HomeMy Public PortalAbout07- July 16, 2020 VWSCITY OF OPA-LOCKA
"The Great City"
CLERK'S ACTION SUMMARY MINUTES
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP (COVID-19)
Thursday, July 16, 2020
5:30 P.M.
1. WELCOME/OPENING REMARKS:
Mayor Matthew Pigatt called the virtual Workshop Meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. on
Thursday, July 16, 2020.
Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69, issued by the office of the Governor Ron DeSantis
on March 20, 2020, municipalities may conduct meetings of their governing boards without
having a quorum of its members present physically or at any specific location, and utilizing
communications media technology such as telephonic or video conferencing, as provided
by Section 120.54(5) (b) 2, Florida Statutes.
An opportunity was given to the public to email the City Clerk prior to the Commission
Meeting with any questions/comments/concerns on items we will hear on this evening's
workshop agenda. This meeting is being streamed live at
https://www.youtube.com/user/Cityof0palocka.
Since this is a virtual meeting as authorized by the Governor of the state of Florida, again,
members of the public wishing to address the commission have been offered the
opportunity to do so. Public comments will be included as part of the public record for this
virtual meeting and will be considered by the City commission prior to any action taken.
2. ROLL CALL
The members of the City Commission appearing remotely were: Mayor Matthew Pigatt,
Vice Mayor Chris Davis, Commissioner Sherelean Bass, and Commissioner Joseph L.
Kelley. Also appearing remotely were: Assistant City Attorney Candice Cobb, City
Manager John E. Pate, and City Clerk Joanna Flores. Commissioner Alvin Burke arrived
at 5:56 p.m.
3. INVOCATION:
The invocation was delivered by Commissioner Joseph L. Kelley.
4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
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The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.
5. PUBLIC INPUT:
(Agenda item only)
Clerk Flores announced the protocols for public comments. There were no public
comments.
6. DISCUSSION ITEMS:
a) City's Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
b) City of Opa-locka Budget Proposal FY 21
Mayor Pigatt introduced City Manager Pate to provide a COVID-19 report and budget proposal.
City Manager Pate stated he will provide a report regarding COVID-19 and Budget Director
Anathan will provide a report regarding the budget. He explained how the City's staff is responding
to the COVID-19 pandemic, closing down City Hall for 2 weeks for sanitation, and mitigating the
risk of infection. He stated it was the City's goal to transition to re -opening. He asked Public
Relations Consultant Jessica Modkins to provide a report on public relationships in the City,
followed by Lieutenant Chiverton.
Ms. Modkins reported on the City's latest advertising efforts, including using newsletters and
social media to reach out to City residents with safety tips to deal with the pandemic while in
public. She reported Mayor Pigatt was interviewed on Hot 105 about the mask distribution caravan
coming up next Saturday.
Lieutenant Chiverton reported that by end of next week, the mask mandate will be in effect
including fines and citations. He stated that the Police Department was still enforcing social
distancing and face covering policies. He reported that the residents are abiding by the guidelines
much more.
Commissioner Kelley asked where the signs were going to be installed and if the cost of the signs
is reimbursable. He asked City Manager Pate how parking was going to be handled at the testing
site.
City Manager Pate stated a mock-up was created displaying where the signs would be installed.
He explained that Miami -Dade County Police is in charge of the testing site and any issue that
arises from the testing site should be forwarded to them. He explained that there is staff in the
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parking lot, directing people to designated parking areas, depending on availability. He asked Ms.
Modkins to provide details about the parking.
Ms. Modkins stated that two signs were going to be installed, one which reads "No Parking" which
was going to be installed along with cones, and the second sign reads "Overflow Parking" and it
will have an arrow indicating the direction the person needs to drive, to get to a parking area with
available space.
Commissioner Kelley briefly explained what he understood from the proposed plan and asked if
that was correct.
City Manager Pate stated that was correct and further explained the pathways that individuals
needed to walk through, were set up by the plan.
Commissioner Kelley shared his concern for residents exercising in the same area that may run
into individuals being tested. He suggested adding to the advertisements, the hours of operation of
the testing site, as sometimes they close before 3 pm and people should be notified.
City Manager Pate stated that was possible and he will request that Ms. Modkins come up with a
plan. He stated that all testing sites close once they hit the daily allotment in tests. He stated any
cost related to COVID-19 was reimbursable.
Commissioner Kelley suggested using Career Source to allocate staff to help with parking and
directions at the testing sites.
City Manager Pate shared that he had received 16 resumes to work the COVID-19 initiative and
staff will be designated accordingly.
Vice Mayor Davis asked City Manager Pate if the County had provided criteria for what qualifies
for reimbursements.
City Manager Pate explained there were two paths for reimbursement, through FEMA and Miami -
Dade County. He explained the County was still working on the criteria for reimbursement with
COVID-19 related expenses.
Mayor Pigatt clarified that the Opa-locka testing site was a regional site for which the City has
invested as well.
Commissioner Bass shared that Miami -Dade County had offered rent assistance and applications
were open until the day after.
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City Manager Pate stated he will request that Ms. Modkins advertise Commissioner Bass'
information.
Mayor Pigatt shared that the City also had one of the first testing sites for children in the area and
weekly food drives. He stressed the importance of continuing to send the message about mask
usage. He asked City Manager Pate to move on and discuss the budget.
City Manager Pate introduced Director Anathan to present the budget.
Director Anathan shared a PowerPoint slide titled FY 21 Proposed Budget Workshop. He started
by covering the citywide funds, which included: general fund for $17.6 m, CRA for $1.0 m, debt
service for $2.4 m, safe neighborhood for $0.2 m, people's transportation plan for $1.4 m, town
center for $0.7 m, special law, IT - internal services for $0.7 m, and risk management — internal
services for $2.7 m, water -sewer $14.5 m, storm water $3.5 m. He shared the general fund major
budget assumptions which were as follows: tax base growth of 8.0%, property tax collection rate
was 95%, one percentage point was set at $114,529, millage rate recommended at 9.8 where 0.1
equals $110,053, reduced revenue due to COVID-19, very limited headcount growth, no
compensation increase except for police contract, 10% increase in health benefits, $1.4 m of
contingency, updated retirement rates, and a balanced budget without the utilization of the fund
balance. He shared a slide titled General Fund Overview and briefly discussed it; he stated that the
proposed contingency for FY 21 was set at $1,403,285. He shared a slide titled General Fund —
Expense by Division, for which the proposed total expense for FY 21 was set at $17,602,650. He
shared a slide titled General Fund — Unassigned Fund Balance and he stated that due to COVID-
19, the forecast was to break even. He shared a slide titled General Fund Major Objectives which
included: completion of FY 19 & FY 20 City audits, implementation of a broad range of policies
and procedures demonstrating the City's ability to exercise comprehensive fiduciary
responsibilities, no discrepancies noted on the state evaluation of the City's response to the
operational audit findings and recommendations, state acceptance of the five year recovery plan,
IT initiative to implement technology and redesign business processes for increased efficiency /
effectiveness and to maximize online service availability, development of comprehensive parks
and recreation strategy, maximize development activity consistent with the new downtown
masterplan and other city guidelines, major focus on elimination of illegal dumping, high priority
on community policing, maximizing the impact on the community from COVID-19 if it is still a
threat. He shared a slide titled General Fund Major Issues, which included: revenue uncertainty,
unassigned fund balance recovery to target of $3 million, and service delivery with lean staffing.
He shared a slide titled Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Overview for which the
proposed budget for FY 21 was set at $1,046,910.00. He shared a slide titled Community
Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Major Objectives which included: completion of downtown
master plan, facade program phase II, streetscape program, updated CRA Redevelopment Plan,
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Obtain CDBG Funds, Obtain Brownfield Mitigation Funds, Development of Technology District,
development of Moorish Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, determine best use — two acres
of Ingram Park, enhance Park amenities, reduce impediments to development, complete CRA
policies and procedures manual. He shared a slide titled Debt Service Fund Overview and briefly
explained it. He shared a slide titled Safe Neighborhood Fund Overview with a total expense for
FY 21 of $186,834. He shared a slide titled People's Transportation Plan Overview with proposed
revenue of $700,000 for FY 21 and total expenses of $1,383,166. He shared a slide titled People's
Transportation Plan Objectives which included: obtain grant funding for second community bus
route not yet in the budget, roadway resurfacing — Cairo lane roadway portion and one mile of
other roadway and 2 miles of new sidewalks. He shared a slide titled Town Center Overview which
included total revenue of $651,191 for FY 21. He shared a slide titled Town Center Major
Objectives which included: hire a property manager, 100% rental occupancy, subdivide building
into condominium units to limit property tax to "for profit" tenants, energy audit, upgrade interior
conditions to better reflect a positive city image. He shared a slide titled Water -Sewer fund
overview which included a total funding of $14,481,996 for FY 21. He shared a slide titled Water -
Sewer Fund Working Capital and briefly discussed it. He shared a slide titled Water -Sewer Fund
Major Objectives including: water loss reduction and leak study, inflow & infiltration (I&I)
reduction, sewer hydraulic model to comply with DERM agreement, resolve closed account
delinquencies, identify & apply for grant & loan opportunities, complete Cairo lane project (water -
sewer portion = $2,900,000), complete commerce north area project ($600,000), renovation of 100
fire hydrants, initiate valve exercising program, clean 100,000 feet of sewer mains. He shared a
slide titled Water -Sewer Fund Issues which included: debt service constraining infrastructure
investment, state revolving loan of $773,473 long term, and available cash for "pay-as-you-go"
infrastructure investment of $600,000 to $900,000 annually before additional County debt service.
He shared a slide titled Water -Sewer Fund Pro Forma Available Funds and briefly explained it.
He shared a slide titled Stormwater Fund Overview which included a proposed budget for FY 21
of $1,500,000 in funding and $3,450,741 in expenses. He shared a slide titled Stormwater Fund
Working Capital which was set at $1,914,954. He shared a slide titled Stormwater Fund Major
Objectives, including: move stormwater fees to property tax bill assessment, complete stormwater
masterplan & begin implementation, identify and apply for grant and loan opportunities, meet
annual national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) requirements, respond to
flooding events. He shared a slide titled IT Internal Services Fund Overview with a total expense
of $713,118 for FY 21. He shared a slide titled Risk Management Internal Services Fund Overview
with a total expense of $2,658,614 for FY 21. He shared a slide titled Governmental Capital
Improvement Program which showed a total funded projects forecast for FY 21 of $1,360,000
compared to $2,761,295 in FY 20. He shared a slide titled Water -Sewer Capital Improvement
Program with a total funding of $3.4 million dollars. He shared a slide titled Stormwater Capital
Improvement Program with a total funding of $2.7 million dollars. He shared a slide titled FY 21
Financial Summary and briefly explained it.
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Mayor Pigatt thanked Director Anathan for the presentation and opened the floor for questions.
Vice Mayor Davis asked Director Anathan for the date to move the stormwater fee.
Director Anathan stated by December of this year, but that it will not go into effect until FY 22.
Vice Mayor Davis asked about the opportunity tax from Town Center and the City will do to
address it.
City Manager Pate explained an RFP will be issued in the upcoming quarter and will demand
payment to the City for Town Center. He stressed the opportunity for the City to receive revenue
from this building instead of it being a liability.
Vice Mayor Davis asked if a new grant writer was being considered to qualify for new grants.
City Manager Pate stated that he is looking into that option.
Director Anathan stated that the City had a budget of $66,000 for grant writing services to see how
it works out.
Vice Mayor Davis asked City Manager Pate if the administration was inquiring about competitive
bidding to provide services to the City.
City Manager Pate stated "yes." He stated that Ingram Park was an example in the budget which
included such an inquiry. He stated the RFP and RFQ process will be dependent on the
recommendations of the Commissioners.
Commissioner Kelley asked what the projection for the General Fund was to get the City out of
financial oversight.
City Manager Pate explained that he had interacted with the State and what they were looking at
was as follows: five year recovery plan, 3 audits without unqualified opinion, and show that the
fund balance is at a surplus.
Commissioner Kelley requested an update on the value adjustment board.
Director Anathan stated that the adjustment was about 0.9% which was similar to last years.
Commissioner Kelley requested when were the new police cars are expected to be delivered.
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City Manager Pate stated that while COVID-19 delayed the process, the development of police
vehicles will re -start and delivered in 3 to 4 months.
Commissioner Kelley asked when the Commission can start to see the implementation of the new
procedures provided by the County for the Police Department.
City Manager Pate stated that the Commission can anticipate significant improvement in the next
3 to 4 months.
Commissioner Kelley inquired about the lighting project to assist with deterring illegal dumping
and he requested an update in regards to that project.
City Manager Pate asked Director Austin to provide an update.
Director Austin reported it will begin to roll out in mid -August and it will be Citywide.
Commissioner Kelley inquired what would be required for finances and resources to be caught up.
He asked if the staffing adjustments will get the City caught up.
City Manager Pate stated "Yes", and explained the staffing adjustments will provide the resources
needed.
Commissioner Kelley asked City Manager Pate to find out about a County program to allow home
owners with tax liens to make installment payments instead of a lump sum, due to COVID-19. He
asked if the $1.4 million contingency reserve was limited.
Director Anathan explained those funds were there for the unknown, as a starting point.
Commissioner Kelley asked if the assessment of the infrastructure and drainage needs for the
industrial park area would be completed by December.
City Manager Pate requested Director Austin to speak on the matter.
Director Austin stated that adequate assessments would be based on the implementation studies
which are about to get started. He stated it was anticipated to get started by the beginning of next
year.
Director Anathan explained that it would have to be set via a resolution prior to December 31.
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Commissioner Kelley inquired about the funds set aside for utility billing litigation and whether
that amount had been consulted with the City Attorney.
Director Anathan stated that the numbers were discussed with the City Attorney and they were in
the range of $500,000.
Commissioner Kelley inquired about the stormwater increase in staff and why it was necessary.
He also asked about the increase in the working hours related to illegal dumping.
Director Austin explained that his department will be dealing with the maintenance of the
stormwater inlets and cross piping which needed to be addressed. He explained that an extra full
time employee was required to deal with illegal dumping around the City.
Commissioner Kelley asked City Manager Pate if he was renegotiating with the County regarding
trash pickups.
City Manager Pate requested Director Austin to provide an update.
Director Austin explained there were several proposals with the County still being discussed.
Commissioner Kelley asked City Manager Pate to elaborate on the condominium units.
City Manager Pate asked Director Anathan to provide more information.
Director Anathan explained each condominium unit will incur its own property taxes.
Commissioner Kelley requested an update on the delinquency on the old water accounts and what
amount of money was recoverable.
City Manager Pate asked Director Austin to provide an answer.
Director Austin explained that the trend was that the majority of the outstanding debts belonged to
tenants rather than owners and it will be an arduous and costly project to get tenants to pay and the
original $7 million. He stated that $2.5 million may be recoverable, adding that his department
found that some credits had been provided.
Commissioner Kelley asked City Manager Pate to provide a report with the details, including the
credits given. He asked Director Anathan if additional staff was recommended for roads and
streets.
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Director Anathan stated "Yes", in regards to illegal dumping. He explained there will be 2 new
staff members, each working half-time.
Commissioner Kelley shared concern regarding mobile home licensing and how some home
owners were renting mobile homes in their backyards. He asked if that could be regulated to
collect additional revenue for the City.
Commissioner Bass asked if there were any funds in the budget to make whole those members of
the staff that were asked to take a salary cut.
Director Anathan stated that was not addressed.
City Manager Pate explained the reason that was not addressed was because it will be integrated
in the Five Year Recovery Plan and all wage increases will be addressed in the plan as well.
Mayor Pigatt thanked City Manager Pate and Director Anathan for the detailed and well
documented budget presented. He stressed the importance of addressing the four major challenges
of the city: (1) city finances, policies and procedures identified in operational audits, (2) water
billing accuracy, (3) flooding and moratorium issues and (4) roads and streets repaving and
patching. He shared his concern for the budget regarding the CRA funds. He asked City Manager
Pate to explain why there were no funds allocated to the CRA Budget.
City Manager Pate explained the project was still being analyzed by architects and his department
was waiting for the assessment.
Mayor Pigatt thanked City Manager Pate. He shared his concern about the getting all employees
to a living wage of at least $30,000 a year. He was concerned for the Parks and Recreations projects
because of COVID-19 and suggested that instead of expanding the department, it should be
reduced or kept to a minimum and upgrade the facilities instead.
Commissioner Kelley asked if the raising of the living wages was related to his suggestion in
regards to upgrading the parks.
Mayor Pigatt clarified that the raising of the wages should still be pursued, and since there are no
programs this year because the parks are shut down due to COVID-19, he suggests using that
money to upgrade the facilities.
Commissioner Bass asked Mayor Pigatt if he was suggesting using the funds for special projects
to improve the facilities.
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Mayor Pigatt stated that was correct.
Commissioner Bass advocated for raising the wages of employees instead of using the funds for
improving facilities.
Mayor Pigatt stated he has been advocating for a living wage for all employees as well, but that he
is not proposing taking funds allocated to raise wages but instead, taking funds allocated for
projects that were no longer going to be executed as a result of COVID-19.
Vice Mayor Davis agreed with Mayor Pigatt's suggestion to use the fund for projects to be
allocated to improve facilities based on staff recommendations. He advocated for the importance
of raising employee's wages according to the rising cost of living.
Commissioner Burke agreed with Vice Mayor Davis.
Commissioner Kelley asked City Manager Pate for an assessment prior to the next Commission
meeting.
City Manager Pate asked Director Anathan to provide a response.
Director Anathan stated that his department should have an assessment by Monday afternoon, with
options for the Commissioners' consideration.
Mayor Pigatt concluded the meeting.
7. ADJOURN:
8.
There being no further business to come before the City Commission, it was moved by
Commissioner Kelley, seconded by Commissioner Burke to adjourn the workshop meeting at 8:01
p.m.
Matthew A. Pigatt
Mayor
A EST:
Jo. 'aFlores, CMC
Ci Clerk
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