Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAboutvillage-manager-annual-report-2021-2022BAL HARBOUR - VILLAGE - OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER MEMORANDUM TO Honorable Mayor and Members of the Village Council FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager DATE: November 4, 2022 SUBJECT: Village Manager's Annual Report The purpose of the memorandum is to transmit the Village Manager's Annual Report, which provides a summary of our accomplishments over the last year. I have asked Marie Hernandez to contact you to schedule a meeting with each of you in advance of the December Village Council meeting to discuss the report in person. Attached for your review is the Annual Report with supporting attachments. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. JMG/MH BAL HARBOUR - VILLAGE - OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER TO: FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager DATE: November 4, 2022 SUBJECT: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Village Council Village Manager's Annual Report 2021=2022 MEMORANDUM November 12, 2022 will mark my ninth year of service to Bal Harbour Village. I am honored to have served as your Village Manager during this time and I look forward to continuing to have the opportunity and privilege to do so. Each year I prepare and present to the Mayor and Council an Annual Report which summarizes our collective achievements, accomplishments, and activities for the past year. This report highlights the key intended outcomes and successes in delivering The Bal Harbour Experience and is aligned with the Village's Mission, Vision and Values. Pursuant to Section 5.3 of my employment agreement with Bal Harbour Village, the Council shall evaluate the performance of the Village Manager each year. This Annual Report summarizes the areas of focus this past year and the resulting noteworthy accomplishments and should be a helpful resource as you review the past year. As I have done in previous years, I am attaching a copy of an evaluation form developed by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) modified for use by Bal Harbour Village, which may be helpful to you as part of the evaluation process. Please be reminded that this information is subject to the Florida Sunshine Law and should be used with that consideration. Our mission, vision and values guide our strategic plan, which sets clear goals, establishes priorities, and provides for the direction of our organization. These elements are reviewed routinely throughout the year, and are revisited and reaffirmed at our annual retreat meetings. At this year's Council Retreat in March, we reviewed our strategic plan and priorites, adjusted the language and considered various initiatives. The outcome of that exercise was a reaffirmation of the commitment to our vision (with some updates) which was first established in 2019. At the June 15, 2022 Council meeting, the proposed updates were adopted. In order to continue to accomplish our mission and vision, we have remained focused on working on our priorities aligning our resources to achieve our goals. Our vision for Bal Harbour Village is that we will be the safest residential community, with a beautiful environment and unparalleled Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 2 of 13 destinations and amenities, providing uniqueness and elegance to ensure the highest quality of life for our residents, and an unmatched experience for our visitors from around the world. This vision helps achieve our mission of delivering The Bal Harbour Experience - that distinctive feeling one experiences when living in or visiting our unique, elegant, curated and refined community. Since my reportto you last year, I am happy to advise that we are continuing to make significant progress on our priority areas. In addition, through prudent financial management and fiscal policies, we ended the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year with a substantial surplus of approximately $5.4 million. All active projects in our Capital Improvement Program (CIP) have progressed and are at expected levels of construction, design or contracting. Especially noteworthy is the long awaited beach renourishment project which was completed without incident and well ahead of the allotted timetable. Our efforts in soliciting and securing grants and other non -local funds for our projects have been hugely successful resulting in over $7 million committed to Bal Harbour projects from outside sources this year. Improvements and service enhancements by our Building Department have been well -received by our customers and continue to ensure that our community is safe and structurally sound. Public safety remains a priority and we continue our community policing efforts, which have kept our crime rates at historically low levels. We completed the renovations to the gated area guardhouse and are nearing completion of the installation of the long awaited security camera and access control system for the gated community. Lastly, the installation of the security gates for the front entrance have been contracted and should be installed within the next 4 to 6 weeks. This past hurricane season, the Emergency Management Team was activated on two occasions as our community was threatened with potential storm landfalls. While we ultimately avoided any direct impacts, Tropical Storm Alex and Hurricane Ian both affected our community and staff took the necessary precautions called for in our Emergency Management Plan. During the past budget cycle and in anticipation of the opening of the new waterfront park, I undertook a strategic review of our organizational structure resulting in a reorganization of the Parks & Public Spaces and Tourism Departments. In order to better meet the needs of each of these areas and accomplish our goals, I created the Recreation, Arts & Culture Department. Special events and activations took place year-round, including the largest -yet attended Independence Day Celebration, offering our residents and guests a variety of opportunities to participate in cultural, arts and special event programming. Organizationally, we implemented the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Police Union which went into effect this fiscal year, including the Early Retirement Incentive Program, which is expected to, yield a savings of $225,000 per year. Changes to the General Employee Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 3 of 13 Pension were also developed and implemented which are expected to yield savings in future years. I want to especially highlight two noteworthy and significant accomplishments that came to hugely successful conclusions this past year. Late last year, the Village Council approved an Addendum to the Development Agreement between the Village and the Bal Harbour Shops. This addendum brought to a successful conclusion negotiations between the parties that had been ongoing for more than one year. As part of resolving the matter, the Village received the title to the Fairfield Parcel and received a payment in excess of $19 million towards construction of the planned new Village Hall well in advance of what had been expected. While the timetable for completion of new Village Hall will be delayed until 2027, the Village now has title and funds secured and has an inflation protection clause to ensure that the project will not be adversely affected by costs escalating due to inflation. You will recall that this issue arose when BHS asserted force majeure and tolling protections due to the impacts of COVID- 19 and the declared emergency. As you know, the Jetty Improvement project at Haulover Inlet received its permit from the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in September of this year. This review took almost three years and was nearly rejected in June of this year. The project required my immediate intervention and nearly full-time effort and attention until we received the approval in September. I personally engaged with the USACE directly at all levels up to and including the District Commander, Col. James Booth. In addition, I used my County contacts to work with a Federal Lobbyist under contract with Miami -Dade County and engaged Representative Wasserman Schultz' and Senator Scott's offices. While I kept you informed as the process progressed, I cannot stress enough the significance of this successful result. It was truly a team effort and as was related to me by members of the USACE, we were approved for a project that is "...without precedence in their district." In addition, this permit was secured in time for the project to be awarded the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) grant award of $2 million. The following is a more complete summary of our accomplishments over this past year. For ease of reference. they are aligned with the key pillars of The Bal Harbour Experience: Beautiful Environment Presenting an aesthetically beautiful setting for our residents and visitors is a key contributor to The Bal Harbour Experience, and our efforts remain focused on maintaining a beautiful environment for Bal Harbour Village. Progress continues with our Capital Improvement Projects. The Bal Harbour Park construction is moving forward with the project over 60% complete with an anticipated substantial completion for Spring 2023. The building reached a milestone in October when it was "topped off" signifying a major milestone in the construction timeline. The Seawall and Dock Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 4 of 13 Replacement project located at the park was completed in. January 2022. As part of the ongoing construction, we developed the Owner's Direct Purchase Program which offers tax savings on all materials and services paid for by the Village; to date more than $175,000 in tax savings have been realized on this project. The Bal Harbour Jetty at Haulover Inlet project is well into the CD phase of construction plans. We have spent extensive effort this past year to work through the extremely difficult permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit. Coordination among the Federal, State, and County review agencies has been critical, as all levels of government have an important stake in the existing facility. There are two distinct federal projects which converge at the location: the inlet navigation widening completed in mid -1960s and the Shoreline Protection project and beach renourishment which was completed in the 1970s. Understandably, there were many complex details and nuances to dealing with these issues, but we were successful in conducting the additional required studies and ultimately were able to secure the permit approval. More recently, we were able to resolve the outstanding issues raised by the representatives of the One Bal Harbour and their concerns regarding the impact to their loading dock and parking availability once the Plaza under the Herman Fultz Bridge was constructed. This project is a component of the larger Jetty project and was put on hold pending resolution of the USACE permitting and resolution with the neighboring building. These matters have been successfully addressed and we can now proceed. Lastly, we were able to develop an Interlocal Agreement with the Town of Surfside to revive the 96th Street Street End improvement project. Once approved by the Surfside Council, the agreement will allow us to proceed to develop Construction Documents for the design. It is our intention to bid those documents concurrently with the Jetty project (assuming the timing aligns) in order to maximize economies of scale and take advantage of the contract administration. The 96th Street Street End Project is a gateway that creates a progressive vision that highlights the goals and ambitions of our active communities of residents and tourists. The plan brings together three distinct objectives: improving civic spaces for residents and visitors, improving resiliency and sustainability, and creating a new vision for the entrance into our coastal beachfront. The new Village Hall project is moving along as well with the Council having approved the Architectural and Engineering agreement with Zyscovich Architects and the programming phase expected to commence by the end of the year. We anticipate conducting various community input meetings early next year ultimately resulting in a Basis of Design Report for the Village Council consideration in 2023. Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 5 of 13 Our Utility Infrastructure Improvement projects continue to make progress. On the north end, the 700 -foot sanitary sewer line main replacement was completed earlier this year. The remaining section is expected to be completed within the coming days. The water system and curb and gutter installations are complete. Upon completion of the final section of sewer line, the north section of the gated area will be ready for the final milling and paving of all streets north of Harbour Way West. We continue to proceed with the Utility Master Plan work on the south side of the gated area and have made significant strides on the water portion. All distribution lines for areas 5B, 5C, 6A and 6B have been installed (ahead of schedule). Meter relocations continue in the 5B and 5C areas as planned. Sewer lining has been completed in most areas, with the exception of sections which are slated for replacement (3-4 locations in the south end). In addition, the Village was successful in securing a $2 million grant (which will be matched with $1 million from funds awarded through the federal Infrastructure Bill) to substantially upgrade and upsize the stormwater pump station. This upgrade is now project #7 and is an unplanned addition to our utility program. It is the result of aggressive grant writing and capitalizing on opportunities as they arise. This project is currently in design and we expect to award a construction contract next year. This is in addition to extensive stormwater work required for the areas along Camden and Park Drive in areas 6A and 6B, which is also in design with expected work to commence next year. The newly reorganized Public Works & Beautification Department continued to work this past year on improving the appearance of the Village through routine maintenance, landscaping and cleaning of our public areas. Implementing smart policies and strategic solutions to address the challenges of today and to ensure that we remain a Resilient and Sustainable community able to protect our future are critical. Several projects completed this year contributed to this goal. Most significantly, the long-awaited beach sand nourishment project was completed, which added over 164,000 cubic yards of sand to Bal Harbour Beach, 74 days ahead of completion schedule. We continue to coordinate with Miami -Dade County to provide daily beach cleaning and seaweed removal along the northern portion of Bal Harbour Beach. The amount of sargassum on the beaches throughout the county is at a record high, already surpassing the last two years. In December 2021, the Village Council passed a Resolution following up on the passage of the Beach Equipment Ordinance, which now provides for the compliance and regulation of storage bins, chairs and umbrellas for all properties on Bal Harbour Beach, ensuring a cleaner and more consistent order of these items. Our efforts to promote recycling in the Village continued with site visits to all multi -family condominiums along Collins Avenue and meetings with management representatives to review their collection programs and provide site specific recommendations for recycling enhancements. Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 6 of 13 Developing and maintaining well -designed and modernized public facilities and infrastructure is critical to our overall efforts in creating a beautiful environment. The continuous maintenance of the Village's infrastructure is an ongoing effort and was again conducted throughout this fiscal year. This included: cleaning and rehabilitation of sewer and storm - water manholes and catch basins throughout the Village; replacement and installation of pumps at all Village pump stations; installation of 390 tons of coquina sand on the beach and service paths; various sidewalk repairs along Collins Avenue and our landscaping efforts throughout all areas of the Village. Lastly, our Public Works & Beautification staff all received training this past year in order to maintain existing and newly constructed Village Facilities and Infrastructure, with courses and certifications related to utilities, water delivery, and wastewater, sanitary and stormwater collections. Destination and Amenities This past year was successful in many ways with regards to the Village's Resort Tax collections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the allure of South Florida and Bal Harbour, with our distinctive hotels featuring an abundance of suites for extended stay visitors, our secluded beach, and the exceptional culinary offerings featuring plenty of outdoor dining, resulted in Bal Harbour Village continuing to be a favored destination to both visitors as well as residents who normally only spent the winter months here. Our hotels and restaurants reported very strong demand during this time period resulting in all-time record collections in a single year. Eight of these months (October through April and August) have been our best ever for those months, and with year-end results just calculated, we have surpassed our previous record year by almost 25%, with a new record of approximately $5.9 million collected in resort tax for the FY 2021-2022. While we have begun to see some level of moderation in recent volumes, rates continue to hold steady and our hotels all continue to prosper. Rates at each of our properties are the highest they have ever been, with occupancy also at impressive levels. The restaurants in Bal Harbour are also performing extremely well. This past year, Makoto moved into its new space on the third floor of the Bal Harbour Shops and has exceeded expectations. Revenue at all restaurants in Bal Harbour have yielded record Resort Tax collections this past year_ The Bal Harbour Shops is an important destination and amenity in the Village. The Shops attracts visitors from all over the world with the allure of luxury shopping and high -end restaurants. The Addendum to the Bal Harbour Shops Development Agreement was approved by the Village Council, which continues to allow for the on -going expansion of the Shops. Throughout the discussions between the Shops and the Village, it was my intent to keep any changes made to the existing development agreement to a minimum. Our focus with the Shops has been to secure as much of the pending public benefit value in advance so as to not have a similar situation occur in the future. The main concern appeared to revolve around the Shop's inability to deliver the New Village Hall in the timeframe originally provided for. The Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 7of13 new addendum will relieve the Shops of the responsibility to construct the project but required them to accelerate granting the deed for the Fairfield parcel and more importantly make a full payment on the cost of the project as of the date of the Addendum. Leaving only a "True -Up" calculation to account for any inflation in costs between 2021 and when we anticipate beginning construction of New Village Hall, expected to be sometime in June 2025 at the latest. In addition, the Shops will fund project management costs the Village may incur by assuming the responsibility to construct. On November 4, 2021 the Village received the Deed to the Fairfield Parcel, and received the more than $19 million payment for the costs of the New Village Hall and Voluntary Contribution installments that were past due. The Shops are now fully current with the obligations of the Development Agreement and continue to progress on their construction of the parking garage with an expected opening by the end of this year. To help promote our destination and amenities, staff worked on a new and updated print, digital and video marketing campaign which are being used in the Village's promotion efforts. This new campaign will continue to focus on positioning Bal HarbourVillage as a premier luxury and lifestyle destination worldwide, on strengthening our brand awareness and demand, generating business for our partners, and contributing to and preserving beautification and safety in our community. Unique & Elegant Our commitment to engaging our community and visitors remained firmly in place this past year so as to ensure that our community is closely connected with their government. Biweekly conference calls with all of the General Managers of the Condominiums and Hotels, which began as part of our COVID 19 response in 2020, have continued and in June 2022 we had the first in -person meeting with this group to further create personal relationships amongst this group. We continue to use our various digital communication efforts - the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS), e -mails, and social media - to help us connect with our residents and guests. Over the past few months, our staff has continued to work on a new and updated website for both our local government services and tourism offerings which has just been launched. This new, modern website is more user-friendly and customer -service oriented, and allows us to use it in more effective and informative ways to connect with our residents, guests and tourists. We have continued to focus on engaging our community and visitors through our public events and programming to ensure our communication and outreach with all of our stakeholders remain as connected as possible. This past year, we began to again produce our printed quarterly Village newsletters, which had been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of our residents, this printed format is the best possible way for us to communicate with them and provide information. The proposed budget continues to fund and enhance all of these efforts wherever possible. Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 8 of 13 As part of the Village's 75th anniversary, a number of special events took place. The Village partnered with the Opera Gallery, based at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, to display eight sculptures by renowned Spanish Artist Manolo Valdes throughout Bal Harbour, at no cost to the Village. This partnership with the Opera Gallery will continue this upcoming year with a new exhibit of different sculptures which will be installed throughout the Village, again at no cost to the Village. Our traditional kick-off to the Holiday Season took place in November 2021 with the annual lighting of the enhanced holiday decor on Founders Circle and along Collins Avenue. The event featured a musical performance by the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, as well as "snow", treats and beverages for residents and guests of all ages. On New Year's Eve, a fireworks display took place over Bal Harbour beach to ring in the new year which was a welcome enhancement after a several year absence. We developed a partnership with South Florida Symphony Orchestra to host a "Symphony by the Sea" year -long music series with "pop-up" musical performances alternating between the Jetty and the Green Space in front of the Gated Community. Given the popularity of the yoga on the beach program during the holidays, we expanded this activity this year and now provide yoga on the beach events year-round. Our "Movies on the Beach" series returned this past year, with several movies presented. This year, we partnered with Miami Jewish Film Festival for a showing of "The Automat", which premiered at our event. We also partnered with the Miami Film Festival (MFF) for a showing of "Miami Rhapsody", which had premiered at the MFF 25 years ago. The movie, filmed in Miami, included several scenes filmed in Bal Harbour Village and at the Bal Harbour Shops. Just a few weeks ago, on October 15, we kicked off a new season of movies on the beach with Disney's Coco, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. We will continue hosting these popular events, with films geared towards various demographics, throughout the year. During Art Basel / Miami Beach, we created a full week of activations, private VIP brunches for guests and residents, and special access to many events taking place. Staff is in the process of finalizing details for events for this year's Art Basel / Miami Beach. We relaunched our monthly private tours with our Museum Access partners and museums for residents and guests, and hosted several of these opportunities throughout the year. We just kicked off the season with a private guided tour of the newly added Rubell Museum in October, and will continue with our next event of a guided tour of the private home collection of Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz. In January 2022, we brought the "Hate Ends Now" Exhibition to Bal Harbour Village, which provided for Holocaust education and awareness. In February, we sponsored a South Beach Wine and Food Festival Shabbat Dinner at the Ritz -Carlton Bal Harbour. In March, as part of the year -long 75th Anniversary programming, we again partnered for a second year with the Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 9 of 13 Bal Harbour Shops to bring the Fleurs de Villes exhibition to Bal Harbour. This year, we added floral -outfitted mannequins to include the north and south entrance to Bal Harbour and in the Bal Harbour Shops, with four of the Manolo Valdes Sculptures adorned with flowers along Collins Avenue, Founders Circle and on the Beach Path. Additionally, St. Regis and Ritz -Carlton both participated with mannequins featured on -property as well as in the Bal Harbour Shops. Safety Public Safety in our community remains our top priority. Anchored by our focus on the "Community Policing" model, our Police Officers are staffed, trained, and motivated to provide excellent service and safety to our residents and guests. The visible presence of our Police Officers, investments in state-of-the-art technology and incorporation of innovative policing strategies ensure that our community remains safe and is recognized as a leader and model for public safety. Our efforts in our Building Department are also critical in ensuring that our community is safe and structurally sound. This past year, the Bal Harbour Police Department continued to focus on its mission of providing excellent public safety services to our residents, businesses and visitors. The Village continues to report low crime rates. The Beach Officer position remains in place to ensure safety along our beach and jogging/walking paths. While our crime statistics remain historically low, our arrest rates for Part I Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) crimes increased by 14.7%, reflecting our Police Department's commitment to solving crimes in our community. In our ongoing efforts to properly train and invest in our employees, the entire Bal Harbour Police Department participated in an organizational and leadership training program focusing on teambuilding and individual leadership development aligned with the Police Department's mission, vision and values. During this year's retreat, the Police Department provided the Council with in-depth data about police activity throughout the Village. A focus on ensuring quality of life and enjoyment of public spaces remains paramount to The Bal Harbour Experience and the department's mission. As a result, this year, the department updated its traffic enforcement policy, which provides a framework for the reduction of traffic crashes and injuries, as well as facilitates the safe and expeditious flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. These objectives are met through a combination of educational and enforcement activities. These activities have included proactive traffic enforcement on the Collins Avenue corridor, as well as coordination of multi - agency traffic details within Bal Harbour Village. Based on direction from the Council, an ordinance was drafted and approved to regulate film and photography activity within a publicly owned, managed or controlled site, facility or right- of-way within the Village. The adoption of this ordinance, which seeks to address a safety concern raised by the Village Council, ensures that commercial activity would be regulated in a way which allows for the enjoyment of public areas by residents and visitors. The ordinance Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 10 of 13 establishes an annual permit process, which went into effect in October 1, 2022, with three (3) permit holders currently authorized to film from a designated area on the jetty. Our Police Department continues to remain active in the community in several ways and we continue to increase our community outreach, activities and events. These include our ongoing community events such as the annual bicycle safety event to engage children of all ages in our community and highlight the importance of bicycle safety; the Surf-Bal-Bay Night Out, in conjunction with the Towns of Surfside and Bay Harbor Islands Police Departments, as part of the National Night Out Initiative, an annual community -building campaign promoting police -community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie; Cops & Kids Holiday Toy Drive; School Book Bag Give Away; participation in Child Cancer Awareness Month events; Autism Awareness trainings and events; and the continued participation by our Command Staff in the Bal Harbour Rotary Club. The Building Department achieved a great deal this past year toward our goal of delivering a positive experience for our customers and an expedited and efficient delivery of services. Several high-level accomplishments are worth mentioning, including: expanding inspections and plan reviews to 4 days per week for all trades; establishing a "One Stop Shop" with Miami - Dade County by offering concurrent plan review between the Village and the County (which will greatly reduce the plan review turnaround time for both residential and commercial projects); creating an additional service of electronic recording with the Miami -Dade County Recorder's Office which allows contractors and residents the convenience of recording documents locally instead of having to go to the County Recorder's Office in -person; and establishing an internal turnaround time for plan reviews at 14 days for Commercial projects and 7 days for Residential projects. The Building Department also continues to scan all existing plans and permits to be archived digitally, and moving forward, will scan daily work in order to have a fully digitized archive of all documents. Our new permitting software system has been initiated and is in beta testing. This software will allow for convenient access to information and facilitate efficient electronic plan review. Organizational Priorities and Internal Infrastructure In addition to the elements described above which contribute to The Bal Harbour Experience, other areas contribute to our vision, including developing and maintaining our external and internal infrastructure. The fiscal integrity of the Village and ensuring the functionality of our infrastructure is a daily priority. We continue to focus our efforts to establish appropriate controls and further improve the Village's internal processes while planning for the future and developing a more resilient community. Since I became your Village Manager, the Finance Department operations have evolved to improve the control environment between functional activities, timely issuance and filing of compliance reports, complete timely reconciliations of financial activity, continued Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 11 of 13 enhancement of the financial reporting process, supporting capital project initiatives, and improving customer service delivery for ad valorem and non -ad valorem tax, and Village Utility inquires. We were again awarded the Government Finance Officer Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 2020 ACFR for the seventh year in a row. The Village's FY 2021 external audit was concluded with the issuance of the ACFR with an unqualified opinion; and we anticipate receiving the award again this year. This year, as a result of federal grant funds received, we were required to also complete and issue a 2021 Single Audit Report in Accordance with Uniform Guidance, which was done with no findings/comments. As we look to effectively manage our treasury, this past year we established an investment management program; inclusive of onboarding an investment management firm and establishing and implementing an investment policy as well as establishing and implementating investment financial reporting procedures. This program will result in a higher annual yield on our investments and cash management. Additional activities this year, included continuing to closely work with various Federal, State and Local agencies to recapture eligible expenses the Village incurred as a result of COVID-19 pandemic as well as various capital projects. Over the last few years, we have completed a number of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure improvements and productivity software implementations, that helped create a more efficient and effective working environment for the Village staff and our departments. Our IT team enhanced the overall network performance and security of our technology with the latest updates and patches to allow a more stable and secured environment across each location for our employees and users of our technology. In support of the Building Department's new Permitting Software, all equipment and software has been programmed to facilitate the transition. IT also worked with the Capital Improvement Projects Department to expand the Village's access control system to include the new Parks Facility. This enhanced access control system will allow the use of one access control card to be used at all Bal Harbour Village facilities. In particular, this year, a great deal of effort was placed on cybersecurity initiatives in order to ensure the safety and integrity of the Village's network. The Village engaged Clarium, a cybersecurity consultant, for a cybersecurity assessment, which analyzed the Village's current network environment and provided recommendations for additional security measures and upgrades. As a result of their recommendations, the IT Department, in coordination with our IT consultant, CGA, implemented additional security measures on the network to isolate traffic via a geographic internet protocol to block communication with certain regions identified as well-known malware hubs in order to enhance network security. Moreover, our IT team identified a more advanced endpoint protection vendor, and transitioned to Carbon Black. This anti -virus software gives the Village the ability to monitor live any suspicious activity on the network. To provide an additional redundancy, the Village transitioned to Quest Cloud Back Up, which allows enhanced security and encryption to our Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 12 of 13 critical network resources to be stored in the cloud environment. In addition, the IT team expanded and configured dual factor authentication across the Village network, which now requires all Village users to provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves. This supports the Village's efforts to protect the network environment from unauthorized entry. Finally, the Village engaged the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency to perform a penetration test on the Village network public IP addresses. This weekly test checks for any network vulnerability and provides a report signaling any issues that need to be addressed. This service is provided to the Village free of charge, and provides real time insight on the status of our network. A professional and well -trained staff is essential in order for the. Village to accomplish our Mission and achieve our Vision. This past year, several efforts focused on important personnel matters. Most significantly, we negotiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Police Benevolent Association police union . Several trainings and team building initiatives were conducted throughout the year and I personally held various open forums to discuss/dialogue with all employees and solict feedback. As we eagerly await the opening of our new park and community center in early 2023, our newly created Recreation, Arts & Culture Department will centralize several activities and services which were previously offered through other Village Departments, and expand upon and enhance those services to meet the growing needs of the Village. Much thought went into the creation, mission and staffing of the Recreation, Arts & Culture Department, as well as into the reorganizations of the Parks and Public Spaces and Tourism Departments. Earlier this year we hired Sylvia Flores to lead this new department, develop the programming and events, as well as staff the department to deliver its mission. She brings twenty plus years of experience in this space and has already upgraded our communications and special events programming. She has been a welcome addition to the team and I am sure you have already noticed her enthusiasm and professionalism for yourselves, as I have. The mission of the Recreation, Arts & Culture Department is to create and implement programs, activities, and events which will help to elevate the quality of life for our residents, while also positioning the Village as a unique, elegant and cultural destination for residents, visitors and guests. In the past, our recreation efforts have been limited and in recent years, essentially non-existent while the park and facility have been under construction. Organizationally, these services were part of our Parks and Public Spaces Department. They are now the main element of the new Recreation, Arts & Culture Department. In addition, our arts programming and cultural events which have been part of our Tourism Department have been transitioned to this department to ensure a consistent and comprehensive array of events and activities throughout the year. Bringing these areas under the direction of the Recreation, Arts & Culture Department will help streamline and improve the delivery of service, attention Village Manager's Annual Report 2021-2022 November 4, 2022 Page 13 of 13 to detail, and resident and visitor experience. It will also ensure a consistent effort to coordinate, communicate and curate The Bal Harbour Experience for our residents and guests. From my own leadership development and personal perspective, I remain actively involved in several organizations which contribute to my role as a Village Manager. These include Miami - Dade City/County Management Association, (MDCCMA); and the Florida City/County Management Association (FCCMA) and International City County Management Association (ICMA). In June 2022, I was elected by my peers in the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) as the Vice President of the Southeast Region and joined the ICMA Executive Board for a three-year term which began in September 2022. ICMA is the premier professional association for city managers and public administrators throughout the U.S. and countries throughout the world. Lastly, this year I was also asked to rejoin the Executive Board of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Convention and Visitor Bureau (GMCVB). I served on this board for twelve years and after a 10 year absence, have been asked to help lead once again. The GMCVB is the official tourism and destination promotor for our region and one of the most successful in the Country. I look forward to bringing a Bal Harbour perspective to the discussions. Conclusion I am proud of the work we have accomplished this past year and since I became your Village Manager. During this time, our organization has transformed into one where accountability, professionalism and innovation remain an integral part of how we function collectively. This is made possible by the continued guidance and support from the Village Council, particularly through the work done at our Village Council retreats. Through these collective efforts, we have made significant strides in building an organization that we can all be proud of. We continue to strive for excellence in how we serve the community, and the value we offer all our stakeholders. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to continue to serve as your Village Manager. I look forward to continuing to lead our organization and working with you and our Village team on our priorities and goals this coming year and beyond. I will be speaking with each of you one- on-one about what we have collectively achieved this past year and how, together, we can continue working to deliver The Bal Harbour Experience! Attachment: ICMA Village Manager Performance Evaluation Guideline International City I County Management Association Village Manager Performance Evaluation Guideline This form may be used by each Member of the Village Council to evaluate the Village Manager's performance in fulfilling each of the roles he plays in the Village's government, The Village Manager is graded 1-4, with the following scale: 1 — poor 2 — fair 3 —good 4 — excellent Each member of the Council should complete the form and share/discuss it with the Village Manager. The Village Manager will compile the results and tally the scores. t Personal Invests sufficient efforts towards being diligent and thorough in the discharge of duties. Composure, appearance, and attitude fitting for an individual in his executive position. 2. Professional Skills and Status Knowledge. of current developments affecting the management field. Respected in management profession. __— Has a capacity for innovation. Anticipates problems and develops effective approaches for solving them. Willing to try new ideas proposed by Council members or staff. 3. Relations with Council Carries out directives of the Council as a whole rather than those of any one Council member. Page 1 of 4 RIP, ADMIIY%001.011E81VM EvaANM Performance Evaluation Guide 2014.ft Assists the Council in resolving problems at the administrative level to avoid unnecessary Council action. Assists the Council in establishing policy while acknowledging the ultimate authority of the Council. _ Responds to requests for information or assistance by the Council. 4. Policy Execution Implements Council action in accordance with the intent of the Council. Supports the actions of the Village Council after a decision has been reached. Enforces Village policies. Understands Village's -laws and ordinances. Offers workable alternatives to the Council for changes in the law when an ordinance or policy proves impractical in actual administration. 5. Reporting Provides the Council with reports concerning matters of importance to the Village. Reports are accurate and comprehensive. Prepares a sound agenda which prevents trivial, administrative matters from being reviewed by the Council. 6. Citizen Relations Handles complaints/inquiries from citizens appropriately. Dedicated to the community and to its citizens. Skillful with the news media - avoiding political positions and partisanship. Has the capacity to listen to others and to recognize their interest — work well with others. Papa 2 of 4 F:fPD I f MIN OWRE$ VM Eval VM Performance Evaluation Guide 20144cx Cooperates with neighboring.communities. Cooperates with the county, state and federal governments. 7. Staffing Recruits and retains competent personnel for Village positions. Works to improve performance of staff. Committed to ensuring diversity in the workforce. Accurately informed and concerned about employee insurance, fringe benefits, promotions, and pensions. 8. Supervision Encourages department heads to make decisions within their own jurisdictions without Village Manager approval, yet maintains general control of administrative operations. Instills confidence and initiative in subordinates and emphasizes support rather than restrictive controls for their programs. Has developed a friendly and informal relationship with the work force as a whole, yet maintains the prestige and dignity of the manager office. 9. Fiscal Management Prepares a balanced budget to provide services at a level intended by the Council. Makes the best possible use of available funds, conscious of the need to operate the Village efficiently and effectively. Prepared budget is in an intelligible format. Pale 3 ol 4 F:1PD ADMINWOLORESIVM EvariVM Pedormenoe EveNellao Guide 2014.dec 10. What have been the major accomplishments of the Village Manager this past year? 11. What areas of the Village Manager's performance need the most improvement? Why? What constructive, positive ideas can you offer the Village Manager to improve in these areas? Signature Date Novi of4 FPO ADMINMDOLORESVMEva11VMPeRotmanceEvaluation Glide 2014.dot