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05/13/2008CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER May 13, 2008 Present: Frank Hibbard John Doran Carlen Petersen George N. Cretekos Paul Gibson Also present: William B. Horne II Jill S. Silverboard Rod Irwin Pamela K. Akin Cynthia E. Goudeau Brenda Moses Mayor. Vice-Mayor Councilmember Councilmember Councilmember City Manager Assistant City Manager Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Clerk Board Reporter The Mayor called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. Presentations Service Awards award. Four service awards were presented to City employees. Cindy Geary, Gas Department, was presented the May 2008 Employee of the Month The May-June 2008 Team Award was presented to the WPC Maintenance Staff, Public Utilities Department. EAB: Follow up to USF Going Green presentation Sandra Kling, USF (University of South Florida) student/City Intern, said the EAB (Environmental Advisory Board) would present a written report; the draft will be submitted to staff for comment by the end of the month. She reviewed preliminary results of the City's greenhouse gas inventory and EAB recommendations. She said best practices are available for the City to set goals. She said many cities have established green targets with Council collaboration and stakeholder input. The Council recessed from 2:01 to 3:11 p.m. to meet as the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) and Pension Trustees and then recessed from 3:11 to 3:21 p.m. Information Technology Award a contract to lease desktop and laptop computers for three years from Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Murray Hill, NJ, and Insight Public Sector, Bloomingdale, IL as the lowest bid respondents to RFP 14-08, for an amount not to exceed $1,200,000; and adopt Council Work Session 2008-05-13 Resolution 08-07 authorizing the City Manager to delegate to the Information Technology Director or other designee the ability to execute documents on Lease Agreements with Hewlett- Packard, and authorize appropriate officials to execute same. The City has leased computers for six years. The benefits of leasing include operational savings for asset acquisition and maintenance, improved efficiency in user support and asset management, improved security for City systems and network, improved performance for system users and employees. This term of leasing includes all desktop (1,200) and laptop (-400) computers within the City. The cost of this lease term is 23% lower that the previous term (2005-08), and is 38% cheaper than the initial lease term (2002-05). Previously, separate lease approvals were executed for the Police Department and all other City departments. The maximum annual costs for this lease term will be approximately $400,000 in the third year. This agreement includes several value added enhancements over previous agreements: 1) Self-Maintainer Program which enables City staff to be trained at no additional costs to function as Hewlett-Packard certified technicians to expedite diagnostic and resolution actions (Hewlett-Packard tracks and pays (reimburses) for these services for every 15 minutes of work performed) and 2) Charitable Contributions - for every 16 computers leased or purchased by the City, Insight will donate one computer (new) to a designated organization within the City. This will provide approximately 100 computers for donations to not-for-profit organizations over the three-year term of the lease. Information Technology Director Dan Mayer will submit a list of charitable organizations for Council approval. The City is not limited to leasing Hewlett-Packard equipment. The typical lease term for City computers is three years. He reviewed savings associated with leasing computer equipment. Solid Waste/General Support Services Award a Contract (Purchase Order) for $124,672.50 to Communications International, Inc of Tampa, FL for memory and software upgrades to existing City 800 Mhz radios, authorize lease purchase under the City's Master Lease Purchase Agreement and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent) These radios are used by the Police Department. The City has 47 portables assigned to officers and 31 mobiles installed in cars. The mobiles must have the memory upgraded to accept the new software. This software will allow the Police Department to transition from analog to digital for enhanced communications. Additionally, the digital operation will allow the City to become P25 compliant for Homeland Security interoperability. Solid Waste/General Services Assistant Director Rick Carnley said homeland security requires all agencies to be able to communicate with each other. Engineering Approve a work order to URS Corporation in the amount of $441,107 for engineering design and support during construction services in the Chautauqua/Coachman Reclaimed Water Project (07-0053-UT), and approve the Cooperative Funding Agreement with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) which provides reimbursement of project cost up to $1,977,000, and that the appropriate officials be authorized to execute same. (consent) Council Work Session 2008-05-13 2 This agenda item provides for engineering and design services for the construction of new reclaimed water transmission and distribution mains as outlined in the 2007 Re-evaluate of Reclaimed Water Master Plan. The goal of this and all other reclaimed water projects is to reduce the amount of potable water and groundwater being used for irrigation and other non- potable uses. In addition, expansion of the Reclaimed Water Distribution System in accordance with Reclaimed Water Master Plan brings the City of Clearwater closer to achieving zero- discharge of effluent to Tampa Bay and adjacent surface waters. This project will target two areas, the primary portion being the Coachman Ridge area with a smaller portion of the project being the Chautauqua area west of McMullen-Booth Road. The new distribution system will provide reclaimed water to approximately 550 residential customers. The design phase is anticipated to be completed by January 2009, with the construction phase scheduled for completion by December 30, 2010. URS Corporation is one of the City's Engineers-of-Record, and this work order was negotiated in accordance with the Consultants Competitive Negotiations Act. This item is a continuation of the development of an expanded reclaimed water system in the City of Clearwater. The purpose of this contract is to accept SWFWMD funding in support of constructing reclaimed water service to the Chautauqua and Coachman Ridge areas of the City of Clearwater. The Cooperative Funding Agreement between the City and SWFWMD includes reimbursement of up to 50% of the cost of design, permitting and construction costs for transmission and distribution of reclaimed water lines up to a maximum of $1,977,000. There is no cost associated with accepting the Cooperative Funding Agreement. The estimated total project cost is $3,954,000 and the City's estimated share of the project cost is $1,977,000. Resolution 07-28 was passed on November 1, 2007, establishing the City's intent to reimburse certain Water & Sewer Utility project costs incurred with future tax exempt financing. The projects identified with 2009 revenue bonds as a funding source were included in the project list associated with Resolution 07-28. Engineering Manager Rob Fahey said the City is fractionally closer to achieving zero discharge. The current discharge is less than one million gallons per day. He said the Master Plan identified another four neighborhoods for reclaimed water. Staff continues to investigate new technologies. It was stated that Clearwater needs to evaluate efforts by other jurisdictions that implement technologies to process wastewater so it is safe to drink. Approve the McKim & Creed supplemental work order in the amount of $278,731 for additional engineering design services for expanding the City of Clearwater Reclaimed Water System to serve residents in the Morningside area in the southeastern portion of the City (05-0022-UT). consent This item is a continuation of the development of an expanded reclaimed water system in the City of Clearwater. The goal of this and all other reclaimed water projects is to reduce the amount of potable water and groundwater being used for irrigation and other non-potable uses. In addition, expansion of the Reclaimed Water Distribution System in accordance with the Reclaimed Water Master Plan brings the City closer to achieving zero discharge of effluent to Tampa Bay and adjacent surface waters. The original McKim & Creed work order in the amount of $331,300 was approved by the City Council on May 5, 2005, and the design was completed in November 2006. Due to lower than anticipated interest in reclaimed water within the service area, mostly due to existing irrigation sources such as wells and lake withdraw, the project was placed on hold. Recent customer survey results and feasibility studies have led to a revised service area to attain the highest percentage of customer connections and meet the Council Work Session 2008-05-13 3 criteria of the Cooperative Funding Agreement between the City and SWFWMD. The revised service area requires the connection of several large users to meet SWFWMD criteria including Clearwater High School, Church of Christ, Masonic Lodge, Rousseau Cemetery, Plumb Elementary School, Oak Grove Middle School, and Belleair Country Club. This Agenda Item provides for additional engineering and design services, by McKim & Creed, for the construction of new reclaimed water transmission and distribution piping systems, including limited construction phase engineering services on an "actual cost basis." McKim & Creed is one of the City's current Engineers-of-Record, and the work order was thus prepared in accordance with the Consultants Competitive Negotiations Act. The revised design is anticipated to be complete by March 1, 2009, with the construction phase scheduled for completion by January 1, 2010. The Cooperative Funding Agreement between the City and SWFWMD, also approved by City Council on May 5, 2005 and amended on December 14, 2006, includes reimbursement of up to 50% of the cost of design, permitting and construction costs for reclaimed water transmission and distribution lines, up to a maximum of $2,250,000. The Cooperative Funding Agreement will be revised and resubmitted to SWFWMD to reflect the revised service area. The City's estimated share of project costs is $2,250,000. There is no cost to the City associated with the SWFWMD Cooperative Funding Agreement. Resolution 07-28 was passed on November 1, 2007, establishing the City's intent to reimburse certain Water & Sewer Utility project costs incurred with future tax exempt financing. The projects identified with 2009 revenue bonds as a funding source were included in the project list associated with Resolution 07-28. Mr. Fahey said in some cases, water travels through Morningside to adjacent areas. This item does not specify which homes will be served. Homeowners pay for availability whether or not they use the service. It was felt neighborhood support for reclaimed water service needs to be higher before lines are installed. Legal Review rankings of seven respondents to RFQ/RFP 18-08 that advertised for Real Estate Brokerage Services For Land Assembly, provide direction on order of firms for staff to negotiate a Professional Services Contract, and authorize the City Manager to approve and execute same that best represents the interests of the City. At its March 6, 2008 meeting, Council directed the City Attorney to prepare a RFP (Request for Proposals) from licensed real estate brokerage firms and agents for the purpose of selecting a firm and agent to attempt to assemble land suitable for development of a 300-space public parking garage on south Clearwater beach. RFP/RFQ (Request for Qualifications) 18-08 was issued on March 24, 2008 in response to that direction. Among other matters, the RFP/RFQ required that respondents consider and address the following tasks, provide their qualifications to undertake the requirements, and submit a time and fee proposal to accomplish same: a) Identify optimum locations and parcels required for proposed project; b) Confirm ownership and title status of various properties; c) Conduct discussions and negotiations with respective owners; d) Secure Letters of Intent to Sell, including specific terms and conditions of sale; e) Deliver executed Purchase and Sale Contracts to the City for Council action; f) Assist City with all pre-closing requirements of each Contract; g) Oversee vacation of all properties Council Work Session 2008-05-13 4 prior to closing; and h) In the event the proposed assemblage is unsuccessful, prepare a market study detailing conditions contributing to the lack of success in assembling the lands. The RFQ/RFP generated eight responses by the April 23, 2008 deadline, one of which was not responsive to advertised requirements. Seven responsive proposals were received, reviewed by a five-member staff evaluation committee, and have been ranked as follows: 1) Chase Real Estate, Inc: 2) Viewpoint Realty International, Inc.; 3) Coldwell Banker Commercial/NRT; 4) Klein & Heuchan, Inc; 5) Alexandros Real Estate Group International, Inc.; 6) Eshenbaugh Land Company; and 7) Gail G. Ferenc, Licensed Real Estate Broker, Inc. Upon Council direction, staff will negotiate with the firms, in turn, by order of ranking, to develop a Professional Services Contract deemed to be in the best interests of the City, and provide it to the City Manager for final approval and execution. The City Attorney said staff considered beach real estate experience and references. The top ranked company represents parties that may have parcels of interest to the City. The company has agreed to single agency representation with transition. The fee is 3%. Discussion ensued with support expressed for the ranking and a recommendation that presentations are not necessary. Assistant City Manager Rod Irwin requested Council direction as staff continues to receive development scenarios with parking components. Consensus was to grant the selected real estate firm one month to identify a one-acre site for a freestanding garage at the beach, while a moratorium is imposed against staff negotiations. City Manager Verbal Reports Marina Fuel Adjustment Marine & Aviation Director Bill Morris said staff has tried to keep fuel prices as low as possible. While commercial boaters continue to purchase fuel at the Marina, recreational boaters are not. Staff proposes to keep prices and discounts at levels that cover credit card fees and the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes). Finance Director Margie Simmons said a 14.5% discount would be fair in today's market and still cover some City costs. As a result, commercial fuel costs would increase. It was requested that staff determine if other marinas have experienced a reduction in fuel sales. Consensus was to adopt the proposed fuel adjustment. Council Discussion Items Public Protests Discussion ensued regarding a letter from Cleveland Street merchants complaining about public protests. Consensus was to send a letter to the merchants indicating that the City cannot restrict free speech. Automobile Boom box Ordinance - Councilmember Gibson The City Attorney said State law regulates the volume of automobile boom boxes. Council Work Session 2008-05-13 5 Council Policv on Manaaina Reserves and Capital Proiects - Councilmember Gibson Discussion ensued regarding the appropriate level of reserves. Support for higher reserves was based on the City's inability to insure its facilities. Concern was expressed the legislature may mandate policy. Suggestions were made to use reserves to pay down debt. Finance Director Margie Simmons said the Central Insurance fund has accumulated money over time. The City's actuary advises the City regarding its optimal level of cash reserves. The money is spent from time to time. Use of the Central Insurance fund is not restricted. In the past, the City has used reserves for capital investments and one-time expenses. The City Manager said ten years ago, the City did not have substantial reserves. Council focused on construction projects, Penny for Pinellas funds, and redevelopment to increase revenues. Consensus was to retain funds in the Central Insurance Fund, as its use is not restricted. City Sponsored Events Held Outside Clearwater - Councilmember Cretekos Discussion ensued regarding City-sponsored events held outside the City. It was stated sometimes the lowest bid is outside the City. Consensus was to develop a policy requiring City-sponsored events to be held in the City if the lowest bid within City limits is within 20% of the lowest bid from outside the City. Assistant Fire Chief's Pay for Extra Hours - Councilmember Cretekos Fire Chief Jamie Geer said although titles differ, the cities of Clearwater and St. Petersburg have the same number of Fire Chiefs. St. Petersburg's Fire Department is slightly larger than Clearwater's. It was remarked that the City previously performed a benchmark analysis. Human Resources Director Joe Roseto said to control salaries, district fire chiefs are paid lower base salaries and compensated for overtime. Consensus was to schedule a workshop. Extension of Current Tropicana Stadium Debt Service - Councilmember Cretekos Discussion ensued regarding BIGC's (Barrier Islands Governmental Council) request for feedback on extending the Tropicana Stadium debt service. Most beach communities oppose the extension. A breakdown on bed tax distribution was requested. It was stated one-half cent of the bed tax goes to beach renourishment and the Legislature is reducing earmarks for beach renourishment. Concern was expressed funds would not be available for other uses if they are encumbered to pay for a new stadium. Consensus was to support the BIGC's position, opposing the extension. Council Work Session 2008-05-13 6 School Board Property/Lake Chautauqua - Mayor Hibbard Parks & Recreation Director Kevin Dunbar said the School Board no longer is interested in swapping the Lake Chautauqua tract for City property but is willing to sell it. The FCT will allow the City to amend its application. Purchasing the property would not require additional FTEs. Open Space Recreation impact fees are available for this purchase and grants would cover the balance. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Council Work Session 2008-05-13 7