HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #41 - Discussion Item�7.
LIST OF PROPOSED RULE CHANGES FOR THE CITY C01111ISSION
AND DIRECTIONS TO THE LAV DEPARTIMU IN MISCELLANEOUS
AREAS.
Mayor Ferrer Now the other pocket items that I have in part, I would like -
to recommend and this I would like to make the form of a motion and I
am going -.to read these out to you and these will not be acted on until
it's in the form of a resolution and we formally adopt it at the next _
meeting, just to that we can get the ball rolling. I've written down =
some Commission rules that I think would really simplify and expedite
our procedures here. And I'd just.like to read them out without commenting
and then I'll open it up for discussion. I think we need, so that don't
go on with these meetings, and I want to say that other than J. L. Plummer
I'm the second worst culprit for talking around here and I would like
to recommend that we impose upon ourselves, including me, that on any
item that no member of this Commission has more than 5 minutes to talk
and 10 minutes cumulative and unless there's 3 members ...............
of this Commission that would waive that, for example, there might be
some hot issues that we would waive that. I think you
have to be reasonable about it. Number two, that we at every meeting
allocate one hour for members of this Commission to discuss whatever
pocket items they may have at each meeting because what happens is we never
have a chance to talk about our favorite projects or ideas. Plummer, this
is something you've been complaining about for a long time. Now you don't
have to take the 15 minutes if you don't want to but there will be one
hour allocated for, and it will be strictly upheld, 15 minutes to the minute,
for every member of this Commission to rant and rave about whether the
garbage was picked up on Flagami or whether the Public Works Department
is doing the right job on Wynwood, or whether or not the CD Office is
being properly run whatever you open......... now, there will only be
discussion and you can make motions, if you wish there can be pocket item$,
no ordinances, and no resolutions. Motions only if people...you can always
invoke the 5 day rule. It's your prerogative anyway. But I mean, during
that 15 minute period, you would have the right to make a motion. Okay?
Number three, that by January the Manager would come up with a recommendation
to prioritize issues because one of the things that I think has happened in
the last few years to this City Commission is we've ended up with too
many things going on and there was never any clear cut discussion and
order to the administration of the Commission as to what item to
prioritize. So I think that we really should discuss and decide, for
example, that if we're going to give $200,000 to the Bayfront Park, that
we're going to do the same thing for Manor Park. I think we need to
put priorities on issues so that the administration is instructed as to what
comes first. Number four, I think that we need to tighten up on general
procedures. Now Angela Bellamy came up with a series of recommendations
Mr. Manager. I never even read them, frankly, because we never got around to
doing them. But I think I would like to revive that and I want you to send
a copy to all members of the Commission and see if we can discuss that.
Number 5, no new material 24 hours before the Commission meetings beginning.
Let me tell you what that means. Continually, today is a good example,
we have a 5 day rule here, all right, you give us the agendas 5 days
before and then you start sending us memorandums with changes, with this
and that and the other thing. I don't mind doing that to a certain degree
but there have been cases here where both Commissioner Carollo and Plummer
that something has peen given to them 5 minutes before the meeting, or 10
minutes before we vote, and they're not privy to it, and they don't want
to vote on it. So just to simplify procedures, from now on,,if you're going
to give us something new, the 24 hour rule means no new material, none,
submitted during the last 24 hours. If you don't have it, and I don't
mean from the podium, or at the last minute passing out a pamphlet, it it's
not submitted 24 hours, it just not acceptable. And therefore, the item is
4"044aw� �#�
116 � n
r
` or 1%.
Mayor Ferre (continued): automatically deferred. Number six, no meeting
will extend beyond 9:00 P.M. under any circumstances. That's it. These
2:000 3:00 o'clock in the morning meetings that I think how Father Gibson
ever resisted that is beyond me. We had meetings here until 3!00 o'clock
in the morning. No more of that. 9:00 o'clock it just cuts off. Whatever
item is on we will finish that item and that's the end of the meeting, with
no exceptions.
Mr. Plummer: With no exceptions.
Mayor Ferre: With no exceptions.
Mr. Plummer: Now does that also, let me understand because one of the things
that I've had a problem with in the past, that is that no one is going to
come up out of the audience during the day time if in fact this Commission
is to hear them, it's at the end of the agenda.
Mayor Ferre: Unless 3/5th's...for example, if Senator Hawkins comes here,
or if Senator Chiles comes here, I'm sure you're not going to tell them
that you don't want to hear them until the end of the meeting.
Mr. Plummer: Well, the last time they were here, we didnt' deny them.
Mayor Ferre: All right, now. The next thing that I had down here was
30 day time limit to any request of the Manager. In other words, whenever
we ask the Manager for something, he's. got 30 days to answer.
Mr. Plummer: Oh, to answer.
6.1
Mayor Ferre: 30 day time limit on Manager response so that ... see whats
happened, to those new members of the Commission, what was happening here
a lot of times, Howard has not done that, but other Managers in the past,
maybe he has once in a while, but one of the old trick of the old Manager
was that they would just ... you know, what happened to that thing, well, we're
working on it, you know, and it would be 60 days, 90 days and pretty soon,
you'd forget about it, and therefore, you'd never get an answer.
Mr. Dawkins: Okay. Are we saying then that requests will be made of the
Manager and then the Manager will fill them as they are given. That I cannot
go to him after he has 10 items and tell him, hell, this is an emergency
I want this, drop everything...
Mayor Ferre: I think,that's fair.
Mr. Plummer: Well, of course, you're also talking about a 30 day time
limit too.
Mayor Ferre: Yeah. In other words, we're asking Howard officially from
the podium that we want something, an answer on a particular item, that the
administration has 30 days to answer. Now obviously, again, I mean, no rule
is iron -clad. If we're asking him, for example, to compile a recommendation
for major changes in the pension system, I mean, there's no way he can
answer that in 30 days.
Mr. Plummer: He can answer.
Mayor Ferre: Well, we're talking about routine administrative requests.
We're not talking about, for example, a reform of the pension system.
Obviously, he's not going to do that in 30 days. Number B. one hour
a month for departmental review. That's something that we used to do
way way back, way ways back and we haven't done it in 5 or 6 years. We
used to have members of the department, department heads come here and
tell us how they're running their department, what their problems are,
what their shortages are, what's going on and what the, you know, what the
problem is in that particular department and not leave it for the budget
hearings which is what has happened in the last three or four years, is
you've ended up discussing department problems at budget hearing time rather
than throughout the year, and then they come as a surprise.
NOV 1 1
11'7
. 1 4 PF 1.
Mr. Plummer: May I suggest we start with Sanitation?
Mayor Ferre: Yes. I have no problem with that.
Mr. Plummer: Can we also go back and revisit that area that you spoke about
with a 9:00 o'clock closing. I would like to suggest that you add the
procedure of the County, and that is whoever the speaker is at 12:00 o'clock
noon, that is the end, and you break one hour for lunch. Now if we're going
to act like big boys, let's do it all the way.
Mayor Ferre: Okay...
Mr. Plummer: Whoever the speaker is a noon is the last speaker, and we'll
be back at•1:00 o'clock.
Mayor Ferre: All right, Mr. Manger, we will add that also. That's a
12:00 o'clock break. Okay? Now, I was saying that we were going to have
one hour a month for departmental review. All right, number nine, town -hall
meeting. Now I know they're a pain in the neck...
Mr. Plummer: I just don't think... Maurice, let me just give you my opinion,
okay? If, in the past, town -hall meetings had been successfull, I would say
to you yes. But Maurice, with the exception of...
Mayor Ferre: J. L., we havne't done a town -hall meeting since Paul
Andrews left this town.
Mr. Plummer: Hey, I'm willing to try them.
Mayor Ferre: I want to tell you..
Mr. Plummer: Are you speaking about in lieu of regular or addition to?
hayor Ferre: No, sir. No, sir. We go back to the same system we used
5 years ago which always worked. We would have a morning meeting, we would
break for lunch at 1:00 and would reconvene at 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock in the
afternoon for part of the agenda, the afternoon agenda would be at the
town -hall meeting, and we would go out to, we would go to Overtown,
we would go to Coconut Grove, we would go to Flagami, we go to neighborhoods
in this community and have afternoon sessions. And invite the neighbors
of that particular part of town. We would use schools, parks, park buildings.
We had one at Legion Hall, we had one at the Steve Clark Building in Grapeland
Heights.
Mr. Plummer: You see ... please, I'm willing to try it. All right? But the
problem that you're going to get into is if you're going to do it on a
regular Commission day, you're going to have, Maurice, you're going to take
care of the first half of the agenda. Those people in those individual
locales want to talk about their problems. They don't want to talk about the
regular agenda.
Mayor Ferre: J. L., let me tell you what...
Mr. Plummer: Now if you want to have town -hall meetings as a separate
meeting, I have no problem. I think it would be fruitful.
Mayor Ferre: No, but I think we can handle...we can't stretch this
Commission beyond reason. I think two meetings a month are plenty. I don't
want to have 3 meetings a month. I think the way to do that is you get
over with the heavy stuff right here. Or you may want to schedule one
heavy item at the tpwn-hall meeting and don't schedule ... I'm not telling
you what to put on the agenda, what I'm saying is I think we need to meet
at the neighborhood level and let the people know, obviouslyt for example,
if we're talking about something which is of interest to the Overtown area,
I don't think it makes any sense to discuss that when we have a Flagami
town meeting. The Manager is going to have to schedule things so that they
make some sense. For example, Jim Reid is working diligently with the UMPTA
Grant,the otherthings that we're going to do in the Overtown area for the
redevelopment of that area. Right? And when these things come to a head,
for a discussion, I think we ought have that meeting right there in Overtown.
NpV
118 - 19 81
' r 0
Mr. Dawkins! You'll like it.
Mayor Perre: All right, now. Town -hall meetings in the afternoon or
evenings once a month.
Mr. Dawkins: I think Plummer is just afraid to go into Liberty City but I'll
be close to you over there.
Mr. Plummer: Yeah, I hear you.
Mayor Ferre: Mid -year budget review. We always leave the budget, and then
everybody is pushed in the end, nobody knows what the hell is going on,
we go through all this stuff. We're going to have a Budget Committee.
I would hope somewhere mid -year, we spend a couple of hours reviewing the
budget. Where does the budget stand, and I want the Budget Committee to
deliberate at the half way point so that they come it isn't just'to us,
but to you and the budget committee. That gets them geared up for the budget.....
see, the point is that the budget hearings that the Manager starts, he starts
in May or June. Is that right?
Mr. Gary: Yes,sir. It really starts in January, but the actual hearings are
May and June.
Mayor Ferre: The actual hearings that you conduct are in May and June. We
pass the budget October, November, December, January, February, March, April,
May, June. Okay. So May and June we're at the 9 month point. That's when
I think we ought to have a budget review along with the Budget Committee
so that we're involved in the initiation of the whole budget process, so that
when budget time comes here after our August vacation in September, we have
some feeling for...now you sent us a document. With the exception of Plummer,
I guarantee you, last year nobody read that document. I really question
whether Plummer read it last year. He read it in the other years, but I
don't know whether he read it last year.
Mayor Ferre: 11. Joint meetings. For example, this is another proplem that
members of this Commission have. They don't know what the hell is going
on with the Downtown Development Authority. They don't know what's going
on with the Pension Plan. They don't know anything that's going on wit the
Budget Review Committee, or the Waterfront Board. I think, not every
committee, because otherwise we'd be working too much but maybe two, three
selected committees a year. The Commission can be invited to participate
in the proceedings. Not to dominate them, not to take over, but to be
invited to participate. Last, I think we've got a problem with the press.
Now, I don't, I'm not talking with all due respects about the Miami News.
I think the Miami News covers the proceedings at City Hall exceptionally
well. I'm not criticizing the working press. I don't
think the reporters have anything to do with the way newspapers run.
The Miami Herald does not properly cover the City of Miami Commission.
The people of Miami do not know what's going on, do not know what is going
on the City. Now part of it is our fault. You can't say that it's the
Miami Herald's owns fault. Therefore, I would like to recommend
that in our communication Office, Press Office, or whatever its' called, that
we're coming out with reports, annual report that I think is a good beginning,
even though I think it needs a lot of improvement. But I would like to not
leave it for an annual report. I would rather take out a page ad in the
Miami Herald and so that we're fair to the Miami News, the Miami News,
and the Diario Las Americas, and tell the people of Miami what is going on
in the City. Otherwise, you're never going to be able to communicate
properly with one of those media. And that's the recommendation that I
have in general and in a general sense Mr. Manager, I would be happy
to sit down and discuss this. I don't think we need to make it in the form
of a motion but I would like to recommend these as Commission rules and
work on them. I don't think we can have them done by next week, but
certainly by the meeting of December the loth. I would like to invite any
member of the Commission, especially those that have been here for a while,
J.L., Joe, and of course the new Commissioners to recommend any improvements
that think would expedite these-deetingg.
Mr. Plummer: How do we get the Commission here on time in the morning?
4 =�119 NOV 101
Mayor Ferre: That's another one. I'll put that one down. We will begin
all meetings at the scheduled time the moment we have a quorum. If
you're not here, you're not here. If you don't participate, that's your
problem. In other words, if the meeting is at 10:00 o'clock, you start
at 10:00. And if there's only 3 people here, we start without them.
meetings will start on time. Anything else?
Mr. Plummer: Yeah. I'll tell you one thing that we used to do that would
save us a lot of problems. And that is, Mr. Mayor, that we invoke a rule
that says that anybody that wishes to come on a personal appearance
must submit to the Manager 5 days in advance, the subject matter so that
the Manager can be prepared and be familiar with the item when it is brought
before us so we don't have to defer it two or three times. It worked out
very well,:and why we got away from it I'll never know.
Mayor Ferre: Okay. I accept that.
Mr. Plummer: At least that way he knows what's going on.
Mayor Ferre: In writing and an explanation so we can respond. If you thinl. of
other things, please submit them to the Manager, the purpose of all these
things is to try to get us out of here quicker and have us talk less
and get more work done. Okay. Now, I do have another item regards to the
Law Department. I talked this morning about crime and how the people of
Miami seem to want to do more than just have a few policemen. I think I
would like for you to come back at the meeting of December the loth with
recommendations of implementing a section of your department that will
be involved in two general areas. One is in the area of Criminal Justice
System. For example, meeting of the Commission dealing with recommendations
and goals legislative recommendations dealing with the legislative
aides of the Dade Delegation, so that we can implement some of
the laws that we're talking about. A review of judges so that we can
publicly discuss how the judicial system is dealing with City of Miami
related Part I Crimes. I think we should limit it to that because other;ise
we start getting into minor things which would be unbearable.
But I think Part I Crime ........................ ................I
think we should have a track record as to what's happening in those cases
that our Police Department is involved in the aprehension. Now there's one
other area which I think we need to discuss and that is immigration law.
Now I know that that is not within our jurisdiction but I mean to tell you,
that with all due respects to the Governor, to the President, the Attorney
General, nobody seems to be doing a hell of a lot about it. Now I
personally think that there must be a legal answer for the Miami Police
Department to apprehend criminal elements that are here from the Mariel
refugee. According to the Police Chief, there are close to 1,500 to
2,000 people that may be former convicted hard criminals that were in
Cuban jails. I understand from the people that I've been talking to in
the Police Department during this campagin for the last two or three
days , you know, some of them have been traveling with me, that they have
now organized themselves and they are for hire. The drug dealers, for
example, now know that they can get people that will for a price murder
somebody, eliminate somebody, beat somebody up, slash somebody's tires,
destroy property, get involved...in other words, it's becomming an •
organized gang of criminals that are available for a fee to function in
criminal activities. Now we cannot just idly stand by and let this happen.
The problem is that they are now beginning to find out how the American
justice system works. They are beginning to find out about all the rules
and regulations and testimony, and how they're arrested, the technacalities,
and posting bond, and all these different things. And as a
consequence, they are going to be very dangerous in just a very short while.
Now my point specifically is this. It is my understanding from Alvah
Chapman, there is a constitutional lawyer in Miami and George, he's
a professor of constitutional law at Harvard and he's got a long Greek name.
His name is Basil And he is with the law firm of
Angelo Deemas. I ran into him the other day at a Greek festival
and I talked to him. His theory is that there is something in
the American Constitution law that has never really been tested. There
might be a way for us to get a ruling somehow that there is not a clear
definition as to whether people who are not citizens have rights as
citizens if they are entrants. Now what I'm heading for is this. If we
190 NOV j ; iSOi