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09-06-01 v • CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION MEETING September 6, 2001 AGENDA 1. Call to order 2. Action on proposed budget: (i) Public hearing and setting of tentative millage rate for fiscal year 2001/2002 (ii) Ordinance No. 20-01-52: Public hearing and first reading AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE FINAL BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000/2001 BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2001 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 411) 3. Any other business Adjournment BUDGET WORKSHOP 1. Continuation of review of proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2001/2002 Adjournment III MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR III FY 2001/2002 HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, 800 SEMINOLE ROAD, AT 5:00 P.M. ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2001 City Commissioners Present: John S. Meserve, Mayor Rick Beaver Theo Mitchelson Dezmond Waters, City Commissioners Staff Present: Jim Hanson, City Manager Alan Jensen, City Attorney Maureen King, City Clerk The meeting was called to order by Mayor Meserve who announced that the two main items to be considered this evening were the adoption of the tentative millage rate and the first reading of the ordinance adopting the operating budget for FY 2001/2002. Action on Proposed Budget (1) Setting tentative millage rate III The Mayor announced that the tentative millage rate was 3.1721 for operating purposes for fiscal year 2001/2002, which was 6.6575% higher than the rolled back rate of 2.9741 mills. He explained that the purpose for the increase in ad valorem tax revenue was to maintain adequate funding for the existing level of service at anticipated increased cost. Commissioner Waters moved to adopt a tentative millage rate of 3.1721 for operating purposes for fiscal year 2001/2002. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Mitchelson. The Mayor then opened the floor for a public hearing and invited comments from the audience. J.P. Marchioli, 414 Sherry Drive, noted that Neptune Beach had a lower millage rate than that Atlantic Beach. He felt if salaries in Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach were comparable, that the millage rate should also be comparable to Neptune Beach. Alan Potter, 374 Second Street, noted that the garbage fee for the coming year was the same as the previous year but reserves had increased 25%. He felt since the city did not experience any hurricanes in the past year the reserves should be available. He felt these funds should be put in a reserve fund to be used for emergencies only. Mr. Potter noted that the pumping capacity of the Buccaneer water plant was not up to par. He noted that the two 8"pipes in the original design no longer existed and should be replaced. He 0 Page Two • Minutes—Budget Hearing September 6, 2001 also felt that the pumps would not need to be replaced if proper training was provided for city employees so they would know how to overhaul pumps. Mr. Potter said he agreed with the new pay scale which was adopted by the City Commission and was happy to see that raises would be based on the median level of the scale. Bob Totter noted that the taxes on his home had increased considerably and felt the millage rate should be lowered. Since no one else wished to speak regarding the tentative millage rate, the Mayor declared the public hearing closed. Discussion ensued and the Mayor noted that while the city would receive increased revenues over the previous year,the additional funds would be needed to cover the increased cost of salaries, and increased services as the result of growth. He felt the options were to either fund or reduce services. Commissioner Mitchelson noted that the cost of health insurance was expected to increase in excess of 100%. He felt that until bids were opened for the core city infrastructure improvement • project, it would be irresponsible to reduce taxes. The City Manager pointed out that all capital budgets were zero based. He noted that Utility Director Donna Kaluzniak and Public Works Director Bob Kosoy had done budget comparisons for several years and commended them for taking measures to reduce overtime. Commissioner Beaver said that he had seen an improved level of service in recent years, which he noted, had been accomplished while still holding the line on the millage rate. There being no further discussion, the motion carried unanimously. (2) Ordinance No. 20-01-52 First Reading and Public Hearing AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE FINAL BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000/2001 BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2001 AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 Mayor Meserve read Ordinance No. 20-01-52 by title only and stated that the ordinance would adopt a tentative operating budget for fiscal year 2001/2002 of$26, 958,284. Commissioner Mitchelson moved for adoption of Ordinance No. 20-01-52. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Waters. IIIThe Mayor then opened the floor for a public hearing and invited comments from the audience. Page Three • Minutes—Budget Hearing September 6, 2001 Al Rabassa felt this was a fair operating budget and said he understood the problems with pay compression. He supported the salary increases but said he would like to see a firm date established to implement the performance review process. He also inquired whether funds had been included for training. Bob Totter inquired regarding the total amount of the 2000/2001 budget and the City Manager advised he would provide this figure for Mr. Totter. He noted that the city had successfully contracted out the fire service and suggested the city look into the possibility of contracting out other services. J.P. Marchioli felt that new wastewater operators should not have to start at the base rate. He supported an awards program to recognize employees who saved the city money. He also felt that Howell Park should be handicapped accessible. Alan Potter suggested the city provide in-house training for wastewater plant operators and felt that in order to keep these employees, the city needed to pay above scale. He felt the 8% utility increase which was approved by the City Commission a year ago was unnecessary and should be rolled back and the proposed 8%utility increase should not be implemented. • Since no one else wished to speak regarding the proposed budget,the Mayor declared the public hearing closed. In response to questions raised during the public hearing, the City Manager responded that $20,000 was included in the budget for computer training; supervisors would receive training in conducting performance reviews following which performance reviews would be implemented by October 1, 2002;the city does not hire new employees at a higher rate than current employees, however, the city does recognize the education and experience of new hire and compensate them accordingly; reported the city does have an incentive program and several employees have received awards for cost savings. Discussion ensued regarding the areas of the budget which had been identified for further review: Sanitation: The City Manager reported that BFI had indicated they would honor their bid prices if the city wishes to have a second trash collection per week and they could begin the additional service January 1, 2002. Sanitation rates would, however, have to be increased to offset the additional cost. Page Four • Minutes—Budget Hearing September 6, 2001 Water Capital Projects: Utilities Director Donna Kaluzniak reported that the short term recommendations in the Camp, Dresser& McKee master plan could be implemented over a three-year period. Projects for later years are still being reviewed and may be revised following the logging of the water wells. She noted that Water Plant #4 was experiencing significant problems and this may impact the recommendations for future years. Commissioner Mitchelson inquired whether there were any safety considerations and Ms. Kaluzniak responded that work would be done in the most critical areas first. Health Care costs The City Manager reported that Aetna Insurance Company had responded on behalf of the City of Jacksonville and had indicated that Atlantic Beach would be unable to participate in the City of Jacksonville's health insurance this year. This may still be an option for next year but it was • his recommendation that the City Commission freeze the cost to employees for family health insurance coverage for the coming year. He suggested the City Commission budget $280,000 for additional health care costs. Regarding the source of these funds, the City Manager suggested funding the Selva Marina streets and sewer work through the half-cent sales tax, thus freeing up other funds for funding the health care costs. The Mayor asked the City Attorney to confirm whether the changes being considered would require an amendment to the ordinance and the City Attorney confirmed that the City Commission was not changing the nature of the ordinance and, considering the amount of the budget, the changes being considered were not significant. This was simply a matter of reallocating funds within the budget. Discussion ensued regarding whether the city could be self-insured and Human Resource Manager, George Foster explained the risks associated with self-insurance. Following further discussion, it was agreed to approve Recommendation No. 4 in Issue 1, Health Care Premium Rate Increase, attached hereto as Exhibit A. Implementation of Pay and Classification Study Discussion ensued and it was felt that the City Commission should adopt the Palmer and Cay pay plan and fund $283,150 to implement the plan through general fund surplus. A copy of the City Manager's funding recommendations is attached hereto as Exhibit B. Commissioner Mitchelson • felt the City Commission had an obligation to get the most value for money when it came to Page Five • Minutes—Budget Hearing September 6, 2001 hiring personnel but he felt the city needed to be fair to employees. Commissioner Beaver felt that this was an issue which was overdue and adoption of the pay plan would be a positive move and provide a good plan for the future. Discretionary Projects Discussion ensued and it was felt that it would be prudent to wait until after bids have been received on the Core City infrastructure project before making decisions regarding other capital projects. Discussion ensued regarding the request from the St. Johns River Water Management District for a donation of$9,300 for public education. Following further discussion, while the City Commissioners disagreed in principal with this request, it was agreed to include $9,300 for this donation. COLA for Mayor and City Commissioners • Following brief discussion it was consensus to leave the salaries of the Mayor and City Commission at their current level. Bull Park Restrooms The City Manager reported that in response to previous discussions regarding providing restrooms at Bull Park which could be accessed from the outside of the building, and which could be opened on weekends for beach-goers, he had received estimates from the architect designing the Adele Grage renovations. He said architect Tat Chan had been authorized to go ahead with the design, and if any changes were needed the architect needed to be advised of the change as soon as possible. Following brief discussion it was consensus that a unisex restroom should be included in the building with access from the outside. The City Manager noted that First Night was now incorporated and on their own and did not need to be included in the budget. Recap of Budget changes Health Care $284,000 Pay Plan $142,000 Water Management District $ 9,300 • Commission Salaries <$ 1,360> Page Six • Minutes—Budget Hearing September 6, 2001 Bull Park Restroom -0- First Night <$ 10,000> The Mayor announced that the second reading of the ordinance would be held at the next regular City Commission meeting on September 24, 2001. The Mayor called the question on adoption of Ordinance No. 20-01-52, and the motion carried unanimously. There being no further discussion or business to come before the City Commission, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Oak JI • T MESERVE t. r/Pre.iding Officer ATTEST: • n4& Maureen King City Clerk • Exhibit A Minutes - September 6, 2001 • Issue 1 Health Care Premium Rate Increase Funding of the health care renewal rate increase of$283,150 over the proposed budget is a tremendous hit to the budget. It is important when discussing this item to understand that this may be a short-term problem that emulates an emergency. Funding options include the following: 1. Simply add the amount required to the budget, allowing the shortfall to be absorbed by existing reserves. All funds affected currently have sufficient reserves to cover what appears to be a short-term problem. This is what reserves are for. 2. Adopt a budget without funding the increased cost. This would imply that we expect to resolve the problem before the funding that was budgeted runs out. Current proposed funding would get us to mid-year if rates do go up dramatically. If we find an alternative to the AHL renewal rates,the proposed budget will probably not need an adjustment. If we do not solve the problem, we can then adjust the budget using one of the other options. 3. Make compensating cuts in the proposed budget that could include new positions, salaries, equipment or operating funds needed to provide the intended level of service • originally planned. Deferring select capital items may also be done. These decisions would be made by staff in such a way as to have the least impact on the operations as proposed. 4. Shift the funding of existing capital projects from the General Fund and Utilities to the Half Cent Sales Tax. The Half Cent Sales Tax could be used to fund a larger portion of the Selva Marina Project. This would mitigate the impact of the health care cost increase in the Storm Water, General, Water and Sewer Funds. The proposed budget includes $223,500 in the Half Cent Sales Tax fund already. The Storm Water Utility Fund has $160,000 budgeted and the Water and Sewer Funds combined have a budget of$245,000 for the Selva project. Utilizing Half Cent Sales Tax fund to pay for the Selva project would free up the funds necessary for the Health care increase. 5. Some combination of the above solutions. 6. Raise revenues either by new sources or increasing existing rates. Break Down of Cost Impact. General Fund $215,998 Water& Sewer 51,338 Storm Water Utility 10,966 Other Miscellaneous Funds 4,848 Total $283,150 • Exhibit B Minutes - September 6, 2001 • Issue 2 Implementation of the Pay and Classification Study Funding for the Pay and Classification Study implementation requires approximately $142,876 of additional funds. Funding for this item will be on-going which requires a revenue source into the future. Using reserves for this type of expenditure is not sound budgeting and should be avoided. In preparation of the proposed budget, this item was partially anticipated and can be fully funded for those portions affecting the General Fund. Funding options are as follows: 1. The General Fund Proposed Budget has a surplus of revenues of$184,095. The estimated cost to the General Fund is$109,722, which includes funding the Storm Water and Internal Service Fund portions since they have no available revenues to cover. 2. The remaining balance of the implementation cost is$33,153 and is located in the Water and Sewer Funds combined. This represents a very small portion of the total budget of over 8 million dollars. This addition to the budget could be handled in a number of ways such as: Simply add to the budget allowing the capital expenditures to be funded more from reserves. Future budgets will have fewer funds available for capital outlay. • Make compensating cuts within the existing proposal to other operating expenses as prescribed by staff. The Utility Director would need to select those items. Shift funding of the Selva Project to the Half Cent Sales Tax fund for a portion of the Water and Sewer improvements. This option is also a solution to the Health Care issue and would be combined with that. Do not adjust the budget at this time allowing midyear savings to fund the increase. Typically, in these funds there are funded positions that remain vacant for some portion of the year that would then offset the increase projected. 3. The Pay and Classification Study could be abandoned,reduced, phased in or deferred in a number of ways. All of which defeat the purpose for which the study was done. 4. Rather than identify specific cuts within the budget, to do an arbitrary cut of the amount needed with the intention that we will find a way to get by with what is left in those accounts. This option could create other problems down the road by trying to operate with insufficient resources causing a decline in level of service. This approach is also not recommended. 5. Raise revenues either by new sources or increasing existing rates to cover the shortfalls. • Classification StudyImplementation Pay Plan and Break Down of Cost Impact. General Fund $101,506 Water & Sewer 33,153 Storm Water Utility 5,755. Other Miscellaneous Funds 2,461 Total $142,875 • •