MINUTES PARKLAND CITY COMMISSION WORK SESSION 3:30 P.M.

Transcription

1 MINUTES PARKLAND CITY COMMISSION WORK SESSION 3:30 P.M. I CALL TO ORDER 3:36 P.M. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Present: Commissioner Jay D. Smith Commissioner Jared E. Moskowitz Vice Mayor Tracey McGilvray Mayor Michael Udine Also Present: Mark Lauzier, City Manager Caryn Gardner Young, Assistant City Manager Andrew Maurodis, City Attorney Roberta Moore, Planning Director Scott Davidoff, Leisure Service Director Jim Berkman, Public Service Director Brian Archer, Environmental Resource Director Dave Carry, BSO Police Chief Don Haupt, Fire Chief Sandra Couzzo, City Clerk II PURPOSE: 1. DISCUSSION: PROCESS TO SOLICIT CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES City Manager Mark Lauzier asked the Commission to provide direction on how to proceed with the outsourcing of code enforcement services. The City began looking into different options for code enforcement, such as using BSO or certified code enforcement

2 PAGE 2 officers from the private sector. In addition, there must be a decision between issuing an RFP or an RFQ. Mr. Lauzier believes an RFP a more controlled process; for example, the difference between one officer and two officers could be priced out. Two private firms in addition to BSO have been identified, or another option would be entering into an agreement with Coral Springs. Code enforcement officers would be the enforcers and investigators until a violation was issued; Mr. Archer would oversee the process. Mayor Udine asked how much money is allocated in the budget for code enforcement, and Mr. Lauzier replied that the budget allows for two positions, including benefits and a car allowance, at approximately $110,000. Mayor Udine believed the Commission should first decide if they want to do the outsourcing. The Mayor stated he is in favor of at least investigating it. Commissioner Moskowitz stated that the City should make a concerned effort to outsource code enforcement. He suggested Mr. Archer be the connection between the outsource company and the City. He does not want to hire Coral Springs; the City should either pick a private company or BSO. The City needs to outline specific instructions for the code enforcers, making sure they are comfortable taking instruction from the City. Vice Mayor McGilvray would love to see Mr. Archer have time to focus on what he is stellar at environmental resources -- and just oversee code enforcement. She is in favor of an RFP in order to save time. She suggested they could ask for different proposals addressing different scenarios. Mayor Udine believes the City Commission should not be as involved in code enforcement issues as they have been over the past few years. These issues should rarely come before the Commission. City ordinances should be followed. He agrees that the City should not contract with Coral Springs. The Mayor asked the City Manager to come back with a specific plan. Mr. Lauzier said they will prepare a draft RFP including differing service levels and expectations of responsiveness to the City. They will be looking for someone with experience. Commissioner Moskowitz asked that the RFP have options of five-day and seven-day enforcement. Mr. Lauzier said Mr. Maurodis will draft the RFP with guidelines provided by the Commission. Commissioner Smith suggested the contract be five days a week, but not necessarily Monday through Friday. Mayor Udine said hiring outside code enforcement officers will be a drastic change from the past and City needs to be prepared. The majority of code enforcement is outside of

3 PAGE 3 the gated communities and approximately 70% of our residents live in gated communities. Vice Mayor McGilvray agreed that they are spending too much of their time on code enforcement issues instead of the issues they were elected to address. 2. DISCUSSION: PARKSIDE DRIVE PROJECTS Mark Lauzier, City Manager, stated this was primarily an issue left over from the damage created by Hurricane Wilma. There was extensive damage to the tree canopy and rear yards on Parkside Drive, especially near Cypresshead. In addition, the City has ongoing projects, for example, the Parkside Drive Sidewalk Project for which they need to determine policy as it relates to shielding and buffering private yards from public view. Mr. Lauzier presented a memo to the Commission which lists a few options for buffering on Parkside Drive, such as: designating it as an arbor street, changing City code to make landscape buffering the residents responsibility, or the City might selectively plant buffering. In addition, staff wanted to make sure that the right tree ends up in the right place. Mayor Udine questioned why a tree replacement program by the City should be addressed in this one particular area instead of in Winner s Circle and Country Place, which has been a concern for years. He thinks they should not look at other areas of the City before sufficient buffering is complete there. Ms. Gardner-Young, Assistant City Manager, stated they need to set policy before they can move forward with the sidewalk project. They have to look at a tree replanting program, which is why they need to discuss this issue now; it is not just a discussion of new plantings. Ms. Gardner-Young said that after the hurricane many plantings along Parkside Drive were destroyed. The City investigated the landscape ordinance and found that the City does not require residents on Parkside Drive to maintain a buffer. Cypresshead HOA also has no requirement. Since the hurricane, all the homeowners have installed a landscaping buffer. Commissioner Moskowitz asked if Ms. Gardner-Young wanted the Commission to make this a code requirement. Ms. Gardner-Young said that one option was to require homeowners to maintain a buffer. Another option is to designate Parkside Drive as an arbor street, such as Holmberg Road, which also requires homeowners to maintain a buffer. If they choose to, the City can put landscaping in the right-of-way; however, that would constitute a new program. They can also ask Cypresshead HOA to make a change to their covenants requiring the residents backing up to Parkside Drive to plant buffers. Lastly, the City can take no action.

4 PAGE 4 Vice Mayor McGilvray said they need to decide where and when it is appropriate for the City to plant. She believed the Commission should discuss what they want Parkside Drive to be and if it should be considered a gateway into Parkland. Commissioner Moskowitz stated that it should not be the City s responsibility to replace trees which were damaged due to hurricanes. They should avoid setting the wrong precedent. Commissioner Smith said the City should not pay for trees that are going on private property. They should only plant in the City s right-of-way. Vice Mayor McGilvray emphasized that the solution is not always clear cut. One problem is that some of the shrubs along the right-of-way that were destroyed in the hurricane have not been replaced. She asked if the City would replace what was in the City prior to the hurricane. Mr. Lauzier responded that they first had to order a survey to determine what was on City property before they could replant. Mr. Archer interjected that there are only ten trees that are still missing from City property since Hurricane Wilma. The Commission must provide direction about planting additional trees to create a buffer. Mr. Lauzier recommends not initiating a new landscaping project at this time, and Mayor Udine agreed. Vice Mayor McGilvray confirmed the City should only replace what existed on City property, according to their plan. Mayor Udine summarized the conversation: All property owners along Parkside Drive have replanted on their own property; the City will replace trees lost in the hurricane once they have identified what is the City s property; and, lastly, the City will continue to maintain City-owned property. Mr. Lauzier reviewed sidewalk issues with the Commission. The City now has a streets crew chief with extensive experience with sidewalks. They will do a combination of inhouse work and bidding out with Weston. The trees will be removed and relocated to either Covered Bridge Park, Holmberg Road or Pine Trails Park based upon the best location for the tree. A bike lane will be put on the outside edge of the easement to the extent possible. Before they allow for a bike lane, they need to verify there will be sufficient runoff room and room between the road and the sidewalk. The Commissioners asked for a price of redoing the bike lane, and Mr. Lauzier replied that it would be approximately $34,000.

5 PAGE 5 Mayor Udine stated there is a resident that has expressed a concern with how the sidewalk would impact the overflow parking for Riverglades. The Education Advisory Board discussed this issue, but did not think the sidewalk interfered with the parking. Mr. Lauzier agreed that the sidewalk would be pretty far back and should not interfere with parking; however, they will contact the School Board and try to resolve any issues. Vice Mayor McGilvray suggested putting up barriers or strictly enforcing the policy so there would not be a problem with parking. Mr. Lauzier said they will investigate all the possibilities. Mayor Udine explained that it was a workshop meeting and not open to public comments; however, he asked the Commissioners if they wanted to open the meeting to comments from the public. MOTION made by Vice Mayor McGilvray to open the meeting to the public following the Commission s discussion. Seconded by Commissioner Moskowitz. MOTION passed unanimously. Commissioner Smith said it makes sense to install the sidewalk with accommodations for a future bike path, if feasible. Mr. Lauzier stated that they need to look at the space, feasibility and size of sidewalk. They planned on putting in an eight foot sidewalk for the MUST plan. Natalie Bigio confirmed that the new sidewalk would need to be connected to the existing sidewalks, which is not where the cars would be parking. Mr. Lauzier said they will proceed with the project, with the addition of provisions for a bike lane if possible. He cautioned that if a curb was necessary, then they will also need to provide drainage. 3. DISCUSSION: DIRECTION ON UNIFORM SIGN PROGRAM Mark Lauzier, City Manager, reviewed the background of the uniform sign program. It is an in-house project that the City has been working on with WCI. The goal is to come up with a design book to establish consistency throughout Parkland -- not necessarily the exact same sign everywhere, but with a unifying look that will help identify the community. Color renderings of sign options were distributed to the Commission. Ms. Gardner-Young, Assistant City Manager, explained that she met several times with WCI and their sign designer. They want to know if the Commission wants one kind of sign throughout the City, or choose a style type and allow for options within that

6 PAGE 6 category. They suggest using a sign with stonework, as evident in the commercial development on 441. Signage would include entry designs and directory signs. Mayor Udine asked what the timeframe would be for completion of this project. Ms. Gardner-Young replied that is would be less than a year. Staff will prioritize the location of the signs. Mayor Udine suggested they establish an ad hoc committee to review the options, with perhaps two people from each district. He believed they should bring the community into this process. Ms. Gardner-Young warned that it would lengthen the process to try to coordinate everyone. Vice Mayor McGilvray said this is branding for our city and agreed that a small committee would be a good idea. She thought they should wait for the new Commissioner to be elected before setting committee members. Mayor Udine stated that he would choose for District 4 and ask staff to run the committee. Ms. Gardner-Young asked the Commission if they would prefer one design or a shopping list. Commissioner Moskowitz stated that he is against a committee and suggested holding a workshop to allow public presentation. He did not like the choices presented and asked if stone, and perhaps a water feature, could be included in the design. Commissioner Smith stated he prefers the same signs at each entrance to the City. He was opposed to forming a Committee. Ms. Gardner-Young suggested they hold a charrette, which would be a one-time meeting that would encourage community involvement. Mayor Udine emphasized the importance of community participation in the decision making process for the signs. He suggested they advertise on the web site and send out a blast . Ms. Gardner-Young agreed that staff will coordinate the charrette and possibly hire a professional facilitator. Mr. Lauzier informed the Commission that in two weeks the City will be host a meeting with the Pine Tree Water Control District and the public regarding Winner s Circle and Country Acres project with Stiles.

7 PAGE 7 ADDED DISCUSSION: THE WEDGE Mr. Maurodis, City Attorney, updated the Commission on meeting with the lobbyist and the stakeholders for the Wedge. Blosser and Sayfie will be drafting a general bill to provide for a change of the boundaries between Palm Beach and Broward Counties and Mr. Maurodis will be working on a local bill to provide annexation into the City from unincorporated Broward. McKinley will be working with Blosser and Sayfie. The land owners are insisting upon not having the boundary change go through until their land use is approved by Palm Beach County. They want to know they have two units per acre before any additional legislation goes through. There appears to be no negotiation on this issue. Commissioner Moskowitz asked confirmation that, should the general bill pass in March and their land use is not decided, the whole deal would be off. Mr. Maurodis confirmed that was how the landowners were proceeding. Both the lobbyist and counsel disagree with this view; however, the landowners are concerned with getting deferred in Palm Beach County then having to start the process over again in Broward County. Mr. Maurodis will continue to discuss their position with them. Mayor Udine suggested that, if the landowners reject the annexation because their land use is not approved, there should be a provision that the landowners should pay the City s expenses in helping them with the annexation. Vice Mayor McGilvray asked if there could be a pre-annexation agreement. Mr. Maurodis agreed with the reaction of the Commission. He stated this is a complication which may have negative impact on approval. University Drive is a separate issue, but it is also related. Cary Kilday implied the land use amendment is integrally tied to taking University Drive off of Palm Beach County; additionally; the boundary change is tied to that. Palm Beach feels that this is their only leverage to get the road off. All the issues are tied in because of the timing of the passage of the bills. There is a desire on the part of the developer to have a pre-annexation agreement with the City to set forth certain development rights or general rights outlined by the City. There are 19 landowners who also have to work among themselves. Mr. Maurodis will be drafting an agreement that should help them move forward. He is willing to meet with the Commissioners individually to discuss the details. In addition, he will put forth the Mayor s idea of reimbursement of the City s expenses. Mr. Lauzier asked the City Attorney to provide feedback to the Commission concerning the Hendrix annexation. Mr. Maurodis said that portion of his property should be brought into Broward County, but not into the City.

8 PAGE 8 III ADJOURNMENT MOTION made by Commissioner Moskowitz to adjourn the meeting at 5:15 p.m. Seconded by Commissioner Smith. MOTION passed unanimously. ATTEST: SANDRA COUZZO, C.M.C. CITY CLERK dr