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HomeMy Public PortalAbout03- March 4, 2021 VWSCITY OF OPA-LOCKA "The Great City" CLERK'S ACTION SUMMARY MINUTES Virtual Workshop Thursday, March 4, 2021 5:30 p.m. 1. WELCOME/OPENING REMARKS: Mayor Matthew Pigatt called the Virtual Workshop to order at 5:30 PM on Thursday, March 4, 2021. In his opening remarks, Mayor Pigatt stated that the workshop was scheduled to discuss event policies and to set priorities. Assistant City Attorney Candice Cobb announced the agenda protocols for virtual workshop meetings. Pursuant to Resolution 21-9835 passed by the City Commission on November 12, 2020, the City of Opa-locka may conduct public workshop meetings without having a quorum of its members present physically or at any specific location, and utilize communications media technology such as telephonic or video conferencing as provided by Section 120.54(5) (b) 2, Florida Statutes. The opportunity was given to the public to address the City Commission by sending an email to the City Clerk at publiccomments@opalockafl.gov. The City Clerk will announce all public comments at the appropriate time. 2. ROLL CALL: The following members of the City Commission were virtually present: Commissioner Alvin E. Burke, Conunissioner Chris Davis, Commissioner John H. Taylor Jr., Vice Mayor Veronica J. Williams and Mayor Matthew A. Pigatt. Also virtually in attendance were: City Manager John E. Pate, Assistant City Attorney Candice Cobb, and Legislative Aide to the Mayor/Commission Randy Grice. City Clerk Joanna Flores was not in attendance. 3. INVOCATION: The invocation was delivered by Commissioner John H. Taylor Jr. 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Commissioner Chris Davis. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS: 1 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Legislative Aide Grice announced the protocol for public participation at city commission meetings. Mr. Grice stated that there were no public comments. 6. DISCUSSION ITEMS: a) City of Opa-Iocka Special Events Policy Mayor Pigatt stated that the Commission will hopefully finalize the special events policy. The Mayor reminded the Commission that this is part of the operational audit. Recalling that there were some challenges with it in the past, including the conversation during the last meeting about how to strengthen it, the Mayor explained that establishing the policy will allow all of the Commissioners to have a very clear understanding and will set the policy for generations to come. • As he opened the floor for comments and thoughts, the Mayor shared that he has two modifications that he would like to put forth as the Commission discusses the policy. Vice Mayor Williams recalled that when the policy came up at the last Commission meeting, she had questions and wanted to know if those were addressed in the policy. Additionally, the Vice Mayor read the opening statement of the policy which states that "The Parks & Recreation Department will regularly conduct special events." and inquired if all events will run through Parks & Recreation. Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson responded affirmatively, stating "Yes." Vice Mayor Williams asked for clarification on whether or not the events the Commission holds will run through Parks & Recreation. Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson stated that they would be fully planned with Parks & Recreation. Mayor Pigatt stated that the Commission has the ability to set the policy of the City of Opa-locks, stating "we are the law as a unit." He encouraged the Commission to put anything they want to make modifications to, on the table, adding that staff give recommendations on why something may work or not. Leading the proposals for changes, the Mayor suggested that all events should have the level of communication between all of the different departments as outlined in the events policy for major events. The Mayor also suggested that the PR Director or their designee be included in the responsibilities listed in the policy, with the goal of making sure that they have the responsibility of getting word out and getting residents involved and making sure it fits with the Opa-locka brand. He asked if there are any issues with that, or if that is something that can be done. 2 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson stated that the Mayor's suggestion had been previously discussed and he made those changes in the policy. Vice Mayor Williams asked if Commissioner Taylor's COVID event that is coming up would fall under this events policy and if he would have to go through the Parks & Recreation Department to hold that event. Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson explained that normally events will go through the Parks & Recreation Department, but he will not have to go through Parks & Recreation for his event, because he is the one doing it. Vice Mayor Williams stated that there has to be some clarity because she needs to see how the policy will impact the Commission and everyone else that wants to hold an event in Opa-locka. She asked how it is connected to the Commission and the events they hold. Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson explained that normally when a Commissioner holds an event, they would go through their colleagues to let them know what they are doing, and it is approved by the Commission. Commissioner Taylor expressed that he shares the same concerns as the Vice Mayor, because it is not clear what the Commission can do, despite being given a timeline. The Commissioner asked if what is in the agenda packet is the same events policy that was presented at the last meeting, without the changes, and asked who has the one with the changes. Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson stated that he has it and offered to share his screen. Vice Mayor Williams asked why the Commission doesn't have it. Commissioner Taylor emphasized that he still has the same questions from the last time about events being submitted for approval two months prior to, and considers the conversation is back to square one. Mayor Pigatt acknowledged that it was a good question and asked Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson if the updates have been shared with anyone, noting that he has not received it either. Parks & Recreation Director Delven Patterson explained that because they are still making changes to the policy, and he wanted to hear what the Commission had to say that would impact the policy. City Manager Pate shared the history of this issue, arising from a finding of the Auditor General's Office. After morphing into a piece of legislation that was written by the Mayor, it was revised by the Parks & Recreation Director. The Manager recommended that any event that is sponsored by a Commissioner should go through the City Manager's Office to determine if it is a budgeted 3 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 event, and that any event that requires the usage of Parks & Recreation staff, equipment, or parks facilities, the Commissioner would still go through the Manager, but it will also go through the Parks Department. He offered the example of the Vice Mayor's Women's History Month event that she is hosting with Commissioner Burke, and explained that because parks facilities are not being used to host the event, it should not go through the Parks Department. The Manager added that staff holds various events at 780 Fisherman Street, and those types of events shouldn't have to go through Parks & Recreation for approval. He suggested sectioning it out, so that all of the work is not put on Mr. Patterson for events that are not going on in his facilities. Manager Pate asserted that the Auditor General's finding has an issue with Commissioners holding events that affect the budget uncontrollably, and he suggested that the Commission needs to discuss financial controls more than Parks & Recreation. His suggestion is that there be Commission sponsored events separated from events sponsored by everybody else. Mayor Pigatt shared additional history so that the Commission is very clear, explaining that when he first got onto the dais about four years ago, he had no idea how events were supposed to be planned or organized. He recalled that most Commission events were run through the City Clerk's Office, and that when a Commissioner said they wanted an event, it would just happen. Additionally, there were a set number of events that were already planned like the turkey giveaway, a back to school drive, movie night and food distribution which were run by a City Commissioner. The Mayor expressed that it was very confusing how to plan events and shared that he does quite a few events outside of Opa-locka. He added that many times in trying to plan events, when events would go through the City Manager, it was handled piecemeal having to speak to the Parks Director, or the Police Chief or the Public Relations Department, and the Mayor said it was not really organized. When the operational audit came out, the Mayor recalled that findings 19 & 70 detailed the problem with the City's special events with many events coming out of nowhere, having staff being called on weekends and after hours to run the events without a plan in place, and those had a fiscal impact. Additionally, there were costs associated with the events including providing toys and back to school supplies for those giveaways, which were not being properly documented. The Mayor stated that he researched what other cities do and asked the City Manager and Assistant City Attorney to help address this because it is the only finding that is directly within the Commission's power to fix. Because of the Commission's role as conduits to the people, while planning events, the Mayor said that many times staff doesn't want to get into the details of telling the Commission how to do events. After asking the legislative aide to research the events policies from different cities, the Mayor had all the information forwarded to Mr. Patterson, when he came on board as Parks & Recreation Director. The Mayor explained that after the last presentation, Director Patterson believed that the event policy manual needed to be updated, and despite the manual coming to be, the operational audit findings were not part of the manual. The manual includes standard policies for special events and includes a part on Commission events including breaking down what those events are. The Mayor asserted that the Commission has to figure out how it wants events to run within the City of Opa-locka, especially the Commission events. He suggested that it is important that the Commission be clear on how events are approved. After 4 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 reviewing the operational audit finding, the Mayor acknowledged that the City Manager has addressed the fiscal aspect of the finding, but suggested that the Commission address the approval process, how to ensure events are successful and equitable, and the hosting of events. The Mayor shared that there were many times that he did not know events were coming up until it was publicly noticed, and he asserted that the Commission needs to know what each other is doing and be able to show support by clearing schedules to be a part of events. He explained that everything in the events policy is on the Commission to modify, and that he is not beholden to anything except making sure that everybody is a part of the conversation, and that time is given to staff to put events in their schedules, and events are properly promoted that and the City host is identified, and the Commission can make the policy what it wants to make it. Commissioner Taylor stated that he understood the backstory that the Mayor shared, but that he thinks the Mayor missed what he and Vice Mayor Williams were saying. If it is directly affecting the budget, then the Commissioner agreed that it should go with the City Manager's Office. As an example, he stated that if he is trying to have a turkey giveaway and wants the City to pay for the turkeys, Parks Department Director Patterson doesn't understand the budget. The Commissioner proposed that if an event is related to the parks, then it should go through the Parks & Recreation Department, but if it is an event that impacts the budget then it goes through the City Manager's Office, because to him it just makes more sense. Mayor Pigatt stated that ideally the turkey giveaway would be part of the City's yearly events. A part of what the auditors want is that the Commission proposes and approves the events they want to have, and then the City Manager will identify the budget and the Commission will talk to the Manager through the budget discussions. After the Manager details the appropriate amount that will be allocated to the event, he hopes the Manager will let the Commission know which accounts will be used to raise funds. But the day of the event, normally the point department for a turkey giveaway is the Parks Department. Commissioner Taylor asked the Mayor not to get caught up on the turkey event and offered the additional example of the vaccination distribution which is happening at a Church, and doesn't see the need to go to the Parks Director to be a point person. The Commissioner said he understands going to Parks Director Patterson if an event is going to be on parks grounds or on City property, but doesn't see the purpose otherwise. Mayor Pigatt acknowledged that is a good point. Commissioner Taylor suggested that there should be two styles of events, parks related events and events that have nothing to do with parks. The Commissioner stated he agrees with the City Manager that the events policy packet should be divided based on parks related events and Commission related events. He acknowledged that some events will be at the parks, but others will not be. As an example, the Commissioner offered the Women's History Month event being organized by Vice Mayor Williams and Commissioner Burke, and asked if they wanted to have 5 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 the event at a restaurant like Jackson Soul Food, why she would have to go through Parks Director Patterson as opposed to going through the City Manager. Mayor Pigatt asked who would be the point person. Commissioner Taylor stated that it would be the City Manager. Mayor Pigatt then said that would make the Manager responsible for coordinating all events. Commissioner Taylor clarified that it wouldn't be all events, just events that impact the budget. He added that if it has nothing to do with parks, then the City Manager would take the reins, but if it is directly at the parks, then the Commission would bring Parks Director Patterson on board. He recalled the concern raised by Vice Mayor Williams that the only people who can have events in the City are the Parks Department, but an event he is having next week has nothing to do with parks. City Manager Pate recalled that the operational audit made reference to Commission approval, and asked if it is the intent of the Commission to approve each other's events. He offered the example of a large scale event that will require a permit and will have bouncy houses three months from now, as something that would be more appropriate to come before the Commission for approval. The Manager encouraged the Commission to think about the time period when the operational audit was done, and the culture of the Commission at the time which may have had Commissioners wanting to have their own events like toy giveaways, instead of coordinating with each other as the Manager shared he encouraged Vice Mayor Williams and Commissioner Burke to do with their Women's History Month event. Manager Pate asserted that the culture of the Commission is different now, and stated that the intent has to be clear. Mayor Pigatt identified the two items that he thought were up for discussion including Commission approval and who coordinates events that don't' have anything to do with parks, and he asked if the Commission can get clarity on the first one or if they would rather lay out all of the issues to be tackled one by one. Vice Mayor Williams stated that she wanted to bring clarity to what Mr. Pate was saying without going into detail. Recalling the three recommendations in the audit report, the Vice Mayor pointed out that all of them are tied to the budget and said that should be the separation. She added that if an event is tied to the budget, she takes no issue going through the City Manager's Office. After reading the audit recommendations, the Vice Mayor said that the Commission is comparing apples to oranges and offered the example of the Women's History Month event that she and Commissioner Burke are planning. Noting that the event has no budgetary impact on Opa-locka, she expressed that she doesn't see why the Commissioners have to go through Mr. Patterson, especially considering they are going into their own pockets. The Vice Mayor said she is uncomfortable having to go to Mr. Patterson to request a permit to do something small in the City 6 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 of Opa-locka. She did agree that the City needs a better system of knowing everything that is going on, but does not want to vote on each other's events because she does not want to pigeonhole any Commissioner. Vice Mayor Williams also requested what PR Consultant Jessica Modkins contract is with the City, because right now all she sees is her making flyers. She asked how the Commission is connecting what it is doing to public relations, and whether or not she is just making flyers connected to events. Mayor Pigatt repeated all of the items he has identified after hearing everyone: 1. Coordination of events that are not park related 2. Commission approval of events 3. Issue with events that don't impact the budget 4. The role of the PR Consultant Commissioner Burke stated that he is in line with the Vice Mayor and asked if events such as luncheons for staff organized by the Commission or City Departments, will need a special permit, if they are not costing the City of Opa-locka anything. The Commissioner offered the example of the Women's History Month luncheon that he and Vice Mayor Williams are organizing, which will have the caterers serving the food, eliminating the need for Opa-locka staff to work the event. He asked if for such an event, if it will be necessary to go through the Commission, if it is not costing the city any money and is not utilizing staff. The Commissioner recalled that previously, direction was provided by the City Manager, or in instances where a luncheon was being organized in the Clerk's Office, then the Clerk would handle it. He understands the consideration of the financial impact to the City. Mayor Pigatt suggested tackling the budget issue as a baseline. Commissioner Davis recalled that for a special event permit when someone from outside the City wants to hold an event, usually the process is centralized through the City Manager's Office. As stated by the Commissioner, once the application is turned in to the Manager's office, then it travels to the Police Department, Building & Licensing, and Parks & Recreation for vetting to determine if it will be a parks event, and the police looks at it from the perspective of potential public safety needs. He shared that what he is confused about is what the internal process is when a Commissioner wants to have an event or a City sponsored event is going to take place. As far as the event policy goes, he stated that if an event is in -kind or a Commissioner brings outside resources, he thinks that is the Commissioner's prerogative because it doesn't have a fiscal impact. Acknowledging that getting staff to help is a grey area may not represent a direct cost, but over time with staff coming out on weekends, has previously resulted in complaints coming from the Manager's Office. The Commissioner asserted that because the City is in a financial emergency, he is not in favor of each Commissioner requesting whatever they want from the budget to pull off an event, but offered kudos to any Commissioner who raises funds for an event. 7 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner Burke suggested that he thinks the auditors were looking at Commissioners who raised money for an event in the past, but the Commission did not consider Public Works having to clean up, the police having to provide security, and that's where he thinks the City got in trouble with the auditors. Mayor Pigatt asserted that all events and everything the City does as a government, has a budgetary impact, whether it be staff time or the cost of promotion. The Mayor asked City Manager Pate if he was correct. City Manager Pate confirmed Mayor Pigatt was correct and that he thinks the Commission has to set a ceiling. Mayor Pigatt stated that the foundational confusion seems to be that events should be separated based on which ones impact the budget and which ones do not, but he noted that the City Manager confirmed that all events have a budgetary impact and thus he is confused about the separation. Noting that the auditors stated that all events have a budgetary impact, the Mayor stated that they want the Commission to set the budget and the number of events they want to do in advance, and if there is any changes to the event schedule, that the Commission brings it forth in addition to the City Manager bringing forth the fiscal impact. He asked City Manager Pate how he is breaking down the fiscal impact and staffing of the two events that are being planned with elected officials, and what the current process is. City Manager Pate explained that he evaluates events internally, looking at the nature of the event and the amount of staff time that is being used. The Manager said that the perfect example is the police, and that he considers if there are enough police officers on the street to cover the City and if officers can work the event off duty. He explained that he looks at the financial impact based on the number of overtime hours the officers will work. As an example, the City Manager stated that if one officer is used at a cost of less than $500 that would be a negligible financial impact. However, if dozens of officers are brought on for a large scale event, then he looks at it differently. As another example, he said that the Vice Mayor's event will probably have no financial impact, as she honors employees during work hours, will not require any police or security and cleanup is done by employees that are already working. For Commissioner Taylor's online event, the only financial impact the Manager sees may be the development of flyers by the P.R. Department, which is a negligible amount. He added that he wants to talk about P.R. on the side and does not want to include it in this conversation. Explaining that his office looks at the magnitude of the dollar amount for events, and if it is negligible, the City Manager's Office allows it. Manager Pate explained that staff time is a very difficult thing to measure, because unlike the flat dollar amount in a budget for an event with line items for each department, the calculation gets overly complicated because it has to be broken down by payroll, benefits and FRS. However, the Manager stated that he does not think it is something so great that it would stop an event. Recalling the events that happened during the period of time the auditor general's report was issued, each 8 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner was doing the same event separately, with $40,000 for turkeys and various other items taken out of the budget, with no budgetary control whatsoever. Manager Pate asserted that he thinks the City is in a different time, and as long as a policy is put in place that gives some direction, it would be great. He suggested that he thinks it would be appropriate if the Commission wants to set a dollar amount for events in the budget, and then work from there under the City Commission, especially considering that there is not a lot budgeted under the Commission due to the budget cuts during the financial emergency. The Manager stated that if something needs to be built into the budget, then the Commission needs to do it. Mayor Pigatt expressed that he is confused because he felt the City Manager went back and forth between events having a fiscal impact and not having a fiscal impact, and then wanted to know what it meant for the financial impact to be negligible, what the negligible cap would be for events and how it is set. The Mayor also said that the City Manager mentioned there being a different policy from the past, but he hasn't seen any changes to the policy. Reminding the Commission that it is not possible to coordinate events because they operate in sunshine. Mayor Pigatt also asked if the fiscal impact of an event is put forth to the host, so that they are clear about staff time and resources. Lastly, he said he wanted to know what staff is required for events, in consideration of the fact that he didn't know about the luncheon until this call and that it was mentioned the event will honor employees at an outside location without any police. Mayor Pigatt asked for clarification. City Manager Pate expressed that he thinks there is a perceptual issue, and apologized for Mayor Pigatt being confused though he was pretty sure what he said was quite clear. The Manager explained that his definition of negligible is staff cost of $750 and below, and offered the examples of a couple of hours of an officer watching an event, or Public Works coming out to clean up for an hour or two. He added that if Public Works or the Police are working eight or nine hours, that is not negligible. Noting that because of COVID-19, all officer's hours are reimbursable funds and thus you can't compare what the police is doing now like the food drive, to what the costs were before. Addressing the event the Vice Mayor is hosting, the Manager asserted that there is no personnel cost, explaining that even if it is at an outside venue, there is no reason to have a police officer stationed at an outside venue at a staff event. Recalling that he has not had a police officer at staff events he has had in the past, the Manager clarified that it is not a requirement. Explaining that the Vice Mayor made the request for what was needed for her event, the City Manager reported that he provided what was required. Explaining that if something that is physically impossible or expensive is requested, the Manager said he steps in. Adding that there have been instances where he has offered to have the City pay for a small amount of money, but has had Commissioners recently tell him that they will spend their own money. This served as the Manager's example that he is thoroughly discussing the fiscal impact of events, and that the Commissioners are very conscious that the City is in a financial emergency. Specifically referring to the Vice Mayor's event, he explained that it was recently organized and the Mayor has not heard 9 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 about it because there has not been a Commission meeting, with the event still in the planning phases. Vice Mayor Williams clarified that her event is not at an outside venue. The Vice Mayor explained that she thinks City Manager Pate was speaking figuratively when he referenced Jacksons, and that the event will be in City Hall with all of the donations coming out of the Commissioner's pockets or through in -kind donations. Noting that there is going to be a fiscal impact on her because she is leaving her own job to present lunch to the women of the City of Opa-locka, she asserted that she believes there is zero fiscal impact on the City with no need for police presence. She added that she is willing to go to Party City to purchase her own tongs to pick up food if she has to. Expressing that she has a problem with these small events going into the policy, the Vice Mayor piggybacked on Commissioner Davis' sentiments regarding events with a fiscal impact needing to be discussed, go through the Manager's office and then be funneled down to the appropriate departments that need to support that event. Adding that if it is a budgetary event, she believes it needs to be placed on a calendar, so that all Commissioners know, can have a discussion and come to an agreement on the event. Because she doesn't see how a simple and small event falls under any of the recommendations from the auditors, the Vice Mayor asserted the Commission has to be clear with the policy and that she will not vote on something that is going to pigeonhole her. Commissioner Burke said he was going to explain what Vice Mayor Williams stated that the event they are planning is not an outside event. Mayor Pigatt asked Commissioner Burke to log off and log back on because of an issue with his microphone. The Mayor went on to state that he thinks the operational audit recommended setting policies for all events, not pigeonhole any of the Commissioners. He added that he doesn't see any of the proposed events being hindered by the policy except by the timing. If the Commission wants to do an annual Women's History luncheon, which is something that has been happening in the City of Opa-locka for a while, the Mayor said it would be put in place with a budget allocation. He asserted that he thinks it is important that the elected officials are not relied upon to come out of their own pocket for events being organized for residents. The Mayor also clarified that the Commissioners can fundraise for those events. After reminding the Commission that the conversation about policy, it will impact the years in advance too, and that the policy won't affect the events going on right now because the policy won't be in place until after the events. Mayor Pigatt asserted that he wants the Commission to be clear, as he said he thinks they have touched on a lot of different things that address the fundamentals of the policy, which he said the City has to have. He suggested that he thinks it is important to determine if the Commission wants to bifurcate the policy so that the special events handbook can go forward and then have a separate policy for all events. The Mayor asked if that is what the Commission wants to do. 10 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner Taylor asked if Mayor Pigatt is proposing to separate the policy, because that is what they have been saying all along. Mayor Pigatt affirmed that is what he was asking because he heard Commissioner Taylor say that and that someone else may have said it, but if the Commission wants to do that, he suggested that they make that decision and that he does not have a problem either way. The Mayor asked the Commission if they want to take the special events policy manual and separate that from the operational audit events. Commissioner Davis agreed with those sentiments, stating that there are two separate processes with one being external and the other being internal. The Commissioner said he thinks the external process needs to be a little bit more thought out, and he is OK with it as -is. Because the Commissioners have different ideas about what they want to see as annual events for the City, he asserted that should be a part of the conversation and included in the legislation that is put forth to satisfy the fmding. Mayor Pigatt stated that he is also in support of that, recognizing that at least three Commissioners have stated that. Stating that he wanted to try to tackle the easiest one first, the Mayor asked if there were any changes that the Commission would like to make to the special events handbook policy that was created. Commissioner Taylor pointed out that the handbook the Commission received is not the updated one, so he asked if the Commission is going back to the previous one that was presented. Mayor Pigatt asked Parks & Recreation Director Patterson or City Manager Pate what changes have been made to the special events handbook since the last conversation on the dais. Parks & Recreation Director Patterson explained that the only changes that were made were the hourly fees and the language for the alcohol permit. Commissioner Taylor pointed out that the booklet does not include the pavilion or the fields for Sherbondy Village. The Commissioner also asked for clarification on the policy for hourly rentals. Parks & Recreation Director Patterson stated that when a permit is scheduled by the hour. Commissioner Taylor used the example of the auditorium and asked if a resident wants to rent it, if on the hourly rate of $155, if there is a minimum number of hours that the venue must be rented for. Parks & Recreation Director Patterson stated that is the hourly amount. Commissioner Taylor asked if it can be rented for just one hour. 11 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Parks & Recreation Director Patterson said that it could be rented for one hour. Commissioner Taylor asked if it was something that Parks & Recreation Director Patterson was willing to change, wondering if it was feasible to open such a big building for one hour for $155. Parks & Recreation Director Patterson stated that if a person wants the building for one hour, then that is their permit for their event. Commissioner Taylor recalled that normally places that rent spaces will have a minimum of two or three hours, so that there can be a profit of some sort, in consideration of the lights and water for $155. Parks & Recreation Director Patterson acknowledged that he understood by stating that he got it. Mayor Pigatt stated that he wanted to make sure that Commissioner Taylor's point is executed and clarified that he was proposing a minimum hourly rental for the City's facilities, to be set at a two- hour minimum. Commissioner Taylor confirmed that is what he would propose, in consideration of the budget and that the City has to make some money in some way. Recognizing that it is being given at a discounted rate, the Commissioner doesn't see a problem with a 2 -hour minimum. Mayor Pigatt asked if there is anyone else who would join him and Commissioner Taylor in supporting that. Commissioner Davis indicated he supports it, but proposed going a step further and setting the minimum hourly rental at three hours. Sharing his own experience dealing with the process of special events, the Commissioner explained that the threshold is usually set at three hours because of the assumption that setup and cleanup will each take an hour, and sometimes those hours are not factored in. The Commissioner asserted that nobody does an event for one hour, so he offered that as his opinion, but stated that if the Commission wants to go with the two-hour minimum, he would be amenable to that too. Mayor Pigatt asked to go around and have each Commissioner declare if they support a two or three hour minimum for rentals of City facilities and any other thoughts that they may have so that staff is clear. Commissioner Taylor stated that he agrees with Commissioner Davis on the three-hour minimum for rental of the City's facilities. The Commissioner added that the policy does not include anything about not putting anything on the walls. Mayor Pigatt asked that before the Commission goes on to discuss the policy on putting things on the walls, he wants to make sure they get the question about the minimum number of hours for 12 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 rental of City facilities done, and he asked Vice Mayor Williams if she supports a two or three hour minimum. Vice Mayor Williams stated that three is fine. Mayor Pigatt acknowledged that the Commission had a majority who stated they supported a minimum of a three-hour rental, because it must include setup and breakdown. Noting that depending on the size of the event, setup and breakdown can be quite a bit, so he asked if the policy includes language explaining that the start time and end time of an event must include setup and breakdown. Commissioner Burke asked to be recognized. Mayor Pigatt said he wanted to get an answer from the City Manager's office on his inquiry and then he would recognize Commissioner Burke. Parks & Recreation Director Patterson confirmed the Mayor is correct that an hour is provided for setup and afterwards an hour is provided for breakdown. Mayor Pigatt recognized Commissioner Burke. Commissioner Burke asked if the minimum of three hour rentals will apply to all of the City's facilities. Mayor Pigatt confirmed that is what he has heard from the Commission so far, but acknowledged that Commissioner Burke is hitting on a good point. The Mayor pointed out to the Commission that a non-resident who wants to do an event in the auditorium, it is going to cost them at the very least $615, and asked if everyone on the Commission is OK with that. Commissioner Burke asked for how many hours that was. Mayor Pigatt explained that it was just the minimum of three hours, based upon the policy's fee schedule. Commissioner Davis said he understood the concern Commissioner Burke was raising, and acknowledged that with the three hour minimum the rental fees could be a bit financially imposing on local residents who are looking to utilize the City's space. The Commissioner suggested either lowering the hourly amount or settling on a flat daily rate, which he does not see reflected in the policy. Adding that a discount could be offered if a facility is rented for the day, supposing that the day is five or six hours, he acknowledged that he is not sure what management challenges that may present to the Parks & Rec Department. The Commissioner asserted that he does not want it to be unaffordable for the residents. 13 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner Burke offered the example of having a birthday for a grandson at a pavilion, with a three hour minimum, and he asked if it would cost $600. Commissioner Taylor clarified that it would cost $75. Commissioner Burke asked if that was just for the pavilion. Commissioner Taylor confirmed that it was just for the pavilion. Commissioner Burke said he was OK with that. Mayor Pigatt stated that Commissioner Burke was right that the Sherbondy Village Pavilion is not in the policy, but he noted that if it is held true that pavilions are $25, the example Commissioner Burke gave would be $75. Commissioner Burke said he did not have the fee schedule, but that he was OK with that. He added that Sherbondy Village Pavilion should be in there. Mayor Pigatt asked that the Sherbondy Village Pavilion be included. Commissioner Taylor stated that the field needs to be added. Mayor Pigatt acknowledged Commissioner Taylor is correct and that the baseball field, football field and the basketball field should be included. Vice Mayor Williams stated that there is a lot that is missing, including some basic things, and that she does not want to waste time discussing things that Mr. Patterson can look over with his staff, and would love to move on. The Vice Mayor asserted that she wants to make sure that the Commission addressed the two paragraphs about Commission initiative events. Mayor Pigatt stated that the Commission will get to that, because that is the part about bifurcating the handbook. Vice Mayor Williams stated that is what she is asking, specifically inquiring about whether or not those two paragraphs will be in the other handbook. Mayor Pigatt asked Vice Mayor Williams to repeat what she said. Vice Mayor Williams asked whether the two paragraphs in the policy about the Commission initiatives will be moved to another handbook. Mayor Pigatt asked if the concern being raised by Vice Mayor Williams was referring to the policies related to Commission Initiative Events, both internal and external, and whether or not those will have to abide by the policies within the events handbook. 14 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Vice Mayor Williams confirmed that is correct. Mayor Pigatt offered as an example the Commission doing an event at Sherbondy Auditorium, and speculated if the fiscal impact will be calculated as part of the event cost, and whether there would be a three-hour minimum and if the form that is listed in the policy. Vice Mayor Williams stated that is not her question, but thanked the Mayor for bringing it up because it can also be a question. The Vice Mayor reminded the Commission that at 5:45 PM she mentioned removing from the packet the statement which says that the events must be fully planned and produced by Commission staff and the Parks & Recreation Department. She added that those statements need to be reworded to what the Commission agreed, and asserted that she can't vote on it with them in the event policy. The Vice Mayor acknowledged that it is totally different if the policy is going to be bifurcated to talk about budgetary constraints, but she expressed that the language has to be clearer than it is because she is not OK with saying that everything she does is going to be connected to the Parks Department. Mayor Pigatt assured Vice Mayor Williams that the Commission will get to that, and called on the Commission to finish out the discussion they were having. The Mayor asked if there is anything else in the latter part of the special events policy handbook that the Commission would like to provide the staff to get to their specifications. Commissioner Taylor reminded the Commission that he had brought up being able to protect the City's facilities, by doing as other places do in not allowing things to be put on the walls, so that every time there is an event, the building doesn't have to be painted. Mayor Pigatt asked City Manager Pate or Parks & Recreation Director Patterson if that is reflected in the policy and if not, if it can be done. City Manager Pate stated that it will be reflected in the policy. Mayor Pigatt asked if anyone on the Commission disagrees with that. None of the Commissioners expressed any disagreement. Mayor Pigatt asked if there was anything else in the handbook that the Commission wants to address. City Manager Pate suggested that any language related to Commissioners should be stricken from the handbook in total. Mayor Pigatt asked if there is a specific area that the City Manager is referring to. 15 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 City Manager Pate stated that there is no specific area that he is referring to, but he wanted to be clear that the handbook does not relate to the Commission, the Mayor or Vice Mayor and thus he is directing Mr. Patterson that any language related to the Commission, that it be stricken from the handbook, just to make things easy. Mayor Pigatt expressed that he is a little confused by that statement. The Mayor said the only spot in the policy that he sees related to the Commission is the application process which refers to the ability of the Commission to approve events outside of the period of time stipulated by the policy. He asked City Manager Pate if he is saying that should be taken out. City Manager Pate stated that he does not believe the City Commission should be involved in approving events. Explaining the current events protocol, the Manager said that event applications go to the City Manager's Office, then go through all of the departments, and then are approved. To have an agenda item, resolution or a motion brought before the Commission for every single event, he finds to be overly burdensome. Noting that the City Manager's Office has always been responsible and that he was unsure how the rest of the Commission feels. Commissioner Taylor stated that he agrees with City Manager Pate. Commissioner Burke joined Commissioner Taylor in also agreeing with City Manager Pate. Mayor Pigatt clarified that the proposed policy includes a provision that major events which require street closures will require City Commission approval. Putting forth the example of someone wanting to have an event in the middle of Opa-locka's downtown such as a large festival that is going to shut down the City, he asked if the Commission does not want that to come before them. Commissioner Taylor stated that there are three different things being talked about. He said that for a large scale event that affects the livelihood of citizens, then it should come before the Commission. However if someone wants to have a baby shower and wants to use the parks, that should not come to the Commission. Mayor Pigatt clarified that having a baby shower is not part of the policy. The only thing he sees that is part of the policy which gives the Commission approval power, which the City Manager said he wants to completely take out, is the application process window and street closure policy. As an example, the Mayor said if Obama decides to do something in Opa-locka and wanted to get it done within sixty days, the policy says they can come before the Commission to make an adjustment to the policy so they can have the event. Commissioner Taylor said he doesn't think that is what the Manager was saying, and that he was commenting on the language the Vice Mayor was talking about in the other part of the policy. The Commissioner recalled City Manager Pate doesn't see anything about the Commission in the 16 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 policy, but just in case there is, to completely take it out. He added that he did not believe the policies the Mayor highlighted were not what the Manager was referring to, adding that he was talking about the voting, specifically the part that the Commission split up. Mayor Pigatt expressed that he doesn't think the Commission is on the same page. Commissioner Taylor asked to confirm that the Commission broke the policy into two sections. Mayor Pigatt confirmed that the policy had been broken up into the handbook and the beginning part. The Mayor stated that he thinks he understands what all of the Commissioners are saying, but wants the Commission to be very clear because this is policy. When he and everyone else was talking about bifurcation, the Mayor said he thinks they were talking about separating the special events handbook from the rest of the events policy. Commissioner Taylor confirmed that is correct. The Mayor stated what the Commission is focusing on is the handbook. Commissioner Taylor recognized that the handbook will be posted by Parks & Recreation for citizens to read when they want to rent, and said that City Manager Pate was saying to take out anything that affects what the Commission is doing. The Commissioner asked Mr. Pate if he was right. City Manager Pate offered the example of someone wanting to have an event as small as a block party that requires the closure of a street in less than sixty days, having to come before the Commission for approval. The Manager asserted that he will go whatever direction the Commission tells him, but wants to be clear on intent. Mayor Pigatt acknowledged that City Manager Pate made a good point, and expressed that those are the things that the Commission has to be clear about in consideration of the fact that the policies relate to all of these things. The Mayor asserted that the Commission has to get through this even if it needs to have more conversations for there to be clarity, and need to do another workshop. Vice Mayor Williams stated that she hears the Mayor saying to be clear, and she thinks that the Commission is being clear but that he is not understanding their clarity. After noticing that her question about the two policy points wasn't addressed, the Vice Mayor asserted that she doesn't know if they are asking or saying it at this point, and not knowing if she can be any clearer, she asserted that she would like to see the two paragraphs removed on page nine and added that the part on page sixteen section two is not making any sense to her, expressing that she doesn't have the time to sit and approve everybody that wants to close a street. Noting that the time was 7:00, she suggested that the Commission move on, and she doesn't know what else to say. 17 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 City Manager Pate suggested that the policy needs a major overhaul and that continuing to go around to talk about this is futile. Expressing that he didn't think there would be any more movement on this based on the time of night and the other nights that are to be discussed. Acknowledging that Mr. Patterson heard all of the input and that he thinks his office needs to work on a separate policy for Commission events that is probably going to have to be passed through a very clear resolution. Mayor Pigatt stated that however it needs to be done, the Commission has to get it done. City Manager Pate provided clarity to the Commission and reminded them that the auditors will be on the ground either virtually or in person, before the end of the month, and thus this needs to get done in the next two weeks, adding that he thinks they will be understanding in consideration that it is being worked through with a new Commission. Mayor Pigatt reminded the Commission that there are two Commission meetings coming up on the 10th and the 24th and that the portion of the policy that deals with Commission events has to come up before the end of the month. Unsure of whether or not it was before the 24th, the Mayor asked City Manager Pate when the deadline is. City Manager Pate reported that a solid deadline has not been provided, with the first conference call coming up on Monday. The Manager assured the Commission that he, Assistant City Manager George Ellis, and Budget Administrator Bob Anathan can talk to the lead auditor to work something out in regards to the specific policy while they are working on everything else. Recalling that there are 99 findings, the City Manager stated that he doesn't see them finishing up quickly. Mayor Pigatt encouraged all of the Commissioners to share their points and ideas and asked when they would like to speak about this again. The Mayor also offered that the Commissioners could submit their comments and then City Manager Pate can present the resolution and then it can be fought outcome the 10th or the 24th. Commissioner Davis stated that he has no problem voting on it either day, but that he would like to workshop it because the policy deals with many details that will have an impact on the people the Commission serves. The Commissioner expressed that he would like to take the time to make sure all the details are worked out for a policy like this. Mayor Pigatt asked if any other Commissioners wanted to vote for another workshop. Commissioner Burke said he would vote for another workshop. Mayor Pigatt voted to be the third member of the Commission in support of another workshop and asked when the Commission wants to do that. He noted that during their last conversation, the 18 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commission spoke about Wednesdays, but there was a conflict with the CRA in addition to other conflicts. City Manager Pate stated that it will take his office at least a week and a half to be prepared, so next week could not happen for them. The Manager explained that they will have to take some time to put it together and it will have to go through attorney review. He added that he wants to provide a draft resolution. Mayor Pigatt asked what is going to be the big difference after this workshop to get the policy ready for the next Commission meeting or workshop. City Manager Pate listed categorizing the type of Commission events, the waiving of fees for any Commission event at a park, establishing a threshold for acceptable personnel costs, and the drafting of a budget amendment for a special events budget under the Commission's line item budget. Mayor Pigatt expressed that he hopes all the information comes together so that the next workshop can run a little more smoothly, and asked when the Commission wants to do it on the week of the 15th. City Manager Pate suggested 5:30 p.m. Commissioner Burke asked Vice Mayor Williams if there is a particular day that works for her. Vice Mayor Williams asked to clarify if the consideration was for the week of the 15th. Mayor Pigatt confirmed that the Commission is looking at the week of the 15th. Vice Mayor Williams asked if the workshops have to be on Wednesdays. Mayor Pigatt said no, that they do not have to be on Wednesdays. Vice Mayor Williams asked if the Commission is trying to do the workshop on the day of a Commission meeting. Mayor Pigatt clarified there is no Commission meeting, and that the only meeting is the CRA meeting on the 17th. Vice Mayor Williams stated that she does not have anything on her calendar as of yet, but that anything could pop up. Mayor Pigatt asserted that the Commission has to select a date to make sure staff is ready for the conversation, and added that since the CRA meeting is on Wednesday that he does not like more than one meeting at all. 19 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Vice Mayor Williams suggested the 17th and asked if that works for everybody. Mayor Pigatt reminded the Commission that the CRA meeting will be on the 17th. Vice Mayor Williams clarified that she meant the 18th. Mayor Pigatt asked if the Commission was OK with the 18th. Commissioner Davis said he was going to propose the 18th because it works fine for him, as a Thursday that is just two weeks out. Commissioner Taylor asked if the agenda for the CRA meeting is long, and if it would be possible to do it on the same day. Commissioner Davis noted that there are only two items on the agenda, but reminded the Commission that there was only one agenda item at the last Commission meeting and it lasted for quite a while. Commissioner Taylor acknowledged that Commissioner Davis is right and that he is a team player, and confirmed the 18th works for him. Commissioner Burke stated that the 18th works for him as well. Mayor Pigatt confirmed the date for the special events policy workshop on Thursday, March 18th and deferred the topic to that date. The Mayor asked if any Commissioners had anything else that was not stated before, that they want City Manager Pate to make sure is a part of the conversation and the policy. Commissioner Davis added to Commissioner Taylor's comments about protecting the City's properties during the process of renting them out, and suggested that City Manager Pate look into a deposit to ensure that safety net is in place. Additionally, the Commissioner asked the Manager and Parks Director Patterson to consider affordability, acknowledging that while the prices are in the range of what neighboring municipalities are charging for similar services, he reminded the Commission that Opa-locka has the highest poverty rate in Miami -Dade County and thus wants to be considerate to residents. Mayor Pigatt asked if there were any additional items that the Commission would like to have as part of the event policy. Commissioner Burke concurred with Commissioner Davis on affordability for the residents. Mayor Pigatt agreed stating that he felt the same. He added that he has already said everything he would like to have in the policy, and that all of the Commission's ideas have been laid out and he 20 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 looks forward to seeing the policy. The Mayor then called the Commission to move on to the next topic. b) City Commission Priorities Mayor Pigatt read from the City Manager's contract, reminding the Commission that it states that "the Commission and the Manager shall jointly define such goals and performance objectives that they may determine necessary for the proper operation of the city and for the attainment of Commission's policy objectives, and shall further establish a relative priority amongst those various goals and objectives, and said objectives and goals shall be reduced to writing. Objectives and goals hereunder shall generally be attainable within the time limitations specified and shall take into account the City's annual operating budget and capital budget and appropriations provided thereunder." The Mayor asserted that the Commission has to set goals and priorities and he wants to make sure those ideas are put on the table. Recognizing that the workshop had been going on for almost two hours, the Mayor asked the Commission if they want to have the conversation now. Commissioner Taylor asked if this is the same discussion that the Commissioner is supposed to have at the next workshop, recalling that there were two workshops, one for parks and one for Commission priorities. Mayor Pigatt confirmed that Commissioner Taylor is correct, that the plan was to make that time for the workshop, but he pointed out that with the events policy, the policy was provided, the Commission shared its thoughts and now the staff has to make it into a formalized resolution. The Mayor stated that he thinks the process for the City Commission priorities should be the same, with the Commission putting out its ideas, Management identifying the budgetary impacts, and then making a formalized presentation to the Commission at the next workshop. He also noted that as the Commission sets its priorities, they must keep the timing in mind because the City Manager's contract states that the Commission shall review and evaluate the performance of the Manager at least once every fiscal year between March 1st and April 30th. The Mayor asserted that the Commission has to set the priority policies and complete the evaluation of the City Manager during this time frame. He stated that he is open to however the Commission wants to move forward, in recognition of the length of the workshop. City Manager Pate stated that the Commission can set priorities and guidelines, but reminded the Commission that the budget has already been passed, so any goals and priorities that are set, will be for the next budget year. For his upcoming evaluation cycle, the Commission can have the City Attorney opine, but he doesn't think he can get it accomplished in two months. Therefore, the City Manager asserted that from his perspective, anything the Commission discusses would be for the next budget year because it can't be done this year. Mayor Pigatt stated that he has a little disagreement with what City Manager Pate stated. 21 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 City Manager Pate said that's fine in response to Mayor Pigatt's disagreement. Mayor Pigatt asserted that the City Manager works for the Commission. The Mayor added that any directives given on Commission priorities is the easiest way to create change. As an example, he said that if three of the Commissioners proposed monthly financial reports to begin being delivered by June that becomes the law which has to get done. The point as stated by the Mayor is to make sure the Commission is setting clear guidelines for the Manager with what they want done and when they want it done by. He added that this process will ensure that all of the ideas that the majority of the Commission supports, will get executed or will have the Manager provide a report on why it didn't get executed. Because the Mayor said the Commission has not set those priorities, he thinks it is very important because it is how the City is moved. Noting that the Commission can talk about the next fiscal year as well to make sure it's a part of the budget cycle, but the Mayor asserted that the Commission still has the ability to set priorities and asked the City Attorney to correct him if he is wrong. The Mayor then recognized Vice Mayor Williams. City Manager Pate requested to respond to the Mayor for the Commission. Mayor Pigatt recognized City Manager Pate. City Manager Pate asserted that when they are going over their priorities, he is more than happy to execute them, but asked them to think about the intent of the individual that is directing the priority. Additionally noting that the City Attorney wrote his contract, the Manager stated that both he and Mayor Pigatt can speak to the Attorney about any disagreement. Commissioner Taylor said he is a little confused. Mayor Pigatt asked Commissioner Taylor to wait, so that Vice Mayor Williams could address the Commission. Vice Mayor Williams said she is hearing Mayor Pigatt connect the Commission priorities to City Manager Pate's evaluation, and she asked if that was accurate. Mayor Pigatt confirmed that it is part of the contract. Vice Mayor Williams asked if that means that if City Manager Pate doesn't follow through with the Commission's priorities, there is an issue but if he does follow through those priorities, then he has satisfied the criteria for his evaluation. Mayor Pigatt asked the City Attorney to weigh in on that. Vice Mayor Williams explained that she is asking because Mayor Pigatt connected both the Commission's priorities and City Manager Pate's evaluation. 22 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner Taylor stated that's what he got from it too, and he hasn't worked with City Manager Pate long enough to even have an opinion. Vice Mayor Williams expressed that she did not know the Commission was going to be connecting the two, and thought that they were just going to discuss priorities. Mayor Pigatt asked the City Attorney to jump in. Assistant City Attorney Candice Cobb asked for clarification on what the question is. Vice Mayor Williams clarified that she wants to know if the Commission agrees on priorities and the City Manager does not complete them, if that is a breach of contract. Additionally the Vice Mayor asked if the City Manager does follow through on the Commission's priorities, then if that means he has met the criteria for his evaluation for the year. Assistant City Attorney Candice Cobb said she didn't have the contract right in front of her but she asserted that the priorities laid out by the Commission are the responsibility of the City Manager to carry out. The City Attorney added that the Manager's evaluation will be different this go around because of the amount of time that the Commission has been working with him. She also explained that the Commission can have an understanding as to when their priorities will be executed through the Manager. The City Attorney committed to look at the contract. Vice Mayor Williams acknowledged that Commissioner Taylor had a question, and stated that when the City Attorney finds the contract, the Commission can move forward with what Mayor Pigatt placed on the table. The Vice Mayor suggested that the Manager's office send a Microsoft form or Google survey to allow each Commission member to share their top four priorities that they individually want to see happen in the City. She added that the City Manager's office should bucket those priorities. As an example, the Vice Mayor said that if four out of five Commissioners identify infrastructure as a priority, then it would become the first goal the Commission talks about at the next workshop. Noting that when she stepped into office, priorities were already set, but may not have been the priorities that she would like to work on. The Vice Mayor asserted that if a poll is created for the Commission, then she thinks the next time this is workshopped, it can move a little bit faster. Mayor Pigatt summarized Vice Mayor Williams proposal suggesting that City Manager Pate send out a survey to have the Commission submit their top four priorities, and then have the Manager present all of the priorities and their fiscal impact, with the Commission then deciding how to rank them. Vice Mayor Williams reminded Mayor Pigatt that she had also suggested that the City Manager buckets the priorities so it looks like a priority tree, explaining that it will make it possible to know 23 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 which Commissioners were in agreement on similar priorities. The Vice Mayor asked Mr. Pate if he understood. City Manager Pate acknowledged that he fully understood. Vice Mayor Williams asked if the rest of the Commission understood and if they are in agreement. Mayor Pigatt asked if anyone else had any comments or questions, and recognized Commissioner Taylor. Commissioner Taylor indicated he is with the Vice Mayor and doesn't see what City Manager Pate's evaluation has to do with the Commission's priorities to make the City better. The Commissioner expressed that he was under the impression that this workshop was for the Commission to set priorities and goals for the betterment of the City, but then Mayor Pigatt brought up the Manager's evaluation, so it's coming across as if it is being done to control the City Manager and he doesn't see how the two have anything to do with one another. Noting that he has not worked with the Manager long enough to even have a bonafide opinion about him, he expressed that he doesn't feel he can be asked to evaluate him. Because he doesn't like it and thinks it is unfair for the Manager's evaluation to be based on priorities that he only has two months to get done, the Commissioner suggested that the language be separated. Mayor Pigatt stated that the Commission needs a little assistance on that because he had the same concems last year during this same time with only a few months, and he recalled that no evaluation took place. Noting that the Commission priorities and City Manager's evaluation are in the same section of the Manager's contract, the Mayor stated that the Commission has to do both. He reminded the Commission that he is not a contract specialist, and is only one person on the Commission. Commissioner Taylor reminded Mayor Pigatt that he was the one who explained what the Commission is doing, so they can only go by what he said. The Commissioner asserted that he thinks they should separate City Manager Pate's evaluation and at the workshop, just set the priorities of the Commission, because he came prepared to talk about how he wanted to see the City move forward. Mayor Pigatt explained that his understanding of the reason why he said the Commission has to do this in this time period is because those two things are interrelated, pointing out that the City Manager's contract stipulates March 1st to April 30th as the time period. The Mayor stated that if there is a different analysis, he is more than happy to adjust to that, but asserted that the main point is that the Commission has to lay out priorities so that the Manager has clear directives. He explained that without clear directives, the Manager is pushed and pulled in different directions, which can be a challenge. Asserting that the Commission priorities are the main focus, he summarized the proposal from Vice Mayor Williams to have the Commissioners submit their goals 24 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 to the Manager and he separates them and then presents them to the Commission. The Mayor asked if there is any other way that anyone else wants to propose to get the process done. Commissioner Davis stated that he preferred the old-fashioned way and suggested that the Commission workshop their priorities to discuss them. While respecting the opinions of how other Commissioners wish to move forward, the Commissioner expressed that he would like to do it in the sunshine and give an opportunity to have the community provide, as well as have an interactive dialogue with his colleagues so they can learn from each other while accepting each other's opinions and perspectives. Vice Mayor Williams clarified that she still wants to have a workshop and that what she proposed was for the ideology of the priorities to be identified on the front end. The Vice Mayor explained that in this way, when the Commission gets to the workshop, they will not be starting from the very first step. Summarizing her proposal, she explained that the priorities should be presented in a list to the City Manager's office so that they can bucket them and present the list to the Commission so that they can have a viable dialogue. Mayor Pigatt summarized what the Commissioners have expressed, including the Vice Mayor's proposal to submit priorities to the City Manager to then have a workshop, and Commissioner Davis' proposal to have the Commissioners share their priorities now and then have another workshop to finalize them. The Mayor then asked Commissioner Taylor what his thoughts were. Commissioner Taylor shared that he agreed with the Vice Mayor because if the Commissioners write down their priorities and give them to the City Manager, and then he organizes them and submits them back to the Commission, it will allow the Commissioners to have a discussion rather than just going around and not accomplishing anything. Mayor Pigatt explained to the Commission that they need to get this done in the time frame stipulated, and asked when the Commissioners want to have the next workshop on this. Commissioner Taylor asked if the City Manager's contract can be amended to provide more time, because he feels it is obvious that the Commission doesn't have enough time. Mayor Pigatt asked the City Attorney and the City Manager to address Commissioner Taylor's questions. City Manager Pate explained that over the last year and a half the only priorities he has been working on are the Mayor's, who according to the Manager's email history, was the only one who provided a list in the form of his four major challenges. The Manager expressed appreciation for the process of establishing the Commission's priorities and agreed it needs to be holistic and memorialized in writing, so that he is not getting direction from one person or being penalized by not following one person's vision. He added that his understanding of the intent of his contract 25 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 was that his priorities would have been issued last year during the budget period and he would be evaluated this mid -budget year based on his accomplishments. The Manager stated that it feels to him like the process is being railroaded because of the conversations about his evaluation having to be completed by April 30th, and he asked to be corrected if he was wrong. He asserted that he believes in any professional workplace, it is unrealistic to provide priorities and then evaluate him within a two -month period based on whether those priorities and directives were achieved or not. Assistant City Attorney Candice Cobb explained that generally the review of the City Manager would include his performance thus far, based on what he has already accomplished. The City Attorney added that the next time the Commission evaluates the Manager, would be when they have had additional time with him and the priorities that the Commission is discussing will be a factor down the pipeline. Mayor Pigatt reminded the Commission that this is not the first time they have had a Commission priorities workshop, noting that there have been multiple workshops over the course of the years. The Mayor stated that it's always been very difficult to get priorities listed out. Referring to those who addressed the Mayor setting priorities, he said that he was very clear about the City's four major challenges which he set during the State of City Address when the City was literally in the midst of a financial crisis. He explained that all he did was categorize the challenges, making sure that the Commission does the things that are fundamental to them operating as a City. The Mayor added that these haven't been his personal priorities. Recalling that at every single meeting, he has talked about strategic planning, so that the Commission gets its ideas together and lays them out, the Mayor also mentioned the resolution the Commission had to put this in place. Pointing out that the Commission stated that they wanted to have a workshop to discuss the priorities, he has asked at each meeting when the Commission wanted to schedule the workshop, and noted that the purpose of this meeting was to do just that. Asserting that the priorities are about making sure that the Commission does its duty, the Mayor assured the rest of the Commission that he is not tied to any priorities and just wants to ensure that all of the Commissioners get their priorities laid out and that they determine their priorities together as a Commission. The Mayor asked to confirm if the Commission wanted to submit the information to the Manager and then decide where they will go from there. Commissioner Davis confirmed that he is in agreement, and clarified that he wasn't in favor of having a conversation tonight, stating that he is amenable to workshopping the priorities at a later date. The Commissioner added that he also supports the proposal to have his colleagues submit something in writing prior to the workshop, to move things along. Mayor Pigatt asked for a timeline to submit priorities to the Manager and when the Commission wants to make sure that the Manager is prepared to have this conversation. Commissioner Taylor acknowledged that while he can't speak for the rest of the Commission, that he can send his priorities via email in a week. 26 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner Davis also acknowledged that the one week timeline works for him. Mayor Pigatt confirmed that the Commission will submit their priorities by next Thursday and asked City Manager Pate how long he would need to organize the ideas. City Manager Pate stated that he would need a week or less for basic organization and just putting everything together in a document, noting that he will not have any financial impact data available because the Commission has to agree to the priorities first. Mayor Pigatt recapped that the Commission will submit priorities by March 11th and the Manager will be ready to discuss them by the 18th, and he then asked the Commission when they want to have a workshop to discuss those priorities. Vice Mayor Williams asked Mayor Pigatt if a separate workshop from the events workshop on March 18th is being proposed. Mayor Pigatt expressed that he thinks the events workshop is going to take quite a bit of time. Pointing out that he proposed that the Commission talk about this, the Mayor said he wanted to figure out what they are going to do with events and Commission priorities. Reminding the Commission that they have the events workshop scheduled on March 18th in addition to a March 31st workshop date, he noted that it looks like the Commission wants to do more workshops. The Mayor asked if the Commission wants to have the priorities workshop on the 31st, or if they want to have a workshop before then and then another one on 31st. Vice Mayor Williams stated she was confused. Commissioner Taylor asked for clarification on the dates for the Commission meetings, noting that she believed they were scheduled for March 10th and 24th. Mayor Pigatt confirmed the dates Commissioner T had were correct, and added that there is a CRA meeting on March 17th, and workshops on March 18th and the 31st. Commissioner Taylor asked Mayor Pigatt if he was proposing that the workshop on March 31st becomes a workshop for the Commission priorities. Mayor Pigatt stated that is what the Commission has set right now, but he wondered if they need to do anything more than that, noting in summary, that if the Commission submits its priorities by March 11 th and the Manager submits his information to the Commission by the 18th, then the next workshop is going to be on the 31st. The Mayor asked the Commission if they wanted to do a different time. Commissioner Taylor noted that the Mayor stated there will be a workshop on March 31st and asked why he was polling the Commission, considering that the Commission said they needed a 27 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 week to submit their priorities and that the City Manager stated he needed a week to organize the priorities, and it is three weeks out from March 31st, providing more than enough time to the Commission and the Manager to prepare. Vice Mayor Williams acknowledged that the events workshop is scheduled on March 18th and proposed that the Commission priorities workshop be scheduled on March 31st. Commissioner Taylor affirmed that he agrees with that. Mayor Pigatt also acknowledged that as the planned schedule and encouraged the Commission to close this out. The Mayor said that the Commission will discuss the events policy on March 18th and asked City Manager Pate when he will provide the packet prior to the 18th so that they can be prepared with questions and thoughts. City Manager Pate stated that if he is being asked just to gather information and put it together, he can have the packet ready by March 19th, but if he is being asked for financial impact data and additional research, then he will need a little bit longer. Mayor Pigatt clarified that he was referring to the events policy workshop on March 18th. City Manager Pate stated that he will provide the events policy packet to the Commission by Monday, March 15th. Mayor Pigatt noted that City Manager Pate already has the Commission's thoughts for the events policy and summarized the up -coming meetings, explaining that by March 15th the Commission will get the agenda packet for the events policy workshop which is scheduled for March 18th. The Mayor added that the Commission is looking for two resolutions, one to pass the event handbook and a different one to manage Commission events. Additionally, the Mayor recapped the Commission priorities workshop plan with the Commission submitting all of their thoughts to the Manager who will put them together and then present them for discussion on March 31st. The Mayor then asked if any of the Commissioners had anything else to say before the workshop was closed out. Vice Mayor Williams said she had a question that falls under the Commission's priorities. In consideration of the workshop setting being the only place where the Commissioners can have a conversation in the sunshine, the Vice Mayor expressed her concern about what is going on between the Mayor and the Manager in terms of the ACLU lawsuit. She asserted that she would like to have some answers because what one person on the Commission does, affects the entire Commission. Recalling that at the last Commission meeting there was a discussion about Mr. Logan and the issues with paying his bill, the Vice Mayor reported that she received an email with information about Mayor Pigatt being involved in litigation attached to Mr. Logan, against the City Manager. She expressed that it feels like the Commission is not working as one, and that she 28 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 would like to know what is going on because she doesn't want to be sideswiped when it comes out. Mayor Pigatt thanked Vice Mayor Williams for bringing up the issue. The Mayor encouraged the Commissioners to look at the emails that City Manager Pate sent, on which all of the Commission was copied while making allegations that are unfounded. He stated that this started with the police chief search, with an email that was sent out about a public records request the Mayor made, and the Manager put in writing completely unfounded allegations of bullying and accused the Mayor of having a preselected pick. To make sure that there were no issues, the Mayor explained that a few weeks ago he personally stopped having meetings and discussions outside of the Commission's agenda briefings and City Manager meetings. He reminded the Commission that on Monday of last week they all received an email from the Manager with a reply to a lady that had submitted an inquiry to the Mayor's office on Facebook, which the Mayor responded to by asking her to send him an email that was forwarded to the Manager's office. Expressing that he felt the email was inappropriate on a few levels, the Mayor recalled that in the email, the Manager stated that Opa-locka has a weak Mayor and strong Manager form of government, that the Mayor has only one vote, and that if they want to continue the conversations they have to exclude the Mayor despite him being an elected official. Considering that he had never heard of such a form of government or someone being told not to communicate with an elected official, and that he had never had a conversation with the lady at all, the Mayor shared that it was shocking to him to receive an email with that language. Less than an hour or two later, he reported having been in a meeting with someone who had called the office. In the middle of the meeting which had been setup through Legislative Aide Grice, Assistant City Manager Ellis joined the meeting despite not having been invited because at the time it wasn't a conversation for Management, which the Mayor explained is why he didn't let them into the meeting. As the Mayor explained it, while he was still on the phone having a conversation with the person, an email was sent stating that he could not utilize Zoom to meet with anybody. Recognizing that emails are public record and anybody can request to see those emails, the Mayor stated that the emails got to certain people, and the Opa- locka CDC made their own inquiries. Assuring the Commission that he has never spoken to the ACLU or the young lady, the Mayor shared that the ACLU is moving on those matters. Additionally, he reminded the Commission that they can't reply to all because of sunshine laws. Despite the inaccuracies in the emails, the Mayor expressed that he doesn't like all this drama and that he keeps moving to do his job and is very direct about what needs to be done in the City. Expressing concerns about the emails telling a constituent not to communicate with him, and that the Manager acted like he has the right to remove and revoke the Commission's ability to have meetings. Because all of the members of the Commission were duly elected, if the Manager has the right to tell them they can't meet with anybody, the Mayor believes that is a problem. Per the Mayor, he was contacted by the ACLU yesterday to speak with him about this, and he thinks these are very inappropriate moves that no staff or anybody should have to deal with and that the Commission needs to address. 29 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Commissioner Taylor asked Mayor Pigatt if he ever contacted the ACLU. Mayor Pigatt stated he had not. Commissioner Taylor expressed that he thought the same thing Vice Mayor Williams did because the ACLU made it seem like they were filing the complaint jointly with the Mayor. Mayor Pigatt stated that they can say whatever they want in emails, but that he had never reached out or spoken to anyone in regards to the ACLU. Bringing up the issue with the Opa-locka CDC, the Mayor reported that in February they reached out to him to make a presentation, in the same way constituents present ideas to elected officials all the time. He shared that they presented some amazing information and he recommended that they should go before the Commission. Assuring the Commission that he was completely unaware about the situation with the 300, the Mayor did state that during his meeting, he was reminded about the situation with them not paying debt. Recalling that the Commission had that conversation last year, he also remembered talking about making sure there was a person managing the property of Town Center One. As he had asserted during the agenda briefing, the Mayor said he did not like that coming up without all of the Commissioners being informed and briefed, nor did he like the appearance as if there is something going on that is completely inappropriate. The Mayor reminded the Commission that the Opa- locka CDC is a non-profit within the City, who are tenants of Town Center One with a contract that is completely under the auspices of the Manager. He asked if that answered Commissioner Taylor's question. Commissioner Taylor stated that for the most part, it had. The Commissioner expressed that he wishes the Commission would have resolved this matter internally before it blew up and now everybody is involved. He said that it seemed to him like the war between the Mayor and the Manager had been brewing for a while now, and asserted that if the Commission is going to move forward, then they have to work together. Mayor Pigatt expressed that he wanted to make clear that he does not like rumors. He shared that there have been many rumors about whether or not he lives within the City and what he is going to do and who he is going to fire, but he doesn't pay attention to those rumors because it's a very small group of people in Opa-locka that engage in spreading rumors. The Mayor asserted that there is no war from his perspective. He stated that he does his weekly meetings and agenda briefings, and many of the people that are participating in this workshop are part of those meetings. The Mayor added that he doesn't do anything outside of the City Manager meetings, agenda briefings and Commission meetings. Adding that when the initial email was sent about a public records request with allegations that involved a third -party contractor, it should have been addressed right then and there, but he pointed out that he is only one of five. The Mayor stated that it was on them because they are the Commission. 30 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 City Manager Pate expressed appreciation for Mayor Pigatt's comments and stated that he did so with a humble heart. After stating that he assumed a resolution was being moved towards last week, the Manager reported calling the Mayor on Saturday to give him an update on Glorietta Gardens and then on Monday the Manager stated the Mayor told him he was not answering any of his calls unless it's an emergency. The Manager also stated that he was caught off guard about the ACLU situation, and that he and Assistant City Manager Ellis together with Building & Licensing Director Daniel Abia and other staff members have met with Ms. Goldwyer via Zoom, asserting that she was never denied her first amendment right. He explained that his statement was made because of the suspicious timing of the DERM consent decree in the Building Department and the lady wanting to provide advice to the Building Department. The Manager added that when he spoke to the young lady on the phone with Mr. Ellis on the line, she said she had conversations with the Mayor in regards to the Building Department. With respect to the recruiter email, the Manager said that both he and Mr. Ellis called the Mayor while he was en route to have lunch with a reverend that was interested in being the chief of police of Opa-locka. The Manager shared that he told the Mayor he didn't think he needed to have that meeting because the reverend had solicited the Manager on several occasions and potentially was going to be an applicant in the recruitment process. Asserting that he does not throw out blanket statements, the Manager did acknowledge that when he writes emails there are thoughts that could be wrong. The Manager expressed that he is sincerely trying his best to protect the City from any liability. He pointed out that in Commission meetings, the Mayor makes open statements about certain department's reviews being completed when it's openly known that the Mayor has issues with certain department heads that work for the City, and that as the Manager he just wants to protect staff. The Manager also shared that on a call yesterday, he told the Mayor that he is trying to move things forward, and that the Mayor said he had gotten advice from multiple attorneys. Due to the Manager stating that the Mayor told him he had not received guidance from the City Attorney on how to resolve the matter, the Manager said he found it strange to see an email from the ACLU with the Mayor's name on it regarding an inquiry from the CDC on a violation of somebody's first amendment rights. Noting that he is about to request that the Commission vote next week to start legal proceedings to evict that organization, after the Manager already sent a 30 -day letter a couple of weeks ago, he re- asserted that the timing was strange. Assuring the commission that everything he has done is above board, the Manager shared that he copied the Commission on emails because they need to be aware of these things and he has staff that can attest to these conversations. Just yesterday, the Manager recalled that the Mayor proclaimed how fond he was of Willie Logan and how amazing he was as the youngest Mayor of Opa-locka as the matter was being discussed, clearly showing what his position is with the Opa-locka CDC. The Manager also reported receiving communication from the Opa-locka CDC today, to which he responded to by telling them that because they went to the ACLU, he would not talk to them without an attorney. Recalling that early on in his career in the City, all he did was try to protect the Mayor from ethics violations, the Manager told the Mayor that if he wants to open himself up to them, then he is going to stop writing emails and is going to allow staff to do it. The Manager also remembered telling the Mayor that 31 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 he felt as if he had placed him in a hostile work environment on multiple occasions, despite him trying his best. He additionally expressed that he felt the Mayor is the only one beating him up on both the previous Commission and the new Commission. In the Commission meetings, the Manager said the discussions about priorities and strategies have been about the Mayor's priorities and strategies, and what he has accomplished, not what the City's accomplished, and that it's been one-sided for a year and a half. Because of what he's observed, the Manager said he is telling the new Commission that he would like to have priorities and goals that are more than just the Mayor's directives. The Manager then pointed out that it is also a matter of public record that he has resolutions passed every month directing him to have a new mandate with a new report required, just because he says no to the Mayor. He noted that he was a little emotional and that his voice was shaking because this is very serious to him as his livelihood. Referring once again to the emails he forwarded, the Manager apologized if the Mayor finds them a little up front, assuring him that it is not his goal to degrade him. He also pointed out that the Mayor shared the email with elected officials including County Commissioners, adding that the Miami Herald has requested one year history of all the emails between the Mayor and the Manager. As the Mayor asked him to look into the mirror, the Manager too asked him to look into the mirror too. Mayor Pigatt reminded Mr. Pate that the Commission brought him to Opa-locka as the City Manager as a former chief of police and internal auditor, and that one of his duties is to report all issues of violations, which the Mayor strongly encouraged him to do. Noting that allegations are not conducive to great working relationships, the Mayor asserted that no elected official should have to worry about what they say and what's being put forth as an ethics violation. The Mayor emphatically stated that he has not done anything wrong. He then addressed the allegation about the meeting with a potential person, noting that people want to meet with the elected officials all the time, and explained that when he was going to a meeting with someone with a pastor, the Mayor confirmed that Manager called and warned him that the pastor is connected to a potential applicant and that meeting never took place. Additionally, the Mayor shared that he told the pastor not to do that ever again, even though he believes the meeting was scheduled before the City started the process and that he never heard their name in connection with the police chief search. Acknowledging that he and others on the Commission have expressed their displeasure with departments, he asserted that they have a right to do that to the Manager per the charter as part of the administrative code. The Mayor expressed that he is very concerned that elected officials asking questions and asking for reports on challenges that the City is facing, is being taken as hostile bullying. He asserted that this is something that needs to be addressed now and asked his colleagues to weigh in because he doesn't like this being one against the other. The Mayor stated that in Opa-locka everything is about the people that elected them and he reminded the Commission that he was elected when the City was not right on many levels because of people not asking questions, not holding management accountable. He believes that the people that elected him, want him to ask questions and hold this government accountable, which he committed to continue doing. Directing his questions to his colleagues, the Mayor asked them if they think that the emails that were sent on Monday and Tuesday were appropriate and whether or not they believe 32 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 that the Manager has the right to take away their ability to meet with constituents, and if that should be the policy and procedure in the City of Opa-locka. City Manager Pate asked Mayor Pigatt if he could respond because he asked a loaded question. Mayor Pigatt asked City Manager Pate to wait, because his questions were for the Commission. Commissioner Taylor suggested that the meeting be ended because it was getting out of hand. Acknowledging that Mayor Pigatt answered Vice Mayor Williams' question, and stating that this is not going to help the situation, the Commissioner asserted that they should move forward for the betterment of the City. Urging the Commission to work together, he added that the answers to the questions posed by Mayor Pigatt are not necessary at this point. Mayor Pigatt acknowledged hearing Commissioner Taylor's opinion and asked for Vice Mayor Williams' opinion. Vice Mayor Williams stated that she wanted to hear the opinion of the other two Commissioners that have been on the Commission longer than her. Mayor Pigatt recognized Commissioner Davis. Commissioner Davis stated that he has been clear on his position which he said he has expressed several times on the dais and to anyone who has asked him. Affirming that he understands how this form of government operates, the Commissioner applauded Mayor Pigatt for taking on the challenges and actually leading the City to the path that the Commission is following to reform the City. The Commissioner's intemet connection then began being intermittently interrupted. Mayor Pigatt informed Commissioner Davis that his interne connection went out and asserted that the Commission has to have this conversation and that he thinks it should be an in -person workshop so that the Commission can be clear. The Mayor expressed that he does not like working under these conditions at all. City Manager Pate asked to be recognized. Mayor Pigatt asked Vice Mayor Williams if she had anything else. Vice Mayor Williams stated that she is still trying to analyze and internalize everything. The Vice Mayor recalled that everyone on the Commission, including the Mayor ran on the principle of change, and she recognized as Commissioner Davis did, that a lot has moved forward with the City under the Mayor's leadership as well as under the leadership of the City Manager. She described the situation as being at a crossroad where she is hearing two different stories, with a lot of outside bickering and conversations that the Commission is not privy to. In her opinion, the statement in the email was troubling, but she acknowledged that the Manager sent out a retraction 33 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 and apologized. She shared that she thinks the apology was delivered because the Commission said the Manager's statement may not have been the most appropriate. The Vice Mayor asked how the Commission can come together, recalling that over the months that she has sat on the Commission, she has heard a lot of the Mayor's priorities and "I" statements. She explained that is why she pushed to have the strategic planning meeting. Expressing that she feels the Commission is not acting as one board, she asserted that she did not run for office to be in any scandals like Opa-locka is used to, adding that she did not run for office to be bickering between one side and the other either. Recognizing that the mediations that have taken place have not worked, the Vice Mayor said that something has to happen. The Vice Mayor stated her concerns about the litigation that is about to begin with the Mayor's name attached to it, and explained that is why she brought it up, not knowing how to move forward. While she said she didn't know about all of the talking that City employees were engaging in, she stated that she sees it now and said that people are funneling out too much information. She proposed to the City Attorney that despite a lot of things being public record, the City needs to have a confidentiality statement for all of the employees, because too many of them are connected to many people and she said that we're becoming our own enemies. Reflecting on the situation between the Mayor and the Manager, the Vice Mayor said there is too much passion, too many feelings and that people are reactionary and not thinking about things before responses go out, so she encouraged them to take a step back, to have conversations, and determine the one thing they can do to change so that the Commission can move forward as a board. She emphatically stated that what she doesn't want is to have negative press, because her goal is to change the perception of Opa-locka. While she doesn't know how and acknowledged that it's not going to happen overnight but, the Vice Mayor stated that the Commission has to fix this. Mayor Pigatt stated that he would love for the Commission to get past this ASAP. The Mayor reported that when that initial email about police went out, one of the things he did was to relegate meetings to agenda briefings and weekly meetings because he thinks the emotional and personal issues are too much. Recognizing that the Commission needs to do the job they were elected to do m a professional way, the Mayor asserted that they need to figure out how to resolve this ASAP. The Mayor informed the Commission that he is personally going to relegate his conversations with the Manager to meetings with other people in them, and that he will of course answer the phone for emergencies, which he noted there are ways to inform him of. Asserting that he supports ensuring that the Commission figures this out, he said that the conversation about priorities is fundamental to that. The Mayor then recalled that Commissioner Davis had gotten cut off and asked if he was back. Commissioner Davis confirmed he was there, but that he was in a bad spot for his internet connection and thus would reserve his comments for whatever public forum the Commission decides to schedule. 34 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Mayor Pigatt expressed his appreciation for Vice Mayor Williams' leadership and for bringing up this issue. The Mayor stated that he would be more than happy to figure out how the Commission can have a meeting to come to some type of resolution and clarify goals to be able to move forward. He said that this has attempted to be discussed in meetings, but emails, allegations and rumors keep coming and are not stopping. Noting that he has never spoken about this before this meeting because he doesn't care for the drama, the Mayor expressed wanting to put a nail in it. He pointed out that over the past few years, people always say that the amount of negative publicity in Opa- locka has gone down tremendously, which the Mayor attributed to how the Commission conducts public meetings, what they say in those meetings and how they move as a Commission in addressing these issues. The Mayor asserted that it is very important for the sake of all those who love and respect the City to know that its elected officials and administration are representing the City as best as possible in word and deed every single time they speak, have meetings and write emails, ensuring that they are representative of the people that they represent. City Manager Pate reminded Mayor Pigatt that the Commission has not heard from Commissioner Burke. Mayor Pigatt reported that Commissioner Burke was no longer connected to the meeting. City Manager Pate asked to make a statement. Mayor Pigatt asked City Manager Pate to go ahead with his statement. City Manager Pate stated that he is open to whatever anybody wants to do and reported that he has spoken to each Commissioner individually in regards to his feelings on the matter. Because he recalled that last week the Mayor had expressed much respect on multiple levels, the Manager said he thought they were in a different place when the Mayor said he was not going to take the Manager's phone calls. In an attempt to clarify the situation with Zoom, the Manager explained that while he took the Mayor's administrative privileges away, he has had meetings ever since that email and the Manager said he has never restricted the Mayor from having meetings. Additionally, the Manager said the reason he canceled the Monday meetings and agenda briefings was because he doesn't feel comfortable being in the same environment that the Mayor is in. The Manager said that as he emotionally made his statement, he did not feel that the Mayor acknowledged anything that he said and denied everything, not admitting that he could have done anything remotely wrong, taking the stance that he is perfect and everything is fine. He asserted that he can't work with somebody like that and be in meetings where he feels like he is being targeted by the Mayor. The Manager suggested that they can poll Commissioners Kelley and Bass as members of the old Commission in addition to the new Commissioners, and he offered assurances that he has never said a disrespectful word to anybody, while he felt that the Mayor portrayed him to be a horrible person, engaging in what the Manager characterized as defamation of his character. He expressed that he felt that the Mayor wanted to schedule a workshop to discuss his performance and what he is doing wrong, in his opinion, to defame him even more. The Manager asserted that if he was 35 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 man enough to apologize for doing something wrong and acknowledging that he should have said something different, the Mayor should give him something. He expressed that he felt the Mayor was just sitting there with a straight face and a pre -written speech, not taking any type of accountability for anything. He added that he feels that he is moving the city forward, but that he has letters on his desk from staff that are concerned because they feel like they work in a hostile work environment because of the Mayor. Sharing the complaints from staff about the Monday meetings when they feel they are being pulled with all of the reports that are being required, while the Manager noted that none of the other Commissioners are requesting the extensive amount of reports that the Mayor is requesting. While expressing concern for what he called a skewed look, the Manager asserted that he will take appropriate action, and clarified he meant legal action, to ensure that the Mayor didn't feel like he was threatening his person. Mayor Pigatt recognized Vice Mayor Williams. Vice Mayor Williams stated that she wanted to table this discussion, and said that she doesn't think a workshop is needed for this. Explaining that she brought it up so that the Commission could talk about it, she said that she thinks a lot has been said but that they are just going to continue to go back and forth, with it not looking like the situation will come to a resolution for now. Mayor Pigatt asked when the Commission will get a resolution, and stated that last week the Manager said he wouldn't make any briefings, reminding the Commission that those are meetings with quite a few others. The Mayor expressed that he doesn't think anybody would say that a question he's asked has been inappropriate or wrong, noting that he does ask quite a bit of questions because the Commission has a lot of issues that the City must tackle. He added that the Manager has stated to not have meetings in any environment, whether they be workshops, weekly meetings or agenda briefmgs, and that the Manager has written and publicly stated that he wants to completely stop providing any information and allowing the Mayor as an elected official, to have the opportunity to ask questions about what's coming before the Commission on its agenda. City Manager Pate stated that Mayor Pigatt is the only one of the whole Commission who wants to have these meetings. Mayor Pigatt reminded the Commission that they completed a training with the Florida League of Cities, during which they stated that it is appropriate and good for elected officials to have weekly meetings with their City Manager. The Mayor added that just because he is the only one that is requesting those meetings, does not make it wrong. Additionally, the Mayor said that he thinks the Commission needs to be clear about whether or not they are going to allow the Manager to say he is not going to meet with duly elected representatives or with anybody, considering that they are residents of the City as well The Mayor stated that he feels it would be an affront to the people that put him in office to just move on, because he believes it does not allow him to do his job and will make the Commission completely inept, if he is not able to speak to anyone about the challenges that people come to him with. He asked the Commission to remember that he is the 36 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 point person that everyone comes to as the Mayor, and thus he has many meetings because it is part of the job of being Mayor. He asserted that if the Commission is not going to address it at this workshop, they need to address it ASAP. City Manager Pate said that he could address Mayor Pigatt's statement immediately, stating that Assistant City Manager Ellis will be free to meet with the Mayor and the Commission during those meetings with staff, so that the Mayor doesn't feel like he doesn't have any information. The Manager reminded the Mayor and the Commission that the presence of the Assistant City Manager at meetings with staff is required so that it doesn't look like they are intermingling with day-to- day operations of the City. Expressing that he feels any conversation that he has with the Mayor is futile unless there is a mediator, the Manager said he has made those requests multiple times but the Mayor has refused. He reported that the Mayor has put people on phone calls as witnesses when the Manager tries to call him, but has never attempted to formally sit down and mediate with the Manager. While asserting that he thinks this can be resolved between him and the Mayor, he recalled just having had a meeting with him yesterday and on Monday. The Manager said that based on the Mayor's statements on the ACLU allegation between him and the CDC, he does not know how he could feel comfortable sitting in a meeting with the Mayor. Mayor Pigatt recognized Vice Mayor Williams. Vice Mayor Williams stated that the situation is very sticky and that she gets the sense that the more the Commission goes around, the more things are going to come out that shouldn't, but clarified that she is not saying that the Commission should just cut off the conversation. The Vice Mayor reminded the Commission that they are elected officials. She shared that she thinks there were some inconsistencies in what was said about the Commission priorities. The Vice Mayor then asserted that as elected officials, if any of them ask for agenda briefings, she thinks it helps them and the Clerk's office. Considering the position of the City Manager saying he's not comfortable when he meets with the Mayor, she said that she thinks that what's being stated during this workshop is not what's been happening behind the scenes when the Mayor and Manager meet. She proposed that a sense of decorum and norms be established during those meetings, so that Mr. Pate does not feel attacked, adding that the Commission is not privy to those meetings. The Vice Mayor asked City Attorney Weeks to assist with establishing the norms. Noting that the Commission doesn't want the staff in the City Manager's office to feel like they are against them, she did assert that there is a level of respect that the Commission deserves and acknowledged that it has happened for her. While she said she did not know how the other Commissioners feel, she acknowledged that they probably feel tom in the middle. Mayor Pigatt clarified that there are always other people in the meetings, including the Legislative Aide and Assistant City Manager in every meeting, Mr. Anathan and Mr. Austin in the Monday meetings, and the City Clerk and City Attorney on agenda briefing meetings. The Mayor asked the Commission to check with the others that are in those meetings and see if he is any different, 37 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 assuring them that's not the case and that the same level of professionalism he has at Commission meetings, he brings to the Monday meetings and the agenda briefings. He explained that is why he cut off all other communications, because as an elected official he only has these work meetings to be able to speak to the Commission, with laid out agendas and public records requirements, and he committed that he is going to be straight up and real with them. Pointing out that the City is a body, the Mayor asserted that this is not an attack on just one person. He asked the Commission to consider that these things lead to lawsuits, as was mentioned and has happened in the past with other appointed officials, in addition to employees setting up lawsuits against the City while looking for other jobs. He urged the Commission to be clear about this and to have this discussion in person because a virtual meeting isn't really the place for it, noting that the five elected officials are the authority within the City. The Mayor then proposed that the meeting wrap up because it had been long. City Manager Pate asked to be recognized. Mayor Pigatt asked City Manager Pate to wait and asked Commissioners Taylor and Davis if they had anything else to add. City Manager Pate stated that the Mayor defamed him and made an allegation during his speech, insinuating that he is trying to set the City up for litigation and is looking for another job. The Manager asked if that was conducive and if everybody else heard it. He then asserted that he is done and has nothing else to say, and that the Mayor's meetings will be set up appropriately with the Assistant City Manager. Commissioner Taylor again repeated that the meeting needed to be wrapped up because the discussion was not very productive and didn't seem to be coming to a resolution. Pointing out that both the Mayor and Manager said they were willing to meet to do business respectfully, he acknowledged that it was almost 9:00 PM and the meeting began at 5:30 PM and that this portion of the meeting was longer than anything that was on the agenda, and thus the Commissioner proposed to adjourn the meeting. Mayor Pigatt asked Commissioner Davis if he had anything to say before the meeting was wrapped up. Commissioner Davis stated that he would reserve his comments to a later date, and he thinks his colleagues agree with him, suggesting that the Commission call it a night. Mayor Pigatt stated that he will bring this up at the next Commission meeting. Vice Mayor Williams stated that before the motion to adjourn is made, she wanted to ask Mayor Pigatt to think about his plan to bring this up at the Commission meeting, and proposed that it be brought up at a workshop instead. 38 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021 Mayor Pigatt suggested that it be brought up at a workshop in person. Vice Mayor Williams confirmed she was fine with that. Mayor Pigatt suggested that the Commission can deal with this issue after they go through their priorities in person at the March 31st workshop. 7. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the City Commission, it was moved by Vice Mayor Williams, seconded by Commissioner Taylor to adjourn the meeting at 8:46 p.m. Matthew A. Pigatt Mayor ATTEST: Jo Flores, CMC CiJty Clerk 39 Virtual Workshop Meeting Minutes — March 4, 2021