HomeMy Public PortalAboutvillage-manager-annual-report-2017-2018BAL HARBOUR
-VILLAGE -
OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Village Council
FROM : Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager \ ~
DATE: November 20, 2018 U
SUBJECT: Village Manager's Annual Report 2017-2018
November 12, 2018 marked my fifth year of service as Village Manager for Bal Harbour
Village, and I am honored by the privilege to serve as your Village Manager. I would like
to take this opportunity to share our achievements in the key areas of focus, which followed
our first ever Council Retreat process which took place in November 2017.
Pursuant to Section 5.3 of our employment agreement, the Village Council shall evaluate
the performance of the Village Manager each year. This memorandum summarizes the
activities we have undertaken this past year and the resulting accomplishments. As I have
done in the past, I have attached a form developed by the International City/County
Management Association (ICMA) modified for use by Bal Harbour Village, which you may
want to use as you consider the achievements of the past year. Please be reminded that
this information is subject to the Florida Sunshine Law and should be used with that
consideration.
Since joining this organization in November 2013, one of my main goals has been to build
a high performing and resilient organization, that meets the needs of the community
efficiently and effectively, and that is regarded among the best in the nation. Over the last
five years, as a team, we have continuously assessed our processes and procedures to find
efficiencies and opportunities for improvement. Although we continue to strive for
excellence, I firmly believe we have made significant inroads in building an organization
that is reflective of our vibrant community.
In addition to the many accomplishments included in this report -for which we are very
proud of -over the course of this past year, I have been able to bring to conclusion some
long standing or ongoing pending issues that were facing the Village when I became your
Village Manager. For example, we executed a global settlement agreement with Flamingo
Way Enterprises (Yacht Club), bringing resolution to significant and potentially costly
litigation . As part of this agreement, the Village was able to also secure needed utility
easements throughout the gated area and ensured that the "Park" areas in the gated
community were conveyed to the reconstituted Civic Association at no cost. Concurrently,
we negotiated a Milestone Agreement with the Civic Association creating a path for the
Gated Community to take over and manage their affairs in an orderly manner. We also
negotiated a settlement agreement with the owners of the Beach Haus (former Ouarzo)
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project to kick start construction and bring the construction to completion as quickly as
possible. And, we negotiated a new agreement with our Village Attorney, resulting in an
orderly transition and basing fees on a flat fee retainer arrangement resulting in significant
savings in legal costs.
Finally, we continued to closely monitor the Bal Harbour Shops development to ensure
that the approved agreement is abided by. This past year significant negotiations have
been held to review and consider their new Site Plan amendment. In addition to
addressing (partially or fully) as many as 16 additional conditions of approval, the
proposed amendment will result in an enhanced project, with a shortened construction
timeframe, thereby reducing the impact to our community. Of course, as part of our
discussion, we have negotiated amendments and modifications to the approved
Development Agreement. Among these are an accelerated timeline for the delivery of
New Village Hall, among other elements.
My main priority is to work alongside the Council to ensure that our efforts and resources
are aligned with the community's priorities. With the installation of the new Council in
November 2018, I look forward to our next Council Retreat, where I expect we will discuss
issues on the horizon, prioritize efforts and resources, and reaffirm our key goals.
During our first Village Council Retreat held on November 28 and 29, 2017, we continued
our work toward formalizing our strategic plan. As part of our discussions, we developed
a collective vision for our community, with the underlying concept of the "Bal Harbor
Experience" -the distinctive feeling one experiences when living in or visiting our unique,
exclusive, curated and refined community -serving as a guiding principle for funding and
decision-making over the next several years.
This vision rests on a foundation based on:
• Developing and maintaining well designed and modernized public facilities and
infra structure;
• Implementing smart policies and strategic solutions to address the challenges of
today and to ensure that we remain a Resilient and Sustainable community able to
protect ourfuture; and
• Ensuring that both the perception and reality of safety in our community remains
uncompromised.
To accomplish this vision, our Administration has focused on the following:
Enhance Community Policing and Accountability
Public safety is paramount to ensure our community's quality of life. As such, the Bal
Harbour Police Department (BHPD) remains dedicated to a community-oriented policing
model, focused on increased police visibility through innovative directed patrol activities,
and enhanced readiness for high liability incidents.
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I am proud to report that the Village has experienced a reduction in crime over the last
year, and further reductions in comparison to just four years ago. Specifically, these
reductions can be summarized as follows:
• 12.5% reduction in property crimes from January to June 2018 when compared to
the same period in 2017, with a 24% reduction since 2014
• Violent crime remains static and within the department's historical trends based on
the semi-annual reporting periods of 2017 and 2018; however, these levels
continue to represent a 23% reduction since 2014, with only one violent crime
reported over the last year
As you know, the Bal Harbour Police Department has suffered more than its fair share of
loss over the last few years. After the loss of Chief Mark N. Overton, the organization was
shaken by yet another unexpected loss, with the passing of Chief Miguel De la Rosa in
January. It was a shock to the community and our organization and marked a new
mourning period for all of us. The past year provided me an opportunity to assess the
interim leadership that was in place in our Police Department. Through an extensive
evaluation process, I assessed the needs of our organization, and the skills of our
Command Staff to meet them. As part of the selection process, I required the Chief and
Command Staff to develop a five-year Strategic Plan for the Bal Harbour Police
Department, which would provide a roadmap for the continued success and development
of the organization.
I am very pleased that the Acting Police Chief Raleigh M. Flowers was officially appointed
as the Police Chief in September 2018, as well as the appointment of Captain Mauricio
Escarra. I am confident that under the leadership of Chief Flowers and his team, the Bal
Harbour Police Department will continue to strive for excellence in law enforcement and
will become a model for efficient and effective law enforcement in the region and beyond.
To complement our Command Staff, Lieutenant Carlos Arango joined our team, bringing
34 years of law enforcement experience, serving most recently as a member of the Doral
Police Department Command Staff as Captain and Senior Executive Assistant to the Chief
of Police. Lt. Arango is a valuable asset to the Bal Harbour Police Department, where he is
assigned to supervise the Criminal Investigations Unit and oversee the Florida Commission
for Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) process.
This past month, at my direction, the Bal Harbour Police Department created and led a
major hurricane post landfall re-entry table top exercise, with participation from
representatives of the Bal Harbour, Bay Harbour Islands, Indian Creek, Sunny Isles and
Surfside Police and Public Works Departments. The purpose of the exercise was to create
dialogue between neighboring municipalities, as to how we would respond to a major
hurricane striking 96th Street and Collins Avenue, and the particular challenges that would
present. In my experience, the more we practice how we would respond to an emergency,
the better we will react during an actual emergency.
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On October 28, 2018, just a day after the active shooting at Tree of Life Congregation in
Pittsburgh, our police officers also joined Young Israel Congregation and the Town of
Surfside Police Department for an Active Shooter Response Training. Over the last year,
officers also attended multiple active shooter training courses hosted by the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center (FLETC}, and former military personnel, covering topics such
as, single man entry tactics, verbal commands, link-up tactics with other agencies, and
practical role play exercises. In addition, Bal Harbour participates in a regional field force
unit that has been established with eight additional agencies in the surrounding area, and
this year, we attended in field force training with all participating agencies and procured
equipment to outfit ten field force officers. As we continue to ensure that the department
acquires state of the art public safety equipment, our focus remains on ensuring that the
day-to-day operations of the department are effective and efficient, and as such, this year
we have procured and began installation of the department's first computer aided
dispatch (CAD) system.
Moreover, in December 2017, led by Mayor Groisman and the Village Council,
Bal Harbour Village became the first municipality in the United States to pass an ordinance
that defines an anti-Semitic hate act as a hate crime and adopting an internationally
recognized definition of anti-Semitism in order to ensure the well-being of its Jewish
community. This is reflective of our police department's commitment to protecting all of
our residents and visitors. This legislation was shared with the Miami-Dade County
Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Association subsequently passed a resolution
encouraging all Miami-Dade County Police Departments to adopt similar legislation.
As part of the community policing philosophy, our Police Department has focused on
community outreach activities, where their main goal is to build relationships with the
community and educate residents and businesses on the most current crime prevention
strategies. The department hosted a number of events over the last year, including: Autism
Awareness training for the community, Cops & Kids event, the Rotary Club SK, Holiday Toy
Drive, Back to School Supplies give away for underprivileged students, Feeding Homeless
Veterans, and selecting two scholarship recipients for the Chiefs Mark Overton & Miguel
De La Rosa Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Improve and Beautify Our Public Spaces
Since the beginning of my tenure as Village Manager, one of the consistent and recurring
desires of the Village Council and the community has been to enhance and expand our
public spaces and increase our recreation offerings. These desires have translated directly
into our strategic goals, and we have been able to accomplish a great deal in this area over
the past few years. As you know, the Bal Harbour Shops (BHS) expansion proposal was
approved in 2017, and in addition to the $3.5 million contribution towards the waterfront
park, included in the BHS package of public benefits was the obligation for BHS to engage
Zyscovich Architects and cause to deliver to the Village a design charrette process resulting
in a Basis of Design (Site Plan) for the Village waterfront property. These public workshops
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were held early this calendar year and offered the opportunity for the public to provide
input and feedback on the design and amenities for the new public park.
This design process culminated with the Council's approval ofthe Design Concept Option
number two (2) for the park on May 15, 2018. The Village will capitalize on the opportunity
to dramatically transform the Village's waterfront property along Bal Bay Drive into an
iconic park with a state-of-the-art Community Center, as well as other park amenities. In
order to construct the Park as envisioned within the approved Designed Concept, the
relocation of the Parks and Public Spaces (PPS) Department's Operations Facility to an
offsite location is required. Over the course of several months, Village staff and I conducted
discussions and site visits with the representatives of the private properties and the City of
North Miami City Manager Mr. Larry Spring and members of his staff. Based on the due
diligence conducted by our team, on October 16, 2018, the Council approved the
purchase of the property located at 1840 NE 144 Street. This purchase will enable the
relocation of Village facilities, and in turn, allow for the construction ofthe park. Moreover,
the property's proximity to the City of North Miami Public Works Operations and Fleet
facility, affords the Village the opportunity to enter into an interlocal agreement for fuel
purchasing, the use of the vehicle wash station and heavy equipment servicing. This
agreement would eliminate the need for the Village to construct fuel delivery and vehicle
wash-down facilities, thereby reducing the cost for renovations to the site to accommodate
operations. This relocation will free up nearly an acre of waterfront public space in Bal
Harbour - a value that far exceeds the cost to acquire the building in North Miami.
Our beaches are the economic engine for our Village, as well as Miami-Dade County as a
whole. On February 26, 2018, the Village held a Workshop on Beach Renourishment
efforts to discuss the condition of the beach and impacts of erosion that had occurred as a
result of Hurricane Irma. At this workshop information was presented by representatives of
the Army Corps of Engineers, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Miami
Dade County DERM, Coastal Systems and Village Staff. As a result of this workshop, I was
able to secure a meeting with Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, where Mayor
Groisman led a delegation of local mayors, including City of Aventura Mayor Enid
Weisman, Town of Bay Harbor Islands Councilman Jordan Leonard, City of Miami Beach
Mayor Dan Gelber, City of Sunny Isles Beach Vice Mayor Dana Goldman, and Town of
Surfside Mayor Daniel Dietch.
During this meeting, the County agreed to dedicate recurring funds for the next 6 years,
which will allow them to continue to seek state and federal funding for renourishment
efforts. As such, the County will be able to secure approximately $50-60 million dollars for
renourishment projects through local, state and federal matching funds (subject to
appropriation). This is a significant first step towards the strategic and comprehensive
approach to protecting our beaches. This action marks the first time the County has
allocated a multi-year, secure and recurring funding source for beach renourishment that
is not capital/bond funds in recent history.
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Bal Harbour Village was invited to participate in the update to the Bakers Haulover Inlet
Feasibility Study. As a result, the Village, along with our consultants, Coastal Systems
International, participated in the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings for this
Inlet Management Plan. The Study recommends construction of a 164-ft extension to the
north jetty to trap sand on the updrift beach. The trapped sand on the updrift beach
seaward of the 2016 shoreline would be dredged and bypassed to Bal Harbour's beaches
on a four to six-year project interval. This recommended project is similar to the bypassing
project most recently pursued by the Village and the County jointly. The additional
modeling and refinements offered under this Study provide additional and welcome
support for the bypassing approach. In addition, the Village's investment in recent years
for data collection, analysis and project management is providing beneficial for the study
update process.
This year, we improved the resident experience of our beachfront access by completing
the restoration of Bal Harbour Beach Jogging Path, and with the installation of Mobi-mat
beach access mats at 96th Street and behind the Oceana Condominium. These 100 feet
long mats allow residents and visitors with disabilities to more easily transect the sand
dunes by providing a dry, leveled surface to pass through to the beach.
As we continue to leverage our collaboration with neighboring communities to provide
additional services to our residents, this year, we were able to expand our public spaces
by joining forces with the Town of Surfside, Town of Bay Harbor Islands, City of Sunny Isles
Beach and City of Miami Beach to fund a skate park and pump track in Haulover Park.
Through a $50,000 contribution to Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation, we were
able to offer a new amenity to the youth in our community.
In an effort to ensure the appearance standards within our community, changes to the
Village Code were undertaken this year, which will enhance quality of life standards for
our residents. This year, we brought forth for your consideration and action a new sign
ordinance. By bringing the Village's existing sign code ordinance into compliance with
current caselaw, the Village is better equipped to regulate signage in the Village in a
manner that enhances the aesthetics of the community, reduces visual pollution, provides
clear information and minimizes distractions to drivers in the interests of traffic safety.
Moreover, with the addition of our new Building Director, Grace Escalante in 2017, we
focused on ensuring that our building development process is simplified and customer
friendly. As you may know, Ms. Escalante is a Registered Architect and brings a wealth of
experience from both the public and private sectors. With that experience, she has brought
forth a number of changes to enhance the customer experience. This year, we brought
forward the adoption of a standard color palette for the painting of building exteriors. The
adoption of this new color palette as part of the Appearance Code will allow residents to
proceed with painting projects without the need to for review by the Architectural Review
Board, and at the same time, eliminate the fee associated with single family residential
painting.
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Starting in March 2018, the Building Department made available an anonymous Customer
Service Survey in order to access and evaluate their performance and obtain customer
feedback. The survey results were reviewed in June and July 2018. Results indicate that
94% of our customers rated the service received as "Excellent" and the other 6% as
"Good"; notably none of the results contained a negative response. As part of the survey,
customers were asked to detail their experience working with the department, and
respondents shared comments, such as "Proactive, rapid response to questions"; "Very
professional"; and "One of the best in South Florida."
Invest in Information Technology
The IT Master Plan for the Village is based on a needs assessment of IT infrastructure
necessary to enhance the Village's e-government capabilities. In the last few years, we
have accomplished a great deal of improvements, and with the anticipated
implementation of our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system within our Police
Department, we will conclude the last major project outlined in the original IT Strategic
Plan. The implementation of this sorely needed police technology will greatly enhance the
public safety in our village, make for more effective and efficient policing, enhance officer
safety and allow for strategic decision making and crime analysis. CAD is certainly the most
significant technology initiative undertaken by the Village to date.
In order to consider the implementation of a CAD/RMS project, I tasked the police
department to form a committee to evaluate several vendors for an integrated public
safety solution. This procurement process included several in depth demonstrations for
all the committee members from each vendor, interactions with agencies using each of
these systems to include site visits and attending a user conference. Once the committee
narrowed the field to the top three vendors, I sat through a final demonstration with staff,
and Superion was selected for its functionality and interoperability with existing software
solutions in use at Bal Harbour Police Department.
With the project already well on its way, the upgrade of our network, backup, security and
storage solutions have already been complete, as well as the initial software installation
and training. This places the project on schedule to meet the expected full project
implementation in early Spring 2019. The CAD system will dramatically improve the
efficiency of our Police Department, finally bring its operations in line with 21st century
standards.
Late last calendar year, we successfully completed the FDLE Police audit ensuring proper
compliance with the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) requirements. This result
indicates our Police agency is now operating in full compliance with CJIS and FBI services,
security policies and procedures, and ensures that the agency has established the proper
controls to safeguard the full lifecycle of criminal justice information. This achievement was
due to the collaboration between Village IT Services and Police Operations staff.
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In coordination with the Finance Department online payments for Utility Billing, Business
Tax Receipt renewals, and our Building Department were deployed on the Village website
and Village app, to further drive payment traffic to our Village website and payment page.
The payments page includes the option to make a one-time payment, setup recurring
payments, and the ability to opt out of receiving paper bills. With the links to the Online
Payments portal prominently displayed on our Village website, within one month, we
noted a twenty-three percent (23%) increase in visitors to our Village web page. In August
2018, we launched online payment capabilities for Business Tax Receipt renewals, and in
September we did the same for monthly Resort Tax payment and affidavit submission, as
well as Accounts Receivable payments. Over the last six months, we have processed
approximately $500,000 in online payments.
Upon completion of CAD-RMS related activities, the coming fiscal year will provide an
opportunity to reassess our future IT needs. We will determine the next steps and any IT
service enhancements to ensure that we continue to develop best practices for our IT
environment and an updated IT Master Plan.
Enhance Community Engagement through Public Events and Expanded
Communication with Our Residents and Visitors
Engaging our community and visitors through public events and programming, while
ensuring clear and consistent communications with our residents and stakeholders, is a
key component of ensuring that we have an effective government.
We continue to print the resident newsletter and postcards advising of upcoming special
events, as well as our expanded use of our electronic communication efforts, which include
the My Bal Harbour mobile Application (App), the Wireless Emergency Notification System
(WENS), e-mail distributions lists (Constant Contact), our social media usage (Facebook,
lnstagram and Twitter) for both residents and tourists, as well as our government and
tourism websites.
Our Parks and Public Spaces Department has hosted over eight thousand seven hundred
(8,700) residents and their guests at our parks and events and conducted seasonal
basketball skill clinics for children thirteen (13) years of age and younger totaling two
hundred twenty-two (226) participants. Our Park and Public Spaces Department also
produced five (5) successful Family Excursions for residents, with a total of over one
hundred (100) participants.
We have coordinated a number of public events including family-friendly movies on the
beach, the lighting ofthe holiday decor on Founders Circle and along Collins Avenue, and
an Independence Day celebration on the 4th of July for our residents and hotel guests to
accompany our traditional fireworks display, as well as other special events throughout the
year.
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The Village has also curated three public art exhibits along the beach walk: Carrie
Schneider's "Reading Women" in conjunction with the Miami Book Fair; Jewish Treasures
of the Caribbean; and the Burneshas of Albania. In addition, we continue to expand our
art in public places program with the installation of public art on Founder's Circle, with
Robert Chamber's artwork "Roto Relief" which was displayed from January 2018 through
November 2018.
The Village's Unscripted Art Access Program now includes nineteen (19) cultural
institutions, including virtually every museum in the Miami area. We continue to organize
art tours and chats, which included visits to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens; The Phillip and
Patricia Frost Museum of Science; Art Basel Private Brunch and Tour at the Aqua Art Fair;
Art Fair Access during Art Basel to: NADA Miami, Art Miami and Context Art Miami, Pulse
Contemporary Art Fair, and Untitled Miami Beach; Bass Museum; Jewish Museum of
Florida; and the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), as well as visits to private collections in
private homes.
In an effort to position Bal Harbour Village as a premier luxury and lifestyle destination
worldwide, the Village's tourism efforts continue to re-invest in attracting tourism,
generating business, creating awareness and building equity and brand identity for the
destination. We continue to emphasize marketing efforts in order to maximize
relationships with the top travel trade communities, select end-consumers, and luxury
travel distribution channels promoting and selling Bal Harbour and our hotels and other
assets as a destination.
Fiscal Year 2017-18 proved to be a record year for tourism in Bal Harbour. From October
1, 2017 through September 30, 2018 the resort tax exceeded $3.8 million which was the
highest overall collected in Village history. There were four months where the resort tax
collection for each of those months was the highest ever collected, with March being the
highest resort tax collection in the Village's history, with collections approaching $500,000.
Over the past few years, the Village has not engaged domestic public relations firm, and
that has resulted in potentially missed opportunities for the Village. This past year we
reengaged a public relations firm to represent the Village. Quinn Public Relations was the
top ranked firm based on their proposed ideas for working with and promoting the Village;
their physical presence in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami; and their positive
relationship with our media strategist, Criterion Global.
From a more global perspective on tourism, we held a Village Council Workshop on
Tourism and Resort Tax in April 2018 to discuss and provide a holistic overview on the
inner workings of our tourism efforts.
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Establish Sustainable Fiscal Policies and Plan for Future Capital Investments
Ensuring the financial health of the Village is a top priority for me and my staff. As we
manage the day to day operations of the Village, we act as stewards of the public trust.
Much like in prior years, we continue to review our systems and operations, and continue
our efforts to establish appropriate controls and further improve our business processes.
I am happy to report that due to these efforts we ended the fiscal year (September 30,
2018) with an operating budget surplus of $1.6 million.
For the fourth year in a row, the Village earned the Government Finance Officers
Association (GFOA) certificate for excellence in financial reporting for our budget process,
year-end close-out, external audit, and our Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
(CAFR). I am particularly proud of this achievement, both for staff and for the Village as a
whole. The GFOA award continues to be the highest accolade in government accounting
and financial reporting, and it demonstrates how far we have come over the last five years.
As we embark on our multi-year capital program, I asked staff to assess the process by
which project designs were produced and identify opportunities for streamlining the
process. This review resulted in the solicitation and implementation of a multi-year
continuing services agreements for the new Village Engineer and a secondary
engineering firm for design services as needed. This change to the process will avert
potential conflict of interest situations caused by the Village Engineer reviewing and
managing their own project designs.
This year we completed one-hundred percent of the cleaning and videoing inspection of
the sanitary sewer infrastructure system for the entire Village. We also completed Phase
2a of the Utility Master Plan, which comprised the rehabilitative sanitary sewer pipe lining
of seven thousand three hundred (7,300) linear feet of sanitary sewer pipe along Collins
Avenue and completed rehabilitation of thirty-seven (37) sanitary sewer manhole
structures. This work allowed the Village to meet EPA / DERM requirements for both
Sanitary Sewer Pump Stations, and therefore, be in full compliance (no moratoriums). We
have obtained sewer mechanical pumps run times below the allowable daily running
times.
The operations of Village Water and Wastewater Utility continue to improve. We have
replaced one-hundred and nine (109) water service meters throughout the Village which
had reached the end of their useful lifecycle. The Village recently purchased of an
additional four hundred and seventy-eight (478), technologically advanced water service
meters. These upgrades result in more accurate consumption readings and an estimated
annual increase in Utility Fund revenues and reduce water loss to less than five (5%)
percent annually.
I also tasked Parks and Public Spaces Director, John Oldenburg with reviewing the current
agreement with Progressive Waste Solutions of FL, Inc. in order to secure a long-term
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amendment to the agreement, which provides for a period of no rate increase and
delineates a future predictable rate structure and an increase in service levels. Prior to
entering into negotiations with the vendor, several joint service evaluations were
conducted with representatives of the contractor to analyze the existing collection routes,
frequencies, service days/times and volumes collected for each category of waste
collections.
In September of 2017, a renewed agreement between Bal Harbour Village and Progressive
Waste Solutions of FL, Inc., was approved by Council extending through 2025. This
agreement provided for the delivery of solid waste services, inclusive of service
improvements, at rates fixed to the 2012 agreement through September 30, 2019, and
adjustments consistent Consumer Price Index ("CPI") beginning October 1, 2020 and each
year thereafter, providing certainty for solid waste service delivery and future year costs for
the Village. The negotiation also yielded an 100% increase to weekly recycling service, no
charge for bus stop collection service, new garbage trucks to service the Village, and
increased penalties for non-compliance.
In August, the Village, in conjunction with Calvin Giordano and Associates (CGA),
conducted smoke testing of our sanitary sewer systems, in order to ensure the integrity of
our system and protect the environment. By blowing non-toxic, harmless smoke into our
system, we are able to ascertain any cracks or damage to the system. This testing is
'required by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Miami-Dade County
Department of Environmental Protection, and this completed testing places the Village in
compliance until 2022.
Conclusion
From a personal perspective, during this past year, I have continued to serve as the
District V Representative of the Florida City/County Management Association (FCCMA). I
am happy to share that Bal Harbour Village and District V were featured during the FCCMA
Annual Conference welcome video. Other staff continue to serve on the boards of their
respective professional associations, including Chief Flowers as the immediate Past
President of the Miami-Dade Police Chiefs Association and Assistant Village Manager
Ramiro lnguanzo as the current Vice President of the Miami-Dade City/County
Management Association. Involvement in regional leadership organizations is another
example of our efforts to encourage career development, as well as the quality of staff we
can attract to Bal Harbour Village.
Bal Harbour Village also served as the host site of the Florida City/County Management
Association (FCCMA), the Miami-Dade City/County Management Association (MDCCMA)
and the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN) regional training session in March
2018 at the Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour on Municipal Cybersecurity, bringing subject matter
experts together from the U.S. Secret Service Miami Electronic Crimes Task Force, Miami
Dade County, St. Thomas University's Cyber Security Management Program, and the
Village Manager's Annual Report 2017-18
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private sector to meet with local government leaders from throughout the state of Florida
and beyond to learn about cybersecurity issues impacting local governments. Moreover,
in March 2018, Bal Harbour Village served as the host site of the Miami-Dade County
League of Cities and the Miami-Dade City/County Management Association's inaugural
2018 Trailblazer Award, which honors women in public service. This first-time award was
presented to Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in recognition of her many years of
service to South Florida.
As a team, we have been able to accomplish a great deal over the past five years,
continuously transforming our organization and fostering an environment where
accountability, professionalism and innovation are paramount. This is made possible by
the guidance and support from the Village Council and the efforts of our professional staff.
I can say with confidence that the Village is better off today than it was five years ago. With
our sights set on the future, our Village is on solid financial ground, supported by talented
and capable staff. We continue to strive for excellence in how we serve the community,
and the value we offer all of our stakeholders.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve Bal Harbour Village as your Village
Manager. I look forward to speaking with each of you one-on-one about what we have
collectively achieved this past year and how, together, we can continue working to make
Bal Harbour Village an even better place to live, work and visit. Included in the Proposed
Operating Budget and Capital Plan for FY2018-2019 is a more complete summary of our
accomplishments across all Village departments should you wish to review further.
Attachment:
ICMA Village Manager Performance Evaluation Guideline
International City / County Management Association
Village Manager Performance Evaluation Guideline
This form may be used by each Member of the Village Council to evaluate the
Village Manager's performance in fulfilling each of the roles he plays in the
Village's government. The Village Manager is graded 1-4, with the following
scale:
1 -poor
2 -fair
3-good
4 -excellent
Each member of the Council should complete the form and share/discuss it with
the Village Manager. The Village Manager will compile the results and tally the
scores.
1. Personal
Invests sufficient efforts towards being diligent and thorough in the
discharge of duties.
Composure, appearance, and attitude fitting for an individual in his
executive position.
2. Professional Skills and Status
Knowledge. of current developments affecting the management
field.
Respected in management profession.
Has a capacity for innovation.
Anticipates problems and develops effective approaches for solving
them.
Willing to try new ideas proposed by Council members or staff.
3. Relations with Council
Carries out directives of the Council as a whole rather than those of
any one Council member.
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Assists the Council in resolving problems at the administrative level
to avoid unnecessary Council action.
Assists the Council in establishing policy while acknowledging the
ultimate authority of the Council.
Responds to requests for information or assistance by the Council.
4. Policy Execution
Implements Council action in accordance with the intent of the
Council.
Supports the actions of the Village Council after a decision has
been reached.
Enforces Village policies.
Understands Village's laws and ordinances.
Offers workable alternatives to the Council for changes in the law
when an ordinance or policy proves impractical in actual
administration.
5. Reporting
Provides the Council with reports concerning matters of importance
to the Village.
Reports are accurate and comprehensive.
Prepares a sound agenda which prevents trivial, administrative
matters from being reviewed by the Council.
6. Citizen Relations
Handles complaints/inquiries from citizens appropriately.
Dedicated to the community and to its citizens.
Skillful with the news media -avoiding political positions and
partisanship.
Has the capacity to listen to others and to recognize their interest -
work well with others.
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Cooperates with neighboring ·communities.
Cooperates with the county, state and federal governments.
7. Staffing
Recruits and retains competent personnel for Village positions.
Works to improve performance of staff.
Committed to ensuring diversity in the workforce.
Accurately informed and concerned about employee insurance,
fringe benefits, promotions, and pensions.
8. Supervision
Encourages department heads to make decisions within their own
jurisdictions without Village Manager approval, yet maintains
general control of administrative operations.
Instills confidence and initiative in subordinates and emphasizes
support rather than restrictive controls for their programs.
Has developed a friendly and informal relationship with the work
force as a whole, yet maintains the prestige and dignity of the
manager office.
9. Fiscal Management
Prepares a balanced budget to provide services at a level intended
by the Council.
Makes the best possible use of available funds, conscious of the
need to operate the Village efficiently and effectively.
Prepared budget is in an intelligible format.
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10. What have been the major accomplishments of the Village Manager this
.past year?
11. What areas of the Village Manager's performance need the most
improvement? Why? What constructive, positive ideas can you offer the
Village Manager to improve in these areas?
Signature
Date
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