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HomeMy Public PortalAbout07122023 City Council Budget Workshop and Special Meeting MinutesCity Council Budget Workshop and Special Meeting Minutes July 12, 2023 8:00 a.m. Council Chambers 1. Call to Order The Budget Workshop and Special Meeting of the Crestview City Council was called to order at 8:00 a.m. by Mayor JB Whitten. Board members present: Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich, Council members: Doug Capps, Cynthia Brown, Joe Blocker, and Ryan Bullard. Also present: City Manager Tim Bolduc, City Clerk Maryanne Schrader, City Attorney Jonathan Holloway, and various staff members. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor JB Whitten. 3. Open Workshop Mayor JB Whitten welcomed everyone to the workshop and declared a quorum was present. 4. Approve Agenda Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Councilmember Joe Blocker and seconded by Councilmember Andrew Rencich to approve the agenda, as presented. Roll Call: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. Ayes: 5; Nays: 0. All ayes. Motion carried. 5. Action Items 5.1. FY 24 Draft Budget Presentation City Manager Tim Bolduc opened and presented Clear Gov, the new budget software. He stated he has presented a balanced budget. He explained that the draft of the fiscal year 2024 budget will be available through the software. City Manager Tim Bolduc displayed the Capital Improvement model on the overhead monitor. Mayor Whitten waived the normal order of business. City Manager Tim Bolduc displayed the rate study provided by Jacobs explaining the Combined Pro Forma and Capital Improvements tabs. He explained the fee structure in terms of the history and growth, as well as inflation considerations. Mayor Whitten stated we need to educate the public on our growth and expansion. In response, City Manager Tim Bolduc said they will send out educational materials. He explained there is one million dollars included for improvements to the existing 11Page infrastructure that are necessary. We also have to address the growth through upgrading our systems, as well as preparing for growth. He added impact fees, tap fees and operational revenue will address the issues so the city can be prepared as the maintenance of our system must be completed by 2027 to pay for the debt with the buildout on the west side of the city. We have projects planned out through 2033, and we need to be able to handle the growth expected in the next ten years. He added the spray fields will be utilized for the outside portion of the planned Sports Complex. City Manager Tim Bolduc went over the $35 million dollars needed to improve the WWTP. In response to Mayor Pro-Tem A. Rencich if the number accounted for inflation, and City Manager Tim Bolduc replied that it does to the best of their ability. He said he could not afford to buy the supplies in advance in reply to Councilmember C. Brown. He added we have 86 lift stations in the city which need to be on a rotation basis for maintenance. He explained we have been reactive in the past. Councilmember R. Bullard said we cannot fix what we have done in the past, however, he is concerned about low-income families and their ability to pay and asked if there was a way to stagger the increase quarterly. City Manager Tim Bolduc replied that bills will increase $15 per household on an $80 bill, so he would have to significantly change the projects. Councilmember D. Capps said he didn't think pushing it out would help. Mayor Pro-Tem A. Rencich asked for a breakdown between residential and commercial to find out the percentage of revenue. City Manager Tim Bolduc said we cannot legally separate the rate increase, but he will provide the breakdown. He added we are financing what we can finance, so it is not so burdensome. He explained if we change the CIP schedule, we will not be able to accommodate growth. The Council concurred for the need to maintain the quality of life. City Manager Tim Bolduc explained over $2 million dollars has been expended for the PJ Adams Road improvement for the relocation of utilities. Additionally, he will request assistance from the State, as more work is needed. City Manager Tim Bolduc went over the budget book. He displayed an overview of the city depicting the demographics based on 2021 with a population of 26,934 showing 25-34-year-olds are the largest percentage of the population. He added $55,688 is the median income showing 20% live below $25,000. The median house price is $180,800. City Manager Tim Bolduc said $21,231,881 million dollars are allocated for the total capital improvements requested. He went over each of the projects which totaled $1.5 million dollars. He demonstrated how the software will track the progress of each of the projects. He also went over the mobility study stating the goal is to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the County as we are looking at the regional consideration. City Manager Tim Bolduc mentioned the strategies for a five-year build out for building facilities and displayed water and sewer requests allocated, police department vehicle leases, and street requests explaining the street sweeper must be replaced. He also explained the multi -year capital improvement plan, as well as working on an RFP for Construction Management at Risk to assist in the project planning. This will take us through the process from the location to the interior design which will be placed in the CIP to depict the funding needs. City Manager Tim Bolduc mentioned a meeting is scheduled August 14th to approve the proposed millage rate, as well as adoption of the budget. 5.2. FY24 Budget Policy City Manager Tim Bolduc asked for a vote on the policy decisions for the draft budget and went over the consensus items. He mentioned during the budget retreat on July 6th, the City Council named managing the growth of the city as a top priority. This discussion included prioritizing investments in infrastructure, public safety, and recreation to meet the demands of our growing population. City Manager Tim Bolduc went over each item for FY24, for consensus: 1) Maintain the current millage rate of 6.8466. 2) Implement a $15 minimum wage for all positions and include compression adjustments. 3) Issue a one-time $600 and $300 inflation stipend check for full-time and part-time employees. This program is funded by the FL Blueproshare rebate. 4) Implement a one-time mid -year PTO leave buy-back program in the 2023 fiscal year. 5) Implement fee changes for utility rates. attached fee schedule 6) Implement the 2023-2028 focus areas and strategic plan goals, as attached. 7) Implement changes to the business tax receipt fee structure. 8) Add new personnel: 2 Firefighters, 2 Police Officers, Human Resources Generalist, Utility Service Worker, Laborer- Building Facilities Maintenance, Recreation Assistant, PT Recreation Aide, Deputy Director- Parks and Recreation, and a FT Building Inspector, moving from a part-time position. In response to Councilmember R. Bullard's question regarding the salary for the P&R director, Administrative Services Director, J. Leavins responded the total with benefits is $130,000 to $140,000 depending on education and experience. City Manager Tim Bolduc displayed the packet being put together for the national search displaying the needs for the candidate. Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the Council. Councilmember Joe Blocker asked whether sidewalks were included in the budget, and City Manager Tim Bolduc said no significant areas except for the Brookmeade project have been added. He added the budget consists of $2 million dollars for road projects. He mentioned a sidewalk plan is being developed with new development projects. He added $400,000 has been allocated for contingency. He acknowledged sidewalks are needed but paving is the top priority because of the condition of the roads. He will also look into whether ARPA can be used to fund sidewalks, as well as researching grant opportunities. Discussion ensued on prioritizing where the sidewalks should be placed. Mayor Pro- Tem A. Rencich said we can plan the prioritization and wants to hold the $400,000 in contingency. The Council agreed we are positioning ourselves to obtain sidewalks with the development sidewalk fund. Mayor JB Whitten called for action. Motion by Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Rencich and seconded by Councilmember Cynthia Brown to approve the staff to continue to finalize the budget on Items 1 — 8, as presented. Roll Call: Joe Blocker, Cynthia Brown, Andrew Rencich, Douglas Capps, Ryan Bullard. Ayes: 5; Nays: 0. All ayes. Motion carried. 6. Comments from the Audience Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the public. 7. Comments from the Mayor and Council Mayor JB Whitten called for comment from the Council. 8. Adjournment Mayor JB Whitten adjourned the meeting at 9:33 a.m. Minutes approved this 14th day of August 2023. City Cl Proper Notice having been duly given