Board of Commissioners Workshop Meeting

MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR WORKSHOP MEETING APRIL 27, 2022 6:00 P.M. The City of Madeira Beach Board of Commissioners held a regular workshop meeting at 6:00 p.m. on April 27, 2022, in the Patricia Shontz Commission Chambers at City Hall , located at 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, Florida. MEMBERS PRESENT: John B. Hendricks, Mayor Doug Andrews, Vice Mayor/Commissioner District 3 Ray Kerr, Commissioner District 2 Dave Hutson, Commissioner District 4 MEMBERS ABSENT: David Tagliarini , Commissioner District I CITY STAFF PRESENT: Robin Gomez, City Manager Clara VanBlargan, City Clerk Lara Hooley, Executive Assistant to City Clerk Thomas Trask, City Attorney 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hendricks called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. ROLLCALL City Clerk Clara VanBlargan called the roll. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Bill Gay, 423 150 th Avenue, commented on the pending Sunshine Lawsuit he has with the City, and he asked the Board of Commissioners to authorize an RFP for permanent legal services at the next meeting. 4. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION A. PRESENTATION - Florida Parking Group Dan Mcnutt, Founder, and CEO of UPP Global LLC, gave background information on his full- service parking company. He gave a brief explanation of the municipal services they focus on. Mr. Mcnutt said they provide the infrastructure, upkeep, and maintenance. He guaranteed a minimum 20% increase in NOi in the first year without increasing rates. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 1 of 13 Derek Brandt, COO of UPP Global LLC, spoke about the training they provide, the latest technologies their company uses, and multiple payment options. He explained the benefits of LPR, License Plate Recognition, for parking enforcement. Alicia Sanderson talked about her previous experience with UPP as head of the Parks Department in Emerald Isle, NC. She was pleased with their company and began working for them after retirement. Commissioner Hutson asked if it would include street parking and lot parking. Mr. Mcnutt said they would manage both commercial lots and on-street parking. They also can manage commercial garages. Commissioner Hutson asked how many hours per day and how many people would they need. Mr. Mcnutt said the next step would be to do an in-depth analysis to understand better what the City would need. Commissioner Kerr asked what the 20% NOi means. Mr. Mcnutt explained they would guarantee an increase of 20% of the City's Net Operating Income as a base minimum in the first year. Commissioner Kerr asked how they read the rear plates in front-end parking. Mr. Mcnutt said they use handheld scanners. Mayor Hendricks said it would need to go out for an RFP. He asked if rates, branding, and resident tags would remain the same. Mr. Mcnutt confirmed. Vice Mayor Andrews asked if they would be willing to eliminate a division. He said they would need to address it at a workshop meeting. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comments. Bill Gay, 423 150th Avenue, commented on individual privacy and security. Bill Karns, 410 150th Avenue, made a recommendation for UPP Global LLC. B. Ordinance 2022-08: Proposed amendments to City of Madeira Beach Code of Ordinances, Chapter 110 Zoning, Division 5. C-1 Tourist Commercial, Section 110- 256 Definition; purpose and intent, Section 110-257 Permitted uses, Section 1101-260 Minimum building site area requirements, Section 110-262 Maximum building height, Section 110-263 Maximum lot coverage, Section 110-264, Impervious surface ratio (ISR), and Section 110-265 Special requirements-1 st Reading & Public Hearing - Community Development City Attorney Tom Trask read Ordinance 2022-08 by title only: ORDINANCE NO. 2022-08 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MADEIRA BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 110 ZONING, DIVISION 5. - C-1, TOURIST COMMERCIAL, SECTION 110-256 DEFINITION; PURPOSE AND INTENT, SECTION 110-257 PERMITTED USES, SECTION 110-262 MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT, SECTION 110-263 MAXIMUM LOT COVERAGE, SECTION 110-264 IMPERVIOUS SURFACE RATIO (ISR), April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 2 of 13  SECTION 110-265 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS, OF CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF MADEIRA BEACH; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Jenny Rowan, Senior Planner, said the ordinance is being discussed because there were questions about increasing the ISR to .85. They proposed the ISR to be .85 because most lots in the C-1 district are concrete. Mayor Hendricks said it is being cut back from 1.0 to .85, and he is fine with the ordinance as written. Vice Mayor Andrews said he would like factual materials distributed to the Board before the meetings if they pertain to or contradict what is being discussed. Commissioner Kerr asked if pavers were pervious. Ms. Rowan said they are impervious, and the Code does not specify pervious pavers to be allowed as a pervious surface. Commissioner Kerr said he is more concerned about pollutant runoff. He asked what they consider pervious. Ms. Rowan said shell and anything green. Mayor Hendricks said he wanted the business community in John's Pass Village to be able to rebuild after a catastrophic event. Commissioner Hutson asked if the businesses could rebuild with parking underneath and retail two floors above. Ms. Rowan said they could floodproof the ground floor in that zone. The required parking would still be in the back. Rebuilding only gives the allowance of the side setbacks. It does not give an allowance for the ISR or the rear setback. The consensus of the Board was to bring it back for a vote with .85 IRS. Mayor Hendricks opened for public comments. Bill Karns, 410 150th Avenue, said he had built a parking lot with pervious pavers, and they worked great. He said he owns property in John's Pass Village, and it is important to all the business owners to be able to build back what they have now. Dylan Hubbard, Hubbard's Marina, pointed out that John's Pass keeps the millage rates and property taxes low. He said .85 is a significant reduction from the current ISR and he would want to build back to 100% in the event of a catastrophic event. Tom Powers, John's Pass Enterprises, asked what .70 and .85 mean for his building. He asked if he would have to dig up 34 feet of asphalt in the back of his building. Mayor Hendricks said he probably would have to. Ms. Rowan said his property is 1.0 ISR. The Code states .70 ISR, which means that .30 would have to be pervious. She said if his building were destroyed, he would need to rebuild to current codes. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 3 of 13 Jerry Cantrell, 13322 pt Street East, said he would like the Board to address John's Pass Village areas that are not built up. He asked if they pass the ordinance with .85 ISR would it allow those areas to be at .85 and not restrict them to .70. He said everyone should be able to build back what they have already. He said ROIS is a better representation of ISR and the City has access to it. He said there are ways to make impervious surfaces pervious. Bill Gay, 423 150th Avenue, said the ordinance is a precursor to the John's Pass Activity Center, which will increase the density of John's Pass Village. He was concerned about the number of developers buying property in that area and consolidating the smaller properties. C. BOC to Discuss/Review Planned Development Process - Board of Commissioners Commissioner Hutson wanted to discuss the development process between the City and Planning and Development. He said there should be a better pick list of what they ask to include from developers. It should be something for the residents. Vice Mayor Andrews asked if the impact fees would address that. He asked if they would ask developers to do certain things and charge them an impact fee. Commissioner Hutson said he thought Planning could tell the developers what the City would like to do in the future. Mayor Hendricks said it would be negotiating on things the City would like to get done instead of the impact fee. Those are things they can brainstorm as a Commission as they come up. It would depend on the project and the location. Commissioner Hutson asked if they wanted to make a maximum height or maximum floors on future PDs. He does not want to see ten or fifteen-story buildings. Mayor Hendricks said it must be reasonable for the developers. The properties have gotten so expensive, and the developers need to make a profit. He said Palms of Pasadena Health Care would like to bring a health care facility to Madeira Beach, which they desperately need. Commissioner Kerr said he liked the idea of a checklist that would refresh things the comprehensive plan is looking for. Vice Mayor Andrews said he agrees the developers need to make a profit, and the City needs to earn revenue. Mayor Hendricks said they should make a list of things for PDs that would be good for the City. Mayor Hendricks opened for public comments. Bill Karns, 410 150th Avenue, reviewed what he had done with Madeira Beach Town Center as the developer and compared property taxes. Jeff Beggins, 429 Boca Ciega Drive, spoke about how valuable planning and development were. D. Proposed Charter Amendment for November 8, 2022, General Election Ballot- City Clerk April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 4 of 13 City Clerk Clara VanBlargan reviewed the item. She explained that in 2018, the Charter Review Committee recommended an amendment to City Charter, Section 4.8, that the City of Madeira Beach voters passed at the March 12, 2019 Municipal Election to require that the newly elected Board of Commissioners be inducted into office on or before the last day of the month in which the election was held. Before the 2019 amendment, the induction service for newly elected Commission members was held at the first regular meeting following the election, the same meeting when their term began. There were problems encountered following the election. There were two meetings that only three Commission members could not attend because the outgoing Commissioners could no longer serve after the new Commission members were inducted into office. Because the outgoing Commissioners could not attend the regular meeting, they could not participate and vote on old business on the agenda, such as meeting minutes and public hearings on ordinances they had been involved in. To avoid the conflicts again in the future, the City Clerk proposed an amendment to the City Charter, Section 4.8, Induction of Board of Commissioners into office, meetings, to provide that the first meeting of each newly elected member of the Board of Commissioners for induction into office to be held at the first regular meeting following the election, the same meeting when their term shall begin. Ordinance 2022-15 was prepared for that purpose. Mayor Hendricks received confirmation that the old Commission members last day would be at the first regular meeting following the election, and the new Commission members would be sworn in and begin their term at that same meeting. He said that worked for him. The City Attorney said a simpler solution would be to remove the word "regular," so it would read, "The first meeting of the newly elected member of the Board of Commissioners for the induction into office shall be on the first meeting or the first Board of Commissioners meeting following the election. That would avoid having to have a meeting before the end of March but being forced to because the Charter requires it. The situation the City Clerk explained, they all knew it was happening when it was happening, but the Charter was the Charter. The City Clerk said the Commission appoints their Vice Mayor at the first meeting following the election per Charter. If it is a workshop, they cannot vote to appoint a Vice Mayor. The City Attorney said there might be a couple of days where there is no Vice Mayor with the transition. Mayor Hendricks asked if changing the one word would require a Charter amendment. The City Attorney said yes. They still must amend the Charter to fix the problem. If it is a change that the Board would want to make then he, the City Manager, and the City Clerk could meet to weed that out and bring it back in a format that they think will match all the other Charter provisions but would be acceptable based upon the understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. They are all trying to accomplish the same thing where they do not have a lame-duck situation where they have two Commissioners that have been inducted but do not have the ability to appear at a meeting. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 5 of 13 The City Manager said the basis of the change is it happens at the regular meeting. As Clara stated, any outgoing Commission members would be able to participate in the old business and be voted on. Their term would not end until the induction of any new Commissioners, which would happen at that regular meeting right after the old business is completed. They were hampered because the terms ended at an awkward time, and then the induction had to happen, and they were left with Commissioners not being able to participate because of the language. The City Clerk said they must have a meeting following the election in March because the Canvassing Board results are reported to the Commission, usually at a special meeting or the workshop. The City Attorney said in that situation if you take out the word "regular" it could be done at the special meeting. The City Clerk said if it is done at a regular meeting in April, it gives the City Clerk's Office more time to order the plaque for the outgoing Commissioners and everything they need to do ceremonial following that election. Sometimes it takes three weeks to get the plaque. The City Manager said it allows for a much clearer transition. The issue is that the induction is when the existing term ends. If they have it at the first regular meeting, which would be the first regular meeting in April, the term of any existing Commissioners that are not returning would be all the way through that regular meeting, and they would avoid the period they had last month because the induction had to occur by the end of the month in March and their term could not begin until the next regular meeting in March. In between that time, there were only three Commissioners. The first regular meeting would clarify and eliminate having a period with missing Commissioners for lack of better terms. Commissioner Kerr asked if they could add the word "public" instead of having the word "regular." The Mayor said they are always public meetings. Commissioner Hutson asked if they could change the regular meeting in March to be held after the election in March so that it is following the election, and it worked as it did last year. There would not be enough time to get the plaques and do other things, but it would be handled in March, and they would have the people for the workshop. The City Clerk said they must have the election when the elections office has them, which is the third week of March, and the Charter before the recent amendment required the election to be held on the second Tuesday in March. The Mayor said if there is a recount, it pushes it that much closer to the end of the month by the time that process finishes. Mayor Hendricks said as he understands everyone, they push forward with it being the first regular meeting following the election. Mayor Hendricks opened to public Comments. Bill Gay 423 150th Avenue, commented in favor of the solution by the by the City Attorney. He thought it was very awkward this year how the transition took place. When you have that first April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 6 of 13 meeting, and there are several new Commissioners, there is a need to slow down the speed and number of items on the agenda unless they absolutely need to be done. There was a lot thrown at the new people, and they needed time to digest what was going on and understand what is taking place. E. 2021 Board of Commissioners Policy Handbook-Board of Commissioners Mayor Hendricks asked the Commission if they had time to review the handbook to see what changes they wanted. It is something they do every year. He pointed out that on page 5 of 19, Commission conducts with the public; public meetings, bullet point# 1, it states that the Board of Commissioners will refrain from the use of personal electronic devices on the dais or in a public meeting unless authorized by the Board of Commissioners. That is something he brought up in their last meeting, and he wanted to be sure they were following that. Commissioner Kerr said he took notice of that. It was mentioned at the meeting that the City Manager approved it. He asked if that was something that needed to be addressed in the handbook. Mayor Hendricks said he would rather the City be the custodian of information, and that is why he brought it up at the last meeting. The City Attorney asked the Mayor if he wanted to address the issue of whether it is a city-issued computer or a city-issued iPad that would be acceptable to use on the dais. The Mayor said yes, he had no problem with a city-issued computer where they have the retention of the records handled on it. The City Attorney said the provision specifically references personal electronic devices. Vice Mayor Andrews said he owns a 24-hour store, and things come up. He would be happy to tum his phone off, but he would like the ability to keep it where he can see it. If something came up, he would step outside with it. He does not want to violate the rules, and he will do whatever it is they want him to do either way. Mayor Hendricks asked the Board if there was anything in the handbook they wanted to go over. Commissioner Hutson said he was fine with the handbook as is. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comments and there were no public comments. F. 2022 Independence Day Fireworks - Jay Hatch, Recreation Department Director Hatch said they put out an RFP for fireworks for the Fourth of July and had no response. He solicited two different companies and has three different options. Two options are July 3rd , and one is July 4 th • The Contract with Angry Unicom would include an 18-20 minute display for $27,000 on July 3 rd • The FDU, LLC contract would include a 24-minute display for $29,000 on July 3rd or $30,000 on July 4 th for the same amount of time. The fireworks would be set off at the school. Director Hatch responded to questions and comments. The consensus was to hold the fireworks display on July 3 rd • Mayor Hendricks opened to public comments. There were no public comments. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 7 of 13  G. Software Licensing Agreement with Aclarian LLC -Andrew Laflin, Finance Director The City Manager said that when the Commission approved the firm to serve as the City's Treasurer and Finance Director, the software came with that firm. It was not formally approved. It is a separate agreement, and they are making sure they comply with City codes. How they proceed is guidance from the Commission. They could proceed with Aclarian, proceed with a formal RFQ because the cost would probably exceed more than $30,000, or continue with the existing software the City had been using. They have been using the Aclarian software for more than a year. The software is functional, works, and is 95% functional, although a few areas need to be developed. Based on the cost it would appear to be the least expensive. The City Manager responded to questions and comments by the Board and said it is working and he is comfortable with it. The City Attorney said the procurement attorney in their firm reviewed it and the processes. He had his concerns at the beginning relative to Andrew being the principal of the software company and him being the finance director and treasurer for the City. He was worried that there would be an argument that there would be a conflict of interest. They worked through it and are comfortable with it now. It is just a matter of if it is the software they need and want. The price is right, and the Commission can make a decision. The consensus of the Board was to bring it back for a vote at the next meeting. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comments, and there were no public comments. H. Discuss Potential Parking Changes - Overnight 24/hour, Business Employee, Resident- City Manager The City Manager said since his four months of being with the City, he has received numerous comments about parking. Currently, they only allow overnight parking for visitors by purchasing a weekly or monthly permit. The permit is restricted to certain lots in the City. They do not allow it in Archibald and at the 129th and John's Pass Park parking lot. In reviewing how they manage it, the administrative portion is a little burdensome, it is a manual process. The people can submit the application electronically over the phone, but they are provided a hangtag. They were mailed or picked up. They thought about putting them in a lockbox so that people could pick them up. In lieu of that, they are left under the doormat, which is not ideal. A suggestion would be to allow their meters to work 24 hours at all lots except for Archibald and 129th and John's Pass Park parking lot. The positive is that they would be eliminating the entire administrative process, and the negative would be depending on how many nights they are looking to stay, it could be more than the current $100 a week. What they do not know is how many nights visitors are staying. Since August 2021, the rate increased from $60 to $100 a week and monthly from $120 to $200. Since then, almost every permit they have sold says it is for a full week, but they know that not every user has stayed or utilized the lot every night because their vehicle was not parked at the lot for seven days. It seems that most people buy a full week and request the hangtag for that. It allows the meters to be functional for 24 hours. They would need to do it on a test basis and would need April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 8 of 13 a full-time or part-time person for enforcement if they begin to advertise to visitors that they no longer need to come in and get a permit, they will pay at any of the lots. Vice Mayor Andrews said it is software, and they could probably put buttons on them for people to pay for a week even if they are staying for three or four days or hit the month button for 18 days to get the savings. The City Manager explained that could be done. Vice Mayor Andrews asked if they normally have enough parking by taking Archibald and John's Pass Park out to meet the need of people that want to park overnight. The City Manager said they have so far, but the downside is if the lot is completely full. Commissioner Andrews asked if there were any reasons since the City owns John's Pass Park parking lot could not be utilized as overnight parking. The City Manager said they could do that. The permits are what employees and employers have been purchasing for employee parking. The $200 a month became a bit too pricy. Treasure Island has their meters 24 hours, but they are much bigger and have more parking spaces. The City has approximately 530 parking spaces it manages that are currently available to the public at large. The resident parking permit would not apply; they would not be changing that so that residents could park overnight in the City parking lots. Commissioner Hutson said they could park if they paid. The City Manager confirmed so. The Mayor said if they allow it overnight, the biggest problem at the John's Pass Park parking lot is enforcement. If eliminating the 24 hours, it would eliminate the enforcement problem. Mayor Hendricks said he understood the problems the businesses with employees are having with the cost of that. Commissioner Kerr said the real issue with the overnight parking is people sleeping in their vehicle. The City Manager said that is currently prohibited in the City's code and would remain. The Sheriff can control that, but the only administrative item is enforcing to ensure that people pay the meters. That function would need to be added to ensure that people are paying the meter. They will be bringing up at a workshop later that they do have free parking in Madeira Beach. People can park there for free. They are not advertising it, but it needs to be addressed. Commissioner Hutson said he was nervous about there being more people in parking lots hanging out and making noise for the neighborhoods and things like that. It would be nice to keep the current system. They could change the price or whatever but make it where they can buy and pick up their tickets at the kiosk. The City Manager said it could probably be programmed to do that electronically. Parking Supervisor Jamal Yahia said there is a lot they could do with the software itself as far as the programming limitations for the software in the meters itself. As they purchase time, it is in the software and the handhelds. They could manipulate the times to come in for patrolling. They do not have to put the individual at risk for the complete 24 hours. There are ways around restricting enforcement, and the lots are far enough away so there would be no issues with the residents. They can program into the meters to restrict the time they stay. The City Manager said it would be an option if they program at the machines or via a phone app. It will still eliminate the administrative process, but they give that as an option. They could keep April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 9 of 13 it at the current rate. Mr. Yahia said increasing the rate could restrict traffic. The $3.00 an hour might bring in more traffic, which they want. The City Manager said if they kept it at the current rates and reprogrammed it, it would not require a change to the ordinance. Mr. Yahia said by bringing it to the handhelds, they can pinpoint where people are paying. The City Manager said they could look to do that, and the rates stay the $100 and $200 for visitors, and they reprogram the kiosk in the app. People would be required to pay by the week or the month. The consensus of the Board was to go forward with it. I. Discuss/Review FDOT Proposed Pedestrian Crosswalk on Gulf Blvd Just N of 134th Ave. - City Manager City Manager Robin Gomez said FOOT received a request from a business on Gulf Boulevard to assess the need for a pedestrian crosswalk. The Midblock Crossing Assessment recommends curb cuts to correct the sidewalk and adding a crosswalk just north of 134th Avenue. He said there are two crosswalks within 500 feet of the area. Mayor Hendricks said he is surprised they want to put a crosswalk there but not a traffic light at John's Pass Village entrance. The City Manager said they might be getting closer to getting the traffic light. Mayor Hendricks asked who was paying the cost for the crosswalk. The City Manager said FOOT, but not until the end of 2023. Vice Mayor Andrews said he is concerned about the residents' reaction because there is a crosswalk between 136th and 135 th Avenues and another one in front of Lisa's Cafe, but he understands safety is most important. He said there are no crosswalks on the north end of town where crosswalks are needed and asked how they would explain that to the residents. The City Manager said there needs to be a crosswalk between 144th, 145th Avenues, and 150th Avenue. He said he would provide FOOT with the data, and they will go forward. Commissioner Hutson asked if they could take away the crosswalk at 135th Avenue. If they could get a traffic light at John's Pass Village, Mayor Hendricks said he would like to remove the crosswalks on either side. The City Manager said they are trying to have a pedestrian overpass put in when building the parking garage. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comments. Helen Price, 13319 Boca Ciega Avenue, said there would be one block between the proposed crosswalk and 133 rd Avenue. She said a better place to put a crosswalk would be in front of the Reef and Lucky Lizard. She said the company who asked for the crosswalk blocks the city roadway with their trucks when they have an event. Jerry Cantrell, 13322 1st Street East, agreed with Ms. Price. He said the company is taking advantage of the government. The company is already using the spaces on the street and across the street to avoid parking issues. The City Manager said they are also reviewing that issue. Mayor Hendricks noted they might have to put signs up for residential parking only. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 10 of13  J. Discuss Park Landscaping Improvements/Enhancements Mayor Hendricks said it is something he has brought up for a few years about getting the parks in better shape. It might be more of a budget issue that they need to discuss why they come up because it has not been getting in budgets in the past couple of years. They have the Friends of Parks and Recreation, and he thought they were looking at trying to get buy-in from companies on adopting parks. He asked Recreation Director Jay Hatch if anything materialized on that. The City Manager said he did not know if that was a direct charge of the group but geared more for special events. They could ask them if they would be interested in an adopt-a-park program. Director Hatch said the adopt-a-park program has not been implemented but has been discussed. For the fundraising aspect of it that is the intent. Mr. Beggins lives near one of those and he might have a vision they might want to see. They must make sure it all makes sense and can move forward once they have that idea. Public Works Director Megan Powers said if they moved forward with it, they need certain visions and standards but must realize it must be maintained. It needs to be something they are not setting themselves up for failure with the small staff they currently have. They also must keep a lot of the green space for the CRS, which is important to Planning and Zoning. Mayor Hendricks said they also need to focus on the entrance to the City, Patriot Park, and the parks that needs some TLC desperately and even at the Village. Director Wepfer said they are working on one park to the next. They are focusing on Archibald now. She has done a lot of maintenance there. They are removing ground cover that does nothing but collect trash and shelling it to make it easier to maintain. It is simple and beautiful, and they are leaving the palm trees. Vice Mayor Andrews said it was a fabulous job at Kitty Stuart Park. Mayor Hendricks said it is something they really need to push towards budget time. K. Discuss Gulf Beaches Public Library Board & Review FY 2023 Budget The City Manager reviewed the Gulf Beaches Public Library Board FY 2023 Budget. The total budget is $533,631, of which the City of Madeira Beach is responsible for $68,034, an 11 % reduction over the current year. The total amount from the five cities and towns that contribute is $271,000, and the remaining budget comes from the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, Library operations, and reserves. The agreement to approve the budget will come to the Board for approval later in the year. The five-year Interlocal Agreement for the continued funding of the Gulf Beaches Public Library, Inc. runs through September 2026. The City Manager said part of the reason the item was placed on the agenda is regarding the appointment of a member made by the Board representing the City. Each city gets one voting member and an alternate. That was adopted within the last year. The Mayor said those are three- year terms. Mayor Hendricks said that in the last two years they have gone through the process, and there has been tremendous improvements in the Library. He asked Helen Price, the City's member of the Library Board, to give an update on that. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 11 of 13 Helen Price said a lot has happened during the first eight months or so since she has been on the Board of Trustees. The most significant being the new Interlocal Agreement adopted by all the participating towns. During the City budgeting process in 2020, it was discovered that the Library had amassed about a million dollars worth of certificates of deposits while asking each year for an increased amount of money for the Library's operations. Until then, the Commission learned that the Library intended to build a conference room and an addition to the Library. It was a difficult time for the City during Covid-19, and the governor had closed the beaches, which closed that revenue stream for the City. The Commission questioned the Library about the addition they wanted to build and received unsatisfactory answers, so the Commission decided to pay for everything the Library asked for, excluding its portion to build the addition. The Library argued about that but when the other towns learned of the million dollars stash and the threat from the Library's attorney that if the City did not pay its proposed budget in full, it would be kicked out of the Library consortium. The Mayors got together and created the new Interlocal Agreement currently operating under. For Madeira Beach, the agreement became effective in October 2021. There were several key directives to that agreement, such as reducing the number of trustees from twelve to five, maintaining the current footprint of the Library, starting to spend the million dollars in the bank to upgrade the Library's technology, and modernizing the interior of the Library, and cap the reserves at 10% of the budget. The Library had been ignoring needed improvements a long time. The air conditioner was not working, and the bathrooms were backing up and smelly. Since the new Interlocal Agreement, a lot has been done, such as putting up a new sign; upgrading the air conditioner, two of three phases of technology have been done, such as new computers and a computer area for people; a new way for people to pay for computer and copier usage, a new front door that opens automatically, and interior lights and exterior lights, etc. The Library still has approximately $700,000 in cash, but once the planned capital improvements have been made such as a new roof, bathrooms, and kitchen, that number will be reduced to about $340,000. According to the Interlocal Agreement, the reserves should be around $55,000 based on this year's budget. They could not give the towns an 11 % discount because the parking lot will be made ADA compliant, and they do not know the cost yet. Their circulation has been the highest in two years. For new business, the officer elections were last night. They have a new Chairperson from Redington Shores, she is the new Vice Chair, a new secretary from Redington Beach, and the person from Treasure Island will remain the secretary. Ms. Price said she is pleased to have a leadership role at the Library. Unfortunately, the trustee member and alternate member from Treasure Island continue to resist the direction from the Interlocal Agreement. She spoke with Mayor Payne that morning about the problem and the need for unity in the Library Board, and he was of no help so that they will remain somewhat divided initially. The good news is that the Board members from the majority of the towns agree with the directive set forth in the Interlocal Agreement. Their goal is for the Library to continue improving and modernizing. She updated the bylaws to adhere to the new Interlocal Agreement, and those were critiqued, revised, and adopted in January 2022. Finally, the Library is hiring a law firm to update its articles of incorporation since the one on file with the state is from 1969. The budget is based on the budget from the past three years, and there are not a lot of changes. In a couple of years, the million dollars should be down to where it should be as a reserve. April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 12 of 13 Vice Mayor Andrews said the City has been mowing the Library property for about 30 years for free and perhaps with all that cash the City could get some back pay. Recreation Director Jay Hatch explained that an addendum to the contract was made because the City's Fire Department needed a portion of the City property, and in return for that, the City agreed to cut the Library's grass for free. Ms. Price said they rent the entire property to the Library for $1 a year. The City Manager said they could review that. It is the ground lease, a separate agreement. Director Wepfer said the City mows the grass, but does not take care of the trees because of their big rocks. Mayor Hendricks said the Library is light years ahead of where it was two years ago, and they came forward kicking and screaming. The Library Director has been difficult to deal with. They told the City that it was their way or the highway as far as Madeira Beach staying in the Library. He and Mr. Daniels, the former city manager, went over to the Library to discuss things with the Library Director and schedule a meeting with him, the city manager, and another mayor. He refused to meet with them. The Library Director has been very adversarial to all the cities, and he is disappointed at his performance in dealing with the cities when they are bankrolling the Library. Ms. Price said she had suggested that they budget less money for paper books and more money for electronic books. She is in favor of across-the-board raises, and the budget reflects a 4% raise for everyone at the Library, including the Library Director. She thinks there should also be less money for DVDs and the Mayor added, and less for CDs. Mayor Hendricks commented that they have a great Library Board now. They are doing the oversight that needs to be done. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comments. There were no public comments. 5. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hendricks adjourned the meeting at 9: 17 p.m. ~ ~~ k ~4-=. / / hn B. Hen s, ayor ATTEST: y Clerk April 27, 2022, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 13 of 13