Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-82-0221t I E { t CITY OF MIAMI. FLirt�IDA i INTER -OFFICE MEMORANCIUM Honorable Mayor and Members of March 4, 1982 the City Commission Vacant Fire Stations q .. Howard V . Gary City Manager At the City Commission meeting of February 25, 1982 the above subject was discussed as a pocket item prior to the passage of Motion No. 82- 196 which reads as follows: A motion stating the intent of the City of Miami Commission to sell either jointly or separately Fire Station #14, located at 141 N.W. 27 Avenue, to Brigade 2506 aka "Mayor Carlay Foundation, Incorporated" and/or to the Inter - American Chamber of Commerce, also a non-profit corporation, provided said sale is legally possible, and after all due process and required public hearings have been complied with prior to such sale. upon reviewing the discussion which preceded passage of the motion, several questions are raised. Specifically those questions are: 1. Is there any requirement to use the proceeds from the sale of former fire stations to aid in the retirement of Fire and Rescue Facilities Bonds? 2. What is the status as to the availability of the properties, i.e., advise of present and/or proposed use or need by City? 3. What is the procedure for declaring properties surplus? 4. What is the legal procedure for disposing of City -owned property? Though the discussion relating to the motion indicated that this office was to at once begin negotiations with the above named non- profit organizations, such has not been initiated due to certain provisions of the City Code, and other factors, which preclude negotiations at this time. Also, it is my opinion that prior to any negotiations effort on my part the City Commission should be provided complete answers to the above questions. -2- Regarding the first question, no indication has been found that these properties, or any other City -owned property, are required to be sold in an effort to satisfy bonded indebtedness.* We have also reviewed original deeds for four of the properties and can find no reverter clauses or similar provisions. The then current status or use of seven vacant fire stations was reported to the City Commission on November 30, 1981; this infor- mation is repeated: Station Address 1981 Assessed Value Present Use Station #2 (old) $ 113,118 Leased to the Arch- 1401 N. Miami Avenue diocese of Miami for use as a day, care center. Station #4 389,656 Vacant 1000 S. Miami Avenue Station #9 92,449 Vacant 7561 N.E. 1 Avenue Station #13 113,189 Vacant 4850 N.E. 2nd Avenue Station #14 * 290,777 Vacant (to be used 141 N.W. 27 Avenue for proposed pension settlement) Station #15 129,079 Scheduled for 1300 S.W. 12 Avenue occupancy by the Finance Department into late 1982; lease approved for use by Cuban Museum beginning in late 1982. Station #16 * 230,645 Headauarters for N.W. 23 St. and 23 Avenue the Rescue Division (to be used for proposed pension settlement) TOTAL ASSESSED VALUE $1,358,913 *This statement is based on an initial cursory review of Fire and Rescue Bond Facilities legislation; a definitive response will be provided on March 11. 8 2 - 21 A*N 01�k -3- It is necessary to point out that this office has been attempting to arrive at an agreement of settlement with the City Employees Retirement System and the Miami City General Employees Retirement Plan. A draft of the agreement has been prepared and the following is quoted therefrom: Each pension fund shall have its own office. The City will lease a fire station to each fund; Station No. 14 for police and fire and Station No. 16 for general employees and sanitation workers. Such lease shall be for fifty (50) years at One Dollar ($1.00) per year. In the event the City builds a new admnistrative office building, the City shall have the option to require the Boards to move their offices into such building, provided that the usable office space in such building offered to the Boards is suitable. Therefore, it is my recommendation that Stations No. 14 and No. 16 not be considered available at this time and that any consideration to dispose of these two properties be reserved pending resolution of the Pension Boards agreement. Other than as noted there are no additional plans or uses for the properties. There is presently no requirement or procedure delineated in the Charter or Code for declaring a parcel of real property surplus to the City's needs other than that found in code Section 18-80; said Section is stated below. In this provision the City Manager is authorized to make a determination as to whether a property is surplus with a final disposition (either sale or lease) required to be approved by the City Commission. As regards the procedure for disposing of City -owned property, both the City Charter and Code contain specific provisions; the require- ments of both are outlined. Charter Section 53 (b) states (the following numbers are used for clarification only and are not from the Charter) : 1. ..there shall be no sale, conveyance, or disposition of any interest, including any leasehold in real property... unless there has been a prior opportunity given to the public to compete as purchasers... 2. There shall be prior advertisement, as may be prescribed by ordinance... 3. No right, title or interest shall vest in property unless the sale, conveyance, or to the bidder who offers the bid which is of the City, as is determined by the City the purchaser of the... disposition is made in the best interest Commission.. . 82-221 -4- Code Section 18-78 repeats much appears to reinforce the Charter further provides: of the above Charter language and Section while Code Section 18-80 The city manager is hereby authorized to instruct the purcha- sing agent to sell to the public any real property owned by the city not needed for public use or that may have become unsuitable for use by any city department, provided: (1) Such property cannot be leased so as to produce revenue to the city;. (2) Such property shall have first been offered for sale at the appraised -value price to Metropolitan Dade County and then, if unsold, to the Dade County School Board; (3) Such property shall not be sold for less than the then - current appraised price, as determined by at least two (2) independent appraisers, both of whom shall be members of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers; except that such property may be sold at less than the then - current appraised price if express authority for such sale is given by the city commission. The final step in this procedure is approval of the sale or lease by the City Commission. Based on the above, it is my opinion that it would be improper for this office to enter into negotiations at this time without first having gone through a public bidding process. In order to be as certain as possible as to the applicability of the various Charter and Code provisions to this matter, I am requesting the City Attorney to review this memorandum, and the relevant provisions, prior to the March 11 City Commission meeting and to render an opinion thereon. However, being aware Motion No. 82-196, it resolving this matter of is in the Commission's planned to begin a timely manner. intent as expressed in at once the process of