Special City Council

121 SW Port St. Lucie City of Port St.Lucie Blvd. Port St. Lucie, Florida 34984 Special City Council Meeting Minutes Gregory J. Oravec, Mayor Stephanie Morgan, Councilwoman, District I John Carvelli, Councilman, District II Shannon Martin, Vice Mayor, District III Jolien Caraballo, Councilwoman, District IV Monday, October 21, 2019 1:30 PM Council Chambers, City Hall 1. Meeting Called to Order A Special Meeting of the CITY COUNCIL of the City of Port St. Lucie was called to order by Mayor Oravec on October 21, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., at Port St. Lucie City Hall, 121 SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard, Port St. Lucie, Florida. 2. Roll Call Council Members Present: Mayor Gregory J. Oravec Vice Mayor Shannon Martin Councilman John Carvelli Councilwoman Stephanie Morgan Council Members Not Present: Councilwoman Jolien Caraballo 3. Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Oravec led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. Public to be Heard No one signed up to speak under this item. 5. Special Presentation Page 1 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 5.a Accept the 2019 State of the Civic Center Report. 2019-943 Civic Center Director McCarthy presented a PowerPoint presentation, and gave an overview of the Mission Statement and explained the reorganization that occurred when she came onboard. She gave an overview of each Division of the Civic Center and explained the accomplishments in each Division. She said that the Civic Center was trending upwards in revenue, event days, and attendance, and was trending downward in expenses and subsidies. Mayor Oravec asked if the decline in total operating expenses was a real decrease, or was due to accounting and putting some of the expenses under the Parks and Recreation Department. Ms. McCarthy replied that it was both, and explained that Parks and Recreation was picking up $250,000 of the cost of the facility from operating expenses, the café was reduced by $165,000, and deferred maintenance was now under the Facilities Maintenance Department. She said that before, 100% of expenses were placed on the books and the bills were split out, but now, only the Civic Center’s portion of expenses were placed on the book, so it was split on the front end instead of the back end. Mayor Oravec asked Ms. McCarthy what she reduced, other than the $165,000 for the café, to which she replied that the budget for the last fiscal year was $3.2 million, and it was $2.8 million for the current fiscal year, due to contractual services and streamlining of inflated items in the budget. Mayor Oravec asked if the savings were around $350,000, to which Ms. McCarthy responded in the affirmative. Councilman Carvelli said that he was glad to see steady increases. Mayor Oravec asked if the operating revenue shown was truly operating revenue, and did not count any transfers in, to which Ms. McCarthy replied that it was truly operating revenue, and that part of the reason why it increased was because 17 events were recaptured and there were 34 new events, as well as self-promotion. Mayor Oravec said that he was happy to see an increase in the occupancy rate. He pointed out that in 2016/2017, the occupancy rate was not calculated, and said that he had been advocating for the occupancy rate to be calculated for a long time. He asked how the occupancy rate was calculated, to which Ms. McCarthy replied that the total amount of square footage that was available to rent for the year was divided by the actual number of square footage rented, and explained how event days were determined. Mayor Oravec asked if move out days were figured into the calculation, to which Ms. McCarthy replied that it depended on whether the client or the Civic Center was doing the set-up. Mayor Oravec asked to meet with Civic Center Director Page 2 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 McCarthy in the future to go over how the occupancy rate is determined. Ms. McCarthy stated that she had a breakdown of the figures, and would send them to Mayor Oravec. Ms. McCarthy gave an overview of the operational improvements that were made to the Civic Center. She explained the changes made to the client booking documents, event insurance processes, documents for customers, the Consumer Show Priority Program, and targeted sales materials. She reiterated that 17 events that had gone away were recaptured, and 34 new events were booked. She said that she could provide a list, if desired. Councilwoman Morgan suggested having those who attend events fill out surveys, including vendors and clients. Mayor Oravec cautioned that the questions should be tailored to elicit input about the facility and not have the feedback tainted by the production of the event. Ms. McCarthy presented a slide that illustrated marketing efforts, and said that the City was in negotiations with Mid-Florida Credit Union for naming rights and a rebranding of the Civic Center. She said that a newsletter was being sent out to the City’s subscriber list, as well as 5 Chambers of Commerce. She said that website content was updated, and showed a video regarding the We Love Lucie Concert Series and the Community Band Series. She said that there would be a Kids Festival Event with the Treasure Coast Sports Commission, and the Parks and Recreation Department would be involved with it. Mayor Oravec suggested that the Kids Festival Event be a one-stop shop for the Youth Leagues to provide information to the public. Ms. McCarthy said that there were some event sponsorship negotiations taking place to offset the costs for the Concert Series. She said that the Civic Center’s website URL was changed to www.pslciviccenter.com, but it would change when the agreement with Mid-Florida Credit Union was executed. She said that the Civic Center was nominated for Business of the Year in the Tourism category by the St. Lucie Chamber. She added that a CBS 12 Weather Cam was installed, and showed a video of a news segment in which the Weather Cam was referenced. Vice Mayor Martin commented that being nominated for an award by the Chamber was very positive. Ms. McCarthy gave an overview of the food and beverage services and costs. Mayor Oravec asked how many outside caterers had provided services, to which Ms. McCarthy replied that 20 open cater events were held during the 2018 calendar year, and it generated about $50,000 in Page 3 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 revenue. She presented a video with feedback from clients who had rented space at the Civic Center. Vice Mayor Martin commended Ms. McCarthy for all of her hard work. Councilman Carvelli said that he was happy to see the measurables, and suggested that with the Crosstown Bridge being opened, there were more opportunities for partnerships with golf courses and hotels in the City, as travel times would be reduced. Mayor Oravec suggested opportunities for collaboration with the Saints Golf Course. Vice Mayor Martin moved to accept the 2019 State of the Civic Center Report. Councilwoman Morgan seconded the motion. Assistant City Manager Graham stated that staff intended to give an update with the Civic Center's year-end numbers at the Winter Retreat. Mayor Oravec said that he'd like to hear presentations for all of the City's business units at the Winter Retreat. There being no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously by voice vote. 6. New Business Page 4 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 6.a Request for Naming the E/W #3 Roadway in the SW 2019-942 Annexation Area by Mattamy Homes Steve Garrett, Lucido and Associates, stated that he represented Mattamy Palm Beach, LLC. He said that Tony Palumbo, Mattamy Homes, was also present. He said that the proposed roadway was named Open View Drive in the DRI documents, and explained that in Southern Grove, Polte was developing housing and when they reached out to get addressing, concern was expressed by St. Lucie County regarding addressing and 911, as on the east side, there was a small section of roadway that was also named Open View Road. He said that when the planning was done for Southern Grove, it was thought that if a potential interchange was placed, Open View Road would continue, but the interchange did not currently exist. Mr. Garrett said that the name Marshall Parkway was being proposed in honor of World War II General George C. Marshall. He said that alternate names were also being proposed, and all 3 names were validated by St. Lucie County for availability. Vice Mayor Martin said that she did not have an issue with the request. Mayor Oravec asked if there were other alternate names, as one name was hanging out for some time. Mr. Garrett said that the problem faced with this roadway may affect Paar Drive at some point. Vice Mayor Martin said that the name was not a hill to die on for her. Mayor Oravec said that there was a movement to name the Crosstown Parkway something else, and that Don Cooper passed away, and it may be a conversation for the community to have. He added that some sources named General Marshall as the most respected military person in history, besides George Washington, so he was okay with it if the Council was. Councilman Carvelli stated that he did not like the options of Positivity Way or Candes Parkway for road names. He thanked Mr. Palumbo for working with the City during Hurricane Dorian preparations. Councilwoman Morgan moved to approve the request to name the East/West Roadway in the Southwest Annexation Area by Mattamy Homes to Marshall Parkway. Councilman Carvelli seconded the motion, which passed unanimously by voice vote. Page 5 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 6.b Accept the One Half-Cent Sales Tax Third-Quarter Projects 2019-955 Update Assistant City Manager Graham stated that Assistant Public Works Director Stocton would present the item. Mr. Stocton stated that the item was for the 3rd Quarter Update of the Sales Tax Projects. He said that the Sales Tax Action Team, which was the internal project management team, met every two weeks. He said that the Council-appointed Citizens’ Oversight Committee met quarterly. Mr. Stocton gave an update of the Prima Vista Boulevard and Cashmere Boulevard projects in St. Lucie West. He said that once Prima Vista and Cashmere were done, the work on Bayshore would start, and it was projected to be done by Spring Training. Mayor Oravec asked if the oaks on Cashmere were relocated, to which Mr. Stocton replied that they were relocated to Lake Harvey. He said that the sidewalks for Torino were still under design, and per Council direction, the width was increased from 6 feet to 8 feet, where possible. He said that the design was expected to be complete by February, and construction would begin this fiscal year. he said that Tiffany, Hilmoor, and Morningside were accomplished last fiscal year. Mr. Stocton stated that regarding repaving, the only remaining roadway at the end of the year was Thornhill, which was completed the Monday after Crosstown Parkway was completed. He said that staff was getting ready for the Fiscal Year 19/20 Sales Tax-funded projects, which comprised about 3 miles. He said that the City was trying to use remaining funds from the Crosstown Bond to fund adaptive signalization along the Crosstown Parkway. He said that if the money was not available, it was still planned in the Sales Tax. He said that there were proposals ready to go, but staff was waiting to true up at the end of the job and see how much money was left. He said that Port St. Lucie Boulevard was slated for installation in 2028. Vice Mayor Martin asked what the timeline was for the true up, to which Assistant City Manager Roebling replied that it would probably be January. Mr. Stocton said that the design of Phase 1 of the Floresta Project was underway, and staff was working through permitting issues with South Florida Water Management District as well as utility relocations. He said that the selection of a design engineer for Phases 2 and 3 was underway and he was unsure of the timeframe. He presented a slide which illustrated the Torino Boulevard Intersection Improvements, and said that the project began on October 14th. He said that they were Page 6 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 projected to be complete in July. He said that if funding was leftover from Crosstown, beautification projects would take place on the US1 intersections. He said that there were additional funds from the Sales Tax Budget to do improvements along US1 in 2021. Mr. Stocton said that the Prima Vista Project was underway, and the expected completion date was in September of 2020. Councilman Carvelli asked if sidewalks were part of the project, to which Mr. Stocton replied that safety improvements were being made, but the look of the road was not being changed under this project. He said that there would be another project later, but the County only had a 2 or 3-year plan, and the projects that would dramatically change the look of Prima Vista were out past 3 years. Councilman Carvelli asked if curbing was going to be done as part of the Prima Vista Project, to which Assistant Public Works Director Stocton replied that he was not sure, but he would bring more information back. Mayor Oravec said that FPL was working on their Hardening Project, and utility providers had to provide a 1 or 3-year plan, so it was unknown what FPL’s plan would look like. CFO/City Treasurer Snyder presented a slide that illustrated how the Sales Tax was performing, on a cash basis model. He said that revenues were coming in, and were meeting the projections. He said that the number provided for revenue was actual cash coming in, and was about 2 months behind. Councilwoman Morgan said that she did not see the revenues, to which Mr. Snyder replied that the revenues were in the monthly report. Mayor Oravec said that he would like to see the revenue for the Half-Cent Sales Tax, on an annual basis. Mr. Snyder said that numbers would be provided at the Winter Retreat. Vice Mayor Martin said that she wanted to see the revenues versus expenditures. Assistant City Manager Graham informed the Council that the Citizens’ Oversight Committee would meet to finalize the Final Year-End Report for the Half-Cent Sales Tax, and staff hoped to bring the Final Report to the Council on December 9th. Assistant Public Works Director Stocton stated that the monthly report included a list of revenues and a quarterly adjustment. Councilman Carvelli said that when he worked with bonds in the past, he experienced that as the community grew, the revenues grew, and the bonds were expired early. He said that he would expect a surplus, as there was likely going to be growth. Mr. Snyder said that projections from the state were used. Councilman Carvelli moved to accept the Half-Cent Sales Tax Third Quarter Report. Vice Mayor Martin seconded the motion. Mayor Oravec Page 7 of 8 Special City Council Meeting Minutes October 21, 2019 stated that infrastructure was the foundation that the City was being built upon, and asked Assistant Public Works Director Stocton to advocate for as much repaving dollars as he could get. There being no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously by voice vote. 7. Adjourn There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:28 p.m. ________________________________ Karen A. Phillips, City Clerk ________________________________ Jeannette C. Baechle, Deputy City Clerk Page 8 of 8