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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 1991-09-05 MinutesCITY OF MIAMI i r:. , ii•,���_ 1r.4 * 1 NCORPlORATEI) 18 R 96 4 s �^ floy MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1991 SPECIAL PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK CITY HALL MATTY HIRAI City Clerk ITEM SUBJECT NO. INDEX MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING SEPTEMBER 5, 1991 LEGISLATION PAGE NO. 1. (A) DISCUSSION CONCERNING FIRST CITY OF DISCUSSION MIAMI INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR EARLY M 91-597 RETIREMENT. 9/5/91 (8) DIRECT ADMINISTRATION TO WORK WITH PERTINENT LABOR UNIONS IN ATTEMPTING TO FIND AN EQUITABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM POSED BY CITY EMPLOYEES WHO RETIRED AFTER THE ESTABLISHED DEADLINE OF JULY 24, 1991. 2. EMERGENCY ORDINANCE: AMEND CODE ORDINANCE SECTION 40-200, 40-211 AND 40-212, TO 10910 ENHANCE BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 9/5/91 CITY OF MIAMI FIRE FIGHTERS' AND POLICE OFFICERS' RETIREMENT TRUST BY OFFERING ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES A BENEFITS PACKAGE AS AN INCENTIVE FOR EARLY RETIREMENT. 3. EMERGENCY ORDINANCE: AMEND CODE ORDINANCE SECTIONS 40-225, 40-238, 40-239 AND 40- 10911 241, TO ENHANCE BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF 9/5/91 THE CITY OF MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES' AND SANITATION EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT TRUST BY OFFERING ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES A BENEFITS PACKAGE AS AN INCENTIVE FOR EARLY RETIREMENT. 4. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING R 91-598 WITH THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, 9/5/91 LODGE NO. 20 (FY191-93) - PROVIDE iOR 0% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93. 5. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING R 91-599 MODIFYING EXISTING COLLECTIVE 9/5/91 BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS, LOCAL 587 (10/l/90-9/30/93, ADOPTED 5/9/90) PROVIDE FOR 0% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS- THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93 - MODIFY REOPENER CLAUSE. 6. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING R 91-600 MODIFYING EXISTING COLLECTIVE 9/5/91 BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES / AFSCME, LOCAL 1907, AFL-CIO (10/l/90-9/30/93, ADOPTED 1/10/91) - PROVIDE FOR 0% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS- THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93 - MODIFY REOPENER CLAUSE. 1-37 37-39 39-40 40 41 42 7. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING R 91-601 WITH THE SANITATION EMPLOYEES 9/5/91 ASSOCIATION (FY'91-93) - PROVIDE FOR 0% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93 - PROVIDE FOR A BONUS. 8. COMMISSIONER DAWKINS COMMENTS TO DISCUSSION ADMINISTRATION THAT RETIREES ARE NOT 9/5/91 RECEIVING SUFFICIENT HOSPITALIZATION BENEFITS. 9. COMMISSIONER ALONSO DIRECTS DISCUSSION ADMINISTRATION TO REPORT IN CONNECTION 9/5/91 WITH ANNUAL COLLECTION BY THE COUNTY OF APPROXIMATELY $1.2 MILLION TO TAKE CARE OF ABANDONED TIRES IN THE CITY OF MIAMI - REQUEST INFORMATION AS TO EXACT AMOUNT OF MONEY COLLECTED AND ITS ULTIMATE DISPOSITION. 10. DISCUSSION CONCERNING POLICE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSION STAFFING AND DEPLOYMENT - POSSIBLE 9/5/91 EXPANSION OF THE RANGERS PROGRAM - COMMISSIONER PLUMMER CONVEYS TO CHIEF ROSS THE NEED FOR AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AIDES (PSAS) AND FURTHER CIVILIANIZATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF - REQUEST MANAGER TO SUBMIT MONTHLY REPORT CONCERNING POLICE DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS CONCERNING DEPLOYMENT. 43 44 45-46 47-87 MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF MIAMI, FLORIDA On the 5th day of September, 1991, the City Commission of Miami, Florida, met at its regular meeting place City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida in special session. The meeting was called to order at 9:05 a.m. by Mayor Xavier Suarez with the following members of the Commission found to be present: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez ABSENT: Commissioner Victor De Yurre ALSO PRESENT: Cesar Odio, City Manager A. Quinn Jones, III, Acting City Attorney Matty Hirai, City Clerk Walter J. Foeman, Assistant City Clerk An invocation was delivered by Mayor Suarez. Vice Mayor Plummer then led those present in a pledge of allegiance to the flag. 1. (A) DISCUSSION CONCERNING FIRST CITY EARLY RETIREMENT. (B) DIRECT ADMINISTRATION TO WORK ATTEMPTING TO FIND AN EQUITABLE CITY EMPLOYEES WHO RETIRED AFTER 24, 1991. OF MIAMI INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR WITH PERTINENT LABOR UNIONS IN SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM POSED BY THE ESTABLISHED DEADLINE OF JULY NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Commissioner De Yurre entered the meeting at 9:07 a.m. Mayor Suarez: My intention this morning is to... we hadn't specified it, but I believe it would make sense, and I think the Manager certainly prefers it that way, and the Commission has no objection, if we handle the issue related to the pensions and the adjustments in the ways that vesting takes place in the various unions, and other factors related to changes in compensation, etcetera, that would allow this City to move forward and a substantial number of people will take advantage of early retirement as presented by the Manager. And after that, to hold our hearing on police deployment and crime where I'll ask Vice Mayor Plummer to chair the session. I will be in the building and available because I've got a few little items of my own, but I think it makes sense for the Commissioner to - the Vice Mayor to chair that meeting. Mr. Manager... Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: ... I believe you spent tine with all the members of the Commission and certainly we have heard - though in my case, I have not met with all the union heads - that there is general support and uniform, universal support for your proposal. If you would like to outline it, or if any Commissioner would like to delve into it, I think that would be appropriate initially. And then we could hear from the union heads. I don't know that all of them are present. I see certainly - Shorty, you're here on behalf of the fire fighters. Who's here on behalf of the police? 1 September 5, 1991 • Unidentified Speaker: Al will be here. Mayor Suarez: Al will be here and Charlie... Vice Mayor Plummer: Charlie's here. Mayor Suarez: We haven't forgotten you. Association? Unidentified Speaker: Lionel will be here. Mr. Odio: He'll be here. Mayor Suarez: OK. Mr. Odio: Actually, my... And SEA(Sanitation Employees Mayor Suarez: Miss Bellamy, are you the designated hitter on this? - or.... Mr. Odio: Actually, I'd just like to say that this plan is a plan of all of us, not my plan. It's a plan that was put together by the unions and the administration, and they have gone around explaining it to each one of you. Ms. Angela Bellamy: Yes. Good morning, Mr. Mayor and members of the City Commission. We, the City administration and the unions, are proposing the first City of Miami Retirement Incentive Program. We currently have approx... we have 532 employees who are eligible to retire as of October 4th. We propose this program in lieu of layoffs. And this is an effort to balance the FY '92 Budget and create a savings for subsequent years. Mayor Suarez: Fiscal year ninety... Ms. Bellamy: Ninety-two. Mayor Suarez: Ninety-two, which begins October 1st, OK. Ms. Bellamy: That's correct. The incentive program is for, again, employees who are currently eligible to retire and they would have to retire as of October 4th. They would receive a ten percent retroactive increase for one year. Commissioner De Yurre: They can retire before October 4th? -or by October 4th? Ms. Bellamy: They have to retire. We have one day to retire. The actual retirement date is October 4th. Their last day... Mayor Suarez: And you said a ten percent retroactive? Ms. Bellamy: That's correct. Mayor Suarez: Retroactive... ten percent of what? Ms. Bellamy: Ten percent of their current salary. Vice Mayor Plummer: Their total salary. Commissioner De Yurre: Now, when did this... when did negotiations for this begin? Ms. Bellamy: We began talking about a program. Actually, we... Vice Mayor Plummer: July the 24th. Commissioner De Yurre: July 24th. Because I have a problem, and I'll tell you what it is. And it doesn't impact what we're talking about here. I have a problem because there may be those that have retired since July 24th, and weren't aware of this program. And yet they would have waited until October 4th to retire with that extra ten percent. And so I think that there may be a number of retirees that retired after July 24th that would have waited had they known of this program, and I think they're kind of being slighted to some degree. 2 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Is there any way to make any individual adjustments for anyone that may not have anticipated this, and that, in fact, retired after the date that the negotiations began? Mr. Odio: I think this is in the hands of the Pension Board at that moment. It's not up to us. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, well, it's up to us here now. Mr. Odio: No, sir. Commissioner De Yurre: Well, we say yea or nay. Mr. Odio: Whoever retired before, and is a retiree, is in the hands of the Pension Board. Vice Mayor Plummer: You can say yea or nay on this plan, but you can't say to those people. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, but I want to hear about that. Mr. Frank Chmielewski: Mr. Mayor, I'm Frank Chmielewski, I'm the administrator of the general employees. And in all employees who have made filings to retire subsequent to July 24th, we had contacted these people individually and advised them of the program and they - he - had come in to withdraw their retirement to make it effective October 4th. Mayor Suarez: So you did give notice in the case of general employees. What about the other? What about... Commissioner De Yurre: What about Police, Fire... Mr. Chmielewski: Well, general and sanitation, general and sanitation. Mayor Suarez: General and sanitation. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, what about Police and Fire? Mayor Suarez: See, there's a... Mr. Shorty Bryson: Shorty Bryson, Miami Fire Fighters. To the best of my knowledge, we didn't have anybody that left other than in January, we have some that are shooting for disabilities. But it wasn't around July 24h. It was prior to that. Back about the first of the year for tax reasons. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, where's Al? Mayor Suarez: Al is not here. Ms. Bellamy: He's not here yet. I know he's on his way. Commissioner De Yurre: OK. Mayor Suarez: Well, if by any chance it should appear, Commissioner De Yurre that - and Angela, Mr. Manager, everybody - that we're dealing with one or two police officers... Mr. Odio: Once they retire... Mayor Suarez: I know once they retire, it's not up to us, Mr. Manager. But if there's any possible way to do equity as to one or two individuals in one department who apparently did not know this, whereas everybody else seemed to have known about it in every other department, I am sure you are going to work very hard to try to figure out how we can do equity by that person. Among other things, is we don't want to get sued. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, when Al comes in, we can ask him because I think it basically deals with the Police Department. Mayor Suarez: OK. 3 September 5, 1991 Commissioner De Yurre: OK. Ms. Bellamy: OK, Commissioners, what I talked about was the... Mr. Odio: If it deals with one particular individual, I know who he is. I gave him a ten percent retroactive salary increase before he left. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's not the point in question. And with that one individual, and let's put it on the table. OK? Let's quit beating around the bush. It's Walter Martinez. OK? You gave him a ten percent, but the difference is, if he were to have the ten percent which you're giving to these people, plus the increase from the 2.50 to the 2.75, it makes a difference in his retirement of $6,000 a year. That's the difference. Mayor Suarez: OK. Ms. Bellamy: OK. Commissioners, in addition to this one-time benefit, which Is a temporary benefit, only for those people who are eligible as of October 4th, who can retire now, we're proposing that there be some permanent changes to the pension program. And those include for general employees and SEA employees a change from the Rule of 75 to the Rule of 70. A change in the multiplier from two percent to two -and -a quarter percent. And those who are currently eligible for 2.5 percent to 2.75 percent, that there be a ten year minimum for vesting. And that is for general employees and SEA. Mayor Suarez: Well you said in every other case, mathematically you said what the existing was and what the proposed change was except in the case of the ten year minimum for vesting. What is the current minimum for vesting? Ms. Bellamy: With the... we have the year 55, we had a plan when they could be 55 and have ten years or we had... Mayor Suarez: Now it would be just ten years. It wouldn't necessarily... Ms. Bellamy: There would be a minimum of ten years, because we had some employees who were able to come in and be able to retire less than ten years minimum. So we have a minimum for everyone now. Vice Mayor Plummer: But that was with a penalty. Ms. Bellamy: That's correct. Vice Mayor Plummer: If they, in fact, retire, there was a penalty imposed. Mayor Suarez: But is there still an age minimum? Ms. Bellamy: No, it's no age minimum. The minimum now would be with the year. You see, if they had... Vice Mayor Plummer: It still comes out, Mr. Mayor, that if you had... Ms. Bellamy: It was the rule, excuse... Vice Mayor Plummer: ...only two years and you retired, you only got five percent of your salary. That was where the deferment was. Ms. Bellamy: What it was, Mayor, was we would have, for example, people... it was the Rule of 75. We had some people who came when they were older, and because their age and their years... Mayor Suarez: I see, then you go back to the algebraic formula based on the Rule of 70... Ms. Bellamy: Exactly. Mayor Suarez: In this case, if the person came in at 18 years old, which is the hypothetical I always pose to you to make life as complicated as I possibly can, then at 44, I think, it works out that the person can retire. Ms. Bellamy: Right. But we've had some people who came at... Mayor Suarez: To have full vesting. 4 September 5, 1991 Ms. Bellamy: We've had some people who came at 70, and they did not have to stay for ten years. So it has a minimum of ten years. Vice Mayor Plummer: That that was on GEA (General Employees Association), not on Police and Fire. Ms. Bellamy: Right. That's correct. Vice Mayor Plummer: Because there are other different benefits that apply to Police and Fire that do not apply to general employees or Sanitation. Ms. Bellamy: Right. For Fire and Police, under that program, only the multiplier would change from 2.5 to 2.75. They currently have the Rule of 70. Now, the unions have agreed to defer their four percent across-the-board increase for this year for these benefits. Vice Mayor Plummer: For the coming year. Ms. Bellamy: To defer them to nineteen... Vice Mayor Plummer: The coming year. Ms. Bellamy: Yes, for FY 193. Commissioner Dawkins: FY 193? Ms. Bellamy: Yes, they're deferring them for 192 to 193. Commissioner Dawkins: They're not deferring them for 193. Ms. Bellamy: That's correct. And all four unions have ratified. They've voted and they've agreed to all of these changes. What we have before you today, we had seven pieces of legislation. We're now proposing the six pieces of legislation be brought before you, the last one regarding the 415, the Tax Reform Act, there are some questions and we've talked as late as this morning with some attorneys on it, and we'd like to do more research on it, and withdraw that item to determine whether we need to do some additional test on that. Mayor Suarez: Are you going to tell us at some point, or is it necessary to get into the issue of the investment rate assumed by one or both of the pension boards? Vice Mayor Plummer: All. All. Mayor Suarez: Both, I guess, that would allow us to make a smaller annual normal contribution I think it's called, and the rate being, I believe, 8 percent? Vice Mayor Plummer: From seven and -a -half to eight. Mayor Suarez: Or should we leave that for later consideration? Commissioner De Yurre: Well, I think what he did is... Mayor Suarez: It's not part of the package you want us to approve today? Commissioner De Yurre: Well, I think it's part of our consideration, because it's a big difference between what we're talking about here now and what could be. Vice Mayor Plummer: Damn big difference. Commissioner De Yurre: How much are we talking about that we have to kick in annually if this is approved? Vice Mayor Plummer: About five. Ms. Bellamy: Ten. 5 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: It's five million dollars, the difference between seven and -a -half to eight annually. Commissioner Dawkins: Say what, J.L.? Vice Mayor Plummer: Going from an assumption rate of seven and -a -half to eight percent, is a difference of five million dollars. Mayor Suarez: We reduce our contribution by five. Commissioner Dawkins: Reduce it by five million? Vice Mayor Plummer: That's correct. Commissioner Dawkins: And by reducing the pension payment by five million dollars, how long do you extend it? Vice Mayor Plummer: You don't at all. Commissioner Dawkins: Hey, the money has to go into the fund some kind of way. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, the money it... the assumption rate is to assume that the pension is going to get a greater return from its own portfolio meaning that the blank check that this Commission writes at the end of the year will have to be less, because the fund is going to make five million dollars more. Commissioner Dawkins: Then, in other words, the pension themselves, pensioneers, finance their own pension plan. Because if the City of Miami paid into the pension plan what it was supposed to pay into the pension plan, then the pension plan would earn more dividends and they would not have to pay out money and, therefore, the pensioneers would receive more pension. Vice Mayor Plummer: No. Commissioner Dawkins: Why not? Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. An assumption is just that. Commissioner Dawkins: No, no, no, see, you assume... OK, well let's say this. J.L. assumes it will work that way, I'll assume it won't work that way. Now let's go to something else. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, let me tell you where... Mayor Suarez: OK. That's a fair, that's a fair question. Commissioner Dawkins: That's it, that's all. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Commissioner Dawkins: Thank you. Go ahead, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: All right. What else do we need to approve, Mr. Manager? Commissioner De Yurre: Well, Mr. Mayor, we haven't touched this at all. Are we on the record... I want to hear from the administration, to state it on the record, what the options are, what the alternatives are so that we're well aware of what we're voting for. Mayor Suarez: Yes, since that is still... Mr. Odio: I need to say this on the record. The pension returns are investment, and interest returns are on the hands of both pension boards. They are going to assume... they have to look at the actuarial reports based on the returns that they have received in the past year, what the market has done. We hope that we will get an 8 percent return. That's what the law calls for. That whatever the investments have been, the actuarials will get together, and they will decide what the cost would be. Commissioner De Yurre: OK. By when... 6 September 5, 1991 �J Mr. Odio: We are estimating... Commissioner De Yurre: By when do they have to decide? Mr. Odio: They will meet, I believe... Vice Mayor Plummer: Budget time. Mr. Odio: Today there is one meeting, and there's one at the end of the month on both boards. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, now... Mr. Odio: But that's based strictly on actuarial reports, and investment returns. It is not tied to this at all. Commissioner De Yurre: OK, well but let... I have to tie into it because... Mr. Odio: No, you can't... Commissioner De Yurre: Well, in my way of thinking, I have to unless you tell me that we don't have a five million dollar shortfall in the budget if we have to pay it in. Mr. Odio: What I'm saying is, you cannot determine here today what the return of investments are going to be. Mayor Suarez: Well, Mr. Manager, what he's... Commissioner De Yurre: No, I'm not determining that. What I'm determining is, talking about the budget, if there's a possibility that we're going to have a five million dollar shortfall in case that this doesn't happen. Mr. Odio: Yes, you would have a problem of five million dollars that we would have to face. Commissioner De Yurre: OK. So my point... Mayor Suarez: That's why it's relevant to the discussion today, because we have... we're putting this into place, hopefully in order to balance the budget and reduce expenditures, etcetera. And Commissioner wants to know logically what the assumption is on the investment return, discount rate, so that we know for sure that we're going to have that five million dollar saving. If we don't have it, then we could be in trouble budgetarily. OK, Commissioner De Yurre. Commissioner De Yurre: And the point is that we're going to know one way or another before we have to approve the budget on second reading so that we can make the proper determination at that point in time. Mr. Odio: You cannot do this, Commissioner. Mayor Suarez: Will we know before second reading of the budget - of the budget - which is, I think, the second meeting in September? Mr. Odio: Yes. For the budget, yes. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Thank you. I wasn't as painful as it seemed to be. Mr. Odio: For the budget. Vice Mayor Plummer: You will only... the budget here again, a budget is a projection or an assumption. You will not know until probably into December what the actuarial have come back with as to their number. Mr. Odio: We hope... Mayor Suarez: No, but apparently they're going to make the decision on their investment rate assumptions in September, right? Mr. Odio: They are going to make the assumption by and before the second meeting where we approve the budget. 7 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: Their assumption is correct. Let me ask a question. Maybe it might help me and others. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins... Vice Mayor Plummer: No, no, just one quick question. Mayor Suarez: OK, quick clarification, then Commissioner Dawkins. Vice Mayor Plummer: Instead of assumption, can anybody tell me from the pension boards, what was reality last year? Was it at eight percent? Mayor Suarez: What was the return last year? Vice Mayor Plummer: Was it from the pension boards... not assumptions. Mr. Odio: The return. Vice Mayor Plummer: What was the return? Mr. Bryson: I can tell you for FIPO (Fire fighters and Police officers) that it was close to 10 percent, plus or minus a half percent. Vice Mayor Plummer: For last year. Mr. Bryson: That's right. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Mayor Suarez: What is your total fund balance? Mr. Bryson: It changes from day to day, but it's approximately four... Mayor Suarez: I'll take yesterdays or tomorrows or. you know, any around this time. Mr. Bryson: ...four hundred million. Four hundred million. Mayor Suarez: Four hundred million. What is your total balance? Mr. Chmielwski: Two fifty-seven. Mayor Suarez: All right, we're at six fifty-seven, folks. Vice Mayor Plummer: Going once. Mayor Suarez: It was three forty when... Mr. Odio: That's right, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: ...the people of this community made the wise decision of electing myself, and when the Manager uniwisely was selected as Manager right in 1985. All right, Commissioner Dawkins. Yes, Commissioner Dawkins. Mr. Chmielewski: And our rate of return was approximately eleven percent last year. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. So we're between ten and eleven. Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes, but... Mr. Mayor, to be honest with you now, OK, so that we're playing fair, what is your unfunded liability? Mr. Odio: The unfunded on the Fire was 37 million, and on them it was a hundred... I think the total is 137 between both. Right? Mr. Chmielewski: Yes. Well, as of the last time that the actuarial report was done, we had a pension benefit obligation of about 311 million. And right now, we're sitting there with 257 million dollars in assets. Therefore, the unfunded liability is, you know, in mathematics is about 60 million dollars. Mayor Suarez: Fifty four. All right, Commissioner... 8 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: Second part of that. That doesn't affect you on the other side. Does that include Gates? Mr. Chmielewski: Yes, it does. Mayor Suarez: That is what Gates is all about. All right, Commissioner... Vice Mayor Plummer: No, no, no. That's a part of. Mr. Chmielewski: Yes. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: What is the Gates settlement? Vice Mayor Plummer: What's left? Mayor Suarez: We have to make up the unfunded liability over time. Commissioner Dawkins: What is the Gates settlement? Mr. Kenneth Kent: You mean an explanation of it, or the value? Commissioner Dawkins: Yes, yes. Mr. Kent: OK. My name is Kenneth Kent, I'm consulting actuary to the City. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Mr. Kent: The Gates settlement is a court order requiring the City to make a stream of payments. I believe there are two separate streams for each fund. The last payment ends, I think, the year 2111. But it is a requirement to make a stream of payments that are dictated within the court order. Commissioner Dawkins: OK, there's a court order which dictates that the City of Miami is supposed to pay "X" dollars to the fund. Is that a correct statement? Mr. Kent: Yes. n' Commissioner Dawkins: OK, what is the current payment due? Vice Mayor Plummer: It's about 16 million. It's about sixteen. Mr. Odio: Sixteen million. Mr. Kent: About 16 million. Commissioner Dawkins: Sixteen million dollars due as of today. Mr. Odio: No, for next year. Vice Mayor Plummer: The current payment. Mr. Kent: For next year. That is for next year. Commissioner Dawkins: I asked you, what... well, have we paid... no, no, see, all right, I'll ask it again, and slowly. Mr. Odio: We have one more payment to make this year. 1 Commissioner Dawkins: All right, you got... so ae pay quarterly, am I right? Mr. Odio: That's correct. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Now, we have a quarter that's due. Is that right or wrong? Mr. Odio: That is correct. 9 September 5, 1991 Commissioner Dawkins: What is that quarter payment equal to in American dollars? Mr. Odio: What is it? -about five million dollars? Mr. Carlos Garcia: Five million dollars. Mr. Odio: Five million dollars. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. So we owe the pension plan five million dollars. Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: Is that a correct statement? Mr. Odio: That's correct. Commissioner Dawkins: And we are mandated by the courts to pay this five million dollars. Is that a correct statement? Mr. Odio: Yes, it is. Commissioner Dawkins: Have we been back to the judge to find out from the judge that the judge will OK the City of Miami not obeying his order to pay five million dollars? Mr. Odio: I went to the pension board. Commissioner Dawkins: Did you go to the... Mr. Odio: No, I didn't go to no... Commissioner Dawkins: The pension board did not demand or order us to pay. We were ordered to pay by a judge in court. Mr. Odio: That's correct. Commissioner Dawkins: Therefore, the only place this can be undone is in court. Mr. Odio: And we're... Commissioner Dawkins: Now, did we go back to the judge for the judge to say that it's OK for the unions to tell you it's OK for you not to pay into their fund. I need to know. That's all I'm asking. Did we got to court and get that agreement? Mr. Odio: We're going to pay. Our payments will be paid, as I told the pension board before, in two weeks as we stated to them. And... Mayor Suarez: The answer is, no, we did not go to the judge. Mr. Odio: No, we did not go to the judge. Mayor Suarez: That payment will be made for the unfunded liability. And what we're talking about now is the normal contribution, which is a little different, but... Mr. Odio: It will be. Commissioner Dawkins: So the... Mr. Odio: It's not the unfunded, it's the normal costs that we owe them. Commissioner Dawkins: The five million dollars will be paid. You're telling me? Mr. Odio: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: All right. Where is that factored into... OK, so, all right... All right, then, how many people are going to retire? 10 September 5, 1991 Mr. Odio: We don't know. Until you approve this plan... Commissioner Dawkins: All right, how in the hell can you balance the budget not knowing what's going out? And then you've got to add five million dollars on top of that? You see, this is voodoo economics. Commissioner Alonso: Commissioner Dawkins, may I ask the... Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Alonso. Commissioner Alonso: ...City Manager, when are we going to make that payment? Mr. Odio: It will be made by the last week of September as I told the pension board when I went to see them. Commissioner Alonso: So, it means we have the money to make that payment. Mr. Odio: Yes, we do. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Commissioner Alonso: We do. Mr. Odio: Yes, Commissioner. Commissioner Dawkins: OK, let me, I'll finish... Mayor Suarez: If the payment is due September 30th, I would guess we would probably pay it at 5:00 p.m. on September 30th, you know. Try to save a little interest here. Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: All right, I'm going to ask that I be given the same courtesy and privilege as J. L. Plummer. And I would ask that the rest of us wait till I finish with my questions, and then I'll listen to yours. If you all would give me the... Mayor Suarez: You're not going to be as lengthy as J.L. Plummer, are you? Commissioner Dawkins: If you ask me not to, I won't. Mr. Odio: You guys take the answers. Mayor Suarez: Thank you. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. What is the amount of money over there that's needed to pay the 2.75 pension increase? -in total dollars? Mr. Odio: Go ahead, guys, go ahead. Mr. Garcia: In total. You want the... in total, we are a... it's about 56.6 million dollars. Commissioner Dawkins: Six point six. Mr. Garcia: Fifty-six, point six million dollars. Commissioner Dawkins: Sixty-six? Mr. Garcia: Fifty-six. Five, six. Commissioner Dawkins: Fifty-six point six million dollars. Mr. Odio: Over 30 years. Mr. Garcia: Over 30 years. Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: No, no... OK, let's deal with... Mr. Garcia: This year's. Commissioner Dawkins: ...Fiscal Year 91-92. 11 September 5, 1991 Mr. Garcia: Right. That's five million dollars. Commissioner Dawkins: Five million dollars. OK. Mr. Odio: No, that's 192... Commissioner Dawkins: Now, what would be needed to pay the five point... 2.75 in Fiscal Year 92-93? Mr. Garcia: Basically five million dollars. Commissioner Dawkins: Five million dollars. Mr. Garcia: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. How many employees are going to retire? Mr. Garcia: I don't have that information. Do you have some estimate? Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Nobody has that. So you don't know how many policemen are... _ Mr. Odio: We have estimate. Commissioner Dawkins: You don't know how many policemen are... Yes, ma'am, go ahead, Mrs. Bellamy. Ms. Bellamy: Commissioner, we don't know simply because the last day is September 24. And what we can tell you currently is how many employees have turned in their papers now. But we do know that a lot of them are waiting to determine what happens today, and we have all indication that we will have at least 35 percent of the employees to retire. Commissioner Dawkins: Thirty-five percent of those eligible to go out is how many? Ms. Bellamy: One hundred eighty-six. Commissioner Dawkins: A hundred and eighty-six. Of that 186, how many of them are firemen? How many of them are policemen? Mr. Odio: Seventy firemen. Commissioner Dawkins: Seventy firemen? Mr. Odio: Go ahead, Angela, come on. Ms. Bellamy: Commissioner, what we did - and I'm going to ask Mr. Surana to come up here - was he looked at an average salary of $44,000. That was, we have some highs and we have some low employees. Commissioner Dawkins: Mrs. Bellamy... Ms. Bellamy: We can't say how many for sure will be leaving. E Commissioner Dawkins: Mrs. Bellamy, give me a figure of 186 persons times your average of $44,000 a year, and give me the amount. i Mr. Manohar Surana: Commissioner, on simple averages, it will be about 25 police officers, and about 43... Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Surana, Mrs. Bellamy just said that you used a rule of thumb and you averaged out that the average employee would average out to $44,000. Multiply 186... Vice Mayor Plummer: Salary. Commissioner Dawkins: ...persons times $44,000 and give me the amount. Mr. Surana: Yes, based on that... Commissioner Dawkins: Give me the amount. 12 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Could somebody just... $44,000 times 186, I mean, folks, this Is not that difficult. What were you talking about? Mr. Odio: You have that study. Mr. Surana: Eight million dollars. Vice Mayor Plummer: The answer he's looking for, Xavier... Commissioner Dawkins: Eight million? Mr. Surana: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: So eight million on top of the five million... Vice Mayor Plummer: No, it's more. — Commissioner Dawkins: ...that we owe for the pension is thirteen million? Vice Mayor Plummer: It's eleven million, one. Mr. Odio: No, we don't owe any. That has nothing to do with it. Mayor Suarez: No, no, it can't be eleven. Commissioner Dawkins: All right. Vice Mayor Plummer: Based on 50 percent. Mr. Odio: Commissioner, I'm sorry, the five million dollars are for this budget. You're talking about next years budget. Vice Mayor Plummer: No. Here, based on 50 percent, there's exactly what it is. Mr. Odio: This years budget, the 5 million dollars we're going to pay is included in it. Mayor Suarez: He's using 186 employees. Vice Mayor Plummer: Oh. Mr. Odio: We're going to pay that. It's part of the budget for this year. Commissioner Dawkins: I know you're going to pay them, but... Mr. Odio: What we're talking about is 192 budget. Commissioner Dawkins: I know we're going to pay them, but I need to know what pot you got the money in to pay them with. I don't have no problem with paying them. But I've been here long enough to know that we have five or six different pots that we dip into, and you move one pot from one side of the table to the other side of the table when you need that pot wherever you need 1 it. And that's my problem. Mr. Surana: Commissioner, if... Vice Mayor Plummer: I wish I could talk, I could answer it for him. Commissioner Dawkins: All right, now, you also say in here... Vice Mayor Plummer: The four percent they're giving up pays it. Commissioner Dawkins: OK, what's going to happen... Vice Mayor Plummer: That's 5.7. INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. Commissioner Dawkins: See, I asked you all to do me a favor. 13 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: I can't talk. I could answer his question, but I can't talk. So I'll wait. Mr. Odio: We're talking about his... Commissioner Dawkins: OK, I have no further questions. Mr. Odio: This is, what you... Commissioner Dawkins: I have no further questions. Mr. Odio: Commissioner... Mayor Suarez: He has no further questions, thank you. Any other Commissioner have any questions? Vice Mayor Plummer: Just to clarify the record, if I may. The offsetting factor of what Commissioner Dawkins rightfully brings out of a cost of an -- additional five million, is paid out through the four percent that the unions are giving up of 5.7. Mr. Odio: Correct. They're giving up 5.7 million. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's where it balances out. OK. Now, may I ask a question? Mayor Suarez: Vice Mayor, please. Vice Mayor Plummer: We can't deal with this just on a single issue. And we're not playing sleight of hand or, as Commissioner Dawkins says, voodoo economics. Mr. Manager, in your budget book, Mano. It is to be understood that if the unions have volunteered to give up the four percent salary increase - and my understanding is that's completely across-the-board... Mr. Surana: Yes, sir. Vice Mayor Plummer: In your budget book, in Police and Fire alone, you are showing a five million dollar increase next year in salaries. Mr. Surana: Yes. Not because of cost of living. Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm sorry? Mr. Surana: Not because of cost of living. Vice Mayor Plummer: It doesn't spell out. I'm looking at... Mr. Odio: You have the, Commissioner... Vice Mayor Plummer: ...in your budget book... Mr. Odio: In the contracts, you have across-the-board increases and you have what is the step increase. Vice Mayor Plummer: That would not equate to five million dollars, Mr. Manager. Mr. Odio: You have the step increases, plus what we have twenty of these... Vice Mayor Plummer: It still won't equate to five million dollars. Mayor Suarez: You're going to have to justify during budget hearings how that could conceivably equate to five million dollars. And I can't imagine that it would, J. L. I agree with you. Vice Mayor Plummer: Now, in the police alone you are showing... Mayor Suarez: Unless he's got a lot of unclassified people in those departments that are getting raises which Commissioner Alonso and the rest of us have expressed ourselves on that. 14 September 5, 1991 2 Mr. Surana: Commissioner, in Fire Department, we have fully funded 17 additional positions which were authorized last year. That is a major increase there. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's only 1.4 in the Fire. Mr. Surana: OK. And Police Department... Vice Mayor Plummer: The big one is the police, 3.6. Mr. Surana: OK. Police Department, we have increased that overtime by a million dollar. Because they always has spent more overtime than budget, so we finally fixed their budget on overtime. Mayor Suarez: OK, we're going to be going into that in budget hearings, but you gave a general answer to the Vice Mayor's question. Vice Mayor Plummer: The question that I have, Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: Yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...and the concern that I have, is if, in fact, they're giving up all raises which they've agreed to do, that money that supposedly is indicated as a savings means that there are no increases next year, and yet in the budget book itself in just those two items alone of Police and Fire, it is showing in exactly a five million dollar increase. Now something doesn't balance is what I'm saying. Mr. Surana: OK, police is... Mayor Suarez: Yes, some is additional personnel, some is overtime, and some is step increases that are not taken care of by the cost of living. Vice Mayor Plummer: Not five million dollars. Mr. Surana: Additional health insurance in Police Department. Mayor Suarez: It doesn't sound like it would add up to five million, Mano. Mr. Surana: And plus police was not funded properly last year. Mr. Odio: That's precisely why, in July 24th when we finally met and decided that we had to come up with a plan that would forever try to straighten the finances of the City - we cannot go through this crisis every year - we cannot be talking about layoffs every year - so we decided that we had to look for a permanent solution. This is the starting block to find a permanent solution for years to come. It's the first time, I think, that by doing what we're proposing together, that you will downsize the City, and that you will reduce the cost of future years instead of going up, it shall go down. What happens now is that, yes, we had to finally realize that the Police budget, every year we had to scramble at the end of the year to find monies to cover the overtime because we had this problem or that problem, and we started the year last year without 17 positions in the fire fighters that were added at the last minute here funded properly. So what we're doing now is saying, let's clean this up, this is how we're starting. And that's when we face... we're facing 24 million dollar shortfall at that moment. And that's when we got together and we have to find a plan that makes sense. Mayor Suarez: OK. Mr. Odio: And the sense is to downsize, to begin anew, to have a five-year plan after this budget is approved, so that we know where we're going for the next five years exactly. Mayor Suarez: That's a very nice philosophy. Commissioner Dawkins: Thank you. Mayor Suarez: I think he just wanted to know about the five million dollars. Vice Mayor Plummer: My next question, Mr. Manager, assuming - let's just assume which I think your people have used - a 50 percent of the people will take advantage, DO 15 September 5, 1991 Mr. Odio: We assume 35 percent. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I don't have a 35 percent, and I'm using your numbers. Mr. Odio: For the budget is 35 percent. Vice Mayor Plummer: So it will be downgraded simply be that. My concern is, Mr. Manager, that number is roughly seven million dollars in the incentive of a ten percent retroactive back. Now my question is, where are you going to get that 7 million dollars? I know where the money is coming from of the 4 percent raises to offset the pension benefit. But where are you getting seven million dollars that's got to be paid by October the 4th... Mr. Odio: Well, that's in next year's budget. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...to pay back the 10 percent to make it retroactive to October 1 of last year to include it in this year's package? Mayor Suarez: Yes, does that retroactivity mean that we are in effect going back to adjust the current fiscal year or does not? It's retroactive in another sense. All right, shoot - how does it work? Mr. Garcia: What you're talking about is a termination pay which is 7 million dollars. The retroactive program is a million one. Vice Mayor Plummer: The what? Mr. Garcia: The retroactive program is a million dollars. The 7 million dollars is accumulated leave balances like vacation and ill time and things like that. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, no, no, you've got 3 million dollars in every budget for severance pay. Mr. Garcia: Right. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's in every budget. Mr. Garcia: Right. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK? So don't hide that on me. Mr. Garcia: No. I'm not trying to hide anything. Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm asking, as Commissioner Dawkins says, you find money when you want. I'm asking, where are you finding roughly seven million dollars? Mr. Odio: No, sir, it's... Vice Mayor Plummer: The others are offsetting. Mr. Odio: The ten percent reduct, this is 1.1 million dollars. Mr. Garcia: Right. Vice Mayor Plummer: Plus three million for the severance pay. Mr. Garcia: That is right. Mr. Odio: That's in the budget. Mr. Garcia: These monies are paid out of those budgeted positions that are going to be eliminated once people retire. And if 50 percent of the people go, the people that are eligible to retire, the City will save $11 million six. So we're talking about spending in addition to that, four million dollars out of those 11.6. So overall, we still have the savings of 7 million dollars. 16 September 5, 1991 Commissioner Alonso: When you talk about that savings, you don't think about replacing any of the employees? Mr. Garcia: We're talking about replacing 15 percent only of those employees. Commissioner Alonso: Including that percentage. It's that figure that you're giving us. Mr. Garcia: That's right. Mr. Odio: Commissioners, that's why we didn't figure an 8 million dollar savings, but only about four and -a -half to five. Vice Mayor Plummer: It's 15 percent, and they're starting at 70 percent of the present pay, there on the second tier. Commissioner Alonso: Are you telling us that we've been having all these number of people unnecessarily on the budget? Mr. Odio: No, we're not saying that. We're saying... No, we're not saying that. Even though we might have some people that we shouldn't have had, I want you to know, Commissioner, that - and Charlie Cox will tell you that - that we started in 185 with 1,000 employees more than we have today. We have reduced the workforce by at least 1,000. Is that right, Charlie? Mr. Charlie Cox: In general employees, yes. Mr. Odio: In general employees alone. Commissioner Alonso: No, my concern is... Commissioner Dawkins: But you increased... oh, OK. Commissioner Alonso: ...the population of the City of Miami is growing. We have more needs and demands for service. And then you tell me we will be able to do it with less people. Mr. Odio: Well, we decided... Commissioner Alonso: Give me some idea how we are going to do it. Mr. Odio: OK, let me tell you the concept is very simple. We have essential services, and we have nonessential services. We're going to put our resources that are limited where the essential services are. We determined together which were the essential services that the City provide. Basically, sanitation, police and fire. Those are the essential services we have to provide, and do it very well. We have the best Sanitation Department in the County. We have the best Fire Department in the country, and we have one of the best... Mayor Suarez: Add Parks and Public Works, please. Mr. Odio: So those are the... the Public Works is self-supporting, Mr. Mayor. We're talking about essential services that have to be funded out of general fund. Mayor Suarez: Public Works gives essential services... Mr. Odio: Yes, but it's self sufficient. Mayor Suarez: ...and if they're self-supporting because they can charge fees, bless them. Mr. Odio: So, what we're... Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins has another line of.... Mr. Odio: What we're said, we are going to move the resources to... Commissioner Dawkins: OK, I want to make a statement, and I'd be finished. I don't understand what we're doing. And I'll say upfront, I don't understand it. You know, you just tell me that - somebody get your calculator again - 17 September 5, 1991 that we expect 186 people to go out. And you expect to replace 15 percent of them. What is 15 percent of 186? Mayor Suarez: About 13 individuals, huh? Unidentified Speaker: About 27. Vice Mayor Plummer: Twenty, twenty-one. Commissioner Dawkins: Twenty people? Mr. Odio: Twenty-seven. Commissioner Dawkins: Twenty-seven? Mayor Suarez: Twenty-seven, yes. Commissioner Dawkins: All right, and so now you're going to replace 30 people out of 186. My problem is, and I'm just going to use any department first because I'm going through all four of them. In the Police Department, you got a response time now that people in the community don't want to live with. If it's a non -essential, non -emergency item, such as a person dying and you want the police to come and certify that it's dead so you can move it, it's anywhere from three to five hours to get a policeman out there. In other areas, I mean the response time, you're going to reduce... and I don't know where these 15 people are going to come - these 20 people going to come from - but, and if you, for the sake of discussion... Vice Mayor Plummer: Cesar, turn your mike off. Commissioner Dawkins: ...lose 20 firemen or policemen who are well trained and experienced in performing their duties, and you lose 25 of them collectively, and you replace them with ten new people, collectively, it's impossible to think that, that new person can perform at the level and efficiency that the person that you are losing could do the job and, therefore, you're going to be able to maintain the level of services to the people. That's impossible. The same thing goes with GSA (General Services Administration). If you don't put the people in GSA, you don't have any mechanics to fix the fire trucks, the police trucks and everything else to run around. But yet, out of 186 people, you're going to only replace 30 of them and maintain the services. Mr. Manager, be sure and tell me at the budget hearings how all of these savings that you are doing will ensure that you will not have to sell any tax anticipated bonds to balance the budget again. And, Mr. Mayor, and my fellow Commissioners, I do not understand this, and I'll be voting against every issue not because it's not needed, not because you have not come to a good agreement for the first time with all the bargaining agents, but I do not understand how I can sit here and have nobody explain to me how you're going to give up all of these services and then when I run in 193, and the people are raising hell because they didn't get no services, the people are raising hell because we raised the taxes, and everybody who's running this year will get away clean and I'll have to fight the public, I just can't vote for this. Mr. Manuel Gonzalez-Goenaga: Could I be recognized? Mayor Suarez: Any further inquiry? Vice Mayor Plummer: Can I... Mayor Suarez: No, sir, you're out of order. Vice Mayor Plummer: Can I get a way... Mayor Suarez: We're going to have a police deployment and crime hearing right after this, and your comments are typically directed at that. I'm sure we're going to hear from you at that point. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: No, no, I come prepared to talk about this situation. Give me two minutes. Mayor Suarez: Well, you're not recognized, you're out of order. Now, I don't want to remove you today, but today happens to be a day in which it would be 18 September 5, 1991 particularly easy to do that because we've got tons of police officers and fire fighters here who would love to do it. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Yes, I... Mayor Suarez: So, please, please... Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: You are threatening me, Mayor? Mayor Suarez: ...Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga, sir, you're out of order. Please... Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: You are threatening me? Mayor Suarez: Oh, I'm definitely threaten you, sir. If you are out of order, you are going to be asked to leave and removed, if necessary. And maybe arrested. So why don't you have a seat. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: I cannot talk as member of this community. Mayor Suarez: Have a seat. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Thank you very much. Commissioner Dawkins: You didn't say that. You just said he couldn't talk now. You didn't say he couldn't talk... Mayor Suarez: You can talk a little later on this morning. Mr. Vice Mayor. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Mayor, I have spent a great deal of time up until them catching me in my house at 8 o'clock last night. I am voting for this plan. Let me say to you though, I do it with reservations. Because I think each and every one of us have to realize that this is a short term solution with long term obligations. As it is on paper today, it does, without question, show a savings to this City. And that's what we're all trying to accomplish. But there are some pitfalls that could occur, and that's what I'm with the reservation that could turn this into a very negative, negative kind of a situation. The two areas that I speak to is first, the assumption rate. I am concerned of increasing the assumption rate from 7 1/2 to 8. Mayor Suarez: Or call it the investment rate, or the discount rate. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK, call it whatever you want. They call it assumption, so I'm using their terminology when we all... Mayor Suarez: I guess it's the assumed investment rate, I guess is... Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. When we all know what the economy of this country is. It's not going up, it's going down. Now, they've done extremely well with the pension fund and assuming that their number of 10 percent return, then there's no danger of increasing from 7 1/2 to 8. But the overall economy of this country is not going up, it's going down. The second point - and it's a point that I think that this Commission must reserve unto itself - and that is built in to this agenda that we must have assurances that only 15 percent of the employees will be new employees. And I would want built into this ordinance that if the Manager, at any time, exceeded that 15 percent increase of rehirees, that this Commission would have to approve it. It's not saying it can't happen. It's saying that if, in fact, it does go beyond that, that this Commission has to approve it. Because if we... Mayor Suarez: Yes, I would think that would be built into the budget approval, no? Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, it's built into budget, but that's only for this year, Mr. Mayor. I said... Mayor Suarez: Oh, over time. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...short term solution with long term obligations. Mr. Odio: Well, what we have to... Commissioner, if I may explain that 15'-' percent. This was an assumption only for this year. We might have departments that you need to replace 90 percent. 19 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: That's fine... Mr. Odio: And other ones... Vice Mayor Plummer: ...but I'm saying that if you do, if you go back to 100 percent, if you, using the numbers of 186... Mr. Odio: We cannot do it. -: Vice Mayor Plummer: is actually going to not saved anything. second tier. Listen to me. If, in fact, 186 is real, the number that take advantage, and you, in fact, hire back 186, we've The only thing we have saved is hiring them back at a Mr. Odio: But we both understand that, Commissioner. Let me... Vice Mayor Plummer: I am... I don't disagree with you, Mr. Manager. I'm not disagreeing with you. What I'm saying is... Mayor Suarez: This is not just a factor between... this is not just a deal, Mr. Manager, somehow... J.L., if I may just say this, it's not just between you and the unions. This Commission sets policy, this Commission approves the budget. In fact, this Commission theoretically, under our Charter, approves the salaries of all the department heads. I don't know how it is that we got away from doing that over the years. But we certainly will be looking at the entire budget to guarantee that, in fact, you are able to stay within that constraint. Now, Vice Mayor Plummer has inquired as to the first fiscal year has said, OK, I can accept that for the first fiscal year. How do I know that it won't, in the future, change? -and that's the line of inquiry that he's now pursuing. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I'm not inquiring... Mayor Suarez: Or a statement. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...I am saying that I want it built in, that if we do exceed that number, that this Commission shall be the ones who will approve or disapprove beyond that 15 percent. Mayor Suarez: Absolutely. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Mayor, we are looking at a total obligation of $128,000,000. That is a large number. The savings are there for this year, and the savings are there for more years. But if, in fact, either one of the two issues which I just spoke to, change, this can be a negative issue rather than a positive issue for the City itself. As I say, I have gone through these numbers forwards, sidewards and backwards. I'm going to vote for the plan. The only thing that I think that is a disadvantage is that this plan came about so quickly that there are others who might have wanted to take advantage of this plan. But because of the necessity of financial planning, will not be able to take advantage of this plan, and I hope that we don't have any negative reaction on that issue that, in fact, some who will say possibly that they were cheated or denied the access because of this coming about so quickly. Mr. Manager, I think that you've done a good job here. I'm still going to hit your butt in budget because I think that there's something being hidden that's not being said, but I'll find it before budget hearings. Mr. Odio: If you do, let me know, will you, Commissioner? Mayor Suarez: Any further questions? Commissioner Alonso: Yes, sir. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Alonso. Vice Mayor Plummer: Excuse me, just one final note. Mr. Manager, all the money you're saving I anticipate in the next hearing to spend. Mayor Suarez: Very good. 20 September 5, 1991 i! Commissioner Alonso: Mr. Manager, I'd like to go back to the number 186, and the number 27 people we are going to replace. Only 27 new individuals will come into the City. Could you give me an idea how it's going to be done? Give me a number. Let's say, the Police Department. Mr. Odio: The reason... Commissioner Alonso: How many people do you think... Mr. Odio: Well, see, Commissioner... Commissioner Alonso: Let me finish, please. Mr. Odio: OK, I'm sorry. Mayor Suarez: It's a very simple question. How many police officers do you expect will retire and how many... Commissioner Alonso: Are leaving. How many will you replace? Mr. Odio: That was... Commissioner Alonso: Tell me, how many of the 27 will replace the number of people leaving the Police Department? Mr. Odio: That's a good question. That's why I said that the 15 percent, you cannot... because some departments you're going to have to replace police officers and that's what we're talking about. Mayor Suarez: We have an estimate of how many police officers are going to retire, I think. Commissioner Alonso: OK. Do we have an estimate? Mr. Odio: We do not know at this moment how many police officers, not executives, are retiring. Vice Mayor Plummer: There's 55 available. Commissioner Alonso: OK. Mr. Odio: We need to sit down after we know who is retiring, what positions are going to be vacant, one by one... Mayor Suarez: We're not getting too many specific answers over here, so Mr. Cotera, if you have any idea. Commissioner Alonso: Do we have any idea of the number of police? Mr. Al Cotera: Yes, Al Cotera, president of the FOP(Fraternal Order of Police). Approximately of the 53 eligible, we're figuring on 40. Mayor Suarez: How many of those are tine officers, and how many are executive or rank of... Mr. Cotera: The majority of them are sergeants and lieutenants and above. Vice Mayor Plummer: And above. Mr. Odio: That's why I wanted... Mr. Cotera: Approximately, that I know of, possibly two of the police officers of that rank, and they're both assigned to motors. Commissioner Dawkins: To motors? Mr. Cotera: They're both motormen. The two that I know that are going to take advantage of this. Mayor Suarez: You mean at the officer rank, not in sergeant and above. Mr. Cotera: Correct. ■ 21 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: I'm sorry, Commissioner Alonso was inquiring. Commissioner Alonso: OK, what about in the... Commissioner De Yurre: So you're saying that they're not going to be replaced. Mr. Cotera: Pardon? Commissioner De Yurre: These are retired will not be replaced. Commissioner Dawkins: He said that. Mayor Suarez: His deal is to talk about the ones retiring and make sure that they have the right benefits, not necessarily to plan to have enough officers. That's really more the Manager's... Mr. Cotera: No, sir, that's incorrect, sir. Commissioner Alonso: Do you have any idea... were you counting in how many will be replaced in your department? Mr. Cotera: The idea is for the unions to be able to get together with the City Manager, together with the department heads, and determine. In the last week alone, the Police Chief by redeploying has put 39 extra police officers out on the street. In the next fiscal budget, we also have a plan to bring in civilians to handle the gates that will free up an extra 24 police officers. The important thing here is the redeployment, not necessarily the going out and hiring of new numbers. But the using what we have to a better use. Mayor Suarez: We understand that. The Commissioner is inquiring about the ones that will, in fact, be hired as projected by the Manager. Commissioner Alonso: All right, are you telling me that you will feel confident that if none of the people - you don't get any new employees in the Police Department - you are confident that you will be able to provide the quality of service that the citizens of Miami need and demand? Mr. Cotera: Yes, I have a lot of trust in our Chief, yes. I think that, that can be done. I think that with what he has in the budget, and by working together, I think that, yes, we can do that. Commissioner Alonso: Thank you. Let me ask the Chief that same question. INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. Commissioner Alonso: I think it's very important before we give a vote that we have some word of confidence from the people who can tell us, yes, we will be able to provide the quality of service that is needed. And if so, then I will trust the decision of the administration and I will go along. If I cannot get that promise, I will fear that this is not the right plan, even though I have been very much in support of incentives for early retirement. Let's move to some other department. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Alonso, yes. Another other questions while we get the Chief? Commissioner Alonso: Yes, what... could you tell me... Mr. Cotera: Yes. Commissioner Alonso: ...how many? Do you have an idea? Mr. Bryson: Well, we have we think between 40 and 50 retiring under the plan if it goes through. Commissioner Alonso: And how many do you think that will be replaced? Mr. Bryson: Well, I'll tell you, I think that we can probably, with the cooperation of the administration and our management, we can bring back say 10 to 15 from upper positions to ride. I think if we hire back what the Manager 22 September 5, 1991 is talking about, a percentage that we will be able to maintain the manpower on the trucks or staffing, so I put all the females... Commissioner Alonso: Meaning how many people? Mr. Bryson: Needing how many? Commissioner Alonso: Yes. Mr. Bryson: I would say if we bring back 15, fifty retire, we have 15 vacancies, it looks like we're going to need something like 30 rehires, or possibly a plan to work overtime for people that are already on the job. I think our employees are interested and looking at a straight time rate, to try and help the City out for a year, I'm going to try and negotiate that. And I think that, that will be a benefit because then the City doesn't pay benefits to fill those spots until we can get through this tough year. Can I just say on this whole plan, I hear the Commission's concerns. We have been in a different mode than we've ever been in before. We've sat down at a table with -- the City Manager and our managers from our departments and talked about things we've never talked about before. Yes, we got to trust. We, the unions, are on thin ice. If he wants us next year, I think he's got us. My members have pounded me about what is exactly going to happen, just like you're doing. It's a trust situation in the whole City. We feel that the City is at the bottom line. That in order for the City to survive and be able to do this without laying off new employees, this is the only alternative. We think that we're all going to work together. We're asking you to join in on the trust and to help us with the plan because it's the best plan we could all come up with. Commissioner Alonso: I couldn't agree more with you, but the question and bottom line is, we are talking about the security of our citizens. Mr. Bryson: Yes, ma'am. Commissioner Alonso: We are talking about departments like Fire Department, Police Department, Solid Waste where we have to provide essential services. And when I see that we cut that many number of people, I'm concerned. Mr. Bryson: Yes, ma'am. You know... Commissioner Alonso: Fifteen percent, that's a very minimum number. And then I wonder, are our people willing to tackle the work to that degree? What was wrong before? Why couldn't we do a better job when we had so many people? And now, when we are going only to replace 27 new individuals coming onboardp on the City of Miami, are we going to be able? I couldn't but wonder, are we going to be able to do it? And if not, then I have to go back and ask them, do you have the money to face the situation? If not, because if we get to the point, we need more policemen in the streets, we have to come and tell him, hire more policemen. Mr. Bryson: Commissioner... Commissioner Alonso: If we find that we need more firemen, we have to come and tell him, do it. And then the next question comes, where do we get the money? And then when we come and make a proposal and say, cut all salaries five or ten percent because the money is needed, and we have to provide these services, then everybody is going to say, whoever made the move it's the bad guy, as it happened to me last year trying to save people from being laid off. And no one wanted to cut the salary five percent. Do you recall that? Mr. Bryson: Yes, I do. Commissioner Alonso: But then, where do we get the money? We have to think of that possibility, because today everything is fine. We are saying 27 is all we need, but if not, what will happen? I couldn't but wonder and as Commissioner Dawkins says, and they know I say it all the time, this voodoo economics sometimes it works, but sometimes you just tried and put the numbers and I say, where are these numbers? And they say, give me the paper back, Commissioner Alonso. We will be back with your numbers and we go through the exercise. But the bottom line, we need the green and the... if it's not there, how do we get that? Do we go to the taxpayers and say, we are going to increase your taxes? I don't think that's the answer. So today - and, 23 September 5, 1991 besides we can't - so we have to address this necessity today in the world of reality that we all know where we are heading. And be prepared in case it's needed, what do we do? Mr. Bryson: We11, the union has always taken the position that the line services are the most important. When it comes down to providing the line services, we will be pointing fingers at positions that are secondary to those needed positions. Bring them back is what we'll be saying. Some of our members have said that for quite a while, some people on this Commission have said that. I think that our department is a lean machine, but at the same time, I'd hate to get rid of some of those spots as far as what they do for the public. But when it comes to needing emergency service, that's the first priority with us. Commissioner Alonso: That's right. But then, at that point, we might have to let go some other individuals. We might have to say, some other people, we don't have the money, we have to find it. What do we do? We let some people go. Mr. Bryson: Well, my feeling on that is you'll... Commissioner Alonso: We have to think about those individuals as well. Mr. Bryson: You won't let anybody go, but as you rehire, you'll rehire those that are essentially needed versus those that are nice to have but not necessary. Commissioner Alonso: OK. We are talking about 27 people, only 27. And I have to ask the Chief and I hear that he might be one of the ones leaving. But anyway... Chief C.H. Duke: I might have a conflict of interest here, I'm not sure yet. Commissioner Alonso: Chief, how many people will you need in your department to do these services? Chief Duke: Commissioner, in all honesty, until the decision is made by this body this morning or today, we really don't know how many people will leave the department. I find myself in the position of making that decision after you all make your decision. Mayor Suarez: The union has given us some estimates, if you want to base your answer on that. I think 50, they said, might leave and 15 may be needed to replace those 50 for essential services. Chief Duke: You know, I would estimate that we're looking at somewhere between 40 and maybe as high as seventy. But that is a number that we really don't know yet. The... Commissioner Alonso: OK, let's say that in between, between... Mayor Suarez: All right. Assume - right. Chief Duke: Commissioner, the... Commissioner Alonso: Let's use the number fifty. Chief Duke: The 27 or the 30 number that I've heard here bantered about with the 186, that's based on the 15 percent of 186. Mayor Suarez: Right. Chief Duke: If the numbers that we're talking about in Fire go, and the ones in Police go, and the rest of the department, that number could be 40 or 50 that would be rehired at a 15 percent increase. My commitment to the City Manager and to the union president is that we will sit down somewhere around the 27th after we've got hard fast numbers in the department of those that will be retiring will be, you know, exercising the option to leave, and try to right size the department to deliver this service as close to what we're 4 delivering now, bottom line. 24 September 5, 1991 +� s Mayor Suarez: You're going to have to do it a little bit before the 27th, I'm afraid. We have to vote on the second reading of the budget before that. Chief Duke: We really won't know exactly the number of fire fighters that we're looking at until approximately that time. Now, Bryson and myself have talked about sitting down and trying to come up with some "what ifs." Mayor Suarez: Yes, the window closes, I think on the 24th for their selection, and I believe our hearing is on the 26th for a second... Mr. Odio: I believe the budget... Mayor Suarez: ...second reading of the budget. Mr. Odio: If you look carefully at the Fire Department budget, it will cover what you're concern. The Fire budget. That's why we had an increase in it. Mayor Suarez: The Commissioner is inquiring along the lines of not so much budget, but services, and she wants to be sure and the Chief is not able to give us a lot of specificity on the number of people unfortunately. Mr. Odio: Well, let me see... excuse me... Vice Mayor Plummer: May I interject for one minute, because I had a concern especially. And I spoke to the Manager, and there is no hard and fast rule as to the rehirees will not be across the board. I have the assurances from the Manager, because I asked this question, that Police and Fire will be first and foremost those rehirees will be in consideration. Mr. Odio: Commissioner, I need to make an important point. il Vice Mayor Plummer: Now, your point about how may will be rehired is a good question. But I said, is it across the board? And the answer was no. It will be on a determination of priority of need. Mr. Odio: Essential services, but you need to understand this. You have to separate this plan from the budget for a moment, please, if I may. You just mentioned before that you were concerned that we increase salaries and monies into the Police budget and the Fire budget. And we did. They have certain number of positions already budgeted in the Fire budget which is forty five million whatever. And we an 88 million dollar budget in the Police Department that is adding people. OK, adding new people. We are adding Rangers to replace civilians... I didn't want to get into the budget, but the fact is that this is in addition to what already is budgeted, the 50 percent. Mayor Suarez: We understand that, but the incrementally, this change today is expected to produce let's say as to the Fire Department, 50 retirees, early retirees. Mr. Odio: But you have budgeted so many positions. Mayor Suarez: And those would be expected to be replaced by maybe 15 people, and the logical question is, can services still be delivered? Let me tell you for myself, I think everybody knows how I feel - to answer also a question previously posed by Commissioner Dawkins - that the answer is, yes. A lot of times when you have one less person, you have more services. Very often - particularly at the higher levels - people spend all their time writing memos to each other and doing a lot bureaucratic work, where, if somebody leaves, the department functions better. That happens a lot. It's happened a lot in this City. I can think of a few cases, and I could give you some names if you want it, all the way up to Manager. So, you know, that's not... well, it's kind of voodoo economics in a sense, but I guess that voodoo works. You know, you get rid of a couple of those high level people who don't know anything and don't do anything and you actually function more efficiently. I can think of a few departments... a few people - I wouldn't mind not sending me memos all the time about all kinds of crazy things that... Mr. Manager, I have to tell you, the Finance Department sends my office men,os all the time asking me to fill out forms. Why do I have to fill out forms for your Finance Department? - you know, or your Budget Department? - you know. Mr. Odio: You are the Mayor. 25 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: They should fill them out for us. I mean, what the heck, that's what they are there for. In any event, some of the forms are so silly, you know, the petty cash forms and stuff, I mean, you know. Some of these positions simply just are not needed, in particularly, at the level of non - line officers, whether it's Police or Fire, and some of the other departments, but anyhow, I interrupted your questioning. Commissioner Alonso: Yes. The only concern that I have... Mayor Suarez: To do some of my own philosophizing. Commissioner Alonso: ... is that I want to be reassured that we are going to provide the quality of services that the citizens of Miami need and demand and that Police services will improve rather than be reduced. As well, the Fire Department and Solid Waste, that the quality of service is going to remain, at least to the level that we have it today. I couldn't agree more. I'm delighted to see because the average salary is forty-four thousand, and I think we can find people with half that amount easily. You know, I've been talking about this for a long long time, so I am delighted to see this happen, but it seems to me that a hundred and eight -six, and I bet it's higher because always, the numbers that are given to us, you know, with some adjustments - according to what they think we want to hear. And then twenty-seven is the number that is going to be the new people coming on board and that seems low according... but of course, then again, that's probably the number they think we would like to hear. So taking all of that into account and having faith in the Unions, having faith... I haven't heard from the Chief of Police, but I am sure that since he hasn't come forward, it's because he has agreed that we will be able to provide the quality of services, at least to the level in existence today. And if he doesn't talk, it means, yes. He is coming forward, so let's hear. Vice Mayor Plummer: Silence gives consent. Chief Calvin Ross: You have a very beautiful way of getting me up. First of all, let me just say this. I believe that the plan is a good one, however, keep in mind that whenever you lose this many people in a department such as the Police Department, it is going to have a significant impact. We have already adjusted for the retirements that we have experienced over the last six months, and the attrition rate has eaten up quite a few positions. The recent redeployment of the department, putting sworn personnel back into the street was done in order to offset the problems that we have seen brought about by the recent attrition rate. The retirement plan will take a sizeable number out of the department. We are right now able to staff the streets, the police of the City of Miami, with the minimum amount of officers that we feel is required to respond to the calls and to supply the level of service that is needed. There is also a full staffing level that would give us a lot of other options in terms of dealing with the problems of crime in the City. But as we are operating right now at minimum staffing, and I understand that you are saying, to provide the level of service that we are providing currently, and we are currently at minimal staffing. The answer to your question then, is yes, we will be able to continue to provide minimum staffing and give the minimum service that we are currently providing. Commissioner Alonso: Thank you. And then Solid Waste is the other department that I want to hear. And if they feel that we will be able to provide the quality of service that at least, to the level that we have it today, I will just trust that we can vote in favor of this and give it a try, and trust that this will go into the right direction. Yes. Mr. Lionel Nelson: OK. Well, my name is Lionel Nelson. I am president of the Sanitation Employees Association, and the answer to your question is yes. And the Union is in full force in supporting the Solid Waste Department. We know the areas that need to be increased and we are for making our department more efficient and more productive. And we feel that at this present stage that due to the necessary changes, if agreed to by you all, that we desire to make that, in the next fiscal year we will not have to be doing any hiring. If we do, we will feel that would be very minimal. Mayor Suarez: Lionel, thank you. Commissioner Alonso: Thank you. 26 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Chief. Chief Calvin Ross: Yes. Let me just make one... Mayor Suarez: And we would try to move on to an item that involves you rather intimately maybe over the next couple of hours, yes. Commissioner Alonso: Yes. Chief Calvin Ross: Just one quick addition. I understand that and I was called on this. That I said, we will be able to provide the minimum service. Let me just say that we will be able to provide service with the minimum staffing level, as opposed to minimum service. In the event... Mayor Suarez: Thank you for the change. Commissioner Alonso: We have a City Manager that is very smart. Mayor Suarez: Goldfarb was ready with the headline "Police to provide minimum services," you know, I could just see it. And then the editorials and then letters to the editor and then... what do you want, Mr. Williams, sir? Commissioner Alonso: Thank you Mr. City Manager, you got the wording. Mayor Suarez: We are thinking of eliminating your entire department, sir, unless you can get my phone to work. Mr. Ron Williams: I was here to talk about Solid Waste, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Oh! Solid Waste? - all right. Mr. Williams: I just want to briefly... Mayor Suarez: Some people have called my phone, solid waste, but go ahead. Commissioner Alonso: Yours too? Mayor Suarez: Yes. Mr. Williams: We have another... more proper name that we would like to call it, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: One of these days I am going it liquid waste some of that. Yes, go ahead. Mr. Williams: We are working on it Mr. Mayor. By the way, I did want to follow up on what Lionel of the SEA (Solid Employees Association) just spoke of and the fact that the SEA has sincerely come together with the department in terms of looking at our operational process and our operational procedures. And most certainly, we are this point of agreement wherein, if we are able to implement those kinds of changes and adjustments and operation procedures, we are expecting that certainly, we will maintain that level and quite possibly improve it, because of some innovative and different kinds of programs that we want to bring to the citizens themselves. Mayor Suarez: Very good. Mr. Williams: We are certainly in support of it and think that it can not only serve the City well on the financial side, but from a productivity standpoint also. Mayor Suarez: You know, we expect to hear that from the administrators, and no disrespect in any way, but to hear it from Unions, is really something spectacular. To hear your statement Lionel, about making the department more efficient and productive, and the other day Charlie Cox left City Hall at 8:00 p.m. saying that he had been working on the budget. I mean, that's something spectacular to hear Unions say, and I know that's true also, Shorty now, you have put a lot of time into this, and even if we were somehow not to approve this and just for a bit of philosophizing of my own here, I do want to commend the Manager and the unions for setting a tone that is not being followed throughout the country. I just got an article here of the problems in other cities, and they are doing everything from going bankrupt to cutting services 27 September 5, 1991 drastically, and in some cities, the garbage isn't being picked up. I mean, the mess throughout the United States... and almost all increasing taxes. And we have held the line once again, so, Mr. Manager, and without any further philosophizing hopefully from any of us, what are the items that we need to vote on? Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Yes, Mr. Vice Mayor. Vice Mayor Plummer: I think one thing has to be put into the record that has to be said... shut up. Mr. Manager, I think you ought to put on the record, if this plan is not approved what would happen. Mr. Odio: OK. If... Vice Mayor Plummer: Because nobody has realized that there would definitely be layoffs and in what number. Mr. Odio: If the plan is not... Mayor Suarez: Yes. I have to put in the record that when you ask that, the look on your face of tragedy was just great. I wish we had this video taped, maybe TCI(Telecommunications Inc.) can... Commissioner Alonso: But look now, he is delighted now, how happy he is. Mr. Odio: Well, we would join the rest of the country. Mayor Suarez: Now we get back to the smiles now. Commissioner Alonso: Yes. Mr. Odio: If the plan was not approved, we would join the list of cities in the country that have shortfalls and it would see substantial reduction of services. You would have a shortfall of 14 million dollars immediately. Mayor Suarez: Right. Commissioner Alonso: We resolved that at my office yesterday afternoon by saying that Manohar Sarana will take it out of his pocket... Mr. Odio: Right. Commissioner Alonso: ... and the unions agreed with me that, that was the solution. So we don't even have to think about that. Mayor Suarez: That sounds like a good idea. Mr. Commissioner De Yurre. Commissioner Alonso: And he even agreed. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner De Yurre wanted to inquire. INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. Commissioner De Yurre: I just want to say that I've heard the word faith and... Vice Mayor Plummer: Well why didn't you... wait, wait, wait, excuse me, Victor. Why didn't you say that on the record? Commissioner De Yurre: Don't mind me. Mr. Odio: Because I said you have a shortfall of $14 million. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. And that would equate to approximately how many layoffs? Mr. Odio: Seven hundred. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. I just want to... 28 September 5, 1991 Commissioner Alonso: That was the number that we said Manohar was going to pay. Commissioner Dawkins: How many years have we said that we had a shortage of money... Mayor Suarez: Mr. Vice Mayor. Commissioner Dawkins: ... and that we were going to lay off people and we didn't do it? How many times have that done that before? Mayor Suarez: Mr. Dawkins, we have the floor... Commissioner Dawkins: How many time have we done that before? Mayor Suarez: The floor has been given to Commissioner De Yurre. The rhetorical question will be accepted into the record of how many years have we been told at the beginning of the fiscal year that we have a $14 million dollar deficit estimated, projected - in fact, it's not even a creative figure any more... Commissioner Dawkins: That's right. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Manager, because the last three years I remember you saying, in April, it looks like we're going to have a $14 million deficit, and I didn't sleep for three or four nights - somehow, we resolved it by the end of September. And anyhow, Mr. Commissioner De Yurre, we've interrupted you a few times today. Commissioner De Yurre: I'm kind of gun shy. But one thing that I have to say, we talk about trust and faith and all of that, I've been hearing these wonderful words here. For the last four years, this is my fourth budgetary process, you know, Cesar has come to me and said, we are 15 million dollars short. And my response to him has been, hey, I have faith in you that somehow, you're going to cover. Mr. Odio: Not this time. Commissioner De Yurre: And I had faith in him with year one, two, three, and year four. So that's 60 million dollars that I've had faith in that he has come up with - more or less. Well, ten percent... it all depends how many retire this year or don't, and so, it may go up or down a little bit. But I think the message that we see here today, and that we've seen through this process, is one that is refreshing to a great degree. And that is, that before we can ask the voters, before we can ask the residents to sacrifice =i again by giving more, we have to sacrifice, because it's the only way to do it. People are fed up, you know, people don't have the tax dollars out there to continue to give, and that's why when I see a school board raising twelve percent one year, eight percent the next year, I see the County raising twelve percent, I say, hey, why don't you do what we're doing? Somehow, we don't raise the millage. Yes, we pick up an extra million or two or three because of the appraised values going up, but we've stayed on the line, and we've done that for over four years, now and this is the example of the way things have to be because people are fed up with paying more and more. And we are maintaining the same level of services, we are doing things a little bit differently, being a little bit more creative of to how go about it, but the bottom line is that, as government, we are providing the services that need to be provided at the minimum cost to the residents. And I think that, that needs to be applauded, and I do congratulate everybody that has been involved in this process. Now, the only question that I have, going back and Al is here, is that situation that I want to clear as to Walter Martinez issue. Come up here. Mr. Odio: No, he wasn't here. Commissioner De Yurre: You weren't here, so, but you were the only one that hadn't spoken. Mayor Suarez: Al, it was discussed and a quick survey, it was sort of done informally of who was affected by not being aware that this plan might go into effect around the end of July in a retirement that took place there, and it seemed like no one in any department had any problems except in the Police 29 September 5, 1991 Department with at least one person, that's Walter Martinez. And the Commissioner was inquiring on that although the name was never mentioned. Now, it's on the table. Commissioner De Yurre: The bottom tine is that somehow Walter was not aware of this deal that is being worked out here and he felt that if he would have know about it, he would have retired along with the rest of the people that are going to retire and benefit from the benefits that are being given with the pension increases. And what I want to know is if there is any problem of somehow including him in this process as opposed to being excluded because he didn't have the information as to what was going to go down. Mr. Al Cotera: If there would be a problem it would be up to the Labor Relations or Personnel. 1 have no problem in including as many people as you want. Commissioner De Yurre: Who would be in charge of making that decision? Mr. Cotera: I would imagine that the City Manager or Sue Weller. Ms. Angela Bellamy: Commissioner, that would be the Pension Board. Since that person has already retired, it's no longer a decision that we make. It's now... he is a retiree. It's something that would have to be taken up with the Pension Board. Commissioner De Yurre: So, if you were to rehire him and he retires October 4... I mean like, when we want to be creative, we can be creative, so I am asking for a solution to this issue which I think isn't quite right the way it was handled. Mayor Suarez: Input into the record that the Commissioner's line of questioning is directed at a particular case that has come to our attention. There is no intent to focus on one case. It's just a potential for a group of cases that may be like this - we only know of one. And of course, we are using it by way of illustration not by way of giving special treatment in any sense to one individual. And it's the only one that's come to our attention so far Al, and it's in your union, so, I guess, you are the man on the spot. Is there any relief that you can conceive of? The administration hasn't given us much suggestions or much creativity here. Do you have any ideas as to how it might be solved? Can the union itself apply some of its own resources? -I mean. Mr. Cotera: First, I'd like to say that because of his rank, he is not within my bargaining unit, so in all reality, I can't represent him as president of the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police). Mayor Suarez: You know, I have a question about that. I wanted to put in the record a letter from the association of retired City of Miami Police and Fire Fighters - are any of them here by any chance? - and if so, would you raise your hand? Commissioner Dawkins: Put your hand down George, you don't belong to them. Mayor Suarez: You don't represent them but you know, we represent them. I mean, you know, I guarantee that and I know that you don't represent them technically as a collective bargaining unit, but I think you keep an eye on their concerns and interest. Is that a fair statement? Mr. Cotera: Yes, it is. A very fair statement. Mayor Suarez: All right. And as to this letter, they've been told - and I am going to introduce it into the record, Madam City Clerk, dated August 30, signed by Paul G. Damann, D-A-M-A-N-N They have sort of an unspoken or an unwritten understanding that their situation will be improved as to COLAs (Cost of Living Allowances) et cetera, and I see some nodding of heads around. I guess, we can't be too much more formal than that, but I do want to have the letter into the record so you'd know that your concerns have at least been put into the record here today, and I have a feeling we will hear from this... on this issue later on possibly. But as to the particular question that was before you and I digressed on it, it had to do with the question of Commissioner De Yurre. 30 September 5, 1991 Commissioner De Yurre: What I am looking for is those that when we started discussing, the union started discussing with the administration the issue of the retirement option with the pension deal, that anyone that retired after July 24th when those discussion started, that they... if they didn't know, that they should have known that this was in the works so that they could have just waited possibly an extra month or two and benefited from them. And I figured that anybody that fell within that and in that gap, that somehow, we afford them the opportunity of coming in to this program. Mr. Cotera: Commissioner, we began the negotiations on the 24th. Needless to say, like in all negotiations, we did not put forth any information, or we basically... because we didn't know what we were going to end up with. And until late Thursday, the day before the actual offer was made, I don't think anybody really could pinpoint as to exactly what the plan was going to be. I particularly have no problems in including as many people as you want, but where do you draw the line? Commissioner De Yurre: July 24th. Unidentified Speaker: That's not fair because... Mr. Cotera: Yes, I've got no problems with that, but that's not up to me. _ Mr. Shorty Bryson: Excuse me, Shorty Bryson, Miami Fire Fighters. On the question of negotiations, pension itself has been going on for quite a while. There were rumors, everybody knew that we were at the table on pension. Our retirees are here, I want to say right now, and I have said it to them in a meeting this week, that we are still pursuing the Gates settlement to try and ease the burden on the City and at the same time, raise benefits to our retirees who so desperately need those benefits. As far as the negotiations go... Mayor Suarez: Well, I would like to schedule for myself, a meeting with you and a representative of the retirees. I have not heard the Unions yet come up with that as a negotiated item for the retirees, maybe once, on COLA, and I need to get back to that issue to see that they are in fact being at the bargaining table in that sense. Commissioner Alonso: That's very important. Mr. Bryson: Mr. Mayor, let me assure that that has been part of our package and until this package came up to make the budget year, it was all one complete deal. But it does take court settlement, it would take a lot of time, we are going right back in, it would never stop pursuing that goal to try and ease the burden because we figure it's a way to win. We can ease your burden and help them. Mayor Suarez: Yes, because the biggest inequity as to retirement benefits is with people who are here and who retired ten years or more ago, or five years or more ago, compared to the present benefits. And anything that we could do, COLA, or medical payments, or anything else, we should be very very creative, including going in to Federal Court and getting approval of that, because that's the only way to be fair to people whose pensions are like a fraction of what they are now. Mr. Bryson: No doubt. You'll have no argument with us. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I agree with... Mr. Bryson: But on your question Commissioner De Yurre, as far as going back and drawing lines, I'm with Al Cotera. If the City wants to go back and draw a line some where else, you won't find me opposed, but you will find others opposed because that line will keep on going backwards. Right now we cannot negotiate for anybody who has crossed that line. So, it would be up to the City if they want to come up and say, we are going to retroact, I mean, where are you going to draw it? You've got a lot of retirees here that once you go back as far as you want... Commissioner De Yurre: No. Everybody has been mentioning July 24th as the date that this particular issue began to be discussed. That's my understanding and tell me if I am wrong. 31 September 5, 1991 0 0 Mr. Bryson: No, I can't answer it. Mayor Suarez: The figure was used before as the time at which the negotiations began on this generic plan, or this outline of a plan. And some notice apparently was given to other employees. I don't know if it was formal notice, but... Ms. Bellamy: There was formal notice given on August 10th. August 7th was the date that we sat down and we formally agreed on. Mayor Suarez: OK. That's after the time that Commissioner De Yurre is inquiring about. So that would be obviously a lapse in time and if notice was given August loth then that would have been too late for that particular case. Mr. Charlie Cox: Charlie Cox, with AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees). The problem I've got with that is my office started probably three months before that, doing the study on what it would cost for the ten percent. Now, if it leaked out of my office and people were not aware, I have a person here now that retired before July 24th, and he is sitting here saying "me to." I don't want to hurt anybody out there. But the problem we have is, if you extend this, they made that decision at that time to retire. They were not coerced - these people that are getting this policy are not coerced to retire. It's a plan, if they want it, fine. If not, we keep extending a date and we are going to get in trouble down the line, that how come I wasn't included or how come I was included? And the next thing is, are we going to do this next year? Mayor Suarez: Well, the line of inquiry had to do with one specific case, but the general concern was notice, really, more than anything else. In other words, did he get notice as opposed to other people who seem to have known of this, and you have answered that. Vice Mayor Plummer: But it's not a Commission action. Commissioner De Yurre: Some departments did give notice and other didn't, so. Mayor Suarez: I think in some departments it was generally known it was happening and others, it wasn't. Ms. Bellamy: Commissioner, there was only one notice and that was August loth. There were several ways that they went out to the same individuals. For example, we gave them by hand, we send them by certified mail, we wanted to make sure they received them... Mayor Suarez: Formal notice went out on August 10th. Ms. Bellamy: ... but it was our formal notice. However, we've been studying this for the last three or four years looking at alternatives. So we have talked about it for years, but we have come to some conclusion now, and it was formally August loth. Commissioner De Yurre: So why did the 24th July become such a prominent date? Ms. Bellamy: I think that was when they sat down on the budget. Mr. Odio: The July 24th meeting is my meeting with... together. That's the date that I decided with them. We had no way but to go with the incentive plan. Commissioner De Yurre: With this plan? Mr. Odio: Yes. Then we worked it up... Commissioner De Yurre: OK, so I am going with that date. Mr. Odio: But the official... Commissioner De Yurre: That's it. When the administration came forth and said July 24th, we are going forth with this plan, let's work it out. Mr. Odio: Well, the official notification was that letter. That's all I... I don't know what else. Right, August 7th was the day it was finalized. And 32 September 5, 1991 then the letters went out on the 10th. But August 7th... we began July 24th... Commissioner De Yurre: Well, let's make it simple. And if I get the support, I have it, if I don't, I don't. I then make a motion that July 24th be the cut off date for this program. That, if I get a second, fine. If I don't, that's... and then we move on. Mayor Suarez: Motion... Vice Mayor Plummer: I'll second it for discussion. But now, let me ask a question. How many other people could this affect? INAUDIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I don't know. That's why... I mean, are you talking about ten dollars? - a thousand dollars involvement, or ten thousand, or a million? - how many other people could be affected? Commissioner De Yurre: Well they are saying that... Vice Mayor Plummer: Because it's going to affect the Pension Board. Commissioner De Yurre: Each department is saying... that I've heard that no one has retired since the 24th, so really, we are not looking at too many people at all. Vice Mayor Plummer: All I am asking on the record, from the administration, we know that the plan that is proffered under the dates, the maximum is five hundred and thirty-two people. I am asking the same question, if that date is rolled back to July the 24th, how many other people... Mayor Suarez: I am afraid it isn't a matter of a simple... Vice Mayor Plummer: ... could be taken advantage of it? Mayor Suarez: It's not a matter of a simple roll -back. We can't artificially set a date, I don't think. I think the date has to be as of the approval by this Commission of the plan and the notice and all the other things that have been put forth. I don't think it's a matter of rolling back. Commissioner Alonso: But you mean the date of the approval of this Commission, or the date that the notification was sent? - That's the official date. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, the date... the window is open. Mayor Suarez: Well, the notice would give them. Vice Mayor Plummer: The whole thing is the window is open... Mayor Suarez: Yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: ... from certain date to certain date. What he is saying is, roll -back the opening date. Commissioner Alonso: OK. Mayor Suarez: It would give them an idea that this might come into effect, the Commission action would approve it, and I don't think there is any way of rolling back in that sense. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: We do have a motion. I just want to make sure we a second for discussion. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I'd like an answer. And the second... Mayor Suarez: And if he has an answer... he has a technical question, I think, directed to legal department - no? 33 September 5, 1991 0 Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, the second question is, is this Commission empowered to make a decision in reality for the Pension Board? - because the man is retired. Unidentified Speaker: Sir. Vice Mayor Plummer: He did in fact... this discussion started on the 24th, and he was on payroll, I think, until October 3rd. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Mayor. Let me ... Mr. Bryson: Commissioner Plummer, a very important... Mayor Suarez: July 26th, depending. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. All right. Mayor Suarez: OK, we have a technical question posed, more and then we'll get a couple more clarifications... Vice Mayor Plummer: We might be powerless to act - that's what I am asking. Mayor Suarez: ... and we either vote on it, or dispose of the motion, but we've got to act procedurally here. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Mr. Mayor, I have an observation. We just sat up here and said that for the first time the bargaining agents and the Manager sat down and came up with a problem that we thought was the greatest thing, and if we bought into it - and we were elated to see the bargaining agents and the Manager come up with a plan. And now, even though we've said that, now, we're going to come around and tinker with the plan that was presented? Mayor Suarez: OK. Anyone that can try to tackle the question posed by Vice Mayor Plummer. Commissioner Dawkins: Al want to say something, Mr. Mayor. Mr. A. Quinn Jones: Well, Mr. Mayor, I think what you posed really, would fall within the authority and the power of the Pension Board. I don't think you as a Commission can set any policy with regard to any one particular individual, any groups of individuals that have already retired. Because obviously, it's going to affect the Trust Fund, and I think they would be the ones to properly make that decision as to what extent or to what benefits, or how retroactive... how far retroactively it's going to be applied. I don't think that you would be the proper body to make that determination. Mayor Suarez: Shorty, did you want to address that very quickly, because we really have to move on. Mr. Bryson: Yes, sir, as quickly as I can. I think I can ease the problem as far as our package is concerned. As Walter Martinez was in the executive plan and not in the bargaining unit when he retired, it would be up to the City admininstration to determine what benefits he got. It should not have any affect on our package as he was not in the... Mayor Suarez: That's an interesting point. He was a non -classified - in any event would probably not affect this package. Vice Mayor Plummer: All right. So am I to understand from the City Attorney that it is... Mr. Odio: We did do that Commission, I'm sorry, I gave him a retroactivity before he retired. Can I change the pension rate? Mr. Bryson: As far as the bargaining units are concerned, it doesn't have effect on us because he is not within our collective bargaining powers. Any date that would be changed, unfortunately, would have to go back to ratification with us. Mayor Suarez: Well, but the pension that he has earned comes out of the same pot, whether he was classified or unclassified. 'All 34 September 5, 1991 Mr. Bryson: That is true, and it's up to the City to fund it. That's right. Mayor Suarez: Well, its up to the City to fund it on an ongoing collective basis. It's up to you guys to pay it. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, it comes in on a blank check at the end of the year. Mr. Bryson: That's right. Mayor Suarez: They might figure out a way. All right, we have a motion and a second, you want to take a vote? Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Mayor, I am asking basically, are we out of order with that motion? That's the question I am asking. Mr. Jones: No, I think the motion is proper. Commissioner Alonso: May I hear the motion? Vice Mayor Plummer: The motion is to roll the date back - the opening window date to the 24th of July. Mayor Suarez: I think the intent of the motion is that anyone who in fact retired after July 24th would be eligible... if otherwise eligible for this plan. Mr. Odio: Again, my answer to that is if we can do it legally, if it's technically possible that he can go back... they are retired now - there are more than one, by the way. I just heard there are others. Vice Mayor Plummer: See, that's my problem. Mr. Odio: There are others that retired after the 24th, that if I said, yes, I am going to give them the same benefits, then the pension would have to agree to that, OK? Commissioner De Yurre: If it's legal. Mr. Odio: If it's technically possible and legal, I have no problem. But the window, it has nothing to do... you're really talking about who retires after July 24th. Commissioner De Yurre: Everything we do here, is legal, right? Mr. Odio: What I mean, technically possible, it's more than... in some case it's not up to you, and... Commissioner Alonso: Not necessarily. Mr. Bryson: Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: Tell that to the Federal judge. Yes. Mr. Bryson: One more short comment before you vote, and that's... Commissioner Alonso: Ask Judge King, he will tell you. Mr. Bryson: ... I do disagree and we have an attorney here. It is not an order. We have the ratification agreement that you should approve or not approve. If you want to make a motion on Walter Martinez, it's separate from our package, I think that's in order. But right now, it's the approval or not the approval of the collective bargaining agreement. If you change dates or anything else, we've got to go back to ratification. And Walter Martinez is not even part of the deal. Vice Mayor Plummer: You are absolutely right. Mr. Quinn Jones: Mr. Mayor, I stand corrected because I misunderstood what the motion was. If the motion was for purposes for ratification of the s; agreements that and before you, then fine, but otherwise, I would have to ' change on that because you would be changing the terms by going back putting in different dates. 35 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Yes, we would have a problem of... Vice Mayor Plummer: So you are saying that the motion is out of order? Mr. Jones: Yes, the motion would be out of order. Mayor Suarez: It would be a problem... Mr. Jones: Inappropriate. Mayor Suarez: ... because the unions have approved a different... Commissioner Dawkins: A different point. Mayor Suarez: A different... yes. Commissioner De Yurre, I will suggest and of course, I guess that I am getting... I am hearing from Vice Mayor Plummer that he would vote against it even though he seconded it as stated. I would entertain... Vice Mayor Plummer: I'd vote against it because I am told that it is not a legal motion. Mayor Suarez: I understand. We would all like to solve that particular individual's problems and any others that are similarly are posed. I'll entertain a motion that the administration work with his particular union to try to fashion an equitable solution for him. Commissioner De Yurre: Well, for him or anybody else that falls into the same situation. Commissioner Alonso: That will help they listen to you, Mr. Mayor. Vice Mayor Plummer: There is no union for him. He was in the executive. Mayor Suarez: Yes, and please, if administration would listen to the ideas. Thank you. Commissioner De Yurre: I'll move that. Mayor Suarez: OK. Commissioner Be Yurre: You know, him, but it applies to anybody else, because I don't think there are that many... Mayor Suarez: And anyone else in the period that could be generally defined as July 24th and forward, giving... keeping in mind that, that was simply the time in which you first began to meet with the... and to propose the plan. And this is not a hard -bound motion. Vice Mayor Plummer: My understanding is just to look into it. Mayor Suarez: This is a motion in principle and in intent that you... Right. That you work with the union and with this individual to see if any equitable solution can be found for his situation and anyone else equally placed. Keeping in mind that if you don't, one possibility is he may feel that he, as opposed to some of the other people that was stated, they were not coerced into retiring, that he might feel that he was coerced into retiring - who knows. And so, he may have a cause of action. And other avenues of redress legally for his particular case, and others conceivably equally placed. And with that... is that a fair motion? Do we have a second? Commissioner De Yurre: It's fair. Vice Mayor Plummer: I'll second that motion because basically, it's asking the Manager to look in to see if there is any relief for others that could be affected by opening dates sooner, and I have no problem with that. Mayor Suarez: OK. So moved and second. Any discussion? If not, please call the roll. 36 September 5, 1991 IMF, - The following motion was introduced by Commissioner De Yurre, who moved its adoption: MOTION NO. 91-597 A MOTION IN PRINCIPLE DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE PARTICULAR EMPLOYEE WORKERS' UNIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE CITY'S EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PACKAGE, IN AN ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY A SOLUTION FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT RETIRED AFTER THE ESTABLISHED DATE OF JULY 24, 1991. Upon being seconded by Vice Mayor Plummer, the motion was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. COMMENTS MADE DURING ROLL CALL: Mayor Suarez: It has already passed. I could vote no and still... Vice Mayor Plummer: And what does the maker of the motion...? Mayor Suarez: Let me vote yes, although I surely assumed that in passing that motion, we have clarified that it does not affect any of the other issues before us. And please, Mr. Manager, as to those, may we move on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. EMERGENCY ORDINANCE: AMEND CODE SECTION 40-200, 40-211 AND 40-212, TO ENHANCE BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI FIRE FIGHTERS' AND POLICE OFFICERS' RETIREMENT TRUST BY OFFERING ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES A BENEFITS PACKAGE AS AN INCENTIVE FOR EARLY RETIREMENT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mayor Suarez: What is the first ordinance or...? Ms. Angela Bellamy : We have... Vice Mayor Plummer: I move item number one. Mayor Suarez: OK. So moved. Commissioner Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Seconded. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, I'd like to... Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: I'd like to request... a point of special privilege to speak... Mayor Suarez: Yes. Commissioner Dawkins: ... when all action has ceased on this matter? Mayor Suarez: OK. Absolutely. Vice Mayor Plummer: Before the vote or after? Commissioner Dawkins: After. 37 September 5, 1991 U Vice Mayor Plummer: After the vote? Mayor Suarez: Moved and second. Commissioner Dawkins: Yes, Mr... J.L. Vice Mayor Plummer: I move item one. Mayor Suarez: Moved and seconded. Any further discussion on item one. If not, is there an ordinance? Mr. Jones: Yes, there is. Mayor Suarez: Please read it. Call the roll. AN ORDINANCE ENTITLED - AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTIONS 40-200, 40- 211 AND 40-212 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, BY ENHANCING BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI FIRE FIGHTERS' AND POLICE OFFICERS' RETIREMENT TRUST BY INCREASING THE RETIREMENT ALLOWANCE PERCENT, ADDING NEW DEFINITIONS, AND BY ADDING A NEW PROVISION FOR RESTORATION OF SERVICE CREDIT FOR PRIOR CONTINUOUS SERVICE BEFORE BECOMING A MEMBER UPON PAYMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY MEMBER; CONTAINING A REPEALER PROVISION AND A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Was introduced by Vice Mayor Plummer and seconded by Commissioner Alonso, for adoption as an emergency measure and dispensing with the requirement of reading same on two separate days, which was agreed to by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. Whereupon the Commission on motion of Vice Mayor Plummer and seconded by Commissioner Alonso, adopted said ordinance by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. SAID ORDINANCE WAS DESIGNATED ORDINANCE NO. 10910. The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and announced that copies were available to the members of the City Commission and to the public. COMMENTS MADE DURING ROLL CALL: Mayor Suarez: Are you leaving me out of this roll call, or that's just an idea of mine? Commissioner Dawkins: No, we don't need you. Vice Mayor Plummer: We're trying to tell you something. Mayor Suarez: I'm going to vote twice. Thank you. All right. 38 September 5, 1991 Commissioner Alonso: So, you've said. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's how you won your last election. Ms. Matty Hirai: It's an emergency Ordinance, I have to call it twice. Mayor Suarez: As the former Mayor of Chicago used to say, vote early and often. Commissioner Alonso: Oh, don't mention Chicago at the same time. -------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ------------ 3. EMERGENCY ORDINANCE: AMEND CODE SECTIONS 40-225, 40-238, 40-239 AND 40- 241, TO ENHANCE BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES' AND SANITATION EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT TRUST BY OFFERING ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES A BENEFITS PACKAGE AS AN INCENTIVE FOR EARLY - RETIREMENT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vice Mayor Plummer: I move item 2. Mayor Suarez: Moved. Item 2. That and the many brothers and sisters that I have. Commissioner Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: All fourteen of them. item 2. Is it an ordinance? Ms. Bellamy: Yes. Mr. Jones: Yes, it is, Mr. Mayor. Moved and second. Any discussion on Mayor Suarez: Read it, please. Call the roll. AN ORDINANCE ENTITLED - AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTIONS 40-225, 40- 238, 40-239 AND 40-241 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, BY ENHANCING BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF CITY OF MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES' AND SANITATION EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT TRUST BY INCREASING THE RETIREMENT ALLOWANCE PERCENT, ESTABLISHING RULE OF 70 RETIREMENT, AND BY ADDING NEW DEFINITIONS; CONTAINING A REPEALER PROVISION AND SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Was introduced by Vice Mayor Plummer and seconded by Commissioner Alonso, for adoption as an emergency measure and dispensing with the requirement of reading same on two separate days, which was agreed to by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. Whereupon the Commission on motion of Vice Mayor Plumper and seconded by Commissioner Alonso, adopted said ordinance by the following vote: 39 September 5, 1991 17A AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. SAID ORDINANCE WAS DESIGNATED ORDINANCE NO. 10911. The City Attorney read the ordinance into the public record and announced that copies were available to the members of the City Commission and to the public. 4. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, LODGE NO. 20 (FY'91-93) - PROVIDE FOR 0% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY192- 93. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vice Mayor Plummer: Item 3. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Commissioner Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Second. Any discussion on item 3? If not, please call the roll or read the ordinance first, if there is an ordinance. Mr. Quinn Jones: There is no ordinance. It is a resolution. Vice Mayor Plummer: It's a resolution. Mayor Suarez: Call the roll. The following resolution was introduced by Vice Mayor Plummer, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 91-598 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI AND THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, LODGE NO. 20, FOR FISCAL YEARS 1991 THROUGH 1993; SAID MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO PROVIDE FOR A ZERO PERCENT (0%) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE IN WAGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 1991-1992 AND A FOUR PERCENT (0) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE FOR FISCAL YEAR 1992-1993. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Commissioner Alonso, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. 40 September 5, 1991 5. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING MODIFYING EXISTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS, LOCAL 587 (10/1/90-9/30/93, ADOPTED 5/9/90) - PROVIDE FOR 0% ACROSS-THE- BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93 - MODIFY REOPENER CLAUSE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vice Mayor Plummer: Move item 4. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Commissioner Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Second. Any discussion? If not, please call the roll. The following resolution was introduced by Vice Mayor Plummer, who moved its adoption: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, MODIFYING THE EXISTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI AND THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS, LOCAL 587, IN EFFECT FOR THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1, 1990 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 1993, ADOPTED PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. 91-346, ON MAY 9, 1991, BY THE CITY COMMISSION; SAID MODIFICATION TO PROVIDE FOR A ZERO PERCENT (0%) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE FOR FISCAL YEAR 1992-1993; AND FURTHER TO MODIFY THE REOPENER CLAUSE AS SPECIFIED IN THE 1990-1993 LABOR AGREEMENT, ARTICLE 41 - TERMINATION AND MODIFICATION WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASES. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Commissioner Alonso, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. 41 September 5, 1991 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING MODIFYING EXISTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES / AFSCME, LOCAL 1907, AFL-CIO (10/1/90-9/30/93, ADOPTED 1/10/91) - PROVIDE FOR 0% ACROSS-THE- BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93 - MODIFY REOPENER CLAUSE. ----------------------------------- Vice Mayor Plummer: I move item 5. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Commissioner Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Second. Any discussion? If not, please call the roll. The following resolution was introduced by Vice Mayor Plummer, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 91-600 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, MODIFYING THE EXISTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI AND THE MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES/AFSCME, LOCAL 1907, AFL-CIO, IN EFFECT FOR THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1, 1990 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 1993, ADOPTED PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. 91-40, ON JANUARY 10, 1991 BY THE CITY COMMISSION; SAID MODIFICATION TO PROVIDE FOR A ZERO PERCENT (0%) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE IN WAGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 1991-1992 AND A FOUR PERCENT (0) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE FOR FISCAL YEAR 1992- 1993; AND FURTHER TO MODIFY THE REOPENER CLAUSE TO PROVIDE FOR NEGOTIATION ON ONE ARTICLE AS SELECTED BY THE CITY, EXCLUDING LAYOFFS, AND ONE ARTICLE TO BE SELECTED BY THE UNION, EXCLUDING ARTICLE 24 - WAGES. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Commissioner Alonso, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins. ABSENT: None. 42 September 5, 1991 -4 4 7. AUTHORIZE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE SANITATION EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION (FY'91-93) - PROVIDE FOR 0°% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'91-92 AND 4°% ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASE FOR FY'92-93 - PROVIDE FOR A BONUS. Vice Mayor Plummer: Move item 6. Mayor Suarez: So moved. Commissioner Alonso: Second. Mayor Suarez: Second. Any discussion? If not, please call the roll. The following resolution was introduced by Vice Mayor Plummer, who moved Its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 91-601 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, BETWEEN THE CITY OF MIAMI AND THE SANITATION EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION, FOR FISCAL YEARS 1991 THROUGH 1993; SAID MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO PROVIDE FOR A ZERO PERCENT (0%) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE IN WAGES FOR FISCAL YEARS 1991-1992 AND A FOUR PERCENT (0) ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE FOR FISCAL YEAR 1992-1993 AND TO PROVIDE THAT IN ADDITION TO WAGE INCREASES, SANITATION EMPLOYEES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO A BONUS BASED ON SAVINGS EXPECTED TO BE REALIZED ON TIPPING FEES GENERATED FROM DIVERTING YARD WASTE TO COMPOSTING AND MIXED TRASH TO RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in the Office of the City Clerk.) Upon being seconded by Commissioner Alonso, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Victor De Yurre Commissioner Miriam Alonso Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Xavier L. Suarez NOES: Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins ABSENT: None. NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Commission defers, for further information, proposed resolution (item 7) exercising the one-time election under Section 415(b)(10)(C) of Internal Revenue Code for members of City's Sponsored General Employees' and Sanitation Employees' Retirement Trust, and Firefighters' and Police Officers' Retirement Trust. 43 September 5, 1991 *, 0 B. COMMISSIONER DAWKINS COMMENTS TO ADMINISTRATION THAT RETIREES ARE NOT RECEIVING SUFFICIENT HOSPITALIZATION BENEFITS. Mayor Suarez: Commissioner Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: Mr. Mayor, to all of us, I have two statements to make. Number one, I sincerely hope that we remember the retirees. Because we have sat here numerous times and watched Bob Clark... what was that guy name? - the retiree who came here crying because... Unidentified Speaker: Tony Wilcox. Mr. Bellamy: Oh, Tony. Unidentified Speaker: Tony Wilcox. Commissioner Dawkins: Yes. And the money that he was getting did not afford hospitalization. So, some kind of a way, something has to be worked out to assist those retirees in hospitalization. Because first is, they won't receive them if they don't have coverage, and second thing is, one stay in the hospital could wipe them out. The other thing I'd like to say is that even with Howard Gary, those of you who were in the bargaining agent, I attempted to get the bargaining agents to come in unified as one group. Because what Howard Gary did, Sergio.Pereira and Cesar Odio, they played one bargaining agent against the other one. And now you guys collectively sat down and for once, you came in, in a unified fashion and you were able to come out with what was best for all of you. So I would hope that this would be the last time that you do not come in uniformed, with demands, signing your contract at the same time. Because if you allow this administration or any other administration to separate you and having you coming in negotiating, not knowing what the other one is doing, you're going to lose all that we had gained. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Suarez: OK. I would ask... are we finished the items related to the plan? I would ask Vice Mayor to chair the meeting henceforth on police deployment. Vice Mayor Plummer: Maybe what we would want to do, is take a five minute break so they can set up everything. Mayor Suarez: Take a five minute recess and reconvene for that. THEREUPON THE CITY COMMISSION WENT INTO RECESS AT 10:46 A.M. AND RECONVENED AT 10:51 A.M., WITH ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION FOUND TO BE PRESENT EXCEPT COMMISSIONER DE YURRE AND MAYOR SUAREZ. 44 September 5, 1991 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. COMMISSIONER ALONSO DIRECTS ADMINISTRATION TO REPORT IN CONNECTION WITH ANNUAL COLLECTION BY THE COUNTY OF APPROXIMATELY $1.2 MILLION TO TAKE CARE OF ABANDONED TIRES IN THE CITY OF MIAMI - REQUEST INFORMATION AS TO EXACT AMOUNT OF MONEY COLLECTED AND ITS ULTIMATE DISPOSITION. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vice Mayor Plummer: If I could get... well, there are three of us here and the Mayor said that he will be upstairs listening. If Commissioner De Yurre... where is the Manager? Commissioner Dawkins: J.L. I'll watch this on TV in my office. Vice Mayor Plummer: I don't know that you can. Commissioner Dawkins: I will. Vice Mayor Plummer: All right. Can we ask all of you please, to have a seat. Mr. Manager, if we can bring about some orderly process here. Mr. Odio: You are going to run the meeting, right? That's what the hammer is used for. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, I don't need a hammer. Dawkins. Commissioner Dawkins: Yes, sir. Vice Mayor Plummer: De Yurre. Is he coming back? Commissioner Dawkins: I doubt it. Commissioner Alonso: Commissioner Plummer, may I bring one item just quickly before we move on? Vice Mayor Plummer: Sure. Commissioner Alonso: Mr. City Manager, would you listen to this please? This is in reference... do you recall about two Commission meetings ago, I made reference about the serious situation of abandoned tires all through the City of Miami? Mr. Odio: Yes, you did. Commissioner Alonso: Well, the situation continues to grow. Vice Mayor Plummer: It is worse. Commissioner Alonso: As I was coming to the City this morning, it's not acceptable, the situation. But I found out that the County, it's receiving $1.2 million from the State to take care of this problem. But the City of Miami - and it has been happening for four years. But the City of Miami is not receiving any kind of help, at least, I haven't been able to find any help from the County on this matter. This is a very... INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. Commissioner Alonso: ... yes, and serious. Mr. Odio: They charge us for... Commissioner Alonso: This is $1.2 million that the County has been receiving for four years and the County has ignored the City of Miami and the City of Miami has not requested any funds. I think we have to move forward and demand from the County to receive the portion that is due to us because this is a growing problem... Mr. Odio: Yes, it is. Commissioner Alonso: ... and the State, it's giving funds to the County in order to help this matter. And this is very costly to the City of Miami. Why 45 September 5, 1991 ib 9 should we pay when we have special funds coming from the State? - you didn't know about this? Mr. Odio: No. Commissioner Alonso: Well, in fact, it's been happening for four years, one point... the County already put the request for this year again, $1.2 million and the City of Miami is not getting any portion it, and again, we will have to go to the County and tell them, you have to give us the portion that we... Mr. Odio: Or we could very well deduct it from the scale fees that we are paying them because we... Commissioner Alonso: Definitely. But they have ignored us for four years and the problem is growing. And again... so, I advise that you... Mr. Odio: I want to advise you that if that's the case and they don't... we can reduce 1t from the scale fees when we pay them as I plan to do with the rent they owe us for the building that they are using for the jail in 1145 N.W. - they owe us a million nine hundred thousand dollars ($1,900,000) I plan to reduce that from the scale fees until they settle that matter with us. Commissioner Alonso: Do you remember we said we were going to work with Tallahassee... Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Alonso: ... to change the law? The law has been in effect for four years and the money has been applied... Mr. Odio: Well, but that's one part of the problem, Commissioner, just briefly, because I know what you want to start, but we've got people dumping illegally... Commissioner Alonso: Of course. Mr. Odio: ... and we need to be able to catch them in the act. Because what they don't want to do is pay the scale fee, you see. So they come and dump it in any empty lot they can find. Vice Mayor Plummer: And they are also collecting on both tires and on batteries. Commissioner Alonso: Exactly. Vice Mayor Plummer: They are collecting a disposable fee and then they dump them on the streets. Mr. Odio: Yes. Commissioner Alonso: That's right. Vice Mayor Plummer: What ever happened to the old thing that I saw, or used to see? - maybe, it's environmentally now out. They used to take tires ten and twelve high, chain them together and use them as artificial reefs. Commissioner Dawkins: They were polluting the sea. Vice Mayor Plummer: It sure brought a lot of fish in. Mr. Odio: I know the alternative with tires is, the tires can be converted into materials to asphalt streets in other countries, so, we're working on that. 46 September 5, 1991 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. DISCUSSION CONCERNING POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING AND DEPLOYMENT - POSSIBLE EXPANSION OF THE RANGERS PROGRAM - COMMISSIONER PLUMMER CONVEYS TO CHIEF ROSS THE NEED FOR AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AIDES (PSAs) AND FURTHER CIVILIANIZATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF - REQUEST MANAGER TO SUBMIT MONTHLY REPORT CONCERNING POLICE DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS CONCERNING DEPLOYMENT. Vice Mayor Plummer: All right, the Mayor... Commissioner Dawkins: Commissioner Plummer. Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes, sir. Commissioner Dawkins: What's the order of presentation here, and what's being presented? Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Dawkins, the order of presentation would be to open the meeting and the Chief has requested that he be afforded the opportunity to make his presentation which he has estimated to be approximately one hour long. Ms. Anne Marie Adker: Oh, no. Commissioner Dawkins: I agree with Mrs. Adker. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I'm just saying, I don't want to deny, I don't think anybody wants to deny. Commissioner Dawkins: OK. I'll tell you what then. If you guys are planning to see this for one hour, I will see you tomorrow. Vice Mayor Plummer: Chief, you have heard Commissioner Dawkins saying that if your presentation is one hour, he will see you later. Commissioner Dawkins: No. I said I will see all of you tomorrow. I didn't say you, Chief, don't let him put that monkey on your back. Vice Mayor Plummer: Oh! I'm sorry. Commissioner Dawkins: I said I'll see everybody tomorrow. Vice Mayor Plummer: What does that mean? Commissioner Dawkins: I think that whatever you've got to present could be presented in thirty minutes. That's just my personal feeling. You know, I don't think... and then, in a budget hearing or something, if you want to present the rest of it, I don't have a problem with that. Vice Mayor Plummer: We11, OK. I think that we have to go back to the basis of the reason for the call... Commissioner Dawkins: OK. Hey, wait, no, wait a minute, let me say something. You've got a quorum with Victor De Yurre, so it doesn't make a difference. You got a quorum. I was just staying to make four. NOTE FOR THE RECORD: At 10:57 a.m., Commissioner Dawkins left the meeting and Commissioner De Yurre entered the meeting. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I don't think that in fact, we need a quorum unless we in fact, are going to make any decisions which we will either make today or at a budget hearing. Let me just open it up by saying that this Commission, approximately six to seven weeks ago, did in fact, feel the need for a meeting such as this for deployment. There are a lot of comments that I will have that I want to make, but I think that basically when we are looking at an 88 million dollar budget as proposed for this year, there needs to be some readjustment to address the deployment problem. I think that we go from an old theory of years ago when the Police Department did not have adequate funds to put on the policemen nor civilians, that as a matter of convenience, 47 September 5, 1991 policemen were used to do jobs that there were no monies to put in the civilians. And today we find ourselves that the policemen are still doing 4 those particular jobs that could be done by civilian employees. I have had many meetings with the chief, I have to take off my hat that in the short term that he has been there, that he has already taken thirty-nine people out of what we would call administrative jobs and put them back out on the street addressing the problems of deployment. I think that he will expound on that even further today. One of the main thrusts that I will be trying to adjust is the fact of the numbers, which a lot of people will want to disagree with, but these are not my numbers, but that of the department. That the average policeman - that's from the rookie to the chief, represents cost to the taxpayers with all benefits, fifty-nine thousand zero zero five per year. In the same light, now, a new thing has come about with PSAs (Public Service Aides) which are full certified by the State of Florida to do a great number of things that policemen in the past have had to do because there was no certification. A PSA cost us seventeen thousand three hundred and seventy- three dollars ($17,373) per year, total. For round numbers, we are looking at the ability to hire three PSAs for the same cost as one policeman. It is my hope and desire that we will be able to increase the force of PSAs to relieve the policemen of basically half of his day being a secretary, writing reports. And I think that, that, if we can in fact, do two things, one, relieve the policemen who are doing administrative work by civilians, in those cases in which it can be done, we can put a great deal more of the sworn officers back out on the street, and number two, with the PSAs that can in fact do the report writing, we will be able to reduce the response time to the citizens of this community. So with that, I' l l have a lot of other things to go in to, but I think I'll now turn it over to the chief and let him proceed with his... Commissioner De Yurre: J.L. Vice Mayor Plummer: Sure. Commissioner De Yurre: Your point about reports, aren't there reports that the police officer that's been at the situation, he has to make the report, he has to sign the report? I mean, like how much are we talking about that others can do? Does he tape it and then somebody types it up for him? Vice Mayor Plummer: Let me... Mr. Odio: I think that... Vice Mayor Plummer: Let me answer it, if I may. Mr. Odio: OK. Vice Mayor Plummer: The time study varies depending on of course, what the report is. If he is writing out what they call a simple false alarm report, I would say that that's estimated to take ten minutes at the most. But in fact, we are using the policeman there. If you go to a report such as a house break-in or an armed robbery, you are looking at, in my estimation and it's my opinion, approximately one hour of report writing - that time from the... Commissioner De Yurre: But are you saying when there is a housebreak -in and it's an after the fact thing, instead of sending a police officer, send a PSA, they can do the report. Mr. Odio: No. We are doing something... Vice Mayor Plummer: No. Absolutely not. You would still send the police officer to the scene to make sure that the bad guys are gone or that the scene is safe. He would, once that determination is made, is immediately checked back into service for other calls and another policeman, I'm sorry, a PSA would come and write the report. Now, 1et me say to you that we are not innovative to the point that Dade County is. Dade County today, is writing a great number of their reports over the telephone. To give you an example. Someone tried to steal a car at my place of business on Bird Road. When I called to make a report, they transferred me over to what was called, telereporting, and I gave all the information. And at first I was upset about it, but then when I stopped and thought, what more could a policeman have done if he had come to the scene. That left a... in the County, in that particular case, more time for the policeman to respond to calls and more time on the street. They tried to remove an air conditioner, a break in, I called 48 September 5, 1991 � T the County, they took the report right over a phone, there was no necessity. But getting back to your question... Commissioner De Yurre: That somebody, was there a human voice dealt with you? Vice Mayor Plummer: Of course. Commissioner De Yurre: OK. Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes, it was not a computer. No, no, it was a human voice and the report was taken right over the phone. The point that I am trying to make, that in no way would I ever sit here and stand still for a breach of safety. What I am saying is, using... let me use if I may, accident investigation. We are using according to the chief's deployment record now, approximately thirteen or fourteen sworn officers. They are fully certified PSA's or fully certified to write accident reports. In effect, what we are doing, is sending a person who is of value of fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000) to do the job that the State of Florida says a man that seventeen thousand dollars ($17,000) can do. What I say to you, and what - I'm not in really disagreement with the Chief, is that we need to hire more of these people which in effect will relieve the policemen to do more time and respond to more calls. That's really the basic of where I am coming from. I think there has got to be adjustments in the Police Department's budget. When I look at the budget proposed for next year, and that's what I am working off of, and I see that we are spending as much money in communications - communications is the receiver of the calls, the dispatching of the calls and all related, we have in this budget dedicated six point two million dollars for communications in the Police Department alone with a hundred and fourteen people involved. What does upset me is when you look at the other side of the coin, for the total criminal investigation section of the Police Department, it's almost the same amount of money, six point eight with a hundred and thirty people. I say that there is something radically wrong. That in the department, you're spending seven percent of your money for communications and the same amount goes to criminal investigations. Commissioner De Yurre: Are the people getting the same kinds of salaries? Vice Mayor Plummer: That's what we've got to look into. NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Commissioner Dawkins re-entered the meeting at 11:05 a.m. Mr. Odio: The problem is, remember you've got seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day in communications. We receive calls there from where my dog is lost, to where is the Orange Bowl, to crime. That's a vital service. I don't know about the cost and the Chief will explain it. Vice Mayor Plummer: The Fire Department... Mr. Odio: Yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: ... on the same coin, that answers the same call, all right? - not as many but same calls, only have two million dollars addressed to communications and twenty-two people. The County at 911, the real central hub doesn't have that many and they are combined. They answer both Police and Fire and have greatly reduced their cost. There is an estimate that we can save a great deal of money if we combine Police and Fire calls and response, and it can be done. There is an initial outlay, but it can be in the long term saving of money. I would like to really stop and let the Chief go. And let him do his bit and then we will go into it as far as questions and answers after that is concerned - if no one else has a question. Chief. Chief Calvin Ross: A lot of the points that you have made Commissioner, will be addressed in this presentation. Vice Mayor Plummer: Of course. Chief Calvin Ross: First of all, I'd just like to say that I appreciate the opportunity to address you, and to give you the current present staffing and deployment of the Miami Police Department. I also like to say, just briefly, that I have had an opportunity to meet on several occasions with Commissioner Plummer, and I appreciate your interest and concern about the Police 49 September 5, 1991 Department, and also the level of service that is provided to the citizens of the City. In addition to that, Miriam Alonso, Commissioner Alonso has been extremely positive in her response to the Police Department in concerns about how we have provided service to the City of Miami, and she and I have met on occasions to discuss that. Commissioner Dawkins, I also must say that he has given direct attention to the department, to the substations and he and I have met and talked about similar problems and solutions to those problems. And Commissioner De Yurre, I must say that I appreciate your attention to our project NEON (Neighborhood Enhancement Operation Network), and your coming out to show your support in the area of police citizens involvement. And I can only say that, you here, have given an ear to the Police Department and to the concerns that the citizens may have as related to police service. And in the Mayor's absence, I certainly want to reflect on the fact that he made a personal visit to the Police Department since I've been there, and he and I had a chance to sit down and to talk about concerns and issues related to the Police Department and the level of service presented. So, I just wanted to say that initially to let you know that we appreciate your concern and for this particular hearing, giving us an opportunity to present to you and to the citizens of Miami what our current staffing in the Police Department is. The Miami Police Department, needless to say is really confronted with an extremely awesome responsibility of serving the City; and this particular City is a City of great demands with the diversity that we see here and the population here within the City of Miami. It is extremely important that I make reference to the fact that when we look at the City of Miami and the population here in the City of Miami, we see four hundred thousand... three hundred -and -fifty to four hundred thousand that we calculate in terms of population. But in addition to that, the City of Miami Police Department is responding to calls for service, not only for that, but for an extended amount of personnel that we consider is our service population, which is some eight hundred thousand that are in and out of this City because of the tourist trade, because of the type city that we have here. So in essence, we are not serving four hundred thousand, but we are serving eight hundred thousand with the resources that we have. And in addition to that, the crimes, not only in this City, but nationwide is rising, it is at an all time high. But this Police Department, the City of Miami remains one of the best Police Departments within a nation. And as we've looked at other departments and we've considered the level of services that is being provided by other departments in other cities, similar to the size of the City of Miami, we remain one of the best Police Departments within this nation. We continue to monitor the trends, we continue to monitor the part one crime rate and all of the other elements that require us to set into place, different programs and different projects in order to project into the next decade. The Police Department here in Miami has certainly been a trendsetter in terms of responding to crime down the road as opposed to being just reactive in nature. The philosophy that I have employed since coming here into this position as Chief of Police, was one to steer this Police Department more into a proactive mode of dealing with the problems of crime within the City to project into the year 2000 and to bring about a greater police community involvement. It is no way, I've said time and time again, that this Police Department can adequately serve this community without the adequate involvement of the citizens of this community. The Police Department responding from call to call is merely a band aid solution. And when we're operating, doing nothing but responding from call to call, we are not, we are not, I must say, we are not projecting, we are not proactive, we are not preparing based on the trends that we see taking place. All of the police officers in the world in a given municipality is not going to prevent crime. Crime occurs behind closed doors. It occurs in areas where police officers may not be. But there are things that we can do to get behind closed doors. There are things that we can prepare for and that's what the Miami Police Department is involved in. We're also taking measures to target our youth. The youth in this community looking to the next ten years, the next decade, when these youth, some of them may end up in a life of crime. If we can touch and target those youth today, ten years from now we're hoping to be able to instill positive values and to present police officers as role models. And we've seen this taking place in the community more and more with this Police Department, with certain programs that we've initiated such as our boxing program that takes little youth in the community and train them up, give them skills, positive skills. And we've seen individuals that have come up through this program. One individual in particular, 26 and 0, is facing a hundred thousand dollar contract and we picked him up in the street and brought him into this program and gave him a viable skill. And now he's a major contender. And we have several individuals in programs such as this. The Miami Police Department's "Do The 50 September 5, 1991 Right Thing" program is another program that sets the stage for these kids to do some positive things in their lives and to try to target our youth and turn around that negative peer pressure that they may be experiencing within their communities. The "Dare" program, the soccer program, "Project Entry" in the Overtown area where we have a sizable number of youth that attend different functions sponsored by our police officers, is another• very positive program. But in addition to all of that, the Police Department also still continue to combat crimes with different operations such as our reverse sting operations, our Ranger program, our "Police Park and Walk Program" the POP program in the north district of the City of Miami, our newly initiated STAR program - that's an acronym for safeguarding tourists against robberies - our 62 Drugs hotline, our K program, which is our program targeted at preventing crimes against the elderly. And then our newly formed NEON program, and that's an acronym for neighborhood enhancement operation network, a program that has received rave reviews, and is expected to do some very positive things throughout the City of Miami. But all of those programs, particularly the NEON program, takes the community and put them in contact with the Police Department in a networking, police community working together in order to solve the problems that are in the City of Miami as opposed to the Police Department trying to take on an awesome burden of doing what they alone cannot do. Today's presentation is going to be somewhat simplified, and although we're talking about deployment and staffing, and we really didn't want to get into a lot of numbers, but it is important that you look at the numbers and get an idea as to how many police officers we have, where those police officers are currently deployed, and what their responsibilities are. We want to just give about a five, ten minute brief overview that will give you a look at the Police Department. The Police Department that our citizens are paying for, the services that they're getting in a short video. And after this video, I'm going to have presentations, short presentations, by the division commanders within the Police Department to give you the staffing of the Police Department and the deployment. Prior to them giving you that, I'm going to have one of the majors in our Planning and Research Unit to come up and give you an overview _ of the Police Department and trends that we are seeing within the City of Miami. So, at this moment, we want to take a look at this short video to give you an overview of the Police Department and the level of service that we're providing. (AT THIS POINT, THERE WAS A VIDEO PRESENTATION) Chief Ross: This presentation, this video presentation... Vice Mayor Plummer: Chief, I won't ask whose budget that video came out of. Chief Ross: ...is a part of, is a part of the... Commissioner Alonso: He was afraid of that. Chief Ross: Is a part of the "Do The Right Thing" program. The video itself cost the taxpayers of this City zero dollars. And it came out of the "Do The Right Thing" program which is funded through confiscated drug money. Vice Mayor Plummer: Chief, can I just briefly... It was a nice video, I enjoyed it and I think it's great for the community. But this meeting is about deployment, and I'm not going to say the video didn't address it, but I think that what we're trying to come about here - if I'm not mistaken, and I'm not speaking for my colleagues, they can speak for themselves. Commissioner Dawkins: You can speak for me, go ahead. Vice Mayor Plummer: God forbid. How do we get more policemen on the street as - if that's the terminology - how do we get more civilians involved in the department to free up those policemen to reduce the response time for the citizenry, I think is what we're really here about today. Now, you know, I like this dog and pony show, but it doesn't tell me what I think this meeting is about. When I look over here and I see 24 policemen... Commissioner Dawkins: There's only twenty. Vice Mayor Plummer: I counted twenty-four. Some must have left. Commissioner Dawkins: You got... here, take my glasses. 51 September 5, 1991 i Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm not counting Webb, he don't count. He's now gone. You know, and I'm saying to myself, of these 24 policemen, how many of these could be a job being done by a civilian? And I'm not picking on these guys because I know everyone of them. But I think what we want to talk about is how do we get more policemen on the street, reduce the response time. Is it in the civilianization? Is it in the PSA program? I think that's what we want to talk about, and I would hope that any of your presenters will not show us any more nice videos, but let's talk about what we're here for. Now, don't let anybody say that I don't - I, J.L. Plummer - don't think that City of Miami Police Department is the finest and doing a damn good job. But that doesn't mean we can't do better. Chief Ross: You get no argument out of the Manager. You get no argument out of me. Commissioner Dawkins: J.L., let me piggyback on what J.L. is saying. My concern is the number of sectors, how many people are in each sector, and what time. Now, if you're going to discuss that deployment status, you got me. Like he said, we all... I mean, I know everything that you showed is... I mean, that's great PR(public relations). Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes. Commissioner Alonso: Very nice. Commissioner Dawkins: See? And that's good for Annette Eisenberg because she likes that kind of thing, see. Ms. Annette Eisenberg: No I don't! Commissioner Dawkins: But, for us up here... Ms. Annette Eisenberg: I'm here to protest. Commissioner Dawkins: Those of us who are here, Chief, I'd like to know, you know, the sectors, how many sectors we got. And at what time how many people are in each sector, and why. Vice Mayor Plummer: And how do we get more in them? Commissioner Dawkins: And also I'd like to ask one question of who ever prepared the video, of the four or three people who got on that television and said, I wear this badge because I love my City. How many of them live in the City of Miami? How many? Vice Mayor Plummer: You're out of order. Chief Ross: Let me just say this. Commissioner Dawkins: How many of them live in the City? Chief Ross: Oh, I couldn't give you that answer right now because I don't know. Commissioner Dawkins: How many? Chief Ross: I don't know. Out of those individuals... Commissioner Dawkins: None. None. Chief Ross: Well, I'd... Commissioner Dawkins: None, not a one... Chief Ross: I venture to differ with you. Commissioner Dawkins: I know Eddie Mitchell doesn't live in the City. OK? I don't know about... Chief Ross: I'm not going to argue the point as to who lives in the City out of those individuals or not. I really don't know. I couldn't tell you. 52 September 5, 1991 1 Commissioner Dawkins: Yes, but you see, in order for... Vice Mayor Plummer: Forty percent. - Commissioner Dawkins: ...the video to have more meaning, at least get somebody who live in the City to say, I wear this badge proudly to protect my _ City, meaning my home, not my job. Vice Mayor Plummer: May I answer you by telling you that it has always been an accepted figure, 40 percent of the policemen of the City of Miami, live in #- the City of Miami. Chief Ross: The presentation that you asked us to do here today will cover... Commissioner Dawkins: Then why didn't you find three out of the forty percent? -since you're so... Vice Mayor Plummer: I don't know if those three were... -- Commissioner Dawkins: Well, what are you defending it for then? Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm not defending. You asked a question. I was trying = to answer. Commissioner Dawkins: I didn't ask it of you. Chief Ross: You made the point earlies, and I agree with you, that we are here to discuss deployment and staffing. You gave me time to do just that. And if you'd allow us to continue, a lot of your questions will be answered as we show the current deployment and staffing of the Police Department. Mr. Manuel Gonzalez-Goenaga: May I ask one question? Vice Mayor Plummer: Hold on... Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: No, just one thing. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...we want to give him the right to make his presentation. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Could I? -just a small thing. Is this... Vice Mayor Plummer: You'll have your opportunity. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: OK. How long? -because I thought that... Vice Mayor Plummer: I can't answer that, sir. I don't know how long he's going to take. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Oh, I'm sorry. Major Dean DeJong: I understand that the time is short, but I think it's imperative that we just give you a very quick overview on the issues that impact the Miami Police Department, its resources, and, therefore, ultimately its deployment. And to take a look at that, I think that we want to start out with the basic premise that the Miami Police Department is, in fact, a full service police organization, and I can't emphasize that enough. We are the fourth largest police department in the entire state of Florida in terms of a total count of sworn personnel. In addition, the uniqueness of Miami puts additional resource demands on us that other cities do not have. As an example, we have a service population, and we're going to talk about that briefly, that is more than double the resident population of this City. And all of these people also expect police services, none of them pay. But it's a point, it's an issue, it's something that we have to deal with. Also, because of the diversity of this community, we have another problem and that problem causes us to have to expend special resources in special times. As an example, and I think a good example, in the complaint room where emergency calls come in, we have to have Spanish speaking, we have to have Creole speaking people. Other cities may not need this. Because of the unique nature of Miami, sometimes incidents that are small in terms of other places, become large here. And, again, it requires expenditure of resources. The 53 September 5, 1991 point being that with this balancing act and with the fact that we provide a large range of services, it takes resources and the use of those resources are important. A quick look at trends just to let you know. The City of Miami, unfortunately, is no different - or not much different - than other national or other cities in that nation. For instance, violent crime in 1989 versus 1990, was up it percent. State of Florida it was up over 10, and in Miami, it was up 9.6. Overall crime rate, once again, up slightly nationally and in the state of Florida. Although not down a lot, down one percent in Miami. What is more important, however, is where our response has been. And I think the issue of arrest trends and what we've been doing is significant, because, once again, arrests equal resource equal deployment. For instance, nationally the arrest for violent crimes have been up 19 percent; in the City of Miami up over 32 percent. This is a five year comparison, 1986 versus 1990. Arrests for property crimes, up ten percent nationally and in the City of Miami, up over 59 percent. But the really astonishing figure, and the one that I think is perhaps most important, is what our reaction has been to the drug problem. A ten-year comparison was done between 1981 arrests and 1990 arrests, in terms of drug arrests nationally, in the City of Miami. Nationally, drug arrests in that ten year period were up 70 percent. In the City of Miami, they've gone up an unbelievable 263 percent. Indicating very clearly that we've recognized the problem and we recognized it early, and we continue to deal with it. Based on these trends, let's take just a quick look at part one crime, because I think it's important. There's good news here and there's bad news here. The good news here is that overall for the... Vice Mayor Plummer: Excuse me, may I ask you to go back to the one on drugs? Major :;Jong: Yes, sir. 'rice Mayor Plummer: You're saying it's up 70 percent, and what was the cleared rate on that? Major DeJong: The number of drug arrests nationally, 1981 compared to... Vice Mayor Plummer: And what are... you see, you're not giving me numbers. You're saying, 263 percent is the what? Major DeJong: Is the amount that we are up. In other words, we made like a hundred arrests as an example, in 1981. In 1990, we would have made over 350 arrests. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, statistics say that in 1990, in most all of the statistics I'll quote you today, you made 5,189 drug arrests. Major DeJong: Right. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK? You only cleared 11 percent. OK? No, I'm reading from the "Dade County and Municipal Offense Arrest Data." Major DeJong: I understand... Right, no but... Vice Mayor Plummer: These are not my numbers. So I'm questioning... Major DeJong: ...the clearance rate deals with part one crimes committed. Clearance rate does not deal to drug arrests. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, I'm speaking only to pre.... no, no, no, drug possession only, just one column. 1 Major DeJong: Right. i Vice Mayor Plummer: There were 5,189 arrests made, and only cleared 11 percent. That doesn't jive with your numbers here. Major DeJong: No, you're confusing the arrests, Commissioner... Vice Mayor Plummer: And the cleared rate. Chief Ross: The arrests with clearance. The clearance rate has to do with those arrests that are made based on the incidents that occur. Part one crime, murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault. i 54 September 5, 1991 i 9;: Vice Mayor Plummer: Oh, well, if you want to go back to that, of course, we can do that also, OK? Now, part one crime, according to these statistics for the City of Miami, was 68,246. Chief Ross: That's the point that I was making that each arrest is a clearance. Vice Mayor Plummer: Doesn't make necessarily a clearance. Chief Ross: Yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: I understand that. But these numbers here, when related to drug arrest and clearance, don't jive with the numbers that you have there compared to the Dade County. But go ahead. Major DeJong: OK. Back to the part one crime. As I said, some good news, some bad news. Overall, for the first six months of this year compared to last, part one crime, which is murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and larceny and auto theft, are down about 4 percent. Not an outstanding number, but still down. The problem area where we have and continue to have is the increase in terms of robbery. And we've looked at this very diligently and we think there's several reasons that we've identified. Vice Mayor Plummer: Wait a minute, excuse me, I've got to get on track here. Would you go back to the last slide. You're saying in 1990, that is for a six-month period? Major DeJong: Correct. The first six months. Vice Mayor Plummer: Would it be reasonable to assume that for a full 12 months, those numbers would be doubled? Major DeJong: No, because there can be seasonal fluctuations. In this case, it's pretty close. Vice Mayor Plummer: According to this story here, we have the equivalent of 26 cars stolen on an average day in 1990. Or we had a... we have 26 cars a day stolen in the City of Miami. That's an average day. And that's based on the statistic in 1990 there were 9,516 cars stolen, divided by 365, gives you 26 cars stolen per day. Now, I'm asking where your numbers are coming from based on that which is being published (tape 6) and a public document that shows that these numbers are far in excess of what your're purporting here. I'm trying to... f Major DeJong: Right. No, these numbers represent one-half, six months of the year, to give a fair comparison. It's January through June of 190 compared to January through June of 191. So, yes, when you double the 34,000 for the first six months, you come up with approximately the 68,000 reported overall for the year. The same is true of the auto theft. If you double the 4,400, you come up with approximately 9,000 auto thefts. This is a six month to six month comparison. What you're seeing in this are the statistics for the entire year. r Vice Mayor Plummer: And are you saying... well, the robbery is up. Major DeJong: The robbery is up. Vice Mayor Plummer: In 1990, there were 22 armed robberies a day in the City of Miami alone. Major DeJong: Robberies, not necessarily... they could be strong arm, but robbery, yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, what you referred to in statistics as robbery. Major DeJong: Correct. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK? There were 37 break-ins a day. Major DeJong: Correct. 55 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: These numbers don't hold with your numbers. A burglary, well, you're... OK, you're on a half a year... Major DeJong: Yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...so I'd have to sit down and calculate it out. All right, go ahead. Major DeJong: If you calculate it, it's going to be fairly close. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Major DeJong: All right, once again... Vice Mayor Plummer: By the way, Miriam, it might interest you that in the total County everyday, an average day, 103 cars a day are stolen. Major DeJong: We've looked at some of the reasons because I think it's important. And these are some of the basic reasons that we've discovered. First of all, there is a large number of young people that are just coming in who are in the age group of 15 to 25. This is my children. These are the "baby boomers" children. That particular group is more proned towards violent crime than anyone else. Also, we have the fact, the unrelenting fact, that the early release of violent criminals. Some statistics that I pulled from Dade Criminal Justice Council indicate that in 1987, as an example, over 85 percent of the people arrested for violent crime were released in some form or another prior to trial. And, of course, in many cases, particularly in the case of robbery, they go back and do the same thing. It's a problem. Jail overcrowding. We have a tragic example of Metro -Dade police officer killed by a fellow who was out of the jail not long. And then drug use. It's a problem in this community. It continues to be. A recent study released by the Department of Justice indicates that one in four people arrested for violent crime - not property crime, violent crime - said they committed this violent crime to get money for drugs. And then finally, there is the whole issue of the continuing growth of service population, which I think is one of the keys here that we need to understand. This resident population is what the official census says. I disagree with it and I'm sure every member of the Commission disagrees with it. But, in essence, they're telling us we've got about 360,000 residents. But that's not who... that's not the exclusive realm of what requires service here. On a daily basis, we believe that over 27,000 tourists come into this City. Well over three hundred, or 140,000 nonresident shoppers, over 274,000 nonresident workers, as well as seasonal visitors all come into this City on a daily basis. All demand police services. And as you can see, even without what's probably a 400,000 resident population, we more than double the service population of this City. And all of these require needs, they require resources. And, quite frankly, many of the people that are robbed are not residents of this City. And the fact that so many come in, it makes us more vulnerable. Let's look at how that works in terms of victimization. In terms of victimization rates, once again, victimization rates, when the FBI says, Miami's number one in terms of crime, they're basing that on a service, or on a resident population. In other words, the number of crimes per hundred thousand residents. If you took at the current robbery statistics, OK? - and based it on numbers per hundred thousand, if the service population was taken into account, we have a 1,003 robberies per 100,000 instead of the 2,282 that we currently have. The point is, and I know that other cities crime statistics are based on the same thing, but. Miami is unique. We're a small, 34 square mile community. We are the core of an urban area of over 2,000,000 people. OK? And more people come into this town than say come into a town like Atlanta which, for example, has a population far greater than ours. But the impacts on this are significant. NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Mayor Suarez entered the meeting at 11:53 a.m. Vice Mayor Plummer: Atlanta is smaller than we are. Major DeJong: Another good example, city of Jacksonville last year with a resident population more than all - oh, well, not quite double ours - well over 625,000, handled about the same number of calls for service that we did with a resident population of three fifty to three hundred and seventy-five thousand. Once again, where's that excess coming from? It's coming from service population. Now how does this affect police resources? It's something we have to look at. Over the last 10 years, resident population has 56 September 5, 1991 remained relatively stable in the City. Service population, however, from ten years ago, has increased because of building offices, those kinds of things, over 25 percent. Once again, service population is projected to increase an additional 11 percent, and based on that, we need to look for more resources to deal with police and service needs. We estimate right now that if this service population continues to grow, we're looking at something like 15 more officers in a year. Next. Volume, volume of calls. This is calls for service in which we dispatched. As you're aware, I'm sure, we set things up on a priority basis with a priority three being an emergency, the most extreme emergency type call. Then the priorities go down. Four would be like an in - progress crime. Five, routine. Six, low priority, etcetera. Included within this figure are crime scene processing and telephone reports. The first six months of this year, our tele-serve unit has made over 14,000 police reports. And our police officers on their own, in the field, in a proactive manner, have initiated over 62,000 calls for service. Now, the numbers that, that represents and it will be going into in detail further, but there's literally calls every minute of the day, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. And these numbers, these calls, represent huge volume. How we respond is, of course, an issue and it's an issue of deployment. I'd like to just show one example, and this is on our extreme emergency priority three calls. From January to June, we dispatched 973 of those calls. Nine hundred and forty-two, or 97 percent of those calls, were dispatched within 5 minutes of receipt. Seven hundred and fifty-seven, 78 percent, were dispatched within one minute. Once again, travel times, on 95 percent we arrived at the call within 10 minutes, and we arrived within five minutes on 84 percent. It's not perfect. There are times, there are situations within the book - and I won't go into them - are the other priorities and the breakdowns. We're not there on time, all the time, a hundred percent of the time. But within our very stringent guidelines last year, we were there 83 percent of the time, on time. And that the delays, the delays that last more than an hour, represent generally less than one percent. Now, that's something we're not happy with. It's something we continue to work on. But, overall, considering the volume, the point we make here is that we do pretty good and we're constantly striving to do better. Very important issue, and that is the changes that have gone, on and it's really what's going to be covered in greater detail, and I'll be getting out of the way here shortly for you. But we have worked very hard to move people back to patrol. In August of 1988, there was 369 police officers in patrol. This, by the way, includes downtown beats. We added them in so that the numbers would be the same, since the downtown beats have now been moved to patrol. Right now, September, there are 494. That's an increase of 125 police officers in the patrol function. A hundred and twenty-five answering calls for service and dealing with the issues and complaints. In addition to this 125 increase, we've taken other steps such as zone realignments where we've increased the number of zones, thereby providing for greater patrol, greater visibility. We've done programs aimed at reducing the average time spent on a call. For instance, with 70,000, as an example, domestic disturbance calls last year, if we take one minute off each one of those calls, we save over 1,600 hours of police officer time. A tele-serve, we talked about it, Commissioner talked about it. Miami Police Department is a leader in this. The Miami Police Department has been doing tele-serve since 1981. So this year, so far, we've taken 32 percent of all our police reports over the phone, and that translates into a savings of police officer time of almost 30,000 hours. Other things include PSA's handling accidents and things like that. And well over 7,000 hours were saved there. Finally, deployment. Let's look at deployment, but let's deal with an issue, and it's an important issue. It's an issue of full duty police officers. I'm sure the Commissioners are aware of the fact that certain officers, for instance, are in a status where they're injured and not available for duty. Others are relieved of duty because of various legal problems or things like this. But right now at this moment, in the Miami Police Department, there are 797 full duty police officers. Of that number, 639 or 80 percent are assigned to field operations. A hundred and twenty-one, or 15 percent, are assigned to the Investigations Division and 31 assigned to Administration, six to the office of the Chief. The point being that well over 95 percent of the police officers are directly involved in terms of either street work in uniform, or investigative type of function. It's something we're proud of, and it's something that we strive to do. This has been very quick, but I think it's important that you understand that it's the matter of putting the police officer on the street is of primary importance. But volume, full service, all these issues, are part of what go into getting us to accomplish this, and I appreciate your time. 57 September 5, 1991 Ass't. Chief Raul Martinez: Good morning. My name is Raul Martinez, I'm the Assistant Chief of the Administration Division. Now I'll be covering basically staffing within my division. The Administration Division provides vital support to the enforcement and investigative arms of the Miami Police Department. It is comprised of five sections. They are Communications, Property Resource Management, Personnel Resource Management, Support Services, and Business Management. Since August 1988, when we instituted the back to... Mayor Suarez: Support Services and what's the last one? -if I may, Mr. Vice Mayor. Ass't. Chief Martinez: Business Management, sir. Yes, sir. Since August 1988... Mayor Suarez: Business? Ass't. Chief Martinez: Business Management, sir. Mayor Suarez: Business Management. Vice Mayor Plummer: Administrative. That's one of the areas that we're... that I'm trying to accomplish. Mayor Suarez: It's one hell of a title there. Vice Mayor Plummer: You know, we've been basically here now for 45 minutes. This was to be for deployment. How do we get more policemen that we already have, on the street, response time, to be replaced by civilians if and when possible, and bringing on more of what you can call whatever you may, the PSAs. Now, all of this other stuff that you're presenting here; the number of calls for service and the population of the community, is I don't think what we're about here. But I think what we're about is trying to make a good, better. How do we get, of the 1,100 policemen, which comes out, by the way, on national statistics, when you have a three zero ratio to your population, is a very good statistic, and that's what we have, we have a little bit better than three. How do we get more of the policemen to do police work and not administrative work? Mayor Suarez: That's three for a thousand... Vice Mayor Plummer: Excuse me? Mayor Suarez: ...population. Three for a thousand population. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's correct. Three... national average acceptable is good, is three oh. We have a 3.1. Now, you know the real answer here lies in three answers and that is money, money, and money. How is it going to be derived? How is it going to be spent? And how do we get the bang for our dollar? It was my intention, as I stated six weeks ago when this meeting was called, that in my estimation, there were a great number of sworn officers who could be replaced by civilians, that's deployment, to go out and do the work on the street where the citizens of this community are expecting it to be done. That also entails, in my estimation, the three to one ratio on PSA's who can do these reports and put more policemen back out on the street so that we could agree with the Chief that at this phase, we no longer will be in a phase of report writing, but possibly doing some preventive. Now, any other conversation related, as far as I'm concerned, is superfluous. I like to see all these numbers, they're beautiful. But I think we need to talk about the real reason that we're here this morning. And, Chief, I would ask that any of your presentation that is remaining that speaks directly to deployment, which was i.e. the special call of this meeting, that we do that. And take it from there. Chief Ross: Commissioner, in answer to what you... Vice Mayor Plummer: Is he on? Chief Ross: In answer to what you have requested regarding police deployment and police staffing, the picture that is being painted here gives you and the citizens a look into their Miami Police Department. I certainly could answer that question that you asked with a simple answer such as to say that we have gone from being lean to cutting back to the bone in terms of putting people on 58 September 5, 1991 the street, and that would answer the question by telling you in one statement how many bodies are on the street, how many sworn are in the office. But that certainly is not representative, I believe, of a Police Department that is being funded for $82,000,000. I think that... Vice Mayor Plummer: Eighty-eight. Chief Ross: Funded currently, this year, next budget year... Mayor Suarez: Well, here's a specific question, Chief. He was just going to delve into the administration. That - no reflection on you - is precisely what we're concerned about. Why would you - and this was no your doing - but are you concerned about the fact that you have within the Administration Division - is that a correct terminology? -a Business Management Section? Now... Vice Mayor Plummer: With sworn officers. Mayor Suarez: Right, with sworn officers. What do you see in that Administrative Division that we could begin to replace or substitute with civilians, or... you know, I have to tell you this - Madam City Clerk, I hope you're listening - I'd like to see the City Clerk's office a little bit more involved in administrative things that could be sent over in your direction, and I'm hoping to hear... I'm springing this on you all of a sudden, but I hope to hear from you what kinds of tasks of the kinds that a City Clerk's Office is geared to do, can be done by your office, and maybe can be taken away from your department, whether they have to do with fine processing or some of the other levies that we have in other departments, not yours. But, specifically now, on administration, that division. Can that be thinned out and some officers put on... Do you have any thoughts on that? Chief Ross: The very presentation that is going to be made here today and... Mayor Suarez: Will show a trend in that direction? Chief Ross: Will give you... Mayor Suarez: OK. Chief Ross: ...will give you the numbers of those bodies that are sworn positions working in administration, sworn bodies working in the Investigation Division, and those positions that are slated for, in the future, for civilianization, with a qualified replacement. But in order to give you that and to show you that, where those bodies are, what we wanted to do is open the doors through this presentation to the Police Department. There may be functions in units that are operated in the Police Department that you're not aware of. We want to make you aware, and show you where every single body is and what they are doing, why they're there, giving you the opportunity to question that. If you don't want to see the... Mayor Suarez: Well, you open an interesting door when you talk about a Business Management Section within the Administration Division. And maybe we could continue opening that door, and get a little bit more information on that. Chief Ross: I will be more than happy, in terms of running the Police Department, to continue to do what I am qualified to do. And I appreciate your support of the department, and my position, by asking us to just give you the meat at this presentation. Because I can tell you right now that we are moving toward doing what you have suggested be done. And... Mayor Suarez: Yes. And we know in many ways you are, but we're going to keep pushing, maybe... Chief Ross: If you would like to see this presentation, we'll continue it. If not, we can just stop here and entertain questions. That is fine. Mayor Suarez: Yes, I think... Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I would like to see, as I said before, whatever of your presentation that you have that relates directly to deployment, I'd like to hear it. 59 September 5, 1991 a;. '4 Chief Ross: The entire presentation is basically staffing and deployment. The entire presentation. Mayor Suarez: Yes, when he says deployment, you know he means deployment other than staffing in the sense of staffing being people who are basically in an office. He thinks of deployment meaning people who are deployed in the field. Chief Ross: Then allow me to do this. If you're not concerned about the internal staffing of the department... Mayor Suarez: Well, we are to the extent that those could somehow be converted into field forces, you know. Forces out in the field, not field force the way you think of that term. Chief Ross: There are positions that are slated for future. I'll just say this, as an overall, for the Administrative Division, there are positions that are slated for future civil ianization. That cannot take place without qualified civilians taking those positions... Mayor Suarez: I understand. Chief Ross: ...and it cannot take place overnight. Mayor Suarez: How many do you anticipate additional replacement by civilians in the next fiscal year? Do you have a figure? Chief Ross: In the Administrative Division, in the next fiscal year, I cannot say that will be more than able to do maybe five, four or five. Mayor Suarez: That's always a start. Chief Ross: However, over the... Mayor Suarez: I mean, it may be in this Business Management Division that we were hearing. Chief Ross: There are an additional 28 positions that we have slated for civilianization in the future, which means several months and years down the road. Because that requires finding and bringing aboard qualified and adequate civilians in order to replace these police officers. Vice Mayor Plummer: Chief, I've said this to you, and I'll say it again on the public record. I don't think the citizens of this community can wait years. They cannot wait years. In my estimation - and I thought you and I had somewhat of an agreement, and I think we're still on agreement - if you had the finances in which to bring aboard the civilians, you could expedite. You could go through this. And that's what I'm here about today. And I said this to the Mayor, and I've said it my colleagues. We are about budget right now. And I have told the City Manager that I'm not going to stand still for less than 150 PSAs. OK? Mayor Suarez: That's what I was going to ask you. Have you... I was watching on the monitor, I don't believe that the question was posed of how many, if any, PSAs you're proposing to, over time, substitute for work now being done by police officers, using your three to one ratio of expenditures which we assume is a correct ratio, or at least in rough terms. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, Mr. Mayor, I think that what we have to do - we, the Commission - is provide the resources to the department... Mayor Suarez: To train the PSAs, right. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...for the purpose of the Chief to get these people on board. To get these people trained, and to get them into action. I will tell you that there are many areas in this Police Department which the Chief and 1 personally have gone through, that we could, in fact, immediately - not immediately, six months, eight months - relieve police officers back out into street duty. We have present... let me just use one example, and I know this is unpopular. We have 13 policemen writing accident reports. That's down. But, in fact, of 13 policemen writing accident reports, every one of those 60 September 5, 1991 t could be written by a PSA and turn those policemen back over to patrol duty. And not tie them up into accident reporting writing. Mayor Suarez: And God knows, they don't like to write accident reports... Chief Ross: May I re... Mayor Suarez: ...because we hear that from them all the time. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, you know, you want to go right down the list, I have prepared a list. OK? And the areas in which I feel that if we had the civilians, PSAs, regardless of what you call them, that we could immediately - six months, because you've got to train the PSAs and the civilians, and you've got to find the qualified. But, for example, we have 16 sworn officers doing nothing but background checks. Now... Chief Ross: That's not correct. That's inaccurate. Vice Mayor Plummer: Chief, then is it... Chief Ross: That's inaccurate. Vice Mayor Plummer: Excuse me... Chief Ross: The handout that I gave you this morning will reflect a different number. Mayor Suarez: Is it way off? Are we talking a huge factor here? -well, it's nothing to argue about. Vice Mayor Plummer: Tell me what number you have, Chief. We went through it. Chief Ross: We currently have ten. Nine... Vice Mayor Plummer: I am using... Chief Ross: Nine full duty, and one light duty, a total of ten. Let me just say this, because it's very important. Mr.... Vice Mayor Plummer: Excuse me, no, no, no, I want to correct it. OK? Because these are your numbers. They're not mine. Chief Ross: Are you looking at the package I gave you this morning? -or the one you had from months ago? Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm looking at the last one that you gave me. There were sixteen. Chief Ross: I gave you one this morning, the handout. Vice Mayor Plummer: Who the hell had time to read this? I haven't. Chief Ross: Well, those were the figures as of today, Commissioner. Mayor Suarez: All right, so it looks like we're heading towards a total of nine and one is what you're saying, for background checks. Chief Ross: Let me make this point, because Commissioner Plummer made a very significant point. Mayor Suarez: Hey, that's progress, you know. That's... Chief Ross: Commissioner Plummer made a very significant point. Vice Mayor Plummer: But see, the reason... Mayor Suarez: I hope it's progress. I hope it doesn't mean we're not checking people. Vice Mayor Plummer: The reason we're not making more progress is because of the fact of the resources are not there. 61 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Yes, and that's our task. Vice Mayor Plummer: And that's what our task is about here today. Mayor Suarez: We have to provide that. We have to provide that. Chief Ross: Commissioner Plummer made a significant point early on when we indicated that sometime ago, years ago, to speak of, there were positions that were vacated within the Police Department. In order to adequately fill them and continue the services, we filled those positions with sworn police officers. And that's what got us to where we are today. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's right. Chief Ross: And now we're faced with the task of trying to reverse that. But I submit to you that you cannot reverse that in six months, nor can you reverse it in a year when you have police officers that have been in those posi ti o,r,5 ten years plus doing a job that a civilian could have received a qualification over that time period. But we got people that have amassed ten years of experience and for me to take an individual with ten years of experience doing a job inside, and take him out and plop a civilian in there to try to pick up the speed... Mayor Suarez: It's not easy. Chief Ross: It's not going to happen. We're going to lose functions to City... Mayor Suarez: A classic example, you would think that for property handling, you know, property room, etcetera - is that under your division? Vice Mayor Plummer: There's eleven police... Mayor Suarez: You could be able to have a civilian doing it. But the more you think about some of the properties we're dealing with here, it's not that easy to have someone who is not a sworn police officer, who is not familiar with the weapons and ammunition, etcetera, who does not have the kinds of clearances, backgrounds, testing on the field. It's just not that easy. It sounds easy. Chief Ross: I can guarantee you that I have sat down and taken a very close look at every position within the Police Department, and every sworn position particularly, to try to identify those positions that can be moved. And as the top administrator of the Police Department, I tell you, without any hesitation, that we are at bones. And to remove those persons that are there now, other than those that we've already sent out, to remove any additional personnel will only cut functions and cut the service level that we're giving to the citizens of this City. We're at minimum staffing now. If we want to cut functions completely, then that's what we're facing when we talk about moving more police officers. Mayor Suarez: Well, but that's conclusory, that's conclusory. We want to go to the specifics. Vice Mayor Plummer: From that point forward. Mayor Suarez: Right, and we want to the specifics, and go... Vice Mayor Plummer: That's what I thought we were going to be about was to try and provide the resources to, in fact, replace those people. Mayor Suarez: Sure. Vice Mayor Plummer: If you don't start it, it's not started in this budget. Mayor Suarez: And your time specification of years to do some of this probably reflects your thinking as to what kind of budgeting you're going to have. And we're ready to change that. Vice Mayor says, you know, we're in September, we're in budget season. If cutting the City Clerk's Office is a way to do it, if cutting the City Attorney's Office is a way to do it, if cutting the planners - love to cut some of the planners - is the way to do it, etcetera, you know, sometimes I wonder. I mean, the lovely people, the 62 September 5, 1991 Planning Department, folks, but you wonder what they plan. You know, they seem like they really impede development in the City sometimes. Anyhow, there are places to cut, and we are still in time, Chief. Vice Mayor Plummer: That's the point. Mayor Suarez: Mr. Vice Mayor, I would like your permission to report back to this Commission on something that you asked me to, the Commission asked me to delve into - and while we have you here, Chief - on the issue of deployment, if I may. Vice Mayor Plummer: Sure. Mayor Suarez: Which is the... this is very important to the people of Miami, I think, because we've seen a wave of crime directed at tourists. Commissioner Dawkins specifically - who is not here now - asked that we try to look at the tourist season as the Brazilian wave approached, and looking to expand the Rangers program to involve the hotels in what is now basically a downtown program which doesn't go any farther south, I think, than... Vice Mayor Plummer: The river. Mayor Suarez: Yes, it certainly doesn't go ail the way to the river, as we'd like it to go. And it doesn't go any farther north than, I think, 1st or 2nd Street. Some thoughts on how we can do this. You're going to say, it's great, it's a great plan. Where are the resources? So far, it's been based on assessments, special assessments. I think we have been talking to the hotels and to the property owners about the possibility of them being specially assessed to expand all the way to the river and north to 3rd Street. And I want everybody to know that. The Rangers program has already had the impact - it's basically a nighttime program - so it's not geared at daytime tourists. It begins at 7:00 p.m., I believe, and ends at 7:00 a.m. So we'd like to expand it in time, and we'd like to expand it geographically. The Rangers program already has cut B and E's, breaking and enterings, in downtown by two-thirds. So it's had a magnificent impact. I also think - and I agree with the Manager on this, we were talking about it this morning - that the Rangers can be improved. Those of you who have run into them can probably attest to the fact that they're a little bit less proactive than they should be. Is there any reason, for example, Chief or Mr. Manager, either one of you, whoever made the specifications on this, that there should be two per vehicle instead of one? So that they can be a little bit more mobile and do we need vehicles? -is that what this Commission needs to... Chief Ross: Yes, I think we do... Vice Mayor Plummer: They're on golf carts. Chief Ross: ...in order to get them the type of coverage in the areas where they're used. Keeping in mind that, like you said, it is a special taxing district and that particular area requires them to cover a large area. Mayor Suarez: OK, you don't think there's a necessity to have two per vehicle? Because you know what happens... Chief Ross: Well, you got to understand that the Rangers... Mayor Suarez: ...is they start talking to each other and hanging around the corner. Chief Ross: Understand that our Rangers are not armed, and they are not, they don't have arrest powers. They are out there at night, and they're very vulnerable. And I've... Mayor Suarez: OK, but does that lead you to conclude that you're concerned and you would like to have two per vehicle? Chief Ross: Absolutely, absolutely. It's necessary to have the two. Yes, absolutely. Mayor Suarez: All right, well, I mean, you're the one that has to tell us. All right, so maybe we can't do much with that. You're in favor of expanding the program if we can get the assessments and financing. 63 September 5, 1991 Mr. Odio: Yes. Mr. Mayor, I believe (Tape 7) - I'm going from memory - that we are doing, expanding the assessed district in the September 11th meeting. Mayor Suarez: That's what I'm saying. Mr. Odio: It's in the agenda. Vice Mayor Plummer: In this budget, there is more Rangers. Mayor Suarez: But, we're only expanding to N.W. 3rd Street... Mr. Odio: Right. I don't remember. Mayor Suarez: ...to North 3rd Street and down to the river. Mr. Manager... Mr. Odio: We're including the hotels in. Mayor Suarez: I recommend, as part of this task assigned by the Commission - and I have one other question to ask you on the communications by private guards that are in that area - I recommend that we try to encompass all the way up to Overtown/Park West. I think it is vital to redesign the area - to redesign, either by assessments or even maybe dip into general revenues if we have to - to encompass Overtown/Park West, the residential areas of it. And what I would like you to do, Mr. Manager, is report back to this Commission on the possibility of using tax increment district monies for it. Please don't tell me no, no, no. Mr. Odio: No, I say OK... Mayor Suarez: Thank you, it sounds good. Commissioner Alonso: Are we covering the hotel areas? Mayor Suarez: And, yes, I'm glad you brought that up. And covering the hotel areas... Commissioner Alonso: Are we covering the hotels there? Mayor Suarez: ...all the way to the river. No one has yet proposed that we go beyond the river, because then you get into Brickell. Brickell should be coming up with its own assessment district. Mr. Odio: I'm getting a copy of the agenda item. I want say where we expand. Mayor Suarez: It only goes to the river and to 3rd Street, I assure you of that - north to 3rd Street. We should be going up to loth Street and someday maybe the Omni area also will want to be involved. And then we wi11 have expanded to the entire tourism district. Mr. Odio: But Commissioner Dawkins... Mayor Suarez: These people should be much more active. We should look, and the Downtown Development Authority has been kind of overseeing the program, we should look to possibly contracting out the entire program. I'm told by Mr. Schwartz, the DDA director, that you had preferred - you looked at some bids - but you preferred that we do it in-house perhaps because these people are quasi -police officers. We ought to look at that again. It's costing us $307,000, costing the people who are paying the special assessment, not the taxpayers of Miami, $307,000 to provide basically for 12 Rangers right now. That averages out, with expenses and everything else, to little bit more than I think that the private sector might be able to do. And they would possibly be people better trained and some liability could be taken away from us in the process. I want you to look at that, because I think we can do it more efficiently. You and I talked this morning about the way they should be dressed. Mr. Odio: I think they should be more visible, yes. Mayor Suarez: They should be more visible, they should be more proactive. We're going to - maybe I shouldn't say this warning - we're going to go out and start having people posing as tourists asking them questions. Do they 64 September 5, 1991 know where Bayside is? Do they know where the Police Department is? Do they know who to call for a variety of services? See if these people are really as sharp as they should be. And if they're not, they should be fired. Thank God we don't have a lot of union problems with them. Finally, Chief, and this is directed to you. As I was asked to do this for the wave of tourists in the summer, the first thing we tried to initiate was to coordinate with the private security guards in the various hotels and office buildings, to communicate with each other as to crime in the area, as to suspicious people, etcetera, etcetera. And communicate with the police. Now, every time up to this Chief have gotten the answer, well, you know, you really can't use police radios, even if they purchase them. I mean, we're not asking for you to fund them. Can't use the same frequencies. Now, we have the SCAN program, we have Senior Citizens Alert Network program, where senior citizens are taught to use police radios and that's been effective and you have reported back and your predecessors, that that's effective. Why can't we train these private security guards to use police frequencies? We've got plenty of them. We have some available. Plummer is kind of an expert on frequencies, he tells me we have them available. And put them on a frequency where they can communicate with us, and with each other if they're willing to participate in the program and undergo the training that it would require. I know some of the security guards out there don't give you a lot of confidence, they don't give me a lot of confidence either. But they've got weapons, they've got weapons, and... Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: ...they don't have arrest powers, but I would like to see them... I'd rather have them communicating with the Police Department and not get into a shoot out than, you know, than not have the ability to communicate with us directly. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Mayor, may I answer that? We tried a program about ten years ago in which we put a monitor, a CB, just CB radio, in the bridge. It really didn't work out that well because not too many had CB. We were soliciting the help of Florida Power & Light who had a number of vehicles with radios, the taxicabs. And it, unfortunately, it diluted itself down to where they were calling about injured dogs and crowing roosters and things of that nature. And it just didn't work at that particular time. There is a problem in the radios, as far as frequency is concerned. We're one of the few departments in the United States that's in the 800 Megahertz, and you will not find that in security guards or others, so you cannot cross over the frequencies. We do have a conventional channel which could be used, which we presently are using, mostly for media relations. But unless they were trained... Mayor Suarez: Media relations, my you know what. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, sir, that's that channel... Mayor Suarez: I don't care about media relations. I care about people being able to communicate on their security needs and the hell with media relations! Vice Mayor Plummer: The answer... Mayor Suarez: We got more media than we need any how butting into police work in this community. Vice Mayor Plummer: It can... Mayor Suarez: I don't want... I never wanted to make available to the media any of our frequencies. I don't know that we ever did. I have a feeling we did. Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, you need to understand this. When the 800 Megahertz System, I wasn't the Manager. Mayor Suarez: And I hope, by the way... Mr. Odio: Let me... Mayor Suarez: ...as long as I'm on that particular spiel, that we're not giving the media any advance notice of any arrests or any incidents involving the... 65 September 5, 1991 Mr. Odio: That's not...what happened is, Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: I hope our department isn't into that. I've heard of other... Mr. Odio: No, no, no. Will you please let me explain? Mayor Suarez: State Attorneys, U.S. Attorneys, and so on, giving them advance notice so they can go cover people being arrested. That's not what we're into here. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, sir. Mr. Odio: When the 800 Megahertz System was installed, before it be... Mayor Suarez: I'd just as soon you eliminate the Media Relations Department of the Police Department. You know how I feel about that. Mr. Odio: We cannot, Mr. Mayor. That was... there was a negotiations that went on... Vice Mayor Plummer: That's six police officers. Mayor Suarez: I'd love to see them doing police work, and not media relations. Mr. Odio: Commissioner Plummer, I believe it was you that negotiated... Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes, sir. Mr. Odio: ...the 800 Megahertz Channel with the media. Vice Mayor Plummer: That is correct. Mr. Odio: Do you want to explain it? Mayor Suarez: I was against it. I was against it. Do you remember, I voted against it. I never... Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, just so you know we're not giving them advance information. Mayor Suarez: Thank you, at least that. Vice Mayor Plummer: We are giving them information on ten different items if, in fact, they occur, we go to the convention channel. Mayor Suarez: I would like a report on that, if I may. Not necessarily from you, Mr. Vice Mayor. I know you were asked to do that, and that's not your fault. I would like a report from the Manager on that. Can we now, reviewing the information the Vice Mayor is giving on the frequencies and on the channels available, can we look again, Chief, at the possibility of, if these people are properly trained, if they're willing to participate, and if they have the right equipment provided by them, that they would have access to one of our channels? Chief Ross: Let me just say that there are legal questions there that certainly need to be addressed before we can answer that. And I am of the opinion, first of all, that the police officers on the street not only work with, but appreciate the support by many of the security guards and security agencies that are out there. Mayor Suarez: Right. Chief Ross: Needless to say, however, we have seen many instances where those individuals that are in positions as security officers or security guards... Vice Mayor Plummer: Sometimes create more problems. Chief Ross: ...are less than qualified to be security guards, not to mention having a police radio and access to a police frequency... f 66 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Could be any frequency. Chief Ross: ...and being able to... Mayor Suarez: It could even be a whole different system. I mean, it doesn't even have to go through our megahertz system for all I care. As long as it can be wired in and... Vice Mayor Plummer: The answer is, Chief, you'd have to go through the conventional channel... Mayor Suarez: Right. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...that's the only one down in the 4501s. Mayor Suarez: It doesn't have to go through our... Vice Mayor Plummer: It can be done. Chief Ross: We will further assess your request. Mayor Suarez: Please. Chief Ross: And report back. Mayor Suarez: And, Mr. Manager, I would like - and I don't think I need a motion for this - I would like your response by - what are you asking for things for out of this hearing? By the first meeting in October? Vice Mayor Plummer: Fine. Mayor Suarez: On the expansion of the Rangers program and reconceptualizing of it. I want to see if they're a little bit more along the lines of what you and I discussed this morning, to the river. The southern boundary is OK. I think that covers most of the hotels. Commissioner Alonso was thinking about maybe Brickell. Someday we'll get into it, and the Omni. And north to at least 8th Street. I'd love to see it go to 10... Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: ...because I think some of the Overtown/Park West projects go up to loth. And the possible use of tax increment district monies for that, particularly for equipment because I think some more carts are going to be needed. And the possible privatizing of some of that. Mr. Odio: Let me say this, because Commissioner... Mayor Suarez: Because they really... I mean, they've done a good job. But, God, they've got to do a lot better for our tourists and the people that shop in the largest shopping center in the Americas, I think, is downtown Miami. Mr. Odio: I agree. Mayor Suarez: And now with Bayside attracting 14,000,000 people a year, and with the hotels doing as well as they're doing, we don't need a repetition of some of the crimes directed at tourists. Mr. Odio: Commissioner Dawkins called a meeting yesterday in the garment district. Mayor Suarez: Right. Mr. Odio: And there - I learn something new everyday - the... Mayor Suarez: They're considering a special assessment there. Mr. Odio: Yes, but the owners have to approve... Mayor Suarez: Right. Mr. Odio: ...assessing them... when you say expand... 67 September 5, 1991 i Mayor Suarez: Well, but we are the principal owners in Overtown/Park West. Mr. Odio: No. Mayor Suarez: The City is. Mr. Odio: Well, but I mean, but in between... Mayor Suarez: We are the titleholders there. Mr. Odio: But I mean the hotels have to agree, and we've been talking to them, and I think Commissioner Alonso has been in meetings that they need to assess themselves. Mayor Suarez: Yes, and we may need to lobby them and any... Mr. Odio: And we are doing that. Mayor Suarez: Right, and the DDA is doing that, and Commissioner Alonso is working on that. Mr. Odio: So we need to... Mayor Suarez: And that's what I'm reporting back to you. There's a great deal of interest. But you also need some resources and some rehashing of the concept to make them just a little bit more effective. If you can't do one per vehicle, you know, I'll have to accept your opinion on that. I mean, is that a final opinion? Mr. Odio: Mr. Mayor... Mayor Suarez: You can't possibly have one per vehicle? You can't... it's too dangerous? Chief Ross: It is a very dangerous situation with these persons out at night. Mr. Odio: The original idea... Mayor Suarez: All right. I can understand. I worry about having one police officer per vehicle too when they're patrolling, and I guess that's just... Vice Mayor Plummer: You have to understand that they're basic training is called "R&R," Report and Retreat. That's what they basically... Mayor Suarez: Well, I also want them to have more "I," more information. I mean, they really should be, you know, ready to give information to tourists and make people feel that they're there to provide, you know, all kinds of informational services... Vice Mayor Plummer: There's nobody there when they're on duty. Mayor Suarez: ...and not just sort of to deter crime. That, by the way, the response has been extremely favorable. Other districts are looking at the same possibilities. The Rangers program is basically a night time program. I'd like to see eventually that we have that in the daytime. I'd like to see it in other districts in the City, and particularly the commercial districts which have the ability to pay for these, should take note of the success in downtown. And we want to expand it and it is coming up at the next Commission meeting. Mr. Odio: Right. Mayor Suarez: But if you could quickly look at the possibility of throwing it right into Overtown/Park West... Mr. Odio: See, let me tell you, the other difference I learned yesterday. See, in downtown, you have a vertical thing so it's fine with the millage. When you go into the garment district, then you don't have the vertical, so now we're trying to find out maybe we do it through sales. You know, reports on gross volume, how much. So that's being worked on, Mr. Mayor. But we now have to do a selling job. 68 September 5, 1991 Mayor Suarez: Yes, the assessments can be done in another way so that it doesn't just... Vice Mayor Plummer: Special taxation. Mr. Odio: Right. Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes. Mr. Odio: But it's going to be different according to the area that we go into. That's what I'm trying to say. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manager, what would it cost to increase... we now have allocated, as I understand it, 100 PSAs in the budget. Is that correct, Chief? Chief Ross: That's correct. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. What is the cost factor to increase? Mr. Odio: Got 100 plus 20 more Rangers that are going to... Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm not talking about Rangers. I'm going to get to that subject next. Chief Ross: He's on PSAs. Mr. Odio: Yes, yes, but that's money. I'm talking about money. Either you take, you know... Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manager, I'm talking about having to take police officers off of patrol, and putting them doing school guard duty. Mr. Odio: That's what the 20 are going to do. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, no, no. That's not necessarily addressing that. Mr. Odio: The 20 Rangers are going to replace 21 police officers. Vice Mayor Plummer: What is the cost factor to replace or to add an additional 50 PSAs? Mr. Odio: Seven hundred thousand dollars, or close to a million dollars. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. And to increase the Rangers, what is the cost factor on Rangers? Mr. Odio: It would be lower. Vice Mayor Plummer: It's around $12,000, as I understand. Mr. Odio: Yes, it's a bit lower. Lower than that. But what we're doing, the 20 Rangers are going to man front desk, they're going to man the gate in the back, and they're going to replace 21 police officers. So that you, right there, are going from a $59,000 cost to $12,000, and again, you're putting police officers out. Vice Mayor Plummer: Chief, if I... if this Commission were to give you in this coming budget, 50 additional PSAs, how many more policemen do you feel that they could replace to put back out into street duty? Chief Ross: We should be able to put at least an additional, over time - once again, I must go back to the... Vice Mayor Plummer: I understand. Chief Ross: Consider what I said though. Consider the position that I made earlier that we are at bare bones. And in order to remove any additional persons from the office to put them out on the street, it's going to take time. 69 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. But how many... if we give you 50 additional P... because it's going to take you time to train the PSAs. Chief Ross: Absolutely. Vice Mayor Plummer: All right. If we were to provide for you 50 additional PSAs, how many do you feel that, that could relieve from doing desk jobs back out on the street? Chief Ross: In time, we can relieve those individuals that are accident investigators to be replaced by PSAs, in time. And also, to move some individuals out of the Administrative Division. We have about 28 slots in time that can be replaced. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Commissioner Alonso: May I remind my fellow Commissioner of something that was discussed this morning? -that we were going to hire only 27 people, and may I ask the question at this time to the City Manager? Can we possibly hire 50 additional individuals? Mr. Odio: Well, you have a budget... Commissioner Alonso: And do we have the money? And if not, how in the world was I told this morning that, yes, we were going to have enough people to provide the quality of service needed in the City of Miami? Mr. Odio: Commissioner, my answer to that is, we have a budget book. And the police budget... Commissioner Alonso: Oh, I know we do indeed. Mr. Odio: The budget book called for $88 million, 300 thousand dollars, whatever, for the Police Department. If you want to add monies to that budget, you have to take it from somebody else. But... Commissioner Alonso: Meaning what? Mr. Odio: We don't have any money to find to put in there... Meaning that you have to cut another department... Vice Mayor Plummer: No... Mr. Odio: ...the 800 thousand dollars. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK... Mr. Odio: Or reduce the number of police officers, total number of police officers you want to hire in lieu of PSAs, etcetera. Vice Mayor Plummer: No. No, no, that's not what I'm coming from. Mr. Manager, if you have to take it - and I know nobody wants to hear this and neither do I. For example, from the Parks Department, what good is our parks when people are scared to go in them? Mr. Odio: Well, we already cut the Parks Department by $250,000 for next year. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manager, is there a more single burning issue in this City than crime? Mr. Odio: Yes, but, yes... No, there is not. Vice Mayor Plummer: Now... Mr. Odio: But there are other ways of preventing crime. Vice Mayor Plummer: Then I say to you, sir, that as far as I'm concerned, you've got to find the money. Mr. Odio: No, nope. 70 September 5, 1991 a Commissioner De Yurre: Well, not in Park... Vice Mayor Plummer: Now, whatever it's... Commissioner De Yurre: Not in Parks and Recreation, I can tell you that much right now. Mr. Odio: No, you see... Vice Mayor Plummer: Victor, not necessarily Parks and Recreation. Mr. Odio: No. This is a policy decision. Vice Mayor Plummer: I use that as the example... Commissioner De Yurre: OK, good. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...to say that if you have all beautiful parks, but nobody is using the things, it's a waste of money. Now, where he finds the money... Mr. Odio: No. Vice Mayor Plummer: ...is what I pay him $106,000 a year to do. Mr. Odio: Which is not enough. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK? Mr. Odio: Which is not enough. And what I want to say is... Vice Mayor Plummer: That's argumentative also. Mr. Odio: It is a policy decision. We have added to the police budget six and -a -half million dollars in a year that we are trying to reshape the City. Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, we're also going to speak... Mr. Odio: We have added to the Fire Department's budget. The only two budgets that we have money now. And we have cut all the others. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manager, we're going to talk about... Mr. Odio: Now, it's a policy decision on your part what other services you want to cut. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manager, we're going to talk about that everybody gave up their raise and there's still $3.6 million increase in the Police Department alone. Mr. Odio: That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying, that we have increased their budget by six and -a -half million dollars in a year. Vice Mayor Plummer: But where is that money going if it's for salaries and everybody gave up their raise? Mr. Odio: Because we are adding... They are not giving up their raises. They gave up the cost of living increases. Vice Mayor Plummer: They gave up the four percent. Mr. Odio: That's right. They still have a 5 percent on the step increases that we have to pay. Vice Mayor Plummer: Look... Commissioner Alonso: Maybe they're willing to give it up too. Mr. Odio: Plus the overtime that every year has gone up. The more officers that we have, the more times that these officers have to attend the trials in court, whatever. We pay overtime for that. The more officers we have, the i more overtime we pay. We had three riots last year. We had to make up for _i that overtime. September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: I understand that. Mr. Odio: And that's what that money is going for. So now... Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, I'm saying to you... Mr. Odio: ...I'm asking you what other services you want to cut? Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm saying to you, for this one vote at budget, that you're either going to find the money for the additional fifty civilians, whatever they be, PSAs or civilians. And the Chief has said that he can, by virtue of that, put out 28 more men on the street. I don't know of anything else that's more important in that budget. And that's just speaking for one. OK? Now... Mr. Odio: I would suggest you do this, Commissioner, as a compromise. Let's wait, let's all wait. Before you add monies that we don't have to this budget, to see what happens with the retirement plan. Let's see what happens there. Vice Mayor Plummer: If that's the place you find the money, that's up to you, sir. Mr. Odio: No, I'm asking you to wait... Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Mr. Odio: ...before you make a decision like this to see what happens in the plan. Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm not making it today. We're going to be making it during budget hearings. All right, now, of the Commission, do they have any other thing? -and then I want to open up fifteen or twenty minutes. Commissioner De Yurre: I'd like... what I'd like to hear is some input from the Chief as to - and let's say like three immediate areas that he can think of - where we can help the department. You know, what do you need from us? - be it through legislation here at our level, lobbying in Tallahassee for particular laws. What is it that you would like to see from us to help you do a better job? Chief Ross: Well number one, and I think very basic and germane, just to maybe even this hearing here, is the level of support from this Commission for the Police Department and the responsibility that we have. And also to continue to, or I would say, to maybe increase, your level of knowledge as to the Police Department and the workings of the Police Department, so that when we are in these type of forums, we don't have to go through the fanfare that you related to, the movies and... INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD. Chief Ross: Right. Well, we have done that. We've invited them individually to come into the Police Department. But I would really like to see this Commission be more in tune to what the Police Department is doing in every aspect of its responsibility to this City. This presentation, as I say, was geared to that. And, obviously, there are additional monies that we certainly would like to get through grants. There are other areas that we would like to tap into in order to get the citizens within this City to be more responsive to joining with the Police Department in different projects and programs. A lot of the programs that we have currently operating reaches out to bring citizens and police together. I'd like to see the Commission more supportive of - and not to say that you have not been supportive - but more supportive of some of the programs we have targeting our youth to try to keep them out of a life of possible criminal activity. I just feel that a greater level of support from you would certainly be embraced very handsomely by this department. And in addition to the other things that you can do with lobbying for additional monies, grants, and funds that may... Commissioner De Yurre: Who writes the grants for the Police Department? 72 September 5, 1991 Chief Ross: We have a grant coordinator. What's... Under Support Services, we have a grant coordinator that takes care of all of our grant requests. Commissioner De Yurre: How much do you get through grants annually? -more or less. Chief Ross: How many grants do we have? Asst. Chief Raul Martinez: This past year, we received two grants and we're in the process of acquiring a third grant from HUD for about $400,000, the one from HUD we'll be receiving. Commissioner De Yurre: And do you go... are you actively going out to all kinds of grants that would be available? Asst. Chief R. Martinez: Yes, we are. Commissioner De Yurre: How many are there available that one can seek out? Asst. Chief R. Martinez: In the areas of enforcement, they're limited. Now, there are a lot now in the area of drug education and so on and so forth... Mr. Odio: Do you want to hear something ridiculous? I personally worked on a grant for drug enforcement, and when they put out the famous billion dollar plan against drugs. And they turned it down, and they gave it to a little town in Minnesota because they wrote a better grant application. So that's how ridiculous Washington can get. I mean, we have received very... Commissioner De Yurre: So what are they saying? -that you don't know how to write a grant? Mr. Odio: They said that the other one wrote a better application and here I'm telling him we have the biggest drug problem in the country, and they're looking at the words on it. So, they're really... Commissioner De Yurre: Well, who writes grants for the City? Mr. Odio: We have a... who? Commissioner De Yurre: For the City? Mr. Odio: Oh, for the City we have different departments according... Commissioner De Yurre: Different departments. Mr. Odio: Every department follows their grant... Commissioner De Yurre: And do we have experts that know how to write grants? Mr. Odio: Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, we do. Commissioner De Yurre: How much money do we get annually for grants overall? Mr. Odio: From memory of that, I cannot tell you. I know we got a... Commissioner De Yurre: Take a shot. Take a shot. Mr. Odio: It's a big guess. What...? Unidentified Speaker: A million plus... Mr. Odio: No, no, I got a million seven just for the Biscayne Boulevard... Vice Mayor Plummer: Ah, you take federal revenue sharing and all of that are grants. Mr. Odio: We have revenues... I would say about six million dollars, five or six million sometimes. We have the Jobs Program is on a grant, so that throws that figure up. Vice Mayor Plummer: Do you have any other questions now? 73 September 5, 1991 ■ Commissioner Alonso: Yes, if I may, a couple of questions. Commissioner De Yurre: Well, because you know... Mr. Odio: But we could do better. I want to tell you. Commissioner De Yurre: Because that's free money right there. Mr. Odio: We can do better. We can do better, and we should do better. Commissioner De Yurre: I'd like to ask - and I don't know and maybe from the Legal Department - I was briefly discussing it with Cesar a moment ago. It seems to me that one of the main problems that we see out there is that, you know, the police does its job, they arrest individuals. Next thing we know, they're out there in the street again. Vice Mayor Plummer: Same day. Unidentified Speaker: Like me. Like me. Commissioner De Yurre: Or the same day, a couple of hours later. Now, what can we do? Whether it means legislation in Tallahassee, whether it means creating... and I don't know how much money, and I'm just bringing it out in the open for discussion, how much it would cost, where we could get the funding. But if it means creating our own jails to hold people over for more than just a few hours... Vice Mayor Plummer: You can't any more. You can't. Commissioner De Yurre: ...you know, what can we do to keep the people off the... Vice Mayor Plummer: Victor, let me tell you... Commissioner De Yurre: Let me talk to the Chief, man, he knows... Vice Mayor Plummer: No, let me give you one point. Commissioner De Yurre: One point. Vice Mayor Plumper: Do you know that the state of Florida has four hundred million dollars for jails and they're not even building them? Commissioner De Yurre: Well... Chief Ross: The answer to that, it certainly is adequate jail space. Commissioner De Yurre: There is? Chief Ross: And... yes. Ade...no, I'm saying, the answer is in... to have adequate jail space. Vice Mayor Plummer: The need. Chief Ross: There is not adequate jail space. Commissioner De Yurre: OK. Chief Ross: And unless you have adequate jail space, you know, the more individuals you arrest, the more police officers you get, the more arrests we make, obviously, there's nowhere to put these individuals. And we're pumping them in through the front door, but the system breaks down at some other point. And without adequate jail space, Commissioner Plummer is right in terms of not having adequate jail space in order to hold all of the individuals that are being pushed in to the front door. And the State Attorney's Office is doing a tremendous job. The judges, obviously, you know, in giving, in sentencing, you know, they're basing that on some factors that they have at their disposal knowing that on the other end there are individuals that are going to be released back out into the street. And the jails are overcrowded. That's the answer. 74 September 5, 1991 Commissioner De Yurre: Now, do we have any num... what we can do, whether it means going to Tallahassee and with a strong show of force saying, we need these monies? You know... Chief Ross: Yes, I think that would be commendable, and I think it would be the right direction in order to get some of those monies that may be available, or monies that may not be available, to get some monies put in place in order to build adequate jail space in order to hold individuals that may otherwise be released back on to the street. Commissioner De Yurre: Yes, because we can make that a priority, you know. For the next legislation, we can start working on that right now without having to wait. Mr. Odio: Committees start work next week. We have to get moving this year. Commissioner De Yurre: Well, so that's something that we can do to help the situation. Now, another issue that I had, which is one that again that I discussed quite readily with our City Manager, is comparing, for example, the money that gets spent and maybe deployment of what's in the Coconut Grove area, the business district. Sharkey's and the other businesses in that area have a great concern because there's a lot of so-called panhandling by force that at times when they know when the shift of police officers is happening, that there may be a gap there of an hour, an hour and -a -half, or whatever, that they go out and people that are sitting down having lunch or just hanging out, they actually are intimidated into buying a rose, for example...give me a dollar. It isn't, would you like to, and give me a dollar and these are imposing individuals in a lot of illegal, you know, criminal activities going on in that area. I think that we need to address that more readily. And I would like to see also - and again, I'm throwing out a couple of items that I'd like for you to discuss one at a time, of course - but the same concept that we have, foot patrols and all that, that we're spending - and Cesar, let me know how much it is that we're actually spending now there annually. I would like to see that on S.W. 8th Street. We have a number of restaurants that are opening up on 8th Street which are very good restaurants. Others that have been there for years that are very good restaurants and would like to expand into the open air cafe situation, and yet people fear going to 8th Street because they don't see the police visibility, you don't see the... the same situation that we have in the Grove on weekends. They don't see it there on 8th Street. And I think that, you know, if it's good for one area, it should be good for another. Especially if we're talking about promoting tourism and which is crucial to our City of Miami. If you can address those two points. Chief Ross: Let me just say that throughout the City of Miami, obviously in the last six months to a year, we have seen a substantial increase in the amount of panhandlers on the streets in the City of Miami. Now, we have taken a very definite stand on panhandling inasmuch as it is against the law, and regardless of whether the individual is affluent or whether the individual is destitute, they are breaking the law and we are taking action. We are making arrests and obviously there are locations where the police are not. Wherever we are, there are locations where we are not. And these individuals have taken a position to hide their cups or do whatever they're doing when the police are not there, or when the police are there. And as soon as we're gone, they are panhandling. If we get a call, someone saying that an individual is panhandling, unless the officer is actually there observing it, because of the violation, an arrest will not be made. But if they're observed, and we do have officers out looking during their regular patrol, they are looking for these type of violations, and the arrests are being made. In terms of the foot patrols on S.W. 8th Street, we recently employed that. We have foot patrols that are operating from 6:00 until 11:00 SW 8 Street. So, that is most recent and we would like to at some point in time, not only on SW 8 Street, but other areas in the City where we also have foot patrols to, increase that. I must say that in addition to the foot patrols, or the beat officers that we have put out, we have gone as far as to take those individuals that are operating in certain sections within the Police Department, such as Community Relations, such as the background investigators, such as the individuals that are in the administrative positions, we have gone as far as to take those individuals from their administrative work and put them on the street and three days of the week, patrolling on foot. So, in essence, these individuals that we are talking about having desk jobs are actually doing dual rotes. They are walking on the street as well as doing their administrative functions. 75 September 5, 1991 Commissioner De Yurre: Let me, Cesar, just mention something. Mr. Odio: It needs to be clarified. Commissioner De Yurre: We are talking about looking for eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) for PSAs? Mr. Odio: We are providing the same services in Coconut Grove that we are provide in Little Havana. The additional service that we providing in the Grove was a policy decision made ten, twelve years ago, that we would provide overtime officers during the week as to provide traffic control. Vice Mayor Plummer: Four hundred -and -fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) worth of overtime. Mr. Odio: No. A million dollars a year. Commissioner De Yurre: A million dollars a year? Mr. Odio: It's gone up to a million... Commissioner Alonso: So we are not providing the same service? Mr. Odio: No, that's what I am saying. Basic services... Commissioner Alonso: We are giving much more to Coconut Grove. Mr. Odio: So what I suggest is that we do take those officers we are paying overtime to handle traffic and distribute... put them to... Commissioner De Yurre: Either you divide them and put them in, you know, help out SW 8 Street or...? Mr. Odio: Or eliminate the traffic extra... that million dollars of traffic thing in the Grove. Commissioner De Yurre: Because let me tell you something, I think the traffic is the same whether you have police officers there or not. It's going to flow anyway, ever so slowly, but it will still continue. Mr. Odio: Let me tell you a story. I was caught up into a traffic jam one night there, and I suggested that we took all the barriers down the next week, and we tried an experiment and the traffic began to flow better. We had at that time, remember, we were blocking off streets... Commissioner De Yurre: Yes. Mr. Odio: ... and we discovered that by removing the barrier, the traffic flows better. Commissioner De Yurre: No, I need a helicopter to get to my home on weekends. Mr. Odio: I know. So I suggest that... maybe, that's what we need to look at, that we take that overtime off. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manager, Commissioner Alonso has a few questions and I'd like to open up for a few minutes. First of all, let me apologize. This meeting was originally called for nine o'clock for the sole purpose - unfortunately, we had to deal on an emergency basis with the other issue which took two hours of the morning which is greatly cutting us down as far as our time allocation is concerned. If I could, I would like to go to Commissioner Alonso for her questions and then open it up for some public input. Commissioner Alonso: Yes. I'll like to go over again one item, the fifty additional PSA or civilians, how much approximately will it cost the City of Miami? Mr. Odio: Eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000). Commissioner Alonso: OK. This is just a suggestion, I am not going to go into names, but a suggestion. The Chief said he will be able to put twenty- eight additional policemen on the streets if this is done, right? 76 September 5, 1991 Chief Calvin Ross: In time - I said, in time. Commissioner Alonso: All right. But we need to start now according to what you've been telling us. All right. I'll like to make this suggestion. I have heard over and over again that some members of this Commission are receiving police protection twenty-four hours a day. That it costs the taxpayers over three hundred -and -fifty thousand dollars. If that in fact is true, I would suggest that we stop immediately doing that and protect the general public, the citizens of Miami first of all and then, we address the particular needs that we might have. I think... it seems to me that it is much more important, the general public, than one member of this Commission. And I suggest that the City Manager work with the Chief on this matter to correct this if necessary. And I can see that right there we will have fourteen Police Officers on the streets and we will be able hire at least twenty-five additional PSAs. This is my suggestion and I would like if I need to move in a form of a motion, if you feel that I have to do so, I am ready to do so. You tell me Mr. Manager, if you need that I move, if I get a second and a third vote - we'll have it. If not, I leave it as such and you tell me what I have to do. Vice Mayor Plummer: No, this is not a formal Commission meeting in which that motion... in such a Commission meeting a formal motion... excuse me, in a formal session, that motion would be in order and at such time is of October there, excuse me, September 11th, you want to make such a motion, I think it would be in order. We are not here for a formal session. Commissioner Alonso: OK. But I think that it's important enough... Vice Mayor Plummer: You made your point. Commissioner Alonso: ... that the administration start looking at this right now because this is budget time, and I don't want any kind of excuses later on telling me, I think it's much more important, the general public, that one individual or five. Thank you. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Now, if we may, I would like to go and we are going to limit to two minutes any speakers - I once had a priest that told me you can't speak for more than two minutes without being repetitious. So, I am going to start with the ladies first. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: There, they are welcome. Commissioner Alonso: I was looking and I said, I'll have a problem. Vice Mayor Plummer: Annette Eisenberg. She will be extremely difficult. Have you got the clock on? And excuse me, I am going to hold you to the two minutes. OK? Turn on the clock. Ms. Annette Eisenberg: Wait a minute. Vice Mayor Plummer: Annette. Ms. Eisenberg: OK. Vice Mayor Plummer: Do the best you can. Ms. Eisenberg: I'll try. My name is Annette Eisenberg, and I am not here to criticize the Police Department in their police work. I am here to criticize our Media Relations Department in their necessity for having the media every time they come to the northeast section which is destroying us. Chief, if I had to depend on the number of people to come into our store which has been there for forty years - the only electronic repair business on Biscayne Boulevard, we have a good reputation, we have the reputation the City doesn't, I would be eligible for food stamps. I talk for my neighbors next door who are going to let the bank take back their building, they can't survive, nobody will come there. I speak for David's cafeteria which is vacant now, and when he closed he said, the media and the Police Department's publicity about every time they come and they raid is killing them. I am not criticizing the police and not telling them to stop your raids, but for God sake, do we have to have the pretty faces on media, on TV? Now, we have been told by your Media Relations Department that they have to let the public know. What in they hell 77 September 5, 1991 do they have to let us know, just get out there and do your job. Stop the police officers who don't start working until the media gets there. And I think everyone of you know who I am talking to. Sometimes I wonder if there is a lieutenant that runs the Police Department or the Police Chief, and the assistant Chiefs. The Mayor said, that you don't to notify the media before you do anything. Don't come to me for occupational taxes or certificate of occupancies, or what have you... Vice Mayor Plummer: Ten seconds. Ms. Eisenberg: ... until you create a better environment in our neighborhood. Vice Mayor Plummer: Thank you Annette. The next speaker is Florentino Perez. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: A lady? - I will let... Vice Mayor Plummer: Did you put one of these in? Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: I was told that I did not need one. Vice Mayor Plummer: I would appreciate it if you would, please. Fill out one. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Oh, I'm sorry. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Perez, two minutes sir. Mr. Florentino Perez: I will let my time to Elio Rojas. Vice Mayor Plummer: All right, sir. Mr. Rojas, you have two minutes, sir. Mr. Elio Rojas: My name is Elio Rojas, I am for the Latin Quarter Association. On behalf of the Latin Quarter Association, I want to announce the ... I am very surprised with the video we just saw a couple hours... about an hour ago. They don't even mention the Little Havana. Even in Calle Ocho, I saw the foot patrol. I am the glad that the Chief just announced it, he is starting with the foot patrol today between six and eleven which was required of him about a couple of week ago. Thank you, Chief. This is between Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But I also request him if it's possible to make that for us, the horse patrol. We have a horse patrol Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but most of the Thursday they don't go because they take it to some place else. Unfortunately, we needed another service, the foot patrol from Thursday to Friday, but the horse patrol should be seven days a week, seven days a week. That's what we would like to see because we really need it in the area and we pointed it to him once, personally, he was in my office with Arnold Gibbs, Ivan Fernandes, and I was very pleased with it then because the meeting went very successful, Luis Sabines appeared in the meeting because we have a very, very bad situation on 15th Avenue and 8th Street. And they came and they promised us, finally, they appoint... will start with their foot patrol, and Mr. Vice Mayor, please, can I use Florentino's couple of minutes? Vice Mayor Plummer: Well, let me come back to you if I have it, if we have extra time, all right? Mr. Rojas: OK. Thank you. Vice Mayor Plummer: Ernestina Rosen and Vivian Valcarce. Ms. Ernestina Rosen: I am Ms. Rosen. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Ms. Rosen: I am sorry that I only have three minutes, but if that's all I can have, that's all I can have. I am representing a block... I am representing the filth block of NW 29 Terrace. We have had a lot of criminal action on that one block for the last... Vice Mayor Plummer: That's your place of business? Ms. Rosen: ... for the last five years. I have rental property there. And there is a house in that block that is operating by selling cracks and 78 September 5, 1991 i a � stealing things and all. The first of this month in desperation, the people on that block asked me to please, we have to do something we cannot live here in peace any more. We are being vandalized, even bodily injured. So in desperation I went to see our Chief of Police. I didn't think he will be able to see me - who am I? This man here opened his office and he says "you come here and tell me what is it that's bothering you." And I sat down with him and his assistant and he wrote everything down that I told him - he was not too busy, and he said, I promise you that if I cannot solve the problem, I will help you. And this Chief, God bless him, I wished you knew him, I don't know him. One interview with him, I know what kind of a man he is. The following day he sent his men. He sent someone in there to check - an informant... Vice Mayor Plummer: I don't know if we are going to have time. Ms. Rosen: ... he caught them selling crack, he caught them selling drugs, he caught them in the house where they lived with stolen merchandise. They have this high explosive thing that they had... Vice Mayor Plummer: You have ten seconds left. Ms. Rosen: ... they were missing from the Port of Miami, they were looking all over the City for this explosive thing and this man with these men, discovered in this property. My question is, this man cannot stop crime. This man is so frustrated, he keeps on arresting these people, they keep on going to the judge, the judge keeps on saying there is nothing we can do, we don't have enough jails. He doesn't need more men, he doesn't need more money, he needs somebody to make more jails to put these criminals in. If we have money... Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. We've already addressed that problem by Commissioner De Yurre. Ms. Rosen: If we have money for all these things, we've got to find money to make concentration camps and put all these .people in those camps, do something. Mr. Odio: I agree with you. Ms. Rosen: No, look... Vice Mayor Plummer: All right, the next speaker is Nevin Eisenberg. Ms. Vivian Valcarce: Excuse me, I am Vivian Valcarce, I believe you called me prior, Commissioner Plummer. Vice Mayor Plummer: I'm sorry? Ms. Valcarce: I am Vivian Valcarce, I believe you called my name prior. Vice Mayor Plummer: Or, I thought you two were together. Ms. Valcarce: No. I am a property owner on the same block, and I have tenants who live there, who are bodily harmed as well - same story. Vice Mayor Plummer: Be as brief as you can. Ms. Valcarce: They found radioactive material - I contacted the State Attorney's Office. I was notified that there was nothing they could do because they were not judges, they did not put people in jail. I can't find a solution and I have a very critical situation there. I've spoken to each and every one of you Commissioners, except for Ms. Alonso who was too busy to respond to my telephone calls, or to see me personally. But I'd like to know where do I go after this. I have tenants... Vice Mayor Plummer: I would say that you go directly to the City Manager who in turn will go directly to the Chief. Ms. Valcarce: I have seen the Chief. Vice Mayor Plummer: If it's hazardous duty it might be Metropolitan Dade County, they are the officers of DERM (Department of Environmental Resources Management). 79 September 5, 1991 f Ms. Valcarce: I would like to see if we can get something done. It's a decent neighborhood with hard working people and their children are being harassed. Vice Mayor Plummer: You come see the City Manager and in turn he can direct you. Ms. Valcarce: Thank you. Commissioner De Yurre: You know, J.L., I think a lot of the issues that we are talking about - because her problem is that there have been arrests made on that block, and the people came back out again, and it's a process kind of thing. Ms. Valcarce: It's... Commissioner De Yurre: With the Nuisance Abatement Board, a lot of these things ware going to be addressed, and we will have an additional tool to say - one, to determine that this locale is a nuisance, then we can actually move in and do away with it. Ms. Valcarce: We've had sixteen arrests there. Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Commissioner De Yurre: That constitutes a nuisance I would figure. Vice Mayor Plummer: Nevin Eisenberg. Mr. Nevin Eisenberg: I am Nevin Eisenberg, a member of the Dade County Mother's Against Drunk Driving Advisory Board, and I am here to speak about DUI(driving under the influence) Enforcement. DUI Enforcement is very time consuming and expensive. I am proposing that we adopt a team or task force approach. The City has eight drug recognition experts, or DREs. I am suggesting that they be placed in teams of two and work with a specific number of patrol officers. The way in which it would work is that they would be deployed, that most of them be deployed on the busier nights for drunk driving and the fewer teams deployed on the leaner nights. That the DREs act as a technical expert for the patrol officers. Say, the patrol officer pulls over somebody they suspect DUI, they call the DRE in, or they have the DRE meet them at the substation and do the testing, the video work, and the paper work. That way, it's done by someone who is technically an expert... it also puts that patrol officer back on the street in twenty or thirty minutes instead of two to four hours. The DRE should be able to process a DUI arrest within an hour and -a -half, where an inexperienced or less experienced officer can take up to four hours depending upon the availability of equipment and such. Regardless, what we are asking here is to take what you already have and use it more efficiently. We also have contacted some of the County Court judges and they are willing to work with the concept of these officers having specific court days. That way when an arrest is made, the team members have a specific day that that is to be assessed as their day... Vice Mayor Plummer: Ten seconds. Mr. Eisenberg: ... to be on court. Any continuances would be the same way. This proposal I believe, will reduce cost, reduce overtime, improve efficiency and save lives. Vice Mayor Plummer: Thank you. Mr. Eisenberg: Thank you, very much. Vice Mayor Plummer: Mr. Manuel Gonzalez. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: represent... Vice Mayor Plummer: come back. Good afternoon. I beg four minutes because I also I'll give you two and if we have two left over, you can 80 September 5, 1991 Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: I represent also Citizens United Against Police Brutality. I would like to answer first... Vice Mayor Plummer: I'll tell you what. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Yes. Vice Mayor Plummer: You step aside, we'll leave you to the last, and I'll try to give you four minutes. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: No problem. Vice Mayor Plummer: John Brennan. Mr. John A. Brennan: My name is John A. Brennan, 2336 Swanson Avenue. During the last twenty years that I have lived at this particular address, my house has been burglarized at least eight times, and that's not counting the lawn mowers and wheel barrows that are in the back last year that disappeared. Four of those times were in the last two years. During those times, the police officers that came out were less than enthusiastic about the total job. On one case they dumped... the robber dumped a jewel box of miscellaneous unimportant pins on my bed. They left a little white envelope... the burglar left a little white envelope among them - he was taking a little hit I guess, the officer didn't even see it. On two occasions fingerprints were taken - I saw a nice video of fingerprints. No one ever called me about fingerprints, that they had ever found anybody, or that the finger prints represented anybody from here to Alaska. During this time, we had a trip from one of your PR(public relations) men on the rewards we get when you engrave your telephone number... not your telephone number, but your driver's licence number on your equipment around the house - everything in my house has got my driver's licence number on it, including a set of tools that I carried from Rhode Island in 1953, that I considered quite valuable to me - not in dollars. Vice Mayor Plummer: Ten seconds. Mr. Brennan: They did not find any of those tools. My insurance company told me that I would have to get a burglar alarm system if I was going to keep insurance in my house. When I got a burglar alarm system and it went off, the burglar alarm people call the City of Miami Police Department, and the Police Department said, and I quote, "we are not going out there because he didn't file a permit" - no, I am not happy J.L., and that's only about a quarter of the story. Vice Mayor Plummer: Doris Sheer. Ms. Doris Sheer: Good afternoon. My name is Doris Sheer, I live at 1840 Coral Gate Drive in the City of Miami. My family has manufactured clothing _ since 1963 on NW 26 Street and 3rd Avenue. I am here on behalf of a newly formed organization - The Fashion District... Free Zone District Association. We have had two meetings so far, Major Mary Stair of the Police Department took the heat at the first meeting and she for us, took the heat at the second meeting. Whatever they did, we don't know how they did it, but we haven't had an air conditioner ripped off in three weeks which is amazing in our area. When it comes to discussing the little golf carts riding around our neighborhood in the middle of the night, I think that you will find a lot of people very unhappy because we were told that it would cost us five hundred dollars ($500) a piece. Now, to get it to a person who has four, or five, or six, or possibly, twenty lofts in the neighborhood and say, they are going to have to pay that type of thing, to if someone comes up there without a gun is a little bit ludicrous in our industrial area. However, while sitting here not wanting to complain, we want to thank the police for whatever they have done and hope they can keep it up. I have thought of a few suggestion which may or may not fly. What we can do to help. The first thing is zoning. If we can keep certain types of businesses out of areas such as ours, like the salvage business and the rag business, they might not draw the type of people into the neighborhood that do create these problems. Now, I'm not saying... we can't say they can't have these businesses, put it through by special exception. Vice Mayor Plummer: Ten seconds. 81 September 5, 1991 • Vice Mayor Plummer: Thank you. Commissioner De Yurre: J.L. Vice Mayor Plummer: Yes, sir. Commissioner De Yurre: I have to announce... I didn't expect that... I figured at least, we will be on a lunch break at this time. I have to be at a 1:30 hearing before Judge King as I am one of the plaintiffs on the district election, a districting process, so I am going to excuse myself at this point in time. AT THIS POINT, COMMISSIONER DE YURRE LEFT THE MEETING AT 1:10 P.M. (NO QUORUM PRESENT.) Vice Mayor Plummer: Ronald Walters. Two minutes, sir. Mr. Ronald Walters: Commissioners, how are you this afternoon. My name is Ronald Walters, I am the State president of the Alarm Association of Florida as well as a businessman here in Miami, and a former police officer with the City of Miami. You have a unique situation. I understand the requirement to put more police officers on the street, however, you have in possession probably the finest false alarm ordinance in the State. It's an ordinance that we point at regularly, I spend a lot of time travelling around the State, I've met with the Florida Association of Counties, the Florida League of Cities, again, we pointed at your ordinance as the model for other cities. It's an ordinance that pays for the police officers that are staffed there every year through the fines and through the permitting process, it pays not only for their salary, it pays for their entire benefits package, it's self- supporting and in fact, turns money back to your general fund each and every year for over twelve years now. You had two police officers in there, one of those has already been taken away you've been left with one. I ask you to look a little harder before you take the sworn police officers out of there. I've seen ordinances all over the State, probably fifty or sixty of them that don't work - yours is one of the few that does work, and it does so because you have police officers staffing it. It's a vital function. The abuse of the alarm privilege has to be a fining situation because of your calls for service, false alarms probably represent a good thirty percent of what you are sending police officers out on. Before you go and eliminate the police officers out of that unit, I encourage you to take a long hard look at it. The Alarm Association will be glad to work with you as well as the other alarm contractors in Dade County. Thank you. Vice Mayor Plummer: Thank you, sir. Marie Alvarez. Ms. Marie Alvarez: OK. Thank you. This shouldn't take over two minutes. OK. Well, I am very upset but this is a drug problem and - the address is 1165 NW 29 Terrace. There is a school half a block away, OK? - but that's immaterial. We have all these drug people, they sell drugs at this house. We have, I am pretty sure, and I can almost swear to, an informant in the station. Every time you make a phone call, they know about it. Mr. Enrique Cardenas has been in this business for about, Oh, I'd say about eight years. He drives a light blue car and a navy blue top, it's a fourcylinder Chevy, he has just been driving now about a couple of weeks, because his sons keep steeling cars, licence number 1-UF... Vice Mayor Plummer: Ma'am before you get yourself... Ms. Alvarez: All right, in trouble. Vice Mayor Plummer: ... in a slanderous liable position... Ms. Alvarez: I know, I could. Vice Mayor Plummer: May I suggest that you talk with Lieutenant Longueira and give these allegations to him rather than on the public record where you might be sued for making slanderous remarks. The other one there is Antonio Rodriguez, no? OK. Now, I am going to give two minutes to Mr... did you put in a...? Ms. Judy Clark: Yes, I did. Of course, I did. 83 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: I don't have it. Ms. Clark: It's there. If you saw Annette's name, you saw my name. Vice Mayor Plummer: All right, go ahead with your two minutes. I am sorry to have to limit people to two minutes, but we've got to. Ms. Clark: That's OK, two minutes is fine for me, I'll be brief. Judy Clark, 5930 N. Bayshore Drive. This has become a society of imagery. I must tell you that I resent today, seeing that video. In my opinion the media relations for any product should be just that, a product. In your case and the case of the Police Department, my feeling is that you've got to deliver. I don't see advertising in the newspaper, especially to the detriment of my neighborhood and my business - let me be specific. On the day that article appeared in the paper about the northeast section, I got a call from a client of mine - I sell real estate in the northeast section. I received a call from a client of mine who has been interested in investing in that area. For some time... I have been promoting him for some time. The day that article appeared, he called me up, refused to come on an appointment that we had. Now, I did not lose my client, simply because I am a very good broker. However, I am now selling him something on Miami Beach. The day that happened I called your department, Chief Ross, I was directed to your Media Relations Department, and I talked to some guy there, I can't remember his name. I'm going to tell you first of all, he was rude. Second of all, he told me that, that was what you all wanted to do, this was an important thing to advertise and to get the word out to the neighborhood. Let me tell you, I know everybody in that neighborhood, I've lived there for twenty-five years. If you want to get the word out to my neighborhood, you call me, or call Annette, or anybody else up in that neighborhood, we will help you get the word out. But don't put it in the paper, and especially don't put a big map in the paper that says, oop, here goes the northeast again, why, they've got a lot of crime problem, we're going to go up there and take care of it - thank you very much, the whole world knows about Biscayne Boulevard, thanks to public relations and media. Mr. Odio: Judy, are you complaining about the NEON program? Ms. Clark: I am complaining about advertising crime in the northeast. Vice Mayor Plummer: The article. Ms. Clark: There is an article that appeared in the paper with a map, for goodness sakes. Mr. Odio: Well, why don't you go and talk... tell Rachael Swans who wrote it. Ms. Clark: That was released from the media department, Odio. I'm sorry, I found out... Mr. Odio: Well... Ms. Clark: No, this is not just a problem with the Herald. Mr. Odio: We don't tell the Herald what to write. Ms. Clark: I went to the Herald too. You're not the only people I am complaining to. My problem is that I am trying to sell real estate and promote economic development in that neighborhood. How am I supposed to do that? I'll put it this way. I believe the police do a very good. I am delighted that you guys are in my neighborhood, and I think everybody in your department has been just super, but I don't need this advertisement. This is a negative impact on our neighborhood. It just simply doesn't work. I know you want a high profile, I agree with your concept, but when you put an article in the paper like that and you target a specific area, it poses nothing but problems for those of us that want to create good public relations and good media relations for that neighborhood. Vice Mayor Plummer: Your time is up. Ms. Clark: My time is up. I want one thing. I want to know who will respond to this problem and I want to know when? Thank you. 84 September 5, 1991 Vice Mayor Plummer: OK. Mr. Rojas, I am going to give you two additional minutes and the last speaker is Mr. Gonzalez. Mr. Rojas: OK. Let me continue with the situation we have, and this will be directed to the Chief and Arnold Gibbs. He promised me to finish the job but the job is not finished yet on 15th Avenue and 7th Street. Vice Mayor Plummer: Wait a minute. Chief Ross, the speaker is speaking to you, so I think you better listen. Mr. Rojas: Yes. Chief, that's directly to you and Arnold Gibbs, your assistant. The job is not finished, we still have the big problem on 7th Street and 8th... I mean, 15th Avenue and 7th Street, right on the corner. And also, on 8th Street and 15th Avenue, and it's not finished yet. And also, I will like to have the opportunity, I will like to be protected with Flagler Street. Flagler Street need the foot patrol between 8th Avenue to 14th Avenue. It's very bad over there. You can see it during the day time and the night time, the day time, it's terrible. It's the drugs there. I was there a couple of times in the day time and the night time, you can see it, it's just like we have the same problem in 7th Street and 15th Avenue. And also, I would like you please, to keep in mind, I need the horses. I need the horses on 8th Street, I would like to keep for seven days a week, we only have it for four days, and this is something that we would like it go on, on, on, all the way. Arnold, Chief, please, just listen because I will embarrass you, I will send you a letter, I will meet you with another meeting, because until I finish I will like to see the horses seven days a week, and the foot patrol in the night time to protect the area. We increase with the sidewalk cafes there and I will like to see the tourist to be safe. They go in the afternoon and they go in the evening time and they cannot even walk out to the car. We need the foot patrol over there in the area so the people enjoy what they are looking for. Vice Mayor Plummer: Thank you, sir. Mr. Rojas: Thank you. Vice Mayor Plummer: The final speaker. Commissioner Alonso: Excuse me. Mr. Rojas, I have sent, myself, four memos in reference to this issue that you are addressing here today. I've been working very closely with the Police Department. I have sent as I said, four memos in reference to this. It seems to me that the situation is getting worse every day. Vice Mayor Plummer: Final speaker of the day is Mr. Gonzalez who is afforded four minutes. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: Unfortunately, the Mayor is not here, and two other Commissioners are not here. Please, when you cite for a public hearing to invite the community to hear what the community has to say about police deployment - and we come here, and we, three, five individuals, it would be better for us to go to the dog track because if you go to the dog track this afternoon you will see a lot of people. But what happens, you come here, and this is a circus where the three main people don't even show up. This is important please, you, the way this is done is to tell the people, don't come here. Please, when you ask the people to come to give suggestions, make it easier for them and please, give us more time and opportunity. I will continue now. I have a great respect for the Chief of Police, but unfortunately, I as a person, as a member of this community, not only of one particular section, 15th Street or whatever, of the whole City of Miami, I demand respect from these Commissioners. I demand respect from the Mayor, that when 1 write him a letter, he should answer it. And this is where I am going to tie this up. The Mayor today, threatened me, telling me like if I were a little kid of five years old. "I am going to... there are plenty of policemen to arrest you here" - he should give the example. That's the problem here with the police that money and power is a great opportunity for abuse. And you people have the power and the money given by the citizens, and you forget that you cannot treat an individual and a member of this community, a decent person like the Mayor said to me today when I never said anything, I just tried to say something positive. Now, how many people from the community are here to hear us? How many police officers are here to arrest me today? - like he threatened me. I am telling the Mayor that I don't have to be 85 September 5, 1991 arrested because I have never committed a crime in this town. I am not a drug dealer. The crimes are some of the members of the police who have murdered an individual, a human being. We want, and I fully agree with the Chief of Police that we need... the basic thing is the cooperation of the citizens, but we are not given the opportunity to cooperate, because we are crying... I have been personally harassed, coerced, provoked and when I see a policeman - and I want to tell the Major that I am not afraid of policemen, and that I did not come to this country running away from communism. He should have stayed there in Cuba to defend and fight Fidel from within, not from without. Vice Mayor Plummer: You have ten seconds, sir. Mr. Gonzalez-Goenaga: And I end to please, that you, Commissioners, those three empty seats should give the example. And today, I feel that a crime has been committed, and a big threat by this Mayor. I again, demand respect. Vice Mayor Plummer: Thank you, sir. That winds it up. Let me say just for the record that this meeting was not really designed for a public hearing, but for a dialogue between the department and the City Commission, realizing that the most important factor of any department of this City is in fact, budget. And I think that if nothing more, that we maybe have opened some doors and some eyes. Mr. Manager, I would ask of you, through you, and I think for the benefit of the rest of this Commission, that this Commission be given on a monthly basis, a report from the department relating to deployment and what the Chief has - we know now what he has already accomplished, and we applaud him for that, and I think we need to keep informed of what is progressing and what is happening. I will ask the Mayor to once again to convene a meeting such as this at about a six month level so that we can address the issue not only of deployment, but whether or not there is to be needed a reallocation of dollars, and I think that is very very important. So, if I may and if there is no other questions, thank everybody... Chief, you wish to say something? Chief Calvin Ross: Yes, just one closing remark... Vice Mayor Plummer: Sure. Chief Calvin Ross: ... and that is, if you are suggesting that type of hearing or reviewing of deployment and staffing in the future, I would hope that our presentation that we put together to give you that view in the department will be given ample time so that we can give you a look at our staffing, and a lot of the questions and concerns that were addressed here that took up a lot of time could have been dealt with very quickly with our presentation. But I thank you for the time that you did give us. Vice Mayor Plummer: But Chief, as I said before, it was unfortunate that we did have another issue which was an emergency that had to be dealt with today. Chief Calvin Ross: That's understandable. Vice Mayor Plumper: And because of that, I think your invitation was also good, that each individual Commissioner can make themselves available of coming and seeing that presentation. I think really that the basis of it is, is that we didn't have a lot of time in which to address the budget situation which is right around the corner. So, I thank all of you for being here. 86 September 5, 1991 THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO CONE BEFORE THE CITY COMMISSION, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 1:27 P.M. — Xavier L. Suarez MAYOR ATTEST: Natty Hi rai CITY CLERK Walter J . Foeman ASSISTANT CITY CLERK (SEAL) INCOHP ORATE[) * 18 96 o� 87 September 5, 1991