HomeMy Public PortalAbout2022-03-04 Village Council Retreat MinutesBAL HARBOUR
- VILLAGE -
Mayor Gabriel Groisman
Vice Mayor Seth E. Salver
Councilman David J. Albaum
Councilman Jeffrey P. Freimark
Councilman Buzzy Sklar
Village Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez
Village Clerk Dwight S. Danie
Village Attorneys Weiss Serota
Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L.
Bal Harbour Village Council
Retreat Minutes
March 3, 2022 from 9:00 AM until 6:30 PM
and
March 4, 2022 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM
St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort • 9701 Collins Avenue • Bal Harbour • Florida 33154
May 6, 2021
CALL TO ORDER - Mayor Groisman called the Retreat to order at 9:05 AM.
The following were present:
Mayor Gabriel Groisman
Vice Mayor Seth Salver
Councilman David Albaum
Councilman Jeffrey Freimark
Councilman Buzzy Sklar
Also present:
Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager
Dwight S. Danie, Village Clerk
Susan Trevarthen, Village Attorney
Ramiro Inguanzo, Assistant Village Manager
Dr. Rick Jensen, Retreat Facilitator
Dr. Jensen provided an overview the of the 2 -day agenda, including COVID-19 protocols.
He reviewed the ground rules for engagement and provided an overview of the qualities
of behavioral leadership. He then reviewed the DISC profiles (Dominance, Influence,
Steadiness, Conscientiousness) of those present.
Mr. Jensen then presented a video showing the achievements of the Village for the last
several years. Councilmembers agreed that the accomplishments were a testament to
Village Staff and agreed that their ability to stay focused on setting policy guided by agreed
upon priorities was essential to success.
Dr. Jensen then listed the following Keys to Success: Commitment to Respect; Operate as
a Council; Set Policy - Don't Operate; and Leverage One Another's Strengths.
Councilmembers then offered additional keys including:
• Attend to, respect and support other's passions;
• Achieve consensus with willingness to concede/compromise;
• Use your "volume control";
• Be willing to be educated;
• Do what's in the best interest of the Village;
• Be willing to change;
• Have a short memory; and
• Park egos at the door.
Mr. Gonzalez reviewed "The Bal Harbour Experience" that was developed during the first
annual Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat in November of 2017 that described Bal
Harbour's identity, vision, mission, and values, the elements of which are: Safety, Beautiful
Environment, Modernization of Public Facilities 8( Infrastructure, Resilient & Sustainable
Community, Destination 8( Amenities and Exclusivity 8( Access.
He said that in response to a concern raised at the 2021 Council Retreat regarding the term
"Exclusivity", the Tourism Department had surveyed other luxury markets and had
suggested the categories Timeless & Elegant, Destination & Amenities, Unique &
Uncompromising, and Safety. After a brief discussion, there was a general consensus that
the present categories should remain as they are, except that Exclusivity & Access be
changed to Unique & Elegant.
He then asked Councilmembers to rank the elements of the Bal Harbour Experience. The
results of the ranking are as follows.
Element
Rank
Safety
32
Beautiful Environment
20
Modernization of Public Facilities and Infrastructure
19
Resilient & Sustainable Community
13
Destination and Amenities
13
Exclusivity & Access
3
Council Members were then provided a list of initiatives that were placed into the
categories: Governance/Administration, CIP/Construction, Tourism, Community
Engagement - Parks & Recreation - Special Events, Safety, Appearance-Cleanliness-
Sustainability, and Other (write-in). They were then asked to prioritize their top initiatives.
The initiatives that received the highest priority, ranked in order, were:
Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat Meeting Minutes — March 3 & 4, 2022 Pa g e 1 2
Initiative
Rank
Jetty Project
25
Waterfront Park Project
16
New Village Hall Project
15
Sand Bypass Project
11
Marine Patrol
11
Collins Corridor Project
8
Jogging Trail Master Plan
8
Mr. Gonzalez clarified that the Village's priority for the Sand Bypass Project was to advocate
for the project to the County, State and Federal government regulatory agencies.
A general discussion ensued regarding the condition of the sidewalks along Collins
Avenue and whether or not a complete renovation, should be part the Collins Corridor
Project. There was a general consensus to currently focus primarily on pedestrian safety
and repair the sidewalks where needed, then do a wholesale renovation as part of Project,
At 12:25 PM the Council took a short break then reconvened at 12:38 PM.
Mr. Gonzalez reviewed the Capital Program Schedule for the Utility Master Plan Projects,
the Waterfront Park, the New Village Hall, the Jetty/Cutwalk/96th Street, and Collins
Corridor. He said that he would reserve the Stormwater project for a separate discussion
the following day. The Council commended Matilde Reyes for her diligence in the
management of these projects
During the discussion of the Waterfront Park, Mr. Gonzalez provided a presentation
showing the proposed playground elements designed by Monstrum, including The Egret
Chick, The Nest and the Globe, and The Sky City. He then provided an update of
construction progress. He said that the park will primarily be for Bal Harbour Residents,
except that the plan is to open certain programming to non-residents. He described the
coordination with the Bal Harbour Civic Association in the design of the park gate and
entrance to the Gated Community.
During the discussion of the Jetty and the 96th Street Terminus, Mr. Gonzalez said that the
Village had received comments from the regulatory agencies and that design and
development drawings were just recently submitted with our own responses. He said that
the reaction from the agencies is that they have never seen anything like this project. He
said that the Plaza at the west end of the Jetty will be accelerated in order receive grant
funds. He then described coordinated efforts with One Bal Harbour to improve pedestrian
access.
He said that discussions with Surfside officials regarding the 96th Street Terminus had
been put on hold due to the Champlain Tower Collapse, and would resume after the
Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat Meeting Minutes — March 3 & 4, 2022 Page i 3
upcoming Surfside Elections. He said that if they refuse to share the costs, the Village would
pay, but the preference is to reach an agreement.
At 1:58 PM the Council took a break then reconvened at 2:25 PM.
Mr. Jensen then led an exercise where participants were asked to group into pairs,
randomly draw with crayons on a piece of paper, then change partners and repeat the
process several times. The drawings were then examined and discussion ensued
regarding traits exhibited by participants from their drawings.
At 4:20 PM, the Council took a break, then reconvened at 4:40 PM.
Councilman Albaum suggested that Mayor Groisman's name should be on the plaques for
the new Waterfront Park and the Jetty. The Village Attorney said that she would explore
legislative options that would allow current Councilmembers' names to be included.
Mr. Gonzalez provide an update on the new Village Hall project saying that a contract
would be brought before the Council in April, the money from the Shops is in the bank,
that the earliest day to start construction is November 2024, and that the latest the Shops
can be on the property is June 2025.
The Retreat was recessed until the following day at 5:00 PM.
March 4, 2022
The Council reconvened the Retreat at 9:00 A.M.
The Village Council, at the Village Council meeting on December 14, 2021 Workshop,
opted to defer the Village Manager's performance review, to be discussed more
thoroughly, to this Retreat. The Council delegated Councilman Freimark the assignment
to work and negotiate with the Village Manager to present a proposed agreement. The
Village Manager presented the proposed agreement with his Issue Sheet for this Retreat
topic. The Council and the Manager conducted further negotiations and agreed upon a
set of terms that would be presented at the March15, 2022 Village Council Meeting.
At 11:30 AM the Council took a break, then reconvened at 12:05 PM.
Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat Meeting Minutes — March 3 a 4, 2022 Page 1 4
Mr. Gonzalez led a discussion regarding the General Employees' Pension Plan presenting
the scenario from agreed upon at the 2021 Retreat. There was a general consensus to not
change the existing plan for currently employed staff. They agreed that for future
employees, that monthly retirement benefit would be 2.5% of the final average earnings
for the highest 60 months over the last 10 years of employment. It was also agreed that the
normal retirement age be changed to age 62 (or age 60 with 25 years of service), and that
the COLA also reduced to 1.25%.
Councilman Albaum introduced a discussion item regarding a pension for elected officials.
After a discussion, there was a general consensus that Councilmembers should be allowed
to participate in the General Employees' Pension Plan and shall accrue a retirement benefit
of 4% of final average compensation up to a maximum benefit of 32%. Mr. Gonzalez said
that he would put the numbers together and bring back an ordinance to the Council at its
March meeting.
Mr. Gonzalez then led a brief discussion regarding an enhanced investment strategy for
improved investment yield. He provided a scenario for short-term fixed income portfolio
recommending the following steps to proceed:
• Establish an Investment Committee/Leadership Team.
• Review all laws and regulations applicable to federal, state local governments.
• Engage an Investment Advisor (i.e., issue an RFP or piggy back from the GE
Pension Plan Contract).
• Develop an investment policy.
• Establish Banking/Investment Firm Accounts.
• Establish risk and return objectives.
• Identify funds being invested and develop a cash flow forecast
Mr. Gonzalez then led a discussion regarding the Building Department Permit Fee
Schedule. The Building Department was recommending separate tiered fee structures for
residential and commercial.
Tiered Residential Fee
• Minimum fee = $150 applied to the job value up to $5,000
• Tier 1 = 3% applied to the job value exceeding $5,001 and up to $1,000,000
• Tier 2 = 2% applied to the job value exceeding $1,000,001
Tiered Commercial Fee
• Minimum fee = $300 applied to the job value up to $8,000
• Tier 1 = 3.75% applied to the job value exceeding $8,001 and up to
$1,000,000
• Tier 2 = 2.75% applied to the job value exceeding $1,000,001
Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat Meeting Minutes — March 3 a 4, 2022 Page 15
Mayor Groisman said that if fees were going to be increased, he would like top see an
increase in service, including more inspectors. Mr. Gonzalez said that he would bring an
ordinance back to the Council in April.
Mr. Gonzalez then led a discussion on stormwater user fees, saying that, typically, the
stormwater is funded from the General Fund. He said as a result of the 2021 Council Retreat
regarding this item, the he had retained a firm (Balmoral) to conduct a fee study. He said
that the study indicates that the cost to maintain the stormwater system is expected to be
about $'1.5 million per year. He said the issue that he was presenting is whether or not a
separate stormwater utility should be created. There was a general consensus from the
Council that the Village should hold off creating a utility and further explore setting aside
a certain amount of surplus funds for stormwater.
Councilman Albaum asked if the Council would consider giving the Vice -Mayor a pay raise
due to the additional work expected of the position, to which there was a general
consensus to tie this discussion with the Mayoral item scheduled for later in the afternoon.
Raleigh Flowers, Bal Harbour Police Chief, provided a presentation of statistics from his
department showing that there was a notable increase in law enforcement activity in 2021
involving traffic and parking violations and that Part I crimes still remain low. A discussion
ensued regarding safety versus the perception of safety. Mayor Groisman said that he
would like to see a greater police presence in the Village. Vice Mayor Salver agreed and
said that an officer should be stationed on Collins 24/7, adding that more presence would
deter. Councilman Sklar said that most of the calls that he receives from neighbors are
regarding the traffic on Collins Avenue.
Councilman Sklar introduced the idea of changing all the Village police cars to Tesla sans
suggested that a pilot study should be done. It was suggested that Councilman Sklar
should put together an issue sheet and bring the item back to Council as a discussion item.
Chief Flowers made a point to pay attention to the crash rating of a Tesla.
Councilman Albaum introduced the idea of having a Hall of Fame for the Village, to which
Mayor Groisman suggested that a Hall of Fame should be tied in with the new Village Hall
Mr. Jensen introduced the topic of the succession of Mayor since, Mayor Groisman
announced that he would not be running for office again, and that he was aware from
individual discussions with Councilmembers that at least three members were interested
in seeking to be elected to the office. Mr. Gonzalez added that the Council could think
Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat Meeting Minutes — March 3 & 4, 2022 Pa g e 16
Dwig1 t S. D riie, Village Clerk
about agreeing to a protocol for selection, giving the example that a nomination should
have a second as a for -instance. There was a general consensus to wait until after
Candidate Qualifying, after which a Council workshop could be conducted to further
explore options.
ADJOURNMENT: The Retreat was adjourned at 5:00 PM.
abriel Groisman
Bal Harbour Village Council Retreat Meeting Minutes — March 3 a 4, 2022 Page 1 7