HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2015-09-10 MinutesCity of Miami
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3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
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Meeting Minutes
Thursday, September 10, 2015
5:05 PM
FIRST BUDGET HEARING
City Hall Commission Chambers
City Commission
Tomas Regalado, Mayor
Wifredo (Willy) Gort, Chair
Keon Hardemon, Vice Chair
Marc David Sarnoff, Commissioner District Two
Frank Carollo, Commissioner District Three
Francis Suarez, Commissioner District Four
Daniel J. Alfonso, City Manager
Victoria Mendez, City Attorney
Todd B. Hannon, City Clerk
City Commission
Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
5:05 P.M.
FIRST BUDGET HEARING
Present: Chair Gort, Commissioner Sarnoff, Commissioner Carollo, Commissioner Suarez and
Vice Chair Hardemon
On the 10th day of September 2015, the City Commission of the City of Miami, Florida, met at its
regular meeting place in City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida, for its first
budget hearing session. The meeting was called to order by Chair Gort at 6: 06 p.m., recessed at
7: 56 p.m., reconvened at 8: 09 p.m., and adjourned at 9: 21 p.m.
Note for the Record: Commissioner Carollo entered the Commission chamber at 6: 07 p.m., and
Commissioner Suarez entered the Commission chamber at 6: 08 p.m.
ALSO PRESENT:
Victoria Mendez, City Attorney
Daniel J. Alfonso, City Manager
Todd B. Hannon, City Clerk
ORDER OF THE DAY
Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Any person who is a lobbyist must register with the City Clerk
before appearing before the City Commission. A copy of the City Code section about lobbyists is
available in the City Clerk's Office. The material for each item on the agenda is available
during business hours at the City Clerk's Office and online 24 hours a day at wwwmiamigov. com
[sic]. Any person may be heard by the City Commission through the Chair for not more than two
minutes on any proposition before the City Commission, unless such time limit is modified by the
Chair. If the proposition is being continued or rescheduled, the opportunity to be heard may be
at such later date before the City Commission takes action on such proposition. Pursuant to
Florida Administrative Code 12(d)-17.005, anyone wishing to appeal any decision made by the
City Commission for any matter considered at this meeting does not need a verbatim transcript
of the record, but a video of this meeting may be required, and it is available at the Office of
Communications or can be viewed online at wwwmiamigov.com [sic]. No cell phones or other
noise -making devices are permitted in the City Commission chambers; please silence those
devices now. No clapping, applauding, heckling, or verbal outbursts in support or opposition to
a speaker or his or her remarks shall be permitted. Any person making offensive remarks or
becomes unruly in the City Commission chambers will be barred from further attending
Commission meetings and may be subject to arrest. No signs, banners, or placards shall be
allowed in the City Commission chambers. Any person with a disability requiring assistance,
auxiliary aids and services for this meeting may notify the City Clerk. The meeting will end
either at the conclusion of the regularly scheduled budget meeting agenda or as continued or
rescheduled by the City Commission. Please note, Commissioners have generally been briefed
by City staff and the City Attorney on items on the agenda today. At this time, the Administration
will announce -- make any announcements, as necessary. Thank you.
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City Commission
Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
BH.1
15-01053
Office of Management
and Budget
DISCUSSION ITEM
FIRST PUBLIC HEARING TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED MILLAGE AND
TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015-16.
THE PROPOSED GENERAL OPERATING MILLAGE RATE OF 7.6465 FOR
THE CITY OF MIAMI FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1,
2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 IS 15.19 PERCENT HIGHER
THAN THE STATE -DEFINED ROLLED -BACK RATE OF 6.6379.
CITY COMMISSION LISTENS AND RESPONDS TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS
REGARDING THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE AND THE PROPOSED
BUDGET. ACTION RELATED TO THIS DISCUSSION ITEM OCCURS BY
ENACTMENT OF BH.21 AND BH.22.
15-01053 Summary Form.pdf
15-01053 Budget Discussion.pdf
15-01053-Submittal-FOP Javier Ortiz -Proposed funding for Police Department.pdf
15-01053-Submittal-Commissioner Sarnoff-Police Hiring.pdf
DISCUSSED
Chair Gort: Mr. Mayor, you're recognized.
Mayor Tomas Regalado: Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, Vice Chairman, Commissioners,
good evening. It is an honor to stand before you and the residents of our beloved City to present
the proposed budget for fiscal year 2015-2016. Like all budgets, there might be controversy and
debates, but I believe that this is a functional budget. It is a budget that gets the job done for our
residents, visitors, and employees. First and foremost, it is a budget for the residents, because
for the fifth year in a row, we have proposed and you have approved a reduction of the City's
overall property tax rate. Maybe it would have been politically correct to have said we're
leaving the tax rate flat, but in reality, that would have been a tax increase because of the
increase in property value. So we proposed a reduction, which you approved in the millage, not
only because it's the right thing to do, but because it is the intelligent thing to do. The facts are
here to prove it. More income, more investment, more construction, more business, and more
jobs, because taxes are down, because you had the vision to reduce taxes for the last five years.
The budget that we're presenting address the main concern of our residents, public safety, by
adding 40 new police officer positions and buying two brand-new rescue units, and also by
taking care of our employees. Like the old Spanish saying, "La caridad empiesa por casa,"
"charity begins at home. "We are proposing converting about half of the City's temporary
employees to permanent status. Most of these employees have been doing the work for the
residents with no future, no benefits, and this is the right thing to do. The budget also sets aside
millions of dollars for the contracts that we are now discussing with the Fire and Police unions.
We already have long-term contracts with AFSCME (American, Federal, State, and County
Municipal Employees) and Solid Waste. And I know, and the Administration know that this item
is very close to your heart, and that all of you are in agreement that we should take care of our
employees. We're also addressing traffic, which is another main concern of our residents, by
hiring 22 part-time traffic control specialists to help with peak hour, rush time every day. And
the budget, of course, also addresses parks, with over 15 millions [sic] to repair and expand City
parks for our residents, our new residents, and for the children of Miami. Commissioners, this is
a budget that gets the job done for our residents. We stand ready to start tonight's conversation
with you. Thank you very much.
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Chair Gort: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Manager.
Daniel J. Alfonso (City Manager): Mr. Chairman, thank you. I would just like to thank all of the
staff that worked together to put the budget proposal together, and I'm not going to delay any
further, so I'm going to let director of Budget, Mr. Rose, go ahead and get the process started.
Christopher Rose (Director): Good evening, Commissioners. Chris Rose, Office of Management
& Budget. I have some required language that needs to be read into the record. The proposed
general operating millage rate is 7.6465 mills for the City of Miami for the fiscal year beginning
October 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016. That operating millage is 15.9 percent higher
than the State -defined rollback rate of 6.6379 mills. Thank you, Commissioners.
Mr. Alfonso: Correction: 15.19 percent.
Chair Gort: That's correct. At this time, I'll open the meeting for the public. Anyone in the
public would like to address the millage or BH. 1, BH 19, BH 20 or BH 21 or BH 22. It's now
open to the public.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Chair, if you would prefer, I can read the names out.
Chair Gort: Please.
Mr. Hannon: Okay. First speaker, Javier Ortiz, Fernand Amandi, and Anthony Williams.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Mr. Chair.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Would you mind -- and I don't know if Mr. Ortiz would mindbecause
I'm going to address a certain component of the operations budget, which is police, and with
your allowance, I'd like to show a PowerPoint presentation.
Chair Gort: Sure, no problem.
Javier Ortiz: Correct. Thank you.
Chair Gort: No (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Right after the presentation.
Mr. Ortiz: Going to present now?
Chair Gort: Yeah.
Mr. Ortiz: You're going to present now?
Commissioner Sarnoff I'm going to present the PowerPoint --
Mr. Ortiz: Okay.
Commissioner Sarnoff. -- and I think it might be useful. So I certainly want to applaud the
Manager and the Mayor for increasing the Police Department's size by 40 police officers. What
I would like to show you is why I think 40 police officers is an inadequate number predicated on
the fact that by 2017, we will lose approximately 200 police officers. So if -- with your further
pleasure, I'd like to allow Sharie Blanton of my office to make the presentation.
Sharie Blanton: Thank you. Good evening, Commissioners, Mr. Manager, Mr. Mayor, Chief.
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My name is Sharie Blanton, senior aide for Commissioner Marc Sarnoff District 2. Today, we'll
make brief presentation on police hiring and the high cost associated with the cost savings.
Specifically, we will review the impact on public safety related to the low police per 1,000
resident count, the cost of crime to our community, and take a deeper look at the City of Miami's
Police Department clearance rates. In March 2013, the Chief of Police recognized the
importance of policing at much higher optimal levels where the City stood at the time with 1,144
sworn officers. He noted how during peak day -time hours and during major events, policing per
1,000 residents dropped to a dangerously low level of less than two officers per 1,000 residents.
Ideally, for a city of our size, we would like to strive to be closer to four officers per thousand
residents or a force size of 1,665. Understanding how critically unsafe this level of policing was,
the Chief of Police suggested, and the Commission agreed, to scale up with a short-term increase
of hundred new officers from 1,144 to 1,244 and a long-term increase to 1,360. This was 2.5
years ago. Today we stand at a force size of 1,195. This is not even on par with the short-term
hiring rate figure recommended in 2013. To achieve a force size of four officers per thousand
residents, and based on a current population count of 417,650 residents, we would need a force
size of 1, 665. As of today, we are 470 officers short of that goal. In October 2017, after
factoring in the large number of drops, which are currently happening now, and will continue to
occur, we will be 417 officers short of this goal. Hiring only 40 new officers in the next fiscal
year will move us virtually nowhere in terms of closing the 400-plus officer deficit that the City of
Miami Police Department is now facing. One of the major negative impacts of a poorly -size
police force is its impact on clearance rates. The City of Miami must report all level -one violent
crimes to the FBI's (Federal Bureau of Investigations) Uniform Crime Reporting Program. An
offense can only be considered cleared when a person has been arrested, charged with a crime,
and turned over to the court for prosecution. In last week's memo on police hiring strategies and
implementation, Miami was compared to three other cities of similar size. The additional
information we should also consider looking, at aside from the police coverage per 1,000
residents and the number of violent crimes, is a comparison of clearance rates for part -one
crimes. Miami ranks far below other cities with clearance rates at an alarming 14.5 percent.
Adding more police officers to the force does not only mean increasing the number of patrol
officers on the streets but also strengthening investigative units in details which moves crimes
through the system towards prosecution. An increase in the overall size of the police force will
allow for several things to occur which could improve public safety. More staff and investigative
and detail units to investigate and clear more crimes will have a dramatic impact on improving
police clearance rates. Taking criminals off the streets will stop the revolving door of crime in
our neighborhoods and hold violent offenders accountable for their actions while improving
public safety and trust. More police will reduce wait times and response times, a current
complaint we hear from our residents. And finally, additional officers, coupled with better
training, will allow for more intentional community policing which builds trust at the community
level. While District 2 has consistently advocated for more police hirings at 100 new police
officers per year, what really pulled the crisis into focus was what we were experiencing in our
own back yard. In Village West/Coconut Grove, a neighborhood that I support on behalf of the
Commissioner, there have been 37 shootings in the last three and a half years. When we asked
for similar information for other neighborhoods in Miami, this is what we found. And you can
see from the chart, in terms of number of persons shot, the clearance rate for Coconut Grove is
only at 8 percent. In our other inner-city neighborhoods, Liberty City, Overtown, and Little
Haiti, those clearance rates are around 14 percent. There is also a large economic cost to crime.
The cost per murder victim to society in 2010 was estimated to be just over 9 percent. This
includes the economic and social costs calculated in terms of the loss of life, the loss of lifetime
earnings of the victim, destruction of a family unit, increased burden on society for cost related
to broken communities, and investigative costs. The cost per burglary is $13, 751 per incident;
and as a city, we experience close to 4,000 burglaries per year. You can see how these costs
quickly add up. Using the cost crime calculator, I inserted 2013 crime data for the City of
Miami. The total cost of crime to Miami in 2013 amounted to $1.164 billion. The cost -- the
calculator also allows you to calculate the change in cost crimes based on variable sizes of your
police force. Adding an additional 100 new police officers in our community would realize a net
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savings of $66 million in crime cost savings, placing the value of each additional police officer
hired at $657,615. Collectively, increasing the number of police officers to acceptable levels will
improve clearance rates by increasing the size of the force, including detail officers responsible
for investigating crimes and collecting evidence for prosecution, and providing more officers to
restore and build community trust and cooperation. Miami is not in a unique position
experiencing this cop crunch. Nationally, other cities are also experiencing this crunch. Some
of the factors which are contributing to the shortage of police hirings nationwide include a more
competitive economy and job market, better benefits in the private sector, an increase in the
number of resignations, an increase in the number of retirements due to an aging workforce, a
reduction in the number of qualified applicants, low morale and low pay, and a younger
generation more independent and less comfortable with the required hierarchy and chain of
command necessary for a career in law enforcement. The explosive growth in our community
further compounds the importance and the immediacy with which we must address the issue of
increased police hiring. The population of the City of Miami stands at 417,650 residents. As we
can see from the growth on Brickell alone, there are 12, 000 new residents. Using the multiplier
of four police per thousand residents, that would equate to 48 new officers. This would be
necessary on Brickell alone. And these are not condos that are planned with blue prints that are
sitting in closets; these are real buildings, 80 percent or more of which are already occupied. In
Edgewater, we can see a similar trend. There are 4,451 units that are coming online in the next
two years at 1.5 residents per unit. It's estimated an additional 6,676 new residents in
Edgewater. This equates to 26 new officers necessary for the Edgewater neighborhood alone.
We have all heard Commissioner Sarnoff state that you can tell someone's budget -- someone's
priorities by looking at their budget decisions. The $5.9 million in this year's budgeted overtime
cost could have been placed in a different pot and hired 77 additional officers. For next year,
we're making the same decision. Six million dollars in overtime is budgeted in next year's fiscal
budget rather than being spent on hiring 78 additional police officers. We have the money to get
this right, but do we have the political will? This article here could have been out of this
morning's Miami Herald. In summary, it states, "The City Commissioners demand the City
Manager report back on police recruitment and hiring efforts during the shortage," but it wasn't
from this morning; it was from 1980, 35 years ago. So where do we stand? We have a growing
population. We have a shrinking police force. Our clearance rates are low. Police hiring is
lagging. Police morale and police pay are low. In closing, I turn these facts over to you and this
reality over to you for your consideration during your budget deliberations. What follows are
four slides which list police officers and their scheduled DROP (Deferred Retirement Option
Plan) dates. This list does not even include other forms of attrition that is likely to happen.
Hiring only 40 additional police officers this year will get us virtually nowhere in terms of the
replacements needed to overcome this deficit. Thank you.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Thanks.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. So, Mr. Manager -- sorry. Mr. Manager and Mr. Chair, if we were to go
with my recommendation, which would be 1,360 police officers, by September 2017 we would be
back to 1,160 police officers, because 200 police officers between today and September 2017
will be leaving; 117 we know of and it's approximately 6 to 10 a year that we don't know about,
so just do the math; it's very simple. So I don't know if it was the intention of this Commission
that we maintain the status quo ante or if we were really intending on upping our game. I hope
my Commissioners agree with me that it was our intention to up our game. What's more
frightening, though, is I just received an e-mail from the County; and in 2016, as a result of their
FRS (Florida Retirement System) changes, they will be looking for approximately 800 cops to
1,000 cops. So what's happening is we're going to be fishing in a very similar pond to the
County. We're looking for cops; they're looking for cops. Their next -- next year, their first class
is going to be 250 cops; their second class is going to be 250 cops; and they hope to do four
classes next year, so the decision is made. Who are you going to become, City of Miami cop or a
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County -- or a Miami -Dade County cop? And if you look at our beginning salaries, looks vety
comparable, or as Commissioner Suarez likes to say, parity. But if you look at years three and
four and five, parity is lost. We start a distance of about 3 to $5, 000 a year deltas. So the fishing
hook that the County is going to be using in the vety same pond that we're fishing in is going to
be a more attractive fishing hook. We're about to compete with them in the vety next few days for
that particular fish. Now, Mr. Manager, I laud you. You did a great job of somehow unsticking
a very stuck process, but now we have the County competing with us in that stuck process. So
what I would say to everyone is with the clearance rates that we have of 14.1 or 14.5 percent of
class -one crimes, that is -- let me tell you something. I was a criminology student in the
University of Tampa in 1981. We studied the City of Miami. Why? It had nationally recognized
the second highest clearance rate of any major city in the United States. Today, you could study
the City of Miami again for the direct opposite. It's simply doesn't have clearance rates. We're
not talking about minor crimes. We're talking about contact shootings, rape, murder, class -one
crimes, and our clearance rate is abysmal. Now, if you would, go up there and just show the last
part of the slide presentation. I've said all along, the Chief of Police is the professional. He
decides how to deploy the police officer. He decides where they go, not us, whether it's patrol,
investigation. And I said, vety clearly, it is fool's gold for any one of us -- and I said this during
Orosa; I'll say it during Llanes -- it is fool's gold for us to tell the Police Chief where to put the
police. We had a homicide unit that, at one time, had 26 investigators; it went as low six. We
didn't have any fewer homicides. Our homicides were basically the same, slight elevated. I --
right, slightly elevated. And to Chief Llanes' credit, he's going to put it back to where it was, but
none of us here are here to micromanage the Police Department. It is not our place. The Police
Department is a paramilitary organization. It should be free of politics. It should be free of
political decisions. It should be free to do its job as it sees fit. I'm suggesting, it is our job to
make crime and its reduction a priority. We're not the ones that's going to solve crime, but we
are the ones that are going to provide the resources necessary for crime to be solved, and if you
will, a paradigm shift. I believe, if the City of Miami were a top-20 city for crime -- meaning
great crime rates -- I believe you'd see economic development of the kind maybe we are
somewhat seeing; the quality of life goes up. And when quality of life goes up, everybody wants
to live here. Thank you, Mr. Chair, for allowing me to do that. I know it was a little bit out of
context, but I wanted to provide to you what we've been doing in District 2, which is following
the police issue in terms of staffing, in terms of clearance rates, in terms of how it is that we think
we should provide the necessary resources for the Police Department.
Chair Gort: Thank you, sir. Javier, you're recognized.
Mr. Ortiz: Hi, everyone. My name's Lieutenant Javier Ortiz, and I'm also the president of the
Fraternal Order of Police. Thank you, Chair, for letting me to speak after Commissioner
Sarnoff. My presentation is not to embarrass anyone. This is a problem that we all need to
tackle together and come to a solution. And the reason why I'm here is because we have a public
safety concern, and I didn't know how great it was until not really too long ago. You know, the
City likes to state facts to fit their narratives, and that's what happened last week at a press
conference. We've all been talking about the amount of officers that we have per capita. We
have compared it to other cities, and as you've been getting my text messages, we don't have as
many -- it appears that we don't have as many cops as we think we do. And when I look at the
screen and I see how many calls are holding, some of the calls are just traffic related, but some
are a lot more serious. I wonderer, with the numbers that have been presented to the
Commission, how come we don't have enough officers to keep those screens cleared? And so the
first thing that I looked at was our strategic plan by the City Manager. And so, if you look at --
so, I wanted to do the math myself and see exactly -- to see if the math was correct, and you
know, most of our calls for service are during the day. That's when we have the most amount of
people within the City of Miami. And so, when you look at the population of the City, yes,
resident population is 417, 000, but how many people do we actually have here? We have about
a million people. And so, seeing that maybe there's 417,000 when everyone's sleeping, when the
City is vibrant, when the City is moving, when people are doing commerce, tourism, and they're
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here to work and play and live, we have a million people here, and that's what the problem is.
And so, when I looked at the charts and I compared them to that number, which the real
number's a million, it really changes the outcome of these graphs. And so, as you can see here,
the Miami/Baltimore comparison -- and they've been showing us in these -- the graphs that were
presented last week -- and the graphs are correct in the sense of if you go by the 417, 000, sure
we have four -- you know, we'll have closer to the numbers of these comparable cities; however,
when you do it by the million, the real number, the number of -- when people are here working
and playing and living, you can see how much we go down. We go down to one. Actually, less
than one when you compare Miami/Baltimore. In this comparison, which is between Miami and
Cleveland you can also see a significant difference. When you look at the officers per resident,
when it comes to Miami, it's about one or less than one. That's what we're dealing with on a
daily basis, while we have a city in comparison, Cleveland which is at four. And my last
comparison, in order to save time, is Miami against Atlanta, and by the way, Atlanta is recruiting
heavily down here in Dade County trying to get officers to go up there. They do it every couple
weeks right off Brickell, and they're hiring people. When you compare us to Atlanta, Atlanta also
is about four per a thousand residents, and for us, it's less than one. So the numbers are not
incorrect; just the way that it was presented was completely different. Regarding the FOP's
(Fraternal Order of Police) position regarding the 40 budgeted positions as far as adding them
for additional officers, that's another thing that we wanted to talk about. We have approximately
60 budgeted -- I'm sorry -- 60 vacancies now, plus those 40 positions. That means we would
have to hire a hundred officers. I will say that the Chief of Police has done everything possible
in order to hire and retain officers here within his purview. Again, the recruitment and selection
department -- unit has never been this large. They're heavily recruiting. They're doing
everything possible in order to expedite the process, but there's a problem. The Chief has hired
over a hundred police officers, but additional for the year, it's been 30 -- it's about 30. It's only
30 net officers when you look at retirements, terminations, people leaving to other departments.
So when you're trying to reach these numbers -- and the Chief of course, is going to say he's
going to do everything that he can, which he has -- you're not going to be able to get to that
number. This year, we still have six more people that have to retire. In 2016, we have 49 that
are going to have to retire; in 2017, 123, and that's outside the other numbers that I spoke about.
Like the Commissioner -- like Commissioner Sarnoff said, we're just asking to be comparable to
other departments, such as Miami -Dade Police. We handle double the calls, we made double the
arrests, and we're half the police force. So if you're looking at becoming a police officer, of
course you're going to go where there's, you know, better pay and benefits. Tomorrow we have
negotiations. It's going to be our third negotiation session with the City Manager. I feel that we
can make a deal. I really do. But it all falls on you. It all falls on you. I'm going to be
presenting -- go ahead -- right now I'm going to be presenting -- the Manager, obviously, not
here, because I can't negotiate here, and that'd be an unfair labor practice, but this is just a
proposal that I'm giving him today for him to review at a different time. Here's just a courtesy
copy for you. Our plan is approximately $20 million. It seems like a lot of money, but it really
isn't. It isn't a lot of money when we've been cutting benefits for the last four or five years; we
would not have the issues that we have now. And this would put us comparable or very close to
but not even at the same level as the Miami -Dade Police Department who pays a lot less when it
comes to the retirement, and their step progression, especially in your first four years. Yes, our
starting salary is very comparable, but then after that, for four years, there is no increase in your
pay, and that becomes an issue when you're trying to buy a home or you're just trying to survive.
And, you know, when people say, well, you know, it's -- $50, 000 is a lot of money for a 19 year
old that just got out and started the academy, $50, 000. And I wonder how many people in here
for $50, 000 would get shot at or go down an alley when you know there's a subject armed with a
gun; or if you asked the officer that -- we just had a shooting last week involving our officers --
when that subject aimed that gun at that officer's face, is it really worth $50, 000? We don't do it
for the money. We don't do it for the money. However, we need to be compensated in order to
do the job right. And on top of that, in order to be able to be successful and hire the numbers
that we need, we have to raise our benefits, and saying "we're going to add another hundred
additional officers" isn't going to happen. It's not going to happen because we don't have --
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we're not attractive enough to our -- to the people that want to do this job. We have a $35
million surplus this year; $10 million was given to capital; another 10 million was split amongst
the Commissioners. Speaking to the Mayor, he had no -- he said that he'd come up here and say
that he would give his money back, because he believes in public safety. So if you think that you
can't reach that $20 million number, which I don't see why you can't, there's ways of funding it. I
look forward to tomorrow. Thank you for having -- giving me the opportunity to speak. Thank
you.
Chair Gort: Thank you. By the way, I want people to know, he was able to speak that long
because a lot of the fellow officers gave up their time.
Mr. Ortiz: Right. I got 20 people here. Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you. I just want to make sure people understand that. Next.
Mr. Hannon: Next three speakers: Freddy Delgado, Roberto de Stephan, and Peter Ehrlich.
Freddy Delgado: Freddy Delgado, president, Local 587, International Association of
Firefighters, 2980 Northwest South River Drive. Chairman, Commissioners, Mayor, I'm here
today to remind you that I was here in November of 2014. We started negotiating May of 2014.
It's been more than a year. We have been sacrificing since 2009. Your paramedic firefighters of
the City of Miami have been sacrificing since 2009. We're in 2015. We've been negotiating for
more than one year. We have a proposal right now that might not make the City Manager happy,
might not make all my members happy, but it's a proposal that I need your help to get approved.
We have been in negotiations with the Manager, and I really do not have any reason to
understand why we cannot get this proposal approved. The City surplus, every day we hear it's
higher. The City's reserves are higher. You know, what are we waiting for, to have $200 million
in reserves, to have $100 million surplus? What are we waiting for? You know, Miami -Dade
County, that's who we try and measure ourselves against. We're way behind them. We lost two
firefighters to the County recently. Before we've been able to actually get them in the academy,
we're losing them, so I need your help. I'm asking you for your help to direct the Administration
to approve the proposal that we have right now, which you all will be -- I'm sure you're aware of
and I believe on Monday you'll be meeting. That's what I'm here. I'm asking you to do the right
thing for your paramedic firefighters that give everything they have, and they've been giving it
for the past six years at great sacrifice. And one thing I think we've proven for over 75 years is
that when the City has needed us, we have been there, whether it's been for budget purposes.
You know, the last negotiations, we did what we have to do. We gave concessions to make sure
you balanced the budget so that you can follow State law. I think it's time now that the sacrifice
ends. We cannot sacrifice anymore. So I'm asking you to please look at our proposal and direct
the Administration to approve it as it is, and we could move on. Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you, sir. Next.
Commissioner Sarnoff. We're meeting on Monday, right?
Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. And I want to make sure I have a copy of the proposal.
Peter Ehrlich: Good evening, Mr. Chairman, Commissioners. Peter Ehrlich, 720 Northeast
69th Street, and I'm speaking on behalf of myself and other taxpayers in the City of Miami. I'd
like to compliment Mayor Regalado and Danny Alfonso and Chris Rose and their team that put
together the budget. I reviewed it online, and they have some excellent software, and there's --
it's really very easy to look at the various details of the proposed budget. Of course, the budget
involves compromise, but I think it, you know, bears repeating that there'll be a tax increase this
year for the taxpayers of the City of Miami. It looks like it's variously described. It's $55
million. Miami -Dade County is passing a tax increase of $122 million. And those increases are
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going to be passed on to, you know, private citizens, taxpayers, and renters. And I think
somebody should show respect for renters who are already -- according to the media, they're
already burdened with very high rents. So, I know budgets are difficult; compromises have to be
made, but I think, you know, there has to be some respect for the taxpayers. Thank you very
much.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Next.
Mr. Hannon: Next three speakers: Renita Holmes, Albio Castillo, and Lorena Ramos.
Renita Holmes: Good evening, Commissioners. In the essence of time, it's been a long day. And
I want to thank you for being open and allowing me as a citizen, because I think to speak and
interact -- because one of the worse things I think are the most crimes is taxation without
representation. Most of the time when you think about taxation in my community, we don't think
in terms of money; we think in the terms of the children that we've lost, and anyone who would
think that any poor mothers or any poor fathers or poor communities, particularly in the districts
where I live, that it makes any difference about more police or less police, but let me tell you
something. I love Chief Llanes, but I know the difference between being taxed in blood and
being taxed in funds. I would much rather pay 50,000 more to have five of the kids back that
have died as a result of gunfire. I would pay anything to make that young man who was punched
in the back in Liberty Square have more respect for the police, but then, we know the difference
between community policing and community -oriented policing. You know, there's a song goes:
"I don't know what the problem may be, but how come the more money I spend, the more
problems I see?" It was the funniest thing to live in Overtown and to see all this extra law
enforcement trust funds, and then all of a sudden, I got cops eating at a corporate run downtown
overtime with all that money gone. Every year I see officers that look like they're struggling, that
there're cops right there taking the bullets, but I see administrators. And then the minute
someone wants a new CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) district, I've got to spend a
million for six cops. I think that's kind of odd All of a sudden, it's important to have more
officers when you got some new tourists coming in. Then know what? Do a tourist tax, but don't
tax me, because see, I believe in community -oriented policing back in the day, you know, when
officers worked with the community, because out there, a lot of guys you see in the uniform here
are first responders. That lack back there, Commander Farmer, first responder. She's a woman
just like me, but sometimes, if she's in trouble, I got to call the police for her. I got to call her. I
got to make it there. So really? When I see administrators, and I go to a strategic planning
meeting and somebody tells me "don't you want to see these guys rewarded?" No. Sometimes
you just do your duty. You don't always have to be rewarded. Reward is to breathe and have
life. So taxation without representation is a crime to me. I would like to see us -- Commissioner
start doing more holistic, because there are things like their dispatchers. Sometimes dispatchers
cannot get people out on time, because some of them are unhappy too. What about those people
that keep the evidence in the crime -- I'm about to close -- the crime resolve? You see, I spent
seven days coming to the strategic meeting for the entire City, but we all -- all we talked about
was the increase and reward of officers. Well, increase and reward any officer that saves time.
What about those people that sit there and have insight that says maybe you need to talk to a
detective? And we put this money on CIP (Civilian Investigative Panel) with no attorney, but if I
got to talk to the CIP to go talk to investigators to come back to talk to me, how does that help
my civil rights? How is that saving money? I'm paying people to do mitigation and litigation
without notification. So it's a difference what the County does and what the City does. I'm just
saying, all the years that I've been here --
Chair Gort: In conclusion, ma'am, please.
Ms. Holmes: My grandfather was one of the best and the first black police officers here.
Racism, discrimination, he still did his job. He had to take his men on a bus to another location
in order to incarcerate them. I don't see much difference in that. So if we're going to sit here
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and play this word game about "I'm the police and I'm scared" --
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Ms. Holmes: -- `pay me more and I do less of my job because I'm scared and other people get
more money."
Chair Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Ms. Holmes: You get what you pay for.
Chair Gort: Thank you very much. Thank you.
Ms. Holmes: Honestly.
Chair Gort: You had plenty of time, okay?
Ms. Holmes: Well, I'm one person. You got a whole union here. I'm the taxpayer. And like I
say, taxation -- no disrespect. You're right. Taxation without representation. You want to be a
top paid cop, be a top -paid agency.
Chair Gort: Thank you, ma'am. Next. Next.
Albio Castillo: Here he comes.
Chair Gort: Albito.
Mr. Castillo: Yes, sir.
Chair Gort: Go ahead. You're recognized.
Mr. Castillo: Yes, sir. My name is Albio Castillo. I live in 2335 Southwest 16 Terrace. I like to
know is if the City of Miami is comparable to other cities in Dade County? We need a police
station in downtown. The only way we could do that, it is by bicycles and motorcycles, but not
the Harley's; the lightened motorcycles. That is up to you, to the City planner, because that area
is growing. We also need a fire station besides that, and the equipment for the others'
department. And I also like to know is, if you have checked the list for 2016 and 2017, half of the
Police Department are leaving, but not only the police; half the Administration there. How do
you going to handle that? There's also that issue. And I'd like to know how is the City going to
handle that.
Chair Gort: Thank you, sir.
Mr. Castillo: You're welcome.
Chair Gort: Next.
Lorena Ramos: Hi. My name is Lorena Ramos, 20 Northwest 45th Street. I am the chairperson
of the Buena Vista stakeholders, and just to get you where -- oriented where we are, we're right
across the Design District and to the south is Midtown. And I'm here to talk to you about our
park, which is called Pullman Park, mini park. It's a really nice park, but it needs a lot of
improvement. If you can see on the screen -- it's on that one -- it needs a lot of improvement, and
we're hoping that you're going to allocate funds to us. And here's another area here where we
have our chain link fence, and here's our community. We like our park very much. We're
actually very unified, and we're coming together with our Police Department, partnering with
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BH.2
15-01054
Downtown
Development
Authority
Chief Llanes, who has been wonderful to us; our leadership, Major Jackson, Commander Ford,
Lieutenant Harris; and also all our City departments, which have been great, and especially
Commissioner Hardemon. We thank you for all those hard decisions you've had to make for us.
Here's Belle Meade Park, which is comparable to our footprint; and even though theirs is not
new, it's still much better than ours. And here, I'd like to show you our community. We'd like to
say, "Hey, we want money for our park, Pullman Park " Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you, ma'am. Next.
Mr. Hannon: The final two speakers that I have signed up for items BH 1, BH. 21, and BH.22
are Fernand Amandi and Anthony Williams.
Chair Gort: Fernand Amandi, Nancy [sic] William [sic]. Going once, twice. Close the public
hearings.
DISCUSSION ITEM
DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE AND TENTATIVE BUDGET
FOR THE MIAMI DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN MILLAGE OVER ROLLED -BACK RATE.
RESPONSE: 13.83% (0.475 IS THE PROPOSED RATE, WHICH IS LOWER
THAN THE CURRENT LEVY OF 0.478. ROLLED -BACK RATE IS 0.4173).
CITY COMMISSION LISTENS AND RESPONDS TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS
REGARDING THE PROPOSED MILLAGE AND EXPLAINS THE REASONS
FOR THE INCREASE OVER THE ROLLED -BACK RATE.
15-01054 DDA Budget Discussion.pdf
DISCUSSED
Note: Please see item BH.3 for minutes pertaining to item BH.2
Chair Gort: Now, I would like to have the public hearing for the DDA's (Downtown
Development Authority's) millage. DDA.
Alyce Robertson: Good evening. Alyce Robertson, executive director of the Miami Downtown
Development Authority. The millage rate that you have in front of you today is the new cap that
was set by the Florida Legislature, this year's session, which lowers the cap from .5 to .475, and
that is down from our current millage, which is .478. The new proposed budget is for
$8, 996, 000, and that's a 3.9 percent increase over the previous year's budget.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Yes, sir.
Alvin West: My name is Alvin West. I'm here to represent the board of the Miami Downtown
Development Authority. And I'm here supporting the millage that we have applied for, and ask
your acceptance and approval of that.
Chair Gort: Okay, thank you. Is anyone in the public would like to address the millage for
DDA? Anyone in the public would like to address the issues of DDA millage? Seeing none,
hearing none, close the public hearings.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Do we do a motion?
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Chair Gort: Yeah, we need a motion.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. So moved.
Chair Gort: It's been moved by Commissioner Sarnofff second by Commissioner Suarez.
Commissioner Suarez: Second. Second
Chair Gort: Any further discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it --
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Chair?
Chair Gort: Yes.
Mr. Hannon: It is an ordinance, just so you know.
Chair Gort: I beg your pardon?
Commissioner Suarez: It's an ordinance.
Mr. Hannon: It is an ordinance.
Chair Gort: It's an ordinance.
Later...
BH.3 ORDINANCE First Reading
15-01059
Downtown AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Development ATTACHMENT(S), RELATED TO TAXATION, DEFINING AND DESIGNATING
Authority THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
DISTRICT ("DISTRICT") OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ("CITY"); FIXING
THE MILLAGE AND LEVYING AN ADDITIONAL AD VALOREM TAX ON ALL
REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY IN THE DISTRICTATA RATE OF 0.4750
MILLS ON THE DOLLAR OF THE TAXABLE VALUE OF SUCH PROPERTY
FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING THE OPERATION OF THE MIAMI
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016;
PROVIDING THAT SAID MILLAGE SHALL BE IN ADDITION TO THE
MILLAGE ADOPTED BY THE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO SECTION 9,
ARTICLE VII, FLORIDA CONSTITUTION, AND SECTION 166.211, FLORIDA
STATUTES (2015), AS WELL AS ANY SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS IMPOSED
BY THE SAME; PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE SHALL NOT BE
DEEMED AS REPEALING OR AMENDING ANY OTHER ORDINANCE FIXING
A MILLAGE OR LEVYING TAXES, BUT SHALL BE DEEMED SUPPLEMENTAL
AND IN ADDITION THERETO; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND
PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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15-01059 DDA Memo SR.pdf
15-01059 Pre -Legislation FR/SR.pdf
15-01059 Back -Up from Law Dept FR/SR.pdf
15-01059 Legislation SR.pdf
15-01059 Exhibit A SR.pdf
15-01059-Submittals-Alyce M. Robertson-DDA Resolution No. 19-2015.pdf
ACTIONS BY THE CITY COMMISSION:
1. RECOMPUTE THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE, IF NECESSARY
2. ADOPT THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATE
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
PASSED ON FIRST READING PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 5 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo, Suarez and Hardemon
Note: Please see item BH 2 for minutes pertaining to item BH 3.
Commissioner Carollo: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: I just want to also put for the record, there's -- do we need a fifth -fifth
vote on this Commission meeting? Do we need a fifth fifth vote on the second? Or do we need a
fifth -fifth vote on both because of State law?
Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Pursuant to the Department of Revenue, they recommend that
if you are going to approve as it is requested here, that you have five five vote both times.
Arguably, you could pass this one just by a majority and then the next one by five -five, but then
that might cause a little bit of confusion and it could be subject to challenge, so the best thing
would be if you're going to pass it as is, it would be a five -five today.
Commissioner Carollo: And the reason for the five five is why?
Ms. Mendez: That -- I believe that --
Daniel J. Alfonso (City Manager): Through the Chair, if I may?
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Mr. Alfonso: The State statute for maximum millage --
Ms. Mendez: Right, 200.065.
Mr. Alfonso: -- 200.065 was changed a few years ago. If you recall, there was a year when we
had to do rollback plus. I think it was like 2008, because of a number of years of progressive
growth. And the State Legislature set forth language that said if you are above a certain
percentage of your defined rollback rate --
Chair Gort: Fifteen percent.
Mr. Alfonso: -- right. And that number grows incrementally with time. Based on what that
millage is that you're approving, you may be required to have either a three fourths or a
unanimous vote. And even though the actual millage, I believe, is going down for the DDA, the
fact is that it is a certain amount above the State -defined rollback rate, and therefore, it requires
a unanimous vote.
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Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. City Manager, I've read the email that had the words what you -- I
mean, had the words that you just put, but the backup didn't say just that. I mean, I thought that
I read there was a three fourths vote and a four -fifths vote; three fourths vote if it was within a
certain percentage that was lower, and the higher percentage was a four fifths vote, and that's
what I remember, so maybe I was wrong.
Ms. Mendez: You're correct in that if you want the one that's proposed now, it's the five five. If
you want the one that's just a level under, it's a four -fifths. And if you want less, then it's a
three fifths or a two-thirds. You know, three out of five.
Chair Gort: Okay. You got to speak in the mike.
Vice Chair Hardemon: And I don't know if anyone else has seen this document, but I'll pass this
on, starting to my left.
Commissioner Carollo: Is that a DR-24?
Vice Chair Hardemon: It's the maximum millage -- Is it?
Commissioner Carollo: Because I haven't received it.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I'm looking at a form DR --
Commissioner Carollo: Twenty-four.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- 420-MMP, Rule 12D-16.002 of the Florida Administrative Code,
effective 11/2012. And under the calculated maximum millage levy, under part "C, " it reads,
"Unanimous vote of the governing body or three fourths if nine members or more." So I'm
assuming the governing body would be --
Mr. Alfonso: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) less than nine members.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Right. The governing body would be us five.
Chair Gort: Okay, there's a motion to second.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Second.
Chair Gort: It's an ordinance.
Commissioner Carollo: Say that -- I'm sorry, Commissioner Hardemon. Could you say that
again?
Vice Chair Hardemon: It read, unanimous vote or unanimous decision if -- I didn't read the
numbers, but it said, unanimous or three fourths of a vote if there are nine members or more of
your organization, so unanimous of the governing board -- that's the way they described it --
which that would be five people --
Commissioner Carollo: Right.
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Vice Chair Hardemon: -- because that's the governing board. Or three fourths the vote if you
are nine members or above.
Commissioner Suarez: County Commission.
Commissioner Carollo: Right, so --
Ms. Mendez: Right, so you require -- based on that --
Commissioner Carollo: Five.
Ms. Mendez: -- you require five to pass it as it is before you.
Commissioner Carollo: But the reason being is because of the money -- of the revenue that the
DDA is actually receiving for their tax rate that allows for that much revenue to come in,
correct?
Ms. Robertson: Our tax roll grew in this fiscal year. It grew in the current fiscal year to 15
billion, and this rate that is now the new cap that was established by the Florida Legislature,
assessing that cap takes it above the 10 percent above that rate that we collected this year. So
the board is recommending this rate because we have several items that are coming up in the
next year's budget, not the least of which is the Tri-Rail commitment that we put in for $1.3
million over the course of three years.
Commissioner Carollo: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Right. But over the course of three years, so seventy-six hundred and
fifty thousand [sic] for this current year or the year that we're speaking about, which it starts
October 1, 2016.
Ms. Robertson: Correct.
Unidentified Speaker: That's 650.
Commissioner Carollo: So let me ask you something.
Ms. Robertson: That's 7 percent of our operating budget this -- for next year, by the way.
Commissioner Carollo: How much of a reduction do you need to have in order to not need a
fifth -fifth and be in accordance with State law?
Ms. Robertson: A hundred and ten thousand dollars.
Ms. Mendez: So, if only four out of five of you vote for the next level, it would be a hit of
110, 000.
Commissioner Carollo: Ten thousand dollars.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Sorry. When does Bayfront come?
Commissioner Carollo: It's not about Bayfront. I mean, Bay -- Hey, listen, our -- I could tell
you this, we could go item by item in each budget. I could tell you that Bayfront Park has a way,
way more information than does the DDA's budget. I mean, we are so -- totally transparent, and
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you know this because you used to chair the Bayfront Park Management Trust. I don't have to
tell you that. It's not about that. It's about doing the right thing, Commissioner Sarnoff, and
that's what it is. I mean, when you have the State law -- when you have the State Legislatures
[sic] saying, "Hey, listen, we want a five -five because the millage is too high or the amount of
money that you're receiving from the previous year is too high, " I mean, I think that's a red flag,
and I think that's why you need a fifth -fifth. You, yourself has been on record saying, "We
should hardly ever have a fifth fifth vote." As a matter of fact, I'll tell you when it was. When I
proposed to do the five-day rule where any one Commissioner can invoke the five-day rule. In
essence, you need a five -five not to invoke the five-day rule. And you said, you know -- and I can
go back in the minutes where --
Commissioner Sarnofff. I said, "King for a day." I said --
Commissioner Carollo: No.
Commissioner Sarnofff. -- "you get to be king for a day."
Commissioner Carollo: But again, it's not about that. It's about doing the right thing. I mean, if
one Commissioner doesn't have the information or doesn't have the time to read the information
because it was given late or it was given -- you know, I think, in all fairness --
Commissioner Sarnofff. All right. I'd beg to differ, but I'm just going to put some things on the
record; you'll vote however you want to vote. So we went from a .478 mill rate to a .475 mill rate
because we were sued eight times, and as a prophylactic measure, we actually went to the
Legislature to lower that mill rate. The budget is approximately $8.9 million. Tri-Rail
contributions will be $650, 000 a year at 1.267 million over three years. We do Camillus House
funding. We will increase the Camillus House funding this year. We are being -- we are the staff
for the Debt Team, for the pit stop toilets this year, something that we've never had to do before.
We are doing Bay Walk improvements, promoting existing segments of Bay Walk and expanding
connectivity. We have the event management training study, which somehow fell to the DDA,
even though it's really a City of Miami function and, arguably, a County function, but the DDA is
putting its lion share of the money in it. We have the enhanced map research, which is going to
be the interactive maps. There's a lot of things the DDA is doing that you could argue should be
done by either Public Works, Sanitation, or other departments of the City of Miami, so you know,
I could put that on the record. I guess I just have. I completely understand your recalcitrance.
And it's fair to say, the State Legislature has spoken, and if you want to fall lockstep in line with
the State Legislature, I completely understand that as well.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: You know, concerning -- I'm one of those proponents of if something is a
high -voting burden, it must be super important to that body, but that's typically when that body
itself has created that standard. So, for instance, if there's a four -fifths measure that we've
created in the City of Miami, we've done it because it was very important for us to have that high
burden, or if there's a unanimous vote, it is extremely important for us to meet that burden for
some reason. I don't carry that same logic over to the State, because the State made this
decision without regard to the City of Miami. So they don't know if we have five, six, seven, or
eight members. So they chose the numbers that they chose, and I don't think that they chose it
because it was a -- it is a high burden to meet for them. They just maybe feel like boards of eight
or less is a small board, right. They may consider boards of 13. I mean, so, if you have a board
of 13, you have three fourths, that's okay. You have a board of 20, you have three fourths, that's
okay. You have a board of nine, three fourths is okay. But board of eight, oh, no. That's just far
too less of people, but you have eight people. So let's -- by logic, it seems to be that if you had 13
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members -- and I'm not the smartest man -- but 13 members, and three fourths of 13 is what?
Calling all mathematicians.
Mr. Alfonso: Nine.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Nine.
Ms. Mendez: The Manager says nine.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Nine
Chair Gort: Nine.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Right, see.
Mr. Alfonso: I used to deal with that number in the County, so I know that I needed nine votes to
get a three fourths.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I counted three. So here we are. What the State Legislator [sic] has
said they've said, if you are a board of -- they want nine votes, essentially. They're looking for
nine votes, unless you're a board of less than nine, then we want unanimous, because we couldn't
get nine, so we'll take eight, unanimously. We'll take six. We'll take five. We'll take four. We
may even take three, depending on how big your city is. But if you take three, it has to be
unanimous. So I think applying this standard that we put to what's important or not is different
in this circumstance, because it seems to be that we're trying to meet an arbitrary number that
the State has selected. So for me, it's more about what benefit are we getting from this rate?
What services are we going to provide? The number that it takes to get there, I mean, it's
important, because you have to meet that burden. So it becomes whether or not you have the
support to have a five -five or you have the support to have a four -fifths and/or a majority,
because you never know where the other votes may lay. But I think it's unfair to say because it's
not -- because there's a five -fifths in this sense, that it's extremely important to us, because to us,
the five fifths and the four -fifths is a $110, 000? And I think that's not that important.
Commissioner Carollo: Right. But the reason why we need a five fifth or a four -fifth or so forth
is because of their percentage from last year's budget. So in other words, they're receiving more
than 110 percent of last year's budget; therefore, we need then additional members to support
that, and whether it's five five or four fifth, the bottom line is, they're saying, depending on the
board and the board size, you need these additional members. However, the bottom line is,
they're saying, regardless of -- if you have nine members or five members, if they go over 110
percent, they need more of a support -- in other words, a supermajority, because you're taxing
the residents more.
Vice Chair Hardemon: No, and I completely understand that. But what I see from that is that I
see that the smaller boards are punished while the larger boards are more so rewarded, because
the larger boards can have -- they don't have to meet that burden of having to have a unanimous
vote. And there is something different about having a unanimous vote in the County than it is
about having it in the City. Five versus 13 is much different. So then the question -- if it was so
important, then why not make it unanimous in the County also; 13/13? You go 110 percent of
your budget, I need a unanimous vote in the County. I mean, that would be preposterous.
Ms. Mendez: And --
Vice Chair Hardemon: I'm not a State legislator, though, so I don't --
Ms. Robertson: If I may add one thing here, and unfortunately, it's not of the members present;
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it's of every sitting person. And, God forbid, if somebody gets sick or can't make it to the
meeting, then I don't know what you do. You know, like it's a fairly difficult measure to meet.
What I can assure the Commission of is that we -- as our tax roll grows, so do the demand on
services; not only for City services, but also for DDA services. And meeting those demands --
we've doubled our population in the last 10 years, and we have a lot -- we're out there doing a
lot to attract the financial industries and other economic development types of things to grow the
City's tax base even more. So we're at $15 billion in tax assessment, and that's bigger than the
City of Coral Gables. So I just want to put that in perspective.
Commissioner Carollo: And Mr. Chairman, if I may?
Chair Gort: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: And by the way, let me be on the record saying, there's not projects and
things that DDA support that I think they're great. I mean, Tri-Rail, I think you all should have
stepped up, and you did step up, so I think that that is just a great project for downtown Miami.
By the way, Bayfront also stepped up, smaller amount, for obvious reasons, but the bottom line
is, you know, those are projects that 1 think are great, you know, but t also question in that whole
budget that you have, is there 100,000 or 110,000 that could have been reduced? Listen, in all
fairness, this is first reading. I don't know how Commissioner Suarez feels, because he's not
there, but maybe --
Chair Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in here.
Commissioner Carollo: Because either way, we need a five five vote, but let's see if we pass it
second reading, and maybe we can find $110, 000. I still haven't received some of the
information that I received, like, you know, personnel costs and so forth. And listen, I just --
again, I just can't believe that we can't find $110, 000 in that budget, but then again, you know,
we have from now to second reading, should it pass now.
Chair Gort: Okay, on first reading. Is Commissioner coming in?
Mr. Hannon: Commissioner Suarez is on his way out. Madam City Attorney, if you would like to
begin reading the title?
Ms. Mendez: And I just want to mention, technically, if you do not pass it five -five, you probably
can't go higher later, so you want to maybe, you know, say that you may next time vote higher or
what have you. But just so that you know, the numbers are important at the end of the day.
Commissioner Carollo: Hold on, hold on. What do you mean, you can't --?
Ms. Mendez: You cannot go a higher millage.
Commissioner Carollo: I don't think --
Mr. Alfonso: I think what she's --
Commissioner Carollo: -- the discussion is having a higher millage. I think --
Mr. Alfonso: No, no.
Commissioner Carollo: -- the discussion is --
Mr. Alfonso: I think what she's -- ifI may?
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Commissioner Carollo: -- whether we reduce it or not.
Mr. Alfonso: Through the Chair, if I may?
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Mr. Alfonso: I think what she's toying to say is that if you're going to pass the millage today, it's
precautionary to pass the higher today and possibly come back and reduce it later. You cannot
do it the other way around. You cannot pass a lower today and go to a higher number later. Is
that what you were trying to --?
Ms. Mendez: Thank you for articulating that better than I could So I'm going to start reading.
An ordinance of the City of Miami Commission, with attachments --
Chair Gort: No. Wait a minute. You're going to have to table it because, my understanding is
the Commissioner is too busy and can't come out.
Later...
Chair Gort: BH 22.
Commissioner Sarnofff. It's going to get really fun right now.
Ms. Mendez: I believe -- and I'm not sure; 171 defer to Mr. Rose, but I believe we would have to
go back to DDA before we do 22, the final vote on 22.
Chair Gort: Okay, BH 3, DDA. We had a motion, and we had it open and close the public
hearing, and it was a motion by Commissioner Sarnoff and second by Commissioner Suarez.
Any further discussion?
Commissioner Sarnofff. Can we amend their budget so that the $ 110,000 difference would go to
a City of Miami police officer to help fund one position? Because I think a first -year cop is
$100, 000; so that this way, at least that money get's spent on a police officer. I'm going to make
Chair Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) an amendment to --
Commissioner Sarnofff. I'm going to make an amendment to my motion.
Chair Gort: Okay, the person (UNINTELLIGIBLE) second --
Commissioner Suarez: Fine.
Chair Gort: -- accept the amendment?
Commissioner Suarez: Yeah, I'll accept.
Chair Gort: Okay. Any further discussion?
Vice Chair Hardemon: So --
Commissioner Carollo: But this --
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- to clarify, that still requires a five five vote.
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Commissioner Carollo: -- is the millage. This is not the expense report, okay. This
(UNINTELLIGIBLE)
Commissioner Sarnoff.. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) setting the mill rate. Fair enough.
Commissioner Carollo: This is not the expense report.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Fair enough.
Commissioner Carollo: That's the --
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Okay.
Chair Gort: But he's trying to get (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Sarnofff. Well, this is the mill rate that will affect the budget.
Commissioner Carollo: Right.
Commissioner Sarnofff. So I think I can make that representation.
Chair Gort: Okay, there's a motion. We discussed it. All in favor, state it by saying aye."
Commissioner Suarez: Aye.
Commissioner Sarnofff. Aye.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): It is an ordinance.
Chair Gort: An ordinance, sorry. Read it.
The Ordinance was read by title into the public record by the City Attorney.
Chair Gort: Thankyou. Roll call.
Mr. Hannon: Roll call. And this is without any amendments to item BH 3.
A roll call was taken, the result of which is stated above.
Mr. Hannon: The ordinance passes on first reading, 5-0.
Chair Gort: Thankyou.
BH.4 RESOLUTION
15-01060
Downtown A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Development ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE
Authority ANNUAL BUDGET OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
("DDA") OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ("CITY"), ATTACHED AND
INCORPORATED, IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $9,311,159.00, AND
MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
DISTRICT AD VALOREM TAX LEVY AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS
INCOME FOR THE DDA, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER
1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016; AUTHORIZING THE DDA
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TO INVITE AND ADVERTISE REQUIRED BIDS; PROVIDING FOR
BUDGETARY FLEXIBILITY; PROVIDING THAT THIS RESOLUTION BE
DEEMED SUPPLEMENTAL AND IN ADDITION TO THE RESOLUTION
MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING
OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 FOR THE
OPERATIONS OF THE CITY.
15-01060 Memo - DDA.pdf
15-01060 DDA Resolutions.pdf
15-01060 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01060 Legislation.pdf
15-01060 Exhibit.pdf
ACTIONS BY THE CITY COMMISSION:
1. AMEND THE BUDGET, IF NECESSARY
2. ADOPT THE TENTATIVE BUDGET
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 5 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo, Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0396
Ms. Robertson: And my budget, the reso?
Unidentified Speaker: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Chair Gort: Resolution for the budget.
Commissioner Sarnoff BH 4.
Ms. Mendez: We did 3. We did BH.3, which is the ordinance. And which one are you asking for
now?
Commissioner Sarnoff BH 4 is a reso, right?
Mr. Hannon: Yes, sir, BH.4 is --
Commissioner Sarnoff So let me --
Ms. Mendez: Right. That one's just the actual budget of the DDA.
Commissioner Sarnoff So let me make a motion on BH4, and make the representation that the
DDA will pay for a brand-new police officer who will be within the DDA boundaries; and I
believe that's about $100, 000 for a first-time police officer with a gun, with a belt, with the car,
with the whole nine yards. So I will -- that's the motion I will make.
Chair Gort: Okay.
Commissioner Suarez: Second.
Chair Gort: There's a motion and second. Anyone in the audience would like to address DDA's
budget with the amendments? Seeing none, hearing none, we'll close the public hearings.
Further discussion? Seeing none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
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The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Commissioner Carollo: It's an ordinance.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. No, reso.
Ms. Robertson: This is a resolution.
Ms. Mendez: It's a reso.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. It's a reso.
Commissioner Carollo: So hold on, hold on, because I had the same question last year. I
thought the budget of the DDA comes back again.
Ms. Robertson: It does.
Mr. Alfonso: It does.
Ms. Mendez: It does.
Commissioner Carollo: So it's, what, two resolutions?
Ms. Robertson: Yeah.
Ms. Mendez: Yes.
Ms. Robertson: This is a preliminary budget that you're hearing today, and then the next budget
hearing, you'll hear the final budget.
Chair Gort: You will have to change (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Ms. Mendez: It's a tentative budget and a final budget.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Right. So you're going to go back and make the amendment to change
whatever a full-time, one cop, startup, whole thing?
Ms. Robertson: Correct.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Right.
Ms. Robertson: And this will be at next -- we have a DDA board meeting next Friday, and we'll
have that change also heard at the DDA board meeting.
Commissioner Carollo: And I had the same questions last year, and we spoke about it, Alyce, so
we're passing a resolution now, and then we have to pass yet another resolution for the same
amount. See, I thought that was an ordinance. I thought it was first reading and second reading,
but -- so we have to pass two resolutions?
Ms. Mendez: Two resolutions, yes, a tentative one and then a final one.
Chair Gort: It's a preliminary budget.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay.
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Chair Gort: Thank you.
Ms. Robertson: Thank you.
Chair Gort: Okay.
Mr. Hannon: And for the record, I'll show it as a unanimous vote?
Commissioner Carollo: Yes, on first reading. Well, yes.
Chair Gort: Okay, 22.
Ms. Mendez: The millage is an ordinance, and the budget is a resolution.
Commissioner Carollo: I thought we have to pass two resolutions.
Chair Gort: Yes.
Mr. Rose: Pursuant to State law, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Which is --
Ms. Mendez: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: -- in essence, with an ordinance, okay.
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Chair Gort: Yes. We might pass this one and then change it in the second.
Commissioner Carollo: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Mr. Rose: Chapter 200 of State statutes, two readings, yes, sir.
Chair Gort: Okay.
BH.5 RESOLUTION
15-01019
BayfrontPark A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Management Trust ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE BAYFRONT PARK MANAGEMENT TRUST, ATTACHED AND
INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $9,565,000.00, TO PROVIDE FOR
THE OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OF
THE MILDREDAND CLAUDE PEPPER BAYFRONT PARK AND MUSEUM
PARK, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015, AND
ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-01019 Memo - Bayfront.pdf
15-01019 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01019 Legislation.pdf
15-01019 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Carollo, seconded by Commissioner Sarnoff, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
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Votes: Ayes: 3 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff and Carollo
Absent: 2 - Commissioner(s) Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0379
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Chair, we can move on to BH 5?
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: BH5.
Chair Gort: BH 5.
Timothy Schmand: Tim Schmand, Bayfront Park Management Trust, 301 North Biscayne
Boulevard, Miami, Florida. Commissioners, I'm here to ask you to approve the Bayfront Park
Management Trust capital and operating budget for the next fiscal year. Total number is
$9, 565, 000. And I'm available to answer any questions.
Chair Gort: Thank you, sir. Is anyone would like to address this Bayfront Park budget? Anyone
from the public? Seeing none, hearing none, we close the public hearing.
Commissioner Carollo: I move Bayfront Park Management Trust budget.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Second
Chair Gort: There's a motion and -- approve. There's a second by Commissioner -- We don't
need four fifth or five -fifth here, do we?
Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): No. This one's a majority.
Chair Gort: This is an ordinance.
Commissioner Sarnoff. No, it's a reso.
Ms. Mendez: It's a resolution.
Commissioner Carollo: It's a resolution.
Chair Gort: All in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Mr. Schmand: Thank you very much.
BH.6 RESOLUTION
15-01067
Civilian Investigative A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Panel ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE CIVILIAN INVESTIGATIVE PANEL, ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED,
IN THE AMOUNT OF $717,500.00, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING
OCTOBER 1, 2015, AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
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15-01067 Memo - CIP.pdf
15-01067 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01067 Legislation.pdf
15-01067 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Carollo, seconded by Vice Chair Hardemon, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Suarez
R-15-0380
Chair Gort: BH 6, Civilian Investigative Panel.
Horacio Stuart Aguirre: Mr. Chairman, good evening; Vice Chairman, wherever you are.
Horacio Stuart Aguirre, chairman of Civilian Investigative Panel, here with me, Ms. Christina
Beamud executive director of the panel. The budget was sent before you. It's a bare bones
budget. We're not changing anything of great significance. As a matter of fact, we're a few
dollars, I think, less this year than we were last year, requesting that you approve as presented.
Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Commissioner Sarnoff I think he actually put it on his website, but I'll check.
Renita Holmes: Madam Renita Holmes, Women's Association Alliance Addressing Injustice and
Violent Epidemic, also Women in Public Housing Education, Finance and Development. You
know, I don't want to seem ungrateful for anyone that advocates on behalf of those of us who live
in communities or of a race or of a color or of a community that undergoes a lot of brutality and
sometimes has not -- well, apparently, has no relationship with our Police Department. I mean,
we have all these constant degrees [sic] for a reason, but everyone needs advocacy, and I do
believe that the Civilian Investigation [sic] Panel needs advocacy, too. It has no attorney. Does
it have a budget for an attorney? Like I said, it's more than a mouthpiece. This is not an agency
that, okay, "I got a problem with a police officer. I tried to get a supervisor; I didn't get a
supervisor. I tried to get somebody else, " and I go up the road. But when you find someone
that's budgeted to speak for you, to do a thorough investigation and do it timely and there is no
legalities, or they're having relations with the Police Department, then it becomes a matter of
conflict, and I need this agency to be able to tell a sister or tell a mother, particularly if a child's
been shot, what are my civil rights; or if you've been a woman brutalized, I'd like to know what
the legal authority is on it. So it's hard to have another agency of people policing the police who
do not police themselves and who do not give me policy. I'm a policy person. So I hope that this
budget has enough for the CIP to have an attorney so that when it does begin to utilize or should
begin to utilize every bit of its subpoena powers, that it has an attorney; otherwise, I don't need
another mouthpiece that has no legal authority, and it's a conflict of interest. That's me as a
taxpayer who uses it quite frankly, and I think I do pretty good in my two minute -- in two cent.
Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you, ma'am. Anyone else? Seeing none, hearing none, close the public
hearing. Do I have a motion?
Commissioner Carollo: I make a motion to approve and discussion.
Chair Gort: It's a motion to approve; second by Vice Chairman Hardemon. You're recognized.
Commissioner Carollo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Rose, I have a question, ifI can. Was
there -- was CIP's carryover dollars used last year for cost allocations?
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Christopher Rose (Director, Office of Management & Budget): Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: And that's why --
Mr. Rose: For -- yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: -- for cost -- and that's why you're showing in your City budget an
increase of 177, yet they're showing a decrease in their overall budget, correct?
Mr. Rose: There was more rollover overall last year; less rollover this year. Their total budget
is less this year.
Commissioner Carollo: Exactly. And their rollover is 40 -- or their proposed rollover or
assumed is 40, 000 this year, correct?
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay. So that's why -- Okay. Mr. Aguirre, it's been a long time since
days -- years back where we went through the -- "if the money is there, show it to me, " and from
me asking whether the -- your budget was in the City's budget, and the answer was always "no"
and now it's ` jyes. "
Mr. Aguirre: I miss those days, tell you the truth.
Commissioner Carollo: You miss those days.
Mr. Aguirre: Those were fun.
Commissioner Carollo: Well, you've come a long ways, because --
Mr. Aguirre: Thank you, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: -- I'm ready to approve your budget.
Mr. Aguirre: Thank you, sir. It's quite a privilege.
Chair Gort: Any further discussion? All in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Mr. Aguirre: Thank you, gentlemen.
BH.7 RESOLUTION
15-01062
Coconut Grove A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Business ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
Improvement District THE COCONUT GROVE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ("BID"),
(BID) Board ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,142,509.00, TO
PROVIDE FOR THE MANAGEMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF
THE BID, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015, AND
ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
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15-01062 Memo - Coconut Grove BID.pdf
15-01062 Back -Up - Budget Detail.pdf
15-01062 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01062 Legislation.pdf
15-01062 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Carollo, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Suarez
R-15-0381
Chair Gort: BH 7.
Manny Gonzalez: Manny Gonzalez, 3390 Maty Street, Suite 130, Miami, Florida, 33133. Good
evening, members of the City Commission. I stand before you in an effort to obtain approval for
the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District's proposed FY-16 operating budget, totaling
$2,142, 509. Highlights from this budget include 2,000 hours of off -duty police service, $13, 000
-- 13,000 hours of ambassador security and cleaning services, funding for burial utilities along
McFarland Road and Grand Avenue, free Fourth of July celebrations at Peacock Park,
continuation of marketing and streetscape initiatives; and of course, a weekly yoga expansion
three days a week at Peacock Park.
Commissioner Sarnoff.: So moved.
Chair Gort: Thank you, sir. Anyone in the public would like to address this issue? Anyone in
the public? Coconut Grove Business Improvement District. Seeing none, hearing none, close
the public hearing.
Commissioner Sarnoff.: So moved.
Chair Gort: Moved by Commissioner Sarnoff.
Commissioner Carollo: Second. Discussion.
Chair Gort: Second for discussion. Yes, sir, you're recognized.
Commissioner Carollo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon. How are you? Or good
evening, actually.
Mr. Gonzalez: Good evening.
Commissioner Carollo: Actually, I really like the way -- you know, once again, from when I first
looked at the Coconut Grove BID (Business Improvement District) budget years ago to now, I
mean, it's day and night, so --
Mr. Gonzalez: Thank you.
Commissioner Carollo: -- I really appreciate the amount of work. And in all fairness, let me
also say, I think the City Administration needs to be commended, because they have given a
template in the last couple of years that has been followed, and it really makes it a lot easier, so
I'm -- I really do appreciate the information that is given, and I like the way it looks. Pretty
much, I just -- the only thing that caught my eye -- not a big deal -- is that you're bringing in
$705, 000 from carryover; you're going to be using that, and your big capital project is the --
undergrounding the FPL (Florida Power & Light) lines, correct?
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BH.8
15-01020
Wynwood Business
Improvement District
(BID) Board
Mr. Gonzalez: Correct. What the 705,000 is coming from the fund budget.
Commissioner Carollo: Correct. I'm ready to vote. I don't have anything else.
Chair Gort: Any further discussion? Being none, hearing none, all in favor, state it by saying
aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Commissioner Sarnoff Nice (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Mr. Gonzalez: Thank you so much.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE WYNWOOD BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ("BID"), ATTACHED
AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $766,564.00, TO PROVIDE FOR
THE MANAGEMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE BID, FOR
THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015, AND ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-01020 Memo - Wynwood BID.pdf
15-01020 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01020 Legislation.pdf
15-01020 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Vice Chair Hardemon, seconded by Commissioner Sarnoff, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Suarez
R-15-0382
Chair Gort: Wynwood Business Improvement District.
Thomas Curitore: Good evening, Commissioners. Tom Curitore, executive director of the
Wynwood Business Improvement District, 310 Northwest 26th Street, Suite 1, Miami, Florida,
33127. A resolution of the Miami City Commission, with attachments, approving and adopting
the annual budget of the Wynwood Business Improvement District, attached and incorporated in
the amount of $766, 564, to provide for the management, operation and maintenance of the BID
(Business Improvement District) for the fiscal year commencing October 1, 2015 and ending
September 30, 2016.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Is anyone in the public would like to address the Wynwood Business
Improvement District?
Renita Holmes: Madam Holmes. You know me by now. Tom -- if I may, say, Tom, I think the
Wynwood agency has been a great agency that has reached out with some of its business -- at
least you have, and as a representative.
Mr. Curitore: Thank you.
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Ms. Holmes: So I just want to know, there was a resolution, Commissioner -- or Mr. Chair -- or
through the Chair --
Chair Gort: Yes.
Ms. Holmes: -- last meeting before our August dismissal for $50, 000. Is that included in this
request for the budget? I think that -- or was that just for -- that was going to be for the Business
Improvement District? I'm just -- there was FRC or FR-3. There were five other ordinances and
resolutions at the time we were discussing expansion, and I know one was in regards to the
revenues and the parking and all of that. So, you know, treat me like a ninth grader or a citizen
who hardly goes through these policies and takes a look at legis -- understand special tax
districts or improvement, whatever. My -- I just want to make sure -- you were asking for those
to do an expansion or are those part of the budget or -- you know, is that -- I didn't get to see the
line item budget myself but it was curious to me.
Chair Gort: You were in front of us and we approved the increase of the --
Mr. Curitore: Yes.
Chair Gort: -- boundaries in the Wmwood, and she wants to know if that's part of your budget.
Mr. Curitore: It's coming up, actually, I think, at the next Commission hearing.
Vice Chair Hardemon: It hasn't completely (UNINTELLIGIBLE) --
Mr. Curitore: Hasn't (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Vice Chair Hardemon: It passed on first --
Mr. Curitore: First reading.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- reading.
Ms. Holmes: Yes. Okay.
Vice Chair Hardemon: And the community -- well, first of all, members of the Overtown -- I
believe it's the Overtown Oversight Board -- Community Oversight Board -- always get the titles
mixed up.
Ms. Holmes: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: But there were representatives from that board, from the Wjmwood BID,
and other members of the Overtown Community that negotiated and talked about what was
really happening in that deal, so I didn't stay in that. I gave them some advice about how they
can preserve Overtown while also working with the BID to ensure that the northern tips of
Overtown are well taken care of and not out of their pockets, and so they did a good job of that.
It'll come back again for me to take a look at, but there was no -- I don't believe -- I don't
remember any dollar amounts coming from the City --
Ms. Holmes: It was $50, 000.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- to do that. I don't -- maybe from what they charge their commercial
folks that participate within the BID, maybe that generated $50, 000 for them as a Wynwood BID,
but I'm not sure, because I don't remember that number like that.
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Ms. Holmes: I don't know, but I know what the activities were, and then I know that there was
another ordinance in regards to receiving revenues. I'll put -- make it a point of clarification,
through the Clerk's records, but it's not duplicative on the line item included in this budget, I
hope not, because it seems like it's two separate activities, but I wanted to say thank you also for
doing some special outreach, because I know that's something that the rest of your board
members didn't do. It just was peculiar to see, you know, a business improvement district, which
is basically across the street from me, you know, and the poor women that I represent, and give
seven hundred and some thousand budget, but I don't know see the quality of life improvement
for the women in public housing who have such a disparate gap in -- so when I line item -- it's in
closing -- when we line item improvement districts what are adjacent or closely to poor women
and children, I'm concerned about public benefit monies. And one of those did come talk about
getting money from the public benefit trust. I just hate duplicity, especially when my children
ain't getting nothing. Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thankyou, ma'am. Any further discussion? Do I have a motion? Yes, go ahead
Vice Chair Hardemon: 171 move.
Commissioner Sarnoff Second
Chair Gort: It's been moved by Vice Chairman Hardemon; second by Commissioner Sarnoff.
Discussion?
Commissioner Carollo: Yeah, just real quick. I don't have a history with Mr. Curitore, and I
know the Wynwood BID just started. The only thing, you know, I want to just suggest it for the
future: follow what Coconut Grove BID has done. Look how they do their budget and how they
have their details and stuff. And for example, you have professional services and other
contractual services. I believe it's 99,000 and 300, 000, but there's no details behind that, and I
would like to know what that's for. Again, I'm okay with the budget right now, but details like
that I would like to know. Do you -- I need to verify. I asked the management. Do you do an
audit?
Mr. Curitore: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: An annual audit. Okay, so you have professional services. You have
other contractual services at 300,000; yet, you have nothing for accounting and auditing.
Mr. Curitore: Okay, the 300, 000, Commissioner, so we hire off -duty Miami PD (Police
department) for security.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay.
Mr. Curitore: I'll just line it better next time.
Commissioner Carollo: And again, just for the future, look how the Coconut Grove BID does
their budget and try to follow that sort of with the detail. It should be pretty much the same.
Mr. Curitore: Thank you.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay? Thankyou.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Anyone else? Seeing none, hearing none, close the public hearing. All
in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
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BH.9
15-00941
Fire Fighters and
Police Officers
Retirement Trust
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI FIRE FIGHTERS' AND POLICE OFFICERS'
RETIREMENT TRUST FUND ("FIPO RETIREMENT TRUST FUND"),
ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,029,168.00, TO
PROVIDE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FIPO RETIREMENT TRUST
FUND FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND
ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-00941 Memos - FIPO.pdf
15-00941 Legislation.pdf
15-00941 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Carollo, seconded by Commissioner Sarnoff, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Suarez
R-15-0383
Chair Gort: City of Miami Fire and Police Retirement Trust.
Commissioner Carollo: FIPO (Firefighters and Police Officers).
Monica Fernandez: Good evening, Commissioners, Mr. Chairman. My name is Monica
Fernandez. I'm a trustee with the Miami Firefighters and Police Retirement Trust. I'm here on
behalf of Tom Gabriel, our chairperson, who could not be here tonight. And I'm here to ask you
to adopt a resolution approving and adopting the annual budget of the City of Miami
Firefighters and Police Retirement Trust for fiscal year ending September 30, 2016 in the amount
of 2,029,168, which represents a reduction of 8. 7 percent from last year.
Chair Gort: Thank you, ma'am. Is anyone in the public like to address this issue, the FIPO
Retirement Trust?
Commissioner Carollo: FIPO.
Chair Gort: Anyone? Close the public hearings.
Commissioner Carollo: Move it. Discussion.
Chair Gort: Moved by Commissioner Carollo. Is there a second?
Commissioner Sarnoff Second
Chair Gort: Second by Commissioner Sarnoff. Discussion.
Commissioner Carollo: Yeah. I actually spoke to Tom a few days ago, and I mentioned that in
the budget template that you have, you're not showing any revenues; and the same amount of
expenses you have, you should be showing revenues from the City of Miami.
Ms. Fernandez: Yes. That was -- there was a supplemental report done showing -- I believe it
was sent to the Commission, showing the revenues coming in and the expenses going out, with a
zeroing out of the budget.
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BH.10
15-00980
General Employees
and Sanitation
Employees Retirement
Trust
Commissioner Carollo: Okay, I'm working with the original document, so I didn't see any
supplemental, but it was just --
Ms. Fernandez: Oh, okay.
Commissioner Carollo: That's fine. I just want to make sure that, for the record, we're
approving the right amount. And why didn't Tom come? He didn't get scared.
Ms. Fernandez: He's out of town.
Commissioner Carollo: Anyways, I don't have a problem with this budget. You're actually
reducing the budget, so --
Ms. Fernandez: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: -- good job.
Ms. Fernandez: Thank you.
Chair Gort: Okay, any further discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Ms. Fernandez: Thank you.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES' AND SANITATION
EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT TRUST FUND ("GESE RETIREMENT TRUST
FUND"), ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF
$3,255,933.00, EXCLUDING NORMAL COSTS, TO PROVIDE FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION OF THE GESE RETIREMENT TRUST FUND FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-00980 Memos - GESE.pdf
15-00980 Legislation.pdf
15-00980 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Vice Chair Hardemon, that this matter be
ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Suarez and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Carollo
R-15-0384
Chair Gort: City of Miami Employee and Sanitation Employees Business, GESE (General
Employees and Sanitation Employees).
Ron Silver: Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Chairman and members of the Commission. Ron
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
Silver, 2031 Northeast 209th Street, North Miami Beach, Florida. I am the attorney for the City
of Miami General Employees and Sanitation Employees Retirement Trust. We are here today to
ask for your approval by resolution for the budget ending September 30, 2016, in the amount of
$3, 255, 933.
Commissioner Sarnoff.: So moved.
Chair Gort: Been moved by Commissioner Sarnoff. Is there a second? Is there a second?
Vice Chair Hardemon: 171 second.
Chair Gort: Second by Vice Chairman Hardemon.
Commissioner Carollo: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Discussion. Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, I think it's way too high. I'll just
point out one or two things: Office supplies, $60, 000 a year, that's absurd. I don't know -- I
mean, $60, 000 a year in office supplies? I mean, Senator, that's -- I can't vote in favor of this
budget.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Commissioner Sarnoff.: If we were to remove the 60,000 -- because I may be tempted to do -- just
give them $10, 000 for office supplies, would you vote for it?
Commissioner Carollo: Well, I just mentioned one thing --
Commissioner Sarnoff.: Oh, okay.
Commissioner Carollo: -- Commissioner Sarnoff.
Commissioner Sarnoff.: Okay.
Commissioner Carollo: I mean, there's a lot more, but I'd be willing to vote for the exact amount
that we gave them last year, which I believe is 2.8 something million, but --
Commissioner Sarnoff.. And I was prepared to give them more than that and maybe a little less
than what they were asking for, so I don't know if it's worth having -- trying to get unanimity or if
it's worth maybe going through this a little bit, because I agree with you, $60, 000 is a lot, but
what they impressed upon me was that they need software updates, and they also impressed upon
me that they had some accrued maintenance issues, so I was prepared to give them more, but I
have to agree with you; $60, 000 for office supplies is a lot, unless they're doing a lot of mailings.
Commissioner Carollo: Compare them to FIPO (Firefighters and Police Officers) that we just
approved.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. I know.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman.
Commissioner Carollo: You know, there's a big, big difference and -- I mean, I sound like a
broken record from all the past years when I say how much, you know, funds they're actually
looking over as compared to GESE (General Employees and Sanitation Employees). I mean, I
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
will sound like a broken record, so if you really want to know what I think, go back to last year,
go back to previous year, the previous year before that. As a matter of fact, one of the years, the
reason -- how we fund CIP (Capital Improvements Program) or an additional -- a hundred
thousand to CIP was from GESE, because not necessarily that we cut your budget; it was that
you were asking for so much that, you know, there was room there to actually have a reduction
from what you were asking. So that's how I feel, Commissioner Sarnoff.
Commissioner Sarnoff Okay.
Chair Gort: Do I have a motion?
Commissioner Sarnoff I made a motion, but let me withdraw the motion, and I'll make a new
motion for $3, 220, 000.
Chair Gort: Okay, there's a motion approving three million two hundred --
Commissioner Sarnoff I'm sorry, sir; $3, 220, 000. I agree with Carollo on two issues that they
did not do an ample job of explaining, but they did explain some of their increases that satisfied
me that they're in dire need of software updates --
Chair Gort: Software.
Commissioner Sarnoff. -- as well as insurance.
Chair Gort: Okay, it's a motion. Is there a second?
Vice Chair Hardemon: I thought I -- I thought they needed software updates last year, and they
had enough to do that. I remember -- I mean, I've only -- this is --
Commissioner Sarnoff. Well, I'd like to hear what they told you then.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I haven't done this too -- Yeah. I haven't done this too -- No, I --
Commissioner Sarnoff. Okay.
Vice Chair Hardemon: They haven't met with me. I haven't done this too many times, but I
specifically remember this group because of the representation that you had before us. You were
great. I remember you being there in support, but you had another person with you that I do not
remember having fond memories of but with all that being said, there was lots of discussion
about --
Chair Gort: Software.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- these -- something being out of date, and I remember we were blamed
for -- the Commission was blamed because we added some type of restriction or requirement that
there needed to be some updates, and then I remember the high cost of the office supplies, and
so, if you help me understand exactly what -- what were the updates needed last year compared
to the updates needed this year?
Edgard Hernandez: Edgard Hernandez for the record, assistant pension administrator. Last
year, when you approved the 2.8 budget, we are striving to make that number this year, so we are
trying to stick to that number. So therefore, we had to postpone some of the changes, so we have
to like kick the can down the road, and that's why we're asking for the increase. If we keep
postponing, we're going to have to keep doing things manually, and I'm going to have to come
back here and say, "I need an increase."
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Vice Chair Hardemon: So (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Mr. Hernandez: We can give you the computation. And last year, I know there was a software
issue with the price and the code. We went back with the vendors and negotiated a lower price,
but it has to do with the changes the Commission made back in 2012. They changed the
ordinances. It saved the City $8 million, but we incurred an administrative cost to that, and
that's why we're asking today for your support to say, okay, do the updates, and hopefully, down
the road, we can show you some savings as far as not just on the City was able to save on the
changes, but also on the administrative expenses.
Vice Chair Hardemon: So, for instance, with -- there's an increase in cost because you have a
software need, a requirement. Does that software need or requirement have any correlation to
the high cost in office supplies?
Mr. Hernandez: It does. It does in a way that we have to manually print every data from your
Oracle system. We have to manually create our own spread sheets. We have to print our own
paper as opposed to put it online. We're being able to serve the members faster; provide them
with the benefits that they are requesting to --
Vice Chair Hardemon: So, if that's true, then if you had in your budget the cost of the increase
for the software, why wouldn't the cost of the office supplies --
Chair Gort: Should be reduced.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- be reduced in this budget?
Mr. Hernandez: Because I don't know how much to reduce the cost of office supplies by -- unless
we finish a project. So, like this year, last year we were asking for $83,000 in office supplies, so
this year we finished the 2010 ordinance projects because we had to parcel it out in years due to
the budget constraint. So this year we're asking to remain at the 60. We don't think we're going
to need the 80,000, so we're asking to remain at that 60. And office supplies, I know it could be a
little misunderstanding as far as just -- you know, it's ink and paper, but it also includes, you
know, meeting expenses, water supplies. Most of it is a lot of ink, a lot of paper, a lot of mail
outs. We do have requirements that we have to comply with.
Mr. Silver: Commissioner, ifI could -- you know, I used to share an $18 million budget in the
Florida Legislature, all right? We're talking about $60, 000 or 50,000 or 40,000. I mean,
whatever you feel comfortable with -- Commissioner Sarnoffs motion, I think covers it. You
know, if we have to give up some of that, I'll tell my board that that's, you know, what we should
do. I mean, it --
Vice Chair Hardemon: I just don't want to see you in this problem again, you know. I don't like
to see you come before us and have that same issue --
Mr. Silver: Yeah.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- because it seems like there's an issue, you know. There has to be a
solution to this, and I'm willing to try, you know, what Commissioner Sarnoff recommends to see
if -- especially if your software improvement will reduce a cost that may be a sticking problem for
you with other Commissioners. So, you know --
Mr. Silver: In an effort to satisfy that, we met with the Budget director on three occasions to go
over our budget item by item. We spent, you know, all that time going over the budget, and I
don't know what his -- I know he had a couple of questions still. I'm sorry. The -- in an effort to
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BH.11
15-00981
General Employees
and Sanitation
Employees Retirement
Trust
absolve that problem, we met with him three times, and I don't know what his response to that is,
but --
Vice Chair Hardemon: Yeah, I trust you. I don't think that you would be hiding money in office
supplies, not if it keeps coming up as an issue. So, Commissioner Sarnoff, what was your motion
again?
Commissioner Sarnoff Well -- sorry. I want to make sure that we resolve -- look, I experienced
a software breakdown; and if you're dependent upon electronics, there's nothing more frustrating
and you don't want to go back to paper. So I want to get them through their software issue, and I
think your software issue from last year -- if I recall the number, was it $160, 000 you needed?
Was that about right?
Mr. Hernandez: That's about right.
Mr. Silver: Yes.
Commissioner Sarnoff So $160, 000. So let's say you're at 2.9, 160 would put you at 3 million --
well, 171 stick with my number. I think it's close, $3, 220, 000, and I think that might give them a
little extra office supplies, which I hope they don't use.
Vice Chair Hardemon: 171 second (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Chair Gort: Okeydoke, it's been moved and second Is anyone in the public would like to
address this issue? Seeing none, hearing none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): As amended.
Chair Gort: As amended.
Mr. Hernandez: Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Mr. Silver: Thank you.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI GENERAL EMPLOYEES' AND SANITATION
EMPLOYEES' EXCESS BENEFIT PLAN ("GESE EXCESS BENEFIT PLAN"),
ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $116,307.00,
EXCLUDING THE ACTUARIALLY DETERMINED ANNUAL BENEFIT
PAYMENT, TO PROVIDE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE GESE
EXCESS BENEFIT PLAN FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER
1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-00981 Memos - GESE Excess.pdf
15-00981 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-00981 Legislation.pdf
15-00981 Exhibit.pdf
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Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 5 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo, Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0385
Ronald Silver: We got one more. We got the excess plan, I believe.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Oh, no, no, no. We draw the line.
Commissioner Sarnoff. There'll be no excess.
Chair Gort: Sanitation. Go ahead
Mr. Silver: Okay, this is a resolution of the Miami City Commission approving and adopting the
annual budget of the City of Miami General Employees Sanitation Employees Excess Benefit
Plan, and that is in the amount of $116, 307 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016.
Chair Gort: Okay. Thank you, sir. Is there a motion?
Commissioner Sarnoff. So moved.
Chair Gort: It's been moved by Commissioner Sarnoff. Is there a second?
Vice Chair Hardemon: Second.
Chair Gort: It's a public hearing. Is anyone in the public would like to address this one issue?
Anyone in the public? Seeing none, hearing none, close the public hearing. Motions?
Commissioner Sarnoff. Didn't we -- we took the motion, right?
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Yes, sir, we have a motion and a second. You may call the
question.
Chair Gort: Any further discussion? None? Okay, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Commissioner Carollo: Which one's this?
Commissioner Sarnoff. BH 11.
Commissioner Carollo: The excess?
Mr. Silver: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: "Yes."
Chair Gort: Thank you, sir.
Edgard Hernandez: Thank you. Thank you, Commissioners.
Mr. Silver: Thank you.
BH.12 RESOLUTION
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15-01037
Liberty City A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Community ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
Revitalization Trust THE LIBERTY CITY COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION TRUST, ATTACHED AND
INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $626,843.00, FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30,
2016.
15-01037 Summary Form.pdf
15-01037 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01037 Legislation.pdf
15-01037 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Vice Chair Hardemon, seconded by Commissioner Sarnoff, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Suarez and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Carollo
R-15-0386
Chair Gort: Liberty City Community Rehab.
Elaine Black. Good evening. My name is Elaine Black, president of the Liberty City Community
Revitalization Trust. Our address is 4800 Northwest 12th Avenue. I have before you our
resolution to approve our budget in the amount of $626, 843 for fiscal year ending September 30,
2016.
Chair Gort: Thank you, ma'am.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Public. Anyone in the public?
Chair Gort: Anyone in the public would like to address this issue? Anyone in the public?
Seeing none, hearing none, close the public hearings.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Answer me this: Why does it always look like you have so much money
when you came -- when you claim to have none?
Ms. Black: Well, if you look at our dollars, we have a operating budget of $276, 843, of which --
so that's our operating budget -- of which, $15, 000, we're happy to say, comes from the Parking
Authority, which goes directly to vendors to maintain lots in our areas. And we do also have
$350, 000 of project money that is from SkyRise that will be going for small businesses in the
Liberty City community. I'm sorry; I need to say, our board voted and approved this budget on
September 1, 2015. This is a -- our final budget.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I move to approve it.
Chair Gort: Been moved by Vice Chairman Hardemon. Is there a second?
Commissioner Carollo: Second.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Second
Chair Gort: Second by Commissioner Sarnoff.
Ms. Black: Thank you so very much.
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BH.13
15-01018
Miami Sports &
Exhibition Authority
Commissioner Sarnoff Wait; you didn't get your vote yet. Don't snatch --
Chair Gort: Any further discussion?
Commissioner Sarnoff -- the teeth from the jaws of victory.
Chair Gort: Being none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Commissioner Sarnoff There you (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Ms. Black: Thank you so very much.
Commissioner Sarnoff Thank you.
Ms. Black: And we really appreciate your support in Liberty City. Thank you.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE MIAMI SPORTS AND EXHIBITION AUTHORITY ("MSEA"), ATTACHED
AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $88,935.00, TO PROVIDE FOR
THE OPERATIONS AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES OF MSEA, FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015, AND ENDING
SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-01018 Memo - MSEA.pdf
15-01018 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01018 Legislation.pdf
15-01018 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 3 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff and Carollo
Absent: 2 - Commissioner(s) Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0387
Chair Gort: Sport & Exhibition Authority.
Lourdes Blanco: Good evening, Commissioners. Good evening, Mr. Chairman. Lourdes
Blanco, executive director, Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority, 444 Southwest 2nd Avenue,
Miami, Florida 33134. I respectfully request for your approval for MSEA's (Miami Sports &
Exhibition Authority) budget for fiscal year 2015-2016. It was approved by the board at its July
21, 2015 meeting.
Commissioner Sarnoff So moved.
Chair Gort: Thank you. It's been moved by Commissioner Sarnoff Is there a second?
Commissioner Suarez: Second. Second
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Chair Gort: Second by Commissioner Suarez. Is anyone in the public would like to address the
Sports & Exhibition Authority budget? Seeing none, hearing none, we close the public hearing.
Ms. Blanco: Thank you.
Chair Gort: Any further discussion? No, we haven't voted yet.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Right. The only bone I have to pick with MSEA (Miami Sports &
Exhibition Authority) is that I feel like MSEA --
Commissioner Suarez: Never turn your back before they vote.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- chooses to have its meetings when I'm not available. That's the only --
I feel like that's the only organization I miss so many meetings on.
Commissioner Suarez: They're messing with you, man.
Vice Chair Hardemon: If I say I'm not available on Tuesday, they have Tuesday and Wednesday.
And I'm available on Wednesday, all right, let's do it on Tuesday. I'm kidding.
Ms. Blanco: I'm sorry.
Vice Chair Hardemon: That's the only thing, but other than that, I love you.
Ms. Blanco: 171 tty to do a lot better.
Chair Gort: Any further discussion?
Commissioner Carollo: Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Yeah, I want to ask our Administration, our City Administration. Chris,
have you -- you've looked at their budget, correct? How realistic is their revenues? I mean, I
sort of had this conversation with you last year, or not with you, but overall, with regards to their
revenues, how realistic is their revenues? And I'm yielding to your judgment.
Christopher Rose (Director, Office of Management & Budget): Thank you, Commissioner. The
heliport --
Commissioner Carollo: Mr. CFO (Chief Financial Officer) --
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: -- you're usually quiet, yeah. I'm yielding to the Administration --
Chair Gort: Okay.
Commissioner Carollo: -- because I know you've had to have looked at their revenues. How
realistic is their revenues?
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir. They have fund balance to cover their budget. The additional revenues for
the heliport and seaplane base, they're working on. So even if those revenues aren't realized,
they have fund balance right now, sir.
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Commissioner Carollo: Understood understood, but we had this conversation last year also
with regarding to their revenues. Anyhow, okay, I will move to approve also, you know, because
they have a fund balance to carry their expenses.
Chair Gort: It was moved --
Ms. Blanco: Thank you.
Chair Gort: -- forward. All in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Commissioner Carollo: And you don't have two insurance --
Chair Gort: Thankyou.
Commissioner Carollo: -- policies, right? No, I didn't think so. Okay.
Ms. Blanco: Thank you.
Commissioner Carollo: Thankyou.
BH.14 RESOLUTION
15-01063
Midtown Community A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Redevelopment ATTACHMENT(S), ACCEPTING AND ADOPTING THE BUDGET OF THE
Agency MIDTOWN COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ("CRA"), ATTACHED
AND INCORPORATED AS EXHIBIT "A", FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016, AS
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE MIDTOWN
CRA.
15-01063 Summary Form.pdf
15-01063 Legislation.pdf
15-01063 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Carollo, seconded by Commissioner Sarnoff, that this matter be
ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 3 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff and Carollo
Absent: 2 - Commissioner(s) Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0388
Chair Gort: Midtown Redevelopment Agency. There you go.
Peter Bockweg: Good evening, Commissioner. Pieter Bockweg, executive director of the
Midtown and Omni CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency). Before you is the Midtown
proposed budget that was approved by the board this afternoon.
Commissioner Carollo: Move it.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Second
Chair Gort: Been moved and second Any discussion? Anyone in the public would like to
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BH.15
15-01064
OMNI Community
Redevelopment
Agency
address the Midtown budget? Seeing none, hearing none, close the public hearings. All in
favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): As amended.
Commissioner Carollo: As amended
Chair Gort: As amended.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), ACCEPTING AND ADOPTING THE PROPOSED BUDGET
OF THE OMNI REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ("OMNI CRA"), ATTACHED AND
INCORPORATED AS EXHIBIT "A", FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING
OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016, AS APPROVED BY
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE OMNI CRA.
15-01064 Summary Form.pdf
15-01064 Legislation.pdf
15-01064 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Carollo, that this matter be
ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 2 - Commissioner(s) Gort and Sarnoff
Noes: 1 - Commissioner(s) Carollo
Absent: 2 - Commissioner(s) Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0389
Peter Bockweg (Executive Director/Midtown and Omni CRA): BH.15. Again, that's the budget
that the Omni CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) Board approved this afternoon,
proposed for 2015/'16 budget year.
Commissioner Sarnoff. So moved.
Chair Gort: It's moved by Commissioner Sarnoff.
Commissioner Carollo: Second.
Chair Gort: Second by Commissioner Carollo. Is anyone in the public would like to address
this issue, the Omni --?
Grace Solares: Just a simple question --
Chair Gort: Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Solares: -- because I'm reading at the agenda, and I cannot see the budget. I don't see the
amount. Is that here?
Mr. Bockweg: It's part of the backup, yes, ma'am.
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BH.16
15-01039
SEOPW Community
Redevelopment
Agency
Chair Gort: Eight hundred and ten thousand.
Mr. Bockweg: I'm sorry?
Ms. Solares: Where's the budget?
Mr. Bockweg: This year's budget? (UNINTELLIGIBLE) proposed budget?
Ms. Solares: Yeah, it's not here --
Mr. Bockweg: Fifteen --
Ms. Solares: for us to see.
Mr. Bockweg: Well, it's part of the backup.
Commissioner Carollo: We're on BH15, correct?
Mr. Bockweg: It's part of the backup. It's $15, 491, 000.
Ms. Solares: Thank you.
Chair Gort: Total. Any further discussion? All in favor, state it by saying aye."
Commissioner Sarnoff Aye.
Commissioner Carollo: No.
Chair Gort: Aye.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): As amended.
Chair Gort: As amended.
Mr. Bockweg: Thank you.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), ACCEPTING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL GENERAL
OPERATING AND TAX INCREMENT FUND BUDGET OF THE SOUTHEAST
OVERTOWN/PARK WEST COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
("SEOPW CRA"), ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF
$51,075,776.00, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015,
AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-01039 Memo - SEOPW.pdf
15-01039 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01039 Legislation.pdf
15-01039 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Vice Chair Hardemon, seconded by Commissioner Sarnoff, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 3 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff and Hardemon
Absent: 2 - Commissioner(s) Carollo and Suarez
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R-15-0390
Chair Gort: Southeast Overtown CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency).
Clarence Woods: Good evening, Commissioners. Clarence Woods, the executive director of the
Southwest Overtown/Park West CRA. And this is a resolution of the Miami City Commission,
with attachments, accepting and adopting the annual general operating budget -- operating and
tax increment fund budget of the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment
Agency, with attached and incorporated, in the amount of $51 million for fiscal year October 1,
2015 and ending in September 30, 2016. This is the budget that you guys -- that,
Commissioners, you've approved already at the CRA, exact same budget.
Chair Gort: Okay. Thank you, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Now a motion.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I move to accept it.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Second
Chair Gort: It's been moved by Vice Chairman Hardemon; second by Commissioner Sarnoff. Is
anyone in the public would like to address this issue? Yes, ma'am, you're recognized.
Renita Holmes: Yes. Madam Holmes. You know, you heard me say taxation without
representation is one of the biggest crimes I think there is, but it's also a shame. And as much
respect as I have for the Manager, I don't care too much for the process of funding, because I
feel like it's too competitive. It's improving the quality of life. Igo down and I see and I get a
City occupational license. I get this County occupational license. Igo to school; I get a
education. I run a business. I advocate. I do (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a resident. I pay taxes. But
I'm still trying to figure out why everyone else can come to my neighborhood and help improve
the quality of life for my neighborhood, but I don't hold particularly any individual, but overall, I
say, well, what's the problem that, you know, I can get a university -- or my student can come
and go be the property owner, you know, and I'm not (UNINTELLIGIBLE) say white privileged
women, because I know a few of them my friend, but they're not necessarily privileged, but they
get the money. I have a 26year-old student, okay. Well, you can approve my quality of life; I
don't see it. But if get to a door -- every time I get to the door of the CRA, I got some staff
member -- and I think, when they received these funds, if I'm correct -- Mr. Chair, or through the
City, anyone who receives public funds is supposed to adhere to the Americans with Disability
Act. Is that true? So why am I still dealing with all these issues of being attacked? Is it a LGBT
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual) discrimination? I can't even get through the door
sometimes, or you got to wait. So I wonder why 90 percent or 98 percent of this budget when it's
approved, it's approved for agencies or organizations outside of my district. I'm not going to say
cronyism, nepotism, or egotism, but I think -- and I'm saying it directly. Maybe somebody needs
to take a look (UNINTELLIGIBLE) could be outspoken. I'm damned if I do; if I don't. But
please stop taking money in the name of improving the quality of my life. I'm a black woman in
Overtown, and I'm educated and I'm intelligent, and I do my best. What is the problem that I
can't get any money, but everybody else come to my neighborhood to improve my quality of life.
I'm just really sick of it, Commissioner. I'm a -- I -- excuse -- I don't mean no harm. I'm just
saying --
Vice Chair Hardemon: Beep.
Ms. Holmes: -- it's not personal, but it's a fact. I try my best.
Vice Chair Hardemon: And I told you personally --
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
Ms. Holmes: Did you?
Vice Chair Hardemon: Yes
Ms. Holmes: Was it personal?
Vice Chair Hardemon: It was personally and professional.
Ms. Holmes: I'm just kidding. Go ahead, Commissioner.
Vice Chair Hardemon: But I told you --
Ms. Holmes: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) point you finger at me, and this is what I get at the door.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I was looking at your finger with your glasses.
Ms. Holmes: Oh.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I didn't know if you were going to throw them at me, so I just wanted to
be prepared.
Ms. Holmes: I want to see more clearly; let me put my glasses on.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Maybe I'll put my pen in the air.
Ms. Holmes: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that's all right. I'm going to put my hand in my back pocket
for now.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I told you, I want to have a women's summit in Overtown --
Ms. Holmes: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- to help talk about a number of different issues that we're facing in that
community, to help spread the -- we'll talk about the good news that's going on in Overtown, but
also provide training to those women, and things like that. And we talked on my couch in the
CRA's office.
Ms. Holmes: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: And you had a partner with you that you wanted to do it with, and I
asked you to be the point person in that, so I'm putting it back on you. When you tell me that you
don't get any support from the CRA, when you produce this event, along with some partners,
you'll get the support. That's what I want to see happen. You defend women and children. Yes?
Ms. Holmes: Commissioner.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Yes?
Ms. Holmes: Yes, Commissioner, but I also -- I don't know if you've been told. I've been there
several times, and I beat down the Manager's door about -- hear me out, please. I'm not a
difficult person. If you're intelligent, I'll talk with you all day. But Mr. Gort knows it. I mean, as
much as I push him, but it's an intelligence. But if there ain't no intelligence at that door, you
can't get anything, and I believe that's a CRA issue, not just a Commission issue, and I've done
my best. I will notify you, email you, stay here all day, talk you to death. Look at me do what I
do. But my problem is is that maybe you need to oversee who's violating my civil rights at the
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
BH.17
15-01066
Virginia Key Beach
Park Trust
door. Thankyou, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: You're welcome.
Ms. Holmes: And I have completed that. And if you like to definitely hear from me, why don't
you get one of these officers or sergeant of arms back here to escort me to see you? Otherwise
than that -- because that situation's still unaddressed, and we're all attorneys here.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Thank you.
Ms. Holmes: Well, not me yet.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Thank you.
Ms. Holmes: Thank you, sir.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Okay. We had a motion?
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): There is a motion and a second, so you may call the question.
Chair Gort: Motion and a second. Any further discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it by
saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Gort: Thankyou.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE VIRGINIA KEY BEACH PARK TRUST, ATTACHED AND
INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $146,000.00 IN CARRYOVER FUNDS
AND $590,000.00 IN ANTICIPATED REVENUE, FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF
$736,000.00, TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANAGEMENT, OPERATION,
MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-01066 Summary Form.pdf
15-01066 Back -Up from Law.pdf
15-01066 Legislation.pdf
15-01066 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Carollo, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo and Hardemon
Absent: 1 - Commissioner(s) Suarez
R-15-0391
Chair Gort: Virginia Beach Trust.
Guy Forchion: Good evening, Chairman Gort, Commissioners. Guy Forchion, executive
director of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, 4020 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida
33149. It's a resolution asking for the approval and adopting of the Virginia Key Beach Park
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
Trust operating budget, consisting of $146, 000 in carryover funds and $590, 000 in anticipated
revenue. I am available for any questions you may have.
Commissioner Sarnoff. So moved.
Chair Gort: It's been moved by Commissioner Sarnoff. Is there a second?
Commissioner Carollo: Second.
Chair Gort: Second by Commissioner Carollo. Is anyone in the public would like to address the
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust? Seeing none, hearing none, close the public hearing. Any
further discussion?
Commissioner Carollo: Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: I just want to mention to Mr. Forchion that you're increasing your
budget from 552 to 736, so -- and you're going to be using carryover funds, so I want to make
sure that you're pretty certain you're going to have those carryover funds; and if not, you're
going to have to reduce your expenses. So I ask our City Administration also to monitor,
because it's a large increase.
Christopher Rose (Director, Office of Management & Budget): Yes, Commissioner. We met
several times, and I would agree with this rollover number. I believe that the rollover number
(UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Carollo: You believe it's reasonable?
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay. And real quick, I mentioned it before, butt know you guys were
talking there in the back; you might not have heard it. Since I first got here to now, it's a big
improvement with the template that you guys have provided to the various agencies, so you
know, I commend you on that. And you know, Mr. Forchion, we've come a long ways, huh?
Mr. Forchion: Yes, we have.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay, very good I'm ready to vote.
Chair Gort: Okay, any further discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Mr. Forchion: Thank you, Commissioners.
BH.18 RESOLUTION
15-00922
Department of A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
Off -Street Parking ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF OFF-STREET PARKING, ATTACHED AND
INCORPORATED, IN THE AMOUNT OF $15,735,585.00, EXCLUDING
DEPRECIATION, AND OTHER NON OPERATING EXPENSES OF
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
$14,381,352.00, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2015,
AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-00922 Memos - Off -Street Parking.pdf
15-00922 Letter - Off -Street Parking.pdf
15-00922 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-00922 Legislation.pdf
15-00922 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Suarez, seconded by Vice Chair Hardemon, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 3 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Suarez and Hardemon
Absent: 2 - Commissioner(s) Sarnoff and Carollo
R-15-0392
Chair Gort: Department of Off -Street Parking.
Arthur Noriega: Good evening. Art Noriega, Miami Parking Authority, respectfully requesting
our budget approval for the '015/'016 budget year. Any questions?
Chair Gort: Anyone in the public would like to address the --?
Mr. Noriega: You don't have a quorum, so --
Chair Gort: We don't have a quorum. You know, might as well go home.
Commissioner Sarnoff. There's two of me.
Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): Chairman, is there any way we could get a bathroom break?
Just like five minutes, three minutes.
Commissioner Sarnoff. So, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Chair Gort: Let's take a five -minutes break.
Ms. Mendez: I mean, it's a good time. Thank you.
Chair Gort: Yes, yes, go ahead. Go, go, go. Is anyone in the public would like to address the
budget for the Off -Street Parking, Miami Parking System? Seeing none, hearing none, we close
the public hearing. What's the wish of the board?
Commissioner Suarez: Move it.
Chair Gort: Been moved by Commissioner Suarez; second by Vice Chairman Hardemon. Any
discussion? All in favor, state it by saying aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Chair Gort: Thank you.
Mr. Noriega: Thank you.
BH.19 RESOLUTION
15-00938
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
Office of Management A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
and Budget ATTACHMENT(S), AFTERA DULY NOTICED PUBLIC HEARING, RELATING
TO THE PROVISION OF SOLID WASTE SERVICES, FACILITIES AND
PROGRAMS IN THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ("CITY"); IMPOSING SOLID
WASTE ASSESSMENTS AGAINST ASSESSED PROPERTY LOCATED
WITHIN THE CITY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2015;
APPROVING THE RATE OF ASSESSMENT; APPROVING THE
ASSESSMENT ROLL; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
15-00938 Summary Form.pdf
15-00938 Notice to the Public.pdf
15-00938 Pre-Legislation.pdf
15-00938 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-00938 Legislation.pdf
15-00938 Exhibit.pdf
15-00938-Submittal-Richard E. Curry -Opposition of Solid Waste Fee Assessment.pdf
Motion by Vice Chair Hardemon, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
ADOPTED PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Carollo, Suarez and Hardemon
Noes: 1 - Commissioner(s) Sarnoff
R-15-0393
Chair Gort: BH 19.
Christopher Rose (Director): Good evening again, Commissioners. Chris Rose, Office of
Management & Budget. BH 19 is the setting of the Solid Waste household collection fee. It is set
at the same amount as in prior years at $380 per household per year.
Chair Gort: Thank you. At this time, Mr. Clerk, it's been moved by Commissioner Hardemon.
Is there a second?
Commissioner Suarez: Second.
Chair Gort: Second by Commissioner Suarez. Any further discussion --
Commissioner Sarnoff (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Chair Gort: -- from the public? Anybody in the public would like to --
Commissioner Suarez: I almost want to vote against it.
Chair Gort: -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) issue? Okay.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): Excuse me, Chair, Commissioners, I do need to read a letter into
the record for a couple that is objecting to the Solid Waste fee. It's from Richard E. Curty and
Carolyn S. Curty, address 3070 Hibiscus Street, Miami, Florida 33133. "City Commission, we
highly object to the special assessment for City of Miami residential solid waste services being
included in our property tax bill for the period commencing October 1, 2015 through September
30" -- well, it says here "2015" but it should be 2016, "and we do not consent." It's signed by
Richard and Carolyn Curry, and it is a notarized letter.
Chair Gort: Thank you. Anyone else in the public would like to address this issue? Seeing
none, hearing none, we close the public hearing. There's a motion and a second Any further
discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
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BH.20
15-01065
Office of Management
and Budget
Commissioner Suarez: Aye.
Commissioner Carollo: Aye.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Aye.
Commissioner Sarnoff Please register a iio. "
Chair Gort: BH.20.
Commissioner Sarnoff Same argument as last year.
Commissioner Suarez: I know. I voted "no" a couple times too.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), APPROVING THE CITY OF MIAMI'S ("CITY'S") FISCAL
YEAR 2015-16 MULTI -YEAR CAPITAL PLAN ("PLAN"), AS REQUIRED
PURSUANT TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING
AND LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATION ACT, SECTION 163.3177,
FLORIDA STATUTES (2015), AND PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 18/ ARTICLE
IX/DIVISIONS 1 AND 2 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA,
AS AMENDED, ENTITLED "FINANCE/FINANCIAL
POLICIES/ANTI-DEFICIENCY ACT/FINANCIAL INTEGRITY PRINCIPLES," TO
SET FORTH THE CITY'S FISCAL NEEDS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS,
SUBJECT TO AN ANNUAL PLAN REVIEW, TO DETERMINE PROJECT
PRIORITIES, TO ADD NEW CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND TO MODIFY
FUNDING ALLOCATIONS AS NECESSARY.
15-01065 Summary Form.pdf
15-01065 Back -Up from Law Dept.pdf
15-01065 Legislation.pdf
15-01065 Exhibit.pdf
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 4 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Suarez and Hardemon
Noes: 1 - Commissioner(s) Carollo
R-15-0394
Chair Gort: BH.20.
Christopher Rose (Director): Good evening, Commissioners. Chris Rose, Office of Management
& Budget. BH.20 is the City's multi -year capital plan as presented in July in the proposed
capital budget that was given to all Commissioners.
Chair Gort: Is anyone in the public would like to address the capital plan year appropriations?
Seeing none, hearing none, we close the public hearings. Commissioners.
Commissioner Sarnoff How much of the capital plan comes from the general fund?
Mr. Rose: Good question, sir. Can you give me a moment to answer the question?
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Daniel J. Alfonso (City Manager): Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, as he's looking for that,
I'm just going to point out that in the changes memorandum that was submitted with this agenda,
there's also a couple of changes to that proposed capital budget.
Mr. Rose: Commissioners, the answer to the question -- I'm adding it up quickly -- is on page
303 of the proposed budget. That is the operating budget that transfers out, and again, I need
another moment to calculate. Just a moment.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Can you (UNINTELLIGIBLE) ?
Mr. Rose: Sure. There's 2.209, 000, 000 for streets and sidewalks. That's the 20 percent of the
parking surcharge. There is the capital fund for capital -- for citywide capital needs, which may
just answer your question, Commissioner, which is 15.311 million. That's the purest transfer out
into the capital funds.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Is that unrestricted money?
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Is the 2.209 restricted money?
Mr. Rose: It is restricted.
Commissioner Sarnoff. So, of the unrestricted money, how much of that is in capital?
Mr. Rose: Can do that easier. That would be the 15.311,300.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Okay.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Second line item on page 303.
Chair Gort: Which page?
Mr. Rose: Three hundred and three, sir. Commissioners, of this book, the operating book.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Where's he at? Second line --
Mr. Rose: Yes, that one.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Oh, there it is.
Chair Gort: Yes. Any -- I think I know where you're coming from.
Commissioner Sarnoff. I'm -- obviously, I'm promoting police. I'm suggesting that, you know, I
don't think -- I don't know if it was your intention to have a 1,160 officers in September 2017.
Something's got to go; 15.3 million. This is why I keep saying to everybody, you need to float a
bond if you -- you can't opt -- you cannot capitalize your way through operations to fix this City.
You have to float a bond.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: You know, one of the things that 1 will say that 1 was moved about from
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
your presentation earlier --
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Did we -- did you all get copies, by the way, because I --?
Vice Chair Hardemon: Yes.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Okay.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Copies.
Commissioner Carollo: Copies of?
Commissioner Sarnoff.. The presentation. I just want to make sure you have it.
Commissioner Carollo: Oh, yeah. The police presentation, right?
Vice Chair Hardemon: Right, the police presentation.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Vice Chair Hardemon: In that police presentation, we talked about clearance rates, and of
course, clearance rates describe the number of arrests; you know, how many times have you
closed out -- I don't want to say it too technically, because I may be in incorrect, but I believe it's
how many times you've closed out a crime, a crime that was reported, it was committed and you
close it out by making an arrest on that crime, and you -- I mean, you eloquently show that we
have some of the lowest clearance rates, of those major cities that you named, in the nation. And
then how the -- I mean -- I believe the Grove had a lower clearance rate -- or the number of
crimes was significantly below what you had in Liberty City, in Overtown, and in Little Haiti.
But what it talked about to me, clearance rates are about arrests, all right. So there's a crime
committed and then there's an arrest. So it really measures how well our police force is doing,
because they have to make these arrests; the State Attorney's Office is going to do the
prosecution. And so I thought about it, and I said, "Well" -- everyone knows that I believe that
it's not just about putting cops on the street, right? And I think we've -- many of us have
subscribed to that. We understand that it takes more of a holistic solution, but in talking about
these arrests and these clearance rates, it made me think about the other side of the sidewalk, if
you will. I thought about prevention. So you either have -- you either put dollars towards
prevention or you put dollars towards police and arrests. And so -- or you can do both, right?
And I think that I'm an advocate of doing both, because you have to create these holistic
situations. And so I thought to myself I said, "Well, what's the biggest prevention tool that we
have in places like Liberty City, in places like Overtown where you had these high levels of
crime?" And the one thing that we've done -- you did it, Commissioner Suarez, and I'm trying to
remember who else. I just know off the top of my head you did it. And we've done it throughout
the City. We provided summer interns; and those summer interns, when they're working, they're
earning dollars, they're getting -- they're gathering skills, they go back into our community, and
they are a beacon of light for the young kids in our community, because they not only are getting
the skills necessary, but they're getting the income so they can raise the level of income that's
within their household, which fights poverty, which I'm just an advocate for. And a lot of my
dollars over this past year have been spent with summer internships, and I diversify them. Some,
I was happy with; and some, I was not happy with. Well, not the interns, but in the way that I
divvyed up the money to certain organizations, but that's neither here nor there. But the kids had
an opportunity to learn and provide themselves a different way of life. I know this: When I think
about the text messages and the emails that I receive about the 17 year old shot and killed,
they're not the kids who have these internships. And so what I think, I think we should take a
little bit of money and put that towards prevention, as well as we put money -- and if you want to
put more, that's fine -- towards arrests. So to me, arrests are beefing up our police forces. And
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Meeting Minutes September 10, 2015
then the payment on our Police Chief to implement a strategy that will help reduce crime within
our community and increase our clearance rates, but then also prevent -- put some money
towards the children in our community by giving them an opportunity to have meaningful
internships, and I'm talking about the kids -- I don't -- it was vety troubling for me, because the
most troubled kids are getting turned away by people who can help them the most, and that's not
what I want to see. What I've seen over this last experience was that if you give dollars to an
organization that leans heavily on background checks, you're going to have a lot of kids turned
away who need to be in a job that summer, but if you put it towards more of your community
organizations -- and that's how we all decided to do that. I don't know how we do it -- where
they don't lean so heavily on those background checks, but they know the kids that need to be
working, because they're the ones that stand on the corners, they're the ones that will be doing
something negative if they were not doing something positive. If you give those organizations
dollars to put these programs together, it means something. So I like where you're going, and I
want to help you get there. And I think that for me, I can't get there unless we diversify that
funding and start to look at prevention as well as arrests. So that's summer internships and also
your clearance rates.
Chair Gort: I agree with you. Let me -- one of the things I'm doing with the funding that I
receive for the -- for my districts, I'm using it for college degree for kids, subsidize their college
degree, and for vocations. Not everybody have to be -- have to go to college. I know a lot of
people have vety good profession; they make very good money. So this is where I'm putting my
money in, make sure this kid, when he comes out of high school -- I don't really care about the
grade; could be C"-- I want him to be able to go to college; I want to be able to pick up a
vocation that he would like to do, and have a scholarship, because that's important. This is
something we discussed before.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Yes.
Chair Gort: Crime is -- when the crimes goes down, when finances go down.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Right, right.
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Chair.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Suarez: Thank you. Mr. Manager, I don't know if you've had an opportunity to
look at this presentation before.
Mr. Alfonso: Are we talking about the police presentation?
Commissioner Suarez: Yes. The one that --
Mr. Alfonso: Okay --
Commissioner Suarez: -- Commissioner Sarnoff --
Mr. Alfonso: Commissioners, Mr. Chairman, I would like to say that I appreciated the
presentation. Given the fact that we had no time, whatsoever, to review the information therein, I
would say that, right off the bat, I know that we disagree with the number, the assertions made
therein; nonetheless, I don't think that there's any benefit to be gained on getting on a tit for tat
as to what we think is right or wrong. The Administration has never said that we're looking to
save money and have -- in order to put less officers on the street or anything like that. We've
always argued that we need to balance the need for infrastructure, salary for our employees,
transportation trust funds, land acquisition for parks, infrastructure improvements, debt service
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payments. If you look at the debt service schedules in 2017 and '18, you'll notice that there's a
significant increase that's coming in the future there, as well. So our proposed budget has
balance, but if it is the will of this Commission to make changes, we will administer as you direct
us to. The fact is that we have more officers than we've ever had. We are in labor negotiations.
And as you heard a little while ago, the union president for the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police)
made a request that is nearly $20 million for just the salary increases in that union by itself. So,
you know, when we talk about fool's gold -- I think that was a comment that was used -- we talk
about officers per thousand residents as a comparison, I'm just going to say that that is a
measure that could be fool's gold, because I think that what we looked at should be the results,
right? So the crime per thousand residents, not necessarily the officers per thousand residents,
and there are cities where dispatchers are sworn police officers, so they count in your number of
hundred thousand -- I mean, of residents per thousand. So I would be caution -- I would use
caution when looking at those types of numbers. That being said, again, it is the Commission
that sets the policy, so if you want to move funds around and you want to make recommendations
on that, we will look at the impact of those things and bring them back to you at the next
meeting.
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Chair, ifI may?
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Suarez: I didn't have -- I didn't get to ask a question. My question -- I guess my
question was -- and you sort of answered it, which was where the numbers on this presentation
are at -- let me be specific. Page 6 of the presentation talks about clearance rates, and it says
that our clearance rate for part -one crimes is 14 percent. Is that accurate?
Mr. Alfonso: I will let the Chief answer that question, sir.
Commissioner Suarez: Year-to-date, I guess. Year-to-date.
Commissioner Carollo: Through August, 8/15.
Commissioner Suarez: Right.
Roberto Llanes (Miami Chief of Police): All right.
Commissioner Suarez: Two thousand and fifteen through mid -August.
Rodolfo Llanes: Rodolfo Llanes, Chief of Police. I want to tell you that I wish, Commissioner,
that I would have had a chance to look at your presentation before you put it out, because it's
erroneous to compare one set of clearance rates to another. The clearance rates for part -one
crimes is correct.
Commissioner Suarez: Okay.
Chief Llanes: But part -one crimes include property crimes, and so your burglaries, your auto
thefts, your larcenies are included in that clearance rate.
Commissioner Suarez: I understand.
Chief Llanes: And so what that was compared to was a national clearance rate on murder.
Now, we know that the 64 percent clearance rate on murder, we do not dedicate the same
number of resources, not here or anywhere else, to an auto theft or a property crime that we do
to a murder. Now, the 64 percent clearance rate -- there's a lot of nuance when you try to look at
clearance rates, and if you don't have experience in looking at them, you won't know what you're
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looking at. A 64 percent clearance rate is a national clearance rate for all agencies. Agencies
our size typically have a 55 percent clearance rate. Nobocy's proud of that. I'm not proud of the
clearance rates that we have, and that's why we're making changes in order to improve those,
and there's a lot of changes that will come about through technology and the predicted policing
application and the NC4 that we've asked for. But I just want to clarify that when you talk about
part -one crimes, 80 percent of your part -one crime number is a property crime, not a violent
crime, and that you will find to be consistent all across the nation. And so you cannot lump or
look at one clearance rate and change it to another. Another important thing is you cannot
extrapolate one community and check it against a national crime rate or check it against even
our own, because different communities and different areas in this city differ in clearance rates
from others. And so, if you tty to do that nationally, you can see where the number extrapolates
to something that is not correct. And so, those are the things that I wanted to bring up. You can't
mix those. And when you look at clearance rates, you have to know what you're looking at in
order to add the nuance to it. I also want to clarify that there was never a point in this Police
Department when there was only six homicide detectives. At the lowest point we ever had, we
had 13, plus 3 assault detectives.
Commissioner Sarnoff. So the Herald was wrong?
Chief Llanes: That's not good That's wrong.
Commissioner Sarnoff. The Herald was wrong?
Chief Llanes: I don't know. I skimmed the Herald article, because I have issues with the way it
was written, but it's -- that's incorrect.
Commissioner Sarnoff. My information came from the Herald.
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Chair.
Chair Gort: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: Check your sources.
Chair Gort: Yeah.
Commissioner Sarnoff. And ifI could just say something to Commissioner Suarez, because I
don't pretend to be an expert, but I did take criminology in school, and we had to deal with
clearance rates, and just so you know, the apples to apples that we tried to compare to. This
graph did not come from me. This graph was prepared by the City of Miami Police Department.
So when you're looking on page 6, that came from the City of Miami.
Commissioner Suarez: And that's sort of what I was getting at, in a way.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Correct. I did not prepare this graph. The -- so I'll speak to
Commissioner Hardemon. When you go to shoot somebody and you only wound them, that is, to
me, attempted murder, okay? So the only clearance rate that you're ever going to be able to use
apples to apples is a murder clearance rate. My intention was to shoot and kill. I happen to
have missed A couple times I happened to have succeeded in my task.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Well, we have that a lot -- we have a lot of "missing" in the City of
Miami.
Commissioner Suarez: And we also have a lot of succeeding, too.
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Vice Chair Hardemon: But a tremendous amount of missing.
Commissioner Suarez: A tremendous amount of missing.
Commissioner Sarnoff Well -- and when you --
Chief Llanes: Just as -- I'm sorry, Chair.
Chair Gort: Yes.
Chief Llanes: Just as a point of clarification, there is not -- that's not the only clearance rate
that you can compare. The clearance rates are broken down by crime. We can do that. And so
you cannot compare a murder clearance rate to an auto theft clearance rate or to a burglary
clearance rate. You have to compare -- if you're going to do overall part -one crimes, comparing
one agency to another, there is no way -- and I will -- I don't want to do that. There is no way
that any agency our size in this country can clear 43 percent of their part -one crimes. It is a
physical impossibility, no matter how many resources you have.
Commissioner Sarnoff. And, Chief just so you know that I'm trying to -- I'm acting in as good a
faith as I can. I have an email of June 25, 2014, and it comes from Armando Aguilar, Jr., and
it's from 2004 to 2013. It is part -one crime rate per 100, 000, and it's 14.5 percent. So he
extrapolates from 2004 to 2013, not a particularly small sampling, where you start out at 16.9
percent and you come down to 14.5 percent; although, in 2007, you did duck below 12.2 percent.
So I don't want anybody to think that I played any kind of numbers game. Secondarily, the
clearance rate on the data for these shootings came directly from the Chief -- from -- not the
Chief. Well, yes, you did approve this. This came from you, Chief on September 9, 2015. So --
Chief Llanes: Again, Commissioner, I don't want to -- for you to think that I'm challenging
where the numbers came from or what the numbers are. The numbers are what they are. It's a
14 percent clearance rate for all part -one crimes, but you cannot compare that to a homicide
clearance rate, or you cannot compare that to a separate clearance rate, or you cannot change it
by neighborhood and focus it down on that. That is -- that would be an incorrect comparison.
Commissioner Sarnoff Right.
Chief Llanes: And --
Commissioner Sarnoff. Your clearance rate for murder has to be higher.
Chief Llanes: Correct.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Has to be higher.
Chief Llanes: But when you aggregate, murder is a part -one crime, as is auto theft, as is
burglary. And so when you aggregate all the number of crimes, plus the clearance rate, that's
what gives you a 14 percent clearance rate. And I'm telling you that that's nothing to brag about
or anything to jump up and down and say "We're doing great." That's not what I'm doing. But
what I'm telling you is that you got to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges .
Commissioner Sarnoff. Here's what you're saying, Chief Of the pie chart, most of the pie is
property crime, and nobody in the nation is doing well on property crimes, and that brings down
your persons -against -persons crime rate to a lower number, which is categorized in that pie as
part -one crimes, correct?
Chief Llanes: A plus.
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Commissioner Sarnoff.. There you go. Now --
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Chair, if I may? May I?
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Sure.
Commissioner Suarez: Okay, thank you. My issue is this: My issue is -- I'm going to use the
words that you said -- our clearance rate is nothing to brag about, okay? We want to have a
government that we can brag about. That's what we work hard for evety day. That's what we try
to do in evety phase. And so what I've challenged the Manager when he became Manager was,
Mr. Manager, we want to make sure that every aspect of our government is something we can
brag about; not just our financial outlook, not just, you know, our bond rating, not just our
reserves, not just our transportation fund, not just all these great things that we all brag about,
because I know I do. And I'm having a hard time explaining to the public why we can't brag
about this. Is that a fair statement?
Chief Llanes: Oh, absolutely.
Commissioner Suarez: Right. And so what is the answer? That's the dilemma, you know. I
mean, it's that simple. I don't want to make it complicated. We all admit that our crime
statistics are not something to brag about.
Chief Llanes: I won't say that.
Commissioner Suarez: What do you mean?
Chief Llanes: I think we have vety, vety good crime rates.
Commissioner Suarez: Our clearance.
Chief Llanes: Crime reductions --
Commissioner Suarez: My apologies.
Chief Llanes: -- over the last 10 years. When you drill down to what you look at -- a clearance
rate is not the same as a crime rate.
Commissioner Suarez: Agreed, agreed.
Chief Llanes: And when you start to look at these things, all of it is not resource -based Some of
it is management -based And so you have to look at how these divisions are managed, and you
have to make changes, and you have apply technology, and you have to apply different things to
try to get people to improve their work product, and that's an ongoing improvement process.
That doesn't happen by flipping a switch.
Commissioner Suarez: Look, Chief I fought with your predecessor, okay, many times. And one
of the things that I fought with him on was the use of technology. And interestingly, the article
highlights the use of that technology, you know, as something that is more accurately describing
what is happening on our streets, and so I -- you know, to me, it comes back to that same phrase
that you used, you know, what is the strategy to get to a point where we can brag about the job
that we're doing? That's it. It's that simple. And that's what we have to justify to our bosses.
Chair Gort: If you'll recall, when we had a meeting way back, we asked the Chief and the
Manager to come up with a plan --
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Commissioner Suarez: It's simple.
Chair Gort: -- to reduce the crime. My understanding, even the article in the Miami Herald
gave credit to the Chief for some reduction, some changes that he making that has taken place.
How long you've been a Chief now?
Chief Llanes: Since January, sir.
Chair Gort: Okay. So what we're asking is to come back with a plan to be effective so we can
reduce crime. My understanding is they're working on it. They're going to continue to work with
it, and that's what we're requesting. Now, you guys want to add additional hundred policemen,
that's a choice that we have to make. Is that going to solve the crime? I like to hear from the
professional. A hundred more policemen, what is it going to do for you? How you going to be
able to reduce crime? I'm not an expert; I can't tell a police officer what to do or how to
operate. I've never been a police officer. I don't have that experience. We have two individuals
here that were police officers that might be able to give us some addition, but I think we -- I think
the Chief and the Manager knows not only what is coming from us; that we want to see crime
being reduced, but it's also from the public. I mean, every time we go to any one meeting, we get
the same results; people asking us what are we doing? What can we do? And there's a plan that
they working on it, it's my understanding. My understanding is there's been some reduction,
some changes that have taken place since January to today. So we have two more items to
discuss. If you want to, we can continue to discuss this and -- Mr. Manager.
Mr. Alfonso: Yes. I just wanted to make a point. Chief has been leading the department for a
little over seven months or about seven months. It was towards the end of January that he took
over. Commissioner, you asked what can we brag about? If you look at last year's crimes
statistics and this year's crime statistics, the overall rates are down for every single district, with
the exception of Overtown; and the difference in Overtown is from 753 incidences to 768
incidences, so there's an incidents of 15, and that's the data that we have year-to-date compared
to last year, so I think that we have made an impact. I think the Chief has made a commitment to
changing things in the way the department is operated. Again, we have more police officers
today than we've ever had in the City of Miami. And those are things that we can say we're
making an impact and a difference on.
Chair Gort: And my understanding is, we're going to continue to work to hire a lot more,
because we have what's going to take place in 2017, and we want to make sure that it gets done.
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Chair, can I ask a question, please?
Chair Gort: Yes.
Commissioner Suarez: All right, this was sort of where I was going with it, when we got off on a
little bit of a tangent. I says here "attempted murder." And again, I don't -- I saw this for the
first time today, as well, okay? So it says here "attempted murder." And it says Coconut Grove,
15 people shot; zero cleared. Is that accurate or inaccurate?
Chief Llanes: I don't know for what year you're looking at. I didn't --
Commissioner Suarez: It says here 2015 through mid -August.
Chief Llanes: Fifteen. I think it was 11. I'm not really sure of the actual number, but yeah,
that's not uncommon to have in a short time span, not cases not cleared. You can have --
clearance comes -- it's not a linear solvability factor, all right. You're not going to have three
shootings and then solve one. You could solve six and maybe one die. You know, that's just --
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you know, it's that nuance there.
Commissioner Suarez: I think that's why you get complaints from the Grove, though. Wouldn't
you complain if that was happening in your neighborhood where you live?
Chief Llanes: Yes.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. You know, Commissioner, I've been walking my district -- I was walking
the Grove. There was a loud -- sounded like gunshot. I'm not going to tell you it was a gunshot.
Everyone in the West Grove hit the floor simultaneously. The only stupid person standing there:
Me. You want to know why? I wasn't used to it. I had a woman grab me and pull me down. I
was like "What's the big deal?" She goes, "That's a gunshot. " And I, of course, called in to
say, "Was it a gunshot?" And we didn't know whether it was or it wasn't. But the community
has become so Pavlovian to hearing this that they all hit the ground simultaneously, and I'm
standing there going, "What's everybody doing?" I was walkingMofningside. I saw a burglary
in progress. I'll give our Police Department credit: They came right away; they arrested the guy.
It's just not that hard to find. It's just not that hard to see. And I just think -- I'm going to say it
again. You're going to get tired of hearing it, but the good news is, in 60 days, you'll never have
to hear from me again. It's a Miami callous. I got this stolen; no big deal. I had that taken; no
big deal. But we're not talking about the Miami callous now. We're talking about shooting at a
person with the intent to kill them.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: The category on this is persons shot, so it says, "In the Grove, there was
15 persons shot." It says, `Liberty City, there were 45 persons shot, 3 cleared; Overtown, 19
persons shots, 1 cleared; Little Haiti, 44 person shot, 3 cleared So, the number of people shot at
in Liberty City, Overtown, Little Haiti are probably higher than that. That's the first thing. And
-- I mean, this is why I believe that crime is a citywide issue. This is why I believe that although
you look at this and you see Model City, Overtown, Little Haiti as, you know, all within my area,
why this is not a district -wide problem. This is why it takes citywide support and why all of us
should look at this as a black eye, because I probably -- be honest with you, had I heard a
gunshot in Coconut Grove, hmm. But when you hear an AK-47 go off in Liberty City, oh, it's a
much different sound. So if you thought you were terrorized, I mean, that sound is much
different.
Commissioner Suarez: You can hear --
Vice Chair Hardemon: All of our officers know the type of damage that it does to a person, to a
person; I mean, let alone, property. So, you know, this is one of those things where I really want
the City of Miami, much like it did -- and I wasn't here, but I read about it -- much like you did
when there were tourists being attacked, and you had the shootings, and we ended up on
national news because of the things that were going on. Miami stood up as a city. When I think
about what happens in Chicago and I think about statistics that happen, you know, the Chicago
-- the city stands up. This isn't a Model City problem, an Overtown problem, a Little Haiti
problem. If you think it's a District 5 problem, wait till they push us out. Wait till they push us
out, because that's what's happening. So there are a lot of things that we can be proud about
within our communities. Property values rising, renters are being pushed out. Where are they
going to go? And so, you know, to me, that's why it's important that we have to work on
prevention, as well, because if you think you're just going to catch them all, good luck, good
luck. It's just not going to happen that way. So, you know, there just has to be that
diversification and the resources that we provide, but -- so I'm not going to beat up my Police
Department because my -- I watch someone who's very important to me go out every single day
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and serve on those very same streets. I have cousins that have been shot in the head standing on
61 st Street, right. I've seen AK-47 when I was knocking on doors. I talked to a guy with an
AK-47 in his hands and I looked at him; like he has death in his eyes. I didn't know if it was
legal or illegal for him to have it, because it probably -- it could have been legal. Did I call -- I
knocked on doors and watched shootouts happen in Liberty Square, saw it happened. Saw a
miss, but it happened. So, you know, we're doing all these things to help reduce crime to
increase our quality of life, that's if you have a life to defend I mean, the one thing that we may
get upset sometimes when Madam Holmes stands before us and so eloquently takes up all of our
time, but sometimes, she says some things that just, ah, man, they stick. And when she said she'll
trade dollars for blood, that stuck. Check your email right now. I guarantee you, within this
past week, you'll have at least three deaths.
Chair Gort: Let me tell you. I'm looking at Coconut Grove, Model City, Overtown, Little Haiti,
but this is citywide. Because I think where you have crime that have increased within District 1
and District 3 and District 4, and we got to come up with the plan for the whole City. It's
something -- and I know we -- there's a need -- a lot more need in certain areas of the City, but
it's going through the whole City. This is something we all really have to work together on all
this, because we just had -- I just had a guy, they robbed him a block away from my house, and
he was shot last week. Today, I got a call for the -- I had to go to the funeral home. It's
something that we really need to work on it, and I don't have the solution. I wish I did. I think
you're the professionals. You're the guys that have to come up with the answers. Okay.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Either we're going to invest in school or we're going to invest in prison.
Chair Gort: We're on the capital.
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Chair Gort: Is there a motion on the capital?
Commissioner Sarnoff. I'll move it, less than $15 million.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Second.
Commissioner Suarez: Second.
Chair Gort: Okay, it's been moved, less $15 million; second. Any further discussion? Being
none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
Commissioner Sarnoff Aye.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Aye.
Commissioner Suarez: Aye.
Commissioner Carollo: No.
Todd B. Hannon (City Clerk): As amended.
Chair Gort: As amended. Mr. Manager, what I'm requesting is, we going to be asking a lot of
changes in here, and every time you ask for a change, I'll also want to see the impact that those
changes going to make --
Mr. Alfonso: Correct.
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Chair Gort: -- as to the City as a whole, okay?
Mr. Alfonso: So I was just going to point out, Mr. Chairman, the general fund support to the
capital budget that was just removed, if you go to page 37 of the capital budget -- I'm sorry, page
28 of the capital budget, line items 37 through 92 are all the projects that will be removed.
Chair Gort: Okay, fine.
Mr. Alfonso: Okay.
Chair Gort: If you bring it to us, you let us know, then we'll make the final decision.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Page 27 --
Unidentified Speaker: Twenty-eight.
Commissioner Suarez: That's the beauty of legislating.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Twenty-eight.
Mr. Alfonso: Commissioner, page 28 of the capital budget book, line items 37, all the way
through 92. Those are all the general fund funded projects that were supported by the $15
million.
Commissioner Sarnoff Sorry; one more time.
Commissioner Carollo: Thirty-seven through --
Mr. Alfonso: Page 28, line item 37, go through page 29, page 30; and on page 31, line item 92,
so all those projects included in there would be removed.
Commissioner Sarnoff And I take it we could reinstate some, all, or partial of them at the next
budget hearing?
Mr. Alfonso: Correct.
Commissioner Sarnoff Okay.
Commissioner Carollo: Go back now.
Commissioner Sarnoff. You can go back. No, you -- we're not -- our hands are not --
Commissioner Carollo: Don't get nervous now.
Commissioner Sarnoff. I'm not nervous at all.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay, okay.
Commissioner Sarnoff. You can go back. You can have the Manager present a budget to you.
Commissioner Carollo: I got it, I got it. I know how it works.
Commissioner Sarnoff. You know, I'm --
Commissioner Carollo: I know how it works.
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BH.21
15-01046
Office of Management
and Budget
Chair Gort: We all know how it works.
Commissioner Sarnoff Right. It's an interesting way to present a budget when you first get it,
which is, "Here's what we're going to do this year, " as opposed to "Here's our budget," so, you
know, it's an interesting carrot.
Chair Gort: Okay. It's been moved and -- it was moved on. It was passed.
ORDINANCE
First Reading
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION DEFINING AND
DESIGNATING THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS FOR THE CITY OF MIAMI FOR
THE PURPOSE OF TAXATION; ADOPTING THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE AND
LEVYING AD VALOREM TAXES IN THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2015 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER
30, 2016; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, AND PROVIDING FOR
AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
15-01046 Summary Form SR.pdf
15-01046 Pre -Legislation FR/SR.pdf
15-01046 Legislation SR.pdf
15-01046-Submittal-FOP Javier Ortiz -Proposed funding for Police Department.pdf
15-01046-Submittal-Commissioner Sarnoff-Police Hiring.pdf
ACTIONS BY THE CITY COMMISSION:
1. RECOMPUTE THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE, IF NECESSARY
2. ADOPT THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATE
Motion by Commissioner Sarnoff, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
PASSED ON FIRST READING PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 5 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo, Suarez and Hardemon
Note: Please see item BH 1 for minutes pertaining to item BH 21.
Chair Gort: Okay, next.
Christopher Rose (Director): Commissioners, Chris Rose, Office of Management & Budget.
BH.21 is establishing the fiscal 2015-'16 millage rates. Total millage rate of 8.3351. The
general operating is the same at 7.6465. The debt service is at 0.6886.
Chair Gort: Okay, thank you. Is anyone in the audience would like to address the millage rate?
Seeing none, hearing none, all in -- public hearing will be closed. Commissioners.
Commissioner Sarnoff So moved.
Commissioner Suarez: Second.
Chair Gort: Been moved by Commissioner Sarnoff second by Commissioner Suarez. Any
further discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it by saying aye."
Mr. Hannon: It is --
Victoria Mendez (City Attorney): An ordinance.
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BH.22
15-01014
Office of Management
and Budget
Chair Gort: Oops, sorry about that.
The Ordinance was read by title into the public record by the City Attorney.
Mr. Hannon: Roll call on item BH 21.
A roll call was taken, the result of which is stated above.
Mr. Hannon: The ordinance passes on first reading, 5-0.
RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION ADOPTING A
TENTATIVE BUDGET AND MAKING APPROPRIATIONS RELATING TO
OPERATIONAL AND BUDGETARY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.
15-01014 Summary Form.pdf
15-01014 Back -Up - Change Memo.pdf
15-01014 Legislation.pdf
15-01014-Submittal-FOP Javier Ortiz -Proposed funding for Police Department.pdf
15-01014-Submittal-Commissioner Sarnoff-Police Hiring.pdf
ACTIONS BY THE CITY COMMISSION:
1. AMEND THE BUDGET, IF NECESSARY
2. ADOPT THE TENTATIVE BUDGET
Motion by Commissioner Carollo, seconded by Commissioner Suarez, that this matter be
ADOPTED WITH MODIFICATIONS PASSED by the following vote.
Votes: Ayes: 5 - Commissioner(s) Gort, Sarnoff, Carollo, Suarez and Hardemon
R-15-0395
Note: Please see item BH 1 for minutes pertaining to item BH 22.
Mr. Rose: BH 22. Good evening, Commissioners. Chris Rose, Office of Management & Budget.
BH 22 is the City's budget appropriation resolution, and the Administration is recommending it
as amended by the change memo.
Commissioner Carollo: And that's --
Commissioner Sarnoff I don't know. I'm not sure what you said.
Commissioner Carollo: He says that they're recommending approval by the change memo, so
they passed out a change memo of --
Commissioner Sarnoff Oh, oh.
Commissioner Carollo: -- a few days ago.
Chair Gort: The one with the --
Commissioner Carollo: So this -- but now there's an additional 15 -- whatever the amount of
capital was -- $15 million, which I suggest that go to public safety.
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Commissioner Sarnoff. Correct. A potential, correct.
Commissioner Carollo: I would say that -- because you have to amend, because now your
general fund dollars to the capital is no longer being allocated to something, so now you have an
additional $15 million -- 15 whatever it was -- 15 point something.
Mr. Rose: Fifteen point three, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Fifteen point three. A million dollars that now we have to allocate
within our budget, so what I'm saying is those $15.3 million should be allocated to public safety.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Agreed.
Chair Gort: Okay.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I --
Chair Gort: Yes.
Vice Chair Hardemon: I think -- my theme is pretty much the same. I think in providing dollars
towards prevention.
Commissioner Sarnoff. You want to put something towards --?
Vice Chair Hardemon: Just one. Just one of those measly things.
Commissioner Sarnoff Million?
Vice Chair Hardemon: I think -- right. I think if -- as a city, if we said you know, we need to
prevent our children from being involved in crime and we're willing to put our dollars towards
them to help train them, put them in these summer internship programs, or it could be a
year -long internship program if we have that type of money where they're working after school
and things of that nature, if they can, so summer and year internship programs; that that is going
to help us reduce crime. I just sincerely believe that it will. That's what kept me out of trouble.
Actually being on a park, but that's neither here nor there. I didn't have a job.
Commissioner Carollo: I can agree to that, if it's a specific million from one of the capital
projects there. And I guess I don't want to get into too much detail. But for me to approve -- and
I guess now it's a moot point, because we're not approving the capital budget for that million. I
received no information for that million, and I really thought, you know, we should have received
information. So if that million comes from that capital item, I prefer the million to be spent on
what you're saying, which is education or poverty initiative than for that capital expense. And I
know -- I'm not going to get into details, but this is what I'm afraid: That in the second meeting,
we start allocating now back to the capital, and we probably will to some --
Vice Chair Hardemon: Yes.
Commissioner Carollo: -- but not to all, and there's one item there that I will tell you, I think we
need to -- I think, for sure, it needs to go to public safety. So if that's the one, it's only one item,
one million.
Vice Chair Hardemon: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Carollo: So it's a --
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Vice Chair Hardemon: I mean, that's definitely my ask. The -- I figure it definitely -- it is --
Commissioner Carollo: I got you.
Vice Chair Hardemon: -- complimentaty to public safety.
Commissioner Carollo: I got you.
Chair Gort: And I think we cannot decide in here. We can ask the Administration that maybe
they come up with the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) plan.
Commissioner Carollo: I got some questions, ifI may?
Chair Gort: Go ahead.
Commissioner Carollo: Real quick. We just approved Omni's budget, and in their budget, and
they have allocation of $1.6 million -- $1.646, 204, 000, 000 for police, but the City's only showing
600, 000. Why?
Commissioner Sarnoff. I think I know the answer, but let them answer it. I don't think they --
Commissioner Carollo: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Sarnoff -- billed them yet.
Commissioner Carollo: What's that?
Commissioner Sarnoff I don't think they billed them yet. I think they're still a pending bill. I
think it's that simple.
Chair Gort: Yeah.
Commissioner Carollo: So then, realistically, my same question is going to be for Overtown,
too: 700, 000 for creation of you know, the Overtown police unit, which, again, I'm in complete
agreement, but what I'm saying, is, okay; it was approved in the budget. Where is it in the City
budget, receiving that money so we could actually, you know, have the Overtown police unit?
I'm not seeing it in the City budget, so I'm questioning, wait a second; it's been approved --
Chair Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Carollo: -- where is the City allocating these funds to actually make this happen?
And then there's a police camera pilot program for 275.
Mr. Rose: Commissioner, Chris Rose, Office of Management & Budget. We confirmed both
numbers from the CRA are in our budget. We did that in July before we released the proposed
budget --
Commissioner Carollo: Do you know that --
Mr. Rose: -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hundred.
Commissioner Carollo: -- you're leaving money on the table, because they approved more than
what you have showing coming in?
Mr. Rose: Again, we had agreed on what the number is. If they put more in, that's not what we
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had talked about back in July, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Well, the bottom line is, look at their budget. It was passed today just a
little while ago. See how much money was approved for these items; see how much money you
have.
Mr. Rose: Can we take that back and address it in the second hearing, sir?
Chair Gort: Sure, go ahead
Commissioner Carollo: Sure. No. That's fine. I mean, this -- listen, this is first reading; I get it.
Mr. Rose: Sure.
Commissioner Carollo: You know, there's other things that we want to talk about, so I get it. But
these are things that need to be addressed, especially, you know, they were talking public safety
and we're talking, you know, police. These are police issues, and the police camera pilot
program also, they allocated 275.
Mr. Rose: That's -- yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay. I don't think the City allocated 275.
Mr. Rose: I believe we did, but --
Commissioner Carollo: Okay.
Mr. Rose: -- let me check it, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay.
Commissioner Sarnoff I don't have a problem with what you're saying. They have to match.
Commissioner Carollo: I --
Commissioner Sarnoff I -- you're right, they have to match.
Commissioner Carollo: -- sort of just want to --
Chair Gort: Do we --
Commissioner Carollo: -- comply and go with it, but I just -- I can't.
Chair Gort: Do we understand the question?
Commissioner Sarnoff Here.
Commissioner Carollo: I didn't need the analysis, or I don't need to wait for an analysis. Local
options field tax, 6.5 million, debt service to pay from local service, local gas option tax thing --
hold on. Let me find it real quick. I think it's one point -- he's finding it now, but it's 1.5. Hold
on a second. Debt service --
Mr. Rose: Should be on page 67, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: Hold on. Sorry I've looked at so many numbers. You're saying 67. I
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don't think it's there. No. I have here in page 304, 1.5, 1.484
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: So apparently, it's about $5 million. So it's not all taken up,
Commissioner Sarnoff.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Wait. Walk me through it.
Mr. Alfonso: Commissioner, all the money is allocated in the budget, so it may not be for debt
service --
Commissioner Carollo: Right.
Mr. Alfonso: -- but it's for either capital or operating expenses.
Commissioner Carollo: But that's exactly what the discussion was. When I mentioned local
option gas tax, Commissioner Sarnoff earlier said, "Hey, we have certain debt obligation and
you may" -- "if we get an analysis, you may see that it's all taken up. " It really isn't for debt
service. It's only 1.5 for debt service. The other is going to public works, I believe.
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Commissioner Carollo: And public works can be funded from the general fund, but in the future,
if we get into some problems, we could scale it back. So that was -- and again, I was going to
keep quiet, because -- let the analysis go, but -- the Administration usually, when they do these
analysis, I guess I have issues with them, so I just wanted to make sure that instead of letting it
keep going and pass on, I could tell you, I don't need an analysis; I got the budget book and I
could tell you what it is, so.
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Chair, ifI may?
Chair Gort: Yes.
Commissioner Suarez: You know, what we have here -- up here, which is a limited tool, is sort of
the power of the purse, and so when we talk about these --
Commissioner Carollo: Exactly, exactly.
Commissioner Suarez: -- allocation things, whether it be taking money out of capital or looking
at certain line items and how they interact with each other in different budgets, you know -- I
hate to take it back to the same place, but I think the overriding theme tonight -- not to detract
from what you're saying, because you're absolutely right -- is we see -- there's a storm brewing,
okay. In some ways, it's already here, but what is coming may be far worse, okay. You talk
about losing 250 officers, and the County losing a thousand, having to hire 1,250.
Commissioner Carollo: Yes.
Commissioner Suarez: I don't want to be in a position where we lose in that battle. Why?
Because this: You know and -- we've all said we don't want to lower our standards, correct?
And we've all said there's a finite pool of candidates, so we need to -- Mr. Chief you don't mind
-- we need to make sure that the way we structure our purse, if you will, is to ensure that in that
competition between the County and ourselves, that we structure a compensation package that
makes us victorious, whether that's in year three, four and five, whatever that blend is. I don't
know what it is, okay? I haven't analyzed it to that depth in terms of what would give us that
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competitive advantage, but we have to have it, because I'm telling you right now, if we're having
a hard time hiring officers without that sort of competition, imagine when you have the
competition for 1,250, not 200, not 100, not 60 but 1,250 new officers over the next few years.
So Ijust -- I love -- I'd like to hear your perspective on that. Is that -- I mean, because right now,
I'm toying to come up with something positive out of this entire discussion. And as a Commission
that has the power of the purse, right now I'm struggling to get something positive out of this.
Commissioner Carollo: Well, no, no, no. Commissioner Suarez, I think we have gotten
something positive, and it also sends a clear message of --
Commissioner Suarez: Right.
Commissioner Carollo: -- this Commission and how they feel. I mean, I recommended, and it
seems like everyone is in favor, and I think that's been the theme, that those $15 million -- maybe
it'll be 14.3 because of your -- the million dollars, where you want it to go to -- I don't know --
antipoverty. I don't know what you want to call it this year.
Vice Chair Hardemon: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Sarnoff.. I like "intern."
Commissioner Carollo: Intern. But the bottom line is, $14.3 million, we're assigning at least --
or allocating it in this first budget to public safety, police and fire, you know. So I think, in all
fairness, we are showing, "Hey, listen, this is our priority."
Commissioner Suarez: Is it fair to say that we cannot afford to lose out on that battle with those
1,250 positions that we're going to be looking for in the next two or three years?
Chief Llanes: I think that, you know -- Rodolfo Llanes, Chief of Police. I think that in order to
stay competitive -- we got police departments from around the country who come here to recruit
candidates from here. I think we need to stay competitive not only with our local agencies. I
think that's the -- what we should be using as a benchmark is who is here and what they're
hiring. I am completely for a better compensation package for our police officers, not only
starting, but as they continue on through their career, whatever that looks like. In terms of
numbers, it's up to that gentleman right there and that gentleman over there. But I am certainly
in favor of a better compensation package for our police officers. What they negotiate, sir, you
get to approve it.
Commissioner Suarez: You know --
Chief Llanes: There is -- I think --
Commissioner Suarez: Look --
Chief Llanes: -- as a matter of -- a point of privilege, I think there is a premium of dressing in
blue versus brown.
Commissioner Suarez: Listen, I --
Chief Llanes: No offense.
Commissioner Suarez: Listen, I'm trying to find a silver lining. I'm toying to find a silver lining
Commissioner Sarnoff.: You know, my wife said the same thing: You got prettier uniforms.
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Commissioner Carollo: Chief I only applied to one police department, and
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) stay with my career.
Commissioner Suarez: Listen, if we would have been in charge, we would have had a
compensation package; you would have applied to our police department. No, not -- Look, I
think the bottom line is that we're in the midst of a storm, and the storm -- certainly, there is
objective indications all over the place, and I'm struggling. I'm really, really struggling. And I
think, for me, we have such limited tools. We -- I mean, "we" on this side of the podium, you
know. And one of those is -- and we showed it. We demonstrate it by moving money, allocating,
switching. You know, we're struggling, you know. But we know that -- we know the County's
going to be toying to hire a thousand officers. And if you create that sucking sound, that vacuum
in the situation that we're currently in right now where, what, we're doing a net, what, 40 for the
year, a net 30 for the year? Is that where we're at?
Chief Llanes: Fifty.
Commissioner Suarez: We're at net 50 for the year? Tiy putting another thousand on top of that.
Chief Llanes: Agreed.
Commissioner Suarez: Okay.
Mayor Tomas Regalado: I just --
Chair Gort: Chief let me ask you a question.
Mayor Regalado: If I may --
Chair Gort: Yes, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Regalado: -- Chairman, just -- What I have heard is from the PBA (Police Benevolent
Association). The PBA says the County is short 800 officers. The County did the budget last
week. They didn't budget for 800 officers. I follow the County budget. They did not budget for
800 officers. The PBA have documented that they need 800 officers, but there is no budget in the
County. I don't know how they can just go out and now, out of the budget, approve or hire office
[sic]. I'm just stating the fact, because maybe this is reported by the media or something, and
that we are competing with the County or something, but the PBA has documented that they need
800 office [sic], but in the budget of the County, there is no 800 officer.
Commissioner Suarez: Mr. Mayor, and I'm not disputing what you're saying, because I don't
know -- I haven't followed the budget as closely as you have of the County, but what I think we've
been talking about is over the next few years, just so you know --
Mayor Regalado: No, I understand that. I'm just saying because, you know --
Commissioner Suarez: Right. DROP -related retirements.
Mayor Regalado: Right, but --
Commissioner Suarez: Like we're having, and we can anticipate them.
Mayor Regalado: -- what the media will be reporting this conversation, you know, that you all
took a decision because --
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Commissioner Suarez: How do you know what the media's going to be reporting out of this
conversation?
Mayor Regalado: Because I know what the media reports.
Commissioner Suarez: Oh, really?
Mayor Regalado: Yeah.
Commissioner Suarez: You got to teach me that one day.
Mayor Regalado: I used to do that.
Commissioner Suarez: You got to teach me that one day.
Mayor Regalado: I guess I still do.
Chair Gort: Chief question.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Chair.
Chair Gort: How long does it take --
Commissioner Suarez: I haven't figured that one out yet.
Chair Gort: -- from recruiting the person to become a police officer? I know you have made
some changes and you have improved those days.
Commissioner Sarnoff Three years, NYPD (New York Police Department). Just kidding.
Chief Llanes: I got some stuff that I want to give you.
Commissioner Sarnoff. I know. I do, too.
Chief Llanes: I sent somebody to New York to verify that.
Commissioner Sarnoff And I spoke to Bracken (phonetic).
Chief Llanes: Mr. Chair, with the process that we have in place right now, we can screen and
hire the same amount off this list in one calendar year. So what we got were 1,800 applicants.
We can run through a list in less than a year of 1,800 applicants, whatever comes out of that
pool, which would be anywhere between 7 and 12 percent, which is what we hire. We can do
that. I think we can do that within a year. I think we can do anywhere between 140 to 160 hires
a year, but now, when you talk about the quality of the individual that you're going to get, we are
all competing for the same pool of candidates, whether it's the County, the Beach, us, and the
people that come from outside to recruit here, also. So there is a certain pool of candidates that
will pass the rigorous background process, and we're all competing for that specific pool.
Commissioner Suarez: Right.
Chief Llanes: What I can hire -- what I think 1 can hire in one calendar year or one fiscal year,
12-month period -- wherever you want to put it at -- is about anywhere between 140 and 160.
And so --
Chair Gort: One of the things --
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Chief Llanes: -- the quality of the candidate is, I think, what's important.
Chair Gort: Well, one of the things I've been saying for two years now is you guys got to come
back to us and tell us, "This is the changes that we like to do," so we can expedite this and get
the high quality people.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chairman.
Chair Gort: Okay? Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Mr. Chief does the timing affect any of this? For instance, I know if
you're competing for the same individual, right? If I were competing for a county job, a city job,
and -- or say just a county and a city job, and they both had the same -- relatively the same
application time period, right? You're really competing compared to, for instance -- I remember
when I -- and this probably happened to everyone who applied to law school. I applied to law
school, and the University of Miami told me, "Okay, well, you're accepter, but you have to let us
know whether you're going to take this in the next 10 days." And it was two months before we
received any type of acceptance from any other university. So my question really becomes, how
do you use your timing as compared to other entities that want to do hiring?
Chief Llanes: I'm not sure what the question is. You -- is the question, does one entity hire faster
than another? Is that the timing you're talking about?
Vice Chair Hardemon: No, no, no, not faster, but get started Like how -- because I've never
been through that process. I'm trying to figure out how do they get started. So, for instance, if I
was thinking of applying to five different police forces in South Florida, I would imagine some
would have an application process that starts sooner than the others. Do you pay attention to
that? And if you do, how does that affect who you're able to attract?
Chief Llanes: I think the pool of candidates is probably the same that we're attracting, but you
can -- it's anecdotally, right? You can say that the smaller the agency, the quicker they can push
you through the process; and so the larger the agency, the bigger the pool of applicants, the
more time it takes to screen everybody that's on the list. And so, if the County were to advertise
opening for tomorrow and got 2,000 applications and we got 1,000, we can process our 1,000
quicker than they can process their 2,000. So it would be that kind of comparison, one to the
other.
Vice Chair Hardemon: But are the start times -- do you -- are you aware -- for instance, if -- I
don't know any -- are there customary dates in which the City of Miami starts its process? Is it
every October?
Mr. Alfonso: No.
Vice Chair Hardemon: Or is it, you know, summer (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
Mr. Alfonso: I understand your question, Commissioner. No. The fact is that the rules that we
have is we have to exhaust a list and then advertise for the other. So right now we're going to
exhaust this list probably in the October/November time frame.
Chief Llanes: Yes, sir.
Mr. Alfonso: And we're already talking about setting up the next advertisement, and it'll be
around that time frame.
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Vice Chair Hardemon: Okay.
Commissioner Suarez: Thank you, Chief.
Chair Gort: Okay. Any further discussion?
Commissioner Carollo: No.
Chair Gort: Okay.
Commissioner Carollo: No. We'll -- any further discussion will be on second reading.
Commissioner Suarez: I'm good with that.
Chair Gort: Okeydoke. Do we have the motion or --?
Commissioner Carollo: Yeah.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Your move.
Commissioner Carollo: I make it as a motion.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Yeah, I could put --
Commissioner Carollo: Okay. I made a -- I make a motion --
Commissioner Suarez: To amend it, yeah.
Commissioner Carollo: -- to approve the budget, as amended by the $15.3 million.
Commissioner Suarez: Second.
Commissioner Carollo: And maybe I should give the exact amount.
Mr. Alfonso: I want to make sure that --
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Fifteen point three one one.
Commissioner Carollo: Okay.
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Mr. Alfonso: That number, plus the 35,000 or so that was out of the GESE; that has to be
amended in as well. And are we accepting the changes memorandum, or do we not add the 40
police officers?
Commissioner Suarez: That was a change?
Mr. Alfonso: That was in the changes memo, sir, yes.
Commissioner Suarez: No, no. I'm saying that was a change? I thought that was in the initial
proposal.
Mr. Alfonso: No, sir. That was in the changes memorandum.
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Commissioner Suarez: So you decided to do it after the fact?
Commissioner Carollo: That's why I said, at the second reading, I'll -- we'll further discuss.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Well, you could, theoretically, not accept that, and then come back with
a proposal to us that would give us a higher number. 171 be honest what I'm looking for. I'm -- I
figured Chief Orosa was, I imagine, a good Chief of Police. He certainly finished his job, right?
He started and ended. He said that we should be at 1,360. That's -- I'm just going to -- I'm not
the expert, but he is.
Commissioner Carollo: Listen, again, we have sufficient monies there.
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Right.
Commissioner Carollo: Now, I think it's time to negotiate with the unions and see --
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Agreed.
Commissioner Carollo: -- exactly how many more officers we need and the different salaries or
contracts. Remember, and Fire doesn't even have a contract this year, so --
Commissioner Sarnoff. Well, they need to get one, so --
Commissioner Carollo: Right, but that's what I'm saying. Police is looking for a contract for
this coming budget. Fire doesn't even have one for the current budget that we're --
Unidentified Speaker: To be retrofitted.
Chair Gort: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Commissioner Carollo: Right, exactly.
Commissioner Suarez: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hopefully.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Right.
Commissioner Carollo: Exactly. So, anyhow, that's my motion.
Commissioner Sarnoff. I just don't know that we need to accept the changes memo, because I
don't know how that -- if we need to or not, because you're being sort of illustrated and
instructed what the policy decision is here.
Commissioner Carollo: The problem is this, that the changes memo has more than one thing.
Commissioner Sarnoff. Right.
Commissioner Carollo: So we will have to go item by item to see exactly -- you understand what
I'm saying?
Commissioner Sarnoff.. Yeah, I do, I do, I do.
Chair Gort: Okay.
Vice Chair Hardemon: So there will be a greater surplus than that 15 plus $30, 000 then, if we
don't have -- if we don't accept the changes memo now. It's whatever the budget is -- well, it's
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the budget as presented, actually.
Mr. Rose: Yes, sir.
Vice Chair Hardemon: The budget as presented; got it.
Commissioner Carollo: Budget as presented with 15.3 --
Vice Chair Hardemon: With 15.3 --
Commissioner Sarnoff. One one.
Commissioner Carollo: -- one one for public safety, and then we'll take it from there and bring it
back for a second reading, and we'll decide where we are.
Chair Gort: Got you. Okay, any further discussion? Being none, all in favor, state it by saying
aye."
The Commission (Collectively): Aye.
Mr. Hannon: As amended.
Chair Gort: As amended.
Commissioner Carollo: As amended
Chair Gort: Thank you all.
Mr. Rose: Thank you, Commissioners.
END OF FIRST BUDGET HEARING
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9: 21 p.m.
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