Amended Item 1C- Draft Minutes 8-15-16 AMENDED ITEM 1C
OCTOBER 10,2016
MINUTES OF THE BUDGET WORKSHOP OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION
HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS ON MONDAY,AUGUST 15, 2016 AT 5:30 PM
City Commission Members present: Staff present:
Mitchell E. Reeves, Mayor Nelson Van Liere, City Manager
Jimmy Hill, Mayor Pro Tern Russell Caffey,Finance Director
Mitchell R. Harding, Commissioner Cathy Berry, Human Resource Director
Blythe Waters, Commissioner Keith Randich, IT Director
Timmy Johnson, Recreation& Special Events Director
City Commission Member(s) absent: Michael Deal, Police Chief
John Stinson, Commissioner Derek Reeves, Planner/Interim Comm. Dev. Director
Dan Arlington,Building Official
Victor Gualillo,Police Commander
Tiffany Layson, Police Commander
David Cameron, Police Lieutenant
Donna L. Bartle, City Clerk
Call to Order
Mayor Reeves called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. and explained that Commissioner Waters is running
late. He noted that Commissioner Stinson sent an email to the City Clerk communicating his delayed travel
and his request for his comments to be included into the record. Mayor Reeves explained that citizens will be
given the opportunity to speak for three minutes each at the end of the meeting. At the request of
Commissioner Hill, the City Clerk read Commissioner Stinson's email and list of questions and comments
into the record (which is attached and made part of this Official Record as Attachment A). Commissioner
Waters arrived at 5:47 p.m. Mayor Reeves directed the City Manager to respond to these questions prior the
workshop on August 24, 2016 and send a copy to each Commissioner.
Mr. Van Liere indicated that a lot of those questions will be addressed in tonight's presentation. He gave a
slide presentation titled Annual Operating Budget 2017 Proposed and explained the Agenda, Introduction,
the Budget Policy and Highlights, Total Revenues by Fund 2017, Revenue in Summary, Total Expenditures
by Fund, and Resource Allocation.
He explained his slide titled Personnel Services Summary noting the following:
• Total increase in payroll budget over last year is $239,333
• An increase of 2 Police Officers with benefits at$119,160
• Raises of 3%merit with a 1% C.O.L.A. adjustment to the pay plan estimated at$189,864 or $63,288
per 1%.
• Without the two additional positions, we would have a $120,173 increase in total payroll including
the raises, but off-set by other changes in personnel.
• Defined Benefit Pension cost is up $79,274
• Defined Contribution has partial participation and we estimate that the City's match is about $82,917.
This is down$8,854 from last year's budget.
He explained the changes in the pension cost shown on the slide titled Pension Contributions which is
estimated at an increase of$70,424.
He explained his slide titled Operating Costs.
• Contractual Increase in the Fire/Rescue contract of 3% or $32,957 to $1,131,511.
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15, 2016 Page 2
• Sanitation contract was renegotiated to include tipping fees so that the cost to the customers would
remain the same for 2016. Cost have remained lower due to low fuel charges at an estimated
$1,409,800.
• Maintenance Costs for the Fleet estimated to decrease $23,139 to about$281,290.
• Various point repair contractors are used for pipe, concrete lawn maintenance and electrical work.
These in total are relatively the same as 2016. Included in this category are attorney fees at$155,000.
He referred to his slide titled Capital Improvements as he explained the projects and their budget amounts as
follows: Seminole Road Project $1,600,000; Aquatic Gardens Stormwater Improvements $250,000; Saltair
Stormwater Improvements $250,000; W. Plaza & Carnation Stormwater $135,000; Tideviews Park Pond
Improvements $100,000; Sidewalk and Street Improvements $100,000; Russell Park Tennis Court $125,000;
Playground Equipment Replacements $82,000; Covered storage for equipment $75,000; Water System
Improvements $595,000; and Sewer System Improvements $966,200.
Mayor Reeves asked Mr. Van Liere to report on things the separate Commissioners asked to be included in
the Capital Improvement budget. Mr. Van Liere indicated that the Commissioners have not provided a list of
projects noting that he asked if there is anything they want to see in the budget. He explained these are all
department head driven, except for the Tideviews Park Pond Improvements, Aquatic Gardens Stormwater
Improvements and Saltair Stormwater Improvements which were all Neighborhood citizen input driven
projects. Mr. Van Liere reported one Commissioner requested us to find money for land acquisition and was
probably the most significant thing. He added another Commissioner wanted to have motorcycles for the
police. He answered questions from Mayor Reeves regarding millage rates, land acquisitions and
motorcycles for the police department. He reminded everyone that this is a proposal for a budget and we are
here tonight to take your input and make changes to it and it will be your budget when it is adopted.
Mr. Van Liere referred to his slide titled Equipment Purchases as he explained the smaller ticket items for
capital. IT - File Servers, Radios, Copier Machine, Fiber $98,000; Patrol - Vehicles (3) - Equipped
$145,500;Animal Control Truck$25,000; Jet Ski sled and Polaris $18,000; Parks and Recreation -Truck
$25,000; Polaris $22,000; Public Works - Computer and Garage Equipment $8,000; Dump Truck
Replacement$80,000; Track Skid Steer$60,000; Striping Machine $6,000; Kabota Tractor $50,000; Public
Utilities - Mini Excavator $60,000; Roll Off Truck Replacement$150,000; Building Department - Vehicle
$20,000; and Building Department Computers $4,000 .
Mr. Van Liere explained the slide titled Schedule of Available Cash Balances- Major Funds, which is also
page 110 in the budget book under the supplemental tab, and answered questions from the Commission. Mr.
Van Liere explained $6,397,000.00 is the projected cash balance at the end of 2016. Mayor Reeves pointed
out that the reserve balance is almost double what is recommended for reserve and discussion ensued about
the reserve and 1/2 Cent Sales Tax.
Mr. Van Liere explained the diagram on General Fund Revenue Diversification and the graph titled Ad
Valorem Assessment Rolls adding the taxable value for 2016 is $1.5 billion. He also explained slides on the
2016 Total Proposed Millages for Atlantic Beach and surrounding communities which were sent to the
Property Appraiser's Office, Office of the Property Appraiser Proposed 2016 Millages showing the
percentages of tax money paid to the various agencies, General Fund Expense Distribution, and General
Fund projections for the next ten years for Personnel Services, Operating, Capital, Transfers and Revenues.
He explained the layout of the budget book and answered questions.
Mr. Van Liere gave a slide presentation titled Administration and General Government. He referred to his
slide titled Summary of All Departments which shows amounts as follows: Governing Body $48,079;
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15, 2016 Page 3
Administration$2,655,631, General Government$2,240,178, Planning and Building$873,404, Public Safety
$5,970,916, Parks and Recreation $1,284,112, Public Works $6,341,702, Public Utilities $10,133,136,
Pension $ 1,959,409 and Total $31,506,567.
He explained the slide titled Administrative Budget General Fund reflecting the following amounts:
2016 2017
City Clerk $266,211 $317,215
City Manager 241,544 253,905
Finance and Accounting 882,164 942,557
Information Technology 768,555 769,019
Human Resources 210,141 217,935
Legal Counsel 175,619 155,000
Total $2,544,234 $2,655,631
He explained the increases to the City Clerk's budget is for election expenses and software upgrades which is
for agenda management and records request management; the increase in the City Manager's budget is for
payroll; the increase for Finance and Accounting is for additional auditing fees and changes in personnel's
benefit selections for health insurance; the Information Technology budget is basically the same budget; the
increase to Human Resources' budget is for extra training; and the Legal Counsel budget is down from the
current year since it was adjusted up because of the Gate Hearing and Cloister's gate discussions. Discussion
ensued about legal fees, the Legal Counsel budget and the additional auditing fees for auditing grants. Mr.
Van Liere explained he could provide a copy of the City Attorney's bill every month showing a detailed list
of what the firm is working on and Mayor Reeves urged each Commissioner to review the bills.
(Mayor Reeves called for a break at 7:23 p.m. and reconvened at 7:36 p.m.)
Mr. Van Liere referred to and explained the slide titled Major Items Included which lists expenses for major
items for Administrative as follows: Clerk - Election Expenses $18,210, Agenda Management and Records
Request software $10,725, Printing and Publications $17,625 (newsletter and legal ads, code); Finance &
Administration - Audit$54,000,Postage $43,900 (utility bills),Printing $22,000 (utility bills); Information
Technology - Communications $63,900, License and Maintenance Contracts $231,610, Computers and
related equipment $98,000; Human Resources - Employee Assistance Program and training $5,000; and
Legal Services - $155,000.
Information Technology
IT Manager Keith Randich gave a slide presentation titled Information Technology. He referred to his slide
titled Devices Managed by IT as he explained all staff in City Hall, the Police Department and Recreation
spends the majority of their days in front of a computer. He explained there are computers in all of our squad
cars, code enforcement and building inspector vehicles and virtually all records and documents throughout
the City are kept in an electronic format. He explained the Information Technology is a three person group
whose role is to help city staff use their computers to perform their jobs. He explained the various locations
of staff, the badge entry system, the video monitoring and surveillance systems, underground fiber which is
shown in green on the slide titled Data Network, and cable connections. He referred to his slide titled
Monitoring and explained IT uses a variety of monitoring tools to keep track of the status of the computing
environment.
He explained his slides titled 2015-16 Major Project noting last year they replaced the legacy phone systems
in City Hall, the Police Department, and Public Works with a digital phone system and as part of the City's
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15, 2016 Page 4
Emergency Plan, located the City's Phone System and Email infrastructure at an off-site location. He
referred to his slide titled 2016-17 Major Project and explained the projects scheduled for next year are to
help move the City's Data Center to the 2nd floor of the new Police building and to replace the Network
Firewalls to help chase down viruses.
Mr. Randich referred to the slide titled 10 Year Plan—Capital explaining most of the capital expenditures are
upgrades to equipment.
Commissioner Hill asked Mr. Randich who manages the City's website. He explained the City Clerk is
responsible for maintenance of the website pages for the City Clerk and for the City Commission; the
software is set up such that each department is responsible for maintaining the pages for themselves and the
Police Department, City Manager, and Recreation are updating their website pages almost on a daily basis.
He explained IT is responsible for making sure the website is up and running and train new employees on
how to update the pages.
He explained IT has had money in the budget for two years to upgrade the website since it has not been done
since 2008, but did not have enough priority so they carried it over to the next year. Commissioner Hill
spoke about the need to plan and budget for training staff on social media and the City's website in order to
be more interactive with our citizens. Mr. Randich explained the Police and Recreation Departments
maintain their own Facebook page and does a very nice job with it. Discussion ensued about expanding
social media and updating the City's website to be more user-friendly and informative. Mr. Randich stated
we are probably due for a refresh of the website and are asking for $25,000 to be put in the budget for it
which would change the look and include a mobile app. Commissioner Harding stated he believes everyone
is in agreement that our website is inadequate. He complimented the Police Department's Facebook page
stating he likes the two-way communication between the citizens and the Police Department. He agreed that
an update to the City's website is needed. Mr. Randich answers questions about the cost of servers and
budgeting for training on TrakiT. He also answered questions regarding the Wi-Fi upgrades at community
centers. Recreation and Special Events Director Timmy Johnson explained there are two computers at the
Donner Center and four at Jordan Park and agreed that Wi-Fi would help the children and those who rent the
facilities for events. Discussion ensued about the possibility of the children utilizing computers that are
replaced. Mr. Randich explained that, because of the number of licenses, the software is taken off of those
computers and used on the new computers. Commissioner Waters asked that he check with Microsoft to see
if there are any charitable donations for software for this. Commissioner Hill agreed there is a need to
service people needing Wi-Fi for homework and other things and wants the City to look into a grant before
spending a bunch of money on Wi-Fi. Commissioner Waters spoke about the need to have Wi-Fi at all the
community centers. Mayor Reeves questioned why the objective to replace the file server is in the current
year and next year's budget. Mr. Randich answered that it is for the Police server and they have not done it.
Mayor Reeves asked if the upgrade of networks for the community centers in the current budget is the same
project that is listed in next year's budget. Mr. Randich explained they are two different projects and he
explained the projects.
Administration and General Government
Mr. Van Liere continued his presentation titled Administration and General Government and explained the
slides titled General Government, noting the amounts for Non Departmental-Insurance— General Liability
$160,227, Grant Writing Services $36,000, Repair and Utilities—Buildings $33,500, and Non-Utility Billing
postage $10,000; Building Maintenance - Custodial Services $51,000; Convention Development Tax
Fund - Transfer to Community Redevelopment Plan $50,000; Debt Service Fund - CLOSED;
Miscellaneous Grant Fund - CLOSED; Half Cent Sales Tax Fund - Street Resurfacing $80,000, Street,
Road & Sidewalk Improvements $100,000, Seminole Road Improvements $250,000, Park Improvements —
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15, 2016 Page 5
Tennis Court $125,000, Lifeguard Station Improvements $40,000, Equipment Storage Building $75,000,
Transfer to Stormwater Utility Fund$300,000, Transfer to CIP $295,000 and Total$1,265,000.
During Mr. Van Liere's presentation, Mayor Reeves asked whether we should continue using the grant
writers. Mr. Van Liere explained the benefits and believed it has paid off. Mayor Reeves asked for the
amount of return and Mr. Van Liere explained he does not have that number but they will give their annual
report at the next Commission meeting. Discussion ensued about the Lifeguard station improvements. Chief
Deal explained the repairs needed and Mr. Van Liere answered questions regarding costs. Discussion ensued
about putting additional funds into the budget to do extra improvements to the Lifeguard Station and do it
right.
Mr. Van Liere explained his slide titled Capital Project Fund, which includes Public Safety Building -
$150,000 and Return Funds to General Fund- $235,000 totaling$385,000, and he answered questions.
He referred to his slides titled General Liability, explaining Ms. Berry manages this contract and the policies
include Auto, General Liability, Public Official and Employee Liability, Environmental, Fiduciary and
Police Statutory and Liability. He stated we put a 10% increase in the budget and Ms. Berry is working on
trying to make it as low as it can be. Commissioner Waters questioned why 10% was used. Human
Resource Director Cathy Berry explained the numbers have not come in so she had to budget a number, but
believes it will come in less.
Mr. Van Liere explained the slide titled Schedule of Interfund Transfers, noting it is a schedule that shows
the relationship between the different places where money is accumulated and transferred.
Recreation and Special Events
Director Johnson gave a slide presentation titled Department of Recreation and Special Events. He explained
that his staff, the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee and volunteers have put in a lot of hours
to make the programs and events successful. He explained the staffing has decreased to 1 part-time and 3
full-time employees.
Mr. Johnson referred to his slides as he explained the functions and events at the various Community Centers
as follows:
Adele Grage Community Center/Bull Park - Department of Recreation & Special Events Offices; Wedding,
Fire on the Beach & Special Event Permits; Private Facility/Park Rentals for Meetings, Receptions, Special
Events, etc.; Art Exhibits/Art Walk Reception; Community Computers; Yoga (adults & children);
Meditation; Recurring Rentals and ABET.
Baker Center/Donner Park - After School Program w/ tutoring assistance; Summer Camp/Lunch Program;
Senior Programs; Flag Football; Fall Festival; Movie in the Park; Angel Toy Party and Private Facility
Rental for Receptions, Showers,Meetings, Special Events, etc.
Jordan Center/Jordan Park - Tutoring w/ homework assistance; After School Program; Private Facility/Park
Rentals for Receptions, Meetings, Showers, Gospel in the Park, etc.; Egg Hunt; Zumba; Cooking Classes and
Teen Program.
Mr. Johnson reported the number of kids that attend the community centers and answered questions.
Minutes —City Commission Budget Workshop August 15,2016 Page 6
Mr. Johnson referred to the slide titled Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee
(CARAC) Events and explained the Committee consists of nine members and they put on a number of
events such as Acoustic Nights, Artisan Faire, Arts in the Park, Songwriters' Concert, and Wellbeing
Wednesday. A discussion ensued about a possible gazebo and where the funds would come from. Mr.
Johnson explained the Committee also oversees funds to outside organizations.
Mr. Johnson showed a slide titled CARAC Funding to Outside Organizations and explained the following
funding totaling $45,320. Atlantic Beach Elementary School $15,000 ($5,820 grass cutting); Mayport
Middle School $13,000; Beaches Resource Center $2,000; Dial-A-Ride $1,500; Beaches Fine Arts $3,000;
Turkey Trot$500; FACE Program$2,500; ABAA World Series $1,000 and The Giving Closet$1,000.
Mayor Reeves suggested that financial statements be provided from these organizations on a yearly basis to
account for where the money is going. Discussion ensued about the amount of money given to cut the grass
at Atlantic Beach Elementary School versus having Public Works cut the grass to save money. Mr. Johnson
and Mr. Van Liere explained the agreement the City has with the school to help with the cost of cutting the
grass is so that they will leave the gates open for children to use as a public play area. Mr. Van Liere also
explained that most of our grass is cut by a contractor.
Mr. Johnson showed a slide titled City Sponsored Events and explained the following events. Angel Tree,
Family Fun Day/Campout, Movies in the Park, Shakespeare in the Park, Tree Lighting and Wild Wonders.
Mayor Reeves spoke about increasing the amount to Dial-A-Ride and requested that any time the City issues
a check to an outside organization, it be brought before the Commission:
He explained that the contracts with Atlantic Beach Athletic Association (ABAA), Atlantic Beach
Elementary School, Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre (ABET), Tennis Pro and the Soccer group should
be coming before the Commission in September.
Mr. Johnson explained his slides showing the 2015-2016 Events in Review,noting that the AGCC Recurring
Rentals and ABET usage is not reflected in the charts and he answered questions from the Commission. He
reported they have deposited over $50,000 in the last 11 months from registration and rental fees and
explained the increase over last year.
Mr. Johnson also explained the chart titled Comparison. Commissioner Hill explained that almost every
building in Mount Dora, Lake Mary and Kissimmee has the front of the building as one purpose and the back
of the building is a grand stand and all of them have lightning protection warnings. Commissioner Hill asked
Mr. Johnson look into the technology and flexibility of those facilities. Mayor Reeves explained to Mr.
Johnson that the Atlantic Beach Country Club has equipment that can tell how far lightning strikes are and
can call and warn him for his outside events.
Mr. Johnson answered questions about pickleball. Commissioner Waters stated she would like to see the City
invest in a sign for the Mayport Corridor to advertise upcoming city events. Mr. Johnson stated he will put it
on his list to look into.
Police Department
Chief Deal thanked the Commission and the City Manager for supporting him and the Police Department.
He acknowledged his staff and their help with the budget and thanked the citizens for their support and
positive feedback.
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15, 2016 Page 7
Chief Deal presented his slide show titled Atlantic Beach Police Department stating the Police Department
developed a new Mission Statement which is "To protect life and property, provide exceptional police
service, and work in partnership with our community to improve the quality of life in the.City of Atlantic
Beach." He reported three of the Core Values his department applies in their professional and personal life
are Courage, Integrity and Excellence.
Chief Deal presented the slide titled FY 15/16 Accomplishments, reporting each, including Improved
community support and public trust; Construction of Police Building; Developed and Implemented Career
Development Program; Improved community outreach through use of social media; Initiated an agreement
with JSO to use their Records Management System; 4th Annual Citizens Police Academy; and Junior
Lifeguard Program.
Chief Deal referred to the slide titled Goals & Objectives - FY 16/17, explaining each, including continuing
to build community support and public trust through community-oriented and value-driven policing;
recruiting citizens from all areas of the city to participate in our Citizens Police Academy; continuing to
provide excellent response times and service to our citizens and community during construction of the new
police building; reducing traffic crashes at the highest crash locations on Mayport Road and Atlantic Blvd;
continuing to prepare for assessment under the Commission on Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation
(CFA); actively participate in local emergency management exercises and training opportunities to enhance
our emergency preparedness; identifying leadership training for first-line supervisors, middle and top level
management; providing additional training for our officers in de-escalation techniques and community
policing; continuing to advance in technology and social media to engage and educate our citizens; and
executing and completing transition over to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Records Management System.
He answered questions from the Commission.
Chief Deal showed a slide of the General Fund stating the budget includes two new officers. He explained
the Total Budget is $5,970,916, which includes Personnel Costs $4,168,128; Operating Costs $1,609,288;
and Capital purchases $188,500.
Mr. Van Liere explained the personnel increase and that the comparison is based on the current year estimate
to next year's budget. Chief Deal answered questions about the police officer vacancies and spoke about
recruitment and training. Chief Deal stated he is working on making our City more attractive for recruiting.
Discussion ensued about the importance of being more competitive for recruiting and for retaining officers.
Mayor Reeves called for a break at 9:31 p.m. and reconvened at 9:42 p.m.
Chief Deal showed the Police Department's Organizational Chart and explained the various Staffing. He
stated Civilian Staff includes Support Services Manager, Administrative Assistant, Records Clerk,
Purchasing Clerk, Property & Evidence Custodian, Emergency Communications Supervisor, Emergency
Communications Operators (5), Animal Control Officers (2), and School Crossing Guards (2). He reported
the different functions that fall under Operations Division which include Patrol, Community Oriented
Policing Unit, Department-wide Training, Field Training Officer Program, Emergency Management, Special
Events and SWAT. He explained the Support Services Division includes General Investigations Unit, Crime
Suppression Unit, Accreditation, IT Support, Emergency Communications, Records, Purchasing, Property &
Evidence, and Payroll.
Chief Deal explained his request for additional officers and reported the following: Currently budgeted for
28 sworn officer positions; Operating with 2 — 3 vacancies; Unable to fill two (2) detective positions;
$30,000 spent annually in overtime to maintain minimum staffing; Lowest ratio of police officers per capita
Minutes— City Commission Budget Workshop August 15,2016 Page 8
(2.2) in Duval County; State average is 2.6 officers per 1,000 residents for populations of 10,000 to 25,000;
Beachside communities in the state have an average of 2.8 officers; Neptune Beach and Fernandina Beach
have 2.8; Jacksonville Beach has 2.6; With an expected increase in population of 800 residents, adding 2
officers will keep us at our current ratio of 2.2; Adding 4 officers will increase our ratio to 2.3; Calls for
service and traffic issues expected to increase; and Need to address Traffic and Parking Issues.
Chief Deal referred to the chart titled Sworn Officers (Current and Proposed) as he explained the number of
current officers and the request for additional officers over the next two years.
Sworn FY 15/16 FY 16/17 FY 17/18
Chief of Police 1 1 1
Commanders 2 2 2
Lieutenants 2 2 2
Sergeants 6 6 6
Detectives 4 4 4
Patrol Officers 12 12 14
COPS Officer 1 1 1
Traffic Officers 0 2 2
Total 28 30 32
Chief Deal explained the FY 2016/17 JAG Grant will fund $20,800 for one (1) partial salary of a COPs
officer and$42,000 for one (1) full-time Crime Suppression Unit(CSU)Detective.
Chief Deal reported on the Crime Statistics stating that overall crime continues to go down but aggravated
assaults have increased. He explained they had a crime analyst look into this and there is nothing identifiable
to work on. He also reported our crime rate is the lowest in Duval County.
Chief Deal explained the slide titled Performance Statistics stating there was a significant decrease in the
amount of traffic citations and parking tickets. He believed the efforts put into traffic and community
policing have impacted the number of citations. Mayor Reeves asked if a clearance rate of 28.6 is good.
Chief Deal responded that it is not bad; we are within the range of the other agencies and you have to
consider some agencies clear cases differently than others.
He explained the slide titled Traffic Crash Summary which shows the traffic crash trend going up. He
reported the majority of these crashes are on Mayport Road and Atlantic Blvd and are the areas we need to
focus on in the coming year. He stated the majority of the crashes are rear-end collisions assumed to be from
distracted driving and are not actually in an intersection. Commander Cameron reported on crashes through
the intersection when the distance is judged incorrectly and when drivers fail to yield at a traffic light where
they do not have a solid red arrow.
Chief Deal stated the Lifeguards begin the first weekend in April; Patrols staff the towers on weekends from
the last weekend in April through Memorial Day; Memorial Day through Labor Day—Lifeguards on-duty 7
days a week; Eight (8) towers are staffed Monday — Friday 10 a.m. — 5 p.m.; Nine (9) towers are staffed
Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. — 5:30 p.m. noting the only exceptions are in inclement weather; and
Labor Day Weekend through September—Towers staffed only on weekends.
He explained the Junior Lifeguard Program which was implemented in 2015. Over 40 youths, ages 9-15
participated. This program familiarizes youth with different aspects of lifeguarding, to include: first aid,
lifesaving techniques, competition training, lifeguard training, marine life and safety, and physical fitness.
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15,2016 Page 9
The program runs for one week, 4 hours per day, with 10 participants attending per week. There are 4
different sessions that the program is offered. Done both as a community outreach program and also as a way
to promote education with local youth who may have an interest in becoming an Atlantic Beach Lifeguard in
the future. He reported he has had positive feedback on this program.
Chief Deal explained the Fire/Rescue Services stating Fire and Emergency Medical Services in Atlantic
Beach are provided through a contract between the City of Atlantic Beach and the City of Jacksonville.
He stated Atlantic Beach provides facilities and funding to Jacksonville, and Jacksonville staffs the
personnel. He stated the agreement provides for an Advance Life Support (ALS) level of emergency medical
care for citizens, and the department members continue to provide tours, blood pressure checks, and
community services as requested. He reported the contract for FY 2016/17 is $1,131,511. He believes the
relationship with the Fire Department is good and the Police Department tries to include them in things that
they do and they get them on Facebook every now and then. He showed a slide on the Fire/Rescue Services-
Calls for Service—Response Times stating EMS Calls for Service are significantly down from last year.
He explained the Citizen Police Academy stating it is a 12-week program that meets one evening per week
(2-3 hours) and one Saturday. Local residents are taught a variety of topics including Communications,
Investigations, Traffic/DUI Enforcement, Patrol, Crime Prevention, Firearms, and Defensive Tactics. He
stated they have excellent instructors that put a lot of heart and passion into it and the participates have given
positive comments about our officers.
Commissioner Waters inquired about the average age of participants in the Citizens Police Academy. Chief
Deal responded that they are mostly retirees, but there are some middle-aged participants. Discussion ensued
about providing childcare for parents with kids and providing a level of training for a larger number of
people for a much shorter period of time so they can engage and call the Police if they see something out of
line in their neighborhood. Chief Deal reported on a Public Service Announcement (PSA) video that is
currently being made on active shooters and gave examples of other topics that videos could be made for to
get the message out.
Chief Deal explained the Citizen Police Academy promotes open lines of communication between citizens
and police officers. Local residents better understand police work in Atlantic Beach. A great opportunity to
inform the public of what we do, the challenges we face, and obtain citizen support throughout the
community. He further explained they completed their 4th CPA class. We now have approximately 68
citizens who have completed it and we have a thriving CPA Alumni Group that helps out with volunteering
and with putting the classes on.
Mr. Van Liere explained he has been trying to think of ways to get more money into the Police Pension Fund
without affecting the budget and suggested having a policy that at the end of the year a percentage of the
money left on the table from the Police Department be given as an extra contribution to the Police Pension
Fund noting this would be above and beyond what the actuary says that we have to contribute. He further
explained by doing this consistently over the next seven to nine years, we would accelerate lowering the
unfunded liability which would then eventually lower the City's contribution. He asked the Commission to
think about it. Mr. Van Liere answered questions about the administrative costs, brokerage fees and money
management fees.
Commissioner Hill asked Chief Deal if they would be able to help review problematic issues of the code.
Chief Deal confirmed that they would.
Minutes—City Commission Budget Workshop August 15, 2016 Page 10
Mayor Reeves confirmed with Mr. Van Liere that he will follow-up with the Commission on the answers to
Commissioner Stinson's list of questions. Commissioner Hill suggested addressing them at the next
meeting. Mayor Reeves believed it is better to see the answers ahead of time. Mr. Van Liere stated he will
answer as many as he can.
Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors
Mayor Reeves opened the Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors.
Chris Jorgensen, 92 W. 3rd St., thanked the Commission for allowing him to speak; thanked Commissioner
Stinson for providing his written comments even in his absence; thanked Commissioner Hill for requesting
Commissioners Stinson's concerns and comments in writing be read into the record; and thanked City Clerk
Bartle for reading them. He stated his priority for the budget is to get the flood issues taken care of. He
would like for the City to put up a surveillance camera at the Bennett property entrance. He suggested
having a Wi-Fi workshop.
No one else from the audience spoke so Mayor Reeves closed the Courtesy of the Floor to Visitors.
Mayor Reeves asked Mr. Van Liere what the procedure is from here to the next budget workshop and Mr.
Van Liere explained the process.
Mayor Reeves reported that he believes the Commission is agreeable on the Lifeguard Station and the
Improvements to the City's website. Mr. Van Liere explained the amounts will be provided for
consideration at the next budget workshop meeting.
Commissioner Hill spoke about wanting a low-speed vehicle program and digital lighting for pedestrian
crossing. Discussion ensued about issues relating to the cart-friendly ordinance and signalization.
Commissioner Harding spoke about wanting lighted crosswalks for the high-pedestrian and bicycle traffic,
East/West Sidewalks from Royal Palms and Sailfish Drive to Atlantic Beach Elementary, and a covered
shade at Sunset Pier.
Mr. Van Liere explained that Finance Director Caffey is keeping track of the Commission's comments and
will be discussing those topics at the next meeting.
Adjournment
There being no further discussion by the City Commission, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at
10:20 p.m.
Mitchell E. Reeves
Mayor
Donna L. Bartle, CMC
City Clerk
ATTACHMENT A
Bartle, Donna
From: Stinson, John
Sent: Monday,August 15,2016 3.26 PM
To: Bartle, Donna
Subject: Budget Meeting 15th of August
Attachments: 2016 2017 Proposed Budget Questions and Comments.pdf;ATT00001.txt
Ms. Bartle
I need to inform you and the Commission that I will not be present tonight for the budget meeting. I had departed
yesterday for a business meeting this morning and my return travel plans have been interrupted by delays beyond my
control and I am unable to arrive in time to attend tonight's meeting.
I have made significant preparations for the meeting an I have attached them to this email. Please make copies of my
questions and comments for the Commisioners,the City Manager and his staff and for all residents in attendance. I
would like my notes and comments included in the minutes and made a permanent part of the record of tonight's
meeting.
I also just received Mr.Van Liere's last minute change to the agenda and understand that the Public Works portion of
the meeting has been postponed until the next budget workshop. I apologize to everyone, I had focused most of my
initial work, in particular the Public Works presentation,as per the original agenda. I do have included in my questions
and comments some of the other departments for everyone's review.The document is attached below for your review
and I will be updating this document as time allows and the meeting progresses tonight.
2016/2017 Budget Questions and Comments
Questions and Comments:
1. 2017 Proposed Budget opening letter f/Mr. Van Liere, pg. I -what would be the revenue
reduction in dollars of a millage rate reduction equal to the millage rate of 2.6620 the"roll
back" rate? Mr. Van Liere comments that "General Fund revenues exceed expenses by an
amount equal to 1/10th of a mill"which is correct based on the proposed budget. However,
when considering the Combined Summary of Revenue and Expenses (Introduction tab, pg.
1) expenses exceed revenue by approximately$586,000, which is a more accurate picture
of the overall finances of the City.
2. 2017 Proposed Budget opening letter f/Mr. Van Liere, pg. II, Stormwater Improvements -
The Seminole Road project appears to have ongoing expenses incurring when the project
has not been approved or accepted as proposed by consensus. Please detail the actions
being taken and justification for moving forward with this project without Commission
approvals.
3. 2017 Proposed Budget opening letter ft Mr. Van Liere, pg. II, Pay and Benefits -A 3%overall
payroll increase with a 1% COLA compared to the CPI adjustment of 1%? Please explain
the reasoning for recommending this budgetary item. It would be my preference for the 2016
/2017 budget to include a 1%overall payroll increase that reflects the CPI benchmark and
for a bonus program be developed whereby employees of the City of Atlantic Beach are
awarded bonuses based upon City budgetary performance, department budgetary
performance and individual performance with measurable metrics. Bonuses could be
scheduled to be 3% if budget performance is achieved based on all factors of the approved
budget or could exceed 3% if the budget is exceeded by some percentage. Metrics such as
building permit turn-around and approval time tracking, the lack of any environmental or
safety incidents, the number of Code Enforcement cases resolved without the need to refer
them to the CEB, capital projects completed on time and under budget, etc.There are many
other measurable metrics that can be identified and used as measures of success or lack
thereof. I also believe each department should be included in the goal setting process to get
"buy-in"from all employees for the program.
4. 2017 Proposed Budget opening letter f/Mr. Van Liere, pg. III - Please provide a detailed
report on Pension plan investment performance and any variance from the last projection
presented to the Commission with explanations for any variance from this last projection
made by the City Manager.
5. Summary of All Funds, Introduction tab, pg. 1 - Notable is the fact that Expenditures have
increased from$23.5 million dollars in 2014/2015 to a projected expenditure in 2016/2017
of$31.5 million dollars, an approximate 50% increase in 3 years, not all of which can be
attributed to capital outlay.
6. Summary of All Funds, Introduction tab, pg. 5-Grand Total of all Revenue Sources is
projected to increase approximately$800,000. Does this not support a significant rollback of
the millage rate?
7. Summary of All Funds, Introduction tab, pg. 6-Of the projected legal expenses FY 2015/
2016, how much of the$175,619 can be attributed to the Gate Petroleum proposed
development dispute?
8. Summary of All Funds, Introduction tab, pg. 6- I recommend changes to the Charter be
adopted and the City Clerk's office be distinctly separated from the City Manager's office,
including personnel, revenue&expenses, and budgetary planning.
9. Summary of All Funds, Introduction tab, pg. 9 -Trust and Agency Funds, in particular the
pension funds, historically under perform and adjustments to the budget are routinely
required to settle unfunded liabilities.An analysis should be completed by the City
Manager's office and the Finance office that project best and worst case scenarios and
associated fund impact to the 2016/2017 Proposed Budget.
10. Combined Summary of Revenues and Expenses, Governing Body tab, pg. 10- Please
explain the projected increase in Operating Expenses for the City Commission. I
recommend the budget be amended to include individual budgetary considerations
attributable to the Commission for travel &training, legal counsel, charges for use of City
facilities such as Adele Grage, etc.Allow each Commissioner to plan their coming year
expenses and use this budgetary line item as a measurable metric of performance.
11. City Commission, Governing Body tab, pg. 11 -Where did this Mission Statement originate?
Is there any interest in a revision?
12. City Clerk, City Administration tab, pg. 14-Why is the City Clerk responsible for
"maintenance" of the City website?Why is IT not assigned this responsibility?A major
update of the website is recommended to improve the user interface and accessibility to City
information.Additionally, it is recommended that social media utilization be made the highest
of priorities when updating the website.
13.City Clerk, City Administration tab, pg. 14- Did the City Clerk set the"Key Objectives" listed
on this page?
14. City Clerk, City Administration tab, pg. 15-An overall 9% increase in wages projected for
this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1% be applicable?
15.City Manager, City Administration tab, pg. 16 - Key objectives include: "Ensure that the
handling of citizen complaints is done in an efficient,timely and professional manner";
"Communicate with the citizens and the press to maintain an open and responsive
atmosphere"; and, "Carry out the goals, objectives and policies established by the City
Commission". While these are lofty goals, they are by no means measurable as stated.
These objectives must include metrics such as responding to complaints within 24 hours,
including followup telephone calls from the City Manager, or appropriate Department Heads,
monthly press conferences held by the City Manager to answer questions, highlight
successes, and detail pending actions to be undertaken by the City, and Letters of
Accountability detailing the goals, objectives and policies established by the City
Commission prepared by the City Manager that include time lines, required resources and
effective communication plans of such goals, objectives and policies to be and presented to
the City Commission at each regularly scheduled Commission meeting.
16.City Manager, City Administration tab, pg. 17-An overall 5% increase in wages projected for
this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1%be applicable?
17. Finance and Administration, City Administration tab, pg. 19-An overall 1% increase in
wages projected for this office.This office would meet the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1%.
18. Information Technology, City Administration tab, pg. 20 - Key objectives include migrating
permitting, licensing and code enforcement from One Solution to Trakit.This enterprise
software solution continues to plague the City and should be reevaluated to determine the
cost to the City thus far due to selecting this software compared to more easily implemented
solutions available to the City. Notable, no objective is listed that would include a software
solution for managing City Commission (or other public boards, committees and groups)
agendas that would allow each participant to manage their own additions and deletions to
agendas while reducing the City Clerk's burden for managing agendas on behalf of each
group.
19. Information Technology, City Administration tab, pg. 21 -An overall 10.6%increase in wages
projected for this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1% be applicable?
20. Human Resources, City Administration tab, pg. 22- Please detail the following: Loss
prevention &control methods currently being utilized and planned improvements or
methodology changes;Training Needs Assessments conducted and training resources
identified plans FY 2016/2017.
21. Human Resources, City Administration tab, pg. 23-An overall 2% increase in wages
projected for this office.This office could be considered to meet the benchmark CPI
adjustment of 1%.
22.General Government, General Government tab, pg. 27- Issues,Trends and Highlights.
What is the cost for the maintenance division formed and described in this section?We're
these expenses originally charged to a separate cost center or group and now being
charged to General Government? If yes, then where would the corresponding reduction in
wages be reflected in this proposed budget?
23. General Government, General Government tab, pg. 28 -An overall 23% increase in wages
projected for this office. If the maintenance team addition is a result of booking these costs
to General Government,what percentage of the 23% indicated on this page can be
attributed to wage increases not related to the addition of the maintenance team?And if that
percentage of wage increase not attributable to the addition of a maintenance team exceeds
1% , would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1%be applicable?
24. Building Maintenance, General Government tab, pg. 30 -An overall 58% increase in wages
projected for this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1% be applicable?
25.Convention Development Tax Fund, General Government tab, pg. 31 -These restricted
funds are described in the text. But, pg. 32 indicates annual transfer to the capital
improvement fund.These transfers need further explanation. Perhaps a good use of these
funds might be an education program for residents and visitors held at various community
centers and local resorts that inform attendees of the fragile nature of the original residents
of Atlantic Beach and how not to impact the turtles negatively.
26.Convention Development Tax Fund, General Government tab, pg. 32-Please explain the
$40,000 Deck and Bike Rack indicated in the 2016/2017 Proposed Budget.
27. Half-Cent Discretionary Sales Tax Fund, General Government tab, pg. 33-These funds are
restricted use as described. Issues,Trends and Highlights, item number six. Please detail
the justification for the$75,000 six-bay vehicle &equipment storage building. Where did this
project originate?What is the impact of the City of Jacksonville potentially continuing to
collect this tax but applying the tax collected to their pension liabilities. If the proposed
budget is correct and the City of Atlantic Beach loses this revenue,then there will be
$1,265,000 in unfunded capital projects creating a shortfall in the coming year. How does
this budget accommodate such a shortfall?
28.Governmental Capital Project Fund, General Government tab, pg. 39 - I would recommend
the City Commission provide direction to the City Manager about prioritizing capital projects
and scheduling to allow the Commission to continually evaluate capital projects as the fiscal
year passes. Such a tool would allow the Commission to either direct the City Manager to
accelerate or abandon projects throughout the fiscal year based on total revenue budget
performance. Provide detailed justification and explanation for the Marsh Preserve Path.
29. Public Works Combined Summary of Revenue and Expenses, Public Works tab, pg. 80-
Notable, Public Works as a cost center does not generate enough in revenue to cover
expense, except for the consideration of capital outlay charged to Public Works.
30.Public Works Administration, Public Works tab, pg. 81 - Define the metrics that could be
used to evaluate Public Works administration performance related to plan reviews,
contractor understanding of submittal requirements, GIS mapping and the implementation of
permit management software.
31. Public Works Administration, Public Works tab, pg. 82-An overall 10% increase in wages
Projected for this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1%be applicable?
32.Streets and Maintenance, Public Works tab, pg. 83 - Please provide details for the ten year
street maintenance plan,the continued beautification improvements,the documentation of
roadway status in the GIS database and continued improvement of signs, sidewalks and
ROWs.
33. Street and Maintenance, Public Works tab, pg. 84-An overall 12%increase in wages
projected for this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1% be applicable?
34. Local Option Gas Tax, Public Works tab, pg. 86 - Please remark and provide details on the
"Contract Services"operating expense category.This category has increased from
approximately$200,000 FY 2014/2015 to a projected $320,000 FY 2016/2017. What is
driving this significant increase,what is the manpower required to perform this work and
what efforts has the City Manager's office implemented to regain control of this expense.
35.Sanitation Fund, Public Works tab, pg. 87- How is Public Works monitoring the contractor's
performance for contractual compliance? Is Public Works using measurable criteria to
evaluate contractor compliance? Please provide copies of these contracts for the
Commission to review. How can Public Works ensure and improve emergency management
readiness in the event the emergency management plan is initiated.
36.Sanitation Fund, Public Works tab, pg. 89-An overall 0% increase in wages is projected for
this office.This office could be considered to meet the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1%.
37. Storm Water Utility, Public Works tab, pg. 90 -With the recent flooding events and even
more recent, how wilt Public Works improve the storm water system to handle future events.
What plans will Public Works make for emergency equipment such as rental pump capacity
or other necessary equipment required to prevent any resident from experiencing flooding
within their homes? Please provide a details plan and schedule of storm water system
maintenance including coordination with Neptune Beach to the Commission for review.
38.Storm Water Utility, Public Works tab, pg. 92-An overall 17%increase in wages is projected
for this office. Would not the benchmark CPI adjustment of 1% be applicable?
39. Fleet Maintenance, Public Works tab, pg. 93 - Please provide a copy of the contract
referenced to the Commission for review and detail metrics used to evaluate contractor
compliance with the contract.