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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 1980-09-02 MinutesCITY- OF.MIA.lWl SPECIAL C 0 M MISS I ON MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON september 2nd 1980 PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK CITY HALL RALPH G.. ONGIE CITY CLERK 1 II�( CI;IRSSIffWJIA7%,,01&DA QSOLUTIO OIj PAZ � ' M �. (SPECIAL) �� SEPTEMBER 2nd 1980 ESOLLRION DISCUSSION 1 SELECTION OF CITY MANAGER (See later 1-14 formalized Resolution 80-620 2 DISCUSSION TENT -CITY M-80-619 14-30 3 SELECTION OF CITY MANAGER R-80-620 30-32 4 DISCUSSION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE CITIZENS PARTICIPATION PLAN M-80-621 32- 33 5 RESOLUTION RECOMENENDING THE CITY OF MIAMI VOTERS TO VOTE "YES" ON THE COUNTY QUESTION THAT ESTABLISHES A FIRE RESCUE SERVICE DISTRICT R-80-622 33-34 6 BRIEF DISCUSSION ON BUDGET HEARING SCHEDULE DISCUSSION 34-35 L] MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF MIAMI, FLORIDA R t t t t t t t On the 2nd day of September, 1980, the City Commission of Miami, Florida, met at its regular meeting place in said City in Special Session to consider business of public, import. The meeting was called to order at 9:10 A.M. by Mayor Maurice A. Ferre with the following members of the Commission present: Commissioner (Rev.) Theodore R. Gibson Commissioner J. L. Plummer, Jr. Commissioner Joe Caroilo Vice -Mayor Armando Lacasa Mayor Maurice A. Ferre ALSO PRESENT: (Not Present) Joseph R. Grassie, City Manager R. L. Fosmoen, Assistant City Manager George F. Knox, City Attorney Ralph G. Ongie, City Clerk Matty Hirai, Assistant City Clerk An invocation was delivered by Reverend Theodore R. Gibson, who then led those present in a pledge of allegiance to the flag. 1. SELECTION OF CITY MANAGER Mayor Ferre: All right, ladies and gentlemen, this is a Special City of Miami Commission meeting. We have, the main purpose of the meeting is the selection of a City Manager. In addition, we have three other items that have been included in this Special City Commission call. Item number "A" is the selection of a new City Manager. Of all the votes that a City of Miami Commissioner and Mayor have, there is none more important than the one that, the selection of the individual that is the Chief Administrator of the City of Miami. We don't have an elected administrator like most major cities, and all of the fifty states. We have a new system which is still, in my opinion, an experimental system in America, and that is that the Chief Administrator is selected rather than elected. So I cannot think, as I said, of a more important i task that the elected officials of this City have than this selection process where a City Manager is selected. For those that feel that the system doesn't work, that the, my answer is you can't have everything. You can't have it both ways. If you, the editorial writers and the establishment, and others who seem so adamant at keeping the City Manager form of government insist on 'the City Manager form of government, then you have to take the selection process that comes with it. Now in years past, the selection process has been done in many different ways. At one time, it was done through a national search. At another time, since I've been ! Mayor, this is the third time that I vote for a, for the selection of a City Manager. The first time, there was no national search, it was done within the ranks of the City, and it was very quick. We all agreed very quickly on Paul Andrews. There was no search. The second time around, I i SE? 21980 ist 01 Mayor Ferro (continued): we couldn't agree. It was obvious that there wasn't anybody that had the full confidence of the full board and so we went through a national search process, and narrowed down, as I recall, to five or six and then it came down to two,or three. And we then selected Grassie. This is a complete new time to select a Manager. I, — there have been those who have said that we haven't speficied what the specs are for a new City Manager. Well I think that that is something that has been discussed so many times in general terms, obviously we know what they are. It's integrity, ability, -experience, and the ability to deal with a tri-ethnic and a bilingual community. Now we all have our different opinions on this and I think we're all entitled to our different opinions. I think everybody is selected with a full conscious and a deep belief in the system. And with that, as a statement on my part, I'm ready to proceed in any way that the Commission, or the majority of the Commission wishes to proceed. I'll accept any statements or if not, we'll get down to the process of voting. '' Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, if I may. Mayor Ferre: Commissioner Carollo. Mr. Carollo: When we met at the last special Commission meeting to discuss this matter of who are new City Manager for the City of Miami, I asked for the Commission to consider doing some advertising so that we could have a more ample pick to try to acquire the best qualified individual for our City, the most important position in our administration. I think that the City of Miami is at a cross-roads right now that we need t.n acquire the best person possible for our future. The next four years, Miami is going to have more construction than the City of Atlanta had in the ten years that it had the most construction there. Miami is going to grow by leaps and bounds, more than it ever has in its future. And we need to have someone at the head of our administration that we're all going to have to trust, that. we're going to have to work hand in hand together, united. I, at this time, would like to propose again, since from what I see, we have maybe four or five at most, candidates left to consider, that we go into a interim manager for now, such as we've done, for instance, in our Finance Department, when our Finance Director resigned. We have an interim, a temporary Finance Director. We've done that with many other positions. When our City Manager, for instance, has gone out on vacations two or three weeks, we have had Assistant City Manager that have carried the load for the City quite well. What I'd like to propose at this time, is that we qo into an interim City Manager, pick one of our Assistant City Managers to be the interim City Manager for now until we advertise. I'll be willing to limit the advertising to locally and state wide. I understand that some people, and I respect their opinion, do not want to go nationally. They would prefer to go locally, closer to home. 7 would be willing to limit this advertising to local advertisment an,3 state wide advertisement. And then each member of the commission appoints one memeber to have an advisory board, or we let Human Resource Personnel Director handle it and then, after we've placed the advertisements and all the resumes come in and we know who all the players are, and we try our best to 'truly acquire the best person for our City that's willing to take the job, then have either this committee or the Personnel Director or a combination of both working together, present to this Commission either five, seven, eight names and then have the Commission pick from those. And this is what I would like to present to the Commission in the form of a motion, and then from there, go on and pick one of our Assistant City Managers as an interim, temporary City Manager until we have the final opportunity to pick the best qualified individual out of all that are there, for the City. I'd like... Mayor Ferre: All right, there's been a motion that's been presented to the Chair, and the Chair accepts it. Is there a second to the motion? Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor, I would hope that the other men will be given an opportunity to say whatever they are going to say. Why don't you let them say before we make a motion? ist 32 SEP 21980 Mayor Ferre: All right. Then before we the Chair accepts the motion, Father Gibson's recommendation, we let every member of the Commission make a statement if they wish, and then I'll accept a motion. Okay? so the floor is open. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, I have some problems with the motion, as it stands. I have no problems with looking to endeavor to try to get the best individual that we can find fos the Cit'A. I think you and I, Mr. Mayor, in particular and pother, where I'm having the problem is in those people who would do the evasr:tion for this Commission. I guess I've just been around too long to see that, I would say in most cases it has not served the best interest of this City. I think this Commission, where the buck stops, should do the evaluation. We will, of course, in our vote but I would personally rath-;j acc-this Commission do the entire evaluation. My only concern, and the only point that I have a problem with, is the appointing of aii l,tterim City Manager. It is my understanding, even though I did not receive any kind of,a release from Mr. Grassie at the time of his announcement, that he was willing to stay on u,,til the first of October but no later than that. And if we are going to limit it, or it would be proposed to limit it to ;South Florida, I woula say that most likely, we could let it be known, and within week, anyone who wanted to submit their name for consideration could be done. My great concern at this time, has to be that we are probably in the most important time of the year for this Commission. That time being budget which sets the tone for the coming year ? have some problems there but / have no problem of talon; a week and in thin past week, I'm sure ti,e rest of the Commission have received some resumes from sore people, I have. As a matter of fact, I even had the opportunity c,f talking with onu of them, so I'm just, I'm assuming you want expressions. Mr. Mayor, and really that's where I'm at. Mayor Ferre: Armando. Mr. Lacasa: Mr. Mayor, members of the Commission, -,,y position is as this. I believe that at this particular point, we might need additional input as far as more potential candidates, since obviously, no one of those whose name has already been submitted in nomination has been able to secure the necessary support to be selected by this City Commission. So I have no problems it, opening up a Limited period of time, to give the opportunity to this Commission to have some additional applications. However, i want to dwell on what is to tit• some essential requirements in this situation. First, I believe that we should look for Mr. Grassie's replacement locally. The reason being that in a community as large as the Greater Miami area is, where we have over one million and a half people. I think that we have enough local talent for this City to choose a City Manager. The advantages to do t.nz:;. are obvious. We will have somebody from the local scenery. The City of Miami is an atypical community. This is not the typical municipal government in the United states. we live here in a tri-ethnic community with problems of their own. We live in a community that haE a municipal government that does much more for this City than the typical municipal government that dwells only on city services. We are embarked :.n an effort to develop this City economically based on our relaticnshi.ps with other countries abroad. Basically, Latin America. And in this, the City of Miami has been successful. And I believe that there is a tremendous future in this. For all of these reasons, I believe that this City will be better served if we have a City Mana�,,r who comes from within. The second point that I want to make is that to me, it is essential that this City Manager be bilingual and bi-cultural. The reason being the same thing that I was saying before. We live in such a community, a community that is both bilingual and bi-cultural. The government of the City of Miami addresses on a day to day basis, this problem. And consequently, there is no question in my mind that a person that has those two characteristics will be more efficient in the handling of City affiars. As far as the third point in discussion here, whether or not the City Commission has an interim board to evaluate the potential City Managers, or the applicants, I share Mr. Plummer's concern, and I do feel that this is essentially the responsibility of the City Commission. And as you said before, this is basically the most important vote that probably we will take on this Commission. So the 33 SEP 21980 ist Mr. Lacasa (continued): involvement, the total and complete involvement of the City Commission is necessary to make sure that that vote achieves what it is intended to achieve, the best Goy Manager that the City can have. Obviously, we need continuation and I have no problems in appointing an interim Manager who could do the job for a limited period of time, until we have a number of applicants that can be reviewed, evaluated by the City Commission in order to make a final decision. And I submit to you that this interim period should not exceed thirty days. Mayor Ferre: Father. Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor, and members of the Commission, I shall say a couple of things here today that I said when Mr. Grassie came. Some of you didn't agree with me then. A lot of you will not agree with me now, but the fact remains, what I said then was'true and is yet true. I don't know how the public feels out there, And I don't know if I know how we up here feel, all of us. I want to warn all of us that I think, at this moment in time, that we are about to make,one of the most important decisions in the history of this community. A decision that might either mean live or die. I said this in connection with another matter that some of be brethern didn't agree with me on, didn't listen to me about. And after it happened, one of them said, Gibson, you said that. would God we had listened to you. I'm not going to tell you what that incident was because then you will go out and say that Gibson styles himself as a prophet. But all of us felt the pain and the anguish of that incident. And I warned, long before it started. I think perhaps Theodore Gibson is in the best position to feel what I think is out there. In the best postion. And I just say to all of us, we ought to be very conscious and very careful. I'm like ... I have to share this with you, in the business I'm in, in the business I'm in, interim's worry me. I want to say, make sure you hear me. In the business I'm in, that is in the ministry, I don't speak about none of this other business around here, that's my thing, interim worries me. I would hope before we go to that position, that we make some stipulations, we give some guidelines so that every body knows from the word go, and let me emphasize this Mr. Mayor. And Plummer, and Lacasa, and Carollo, I want you to hear this, and if you haven't been listening, I want you to hear this. Make sure whoever the interim is understands that he doesn't have no lock on the door. Otherwise, there will be a :et of hurt people. You can see I'm an old coon. Make sure, whoever the interim is, he or she understands, he got to be a he now because you said, okay ... understands you don't have no lock, because my brother, human nature being what it is, it will happen. I want time certain, I want some other rules set forth, and I have no objection if that's what you think you ought to have. Because I felt that we should have got somebody last week but I couldn't get you to see that. I know, contrary to what you say, when it's all over, I'm going to take off my clergy hat, I'll bet you a dollar to a donut, that most of the people that you don't want to vote on and come to a decision on will end up being in the running like hell. And you'll have to cut the mustard then. Even though you don't want to cut it now. One final comment. I like the term bilingual but you know, I have some problems. I want to make sure my Latin friends understand me. And Grassie was coming, you remember, I got up out of my sick bed. How many of you remember that? Got up out of my sick bed. You didn't even know I was coming. I came in unnoticed. And I said the reason you need a man who is bilingual is that I had gone to a meeting, a church meeting. Now listen to this. This happens in church matters. You know instant translation. And the guy j who was translating was telling us one thing, and those Latin bishops had said another. Now this is with Bishops. The Holy, Ghost. You know. Now if you can't get it right. there, God help you. Okay. And a black Bishop whom they did not know knew Spanish stood up and said, he finally got to be a good friend of mine, you all have seen him here in these halls, he said, no, no, no, that's not what they are saying. Don't mislead these men. If that can happen in church matters, for you out there who areiot politicians as we are up here, Lord have mercy, help us Jesus. Mr. Plummer: Is that Bishop available for a position? X SEP 21980 ist Father Gibson: Let me say, no, no, he is dead. He is dead. He has gone to his God. I wish he were around because they are having some of the same kind of problems in the church. You know, he was a Bishop of 3elize right next to Honduras, you know. And I just thought I better put all of that on the table. Now, let me end with this. If you want an interim, I'll go for that because that's what you want. If you make these rules, I'll abide by them, and I hope you will abide by them. And I hope you aren't going to change the rules in the middle of the stream. You know, change the rules of the game in the middle of the stream. If we're going for thirty days or ten days, I want thirty days. Okay? If we're going to start today, I want to say on the mark, get set, go. That's the way you run a track outfit event. If you're going to insist that the man be bilingual you ought to say that. If he isn't, say it. Personally, I think we ought to get the best qualified,man to do the City's business. That means he doens't have to be bilingual: I don't want to eliminate anybody. His business is going to be to deal with the business of this City. And if he doesn't know Spanish, he's a'fool if he doesn't align himself with somebody whose going to inteXpret for him rightly, and not mislead him. Okay? And I want to make sure that's put on the record. All right, I'm through, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor. Mayor Ferre: Let me just make a few comments in regards to a motion that is going to be put forth in a moment. I see that there's some sort of consensus forming here but there's still some differences and I'd like to see if we could clarify that because I think it should, hopefully, all be in one, we should just have one vote. I would hate to get involved in a series of votes that would complicate this situation any more than it is, and it's complicated enough. When in 1974 or 73, 1973 we selected Paul Andrews, it was a relatively quick and Simple thing because there was a consensus for one individual. There is no such consensus in this Commission towards any one individual which is why we're at where we're at. I would like to, in keeping with the consensus that seems to be forming here, like to recommend the following procedure because I think that's where we're really at, is in the definition of the procedure. Father Gibson: Amen. Mayor Ferre: I think that Joe Grassie has tendered his resignation as of October the first. I think that his resignation should be accepted earlier than that, and that he be retained on a consulting basis at the same basic salary that he's making now, on a weekly basis, to take us through the budget process. This is a budget that he has established, and that he has worked on, and I think it would be unfair for the interim City Manager to have to in addition to the other things that have to be done in the City, take on the burden of presenting an guiding his through the budget process. So my first recommendation is that the interim be appointed as of today, whoever the interim would be. that the Manager would be, that the present Manager, Joe Grassie, accelerate his resignation period as of today, and that we retain him for the period of four weeks or five weeks, or whatever it takes to get through the budget process btzictly for the budget, and nothing else. So that he would spend the time that is going to be nec-essary to go through the budget process with the Commission. I would hope that we could select someone from within the City of Miami to be the acting City Manager. I don't think it's any secret, that since I voted five times for him, that I think Dick Fosmoen :s a person that is qualified. The time is a serious consideration. I think that we should, in keeping with what I heard here, make it a local, and by local, I think you have to include the State of Florida because there are many people in Tallahassee who are from this community, and are acquainted with this community, who might be applicants. And if you make it strictly South Florida, -you get into the trouble of where do you cut off? Does that include Palm Beach? Does that include Naples and Sarasota? Or does that include Tampa. I think if you make it Florida, you would get, you might get applicants from Tallahassee, and certainly with a State of nine million people, there's certainly enough talented people within the State. With regards to how we go about the process, I would like to recommend the following which I hope would be a middle ground between the different statements made here. I think 5 SEP 2 1980 ist E f Mayor Ferre (continued): that the members of the Commission should go through the process of selecting the different applicants on their own. I do think that Mr. Krause, who has the staff, should act strictly in a secretarial fashion. In other words, no judgment involved, but just to garner the applications, and put them in order and make sure that all the questions that are to be asked are properly asked, and that all of the information is coming to us so that we cap put it on an apple to apple basis. With regards the the specs, we have gone, we had gone with Arthur D. Little to write the specs of what a City Manager should be. They are standard specifications that are adjusted somewhat to the idiosyncrasies of this commupity. And I think that they are as valid in 1980, as they were in 1976. And I think that we should stick to those. I'm going to pass copies of that out for those of you that have not seen these things before. I don't chink it creates any, I wouldn't see any kind of a problem in those specs. Now, with regards to the time, I think it should be advertised in all of the major newspapers of the State of Florida. And by that I mean the main newspapers of Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, the newspapers of Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Tallahassee. Those are the, I would assume, are the main newspapers that are read in the State of Florida. I think that that ad should go in, we have our next Commission meeting when? (INAUDIBLE COMMENT) Mayor Ferre: The fifteenth. So that Commissioner Carollo, so that there isn't anything that's any kind of a surprise. I would like then for Mr. Krause to take the Arthur D. Little specs of 1976, with the input of the members of the Commission, and bring it back for approval on the fifteenth. And at that time, then we would put an ad in the newspapers and ask that applications be submitted to the City of Miami, through Mr. Krause, by the 30th day of September. That would give, or if you will, the first of October by 5 P.M. That would give two weeks for anybody that wants to apply to apply. I would then say that we set a Special Commission Meeting sometime in, would mid -October be acceptable? Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, what I would like to see done is, that, fine, I'm willing to go through Mr. Krause. like I stated previously, the Personnel Director to be sort of a secretary, as you stated. Have each member of the Commission go over all the resumes, personally, copies handed out to each member of the Commission. We should have ample time to go through each resume very carefully, and then if we want to, contact personally anyone that has sent in a resume to inquire additional information, if we so desire. Mayor Ferre: Okay. I think that's fine. Mr. Carollo: What I think we should do is, I think this whole process is going to take, at least, to do a good job a month and a half. Mayor Ferre: Well then lets say by the first of November, we would... Mr. Carollo: If we're going to put a date on it, I would like for us, lets say put a date of no later than December 31st, hopefully before. Then if we could do it in two months, like I think we should and we could, fine. But at least by December 31st it should be done. And this way we could start the new year in the right steps, I hope. Mayor Ferre: I would hope that we could do it before. I mean, lets say we go to the end of November, but I think going to December 31st, is a long time. Would December the first be... Mr. Carollo: We're talking September, October, November, that would give us approximately three months. I would say yes. Mayor Ferre: Okay. So in other words, that it would be at a time agreeable to all of the members of the Commission, before December lst. And that means, if we advertise by September 15th, we would have it in hand, lets say, all applicants in by October the first. By the time Mr. Krause puts it all together it would be the end of that week, lets say October the fourth of the fifth,we would have the names of the applicants and CACS SEp 21980 ist Mayor Ferre (continued): their resumes. We would then have, at that point, almost seven weeks to interview the different members, I mean the different applicants and hopefully come to an agreement some time in November for a meeting for the selection of a City Manager. Is that acceptable? Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, it's not acceptable to me. I'm of the firm conviction that if I sense the motion, we're taking about, and I will acquiese to the State of Florida, that we set a time frame of two weeks to receive applications, with a one week time frame for us to review, have a meeting, and I think appropriately, invite those here that this Commission would like to interview. I just, I don't see continuing this thing on beyond a two to three week time frame. I would assume that tomorrow morning it would be pretty comion knowledge around this area, that in fact, we are soliciting proposals. And I just edn't see that it needs to go that long. I'm speaking for one. I think two weeks is adequate time, and me week to review. That's just my opinion. Mayor Ferre: Okay, other statements? Mr. Lacasa: Yes. I basically share Mr. Plummer's concern in relation to the time that we need to do this. I feel that if we go ahead and we advertise right away, we could have the applications back from people interested. This is so well known. First, if we are looking for somebody within our own community, I would say that the potential applicants, ninety percent of them are well aware of the fact that we do have a vacancy for City Manager in the City of Miami. This has been highly publicized. Consequently, I don't believe that we will have to wait to much to get people that really have an interest in serving the City of Miami from that position. Then, this being the most important business that the City Commission has in hand, I believe that we can devote whatever time is necessary to go through the process of interviewing individually, the applicants and come to a decision in a lesser time than :,rcember 31st. which would put is basically four months from now. So I share in this the concern of Mr. Plummer, and as far as I am concerned, I believe that we should not exceed September 30th, maybe, maybe October 15th, but that's about it, as far as I am concerned. Mayor Ferre: Commissioner Carollo. Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, again I think that we're at a very important cross-roads in the City of Miami, and I think the next City Manager is going to have a tremendous bearing on what the future of the City is going to be. I think that we should go about it in a very objective way so that it would not be subject to anybody's criticism, or even for anyone to infer that this is a political process or cronyism. And I should like to, I tnink that if we have good people within the City Administration, that they should be able to stand up to the whims, to the pressures of scruitny. I think that if we're going to take this route, where we advertise locally, open it up state-wide, I think that we're going to have to take enough time to do the adequate job that needs to be done. If we're talking about two weeks, three weeks, we're falling into the same thing that we have done before. I think that if we talk about setting a deadline of December first, that would give us three months which should be plenty of time to accomplish the right type of selection and process that we should be doing. Now if it could be done in less than three months, so be it. We'll do i-. But I think we should at least set a deadline of December 1st, where we have atleaFt three months where we can have an orderly process selection. Father Gibson mentioned something previously that I think should be made perfectly clear. That is that no matter which of our Assistant City Manager's is given this temporary appointment as City Manager, in no way, in no way does this mean that this is the individual that is going to be selected as our City Manager. It just means that they are a temporary City Manager until we have enough of an ample selection to pick who we want to lead our City for the next years to come. 37. SEP 21980 ist . t Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor, may I ask this question? This is for information. We're meeting today, everybody knows that we want a City Manager. Is there anything that would inhibit or prohibit us from going to the newspaper within the next two or three days and advertise? Sometime, set September as the final day to get any and all. That we would have screened and done all this other meticulous business and boil it down to a given number. The first two weeks in October we would have run a check on those guys background and not be a victim of some of the other victimization we had around here. In other words, get an FBI check on the guy and all that other business, and by the 15th of October it's either you do it or you don't do it. Mayor Ferre: That sounds good, except letime see if I can throw a modification of that... Father Gibson: All right. Mayor Ferre: ...because we may end up getting forty or fifty names, many of which are just not in the running. So I would really like to only have checks on those people that the five members of the Commission select as individuals that look good enough, to go spend the money and time to have a check made. Father Gibson: I have no problem with that. No, I didn't deal with the details. I said, whatever we're going to do, we'll have all these names, we'll start in the morning if that's practical and possible. Advertising, City of Miami wants a City Manager. Everybody and his cousin can put his name in the pot. If he doesn't put his name in the pot by a given date in September, forget it. All right? And by the end of September, we, the Commission, we'll use your method, those of us we want to be seriously looked at, we've come to that conclusion. Now you'll have to work out the time frame and the schedule. In the month of October, from the first through say the fifteenth, we run a check on these guys. Men or women or man or woman and if they clear, on the fifteenth day of the month or there about, we come in here and have a meeting and we make that decision. At that point in time, the issue is clear, Mr. Krause that's what you pay him for. He ought to ... we give him a half hour, let him work out a schedule right now, and before we leave'here we know what the schedule is. I'll buy that. That's the only way you're going to do it, otherwise what will happen is we will come in here knowing that time is against us the longer we let this position stay open, the more danger we find ourselves in. If a man is going to be an interim ... let me tell you,'and significant decisions are to be made, he will dance, and jump because he isn't so sure. He, you know, he thinks well if I don't do this, they may not select me. So I want him free. You go in there for six weeks man, you know, and in six weeks you cut the mustard or your out. That's the way we do preaching, mar.. We don't let anybody stick you in a pulpit ad infinitum so he could poison the mind of all the members. You can't believe that who might want him or want the other guy. So we'll settle that. You know he's there for six weeks. At the end of six weeks you're gone man. And I urge you to make sure that you have the cut-off date in September, make sure that we look at those guys background. Did he ever steal, is he a mobster. You know, that kind of thing. That's what I'm talking about. Mayor Ferre: Father, I think, the only problem with that is I don't think you can do that as quickly as two weeks. In other words, if we have a cut-off date of, as you said, September, it's going to take a good two or three weeks to really do a thorough check of those individuals that, lets say by October first at 5 P.M. all the members of the Commission would check off on the list of thise applicants that have submitted by September 30th the names of people that look reasonable. It's going to really take more than two weeks to do the kind of a check that you want made. So therefore, it really, I don't think you can do it by the 15th of October. Mr. Carollo: That's why I stated December if we get done before, fine. But if not, December first. 38 first, Mr. Mayor. This way at least we have until SEP 21980 ist Mayor Ferre: Yeah. I, in other words, if I read what Commissioner Carollo is saying correctly, what he's saying is he doesn't want to preclude it happening in the end of October or the first of November, but he wants to put the final day of December first. I think, in my opinion, we can live with that because hopefully, if we have a cut-off date of September 30th, and we have the names that we would check out by October first, we would have the investigation done within two or three weeks, and then at that point, we would call a Commission meeting and come to an agreement. I would want, I would not want anybody to feel that they have been left out, or that they have not had enough time to contact individuals, so I would give the right of each, it seems to me that this system would entail that every,individual would have the right to say well that date is not acceptable to me, but we must set a date before December the first. Is that acceptable? Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor ... no, sir. I would go for the first day of November. Let me tell you something. In running an institution, the danger of having interim guys around, if they aren't going to be there, is they start developing controls in the institution. I'm telling you as a head of an institution. It will happen. Mayor Ferre: Well lets ask Commissioner Carollo if that date would be acceptable to him because then... my Carollo: Well, I think we should have, hopefully, enough time in a wonth and a half, which is what Commissioner Gibson has presented, but all I'm saying is that in case we don't, I don't want to be rushed through this and this is why I'm putting an additional month and a half so that in case we're rushing through it, we can have an additional two, three, or four weeks if we need it. I'm hoping that we dont' but if we do need it, at least it will be there. Mayor Ferre: I'm trying to form a consensus here and from the consensus that I see is, there are three people who don't want to accept that. So I'm just trying to figure if there is a middle ground that we can... Mr. Carollo: The date you picked, Commissioner Gibson. You're talking about October the 15th as the deadline?' Father Gibson: No, sir. What I'm saying now is, that we agree that by the first day of November or there about, it maybe the second, or maybe the fourth, we would have selected a City Manager. The guy doesn't have more than sixty days, at the most, he has, that is the interim...look, what I'm trying to get you to see is, we want to make sure that we don't have that guy build roadblocks for the man who is going to be the permanent man. Mr. Carollo: Lets move on. I'm willing to accept that. Eight weeks, I think we'll have enough time. My motion is... Father Gibson: Right. And if we about the business, all of us ought to go out here right now knowing that the primary factor, the most important business in our life right now is to get that City Manager. And we could do it in November. Mr. Carollo: We're talking eight weeks we're going to have. Mayor Ferre: All right, Mr. Plummer. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, maybe I'm trying to alleviate my problem and Fathers. Once again I go back to what I said before, and that is that if we were to use a time frame of twenty days for the acceptance of applications, and ten days for review and checks, there is not the need for an interim. Mayor Ferre: Well, I think that from a oractical point of view umber one, you're not going to be able to avoid, I don't think you can o it y October first, number; number two, I think if you want, since Grassie has v9 SEP 21980 ist 4 Mayor Ferro (continued): tendered his resignation by October first, the main reason why Grassie is staying over is to spend a tremendous amount of time to go through the budget process. *1t seems to me that if he has nothing else but that responsibility, and somebody else is an interim Manager, then I think you would have a much smoother system. In addition to which, by ... I don't think you'll be able to conclude all this and the budget by October first. So I think Commissioner Carollo is correct in saying that this is something that we should get into, and he's accepted now November the first or there abouts. And that gives us two months. I think you need that kind of time to get the names in to interview those people and to go through and FBI and whatever other security checks are needed. I think you just need that type of time to go through this type of a process. And I might remind you that it took longer than that to select Joe Grassie. Of course, that was a much more complicated system. So, to recap Commissioner Carollo, the system that seems to be coming out of this is that one, we would appoint an interim Manager; two, that we would retain Grassie, at his present salary at a weekly basis, for a period through October first or approximately October first, until we establish the budget; three, that the timing of this is that we immediately advertise that this be done through Mr. Krause's Office, with our approval, with our signatures on the ad so that there is ..o question that the ad is properly drafted, that we put a period of two weeks for the applicants to submit their names. At that point, the members of the Commission will check mark those individuals that they think are serious contenders and we will go into a full search on their backgrounds. Then each individual Commissioner will be able to interview the individuals that he thinks are appropriate; and that we will then come to the selection of the permanent City Manager by the first of November or there abouts. Is there something that I have missed? Mr. Carollo: I don't think you have, Mr. Mayor. That is the motion. I would just only like to add that I looked over the copy of the Arthur D. Little criteria for a City Manager that you handed out, they are very acceptable to me. If we would like to go into that now and add it to the motion also, if you like. Mayor Ferro: Well, I think that's something that we can do by the time the add goes out. I don't think anybody has to be rushed into that. Now the only thing that's lacking is who is'the interim Manager going to be? Mr. Carollo: If I may include this in this motion also. I think that at least we're coming to the cross-roads that we're starting to get more together and trying to go in such a way that we will acquire the best individual that we can for the City. And at least we're getting together in making the initial decisions that we have to make. we have, I think, three individuals that are assistant city managers, that have been here for a while in our City. All three of them know the workings of our City. At least two of those individuals, to my knowledge, at different times when the present City Manager has been away, have had the responsibilities of being acting City Managers. Out of those two individuals, one of them received two votes from two members of this Commission. The other one received one vote from one member of this Commission. What I want to do is have some unity in this Commission. If wa can get some unity on this Commission and work together, then the City of 'Miami wins. I think that at least one member of this Commission and two of the other members of the Commission have given in in compromise here and part of the process that I put dawn to follow; I'm going to compromise too and I'm going to include in my motion the name of Dick Fosmoen, which is the only one of our three experienced assistant City Managers that received two votes from this Commission as the temporary, and I say temporary Acting City Manager until we have the final process. Mayor Ferro: All right, there is a motion on the floor which includes that Dick Fosmoen be the interim acting City Manager with the other specifications as presented. Now we have to see if there is a second for thAt Rotion. 10 SEP 21sso ist Mr. Lacasa: Mr. Mayor... Mayor Ferre: For the purposes of a second.. Is there a second. Father Gibson: May I ask a question. Mayor Ferre: Father Gibson, but for the purpose of only seconding. If there is no second, then we open up the floor again. Go ahead, Father. Father Gibson: I don't know how to ask. Mayor Ferre: Well ask the question if it's a germain question. Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor, I'1!1 second thetmotion with the understanding that by the first day of November, am I correct? Mr. Carollo: That is correct. That's part of the motion. Father Gibson% That we would have selected a Manager. Is that right? Mayor Ferre: Now for discussion, general discussion on the motion as made. The motion as made, includes the time frame, it includes the process, it includes the question of, names Fosmoen and I would assume, gentlemen, that Mr. Grassie would accept. That's something, of course, that has to be discussed with Grassie. That he, that if Fosmoen is appointed as Manager, this is effective today. His, Grassie's resignation would be accelerated to today, and he would be retained on a contractual basis, week to week, through October the first or there abouts. Father Gibson: Shouldn't we know that in advance? Mayor Ferre: I've talked to Mr. Grassie and he has indicated to me complete flexibility. That he will do whatever the Commission wants him to do with regards to the time of his resignation. Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor, let me ask this for the record. Is Mr. Grassie in the building? Mayor Ferre: No, Mr. Grassie is not. ' Father Gibson: Can he be reached. Mayor Ferre: Yeah, he's at home. Father Gibson: Okay. This isn't unusual. Even in the church. Lets call him on the phone and say, Mr. Grassie, this is where we're going. Will you be willing? That's the record. If he doesn't fulfill that obligation, this community will never forgive him. T:.en he can't say to me, well you didn't ask me. You know, I've gone through that. Mr. Carollo:' I think it's only fair that if Mr. Grassie is responsible for making out the new budget that he would give us the courtesy to stay and not throw his budget to someone new that would be coming to the City. Father Gibson: Brother Carollo, there's nothing like black and white. And with two, three, four, or five minutes, we can have it. And it will hang him the rest of his life. Even though he goes in private business it will hang him. (AT THIS TIME, MR. GRASSIE WAS CALLED TO VERIFY HIS ACCEPTANCE). Father Gibson: Ladies and gentlemen, I talked with Mr. Grassie myself. Mr. Grassie tells me ... okay. Ladies and gentlemen, I talked with Mr. Grassie myself. And Mr. Grassie said if it takes that much time to accomplish what we the Commission have agreed upon. That is, by the first of November to have a man aboard, he would be glad to work with us and agreed to serve. So that's the record. I want that so that if Joe Grassie doesn't keep his word, all of you will condemn. SEP 21980 ist 6 E Mayor Ferret All right now, the only thing that remains is Mr. Fosmoen since he is named in this, to make sure that he would accept. There's no use voting on this if Fosmoen would not accept. Mr. Fosmoen, on the record, do you accept this kind of a... Mr. Fosmoen: Yes, sir. Mayor Ferro: All right. Are there any further questions at this time? Mr. Knox: Mr. Mayor, there may be one more thing that we would need to add. First, for the record, the position of City Manager is one that requires absolute continuity and it's necessary that the Commission be aware that if official appointment would Pe for the position of City Manager. There is no provision in the Charter for an intetim or temporary City Manager. Mayor Ferro: Well there's a very simple way of solving that and that is for Mr. Fosmoen to agree publicly that he realizes that as of November the first, he would therefore, tender his resignation as the City Manager and revert back to Assistant City Manager for the selection process whenever it occurs. Would that be acceptable to you, Mr. Fosmoen. Mr. Fosmoen: Yes, air. Mayor Ferro. All right, is that acceptable to members of the Commission. Mr. Carollo: Certainly. It's the same thing we've been talking about. Mayor Ferro: Excuse me? Mayor Ferro: It's the same thing we've been talking about just rephrased in a different way. Mayor Ferro: Because of the legal aspects of this, there is no such thing as Acting City Manager under the Charter, therefore, the only legal way of doing this is to appoint Fosmoen the City Manager and get from him a commitment that as of November the first, or whatever day that we would go to the process of the final selection, that he understands that he would therefore tender his resignation, subject to being reappointed obviously, or reverting back to Assistant City Manager. It's the only legal way you can do this, Father. Mr. Carollo: He still would be an acting. Father Gibson: George, I love you my brother, but I want to tell you that goes against my grain. I didn't know that's the way the Charter read. That's right. If you, I don't understand. You heard us talking all this time about an acting City Manager, nobody told us. You know, one thing I want to put on the record, I want television, radio, everybody, the one thing I do up here, I'm open; above board, I don't have no games, I don't lie, man hey. And you can always say to Gibson, Gibson, that is not the system nor the mettiod. That's right. I see some of you out there ... what we are doing is we're making the man the City Manager right now. That's what that means. And if for some reason he has a change of heart, you're in one hell of a mass. If I learned nothing else in Cannon Law I learned that. Mayor Ferret Father, three members of the Commission can terminate any City Manager any time if three members of this Commission wish. So therefore, I would just say to Mr. Fosmoen, on the record, so that it is very clear, that as of the day of the selection of the City Manager, be it November first or otherwise, that I would commit, that I would expect your resignation. And absent that, I would want you to know that there would be three votes here so that you would not be a City Manager at the time of the selection process. Mr. Carollo: George, I have to agree with Father Gibson. I think you should have informed us of -that before we got into this hour long discussion. Now can you, for the record, give the legal opinion that is in the City Charter as to what course of action is required by this Commission to fire a City Manager. 12 S E P 21980 Lot Mr. Knox: Yes, sir. The procedure for terminating a City Manager is contained in Section 16 of the Charter. It requires written notice to the City Manager. If the City Manager determines that he or she would wish to have a public hearing then that public hearing would scheduled and he or she would have an opportunity whatever matters to the City Commission that may be desired, and the City Commission would vote for that persons termination. Father Gibson: George, that isn't what I want. I want you to read that part which says, in black and white... Mr. Carollo: That's right. Father Gibson: ...you cannot appoint a temporary or you know, Manager. I want to make sure, or tell n* this, if Fosmoen would give me a statement signed, notarized, under oath, that on November the first, you know, I want it in black and white so there won't be any hard feelings. Mayor Ferre: I think we're making a tremendous mountain out of a relatively small problem. Mr. Fosmoen, on the record, before this thing is finalized, would you give us a written statement that is notarized that as of the selection day, on November first, or previous to that, you would hand in your resignation effective that date, and revert back to Assistant City Manager. _ Mr. Fosmoen: Mr. Mayor, if that's what this Commission needs in order to get through this process, I'd be happy to do that. You also have my word to this Commission that in order to make this transition as easy as possible for you and other candidates, that on the day that you consider next, selection of a City Manager, you'll have my resignation. Mayor Ferre: I think that's all we need for the record. I have no problems of this being put in writing so that... Father Gibson: Okay, we'll wait. Mayor Ferre: ...so that it's perfectly legal. Father Gibson: We'll wait. Let him put it in writing. And we'll wait before we vote. Mayor Ferre: Mr. Fosmoen, do you want to put that in writing and would the City Clerk notarize it and submit it into the record. You can put it in your own handwriting. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, when they ask the politican what is irrevocable. Mayor Ferre: Mr. Fosmoen, when you finish with the statement, would you give it to Mr. Knox so that he can approve it as to legal form. Would you read it after you approve it into the record so that we will all know what the context of it is. Put your initials on it. Mr. Knox: This is a memorandum dated September 2nd, 1980, addressed to the Mayor and City Commission. It reads as follows: "At the next meeting for the purpose of considering selection of a City Manager, I hereby tender my resignation as City Manager" And it's signed R. Fosmoen. And this purports to represent the idea that upon the deliberations and selection of a new City Manager, that Mr. Fosmoen would tender his resignation as City Manager forth•»ith. Mayor Ferre: Is that acceptable in legal form? Mr. Knox: Yes, sir, that's acceptable as to legal form. Mayor Ferre: Mr. Carollo, is that acceptable to you, then? Mr. Carollo: That's fine. Mayor Ferre: Okay. Anybody have any problems with this? Put your initials ist 13 SEP 21980 4 Mayor Ferro (continued): on it and submit it to the Clerk. And would you notarise it, please. All right, is there further discussion on this? If not, will the Clerk call the roll. THEREUPON THE CITY COMMISSION ON MOTION DULY MADE BY COMMISSIONER CAROLLO AND SECONDED BY COMMIS£IC-NER GIBSON PASSED AND ADOPTED THE HEREINABOVE STATED MOTION BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: ' AYES: Commissioner (Rev.) Theodore R. Gibson Commissioner Joe Carollo Mayor Maurice A. Ferre NOES: Commissioner J.L. Plummgr, Jr. Vice -Mayor Armando Lacasa ABSENT: None (See later formalized Resolutfon No. 80-620) THEREUPON THE CITY COMMISSION went into a brief lunch, recessed at 10:40 A.M. and reconvened at 11:05 A.M., with all members of the City Commission f9und to be present. 2. DISCUSSION TENT -CITY Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, if I may ask a request from the Chair, we've been having the representatives of the Federal government waiting here for quite some time... Mayor Ferro: Okay, we'll take up item number two. Mr. Carollo: ...can we take up item number two now? Mayor Ferro: Okay, we'll take up item number two first. This is declaring that the Cuban refugee situation is the responsibility of the Federal government and withdrawing the City of Miami's involvement. All right, Commissioner Lacasa, this is your... Mr. Lacasa: Mr. Mayor and memebers of the Commission, over a month ago the City of Miami implemented the operation of the Tent City near the River of Miami. Needless to say, that what was supposed to be a temporary situation has become almost a permanent situation and that we have been dwelling with this situation for over a month now. In this month, we have seen the growth of what was called an urban slum in the midst of the City of Miami. We have seen people living in undignified, inhuman conditions, we have seen the City of Miami being given twenty-four hours by the Health Department to close down the operation because of the lack of sanitary facilities. We have seen the tent cities being called to national attention in a very negative way for the City of Miami. I have talked to the Police that takes care of the...I have talked to the Police of the City of Miami that takes care of Tent City *and they have told me that they have a very explosive situation on hand, that they don't know for how long they can control it. That this could blow up any minute. We have had already violent situations in the tent ist 14 SEP 21 o Mr. Lacasa (continued): city operation. We know, at least, of one person that was injured there and later on died. And this was as recent as last Friday. For all of these reasons., and basically because the City of Miami should have never gotten invovled in this operation in the first place, if we go back a little bit, just twenty years, we'll see that more than seven hundred thousand Cuban refugees have passed through Miami. All of them were handled by Cuban refuges- operation that started back in 1961. We never had a tent city and we never had this sort of situation. Now we have seven hundred people living in these conditions in the midst of the City of Miami. Seven hundred living there, seven hundred thousand Cuban refugees have passed through Miami. In the twenty years that we have been here, seven hundred thousand have passed through Miami. Mr. Plummer: Don't worry, Maurice, it's just a couple of zeros. Mr. Lacasa; No, no, no, it was Ivery clear from the very beginning. It happens that the other one was seven hundrieA. The Federal government, the Federal government was supposed to assume responsibility for a situation that was created by the Federal government. It was the Federal government who allowed these refugees to come to the United States in the first place. The City of Miami is neither prepared nor has it had resources to handle this sort of situation. Consequently, in view of the fact that we cannot continue operating a small concentration camp in the midst of our community, creating problems not only for those who live under those conditions, but also for the neighbors whom I have visited and who have expressed a very negative reaction towards this situation. I am proposing that we instruct the City Manager, first to disengage the City of Miami from further operation in the refugee area which we were not prepared and it was not our responsibility in the first place. Second, to give seventy-two hours to the Federal government to dismantle I realize that they might need some extensions, and we should give them, that responsibility to the City Manager to see that ifwarranted extensions are necessary, they be given. I received a phone call about half an hour ago from Mr. Gene Eidenbera who is the person in charge, at the White House level, of handling refugee affairs. And he has told me that they have alternatives ready to be implemented within the next thirty days. I welcome the White House expediency that they are evidencing now. But I feel that unless the City Commission maintains a firm position and makes very sure that the Federal government understands that we are no longer going to maintain the operation of the ten city we won't get the results that we are getting now. This move to expedite on the part Of the White House shows that when we convey to them the message that we want this thing over, they were willing to react. I welcome the administration, receptiveness to this situation in our community, but I insist that the City Commission take this action today, which is expected by the rest of this community that wants to see the operation terminated, and that feels that it is incumbent to the City Commission which allowed it to take place, originally, to terminate it as soon as possible. Mayor Ferre: All right. I would just like to say, Commissioner Lacasa, that we have to put things in perspective. In the first place, I don't think that's a concentration camp. I think people are able to go in and out of that tent city freely. And as a matter of fact, sixty percent of the people that are there have jobs. In the second place, it is not the same seven hundred people. That tent city has acted as the vehicle for four thousand human beings to be able to not have to sleep on a bench or out in the rain, or in somebody's front porch. And those four thousand people that have gone through that tent city have been able to get temporary relief and `.eve been able to move on to other communities. In the third place, I'd like to point out that one hundred thousand human beings have been resettled in this country. Which is a record for this country, and for any other country anywhere in the world, at any time in history. Not even Israel, which is by far the most unbelievable place in the world for resettling people, have resettle one hundred thousand people of a different culture in a period of ninety days. So I think this government has not been irresponsible. It has reacted, the Federal government has reacted, not the way I would have liked. I would have liked for them to have done an evbR better job. I don't want tent city any more than anybody else does. I think tent city is an abomination. But what is worse than abomination, is to have human beings sleeping out in ist 15 SEP 21980 6 4 Mayor Ferre (continued): the rain with children, and women, and older people without a place to live. Now I think we have to solve the problem of tent city. And it is the Federal government's responsibility to solve that problem. It is not the City of Miamilks, it is not Dade County's, it is not the State of Florida's responsibility. It is the Federal government's responsibility. But I think we've got to be humane in how we do this. I don't have any question that the administration is sincere. I just finished talking to Dr. Eugene Eidenberg who is Secretary to the Cabinet and liaison between the administration and local government, and he has assured me once again, that well before the end of this month, the tent city will have been closed by the Federal government. Now, whether it's seventy-two hours, or whether it'f a week, or five days is something that we have to discuss. And I think that's really where we should concentrate our efforts, is in discussing as to whether or not we do it in three days which is what seventy-two hours is, or whether weido it in five days, or a week, or two weeks. And that's the question. I'bertainly would not like to have seven hundred people out in the street during this rainy season, and have people sleeping in the front yards and the portals in Little Havana. And that was the reason why tent city was put up in the first place, and nobody has been able to come up with an alternative in forty days that tent city has been open. We talked about Ada Merritt, and Ada Merritt is not an acceptable place. So there has been no other recommendations. Now I'd like to say one last thing, and that is as to how this is done. And Mr. Jim Gigani from the Federal Task Force is here.- If you send buses to pick up those seven hundred people to transfer them to a military camp some place, or a Nike missle base, in my opinion, from what I know -f the situation, you will have a riot. And the reason you will have a riot is because those people who come from a communist dictatorship where when people are put into buses to be taken to nilitary camps, is nit a very good thing. Don't understand that we don't have concentration camps in this country, and don't understand the implication of going to a military camp is not what it is in Cuba. Therefore, since sixty percent of those people now have some kind of work, I would recommend that, and I think Commissioner Carollo wants to speak to that point, that there are alternates which would be acceptable in closing down this tent city. In other words, we must do it responsibly. We just cannot shut down tent city and say out on the street. Washington, you take care of them because those people are not going to be able to survive. They do not have the tools necessary, they don't have the money, they don't have the places to sleep, they don't have the food to survive. And I think as bad as tent city is, I think we've got to be humanitarian. Sure, I know there are a couple of bad people out there in tent city, but the majority of the Cubans that have come to this community, and to this country, are decent honest folk who had jobs in Cuba, who have professions, or trades that they are willing, and all they want is a fair chance for a new life in a free country where they're willing to work. They don't want any welfare. You know, for those people that keep :,n screaming about the Cubans on welfare, the Cubans in the United States are net tax payers. That means they pay more taxes than they receive benefits. And don't come telling me that these are different kind of Cubans, and that they're not going to work and that they are going to be on welfare. These are not 16 SEP 2 19OW Mayor Ferre: (Cont'd)... have some kind of work. I would recommend that and I think Commissioner Carollo wants to speak to that point, but there are alternates which would be acceptable in closing down this tent city. In other words, we must do it responsibly. We just cannot shut dotm tent city and say out on the street. Washington you take care of them because those people are not going to be able to survive. They do not have the tools necessary. They have money. They don't have the places to sleep. They don't have the food to survive. And I think as bad as tent city is I think we have got to be humanitarian. Sure, I know there are a couple bad people out there in tent city, but the majority of the Cubans that have come to this community and to this Country are decent, honest folk who have... who had jobs in Cuba. Who have professions or trades that they are willing... and all they want is fair chance for a new life in a free Country where they are willing to work. They don't want any welfare. You know, for those people that keep oniscreaming about the Cubans on welfare. The Cubans in the United States are net taxpayers. 'That means they pay more taxes than they receive benefits. And don't come telling me that these are different kind of Cubans and that they are not going to work and that they are going to be on welfare. These are not welfare type people. They want to work. And I think if we give them the opportunity throughout the Country and as I said Commissioner Carollo had some idea of how that could be done. Mr. Carollo: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Without a doubt I don't think that there is invone in this community that wants tent city to go on. _I don't think there i;: anyone that wanted tent city to have started up to begin with. We were faced wit;, zjme very hard realities. Tent city is shameful. It's an embarrassment to us, but I think that it would have been more shameful, more of an embarrassment to us if we would have had women and children, men starve in our streets, sleeping, rain fall on them. Sleeping just any where in the streets where they could find a shelter. Under a bench, under a tree. That to me would have been more shameful and more of an embarrassment. Yes, Dictator Castro has sent some bad people within the hundred twenty-one thousand Cubans that have arrived here, but I look at out own Country here and I see that we have over a half a million people in federal and state prisons. What that shows you is that there is bad and good in every group. And Mr. Castro, Dictator Castro have very well planned this so that he could send just enough bad apples with a majority of good people where he knew that the national press here was going to pick up not a vast majority of good anti -communist Cubans that came here, but just in those few hundreds or few thousand bad apples that he sent over here. Now. I think, Number one, we need cooperation from the press. Not only the local press, but the national press. Why don't you start focusing in on the people that left Cuba for the reasons they really left Cuba. Show the women and the children that came to this Country with dog bites all over them. Talk to them about the suffering that they went through in Cuba. Talk to some of the prisoners that we had there, political prison. These are the kind of things that we need to show. Because right now the image that Dictator Castro is trying to show the whole world is that the United States is not a humane Country. That these people came here thinking that we were going to open our doors and in fact we shut our doors down and that we instead of helping them are putting them in concentration camps and that is not true. We don't have concentrations camps in this Country. Where we have them at is in a place like Cuba, a place like the Soviet Union. The solution that I would like to present at this point is the following. I have spoken to Manuel Arques which is here today. He is the area Vice -President of N.E.D.A., the National Economic Development Association which is an organization that has a office in twenty-six of our major cities throughout the Country and their main work is to help Hispanic, Latin businessmen achieve success in their businesses in acquiring whatever loans they need to achieve that success. Mr. Arques together with the national President of N.E.D.A. Jose Gomez has spoken to me and if they are willing to put their effort and time free, voluntarily in trying to set up offices in tent city, set up some tables we would get personnel to man those tables and from there finding out what skills there are. How many carpenters we have. How many plumbers. How many electricians, so on and so on and trying to locate jobs for these people throughout the Country. Now, I'm sure that within thirty, forty-five days N.E.D.A. will be.able to locate jobs for the vast majority of these people throughout the Country and I'm sure that when that is the case the federal government will step in. If not we will do it ourselves like we have been doing it up to now. Get local people to help pay for the transportation to relocate these people to their new jobs nrd new shelters that will be found for them throughout the Country. This is, I think the best solution that we could have at this time. I think it would be totally unrealistic for us to think that we are going to shut down tent city over night. That's the worst thing we could do at this time. If what we have there now is considered a prvblem by ►navy people, if we shut down tent city we are going 17 SEP 21980 0 0 to have a bigger problem again lying in the stree bigger problem for us. with the City of Miami a time and their efforts. interviewing the people the Country and help rel Now, I would like if Man come up and reinforce a facing us. You are going to have hundreds of people s hungry without a place to stay and that would be a o what I am proposing is that N.E.D.A. comes in work ,d the Federal Government. They are volunteering their. They will be putting tables there where they will be hat are there and they will find jobs for them throughout �cate them with the help of the federal government. iel Arques, the Vice -President of N.E.D.A. locally to .ittle bit more and better what I have stated. Mr. Manuel Arques: My name is Manuel Arques. I am Vice -President of N.E.D.A. and the address is 255 Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables. Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, as Commissioner Carollo explained a few minutes ago N.E.D.A. is willing and able to provide assistance to the refugees that are here now in the tent city. As he mentioned we have twenty-six Lities all around the United States from San Diego, California to Puerto Rico. I mean,,that means that the office that we have is where there are a large concentration of. Hispanic Americans. I mean, we don't have in Utah or in Nebraska or in Hawaii. We do have it in the majority of cities where the Hispanic Americans are. We.have been for ten years helping the Hispanic Americans and businessmen in those cities and I am pretty sure that in a city like Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and many other big cities we can relocate hundreds of hundreds of Cuban. Our President Charlie Gomez a few weeks ago, he told me that he is willing to put his staff to help in those communities to relocate the Cubans. I -think it's going to be a job to be done, but I'm very confident that in those cities our present representatives could do a great job because they have been helping for ten years Latin and Hispanic persons to obtain loans and to help them through different matters regarding to their own business. So I believe our connections, they are good in those cities. And I think that we have the expertise to do that kind of job. Thank you. Mayor Ferre: Alright, other statements from other members of the Commission and then we got Mr. Gigani from the Federal Government and then back to the Commission. Father and J. L.? Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, I will let my colleagues speak to the issue directly at hand, but I want to speak to something indirect. Mr. Mayor, I'm very much upset that I received in the mail, certified mail, return, receipt, requested on today a letter from the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services dated the 29th which is... ' Mayor Ferre: Labor Day weekend. Mr. Plummer: Right. Mr. Mayor, I don't think anybody on this Commission wanted the creation of tent city, but we did it out of humane reasons and I want to tell you that in my estimation the City people have put their shoulder to the wheel and everybody tried to cooperate on this particular crisis at hand. And I for one Mr. Mayor feel that, that includes not just the City, but cooperation from every agency in this area. And for this agency to come forth on a Friday afternoon of a long Labor Day weekend outlining ten demands that must be met within twenty-four hours is not my idea of so called meeting the crisis. Especially when I•saw on T.V. one of the individuals from this agency who admitted that they have known that these conditions have existed and to come in and bring down adverse publicity upon this City on late Friday afternoon with a twenty-four hour ultimatum I think is just absolutely wrong and I cannot let the record go by without stating this into the record. If they knew the problems existed before why didn't they come forth and work with us. Why wait until a Friday afternoon and I thi-.k that, that is just not what is met or meant by the word "meeting the crisis". I think it's wrong and I just wanted to put that on the record. Mayor Ferre: Father Gibson? Rev. Gibson: Mr. Mayor, I want to wait for the governmental representative to talk first. Mayor Ferre: Alright, at this time I would like to ask Cesar Odio who is the Assistant City Manager to introduce the Federal representatives and... Cesar as you come up let me along with my colleagues subscribe to the tremendous debt of gratitude that the people of Miami have for you and for your colleagues, sa ss 5EP 21980 because you have worked tirelessly day and night throughout this weekend meeting all of these needs and without any obligation to do so, this is not a City of Miami responsibility trying to meet these humanitarian needs of human beings that were in need. So whatever the results are and whatever the editorial opinions of all the people that are speaking out on this issue, everybody likes to focus on the negative and I understand, but let's also'focus on the positive. The positive is that through your efforts you have resettled four thousand people. That through you efforts a great deal has been accomplished. That through your efforts thousands of people have been able to eat and sleep at night in a, not a very comfortable, but in a bed where they didn't,get wet, at least most of the times. And through your efforts the majority of the accusations and the problems on safety and health and otherwise have been solved and I would like for you first to address yourself to that and then introduce those people in the federal or local government you want to address this problem. Mr. Odio: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The good news is that we met Thursday and Friday with the state department and that the gi;ty has been refunded for every penny that we have spent in tent city. We have a check in the mail I hope for three hundred eleven thousand dollars which covers the setting of the site and the all the expenses up to last week. Mayor Ferre: Does that mean that the taxpayers of Miami will not be responsible for any of the expenses of this operation? Mr. Odio: That's exactly what it means. Not a penny. Mr. Plummer: Well, let's don't kid each other now. You know, for some reason... I'm sorry Mayor. You know, I pay federal taxes. Mr. Odio: Alright, well, city taxes. Mr. Plummer: For some reason federal dollars have a different color. I don't understand that. Mr. Odio: Well, it doesn't... they don't come out from the City's taxpayers. Directly from our budget. But... Mr. Plummer: Ok, I will accept that. Mr. Odio: Also that we have a check in the mail for two hundred seventy-six thousand dollars to cover seventy-five percent of the expenses we had at the Orange Bowl prior to the opening up of the second time and tent city. The agreement that we worked out with them as far as tent city I would like Mr. Gigani to explain it. I think it's a reasonable solution and that also if we can aad to that the N.E.D.A. plan because we feel at this time that any other move to a temporary site would only prolong the agony and that we have to find permanent solutions to these refugees. And also looking ahead that we have two hundred a day coming in. That there is still fifteen thousand in the four camps. That they will sooner or later be released and sooner or later will be coming to Miami. That we have to keep an office of refugee affairs working in conjunction with the state department and the voluntary agencies so that any future homeless refugees can be helped out until the Fascell-Stone Amendment is passed which then they will have the same benefits as any refugee had in the past and they could be treated as refugees even though the might be called immigrants. So at this time I would like to introduce Mr. Gigani from the state department..... I mean the Health Department who is in charge of the Cuban/Haitian Task Force in Miami. Mr. Gigani: Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, I'm the local... can you hear me? I represent the national task force here in Miami. My area of responsibility is Florida with an emphasis on Southern Florida. Obviously, Miami itself. Because we knew that the subject of tent city was to be discussed this morning I asked if I could come and give you our latest status on that problem. On that continuing problem. I have been in touch with my headquarters in Washington this morning before I came and they were in touch with the White House. So what I have here is something which has concurrence all the way up the line as far as the federal government is concerned. First I would like to say that in cooperation and in coordination with your City Manager's Office. We would like to say now that the tent city operation is to close by the end of this month. That is our beat guess'as to what it would take by the end of this sonth. Early next week we would hope to have in place the parts that are needed to begin that operation. The problem with tent city as you well know much better than I do goes back to before the Orange Bowl and with people who had no place 19 SSP 210W 0 0 to sleep and nothing to eat. That problem was moved into the Orange Bowl and then moved into tent city and then considered to move again into Ada Merritt or some federal facility and what has taken in the last week has been an effort not to move the problem, but to solve it and that's what my staff has been working on at least for a week and it has been Wth both your City Manager's Office and County officials and voluntary agencies and the federal government and although not yet volunteer agencies that may be able to contribute. We want to finalise the closing of tent city by the end of this month, but we want to do it in an orderly fashion. We do not -want to do it posthaste. We do not want to do it in a way that merely continues the problem in the hotels let us say or any where else. In order to do that it's necessary for us to work with the individuals who are -in there to find out what the problems are that needs solution. The basic problem and it has been all along. The basic problem is broken sponsorships. That's the problem that we are addressing. Broken sponsorships. And until we ;an beat that problem we will continue to have the sort of thing that led to tent city and the need for it to continue. Hopefully, in the next month we can beat that problem. If all those that are Involved can work together we should be able to do that and either reestablish those sponsorships or establish new sponsorships here or else where. Our principle concern is jobs and homes. Closing tent city in a very quick fashion doesn't allow us the control we need to work with those people. And the second thing I would like to mention and Cesar Odio already did mention it. We have as of last Thursday completed the process which allows the City to be repaid three hundred eleven thousand dollars and does in fact commit us to a continuing obligation to the City of something in teh neighborhood of a hundred fifty to hundred seventy-five thousand dollars a month for the continuing process such as you see now in tent city. The third thing I would like to mention is that the Fascell/Stone Amendment is being strongly supported by the Administration at this time and that would provide the ultimate solution, we think to tent city. The reason that seven hundred thousand Cubans were able to process through in good order at one time was that there was a mechanism in place and financial mechanism in place which does not now exist for the latest group. And it is the Fascell/Stone Amendment that will put such a mechanism in place and once it is in place, then that will allow us to process new arrivals in the same fashion financially, at least. I'm not speaking of status, but financially at least would allow the burden to be assumed by that amendment. The Fascell/Stone Amendment. It's until that time that we have a problem and that's the problem that we are trying to resolve at this time with regard to individual attention to the individuals that are there or others like them who come into the City at a later date so that we can put it away and hope it will stay away until the Fascell/Stone Amendment passes. That's my statement, air. Mayor Ferre: Alright, questions of Mr. Gigani or Cesar Udio? Mr. Plummer: Excuse me, just one quick question. When is it proposed that this amendment is going to pass? Or when will it even at least be voted upon? Mr. Gigani: That's up to Congress sir. I can't answer to that. Mayor Ferre: Father Gibson? Rev. Gibson: I have heard some of this before as you know. What bothers me is and I raised this for several reasons. We are not in the immigration business. You remember when the Prime Minister of Jamaica was coming. You all remember that? Mr. Carollo: I'm sure he does. Rev. Gibson: You remember: I said then we are not in the immigration business. That the federal government controls certain matters. That as City Commissioners we should not be involved in that and as City Commissioner we should not be involved in this. I know and let me explain. I mean separate and apart from the humanitarian aspect. It seems to me Mr. Mayor and members of the Commission, that we are not going to get this problem resolved unless we the Commission, and I don't mean no one guy going up there. That's hog wash. Unless we go to Washington as a body, present our problem to the entire group. Now, I just left Washington. I was in Washington Thursday. They need to understand what our problem is. Part of the problem is that staff isn't telling what the real problem Is- Now, if you do something about tent city... let me say why I take this very very seriously. You know what's going to happen after you throw those seven hundred you said. Is that what you have? How many people are in tent city now? Mr. Odio: Seven hundred 2p SEP 21980 4 0 Rev. Gibson: Seven hundred. What happens if you get through with them this week five hundred more decide to come? All I'm saying is I'm for the humanitarian aspect. I would be opposed to closing down tent city within the next three days. That doesn't even sound sensible. It's inhumane., It isn't possible. But what worries me is we don't get to the rear problem. If the federal government permits people to come here whether it be Haitians or whether they be Cubans, that's their problem. I'm not in that business. I don't control their passport. I don't control their sponsors. They control it. And if they don't want to carry out the laws then they should not make them. "To the victor go the spoils" I tell you that it is not being fair, right and just on this community to let this kind of situation continue to exist. Now, what's wrong is the boys over there don't have the problem. Mr. Mayor, we spend money for everything else, so of the things don't make a damn bit of sense. We... the five of us, we are interested in what's happening to the people in this community. We ought to get on that plane, go to Washington, tell our story ourselves. Nobody could tell our story for us like we can. Now, I am... I just speak with a,passion. Let me tell you something that you men don't know. All last week I was either in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Alexandria or Raleigh, North Carolina. All you could hear, all you could see, all you could read about is Miami. Don't tell me it isn't true. National coverage, Miami. Now, if that,be the case we ought to have the same temerity or national coverage to go to Washington and say "Hey, the buck stops with you guys. Do something about the problem". And we should not only talk to Fascell and Claude Pepper and Stone. We ought to be talking to all of the Congressional people. We ought to get on the floor and tell our story, because the responsibility is theirs. They vote immigration rules. We don't vote them. And I want it to be crystal clear I'm not opposed to people coming to this Country, because that's the heritage of America. We have more miniorities or... I mean, immigrants here than we have really natives. As a matter of fact you need to know that the immigrants built this town. My people were part of those who cut all that palmetto business. So I speak of it with a passion and I take the position... I've said this before up there, nobody paid me one doggone bit of mind. I say that instead of sending the City Manager, instead of sending the Legal Department this Commission which has to of necessity relate to those politicians up there and they must relate to us ought to go in a body. And I will tell you this. You will see some action. Mayor Ferre: Excuse me, but I have got Dr. Eidenberg who is the Secretary of the Cabinet on the phone. He... I called him up while this discussion was going on. He says that to save all of us going up to Washington he would be willing to come down here sometime next week., He is the decision maker. Rev. Gibson: I don't want him to come here. I want us to go there. It's just like making a telephone call. When you make it they keep you on hold down here. When you go up there they have to make a decision to get you the hell on out of the room. Ok. That's the way I want mine. I have said this before. Mayor Ferre: He said that, that's fine. And I'm told... is Thursday a good day? Rev. Gibson: I will make the day, air. And we... Congress was in session when I was there., Make sure. we don't want to go to only talk with them. We want to plead our case. That's the way lawyers do. Mayor Ferre: Now, what he said Father is that he would hope that the end of the week would be better than the first of the week because by that time they will have a clearer understanding of the Fascell/Stone Bill. And of course, if it's moving well by then in Congress, then they would have a stronger response and what Dr.Eidenberg said just now on the phone is that we may be able to solve this problem by the end of next week. Rev. Gibson: Mr. Mayor, I have no desire to have this man here who represents the agency nor the President, because you know the President like you Mr. Mayor. You noticed this morning the five of us were here fighting like hell and you know, you had to get those folk Mr. Mayor. You know? And if the President and the Congress saw us knowing that somewhere down the line they had to talk with us again, the President would go at it with more enthusiasm. You know, you could tell me, say "Gibson, I'm going to see that you get something to eat". And then you could say "Gibson, I have that something to eat". That's a hell of a lot of difference. And that's what I'm talking about. I want us to go and present our case. The staff can't present it because they work for us. You can't present it because you work for them. We work for the people. 21 SEP 2 1980 Either we do it or they will get rid of us on some terms and that's where I am. Mr. Gigani: Were there any questions of any of the Commissioners that I could answer? Mr. Carollo: Yes, I have one. Mr. Gigani: Yes. Mr. Carollo: When N.E.D.A. establishes some form of a process there with staff personnel and setup some tables there to start the process of finding jobs for individuals there and help them relocate to other parts of the Country can we expect that the federal government would pay the transportation for the... Can we expect the federal government to pay the transportation for these people to be relocated to their new jobs? Mr. Gigani: Yes. But we haven't ruled out local settlement. The emphasis would be on settling else where because the area is saturated right now. Especially on housing. Mr. Carollo: Well, certainly I realize that if we can find some local jobs for some people, that 's fine, but since we are very short handed that's.... we are looking at that the best possibilities would lie somewhere else. Now, can we ask that you get together with Mr. Manuel Arques or at least someone be in touch with him today, if not tomorrow and work something out together so this could be a joint effort? '. ,:Koal: It will be more than a joint effort. There will be quite a tew groups involved. Mayor Ferre: Alright, now again, Dr. Eidenberg's Office has setup a tentative date to have Ambassador Palmieri of the Senior White House staff and the others Thursday morning. So if you would look at your schedules and see if you could go to Washington either Wednesday night or on the morning flight Thursday we could have a meeting let's say at 11 o'clock either at the White House or at the State Department. Ok? Mr. Lacasa: Mr. Mayor? Indeed I am very happy today because it has been proven that when the City Commission takes or intends to take action the wheels start moving. For over a month we have had tent city. For over a month this community has been suffering tent cities. Now, today when we are ready to entertain a motion to close down tent city the White House has called us three times, the City Commission is going to Washington, Ambassador Palmieri is going to receive us and they seem to be getting pretty serious about this. But I would like to set the record straight about certain things concerning this refugee situation. For ten years I worked at the Cuban Refugee Center. I started working at the Cuban Refugee Center back in 1961 when that operation began. As I said before seven hundred thousand Cuban refugees were processed by the Cuban Refugee Center in cooperation with four voluntary agencies. The International Rescue Committee, H.A.I.S. Society, Tourist World Service and the U.S. Catholic Conterence. To resettle people takes expertise and takes resources. I welcom Mr. Arques's offer from N.E.D.A. However, ten years of experience at the Cuban refugee program Mr. Arques tells me that it takes more than good intentions. To establish a program of the nature that you are discussing here takes sponsors. Sponsors in other areas of the Country who are not only willing to take to the streets with these refugees to find them employment, but they will have also to find housing for those refugees. They will also have to find schools for the children or child care facilities. You wil? have to get the cooperation of the federal government to pay for the resettlement expenses and I submit to you that twenty years of experience in the Cuban Refugee Program shows that is a real major effort which takes tremendous degree of logistics in this operation. I doubt very much that this could solve the problem quite frankly. I doubt very much that by going into tent cities and setting up two or three desks and getting the very few N.E.D.A. Offices in the United States basically established in about ten or twelve major cities in the Country we are going to have this problem solved. The reason why we are having this situation here is because the federal government at the beginning did not assume the responsibility. And it is because the federal government failed to recognize that here in this community we have a program. The Cuban Refugee Program that has been going on for twenty years and that could have been used on subcontract basis as well as the City of Miami Is being used on subcontract basis. The difference being that the City of Miami has no expertise, no experience in the field of refugees and the other 22 SEP 2 MW • outfit had twenty years of experience, successful experience dealing with this kind of problem. Why they choose not to use it I don't know. But certainly the City of Miami is not the adequate agency to carry out these responsibilities. For us to continue to be involved in this operation will not only be a problem for the City that has other services to provide,'but also will be a dangerous situation because we are being involved in a very difficult proposition which is not being handled in a professional way. I here have to insist and what has been going on this morning just goes to prove that if we put the pressure, the federal government will react. This is the'first time that I have seen so much movement in an hour with the White House involved in these times. Mayor, Mayor Ferre: Absolutely... Mr. Lacasa: Mayor, excuse me. Mayor, you mentioned that we have resettled or the federal government has resettled one hundre4 thousand Cuban refugees in a very short period of time. I beg your pardon sir, but they have not resettled anyone. What they have done is they have housed in different military bases one hundred thousand Cuban refugees. To resettle a Cuban refugee is to send that person to another city in the United States with a program that takes care of employment, housing, child care facilities and the works. To put them in different military bases in the State of Florida or another state is not resettling. That is just doing the same thing that it has been done here locally with the difference that instead of being here they are in Eglin Air Force or place of the Country. To dwell with this problem a comprehensive program has to be established which take care of one of the major problems that these refugees have and that is education. These people have to learn functional english in order to be able to try to get employment here. This has not been even intended so far. So this takes much more than what we are discussing here. This takes professionals and the professionals who are there they have not been used. I am not going to dwell any longer on this. I think that the facts speak by themselves. I welcome the invitation to go to Washington. And it is very positive that they are taking us serious now. I submit to you that if we had not taken this position and discussed this here today and that if this community had not raised the question in such a strong manner as it has been done with the help of the press last week may be we would have been still dragging on with this situation. I insist in carrying out my motion. I am willing to compromise the motion to the extent that the federal government might need reasonable time to resettle and look for alternatives. Father, what I am proposing is not inhumane. What I am proposing is simply that we let the federal government know that this is not the business of the City of Miami or any other municipal institution in town. That this is their responsibility and that they better put their act together because we are disengaging. I voted against the establishment of tent city when this was brought to the attention of the City Commission and I failed to say why in the way that I am saying this now. I am submitting to you that I am speaking on this issue with ten years of experience in the handling of the Cuban refugees because that was my job for ten veers when I came to this Country. From 1961 when the operation started up to 1971. There lies partial answers because there are no complete answers to the problem, but one thing is for sure the answer is not here in the City of Miami. So I intend to carry out my motion Mr. Mayor, that I want the City of Miami to disengage from the business of working with the Cuban refugees, with the Cuban refugee operation and that the tent city be dismantled and that the City Manager be instructed to work in cooperation with the federal government so alternative solution and reasonable time be given to the federal government, but that the task of dismantling the tent cities be started immediately. And by that I don't mean to take down the tents. By that I mean to start immediately working in the resettlement program in the relocation of the refugees within this area in other facilities and that this start no late, than seventy-two hours from today. Mayor Ferre: Commissioner I.acasa I just have two points in response that I want to make on the record and that is that the people we are going to meet with in Washington have all been to Miami on numerous occasions to answer any questions that any member of this Commission or any member of this community might have. They have had numerous public conferences. I personally have been in contact with the White House at least once a week on this matter and they are always said that any time that they want... that we in this City want representatives of the federal government here or vice versa that the doors are always open. So this is not something that all of the sudden I got on the phone and called and they immediately reacted. They have always been available Mr. Gigani represents the federal government here. His boss Ambassador Palmieri spent two days here last week and the person who is responsible for this whole matter under the President 'is Dr. Gene Eidenberg who is certainly a known quantity in this community on his many visits here and he consistent 0 23 EEP 2 M 6 6 with the way he has always acted he is again available any time that any member of this Commission or of this community wants to meet with the White House. Secondly, with regards to the question of what resettlement means. I totally agree with your statement that resettlement means a total program including education, jobs, the whole bit. The problem however, is that there is a new law that did not exist until April of 1980 and the'new law precludes any expenditure t of any monies and therefore it leaves us in the situation that we are in. Neither this President or any President can work outside of the law. The law is very specific. It does not take into account the condition of these hundred thirty thousand people. It does not. It just simply does not. As it doesn not take into account the conditions of the Haitians. The thirty or thirty-five thousand Haitian. Now, that is precisely why Congressman Danny Fascell and Senator Richard Stone had been working diligently without any question to solve this problem. And I think that a'debt of gratitude to them and to the other members of the Florida Delegation that are working on this problem and I have a sense from what Dr. Eidenberg told -me that they are doing very well. If it passes through Congress the problem is solved,,ihen we can get into the comprehensive resettlement. The reason why we don't have comprehensive resettlement is not because President Carter dcesn't want to do it or Ambassador Palmieri refuses to do it. The reason we don't have comprehensive resettlement is because there is no money. The'difference between now and the way we did it before is that before there was money and therefore, those four agencies including, International Rescue and the Catholic Agency and the Jewish Agency were all taken into account because any time they expended money the money was returned. There is no vehicle presently and hopefully, that is what the Fascell/Stone Bill will address and if we get that through Congress the problem is solved. In the meantime I hope that we will take the promise of the Administration that this tent city will be closed within the very near future. Certainly no later than the end of the month as being a firm commitment and that perhaps as Father Gibson said we can go up and plead our case directly ourselves in Washington next week. Mr. Lacasa: Mr. Mayor? Excuse me, Father because I would like to answer a statement made by the Mayor now. Since we are going to Washington to discuss this and this point of not having monies available might be erased. I want to appraise the City Commission of this fact. This was the same situation that existed back in 1961 because the Refugee Act came afterwards and when this situation of the Cuban Refugees in 1961 started there were also no monies earmarked for Cuban refugee operations. Those monies were extracted from the discretionary funds of the President of the United States which existed then and exist now. Secondly, the same kind of situation that we have now when the City of Miami, Cesar, correct me if I'm wrong, has entered into an agreement with the Federal Government whereby, I understand that they are going to reimburse us all of the monies that we have spent at the Orange Bowl All of the monies that we have spent in the operation of tent cities and that they are also contemplating the five hundred thousand dollars the.. Mr. Grassie told me for future expenses which amounts to more than one million dollars. If you put all of these amounts together. And this amount exist. The only difference is that instead of being the City of Miami, the agency with which they are subcontracting, they should have found a more adequate agency such as the Cuban Refugee Center to subcontract instead of us. What the City of Miami employees have done is a tremendous,'a tremendous service to this community. The sacrifice. The effort. The work put there has been tremendous. However, they were not prepared to do it. They are not the agency that should have done it and they did not have the experience. All along the Cuban Refugee Program has been there and this subcontract could have come to them. And we would have had professionals involved instead of amateurs in this particular area of refugee operations. Mr. Carollo: Can we have some equal opportunities Me. Mayor? I know attorney's like to talk a lot, but... Mayor Ferre: Yes, go ahead. Mr. Carollo: Thank you. Father, thank you. I realize that by nature some of us are more nervous than other, but I don't think we, you know, could afford at this point and time to take our nerves over emotions or our minds. These solutions that we are trying to find for this are not easy solutions. This is a very complex problem. We have had over a hundred twenty-one thousand newly arrived Cuban refugees that have arrived. We have hundreds more arriving every week and it's not ever including the thousands of haitian refugees that have been arriving to this community and refugees from other parts that are arriving on a weekly basis. I don't think no one is happy with the way the Administration in Washington has been running this, but I think we also have to be understanding and realise that the complex problem, that we have had, No Country in 'the world has ever been faced with thib these type of problems in having to resettled so many refugees at one time in this way and fashion. Now, I would like to correct the record. I think that certainly the Federal Government has to have an established plan and they have to better organized than they have been, but when you have an organization such as N.E.D.A. that has offered, offered at no charge their volunteer service, their volunteer efforts. I think that we should be very grateful and instead of talking negative and saying "well, you are not going to be able to do anything" we should be grateful and accept whatever effort we get. Even if they only find fifty jobs. By God, at least it's fifty less people or if they have families may be a hundred less people than we have here. The solution is to close down tent city and whomever could help in finding jobs and shelter for these people we should be very thankful and willing to accept that help. Now, what I understood that N.E.D.A. offered was just to help with this particular situation, Not that they are going to get involved with this in a drawn out process and try to take over any part of this effort from the Federal Government or anyone else. I think they just offered out of their humane feelings to help in this particular situation and I think we should accept their help and the help of anyone else that's willing to come forward now and help with that. And I would like to at this point present a motion to the City Commission that we accept the help that N.E.D.A. has offered and that we instruct Cesar Odio to provide whatever effort our staff could provide N.E.D.A. in working together in trying to locate new jobs for the people that we have here in other parts. Mayor Ferre: Alright, I think Father Gibson wants to make a statement. Rev. Gibson: Mr. Mayor, I hope we don't make the mistake of going to Washington and not notify Dante Fascell or don't notify Senator Stone. What I want a clear understanding. I would like for the Commission to direct a member of this staff forthwith to get on the phone, notify them that we have this appointment and that we will be there at a certain time and that they are fully apprised of the entire arrangements that we plan to pursue. Now, if you don't do that then what we will do is piece-mealed and the right hand wouldn't know what the left hand is doing and I'm sure that as just as sure as you tell Fascell and Claude Pepper and Stone what the staff up there, the man who is representing the President would be telling us, I want him to be telling them. So that when we are not up there they would be our watch dogs saying "hey, this is what you said in the meeting". That's the only way you keep men right. Ok. Now, I would like for you before we vote, you know, or after we vote to let me Theodore Gibson know who in the staff is going to notify Claude Pepper, Dante Fascell, Dick Stone. Mayor Ferre: Bill Lehman and Lawton Chiles. Rev. Gibson: Yes, all of them. I want to know who on the staff that responsibility will be. Mayor Ferre: Alright, Mr. Fosmoen? Mr. Fosmoen: The Manager's Office will notify those people. Mayor Ferre: Well, he wants the name. Is that you? Mr. Fosmoen: It will be me Commissioner. Rev. Gibson: Alright, sir and I want you before I leave to tell me that you have contacted them, ok. Mayor Ferre: And then set up the appointment, if you will, Mr. Fosmoen at a time that is convenient to all the members of the Commission and I think it's important that we get Senator Stone and Dante Fascell. At least those two are the primary individuals and secondarily Claude Pepper, Bill Lehman and Lawton Chiles if they can possibly make it along naturally with the senior staff in the White House, ok. Alright, now where are we? We have two different motions I think Lacasa made his motion first. Mr. Carollo: Mr. Mayor, th,::;: was a m Zion before this one. I withdraw mine for the meantime. Mayor Ferre: And then we will have to see if there is a second for Lacasa's motion and if not then I will recognize you for the purposes of a motion. Alright, Mr. Lacasa would you restate your motion? 25 $EP 2 IM 7 ! , Mr. Lacasa: My motion is to instruct the City Manager to disengage the City of Miami from further refugee operations. Secondly, to instruct the City Manager to advise the Federal Government that we want to starting dismantling the tent cities located in the City of Miami within the next seventy-two hours and to give to the City Manager discretion to work in cooperation with the Federal Government to extend for reasonable periods of time that term if necessary so we can insure ourself that they will have enough time to implement the alternative they are now considering and therefore, we won't have refugees in the street. Mayor Ferre: Alright, is there a second to that motion? Mr. Carollo: Well, I would second it if we take the seventy-two hours out of there. If we realize that in the'motion that it's going to take more time in giving the City Manager discretion, why put the seventy-two hours? Just put that we give the City Manager discretion to deal with the Federal Government in finding the adequate time to do away with tept city. Mr. Lacasa: The reason for the seventy-two hours Commissioner Carollo is because I feel that unless we make pretty clear on very definite terms to the Federal Government that we want that thing out. We are not going to get results. The... What your concern is I understand and is taking care of in the resolution because we are giving the City Manager discretion to extend the time as needed on reasonable basis working in cooperation with the Federal Government. In other words, it's there, it's there, but the principle of the seventy-two hours is necessary on several accounts and let me explain to you why. First we are telling as I said before the Federal Government that we want that thing out. Secondly, we are telling this community we and this community has had it with the tent cities, that this City Commission do intend to get rid of the situation now. Thirdly, we are going to do a lot of good to the image of the City of Miami, not only here, but nationally and else where because this refugee problem is really jeopardizing our image aboard. And consequently when the City Commission, the City government is perceived as reacting in a very decisive way on this very sensitive issue, this is going definitely to improve our image. So on those three accounts I want the seventy-two hours because I do feel that this is what really conveys the message to everybody involved that the City Commission means business when we say we want to finish up with the tent cities. Mayor Ferre: Alright? Mr. Carollo: I just find it hard to believe that forty days of humanitarium help within the City of Miami such as tent city has joopardized the image of Miami so bad that we have to take a drastic measurement. I think that if anybody► wants to do away with tent city right away it is the Federal Government. So let s face it. It's an election year and this is causing them problems. If anybody wants to do away with that I'm sure it's the Federal Government and I'm sure that they are going to find out a quick solution to do away with this, but I don't like to put the gun to anybody's head and threaten them. Especially when you know, that it's not all that much to make a threat with. Mayor Ferre: Is there a second to the motion as stated? Is there a second? Is there a second to the motion? Well, hearing none then I recognize you Commissioner Carollo for the purposes of making a motion. Mr. Carollo: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The motion that I would like to make at this point is a motion that we deal in good faith with the Federal Government to give them the opportunity to close down tent city by the end of the month as they have stated in an orderly way and that the City Commission goes on recora In accepting the help that N.E.D.A. as offered and that we instruct our staff out there to help in which ever way they can. So that N.E.D.A. can do the best they can in trying to locate employment for the different refugees around the Country or around the State or where ever they can. Mayor Ferre: Alright, is there a second to that motion? Is there a second to the motion? Mr. Carollo: Let me rephrase the motion again so it can be understood. All that we are saying is that, that tent city will be closed as the Federal Government has stated it will close it. All that we are doing is trying to cooperate more In trying to relocate these people and finding them jobs. They will be doing the leg work voluntarily. They have been kind enough to provide their effort and their manpower to do this. SEP 21980 • Mr. Plummer: Has that motion died? • Rev. Gibson: Mr. Mayor, let me ask this. This may not be what you want to hear, but wouldn't we find ourselves in a much better position since we are going to to to Washington to wait until we go and say'to them in no uncertain terms, we want this facility closed down and then let them give us a commitment that they are going to do it within a reasonable length of time and agree to it. Then you wouldn't have a gun to anybody's head, plus the people there would not feel that we are not being humane. And then we hgpe that the people in this community will understand. The very fact that all five of us is going to get up and go and plead our case might, I think, be more humane than the time. And then Washington may... Look, the newspaper is going to tell them that we have decided. And you know, if you come to me up there and you have already decided man, you know, I will say "well, so what". Mayor Ferre: Let me tell you where we are at this point. Commissioner Lacasa's motion did not get a second. Obviously, it wouldn't have gotten three votes. Commissioner Carollo's motion even though I haven't called for a second, I sense is not going to get a second. Now, and therefore where we are is, we passed a motion in July. The motion Mr. Clerk, if I can remember it properly, was that we open up tent city and that we proceed in doing this on a temporary basis with federal funds and that motion passed four to one. If we don't make any motions today, then that motion obviously still remains. Mr. Plummer: Can I try? Mayor Ferre: I'm going to recognize you for that in a moment, Plummer. And then where we would be is after the meeting this week or the early of next week in Washington, then the Commission would have to meet again for the purposes of having the input of the trip to Washington to make the motion at that time. For all intents __ purposes Father, the practical aspect of it is that... is that Mr. Gigani who came before us representing the Federal Government has said that the Federal Government wants to close down tent city before the end of the month. Now, what we would have in Washington is more specific information as to how exactly that would be done. When it would be done. And by that time hopefully, input of the Fascell/Stone Bill and its movement through Congress. That's the way I sense it now. I will then ask for the last time whether or not Commissioner Carollo's motion has a second. Is there a second to the motion as expressed by Commissioner Carollo? Mr. Carollo: All that we are asking the members of the Commission is that we accept the offer that has been given to us which we have got and pretty darn few of help with no strings attached. And my God, I just can't imagine that this Commission would go on record in not accepting help in trying to locate employment for refugees out there. If the complaint has been that we can't find jobs and we can't find shelter for them and here is someone coming and saying "well, we are going to help" how can we go on record in saying "no,we don't want to give you the opportunity to do that". Mayor Ferre: Alright, is there a second to that motion as expressed? I will second the motion and pass the gavel for the simple reason that I think the motion in itself does not do any harm to anything. All it really says is that it is the intention of this city according to the expressed wishes of the Federal Government as expressed by Mr.Gigani to close this tent city by the end of the month, number one. And number two, that we will accept the offer of N.E.D.A. to help relocate some of these refugees. I don't think that there is any harm that could be done with that and for that purpose I think it would be bad for the word to go out that, that a voluntary agency that has twenty-six national offices made an offer and that we refused to accept it. I just don't see how we can vote against that. So for that reason I would second that motion. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor... Mr. Lacasa: Under discussion. Mr. Plummer: Under discussion. I wholeheartedly concur with you. I think this city welcomes anyone who comes with good intentions to assist this city in doing what is right. I think the problem is that is what's coukled ...c:. the motion. It is open ended. There is no ending. It is an intent, but it is not specific in it's nature. a (BACKGROUND COMMENT OFF THE PUBLIC RECORD). 27 SEP 2 19p Mr. Plummer: No, it's not. It is... Now, you know, that's where my problem is. Mayor Ferro: No, no, Plummer the motion I seconded specifically had September 30th which is the end of the month. So I don't know... Mr. Carollo: That is correct. Mr. Plummer: That it will close the end of the month? Mayor Ferre: Yes, before the end of the month. Mr. Carollo: That is correct. ' Mr. Plummer: Oh. Oh, oh I didn't understand that. In other words, what you are saying in this motion is that tent city will close no later than the 30th day of September? Mr. Carollo: That's right, but in the meantime... Mr. Plummer: Ok, is that the understanding? Mr. Carollo: That is correct. Mr. Plummer: Well, now, you know, that's a little bit different than this gentleman from the Federal Government who says we hope to have it closed. There is a difference between hope to and doing. (BACKGROUND COMMENTS OFF THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mayor Ferre: Mr. Gigani go ahead. Mr. Plummer: I didn't understand it that way. mr. r1 anl: If there are still persons left at the end of September, on September 30th that we have not yet resolved as individuals, we will find another solution. It will not include tent city as a solution. Mr. Lacasa: In other words, you give us on the record absolute guarantees that by September the 30th tent cities will np longer be there? Mr. Gigani: That's a guarantee. Mayor Ferre: That's what he said when he spoke before. Mr. Plummer: I'm sorry Mr. Mayor you are wrong. Mayor Ferre: Mr, Gigani come back here just for the record to clarify this. Mr. Plummer: The record was before that they hope to have it closed by then. Mayor Ferre: No,.no, no. Mr. Gigani, didn't you say that you were here that the Federal Government's position was to close down tent city by the end of this month? Mr. Gigani: That's correct. That's correct. If I mislead you, I apologise. That it was the intent to say it that way. Mr. Plummer: Let's don't say that you mislead me. Let's say that I misunderstood. I have no problem. Rev. Gibson: Mr. Mayor, I want to vote with the motion. I'm just reluctant in a sense. Let me explain, but if... (BACKGROUND COMMENT OFF THE PUBLIC RECORD) Rev. Gibson: I know, but here is the thing. I,and you have to advise me. I would have been happy to accept the help separate and apart so it wouldn't be tied to the thirty days, so we could talce that. I'm only reluctant that at the end of thirty days, this is the clergyman in me, if for some reason you can't really close down in thirty days. Suppose something unusual happens... Mayor Ferre: Father, we got two more meetings in September. The 15th and the 25th. I guarantee you we will have five meetings because we are going to have roo $i° 2 M a budget process this month. So there is plenty of opportunities to rethink this thing. Rev. Gibson: Alright, as long as we understand that because I just live in horror knowing that at the end of thirty days if something unusual happens you throw people out on the street. I just... you'know, I... the clergy in me kind of gets... come on surface. Mr. Carollo: Well, if we could go back... if we could go back to something that Commissioner Plummer stated previously. There -is no free lunch and that federal money that's coming had to come from somewhere before and a lot of it came from our taxpayers. So what we are doing here is... by this organization coming there and help to find jobs in other parts for the refugees. We are saving our own tax dollars from being spent -in this and hopefully we can get those tax dollars from the Federal Government for something else that could be helpful to us. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Carollo, after the clarification of the motion, I have no problem with it. Mayor Ferre: Alright, to the Chair, may I say something? Mr. Lacasa: Yes, sir. Mayor Ferre: Alright. I would like to ask the Chair to recognize John Cos. -rove who has been patiently waiting here to say something into the record. Since he does have clients that he represents. I would like to ask the Chair to recognize John Cosgrove. Mr. John Cosgrove: Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Acting Mayor, Mr. Interim Acting City Manager. I'm the attorney that represents the fourteen businesses who initially filed the action to seek a temporary and permanent injunction enjoining tent city from being erected -And I think I'm probably from that position and being in constant contact with Mr. Odio quite familiar with the problems of tent city and I have been down there myself. The night after the hearing the humanitarian aspects of tent city moved me so much that even though I was a adversary representing my clients. I went down there with a trunk load of donuts for the residents of tent city. I think that as a lawyer in this community and as a lawyer representing fourteen businesses that it may be out of place, but I'm going to do it anyway. I think the City of Miami, the Mayor, the Commissioners, the staff and particularly Cesar Odio have done a lot for this community and the good things about Miami exercising responsibility in providing for the humanitarian aspects of tent city. I don't care what the press says or what the national press says. Those of us that live here know what the problems are and all of you are to be commended for that. It's something that could not be avoided. I didn't agree with the decision. I don't like tent city. I don't like it in the middle of a business district. I worried about the one thousand employees that go to those businesses to work. I worried about the parking and the health. The safety. The transportation problems. The accessibility of getting the business goods in and out. But tent city is there and the problems is there and we are all trying to work together to solve it. Our lawsuit is still pending in Federal Court. We have not dismissed the lawsuit and the lawsuit will hot be dismissed until the last reminisce of tent city are removed.' I don't know whether that's going to be in seventy-two hours Commissioner Lacasa or whether it's going to be September 30th, but I can assure you that as one person involved in'the community and interested in the community that I'm concerned about it as a citizen. And I can assure that on behalf of the fourteen businesses in that area that I represent that they are concerned about it and that we do insist, we do insist that tent city be closed and that a time certain be stated and that, that time be met. And if it's not we will be back in the courts because we must have some relief and this community must have some relief. And a lawsuit may be filed as a class action on behalf of all the citizens of this community and amended from fourteen businessess to over one million people in this area. I commend the City Commission for addressing the problem today and the Mayor in his efforts in bring his Washington contacts to Miami and in helping to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem and that's what we have got to have. So on behalf of the clients that I represent I wanted to state their position and our position, that we are concerned about it and that we are still watching matters as they go on, but on a personal note. I think God that we have the kind of hearts and minds and souls and spirit in this community that will continue to show that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave and that we can make things happen and we can solve our problems if we get the cooperation that we need. .at S � P 21980 Mr. Lacasa: Thank you, very much Mr. Cosgrove. Further discussion; call the roll. ON ROLL CALL: Mr. Lacasa: In voting "no" I want to explain that in July when the tent cities were approved by the City 6P,,un1vsion i voted against. Today I am voting against because I feel that by not in very definite terms giving this community and giving the Federal Govetru;ent a definite direction that we want the tent cities closed and terminated immediately we are failing to provide our community the leadership that this conx-iunity i- exj,-Ring from us at a time when we are facing a very critical situation which according to our own Police Department could go out of hand at any time. So for these reasons and the previously stated ones I vote "no" and I want to recognize, acknowledge "„u express my appreciation to Mr. Arques and to N.E.D.A. for his generous offer and I do feel that "yes" it is a welcome ad,16_tion to this situation, but we needed something more at this time. The following motion was introduced by Commissioner Carollo, who moved Its adoption. MOTION NO. 80-619 A MOTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION GOING ON RECORD TO ACCEPT THI, OFFr.R OF ASSISTANCE FROM N.E.D.A. (National Economic Develo,ment Association) TO ATTEMPT TO FIND EMPLOYMENT AND RrSETTLFM NT FOR NEWLY ARRIVED CUBAN REFUGEES AND INSTRUCTIN(, THr CITY AI)XI\ISTRATION TO ASSIST THE REPRE- SENiATIVES C-r NEDA IN THIS EFFORT; FURTHER STATING THE I LATENT, GN C,F "lid•: Ci :"' CcY 1IS51ON TO WORK IN GOOD FAITH WITH TPF FEDF::1L GoVl.RNMENT IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING "TENT CITY" DOWN 6Y ThE END OF SEPTEMBER, 1980. Upon being seconded by Commissioner Ferre, the motion was passed and adopted b.; the follc�ving vote AYES: Mr. Plummer, Rev. Gihsnn, Mr. Carollo and Mayor Ferre. NOES: Vice -Mayor Lacasa. ABSENT: None. 3. SELECTION OF CITY MANAGER. Mayor Ferre: Alright, we are now on Item ,i... the previous item which was the resolution on the City Manager. You have before you a resolution on the accepting of the resignation of Joseph R. Grassie, the City Manager of the city of Miami. And if this passes I would expect for the new City Manager to be, acting or interim City Manager to be sworn in nt this time. So you have the resolution before you. Would you take a moment ro read it and make sure... Mr. Carollo this your resolution bastc.ally, so I think we are looking to you to make sure that it meets all tl^e pants you had previously made. Mr. Carollo: This is the one that Joseph Grassie is not City Manager any longer, right? Mayor Ferre: That's right. Mr. Carollo: It all seems in order as we discussed dorm as City Manager and serve as a consultant for budget in process and that Mr. Fosmoen would be the November 1st, until we decide who►u we want. Mayor Ferre: Is this acceptable then? that Mr. Grassie would step a week basis until we get our temporary City Manager until 30 SEP 21980 Mr. Carollo: That's acceptable. That' what we stated before that.... Mayor Ferre: Father you were the seconder of the motion. Is this acceptable to you now? (BACKGROUND COMMENT OFF THE PUBLIC RECORD) Mr. Plummer: Is it open for an amendment? Mayor Ferre: Sure, it's always open for an amendment. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, in Section 4, I would like to offer the following amendment which I understood before, but I want it in writing. After the wording "Robert D. Krause"... excuse me, after the wording "Human Resources" insert the wording "as approved by �he City Commission". i Mr. Carollo: That's a very good point Commissioner Plummer. Mayor Ferre: As approved by all members would you put. Mr. Plummer: Well, ok, I have... I thought the City Commission was all members. Mayor Ferre: Well, that might be three out of five and I would want every members of this Commission satisfied. Mr. Plummer: That sounds like a big job, but I will go along. Mayor Ferre: Approved by all members and that obviously means in writing because we wouldn't... we are not going to call a special Commission meeting for this. But once Mr. Krause submits just put your initial on it as to whether or not you accept it or not. Mr. Plummer: Right. Sign off. Mayor Ferre: By all members of the Commission. Is that acceptable to the maker of the motion? Mr. Carollo: Certainly. Mayor Ferre: Is it acceptable to the seconder of the motion? Father? The amendment? Rev. Gibson: Yes, Sir. Mayor Ferre: I don't think we need to go through the formality of approving the amendment. We will just adapt it into the main body. Is that acceptable? Alright. Father is the motion acceptable to you? Alright, Commissioner Carollo then makes the motion for the resolution and Father Gibson seconds it as amended by the insertion of Section 4, after the word "Human Resources", "as approved by all members of the Commission% . With that amendment is there further discussion, if not call the roll, please. The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Carollo, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 80-620 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF JOSEPH R GRASSIE AS CITY MANAGER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2, 1980 AND RETAINING MR. GRASSIE TO SERVE AS A CONSULTANT ON A WEEK -TO -WEEK BASIS, EFFECTIVE THIS DATE, AT A RATE OF COMPENSATION EQUIVALENT TO HIS PRESENT SALARY, IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMPLETION OF THE 1980-81 FISCAL BUDGET PROCESS; APPOINTING RICARD FOSMOEN AS CITY MANAGER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORID SUBJECT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS FILED WRITTEN STIPULATION OF THIS DATE, STIPULAT- ING THAT HE SHALL RESIGN EFFECTIVE THE DATE t 31 SEP 21980 UPON WHICn Vh_1 CITY CO'�iSSION CONCLUDES ITS CONSIDERATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF A SUCCES- SOR CITY MANAGER BUT NOT LATLR THAN NOVF,111�ER 1, 1980; WITH ADVERTISUiENTS BEING IIVI liIA" ELY PUBLISHED iN :7e:W; PAPERS is CERTAIN CITIES IN THE STATE Oi' FLORIDA R)✓(UIRING PERSONS INTERESTED IN SUHM1TIING APPLICATIONS FOR SUCH POSITION OF CITY MW,AGER 10 SUBMIT THFTR RFSUMES WITHIN 2 WEEK FROM PL'bLICATION DATE OF' SAID ADVERTISE- MF.;rI ; �r:T f iNC" FORYh THE PROCESS TO BE USED BY ,mr ,' ;,,Y comml SSII'A' !N THE SELECTION OF SAID S1;CCF:SS,ik C1 i MAINAG; :i: (Hare follows body of resolution, omitted here and on file in ih, Office of the City Clerk). Upon being vvonded by Gibson,' the resolution was passed and adopted hti the ;oliowing vote: AYES: Mr. Caroi.o, Re,,. uibson :gnu Mayor Ferre. NOES: Mr. Plummer and Vice -Mayor Laeasa. ABSENT: Nonv. Marc, Ferrc: Alri;,.ht, at nis time would the new City Manager be sworn in? t>o .t`,:.nd Mr.. Clerk. (AT THIS TIME RlCfL tOCD FO SMOLN 1S SW(,R': IP. hY THE C11I CLI.RK AS THE NEW CITY MANAC ER ) 11ay F. pre. 1. i i. `1r . ' anagc- con;,,rati,Iations I'm sure on behalf of all of us on your appoiutmon' and �,.;..^a luck ;n your endeavors. `I. L,)rn11 ); Mav . ,k ch. �jw,1t. cuc—tion ii the new City Manager if I may? Can I get a memcrandam in my ,ffice by tomorrow as to when we aie going to rebid t:Oe new furniture cortra.:,<,'' Mr. Fosmocn: I will give you an update tomorrow. Mr. Carolic,: I would-­ert-iinlN appreciate it. Thank you. 4. DISLUSSION OF AIMENDMENTS TO THE CITIZENS PARTICIPATION PLAN. M,iyor Ferre: Alrignt, we now have I.- •+ ,,,; two ,;her items. One is the discussion of the amendmentF to the citize•is participation plan. Mr. Fosmoen? Mr. Fosmoen: Ms. Spillman? I aiil ­:,k DE::d to brief the Commission on the issue regarding citizen participation. Ms. Spillman: I will try to make this as quick as possible. We have approved set of guidelines that vc approved in July. We have taken those guidelines out to the community and discovered what could be a problem in the election process. What we ary asking you now for is to amend the process to make it clearer for the residents. There was some confusion on the ballot that we presented. Let me just explain it to you briefly. If you look at the ballot that's attached. The way the guid•.•lir;es are written out each comunity votes for five peopie regardless of whether or not they have a Chairman system or a Board systrvm. What we arc- recommending today is that they be allowed to vote for tt,.y};t.,., t},nt :hey wan, cumher one. Then for a Chairman and Vice- Chairmaa ar well as live board mvmb&�,, then whatever system wins the votes for that d7jrticular ti) ­tt=1 Will tie coUnted. Mayor Ferre: Dena, excuse me, for the question, but we discussed this last time and everybody in 'hi-, Ccm,mission accepted it. 32 5 EP 21980 NOW Mr. Fosmoen: No. Ms. Spillman: It was approved differently. Mayor Ferre: No, I'm talking about the meeting that we had before on the... on August 26th. Mr. Fosmoen: No, sir you did not discuss it and it takes an official action of the Commission so we don't find ourselves back in court. Mayor Ferre: Well, I thought.... Plummer... Mr. Plummer: In other words, this allows the people to choose the form of committee that they want? Ms. Spillman: Right. f ' Mr. Plummer: I have no problem with that. Mayor Ferre: Plummer moves. Is that acceptable to you? Rev. Gibson: I will buy that. Mayor Ferre: Gibson seconds, further discussion? Alright, call the roll if you would, please. ON ROLL CALL: Mayor Ferre: Yes, as for the record both Commissioner Carollo and Commissioner Lacasa when this was discussed on the 26th of August said that this was an acceptable format. They can speak for themselves, but since they are absent during the voting I just wanted to make that clarification into the record. The following motion was introduced by Commissioner Plummer, who moved its adoption: MOTION NO. 80-621 A MOTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION APPROVING THE SAMPLE BALLOT FOR CITY OF MIAMI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ELECTIONS AS SUBMITTED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ON THIS DATE. Upon being seconded by Commissioner Gibson, the motion was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Plummer, Rev. Gibson and Mayor Ferre. NOES: None. ABSENT: Mr. Carollo and Vice -Mayor Lacasa. 5. RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING THE CITY OF MIAMI VOTERS TO VOTE "YES" ON THE COUNTY QUESTION THAT ESTABLISHES A FIRE RESCUE SERVICE DISTRICT. Mayor Ferre: We now have Item #t3 which is recommending the City of Miami voters to vote "yes" on the County question that established a Fire Rescur Service District. That's self-explanatory and the motion is before you. Is there any discussion on it? Rev. Gibson: Move. Mayor Ferre: Alright, moved by Gibson, seconded by Plummer, is there further... SEP 2 100 0 r Mr. Plummer: For the record, this does come with the approval of the Fire Chief? Mr. Fosmoen: Yes. Mr. Plummer: Because it doesn't state on there. Mr. Fosmoen: Well, the issue is double taxation. Mr. Plummer: I understand the issue. But I also understand there were seven alternatives. Mr. Fosmoen: That's correct. Mr. Plummer: And if how you come about it in about three of them would have done us in. Mr. Fosmoen: That's correct and we did discuss this with the Chief. Obviously, we didn't have a choice on which one the County opted for. Mr. Plummer: Well, yes, the choice is where you urged the people to vote "no". Mayor Ferre: (THE MAYOR READS THE RESOLUTION INTO THE RECORD). Moved by Gibson, seconded by Plummer, further discussion, call the roll. The following resolution was introduced by Commissioner Gibson, who moved its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 80-622 A RESOLUTION rNCOURAGING AND URGING CITY OF MIAMI VOTERS TO VOTE AFFIRMATIVELY ON THE "COUNTY QUESTION" IN AN ELECTION TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 9, 1980, WHICH WILL ESTABLISH A FIRE RESCUE SERVICE DISTRICT THEFEBY ENDING 111E PRACTICE OF CITY OF MIAMI VOTERS PAYING FOR THE FIRE RESCUE SERVICES PRESENTLY PROVIDED IN 21 OTHER CITIES WITHIN DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA. (Here follows body of resolution, omitted here and or► file in the Office of the City Clerk). Upon being seconded by Commissioner Plummer, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Plummer, Rev. Gibson and Mayor Ferre. NOES: None. ABSENT: Mr. Carollo and Vice -Mayor Lacasa. 6. BRIEF DISCUSSION ON BUDGET HEARING SCE EDOLE. Mr. Plummer: Mr. Mayor, I would just... I would like to briefly touch on a subject. And I just really want to establish the record. Mr. Mayor, I a very much concerned that receiving d.,.ing this recess of the Commission during the month of August. We all received a so-called budget process schedule for fiscal year 1981 and I take note that the first blush of the Commission for discussion does not take place until the 17th of September. The first blush with the public is not until the 26th and then again on the 30th. As all of the Commission are aware I have gone on record as far back as the first of July that I am not in concurrence with the prepared and presented budget to the Commission. I don't feel that there has been justification given. 7 will oppose the budget in its present form without proper justification which was has not been given to me or to my knowledge to any th;c mewber of this Commission. I feel that this schedule which is presented to us leaves this Commission no alternative but to be placed into a position seeing as how we are suppose to adopt by the lst of October, no alternative but to either accept the budget as presented four days prior to its adoption or you are not going 34 SAP 2 10 to have the wherefore to comply with the Charter. And Mr. Mayor, I'm just giving you my... once again on Mae record. I documented it in a memo as early as July 1st. So I'm just going on record once again. Mayor Ferro: Yes, I see. I see what you are doing and I see what you are saying and I not only understand it, but I accept it.•',And the fact is that we do. not have four votes Mr. Foamoen for the budget as proposed and therefore Mr. Grassie has to start all over again and we really have a donnybrook of cutting of services and all... you know. And of bringing up the garbage expenses to the very maximum and the very difficult task, because as we need four votes and we don't have it. Therefore, I think we have to start the budget process a lot sooner. So therefore, would you tell former City Manager Grassie that we would expect for him to call, recommend that this Commission go into session before the 17th so that we can go through the process. Thank you, air. We stand adjourned. ADJOULV+IENT : t There being no further business to come before the City Commission, on motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned at 12:45 O'Clock P.M. ATTEST: RALPH G. ONGIE CITY CLERK MATTY HIRAI ASSISTANT CITY CLERK K� MAURICE A. FERRE M A Y O R SEP 219M C17Y F NNAMI ��IIIN11►'il�►�� MEOW lqqw IN - MMTINO DATE: SPECIAL - SEPTEMBER 2, 1980 ITID4 NO DOCUMD9 IDENTIFICATION 1 COMMISSION AGENDA AND CITY CITY CLERK REPORT 0001 2 ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF JOSEPH R. GRASSIE AS CITY MANAGER OF THE CITY OF MIAMI EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2, 1980 R-80-620 80-620 3 URGING VOTERS CITY OF MIAMI TO VOTE AFFIRMATIVELY IN AN ELECTION OF SEPTEMBER 9, 1980 INRE FIRE RESCUE SERVICE DISTRICT I R-80-622 80-622