HomeMy WebLinkAbout071001 Budget ws2 5 8 M NUTES
City Commission, Sanford, FloridaBUI~ET WORK SESSION JULY 10 2~1
The City Commission of the City of Sanford, Florida met in Budget Work Session on Tuesday, July 10, 2001,
at 2:00 P.M. in the City Manager's Conference Room, Sanford City Hall, 300 North Park Avenue, Sanford, Florida.
Present: Mayor-Commissioner Brady Lessard
Commissioner Whitey Eckstein
Commissioner Velma H. W'tlliams
Commissioner Art Woodruff
City Manager Tony VanDerworp
City Clerk Janet R. Dougherty
Absent: City Attorney WilliamL. Colbert
The Chairman called the meeting to order.
City Manager VanDerworp presented his budget message and requested Commission direction, offering to
perform any updates as recommended. He said appropriate staff members were in attendance at the work session to answer any
questions as the meeting was underway. The budget based on the results of the work sessions will be presented at public
hearings on September 10th and September 24t~.
The City Manager reported that City revenues were up just over $2 million; the cost of doing business is also up
nearly $1 million. Health insurance, electric, gas, telephone and merit increases all account for the rise. He also pointed out the
$919,562 needed for recurring costs, debt service, Towne Center CRA, and the like. As much of the increased revenue has been
utilized in those areas, the City has used impact fees, LOGT and LETF funds to cover the shortfall, which the work session
would address. The City Manager suggested that the highlighted table in the "Budget Summary" portion of the backup
documents provided would be useful to the Commission, as it shows all requests in excess of $10,000.
The proposed ad valorem tax rote is 6.50 mills, reduced litore the current rate of 6.75 mills. The loss in revenue
~rom Mayor Lessard's proposed tax rate reduction would be approximately $332,063. The City Manager said that eliminating
positions or capital projects would be the most expedient way to accomplish the 0.25 mill tax rate reduction, and he said that
another 0.6 mill increase would go before voters for their approval should the Commission decide to seek approval of bonds
to build a new law enforcement center.
The City Manager asked that the following corrections be made: under "Capital Items and Projects," the second
set of projects were scaled hack. The 13th Street and 18th Street Parks request is design only, and the Celery Avenue and
Mellonville Community Center (the School Board property) request is for design and permitting only. Moving forward with
design will facilitate FRDAP and other grant opportunities, and for that reason the City Manager is recommending the
expenditure. City Manager VanDerworp explained that there was a pilot project underway for brick rejuvenation, and that no
moneys were being requested for the program at large. The dive rescue equipment requested is in addition to the rescue boat
which staff feels can be obtained through donations, and Commissioner Jones is apparently also in the process of trying to secure
watercraft for the City.
Also requested by various directors were 16.5 new positions, 11 of which are fire and police positions.
Agency requests include an additional $55,000 request by Sanford Main Street, Inc., who proposes that the
augmented funds be allocated by the Community Redevelopment Agency. The balance in the Downtown CRA fund is
approximately $460,000, and the account accrues about $100,000 per year. The City Manager said that he did feel the CRA
funds should be used for harriscape projects and public improvements. He proposed rolling the balance in the Economic
Development Fund forward. Approximately $4.4 million (sic) in undesignated reserves is currently in the General Fund, less
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City Commission, Sanford, Florida BLrDGET WORK SESSION JULY 10 01
the Orlando Sanford Airport loan that was approved by the Commission at the July 9th regular meeting, bringi~ the balance to
approximately $4.1 million (sic).
Finally, the City Manager said that he would recoxranend immediately proceeding with an impact fee update for
fire and a transport rate study, and said that his proposal for reorganization of the Engineering and Planning and Community
Development Departments was underway.
The only change under the "City Manager" heading is that the increase also includes the first full year of ftmding
for the City Hall receptionist position.
Stormwater has requested the addition of one Customer Sendee Technician position; Utilities has requested beth
a Customer Sendee Technician and an Inspector be added. A regrade request to change a Plan Operator II to a Control
Specialist is also being requested.
The Commission discussed the Budget Summary and departmental budget requests as follows:
Addition of Police Officers. Commissioner Eckstein led off the discussion. He said that the City should not need
to add two officers, as two would most likely be returning to the City from assignment at the Orlando Sanford International
Airport. Commissioner Eckstein spoke with Larry Dale, President and CEO of the Orlando Sanford International Airport, as
recently as July 9th, who reported that the Sanford Police Department would not be utilized at the airport atter the current
contract expiration, ostensibly for financial, "plus some other reasons." City Manager VanDerworp said that he had not heard
that a definite decision had been made by the Airport Authority.
Proposed employee bonus. Commissioner Eckstein suggested that an employee bonus similar to the FRS
distribution be given equally to all City employees, regardless of their job classifications. The amount he proposed was from
$500 to $I,000 per person, distributed as a Christmas benus, with the exclusion of the Commission. Commissioner Williams
supported Coua~issioner Eckstein' s position. Finance Director Donna Watt reported that with the current number of employees
at $500 per person, the proposed distribution would cost the City abeut $244,000.
Fire truck purchase ($635,000). Commissioner Eckstein said that as far as the Wwer truck purchase, it would
make more sense to finance the unit over a period of five years or so. Ms. Watt said that the issue had been addressed; Mayor
Lessard said that he had a s'nnllar concern and asked Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Ransom to get tax-exempt lease icing
information from Ten-8 Fire Equipment. The budgetary proposal submitted by Ten-8 was distributed. Ms. Watt reported that
while the City was earning approximately 6% interest last year, the interest rates were currently barely over 4%. The icing
over five years would, therefore, cost almost as much as the City was earning, and did not make sound financial sense.
Commissioner Eckstein said that as a budget relief measure, using the five-year payment proposed at 3.72% would make better
sense than purchasing the truck outright. Commissioner Jones stated that as one of the fastest-growing areas in Central Florida,
Sanford needs to update its equipment to accommodate its growing population. Commissioner Jones was also in favor of using
the current equipment as a trade against the purchase.
Mayor Lessard offered to let each Commissioner state his or her budget objectives following Commissioner
Eckstein's lead:
Objectives: Commissioner Williams. Commissioner W'~liams stated that her priorities were increasing public
safety, developing a community center, and purchasing a fire truck. She said, again, that she would support the proposal
Commissioner Eckstein made with respect to an employee bonus.
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City Commission, Sanford, Florida 20--
Objectives: Commissioner Woodruff. Commissioner Woodruffoffered that he was still "in a learning mode" as
a Commissioner, and would be observing with interest.
Objectives: Commissioner Jones. Commissioner Jones declined comment, stating that he was ready to proceed.
Objectives: Mayor Lessard. Mayor Lessard reported that his overview was that the City had had a good year
"on paper." He expressed his concerns that as a country, and as a region, the economy had peaked, and although building
departments and personnel to facilitate more growth was clearly what the department heads would like, he. was very cautious
about moving forward with that plan. Mayor Lessard stated that he felt the economy was constricting rather than expanding,
and that the City was already well equipped to cope with any undeveloped land and growth issues the City will face over the
next five to ten years. (Commissioner Willjams lett the meeting.) Mayor Lessard echoed the Commission's concern that as
Sanford' s population continues to grow, public safety needs to be a primary concern. He said that while the Finance Director,
Deputy Finance Director, and City Manager were comfortable with the amount in reserves, he was not, despite the fact that all
of the projects funded in 2000 were worthy projects (i.e., the community pool, the baseball stadium, gasification, and the Art
Lane project). (Commissioner Willjams rejoined the meeting.)
The City Manager stated that the minimum amount of reserves were requested by departments going into the
budget process, as evidenced by the tower truck purchase figures. In addition, he said that he had attempted to minimize the
amount of reserves necessary going into the budget process.
Mayor Lessard reiterated that improving public safety was a priority: building Station 2 for the Fire Department
and purchasing the tower track were objectives of his. He also said he would like to complete, or have plans to complete, the
stadium/cloverleaf complex/community center, and that reducing the tax rate by at least 0.25 mills and "gradually chipping away
at it" was another goal of his.
Ms. Watt directed the Commission's attention to page 22, "City of Sanford Millage Rate Analysis, FY
2001/2002," under the Overviewstab, for more details, rollback, and financial impact information. Ms. Watt said that funds were
being transferred from the General Fund to CRA, so that whatever change was made in the rate would impact the transfer
accordingly. Commissioner Eckstein observed that the proposed transfer in the next year to CRA was in excess of $200,000,
which should easily be made up with Seminole Towne Center infill revenues, but that there were also more budget requests for
CRA funding (i.e., Sanford Main Street, Inc.).
Jay Marder, Director of Engineering and Planning, stated that the Downtown CRA and the Seminole Towne
Center CRA were actually two separate entities; Commissioner Eckstein made the analogy of a household, where both parties
produced income but the incomes ended up at the same place. Ms. Watt reported that the Downtown CRA has appreciated at
59%; the 17-92 CRA has appreciated at 164%. Ms. Watt noted that the appraised values of Seminole Towne Center properties
have steadily decreased and suggested that the City's designee sit down with the Seminole County Property Appraiser and
determine how values are being determined. Mayor Lessard concurred.
City Manager VanDerworp said he appreciated the Cornmission's comments about the City not growing too fast
and agreed that personnel was the City' s largest expense. With that in mind, he researched personnel costs at Kissimmee,
Altamonte Springs, and other nearby cities with s'nnilar populations to Sanford's. Sanford is still well under Altamonte' s (512 )
and Kissimmee's (615) staffing at 452.
Mayor Lessard said that he appreciates the consistent comparison of Sanford to Altamonte Springs by the City
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City Commission, Sanford, Florida BUDGET WORK SESSION JULY 10
Manager, but that he does not feel it is an "apples to apples" comparison, financially or demographically. By comparison, the
Mayor observed, the City of DeBary has a total of 13 employees.
Commissioner Woodruffasked Ms. Watt to explain the chart on page 20 in the Overviews section entitled "Ad
Valorem Tax History." Ms. Watt said that page 19 contained the text that went with the chart, which went back to [Fiscal Year]
1995, when Seminole Towne Center came on line with the City. Also shown are what taxable values have been since that time,
taxes levied and collected, and annual millage rates. Ms. Watt explained that the City had not finished collecting for Fiscal Year
2001.
The City Manager pointed out that on page 4 in the Overviews section under "Police," there was a line item for
motorcycle leasing, but that he wanted to revisit the issue with Police ChiefBrian Tooby at a future date in order to address
two items: operational impacts and benefits. Commissioner Eekstein cited the Gordon Reed and Andy Colazzo chinas as reasons
for his vehement opposition to the idea of motorcycle leasing. Mayor Lessard reported that he wanted to bring this matter before
the Commission as a policy issue after the City Manager and the Police Chief presented it to him; the City Manager stated that
although the budgetary amount was relatively minor, he had not had a chance to analyze the request and would therefore like
to bring it up as a special item at ahter time. Mayor Lessard said, again, that although dollar-wise the amount was minor,
exposure could be major. Commissioners Eckstein and VVilliams stated that items such as these should have been analyzed prior
to the budget work session. Commissioner Eckstein and Mayor Lessard would not support motorcycle lea_sing for the Police
Department; Commissioner Jones was ambivalent about the issue; Commissioner Woodraft said he did not want to commit
without hearing from each side. Commissioner Willjams did not comment.
The City Manager said that the first public hearing on the budget would be on September 10th, and that any
modifications made as a result of the work sessions would be presented to the Commigsinn at each meeting up to and inchding
the budget hearings. Ms. Watt said that the initial millage rate had to be submitted to the Property Appraiser by August 4th, so
it should be determined at the July 23'a regular meeting. The millage rate can be lowered at any time until September 24th, but
it cannot be raised after August 4th.
Personnel requests. City Manager VanDerworp said that persormel requests came mainly from the City Clerk,
Finance, Engineering, Community Development and Police and Fire Departments. Mayor Lessard observed that he felt the
Police Department had some personnel needs (i.e., two investigators and a records clerk), and that it was the only department
he bad really had the oppommity to meet with. He also felt that with the addition of the tower truck, the Fire Department would
have some personnel needs. The Mayor said that the public and the Commission seem to be in favor of adding to the Code
Enforcement staff, so that area should be addressed.
Ms. Watt explained that the request for a secretary in Finance would also potentially handle utility big, receipt
of permit fees, and the like. The City Manager went over some of the advantages of adding the position, and Ms. Watt added
that last year a grants writer and risk manager had been hired with only one secretarial support person in the department for the
Finance Director, the Deputy Finance Director, and the additional positions. She also pointed out that the cost shown as a line
item would be reduced by the cost ofthe currently funded part-time person~ The Mayor said he wanted to talk more about the
request, and defined "efficiency" as "less labor and less resources to produce a similar or superior product." The City Manager
stated that he would like to move forward with the main reorganizations involving the Engineering and Planning and Commtmity
Development Departments.
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City Commission, Sanford, Florida 20---
Commissioner W'flliams stated that it would be difficult to make a decision among the department heads' requests
for personnel without knowing which positions were more vital to operations. For clarification, the City Manager offered that
each Commissioner could evaluate personnel requests as he had: ( 1 ) growth in staff over previous years; (2) City Commission
direction, For instance, the additions of an auto theft investigator and a code enforcement officer seemed to be necessary, ~jven
the Commission's concern with auto theft and code violations in the City. He suggested that the Commissioners each vote in
the direction of their priorities. Commissioner W'flliams asked whether the current staff could improve its efficiency, and the City
Manager said that while that was a daily goal, the City was growing, which necessitated better and more personalized customer
service. Overtime rates were analyzed, along with other benchmarks, and many of the positions requested were cut prior to the
dmR before the Commission. The personnel requests reflect analysis of the same issues raised by the Commission and cuts that
have already been made.
Further discussion regarding additional police officers· Commissioner Eckstein stated that he had not gotten a
satisfactory answer regarding the two policemen he anticipates will be returning to the force from their current airport
assignment. Commissioner Eckstein explained that there was a high probability, following his discussion with Mr. Dale, that
the two Sanford Police Officers currently assigned to the airport would be released by Mr. Dale in the near future and would
be returning to the City of Sanford. City Manager VanDerworp said that the two officers, should they be released hack to the
City, would be reassigned back into police operations. Commissioner Wittiaras commented that with the City owning the airport,
the idea was to develop relationships between the parties, and that "we should have made it work·" Commissioner Woodruff
asked why the City would potentially hire the Sheriff' s Department to police part of its property, and Commissioner Eckstein
said that Mr. Dale had the right to make that decision. In addition, the City Manager said, the Commission has the right to
approve Mr. Dale's budget. Chief Tooley cautioned the Commission against jumping ahead with any decision, and said that
whether or not the two airport officers were ultimately released, he would make the additional hires work. (Commissioner
Eckstein briefly left the meeting and returned.) Commissioner Jones said that whether or not he would prefer to have Sanford
officers at the airport, he did not want them to have any problems because of the dissension that might occur if "certain people
· .. didn't get their way," or if the issues at the airport were personal rather than performance-oriented. Commissioner Woodruff
suggested discussion of personnel and high cost listings item-by-item· The Mayor said that "public safety [was] the primary
purpose of why we're here," along with clean drinking water. He said be was not convinced that the City should be charging
the airport full rate for the Sanford Police Officers, as from the airport's standpoint there was no value to the charge, and he said
he would he happy to see two extra police officers patrolling Sanford. Ms. Watt stated that TBI actually paid the airport as a
flow-through cost.
Mayor Lessard observed that with flights coming in from several South American countries in the near future,
additional policing issues would have to be addressed, and the airport will require more police personnel than they are currently
using. The City Manager suggested that, regarding the police personnel issue, the Commission review the airport' s budget when
it was presented and make any adjustments to the City' s budget at the public hearings, as there was plenty of time to do so. He
reiterated that the purpose of these Budget Work Sessions was to see what was proposed for the coming fiscal year and use it
as a starting point. Commissioner Eckstein again told the Commission that "he said he's not going to hire Sanford policemen
out there," the "he" referring to Mr. Dale.
The City Manager said that the Commission would have the ability to deal with that particular issue because there
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were some other police officers requested in this budget. If those numbers are reduced, the difference in cost would be from
$18,000 to $20,000. The Police Department is also requesting a Police Records Technician, two uniformed officers, and an
investigator. He said that one of the uniformed officers could be swapped out after the airport' s decision was made, ff need
Discussion regarding other personnel requests. Chief Tooley said that the Records Technician was requested
due to the Commissinn's request to keep the Police Department open 24 hours a day. His initial request was for four Records
Technicians in order to keep the building open 24 hours, 7 days, but the City Manager had cut that number hack to one. The
requested technician would be able to assist the current technicians with keeping up with their workloads, as they are currently
behind and not up-to-date. Commissioner Woodntff suggested that the Police Department remain open by juggling the
technicians' schedules, and Chief Tooley reported that with just three records clerks and a receptionist it would be impossible
to do more than stretch the Department's current hours to 6:00 or 7:00 p.nk, or to open an hour or so earlier. In addition, the
bulk of the Records Technicians' jobs are handled between 8:00 a.nk and 5:00 p.m.
Chief Tooley also stated that the Department needed two full-time bicycle patrol officers, and that they were
being requested based on the wishes of the Commission. He said that this would provide coverage in the City of between 16
and 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, depending on the needs of the citizens. The vehicle thef~ investigator being requested is
relative to the number of auto thefts that occur in the City. One Sanford investigator handled 180 auto theft cases from February
through May; Seminole County, by contrast, has 5 investigators on their task force who bandied 160 cases during the same time
flame. In addition, Chief Tooley pointed out, the bulk of the auto theft in Seminole County occurred within the corporate limits
"- of the City of Sanford.
City Manager VanDerworp briefly explained the Fire Department's personnel requests. Regarding the request
for a Permit Coordinator, the City Manager said that when the Building and Fire Prevention Departments became co-located,
the Building Department "benowed" one of the Fire Administration staff members to handle some of its phone calls, paperwork,
and pennit processing. The additional support is necessary, as the department has been just getting by without administrative
support for about a year now. Between annual inspections and the volume of permits requested, the position is necessary for
timely filing of reports to the State and other time-sensitive matters. Fire Chief Tom Hickson said that while the co-location of
the departments was decided on in order to ereate a more "citizen-friendly" enviroranent, additional staffing was now necessary
to handle new incorring plans, new permitting matters, and other, more advanced tasks that require more than a regular clerical
employee (i.e., someone with more extensive processing and customer relations skills). Deputy Chief Jerry Ransom also
explained other Fire Department staffin~ needs and requirements the department would have with the addition of the tower truck
Chief Hickson said that current Fire Department staff would not be eligible for promotions due to the City's educational
requirements, so new lieutenants would have to be hired for supervision of the additional firefighters.
In Community Development, the City Manager explained that he would consider the positions requested
"opportunity positions." He said that ff the Commission wanted to increase the amount of revenues received in the form of
grants and redevelopment funds, particularly in the Georgetown and Goldsboro areas, it would elect to approve the CD
Specialist position, which was discussed at the Strategic Planning meeting. The Code Enforcement Officer has been requested
due to the priorities stated by the Commission.
City Manger VanDerworp said that the current level of operations for each position could be continued, or it
could be increased with additional staffing. Some discussion ensued regardinE assigning each Code Enforcement Officer to a
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quadrant of the City.
Ms. Watt stated that the current Grants Writer/Monitor on staff in the Finance Departraent did no grants
administration and that she had been with the City for less than three months. Ms. Watt said that the job description includes
grants writing and monitoring and keeping the department up to speed on when reports need to be completed, The Finance
Department itself actually compiles most of the compliance reports. Ms. Watt said that Keyin Smith, Deputy Finance Director,
was the direct supervisor of the Grants Writer/Monitor, but offered that there was probably time in the G-rants Writer' s schedule
to accommodate more research or assist other departments with grants writing.
Mr. Rowe said that Community Development was expecting a fairly good increase in the CDBG funds through
the County, which will require some additional assistance, and that he would like to take advantage of some SBA funding
available.
City Manager'VanDerworp explained that under the proposed reorganization of Community Development, the
department would narrow its focus away from building, permitting, occupational licensing and other areas it currently oversees
to strictly code enforcement and community development activities. The addition ofa Coh~i~tmity Development Specialist would
increase the department' s abilities to seek additional grant opportunities, to implement all of the goals of the Georgetown and
Goldsboro Master Plans, to get CDBG ~mding increased, and to increase overall activity in neighborhood redevelopment. In
addition, Mr. Rowe would remain as an additional resource for grants and administration of CDBG. Cynthia Oliver, a current
staff member, has been loaned out to the Front Porch program, and the LIHEAP Specialist remains. The Building Inspector
position, a grant-funded position, is vacant and will not be filled. As a result of all of these issues, Mr. Rowe is handling the
duties himself.. The City Manager said that if the CD Specialist position was assigned to one person, the City could effectively
increase the level of service in this area.
Mr. Rowe said that Stacy Tebo is the Code Enforcement Memager for Community Development and does not
currently perform any grant-writing functions. With the proposed reorganization, Mary Muse would be moved to an
occupational licensing function under the Engineering Department. Commissioner Williams said her understanding had been
that the current Grants Writer/Monitor would perform this function for Community Development. Mayor Lessard suggested
that the current Grants Writer/Monitor be shared between Finance and Community Development, with prioritization handled
through the Finance Department. Commissioner Eekstein agreed and said he would vote not to approve this position.
Mr. Rowe said his current priorities included really pushing code enforcement and condemnation issues, and the
addition of a Code Enforcement Officer would further this goal. He reported that approximately 30% of his tirne was taken up
by licensing, although licensing is a very cyclicai iten~ Mr. Rowe estimated that code enforcement took up to 5% more of his
time each month, which meant that he had been forced to focus less on building. He estimated that the department received
3,000 to 4,000 code enforcement calls per year; Mayor Lessard observed that the City of Los Angeles received 40,000 of the
same calls. Obviously, he said, the per capita numbers are grossly out of proportion. Commissioners Williams and Woodruff
endorsed the new Community Development positions; both said they would rather approve two additional Code Enforcement
Officers than just one.
City Manager VanDerworp said that the grants would be worked on, and that he would report to the
Commission on whether or not progress could be made in that area~ Mayor Lessard said he would love to add two Code
Enforcement Officers as well, and commended Mr. Rowe on the job he has done with lowering the threshold of tolerance for
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code violations. The City Manager suggested that the Commission approve one Code Enforcement Officer and keep an eye on
the position throughout the year, and added that all Code Enforcement Officers were being certified from this point on by the
FACE organization.
The City Manager directed the Commission' s attention to the proposed reorganization chart for the Engineering
and Planning Department. The "Planner" position shown under Strategic Planning is the same as the "Economic Development
Manager" position requested; under Zoning and Land Development, them is a new Administrative Secretary position requested.
He said the intent of the requests from Engineering and Planning was to bring the Engineer, Fire Marshal, Building Official and
Land Development Manager together, hopefully physically relocating them in the near future. IfPermit Teeks cannot answer
a question, rather than sending someone from Building over to Zoning, or Fire Prevention, the personnel will all be put in the
san~ place so they can function as a teant Ocoupational Licensing has also been moved to Engineering and Planning, in that
a prim2.ry function of this department is to determine what zoning district the property is in and whether or not the business is
an allowed use in that zoning district. The City Manager explained that at this point, Marion Anderson is covering Zoning, Land
Development, Engineering and Planning, and the responsibilities are more than one individual can effectively handle.
City Manager VanDerworp said that the Planner, or Economic Development Manager, position is another
opportunity position. At this point, he said, the City contributes the greatest share of funds to the 17-92 CRA. He stated that
he could, in reality, put 4 to 5 consultants on the 17-92 project to get the Commission' s goals accomplished. Although the
Tourist Development funding requests are not tracked, the City could conceivably get a larger share of those funds, and the
Airport Master Plan is only accomplished by Director of Euginecring and Planning Jay Marder and City Manager VanDerworp
as time allows. The City Manager also mentioned City-owned parcels, foreclosed parcels, business recruitment with the EDC,
County and State, and in~ll development parcels as projects that could use the attention of an additional Planner in the
department. He said that, again, this was to be based on the priorities ofthe Commission in these areas. Mr. Marder added that
a Planner was added in 2000, and that individual has been assigned to just bandie day-to-day operations us they occur. He said
that there were several areas that presented opportunities and were not being covered currently because there was not enough
staff to do so. Mr. Marder said that the indMdual would ideally have a Public Administration/Urban Planner-type hackground,
and his salary would titll somewhere between the Land Development Manager' s and the City Engineer' s. (Mayor Lessard briefly
leR the meeting and retttmed.) The City Manager said the candidate would require a Master's degree and 5 years of experience
in economic development, and said that much of the work that would he done by the Planner has been done by Mr. Marder and
himself, hit-or-miss, until now. Commissioner Jones said his understanding of the outcome of the Strategic Planning Meeting
was that 17-92 was a priority for the Commission, and that several new things would be coming on line to trigger growth along
the corridor. He supported the addition of the Planner. Commissioner Eckstein said that he was convinced that the Planner was
necessary. Commissioner Woodraft asked what would happen to the position in, say, 5 years, when all the projects discussed
had been completed. The City Manager reiterated the concern be shares with the Commission regarding "becoming overloaded"
with staff, but said that the'number of special project demands that he envisions in 5 years should more than justify this position.
Mayor Lessard said that he wanted to especially concentrate on the 17-92 issue, but that he could not support the Administrative
Secretary position in Engineering. Commissioners W'~liams and Eckstein voiced their suppert of the Mayor' s position regarding
Personnel requests in Engineering.
Commissioner Jones asked for clarification on the County and MPO' s timeframe for S.1L 46 ' s widening and
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correlation. Mr. Marder said that the design money had been committed to, and that while it was high on the priority list, the
project was scheduled to be completed in about 6 years.
The City Manager addressed the Finance Department Secretary requests. (City Manager VanDerworp briefly
left the meeting and returned.) (Commissioner Eckstein left the meeting.) Ms. Watt said that the Finance Department would,
in truth, only he a part-time position request; the department currently has an untilled part-time position, which has been funded
at approximately $12,500. Mayor Lessard asked if holding off on the request would he possible until the reorganization issue
was ~nalized. She asked that the position not he cut at this time, and said she had some ideas about bow to combine staff in the
departments for increased efficiency. City Manager VanDerworp elaborated by saying that utility b'ffiing functions, as well as
other functions, might be brought into the Finance Department as part of the proposed reorganization. It was decided to revisit
this position request following the fmalization of reorganization plans, and to reduce the amount of the request by $12,500.
Mayor Lessard requested a brief written summary of the proposed reorganization changes for the Commission.
The City Clerk' s secretarial position was then discussed. City Clerk Dougherty said that an unusual number of
overtime hours in the Clerk' s office occurred recently due to the untilled Deputy City Clerk vacancy. The City Clerk observed
that while she agreed with maximizing efficiency in each department, the Clerk' s office had reached its limit. The Mayor said
he felt that some of the development issues handled by the Cl~rk's office would begin to taper off soon. The City Clerk stated
that her office was letting the Commission down at this point by not being able to meet its demands, which was a great settree
of concern for her. She cited completion of meeting minutes and doeament indexing as examples of items that were behind, and
said that even before the departure ofMarkae Rupp, the former Deputy City Clerk, these were not up-to-date. In addition,
several hours of overtime were required of each employee in the department for routine work each week. The City Clerk
stressed that this overtime was not for the completion of special projects or for attending Commission meetings.
Commissioner Williams stated that meeting minutes were a priority, asked the City Clerk who actually created
the minutes, and, as an alternative, if the City Clerk herself could prepare minutes. The City Clerk said that the two Deputy City
Clerks shared the responsibility of minutes. While the City Clerk said that she could prepare them, it would remove her from
her other duties. In addition, the City Clerk enumerated some of the other responsibilities of the office: elections, legal ads,
notices, subject files, rezonings, annexations, vacatings, notifications, letters, and other correspondence. Despite the huge
volume of work assigned to the office, the Clerk said, no personnel additions have been made for at least 5 to 6 years. The
addition of a Deputy City Clerk shown in the Proposed Budget materials is a misnomer: the Deputy City Clerk position was
actually the reclassification of an existing employee rather than an addition. Commissioner Woodndf supported the new position.
Commissioner Jones said that he would also support the position, given the fact that agendas had been dropped off to him at
11:00 p.nt in the past. Mayor Lessard said that it wasn't always the Clerk's fault that the agendas were not delivered in a timely
fashion, but he also said he would like to see the agendas getting to the Commission on Wednesdays prior to meetings.
The Mayor further stated that while the City Clerk works directly for the Commigsion, the employees she
supervises do not, and he finds the organizational situation problematie. He said that he did not know whether or not the
department required a secretary, but that if the two Deputies worked directly for the Commission it would he an easier decision
for hiro~ Commissioner Williams asked how many other departments required the same amount of overtime as the Clerk' s office,
and stated that she was aware of the increased amount of work required of the department overthe past 5 years. (Commissioner
Eekstein rejoined the meeting.) The City Clerk said that some of the less quantitiable duties of the office are the number of
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City Commission, Sanford, Florida BUIX~ET WORK SESSION ,Fb~LY 1O el
20 ~
citizen calls received for information, and observed that some of these clerical-type duties could be assigned to the secretary.
Mayor Lessard said that Deputy City Clerk Cynthia Porter had been working far too hard, including on nights and weekends,
and Commissioner Willjams echoed his remarks, adding that perhaps organiTation and prioritization should be addressed.
Commissioner Jones said that in the past 5 years, the Clerk had clearly "organiTed and prioritized the thing to death," and the
workload has gotten to the point where an additlonal person is necessary.
Mayor Lessard suggested the use of a stenographer to prepare the meeting minutes. The City Clerk said that
using a court stenographer to prepare verbatim minutes would be an excellent idea. The Mayor said that transcribing minutes
after the meeting, using a tape of the proceedingS, seemed a massive task as opposed to the '~eal-time" process a stenographer
would provide. He estimated that not only would a stenographer save the City money, but it would save the Clerk's office 40
to 60 hours a month of work, and asked the Commission if they would rather pay a court stenographer "$200 a meeting" and
have the minutes prepared in a verbatim fashion. The City Clerk confirmed with the Mayor that he proposed this responsibility
be completely relinquished to a court stenographer: that the Clerk's office neither had to prepare the minutes nor review them
for accuracy, and that they would be handed to the Clerk in final form from the stenographer. Commissioner Woodmffasked
the City Clerk to estimate the cost of a stenographer, and she offered to get with the City Attorney and further research the
matter. The City Clerk said that she bad proposed the idea to her staff in the past, but that she thought the Co~mtission preferred
the minutes' present format. Mayor Lessard assured her that he did, but said that the stenographer option was worth looking
into.
Discussion of capital requests. Mayor Lessard addressed the "Ft. Mellon Park Renovation - PhI" item shown
in the Parks Department' s capital requests at $403,000. The City Manager said that he recommended the funds be taken out
of Recreational Impact Fees, as the equipment requested was all brand new. He said that the consultant was required to took
at several separate concatenations for the park: the 700 feet of street on the east side of the park, along with the fact that the
property wraps around the museum, the Civic Center, the Conference Center site, and the Chamber site. The entire property
and its surroundings are taken into consideration, and then the options are arrived at.
Howard Jefliies, Landscape Architect, reported that the Parks Department platreed to comet a picnic shelter
and add a basketball court and restmorn at McKa~bin Park. Commissioner Jones said that people were still getting into the ditch
around the ends of the fencing despite its being there. Mr. Jeffties said that the Parks Department was working on fencing the
entire perimeter of the park. The City Manager suggested that fill be added to the plans. Coiua~issioner Eel{stein stated that
he bad heard many citizens coxmnend Mr. Jeffries' efforts while saying that more maintenance was simply necessary at the City' s
parks. He offered that a basketball court at McI~h'bbin Park might only make the park look worse. Mike Kirby, Director of
Recreation and Parks, said that several area residents had in fact asked for the basketball courts, but agreed with the
Commissioner that a basketball court would increase noise. Conu~issloner Eckstein said there were plenty of basketball courts
available in the area, and cited Seminole High School, Ft. Mellon Park, Coastline Park, Washington Oaks Park, and Starke Park
as alternative locations to play. He endorsed the idea of the picnic shelter and barbecue area, and said he was completely in favor
of using McKibbin as a more family-oriented park. The City Manager said that any moneys saved would be from impact fees
and not the general fund. Commissioner Eckstein then suggested an "Adopt-A-Park" concept, and asked Mr. Jeffries to consider
the progran~ The Commissioner said that most of the people who had approached him regarding the issue were members of
the Scenic Improvement Board, and again praised Mr. Jeffries for a job well done. Mr. Kirby stated that Parks has a program
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BUDGET WORK SESSION JULY 10 2001
City Commission, Sanford, Florida
in place similar to the Adopt-A-Park program.
Commissioner Jones said his concerns about McKibbin Park were both safety-related and use-related. The
grounds are not level, and they pose a danger to park users. In addition, they are unsuitable for field sports. The racquet sports
courts go largely unused by the public as well. Mr. Jefties said that grounds repairs at the park were underway. As a result
of the Commission's discussion and concerns about the park, City Manager VanDerworp asked Mr. Jeffties to look at
redesigning MeKibbin to make it more of a family-oriented park, and to return to the Commission with a couple of design
options.
Mr. Jeffdes stated th~at the Scenic Improvement Board's budget this past year was $500, which only covered
trees that were given away for Earth Day. Mayor Lessard suggested that monthly SIB award winners should receive plaques
from the City with photographs the Seminole Herald has agreed to donate, and Mr. Jeffries reported that the program was
underway and should be implemented prior to the September award being presented. Mayor Lessard suggested that Mr. Je~iies
add $500 to the budgeted amount hi order to give the award recipients a nice quality phque, and also said the Parks Department
should consider naming an annual award winner from the 12 monthly recipients. The City lVlanager said that the McKibbin Park
capital request could be readdressed after the redesign had been completed.
Jerry Henran, Director of Public Works, said that the ULV Mosquito Sprayer requested under "Health Mosquito
Controt' would rephce the unit currently in use that was purchased in 1986. Commissioner Eckstein said that a number of years
ago, during the encephalitis scare in the Sanford area, the unit was used to spray at outdoor events under County regulation~
Mr. Herman said that the sprayer was more effective in the elimination of adult insects than as a method of actually controlling
insects. Mayor Lessard confirmed with Mr. Herman that if Public Works' planned ground insecticide treatmere was effective,
it would be implemented citywide.
Mayor Lessard, Commissioner Woodraft and Commissioner Eckstein all voiced their support of a concurrency
program with the Seminole County School Board and City growth issues.
Further discussion regarding Engineering personnel request. Jay Marder asked the Commission to reconsider
the Administrative Secretary position he requested, explaining that currently Marion Anderson was charged with the task of
preparing all Planning and Zoning and Historic Preservation Board minutes, and he said that recently there had been an increase
in public hearings from each of these entities. In addition, the hearings require more and more information from applicants, such
as school board concurrency. Mr. Marder said that both Project Manager Chris Smith and Land Development Manager Bob
Walter were virtually without help but were committed to $20 million in projects, plus review, at the present time.
Commissioner Woodruff asked whether the stenographer option would be viable for the Planning and Zoning
and Historic Preservation Boards. Commissioner Williams stated that as part of each Administrative Seeretary's job description,
including her pay and grade, he or she was generally obligated to be a secretary for a committee.
Following the Engineering personnel request discussion, further discussion was had between the City Clerk and
Commissioner Williams regarding using a court stenographer for verbatim minute transcription, and the nature of the service.
Remm to discussion of capital requests. City Manager VanDerworp observed that the budget had been increased
by approximately $123,000 in light of the proposed $500 Christmas bonus. Reductions to the initial $244,000 included
anticipated request denials for the City Clerk Secretary ($25,724), a part-time Finance Secretary ($12,500), the Engineering
Administrative Secretary ($35,304), the Community Development Specialist ($35,453), and the change of the Fire Department
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City Commission, Sanford, Florida BUDGET WORK SESSION JULY 10 2~1
Pennit Coordinator ($40,070) to a Secretary. In addition, $500 was added to the Parks Department' s budget. The contractual
service for a stenographer has not been added, nor has the 0.25 mill tax rate reduction.
Commissioner Eckstein asked if the department heads could stay behind cud discuss the employee bonus issue.
He said that he could accept the decision of a bonus amount of $500, but would prefer the City give employees $750 each, cud
asked each department head to find the funds in his or her budget rather than use the general fund. Citing the Sanford Police
Departmere' s officers' increased morale, Commissioner Eckstein said he thought Christmas benuses were something the City
simply needed to do for its employees. At the same time, he called for Mayor Lessard to compromise on the millage rate
reduction matter. Mayor Lessard stated that the rate reduction was not "about [himself] looking good on the millage rate" issue,
but rather part of his philosophy. Commissioner Eckstein said that he would prefer to see the millage rate reduced by a little
bit each year as opposed to having a larger reduction that had to be followed by an increase in rates.
Summation. The City Manager summarized the Commission's Work Session directives as follows: (1) offer a
tax rate reduction of 0.125 mills; (2) each director to go through his or her budget to find funding for proposed holiday bonuses;
(3) maintain general fund reserves, to the extent possible, at this time.
Further discussion regarding public safety issues cud requests. The City Manager said that if the fire truck was
iced, it would help maintain general fund reserves. In addition, the Mayor said, Fire Station No. 2 would need to be
addressed. Ms. Watt said that $325,000 had been earmarked for public safety facilities, and Commissioner Jones suggested that
the trcusport fee could also be increased. The City Manager said that a consultant would be hired to prove that increased irapact
--' fees were growth-driven cud not arbitrary. Mayor Lessard suggested that collections become a priority, as Ms. Watt reported
that colleetious were down in the current year. Discussion was had with ChiefHicksun regarding Fire Station No. 2' s proposed
location in a residential neighborhood, the lights that would be required, and the fact that access was only possible through cu
apartment complex. (Commissioner Williams briefly left the meeting and returned.) The City Manager mentioned addition~al
costs due to cu $80,000 reduction in the sales price of Fire Station No. 2, the extra bay that would be necessary in the new
building, cud briefly discussed the proposed co-location ofthe Police cud Fire Stations. Commissioner Eckstein observed that
the City' s best option (among the KMart site, the 18th Street site, and the 13th Street site) would be the site across from Sanford
Middle, as it will accommodate both the Police cud Fire Departments cud is owned by the City. The Commissioner said that
the upcoming bond issue would determine whether or not it was feasible to build the proposed public safety building, and said
that the City could certainly demonstrate the need for the building.
Mayor Lessard stated that collection rates would increase significantly if a rescue station was located at 38.
Commissioner Jones agreed. City Manager Vanl)erworp said that no matter what the Commission decides, transport fees will
not subsidize the cost of numing the urtit. He said he would prefer to deal with the tower track this year, revisit Rescue 38 next
year as cu impact fee item, cud in the mecutime see how Lake Mary's new rescue unit affects Sanford. Deputy Fire Chief
Ransom went over location options for the new Lake Mary unit. Ms. Watt said she would ask Ten-8 to renm the numbers for
the tower truck lease cud financing options, cud told the Commission that there was approximately $3.8 million in reserves
following expenditures approved at its July 9th meeting. She also said that approximately $635,000 would be put into reserves
this year, cud that a 9-month report from Finance would be forthcoming shortly. Ms. Watt recapped for the Commission that
at the end of 2000, there was approximately $11 million in reserves. Over $2 million has been budgeted into this year, the 16%
operating reserve is $4.2 million, cud the gasitication is $1 million. This does include adding back in the moneys received from
MINUTES
City Commission, Sanford, Florida BUI~ET WORK SESSION JULY 10 2(~1
the airport. Prior to July 9th, expenditures included $125,000 for Art Lane, $36,000 for lights, and $63,000 for a press box.
In summary, there is currently $3.8 million in reserves, plus the $4.2 operating reserves. Deputy Finance Director Smith
supported the purchase of a tower truck with cash on hand.
Mayor Lessard asked the City Clerk to remind the Commission that the July 10th Budget Work Session meefmg
ended with Commissioner Eckstein's request to discuss vehicles.
The meeting was recessed and continued to July 11, 2001, at 12:00 p.m.
Mayor
Attest:
City Clerk
re