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OF MEETING HELD ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1989 _
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90)
PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
CITY HALL
MATTY HIRAI
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INDEX
BUDGET `10RKSHOP
CITT COMMISSION OF NIAMIo FLORIDA
SEPTEMBER 11, 1989
ITEM
SUBJECT
LEGISLATION
PAGE
NO.
NO.
�1.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
11-3
FIRE DEPARTMENT
9/11/89
2.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
3-4
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
9/11/89
3.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
5-7
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
9/11/89
4.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
7-9
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTERS
9/11/89
S.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
9-10
OFFICE OF CABLE TELEVISION
9/11/89
6.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
11-12
DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
9/11/89
7.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
12-17
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND ZONING
9/11/89
S.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
17-26
b
DEPARTMENT OF SOLID WASTE
9/11/89
k
9.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90)
DISCUSSION
27-40
i
DISCUSSION: POLICE DEPARTMENT.
9/11/89
10.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
40-44,
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
9/11/89
11.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
44-50
-
SPORTS AND EXHIBITION AUTHORITY.
9/11/89
12.
BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION
50-52
CONFERENCE AND CONVENTIONS DEPARTMENT.
9/11/89
w
13. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90)
DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF PARKS,
RECREATION AND PUBLIC FACILITIES.
14. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION:
DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
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MINUTES OF CITY OF MIAMI 1989-90 FISCAL YEAR
CITY COMMISSION BUDGET WORKSHOP
On the llth day of September, 1989, the City Commission of Miami,
Florida, met at the Orange Bowl Athletic Club, Gate 12B, 1501 N. V. 3rd
Street, Miami, Florida, to review the 1989-90 Fiscal Year Budget.
The meeting was called to order at 9:03 a.m. by Commissioner Plummer
With the following members of the Commission found to be present:
Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr.
ABSENT: Vice Mayor Victor De Yurre
Commissioner Miller J. Dawkins
Commissioner M. Athalie Range
Mayor Xavier L. Suarez
ALSO PRESENT:
Cesar Odio, City Manager
Jorge L. Fernandez, City Attorney
Matty Hirai, City Clerk
Walter J. Foeman
NOTE FOR THE RECORD: The Police Department was called at this
time, but its representative was not present.
1. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: FIRE DEPARTMENT
Chief Duke: OK, we have 756 total employees, six seventy-two uniformed, 84
non uniformed, 12 appointed positions including myself, 14 district chiefs, 50
captains, 105 lieutenants. The Fire Department is funded from the general
fund, telephone franchise fees with special capital improvements projects
being funded by bond programs dating back to 1976. The most recent a $21
million dollar bond program put together in 1981. The total budget for the
department this year will be $45,197,000 plus approximately four and a half
million dollars set aside for capital improvement projects. Franchise fees of
approximately $2 million dollars of the forty-five, one ninety-seven. The
City of Miami Fire Department returned the City's revenues of $781,000 and is
projected that in 189 we will return revenues of 1.8 million dollars for a
total cost to the citizens of Miami of somewhere around $43,300,000. When I
compare the statistics of the Miami Fire Department with other departments of
our size throughout the United States, it appears we have less firemen per
capita, less engines per capita, and less fire loss annually per capita and
less fire deaths and injuries per capita. This year, the Miami Fire
Department to date has only one fire death and that is absolutely the first
time in recorded history of our fire department that that's happened. So,
hopefully, that will extend through the rest of the year and we're looking
forward to that holding up. Any specific questions, Commissioner?
Mr. Plummer: Why an 8 percent increase in your rescue?
Chief Duke: I'm sorry?
Mr. Plummer: You're showing an 8 percent increase in your rescue.
Chief Duke: Eighty percent increase in rescue. Chief Huddleston says that's
a pay increase.
Mr. Plummer: It's a what? Pay increase? It says personnel and maintenance f
and operating expenses.
1 September 11, J0$9
Chief Dukes 'The only increases that any where in our structure that we have
asked for is for some training for the upcoming year is some drugs and
medicines. The rest of the increases for our department have occurred through
the budget process through negotiations with the unions.
Mr. Plummer: But at the present time, you don't have a contract?
Chief Duke: At the present time we have a...
Mr. Odio: Yes, we do. Yes, we do. The only part of the contract that we do
not have is the one on affirmative action. As far as the salary, yes you did
have a contract.
Mr. Plummer: Mano, are my numbers right that the average fireman is $55,000?
The average fireman costs the taxpayers $55,000.
Mr. Odio: Yes. It's about...
Mr. Plummer: I'm asking is that correct?
Mr. Odio: ... the same as police. Same as the policemen.
Chief Duke: That's pay plus fringes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: What?
Chief Duke: The salaries, plus fringes, yes.
Mr. Plummer: It's cost to the taxpayers is $55,000 per fireman.
Mr. Odio: Yes. Yes.
Mr. Plummer: You show in the rescue that only $796,247 are supported from the
general fund. Where does the rest of the money come from?
Chief Duke: OK, which page are we on, sir?
Mr. Plummer: One, four, three.
Mr. Manohar Surana: Franchise. Franchise.
Mr. Odio: The franchise fee. And the rescue fees.
Mr. Surana: Yes.
Chief Duke: That's the telephone franchise fees and some expenditures from
the bond program.
Mr. Plummer: Have you prepared a paper for the members of the Commission in
reference to minorities?
Chief Duke: We do that every regular Commission Meeting, sir, that we upgrade
that.
Mr. Plummer: I'm talking about for a total year ending September 30th.
Chief Duke: We will have. The document that we're proposing for the 14th
will.
N
Mr. Plummer: Well, I think every department... Mr. Manager, before we 'get up
here and have to go through it, every department should have a book or a page
showing for the last twelve months where they've come from and where they're'
going to and why.
Chief Duke: I've been required to do that through Commission action and every -
month you get a report on that.
Mr. Plummer: Yes, but that's a monthly report. I'm saying a cumulative for,
the-12 months and the rest of the departments have not been under that same
criteria.,
2 September
Chief Duke: We can do that.
Mr. Plummer: Is there anything that you asked for in your budget that you
didn't get that you thought was critical?
Chief Duke: Not to my knowledge.
Mr. Plummer: Next department.
Mr. Odio: We can do Solid Waste.
Mr. Plummer: Oh, thank you. I would suggest, Chief, that you stick around
for most of the morning or someone of your department in case another
Commissioner should show up and have further questions.
Chief Duke: We'll be here.
NOTE FOR THE RECORD: The Solid Waste Department was called at
this time, but its representative was not present.
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2. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: PLANNING DEPARTMENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Commissioner Range entered the meeting at
9:12 a.m.
Mr. Odio: Planning.
Mr. Plummer: Planning Department.
Mr. Sergio Rodriguez: Good morning. Basically, as a bottom line for the
presentation of the budget for the Planning Department, we...
Mr. Plummer: Sergio, I'm sorry, but I can't understand you. These speakers
in here are bad.
Mr. Rodriguez: What do you want me to do? Do you want me to - is that better
now?
Mr. Plummer: That's a little better.
Mr. Rodriguez: Let me try to keep it away.
Mr. Plummer: There's a hell of an echo in here.
Mr. Rodriguez: It's the echo, I think, that we're getting.
Mr. Plummer: Yes. All right, go ahead and maybe just talk a little slower.
Mr. Rodriguez: We had the same amount of money in the general fund that we
had last year, $1,631,000. The same amount of positions that we had last year
in the general fund. As you know, sir, we have been - because we go before
you quite often in presentations before the City Commission - most of the work
that we do relates around the comprehensive plan and what we do in zoning. We
serve all those boards that go before later on as a recommendation before the
City Commission and in addition to that, we make presentations before other
groups. In relation to the comprehensive plan, as you know we finished last
year. We're the only municipality in this area that was granted a compliance
status by the State Department of Community Affairs and, in addition to that,
as you know, we're going to go before the City Commission on the 28th of
September to implement the second part of the comprehensive plan that deals
3
specifically with the toning ordinance. In addition to that, we get involved
In other projects such as gathering of data and studies of the different areas
of the City. But I will say those will be the highlights of the department,
If you have any questions.
Mr. Plummer: Is it for a fact that each one of your employees costs the
taxpayers $57,000 a year?
Mr. Rodriguez: Basically that's what I submitted based on your question
before when you divide the personnel services by the number of employees
including...
Mr. Plummer: I don't know how else to do it.
Mr. Rodriguez: Well, that includes all the fringes and so on. Yes, that's
the amount.
Mr. Plummer: You know, that's a misnomer. What do you mean it includes --
sure, we know it includes the fringe. What it costs the taxpayer per
employee.
Mr. Rodriguez: That's if you...
Mr. Odio: Let me point out, Commissioner, that this department had had the
same budget for the last three years.
Mr. Plummer: You've done real good in generating revenues. How is the impact
fees going to affect your revenues?
Mr. Rodriguez: Basically, as you know, the impact fee - most of the money
that we collect - goes into the impact fee fund for capital improvements.
What we are doing with this is that one of the positions that we have of
people that work on the impact fee is paid by the impact fee money and in that
sense, the amount that we are getting out of that is, I believe, approximately
about $50,000.
R
Mr. Plummer: Ms. Range, do you have any questions?
Ms. Range: Not at this moment...
Mr. Rodriguez: I'm sorry, I cannot hear you.
Mr. Plummer: You're just a few minutes late. No, she said she has no further
questions.
Ms. Range: Yes. No, I have no further questions at this time.
Mr. Plummer: Sit down.
Mr. Rodriguez: Thank you very much.
Mr. Odio: Police.
Mr. Plummer: No, let Police wait. He didn't show up on time, let him wait.
..--_�..�._ ----------------- ------------------- ---------- _--------
3. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Plummer: Community Development, department of "botellas."
Mr. Frank Castaneda: Good morning, Commissioners.
Mr. Plummer: Morning. Department of Community Development is page 153.
Mr. Odio: Before he says anything, I want to point that this is the first
year that CD will be funded entirely by community development funds and not
one dollar of contribution from general fund. Up to now, we have been
contributing up to a million dollars a year and this is the first year where
they're going to zero.
Mr. Plummer: Go ahead, Frank.
Mr. Castaneda: Commissioners, one of the things that we've accomplished this
year is the initiation of the construction of the Civic Park Plaza Building
that was a UDAG that was received last year. That building is under
construction. That building is about three blocks from our building. It's an
office building that will be going in the civic center. The Haitian Iron
market is also under construction and will be completed by September. We are
also in charge of the monitoring of the two UDAGs for Overtown/Park West and
we're monitoring for the Davis -Bacon compliance in the two projects and those
two projects are very well under construction. Also the completion of the
first family shelter in the Miami area will be dedicated next Friday, I mean,
next Thursday. This project is also under construction. This money was
obtained from the homeless money that was received from the federal
government. We are also finishing the renovation of the Artime Theater. The
opening will be on October the 1st and if you have gone by there, you would
see very good quality work for the completion of that theater. One of the
things that we're trying to do is to make that theater a lot more productive
and also more self sufficient and we will be going back to the Commission in
October asking for a different fee structure for the Artime Theater somewhat
similar to the ones in parks in which you charge a percentage of ticket sales
and also included the rental of parking spaces for events there. Our
department, I'm very proud, operated exceedingly well in times of crisis we
were very much involved in the Nicaraguan crisis, in the homeless operation of
Beckham Hall. We still have staff involved there and the operation to put job
satellites office after the civil disturbances in...
Mr. Plummer: All right, knock it off. You know, everybody is going to toot
their horn. We don't need to hear that. Did you prepare a sheet on
minorities for the past 12 months?
Mr. Castaneda: The minority com...
Mr. Plummer: No, no, did you prepare a paper?
Mr. Castaneda: I was not asked to, but...
Mr. Plummer: I've been here 19 years and every year this is a question.
Mr. Odio: We have that for every department, Commissioner.
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC HEARING.
Mr. Odio: We have it summarized by departments.
Mr. Plummer: I'm talking individually.
Mr. Odio: Yes, we have that because Hattie Daniels have that for each
department.
Mr. Plummer: Well, I think that each department head, when he makes his
presentation, ought to present it so that the questions can be asked.
5
September 11, 1909.—
IF
Mr. Castaneda: I don't have an official paper, but I have it here. We are 66
percent Latin, 7 percent Anglo, 27 percent Black. We are 39 percent male and
61 percent female.
Mr. Plummer: Ninety-four percent "botellas" and 6 percent do the pork. Do
you have any questions, Ms. Range?
Mr. Odio: We haven't hired anyone for the last four years, so that - they're
yours.
Ms. Range: Where is this teenage theater located?
Mr. Castaneda: I'm sorry?
Ms. Range: Where is the teenage theater located?
Mr. Castaneda: No, it's a performing arts theater, is located at 900 S.W. 1st
Street. It's at the Little Havana Community Center and it was an old church
that has been renovated for theater activity. It will have the biggest
dancing stage in the South Florida area.
Ms. Range: This theater is located at 900 S.W. 1st Street?
Mr. Castaneda: That's correct.
Ms. Range: So that means that it is really not accessible to the entire City.
Do you have anything comparable to this in any other section of Miami?
Mr. Castaneda: No, Commissioner.
Ms. Range: Do you have any plans for bringing this kind of activity to the
inner -City?
Mr. Castaneda: Well, Commissioners, what historically happened was that the
City of Miami had the responsibility of operating a social service center in
the Little Havana area and the County had the responsibility to do it in the
other target areas. The County has the Wynwood Community Center, the one in
Model City and one in Allapattah and so forth and basically the one that the
City bought was only in the Little Havana and that was about twelve years ago
and we kept renovating it and so forth.
Ms. Range: I see. Are you saying that the County has the responsibility for
City activities in the northwest section?
Mr. Castaneda: No, that's not necessarily what I'm saying. What I'm saying
is that about twelve years ago the deal was that the County was going to do
some community centers and the City was going to do one and that was in Little
Havana.
Ms. -Range: Mr. Manager, what about the summer activities in the greater
northwest section and the inner -City that would be comparable?
Mr. Odio: Well, we've been doing - any activities have been at the Caleb
Center. When we got community development funds from the federal government,
it was with the idea that we would have one in Artime and Caleb Center. We do
not have another facility in the inner -City. Now, we are going to have a
youth center built, hopefully, this year, which could have a stage at Gibson
Park.
Ms. Range: Gibson Park. You have that on the drawing board that you're going
to do something?
Mr. Odio: We had a meeting with the Miami Heat on Friday and they have
confirmed that they will go ahead and build the facility at Gibson Park.
Ms. Range: And that will be comparable to this?
Mr. Odio: No, ma'am, it will not be a theater, but it would have facilities
to set up a stage and, you know, a small dance performance and so forth, but
it will not be... this facility we have in 1st Street was there, it was built,
it was an old church.
6 September 11, 1989
Mr. Plummer: Riverside Baptist.
Mr. Odio: That was converted into a theater.
Ms. Range: Yes, I know the building.
Mr. Odio: Right.
Ms. Range: Uh huh. And are you saying that in the other areas - you see over
in the inner -City where facilities, as we all know, are far fewer than they
are in other sections of the City of Miami - the need over there is very
great. And to bring just a makeshift to the Gibson Park, of course, it was my
opinion before I was called back to the Commission that Heat, that's the
basketball facility, would be building or doing something permanent over
there. Now, when it goes to build or do this facility at Gibson Park, that is
not going to be a permanent fixture, is it?
Mr. Odio: No, it will not be a theater, no, ma'am.
Ms. Ranges Is the deal still on with the Heat to do something permanent in
the predominantly black area of Miami?
Mr. Odio: No, no, the facility they are going to built is a permanent
facility, but it's not a permanent theater.
Ms. Range: Not a permanent theater.
Mr. Odio: But it is a facility where you can have portable staging set up in
the gym or the big gym they're going to have so to have this kind.
Ms. Range: All right, and do you have any idea as to when that might get
underway?
Mr. Odio: As soon as the drawings are delivered to them, I believe it's next
week or so, it will take approximately 18 months to build.
Ms. Range: It will take 18 months.
Mr. Castaneda: Right, and the City of Miami is also working with the Black
Archives and the Department of Development in developing the Lyric Theater in
Overtown.
Ms. Range: Yes, yes. All right, thank you.
Mr. Plummer: Further questions? Thank you, Frank.
Mr. Castaneda: Thank you.
4. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTERS
Mr. Plummer: Computers. Computers.
Mr. Carlos Smith: Good morning. The budget for the Department of Computers
is $4,676,597 which is 17 percent less than current fiscal year. The
objectives for this coming year for the department are, number one, to install
the Moore Personnel Payroll System for the first payroll in 1990, to install
the Moore Accounts Receivable System by March, 1990, to assist building and
zoning in the acquisition? and installation of a permits and violations
system, to develop, together with the Police Department, a Police Management
Information Systems, to complete installation of the Citywide electronic mail
system and to assist in the installation of both the hardware and the software
for the geographic information system.
Mr. Plummer: Carlos, when we bought the new computers, the one thing that I
demanded and the Manager agreed to, we would get some independent agency to
come in here and find out how much actual garbage we've got in those
computers. Has anything been done on that?
7 September 11, 1989
Mr. Smith: No, nothing has been done on that.
Mr. Plummer: When are we going to do it?
Mr. Smith: Basically, our first objective has been to install the Moore
systems so we have not really...
Mr. Plummer: Are the new systems in and operating?
Mr. Smith: No, the system will be operational the first payroll in 1990.
Mr. Odio: You mean the new computer.
Mr. Plummer: Are the new com...
Mr. Smith: Oh, the computer is on, yes. Yes, it has been installed.
Mr. Plummer: All right.
Mr. Smith: For your knowledge, the response time on the new computer has -
the response time has dropped by 50 percent since the new computer was
installed.
Mr. Plummer: But, my question is, in the so called security mode of the
Police Department, using that as example, where the confidentiality that is
required in that area, when we found out that they've got payroll and
everything else in there that's not needed in a confidential mode, a great
number of it could have either been eliminated or, in fact, could have been
switched over to the other mode. What are we, are... Mr. Manager...
Mr. Smith: Commissioner, as you know, we've bought two machines. It's a
split machine. We run one machine as production which means everything that
is production, payroll, finances, police, is in one machine now. We have
security on that machine so that only certain people can access certain
information on the machine.
Mr. Plummer: But payroll of a Police Department is not confidential.
Mr. Smith: That is correct.
Mr. Plummer: OK, and that's what I was trying to get at. How much garbage do
we have in these machines that is totally unnecessary that we don't need? You
know, you keep buying more and bigger computers and I question that we have a
lot of data in there that is totally useless, of no value whatsoever and as
long as that stays in there, the need is going to continue to grow for more
and bigger machines. Now, we had an agreement, I thought, Mr. Manager, that
you were going to bring somebody in there that's going to do an analysis to
get some of that garbage out of there.
Mr. Odio: Well, but remember that they were put under a deadline that and
their budget was approved on every month because they had to finish the Moore
Systems and it's just that they haven't had time to...
Mr. Plummer: Because they were goofing off.
Mr. Odio: No, they weren't. But now that the new computers are in, and
they're great, I went to see them at the Police Department and the capacity is
50 percent more. Is that correct?
Mr. Smith: That is correct.
Mr. Plummer: You got more than 50 percent capacity if you got that garbage
out of there, you'd have 80 percent.
Mr. Odio: When can we check on the garbage?
Mr. Smith: We can check probably the first quarter of 1990, starting the
first quarter of 1990.
Mr. Plummer: I think it's very, very important. Ms. Range?
Me. Range: I have no questions.
8
September 11, 1989-
�-1
Mr. Odio: Pere... Angela Bellamy.
Mr. Plummer: I intentionally skipped that.
Mr. Odio: OK.
Mr. Plummer: Also Cable wait a minute. Am I correct that the average
employee of the Computer Department is $63,295?
Mr. Smith: That's correct.
Mr. Plummer: That's ridiculous.
Mr. Smith: You have to realize, also, that the Computer Department has very
minimal turnover and at least half of them...
Mr. Plummer: Not the point. Sixty-three thousand dollars per employee.
Mr. Smith: I understand, that includes fringe benefits also and...
Mr. Odio: Excuse me, don't say that again.
Mr. Plummer: Hey, if I hear that one more time, it's dollars out of taxpayers
pockets. Now, to me, at this point, you're the high man and you're the one
I'm going to go after in budget, OK? In the budget hearings.
Mr. Odio: Well, let me point this out. The budget for the Computers
Department in 1986 was $5,726,000; in 1990, with all the increases that have
been negotiated through the union, it's four million, sixty seventy-six. So,
it's almost a million dollars less including inflation, including cost
increases...
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager, you just started.
Mr. Odio: So, you can point out anything you want but, Commissioner, but I...
Mr. Plummer: You just started.
Mr. Odio: OK.
Mr. Plummer: OK, sixty-three thousand per employee is just too much money.
Mr. Odio: Right, and we have also reduced the number of people there from
seventy some people in 1986 to fifty-eight.
5. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: OFFICE OF CABLE TELEVISION
Mr. Plummer: Cable, one forty-one. You know, I thought the answer you would
have given me on the computers was high tech people and yet the Cable people,
who are not high tech people, the average salary is sixty-two thousand seven,
the average cost.
Mr. Smith: Well, Commissioner, you... well...
Mr. Plummer: Go ahead, Sue.
Mr. Smith: Go ahead.
Ms. Sue Smoller: Thanks. Commissioners, first of all, I'd like to give you
real quick highlights of FY 188-89 and where we're going in 190. Complaints
were reduced 42 percent from the previous fiscal year. Although at the same
time, there was a 30 percent increase in subscribers to the Cable Company.
There were a number of regulatory issues that had been outstanding for
sometime that have been resolved including the filing of certified annual
financial reports. I think the most significant improvement is the service
improvements that were through I -Net applications and the cost savings that
were realized. The complete conversion of the City data network from Southern
W
9 September 11, 1989
bell to the I -Net which connects City locations with the main frame, some 60
locations, was completed. Also, we developed and tested the E-Mail System
using the I -Net to link computers in City offices. This past fiscal year, a
savings of over $250,000 will be realized from this conversion and the
projection in 189-90 is over $500,000 in cost savings that, otherwise, would
have gone to Southern Bell, which is significant. We also developed the City
View Program project and provided communications services for the Grand Prix,
Orange Parade, and Budweiser Challenge. In the next fiscal year again, we
will be concentrating on the I -Net, the implementation of the electronic mail
network, the GIS System will be on I -Net and, again, we project a savings...
the fire alarm system for the Fire Department - again, we project a savings of
about $500,000.
Mr. Plummer: Are there any questions of Cable? Thank you, Sue.
Me. Smoller: OK.
Mr. Plummer: Wait, you got questions?
NOTE FOR THE RECORD: Vice Mayor De Yurre entered the meeting at
9:30 a.m.
Mr. De Yurre: I've been getting a lot of complaints in the last few weeks
that people call in to get service to get installation and it takes an
extended period of time to get that service. What's the story with that?
Ms. Smoller: We have also received the same complaints in the last two weeks.
And have scheduled a meeting with the Cable Company to review the situation.
The ordinance requires all installations to be completed within 30 days of a
request for service, so our enforcement is hinged upon that provision in the
ordinance. But we're doing everything in our powers of suasion to get the
Cable Company to complete them faster. My understanding is that they have
reached their budget as far as hiring outside contractors. I think that is
just too bad. They have an obligation to provide service in a reasonable
amount of time and 30 days is just pushing it to the max, I think.
Mr. De Yurre: When does their year end? Their year end?
Ms. Smoller: Their fiscal year end is December 31st.
Mr. De Yurre: So you tell me that we have to wait three, four months now
before they get some more money?
Ms. Smoller: I think that they are - they have their allocations on a
quarterly basis and they've reached the limit of this particular quarter with
their new quarter starting in October.
Mr. De Yurre: Also, as far as repairs. My next door neighbor, it took them a
good week - no less than a week to get out there after they called repeatedly.
Ms. Smoller: Yes. It would be in that case, Commissioner De Yurre, if you
would notify us because we would start enforcement proceedings against the
cable company. Repairs are to be done in two days unless there's some sort of
act of God or extenuating circumstance.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, so then you're going to be meeting with them soon?
Ms. Smoller: That's right, to discuss the installation, this week. As a
matter of fact, yes.
Mr. De Yurre: This week. Well, can you follow up with me then on that
meeting?
Me. Smoller: I certainly will, I'll be glad to.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, thank you.
Mr. Plummer: Further questions?
10
IF
NNW
6. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
--- ------------- ---- -.._... ---------- M-..._.-------- ------
Mr. Plummer: Personnel Management. Page 85.
Ms. Angela Bellamy: Good morning, Commissioners. The budget for the
Department of Personnel Management is exactly the same as it was in this
fiscal year, approximately 1.7 million dollars. Our achievements this year
have been shared with - one of the major ones has been shared with the Police
Department.
Mr. Plummer: Angela, let me stop you. I'm not worried about what you've done
this year. This is budget for next year. What are you doing with your budget
for next year? What are you going to do with this year's budget which is what
we're talking about?
Ms. Bellamy: We have been working this year with analyzing the requirements
in terms of automating our Personnel Department. Next year we will go into
the implementation stage and we expect to have it fully implemented by March
of next year, 1990. What that means for the City is then instead of compiling
a lot of reports by hand, we will be a lot more efficient. We also expect to
be more of a service to City employees by way of having them come in and
complete information by computer so we'll be more efficient for the City.
We'll be able to give you reports in a more efficient manner.
Mr. Plummer: What's it cost us today to process a person, from the time they
apply to the Police Department till the time they get in the academy?
Mr. Odio: The total cost in a year is $81,134.
Mr. Plummer: That doesn't tell me anything.
Mr. Odio: So if you had a thousand ap...
Mr. Plummer: We were costing around $2,600 per applicant, from the time he...
Mr. Odio: That's about right.
Mr. Plummer: What are we doing to reduce that cost and the time frame,
especially?
Ms. Bellamy: Well...
Mr. Odio: Well, the department has gone down from - in 186 we had some forty
some employees, they are down to twenty-eight. So...
Mr. Plummer: I don't need excuses.
Mr. Odio: It's not excuse, it's a fact.
Mr. Plummer: It is an excuse.
Mr. Odio: It's the fact we're...
Mr. Plummer: What are we doing to reduce the cost and reduce the time?
Mr. Odio: We reduce the personnel in the department from 40 to 28.
Mr. Plummer: So, you're telling me then we're not reducing the time.
Mr. Odio: The budget...
Ms. Bellamy: No. Commissioner, in terms of time, we have reduced that
considerably for police officer in the past, we have had testing only two
administrations per year. We've speeded that up by giving two administrations
oar month and we've vigorously recruited police officers. You can see by our
efforts that we've speeded that up. We've also analyzed each step in the
selection process for police officer and I don't have the cost per step with
11 September 11, 1989-
r
me, but we do, we analyze that I have that and we've managed that to an extent
that it's cheaper than it was in the past. We also are looking at
implementing a brand new police officer examination. We expect to have that
completed by March of next year.
Mr. Plummer: How many PSAs do we have on payroll today?
Ms. Bellamy: We have 90 PSAs and we expect to have 100 on payroll...
Mr. Plummer: On payroll, they're working?
Ms. Bellamy: ... on payroll. And we will have one hundred by September 30th.
We have 1100 police officers and we will have 1114 by September 25th.
Mr. Plummer: When the Chief comes up, Chief, I want a breakdown of what those
100 PSAs are doing. Any other questions of Personnel Management? Victor, did
you get a copy of this? This is the breakdown so you can add - this is the
breakdown of minorities, both male/female and total so on any...
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
Mr. Plummer: He hasn't got one yet? There's no extra charge.
7. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND
ZONING
Mr. Plummer: Building and Zoning. Page 127.
Ms. Edith Fuentes: Good morning. Building and Zoning Department is
requesting a $5,028,502 budget for this coming fiscal year. It is an increase
of approximately of two hundred sixty-one thousand dollars, five hundred, two
hundred sixty-one, five hundred seventy dollars. Building and Zoning
Department, for this coming fiscal year, is going to concentrate on stepping
up code enforcement in an effort to meet the demands, not only of the public
but by the City as well, in implementing and coordinating a lot of code
enforcement throughout the City.
Mr.
Plummer:
How many inspectors do you have out for code enforcement?
{
Ms.
Fuentes:
Right now, we have 13 from Zoning and
five from Building.
i
Mr.
Plummer:
How many from Friday night at 5:00 to
Monday morning at 8:00?
Ms.
Fuentes:
Pardon, sir?
Mr.
Plummer:
How many from Friday afternoon at
5.00 o'clock till Monday
morning at 8:00 o'clock?
Ms.
Fuentes:
We have two inspectors that go on a rotating basis.
Mr.
Plummer:
On the weekend?
{
Ms.
Fuentes:
All weekends.
i
Mr.
Plummer:
That means one inspector?
Ms.
Fuentes:
Two, air.
Mr.
Plummer:
Two per weekend?
Ms.
Fuentes:
Yes, sir.
i
=+
Mr.
Plummer:
What are they doing?
i
Me.
Fuentes:
Friday afternoon complaints that are
received late are checked
the
following
Saturday morning and also they patrol
specific areas sweeping it
..
from north to
south and east to west.
A
12 September 11, 19$9,
Mr. Odio: Commissioner, we have a... I sent you a memo for a year we have
been studying with industrial engineering the use of inspectors in the City
and we are proposing, starting as soon as possible, we're doing it on a trial
basis now, we have moved I hope they have already - the Solid Waste .
inspectors into one code enforcement unit. What we're going to do is train
every inspector that only had one discipline before into more than one
discipline so that when they go and cite somebody for garbage on the street,
they can also look at zoning or mechanical or electrical while they... We're
going to start the training immediately, so that what we're saying is that we
can almost quadruplicate the inspectors by giving them another discipline and
training in other disciplines so that they're just not in one and we're going
to enforce that if you approve, right away. We're doing it right now on a
trial - the Solid Waste inspectors you got is five more, right?
Ms. Fuentes: Yes, sir, five.
Mr. De Yurre: But what does that do for the weekend?
Mr. Odio: The weekends, we're just starting the weekends all over again.
Ms. Fuentes: Right, we already have a weekend schedule up to December. What
we might have to do is...
Mr. De Yurre: Just the two inspectors you're talking about?
Ms. Fuentes: Yes, sir.
Mr. De Yurre: Can't we go into a system, you know, if you're inspecting
you're out there and I think you'd do the same job whether it's a Monday or
it's a Sunday when you're inspecting. Can't we go into a situation wherein
you take all the inspectors and they may, on a rotating basis, some may just
work weekends and split it up on a seven day week instead of a five day week
and get them all out there equally just as much on a Saturday as you do on a
Tuesday or a Wednesday.
Ms. Fuentes: Well, the truth is, 75-80 percent of inspections are done on
weekdays.
Mr. Plummer: That's the legal ones.
Ms. Fuentes: Yes, sir, legal truth.
Mr. Plummer: That's not what I'm concerned about.
Ms. Fuentes: And, basically, the weekend inspection is just to respond to
complaints like I said and for those illegal work being done without permits.
Mr. De Yurre: What are you telling me, that 75 percent of the inspections are
done on weekends?
Ms. Fuentes: Weekdays.
Mr. De Yurre: On weekdays.
Ms. Fuentes: Monday to Friday is when construction companies request for
inspections.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, I think that what we're looking at and I think that may
for a short while, at least, we have to make an impact on the weekends of all
the violations that happen that people wait for the weekend.
Ms. Fuentes: Well, we...
Mr. De Yurre: The overnight constructions companies.
Me. Fuentes: With the consolidation of inspections services that's being
proposed and will be presented before you, that will be one of the issues that
we will be addressing because that's going to be a combined inspection
services of both building and environmental inspectors. We will be increasing
the number of inspectors that do go out on weekends.
Mr. De Yurre: From what to what? -from two to what?
13 September 11, 1989,
Ms. Fuentea: From two to four, I would imagine two to four.
Mr. De Yurre: How many do you have on a daily basis, inspectors?
Ms. Fuentes: Forty-six.
Mr. Da Yurre: Forty-six?
Ms. Fuentes: Yes, sir.
Mr. De Yurre: So, 46 we go down to two?
Ms. Fuentes: Well, but the trade inspectors do not...
Mr. De Yurre: I'm talking about how many inspections do you have on a daily
basis Monday through Friday?
Ms. Fuentes: Including electrical, mechanical, climbing structure?
Mr. De Yurre: Well, whatever.
Ms. Fuentes: Because we do have two sets of code enforcement. One is
building, which is South Florida building code and the other one they're
environmental inspections which is zoning code.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, let's say building.
Ms. Fuentes: And, right now, what we're trying to do is consolidate some of
the functions so we could...
Mr. De Yurre: How many are building?
Ms. Fuentes: Forty-six less thirteen; that's about 33.
Mr. De Yurre: Thirty-three. Thirty-three and thirteen. So we go from 33 and
13 to two.
Ms. Fuentes: Yes, sir, on weekends.
Mr. De Yurre: Did they do - just billed the two inspectors on the weekend,
they just do building or they also do environmental?
Ms. Fuentes: No, mostly zoning and environmental inspections.
Mr. Plummer: Weekend warriors.
Mr. De Yurre: I think you might as well - as opposed to put two, you might as
well not put any. I don't think it has any impact just to have two out there,
if, when you think about it.
Ms. Fuentes: They do. As a matter of fact, we're receiving less and less
complaints on Fridays and Mondays now which is the heaviest, since we
instituted weekend inspections back in June.
Mr. Plummer: Send me a copy, if you would, to all of the Commissioners, of
the worksheets of the two inspectors that worked this last weekend.
Ms. Fuentes: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: We notice the Fire Department has, with pride, 5,783 code
violations they found in the little pockets that they're working on. Yet, I
only see 300 corrections. What's being done about that?
Ms. Fuentes: Is that the northeast sweep?
i Mr. Plummer: Yap.
Ms. Fuentes: Most of the 300 compliance that you saw is not up to date, at
this point. As a matter of fact, most of them have been corrected.
! i
lk septomber ll .:1p89 tljj9
a
LL
Mr. Plummer: That leaves about 50000 undone. What are we doing to bring
those into compliance?
Ms. Fuentes: As far as the zoning violations are concerned, building and
zoning, most of them we have filed and are pending before the Code Enforcement
Board. Others have...
Mr. Plummer: Five thousand?
Ms. Fuentes: No, three thousand something.
Mr. Plummer: OK, even 3,000. How often does the Code Enforcement Board meet?
Ms. Fuentes: Once a month. But if you will notice, the last few agendas of
the Code Enforcement Board, they had more compliance - let's say we're going
to file forty or fifty cases, thirty-five to forty of that will be complied
prior to the meeting date.
Mr. Plummer: If you have 3,500 that only takes a hundred meetings to get to
the last guy. And that's only one pocket of town.
Mo Fuentes: Not all of them will go before the Code Enforcement Board.
Mr. De Yurre: For your eighth reelection.
Mr. Plummer: Yes.
Mr. De Yurre: Around that time.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager, can we, under the state laws have more than one
Code Enforcement Board?
Mr. Jorge Fernandez: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: Should we seriously be considering having a number of other Code
Enforcement Boards? I mean, if we're going to... you know, if we're honest
about this thing and we want to bring this City into compliance, I think that
this Commission should instigate Code Enforcement Board "B," "C," "D,"
whatever is necessary, to bring these things into compliance. Let the people
know that we mean business.
Mr. De Yurre: What do they meet, once a month?
Ms. Fuentes: Every two weeks.
Mr. Plummer: You know, if you're having four boards or five boards...
Mr. De Yurre: That's a nonpaying board or is it a paying board?
Mr. Plummer: It's a nonpaying board.
Ms. Fuentes: Nonpaying.
Mr. De Yurre: Nonpaying. What do we need to do to make it a paying board
like zoning and planning? And maybe have, you know, for a year to have
meetings every week and see if we can expedite things. You know, we can
theorize all we want, but unless we find the mechanism to deal with the issue,
then we might as well forget about this whole thing.
Ms. Fuentes: The Code Enforcement Board was established by the Florida
Statutes, so I guess with Legal Department's guidance, we're going to have to
go through the states....
Mr. Plummer: Yes, but, Edith, what I'm saying, if the Code Enforcement Board
realistically can only handle 35 cases at a meeting, and you've got over 3,000
cases pending, to me, if you had five individual separate Code Enforcement
Boards that met, I think that it would say to these people, hey, you're not
going to get away with this. We're going to jerk you in right quick like and
we're going to start imposing fines. If I'm number 3001 and I know that no
fines are going to be imposed on me for nine or ten months, I'm not going to
comply until I'm forced to comply. Mr. City Manager - or City Attorney - I
would ask, and I can't speak for my colleagues, that you draft the necessary
15 September 11, 19$9
legislation for the City Commission to consider four additional Code
Enforcement Boards. We maybe only pant two or three but I think that we need
to get on with that job. I think it's one of the most crucial things that we
have and I think we ought to get about it. Any other further questions of...
Me. Ranges Ah, this...
Mr. Plummer: Ms. Range.
Mr. De Yurres Hold it. Would that - excuse me - go ahead.
Ms. Range: In bringing about these boards, now we're speaking of building and
zoning and it says all divisions. Is this all code enforcements complete?
Mr. Odio: Well, you have the office of the director. You have code
administration and you have inspection services...
Me. Fuentes: And hearing boards.
Mr. Odio: ...and the hearing boards under this budget. That's what I mean.
Ms. Range: All right.
Mr. De Yurre: Would this have any direct relation to the Unsafe Structures
Board that we have been discussing lately?
Mr. Odio: No, none whatsoever. We have requested from the county that they
meet the second day just for the City of Miami and we're going to test that...
Ms. Fuentes: We're work...
Mr. Odio: In the meantime, we're checking legislatively what it takes to
create our own enforcement board.
Mr. De Yurre: When are we going to know that? We spoke about this a year and
a half ago, we have some...
Ms. Fuentes: Right.
Mr. Odio: I mean our unsafe board. It has to go to Tallahassee, we know
that. So, I asked them to go ahead and proceed like if we were going to have
one, but in the meantime, we're trying the second meeting at the county.
Mr. De Yurre: Meanwhile.
Mr. Odio: Meanwhile.
Ms. Fuentes: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: Edith, let me bring to your attention, on Day Avenue the first
house on the north side of the street behind the community development
building would be in the 3700 block of Day Avenue. First house there has not
had running water, electricity, or nothing with a lot of people living in
there and approximately four weeks ago, we went in and found the guy that's
doing the purse snatching at the Metrorail across the street and the Police
Department took over 50 purses out of that house.
Ms. Fuentes: I believe we already have...
Mr. Odio: We have and with code 17b, one more time and they're gone. It
takes two incidents of criminal doing...
Ms. Fuentes: ... we already have something on that.
Mr. Plummer: That house needs to come down immediately. There's nothing in
there of any kind of amenity. Any further questions?
Mr. Plummer: Solid Waste. Page 133.
Mr. De Yurre: We also need to know the impact as far as creating these new
®: boards, you know, if we have like... if we're going to be like doing maybe
quadruple what we've been doing presently, how does that impact as far as our
16
September 11, 1989
0 0
manpower? Do we need additional employees to prepare that work or, you know,
how is that going to impact fiscally in this situation also?
----------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------------
8. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF SOLID WASTE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Joseph Ingraham: Good morning, the Department of Solid Waste for the
fiscal year 1989-90 proposed budget is indicative of approximately 5 percent
increase relative to proposed costs of living. That is it. We're talking
approximately $770,000 over the current budget which would be for a total of
$31,130,343. Relative to a delivery of services, we are beyond our current
level for next year projecting to provide approximately 2,374 units of
additional residential collection in the City of Miami and this is based on
the projections of new starts in constructions and development within the City
of Miami. We have also, in the course of this year, acquired 303 additional
new commercial accounts which will go into our services for next year.
Mr. Plummer: Are we breaking even?
Mr. Ingraham: We are not breaking even at the present time, Commissioner,
Plummer, but we're gaining ground.
Mr. Plummer: Joe, I'm going to tell you, once again, and it's budget...
Mr. Ingraham: In reference to commercial accounts.
Mr. Plummer: I'm telling you that these private, as well as some of the City
accounts, are not providing adequate containers. I can take you down the
street as I rode last night and you see these containers that are overflowing
with as much around the container as in the container. Now, I don't know what
we legally can do to enforce - I mean, I realize it's a bonanza for the
private sector that, you know, they would rather sell a bigger container
because they get more money but, Mr. City Attorney, what can we do to make
these people provide adequate bins that they're not doing today?
Mr. Fernandez: I believe that our ordinances already provide for regulation
of those. It would be a question of enforcement.
Mr. Ingraham: Not only that, we're in the midst of negotiating that
particular item and will be passing on information relative to the
Commissioner's question for new procedures to do exactly that. One of the
problems that we've encountered as it relates to that is when a private hauler
and his customer are in dispute over service. The City is moving to let them
know and we've set up some drafts and procedures that they have to notify us
within a timely time period making us aware that there is a dispute, wherein
we will step in and immediately place a fine on the customer in reference to
what's on the ground until they can work that out.
Mr. Plummer: What's immediate?
Mr. Ingraham: That as soon as we get...
Mr. Plummer: Is that 24 hours that the fine is imposed or 24 days?
Mr. Ingraham: It's 24 hours in reference to commercial accounts. The soon as
the private hauler lets us know that there is a problem, we will go out and
talk to the person and within 24 hours, if they haven't cleared it up, place a
fine on them and start the clock ticking until they work it out and take the
account over. There are some legal ramifications that we must clear with the
Law Department in working this out however as it relates to that and the
contract that they have.
Mr. Plummer: Joe, I've been on it for two years.
Mr. Ingraham: I know that, sir, and we're trying to rectify that particular
problem.
Me. Range: Mr. Ingraham, I note that you have a 5 percent increase in your
budget for 89-90.
17 September 11, 1989•-
0 0
Mr. Ingraham: Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Range: Do you mind telling me what you hope to accomplish with this and, .
at the same time, I recall your having come before the Commission some few
months ago stating that you did not have an assistant. Are you providing, in
this 5 percent increase for an assistant?
Mr. Ingraham: The answer to your latter question is, no, Commissioner Range,
at the present time we're not exploring any additional increases in the
personnel in the Department of Solid Waste. We project to continue things as
they are for the time being.
Ms. Range: How many people do you have employed?
Mr. Ingraham: Four hundred and sixty-two permanent employees with 99 daily
standby laborers that we use on an ongoing basis.
Ms. Range: And do you think your department can run adequately without any
assistants whatsoever as far as an assistant to yourself? I note that many of
the departments have 80 and 90 administrators, Mr. Manager, with assistants. —
And, Mr. Ingraham states that he does not have an assistant. I think this is
very important and I'd like this to be discussed.
Mr. Ingraham: I think that that's a matter, in all due respect, Commissioner,
that between the City Manager and myself that we can - after today, we can sit
down and talk about it, but our projections, as it is right now, are to go
forward with what we have. We can certainly use all the help we can get, but
I think that through this budget process, that we can make some plans for the
future, but at the present time, we're geared up to go with what we've got.
Ms. Range: Mr. Manager, do you agree that a person can have a department with
some 400 or more employees and run the department adequately without an
assistant?
Mr. Odio: Well, he has, in the administrative and managerial positions, he
got 21 of them. The problem is, he doesn't have a title, Assistant Director,
but he - we just placed a person in the department that happens to be an
industrial engineer who is working on recycling and other functions. I feel
that he does have sufficient support.
Ms. Range: You feel what?
Mr. Odio: I think he has more than sufficient support to handle the
department because, for instance, Peter Joffre, who is the chief of operation,
handles all of the operations for him.
Ms. Range: All right then, I simply hope it doesn't come up again as a
complaint of not having an assistant and then...
Mr. Odio: Well, if he complains again, then I'll talk to him about it.
Ms. Range: Very well.
Mr. Plummer: What are we doing about fees, garbage fees?
Mr. Ingraham: At the present time, there are no projections in regards to
garbage fees. I would assume that as the year progresses, the City Manager,
we'll be taking a look at that.
Mr. Odio: Commissioner, the cost of picking up a houseful garbage is $568 a
year. We are charging $160 a year and we're doing backyard pickup when nobody
else in the county is doing that and the county's charging $320 a year, the
City of Coral Gables just went up to $320...
Mr. Plummer: Well, Mr. Manager, let me express to you, all right? Garbage
fees are something that's always very tender to politicians for some reason, I
don't know why. I would love to see you instigate a policy, a formula, in
which the fees of garbage would be on a cost of living index or an automatic
increase as the cost of living is going up. The cost of this dumping, the
cost of the tonnage, the cost of everything. I think that the Sanitation
Department should absolutely be on a no cost to the general fund at all. I
18 September 11, 1989
10
think we need to take the heat one time. There'll be heat, people will
disagree anytime you have an increase, but I think we need to do it and we
need to establish the policy and if we didn't learn anything from the marinas,
I have not heard a complaint from the marinas in the last five or six years.
And as many will recall, and Ms. Range you will, we used to have an annual
screaming session by the users about an increase of any kind and when we
instigated a formula that actually every year sets itself, I think that's what
we need to do in Sanitation and the quicker you get around it, the better off
we're going to be. So, I speak for one, the rest of the Commission can speak
for themselves.
Mr. Odiot I suggested before that we place a cap on general fund
contributions say, of $10,000,000 and then start... you can...
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager, I don't think this should be any contribution from
general fund at all.
Mr. Odio: Well, but you can't go from $14,000,000 contribution to zero
overnight.
Mr. Plummer: Yes, but if you do it periodically every year, you're going to
reach that levelling point in the next three to five years. Look, the county
has no mercy on us...
Mr. Odio: None.
Mr. Plummer: ...nor do we have any right to argue when they increase the
cost, per ton, on the taxpayers of the City of Miami. Now, you know, we just
can't continue to eat that.
Mr. Odio: Well, what I can do is prepare legislation for December or January
so that we start off in January in the next cycle with a slight increase and
then automatic increases, cost of living increases...
Mr. Plummer: What I'm saying is, come about a formula.
Mr. Odio: OR.
Mr. Plummer: One sixty has been now in effect for how long?
Mr. Ingraham: Since 1983.
Mr. Odio: Since 1983.
Mr. Plummer: Five years. That's to say that there's been no increased cost
in sanitation in the last five years. It makes no sense. It makes no sense!
And when we're contributing to you, we're having to rob it from somewhere
else. Mr. Manager, I think it is only fair that we've... I don't want to pay
no more taxes, but if I have to, I have to.
Mr. Odio: But what if we went only from $160 say to $180 and then, or
$200....
Mr. Plummer: I don't want to go to any number. I want to go to a formula.
Mr. De Yurre: I can't afford to pay any more taxes.
Mr. Plummer: Huh?
Mr. De Yurre: I can't afford to pay any more taxes.
Mr. Plummer: Well, it's a user's fee is what it is, call it what you want,
it's still a tax. It's still more money out of my pocket. But I think that
realization is, is the fact that you've got to come about that there is a cost
factor increase every year. What about the street sweepers? What about the
fee that we had on the street sweepers? What happened to that?
Mr. Odio: It passed and then we had a motion to withhold sending the bills
out until further notice. I'd like to see that instituted.
It 4
Mr. Odio: That# we heed to do because the county does that and everybody else
does it except us.
Mr. Plummer: Before you ran me out of business in the City of Miami, which
you know I no longer have, the one thing I got a problem with is that it
seemed like everytime I sit down to write checks, I was writing the City of
Miami another check for another situation. If it wasn't occupational, it was
for garbage. If it wasn't for garbage, it was for annual certificate of
occupancy. This, that, and the other thing. Now, you know, before you go
send out one more bill, I think you ought to find a way to try to combine some
of these, as you do a tax bill. There's all combined into one. Maybe you
can't do that, but damn if I don't think you can reduce the amount. You know,
you don't even send me envelopes any more, much less postage.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, those are on different computers. That's what...
Mr. Plummer: Well, hey, I'm just...
Mr. De Yurre: ...that's the problem they've had or they have right now.
Mr. Plummer: And, you know, your City of Miami Treasury Department, they're
beautiful. Have you ever tried to address an envelope to those people? It
—. takes you half a day because you got to put all of that title on there.
Ms. Range: I have just one more question to ask. Do we have two types of
pickup in the City of Miami? Do you have backyard pickup and sidewalk pickup?
Mr. Ingraham: We have for our regular trash collection, a collection from the
—_ curb and we provide for garbage collection at the back door. However, many
citizens take it upon themselves to put their cans out at the front of the
house or at the sidewalk. Therefore, we have picked it up from there.
Ms. Range: Is there any difference in cost?
Mr. Ingraham: No, there isn't, at the present time.
Ms. Range: I see.
Mr. Odio: Mrs. Range, we pick up garbage twice a week...
Me. Range: Yes.
Mr. Odio: ...and trash once a week from your house.
Mr. Ingraham: Right.
Mr. Odio: The count...
Mr. Plummer: If the cranes are working and it doesn't rain.
Mr. Ingraham: That's right.
Mr. Odio: The county picks up garbage twice a week in front yard and the
trash once a year now, I believe is...
Mr. Plummer: That's a call in.
Mr. Odio: If you call.
Mr. Ingraham: Right.
Ms.
Range: Yes.
Mr.
Odio: If you call. And yet
they are charging...
Ms.
Ranges I see, but there is
no difference in cost
to the City as far as
whether the carrier has to go to
the backyard and get
the garbage as opposed
to
it being on the sidewalk.
Mr.
Ingraham: No.
Me.
Ranges I see,
20
September 11, 1989
L
.E
Mr. Plummer: What have we done to eliminate this so called ninety -nines?
Mr. Ingraham: That is the main...
Mr. Plummer: You're the only department I know of that has a pool of standby
labor.
Mr. Ingraham: That is a trade norm in the industry of solid waste in the
public sector.
Mr. Plummer: That don't mean we got to do it.
Mr. Ingraham: And, as far as the issue of the City of Miami, it is not been
pursued to eliminate standby laborers. It would be very difficult for us to
perform without the advent of utilizing standby laborers. For instance, in
Dade County, they have the same in regards to their work force and every other
municipality that I'm aware of around the country and in the form of
government solid waste services. It is a very important integral part of the
delivery of services.
Mr. De Yurre: How many...
Mr. Plummer: Well, I'll tell you, to me it's a damn poor way of doing
business.
Mr. De Yurre: How many ninety -nines do you employ on a daily basis?
Mr. Ingraham: We utilize, we have on the books, ninety-nine ninety -nines.
Obviously, we utilize on an average from 66 to 76 standby laborers and that is
for vacation supplement, ill call in, support and so on.
Mr. De Yurre: So, conceivably, you could hire 50 full timers and then you
would only need ten to twenty or, you know, 16 to 26 ninety -nines on a daily
basis.
Mr. Ingraham: I would proffer to take a look at your inquiry in regards to
Mr. De Yurre: But, I'm saying, you know, if you know that historically you
have 66 or 76 ninety -nines on a daily basis.
Mr. Plummer: Let me tell you something, the one thing I have to give you a
compliment for, good compliment, is what you all have done and after festivals
and all kinds of special events, those guys that get out there, I'll tell you,
they do a fabulous job.
Mr. Ingraham: I appreciate your compliment.
Mr. Plummer: I mean, you go at 8:01 after Calle Ocho and three hours later
you go back and those streets are as clean as a whistle. They really do one
fantastic job.
Mr. Ingraham: Thank you very much for the compliment.
Mr. Plummer: There are very few, so enjoy it.
Mr. Ingraham: I appreciate that. In fact, I relish it.
Mr. Plummer: Any other questions of sanitation?
Mr. De Yurre: Yes. I'd like to know about your commercial pickup. Tell me
about it a little bit. Where are we at now, are we making any headway or is
it a losing proposition or....?
Mr. Ingraham: Commissioner Plummer asked that question in regard to break
even. We haven't reached that point. We have acquired in the cost of this
fiscal year, 303 additional accounts. That would put us a little bit shorter
than midway point in approaching break even. It's going to take a lot more
work understanding we only have two people doing sales compared to maybe 200
throughout the commercial sector with no advertising and so forth. I think
we're slowly gaining ground, Commissioner.
21 September 11, 1989
D
Mr. be Yurre: Well, by when do you expect to break even? By the end of this
century or we're looking into the next one?
Mr. Ingraham: Yes. In reference as to when that will occur, at the pace
we're going, it will be another least two to three years, unless we have some
changes that I'm not aware of as far as that's concerned.
Mr. De Yurre: How much are we losing?
Mr. Ingraham: On an annual basis, right now, in regards to what we expend
this for providing the service, approximately 1.7 million dollars.
Mr. De Yurre: So we lose a million seven providing that service.
Mr. Ingraham: But we're gaining back in reference to this year we have an
additional income, $302,000. So, as you can see, there has been some headway
in that particular regard to reduce that cost.
Mr. De Yurre: How much is the total income? What's the total income?
Mr. Ingraham: $302,150 for the commercial accounts that we picked up in the
course of this year.
Mr. De Yurre: That's a total?
Mr. Ingraham: In regards to total income from commercial accounts, it's
roughly about three million, five hundred dollars.
Mr. De Yurre: So what's the cost then? About 5.2 million?
Mr. Ingraham: Thereabouts, or yes.
Ms. Range: Are you through, Mr. De Yurre?
Mr. De Yurre: Yes.
Ms. Range: One question. This may not be germane to the budget at this
particular time, but I'm interested to know, what is your thinking on the
division of certain items out of the garbage? I've read this in the papers
(i that perhaps we're going to be asked at one point or other to separate our
garbage cans, bottles. What do you think and what do you see as a projection
on that?
Mr. Ingraham: In February of this year, we will initiate the City's pilot
project in that regard to actually study how the City can go about doing
recycling itself. We're under a state mandate, under the State of Florida
Solid Waste Management Act. It is a viable attempt to get people to use some
serious consideration to how we treat the environment. I think we need to
become more environmentally sensitive, therefore, it is a very good project
for us to take a look at in that particular regard. We are ready to implement
the project to do exactly that, to study it in approximately 6,000 of our
54,000 residents to see what kind of response we will get into tailoring our
program to the needs of the City. But I think it is a viable effort on the
part of us all to look at how we treat the environment. But...
Mr. Plummer: Did we get any state money?
Mr. Ingraham: Yes, we're going to get this current year, $500,000; next year,
$600,000.
Mr. Plummer: And Metropolitan Dade County got 12 million?
Mr. Ingraham: Well, that is erroneous because that's split among the
different municipalities.
Mr. Odio: That's the total amount for the county.
Mr. Ingraham: That's the total amount.
Mr, Plummer; Oh, OK.
r
22
September U., 1909-
Mr. Odio: The county's going to be asking us. Commissioner Rubin called the
other day that we institute recycling with them and we all start together this
year.
I
Mr. De Yurre: Going back to commercial accounts, we got what? -6 percent from
the commercial accounts that the private industry has?
Mr. Ingraham: The franchise fee, yes.
Mr. Odio: Franchise, yes.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, how much is that?
Mr. Odio: It came out to about $600,000? About $700,000.
Mr. De Yurre: About seven hundred.
Mr. Odio: For a year.
Mr. De Yurre: So, if this five point two million that we're bringing in, if
it were to be done by the private sector, that would mean we'd get an
additional - we would make $300,000 additional.
Mr. Odio: Yes, sir.
Mr. De Yurre: And we would save 1.7 million. So that's a two million dollar
benefit to the City. Is that correct?
Mr. Ingraham: I think in course of economics, you're correct, sir. But, in
reference to other elements of it in regards to giving up the right to
maintaining and having the responsibility ultimately for the public right-of-
way, it makes it more difficult. You're right, economically. I think there
are a lot of other considerations that we have to think about in that regard
in making that particular choice.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, let me know what they are so I can be aware of them.
Mr. Ingraham: Number one would be the question that Commissioner Plummer
asked in regards to our inability, right now, because of staff and the large
number of commercial accounts in the City of Miami, you're talking over
19,000, we have a problem policing the overflow of containers and maintaining
that the private hauler and his accounts are on one accord in reference to
payment. Those are two considerations. Third consideration, most of all, is
in regards to what we do to increase the number of trash that goes on the
public right-of-way that we have no control over. Right now, we're picking up
in excess of 130,000 tons by design in regards to our weekly trash collection,
you're talking about an additional increase in that that you'd have no
tracking system on in reference to going the commercial route. That will call
for a total restructuring of what we do for the standpoint of regulatory and
devising a whole other franchising system. It can be done, I think, but with
total consideration in the process for the things that I've just enumerated in
conjunction with your economic considerations.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, now, if somebody has a private hauler and they don't pay
any fee to the City, is that correct?
Mr. Ingraham: Exactly, and that is indeed, the problems...
Mr. De Yurre: And we still provide them the service of cleaning up the
street.
Mr. Ingraham: That's indeed the problem.
Mr. De Yurre: OK. And can't we have a separate fee for commerce?
Mr. Ingraham: That indeed what you embarked upon in that statement utilizing
the language of separate fee is the primary consideration that I was trying to
allude to without specifically stating that. Because it creates a situation
where you have a person who is not receiving City services and paying a
private, but at the same token, the City's providing some other services.
We're going to have to look at right now in reference to our street cleaning
fee and other types of fees in reference to offsetting that particular cost.
23 September 11, 1989,
Bb there's a lot of consideration that goes in the transition: froth public tb
private. Somebody's got to pay for those existing services.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, now, you say we've got 19,000 businesses.
Mr. Ingraham: Commercial accounts that the private :sector is serving right
now.
Mr. De Yurre: How many are there overall? How many are we serving?
Mr. Ingraham: Approximately twenty-two to twenty-five thousand commercial
accounts in the City of which there are about 19,000 that the private waste
industry is actually providing service.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, so then you're telling me there are 25,000 businesses in
the City of Miami.
Mr. Ingraham: Approximately.
Mr. De Yurre: That includes the store front up and down Flagler Street, 8th
Street, all over our City.
Mr. Ingraham: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: How many accounts total?
Mr. Ingraham: In reference to private, they are handling eighteen to nineteen
thousand. We are handling about forty-five hundred.
Mr. Plummer: No, no, no. How many accounts do you handle total? Residential
is...
Mr. Ingraham: Fifty - oh...
Mr. Plummer: How much?
Mr. Ingraham: Fifty-four thousand residential accounts and 4,500 commercial
accounts.
Mr. Plummer: So there's roughly 60,000?
Mr. Ingraham: Yes, that we're handling total, yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: And the private sector is roughly handling twenty?
Mr. Ingraham: Eighteen to twenty thousand. The weekend that I have some
indication from the - maybe more - but within the City of Miami, eighteen to
nineteen thousand.
i} Mr. De Yurre: Cesar, can't we devise a system to get some of that money back
from the using that are people g the private industry?
Mr. Odio: Well, that's why we had the street that fee.
Mr. Ingraham: Right.
Mr. Odio: Because what they did, they actually put trash out. We had to
clean it up and we never get a penny from it. That's why we created that
street cleaning fee. And that's why I thought it was very fair to do so
because we are picking up and we're paying for it - the taxpayers are 'paying
} for it anyway so we wanted to distribute the weight.
Mr. De Yurre: What about those that were paying the, were using the City of
pick up their service? They would have been paying the City twice.
Mr. Odio: But those people are not - that's why we had to adjust those fees
accordingly but - and that's when we left the apartments buildings out because
Ywe felt it and, right, Joe?
... Mr. Ingraham: Yes.
f
_ A
24 Soptomber ll, 1989 a
Mr. Odio: And that we were charging them already for garbage pickup. But
there are many, many of those people, 19,000 businesses that we end up
cleaning in front anyway. And we don't get a penny from them.
Mr. De Yurre: Is it - from what I'm looking at it from a numbers standpoint,
which is strictly from that standpoint, you know, if we just get out of that
business, you know, we would stand to make, you know, I think a good two
million dollars more we would have available for other things. I'm just -
food for thought.
Mr. Odio: Not necessarily because we still are going to have to pick up trash
across those businesses and we still have to have the trash equipment...
Mr. Ingraham: And clean the streets.
Mr. Odio: ...and the sweepers and all of that. So, it's not a one for one
swap.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, what is the 1.7 loss that we have this year?
Mr. Ingraham: That's indicative of the commercial accounts that we're
servicing based on what actual cost is....
Mr. De Yurre: Right.
Mr. Ingraham: ...opposed to, you know, anything else. That's the bottom
line.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, OK, well...
Mr. Ingraham: Obviously, we're not set up for a profit margin nor have the
flexibility of spreading cost statewide that my counterparts can do in the
private industry. I can't run a sale when I get ready to go out and sell a
commercial account, suffer a loss, recoup that loss in Panama City. The
private sector can do that and there's a five year trend that when they take
over account, that within that time period, it goes back beyond what the
municipality is charging anyway. So, we do not have the ability to adjust
cost in reference to a profit margin. If anything in government, we can break
even or provide a service based on a user basis as we do right now. So, it's
a lot of study that would have to go into your implementation of your goals,
if that be one, in reference to your charge to the Manager. We can look at
that and get back with you in regards to, you know, more detail.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, I think that we got to look at that. Cesar, you know,
that's something I don't think we're inventing anything here right now. Those
are, in fact, those are theories that should already have been studied and we
know what the outcome is based on given parameters as far as, you know, how
much money we can save, how much money would, you know, but not have to end up
paying out what our income is if it's doable or not or is there just a policy
that we want to be in that business and...
Mr. Odio: It is a policy of the City Commission that we be in the commercial
accounts business.
Mr. De Yurre: So then, if we - if that's
the case, then we just forget how
much it's going to cost us and move on. I
mean, is that it?
Mr. Odio: No, I'd like to do some other
things but it is the policy of the
Commission. I'd like to bring back the
street cleaning fee so that those
people that are not paying anything for us
cleaning their front business that
we get something so that we can distribute
the cost to everybody.
Mr. De Yurre: Let me tell you something, do
5
you want to bring back accounts?
Mr. Ingraham: Excuse me?
Mr. De Yurre: If you want to bring back accounts
to the City commercial, you
put out the word that if you have the City
pick up your service, you don't pay
the street cleaning fee and if you don't,
then you pay extra. You'll see a
>' whole bunch coming over.
25 September 11, 1989
Mr. Odio: On the other hand and when we negotiated the franchise fee... I'll
explain to you later. We did negotiate with the private haulers the fee.
Mr. Plummer: Are you still doing - I'm sorry, are you finished?
Mr. De Yurre: Well, what? - that we weren't going to actively pursue it or
what?
Mr. Odio: That we would abolish them. That we would not try to abolish
private haulers.
Mr. De Yurre: We're not trying to abolish them. If you're just trying to be
compe... either, you know, we got to - I think that it's going to come a point
in time that if we're saying that we got to save money here and save money
there, and here is a possible two million dollars. Either, you know, either
we're serious about saving money and trying to take away some of this burden
on the taxpayer or, you know, we just have to go to the taxpayers and say,
"Listen, this is just the way it is and though we could save money doing it
otherwise, we don't want to do that because of for whatever reason and...
Mr. Odio: Well, the fact is that the taxpayers of the City have been very
lucky that they have had only paying $160 a year when most of the other people
are paying $300, so we have better services too. Double the amount of service
or triple, I would say, in some cases, the services that other cities provide
to their citizens.
Mr. De Yurre: No, I'm talking in general, not just Solid Waste.
Mr. Odio: So, what I'm saying is that we are subsidizing the taxpayer, we are
providing as part of the general fund a service to the taxpayers so this
commercial, the whole total cost of Solid Waste is part of that. It is a
subsidy. We are subsidizing. In fact, we're contributing to what? -fourteen
million, sixteen million dollars this year to Solid Waste from general fund.
I don't want to do that. I wish we'd...
Mr. De Yurre: OK, thank you.
Mr. Plummer: Who's doing the lot clearing program?
Mr. Ingraham: Currently, we subcontract that out but we're in the process of
acquiring equipment for the City to take that over itself.
Mr. Plummer: You're way behind.
Mr. Ingraham: OK, well...
Mr. Plummer: I think you need to step that up because that's done and the
property owner is then levied or pays for it, correct?
Mr. Ingraham: Right and in that regard, Commissioner Plummer, my
recommendation to the Manager is that once the City starts its own lot
clearing effort, rather than contract it out, that that cost not go through a
lien process, that it be added as a part of the property tax. As the county
does and as you indicated, you know.
Mr. Plummer: Well, however you collect it is immaterial, but I think we need
to get more of it done because I can tell you there's lots that don't get
cleared once a year.
Mr. Ingraham: Sure. We have the equipment and it's on the way. I'm in the
process of meeting with management and budget to find out - excuse me -
department of GSA, to find out exactly when. But it has been ordered.
Mr. Plummer: My final question is, when you retire, which Commissioner are
you running against? Police Department.
Mr. Ingraham: Thank you, Commission.
26 September 11, 1989
9. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: POLICE DEPARTMENT
..--- ..._.------------ ----------- ---------------------------- ---_ .---------.... �....�.._
Mr. Plummer: Police Department is on page...
Mr. De Yurre: Eighty-nine.
Mr. Plummer: ...eighty-nine, ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three,
ninety-four, ninety-five, ninety-six...
Chief Perry Anderson: This fiscal year, 189-90, we have a budget allocation
of 77.4 million dollars which represents approximately 3.5 increase over last
year's budget with only a very few changes in the operating expenses to allow
for inflation. Almost all of the increases are attributed to our successful
hiring of police officers and public service aides. We currently have 1100
police officers with an academy class scheduled for later this month which
will bring us to our targeted strength mandated by the Commission last year of
1114 police officers.
Mr. Plummer: How many in patrol?
Chief Anderson: Seven hundred and five of those are in patrol now.
Mr. Plummer: That's in marked cars.
Chief Anderson: Will be in marked cars, yes.
Mr. Plummer: Give me a breakdown, we now have, or we will have a hundred
PSAs. What are they doing?
Chief Anderson: We estimate, at this particular time, almost we have one
class now, PSA class number 24; thirty of those are currently in orientation
right now and PSA class number 25 which will start September the llth. We
have 30 will be in the academy so that represents about 60 now. Eighty
percent of those will eventually go to field operations which will represent
approximately 88 PSAs.
Mr. Odio: We just approved some more vehicles so that they will have vehicles
so they can go out and support the policemen.
Chief Anderson: Yes, we have found ten...
Mr. Plummer: When are they going to be working?
Chief Anderson: They will be working by the beginning of the fiscal year
cleared with - not the fiscal year, but probably around November - cleared
through orientation and also graduating from the Public Service Aide Academy.
Mr. Plummer: And how many of these are going to be trained in ID technicians?
Chief Anderson: We have six of them we'll probably...
Mr. Plummer: Six?
Chief Anderson: Six, with the vacancies that we currently have, which are
vacant.
Mr. Plummer: How many of them are going to be trained in accident report
writing?
Chief Anderson: I have mandated that we locate 30 vehicles, the Manager has
approved 20 vehicles. We have found within our current authorization of cars,
ten vehicles. I plan on putting at least 30 of those individuals out in
marked cars to handle accident investigations.
Mr. Plummer: How many cars did you confiscate last year?
Chief Anderson: Of regular?
September 11, 1989-
Mr. Plummer. Under whatever that you confiscated, for whatever reason. How
many did you confiscate?
Chief Anderson: Those vehicles, if you're leading into whether or not those
vehicles can be used for PSA9, I would not recommend using those vehicles
for...
Mr. Plummer: But we can free up other vehicles. My question is, how many
vehicles did you confiscate last year?
Major Don Warshaw: We're not using - we're not moving confiscated cars
into...
Mr. Plummer: Don, that's not my question.
Mr. Odio: The last count that I had when I went out on sting, I think it was
some 70 care that I was told...
Mr. Plummer: Seventeen?
I
Mr. Odio: Seven, oh. _
E
Mr. Plummer: Seven, oh.
Mr. Odio: But I think there are more than that.
Major Warshaw: I can get you the exact number, I don't have the
Mr. Odio: We can get you exact, but there are Porsches and things that...
4
S
Mr. Plummer: But we can use any of those cars for whatever reason we want.
t
Mr. Odio: We use them... yes...
Mr. Plummer: Is that correct?
Mr. Odio: They are using them for secret police. s
Mr. Plummer: Secret police.
Chief Anderson: We are using some of those cars. But also, at the same time,
some of those cars represent more of a liability than any kind of worthwhile
service. So, my recommendations are that we sell those vehicles and that the
monies be returned back to Law Enforcement Trust Funds.
Mr. Plummer: But we're still renting almost a quarter of a million dollars of
different kinds of cars including your Porsches and all the rest.
Chief Anderson: No, we're not renting Porsches.
Mr. Plummer: We're renting all kinds of different cars for which is
understandable.
Chief Anderson: We're renting... yes, well, we're - but some of those monies
are coming from grant monies which is the crack grant currently now, minimal
general fund monies and some of those monies are coming from Law Enforcement
Trust Fund monies.
Mr. Plummer: OK.
Chief Anderson: So we're trying to impact on the...
Mr. Plummer: You know my longstanding problem. If I gave you civilians how
many policemen can you break out of the station that are really, in effect,
not doing law enforcement work, that are pushing pencils on paper.
Chief Anderson: Part of the problem is that we do have a large contingency of
individuals who are permanently limited duty officers. Those officers cannot
be assigned to street duty and we have 41 of those individuals. No matter
what you did, we would still have to have those people within the department.
28
Mr. Plummer: And what are they doing?
Chief Anderson: They're assigned to various functions such as communications#
training, etcetera, throughout the department to...
Mr. Plummer: Are all of those of an injured capacity?
Chief Anderson: They are limited duty; 41 are...
Mr. Plummer: They're not the ones that are suspended or on...
Chief Anderson: No, no, these people cannot be assigned. They are almost a
small platoon...
Mr. Plummer: Chief, everytime I've asked chiefs for the last 19 years, the
reason they have to use policemen is they don't have adequate civilians to do
the job. Now...
Chief Anderson: We're in the process currently of undergoing a massive study
plan and, hopefully, it will not impact on the budget significantly in 1990,
1991, whereas we're going to relieve approximately 26 police officers. This
is ongoing process for us to put more police officers on the street and where
we can find that feasible for the Police Department, we're doing that. I
don't like the idea, it has always been my posture and the Manager's posture,
to make sure that all of those people who are not considered to be critical,
in training areas, in other areas such as on the bridge, work in
communications, to get those individuals out of the department and on to the
street.
Mr. Plummer: How many men you got in Homicide?
Chief Anderson: In Homicide, I have approximately - these guys are the stat
individuals - I have about 120 people assigned to - yes?
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
Mr. Plummer: What was your overtime bill for the total department last year?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Do you want me to answer the question on Homicide?
Mr. Plummer: Yes, how many?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thirty-nine.
Mr. Plummer: Thirty-nine.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Right.
Mr. Plummer: And how many homicides did we investigate last year?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I don't have that information right now.
Mr. Plummer: Seventy-eight? That's down. That's down.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Well, it was about even, 89 versus 88, it's not a
significant increase. Throughout the year it was running right about the same
with one or two over
Mr. Plummer: How much overtime is spent in the Police Department last year?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: In excess of three and a half million dollars.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager, isn't that really poor planning? ■
Mr. Odio: No, it isn't, Commissioner, because the problem that we're having
and thanks to working with Janet Reno and the court system, we have ■
substantially reduced overtime. We do not control overtime when in matter of
the courts and that's where most of our overtime is going.
Mr. Plummer: What are you doing to try to correct that? a
l
29 September 11, 1989
0 0
Mr. Odio: We are working with Reno and with the county to try to schedule
court hearings the best that we can but that doesn't work out. We have a
captain assigned to that duty to try to, as a liaison, and he has
substantially reduced the overtime.
Mr. Plummer: Why a policeman doing that?
Mr. Odio: Doing what?
Mr. Plummer: Why do you have a captain of police who's doing the allocation
of the court system? Why not a civilian?
Chief Anderson: Well, that's a good question.
Mr. Odio: That's a good question.
Mr. Plummer: How many police officers, sworn officers, do you have in court
liaison?
Chief Anderson: I think three.
Mr. Plummer: Three?
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: That's three more we could have on the street. —
Chief Anderson: And those are three more individuals; once we've finished
with our civilianization plan, we'll...
Mr. Plummer: How many sworn officers do you have in report processing?
Chief Anderson: I don't think we have but, what? -eight? If that many. It's
a very small... -
Mr. Plummer: Of that eight, how many are the 41 that are injured?
Chief Anderson: I would have to get that figure for you, but I...
Mr. Plummer: How many sworn officers do you have in burglar alarms?
Chief Anderson: Only three.
Mr. Plummer: How many sworn officers do you have in off -duty details?
Chief Anderson: Really three.
Mr. Plummer: How many sworn officers do you have in public relations?
Chief Anderson: I think we have about forty. When you say, public relations
now...
Mr. Plummer: I'm talking about public relations.
Chief Anderson: Well, I want to give the...
Mr. Plummer: Beside the one that stands up and speaks for you. I'll buy that
one.
Chief Anderson: Oh, you mean public information.
Mr. Plummer: Public information, call it what you may.
Chief Anderson: We have four police officers assigned there] two really.
Mr. Plummer: How many police sworn officers do you have in the boxing
program?
Chief Anderson: I have three assigned there.
Mr. Plummer: Now, I want justification why those positions can't be done by
Civilians.
Chief Andarson: Well, I can tell you that right now. A lot of those
positions, some of those are enforcement positions, some of those positions
are required basically for exposure and...
Mr. Plummer: Report processing.
Chief Anderson: Report...
Mr. Plummer: Property bureau.
Chief Anderson: Well, what you asked for Commies...
Mr. Plummer: You don't have to have a sworn officer.
Mr. Odio: Wait, wait...
Chief Anderson: Well, no, I want to give the Commissioner an appropriate
response. We don't want to give the indication that there isn't any planning
in the process. What we've told you and we'll have to go back, that 41 of the
individuals that we have are officers who are limited duty, that cannot be
assigned to the streets. I think that it would only be appropriate for us to
go back and see individually where we have those individuals assigned and then
I think we can give you an adequate response as to how our personnel are
assigned throughout the department. Now, there is some programs where we feel
there is almost a must where we're trying to mold young children, trying to
provide some kind of peer reference where we expose the children of the inner -
City to police officers and I'm not going to tell you that even with a
civilianization plan, that I'm going to take all of the police officers out of
the boxing program because they require that kind of exposure. We're trying
to bring young kids around and we feel that it's a very, very positive program
and I think that we're... so, I'm not going to stand up here and tell you that
all of those areas of which you have indicated are areas where we're not going to have police officers. We will always...
Mr. Plummer: Chief, what's our response time on a priority call?
Chief Anderson: But we will always have police officers assigned to the
boxing program and I think that's obvious.
Mr. Plummer: What is our average response time on a priority call?
Chief Anderson: Our average response time on a priority call on a three call
we still have a period of three minutes at which we still respond.
f
Mr. Plummer: And a non -three call priority? What's our average response
j time? -
Chief Anderson: We're talking about anywhere from seven to eight minutes
which is still very good.
Mr. Plummer: Is it not a fact that we are sometimes today running four to six
hours for response time on calls?
Chief Anderson: Sure, and those calls are not the priority calls. They are
calls that deem and necessitate a response but they're non emergency kinds of
calls and we're going to, in the future, assign the PSAs to those calls which
are non threatening.
Mr. Plummer: How many police officers do we have writing accident reports?
Chief Anderson: We have, I think, twelve assigned
Mr. Plummer: Twelve?
Chief Anderson: Yes, and you've got to realize that...
Mr. Plummer: AIU is only twelve sworn officers now?
Chief Anderson: I think there's only twelve. I think twelve...
Mr. Plummer: I don't think so.
31
September 11, 19$9--.
4
Chief Anderson: t think that there's twelve.
Tvalve to sixteen. Igor► many?
Mr. Plummer: I think it's higher.
toll get the exact figure.
Chief Anderson: Twelve to sixteen officers, it's the minimal aftuat assigned
there.
Mr. Plummer: I think it's higher.
Chief Anderson: But I want to indicate to you...
Mr. Plummer: Chief, look, let me give it to you in a nutshell, OK? I'va
enjoyed your statements of the last couple of weeks and that's been prompted
somewhat, I'm sure, by this so called national feeling of the war.
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: OK? Now, the war demands reassembly of your personnel into the
priority.
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: I'm looking for that plan out of the City of Miami Police
Department. I haven't seen it yet. Now...
Chief Anderson: We are the first. All of what you see throughout the nation,
and I'm proud to say that I was one of the individuals who conceptualized and
implemented the major sting operation. What you see right now that's being
demonstrated and practiced throughout this country and possibly throughout the
world, they're responding to basically what we have initiated in the drug war.
I've had two conferences with Mr. Bennett, I've had one conference with the
President of the United States and what you see that's being modeled
throughout this nation is basically being modeled after the City of Miami.
Mr. Plummer: Well, you know, that's fine and I hear what you're saying but
the streets tell me differently. Now, you know, I tell you, this is going to
be a bad statement because...
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: ...I'm going to get somebody's ire up. But let me tell you, the
people that call my offices I'm sure call their other Commissioners'
offices...
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: ...are not a damned bit concerned about the marine patrol out
there worried about the hydro -skis and worried about the yellowtails illegally
in size, they're really not... they love the horse patrol and it's great but
they're more concerned about their personal property and their houses and I'm
telling you that in my estimation, I'm one, I think that you need to go
through that department with a fine tooth comb. You cannot continue to tell
me you're studying it and you're planning it and I think that every available
man, sworn police officer, who's carrying a gun and a badge, needs to go out
and address the war. And I don't see the war in the boxing program and I
# don't see the war in report processing. The war is on the street. I'm just
speaking for one, Mr. Manager.
S
i
Mr. Odio: Well, Mr. Commissioner...
Mr. Plummer: Nothing's going to please me more,
and I think the people that call my office on a daily basis, OK, to see that
this department is actually going and reassigning personnel, I got from Hardy
Yacht Basin who's about to go out of business because they're carrying his
boatyard away almost every Might to the man on Second Avenue has the gift shop
who can't keep his customers because they will not come to his area to the
people who will not drive down the street in Coconut Grove to the people that
are having their houses broken into on a daily basis. Now, I'm telling you
that all of this other things are nice and if you've got the adequate
personnel to do these other programs, and your war is under control, then do
them. But I don't think the war is under control. I think it's far from it.
Mr. Odio: I agree with you that it's far from over. I disagree with you that
the war is not fought in the boxing gym. One kid that you save from being out
on the streets and you occupy him in a boxing gym with a peer example of a
police officer there, is more important than having to arrest him later on. I
think that's... I think....
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor - Mr. Manager, let disag... wait a minute, let me
disagree with you, I have that right.
Mr. Odio: OK, well we always disagree but we always agree at the end, but...
Mr. Plummer: Let me tell you, the boxing program in the Virrick Gym is an
absolute great program and not one police officer involved in it.
Mr. Odio: Fine, but...
Mr. Plummer: It's a great program.
Mr. Odio: It happens that I just saw, to my delight, in the corner of Grand
and Douglas, the hottest corner in town, as you know, a Miami Police sign
there saying that we're going to have a program there. It is important,
Commissioner...
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager...
Mr. Odio: But I also agree with you.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager, tell me what the City of Miami Police Department is
paying annually for a boxing program.
Mr. Odio: I think the last number I saw was $700,000, but...
Mr. Plummer: Seven hundred thousand dollars.
Mr. Odio: Wait, whoa, whoa...
Chief Anderson: Law Enforcement Trust Fund.
Mr. Odio: But that's you, that's confiscated monies. It doesn't cost the
taxpayers any money. The druggies are paying for that.
Mr. Plummer: You guys seen that there's different color money around here?
s Mr. Odio: No, it is different because, Commissioner, if we - that's a good
use for the money. We need to keep those people out of...
Mr. Plummer: Seven hundred thousand - wait a minute, how many kids are in
that boxing program presently?
Mr. Odio: Can I ask you a question? You...
Chief Anderson: We have over a hundred kids in the program.
Mr. Odio: A hundred kids.
Mr. Plummer: A hundred kids. That's $70,000 a kid.
Mr. Odio: Do you know how much it costs to put a kid in jail?
Mr. Plummer: Twenty-six thousand a year.
33 September 11, 1989
Mr. Odio: You know how much it costs to put a kid in jail?
Mr. Plummer: You know what the recidivism rate is for the kids that are in
jail? Eighty-two percent.
Mr. Odio: The kids that go to jail cost the State of Florida $35,000 so I
think it's cheap money if we get or make... that's just the cost of
construction of jails. Commissioner, you're right in that we need to put more
emphasis out on the street. But there are other things that we can...
Mr. Plummer: When?
Mr. Odio: Perry?
Chief Anderson: Yes?
Mr. Plummer: When?
Chief Anderson: Mr. Commissioner, I also wanted to say this and from your
point of view and your vantage point or advantage point...
Mr. Plummer: Or disadvantage.
Chief Anderson: You may be - the people that call my office who are concerned
and in the garment district, they're concerned about horses and high
visibility. The people who call my office who have businesses on 8th Street
also concerned about horses and the various things that we have assigned.
There is a strong portion of this community who deem it necessary for us to
provide certain services. Services that we would not like to provide.
Services that if we did not provide would represent more of a problem and
concern to you all. There isn't any way that you cannot answer to some of the
concerns of this community, some of the specialized services that we provide
for this community as police officers, that would not represent a very serious
problem to this Commission and to the Commissioners individually.
Mr. Odio: In answer to your question, the Chief told me that he's going to
put an additional 50 officers out on the streets.
Chief Anderson: I don't want to announce that program yet.
!
Mr. Odio: Not yet,
but OK...
but
now I...
,i
Mr. Plummer: Well,
you'd
better
announce it.
j
Chief Anderson: Ronnie Ramos may
be here, I don't want that... they'll have
ithe
scoop.
Mr. Plummer: Well,
look,
as far
as I'm concerned, you know where I'm at, you
know, it's getting
to the
point
where, you know, we're no different than any
other City, let me
be...
Chief Anderson: Well, we're better.
Mr. Plummer: Hey...
Chief Anderson: We're better than any other City.
Mr. Plummer: You know, any metropolitan area has serious problems. There's
no question about that. But I can't sit back as a Commissioner and take the
phone calls that I take, OK? -and not say that I'm concerned.
Chief Anderson: I agree.
Mr. Plummer: And I'm damned concerned.
Chief Anderson: I agree. Thank you very much.
Ms. Range: Chief Anderson.
Chief Anderson: Yes, yes.
34
September 11, 1989
0 0
Ms. Ranges How many walking patrolmen do you have?
Chief Anderson: They're assigned throughout the City. I think we must have -
and I would have to approximate that - but I'll find the exact figure, but
they're assigned in key areas like in Liberty City, on 7th Avenue and 62nd
Street, they're assigned in key areas on 8th Street, but we will be able to...
we have specifics. OK, now, these are also considered configuration downtown
where we have people who are assigned to point control, but I think that we
have an approximate figure of about, and that goes from one day to the next
depending upon priority, but 16 individuals and they're assigned in critical
areas throughout this community.
Ms. Range: Do you find do you have any walking patrol who are not in uniform?
Chief Anderson: No, no.
Ms. Range: You have not. Have you considered that?
Chief Anderson: If - we have not because of the concern for visibility and
the need to see, but we do have, for example, around Christmas we will assign
special people who will be in plainclothes because our larceny concerns go up
a lot higher during the holiday season. So we will have plainclothes officers
and beat officers assigned in those areas who will be able to detect
pickpocketing and stuff like that.
Ms. Range: Yes. There is a problem, however, I believe, with walking patrol.
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Ms. Range: The would be criminals eventually figure out where the officer is
going to be at a given time.
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Ms. Range: These people, if they're working in groups, they have the walkie
talkies...
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Ms. Range: They can say to somebody down the block, you know, the flatfoots
on the way...
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Ms. Range: ...or something like that.
Chief Anderson: Yes.
Ms. Range: And so they walk away from it and even though the policeman in
uniform is a good deterrent to a certain extent, when these people are working
groups they can certainly circumvent that and if you had people out there who
were in plainclothes, it would be much, much harder for them to identify. We
have so many house break-ins.
Chief Anderson: I agree. Now we do have detectives, we have people who are
assigned to task force who are civilian plainclothes individuals who augment
the efforts of the beat people. Now, our beats are a little bit more advanced
than other locales. We have beat people who walk, but they also ride a high
percentage of the time. So, say for example, on 7th Avenue and 62nd Street,
that police officer rides for - walks for a short period of time because he
needs to go in and out of those particular areas and businesses. But, the
greater percentage of his time is spent mobile, riding around in a police
vehicle and that's done specifically for the purpose of which you have
mentioned so that they cannot have a bead on the police officer.
Ms. Range: I see.
Mr. Plummer: How many burglaries did we have last year, 188? How many armed
robberies did we have last year?
Chief Anderson: This is all statistical information of which we can provide
and my stat person. These people are getting paid for this purpose, come on.
35 September 11, 1989
Mr. PlummOrs Mr. Garcia. Mr. 6artia
Mr. Garcia: `feb, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Occupational license$ under you.
Mr. Garcia: Yes, air.
Mr. Plummer: What was the decrease in the number of occupational license in
188 as opposed to 187?
Mr. Garcia: I don't have that number. a slight increase, they're
having a slight increase.
Mr. Plummer: Increase or decrease?
Mr. Garcia: Decrease.
Mr. Plummer: Decrease, down.
Mr. Garcia: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Would it be realistic to say that about 20 percent of our
businesses went out of business in that two year period?
Mr. Garcia: That's not unusual. There's a high turnover in the City.
Mr. Plummer: About 20 percent and it's going for this year. How many
burglaries did we have?
Chief Anderson: Thirteen thousand... thirteen thousand five.
Mr. Plummer: Thirteen thousand...
Chief Anderson: Five. Thirteen thousand, seven hundred and thirty-four
burglaries.
Mr. Plummer: How many armed robberies?
Chief Anderson: Armed robberies, you had 6,453. Robberies, robberies,
robberies.
Mr. Plummer: Yes. OK. Your budget last year, your total budget was how
much?
Chief Anderson: Our budget was 75 mill last year.
Mr. Plummer: Your total budget.
Chief Anderson: You mean with the fringes, etcetera?
Mr. Plummer: With everything. What did the Police Department of the City of
Miami cost the taxpayers last year?
I
0 0
are we not doing the same thing? And I'm speaking about car break-ins, stolen
automobiles that I see no reasonable justification to send a policeman and
take him out of active work to put him in to write a report. Why don't we
have an absolute rule that says that those are going to be taken over a
telephone and leave the policeman on the street to fight crime?
Chief Anderson: OK, we do not have an absolute rule, but we do have 46
percent of our reports are being taken over the phone.
Mr. Plummer: Why not a hundred percent?
Chief Anderson: Well, because some of those are irate kind of citizens who
mandate us.
Mr. Plummer: But irate don't make any difference in the county!
Chief Anderson: Well, I think if they call you, Commissioner, you're going to
send the car out there. I haven't seen the adverse to that yet.
Mr. Plummer: And in some cases there's a few, OK, and I'm sure that there's
never going to be a hundred percent. But let's say, why aren't we going to
ninety?
Chief Anderson: We're moving towards that policy of a hundred percent.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, are you talking about just not sending anybody period or
getting a PSA or...
Mr. Plummer: No, I'm talking about those areas like...
Chief Anderson: That's not...
Mr. Plummer: ...Victor, they're to me, there is absolutely no sense in
sending a sworn police officer to write a report on a stolen car. They can do
it over the phone. They can take the same damn information over the phone
that the policeman takes in the street.
Chief Anderson: And we do have a policy, only high property loss or those
individuals who are a squeaking wheel.
Mr. Plummer: Yes, but Chief, you know, where I find the problem, is the fact
that we send the policeman out to write a missing persons report. Then we
send a policeman back out when they come home. Now that's, you know, if I'm
not mistaken, the last numbers that I saw, actual street time of a patrolman,
is less than 20 hours a week.
Chief Anderson: That's...
Mr. Plummer: By the time you get court time and sick time and vacation time,
we're paying them for forty and we get actually less than twenty hours a week.
Chief Anderson: Well, we have a point of saturation where we say that they
get 60 percent street time.
Mr. Plummer: Well, I think you'd like to reach that.
Chief Anderson: No, we have a study that indicates that; a 60 percent street
time. Commissioner, you've been around law enforcement for a long time and I
think you probably have the same amount of expertise that I have and you know
that this is a very, very diverse kind of community that requires a very, very
diverse kind of policing. Some of its traditional and some of its
nontraditional. Some of it's to the point where we have to just basically
respond for satisfaction. But this is a very multi -ethnic cultural kind of
community that's very, very difficult to police. This community is like non
other. We spend an awful lot of time trying to satisfy the needs of this
community that if you would go to Central Florida or if you went to other
areas who have a lesser diverse kind of community, we would probably be able
to spend an awful lot of our time policing the streets. But, unfortunately,
in some cases fortunately, this is Miami and I think that we're doing a very,
very good job of policing this community with what we have. We've tried to
minimize the costs to this community. My staff is continuously purged people
who are assigned desk responsibilities or inside responsibilities. We're
37 September 11, 1989
continuing to do that. We plan on, in the early portion of this year, after
careful study so we do not jeopardize this community in any kind of May,
announcing a major initiative at the first of the year where we're going to
put additional police officers on the street. Some of the sacrifices that we .
have made on the inside have been very, very costly realizing that we have had
to take police officers out of the inside without replacing those people
because of budgetary constraints, without replacing those people with
civilians.
Mr. Plummer: But, Chief, that's what we're here about today.
Chief Anderson: And that's what we're talking about, Commissioner.
Mr. Plummer: Now, if you're going to do this and you need the civilians,
today is the day to say, "Hey, I need more money for civilians to put the
sworn officers out on the street."
Chief Anderson: I have not had a problem with the Manager in any kind of way
supporting any effort that we have. I want to provide him with documentation,
I want to provide him with some logic and some sound planning before I offer
him any kind of... and we're doing that. He's aware of that. Before I offer
him any kind of civilianization plan, I feel very, very confident and
comfortable with the Manager as far as providing us with adequate fundings.
He has not disapproved any request, any reasonable request, that we have made
dealing with the Police Department and we feel very, very good about that.
Mr. Odio: ...point out that this Chief looked back at 1986, the budget was
$75,000,000; in 1990, seventy-seven, seventy-eight and that has been because
of efficiency created within the department. I think that you will see
something else happening with an initiative soon that will satisfy their
concerns, Commissioner, and I asked the Chief to tell you in private what he
will do.
Mr. Plummer: Not soon enough. Not soon enough.
Chief Anderson: They may have the problem throughout the nation that we don't
have but they keep asking me to come to the various places throughout this
country to provide some advice to them so I should be collecting a consultant
fee from some of these states and municipalities.
Mr. Plummer: Chief, you'd have a tough time explaining to the 40 people a day
that's getting their house broken into and the 20 people a day that are
getting armed robbery that we're doing as good a job as we can do.
Chief Anderson: I agree.
Mr. De Yurre: Those consulting fees can come to the City, then we can work
something out.
Chief Anderson: Well, we'll... I was going to talk to you, we may be able to
do something.
Mr. De Yurre: Yes, we'll work out a deal.
Mr. Plummer: Chief, I did want to ask one more question, you know, in
reference we know that the substation is open in Liberty City. Without going
into history, is the furniture there?
Chief Anderson: No, sir.
Mr. Odio: No, it's not.
Mr. Plummer: When is the furniture going to be there?
Mr. Odio: I think... what?
Mr. De Yurre: It's Japanese style, sit down on the floor.
Mr. Odio: I don't...
Lt. Joseph Longueira: Commissioner, I met with the manufacturer Friday, he's
got some stuff manufactured, he's going to give me - supposed to call me with
38 September 11, 1989
0 0
a list today► so I can get some of this stuff delivered. His contract calls
for all of it to be delivered by the end of October.
Mr. Plummer: How's the substation operating?
Chief Anderson: Outstandingly. From community response and we feel the same
way about the one that will open in November.
Mr. Plummer: When is the Little Havana going to open?
Chief Anderson: Probably mid November or latter November.
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
Mr. Plummer: You're not going to open that before the election?
Chief Anderson: We're going to break ground once more.
Mr. Plummer: I'm not running but I'm just asking the question. You know,
none of us up here are running but we got to feel sorry for our colleagues,
you know, that are running.
Chief Anderson: We're going to break ground... break.
Mr. Odio: J.L., honestly, we tried but it's almost finished.
Chief Anderson: Do we have another ribbon cutting ceremony?
Mr. Odio: We tried, we tried.
—j Chief Anderson: OK, I was... I would like to thank the Commission. Thank you
for your indulgence, thank you.
Mr. Plummer: All right, that completes today's agenda.
Mr. Odio: All the department heads are here. If you want to that today and
get them over.
Ms. Range: Let's do tomorrow...
Mr. Plummer: Well, what I would rather do, if it's agreeable, and I shouldn't
even be running this meeting, you're Vice Mayor.
Mr. De Yurre: You've done such a good job.
Mr. Plummer: Oh, drop dead. I would like to just take the ones, because I
don't want to sit here listen to a whole lost of these, I would like to just
take a couple of minutes and you check off which ones you really want to hear
that you think that.are important and the rest of them, we'll just let them go
home. While we're doing that, why don't we hear - I want to know about
Conferences and Conventions. Especially about the Dinner Key Auditorium.
Mr. Odio: It will be - yes...
Mr. Plummer: Is Tony here?
Mr. Odio: Is he here yet?
Mr. Plummer: Or is Brice here? Any of that high priced help here?
Mr. Odio: Terry Bice is here so maybe Terry can take it.
Mr. Plummer: Well, put Terry on the microphone.
Mr. Odio: Tony's out today sick.
Mr. Plummer: Well, who's going to do it, Terry?
Ms. Range: Let's hear from...
Mr. Odio: Terry Bice.
s
39 September 11, 1989
Mr. Plummer: Well; put him up here: Let's lister► to him. Mark off, if you
will, the ones that you 'cant to hear on the...
Mr. Odio: Do it, OR? 'Tony just called, he'll be here shortly, Commissioner.
Can we skip that one for a minute and let him do it?
Mr. Plummer: Yes, we can skip it. Let's hear from the Sports Authority.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He should be here in about five minutes.
Mr. Plummer: Where the hell are all these people? I'm here, why aren't they?
Mr. Odio: I want to remind...
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: He'll be here in five minutes.
i
i
j--------------------- ----------------- ------- -------- —_.--------- ..—
S
10. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
i
--- ------------------------------- --------------------------------------------
_± Mayor Suarez: Public Works is also very important. Is there anybody here
from Public Works? —
Mr. Odio: He's here. Public Works.
Mr. Plummer: The next one I want to hear from is Parks and Recreation. I got
j to tear them up a little bit.
I
1
Mr. Luis Prieto: Good morning, Mr. Commissioner.
Ms. Range: All right.
— Mr. Plummer: That's page 95.
Ms. Range: What are we listening to now?
P
Mr. Plummer: Public Works, 95.
Ms. Range: get it, I'll take that.
i
Mr. Prieto: We're requesting 8.6 - eight million, six hundred and ninety
thousand dollars, which, when using your criteria, it comes out to around
$36,000 per employee, roughly.
Mr. Plummer: My figures say $43,000.
Mr. Prieto: Are you using the seven hundred - seven million one...
R
t
j Mr. Plummer: I'm using seven million, one nine zero eight seven four divided
by 167 comes out to $43,000. How'd you get thirty-six?
I Mr. Prieto: Sir, I just did it in my head.
Mr. Plummer: No, well then I don't have any credibility in your whole damn
budget if you can't figure out what your employees are costing you.
Mr. Prieto: I apologize.
Mr. Plummer: You're only $8,000 off.
7
Mr. Prieto: I apologize, I did it on my head coming over here.
Mr. Plummer: No, no, no, don't apologize, tell me how you came about the
thirty-six instead of what I see as forty-three?
Mr. Prieto: I did not have the benefit of a calculator, air. I did it on;my
head here.
Mr. Plummer: OK, go ahead.
40
0 0
Mr. prieto3 S&gicaliy, what we're planning to do is we finish up some highway
projects that we still have on the books, but our primary work is on
stormwater. Highways, we have about 4.2 million worth of work this year.
Mr. Plummer: What percentage are we - of total City?
Mr. Prieto: What percentage of work?
Mr. Plummer: What percentage of this total City has now sanitary sewers and
what percentage has sani... storm?
Mr. Prieto: OK, sewers, we have approximately 94 percent complete.
Mr. Plummer: That's sanitary sewers.
Mr. Prieto: Sanitary, that's right.
Mr. Plummer: Ninety-four percent of this City of sanitary sewers.
Mr. Prieto: Sanitary sewer complete.
Mr. Plummer: When does the completion date for it being 100 percent?
Mr. Prieto: We have left in abeyance the south Grove because of some
petitions from the south Grove residents that we reconsidered doing the south
Grove. That is basically what is now missing for 100 percent completion.
Mr. Plummer: Storm sewers?
Mr. Prieto: Storm sewers is a different matter. We were doing extremely well
with storm sewers but, as you know, the state has come out with new guidelines
that has set us back considerably.
Mr. Plummer: What percentage are we presently?
Mr. Prieto: Under the new ruling, we may be as low as 25 percent complete.
Mr. Plummer: As low as twenty-five?
Mr. Prieto: Yes, sir, and the reason for that is that the state environmental
Durham? and the county environmental agencies have redefined what the minimum
criteria are. In the past, as you know, we were able to drain some of our
streets directly to large bodies of waters, Biscayne Bay, Miami River. Under
the new rules, we will have to treat those waters and it does set us back in
that respect.
Ms. Range: Do you have a general crew who inspects your street lighting at
particular intervals or do you simply respond to calls?
Mr. Prieto: Right now, we only have one engineer responsible for street
lighting so we primarily rely on calls. When we get those calls, we do
inspect the area and we make a request from Florida Power & Light to put a
street light in.
Mr. Plummer: Let me tell you something that will amaze you. We spent how
much with Florida Power & Light every year with street lighting? Over five
million dollars. Florida Power & Light does not have a single truck or person
dedicated to making sure that those lights are working. You. would think a
five million dollar a year account, they would have at least a truck and a
couple of people to make sure they're on. We made some kind of cocks mammy
deal with them that as long as no more than 3 percent of them were out, that
we wouldn't raise hell. Yet, we're still paying - what is it? -$8.00 a light
pole? Light and pole, per day, whether it's on or it's off. Does that amaze
you?
Ms. Range: Well, rather. Is there any way, sir, that we can impose on
Florida Power & Light? There are some areas in this City that actually go
without street lighting for weeks at a time and I happen to know that first
hand, because it happens to be the area of my business.
Mr. Prieto: Yes.
41 September 11, 190
4
He. Ranger S.W. 17th Avenue, I don't know whether they have a shortage in
power out there or what but very, very often that area is dark and it's one of
the high crime areas.
Mr. Prieto% We have complained to Florida Power & bight. We're starting to
set up a system whereby we will have some people assigned to that. We have
complained to them also on this issue.
Ms. Range: Very good.
Mr. Prieto: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: Well, you know, my other gripe and this is not your department,
but in my particular neighborhood, I can show you a great number of street
lights that are on that you can't find because they're sitting in the middle
= of a tree.
Mr. Prieto: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: And yet, there is no program whatsoever, Citywide or Florida
Power & Light wise, that I know of, that are taking these street lights out of
the trees.
Mr. Prieto: Mr. Commissioner, we approached Florida Power & Light about 60
days ago on this issue and they have promised, they have placed now three
crews on tree trimming around their poles. In fact, for the last 30 days it
has been in effect.
Mr. Plummer: Are we talking about lights or about the wires because they've
been doing a hell of a job in the Grove of cleaning out the trees where the
wires are but I haven't seen them do a single light pole.
Mr. Prieto: We have addressed the issue specifically of lights and for the
last month they have been trimming back round all the lights as a good will
gesture towards us. They apparently will take care of this problem. They
have a large backlog and we were doing some of that ourselves but,
unfortunately, we only have one truck that can do that work. We had requested
the Commission to permit us to buy a second truck. We now have about twelve
weeks of backlog on trimming these trees. We were doing most of the work
ourselves, now, we're sharing it with Florida Power & Light.
Ms. Range: But did you not just say that Florida Power & Light is paid
something in excess of five million dollars to do these jobs? Aren't you
contracted with Florida Power & Light?
Mr. Prieto: They construed it that that was not included, that we had to take
care of the trees. That they would only take care of supplying the power, the
poles and the service. They construed that we had to take care of those tree
trimming duties.
Ms. Range: All right, is there anything in your contract with Florida Power &
Light which gives a specific time limit in which shortages should be
corrected? I think four to five to six or eight days is entirely too long for
an area...
Mr. Prieto: I agree.
Ms. Range: ...to go unlighted.
Mr. Prieto: Yes, I agree.
Ms. Range: And I would strongly suggest that unless these services are
rendered, that payment be withheld.
Mr. Prieto: Yes.
Ms. Range: I'm sure if payment were withheld, they'd find somebody to get out
there.
Mr. Prieto: Well, we'll certainly take that into consideration. We have been
imposing upon them for greater and greater number of services in the last few
months and that will certainly be of our priority.
42 September 11, 1909
Ma. Range: Who would the complainers call? Would they call the City or would
they call Florida Power A Light or what?
Mr. Prietot Many of them call the City directly. We have an engineer that is
full time checking on these issues. He's a street lighting engineer and he
takes care of inspecting and making...
Ms. Range: All right. Nov tall me, in the intersections, the traffic lights.
Are they - that's Dade County, is it not?
Mr. Prieto: There's a Dade County traffic control, right.
Mo. Range: I see. Yes, because I just wanted to make an observation. On
number one and 17th Avenue, early mornings that left hand signal just does not
work. I don't know whether it's a temperamental signal or what. What is it?
Mr. Plummer: It's computerized out.
Ms. Ranges Well, if it's computerized out, I tell you I saw one morning a
young man knocked off a motorcycle there simply because that light was not in
operation.
Mr. Prieto: This was 17th Avenue and....
Mr. Plummer: Dixie Highway.
Ms. Range: Seventeenth Avenue and Dixie Highway.
Mayor Suarez: And Dixie Highway.
Ms. Range: Is that Dixie?
Mr. Plummer: Yes. U.S. 1.
Ms. Range: U.S. 1, yes, yes, that's right.
Mr. Prieto: I'll call the traffic control and...
Ms. Range: Yes, because between 7:00 and 9:00 o'clock in the morning, it's
murderous trying to get by there.
Mr. Plummer: It takes me three traffic lights to go from my house to get to
go south on Dixie, which is approximately 15 minutes.
Mr. Prieto: Well, I'll have some...
Mr. Plummer: Any other questions of Public Works?
Mr. De Yurre: Yes.
Mr. Plummer: Victor.
Mr. De Yurre: I'm getting a lot of complaints from the Flagami area which is
traditional for this type of problem, but the flooding when it rains over
there has been increasingly worse after they fix the streets, particularly
around 59th and 4th, northwest. It gets to a point that it's not even - you
know, you just can't go in the area at all. And people have been complaining
and the reports that I get from them are that it's going to be a year or two
or whatever before they ever get to fix that problem.
Mr. Prieto: We have some work planned for that area there, but it is true, we
don't seem to have enough funds to take care of all the problematic area with
drainage. Also, the funds are going to be stretched now that we have the new
(Tape 5) criteria for drainage coming on board.
Mr. De Yurre: But well what has precedent over taking care of that problem
right now?
Mr. Prieto: Well, in this particular area, we do some projects that we
probably will be taking of it. You said this is on 59th Street and...
s:
43 September 11, 1989
f
Mr. be Yurre: It's that area, N.W. 4th Street...
Mr. Prieto: Yee.
Mr. be Yurre: ...4th Terrace.
Mr. Prieto: I'll have an answer for you on that.
Mr. De Yurre: Please do because, you know, they're complaining and rightly
so.
Mr. Plummer: Anything else on Public Works?
11. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: SPORTS AND EXHIBITION AUTHORITY.
Mr. Plummer: Sports Authority. How much is your increase this year over
last?
Mr. John Blaisdell: Commissioner, 41.5 percent increase over last year is
being proposed.
Mr. Plummer: How much profit did you make last year?
Mr. Blaisdell% At the Arena?
Mr. Plummer: Yes.
Mr. Blaisdell: For the fiscal year ending 9/30/88, the Arena lost
approximately $225,000...
Mr. Plummer: What did you make...
Mr. Blaisdell: Net of the cash benefits that we received was probably about
$50,000.
Mr. Plummer: What was the net increase over projections?
Mr. Blaisdell: Of expenses or revenues, I don't know.
Mr. Plummer: Total.
Mr. Blaisdell: The projected expenditures for the quarter were approximately,
you know, 15 percent, 15 to 16 percent different categories over the
originally anticipated budget.
Mr. Plummer: And yet, you're asking for more money.
Mr. Blaisdell: The Arena operating budget, as you know, Commissioner, .has
nothing to do with the Sports Authority budget. Sports Authority budget is
for the agency itself, the Arena operations are controlled by the management
company of the facility.
Mr. Plummer: Well...
Mr. Blaisdell: And the books are not consolidated.
Mr. Plummer: You're asking for a million dollars out of the general fund, is
that correct?
Mr. Blaisdell: No, Commissioner.
Mr. Plummer: From where?
Mr. Odio: That's his pro...
Mr. Blaisdell: The Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority is not funded by the
general fund. It is funded by separate funding source and they're primarily
the convention development tax and revenue sources generated from the Arena
operations.
44 September 11, 1909
0 0
Mr. Plummer: Are we voting on these budgets separately or are we voting on
them as one?
N
Mr. Odio: You will do it separate, but I pant to - by next year's budget,
we'll have all...
Mr. Plummer: We've already established that policy.
Mr. Odio: You have and I will do that.
Mr. Plummer: Because I'm voting against this budget and a couple of others.
Mr. Odio: OK, but what I'm going to do is just for this year, leave them as
they are, but for next budget that I present will be done consolidated.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Manager, what is your salary?
Mr. Odio: Do I have to say it?
Mr. Plummer: Sure, it's public record.
Mr. Odio: Ninety-six.
Mr. Plummer: Ninety-six and they're proposing to hire a deputy director, not
a director, a deputy director for $92,000 plus fringe.
Mr. Blaisdell: No, Commissioner, the base salary is $62,500 for purposes of
the budget presentation...
Mr. Odio: Can I apply? _
Mr. Blaisdell: ...we have summarized the impact on the budget, i.e. fringes
and benefits, office supplies, equipment, furniture, so forth. We estimate in
the proposed fiscal year there would be an impact of $92,000. The base salary
is proposed at sixty-two five.
Mr. Plummer: John, I love you dearly. You're running a good ship down there.
You want that deputy director, you show me where you're going to eliminate
something else. I am not voting for a deputy director for $92,000 a year.
There's just absolutely no way. I'm not voting for a 41 percent increase.
Now, you can talk all you want. I've made my position clear. I think it is
ludicrous to pay $92,000 for a deputy director. Yet, I have to tell you I
think the position is important. I've always said that in all City
departments that the number two man is just as important, if not more
important, than the number one man. But, if for whatever reason the number
one man is not there tomorrow morning, you need somebody that can walk in and
take over without losing time and time is money. But I'm not voting for your
budget now. You can ask all the rest. Anybody else ask questions if they
want but I just can't, in any way, justify, in my mind, 41 percent increase.
Look, I've spoken to you privately, the bulk of your work is done. The bulk
was getting that place built and operating and it's done. Now, I know that
you, individually, as an individual, the Manager has taken advantage of your
expertise and given you a lot of other load to carry. But I still cannot go
along with a ninety-two thousand deputy director, so anybody else wants to ask
questions. I'm just totally not voting for that budget.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, how much do you think the deputy director should get?
Mr. Plummer: I think a deputy director should make - look, it's simple - in
private practice, you take your total operating budget and your CEO should
make two to three percent of the total budget. A sub director...
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
Mr. Plummer: Now, you shut up. I didn't... all right? Now, I'm saying a
sub director should make 20 percent less than that. Let's say that they're
budget is a million dollars, all right? That means your director should be
making somewhere in the neighborhood of $30-$35 thousand dollars plus fringe
and a sub director should be making proportionately lower. I just, you
know...
45 September 11, 1989
Mr. De Yurre: Yea, well, how much do you make, John?
Mr. Blaisdell: My current salary is seventy-nine five.
Mr. De Yurre: Seventy-nine five and...
Mr. Blaisdell: Base salary.
Mr. Plummer: And proposed, and proposed in this budget for...
Mr. De Yurre: Minus - take away 20 percent you're about the sixty-two figure.
Mr. Plummer: No, no, no. Wait a minute, now. That's salary, Victor.
Mr. De Yurre: Yes, I know.
Mr. Plummer: OK, when you put the fringe package on top of that, it's
$120,000 cost to the taxpayer.
Mr. De Yurre: For whom? -John's salary? John's package?
Mr. Plummer: John's package of cost to the taxpayers - am I right, John,
roughly?
Mr. Blaisdell: It's about 27 percent, so it's a little bit less than that,
Commissioner. About a hundred and fifteen.
Mr. Plummer: A $115,000.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, well, isn't ninety-two about 20 percent less than a hundred
and fifteen? out there.
Ms. Range: In addition to your deputy director being on point when you're not
available, what are the specific duties you plan?
Mr. Blaisdell: Commissioner, the primary reason for introducing the position
in this next fiscal year is to develop an heir apparent, hopefully, in the
event of the executive director moving on and having someone on board ready to
take over. As you've seen in the City in the past several times executives of
departments have departed and all of a sudden the executives have to be
rehired under a consulting agreement to provide the expertise and to
effectuate a transition. So that's our primary goal. However, we would like
to have someone at an executive level that can duplicate the efforts of the
executive director. The business that we are in, OK, is one which is very
intangible in the beginning stages. Developing an Arena project, as
Commissioner Plummer correctly pointed out, is completed. However, if we
intend to move forward into the new projects as a baseball stadium, some youth
centers in the community, possibly a downtown convention center, it's not like
you just decide that we're going to do the project and we just fund it and
leave or build it. These projects have a life cycle of over five to seven
years and the activities that need to be occurring now to ensure the success
of those projects, three, five seven, and eight, ten years down the road are
going to be directly related to the type and quality of people that are
involved in the projects today. We feel that this is the time now to be able
to provide that expertise and coupled with that 200 percent effort at the
executive level, it will free up some of my time on the administration level
i to be able to interact a lot more effectively with our board and with the City
Commission because we not only have an eleven member appointed board, we also
work closely with the City Manager's office, with the City Commission, as well
as interacting with all the City departments. It becomes quite tenuous at
times but always for the betterment of the specific projects that we get
involved with. And also, we'd like to spend a little bit more time in
interelating with some of the established projects that we have in the
community and we feel that the addition of this position will free up the
necessary resource to accomplish that.
Me. Range: Thank you.
Mr. De Yurre: The increase.
funding that you're getting.
Where's this money going to come from? The
46 September 11, 1989
Mr. Blaisdell: As you know, Commissioner, the authority, as an independent
agency of the City, is primarily funded by three cent tax of which the
authority is entitled to receive one third. From those dollars, we pay all
the outstanding debt obligations that we have and we receive an allocation of
convention development tax revenues to fund our operating budget. We
supplement that with seat charge revenues that we are entitled to receive from
the Arena operations which are a positive cash flow on an annual basis as well
as certain other investment earnings that we earn on investments related to
bond indentures.
Mr. De Yurre: OK.
Mr. Blaisdell: So this, as I pointed out earlier, this does not impact the
general fund at all.
Mr. De Yurre: No, now, you're talking about getting it from the three cent
bed tax.
Mr. Blaisdell: That's correct.
Mr. De Yurre: If you were asking for more money, it would still come from
there. If you were asking for less money, it would still come from there.
Mr. Blaisdell: That's correct or a combination of that and the revenues
generated from the Arena.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, what happens to the balance of the money of the bed tax
that doesn't go to the Sports Authority.
Mr. Blaisdell: OK, OK, it is for an approved project, for example, there are
not only debt obligations for the projects we're involved in, but there are
also operating obligations. Those have been satisfied. The statute provides
that those dollars are available for specific statutory purposes. We,
essentially hold that money and will be proposing projects both to the City
and to the County Commission because the county's required to approve the
projects, for use of those dollars. Effectively, from our point of view, what
it means is that we will come up with a plan to develop a baseball stadium and
how and what dollars come from that pot will be outlined therein. If we
decide to develop a sports center in the City of Miami, a sports youth center
which we've talked about, we will come up with a plan, approach the City
Commission and we will use excess proceeds to, hopefully, issue debt or make a
cash contribution to facilitate the development of the project.
Mr. De Yurre: My point is, the allocation that goes to the Sports and
Exhibition Authority comes from that bed tax. Now, how much of that bed tax
goes to the City?
Mr. Blaisdell: The City... the county imposes the tax...
Mr. Plummer: Are you talking about the two percent?
Mr. Blaisdell: No, one percent. The county...
Mr. De Yurre: We get one percent.
Mr. Blaisdell: We get one percent.
Mr. De Yurre: OK.
Mr. Blaisdell: The county transfers that directly to the trustee of our
senior lien bond indenture. They make the flow of funds, they make the
allocations as required by the bond indenture. And, within the construction
of the bond indenture are certain steps where we get funded an amount for our
operating budget.
Mr. De Yurre: OK, the point that I'm trying to get it is, how much money is
available of what you're asking for this million dollars?
Mr. Blaisdell: OK.
Mr. De Yurre: How much is left over and what happens to that money?
47 September 11, 1989
0
Mr. Blaisdell: Our projection, based on our - we just recently refinanced our
subordinate debt structure - Based on our projection for the fiscal year
ending 12/31, the calendar year, I'm sorry, ending 12/31/89, we expect to have
an excess of about 2 million dollars in convention development tax revenues in
cash. Then that money will be segregated in our financial statements as
dollars to be used for future projects. So, what we are saying is that
$609,000 of that 2 million will be contributed to our operating budget after
paying debt service on our respective obligations.
Mr. Plummer: Why not take the $300,000 increase this year and reduce debt
service? I mean, there's nothing wrong with paying off your loan quicker than
what's anticipated.
Mr. Blaisdell: Absolutely not.
Mr. Plummer: But instead of, you're getting more money, so let's spend it.
It doesn't make any sense to me. To me it should be taken, that money should
be taken and reduce the debt.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, I think one of the things that we've talked about is
bringing ice hockey to the Arena.
Mr. Plummer: That brings more revenue because that's not a loss item. It
brings more revenue.
Mr. De Yurre: No, but you have to put in the equipment which is cost about
$400,000.
Mr. Plummer: That's fine.
Mr. De Yurre: Which is a one shot deal.
Mr. Plummer: That's fine, they've got that kind of over revenues right now.
They're running 15 percent ahead of projections.
Mr. Blaisdell: I think, Commissioner, it's important, Commissioners, it's
important to realize that there is a major policy and timing shift here. Two
years ago, the authority, everybody focused on the authority as an entity that
was merely established to development the Arena. If you look closely at the
ordinance that the City Commission adopted that empowers the authority, the
authority has much more broad powers and responsibilities. It's required to
be the entity that goes forward and attempts to make this City a major venue
for sports, for convention related and takes an active role in the community
as it relates to those types of activities. I understand that there's a 41
percent and that sounds extremely high.
Mr. Plummer: It is.
Mr. Blaisdell: When you look at the nature of the increase though and you
look at the specific behind the increase, I think that there's some reasonable
support for the increase. We would not propose a budget to you which we felt
was unreasonable or irresponsible and I think that the addition of the deputy _
director which adds a $92,000 number to that three hundred, I think there is a _
reasonable basis for doing that. If you look at the expanded professional
services, for example, last year, under event sponsorship, we may have spent
eight or to ten thousand dollars in putting together a proposal for the NBA
All Star Game. That game will have 40 to 50 million dollar impact to our
City. It will be coming in February of 1990. Those are the same types of
activities that we intend to pursue in the future. We hope to be able to
enhance that ultimately in the 1990's making Miami a great venue for those
types of activities. Now, you can't do that without the investment of some
resources and our philosophy, which, hopefully, is consistent with the City's,
is that if we make a wise investment, we can spend $10,000 and bring a
$50,000,000 impact to the City by putting not only the human resources to work
but relatively reasonable dollar resources that we think that that's a
reasonable return or better than reasonable return. When you look at the
number you say, "Wow, there's a $300,000 increase," I agree on its face it
sounds high. But I think it's important to realize that look at the detail
and that was the predicate upon which we hope to move into the future.
Mr. Plummer: Any further question?
48 September 11, 1989
ter.
Ms. Range: Who is presently responsible for attracting events to the City
from your department?
Mr. Blaisdell: From our department?
Ms. Range: Yes.
Mr. Blaisdell: We - it's really a department wide, primarily the marketing
manager position and myself have taken the lead role in previous and past
activities to move forward to secure, identify, and then put all the processes
in motion, or application processes or what not. And we try, pursuant to our
ordinance, to joint venture with the private sector to find areas of the
community that are interested in working with us and move those resources
together. We don't try always to fund it ourselves, we try to go out and find
partners and participants to make it more effective.
Ms. Range: Do you think it would enhance your position in any way if this
responsibility were placed, at least partially, in the purview of your
assistant, the assistant you hope to bring on?
Mr. Blaisdell: I think clearly that the role that this deputy director will
assume will be - they will be integrated in every single activity and I don't
want to point out one activity being more important than others, but I think
that that is clearly one of the activities they would be involved in. In
order for that position and that person to be successful, they not only have
to have the broad based knowledge to move forward in all aspects of the
organization but also to be able to interact independently.
Ms. Range: Surely.
Mr. Blaisdell: With entities, communities, and joint venture participants to
make things happen. And that's the only way we're ultimately going to ensure
a smooth transition.
Ms. Range: And do you think bringing on an executive assistant to yourself
would enhance this in any way, that's what I'm asking?
Mr. Blaisdell: Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Range: Yes. And the $92,000 is a projection rather than a hard figure.
Mr. Blaisdell: That's correct. We have identified, based on what we feel is
competitive in the industry, the type of - level of individual we need to
attract and clearly, if we can find somebody for less, we're not going to pay
them sixty-two five.
Ms. Range: Thank you.
Mr. Plummer: Further questions?
Mr. De Yurre: No.
Mr. Plummer: Unless there's objections, all people that have testified so far
this morning are free to leave. Unless there's objections from any of my
colleagues. The departments that have already testified here this morning are
free. Mr. Manager, have you announced when the two public hearings are?
Mr. Odio: The fourteenth is one.
Mr. Plummer: Fourteenth?
Mr. Odio: And the 28th.
Mr. Plummer: And the 28th at 5:05.
Mr. Odio: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Perry, you'll be on time?
Mr. Odio: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Chief Anderson, you'll be on time for the public hearings.
p 49 September 11,<1989
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
Mr. Plummer: Would appreciate that. Yes, thank you.
Mr. Odio: That's this Thursday, this Commission day.
12. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: CONFERENCE AND CONVENTIONS
DEPARTMENT.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Plummer: Conventions. For the record, we need to indicate that there
Vill be an amount of fifteen thousand added to the budget for Grand Prix,
fifteen thousand for Granatelli, and 25 thousand for the League of Cancer,
Citizens for a Better South Florida, 25 thousand. That's for the record.
Mr. De Yurre: And what department now?
Mr. Plummer: It comes under special accounts, I think. Tony Pajares.
Mr. Tony Pajares: Yes, sir.
Ms. Range: Where are we going now?
,s
Mr. Plummer: Conventions and page 121.
Mr. Pajares: Good morning.
Ms. Range: Good morning.
Mr. Plummer: Eleven million dollars. Tony, what are you waiting for?
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir. Our total budget this year is eleven million dollarsf
eleven, oh, one, four, four, three, oh. We have taken on a new division which
was known as Public Information. We are hoping to combine them into a sales
force eventually.
Mr. Plummer: Tell us what else.
Mr. Pajares: OK, all right, where's the... Commissioner, the most significant
part of the budget this year is that our deficit will go up to three million,
one forty-seven.
Mr. Plummer: That's for the Knight Center?
Mr. Pajares: Yes, air. No, that is the combined deficit of all of the
Coconut Grove, Knight Center and the Office of Public Information.
Mr. Plummer: All right, let me ask you a question.
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Well, there are two questions that are burning. The first one
is, is that Dinner Key going to be ready for the ASTA Convention?
Mr. Pajares: As of Friday, I asked the only thing that was delaying it is FPL
was digging a hole on 27th Avenue to put some kind of cable there. I talked
to Mr. Sanchez from FPL. That problem has been solved. That now they can go
pave the road. What was delaying the whole thing is they couldn't pave the
road or finish the landscaping because of that hole.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Pajares.
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: Is the convention center going to be finished for the ASTA
Convention?
Mr. Pajares: Yes, air. Yes, sir.
50 September 11, 1989
0
Mr. Plummers Thank you.
Mr. Pajareaa The only problem was that hole and it's being fixed. FPL is
taking tare of it.
Mr. Plummer: So there'll be then in fact the Dinner Key Auditorium is under
your control.
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir, it is.
Mr. Plummer: All right. Have you recently instigated a new pricing system?
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir, I'm going to.
Mr. Plummer: No, have you or are you?
Mr. Pajares: No, I've done the ordinance. It has not come up before the
Commission, that has to go before the Commission.
Mr. Plummer: All right. Is there any truth to reality that says that you are
going up in that fee roughly four times what you're presently charging?
Mr. Pajares: Not at all. We're going to 45 cents a square foot.
Mr. Plummer: As opposed to what?
Mr. Pajares: As opposed to thirty-five. Miami Beach...
Mr. Plummer: So you're going up a third, roughly.
Mr. Pajares: We're going ten cents a square foot, yes, air. Miami Beach is
going from fifty-five to sixty. The expo, which is similar...
Mr. Plummer: Do we have any provisions in your ordinance or your proposed
ordinance for negotiating for a long term, more than a one night or two night?
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir.
Mr. Plummer: The negotiation possibility is there.
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir. There's also negotiations for setting up and tearing
down.
Mr. Plummer: All right, we're now collecting how much for parking?-$3.00?
Mr. Pajares: Two dollars for parking.
Mr. Plummer: Two dollars. And we're charging a ticket surcharge.
Mr. Pajares: Yes, sir, we are. Well..
Mr. Plummer: And we're...
Mr. Pajares: When it's a ticketed event, yes.
Mr. Plummer: Well, of course.
Mr. Pajares: Not for a convention.
Mr. Plummer: And when is that restaurant going to be opened up?
Mr. Pajares: Roughly at the same time that the ASTA Convention is here,
around October - middle October.
Mr. Plummer: Not roughly, is it going to be open for the ASTA Convention or
not? I think that's important.
Mr. Pajares: They say it is.
Mr. Plummer: I think we need an answer.
51
IN" i M MUC W6101
'
Mr.
Pajar6b: Vali, they said Yes.
l
Mr.
Odiot it will open, they said. but, you kft6Vj wes
Mr.
Plummert but is it going to be open on a permanent basis?.
Mr.
Odiot Yen.
r.
Mr.
Pajares: Yes.
Mr.
Odio: The Havant...
a
Mr.
Pajares: Havana Clipper, yes, sir.
Mr.
Plummer: because, you know, right now, all they're doing
is paying us,
minimum,
which is what?-$4,000 a month? Forty-five hundred.
Mr.
Pajares: Forty... yes.
Mr.
Plummer: We should be getting 25 to 30 thousand dollars a
month if they
were having some kind of gross sales.
-
Mr.
Pajares: Yes.
Mr.
Plummer: It's costing us money for them to sit there and not use the
facility.
Mr.
Pajares: That's correct.
_
Mr.
Odio: They have completely rebuilt the place, totally.
st
Mr.
Plummer: Mr. Manager...
Mr.
Odio: You're right...
Mr.
Plummer: ...I think that we need to push on Terremark to get that thing
finished,
in operation, for the ASTA Convention.
Mr.
Odio: We have. They promised it will be ready.
Mr.
Pajares: Commissioner, they have booked parties for ASTA
there. They
have coffee breaks and cocktail receptions for ASTA.
Mr.
Plummer: OK, but once it's open, I want to make sure that it stays open. Y,
Mr.
Pajares: Yes, sir.
`
Mr.
Plummer: I have no farther questions. Thank you, Tonq.
a -wr,4'.
rs
.
i,'.
-
i" R
0 0
--------------------------- ---------- -----------------------------------------
13. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION
AND PUBLIC FACILITIES. �-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Plummer: Parks and Recreation. Page 77 and 111, I don't know why two,
but I guess there's a reason.
Mr. Odio: The stadium division is an enterprise fund so that's why...
Mr. Albert Ruder: Good morning, Commissioners, the reason there is two is
that we're responsible, as you know, for parks and the other section is public _
facilities. Basically in parks, the increase is less than one percent in the
total budget and we're not adding any additional positions and public
facilities, the increase is about three percent and, again, we're not adding
any additional positions. Basically, the new administration has been on board _
less than a year and in that time, I know you don't want to concentrate on
what we've done now, but one of the biggest accomplishments, I think, besides _
just reorganization, is trying to streamline, is that we've been able to make
thirty-one promotions from within, all from within the department which, I
think has been a significant accomplishment for morale and other reasons.
Department wide, our minority work force is about 83 percent of our work force
is minority. Some of the new initiatives that we want to do next year is
continue to improve the financial controls of the department. Try to complete
75 percent of the 8.3 million dollar park improvement program. Apply...
Mr. Plummer: Why are you taking credit for removal of trash and debris out of
the park? That would seem like to me it's sanitation.
Mr. Ruder: Well, right now, we do maintenance and sometimes removal although
we coordinated, you know, whenever it's necessary with Solid Waste. But we
don't only maintain City parks, we maintain other City lots such as the Police
Station, the grass at the Police Station, the grass at the Police Building.
Mr. Plummer: Why?
Mr. Ruder: That's the way it's always been set up and I guess its more
efficient for one department who has all the equipment and the personnel to do
it for the entire City.
Mr. Plummer: Do you charge the Police Department's budget for that?
Mr. Ruder: We don't charge the budget, but we do get money in our budget to
cover those costs.
Mr. Plummer: So the Police Department's really getting more money. Well, one
pocket to the other, but still it ain't stopping anywhere. Let me ask you
about, in particular, Melreese Golf Course. How much money is in this budget
to fix that hell hole up? It is a disgrace.
Mr. Ruder: Well, to tell you the... I agree with you a hundred percent and...
Mr. Plummer: No, no, don't agree with me, tell me how much money you've got
in this budget to fix that place up. Not to make t a first class, just to
make it decent.
Mr. Ruder: Well, OK, you know, I'll be happy to answer it but I do want to
tell you that this year we put in more than $60,000.
Mr. Plummer: That's a drop in the bucket.
Mr. Ruder: I agree with you.
Mr. Plummer: How much have you got in this year's budget upgrading of
Melreese Golf Course?
Mr. Ruder: This year we have just a, you know, just ten or twenty thousand
dollars but I know it was mentioned that Miami Springs, as you know, is being
appraised and I know at least one Commissioner at one of the meetings
mentioned that if that is sold, we can take that money to upgrade Melreese.
53 September 11, 1989
Mr. Plummer: That's one Commissioner and I respect his opinion, but I am
totally opposed to selling our area that is our water area.
Mr. Ruder: Yes, because...
Ms. Range: Commissioner Plummer...
Mr. Plummer: I think we also have to remember that we have a policy in which
the City of Miami Springs has first right of refusal if the day ever comes.
Mr. Ruder: Right, we've done...
INAUDIBLE COMMENTS NOT ENTERED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD.
Mr. Plummer: Well, Mr. Manager, excuse me, Mrs. Range.
Ms. Range: Surely.
Mr. Plummer: Let me just say to you, sir.
Mr. Odio: They would have to pay a price
Mr. Plummer: I am not voting for this budget unless you give me a guaranteed
number of fixing up Melreese Golf Course. Now, that place is a disgracel It
is not even a half way decent place. Now, you know, I don't know what the
name of the game is, but you've got to give me some number that I can say to
the general public that those trees that are uprooted, the bathrooms which are
filthy, the walkways which are crawling with weeds, you know, the roof that is
leaking...
Mr. Odio: We'll fix that.
Mr. Plummer: You know, just good God, a good coat of paint would go a hell of
a long way.
Mr. Ruder: And the trees, we fix the trees also. The trees are in the
process of being fixed. They've been down...
Mr. Odio: The trees have been
Mr. Ruder: Money was set aside and the Commission approved $20,000.
Mr. Plummer: Look, I'm telling you before you get my vote on budget, Mr.
Manager, I would like to see a piece of paper telling me that you're going to
spend X number of dollars; this is what the money is going for. Because if
he's telling me $20,000, twenty thousand dollars is $2,000 a month, I mean,
you can't open doors for that.
Mr. De Yurre: Well, we spoke - isn't there a cost projection of putting the
sprinkler system in and about half a million dollars worth?
Mr. Ruder: Yes, yes.
Ms. Range: I think one thing ought to be clarified. It is public knowledge
that the Melreese Golf Course and the Miami Springs Golf Course, along with
another piece of City owned property, is up for sale or that prices are
being - appraisals are being made on these. Now, are these items up for sale
or aren't they? I think we should clear that up first and then we can talk
about whether money is going to be spent to improve them.
Mr. Ruder: Yes, well you're right, Commissioner. At this time, all that
simply is happening is that appraisals are being obtained.
Mr. Odio: Excuse me. We have the capital improvement project for '91 we had
$400,000 for the golf courses. What we'll do is we'll switch it to ninety and
that will take care of the concern of the Commission. It is in the five year
plan so that's covered. OK, Plummer?
Ms. Range: So, it is not among any items for sale.
Mr. Odio: It has nothing to do with this budget, it's... that's right.
54 September 11, 1989
t
6 0
Me. Mange: All right.
Mr. De Yurre: What will we get for the $400,0007
Mr. Odio: We would have to have the public...
NOTE FOR THE RECORDS There is a slight gap in the minutes at this point
due to audio difficulty.
Mr. Plummer:.... showcase, I'm not asking you to make the best golf course.
I'm saying just to go in and make it decent.
Mr. Odio: To tell you the truth, Commissioner, one of the reasons we held
back last year in some of those things is that we were talking about the
possibility of building the baseball stadium there.
Mr. Plummer: Well, I understand all of that.
Mr. Odio: I still think it's a damn good site for that.
Mr. Plummer: But like I say, it doesn't take a mountain of money to go out
and just give it a good paint job. My God! One of the problems you got out
there is having adequate personnel. I realize that. Maybe what you need to
_ do is consider maybe one more person out there that could just do general
maintenance.
Mr. Odio: I also asked Industrial Engineering to look at the possibility of
having a management... put out an RFP for a... let them manage the golf
course. We're not in that business. It's not...
Mr. Albert Ruder: Commissioner, I do want to say that since we talked last,
we have painted the bathrooms. We have put new water fountains in. The money
has been allocated to remove those trees, so there are a lot of things...
that's why I said that with that with that sixty thousand... we spent sixty
thousand this year and we didn't make some of the very improvements you're
talking about now.
Mr. Plummer: OK, well, let's get on with it. Anything else on Parks and
Recreation? Hearing none we'll go on to GSA. Page 159.
14. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Odio: By the way there is an item, Commissioners, in the agenda that is
very important from GSA point of view, is the police replacement program for
cars. I hope you look at it carefully because we did negotiate partly with
the unions and it's going to help.
Mr. Plummer: The City Commission is getting the same budget we had last year?
Sports Authority is getting a 41 percent increase, Sanitation is getting an 8
percent and we get the same budget we had last year.
Mr. Odio: Everybody did except... there's only two departments, three
departments that I know that got a little bit more. Those were Police, Fire
and Sanitation. Every other department of the City came in with the same,
Commissioner, but you can switch that around, if you wish.
Mr. Plummer: Come on, Ron.
Mr. Ron Williams: Thank you, sir. The Department of General Services
Administration, during fiscal year 89-90, plans to continue its efforts to
streamline and hold the line in terms of costs. We are proposing and have
been funded this year to take on a systematic program to take address some of
your earlier concerns in the area of City facilities, buildings, and
55 September 11, 1989
equipment. Our immediate objective, of course, is to continue the
improvements that we think we've made in some of those areas and over a period
of time, identify those areas through some kind of priority review basis that
we put together to show gradual and systematic improvement throughout the
process. As the manager adequately pointed out, we're addressing the fleet
replacement issue through a policy proposal that we hope you'll give some
consideration. We are addressing the maintenance and repair side of the fleet
repair program to the extent that we've gone at it aggressively. We've
incorporated and coordinated with many of the departments, particularly the
heavy users, i.e., Solid Waste, Police Department, Public Works, and Parks.
Mr. Plummer: Any further questions of Mr. Williams?
----=----------------------------------------------------------------------
15. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: OFF-STREET PARKING DEPARTMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mulvena, Off -Street Parking Authority, request of Mrs.
Range. Victor, do you have any others? I have none and she just had the one.
Mrs. Range: Thank you, Mr. Williams.
Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mulvena, tell us why you are robbing the public.
Mr. Jack Mulvena: As a reminder to the Commission and other people in
attendance, the Department of Off -Street Parking is a...
Mr. Plummer: Off -Street Parking is a separate budget, Mrs. Range. Go ahead,
Jack.
Mr. Mulvena: As a reminder, the Department of Off -Street Parking is a parking
facilities management organization for the City of Miami and also a collection
agency for the City of Miami. We do not use any tax income at all, nor have
we in our last 34 years since being created back in 1954. If I might, I'd
like to point to five budget highlights that are a part of your package.
Mr. Plummer: Instead of giving us a commercial, why don't we let Mrs. Range
ask questions.
Mr. Mulvena: Good idea.
Mrs. Range: I just want to be informed generally on it. I don't have any
specific questions, but it is my understanding that there will be an increase.
Mr. Mulvena: Yes, let me speak directly to a rate increase that we're
suggesting for this year. Last year we introduced a five-year plan that
included the development of some specific garages and surface lots, but no
addition of meters. Therefore, the City Commission supported a six percent
increase in gross revenue for the Department of Off -Street Parking for this
five year period of time. Last year we raised the rates for our garages and
found that the utilization fell off, so that for the first time in the past
ten years, the Department of Off -Street Parking experienced a deficit as
opposed to a profit. We are suggesting this year that we increase some of our
surface parking rates, primarily around the Arena area so that we can bring
those rates, not up to market value, which is about $10 per surface lot in the
private sector, but that we get close to market value, which would be $8 for
VIP parking, $6 for preferred parking, and $4 for general parking within the
two block area.
Mr. Plummer: How much money are they losing?
Mr. Mulvena: Basically the Arena parking program is losing about a half a
million dollars a year through underutilization.
Mr. Plummer: Which means that they weren't really needed in the first place.
Mrs. Range: Right.
Mr. Mulvena: Well, as a matter of fact, we've discovered that the inventory
is one half of what we provided.
56 September 11, 1989
Mr. Plummer: Yet, Mr. Buffman says he wouldn't open up without them. He had
to have them.
Mr. Mulvena: We found that to be true.
Mrs. Range: And I see that many of the areas you're going to be increasing
your parking rates 100 percent. Do you expect to attract people with this?
Mr. Mulvena: No, I don't think you'll find we're increasing our parking rates
by 100 percent. In the Arena parking area, for example, we would be
increasing our VIP rate from six to eight, and our preferred parking from four
to six. In some other areas of the City, we're standardizing our meter rates.
Right now in the downtown Miami area, it costs $1 per hour to park at a meter.
We're standardizing those meter rates in the area of Coconut Grove and the
Village area, not in the outskirts. And also in the area in and around the
Arena since we want to, in a sense, not let people park for free on the
streets when we already have some City owned parking in the area. So none of
the rates are 100 percent increase.
Mrs. Range: In order to better understand this, I'd like, if you will, to set
an appointment and see me in my office.
Mr. Mulvena: Very happy to, Commissioner.
Mrs. Range: Before this comes up for another reading.
Mr. Mulvena: By all means, I can do that at your convenience, Commissioner.
Mrs. Range: Thank you very much.
Mr. Plummer: Mrs. Range, do you have any further inquiries of any of the
remaining departments?
Mrs. Range: I think not.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lb. MIAMI ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS ANNOUNCEMENT BY DON TEEMS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Plummer: The Fire Union, Don Teems, has asked for the opportunity to make
an announcement.
Mr. Don Teems: Commissioners, my name is Don Teems. I'm with the Miami
Association of Firefighters. What I've given you is a packet of information
that's basically...
Mr. Plummer: Time out!
Mr. Odio: I don't think it's fair to listen to him without having the Fire
Chief. I really don't think...
Mr. Plummer: Well then it's my mistake. I shouldn't have released the Fire
Chief. I think for the record, he can make a statement if he wants and the
Chief can refute it if necessary.
Mr. Teems: I apologize for not being here when they gave their budget. I was
under the understanding that it was going to be at 10:00 o'clock and
apparently, it was earlier.
Mr. Plummer: All you asked for is the availability of a few minutes to make a
statement.
Mr. Teems: Exactly.
Mr. Plummer: We will not discuss the statement. We'll just let you make it.
Mr. Teems: OK. The first group of pages you see is the Fire Department's
breakout of apparatus that have been out of service in the year 1989. She got
that?
57 September 11, 1989
Mr. Plummer: No, she's asking on something else, Don, go ahead.
Mr. Teems: All right, as you can see, every day there is fire service out. -
Fire trucks being put out of service and 99.9 percent of the time, the reason
is manning. The next packet is the Fire Department's projection from 1982
through the year 2000 on their projection of the amount of runs that the Fire
Department can look forward to in each succeeding year. That, as you can see,
is just quadrupled and it's going to continue so. Part of that packet also
has the response time projection if everything stays status quo and it's going
all the way up to 1994, the average response time is six minutes. These are
all Fire Department figures, not mine. The last page says the American Red
Cross is determined that if CPR is started for a heart attack victim within
one minute after cardiac arrest, the chance of recovery is 98 percent.
Basically what that means is that anytime other than that, over that your
percentages go down. The next piece of paper is a chart that was done a
couple of years ago. I'm sorry it's not up to date, but it's from 1975 to
1987. It shows the break-out of personnel in the Fire Department. Chief's
office went from 12 to 20. Training went from 7 to 9. Fire Prevention Bureau
went from 30 to 45. Rescue went from 61 to 119. Support Services went 11 to
19. Firefighting went down from 575 to 504. Now you understand these are
budgeted positions. They're not what we actually have. The next page is what
we actually have. The bodies needed per shift to fully man the apparatus are
114. That figure is multiplied by 4.22, which is the Fire Department's figure
for what it would take to man an apparatus. That's three people per shift,
plus the addition of vacations, holidays, sick or whatever. Their formula is
the amount, the position times 4.22. In 1988 we had 502 budgeted positions in
the division. Currently there are 469 assigned to the division. The division
is 12 down from the number. needed. The division has 33 vacancies unfilled.
So basically, there is no way that we can man these apparatus without putting
trucks out of service. The Rescue Division is a little better. The bodies
needed are 27 per shift. That is broken down to 114. Currently assigned are
112 and we are two unfilled. What basically is happening also is that we're
robbing from the Firefighting Division to man the Rescue Division when needed.
The two questions I have for the Commission are that in our opinion, figures
don't lie. We're having a drastic reduction in the fire service that we're
really delivering to the citizens of the City of Miami. Understanding budget
cuts, understanding the financial crisis that the City is in, what we're
telling you is we can't continue doing it and deliver that kind of service.
We just can't do it. So, you got a problem. I think two questions I would
like to see answered, and I didn't get a copy of the budget, although
contractually I'm supposed to get it when you get it, and I didn't get it,
but... so I don't really know what the budget... how it addresses these kinds
of problems. The two questions I would like to ask the Commission, and
hopefully they would ask the department, are what does this budget do to help =
alleviate the problem of putting trucks out of service, and what about the
long term problems? The department's own figures show that those runs totals
are going to go up, up, up and continue going up? And what are we going to do
about addressing those five and ten years down the road? I don't know that =_
answer, and I'm asking that question. I would like the Commission to look at
it, look at the figures, and at budget time, we'll be back again, you know, at
the public hearings, we'll be glad to come back, but we would like to address
the issue. I guess my point is I keep hearing budget constraints and I
understand them, believe me, I understand them. But I'm telling you right now
that we can't deliver fire service and continue to cut and cut and cut. We
can't do it. And we need to tell the people that. _
Mr. Odio: I just want to...
Mr. Plummer: I don't want any conversation. He made a statement. You can
address it at the public hearing.
Mr. Odio: I just wanted to make a comment that this is not... that they
should have gone to the public hearing and not here, Commissioner.
Mr. Plummer: Fine, he asked for the opportunity to make his statement. He
has that opportunity. I hope the administration will have answers for him at
the... the Fire Chief will have answers for him at the public hearing. Any
further matters to come before... Mrs. Range, Internal Audits.
58 September 11, 1989
..----------------
V. BUDGET WORKSHOP (FY 89-90) DISCUSSION: DEPARTMENT OF INFERNAL AUDITS
AND REVIEWS
Me. Hattie Danielas Mrs. Range, you just want the regular presentation?
Mrs. Range: Yes, please.
Ms. Daniels: The Department of Internal Audits and Reviews includes two
divisions, Internal Audits and Affirmative Action. We have lb employees and
our budget request for this year is $913,295. This is essentially the same
amount that we had last year. As far as our major accomplishments, we should
complete 175 audits for this fiscal year.
Mrs. Range: I think I'm not really interested in all of the report. What
struck me was I saw here that part of your selected objectives is to
participate in the Fire Task Force to ensure compliance with the Consent
Decree. Where are we on that?
Ms. Daniels: Well, if you're asking about the National Investigative Panel's
report, the Fire Department has responded to a number of those
recommendations. There is still a great deal more that has to be completed in
terms of training. Sensitivity Training is basically ongoing at the present
time. There are plans to include for next year an EEO (Equal Employment
Opportunity) officer in that department. There are still a number of things
that have not been completed, but we are monitoring that very closely.
Mrs. Range: You do know that the Fire Department will be on for an update on
the second meeting in September. Is that correct? The second meeting in
September before the City Commission.
Ms. Daniels: Yes.
Mrs. Range: And of course you may be called upon at that time to give us an
update on it.
Ms. Daniels: All right.
Mrs. Range: That is what my main concern was. Thank you.
THE BUDGET WORKSHOP WAS ADJOURNED AT 11:57 A.M.
59
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