN HECHO ESAS PERSONAS TODO ESTE TIEMPO? NO HAN FUNCIONADO. YO ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON EL COMISIONADO PLUMMER QUE HIZO ESA ACLARACION. QUIERE DECIR QUE POR ONCE ANOS Y MEDIO HEMOS ESTADO BOTANDO EL DINERO DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, PAGANDOSELO A PERSONAS QUE NO HAN FUNCIONADO? ESO EN UN ERROR DEL SENOR Manager QUE ESTA ACTUANDO MAL. ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON LA POLICIA PORQUE ES EL CONSENTIMIENTO DE TODOS LOS QUE NOS ENCONTRAMOS AQUI, Y MUCHOS QUE NO SE ENCUENTRAN AQUI, QUE ES NECESARIO QUE HAYA UN CAMBIO EN LA POLICIA. PERO LA PARTE MAS IMPORTANTE DE LO QUE SE SUPONE QUE SE HABLE HOY ES DE LA OTRA PARTE DEL "NET" DONDE SE VA A DECENTRALIZAR LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI Y LA GENTE PARECE QUE SE HA OLVIDADO 0 NO HA QUERIDO TOCARLO, LO HA POSPUESTO PARA OTRO hearing. NO ESTOY SEGURO. TRANSLATION: That's what the department is supposed to be. Which, in effect is saying in accordance with what the Manager has proposed that that department has been working for eleven and a half years and has achieved nothing at all and therefore now it has to be changed. This is what I understand in accordance with what has been stated here before. The departments have to deal with waste removal, zoning. All those apparently also have not functioned properly. Because since we are saying we're going to take someone from zoning to this area where construction is taking place and this person from Solid Waste to this area which needs that, then the logical question is what have all these people been doing prior to being located in the neighborhood? I am in agreement then with the statement made by Commissioner Plummer - but I think he meant Dawkins - to the effect that those people then would have been doing almost nothing all of this time and therefore I am in total disagreement with what is being proposed here by the Manager. I am in agreement with what has been stated here, and many others that wished that they could have been here and would have stated the same thing, which is that we need a drastic change in police deployment. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Manager, this is one of the more articulate critics of the program. I think it bears a listening. Mr. Viso: LO VUELVO A REPETIR, SI QUIERE. Mayor Suarez: POR FAVOR. 71 March 26, 1992 Mr. Viso: Is that right? Commissioner Plummer: Organizations). That's why we have CEOs (Community Based Mayor Suarez: That which... the Commissioner is saying that's why we have community based organizations. Mr. Viso: ESO ES LO QUE SE SUPONE QUE SEA ESE DEPARTAMENTO. QUIERE DECIR QUE ESE DEPARTAMENTO, DE ACUERDO AL Manager DE LA CIUDAD, HA ESTADO TRABAJANDO ONCE ANOS Y MEDIO Y NO HA PRODUCIDO NINGUN RESULTADO Y HA HABIDO QUE CAMBIARLO AHORA. ESO ES LO QUE YO ENTIENDO DE ACUERDO CON LO QUE SE HA HABLADO AQUI. QUIERE DECIR QUE LOS DEPARTAMENTOS QUE TIENEN QUE VER TAMBIEN CON LA BASURA, zoning, TODD LO QUE CONCIERNE A LA CIUDAD TAMPOCO HAN FUNCIONADO? PORQUE OBVIAMENTE LO QUE SE ESTA DICIENDO AQUI ES QUE SE VA A TRAER A UNO DEL zoning A ESTA AREA PORQUE SE ESTA CONSTRUYENDO. SE VA A TRAER UNO DE LA BASURA PARA ESTE OTRO LUGAR. ENTONCES, QUE HAN HECHO ESAS PERSONAS TODD ESTE TIEMPO? NO HAN FUNCIONADO. YO ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON EL COMISIONADO PLUMMER QUE HIZO ESA ACLARACION. QUIERE DECIR QUE POR ONCE ANOS Y MEDIO HEMOS ESTADO BOTANDO EL DINERO DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, PAGANDOSELO A PERSONAS QUE NO HAN FUNCIONADO? ESO EN UN ERROR DEL SENOR Manager QUE ESTA ACTUANDO MAL. ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON LA POLICIA PORQUE ES EL CONSENTIMIENTO DE TODOS LOS QUE NOS ENCONTRAMOS AQUI, Y MUCHOS QUE NO SE ENCUENTRAN AQUI, QUE ES NECESARIO QUE HAYA UN CAMBIO EN LA POLICIA. PERO LA PARTE MAS IMPORTANTE DE LO QUE SE SUPONE QUE SE HABLE HOY ES DE LA OTRA PARTE DEL "NET" DONDE SE VA A DECENTRALIZAR LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI Y LA GENTE PARECE QUE SE HA OLVIDADO 0 NO HA QUERIDO TOCARLO, LO HA POSPUESTO PARA OTRO hearing. NO ESTOY SEGURO. TRANSLATION: That's what the department is supposed to be. Which, in effect is saying in accordance with what the Manager has proposed that that department has been working for eleven and a half years and has achieved nothing at all and therefore now it has to be changed. This is what I understand in accordance with what has been stated here before. The departments have to deal with waste removal, zoning. All those apparently also have not functioned properly. Because since we are saying we're going to take someone from zoning to this area where construction is taking place and this person from Solid Waste to this area which needs that, then the logical question is what have all these people been doing prior to being located in the neighborhood? I am in agreement then with the statement made by Commissioner Plummer - but I think he meant Dawkins - to the effect that those people then would have been doing almost nothing all of this time and therefore I am in total disagreement with what is being proposed here by the Manager. I am in agreement with what has been stated here, and many others that wished that they could have been here and would have stated the same thing, which is that we need a drastic change in police deployment. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Manager, this is one of the more articulate critics of the program. I think it bears a listening. Mr. Viso: LO VUELVO A REPETIR, SI QUIERE. Mayor Suarez: POR FAVOR. 71 March 26, 1992 Mr. Viso: UNA DE LAS PARTES MAS IMPORTANTES DE ESTE PROGRAMA ES LA DECENTRALIZACION DEL PODER DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, LLEVANDOLO A LOS BARRIOS. DE ESO NO SE HA HABLADO. AHORA, OTRA PREGUNTA QUE ME GUSTARIA HACER TAMBIEN. YO RECUERDO CUANDO TRABAJAMOS, CREO QUE AQUI NOS ENCONTRAMOS MUCHOS DE LOS QUE TRABAJAMOS PARA LAS MINI-ESTACIONES, QUE CONJUNTAMENTE CON LA COMISIONADA MIRIAM ALONSO Y OTROS COMISIONAOOS PARTICIPARON. A NOSOTROS SE NOS EXIGIO QUE DEBIAMOS PRESENTAR CIERTA CANTIDAD DE FIRMAS, PORQUE ESO IBA A PRESENTAR UN CAMBIO EN LA ESTRUCTURA Y SISTEMA DE GOBIERNO DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI. COMO HOY... BUENO TERMINE, QUE LUEGO YO CONTINUO. TRANSLATION: One of the most important parts of this program is a decentralization of the services of the City taken into the neighborhoods. When we, myself and some of the other people who are here, who participated in the petition drive to have a mini station instituted in Little Havana begin that process, we were told... [Vice Mayor Alonso: in the City of Miami, the concept in the City of Miami.] ...the City of Miami, I am sorry. We were told that we needed a certain number of petitions because this would be in effect an organic change or a change in the way of the functioning of the City. Mr. Viso: On the City Charter. COMO HOY, CUANDO SE ESTA HABLANDO DE DECENTRALIZAR COMPLETAMENTE EL PODER DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, QUE VA A SER UN CAMBIO MUCHO MAYOR, QUE VA A REPRESENTAR MAYOR IMPACTO, NO SOLO EN LA COMUNIDAD, SINO EN EL GOBIERNO CENTRAL Y EN LA FORMA QUE VA A GOBERNAR LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, SE VA A HACER EN UN FORMA ARBITRARIA QUE NO SE HAYA LLEVADO A UNA BOLETA. ESO ES INCORRECTO Y LA CIUDAD DEBE CONTEMPLAR ESO CON SUS ABOGADOS, PORQUE SI EN AQUEL MOMENTO A NOSOTROS SE NOS EXIGIO ESO, EN ESTE MOMENTO SE DEBE DE EXIGIR TAMBIEN. TRANSLATION:: I don't understand how, if in that particular instance it was required that we go through the petition drive et cetera, that now that something of much greater import involving not just the administration, but the whole government of the City of Miami is being decentralized, that would then logically require also a referendum or a vote of some sort. Commissioner Plummer: It has nothing to do with government. It has nothing to do... Mr. Visor: YO CREO QUE SE DEBIA TOMAR UN POCO MAS DE TIEMPO Y LLEVARSE ESTO AL PUEBLO PARA QUE ESTO SE LLEVARA A UN REFERENDUM QUE SI EL PUEBLO ESTABA DE _ ACUERO A QUE EL GOBIERNO SE LLEVE A SUS BARRIOS SE RAGA, PORQUE AQUI NO SE ESTA HACIENDO NADA MAS... TRANSLATION:: And so therefore I would like something of this import to be taken by referendum to the general public for them to make a decision whether they approve it or not. Commissioner Plummer: But Mr. Mayor, excuse me, it has nothing to do with government. It has to do with the departments but not government. Mr. Viso: Not government? Commissioner Plummer: No, sir. We are the government. We, the elected officials, are the government, and we are not moving. We are staying right here and we're going to be here as we always have been, sir. There's nothing moving... 72 March 26, 1992 0 Vice Mayor Alonso: The decentralization of... Commissioner Plummer: Of the departments. But not government. Vice Mayor Alonso: How do you compare the mini -stations had to go to the voters? Commissioner Plummer: Excuse me, wherever this term came from of mini - stations or mini city halls, it is obviously someone who is opposed for whatever reason. These are nothing more than service centers to the neighborhoods. It is the decentralization of the departments. It has nothing to do with government. Mr. Viso: But I am opposed to that because I believe it's wrong. I have that right to be opposed to it. Mayor Suarez: Obviously. Commissioner Plummer: Well, sir, you have that right, but I have to correct you when you make a mistake and the statements that you make. You see, you don't live in the City, sir. You live outside of the city. Mr. Viso: No, I live in the City of Miami. Commissioner Plummer: Sir, you said your address was what? Mr. Viso: One oh zero seven seven forty-five N.W. 45 Avenue. Commissioner Plummer: Sir, you do not live in the City of Miami. Mr. Viso: No? Is not that the City of Miami? Commissioner Plummer: OK. I do appreciate your comments. All right. Mr. Viso: One zero seven seven 45 Avenue. Commissioner Plummer: Sir, you live in the County, way out in the... Mr. Viso: EN ESPANOL, 1077 N.W. 45th Ave. Mayor Suarez: I think he is saying 1077 N.W. Vice Mayor Alonso: That is City of Miami. Commissioner Plummer: 10771 is in the County. I am sorry that the gentleman doesn't know where he lives. Mr. Viso: TRATE DE HACERLO EN INGLES. ACLARALE QUE ME EQUIVOQUE EN EL INGLES AHI UN MOMENTO. Commissioner Plummer: Sir, do you have a business in the City? Mayor Suarez: He just said he made a mistake when he did it in English. 73 March 26, 1992 r 11 1i Mr. Viso: VAMOS A HABLARLO EN ESPANOL. DEJENME HABLARLO EN ESPANOL. Vice Mayor Alonso: He made a mistake in English. Mayor Suarez: LA DIRECCION EN ESPANOL. Commissioner Plummer: Where does he live? Vice Mayor Alonso: In the City of Miami, 7th and 47th. Mr. Viso: QUE NO TRATE DE CONFUNDIRME. 1077 N.W. 45 AVENIDA. ESO ES EN ESPANOL. TRANSLATION: 1077 N.W. 45 Avenue. Commissioner Plummer: What? That's in the City. Mr. Viso: PUEDO CONTINUAR HABLANDO? Commissioner Plummer: Tenth Street and 45th avenue. It's the apartment houses behind the airport. Mr. Viso: That's why I try to speak in the Spanish so we don't mess it up. You see, you try to confuse me, and it don't work out that way. QUE NO ME VA A CONFUNDIR, VAYA, NO ME VA A CONFUNDIR. Commissioner Plummer. No, sir, I'm not trying to confuse you at all. I am trying to correct statements that you make that are not correct, sir. Mr. Viso: Well, we got it already, so let me continue. Commissioner Plummer: That's fine. Mr. Viso: YO CONSIDERO A USTED, MAYOR, COMO leader DE ESTA COMISION, QUE SI EN AQUELLA EPOCA SE PROPUSO HACER LAS MINI-ESTACIONES, 0 LAS PEQUENAS ESTACIONES, 0 LA REPRESENTACION DE LA POLICIA EN LAS BARRIADAS Y SE PIDIO QUE SE LLEVARA A UN CONSENSO PARA QUE ESO FUERA A VOTACION, YO CREO QUE ES CORRECTO QUE UN CAMBIO DE ESTA INDOLE, QUE PROPONE EL CAMBIO DE LA ESTRUCTURA TOTAL DEL GOBIERNO. VA A HABER UN CAMBIO, AUNQUE EL NO LO QUIERA ACEPTAR BE ESA FORMA, EL TIENE TAMBIEN EL DERECHO A PENSAR LO QUE EL QUIERA. YO CONSIDERO QUE ESO SE DEBE BE ESTUDIAR Y SE DEBE DE LLEVAR A VOTACION A UN REFERENDUM Y EXPLICARLE AL PUEBLO EL COSTO QUE ESO VA A INCLUIR, EL PRODUCTO QUE ESO... Mayor Suarez: Now, we gone beyond going to the issue that you've just repeated that if in the other instance the matter was taken to a vote - I am not sure what that reference is to - that in this case it should also be taken to a vote, and somehow the people be consulted, and now you're going to a different topic which I think ought to be restated clearly and translated which is the issue of the cost or any kind of economic implications of this particular proposal. Commissioner Plummer: That's right. It's his fault. 74 March ?6, 1992 40"', Mr. Viso: YO CREO QUE SE LE DEBE DE EXPLICAR AL PUEBLO EL COSTO QUE ESO VA A PRODUCIR, PORQUE YO NO PUEDO CREER QUE ESO NO VA A COSTAR NADA. CUANDO USTED MUEVE UN DEPARTAMENTO PARA OTRO, TIENE QUE HABILITAR... VA A HABER TELEFONOS. VA A HABER COMPUTADORAS. VA A HABER SECRETARIAS. VA A HABER BUROS. TODO ESOS CAMBIOS DE VAN A PRODUCIR. ESQ CUESTA DINERO. ESO... ENTONCES NO SE PUEDE DECIR QUE ESO NO CUESTA. YO CREO QUE EL PUEBLO TIENE DERECHO A SABER LOS GASTOS QUE SE VAN A INCURRIR Y TIENE DERECHO A SABER TAMBIEN, 0 A DECIDIR SI EN REALIDAD CONSIDERA QUE LO QUE ESO VA A PRODUCIR, EL BENEFICIO QUE SE VA A PRODUCIR EN LA BARRIADA, ES LO SUFICIENTE COMO PARA QUE CUBRA ESOS GASTOS. TRANSLATION: I believe that... I can't believe that this can be totally, as the bureaucrats say, revenue neutral. This must cost something and I would like that explained to the public as they are entitled to know. There's going to be phones, there's going to be computers. There's going to be secretaries. There's going to be desks. All those changes and programs are going to cost money. It is impossible to say they will not. And I think the public has a right to know what the costs are, not only that, but whether the.... Commissioner Plummer: Is not that what we are about here today? Hello, hello. TRANSLATION (continued):...the benefits to be obtained outweigh or somehow are proportionate to the cost incurred. OK. Mr. Viso: UN MOMENTICO PARA TERMINAR. Y CREO QUE SI LOS DEPARTAMENTOS DE LA CIUDAD NO HAN SABIDO RESPONDER Y RESOLVERLE EL LLAMADO DEL PUEBLO EN LA FORMA QUE ESTAN HECHO, DEBIAN DE SER RESTRUCTURADOS Y ENTONCES QUE DE VERDAD LES PRESTARAN EL SERVICIO QUE SE SUPONE QUE LE PRESTEN AL PUEBLO. ESO ES TODO. MUCHAS GRACIAS. TRANSLATION: To finish up... In conclusion, if the departments of the City have not been able to resolve and in effect come through for the general public on its needs, then the department should be restructured and give the service that they are in fact expected to render. Mayor Suarez: Yes, Vice Mayor. Vice Mayor Alonso: Two clarifications for the record. In reference to what Commissioner Plummer said that the people who were against the NET were the ones calling it mini city halls and mini stations. I want a correction for the record, because the one who labeled mini city hall was exactly the Manager in his memos and information to the public. Here I have the record in my hand. He calls these 8 to 15 neighborhood resource sites or mini city halls. So the j one who gave the name was the City Manager himself. Mr. Odio: That's correct. In the first memo... Commissioner Plummer: Madam Commissioner, if he made that statement, I disagree with him. I disagree with him and that's my right to disagree with the Manager. You know, I am sorry, I will sit here as long as anybody wants. All right. As long as I think that we are trying to accomplish something. The thing I guess that really, this is a new program. This is a program to be tried and I guess we are not going to know whether this is really a good program until it has had a trial basis. I am willing for one, and I have got some problems with certain parts of this program as the Manager well knows. But I am willing to try, because I think the time has come, as I have said at 75 March 26, 1992 this microphone time and time again, that we cannot continue to do business as usual. And this is doing business in a different way. But I think that either the praise or the criticism, in my estimation, at this point is premature. I don't think that we can sit here and criticize a program that really hasn't got off the ground, nor can we applaud a program that really has not got off the ground. I think it's an effort on behalf of the administration to try to do something different, to come about with some different ideas, and some different ways of attacking problems. One of the things that I am going to suggest is at the end of May, or June, I am sorry, that we have another meeting just like this. That will give us a 90-day trial basis to get some aspects. And I say that simply because of the fact that we, the Commission, we, the government, need to tell the Manager, because that is when he is formulating budget, that Mr. Manager, we want you to do this, this and this, and eliminate that, that and that. But I think that what we all ought to be about here today, in my estimation, is to say that we want to at least try something new. And I think that that is the whole name of what we are about. Madam Commissioner, if I have one other criticism of the Manager it's a criticism which I think that basically I share with you. That there should have been a meeting held in these Chambers to say to the entire community, not just so-called community groups, but anyone who was interested in knowing and listening, "You're welcome to come to City Hall as I unveil the program of what we are going to be about and try." If I have one criticism that's what it is. So I am just going to say. I'm going to be quiet. I've been unusually quiet today. But I'm going ... Vice Mayor Alonso: You've got your public... Mayor Suarez: There goes resolve. Commissioner Plummer: There went Beter Way. Mayor Suarez: There goes Better Way. There goes the Duke. Commissioner Plummer: Better Way just went to Homestead. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Yes, Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: I'd like to correct what Commissioner Plummer is saying... Commissioner Plummer: Be my guest. Commissioner Dawkins: ...and that is the fact that whether Commissioner Plummer or any Commissioner up here is desirous of this going on, the Charter dictates that the Manager can move people around, any way, anywhere and why he wants to. So therefore, all that's being said and done is for naught... Commissioner Plummer: I don't agree with you, sir. Commissioner Dawkins:. ..because the Manager has the right according to the Charter to do what he is doing but I, as a Commissioner, have a right not to budget it. 76 March 26, 1992 4' 6 Commissioner Plummer: He has that right, sir, as long as he is Manager, and... Mr. Odio: You're right, and... Commissioner Plummer: ...three votes of this Commission says that he is no longer Manager. Mr. Odio: You are correct, Commissioner. Let me say something else, Commissioner Dawkins. I am trying my best. Now if that's, if to your estimation that is not sufficient, you have the right to tell me to stop this program. Mayor Suarez: Wait a minute, because we had a parting salute from a gentleman. Commissioner Plummer: EL CALE GRANDE. Mr. Odio: He's OK. If this Commission in its majority told me to stop NET today... Mayor Suarez: One of those days. All right. Mr. Odio: ...it will be stopped. Because you do set policy. I felt that I had to do something quickly in January on this crime situation and this whole thing, but it's your prerogative. Mayor Suarez: Sir. Mr. Ramon Baez: NECESITO CIERTA AYUDA. MI NOMBRE ES RAMON BAEZ. VIVO EN EL 1434 N.W. 34 CALLE. TRANSLATION: I will need translation, I believe. My name is Mr. Baez. Mayor Suarez: What's the first name? TRANSLATION (continued): Amor. I live at 14... Mayor Suarez: Say it again. DIGALO DE NUEVO. Mr. Baez: CATORCE TREINTA Y CUATRO NORTHWEST 34 CALLE. Y VENGO EN REPRESENTACION DE VARIAS ORGANIZACIONES DE LA COLONIA DOMINICANA EN ALLAPATTAH Y WYNWOOD. TRAEMOS NUESTRO SALUDO Y NUESTRAS CONGRATULACIONES AL staff DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI DE MANERA ESPECIAL A NUESTRO COMISIONADO VICTOR DE YURRE Y NUESTRA VICE-ALCALDE MIRIAM ALONSO. TENEMOS UN SENTIR EN NUESTRA COMUNIDAD Y ES EL SIGUIENTE. CONCERNIENTE AL PROYECTO QUE ESTA PRESENTANDO NUESTRO Manager DE LA CIUDAD, ENTENDEMOS QUE ESTE ES UN PROYECTO MUY DELICADO Y QUE DEBE DE IR A LA BOLETA. MOTIVADO A QUE ESTO GENERA UNA FUERTE INVERSION DE DINERO QUE POSIBLEMENTE TENDRIA QUE SALIR DE LOS BOLSILLOS DE LOS CONTRIBUYENTES. NECESITAMOS EN CAMBIO MAS FONDOS PARA AUMENTAR LAS PATRULLAS DE NUESTRA POLICIA, QUE DICHO SEA DE PASO ESTA HACIENDO UNA LABOR LOABLE EN ESTA CIUDAD. TAMBIEN NECESITAMOS QUE EN CADA COMUNIDAD DE ESTA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, SE NOMBRE UN ENLACE CON LA ALCALDIA PARA, DICHO SEA DE PASO, HACERNOS ECO DE LAS NECESIDADES DE NUESTRA COMUNIDADES. MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS. 77 March 26, 1992 TRANSLATION: 1434 N.W. 34th Street. And I come in representation of various organizations of the Dominican Exile community, or community rather, in Allapattah and Wynwood. We bring our greetings and our commendations to the staff of the City of Miami, in a very special way to Commissioner De Yurre and Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso. We believe in our community the following in regards to the program being presented by City Manager, we think that it is a very delicate program, a very... - I guess subtle, would be a better translation - and it should be put on the ballot. In view of the fact that this might entail a substantial investment or support, financial support that would come ultimately from the pockets of the taxpayers, when among other things, we need more money for additional surveillance and patrolling by the police department, which I should add, is doing a magnificent job. We also need for every neighborhood to have a liaison with City Hall so that they become aware of the needs of our various communities. Thank you very much. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, sir, for also being brief and to the point. Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor, I think I need to, because in deference to the person that talked here before, the question of cost. Outside of the police overtime that you are aware of, I can guarantee you that there will not be additional costs to the budget for the civilian part of the program. Zero. The desks, as he mentioned, and things, will either be moved with him. He had a desk where he came from. We are not buying any desks. The offices will be provided either by a police station, a fire station, or a civilian. We had an owner of downtown property that is offering fifteen hundred square feet for free if we wanted to. Vice Mayor Alonso: Not Nathan Rok again? He is the owner of downtown. Mr. Odio: Nathan Rok. When we set out to do this was with the idea that we would not add cost because we don't have the money. We do want to better the services, but not add cost and for the people that are saying that we're adding bureaucracy whatever, this City administration and this Commission - most of them have been here all the... - have reduced the work force of the City of Miami by fifteen hundred people in six years. Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: Yes, Vice Mayor Alonso. Vice Mayor Alonso: ...if I may, at this time, I think we should recognize Martha Tallaj. She is the Chief of Protocol of Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. She is visiting us. We should really welcome her. We are very happy to have you here today with us and send our best regards to the Mayor of Corporan, and happy to have you here with us. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Good to have you ma'am. I am sure you are interested in how we handle, ceremonially, our functions here at the City Commission. Yes, sir. Mr. Cesar J. Labonde: My name is Cesar Labonde. 3015 S.W. DE LA 25 TERRACE. VOY A SER BREVE Y LOS FELICITO A USTEDES Y FELICITO A TODOS LOS QUE HEMOS ESTADO AQUI PORQUE LA VERDAD ES QUE HAY QUE TENER PACIENCIA PARA TODO ESTO. 78 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: He gave his address and name hopefully, you've got them Madam City Clerk, if not... Mr. Labonde: No, let me save you the translation. I can you know, say it. My name is Cesar Labonde. Mayor Suarez: No, it's OK. You can do it in English then. Mr. Labonde: It's OK. You know, I felt that a lot of people here don't speak the language. But anyway. Mayor Suarez: I think that everybody that's left here is pretty good in English though. Mr. Labonde: OK, because I really... my name is Cesar Labonde, 1315 S.W. 35 Terrace and I congratulate all of you and all of us because we really have to be patient and with a will to do what we are doing. My opinion is this. I will be very brief. I think that this is a matter that the people should vote on it. Because only when people have to vote they get the information, they think hard about the program and then they are concerned because, if not, things happen and the people don't know what is going on. So the people should vote on this. The people should see the cost. I respect our City Manager, but I do believe, and I am a businessman, that every time you have an operation like this it's going to be a cost. And believe me, we are broke, we've always said we're broke and I, my business is family insurance. I advise people about their money, and people are taking money out all the time out of their policies, they are not putting money in it, they think we're broke. And so it is going to be a cost. It's going to be more taxes. We're concerned about that and then we have to make it effective. Whatever was planned, a million, two million, five million, we should make it effective. Because this idea of let's try it, and then if we don't see it work, we change it, my gosh, we're too broke to do that. We should be concerned, we should get the efforts of people that want to give their time freely and then make it work, so I would say that's my three points. Number one, get it so that the people can vote, number two, then make sure that this is going to cost money believe me, I agree. I cannot agree that it is not going to cost money, and number three, let's make it work. We cannot afford the trial and error thing anymore. We are in a bad shape and we should, we have to make it work. We have the human capacity and the will to make it work, so let's just give it more time, but whenever we go ahead with something, let's make it work. Thank you. Commissioner Plummer: So be it. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Vice Mayor Alonso: It makes sense. Mr. Allan J. Hunter: Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, my name is A.J. Hunter. Mayor Suarez: Now a City of Miami firefighter who lives in the City of Miami. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, who lives in Miami. 79 March 26, 1992 Mr. Hunter: Right. 499 N.E. 55th Terrace. I'd like to speak in favor of this concept. I think that we've talked about cost. I think if this concept cuts through some bureaucracy it may reduce cost in other City departments. As a resident and as a member of the Morningside Civic Association Board, I am not speaking as a Board member today, just as a private citizen. But I get calls from my neighbors constantly asking me to help with sanitation or public works to get something done. The citizens of this City, when you call departments you may get a run around. You may get the fact that they're not responsible, and a lot of citizens in my neighborhood don't follow up. Fortunately, I do. The thing is if we can put a face, or someone responsible and accountable, then maybe we can get these departments straightened out. You know, I think that for the most part, the City is run fairly well, but there is a lot of bureaucracy. There are a number of layers that in my opinion could be cut and we could save money through this. If we bring government to local level, I think in the long run we'll save money as opposed to keep adding layers of bureaucracy that the citizens are thoroughly fed up with at this point in time. Vice Mayor Alonso: May I ask a question? Mr. Hunter: Yes ma'am. Vice Mayor Alonso: Knowing the City as well as you do and being a City employee who is one of the rare cases that lives in Miami, so you do pay our taxes, you feel confident enough as to give the try even though we have not been successful in providing the services to the level that we wanted it to be. You think that one person as it has been planned by the City Manager, is going to be one person, and perhaps one secretary. Do you think these people with the limited resources that they are going to have, are they going to be bombarded with complaints, from a rooster in the neighborhood who is bothering a neighbor to crime, to solid waste collection. Do you think that that one person will be able. Do you have enough confidence, because I am not telling you it's going to function, because you have no way of predicting neither do I, neither the Manager. But do you have enough faith as to be cautiously optimistic to the degree of yes, be overwhelmingly supportive. Mr. Hunter: Well, my answer to that question is yes. I do believe that if that one person acts as a facilitator to get the departments to do the jobs, yes, I think it can be done. 1, as an example, as one person, accomplish a lot of things by being persistent, and by following through. Vice Mayor Alonso: You're very persistent, I know. Mr. Hunter: If this person, this director, is going to be persistent, going to be knowledgeable about the area, that's another point I want to bring out. This person, I want to see this person in my neighborhood. I want to talk to this person. 1 want this person to listen to me and know what the problems are. When I pick up the phone and talk to whoever my representative is going to be and say that there's a problem on the corner of Fifth avenue and Seventy-second street, I want that person to have a picture in their head of what that corner looks like, what's there, what's going on. You know, as a fireman, I am responsible for knowing my territory when I am in the station. When I get a run to somewhere, on my way there I am visualizing 80 March 26, 1992 what's there, what am I going to expect. That's what I want, I want this person to know the neighborhood. And I think that if the person knows the neighborhood, knows what the citizens want, and also is persistent, and is confident, and can facilitate getting these departments out there to do things. If you call Public Works and let's say there is a problem there, well you're going to have twelve questions where, exactly where the problem is, what's the pile look like, where's the trash, you know, et cetera. And if that person is persistent and is confident yes I think they can do it. Vice Mayor Alonso: And knows the area. Being able to be very familiar with that area I think is a key factor. Thank you. Mr. Hunter: Definitely. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, A.J. Mr. Alfredo Quintero: BUENAS TARDES. MI NOMBRE ES ALFREDO QUINTERO, 4465 N.W. 4 Street. VENGO CON LA INTENCION DE EXPRESAR MI PREOCUPACION POR LA ESCASA INFORMACION PUBLICA QUE TIENE UNA COSA TAN IMPORTANTE QUE TIENE CASI LA CAPACIDAD DE CAMBIAR 0 DE MODIFICAR LA CARTA CONSTITUCIONAL DE LA CIUDAD. REFIRIENDONOS A LAS COSAS QUE HE OIDO HABLAR Y QUE YO HE PERCIBIDO EN ESTA SALA, PUES ME PREOCUPA LA CUESTION DE LOS COSTOS. ESTAMOS HABLANDO DE CREAR ONCE TENENCIAS DE ALCALDIA QUE ASI SE LLAMA, PORQUE YA ES TAN VIEJA LA IDEA, QUE HASTA EL NOMBRE ESTA INVENTADO. Y NOS DICEN QUE VA A COSTAR EXACTAMENTE LO MISMO QUE LO QUE VALE EL COSTO ACTUAL DE TENER UNA SOLA. POR OTRO LADO HE PERCIBIDO LA IDEA DE QUE ESTA DIVISION TENDRIA APOYADA POR EL CONCEPTO DE ENCONTRAR LA RESPONSABILIDAD EN ALGUIEN CUANDO LAS COSAS FUNCIONAN MAL. YO PENSABA QUE TENIAMOS YA RESPONSABLES PARA CADA UNA DE ESTAS COSAS. NO SIENDO ELECTOS, SINO DE DESIGNACION LOS INDIVIDUOS QUE VAN A ESTAR AL FRENTE DE LAS TENENCIAS DE ALCALDIA, YO PIENSO QUE TENDRIAMOS QUE CONSIDERAR LA POSIBILIDAD DE HACER UNA ELECCION PARA ELLOS 0 QUE FUERAN DE ALGUNA MANERA TUVIERAN LA POSIBILIDAD DE LLEGAR COMO PUEBLO A SANCIONAR 0 A PREMIAR A ESTOS FUNCIONARIOS. CON RESPECTO A LA POLICIA, HE TOMADO EL CONCEPTO DE QUE SE PRETENDE UTILIZARLO BASICAMENTE EN overtime. YO PENSARIA QUE SI HAY SUFICIENTE DINERO PARA PAGAR overtime, QUE INCLUSO CUESTA UNA Y MEDIA VEZ COMO MODO standard EL COSTO POR HORA, ENTENDERIA YO, SERIA MEJOR UTILIZAR MAYOR NUMERO DE OFICIALES Y PODRIAN HACER UNA MEJOR LABOR. BUENO, ESTAS SON MIS PREOCUPACIONES Y MUCHAS GRACIAS POR HABERME ATENDIDO EN ELLAS. GRACIAS. TRANSLATION: My name is Alfredo Quintero, 4865 N.W. Fourth Street. I am here to express my concern about the lack of public dissemination of information about something of the magnitude and the importance of this program, which could possibly, or conceivably, or ultimately change the very meaning of the City Charter. I was particularly interested in hearing about the concern, about the cost implications of the program. We are talking, as I have heard, about 11 mini city halls, which is in fact it's named, because that has already, this is such an old idea that the name is already there. And we're told that it is going to cost exactly the same thing as if we had only one. Furthermore, I understand that part of the concept is to have, or hold someone responsible when things don't go right. We thought, I thought we already had people who in fact are responsible for each of these things that may go wrong. And since the people who are going to be in charge of these mini city halls are not elected but appointed, perhaps these people then should be elected so that the electorate and the people served, would have the opportunity to either... 81 March 26,1992 Arm Vice Mayor Alonso: That's what it is going to end with. Yes. TRANSLATION (continued): ...reward or punish these people for their performance. As far as the police goes, my understanding is that the basic concept is to spend resources on overtime patrolling. My thinking is that if there is enough money to pay for overtime, which as I understand it, is one and a half times in the regular time in cost, on a per hour basis. It would seem to me to make more sense to simply have more officers and that they could do a better job. These are my concerns and observations and I am grateful to you for having listened to them. Right? Mayor Suarez: Joe, you're next. Your feet hurt. Mr. Joe Wilkins: My name is Joe Wilkins. 2228 S.W.23rd Road. I am speaking today as Chairman of the Crime Prevention program of the City of Miami, which serves as an advisory board to the Chief of Police and as a community liaison. We have twelve representatives from twelve areas of the City of Miami. We have met on this issue twice. First off, I would like to thank the City Manager and Chief Ross for involving us in this plan while it was being developed. Traditionally, we have been presented with programs kind of after the fact. Here we at least had a chance to play some small role in the development of this and we plan to continue doing it. The letter that I just presented expresses the support for the concept of the program. I think, like I said, we have had two meetings with the Crime Prevention Council. The Coral Way Sub -Council, which I chaired until recently, had a public meeting with neighbors from the Roads, Silver Bluff, Shenandoah and Coral Gate. We put it to the people. The feeling is that it is, as we have heard today, that it is a good concept. There are concerns about its implementation. We feel that it will be successful to the extent that the community will be involved in the implementation. In the areas where the community is ready to participate and be involved, it will be successful. And at least on Coral Way, we are ready to participate, we are ready to be involved. We have an individual who is ready to donate some office space for the community service center. The need from the police end of it is self-evident and has been well -expressed today. We need improvement in the police service. One of the things we hear the most is that there needs to be some kind of consistency in the delivery of police service, and at least if we can get one person consistently that we can deal with, that will be more than we have now. As far as the need for the delivery of the other services, I think the best evidence a need for the improvement in that area, is the fact that we formed our association, and most of our associations because as individuals we were frustrated with trying to deal with the bureaucracy as it exists now. We found we were more successful if dealt collectively, if we persevered, if we made it almost a second full time job. We shouldn't have to do that, and hopefully, this program will go some way towards again simplifying the process and making it more accessible to the community. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Joe, quick question. Your system for communicating with the members of the Association, is that still in place? Mr. Wilkins: Yes, it is. Our Association, we have two or three others now that are. �a March 26,1992 Mayor Suarez: How many people are in that system now? Mr. Wilkins: We have little over two hundred from our Association and close to two hundred for the Shenandoah and the Silver Bluff Associations. Households, households, these are not individuals. Mayor Suarez: Households, so maybe three or four times that many people. Mr. Wilkins: There could be three or four people per household. Mayor Suarez. Right. And the system works very simply, as I understand it. It is a computerized phone calling system... Mr. Wilkins: Right. Mayor Suarez: ...and you, anyone that signs up obviously. You don't call people from the ... Mr. Wilkins: Our members. No, we don't call people at random. You have to pay us to get called. You have to be a member to be called. We call our members. Mayor Suarez: And they can be called by machine. They pick up the phone and they hear... Mr. Wilkins: They hear us. Mayor Suarez: ...a recorded voice saying, "This is your Coral Way Home Owners Association," et cetera, et cetera. Mr. Wilkins: Right. Mayor Suarez: And the other associations we want to alert you to the fact that there is a proposed rezoning or whatever... Mr. Wilkins: Right. Mayor Suarez: ...and maybe you ought to go. How long a message can it give? Mr. Wilkins: As long as we want to. There is no limit on the time. We try to keep them short because generally... Mayor Suarez: You don't want people to start... Mr. Wilkins: ...generally we keep them short and just try to stick to the facts. Mayor Suarez: People have not complained about getting those calls? Mr. Wilkins: The ones that have, we just take them off if there is a problem. Mayor Suarez: You take them off, if they don't want to be. 83 March 26,1992 Vice Mayor Alonso: You can interrupt the call if you feel that it's an imposition on you. You stop the ... Mayor Suarez: They can hang up, I suppose. Right. Mr. Wilkins: When they join, when they join, we tell them. Commissioner Plummer: No, Mr. Mayor, they are not good for reelection. Mayor Suarez: Well, we'll discuss that later. Vice Mayor Alonso: As a matter of fact they are excellent. They say the percentage of people who listen to messages like this are excellent. Mr. Wilkins: I beg to differ, but we don't use them for that. Mayor Suarez: Joe, they could be, but they may not. Right? What was the cost of that equipment? Vice Mayor Alonso: He's preparing for the next election. Mr. Wilkins: I don't have that information off the top of my head, but we spent a good sum of money. We leased, we have a lease -to -purchase arrangement which was set up a couple years ago. Mayor Suarez: What is the monthly lease, more or less? I mean, we're talking? Mr. Wilkins: Something like fifty, sixty dollars. Mayor Suarez: Al right. And it can use regular phone lines and regular phone equipment. Mr. Wilkins: Yes, yes. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Thank you. I am hoping that at some point we have a feature like that if this system goes forward and people are able to be called "This is your City of Miami Neighborhood Enhancement Team", or "Police Department", or whatever, and we have certain things to let you know about. Be alert to that, or this, or whatever. And watch out for the Firefighters Union head who is going to try and do all kinds of bad things to you. Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor, I'd like to... Mayor Suarez: Yes, Mr. Manager. Mr. Odio: ...hopefully in the meeting of April, I hope I have time... Mayor Suarez: There is a demonstration at the Herald tomorrow, that kind of stuff, you know. Mr. Odio: No, well I'm not going, you go. Commissioner Plummer: What? 84 March 26,1992 Mr. Odio: You can go. Mayor Suarez: No, I mean we use the system for that kind of stuff. Commissioner Plummer: Oh, oh, oh. Mr. Odio: I think it is important that the City does communicate. Commissioner Plummer: Hell, I didn't believe him before. Vice Mayor Alonso: This is getting to your head. This is really... Commissioner Dawkins: What you just said, at no additional cost. Mr. Odio: I do think it is important to communicate... Mayor Suarez: As far as I am concerned, I was going to tell you the next thing was going to be... Mr. Wilkins: If I may... Mayor Suarez: ...that if you were going to be inclined to implement this on a Citywide basis, at least the initial cost of the equipment... Mr. Wilkins: ...If I may, Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: ...would be at no cost to the City, as far as I am concerned. Mr. Wilkins: ...if I may, at the Police Department... Mayor Suarez: ...I would provide it. Yes? Mr. Wilkins: The Police Department Community Relations section has one of these machines and we are putting them in some of the other areas besides Coral Way. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Maybe, maybe... Commissioner Plummer: Just borrow Joe's, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: ...if it is something that the Police Community Relations thinks that it ought to do anyhow, we could certainly begin to implement it to use in this program. Mr. Tudela. Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor, excuse me one second. I'm sorry. Under the rights - I discover in this process - under the rights that we have, under the cable ordinance that you passed, we have the right to add a TV channel, and I want to bring back to you in April... Mayor Suarez: Here we go again with the TV channel. Mr. Odio: ...for free, a policy that you should approve, because cable channel can be used for free, twenty-four hours a day to inform the public of 85 March 26,1992 any meetings or anything else you want to inform the public with. idea was just to put on this channel twenty-four hours a day, numbers of what services to call for the City of Miami. When you call this number, when you want that, just the basic information we have. But you do have a channel available to the City. Mayor Suarez: Remember... My original =_ the telephone want Police, numbers that Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, but that's only for the people who pay for the channel, for the cable service. Mr. Odio: That pay cable television. Mayor Suarez: ...Yes. Mr. Manager, this has been a discussion you and I have had before and since you brought 1t up let me restate it. That's all very well and good, and I have no problems with it. That should probably have been done from day one with our cable operator. But that has nothing to do with what I am talking about. The impact of being called ... Mr. Odio: No, no, no. Mayor Suarez: ...let me finish. The impact of being called by someone in your neighborhood, calling your home, to let you know certain information, and someone that you can call back, because presumably at the end of that message would be, "You may call back this number at all hours of the day," and the worst you are going to get is another recording where you can at least. Everybody, if you call the Herald now, you get voice mail all the time, so you know that is totally different from the idea that you use television, cable television, which a lot of the people that we are trying to help with this do not have cable television. Now, if you want to get really creative, as I suggested to you, and you talk to the cable company who has a franchise from the City, about the possibility that they have not penetrated the market particularly much and if they come up with a way of lowering the cost for certain people that this would somehow tie into our purposes and we would do whatever is in our power to make it so that we can communicate with people. For example, if they wanted to make it free for people of limited means to have a basic cable connection that, so we could communicate with them and in the process they get some chance to penetrate the market and if all of that is legal, that's very creative. But that, this is a very simple system. It's almost revenue neutral again. I mean it cost very little and in fact, you may already have the equipment in stock to do it and people sign up for it, and they get all the information they need and they can call and give information, because the whole point of neighborhood policing is that people give us information. They participate in the process of policing, something that really hasn't been mentioned and emphasized as much as we would like to, but certainly anyone who is in police work knows the importance of that now, involving the citizens. I preempted you. I think. No, I am sorry, I preempted you. Mr. Tudela? Former chairman of the Cuban Municipalities in Exile. Mr. Miguel Tudela: I know you forgot me. Mr. Mayor and Commissioner, Mr. City Manager. Mayor Suarez: You're going to give us an address. 86 March 26,1992 e Mr. Tudela: My name is Miguel Tudela, 444 S.W. 64th Court. Mayor Suarez: I have to say you are very well -dressed, Mr. Tudela. Things must be going well. Mr. Tudela: Thank you. It's the money I am making. No, I want to make clear that I don't come here to oppose nor to defend the program. Just to air some concern I heard on the street in certain segment of conversation I belong to. The fact that we don't have enough information in regard to this plan, that from what I heard, is a very important one. I know that for a fact that in many neighborhoods I had been going through, many people complain that they are not too close to the city government and the concept that the administration want to share closer with the neighborhoods with the problems they have and the solutions is something that we all have to be for. But the fact is not only the people in the street is uninformed of the extent of this plan, the cost, and the implication on the Administration, or the diminution of the government responsibilities, but also the members of this Commission are uninformed and they complain. I heard that in the last four hours, that they don't have any input in this program, and very respectfully I would suggest that the best thing that can be done tonight is to postpone the approval of this plan, I mean at least the second phase. Because I believe that the first phase is going forward even though some of the costs are not very well clarified in my mind. For they speak of half a million dollar it costs every month and they said that that money is already budgeted but they talk about this year. We don't know about next year. I heard the Commissioner Alonso raised the question and they would like to hear some answers. And we share that preoccupation of that concern, so I think that the only thing that I can do when I go back to those citizens who have approached me lately, is to say, "Well, we heard this and this. This plan, at least the second phase, is going to be postponed until the Commission and the citizens of Miami have more information about it." And that is the only thing I am requesting from you so that the government in reality remains in the hand of the Commission and I would like to see the City Manager, whose good intention I never doubted, to be flexible in that regard and postpone implementation of the second phase until the City Commission at least can give us more information, the public at large. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Miguel. Mr. Cuenca. Vice Mayor Alonso: Thank you. Mr. Andres Cuenca: My name is Andres Cuenca, 1405 S.W. 40th Street. SENOR ALCALDE, VOY A HABLAR EN ESPANOL Y YO QUISIERA QUE USTED ME TRADUZCA, QUE VOY A TRATAR DE SER BREVE PORQUE YA ES BASTANTE TARDE. PRIMERO VOY A HACER DOS 0 TRES PREGUNTICAS AL SENOR ADMINISTRADOR, CESAR ODIO. AQUI EL SENOR RAUL MARTINEZ ME CONOCE A MI DESDE RACE MUCHOS, VARIOS ANOS. YO TRANTANDO DE AYUDAR A LA JUVENTUD Y USTED ESTA ENCARGADO POR MAS DE ONCE ANOS EN LOS PROBLEMAS DE LA JUVENTUD Y ESO. ESO ES VERDAD, 0 ES MENTIRA? ALGO QUE YO QUERIA PREGUNTARLE A USTED... TRANSLATION: I must speak in Spanish. I wish you would translate. I'll try to be brief. I would like to ask a few questions of the City Manager, Mr. Odio. Mr. Raul Martinez over here knows me for more than eleven years. I've been trying to work with the young people of this community. 87 March 26,1992 0- Mayor Suarez: I don't think... I don't know anybody here that's Raul Martinez, but go ahead. Mr. Cuenca: ALGO QUE YO QUERIA PREGUNTARLE A USTED... Mayor Suarez: Is he talking about the Assistant Chief? Mr. Cuenca: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Mayor Suarez: That Raul Martinez? All right. Mr. Cuenca: ALGO QUE YO QUERIA PREGUNTARLE A USTED. YO LIMPIE PARQUES, QUE TENGO LAS FOTOS, EN EL ANO 1982. Y YO FUI A SU OFICINA Y ME GASTE TREINTA Y TRES PESOS Y CENTAVOS. TRABAJARON MAS DE OCHENTA 0 CIEN MUCHACHOS. YO TENGO TODAS LAS FOTOS Y TODAS LAS PRUEBAS Y ME PELOTEARON COMO UNA PELOTICA DE PIN- PONG Y USTED NUNCA ME RESPONDIO LOS PAPELES Y ME BOTO CON LA POLICIA DE AQUI. CUAL FUE ESA RAZON? TRANSLATION: I used to clean parks in 1982. I have pictures and I went to your office and I spent a certain amount of money and... Mayor Suarez: We're not going to air all of this today. But he was relating an incident where he spent some money... Mr. Odio: Today is not the public hearing on... Mayor Suarez: ...in a park, to clean up a park with certain number of young people and he came and reported to you but you were not particularly interested in pursuing the whole idea and actually had him evicted from your office. Do you want to answer that or you want to leave that for...? Mr. Odio: I don't remember, Mr. Mayor. I would have to research my records and I'd be glad to answer to him at another time. Mayor Suarez: He was not City Manager at the time, so maybe as Assistant City Manager, but he does not remember that. EL NO SE ACUERDA. Mr. Odio: I was not City Manager at that time. Mr. Cuenca: BUENO, VAMOS A EMPEZAR POR OTRO... AQUI SEGUN... USTED ESTA HACIENDO ALGO PARA AYUDAR A LA CIUDAD. ENTONCES YO ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON EL DEPARTAMENTO DE LA POLICIA Y EL MEJORAMIENTO DE LOS CRIMENES Y ESO. YO HE INVERTIDO MILES Y MILES DE HORAS NO HABLANDO... HABLANDO CON LOS MUCHACHOS DE TODOS LOS BARRIOS. CASI TODOS LOS BARRIOS DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI A LA UNA DE LA MANANA, A LAS DOS DE LA MANANA, A LAS TRES DE LA MANANA, OBSERVANDO. LOS POLICIAS LO SABEN, LO QUE YO NO SOY CHIVA DE NINGUN DEPARTAMENTO. TRANSLATION: You are presumably trying to do something for the City and I am in agreement with that portion that has to do with the improvement of police surveillance and so on. I have spent many many hours, thousand of hours speaking to the kids in the community 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning and although I'm not a snitch. I do want to clarify that. 88 March 26,1992 Mr. Cuenca: ESO HAY QUE ACLARARLO BIEN CLARO. LO QUE SUCEDE ES LO SIGUIENTE. YO TRATE DE HACER UN CLUB DE BOXIADORES QUE RECOGI UN PROMEDIO DE 6,000 FIRMAS, LAS CUALES LAS TENGO. LA FIRMO EL SENOR MAURICIO FERRE, Y YO SE LO ENTREGUE A SU OFICINA... Mayor Suarez: That was a big mistake. Right? That was a big mistake right there. Mr. Cuenca: SE LO ENTREGUE A SU OFICINA... TRANSLATION: I prepared a petition drive of signatures and I gave it to former Mayor, Maurice Vice Mayor Alonso: No, he signed the petition. Mayor Suarez: We signed it, he signed it. some sort with many many Ferre and I took it to... Mr. Cuenca: PARA LLEVARLE AL PASO QUE HAY... YO QUISIERA HACER UNA PREGUNTA. CUAL ES LA RAZON QUE HAY TANTOS CRIMENES EN LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, Y DESPUES QUE LISTED ME CONTESTE, YO SE LO VOY A DECIR A USTED. Mayor Suarez: OK. He is not going t to answer that. But I will translate the Manager how... Wait. How come Miami? And I wi11 proceed to answe proceed to answer it yourself, and y ahead and answer it yourself? o answer that. I am not going to ask him your rhetorical question. I want to ask there are so many crimes in the City of r it myself. So since you're going to ou said that you would, why don't you go Mr. Cuenca: LA RAZON DE QUE HAY TANTO CRIMEN EN LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI, PORQUE AQUI HAY MILES Y MILES DE JOVENES QUE SON JOVENCITOS Y EL DIA TIENE 24 HORAS. ENTONCES LA POLICIA TIENE QUE RESOLVER LOS PROBLEMAS EN COMUNICACION CON LOS JOVENES TRATANDO DE LLEGAR A UN ACUERDO DE QUE LOS JOVENES JUEGUEN DEPORTES Y SE PREOCUPEN POR ELLOS PARA QUE ELLOS ESTEN FUERA DE LOS PROBLEMAS Y TENER UNA PERSONA... TRANSLATION: The reasons there are so many crimes in the City of Miami is that very many young people who are very young and the day has twenty-four hours. And I think that the best way to solve crime is for the police to network with the young people to get them interested and involved in sports and that they will occupy their time in those kind of activities instead of committing crimes. We all agree with that Mr. Manager, yes. Mr. Odio: I agree with you. I do. I agree with him, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Cuenca: EN OTRAS PALABRAS, UNA PERSONA QUE SEA COMO MASCOTA DE ELLOS QUE PUEDA SER AMIGO DE ELLOS, Y ENTONCES QUE ELLOS ESTEN FUERA DE LOS CRIMENES. LA RAZON PORQUE ELLOS NO LO PUEDEN HACER TODD SOLO, ENTONCES SI NOSOTROS GASTAMOS TANTO DINERO, YO ESTOY DE ACUERDO DE QUE SE LE DE EL MILLON DE PESOS A ELLOS, PERO ESTOY DE ACUERDO DE QUE SE LE DE AQUI MILLON A LA JUVENTUD TAMBIEN PARA QUE HAYA MASCOTA EN TODOS LOS BARRIOS, NO EN Little Havana, EN TODOS LOS BARRIOS AQUI DE LA CIUDAD DE MIAMI. EL SENOR CAPITAN DE LA POLICIA, EL CUAL YO ADMIRO Y RESPETO PORQUE ES BUENA PERSONA, PERO YO QUISIERA DECIR ALGO A USTED. YO VENGO TRABAJANDO ESTO, HE ESCRITO EN LOS PERIODICOS. A MI NO ME HAN PAGADO UN CENTAVO. LO HE HECHO YO TODD DE MI DINERO, PORQUE TODD LO QUE HE HECHO POR LA JUVENTUD AQUI ME HA COSTADO DE MI DINERO QUE EL SENOR ALCALDE... HASTA HAY COSAS QUE SON CONFIDENCIALES QUE PERSONAS QUE HAN TENIDO 89 March 26,1992 PROBLEMAS CON DROGAS, MUCHACHAS QUE YO HE LLEVADO A ESTUDIAR, QUE LAS HE METIDO EN COLEGIO, SE HAN GRADUADO, HAN CAIDO EN PROBLEMAS DE DROGA, Y EL ALCALDE LO SABE QUE NO SE PUEDE DECIR LOS NOMBRES Y LAS HEMOS METIDO EN PROGRAMA DE REVILITACIONES [sic]. AHORA PARA... TRANSLATION: So that they will have someone who will be like their buddy and that person would spend time with them and then act as a substitute father or older brother, whatever, and they would emulate that person's example. I think that... I agree with the million dollars to be spent by the police but as long as a million dollars is also spent to establish some sort of a buddy system for the youth in this community. The Chief of Police who I admire and respect because he is a good person. I've been writing about this and formulating all of this and no one has paid me any money and I've been writing about it in the newspapers and I have given information to the Mayor and he knows the names of some young ladies who have been in school but had some problems with drugs. Mayor Suarez: I'm translating, I am not sure that I know all of this, but maybe I do, maybe somebody in my office does. Yes. Mr. Cuenca: YO ESTUVE AQUI RACE COMO - PARA TERMINAR - HACE COMO TRES SEMANAS, DOS SEMANAS, UN MES Y HABLE AQUI UN SEGUNDITO Y UNAS DE SUS ENCARGADAS DE SU OFICINA ME ATENDIO A MI. ES QUE EL ALCALDE LO SABE. CUANDO ES QUE USTED VA A TENER TIEMPO, PORQUE SEGUN USTED YO VOY ALLA ARRIBA Y LA POLICIA ME DICE QUE NO PUEDO IR A NINGUNA OFICINA. YO QUISIERA SABER QUIEN DIO EL PERMISO ESE. TRANSLATION: The police here is keeping me from going to the various offices and I want to know when you're going to have time. I want to know when. Mayor Suarez: OK. Wrap up. COMPLETA YA. Mr. Cuenca: CUANDO USTED VA A TENER TIEMPO PARA ATENDER A UNA PERSONA CAPACITADA QUE LE HACE LOS PAPELES A EL SENOR DOCTOR CLAUDIO BENEVIDE, DE WASHINGTON, DE LOS PROBLEMAS DE LA JUVENTUD QUE SE LOS PUEDO ENSENAR AL ALCALDE, PERO MAS NADIE PUEDE SABERLO. CUANDO USTED VA A TENER TIEMPO PARA ATENDER A PERSONAS CAPACITADAS? TRANSLATION: When are you going to be able to have the time to look at the documents that I have also introduced to... Mayor Suarez: I have to translate Mr. Cuenca. Mr. Cuenca: SI USTED DICE QUE ESTA agree CONMIGO. COMO ES POSIBLE ESO? TRANSLATION: The documents that I have submitted to Doctor Claudio Benevide in Washington that the Mayor has seen but that must remain confidential, but I would like to present them to the City Manager. Mayor Suarez: OK. That's it. Mr. Cuenca: CUANDO USTED VA A ATENDERME A MI? DE AQUI A UN AND? DE AQUI A DOS ANOS? EL 31 DE FEBRERO? PERO LLEVO ONCE ANDS VINIENDO AQUI Y NUNCA ME HA ATENDIDO. TRANSLATION: When are you going to meet with me? In a year, two years? I have been trying to get an appointment for eleven years and I've never had a success. 90 March 26,1992 11 11 Mayor Suarez: All right. Thank you. Mr. Cuenca: Hi, Chief. God bless you. TRANSLATION: Bless you, Chief. Gracias, Sr. Cuenca. Mayor Suarez: That was 1n English. I didn't have to translate that. All right. Elba? Ms. Elba Morales: Yes. For the record, my name is Elba Morales, 3030 S.W. 6th Street, and before I begin I would like to again restate that I am in agreement with the program that 1s being presented as far as the Police Department is concerned. I think that this is what we voted for. I even kept from 1984, the portion of the question that was put into the citizens and 1 did vote for that and I voted because we wanted to have the mini stations which is what it was always called, the mini stations. And the mini stations only referred to the police department. However, as some of you may know, I have the distinction of serving in the City of Miami Zoning Board as its Vice Chairperson. And as such, I have had the opportunity of seeing from the inside the manner in which the Department, the planning, building and zoning, and the code enforcement conduct their operations. Just to mention one, code enforcement has achieved a lot recently under the direction of persons like Pablo Canton, Juan Gonzalez, Marcus Fernandez and other people. The Code Enforcement Board now averages between one hundred and fifteen to one hundred and fifty cases per month. That's what is being put in front of the Code Enforcement Board. This department is now clearing the lots, removing the abandoned vehicles. It's hitting and destroying the crack houses. It has taken Mr. Canton and all of this manpower to get to where we are now. It takes trained persons to go and do research on each individual case from the public records of Dade County in order to get certified documents to proceed accordingly and resolve these issues. Now we want to implement new systems and take persons like these out of the center of operations, put them in a facility with another employee and expect them to resolve matters of such importance throughout the City. The same is expected from the rest of the employees designated to serve in the same capacity as Mr. Canton. How is he with one employee going to control the whole area he has been assigned to when it has taken him a lot of manpower, training and personnel, computers and equipment to get to where we are now. Another issue is the building and zoning department. The plan will cut the umbilical cord between the inspector and massive amount of information located in the main office, organizing all documents and complaints. How will these documents, complaints and information be made available to each inspector? Double work, double expense. One set of documents et cetera for each mini station another for the main office. Are we to purchase new equipment for each mini station to be able to function? Now, the general information concerning the Class 1 permits, the landscape permits, the legal descriptions, the CO (certificate of use) information, the final COs, plans and permits, historic districts, Latin Quarter, environmental preservation districts in the city, how is that going to be affected? How are the people going to be able to get this information from these mini stations. Now, the ordinance eleven thousand, which is what we go by, how is the person in charge of each mini station give direct support to the inspector in the spur of the moment, if the person does not have any knowledge of the ordinance? And believe me, there are lots of persons who work there who don't know about the ordinance. And I know a few people who are very, very knowledgeable in this particular thing, like interpreting the 91 March 26,1992 e� Code and interpreting the ordinance. Now, this will make the inspector go back to the office and recheck with this knowledgeable personnel in the office and this, of course, will delay the service to the community or the citizen who is requesting this type of information. Now with the lot -clearing information, that process takes about three months, and this can only be researched in the main office due to the need of the computers and the plans, et cetera. Now this is with regards to the part of moving the particular people to these mini stations. Now, I don't know who is the person who has done this. I hear that it is Mr. City Manager, and I requested a copy of the Charter and I'd like to ask from the City Attorney, because nowhere here do I see where the Manager has the power to create, to create new departments. These are things that are being created and in order to create the mini stations, we had to go out and vote for it. These are new departments that are being created and I don't see anywhere in the Charter, and I would like you, sir, Mr. Maxwell, to tell me where because I have here a copy of the Charter under Number 15 and nowhere, perhaps it's because I don't know about law, but I can't find it here. So, if you will find it there, please tell me where I have to look in order for that. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Chairman, I would really like an answer to my question. That's the correct way to do it, Elba, and you know that, serving on our boards. Thank you. Ms. Morales: I am sorry, sir. Mayor Suarez: You really can't give instructions to the City Attorney. Ms. Morales: Absolutely. Mayor Suarez: All right. The question I think bears answer. If you can do it today, if not, presumably... Mr. Maxwell: We've looked at it and Mr. Rafael Diaz, Chief Deputy City Attorney, will respond to that for you, sir. Mayor Suarez: Right. Rafael Diaz, Esq.: Right, I like that. Unidentified Speaker: Whoa, come back here. Vice Mayor Alonso: That's a hot potato. Mayor Suarez: That's the quickest exit from that seat I've ever seen. That's like. I hereby appoint another one of my colleagues to handle the heat. Mr. Diaz: That's nice. Vice Mayor Alonso: Congratulations. Mr. Diaz: Thank you. We reviewed the plan to the extent that we have had access to it and we have made a determination, the City Attorney has made the determination, that these are not new departments, simply redeployment of existing staff. There is no new departments being created, simply people are being redeployed from existing departments and that's the reason. 92 March 26,1992 1 - _j -i _s - Vice Mayor Alonso: What is the mini city hall stands for? That's the name it's given in the memos. These are legal documents. _ Mr. Diaz: I understand that that's the name that was used. I think in effect it's a misnomer. It was not meant for those, at least from what we understand of the plan, for those sub -stations to be called mini city halls. It is —, simply a misnomer. - Commissioner Dawkins: You have viewed a plan? - Mr. Diaz: No, we have not viewed a plan. We know exactly... Commissioner Dawkins: How can you tell me what the plan is if you have not viewed the plan? Mr. Diaz: We are not telling you again what the plan is or is not. What we have said is we've been asked whether a new department has been created, and in the opinion of the City Attorney, a new department has not been created. It's simply redeployment of existing departments. Now, the Commission has as its prerogative to create departments. Section 19 of the... - Mr. Odio: Let me make it... Vice Mayor Alonso: Could it be that legally if you see the entire plan, your opinion might change? Because the content of the entire information might give you the impression that it is indeed a new department. You did not see the plan. Mr. Odio: But let me make it simple now. Vice Mayor Alonso: Why should you make it? He is the attorney. Mr. Odio: I have said it before and I will say it again. If the City Commission, as a body, feels that this should not be implemented, I will stop. However... Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. City Manager, this is after the fact. Mr. Odio: No, it isn't, no it isn't. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, it is. Mr. Odio: We're still early enough to just tell the people go back to your department. Vice Mayor Alonso: You told me a while ago that it is already implemented. Mr. Odio: Yes. The first... yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: So are you telling us to stop? Mr. Odio: I could stop it right now. 93 March 26,1992 Vice Mayor Alonso: Oh, pleasel Ms. Morales: Sir. Mr. Odio: Oh, yes. Mayor Suarez: Anything further, Elba? Ms. Morales: I have another question. The way I feel about this I think that the ones who are sitting up there are responsible for all of these things. I have voted for some of you. And I think. They know that. And I think that it is your duty... Vice Mayor Alonso: In my case I am certain what happened. Ms. Morales: You said that. I didn't vote for you, you know that... Vice Mayor Alonso: That's right. Ms. Morales: ...and I think that it is up to you to do these things. The way I see it, we're giving a lot of power to the Administration that should rest with you... Mayor Suarez: Manager, please. Ms. Morales: ...and from what I read, with what my poor knowledge of legal things, in the Charter, I see that it says, after it says all about the powers and the duties of the City Manager, it says: "Annotations. It was the Intention of the Legislature to make the City Manager at all times hold office subject to the will of the Commission upon whom rested the administrative affairs of the City government." If this is not changing the administrative affairs of the City government, nothing else is. I think that we have to look at this. If there is going to be that change, I think it has to go to the ballot. I have seen things happening where people are getting a lot of power here, who are not elected, who are not responding to the citizens of Miami. The other day somebody made a check and paid forty thousand dollars to the Museum of Art without bringing it for resolution to the Commission. Vice Mayor Alonso: It's true. Ms. Morales. OK. I never saw 1t here... Vice Mayor Alonso: It's true. Ms. Morales: ...and I don't know what is happening, but I think that somebody should tell. Commissioner Dawkins: Wait, wait, wait. Commissioner Plummer: She's in a quandary now. Tell us a little, what's this? Vice Mayor Alonso: The forty thousand dollars to the Museum. 94 March 26,1992 11 a Ms. Morales: Yeah. Commissioner Plummer: What Museum? Vice Mayor Alonso: The Cuban Museum. Ms. Morales: The Cuban Museum. Commissioner Plummer: The one on 12th Avenue? Ms. Morales: Yes. Commissioner Plummer: And what is the implication? Ms. Morales: Because we went to Court. Mr. Odio: Woal Woal Excuse me. Excuse me, please. Because, you know, some people, tend to create doubts... Mayor Suarez: No editorials. What is the $40,000 about please? Mr. Odio: I'll tell you what it is, Mr. Mayor. Ms. Morales: Not some... Mr. Odio: The judge - and this came from the City Attorney's office... Mayor Suarez: It was pursuant to judgement that was paid. All right. Mr. Odio: ...that we had to comply with a judge sentencing the City of Miami to pay $40,000 to that institution. Mayor Suarez: Judgement. Vice Mayor Alonso: You are right, Mr. Manager, but she is right also in her point. It should have come to us for approval before you wrote that check. Mr. Odio: I don't know whv... Ms. Morales: Absolutely. Mr. Odio: I didn't do it. Ms. Morales: It needed a resolution from this body. Mr. Odio: I tell you, it came from the City Attorney's office. Vice Mayor Alonso: Whoever did that, it should have come to this Commission. Mr. Odio: No, but that... Vice Mayor Alonso: Maybe that is illegal. Mr. Odio: I don't know. 95 March 26,1992 11 Commissioner Plummer: Wait a minute. check? Has the check been written? Mr. Odio: It had... Carlos? Can I follow up now? Who wrote the Vice Mayor Alonso: According to Carl Goldfarb, yes. Mr. Odio: I am sure that we did the check. I saw the documentation where... Commissioner Plummer: All right. My second question is, did we appeal? Mayor Suarez: He's looking very innocent back there, J.L. Commissioner Plummer: Huh? Mayor Suarez: Goldfarb is looking very innocent back there, like he had nothing to do with the writing of the check. Mr. Odio: Commissioner, that... Commissioner Plummer: We'll put him on payroll of some kind. Mr. Odio: That particular case, in my memory, and Quinn is not here, you would never order him to appeal. Vice Mayor Alonso: Who wrote the check? Mr. Odio: We, the City wrote the check. Commissioner Plummer: Wait a minute. Excuse me. The policy of this Commission has always been, unless it is changed, that an appeal is automatic unless cancelled by this Commission at its next meeting. Now what I am asking is, has... you know... Unidentified Speaker: That was Jorge Fernandez. Commissioner Plummer: No, no, no. I saw Sedudo on TV as a publisher and I don't believe that TV station either. I'm asking the question. Hello? Did you appeal? Rafael Diaz, Esq.: No, Commissioners, we did not appeal. Mr. Odio: J.L., he wasn't... Vice Mayor Alonso: Because they paid. Commissioner Plummer: Who am I to ask, Mr. Manager. Mr. Odio: The City Attorney, at the time, was Jorge Fernandez. We have to trace back why... Commissioner Plummer: When was this judgement handed down? 96 March 26,1992 X- e1 Mr. Odio: This was a year ago. Vice Mayor Alonso: No, no. Excuse me. I don't think Mr. Fernandez has nothing to do with it. Mr. Odio: It was a year ago. Vice Mayor Alonso: This happened after Mr. Fernandez's time. Mr. Odio: No. Vice Mayor Alonso: Everything now in the City is Mr. Fernandez's fault. Mr. Odio: Commissioner. Vice Mayor Alonso: And this is not right. Mr. Odio: Commissioner, the sentencing.., the judge found the City guilty a year ago. Vice Mayor Alonso: Indeed. Mr. Odio: Whoever was the City Attorney then, was here. Commissioner Plummer: But when was this check written? Was that a year ago? Mr. Odio: No. Ms. Morales: No. Mr. Odio: I saw some paperwork the other day - I see hundreds of papers - that on... where the City Attorney was saying that we had, according to the judge, paid. I don't know if the check has been issued or not. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes it was. And I'll tell you something. That is according to Mr. Carl Goldfarb again. Now, let me tell you something. Ms. Morales: That is right. Vice Mayor Alonso: If in fact... Mayor Suarez: He still looks very innocent back there. Vice Mayor Alonso: He does, but he probably knows quite well. Commissioner Plummer: Carl, would you go out here and walk on the water, please. Vice Mayor Alonso: Now, the point is, isn't this funny that in this City we write that check for $40,000. It does not come to the Commission, and then no one seems to remember $40,000, like it were two pennies. This is serious. We need an answer on this. We really do. 97 March 26,1992 Commissioner Plummer: We don't even know whether we still own the building. Do we? Mayor Suarez: Oh, we certainly do own the building. Vice Mayor Alonso: Oh, we certainly do. Commissioner Plummer: Wait a minute. We obviously don't own the building if I we can't... Mayor Suarez: You've got a point that it seems like we can't control the way we would like it to... Commissioner Plummer: I mean the judge never said... Mayor Suarez: I think the courts... Commissioner Plummer: ...any... Mayor Suarez: ...have had a bad day on that decision, but we own the building. I tell you that. If we have to appeal it. Commissioner Plummer: What good is it to own it if we can't control it? Ms. Morales: And that is what I am referring to with the power. Commissioner Plummer: What good is it to own it if we can't control it? Mayor Suarez: But we can't control it as much as we should and God knows about that decision. Vice Mayor Alonso: I remember that the feeling of this Commission was, you go back to court and get the information. Can we charge rent or not? The judge has to tell us. Mayor Suarez: That's true. Vice Mayor Alonso: Do we... Mayor Suarez: And I thought we were going to move to get an RFP (request for proposals) out. Vice Mayor Alonso: Exactly. Mayor Suarez: And begin all the processes... Vice Mayor Alonso: Are they going to stay there for free forever? Mayor Suarez: ...that would allow us to prove to a court that we are in fact trying to use that for the welfare and whatever the other legal terms are of the citizens of Miami so that we can, at some point, get some court to allow us to do that. Now, is either the City Attorney or the City Manager or both of you going to get your act together on that and get us moving on that front? As long as we are into that, I didn't think today was necessarily thea time to do it, but it seems like a good time. 98 March 26,1992 Mr. Odio: That other... Commissioner Plummer: That'd make a nice service center. Mr. Odio: The RFP, we are working on that already. In fact, I think you will see... Mayor Suarez: It's a pretty simple RFP. The place looks like a house. Mr. Odio: Yes. Mayor Suarez: Looks like a home. It's in a residential neighborhood. The RFP should be very simple. Let's not complicate it, please, Mr. Manager. Mr. Odio: In fact, I'll tell you this much. The Fire Department is telling me that they need that station back because it's getting closer and closer to the service... Mayor Suarez: Well, then, maybe it is even simpler. Maybe we just simply suggest to the court and to the world that we want to make a fire station over there like it was in the old days. Mr. Odio: That is what we might need. Mayor Suarez: There goes Duke again. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, and before we leave today I'd like an answer. Did we pay the $40,000? Or we did not? Mr. Odio: I have Carlos Garcia checking to see. I did see some paperwork on that. Mayor Suarez: Beyond paperwork and getting that answer, don't forget the other answer and have it ready for us for the first meeting in April, Mr. Manager. What do you intend to do with that property that you think we can do legally, without a court getting an injunction against us, and that will indicate clearly that our intention is not to get into the issue of art, or the issue of museums, or any of the other battles among those board members, but to use that property for our purposes and for the welfare of the people of Miami, pronto, please. Anything else? Vice Mayor Alonso: This is not the first time that we instruct the Administration to do this, Mr. Mayor. This is not the first time. Ms. Morales: I think this is being implemented, Mr. Mayor, this is being implemented, because a small portion of this community has come here and has said that they want to do this. I think the... Mayor Suarez: We are talking about the NET program now? We're not talking about the museum anymore? Ms. Morales: No, I am talking about the NET, sir, I am talking about the NET. I think... 99 March 26,1992 Mayor Suarez: I don't agree with that at all, but go ahead. I am sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, I just want to clarify. Ms. Morales: I think that it should take three votes of this Commission and put this in a ballot and then the rest of the people who are not here today and the rest of the people who were not here before, as I was not here before. Mayor Suarez: But you want three votes of the Commission and you also want a referendum on it? Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, in order to put it on the ballot, you would have to take three votes here. Ms. Morales: We would need your vote in order to put it on the ballot. Mayor Suarez: In other words, you don't want it just to be approved by this Commission. You want it to go to public referendum. Ms. Morales: Absolutely. Mayor Suarez: That's an interesting thought. All right. —� Ms. Morales: I think that's the fair thing to do, because this is a democracy. And we are doing, implementing something because a few persons have come here and have said something for the plan, and a few persons have come here and have said something against the plan. So I think everybody should have the same right. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Ms. Morales: Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Elba. Sir? Mr. Hector Marino: Mr. Mayor, Board of City Commission, Mr. Manager, my name is Hector Marino. I live on 3626 N.W. 14th Terrace, Miami, Florida 33125. I am the President of the Grapeland Heights Civic Association and Homeowner. The reason I am here today is in regard to our mini police station. At first I was tickled to death to see something coming up like that. Unfortunately, lately I am discouraged. First of all, I live in the Grapeland Heights Civic Association and they don't know what Grapeland Heights Civic Association. They inform me that we are going to get orders from Little Havana. That be twenty miles away, so that not helping us our neighborhood any. Second I don't know why they are rushing this beautiful piece of good that is supposed to do to the City. They are rushing it so much when nobody have heard anything about this project. Nobody have ever contacted a neighborhood. Nobody ever come to our neighborhood and inform our people what they're going to do. So, I don't think this thing, that you worked beautiful, and I was more than glad to work with them, and it won't be the first time I walk around the neighborhood with a policeman. I was willing and volunteered to work with the policeman but the way they doing it now, I can't go along until I see more of a clear picture, and how much it's going to cost and how the people is going to accept it. In my neighborhood they asked me. I know we need 100 March 26,1992 e� 2 something because the people of the City of Miami are not getting the service that they deserve and I know because I get a lot of complaint from the people in that area, and we are not a complainer area. I think, and I believe that this thing should be hold off until more people get involved and find out what is going to be all about it. So we all get involved and find out the money it's going to cost and until now, I am against that. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, sir. Very articulate. Gloria. Ms. Gloria Rosello: Gloria Rosello, 3007 N.W. 7th Street, Miami, Florida. I agree one hundred percent with the NET, the police part of it. Very good, the police have done a very good job and I think the police should be known in your neighborhood, who the policeman is and all, everything that goes with it. Now, the other part of it, I think that maybe you know, I might suggest, I don't know, and it's just going through my mind, you should break it down in two. The police, part of it, which everybody agrees with it, and then the other part of the mini city halls, which is the part that a lot of people seems to disagree with. We have enough, a lot of problems right now. I sit on the Latin Quarter Review Board. Sometimes, people in there complain because they go to Building and Zoning, since they don't tell them you are 1n the Latin Quarter section they don't know they're supposed to come in front of our board, so what happens? They lose all that time and then finally they have to go back there and they lose three or four months. Now, if you come in front of a mini City hall and you, first of all, you call the City and who is going to advise you where do you live, and you say oh, 3007. Oh, you have to call so and so. Then you're going to call so and so to resolve the problem. Then so and so is going to handle your problem, put it on a priority list, then that's going to go on to somebody else. I think it is more bureaucracy. And this is just my honest opinion. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Dorothy. Ms. Dorothy Quintana: My name is Dorothy Quintana from 263 N.W. 34th Street which is Wynwood. I live there 38 years and I am satisfied with what you people are going to do. Especially as I am getting a good man. Mr. Luis Carrasquillo. I know him for a long time and I know that he is going to do a good job. And besides that I am tired of calling the police department. They're tired of me. Because really they must be saying everytime I call that - lady, please I am not here. And this is why I am glad this has happened so I can bother somebody else and leave them alone. They've been doing a wonderful job and let me tell you Wynwood was a bad, bad place, drugs, crimes, prostitution. It was so bad, it was impossible and I was driving them crazy. And let me tell you, I think that with these new deals that they have, they did clean up Wynwood quite a lot. You can't cure cancer, but you can remedy and that's what they have done. And now with what this young fellow here have done for us, I am satisfied. I am very pleased because especially, I wanted Pablo Canton and I fight for the Manager with Smith about it that I wanted him, but he says, " No, Little Havana is going to have him." So I am having Luis Carrasquillo and I am very happy with him, because I know him a long time. He is a very serious respectable fellow. That's how long I know him and thank you for give us that fellow. Now, you said before that the police department is getting paid overtime. So is the criminal getting paid, how could the criminal working overtime, so they have to get paid overtime also, and let me tell you, it's rough. Thank you. 101 March 26,1992 Mayor Suarez: Thank you Dorothy. Manuel. Mr. Manuel Gonzalez-Goenaga: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished Commissioners, distinguished members of the Honorable Police Department and all the rest of the bureaucrats. Well, we have talked here about NET. What is it? A net in ping pong, in baseball, or in basketball? Let's go to the crux of the matter. What has not been said here. It's the human factor involved. I come here for the last year and a half and I see many questions and very few answers. And then, you're going to tell me that these service stations like if it were a gas station all over the town that is going to help? Come on babies, let's start First with the human factor and I am going to talk about the police because you people should know my crusade against the police abuse. We have in the police department, we're talking about combatting crime. Well, let me start to say that the first there are criminals within the police department. Mr. Officer Jorge Garcia has threatened me three times to murder me. Another Guttierrez said that he was going to cut my testicles and nothing has happened. I have been in the internal affairs and I would say that that's more of a cover-up than anything else. Check the Police Department, the Chief of Police, my record. I am not a drug dealer, I never, I am not, I don't never drink. I only drive and yet I have paid more than five hundred dollars as finished with this police Mafia. Let's start first getting the one hundred fifty thousand dollars, that is a crime, that was stolen from right from the police department and after five years, this community and Mrs. Alonso, asking about six months ago for a report, and what reports? No respect, how can I, we respect the citizens, the police department where there are murderers and criminals within the police department. People who murder a human being. Come on, don't give me more crap. Thank you very much. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Mr. Anthony Rivas: Good evening. Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, City Manager, my name is Anthony Rivas and I am Vice President of the Latin Chamber of Commerce. I am here because Mr. and your friend, Luis Sabines, is not in the hospital but he has to have a check up at one o'clock and he had to relax. I only have a few points to tell you. Mayor Suarez: The Godfather will not relax for long. Mr. Rivas: After analyzing the NET issue, we must express very few things. We at the Chamber are extremely concerned with the implications of the City of Miami of the rising crime committed in the Little Havana and other areas. By this issue we are in favor of more police protection at the community level as always. It is imperative that the citizens of Miami must have a more responsive government at the lowest level without costing more money to the taxpayer. We would like to express our opinion that we would be the sponsor and support any any comprehensive plan that the City would act in favor of the betterment of our community. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Mr. Rivas. Thank you to the Latin Builders. figured we were going to hear from you sooner or later. 102 March 26,1992 Ms. Doris Sheer: Last but not least. My name is Doris Sheer, 1840 Coral Gate Drive, and I am wearing two hats tonight. Grace Corrido was here earlier. She had to leave. She polled the members of the Miami Homeowners Coalition and she wishes me to express their agreement with the NET concept and she would like to, and they would like to see its implementation. The other hat I wear is Zoning and Garment Manufacturing, in the Miami Fashion District which has its own problems, and has had many in the past several years. For some reason or the other, since most of the people out there know that I live in the City of Miami, they think I am responsible for everything that happens in the City, therefore my phone goes all day. Some of the problems that we've had, of course, crime has been the major issue. I would like to thank the Police Chief and the officers that are stationed in our neighborhood, they are just super, super people. I don't want to say too much about it, or they are liable to take them away. We have managed to take parking meters off the streets, that are used by people who are in minimum wage positions, and the meters were not being used. We managed to get a metal recycler out of our neighborhood. We have problems with garbage, which Mr. Canton has been very helpful with. We have a problem with Sixth Avenue closures, even though there was a resolution passed, the closures were never put into place. We have people up there that are operating questionable businesses without licenses and we also have never had input until last August, into the facade program, Miami Capital, or Federal insurance programs. Since last August, I have gotten to have a rapport with members of the police department, off street parking, sanitation, code enforcement, solid waste, Tallahassee, regarding disposition of grants, community development planning and so forth. I would be extremely happy to turn this all over to our new administrator. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, Doris. Judy, finish the day. Ms. Judy Clark: Judy Clark, 5939 Bayshore Drive. I've been here since 1:00 o'clock. I have listened to everybody say yeah, say nay, say what the problems are, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I think this is a big decision for the Commissioners to make. I think it is an important decision. Most important of all, of the entire issue to me is the citizens of this city. We have been under stress for so long to get anything done. The alternatives to this suggestion to me equal the status quo or each community electing its own person to come forward to speak with the Commissioners or ultimately district elections. So when you deal with the alternatives right now, I guess basically what I have to say to all of you is two words: try it. Mayor Suarez: That's right. Try it, you like it. All right, Commissioners is there anything further on this matter? The public hearing is now closed and if anyone wishes to inquire of the Administration, or otherwise make propositions, or otherwise. Commissioner Dawkins: Yes, yes. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: Let me see where to start. Mr. Manager, the problem I have is, like I told you at the beginning. I have no problems with the concept. I have a problem with not being able to conceptualize the concept. I have asked you from day one to present a plan that I could see, and as of yet, we have no plan. So I will try to get some answers to the most pressing 103 March 26,1992 1 4 # _ problems that I have. We went through one job spec and I am going to go through one for Francena Brooks. I want you to tell me the duties that she will perform, where she is, and the ones that she will not perform. OK, _ according to and I didn't get no job spec. I only got a copy of her resume, so what I read off, Mr. Manager, may not be what she is doing. OK. It says, one of her duties is administering the coordination, development, negotiation, and monitoring of contracts, budget, work program and responses to audits with public and private not -for -profit agencies providing social services and capital improvements funded by the City of Miami. Will she continue to do that? Mr. Odio: No. Am I right? Commissioner Dawkins: She will evaluate proposals and develop recommendations on policy and funding of programs for review by the City Manager and the City Commission including developing resolutions, ordinances and other agenda items for preparation, for presentation to the City Commission. Mr. Odio: Yes, she will be doing that for Overtown, all of it. Commissioner Dawkins: Beg pardon? Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: She's creating and implementing management evaluations mechanisms for social service programs. Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: Reviewing and interpreting federal, state and local regulations to agencies and other interested parties. Mr. Odio: Yes, I guess so. Commissioner Dawkins: Providing technical assistance to agencies by identifying other funding sources and preparing proposals for these funds. Mr. Odio: In that case, yes, but only for Overtown. Commissioner Dawkins: Beg pardon? Mr. Odio: Yes, but only for Overtown. Commissioner Dawkins: Coordinating the delivery of social services and identifying service needs with other City departments and other jurisdictions such as Metropolitan Dade County, South Florida Employment and Training, State of Florida, United Way of Dade County and other Federal and state local agencies. Mr. Odio: Yes for Overtown. In some part, for Overtown, yes. Commissioner Dawkins: Represent the City on various committees and task forces which require City participation. 104 March 26,1992 U, Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: Representing the district, the Director of Community Development as necessary at conferences, meetings and seminars regarding social services, employment and training and other issues. Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: Assist in developing policies and procedures and trouble shooting, complex policies, procedure problems as required. Mr. Odio: No, just what's her duties as administrator in Overtown will require that part, but not in relation to the Community Development Department, no. Commissioner Dawkins: Prepare applications for funding and written reports as required for grants of water to the City of Miami. Mr. Odio: Yes, for Overtown. Yes, definitely yes. That's why we want her there. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Periodically operating the department of community services no, Community Development, which in addition to the social programs and divisions including two other divisions in the absence of the director. Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Dawkins: No. OK. Bear with me one minute, now. You are removing. She will not do, 1, 2, 3, 4 of these important duties and according to your memorandum to me, Luis will be removed. Mr. Odio: From Beckham Hall. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Now Fred Fernandez, Assistant Director, Department of Community Development will be moved. Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: Francena Brooks will be moved. Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: Who is going to do the work over there? Mr. Frank Castaneda: Commissioner, let me, let me answer. Commissioner Dawkins: No, no, no. Mr. Manager, through you to him. Mr. Odio: Through me to you. Commissioner Dawkins: All right. Now you go ahead. 105 March 26, 1992 Cl Mr. Castaneda: Commissioner, let me answer that question. Basically what we are doing is, we are moving the services from our department to the neighborhoods. In effect, the same work will be done, but obviously, tremendous reorganization has to be undertaken in order, to accomplish this. Let me give you an example. We have agencies in most of the... Commissioner Dawkins: How many people you got? First, tell me how many people you got? Commissioner Plummer: Then tell me how many "botellas." Vice Mayor Alonso: Now, one thing we know, we have underestimated our people. They can do much more than they've been doing. Mr. Castaneda: Forty plus twenty-five, about seventy persons total. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Now, how many people you got in administration? Mr. Castaneda: In administration, we have... Commissioner Plummer: Too many. Mr. Castaneda: ...about eight individuals. Commissioner Dawkins: Eight. All right, now you're losing two. Mr. Castaneda: Yeah. Commissioner Dawkins: So that gives you six. Mr. Castaneda: But we're not losing. Commissioner Dawkins: Now wait, no, no, no, no. You're losing two. That gives you six. So either you had too many. Mr. Castaneda: No. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Because you just lost two. Mr. Castaneda: No. Commissioner Dawkins: And you're going to do the same amount of work. Mr. Castaneda: No, but we're not losing them. That's the difference. Commissioner Dawkins: You have to. OK, Mr. Castaneda, the Manager just said that... Mr. Castaneda: Let me answer the question. Commissioner Dawkins: Listen to me now, that Ms. Brooks, Ms. Brooks will do, providing technical assistance to agencies by identifying other funding sources and preparing proposals for these funds, Overtown. She also will coordinate the delivery of social services et cetera, et cetera, for Overtown. 106 March 26, 1992 She will assist in development policies and procedures and troubleshooting in Overtown. She will prepare applications for funding and written reports in Overtown. Now, you got, that's one, I am going to call it service center, because we don't know what we're calling them, so I am going to call it a service center. So that's one service center Overtown, one from eleven leaves ten, therefore, for these things now, from your department that Ms. Brooks would be doing in Overtown, you're going to need a person to do them in the other areas. Mr. Castaneda: Commissioner, let me try to explain and then. Commissioner Dawkins: No, no, no. I don't need. You all have been busy explaining all day. See, all I need to know from you, sir, is you have Ms. Brooks, who 1s going to do these four things in Overtown only... Commissioner Plummer: Our Ms. Brooks. Commissioner Dawkins: ...but if you look at them, they are required in all ten, all eleven areas. Now, who is going to do the other ten areas? And you only got six people? Mr. Castaneda: No. Correct. Obviously if I would lose Ms. Brooks, I could not accomplish the work. But I am saying is, under the proposed plan of the Manager, I will not be losing Ms. Brooks and that is what I would like to try to explain. Commissioner Dawkins: Now how, why haven't we told people today all day long that Ms. Brooks is not going to be at this center... Commissioner Plummer: Because he is going to clone them. Commissioner Dawkins: ...a hundred percent of her time, and devote one hundred percent of her time, to this center, so therefore there will be times when you will go to this center when you will have nobody there to service you, and you'll be right back where you started from. Now, why hasn't that been discussed in front of the people today? Mr. Castaneda: Your statement 1s correct, Commissioner, and I don't think that the two statements are in conflict. That's what I want to try to explain. Commissioner Dawkins: OK, no, that's OK. That's fine, that's fine, that's enough. OK. Mr. Manager, a civilian will be hired to coordinate the police part of it. Mr. Odio: A civilian? No. Commissioner Dawkins: You just said, a civilian will coordinate, I mean, somewhere today, I heard somebody say a civilian will coordinate everything. Mr. Odio: No, no, no, no. Commissioner Dawkins: What was said then? 107 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: We have... a police officer will be assigned to that service center. A police officer. Commissioner Dawkins: But, who's going to coordinate the police officers? Mr. Odio: The police department coordinates the police. The NRO reports directly to the Major in charge of the substation, directly to them. He will work together as a team with the civilian administrator, but they work for the police department and do police work. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. All right. Well, let's go back to our service centers. Now, did... where are we going to, when we budgeted the money for the police department, this Chief was not here, so I can't hold him responsible, but this Chief just got up and said, and if I am in error, Chief, correct me. You did not hire police, therefore there was a surplus. You did not hire PSAs, therefore there was a surplus. You did not hire guards, therefore there was a surplus. Now, but we also, Mr. Manager, have had, well how many demonstrations we've had? Three or four? With the Haitians? How many demonstrations we have had? Mr. Odio: That created a problem, were two serious ones. Commissioner Dawkins: Beg pardon? Mr. Odio: Two. Commissioner Dawkins: Two. We had two, we had two in Little Haiti. Mr. Odio. Yeah. That's what I am talking about. Commissioner Dawkins: We didn't have any no place else? Mr. Odio: No. Thank God. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. All right. Now that cost overtime, am I right? Mr. Odio: Yes, it did. Commissioner Dawkins: Now, we're spending half a million dollars a month in overtime. Am I right? - for the NET program. And I want... I don't want... no, no, no. I want you to say yes, because I understand what you're telling me. Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Now, with that in mind, we'll keep that in mind. Mr. Odio: Yes, sir, thank you. Commissioner Dawkins: So, where are you going to get the money from, God forbid, just in case the Haitians are dissatisfied with what happens in Haiti with Aristides and we have a demonstration? Bear with me, bear with me. Mr. Odio: Well, no, I am thinking. 108 March 26, 1992 Commissioner Dawkins: What are you going to do for money if there is a demonstration in Overtown? What are you going to do if Castro falls and there is a demonstration in Little Havana? Mr. Odio: No, that one I'll be in Cuba, so you don't have to worry about that - one. I'll be over there and you can be here. Commissioner Dawkins: But you see, other people here are going to be =1 demonstrating and happy and you're going to have to have some crowd control. - OK, OK? And if there's a demonstration, what you're going to do for money? Mr. Odio: Look Commissioner... Commissioner Dawkins: Uh-huh. Mr. Odio: ...let me say it again. A budget is a projection... Commissioner Dawkins: That's right. Mr. Odio: ...and we have to deal, as we're going through the year, with priorities. I heard you, at the Commission, loud and clear, I saw what was coming, hearing after hearing, your concerns about deployment and crime, and I don't want to go through the whole spiel again. Priorities have to be taken for what they are. What has the biggest priority at this time in our community, was that we had to take over the streets of Miami and that's what we've done. Commissioner Dawkins: I have no problems with us having set up eleven agencies with which to work with the police department. You would have had my _ wholehearted support. But when you set up eleven service centers and you cannot tell me how many persons will be at each center, I've got a problem with it, Mr. Manager. Mr. Odio: And I understand that. Commissioner Dawkins: When you set up eleven centers, and you do not spell out what the duties and the responsibilities of the people in those centers are, I have a problem with it. See. Mr. Odio: But I. That I did send to you. I sent you a job description. But... Commissioner Dawkins: OK. How many people are going to be in a center? Mr. Odio: As of right now, there will be the administrator, and the code enforcement inspector and the solid waste inspector. That's three people, plus the police officer. Vice Mayor Alonso: And a secretary. Commissioner Dawkins: That's four people. 109 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: Secretaries. If they are already in the budget, if not, no. But, _= I will if they have a secretary. Vice Mayor Alonso: Send these forms around. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Manager, you'll have to have a receptionist. Don't = care where you get it from. Mr. Odio: Yeah, right. But what we're saying is we're not hiring people. Commissioner Dawkins: No, no. But I'm just saying you've got to have a receptionist. OK. Now, I don't, and I'm going to put it on the record. I am not anti -trying anything to make the City of Miami better. But as an elected official, with a fiduciary responsibility to the elected officials, I mean the people who elect me, I have to have some answers, and when I don't get them, I - can't go with what's being offered... Mr. Odio: Well, yes. Commissioner Dawkins: See, so therefore, until I have your plan in hand, telling me how many people, what the duties and the responsibilities of them = are, I can't endorse this. Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. I understand. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Now, the second thing I want to ask somebody and J.L. Plummer has been here the longest, so I'll ask him. Can I, as a Commissioner, demand a budget workshop to go back and revisit the budget and be shown what monies were put into each category and how it was spent, where we are, and I'll call it a six month review of the budget? J.L., is that possible? ! Commissioner Plummer: You cannot demand it officially. It takes three votes of this Commission. If you request it of the Manager and he doesn't do it, he Is a damned fool. Three votes of this Commission can do anything. Commissioner Dawkins: All right then. When this is all.. Mayor Suarez: What you are proposing can be done, Commissioner Dawkins, and -J all you have to do is propose it and it will be done. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. All right. When this is over, I propose that I, because you see, the police chief is in a bind. You people don't know it. OK. He is in a bind. And everybody is going to be looking to the police chief, because the police chief has used money that he is supposed to hire people with and we expect him to bring his police force up to that amount of people that we dictated that he bring them up to, and that money has been used and there will be no new money, and he is not going to have money to hire new people. He wi 11 not have money to pay... no, I don't want the police to... no, no, you all tell me this at the budget hearing. Don't explain to me now. OK. Mr. Odio: I am trying to say that maybe you misunderstood, Commissioner. We did hire those police officers and we did hire the PSAs. i 110 March 26, 1992 Commissioner Dawkins: OK. But you, OK, how many PSAs J.L. Plummer told you all to hire? Mr. Odio: We have to have 93 and... Commissioner Dawkins: No, no, no. How many PSAs - see? - How many PSAs did j J.L. Plummer told you all to hire? i Mr. Odio: Yes. To have a total of one hundred. i Commissioner Dawkins: Two hundred and fifty. 1 Mr. Odio: One hundred. j Commissioner Plummer: One hundred and fifty total was what I was striving for. I Commissioner Dawkins: OK. You got one hundred and fifty? j Commissioner Plummer: No, they haven't. And that's one of the things I'm - -i going to bring up at the Commission meeting. —j Mr. Odio: How many do we have? Ninety-three. Commissioner Dawkins: But you see, but you see, but also, J.L., this Chief cannot hire them because we already took the money to put it in the NET i program. i 1 Commission Plummer: No, you know why? Let me tell you why they can't do it. i You saw the memo? Commissioner Dawkins: No, and I am not going to read the memo. Commissioner Plummer: I want to know why it takes eighty-two hundred dollars to do a check on an individual to be a PSA. Eighty-two hundred dollars. Commissioner Dawkins: One individual? Commissioner Plummer: One per individual... Commissioner Dawkins: Eighty-two thousand dollars? Commissioner Plummer: Something is radically wrong. Now, let me give you the worst part about it. Commissioner Dawkins: I didn't intend, I didn't intend for you to get on your soap box. i j Commissioner Plummer: Oh, I'm sorry... Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Go ahead. 111 March 26, 1992 Commissioner Plummer: ...to get one to the line to become a PSA, according to the memo I received, takes ten background checks. Am I correct? Ten. That's eighty-two thousand dollars of background checks to get one to the line. Am I right, or am I wrong? Was that the memo? Eh? Hello. Does anybody over there, I am sure one of you, the high priced help, wrote that memo. Am I right or am I wrong? Chief Calvin Ross: Mr. Commissioner, in respect... Commissioner Plummer: Excuse me, Chief, am I right or am I wrong? Assistant Chief Don Marsh: No, I have never heard of eighty-two thousand dollars per background investigation. I do know one in ten... Commissioner Plummer: Will somebody in my office please bring me that memo? Obviously the Manager didn't share with the police department. The cost of PSAs was at 2.6, was it, Mr. Manager? You sent me the memo. Assistant Chief Marsh: It takes - it is true - it takes from ten to fourteen applicant reviews to get one employee. That's a good average for most of... Commissioner Plummer: Your memo said one. To get one took ten interviews. Chief Ross: At an average, you're looking at ten applicants to every one that you really end up with. Commissioner Plummer: And it was eighty-two hundred dollars per applicant? Is that, am I in the ball park? Chief Ross: The man hours spent in doing... Commissioner Plummer: Twenty-nine hours. Chief Ross: ...background investigation and checks. Exactly. Commissioner Plummer: That's eighty-two. Excuse me. Chief Ross: That's to get one person on board, we divide the total cost. It's not eighty-two times the ten or fourteen. All that work averages out. Commissioner Plummer: OK. To get one hundred, means you've got to interview one thousand. Chief Ross: Right. Commissioner Plummer: And it takes eighty-two hundred dollars or what? Eight hundred? Lt. Joseph Longueira: No. It's not per thousand, it's per hiring. Assistant Chief Marsh: It is per hiring, for each that we hire. Commissioner Plummer: Joe, I was upset when I was told to get a police officer, it cost twenty-two hundred dollars. Now I am being told to get a PSA, a report writer, it's eighty-two hundred dollars. 112 March 26, 1992 Lt. Longueira: If that's the two figures you've got, somewhere there is a mistake, and we'll resolve that. Because the figures, Commissioner, the figures are the same, the figures are the same. Vice Mayor Alonso: That's horrible. s Commissioner Dawkins: Go ahead sir, I am finished. Somebody else can take care of it. Thank you. Mayor Suarez: All right. Anything further, anyone? Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Mayor Suarez: Vice Mayor Alonso. It costs a lot of money to check the backgrounds of individuals. We certainly agree to that, whatever the amount may be. It is a substantial amount of money whatever it actually is. 1 Chief Ross: The issue I think here in regard to the background, we cannot, we ! cannot under -emphasize the importance of the background but... i Mayor Suarez: We have no quarrel with that, none of us have. Chief Ross: ...once the applicant has been identified as a good candidate then the background process continues. The length of the background is very crucial and that's why it goes back to the point I was making to Commissioner Alonso that it takes an inordinate amount of time, yes, once we have identified these candidates to do the background, and expended a lot of time in identifying these candidates to come aboard the police department. When we looked at 40 applicants that were to be, 40 individuals that are already trained... Commissioner Plummer: Don't tell me I am wrong. Commissioner Dawkins: You're wrong. Commissioner Plummer: No, I am not. It is that somebody is lying. Chief Ross: ...that are already, forty individuals that are already certified as police officers... Commissioner Plummer: Read it. I didn't write it. Chief Ross: ...we were hoping to bring these people aboard, but at the same time, it takes time to do background investigations and thus it costs money to do full background investigations, and that's what Mr. Plummer is alluding to. Commissioner Plummer: You can make all the copies you want. OK. The figure of eight hundred and twenty-five dollars times the ten files processed per person hired, equals eighty-two hundred and fifty dollars per hire. Lt. Longueira: Right. 113 March 26, 1992 Commissioner Plummer: What do you mean, right? Lt. Longueira: Per hire, not per applicant. Commissioner Plummer: To get thirteen people... Mayor Suarez: Per individual actually hired for the department. All right, we've got a lot of nodding heads, we're in agreement, next question, please. You win. Commissioner Plummer: To get thirteen people, Mr. Mayor, is one hundred and seven thousand dollars, to get thirteen people on board, for report writers, now, not policemen. Mayor Suarez: All right, what's the next point, please? I think you're having withdrawal symptoms as we have a short Commission agenda today, and wish to extend it. Commissioner Plummer: No, no, no. I want to schedule this for the next agenda, Mr. Manager. Mayor Suarez: I think that bears consideration and we will so schedule it. Anything further? Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Commissioner Plummer. They didn't share it with you? Next available agenda is fine with me. Mayor Suarez: Vice Mayor Alonso, please. Mr. Manager, everyone Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes. Commissioner Plummer: Hey, Joseph, don't disappear with that. OK. It's funny how things disappear around here. Vice Mayor Alonso: I'd like to say exactly as Commissioner Dawkins has said. I have no problem with NET when it comes to the police department, I have all kinds of problems with the other portion of NET due to the fact that we don't have answers to many of the questions that we have asked. Also because the plan apparently has not been thoroughly discussed and we don't know exactly what it's going to entail, the cost and the effect, of the true services that we are going to provide to the community. I resent the fact that we are giving the impression to the citizens of Miami that everything will be resolved through this marvellous program and then two three months from now, we're going to have to face the public coming here in large numbers telling us, "I'm frustrated, I had faith in the administration, I had faith in you and the program is not working." I beg you, Mr. City Manager, to go back and to look thoroughly through the program and take a little bit longer before you move ahead and implement a plan of this dimension in order to make it successful. I don't think the citizens of Miami are ready to have another failure again, from the system. So I think if you take a little bit longer to plan, this project might be successful, and we all will be pleased with it. I don't see the need in rushing into the establishment of the portion that 114 March 26, 1992 entitles mini City Hall, whatever you want to call it. It should take some time, longer than what you have taken so far. I like to know, and I expect a memo from you, stating in writing, answers to my specific questions about cost, every single item spelled with the questions that have been asked here today. Also, I need an answer, and you can give me this one right now. Is it true, that a PR (public relations) company has been hired, by you, so that every time a mini station a mini city hall is opened, we are going to see a PR campaign to that effect? Is it true or not? Mr. Odio: No. I am not going to do that. Vice Mayor Alonso: So we don't have to worry about contracts of forty-five hundred, we don't have to ask for every single contract of forty-five hundred that you issue in order to identify that in fact PR companies are being paid for this type of work. Mr. Odio: I am not going to do that. Vice Mayor Alonso: You have not done that... Mr. Odio: I am not going to do what you're saying that I am going to have a PR firm do. No, no. Vice Mayor Alonso: ...and you will not do it. You will not? Mr. Odio: No. Vice Mayor Alonso: Thank you. And I expect... Are you going to reconsider the establishment of these eleven districts or divisions of the City of Miami? Are you going to implement them right away, even though, for example, Commissioner Dawkins has asked many questions, according to Frank Castaneda he was not going to lose an employee, according to your answers to the Commissioner, he is losing a member of his staff. Mr. Odio: I think it is fair at this point to ask for a vote of the Commission as a majority what they want me to do. This is... Commissioner Dawkins: Hold it, hold it, now. You told me at the beginning you could do this without Commission approval. Mr. Odio: I told you, Commissioner that I could transfer my staff where I wanted. Commissioner Dawkins: And now you want us, you need a vote to rubber stamp it. Mr. Odio: But she is asking me to stop it. Commissioner Dawkins: Oh, I'm sorry. Vice Mayor Alonso: No, I am not asking you to stop. Mr. Odio: I think I have to listen to all five, that's what I'm saying. 115 March 26, 1992 Vice Mayor Alonso: I wish you had done this before. It has never been a concern of yours. Mr. Odio: Well, it is now. Commissioner Dawkins: No, you need a majority. You don't need to listen to all of them, just need the majority. Vice Mayor Alonso: I am so glad to hear that. Because then 1t means we're going to be included. Mr. Odio: I need to know whether the majority of the Commission wants me to continue or not. That's all. Vice Mayor Alonso: I think some of us are going to be very happy after this. Mayor Suarez: That was a very blunt statement being made here to my right. I would hope that the idea is to get a consensus and to the extent possible to get unanimity on things, but anyhow... Commissioner Dawkins: You don't need to count to but three, Cesar. Commissioner Plummer: Say what? Commissioner Dawkins: He don't need to count to but three. Vice Mayor Alonso: That's right. That's right. Commissioner Plummer: A long time running. Vice Mayor Alonso: Do you think you're ready? And you're satisfied that you have all the answers and that the plan is so well developed that you are confident this is going to be successful. Mr. Odio: I don't have all the answers, and you don't have all the answers, and nobody has all the answers. Vice Mayor Alonso: No, I don't have the plan, so I don't have the answers. Mr. Odio: I do know this, that in order to implement this plan, I have to have my administrators in place, I have to have contacts with the community so that they tell us what they need is, and then continue developing the plan. That's the stage I am in now. We are not in the stage where it's done, it's over and this is the way it is going to be. We are in the process of developing as we go along, and as I explained before, once the administrators are in place, some of them are, and some are not, and they have met with all the groups, and I told some of the groups that was here and some that were not, that we are not excluding anyone from coming in and sitting down with them and explain, this is what we need and work it out. No one is excluded from that process, but I think we should continue on with that process. Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: Mr. Manager, that statement that you just made you said no one is excluded from the process, but in fact, the citizens of Miami didn't know about this process, only selected organizations knew about this. 116 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: Well, I didn't want to change the whole way we do business. We have normally, at least since I've been around here, every time you want to propose something, you have a list of all these people that represent, most of the people in Miami and call them in and work with them. It was not an intention on my part, or anybody's part, is not my style to call press conference. Maybe I should have called a press conference and tell the whole world what we're going to do. Vice Mayor Alonso: No, but maybe it would have been nice to call a public hearing, as Commissioner Plummer said, and as I requested, and that's why we have had the public hearing today. Mr. Odio: But you know, it's funny, Commissioner, except for five people, and i I counted them, everybody else had been on every other meeting that we have had on this, so we've added five people to the hearing today, and as a matter of fact, I think Plummer is right, I should have done it that way. It would have saved me a lot of talking today. Vice Mayor Alonso: Of course, these people that were here today, you have to remember you had notified them before and you also notified them today. — Remember that some of them came in buses to support your position, so in fact these people have a good line of communication with the City. I am talking = about the rest of the citizens of Miami. The ones that are not informed. _ Mr. Odio: But this public hearing was advertised. And this public hearing has been held and I have heard from five or six groups that were not here. _ Vice Mayor Alonso: One o'clock is not a very good time, Mr. City Manager. Mr. Odio: I didn't set the time. Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, let me tell you something that was not my intention when I called the public hearing. Mr. Odio: I didn't set the time, Commissioner. Vice Mayor Alonso: One o'clock is not an ideal time. I think that for a public hearing, 5:00 o'clock is a good time. Mr. Odio: Well, I didn't set the time. Vice Mayor Alonso: Much better than 1:00 o'clock, because 1:00 o'clock is difficult to get out. Mr. Odio: Look at the record and see who set the time. Vice Mayor Alonso: Well, bottom line, Mr. Manager. You feel confident that you have looked into this plan deep enough and have analyzed and are ready and confident that this is going to be a successful plan for the City of Miami... Mr. Odio: Yes, yes. 117 March 26, 1992 ilk Vice Mayor Alonso: ...and you can reassure us of the points that have been stated here that this is going to work and you feel confident that it's not going to have any extra cost to the taxpayers? Mr. Odio: Well, I need to answer that in pieces. Yes, I am confident it will work. Whether it will be totally successful or not, I don't know what the pitfalls are. I am not, if I knew, I would have the answers to everything. As we go along, I will know, and as Commissioner Plummer says, I think it is a good idea. Ninety days from now, I will give you a complete report, where we are, what we have done, are we achieving what we want? I think the first thing we are trying to achieve is to establish contact so that we have a face in the community. And that's what I've been hearing from the neighborhoods all day long, today and for weeks, now. That will be successful, that we will be successful in solving all the problems in all those neighborhoods, no, I cannot tell you that, but we're damn sure going to try. And we are going to try, will we solve all the problems, no, no. Vice Mayor Alonso: And the cost? No cost? Mr. Odio: There will be no cost, additional cost, in this year's budget on the civilian side of the program. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. One last question. The eleven people... Mr. Odio: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: ...that you are appointing to the neighborhoods. Mr. Odio: Yes. Vice Mayor Alonso: Are they going to be replaced in their own department? Mr. Odio: No, no. Vice Mayor Alonso: You know what, we are making a very ugly statement. Mr. Odio: No, you're not. Vice Mayor Alonso: We're saying to the public, we had eleven people occupying a position, when in fact, they could have been doing much more than what they were doing. Mr. Odio: Sure, you could say that. You could also say that they are taking with them... Vice Mayor Alonso: Or you have given to them a burden that they cannot handle. Mr. Odio: What, you know, you can say... Vice Mayor Alonso: And that's not fair, either. Mr. Odio: ...you can make, you know, we have two hundred and sixty-four people that retired and we're delivering more services today than we were a 118 March 26, 1992 year ago. Am I saying that these people were superfluous in those departments? No way. I have said that over and over, and we're relocating their functions to spread them around in a different way? Yes, we're doing that, and it will work, and we will save money in the process, by the way. Vice Mayor Alonso: If you look at some of the statistics, it will tell you that the people that we lost should have been replaced, because some of the services went down. Look, just ask any of the members of this Commission the number of phone calls that they get for the Solid Waste Department and it will give you an answer right away that something is happening and the same with crime. Mr. Odio: I think the Solid Waste Department is doing very, very well. When you're dealing, I tell you, I'll defend the Solid Waste Department anytime, any place. You know why, Commissioner? Because we're doing more than any other City with less people, OK, they're working their butts off and they're doing not only garbage pickup in the backyard that no other City is doing, we're doing trash pickup and composting and recycling without having created a _ huge bureaucracy there. And in spite of that, we're still going to be short of money there because we, we, it's a heavy cost to operate when you have to pay the County sixty-two dollars a tone for dumping our garbage and it's going - up next year to eight -five dollars, maybe. So the Solid Waste Department... Vice Mayor Alonso: All of that is true, but also remember that we have an RFP (request for proposals) that could save us millions and still we haven't acted on that one. That's one thing, and second... Mr. Odio: But why we did not act on that one? Because the County stopped us from acting on that one. Vice Mayor Alonso: Oh, please! Mr. Odio: Yes, please! The County stopped us from acting on that. Vice Mayor Alonso: I don't think we should go into that, but maybe next Commission meeting, we will. Mr. Odio: I'm ready... Yeah. Vice Mayor Alonso: The second portion that you say - Solid Waste - I respect the people that work in the department. I work very closely with them - people like Pepin Rilo couldn't be better. I think that man works twenty-four hours a day for the City of Miami. He's a dedicated employee. He is dedicated to the City of Miami. So I have no complaints on that end, but I invite you, tomorrow morning, to go around the City of Miami with me and walk some of the streets, and you will know exactly what I mean by my comments about what Solid Waste is doing, because they don't have enough people to do what they have to do, and that is as simple as that. And it has to be addressed, as well. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Manager, I'm going to say three things, and then I'm going to be finished. No, first I'll ask a question. I was told that you hired a PR (public relations) firm to publicize this. Is that true, or untrue? 119 March 26, 1992 Mr. Odio: What I asked them to do - the only thing they have done - Commissioner Dawkins: Did you hire a PR firm? Mr. Odio: No, I asked them to develop a logo. Commissioner Dawkins: Did you hire a PR firm? Mr. Odio: I have not hired a PR firm to publicize this. Commissioner Dawkins: Did you pay a PR firm? Mr. Odio: I have not paid a PR firm, yet, no. Commissioner Dawkins: Are you going to pay a PR firm? Mr. Odio: I don't know if I have to pay for the logo. That's all I have done. Commissioner Dawkins: Pay for what, now? Mr. Odio: The only thing I asked them to do is develop this logo, but obviously - Vice Mayor Alonso: How much did you pay them? Mr. Odio: Nothing, yet. Obviously, if we had asked them... Vice Mayor Alonso: How much do we have to pay? Mr. Odio: ...to publicize the fact, then everybody in the world would have known, and we would have a whole show, but this is the only thing that has been developed. Commissioner Dawkins: Not necessarily, not if you'd have had that guy's system, up there - if you'd had Joe's system, it wouldn't - nobody would have known but Joe's people. But, anyway - Mr. Odio: This is what we have done. Commissioner Dawkins: All right, that's one question. Now, what is going to happen to these eleven individuals who you are pulling out of a secure job, where they have job security, they know what they are doing, and perhaps have seniority, where if anybody else was cut, they would not be cut? What job security do they have to return back to their jobs? Mr. Odio I'll put it this way. They have the same as they had before, because they had nothing before. They were not civil servants. Commissioner Dawkins: What do you mean, they had nothing before? Francena Brooks - she was helping to run the department. Don't say she had nothing before. 120 March 26, 1992 a Mr. Odio: When - Francena Brooks was an assistant director. Commissioner Dawkins: She was helping to run the department. didn't have nothing, Mr. Manager. Mr. Odio: I'm saying... Commissioner Dawkins: She was important. Mr. Odio: ...she's an unclassified person. Commissioner Dawkins: She was important enough... Mr. Odio: Of course she is. Don't say she Commissioner Dawkins: ...that if anybody else there had been let go, she would have been kept. Mr. Odio: Of course. Commissioner Dawkins: OK, then, see, so, all right. Mr. Odio: And the same thing will happen to them now because they are that valuable they will not be let go. Commissioner Dawkins: What is your contingency plan in the event that in six months this doesn't work? What do you do with those same eleven people? And what do you do with the whole thing that you - that we dreamed up? Mr. Odio: If the program was scrapped, which I doubt it because it's going to work, those people will roll back to where they were before. And we will continue on with the same old business as before. Commissioner Dawkins: Then I would have a problem selling the public on it because you just said that they duties they were doing you're not hiring nobody to do them. So now why are you going to put them back to do the duties that you didn't have... Mr. Odio: I tried to explain this. They are taking with them functions and other functions will be distributed among other people, and they will be brought... Commissioner Dawkins: OK. All right. Mr. Odio: The assistant director's role - when you are an assistant director of a department - has a different role, because you expect - the director expects that when he's not there, those people will be there in his place. Those duties are gone, and maybe... Commissioner Dawkins: OK, all right. Well I would like for Mr. Goldfarb to hear this, especially. Every time you need money for the Fire Department and the Police Department you find it. Every time you need money for Solid Waste, you tax the citizens. Now, I want you, when you run short of money - like you just said - in the Sanitation Department, do for the Sanitation Department 121 March 26, 1992 I t t just like you do for every other department. Let's find the money. Don't come up here telling me that you want to raise the taxes, you want to charge them for backyard pickup, you want to charge them to pick it up on the corner. If you're finding money for overtime, you're finding money for everything, find money for the Sanitation Department. Mr. Odio: Commissioner, when the time comes to address the Sanitation Department, I will - Commissioner Dawkins: I said - if you want my vote - let me tell you. My vote... Mr. Odio: I will provide you the professional opinion and then you can do whatever you want. Commissioner Dawkins: You will provide me the same thing that you are providing now, and that's find money. OK, you didn't come ask me about no professional advice when you found the money for the Police Department. Now why, when it comes to the Sanitation Department, you want to come back and ask my professional advice? - or give me some professional advise? Come onl OK, the second thing is when you have this budget workshop - which you will alert me - as you said, budgets are projections. You project three things... OK, budgets are nothing but projections, but when you have your budget workshop, I want you to project for me what the taxes revenue you thought was coming in, project for me the expenditure - no, no, no, not even project - show me the expenditure that you made, project for me the amount of expenditure you expect to get and what the expenditures will be, and project for me what your balance will look like when we start the budget tariff program for next year. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Vice Mayor Alonso: One last question. Mayor Suarez: Yes, Vice Mayor Alonso. Vice Mayor Alonso: Something else, check the $40,000 check. Mr. Odio: The check was issued. Vice Mayor Alonso: It was issued. Mr. Odio: It was issued, directly. It went from a transaction - You going to explain it? Mr. Diaz: Sure, I can explain that. I spoke with the City Attorney and he advised me that the whole process of what occurred was that we had a judgment against us on that particular issue - of $40,000. An appeal was entered, but upon review of the merits of the appeal, it was decided, after consultation with the Commissioners, that the appeal did not have enough merit to go forward, and therefore, it was dropped. Commissioner Plummer: What Commissioners? 122 March 26, 1992 P Mr. Diaz: The five Commissioners. Vice Mayor Alonso: It never came to us. Mr. Diaz: I don't think it came to a public forum, but it was... Commissioner Plummer: Is he talking about City Commissioners? Mr. Diaz: Yes. Mayor Suarez: Not the - Rafael, not the - I think what he probably meant - and he's not here, but what he probably meant is that the issue of the $40,000 we maybe didn't think we could appeal, but we certainly want the rest of the case to continue to be appealed. You understand that? Commissioner Plummer: Well, what good is it now? You've already paid it. Mayor Suarez: The principle of this case that we can dispose of our property. I think we told them very clearly that we wanted to continue the appeal. If that's not the case, make sure he reports to us at the next Commission meeting. Mr. Diaz: OK. Vice Mayor Alonso: Yes, one more question. Do you have - who has...? Commissioner Plummer: Excuse me, just for the record, he never talked to me about it. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK, the question is, can the City Manager or the City Attorney issue a $40,000 check without coming to us for approval? Mr. Diaz: I cannot answer that at this point. I would have to... Vice Mayor Alonso: Who can answer that, if not the Legal Department? Mr. Carlos Garcia: Commissioner, I believe that the City Commission approved a policy years ago by which anytime there is a judgment against the City, the City Commission is informed by memo, and that judgment is... Vice Mayor Alonso: We never received a memo. Mayor Suarez: Up to $25,000, Carlos. Commissioner Plummer: No, that's a settlement of a lawsuit. Vice Mayor Alonso: Exactly. Mr. Garcia: Right. I'll have... Vice Mayor Alonso: We are talking about two different things. Mr. Garcia: Right. 123 March 26, 1992 Vice Mayor Alonso: ...and besides, we were never given a memo, and I do have problems... _ Mayor Suarez: I think it clearly... Vice Mayor Alonso: ... with the City of Miami writing a $40,000 check without coming for approval to this Commission. Mayor Suarez: ...would never be over twenty-five. Vice Mayor Alonso: How many other checks have been issued without approval of this Commission? Mr. Garcia: I'm saying that's the policy that the City Commission adopted years ago. I'll have to go back and research... Vice Mayor Alonso: Show it to me. Mr. Garcia: I don't have it with me, but I certainly can do that. Vice Mayor Alonso: Are you saying, on the record - please, can you tell me whether that's true or not? - because my understanding 1s up to $25,000, and a settlement. It has nothing to do with it this. This is an issue of a $40,000 check without coming to us for approval. Could we find out tomorrow? Another citizen coming in front of us and telling us a $50,000 check was issued without your approval? Mr. Diaz: I would have... Vice Mayor Alonso: Could that be possible? Mr. Odio: No, the check was approved by the Law Department. Vice Mayor Alonso: The Law Department took upon themselves to say yes, and took the position of the five members of this Commission? Mr. Diaz: I cannot answer that. I will have to go back and check with the City Attorney to see what the process that took place was. I know it was in response to a judgment from the court which we had to pay. Mayor Suarez: We should say, Rafael, in case the Commissioners don't know it. I think he's had an illness in the family - City Attorney? Is there... ? Mr. Diaz: Yes, his daughter is ill. Mayor Suarez: I know he left the State of the Downtown address yesterday kind of early, so... Mr. Diaz: His daughter was ill. That's correct. Vice Mayor Alonso: We need answers to these disturbing questions. Forty thousand dollars is an amount that is a serious amount and I don't see how in the world a check is written without permission. I guess we are getting into the system, as we saw at the last Commission meeting, seventy-five hundred 124 March 26, 1992 dollars to be approved after the fact. And quite often it's getting to be a habit in the City of Miami. I don't want the City Manager or the City Attorney to write checks without the approval of this Commission. I think this should be an item at the next Commission meeting. An explanation is in order. I want to receive information in my office - a memo, plus be part of the next agenda. Mr. Diaz: I will inform the City Attorney of that. Thanks. Vice Mayor Alonso: I don't know if you people are as disturbed as I am, but this is serious, very serious, that they take upon themselves to write $40,000 checks without coming for our approval. Mayor Suarez: You gave up, Charlie? Certainly we'd always hear from a union if there was any need to get into that. I think you were going to clarify the whole status of the employees being transferred over to these locations. I don't know that that is really something that's still a pending concern. I think it was explained, but if it is, of course you may say whatever you'd like. If not, Commissioners. 7. CODESIGNATE N.W. 4 STREET FROM MIAMI AVENUE TO N.W. 1ST AVENUE AS: RALPH RENICK WAY. Commissioner Plummer: I have a pocket. Mayor Suarez: Yes. Commissioner Plummer. Commissioner Plummer: A resolution codesignating Northwest Fourth Street from Miami Avenue to Northwest First Avenue, Miami, Florida, as the Ralph Renick Way for the direction of the City Manager to instruct the Director of Public Works to transmit a copy of this resolution to the herein designated offices, this is just a ratification, as it has come back. Vice Mayor Alonso: Is it? Commissioner Plummer: We have already done it. It's a ratification. I so move. Vice Mayor Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Moved and seconded. Any discussion. If not, please call the roll. 125 March 26, 1992 The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Plummer, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 92-203 A RESOLUTION CODESIGNATING NORTHWEST 4TH STREET FROM MIAMI AVENUE TO NORTHWEST 1ST AVENUE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS "RALPH RENICK WAY"; FURTHER, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO INSTRUCT THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE HEREIN DESIGNATED OFFICES. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Vice Mayor Alonso, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr. Vice Mayor Miriam Alonso Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: None. ABSENT: None. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. CITY COMMISSION DISCLAIMS ANY INTEREST IN A PORTION OF UNPLATTED ALLEY OWNED BY OETROPOLITAN DADE COUNTY LOCATED BETWEEN N.E. 31 AND 32 STREETS, EST OF BISCAYNE BOULEVARD. Commissioner Do'Yurre: I -have another item, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner De Yurre. Commissioner Be Yurre: Steve Helfman, is he around there? Commissioner Dawkins: Yes, he's here. Mayor Suarez: He's been sitting there hoping patiently for the resolution of a particular problem. Commissioner Plummer: He wants to give us that big sum of money. Comnissioner Be Yurre: I know. Steve Helfman? He's right outside. He's been charging two hundred and fifty dollars an hour to sit there... Commissioner Dawkins: When you need him, he's gone. 126 March 26, 1992 11 • Commissioner De Yurre: ...knowing that he's not going to be heard until at least 5:00 o'clock, but hell, he's not going to do something else and not charge a client. He is here. Commissioner Plummer. Yeah. Jeez... Did I hear twenty-five thousand? Commissioner De Yurre: An hour? You're on. Mr. Steven Helfman: You all have heard, on several occasions, this application involving the Walgreen site. Commissioner Plummer: A big multi -million dollar corporation. Mr. Helfman: They're moving ahead with the closure of that site and trying to build it. In the process they found out that there is a strip of land that runs right through the middle of the property that's owned by Dade County. Commissioner Plummer: How lucky we arel Mr. Helfman: Where it meets Biscayne Boulevard, it's four and a half feet wide. The County is willing to give it to the property owners... Commissioner Plummer: Very important four and a half feet. Mr. Helfman: but in 1945, they set it aside for City purposes for so long as the City wanted it. What they are saying is that before they hand it over to the property owner, through a process of closure, they want the City to disclaim any interest they may have in it. Commissioner Plummer: That important alleyway you want us, that four and a half feet? My God, how can we give up four and a half feet? Mr. Helfman: It's never been used as an alleyway. Commissioner Plummer: I don't know of an alley that exists that's four and a half feet. That's unique. Mr. Helfman: It's not an alley. It's built, their structure is built in it. It's 48 years it's been there and never been used. Commissioner Plummer: Send Code Enforcement. Mr. Helfman: The Department, Public Works Department is recommending that you grant this. Vice Mayor Alonso: Why it has to come to us as a pocket item today? Mr. Helfman: They are anxious to close this and unfortunately, the item did not get on two separate agendas and in order to close this transaction, get the County to close it for us, we needed to have it done. Vice Mayor Alonso: Why wasn't it addressed when we went at great length in at least two occasions. 127 March 26, 1992 Mr. Helfman: Nobody knew about it. They're going through the legal proceedings of the closure and they found out that, as a matter of title, in searching title in 1945, this strip of unplatted land runs right through the middle. Vice Mayor Alonso: Steve, with all due respect, with all the attorneys and good people working on that case, if they didn't know, I tell you something is very wrong with it. Mr. Helfman: Now, they've got a great lawyer. And they had very good lawyers, too. Commissioner Dawkins: You were one of them? Mr. Helfman: I am now. Anyway... Vice Mayor Alonso: For my vote, it will have to come back. I will vote no. — Maybe on some other occasions, I will look at the case and vote yes. But under this situation, I will have to vote no. I don't think it should come as a pocket item and without previous notification to us. Something that has been discussed at great length. Mr. Helfman: You had discussed the zoning and alcohol permits. This is a - matter of the title to the land which was revealed after the process entirely. Had it been known then, it would have come before you. It is really critical to that project and that neighborhood. I mean you know the Northeast better than anybody, Commissioner and you know how much they need this and the development there. _ Mayor Suarez: It seems like the kind of thing that could have been done by scheduling it - I'm not that convinced that it is such a great emergency. But, let me, for myself, and for my vote, get from the Manager, from the Administration, City Attorney, anyone, is there any reason, Jim, or City Attorney, or Manager, is there any downside to this? Is there any reason we shouldn't be doing this? Mr. Jim Kay: No, I can make the statement that we don't have any interest in this particular land. We have never maintained it. The only encumbrance in there is there are some utility lines in there and should this... Mayor Suarez: Those easements should be maintained, though? Mr. Kay: Yes, or they would have to obtain releases from those utility companies before it should be turned over. Commissioner Plummer: They've got to pay for the relocation, regardless. Vice Mayor Alonso: I don't even understand why it's so important. Commissioner Plummer: No. They've got to pay for the relocation of utilities. Mr. Helfman: And we've submitted letters to the department where each utility that is there has consented to this. That was part of the submittal. 128 March 26, 1992 Mayor Suarez: Has there been any discussion of, by any chance, of any voluntary contribution to any important City purposes, or anything? Mr. Helfman: There hasn't been any discussion of it. As long as you raise it, just so, I don't know if you recall, but there have been many hearings in connection with this site generally. There was eighteen thousand square feet of property dedicated as part of this project already. There was a dedication for a future road, there was the dedication for a park. There was a covenant... Mayor Suarez: How many square feet was this one? Mr. Helfman: This is forty-eight hundred square feet as opposed to eighteen thousand that's already. Commissioner Plummer: Forty-eight hundred! Mr. Helfman: Roughly. Commissioner Plummer: That's bigger than my house. Mr. Helfman: Roughly. But eighteen thousand, eighteen thousand has already been dedicated. Commissioner Plummer: How much is the square foot selling for? Mr. Kay: I don't know in that area. Commissioner Plummer: Roughly. Vice Mayor Alonso: Very expensive. Mr. Helfman: It's so valuable that the lender is about to foreclose because... Mayor Suarez: Your house has no value. It's a museum, so you know it can't be sold. Commissioner Plummer: Ha. Ha. It is not a tourist attraction like yours, either. Commissioner Dawkins: Your garage is worth more than your house. Vice Mayor Alonso: He's hoping he's going to get more because of that. Mayor Suarez: All right, Commissioners, we really, you know. It is 6:22. We've been at this now... Does anybody have any further questions? Commissioner De Yurre: Mr. Mayor, I move, I move to grant this. Mayor Suarez: So moved. 129 March 26, 1992 �r • Mr. Maxwell: Mr. Mayor, gust for the record. There is a correction necessary in the legal description... Mayor Suarez: Please. Mr. Maxwell: ...Just before Elwood Court, in the legal description, this should show Lots i through 6, instead of 1 through 7, for the record. We're conveying more than we have there. Commissioner De Yurre: Well, that changes the whole thing. I withdraw my mot -Ion. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Do we have a second on that motion? Commissioner Plummer: He withdrew it. Mayor Suarez: Please, behave. All right, I'll second the motion. Commissioner Plummer: You're going to force me to vote against my friend, right? I'm listening, Steve. Vice Mayor Alonso: Any other comments? Ms. Hirai: Commissioner De Yurre? Vice Mayor Alonso: Just a minute. Ms. Hirai: I'm sorry. Mayor Suarez: Don't call the roll, yet, until she tells you. Vice Mayor Alonso: He's waiting for... He's trying to listen to your music. Commissioner Dawkins: Tell him you will go talk with your client and come back. Mr. Helfman: I don't really want to have to come back. Commissioner Dawkins: Bring it back. Vice Mayor Alonso: Then start talking. Commissioner Plummer: I'll tell you what. How about one thousand dollars of playground equipment, or whatever this Commission designates? Mr. Helfman: Commissioner, you can do with the thousand dollars what you like. You have a thousand dollars. Commissioner Plummer: OK. You've got it. Vice Mayor Alonso: OK. Fine. Please call the roll. 130 March 26, 1992 The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner De Yurre, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 92-204 A RESOLUTION DISCLAIMING ANY INTEREST IN A PORTION OF THAT CERTAIN UNPLATTED ALLEY OWNED BY METROPOLITAN DADE COUNTY AND LOCATED BETWEEN NORTHEAST 31 STREET AND NORTHEAST 32 STREET, EAST OF BISCAYNE BOULEVARD, PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Mayor Suarez, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr. Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor Miller J. Dawkins Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: None. ABSENT: None. Mr. Helfman: Thank you. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE CITY COMMISSION, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 6:24 P.M. Xavier L. Suarez MAYOR Natty Hirai CITY CLERK Walter J. Foeman ASSISTANT CITY CLERK .:Trig 131 March 26, 1992