Board of Commissioners Regular Workshop Meeting

THE CITY OF MADEIRA BEACH, FLORIDA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORKSHOP MEETING The Board of Commissioners of the City of Madeira Beach, Florida will meet at City Hall, located at 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, Florida to discuss the agenda items of City Business listed at the time indicated below. 2:00 P.M. TUESDAY, OCTOBER zsrH, 2014 AUDITORIUM CALL TO ORDER -The meeting was called to order at 2:02 p.m. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Nancy Hodges, Vice-Mayor Terry Lister, Commissioner District 1 Elaine Poe, Commissioner District 3 Pat Shontz, Commissioner District 4 MEMBERS ABSENT: Travis Palladeno, Mayor STAFF PRESENT: Shane Crawford, City Manager (CM) Thomas Trask, City Attorney (CA) Aimee Servedio, City Clerk (CC) Vince Tenaglia, Finance Director (FD) Dave Marsicano, Central Services Director (CSD) Lynn Rosetti, Community Development Director (COD) 1. TOPICS: A. DISCUSSION ON FOOT BEAUTIFICATION GRANTS Steve Tarte, CPWG CM: Mr. Tarte has worked with the City to write and obtain grants that had a very short deadline. Steve Tarte: The Highway Landscape Reimbursement Grant is for $50,000 and will put new palm trees along Gulf Blvd. Commissioner Lister: Why did that jump? Mr. Tarte: The second grant is a competitive grant across the state of Florida. It is a 50/50 matching grant. FDOT will spread the funding pot throughout all the grants. We will know the rankings around th November 11 and the final will go out in the first of the year. th V-M Hodges: Right by the traffic and 150 and Gulf Blvd, they planted grass but then took the grass out again, what is going on there? 1 I 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting CM: Gulf Blvd will also be torn up in the near future so it may be shell for the next few months until other projects have been created. Commissioner Shontz: When are they repaving Gulf Blvd? It looks like they've started but then it doesn't. When exactly is that going on? CM: That project will begin in the next 4 to 5 months. B. DISCUSSION ON THE DEBT ISSUE FOR THE UNDERGROUNDING PROJECT Finance Director, Vincent Tenaglia th FD: On August 27 , the Board gave direction to move forward on this item. An RFP has been developed for a five-year bank deal. The goal for this initial phase is to be completely budget-neutral - this includes backing out to previous projects such as Gulf Blvd undergrounding in front of Archibald Park, etc. then the remainder up until equaling $1.3 million for the match grant. Because the repayment source is only the reimbursements, he only has available funds of the costs that were occurred. In years four and five, we are retiring more of the principal amount. We do not want to exceed the funds from the county. If we find that we really start moving and it takes two years, it can be paid off if it takes five years that is also covered - it is flexible. Five banks have responded to the FRP - he recommends going with Seaside Bank. The interest rate is set at 1.43% for five years. This leaves us with $2.75 million for construction after we back out the interest and engineering costs to make this budget neutral. He recommends that over the course of the next fiscal year, there needs to be some debt policies created. The City has been doing a lot of projects and up until two years ago was debt free. Now, he recommends that these policies be decided and put in place for future endeavors now that the City is much more involved with construction and projects. CM: No one likes to have debt, but when you can borrow the money with the current rates, it makes sense from an investment standpoint. There has been a lot being done in the City - having no debt doesn't necessarily mean a good thing. Consensus is to move forward and put the item on the next agenda. C. DISCUSSION ON THE STORMWATER/ROAD PROJECT SCHEDULE AND CORRESPONDING FINANCING PLAN Finance Director, Vincent Tenaglia, Al Carrier, Deuel and Associates 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting  CM: Age was one of the reasons we started with Normandy. Where ca11 we qualify for these dollars as long as these dollars are available? We asked Al Carrier, we got it this time, where will we get these dollars next time? In a ten (10) year period, we can probably get a majority of the stormwater done. Al Carrier: We went through the demands and indications of where the road was failing and why. The City is in fairly good condition - there are some areas that need attention. The first place we started was on Normandy Road. This is a very fluid plan -we know what we want to do next year, but things can change and problems and issues arise. This fiscal year, we have allocated funds to fix Normandy Road. Area two of Boca Ciega ranks pretty high with grant water. Because Boca Ciega is large area of land, many more pollutants can be prevented from entering the waterways which helped secure the grant moneys. There is virtually no stormwater infrastructure in this area of Boca Ciega. The road has been repaved time and time again, making the streets higher than residents' driveways causing flooding and water flow during relatively strong storms. There are two areas on Crystal Island and Lillian Drive that we are also looking at for repairs. There are also some areas on John's Pass Avenue. FY2015 will see improvements to Boca Ciega as well as Crystal Island and Lillian Drive. FY2016, we are looking at fixing Rex Place -there are areas that actually drain to the northeast into the condominiums. There are failing pipes and other improvements. American Legion Drive also has no infrastructure. It is a highly traveled road -we can capture a lot of pollutants. We have applied to SWFWMD grants for these projects. FY2017 includes improvements to Marguerite and Parlsey Drive. We can also do spot fixes in areas as need arises. We are trying to plan this out to get high rankings with SWFWMD for grant money. Boca Ciega Bay is an impaired water body but only for mercury. We are competing with Tampa Bay- but we have and will continue to apply for these funds. All of the other projects listed have very good chances of getting money back. · CM: We've got the $1.3 million grant but we have to borrow the $2.6 million to pay the 50/50 match. D. DISCUSSION ON POTENTIAL MODIFICATIONS TO FANTASY PLANET BUILDING AS PROPOSED BY CURRENT TENANT City Manager, Shane 8. Crawford CM: Fantasy Planet wants to add a food service window to the existing building. According to the lease, the expense would be solely at the cost of the owner-of which the owner is already aware. The owner, Moshe, is here and will explain what exactly he wishes to do. The Board will have to approve the modifications to the building before he begins. Moshe: Basically, we want to add a service window for serving coffee, ice cream, etc. with some seating set up outside. 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting Commissioner Lister: Have you had any issues with the roofs? Mr. Moshe: Not necessarily, but did just put in four more air conditioning units. V-M Lister: Is this all outside or will people come inside? Moshe: The people will come inside to the food serving window, which is also inside. CM: The City just did a lot of work on Triangle Park. We may want to consider putting up some general public seating down there. Commissioner Lister: He likes that the area is being utilized. He commended Mr. Moshe for being a great tenant. As long as the Building Official approves all of the modifications, he thinks it should be approved. CM: He thinks that before the Board approves, the CA should look over the lease to make sure that everything is being done correctly. After the correct permits are obtained, the project can move forward. However, he also thinks that the City should definitely consider installing seating in the area. Commissioner Lister: We don't want to have the same issues that we have at the Bamboo Bar. Commissioner Shontz: Moshe is a great tenant and asset to the community. For many years, he has cooperated with the City and is not involved in any of the nonsense that goes on in that area. He is always very helpful with everything he does. Consensus is to move forward and have the CA look over the lease, involve the Building Official with construction, and find some price estimates for City seating. E. CITY-WIDE PROJECT UPDATE-REQUESTED BY MAYOR PALLADENO City Manager, Shane B. Crawford CM: Was somewhat confused by this request - the City Hall project is progressing nicely, but he also inquired about the Publix -which isn't necessarily a City project but more of a project happening in the City, the CSD has the new dock at the Marina, they are laying the sod for the baseball fields - if you have any generic questions, we can answer those but if you want more specific updates, let us know and we can get that on a future agenda. Commissioner Shontz: I think what the mayor was getting at is that people come up to us and ask, "When will that public be done?" "What is that black fencing around Gulf Blvd and Madeira Way?" CM: The black fence is for clearing the area for the new CVS project. They were supposed to break st ground on October 1 but were delayed due to environmental surveys. There is one more key development - parking alleviation and housing development. Once we are moved into the new facility, more of these questions can be answered. 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting The glass that accompanies the backboard will be a stretch. This has overall been a pretty smooth process. We have been going through the budget looking for less expensive option on furniture, etc. as we see them. F. PROCLAMATION PROCLAIMING MADEIRA BEACH AS THE FIRST BITCOIN CITY IN THE WORLD Misty Wells, Event Coordinator CM: The company that owns the Beef O'Brady's Bowl was bought by Bitcoin. This is a college bowl that occurs at Tropicana. Bitcoin is now the sponsor - Ms. Wells is getting a lot of feedback that if we adopt Bitcoin, magazines such as Forbes would be interested. We do not have to adopt Bitcoin to get the game and the college teams here in the City. Misty Wells: We will be the official beach city for the Bitcoin Bowl for the next three years - it will be announced by ESPN. We will be hosting the event on John's Pass and will be bringing about 500 people to Bubba Gumps and then taking the group over to the Beach for a Beach party. This Bowl Game is very similar to the Outback Bowl. They get about 100 million people to watch this program because it is aired on ESPN. This happens regardless of whether the City decides to be a Bitcoin City. Becoming the first Bitcoin City could be another marketing tool to get exposure to the City. She has done some research and can explain it briefly in layman's terms. Commissioner Shontz: What exactly are they going to do on the beach? Ms. Wells: After lunch at Bubba Gumps, the group will go over to the beach where a stage with live music will be set up. For about an hour and a half, it will just be a visit to a beach since many of these visitors have never seen the beach. For the last hour, there will be a friendly competition that is still being worked out - such as a belly flop competition. There will be a quarterback toss-fun family things that are competitive but will not cause injury. The public is invited and the event is free. The party will be filmed and shown between commercial breaks. This event will take place on December 24th, Christmas Eve. The party will take place the day before and the game will take place the day after Christmas at Tropicana field. Bitcoin is a digital form of currency. lf someone comes into my store and they use bitcoin to pay for an item, how do I get my hard cash? At the end of the night, the hard cash is put into your account just as using a Visa or Mastercard. There are no fees - they make their money with more international companies. She thinks this is a good move for the City because of all the marketing tied in with the Beach Bash and the Bitcoin Bowl. Commissioner Shontz: First we need to know if the John's Pass Village people will accept this. sl 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting Commissioner Lister: My concern, as a business owner, is that the machine that accepts the Bitcoin is over $800.00. Commissioner Poe: If it was over $1,100.00 last year and about $350.00 this morning, what happens to our money with these fluctuations? Ms. Wells: We can workshop this and get a representative that will be better able to explain this if the Board wishes to continue. Commissioner Lister: We need 100 businesses to invest and he is unsure if that number can be reached, even including surrounding areas. Dick Lewis: He is all for promotion but he does not think that proclaiming the City as the first Bitcoin city, but this action will promote the use of Bitcoin. It does not make sense to him that the government should get involved and promote the Bitcoin Company. Consensus is to have a representative from Bitcoin explain the issue at an additional meeting. G. DISCUSSION FOR RECONSIDERATION OF THE SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ISLAND OF BIMINI AS REQUESTED BY THE BAHAMIAN GOVERNMENT City Manager, Shane B. Crawford, Misty Wells, Event Coordinator CM: This was brought back to our attention because the high officials that we were supposed to meet with the last trip over there have asked up to reconsider our relationship. Before, the relationship seemed one-sided and was dissolved. However, the Bahamian government has been very aggressive in pursuing the relationship and apologizing for discrepancies before. Misty Wells: From marketing and P.R., they spend millions of dollars to promote their country. If we get assurances from higher officials that we will work together this time, we should look into it. She recommends that whatever agreement that could be made we spell out exactly what the relationship will entail. Commissioner Poe: She does not support the relationship again. She thinks that before we would even consider it, the City should wait until the City Hall project is completed and we are all moved over. CM: He does not think that this decision should be made lightly. He wants to know exactly what Bimini is planning to do differently with this relationship and what they will commit to. He and Ms. Wells were treated poorly the last time they visited and if it is one-sided, it is not worth the City's time. Commissioner Poe: The problem is that the trust has been broken. CM: If the Board wishes to continue with this, we can put this on the next workshop and see if Ms. Wells can get more information on what they want out of the relationship. He thinks that they should see what they want to say. Consensus is to have Misty Wells look more into the relationship. sl 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting  H. DISCUSSION ON NAME OF CITY PROJECT City Manager, Shane B. Crawford CM: We have been using the term "City Centre" to talk about the project. Commissioner Shontz: I think this is pretty straightforward - name it City Center, she has no problem with that. Commissioner Lister: Just asked the right to reserve naming for some of the ball fields. Consensus is to name the City Project the Madeira Beach City Centre. I. DISCUSSION ON CITY CLERK SUPERVISION Mayor, Travis Palladeno CM: The CC and the CM have discussed this topic before. Currently, the City Clerk does not work under the City Manager. There is not a crisis but he thinks that these types of issues should be reviewed in times of peace and good relationships. He thinks it is difficult to work in this organizational structure when she is not necessarily his employee. CA: The charter provides what the City Clerk does. The Board manages three members, the City Manager, the City Attorney, and the City Clerk. Commissioner Shontz: As a boss, it is difficult because we can't meet with her. CA: You can manager her when you meet at public meetings as you do with the CM and CA. Commissioner Shontz: Well, how can we change this if we want? CA: We would have to do a charter review and change the charter in the election. CM: Now I have another question, the CC has an employee that works under her, who would have the right to hire or fire that position? CA: The CM has the authority to fire that employee. CM: This is the kinds of issue he is concerned about. For this employee, her schedule is set by the CC and she reports to the CC but can be fired by ultimately by the CM. This creates a convoluted relationship and organizational structure. CA: Also to let the Board know, the Charter Review Committee needs to meet every five years. Commissioner Lister: He understands that the CC and CM work well together now, but he is concerned when there is bad management. There have been issues in the past and he likes the distance and protections the current structure offers. 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting Consensus was to leave the structure as-is, but the Board explained that they understand the structure should any future issues arise. J. DISCUSSION ON CHANGING RESOLUTION TO MAKE AGENDA SETTING MEETINGS ATS:45PM City Manager1 Shane B. Crawford CM: The agenda setting meeting was designed for the Commission to determine what they want to discuss at future workshops. The meetings are very short so he recommends moving them fifteen minutes later so the Board and Staff can transition into the regular meetings. He also explained that if the Board prefers that they don't even have to meet to set the agenda and staff can provide the issues for discussion as they arise. Consensus is to keep the Agenda Setting Meetings and to proceed with the resolution. K. DISCUSSION ON AMENDMENT 2-MEDICAL MARIJUANA Commissioner Elaine Poe Commissioner Poe: The CA has put together a comparison of seven other municipalities that have already put some legislation in place to restrict where the dispensaries will be allowed to be. She just wants to be prepared before this becomes an issue in the City. CA: As of now, there is no legislation that prevents the City from setting these types of parameters. It is possible to create a number of factors to require these potential dispensaries to get a special use exception and go before a special magistrate. The CA does not want to prohibit any type of dispensary but limit where these places can be established. This will involve a review by the Community Development Director of where places of worship and schools exist to measure the distance and zones where the dispensaries would be allowed. Some cities have already done these reviews and adopted an ordinance to help regulate the locations and area in which a special use exemption can be applied for a dispensary. Commissioner Poe: How would this go into effect is we pass the ordinance before this goes into effect? CA: The wording can be that the ordinance will go into effect upon the passage of Amendment 2. Commissioner Poe: Asked for special work session on this issue. The consensus is for the CA and CDD to review City maps and workshop on a future date. L. DISCUSSION OF NEW FITNESS CENTER OPERATIONS City Manager1 Shane 8. Crawford al 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting CM: The fitness center was cut down on size to fit budget. There are several options, we can open it up to the public, reserve it just for the Fire Department and employees. If it is open to the full public, would the City pay to run basically a fitness center. He suggests that for now, the City reserve the fitness center for the Fire Department and employees and sees how it runs during the move-in transition period. Otherwise, the City would be running a full on Fitness Center that would or would not charge the public and have to replace equipment. The Fitness Center equipment budget was scaled down and is actually being paid for by a Fire Department grant fund. Commissioner Shontz: There is a community that has an outdoor workout area? Could we do something like that instead of having it open to the public? CM: That would be a nice idea; however, people who frequently work out don't necessarily use that type of equipment. He suggests putting this item on the back burner and feeling out the situation. M. DISCUSSION ON AN ORDINANCE 2014-15; PERTAINING TO PLANNING COMMISSION AND SPECIAL MAGISTRATE (VARIANCE/SPECIAL EXCEPTION) NOTIFICATIONS; PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING DATES; AND DEFINITIONS FOR ABUTTING, ADJOINING, AND CONTIGUOUS. Community Development Director, Lynn Rosetti CDD: The Planning Commission has been looking at several issues - one of them being housekeeping nd th items. The Planning Commission currently holds meetings on the 2 and 4 Monday of the month. However, if one meeting is held on the 4th Monday, there is not sufficient time for the 15 day notice posting requirements. Because of this, they are suggesting a change to a ten day notification requirement. They have also requested some more flexibility for workshops and second meetings by requesting a three day notification requirement if the issue arises where they want to continue a meeting or workshop an item. There is no definition for the terms "abutting", "adjoining", and "contiguous" because these terms are often used interchangeably which they cannot be. The CDD proceeded to read the definitions. Consensus is to move forward and put this on the next Regular Meeting for first reading. N. DISCUSSION ON AN ORDINANCE 2014-16; PERTAINING TO VALET PARKING PROVISIONS AND MOTORCYCLE/SCOOTER PARKING REGULATIOINS Community Development Director, Lynn Rosetti CDD: The first section of the ordinance refers to valet parking - which the Planning Commission sees more as a service than a specification. This gives businesses more flexibility for parking requirements for motorcycles and scooters if more of their clientele is of this population. 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting Commissioner Shontz: Doesn't know if there is any need for valet parking in Madeira Beach or if the City needs any more regulations on parking. She doesn't think we have enough demand in the City. CDD: Talks about this first came up in relation to the restaurant on Gulf Blvd. CM: This is more of a coordination effort than a regulation effort. He recommends that the Board take some time and think through several scenarios of how this might impact the City. This does not have to be put on the next agenda. CDD: There have been issues with some businesses using vacant lots abutting residential zones. Consensus is to workshop this item for a future meeting. 2. ADJOURNMENT-The meeting was adjourned at 4:47 p.m. Date approved: \ ·:). -'\ - \Lt Travis Palladeno, Mayor Submitted by Aimee Servedio, City Clerk 10/28/2014 BOC Workshop Meeting