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HomeMy Public PortalAbout09-September 13, 2016 First Budget Hearing CITY OF OPA-LOCKA "The Great City" CLERK'S ACTION SUMMARY MINUTES FIRST BUDGET HEARING TUESDAY, September 13, 2016 5:01 P.M. Sherbondy Village Auditorium 215 President Barack Obama (Perviz) Avenue Opa-locka,FL 33054 1. CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Myra Taylor called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 in the Auditorium at Sherbondy Village, 215 President Barack Obama (Perviz) Avenue, Opa-locka, Florida. 2. ROLL CALL: The following members of the City Commission were present: Mayor Myra L. Taylor, Vice Mayor Timothy Holmes, Commissioner Joseph L. Kelley and Commissioner John B. Riley. Also in attendance were: Acting City Manager Yvette Harrell, City Attorney Vincent T. Brown, and City Clerk Joanna Flores. Commissioner Luis B. Santiago arrived at 5:18 p.m. 3. INVOCATION: The invocation was delivered by Commissioner John B. Riley. 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison. Merritt Steirheim, Deputy City Manager, said that he previously provided an unfinished report to the city commission and the state oversight board and he will touch on a few key points. The report is unfinished because it is fluid. The budget has been under estimated and there is a lot of numbers that needs to be figured out and reported. The City will end the fiscal year in the red which is a violation of state law. For the year to end in the black, funds will have to be taken from the utility reserves to balance the budget. The City will try not to take anything from the general fund reserves. The proposed budget will be extremely tight and there is no room for anything. The administration needs to be professionalized and it cannot be done without money. The deficiencies are great and there is a lack of accountability on the part of staff. There is no free money! If the City is lucky, it might be able to receive the tax money early, but there is no free money. A loan might be obtained, but it will need to be paid back. He recommended that the millage rate remain where it is. He said that he will have additional recommendations for the commission at the end of the week. City Manager Harrell said that she has been working side by side with Mr. Steirheim, and she shared his recommendation to leave the millage rate as is as it will have an impact on the budget. First Budget Hearing Minutes—09/13/2016 1 Mayor Taylor acknowledged Mr. Lazaro Solis from the tax appraiser's office. He is there to make himself available to residents and answer any questions they may have regarding appealing their tax bill. She asked him to come before the commission and speak. Lazaro Solis, 13391 SW 41st Lane, Miami FL said that he is there to answer assessment questions from the residents. 5. FIRST READING ORDINANCES/PUBLIC HEARING: a) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF OPA- LOCKA, FLORIDA, ADOPTING A FINAL MILLAGE RATE PURSUANT TO SECTION 200.065, FLORIDA STATUTES, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017, SETTING FORTH PUBLIC HEARING DATES; PROVIDING FOR INCORPORATION OF RECITALS; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ALL PRIOR ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABLITY; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Sponsored by City Manager The above ordinance was read by title by Attorney Brown. Mayor Taylor opened the floor for a public hearing, there being no persons to speak on the public hearing, the public hearing was closed. It was moved by Commissioner Kelley, seconded by Vice Mayor Holmes to pass the ordinance. There being no further discussion, the motion on the ordinance passed by a 3-2 vote. Commissioner Kelley No Commissioner Riley Yes Commissioner Santiago No Vice Mayor Holmes Yes Mayor Taylor Yes b) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF OPA- LOCKA, FLORIDA, APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017, COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2016, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2017; PROVIDING FOR THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS ESTABLISHED BY THE BUDGET; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS; PROVIDING FOR APPROPRIATION OF ALL BUDGET EXPENDITURES; PROVIDING FOR FEES CONSISTENT WITH APPROPRIATION AND AMENDMENT; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT AND REPEALER; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCORPORATION OF RECITALS; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Sponsored by City Manager The above ordinance was read by title by Attorney Brown. Mayor Taylor opened the floor for a public hearing. Naeem Uddin, Vice President of Grace & Naeem Uddin Inc., asked the commission if there was a line item in the budget for the city hall renovations. First Budget Hearing Minutes—09/13/2016 2 City Manager Harrell said, "Yes there is." She said it is in the budget as capital improvement projects which consists of all of the projects in the City. Mr. Uddin asked where in the budget the funds were for the city hall project. He also requested a copy of the proposed budget for FY 2016—2017. Mayor Taylor asked Mr. Uddin to speak with the finance director regarding his request. There being no persons to speak on the public hearing, the public hearing was closed. It was moved by Commissioner Riley, seconded by Commissioner Santiago for discussion. Commissioner Santiago said that he missed the workshop last week and he was not able to sit with the city manager and discuss the budget. There are a lot of questions regarding the budget and the state is waiting on the City to submit the proposed budget. He said that there is an error in the 3rd whereas of the supporting documents for the ordinance. City Manager Harrell said that there is an error and the budget year should read FY 2016—2017. Commissioner Santiago said that the City needs to ensure that the budget is correct and also only spend the monies that are available. The high salaries need to be adjusted and everyone needs to sacrifice. Commissioner Riley said that there has been no proposed numbers for a bridge loan and a team has to be put together to determine what that amount will be. Commissioner Kelley said that it was mentioned that there will be organizational structure changes and he hopes that it does not mean layoffs. City Manager Harrell said that there has been no agreement with the unions and the budget was created to reflect that everyone who is currently employed with the City will remain employed. There being no further discussion, the motion on the ordinance passed by a 4-1 vote. Commissioner Riley Yes Commissioner Santiago Yes Vice Mayor Holmes Yes Commissioner Kelley No Mayor Taylor Yes c) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF OPA- LOCKA, FLORIDA, APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE CITY'S PROPRIETARY AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUND BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017, COMMENCING OCTOBER 1, 2016, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2017; PROVIDING FOR THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS ESTABLISHED BY THE BUDGET; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS; PROVIDING FOR APPROPRIATION OF ALL BUDGET EXPENDITURES; PROVIDING FOR FEES CONSISTENT WITH APPROPRIATION AND AMENDMENT; PROVIDING FOR INCORPORATION OF RECITALS; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ALL First Budget Hearing Minutes—09/13/2016 3 ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.Sponsored by City Manager The above ordinance was read by title by Attorney Brown. Mayor Taylor opened the floor for a public hearing, there being no persons to speak on the public hearing, the public hearing was closed. It was moved by Commissioner Riley, seconded by Vice Mayor Holmes to pass the ordinance. There being no further discussion, the motion on the ordinance passed by a 5-0 vote. Commissioner Santiago Yes Vice Mayor Holmes Yes Commissioner Kelley Yes Commissioner Riley Yes Mayor Taylor Yes Mayor Taylor said that a resolution was passed to use reserve funds to make payroll. She said that she knows that the City owes everyone, but she wants to make sure the employees can be paid. 7. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Commission, it was moved by Commissioner Riley, seconded by Commissioner S-ntiago to as•s. • the meeting at 5:36 p.m. / MAYOR ATTEST: A4g, CITY CLERK First Budget Hearing Minutes—09/13/2016 4