Board of Commissioners Workshop Meeting (5pm, 4-28-2021 BOC Special Meeting included on meeting video)

MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORKSHOP MEETING APRIL 28, 2021 6:00 p.m. A regular workshop meeting of the City of Madeira Beach Board of Commissioners was held at 6:00 p.m. on April 28. 202 1. in the Patricia Shontz Comm ission Chambers at City Ha ll, located at 300 Municipa l Drive, Madeira Beach. Florida. MEMBERS PRESENT: John B. Hendricks, Mayor Helen " Happy"' Price, Vice Mayor/Commiss ioner District I Nancy Hodges, Commissioner District 2 Doug Andrews, Commi ssioner District 3 Dave Hutson. Commiss ioner District 4 MEMBERS ABSENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Robert Daniels, City Manager Clara VanB largan, City Clerk Thomas Trask, City Attorney 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hendricks called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL City Clerk C lara VanBlargan ca lled the roll. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Hendricks opened to public comment. City Manager Robert Dan iels read an emailed public comment from Thomas Bargan ier, 90 144 th Avenue. say ing they were in support of the Schooner, but asked if the potential height restri ction on the garage of "not to exceed three fl oors" would be acceptable beca use it would be an exception to the nature and height of development on the east side of Gulf Blvd. If re locating the crosswa lk. it cou ld be unsafe for the res idents in that area because they would have to cross the street without the crosswalk to the convenience store there. 4. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION A. Status of Board of Comm issioners & Department Initiatives for FY2021,and set Apri l 28, 202 1, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 1 of 8  the Department Initiatives for FY2022 - Board of Commis.fioner.f City Manager Robert Daniels said staff needed the Board's feedback as they go into the budget process. Some items have been addressed. Due to COVID, they could not address all of them. Vice Mayor Price said the document should be streamlined to make it fewer pages and make it easier to go through. They could at least get through the ones for the Board of Commissioners. Mayor Hendricks said they need to go through all the items even if they do not get through them all in one meeting. Mayor Hendricks: GOAL: INFRASTRUCTURE • Objective 3 - Rehabilitate beach groins and jetties while developing solutions for Johns Pass Mayor Hendricks said the state funding did not go through. Since that happened, he would like the City Manager to contact the office of Charlie Crist and the Senator to see if they could get money earmarked for Madeira Beach to get beach groins and possibly jetties. Vice Mayor Price agreed that beach groins needed to stay on the list. • Objective 4 - Improvements on City parks Mayor Hendricks said he mentioned in previous meetings that the landscaping of the City's parks does not look good. Funding needs to be set aside to better care for them. Commissioner Andrews said he had no problem raising the parking fees. He stood against it for a few years because when they needed money or did not need money, they just went to the well. There has not been anything done to correct the budget. The Capri report was a great bible for them to look at. Within the last five years, internal spending has almost doubled. The recent salary survey shows that the City is top-heavy and needs a good mix to do that. He suggested having a budget workshop to go over all that and talk about revamping what they are doing and try to save money in those areas. The next time they raise parking fees, it needs to be for a particular project. The money always goes back into the General Fund and never gets spent the way it was initially thought to be spent. The neighboring cities benefited during COVID because of their fiscal policies, and the City of Madeira Beach is sitting holding the bag. Mayor Hendricks said he was against giving all the employees a 2% across-the-board raise. Increases should only be given to those who deserve it. Until they get more revenue coming in, he will feel differently. Parking revenues could be increased to give employees raises and to do other things that need doing. April 28, 2021, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 2 of8  Commissioner Andrews said they paid $15,000 for the salary survey, and the City did not use it correctly. When doing a salary survey, the changes must be implemented. The 2% across-the-board increase is customary. Last year was a bad year, so he understands why someone would be against it. It is not like they are overpaying the employees by giving it. They need to have a labor-intensive workshop and go through each department budget one by one to see what was happening five years ago, how many employees were in the department, what the positions were, and what the salaries were. That will show where changes need to be made. Commissioner Hutson asked about getting organizations to sponsor parks and maintain them. Recreation Director Jay Hatch gave an update on the Friends of the Parks and Recreation organization being formed. The paperwork is with the state for them to be a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Once approved, they can open a bank account and start raising money. They listed four main goals to begin adopting a park one at a time and improving it based on the City's vision for the park. The initial fundraising goal is $50,000. Once they can get the bank account open, they can begin accepting donations. GOAL: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS Objective 3 - Timeliness of processing building permits. Mayor Hendricks said he continues to get complaints about how long it takes to get a building pennit. Hopefully, the expansion downstairs of City Hall will help resolve the issue. The information needs to be given to the customers on what they need to do to get a building permit. The City Manager said they are trying to make the building permit process more transparent, so everyone can see what stage their permit is in, what additional information is needed to get the permit, etc., using an online program. They want to provide the best customer service possible. Mayor Hendricks said it is also taking some builders a long time to complete their project. The City Manager said they are working on that issue. The Building Code provides a timeline, but the City can put a more restrictive timeline in its code so projects do not take so long to complete. Commissioner Andrews said more transparency is what they need. At a minimum, three times a week, someone complains to him about it. There should be software available to resolve all the problems. Something needs to be done about it now. They must do better. Financial Consultant Andrew Laflin explained the current system, BDMS, being used. If everything goes well, within eight to ten weeks, the occupational licenses and permitting April 28, 2021, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 3 of8  applications will be handled through the new web-based system, Aclarian, which they are now using for Finance. A data dump with all the old permits will be migrated into the new platform, and then all permitting intake will be in that system. It will no longer be a paper- based system. The Mayor said they need to make the customer successful. Community Development Director Linda Portal explained the problems they are having with the program in place currently. Vice Mayor Price said she would like the department initiatives completely reorganized and rewritten to make them easier to read and understand. Some things do not need to be on the list. Everyone agrees they need to bring in more money and be smarter about how they spend the money. They need to pick cool projects that will help the City and get them done. Commissioner Andrews said the document is wordy and can be condensed as a lot of them is common sense and I 00% fall on the department heads. They only need a couple of initiatives for the year, and those can be broad. There is a lot of different things going on, and they need to stay in their lane. They need particular projects for particular departments and follow up on what is discussed in the meetings. Director Hatch explained that some of the goals and objectives derived from a strategic planning meeting three or four years ago. Their direction was to apply those goals to each department and weave it into the department budget. Vice Mayor Price said she would like to get reports and minutes from the committees. The Commission goals listed that need to stay are the marina, the parks, the beach groins. The City Manager said, during the budget workshop, the directors would give an update on what they have accomplished during the year. A separate workshop can be held to address personnel, positions, and salaries. Mr. Laflin said he could do a historical analysis for comparison to the current year. Mayor Hendricks pointed out that on p. 15 of 61, in the financial sustainability goal, it says that Finance Department discouraged seeking grants if less than $50,000. Fire Chief Belk said that goal was from the previous Finance Director. He was not allowed to apply for a Fire Department grant that was less than $50,000. Mayor Hendricks asked that the limit requirement be removed. Mayor Hendricks asked about the iPads the Commission initially had. He wanted to make sure they were not given to Network People without receiving credit for them. The City Manager said he would find out and let them know. He had not authorized any redeployment outside of the City. Mayor Hendricks said he would like to pursue a parking garage next year in Johns Pass, have the police department enforce the City's ordinances, and update the parks and maintain them giving a welcome appearance. April 28, 2021, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 4 of8 Vice Mayor Price said they need to start with their main corridors first and then get back in the neighborhood. People will probably contribute to their pocket park if given a chance. Commissioner Hodges said some people do not want a park near them with swings and slides. They want them cleaned up and to have nice landscaping. Marina Manager Brian Rau said they were supposed to put up a fence at the marina but was waiting for direction from the Board on what type of fencing to put there. The Mayor asked to get it done and asked the status of the security cameras, and Director Rau gave an update and said the item wou Id be on the May meeting agenda. Director Rau said that as a standby project in his capital budget, assuming they do not go with a high and dry, they could build trailer storage. It is a grant project, and the City would only pay 25% of the project. The Mayor said he understands there are grants out there from FWC for high and dry storage facilities. Director Rau noted that is one of the aspects that the consulting firm, Cardno, is researching as part of the project. B. Consideration of revocation for use of City right-of-way foraestaurants/bar seating - Robert Daniels, City Manager The City Manager said he would like direction from the Board on the item. Mayor Hendricks said since the mask order has not been rescinded, he would like the resolution to stay in place for now. The county is meeting on it again on May 11, and hopefully, on June 1 mask will no longer be required. Vice Mayor Price said they did not require anyone to sign a liability waiver, and there have not been any problems. She does not like the City on the hook for someone's tables and chairs out on the City's property. Mayor Hendricks said some are putting out clothes racks that were not approved, which is another enforcement issue, and that can be taken care of now. Commissioner Andrews said people are getting a little more comfortable going back out. The business owners are part of the community, so they want to make sure they can sustain themselves because a lot of them went through some tough times a year ago. They should table the item for now and revisit it in a couple of months. Mayor Hendricks asked to revisit it at the June meeting. The Board consented. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comment, and there were no public comments. C. Capital Improvements on the Recreation Center - Robert Daniels, City Manager Recreation Director Jay Hatch said he got new information since the packet was published. Currently, they have $50,000 budgeted in the LOST Fund that he thinks was listed for recreation expansions. He explained two locations where they could build the new facilities, each showing a April 28, 2021, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 5 of8 different plan. If the direction from the Commission is to do one of the projects, he will go out for an RFP to ensure they are getting the right price. Both plans offer a revenue generator. The more programs they offer, the more people to come back to take advantage of the services. Mayor Hendricks suggested they think about it and discuss it during the budget process to see if it is something they want to move forward with. Vice Mayor Price said they do not want to spend money because it is available in the budget to spend. If they don't think they would be entertaining any of them any time soon, it will be a budget discussion. She does not want to spend $50,000 on something they may not go forward with. The Board consented to discuss the item during the budget process. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comment. Robert Preston, 425 S. Bayshore Drive, commented that they needed to use a different engineer to save on costs than the one the City is using now. He was disturbed about what happened with the Christal Island project. D. W &A Contract - Megan Wepfer, Interim Public Works Director City Manager Robert Daniels explained they met with Angel again with W&A and negotiated the contract again. The monthly service cost savings is now about $300 to $500, most of which is the City taking over the supply process. Interim Public Works Director Megan Wepfer said Angel and Wanda have been paying about $500 to $700 in sales tax on cleaning supplies every month. Vice Mayor Price stressed that the contract still had not been renegotiated because the service cost is still more than what the other company bid. The cost of supplies has gone through the roof. The cost of toilet paper has increased from $19 to about $25 to $35 a case. Interim Director Megan Wepfer explained how many cases of toilet paper were being purchased each month and that the cost had increased. Removing the supplies out of the budget will save the City money because there will be no sales tax to pay. Mayor Hendricks got clarification that the annual contract went down from $147,000 to $107,400 without supplies. Vice Mayor Price said they lowered their bid amount, but $3,516.75 in supplies the City will now have to buy. The $8,950 a month increases, adding that back. The original bid was $12,250 a month, and USSI came in at $8,639, and that number included cleaning supplies. As an independent contractor, they should be supplying their cleaning supplies and their equipment. April 28, 2021, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 6 of8 Director Wepfer said they need to consider response time. USSI is not located on this side of the bridge. W&A is on-site within 20 minutes at no additional cost. Vice Mayor Price said W&A is charging an additional $3,000 a month for that. Commissioner Andrews explained it needed to be apples to apples comparison. Response time is important, the level of service is great, and having them on call all the time is worth its weight in gold. Interim Director Wepfer said the City has not paid for cleaning supplies since 2018. Vice Mayor Price said the City is billed and paying $3,500 every month for cleaning supplies and has been for a while. The City needs to find out the actual cost of supplies before doing anything. Currently, the City is paying W&A $15,091.75 every month. The last negotiation is still not a savings for the City. Commissioner Hodges said she had known Angel and his wife a long time, they are available at any time, and she does not want to lose them. Mayor Hendricks asked if they included a 30-day out clause in a contract with the other people so that if they do not perform, they can cancel the contract with a 30 days' notice. The City Attorney explained yes. Vice Mayor Price suggested that the City purchase the cleaning supplies to avoid paying sales tax. Currently, the City is paying for the cleaning supplies and paying them over $12,000 a month. Mayor Hendricks asked if the Commission wanted to put the service out to bid again or move forward with the contract they have. Commissioner Andrews said he was in favor of approving the contract with W&A for a one-year term and then evaluating it and the end of the one year. The City Manager said he would place the item on the May 12 meeting agenda, and before the meeting, they will get a betting handle on what supplies they are using currently and what staff can get those supplies for in the marketplace. The Board could decide whether to approve the contract or take it back out to bid at that time. The Board consented to place the item on the May 12 meeting agenda. E. Status of the 13222 3rd Street East house lien enforcement - Vice-Mayor Price The City Manager said Attorney Matt Weidner took the lien to a court-ordered mediation, and none of the issues to bring the property into compliance got addressed. That sets a precedent to negotiate a deal when the property owner has not tried to bring the property into compliance. He would like to look at another option that he spoke to the City Attorney about and place the item on the agenda again to resci_n_d the agreement with Attorney Matt Weidner and approve an agreement with the City Attorney to-take over the process to get the case resolved along with future ones. April 28, 2021, BOC Regular Workshop Meeting Page 7 of8 The C ity Attorney said his law firm does not mind taking it over on an hourly rate basis and not on a percentage basis. If the Commission is interested in making a change, he will bring forward a proposa l. The Board consented to the City Attorney bringing fo rward a proposal. The City Manager said he would place the item on the May 12 agenda. F. A merican Rescue Act Plan - Robert Daniels, City Manager The City Manager explained the American Rescue Plan and sa id the City of Madeira Beach is e li gible fo r $ 1.8 million. Currently, there are more questions than answers, and the Finance Director has been researching it. There will probably be a process in place to fo llow to get the money from the state and guide lines on how to spend the money. Hopefu lly, within the next month or so, they wi11 receive that in fo rmation from the state. Vice Mayor Price said she got an ema il on the amount o f money the municipalities wi ll be getting. T he state set the number, the President signed it, and are now waiting on the Department of Emergency Management to come up with a distribution process. G. Plan for providing sandbags during hurricanes - Robert Daniels, City Manager Interim Public Works Director Megan Powers said if an executive order is issued. they will fil e for a perm it, pull the sand from Archibald Park, and set up a sandbagging station. Getting bags is not a problem. They always keep a pile of sand for people that want to get ahead of the season. They bring a shove l and f-i II their bags. The City Manager sa id he would include the information in the monthly City Manager's report. Mayor Hendricks opened to public comment. There were no public comments. 7. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hendricks adjourned the meeting at 8:27 p.m. ATTEST: April 28, 202 1, BOC Regul ar Workshop Meeting Page 8 of 8