Commission Budget Workshop

Lake Park Town Commission, Florida Commission Budget Workshop Minutes Commission Chamber, Town Hall, 535 Park Avenue, Lake Park, FL 33403 Wednesday August 21, 2024 Immediately Following the CRA Budget Workshop Roger Michaud __ Mayor Kimberly Glas Castro __ Vice Mayor Michael Hensley __ Commissioner Mary Beth Taylor __ Commissioner Judith Thomas __ Commissioner John D’Agostino __ Town Manager Thomas J. Baird __ Town Attorney Vivian Mendez, MMC __ Town Clerk PLEASE TAKE NOTICE AND BE ADVISED, that if any interested person desires to appeal any decision of the Town Commission, with respect to any matter considered at this meeting, such interested person will need a record of the proceedings, and for such purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in the meeting should contract the Town Clerk’s office by calling 881-3311 at least 48 hours in advance to request accommodations. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL 6:36 P.M. PRESENT Mayor Roger Michaud Vice-Mayor Kimberly Glas-Castro Commissioner Mary-Beth Taylor Commissioner Judith Thomas Commissioner Michael Hensley PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Conducted during the CRA Workshop. SPECIAL PRESENTATION/REPORT: 1. Town of Lake Park Budget 2024-2025 PROPOSED Town Manager D'Agostino explained the purpose of the workshop. He stated that the State of Florida had reduced their contribution to the Town by $80,000. Town Manager D’Agostino spoke about the budget process, the proposed budget and the proposed millage rate. He would like feedback on what the Commission would like to see in the budget. Town Manager D’Agostino discussed the budget as compiled within a budget sheet provided by the Finance Department (Exhibit A). Town Manager D’Agostino discussed a budget item for over $600,000 for adding two deputies and two services aides. He stated that if we didn’t hire any officers our cost would increase by $136,552 which amounts to a 4% increase. Adding the two service aides would offset that by $50,000 each. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro asked about the surplus of $13,400 and does that include the PBSO Deputies and service aides. Town Manager D’Agostino stated that it does. She also asked about expenditures vs. revenues. Finance Director Jeff DaSilva stated that any remaining deficits at the end of the year would be forwarded to the next budget year. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro stated that she does not feel that this is prudent budgeting. Commissioner Taylor asked if the service aides were being proposed only for parking and believes the parking situation needs to be reviewed to determine the root cause. She would also like to know why we need two additional officers. PBSO Captain Gendreau stated that the service aides are not only intended for parking issues. He stated that the service aides can assist with traffic accidents freeing up the deputies, they would also perform various community service functions, identify potentially hazardous situations, address abandoned vehicles, interview complainants, transport evidence, traffic control, records checks, etc. which will free up the deputies. He stated that they are asking for the two additional deputies because the town is growing and the Town’s population will be growing. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro asked how the two new deputies would be incorporated into the team. Captain Gendreau stated that he would assign one to each of the two midnight shifts. Captain Gendreau stated that the Sheriff  has offered to offset the 4% Cost of Living increases in the first year if the new staff are attained. Commissioner Thomas asked how many deputies are staffed. Captain Gendreau stated there are 23 staffed deputies. Commissioner Thomas asked if the big box stores that are experiencing a rise in shoplifting will share the burden of the cost associated with that. Captain Gendreau advised that the Town would not have additional costs outside of the contracted amounts. Commissioner Thomas stated she would be in favor of adding the service aides and feels they could benefit the Town. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro asked if the Town could utilize a nuisance abatement action. Captain Gendreau stated that Walmart has agreed to hire a deputy 7 days a week. Vice- Mayor Glas-Castro asked if the service aides wear body cameras. Captain Gendreau advised that yes, they would. PUBLIC COMMENT: This time is provided for addressing items that do not appear on the Agenda. Please complete a comment card and provide it to the Town Clerk so speakers may be announced. Please remember comments are limited to a TOTAL of three minutes. -Michael Steinhauer comments provided via Exhibit B. -Rafael Moscoso expressed concerns with the employee raises and PBSO. Commission discussion resumed and addressed each department individually. Town Commission Budget- Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro asked about the 50% travel budget cut. Finance Director Jeff DaSilva stated that the Commission would need to decide which events they would want to attend. Mayor Michaud agreed to remove the Mayor’s Ball expenses. Commissioner Taylor agreed to not participate in most of the Commission events that need travel funds. Town Manager Budget- Town Manager D’Agostino stated that the Town Manager Budget has been reduced by $45,000 in anticipation of the position being vacant for approximately three months. The Commission agreed that the Town Manager’s salary range will be adjusted at a later point once a new Town Manager is hired. Human Resources Budget- A salary increase was proposed in the budget. Vice-Mayor Glas- Castro would like to have one-on-one discussions about this as it was not brought up previously. Commissioner Taylor asked if they could be provided with the previous compensation study that was done so they could compare to any salary raises being proposed. Town Clerk Budget- Only 3% Cost of Living and 3% Merit increases proposed for this Department. Legal Budget- Proposed increase of $90,000. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro feels that this budget needs to be cut. Town Attorney Baird stated that if they are successful with pending litigation, some of the proposed increase can be removed. He suggested using ARPA funds to pay for some of the items within the Legal budget. Grant Writer/Public Information Budget-Finance Director DaSilva stated that the salaries that are showing for 2024 are only for 10 months. Information Technology Budget- Town Manager D’Agostino stated that there was an increase for the Department Head to prevent them from taking another job. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro requests to see the compensation study in order to evaluate the proposed increase in salary. Commissioner Taylor would like to see some funds go to the sanitation departments’ salaries for what they have to endure. Finance Budget- No questions. Emergency Management Budget- Town Manager D’Agostino stated there is $100,000 in a special account for natural disasters. Public Works Budget- Only cost of living and merit increases proposed for the Director. Ground Maintenance Budget- Longevity pay was discussed. Facilities Maintenance- No questions. Vehicle Maintenance- Longevity pay was discussed Community Development Budget- Only Cost of Living and merit increases for the Director. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro will not support body cameras for code enforcement. There was a discussion about CAP expenditures and permit revenue. Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro stated that upon the start of the new fiscal year, the Town may need to re-negotiate the contract with CAP to ensure expenses are covered. Special Events Budget- Commissioner Taylor asked about the budget for Sunset Celebration and suggests combining events together in order to save money. Special Events Director Riunite Franks stated that it is possible to try to do that. Library Budget- Only cost of living and merit increases proposed. Town Manager D’Agostino spoke about a sewer issue at the Library and possible costs for repairs. Commissioner Thomas spoke about having the Library use the same software as the County libraries and schools. Commissioner Taylor would like to see funds spent on the sewer repair before anything else. Public Works Director Jaime Morales provided a repair update. Town Manager D’Agostino stated there is $192,320.51 in the budget the can be committed to that project if needed. Wage Adjustments- No questions. There was a discussion about a $35,000 item in the budget. Town Manager D’Agostino stated that the $35,000 is to pay for the Town of Palm Beach Shores Lobbyist via the developer so that the Town of Palm Beach Shores would give us their much needed sand. The Commission expressed concerns about paying for this item. Public Streets and Roads Budget- Commissioner Taylor asked about a budget for street light improvements. Town Manager D’Agostino stated that they are making those improvements through Florida Power and Light (FPL) to address all of the dark areas in the Town and it would result in a $6,000 per year cost. Public Works Director Morales stated there will be 159 new lights in Town. Special Projects Budget- No questions. Marina Fund Budget- No questions. Stormwater Fund Budget- No questions. Sanitation Budget- The Commission asked about the current sanitation delays and what the cause is. Public Works Director Morales stated that they are still waiting on replacement vehicles that have been delayed due to backlog. CRA Budget- No questions. ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn made by Vice-Mayor Glas-Castro, Seconded by Commissioner Thomas. Voting Aye: All Meeting adjourned at 9:55pm. Exhibit A Exhibit B