Agenda Item 1MINUTES
REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING
January 14, 2013
CITY HALL, 800 SEMINOLE ROAD
IN ATTENDANCE:
Mayor Mike Borno
Mayor Pro Tem Maria Mark
Commissioner Mark Beckenbach
Commissioner Jonathan Daugherty
Commissioner Carolyn Woods
City Attorney Alan C. Jensen
City Manager Jim Hanson
City Clerk Donna L. Bartle
Recording Secretary Nancy E. Bailey
Call to Order/Pledge:
Mayor Borno called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Borno gave the Invocation, followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
1. A. Approve the minutes of the Regular Commission Meeting of December 10, 2012.
B. Approve the minutes of the Special Called (Shade) Commission Meeting of December
10, 2012.
C. Approve the minutes of the Commission Briefing of December 6, 2012.
Mayor Borno asked if there were any corrections to the above minutes and there being none, he stated the
minutes will stand as submitted.
2. Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors.
Mayor Borno opened the Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors. He welcomed the audience and explained the
process for public comments.
No one from the audience spoke so Mayor Borno closed the Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors.
3. Unfinished Business from Previous Meeting
A. City Manager's Follow -up Report.
None.
4. Consent Agenda
ALL MATTERS LISTED UNDER THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE BY
THE CITY COMMISSION AND WILL BE ENACTED BY ONE MOTION IN THE FORM LISTED
BELOW. THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF THESE ITEMS. IF DISCUSSION IS
DESIRED, THAT ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND WILL BE
CONSIDERED SEPARATELY. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION AND STAFF
RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED TO THE CITY COMMISSION ON
THESE ITEMS.
A. Acknowledge receipt of the Building Department Monthly Activity Report, the Utility Sales Report
for November and December 2012, and the List of New Business Tax Receipts for December 2012.
B. List of property to be declared surplus.
Mayor Borno read the Consent Agenda.
January 14, 2013 REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Page 2
Motion: Approve Consent Agenda Items A and B as read.
Moved by Daugherty, Seconded by Mark
Votes:
Aye: 5 — Beckenbach, Daugherty, Mark, Woods, Borno
Nay: , 0
MOTION CARRIED
5. Committee Reports
None.
6. Action on Resolutions
A. RESOLUTION NO. 13 -01
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA URGING LOCAL RETAILERS
SELLING TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO REFRAIN FROM MARKETING AND /OR SELLING
FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS; TO ELIMINATE ANY SELF - SERVICE DISPLAY OR
PLACEMENT OF ANY TOBACCO PRODUCT, CANDY - FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCT, OR
SMOKING PIPE AND SMOKING DEVICE, BY MEANS OF ANY SELF - SERVICE DISPLAY OR
PLACEMENT, OR BY ANY MEANS OTHER THAN VENDOR - ASSISTED SALES; AND PROVIDING
AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Mayor Borno read Resolution No. 13 -01 by title.
Motion: Approve Resolution No. 13 -01.
Moved by Daugherty, Seconded by Beckenbach
Mayor Borno summarized the Resolution, stating it was brought to the Commission by a group of young
citizens at the December 10th meeting.
Commissioner Beckenbach asked City Attorney Jensen if we can ban this type of smokeless tobacco as they
have done in Providence, Rhode Island. Mr. Jensen stated he does not know if we have the authority and would
have to look into this further if the Commission wants him to. He stated he doesn't know if the control of that is
preempted by State Statute but he can check it out. Commissioner Beckenbach asked Mayor Borno if they
could direct the City Attorney to research this. Mayor Borno stated yes but further stated Providence, Rhode
Island was sued and believes it is still in litigation. Commissioner Beckenbach stated the judge said the city
was in its rights to do so. Mayor Borno stated they do need to search ours and there is always the possibility,
depending on where they are at.
Votes:
Aye: 5 — Borno, Beckenbach, Daugherty, Mark, Woods
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
7. Action on Ordinances
None.
January 14 2013 REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Page 3
8. Miscellaneous Business
A. Marsh Master Plan Grant Writing Assistance.
City Manager Hanson explained, as staff was directed by the Commission to give recommendations on
how to get more grants, staff concluded the best way to move ahead most effectively, particularly with
the Marsh Master Plan in mind, is to see if they can get some grant money to design and permit all the
phases of the ped path which is the major project in the Marsh Master Plan. He stated they need around
$100,000 to do this, which is not budgeted. He stated they believe there are some grants available for
this type of design project. He stated, therefore, they got a proposal from the same company that
prepared the Marsh Master Plan, HHI Design with Ginger Corliss as the lead, to research, prepare and
submit as many as four grant applications to get the money for the design work. He stated the cost to the
City for this would be about $20,000, or $5,000 /grant application, and each application would be
approved by us prior to moving ahead. He stated we may not need four applications before we get it
funded. He stated this would cost up to $20,000, which we do not have budgeted, so we would need a
budget amendment if the Commission wants to go ahead with this. He stated, if so, the Commission will
need to approve the proposal from HHI, authorize the City Manager to sign the documents and they will
get the budget amendment prepared.
Motion: Approve the Grant Support Services Proposal from HHI Design and authorize the City
Manager to sign the application for the grant when completed.
Moved by Beckenbach, Seconded by Daugherty
Commissioner Daugherty asked what the success has been in the past with using outside grant
consultants. Mr. Hanson explained we have not used a lot of outside consultants. He stated David
Thompson was very effective. He stated we did get $1,000,000 in grant funding from the Water
Management District for the Hopkins Creek Pond. He stated we have had mixed success but have been
more successful when we target these and know what funds are available and the projects we are after.
Discussion ensued.
Commissioner Mark pointed out that this proposal also includes HHI searching for alternative funding
sources and grants. She stated they are actually doing the research and choosing the ones that fit this
project.
Votes:
Aye: 5 — Borno, Beckenbach, Daugherty, Mark, Woods
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
B. 9 -1 -1 Inter -Local Agreement FY 2013.
Chief Mike Classey explained this is Amendment No. 3 to our contract with the City of Jacksonville. He
stated this is just an annual update because disbursements for the year you are going into are based upon
the disbursements of the year preceding with an inflationary amount added, up to 8 %. He stated this will
provide for Atlantic Beach's revenues up to $86,200 for this fiscal year and they just need to authorize
the Mayor and City Manager to sign the paperwork.
January 14, 2013 REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Page 4
Motion: Approve the Interlocal Agreement Amendment for the Distribution of 9 -1 -1 Funds for
Call -Taker Salaries and authorize the Mayor and City Manager to sign the paperwork.
Moved by Daugherty, Seconded by Mark
Commissioner Woods stated there is a typo on page 2, item #2 of the Interlocal Agreement, related to the
dollar amount. It states EIGHTY -SIX ONE THOUSAND, but should be EIGHTY -SIX THOUSAND.
She also stated, in the way this is being dispersed, there is a 30% added for benefits and training and
asked if any of that revenue is going to be dedicated to offsetting our pension liability or does it just go
into the general fund. Mr. Hanson stated if they are charging to the grant our benefit cost, then the
pension portion of that would come out of that grant and go to the pension fund; in this case, the general
employee's pension fund, because in dispatch they aren't certified police officers. He stated they would
not take all of that and put it in the pension fund; they would put the same percentage they allocate for
any employee hours and put in the pension fund. He stated yes, some of it will go there.
Votes:
Aye: 5 — Borno, Beckenbach, Daugherty, Mark, Woods
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
C. Hazard Mitigation Grant.
Chief Mike Classey explained as a result of TS Debby, there is some FEMA money that has come available
under their hazard mitigation grant program. He stated this is part of the loss mitigation strategy that is
ongoing at the EOC. He stated we had a project that was waiting on a natural disaster when the funding
becomes available. The pending project, a sewer upgrade, Donner Phase II, was ranked extremely high on
the county level, which means if FEMA buys off on it, it will probably be funded. He stated we now need to
complete the application and turn it into FEMA and have the Commission authorize the Mayor to sign that
paperwork. He explained this is a 75% grant so the City would need to come up with a 25% match of
$38,750 next fiscal year.
Mr. Hanson added that in recent years they have put several hundred thousand dollars a year in sewer system
rehab work into the budget in connection with the sewer system master plan. He stated in next year's budget
they could probably put the same amount of money in and take the 25% match for this grant and use the rest
of the money toward whatever project they have. He stated they would have the same budget but would be
getting more sewer rehab done, so he does not anticipate it would be an increase to the budget; it would be
more work done.
Motion: Approve the matching funds of $38,750 necessary to complete the proiect and authorize
the Mayor to sign the related paperwork for the grant application.
Moved by Daugherty, Seconded by Mark
Mayor Borno thanked Chief Classey for his work on this project.
Votes:
Aye: 5 — Borno, Beckenbach, Daugherty, Mark, Woods
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
January 14. 2013 _ REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Page 5
9. City Manager
A. City Manager's Report.
City Manager Hanson reported on the request at the last meeting for staff to report on videotaping of
meetings. He stated the motion requesting staff action was long and somewhat confusing. He stated staff's
best understanding of what it was the Commission wanted was that staff was to report back on three subjects
raised. He stated the first was videotaping of Commission meetings and having them available on the web for
citizen access. Secondly, was the concern about the search capability for items on our website and what to
put on the website. He stated the third item was the electronic agenda preparation software. He stated as staff
sees it they were asked to look at those three items and report back, but it is not ready yet. He stated if that is
not what they want, please let staff know. Commissioner Woods asked if they are going to research the
different companies, the cost, or what they are going to research. Mr. Hanson stated there is some of that in
each of these. He stated in some cases it is pretty obvious what the quickest and best way is, if they want to
do this. He stated it is not meant to be an exhaustive study of all the market but to state the best way to do it,
the capital and long -term cost and other pros and cons.
Mr. Hanson further stated he plans to transfer some budgeted funds to get some help to prepare grant
application to submit a grant to the FDOT for funding under their Safe Routes to Schools program. He stated
the funds will specifically be used to improve the ped paths along Seminole Rd. and Sherry Dr. He stated the
funding is 100% but may not be available until 2018. He stated the cost to Atlantic Beach would be about
$5,225 for a grant application, which is due at the end of February.
He further stated Commissioner Daugherty asked staff to look into some software to have citizen surveys on
our website. He stated we can do that now with the current software we have. He stated if the Commission is
interested in using that they will need to tell staff what they want to use it for, how many questions, multiple
choice, essay, etc., then staff can work on the best solution. He stated if they want to move ahead with that in
the future, there is no cost except for staff time. He answered questions from the Commission. Discussion
ensued. Commissioner Woods stated she was approached by a graduate student in the Political Science
Department at JU who said he, along with his professor, might be able to help us come up with a survey as
part of his graduate program. She stated she will forward the information. Commissioner Mark stated
Beaches Habitat also had an AmeriCorps volunteer who did surveys for them. She stated she has those
surveys electronically and they may want to look at those questions to use as a template. Commissioner
Daugherty suggested they form an ad hoc committee and volunteered to meet with those two people and work
with them. Commissioner Mark stated that volunteer is not with them anymore but she can give him that
data. Mr. Hanson stated he believes the professor and student from the university would want to know what
information they are trying to get and not what questions they want to ask, because the design of the
questions is all about what they do to keep it neutral. He stated he would suspect that all of the
Commissioners would want to be involved in this and he believes it would be best to get the student and his
professor to make a brief presentation to see what they need to prepare a survey. He stated the Commission
should think about what type of long -term information they want to get that relates to the strategic plan and
visioning. Commissioner Daugherty suggested that he meet with them before the next Thursday meeting and
have a presentation. Mayor Borno stated they should see what he comes up with.
Mr. Hanson reported bonds have been issued in the name of Atlantic Beach for Fleet Landing going back to
Fleet Landing's original bonds. He stated the IRS Code allows issuance of tax exempt bonds on industrial
development and healthcare facilities through the local government as the issuing agency, even though the
only obligation of the issuing agency for pay back of the money is from the revenues of the health facility or
the industrial development authority and not from the city itself. He stated the benefit to Atlantic Beach is
getting better and more healthcare facilities at Fleet Landing, which is our biggest employer here. He stated
January 14, 2013 REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Pate 6
Fleet Landing wants to refund around $50,000 in older bonds and reissue to get a lower interest rate and also
raise a small amount of new money to relocate the maintenance facility to free up some land they want to use
for something else. He stated they intend to ask the Commission to approve this bond issue in February. He
explained the City will need to get our own bond counsel to look at this issue on our behalf to advise the
Commission whether the proposed issuance is fully legal and if there is any obligation of Atlantic Beach in
repayment of this and whether there is any risk on the part of the City. He stated the representatives from
Fleet Landing will give an informational presentation to the Commission at the next meeting and then ask the
Commission to adopt a resolution to support their issuance at the first meeting in February. He stated to do
that they will have to get a bond counsel moving and he and the City Attorney have had several discussions
on that and are pretty close to getting someone to work for us, which will be paid by Fleet Landing's bond
issuance and not by the City. Commissioner Mark stated Mr. Hanson said $50,000, which is incorrect. He
stated it should be $50,000,000. Mr. Hanson stated he also understands they will be coming back late this
calendar year for another issue for new money to build the facilities on the site where they are moving their
maintenance facility from. He stated both the current site of the maintenance facility and where they are
moving it to are both in our City limits. Commissioner Beckenbach asked how is it that we are not
responsible in any way. City Attorney Alan Jensen stated it is conduit financing, where they use the City as a
conduit to obtain tax free bonds. He stated it is a matter of convenience that we are allowed by Federal law to
assist this facility. He stated we just want to make sure, as has been in the past, that the City has no
obligation at all and no responsibility and we are just doing this as a courtesy to Fleet Landing. Mr. Hanson
stated Fleet Landing is a 501(c)3 and their pledge for repayment of the cost is the future revenues of Fleet
Landing and their collateral would be Fleet Landing.
10. Reports and /or requests from City Commissioners and City Attorney
Commissioner Daugherty
• Wants to organize a Volunteer Day for staff for Habitat for Humanity. Stated he would work with
Human Resources on this.
• Has a meeting with Bill Bishop, President of Jacksonville City Council, on 1/22 at Dutton Island, the
goal of which is to get bigger participation with Jacksonville. Mr. Hanson stated if more than one
Commissioner goes to this they need to let Donna Bartle know so it can be, posted. Commissioner
Woods and Mayor Borno stated this should be noticed. Ms. Bartle stated someone will also have to
take minutes. Commissioner Daugherty stated this is to expose Councilman Bishop to the project and
sell him on participation.
• Got his real estate license recently and will look on MLS for properties on Mayport Road.
• Asked the City Manager if we have had any further updates on Selva. Mr. Hanson stated they have
settled on one developer and are working out the details. He stated they want to sit with the City on
the irrigation issue. He stated he received a final report from John Collins on that and would like to
have that presented to the Commission at the next regular meeting so they are aware of the options.
Commissioner Beckenbach
• He will be putting on the next agenda the proposal to hold workshops on the 2nd Monday of each
month at the scheduled 6:30 time slot, and for the 4th Monday 6:30 time slot to be the standard
Commission meeting. Discussion ensued regarding the issues involved in this that will need to be
discussed at the next meeting.
• Related to the Wolfson appeal process, he stated he will speak to Alan Jensen and wanted to tell the
citizens that is what he is doing and they will discuss that at the next workshop to decide which way
they are going to be going.
Commissioner Woods
January 14, 2013 REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Page 7
Stated she went to the Selva Marina yard sale and there was a representative from Save the Ferry
selling Shuffle and Dine Cards for the ferry that give discounts to restaurants. She stated she highly
recommends them.
Asked if they gave approval to do whatever with the surplus truck. Mr. Hanson stated they declared it
surplus and they can dispose of it, but the choice of the best way to dispose of it is open to staff. He
stated normally they would put a large vehicle online for an auction but for some vehicles they can get
more on trade -in so they will decide what is going to get them the most money.
Wants to tentatively schedule a workshop on February 25 at 4:30 on the police building, if they are
ready.
Commissioner Mark
At the workshop, they discussed Commissioners bringing up items for staff to do during Item 10 at
commission meetings and since Commissioner Daugherty wasn't at the workshop she wanted to bring
it up for his benefit. She stated to make sure there is a consensus from the Commission that they do
want those requests to go forward it was discussed that that item can be brought up under Item 10 but
it should be added to the next agenda under Item 8, Miscellaneous, so they can discuss and take action
on it.
Reminded all the JCCI is having their monthly 2025 visioning workshops beginning this Saturday at
the Prime Osborn from 9 —11 and suggested they attend one or two.
Asked about the hazardous disposal day by Advanced Disposal and if it is just once a year. Mr.
Hanson stated Jacksonville normally conducts one at the beaches once a year and Advanced Disposal
also did one on their own. She stated she would like to schedule these quarterly. Commissioner
Beckenbach stated Home Depot will allow for collecting mercury bulbs and believes they will also
take batteries. He stated if you do miss the hazardous waste disposal day you can take them to
Jacksonville's hazardous waste site. Mr. Hanson stated Jacksonville also has collections throughout
the year throughout Jacksonville.
Mayor Borno
• Appeared at Beaches Watch and Beaches Chamber of Commerce and gave a State of the City. He
stated all three beach cities mayors gave presentations and it was a good learning process for everyone
there.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Commission, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned
at 7:37 p.m.
ATTEST:
Donna L. Bartle, CMC
City Clerk
Mike Borno
Mayor/Presiding Officer
MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION
HELD IN THE COMMISSION CHAMBER ON JANUARY 14, 2013 AT 4:30 PM
City Commission Members present:
Mike Borno, Mayor
Maria Mark, Mayor Pro Tem
Mark Beckenbach, Commissioner
Jonathan Daugherty, Commissioner
Carolyn Woods, Commissioner
Staff present:
Jim Hanson, City Manager
Michael Classey, Chief of Police
Donna Bartle, City Clerk
Nancy Bailey, Recording Secretary
The meeting, which was held for the purpose of discussing the police building project, including
coming to a consensus on the problem to be solved, the major issues and options to solve the
problem as well as to discuss the next steps to take, was called to order at 4:35 p.m. by Mayor
Borno.
Mayor Borno gave the history to date on the issues of the police building.
Commissioner Daugherty stated he believes they are all in agreement that the building should not
be put on the other side of the creek and that the budget initially proposed is too high. He stated
they need to decide whether they want holding cells and what level of services they want for the
police department.
The Commissioners were all in agreement that there is a problem.
Commissioner Mark asked if this Commission is committed to find a solution stating, if not, they
should not spend any more time or resources on this issue and should let the next Commission
address it.
Mayor Borno stated their decision is to decide whether to move forward, not to design the whole
concept. Commissioner Mark agreed stating they should leave the design up to the experts under
the parameters that the Commission feels comfortable and can agree upon within which to work.
Commissioner Woods stated they need to come up with a process that needs to be followed that
is reasonable and rational and if they don't get to the end product before this Commission
changes over, the process is then placed with the next Commission for follow through. She
referred to the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Police Facility Planning Guidelines
which she believes they should start with.
City Manager Jim Hanson stated the next point is to get the major issues listed and they can then
start talking about the process. Discussion ensued.
Commissioner Beckenbach stated he agrees there should be more space but what he has heard is
that the public does not agree with that 14,000 s.f. building that was to go on the west side of the
creek. He stated the police have told them what their needs, desires and wants are and now there
is a video out that the citizens can watch. He stated they can all agree that there is a certain need
Minutes—City Commission Workshop January 14,2012
Page 2
and asked if it is possible that they can narrow it down to moving it over to Mayport Road or
renovating this building.
Commissioner Woods stated she would like a consensus that they are going to follow this
procedure or some other procedure and suggested having a committee of stakeholders with a
charge that does not restrain them in their process.
Commissioner Daugherty stated we are an elected committee and we have been charged with a
job and we should do our job. He stated he believes passing this off to committee again would
be a mistake. He stated the citizen input has been done. He stated they should come to an
agreement as to what the problem is, decide what levels of service they want and then work
together to find a solution. He suggested a three-step phase expansion of the building, which he
believes could be done at a reasonably low cost.
Mr. Hanson addressed the renovation issues, stating based on the most recent flood
determinations the floor elevation is over a foot too low for an emergency facility in Atlantic
Beach. He stated they can do some minor additions and interior renovations. He stated the point
Building Official Mike Griffin made was that when you start to do a lot of additions and
renovations to the building, you trip some Federal regulations and floodplain regulations that say
they have to raise the floor elevation. He stated some people have suggested we do a little
renovation now and a little later so we can basically get around those regulations. He stated that
is the wrong thing to do. He stated we are in charge of trying to make people live up to flood
regulations; what kind of example would we be setting if we tried to play a game so we don't
have to meet those regulations. He agreed with Commissioner Daugherty that it makes sense to
determine what service levels they think we should have and then determine whether they can
have those service levels provided in this building. He stated before they start investing money
they should determine whether this building is going to serve our purposes or not. He stated they
may want to bring in an outside independent architect to assess how far they can go realistically
in terms of remodeling while the police department is in this building. He stated if they have to
be moved out while it is being remodeled, that is incurring a tremendous cost that might be better
invested somewhere else. He stated they don't need to micromanage or design the building
themselves but they should look at the service levels and decide if they want a lower service
level for our police department.
Commissioner Woods asked if they have the option of inviting an array of different architectural
firms to come in and assess the situation and give us their ideas so they have more than one
option to pick from. Mr. Hanson stated he did not believe they would get a tremendous amount
of work out of architects who are not being paid to do it; they would get some proposals.
Commissioner Mark stated before they ask anyone to come in, they should decide on the
location, i.e. whether Mayport Road is a feasible option. Discussion ensued on the feasibility of
a Mayport Road location versus renovating the existing building. Mayor Borno asked whether
they want to consider Mayport Road or renovating the existing building as priority one. It was
the consensus of the Commission to consider Mayport Road.
Mr. Hanson stated they could bring in an outside totally independent architect, but one that has
been involved in major renovations of existing commercial, industrial properties, who could tell
Minutes—City Commission Workshop January 14, 2012
Page 3
us about the pros and cons of renovating and expanding this building, given the State and Federal
regulations and the size we are trying to get it to. He stated they could even tell that architect
they are not going to design the ultimate building so they would have no incentive to lean it in
one direction or another. He stated if they want to do that, it could be a viable wake-up call to
say here's what we are really looking at long-term. Commissioner Woods stated they had the
architect who designed this building volunteer to do exactly that. They called Melody Bishop to
the podium.
Melody Bishop, who worked with the company who did the original design, stated what she said
was it made sense to do a quick workshop to look at the plans and study them, if they had the
plans. She stated, related to the earlier comment that was made, they couldn't put it out and just
ask someone to give them a bunch of designs for that; it would be difficult unless they were
going to do it as a competition and everybody got a stipend and then they would get some neat
designs. She stated they could also couple the design build concept with the contractor because
they would be absorbing the cost. She stated she believes a workshop would be best so they
could look at the plans and the various options that would help them decide if they are going to
expand and bring it up to FEMA Codes, etc. Mayor Borno asked if the original designs could be
requested from the firm she worked for. She volunteered to call Gee and Jensen in Palm Beach
to see if they have the plans. Mayor Borno stated he would get with her during the break and
give her the City Manager's number so they can coordinate this.
Mayor Borno stated they all agreed to look at Mayport Road and asked if they want to make that
the first priority or do they want to evaluate the current building and make a decision about it and
consider the second thing Mayport Road. It was the consensus of the Commission to determine
the viability of renovating the existing building to meet code, as a first priority. They agreed to
get the original plans and have a workshop to discuss.
Melody Bishop explained that if what they want to do is to determine whether they can expand
the building, they will need to discuss the ramifications and what would they do, what would it
cost, how will people be phased, etc. She stated she will need the original structural drawings for
the workshop.
Mr. Hanson stated they need to get the plans and then tell Ms. Bishop what the needs are, have
her look them over and then sit down and talk about whether they can do this and what kind of
money they are talking about. Ms. Bishop stated she would be happy to do this to a certain
point, as far as she can logically.
Mayor Borno opened the Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors.
Art Corsano, 2314 Ocean Walk Drive W., member of the police building committee, stated
there are basically two options. He stated the committee recommended having another appraisal
of the building done because that kicks in the Codes of how much renovation versus elevating
the building. He stated he believes elevating the building is an impossible start and is
economically unfeasible. He stated rather than building up they could expand in the area
between the current building and the chamber building, up to 4,900 s.f. He stated building up on
that building can also become cost prohibitive. He further discussed the option of Mayport
Road.
Minutes—City Commission Workshop January 14, 2012
Page 4
Lou Keith, 1845 Tierra Verde Drive, suggested having two locations, one for administration
and one for patrol and ACOs.
Mark Tomaski, 448 Snapping Turtle Court West, stated he believes doing this in a stepwise
fashion is wonderful, you eliminate one piece next door and then move forward to Mayport
Road. He also stated he likes the workshops.
No one else from the audience spoke so Mayor Borno closed the Courtesy of the Floor to
visitors.
There being no further discussion by the City Commission, Mayor Borno declared the meeting
adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
Mike Borno
Mayor
Donna L. Bartle, CMC
City Clerk
Minutes of Commission Agenda Briefing
January 10, 2013
Present: Mayor Mike Borno, Mayor Pro Tem Maria Mark, Commissioners Carolyn Woods and
Mark Beckenbach, City Manager Jim Hanson and Public Works Director Rick Carper
Mayor Borno called the meeting to order at 3:05 pm.
Subjects discussed included several items on the Agenda for the upcoming Commission meeting
on January 14, 2013, as follows:
1. Commission Meeting: Januar 1� 4, 2013
• Reminder of Police Building Workshop scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm. A brief agenda
for this meeting was distributed.
• Item 4B - Surplus Property; Sludge Truck
• Item 6A - Resolution for Sale of Candy Flavored Tobacco Products. A follow -up
question was asked about the legal age required for purchase of both candy flavored
nicotine products as well as other tobacco related products. The Commission requested
that the group requesting the passage of the resolution is to be invited to the meeting
Monday night. City Commissioners asked if the City Attorney could be ready to
discuss the possibility of Atlantic Beach prohibiting the sale of candy flavored nicotine
or tobacco products. One of the Commissioners read an article on the web about a
similar ban in the City of Providence, RI and that and the City recently won a court
challenge to that city's ordinance.
• Item 8A - Grant Writing Assistance for Marsh Master Plan Ped Path Design
• Item 8B - 911 Interlocal Agreement for Distribution of User Fees for the Dispatch
Operation
• Item 8C - Hazard Mitigation Grant for the Donner Sewer Rehabilitation Project
• Item 9 - City Manager Report. Several items will be brought up by the City Manager at
the meeting on 1/14/13 to include a review of the motion requesting staff to study the
possibility of videotaping the City Commission meetings and posting those online. A
second subject was brought up about an upcoming application deadline of the Florida
Department of Transportation for grants funded through their "Safe Routes to Schools"
Program. A third subject to be reported will be about the City's ability to utilize the
website to conduct online citizen surveys. Last, the City Manager provided an
overview of a proposed refinancing of bonds related to Fleet Landing that have been
issued in the name of the City of Atlantic Beach. Fleet Landing representatives will be
asking for commission approval at a future meeting.
• Mayor Borno brought up the need to send a representative to a hearing that will be held
on January 17th by the State Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability
Committee to consider a bill on pension reform. The Mayor noted that he would not be
able to attend the meeting and wanted the City Commission to discuss sending the City
Manager and possibly other Commission members in his place.
2. Staff resorts requested. The City Manager distributed a list of staff reports requested by
the City Commission during calendar year 2012. (which is attached and made part of this
Official Record as Attachment A)
3. Staff Report Format. The City Manager reported that the staff would soon be changing
the format of the staff reports to add a heading to reflect the relationship of that item to
the Commission's current strategic plan, if any.
4. Tipping Fee Issue. The City Manager made a brief report about the status of the tipping
fee issue with the City of Jacksonville.
5. Future Workshops. A discussion was held about the possibility of scheduling future
agenda briefing workshops. The Commission concluded that they wanted a workshop
scheduled for Thursday, January 24 at 3 p.m. There was also a discussion about the
possibility of amending the Commission's regular meeting schedule to use the second
Monday evening of each month for a workshop rather than a regular meeting and have
one regular meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. This is expected to be a topic
of conversation at the next meeting.
6. Appeal on the Wolfson Rezoning Case. Commissioner Beckenbach brought up a concern
about the City Commission not being consulted by the City Attorney before deciding to
file an appeal of the Wolfson rezoning case. He felt that the City Commission should
make the decisions on which cases to appeal and indicated that he would bring it up at the
meeting on Monday night.
7. Visioning and strategic planning. Commissioner Woods said that she wanted to get back
to the subject of a visioning study. A brief discussion was held about the possibility of
doing online surveys as part of this study. She went on to say that she wanted to consider
different options on how to do the strategic planning in upcoming months. The City
Manager requested that she get with him to outline her thoughts and concerns.
The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 5:14 pm.
Mike Borno, Mayor
ATTACHMENT A
Studies & Reports Requested from Staff by Mayor and Commission in 2012
December 13, 2012
m Video taping of commission meetings, proposed agenda management software
and improved/ expanded document access on city website; December 10
meeting
® Breakdown of total calls received by PD as reported in 3`d quarter report;
November 26th meeting
® Water park; possible addition to Rose Park expansion; November 26th meeting
® Possible ped path extensions (other than Marsh Master Plan); November 26tH
meeting
® Animal Shelter; possible addition of "runs" for dogs; November 26tH meeting
• System to notify Mayor on dais of commissioners' having the floor and who is
requesting to speak next; November 13th meeting
• "Respect" statement and expansion of Mayor's instructions to speakers at
meetings; November 13th workshop
• Report on Use By Exceptions/ increasing conditions to improve looks of business
areas/ going to 1 approval vs. 2; November 13th meeting
• Policy recommendations for ordinance language on use of electronic devices in
commission meetings; October 22nd meeting
• Golf Course Feasibility Study; October 8th meeting
• Report on contracting for ongoing services; cost to obtain bids, how to handle;
October 8th meeting
• Cost estimates for additional notifications proposed for publication for UBEs,
waivers, other zoning changes; September 24th meeting
• Study speeding on Aquatic Dr.; July 23`d meeting
• Visioning Plan; develop scope, process to hire consultant, etc.; July 9th meeting
• Pension funds rate of return; June 25th meeting
• Early opening for Dutton Isle gate; cost, other issues; June 25th meeting
• Allegation of misleading Police Building Committee; June 11th meeting
• Police Building; various questions to staff; June 11th meeting
• Traffic safety complaints East Coast at 3`d St.; May 29th meeting
• Voting District alternatives; (one of several requests for possible reconfiguration
of proposed options) May 14th meeting
• Rose Park proposed expansion; April 23`d meeting
• Crosswalks on FDOT roads; cost, funding; April 23`d meeting
• Tennis court resurfacing; complaint about poor workmanship; April 9th meeting
• History of FAR regulations; March 26th meeting
• Bus stops on Mayport Rd. cost to maintain, other issues dealing w/ possible
installation of new shelters by JEA; February 27th meeting
• Robert St ditch; how to make improvements; February 27th meeting
• Animal control staffing (should we reduce ?); January 9th meeting
Atlantic Beach Town Hall Meeting
January 5, 2013
Minutes
City Commission Members present:
Mike Borno, Mayor
Maria Mark, Mayor Pro Tern
Mark Beckenbach, Commissioner
Jonathan Daugherty, Commissioner
Carolyn Woods, Commissioner
Approximately 56 Citizens attended
The meeting was called to order at 10 :00 am by Mayor Borno. He welcomed the citizens
and explained this was a visioning meeting and the format and welcomed their
suggestions. Then turned the meeting over to Commissioner Maria Mark for a review of
the past Town Hall Meeting issues and comments.
Commissioner Mark welcomed everyone and gave a recap of the main categories
discussed in the 2012 visioning Town Hall Meetings:
Charter Review: Qualifying candidates, expanding commission, open
government, interlocal agreement
Safety: crosswalks, police station, substation, neighborhood watch programs
water quality and animal control
Pension concerns: Health benefits, leave time
Environmental Aesthetics: Aquatic Gardens, power lines underground
Community visioning: city mission statements, blighted areas, Mayport corridor
enhancement, business corridor, Selva Marina, sense of community
Communications: PR between city and citizens, community kiosks
Atlantic Beach West: more funding for community improvements, Roberts ditch,
Rose Park, bus routes west First St. landscaping, senior and underserved services
Mayport Ferry: hot topic at the time hopefully found solutions for this
Mayport Village: anniversary and Mayport Waterfront Partnership funding
Community Block Grant funding: Francis Ave, flooding Senior Center,
community events,
Speed bumps.
Canoe access.
All this information was taken into account when we did our strategic planning and the
purpose of today's meeting is to gather information on citizen concerns for our strategic
planning workshops this spring. From the Town Hall Meetings we got these strategic
goals, in no particular order:
Union Negotiations
Budget
Pedestrian
Community Visioning
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IT Software
Tipping Fee
Police Building
Marsh Master Plan.
This visioning Process really helps set the goals for the city.
Commissioner Mark introduced Karen Kempf, a retired Parks and Recreation employee,
who will be writing down all the comments for everyone to see. Please sign in. This will
be an informal conversational process, not about any specific topic and not just about the
Police Station. It is about any and all of your visions for the City to become and what the
Commission should focus on.
The Mayor stated if anyone had time constraints they could speak first.
Citizens Comments:
Jessie Dattilo:
Unfunded Liabilities what is the level now compared to a year ago.
Has the unfunded liability gone up or down.
Daugherty: Changes to plan now will take 10 to 15 years to really have an effect.
Mayor: We are basically level.
Mark we have not received our current levels for the year yet.
Woods: The city is not in charge of Union investment funds. City has changed how we
invest our cash funds and we are making much better interest on our investments that we
control. We have a proposal on the table with the Unions at an impasse now. If our plan
passes it will cost more in the beginning and will make significant improvements in the
next 10 years. Mayor working with FL legislature to get relief from unfunded liabilities
imposed on cities.
Michael Flannigan:
Concern is the Police Building and that the total cost of ownership is considered.
Has life cycle analysis been done? Initial acquisition cost and then the EOC cost and is
concerned with the communications and IT equipment that would go in the EOC; they
are expensive and the cost of maintaining is exponential. Plus the cost of staff and
pensions that go along with this. Is retired and it was his duty then, with the Coast Guard,
and now with the Air Force to analyze need and recommend communications and IT.
Lifetime costs are many times the initial cost. Citizens will have to fund the ongoing
operations and upkeep, the feed and care of anything we build. The State and Federal
Governments have more than enough equipment at our disposal we should use theirs at
no cost to us and not purchase our own.
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Cindy Anderson:
Thanked the Commission for their service. Here because of the police building.
She discussed actions taken and not taken with the police building. Current building
overcrowded. Why? Because of IT equipment, evidence, a lot more police officers. Since
1987 went 18 to 29 officers. Our population in 1990 - 11,636; 2010 - 12,655 - down
1,000 from 10 years ago; 10% population growth, police force 50% growth. Why the
disparity. We have had a period of good financial times is this why we hired so many?
Do we really need them; our population is aging so less crime. Why so many officers?
Need to ask why can't we store offsite in low cost location? Even secured storage would
be cheaper than where it it. Don't just accept the need for new. Look at it hard, does it all
need to be in one building. The numbers for proposals is too high too much money. Also
affects the pension fund. Reduce total liability by reducing staff. Start at square one
when looking at this.
Daugherty: I love being in a city where citizens are asking for fewer officers. Outside
forces create the need for more officers. Dutton Rd., Jacksonville Beach bars letting out
at night. Atlantic Beach residents want to be safe; it is a government duty to keep them
safe. We hired two COPS through Federal program in order to clean up the Mayport area.
Do we want to keep them? Average citizen is happy to live with minimal crime in AB.
We have cut back in the past budget, cut unfilled police positions.
Anderson: Seems reasonable to have offices on our major roads due to drunk drivers.
Did we hire 50 % more officers because we had 50% more crime.
Borno: We like any other community have a drug problem, in all parts of town. These
criminals move in and we need to be on top of it. What type and level of police services
do we want for the city. Think about that and it will govern what we build.
Anderson: If we need the force we have, then support them with an appropriate building.
If problems are from Mayport Rd., why not put the facility there.
Beckenbach: 4:30, Monday, January 14 we are having a Police Building workshop.
Please come to this with your questions.
Mark: This may be why the confusion about this meeting being about the Police
Building. It is for the Commission to have discussion.
Woods: Due to Sunshine laws need to have our discussions in public. As a Commission
we have committed to once a month workshops and this is the first. I appreciate the
question about what do we really want for services from our police force. We need to
start there before we start the design.
Bill Mayhew:
Commission needs to continue to look for efficiency of scale especially with the
police function. Should investigate consolidating force with Beach communities
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or Jacksonville. Might save millions of dollars. Assuming it won't happen there is a good
lot on Mayport Rd. for about $350,000; buy it and move on. Pensions - our unfunded
liability has gone up to over $9 million and that is assuming an 8% return on investments,
which just is not happening. Special magistrate hearing on Tuesday about the Pension
negotiations impasse with the blue collar union. Commission has a great start by closing
to new members but does not go near far enough. It is the existing plan and all of its
benefits. It does not go far enough; the existing plan should be closed. City contributes
26% of salary to pension costs employees only pay about 6% this is not a fair balance.
Not fair to taxpayers. If employees can't afford it and taxpayers can't afford it then you
should get rid of it. National average is 35% cost of salary being paid for pension cost.
Should be a reasonable goal. When you make a mistake common sense says try to correct
it, if you can't afford past promises then you must adjust for the financial reality.
Mitch Reeves:
Main topic is Charter changes. I brought it up at last Town Hall meeting. First
back to Police department as to why we have so many commanders, in FL for every
1,000 (meant to say 10,000 people) people it is 2.6 commanders. In AB we have three
commanders, they are really only LT.s but the title gives them clout with other
departments. Also we have a swelling population on a daily basis.
I want to have Charter review of elected officials. Now, there are 5 seats one
being Mayor with two seats and the Mayor up for election every 2 years. The latest .
change to the Charter was to have elected officials with residency requirement. Sounds
good but is a smoking mirror, because they live there but are not elected by that district.
Should go to 7 seats each district elected by their district only, then have two at large
commissioners elected by everyone; also the Mayor. Every two years you have 2 district
members, the mayor and one at large seat running for office. So there would be 4 people
running. This protects the taxpayers of Atlantic Beach because it scares me that three of
you can control the city. It is harder to get four to agree. Should definitely have district
seats voted by only people in that district.
Woods: First we were not the Commission that voted in districting, the commission that
was voted in at the time was against the districting and tried to repeal it. The current
commission has worked very hard to bring in citizens comments and input to the process.
Daugherty: It was done by referendum; Charter changes are up to a citizen vote.
Respectfully, I disagree because 90% of what we do is for the entire city. Currently I am
working on improving ped paths which is for the whole city. I pay attention to the whole
city when I am out and I bring all issues I see to the City Manager. We are redoing Rose
Park and so I do work on things particular to my neighborhood as well as the whole city.
Reeves: Citizens should have the right to have real district representation like other cities
do. By having more seats it would open the door to more people who are also qualified to
run. Right now you have to wait 8 years to be able to run.
Page 4 of 11
Linda Spenser Almeida:
I have lived here for 10 years and in the beginning I could go in town and get a
seat anywhere and knew people there every time. Now it's hard to get a seat and I see
strangers. Do we have the right number of officers? I don't know but it is true there are a
lot more people in our city. I like having the police be so prompt and reliable. Would like
to see them walking more. Wants police force to have proper facilities but would like to
see current facilities improved, if it can be, or maybe a substation. But please use due
diligence, have to have the public involved. The more eyes and minds the better, there is
a lot to be considered and well thought out. Wants better facilities and wants there to be a
lot of constructive input.
Louis Keith:
Commission's hands are tied on the police pension by state law. I'm a retired
federal law officer. Gave example of how the pension is calculated; showed that in
Florida, law enforcement gets 95% of salary at retirement, plus C.O.L.A., plus social
security. State officer makes almost 2 times the rate of a federal officer. Need to talk to
the legislature to fix this basic problem. Who gets 90% - 100% of their salary when they
retire? This needs to be fixed this is what is killing us with unfunded pension costs. The
state dictates what we can and can't negotiate. Need to use common sense. Have 6,200
hundred households. They can't afford $9 million dollars (and growing) in unfunded
liabilities. We need to get innovative; we have redundancy at the beach, officers, dispatch
etc. Look at what services we can share.
Borno: I'm not against pensions; people have a right to them. Pensions need to be dealt
with in a fair and equitable manner. The legislature needs to give us relief from unfunded
mandates. The Florida League of Cities wants the State to get the legislators' attention on
this subject. The pension is like a 30 year mortgage that must be paid; every time you
make a change you pay for the next 30 years and so we are paying for adjustments made
when times were good. We are chipping away at them this year more than others. We are
trying to get relief but have to work within the system.
Penny Kamish:
Have had 3 home invasions in 15 years. The police have always been there. The
most recent being "Bob ", who was apprehended at Seaplace where he went into another
home. Long time officers are important. Because of our quirky roads, it is nice for them
to be familiar with our community. Do we have the right amount? I think so because they
are always there when I need them. Obviously, this affects our pension liability, the
number of officers etc. In good faith, I don't think you can take away what you have
given but can make changes going forward. With the federal money it is given for a
period of time and then when the funding stops, do you stop the program or keep it up.
Chief Classey took some heat for comparables (during the Police Building Committee
study) but I think it was simply a case of not understanding the difference between the
functions of those departments and our own.
When we look at the EOC, when we need them it is during a storm, so it is not a good
idea to stay at the beach. There are so many ways to be connected. We now have WEB
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EOC. Yes have a conference room but don't put the equipment in there. The overhead
and maintenance will eat you alive. The state radio system is available and then you
won't have a conflict and will be able to communicate to all involved. We have so many
facilities that would be at our disposal there is no need to build a designated facility with
all of the overhead costs. Also agree with Almeida that the more eyes the better!!!
Multiple eyes and multiple disciplines are best. Our facilities do need to be improved,
I'm glad the City has been saving for this but don't want to overspend. Separate facilities
for storage may not be as convenient but could be the right decision. Expansion, may be
needed but it does not need to go out it could go up. There is limited space in Russell
Park we don't have adequate parking. Also with the presence, Mayport Rd. seems to have
the most problems. Beautification efforts should include community sweat equity. It
doesn't matter if it is east or west it is the buy in for community support.
Daugherty: Thank you for your comments. I question why people keep saying we need
somewhere to be after a disaster. In my experience from disaster relief there are police
departments from everywhere. FEMA comes in and takes over. It would be a while
before we would be able to come in and take over. We have a mobile command center
here in AB. This is kind of a red herring with the police building. We do not really need a
command center.
Woods: If something happens and the City is not completely leveled we need somewhere
to be. But information is moving to the cloud and if we can get our IT upgraded we will
have all this information and capability to run the city in the cloud and won't need the
physical facilities immediately.
Steve Kallao:
Seems like we are driving off the police - building cliff. I sent some information
about the existing building and FEMA regulations. Please let me know if you have any
questions about it. For the meeting on January 14th we should start with taking items off
the table that just won't work and maybe back into a solution. I like Carolyn's suggestion
to examine police procedure. It seems it is all boiling down to square footage and we
should assume a $300 per square foot to start but you never know what you are going to
run into during construction.
Nancy Whittington:
Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thank you for not raising our property
taxes. 2013 will be tough enough thanks to the feds. Main concern is how City finances
are managed. We have a small tax base so your decisions make a big difference. We just
want to make sure we are getting a good value for our dollar, whether it is the police
building or beach cleaning. It seems that since we are still talking about the police
building, the current process is not working for you. It is not at the top of the strategic
plan, it is not in the budget and there has been a big public outcry to not build it. Let the
processes work and maybe the police building should be considered later. There are a lot
of smart people in the community. Engage with the citizens and get more input.
Questions should be asking; Why do we have the most expensive government at the
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beaches? $2,879 per person, does that make sense? Police $944 per citizen I know this is
a hard way to look at it but communities everywhere are working in collaboratives we
should consider this. Share resources and come up with better ideas. Find the middle
grounds. St Augustine beach was able to cut their police budget in half. Does this
Commission have the courage to take a closer look at the employees who answer directly
to the Commission and have a clear plan for them, public reviews. Have heard good ideas
about looking at the police building. Corporations have made changes with furniture and
other things to improve the use of space, we should too. Again the true needs are the first
step. Looking at all of the information, which took hours to get, there needs to be a better
way to have information available. Please take a hard look at city finances and
management of those finances. Come up with good solutions.
John November:
This is great. Some people think public input is bad but it is awesome. The more
eyes on the project the better. We are stagnant as a city right now but things going well
are improvements at Rose Park. It is the entry to the core of this part of our city. The
citizens really want a water feature. Do it over time if you need but have the vision to
make it happen. Improvements on the marsh have been awesome. The pier, kayak
landing etc. need more improvements there, need public input. Marsh Master Plan calls
for connecting Tide Views and Dutton Island we have a beautiful resource here and it is
time to invest in it and have the vision to make this resource a source of pride for the
City. Focus on planning first, if we can't get grants we need to commit to spending the
money. Sunset Pier has made the area safer and so will more improvements. We need to
acquire more property along the preserve as we can. This is first priority because if we
don't acquire them for conservation they will be gone. The future Benet's landing
beautiful piece of marsh land, make it a top initiative. We need to come together as a
community. Marsh Fest will be every other year. I appreciate the staff, they have been
amazingly supportive. Police station vision, I was born here, I love old AB the
architecture, the police building looks good, if possible, incremental expansion would be
good. There is room to expand up and out in the current location. I have been working
with an architect on a plan. The coolest thing about it will be a porch on top that
overlooks the park.
Sally Clemens:
I hate to follow John November. Wants to change the Charter to require more
proof of citizenship from candidates for office. Also times we can take our garbage out is
6:00 in Charter (actually in the ordinance); it needs to be earlier.
Pat Craft:
Also born in AB was here during the war. About the Police Station if we need a
Sally port and three holding cells we do not put something like that near our park where
our children play. If we have that dangerous of criminal in this facility in this community,
we do not put them by our children! We protect our children!
Louis Keith: Just FYI - 97% arrested in Duval County are taken directly to Duval
County jail. In St. John's county 100% taken directly to county jail.
Page 7 of 11
Mark Tomaski:
Thank you for holding these Town Hall meetings. I have never seen this level of
participation. It is good. I do like the idea of looking at what we want in policing. Wish
we had more of the COPS program; popular with citizens and the police. It works well
that they have a connection with the community. Policing is the real issue not the
building. Don't know how we got to a 14,000 s.f. Police Building plan. It is too large.
Improving the station is necessary. Have seen the existing and it is a mess but that part is
because of leadership. We need to take care of what we have first and then look at what
we need. There is no support for a large building. Start with policing and taking care of
what we have. There is support for a facility that provides a comfortable workspace. Also
need a better entry with a quiet space to conduct your work, interview people. We need to
put in some money and a sizeable amount but not $5m. I am a proponent of videotaping
and increasing the access to information. It can be compared to a library and I wish our
access to information was easier. This morning I was late because I was watching our
City Manager being interviewed via video streaming in Port Orange. We used to be the
leader of the three cities at the Beach and I'd like us to be that way again. Workshops
don't have to be a pain. You get things done when you have them, you are thinking being
creative, working together. Then you have your meetings and it is completely different.
Should try the method Neptune Beach uses, one workshop a month, one voting meeting a
month. Could have 7 commissioners, don't know how you would get them to agree but it
could be good. Should consider having the 4 district representatives voted strictly from
their district plus 2 at large plus the Mayor voted on at large. When you have three people
in lock step over a period of time it is not necessarily the best for the city. Thank you for
having the town meetings.
Steve Fouraker:
Really like the idea of video streaming. It is very important for our government to
be accessible to our community and people can't make it to the meetings. Howell Park
needs attention, it is being forgotten; it needs planting and cleaning to make it the natural
place it is suppose to be. Years ago we had a drainage problem in the core city. The first
engineer's plan would have leveled Howell Park and made it a reservoir with a clear view
from Sherry Rd. to Seminole Rd. Johansson Park would have been leveled and we would
not have Arts in The Park like we do. The Citizens rose up and demanded better even
though the Commission had decided. That citizens committee led by Borno, did a very
good job, but they worked through the ideas. After that we hired another group of
engineers. They presented another overdesigned plan that was too expensive and would
not work. Thank God for Mayor Shaughnessy who tenaciously led the fight against that
plan. Then there was a new committee chosen and we had a consultant, Terri Whitehead,
who facilitated the meetings and out of that we got the inverted crown that saved all the
trees and has worked fine. Cost less, works fine. No curb and gutter.
This brings me to the police building. We had one committee, they worked fine. I never
thought they were to come up with the one design. I thought they were going to come up
with options. Somehow the idea came up that their plan would be it and feelings got hurt.
They had a limited scope to look at and were not necessarily given good information. So
Page 8 of 11
when I look at the process and when I hear someone say we just have to get it done, that
is not the way to go. Today we have heard a good beginning to look at what we really
need. We don't need to wait for the next Mayor, you are capable people. Just got to get it
done is a prescription for making a big mistake. Get experts from around the State and
maybe even a new committee. I hope our meetings, I know and care for all of you, let's
make these meetings different and make sure staff is acting as staff and working for you
to come up with a good solution in a civilized manner.
Michael Hoffmann:
I have been in favor for many years of televising the meetings; live streaming is a
good alternative. These town meetings have been great, learn something every time. I
know it is a lot of effort and I really appreciate it. The live streaming would be good.
Website needs better phone numbers for each department. Police Station was advertised
as the primary concern and I agree that storage is an issue. We do need holding cells. I'm
concerned too many of our youth are being hauled downtown for minor things. The guy
that breaks into your house, yes, take them but we need an in between step for our youth
so they are not over penalized, they don't need to be criminalized. Mr. Hatfield did a
great job with the COPS program and I think we need to keep it. I'd like to see the Police
Station on Mayport Rd. and the substation here. Leave the fire station here. I'm not in
favor of Taj Mahal but I'm in favor of the basics as they have been outlined; evidence
storage and protection, holding cells and sufficient working space.
Haven't heard anything about the drainage ditch in the Donner area. Last I heard the City
Manager was supposed to look into how Neptune Beach got DOT to pay for theirs and
we can't. It is a long overdue problem and I would like to see movement on that. I am a
long -time proponent of representative government. I think the citizens committee that
resulted in the referendum on representative districts shows that the citizens have a lot of
collective knowledge and good judgment. I think the 4 districts should have a direct
election so they are not diluted by votes outside of the district. And that's why I would
oppose the extra two at large representatives. Because then we would basically be back
right where we were.
Penny Camish:
Thanks to all of you, it has been interesting to watch over the years. I look at all of
you and may not always agree but feel you are all doing your research. I can appreciate
that you take the time to research and make the best decision for the community. Not to
take away from Mr. Hanson, but it seems after a certain time staff may be able to move
things in the direction they want. I wish him well in his interviews in Port Orange. Not
that he is a bad guy but he has maybe gotten used to getting his way. It may be good to
get a fresh start. We do have a very talented community.
Mitch Reeves:
About the Police Station I think everyone agrees we need to do something. There
is a Murray gas station right in front of our pump station on Mayport Rd. Can staff
contact them and maybe they would donate and yes we would have to clean it up but they
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might donate to get out of the liability. Discussion ensued as to where exactly the Hess
Gas station is, if it is in City limits or not.
Greg Selby:
Need to get those medians out of the middle of Mayport Rd. so the police and the
fire can get around.
Melody Bishop:
I am the architect that designed the existing police and fire station. At the time
they wanted to save money, be very efficient with the design, existing building
that was there. It is exciting to hear this much enthusiasm in the community and to hear
all the ideas. Buildings are like your kids, so I have been following this debate for a
while. I could quickly look at it and determine if you can go up two floors. The
suggestion to add incrementally could be a good idea. The design criteria has changed
sense the original design. Policing is more community friendly than it might have been
then. I would be happy to volunteer to look at it with you.
Beckenbach: Steve Kallao gave us information with criteria and regulations from FEMA,
that limit our options. Lance Wolfson was showing options for incremental design, as far
as the wind loads etc. We could go up, but the cost would be too high. It would require
tearing down the whole thing. I am interested in talking to you about options. We do have
the plans for the building.
Bishop: My husband and I are involved in the community and would like to help.
Atlantic Beach is our treasure here in NE Florida.
Clyde Bradley:
Mayport Rd is not the dividing line. Sailfish Drive is. We are not treated the same
as other parts of the City. Example, Saratoga Circle had a speeding problem. I came to
the City Commission and the police department twice. It was so bad the lady on the curve
had to put cones out to protect her kids. A lot of people don't like to complain so I called
the police department. A police officer came out to investigate and only talked to that one
person. The police said go out and knock on the doors. I said it was the police's job not
mine. There was one person who was the problem, who drove a white trans am, who
usually did it when they leave in the morning. Not hard to figure out or do something
about. I'd love to see direct representation.
Daugherty: There is a small neighborhood with speed humps, how do you feel about that.
Borno: The issue is the speeder; you don't redesign the whole neighborhood for one
speeder.
Bradley: In our street the speed limit is 25 but in all the other neighborhoods it is 20.
Have called police and Mike Borno but nothing so far. If that happened over here they
would get results. I never called Woods because I didn't want to put anymore burden on
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her shoulders with all the grief she has gotten from other Commissioners and Mayors
over time. We need a lot of things in this town before we get a water park. Need to
concentrate on sidewalks, safety items. I came up with the idea for sidewalks when
Beaver was here. He made it happen his last year.
Daugherty: We have made sidewalks a priority and dedicated more funds.
Bradley: Good because we need sidewalks on both sides of Seminole Rd. for the kids
going to school.
Daugherty: Next Agenda I have an item to create a survey for the citizens on line. Want
to make sure staff does not create the survey. Want to know what you think we should
ask. We need to do something broader where we can have 2 -3,000 responses.
Bomo: This should never be an opportunity to beat up on staff. They have their
responsibilities and we have our own.
Linda Almeida:
People don't seem to be aware of all the services on our website. They can
register a complaint or a compliment and so many other things. Need the positive
question on the survey; What service person helped you and how?
Karen Kempf. Recreation page also has their phone number.
Mayor Borno adjourned the meeting at 12:23 p.m.
Carolyn Woods
Commissioner
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Mike Borno
Mayor