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07/01/2005 - Special Work Session CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL BUDGET WORK SESSION CITY OF CLEARWATER July 1, 2005 Present: Frank Hibbard Mayor William C. Jonson Vice-Mayor Hoyt P. Hamilton Councilmember John Doran Councilmember Absent: Carlen Petersen Councilmember Also present: William B. Horne II City Manager Garry Brumback Assistant City Manager Dick Hull Assistant City Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The Special Budget Work Session was called to order at 8:00 a.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1 – Introduction and Comments The City Manager thanked the Council and staff for their efforts. Today’s discussion will focus on the proposed operating and CIP (Capital Improvement Program) budgets. The City’s organizational chart has been amended to assign additional responsibilities to the Assistant City Manager for economic development. 3 – General Overview of City of Clearwater’s Preliminary 2005/06 Annual Operating and Capital Improvement Budget Budget Director Tina Wilson reviewed the FY (Fiscal Year) 2005/06 preliminary annual operating and capital improvement budgets. Proposed increases of $8.9-million would increase the General Fund budget to $114.4-million. The proposed budget reflects increased pension funding costs and wage increases approved in Police and Fire union contracts and assumes an increase for CWA (Communication Workers of America) and SAMP (Supervisory, Administrative, Managerial, and Professional) staff. Personnel costs account for 69% of the budget. Staff will report on what percentage of the increase is due to pension and salary items. The budget recommends 25.9 new FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) General Fund positions. FY 2005/06 General Fund revenues are estimated at $111.4-million. The City Council would need to formalize any policy changes to increase the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) and establish an additional low-income Senior Tax exemption, which could go into effect in Fall 2006. Ms. Wilson reported that $54.6-million in Capital Improvement projects are recommended for FY 2005/06. The proposed budget does not increase the City’s millage rate. City taxes account for 25% of a property’s ad valorem taxes. Council Special Work Session 2005-07-01 1 Future meetings regarding the budget are proposed: 1) July 21, 2005 – Set tentative millage rate; 2) September 1, 2005 – first Public Hearing for budget and Penny for Pinellas funds; and 3) September 15, 2005 – second Public Hearing. 4 – Fire Department Fire Chief Jamie Geer reported he had conducted an evaluation of the Fire Department and its service capabilities and assembled an experienced, effective senior management team. He has begun to develop a strategic plan that focuses on immediate, short, and long-term needs. Fire Chief Geer reviewed immediate needs addressed in the FY 2005/06 budget: 1) Additional EMS response units that are Paramedic capable; 2) Increase ability of existing Ladder Companies; and 3) Increase ability of existing Squad Company. He said immediate needs include increased public education and outreach programs and increased ability to provide timely and effective service in beach area. Other short-term needs include: 1) Additional Ladder Company for Clearwater beach/Sand Key; 2) Additional Squad Company for Downtown/Clearwater beach/Sand Key; 3) Adjust current response units and staffing; and 4) Upgrade all Engine and Squad Companies to Paramedic/ALS. Fire Chief Geer said the strategic plan considers future needs based on continuing call volume increase. Future needs require adequate Paramedic/ALS coverage to meet increasing service demands and the best equipment, training and adequate personnel on-scene to perform duties as safely as possible and comply with industry standards. Increased public education and code enforcement will result in an improved ISO (Insurance Services Office, Inc.) rating and provide residents a savings in insurance premiums. In response to Council requests, staff will submit a trend line for service calls, information on the grading system used to score operations, and the cost of improving those grades. In response to a question, Fire Chief Geer said while all new high-rise buildings have sprinkler systems, older buildings that lack systems impact operations. On a scale of 1 to 10, the City’s current ISO rating is “3.” A “2” rating would require a new ladder truck and training facility, while a “1” rating would require installing additional fire hydrants and addressing other categories. The recent accreditation process determined that the Fire Department meets minimum standards in all categories of provided services. In response to a request, staff will provide a detailed explanation of components considered and training, staff, and equipment changes necessary to increase the City’s ISO rating. Fire Chief Geer said adopting the Fire Task Force recommendation to increase staffing levels on all equipment to four would be too expensive. Instead, he recommends increasing staff levels on ladder and squad companies. He said in addition to training, the budget would provide an additional person on each ladder truck. Council Special Work Session 2005-07-01 2 It was felt that more data is needed before the City Council takes further steps. Staff will provide information on national staffing standards. In response to a question, Fire Division Chief Joel Gray anticipated a City-wide sweep of preventative inspections will be completed within a year. Once the sweep is complete, an inspection schedule will be established. In response to a question, he reported that staff has determined that fire vehicles have space to turn around and can access structures on Brightwater. In response to a question, Fire Chief Geer reported he is managing how overtime is assigned and has tried to accurately predict when it will be necessary. Next year’s budget reduces overtime from 4.8 to 2 hours per shift. 5 – General Services Solid Waste/General Services Director Bob Brumback reported he requested two new positions: 1) Solid Waste Supervisor position to support the expansion of Solid Waste roll-off operations and 2) Equipment Operator for the Transfer Station, which has reached its capacity. Mr. Brumback reported the number of buildings requiring care has increased and he has requested new positions: 1) Maintenance Supervisor to oversee electrical, plumbing, and lighting issues; 2) A/C Technician; 3) Plumber; 4) Tradesworker; and 5) Fleet mechanic. In response to questions, he said use of in-house air-conditioning staff rather than contractors results in lower costs and higher quality work. Staff also has taken over the maintenance of City generators. Mr. Brumback reported fuel adjustments are expected and costs have increased. The consolidation of the parts industry has resulted in increased costs. Staff is shopping nationwide for better prices. He estimated that fuel costs in the new budget are increased by 70%. Ms. Wilson reported this year’s budget will be adjusted to reflect higher fuel costs. In response to a question if the City has considered fuel futures, Solid Waste /General Services Assistant Director Rick Carnley said the City uses the rack price, which does take some futures into account. It was recommended that staff consider membership in a fuel-buying consortium. 6 – Parks & Recreation Parks & Recreation Director Kevin Dunbar requested 1.4 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) positions to provide additional lifeguards at the Long Center to conduct swim lessons. Activity fees will fund the cost of these positions. The proposal also includes one additional Parks Service Technician and one additional Tradesworker to provide landscaping services for new and expanded facilities, including the Kapok and Glen Oaks projects and expanded bicycle trails. The City is in discussions with the State to take over the National Guard Armory to consolidate department storage, currently scattered among six separate Downtown buildings. Maintenance of the Long Center has been proposed as a Penny for Pinellas project. In response to a question, Mr. Dunbar said use of the armory will permit the vacation of other storage facilities. Fees cover the cost of staffing the Long Center on Sundays. When the City took over the Long Center, staff anticipated maintenance issues, as the former operation did not have the capacity to address them. Many items are included in the Building & Council Special Work Session 2005-07-01 3 Maintenance budget. Projects include painting the entire pool area and studying the ventilation, before determining if a new air-conditioning unit is necessary. Staff is doing a better job of tracking the increased participation in athletic programs and events. In response to a question, Mr. Dunbar said his department is not resourced to accommodate private participation to maintain Missouri Avenue mediums. The City Manager said when the federal designation of Missouri Avenue is relocated to another road, the City may be able work with State to address the mediums. Missouri Avenue will remain a State road. 7 – Public Works Administration City Engineer Mike Quillen requested an Engineer III position in Traffic Operations to keep up with the increasing needs. This position was eliminated several years ago. In response to a question, he said the agreement with the County regarding traffic signals has stalled, as construction of the County control facility is not funded. Staff is unsure if the number of City positions will be reduced when the County facility is completed. Public Services Director Gary Johnson requested two additional Construction Inspector I positions, necessary due to the increasing number and complexity of construction projects. If a slow down should occur in the future, the extra positions will be reduced due to attrition. In response to a question, Mr. Johnson said four separate construction projects are planned for the Alligator Creek basin. Mr. Quillen said erosion problems need to be addressed. SWFWMD (Southwest Florida Water Management District) is providing some funds. 8 – Development & Neighborhood Services Development & Neighborhood Services Director Jeff Kronschnabl requested two new positions: 1) Building Construction Inspector and 2) Development Review Technician. Both positions are needed to help with the increased business related construction activity experienced in the Department. In response to a question, Mr. Kronschnabl reported that while Public Works building inspectors inspect public infrastructure, his department’s inspectors inspect private construction. Comments The City Manager reported another Budget Workshop will be scheduled in August 2005. In response to a question regarding the decrease in communications and services tax revenues, Ms. Wilson said if property values had not increased, the budget would have had service cuts or a millage increase. This request for increased staff is not typical, but needs have caught up to the City. The City Manager said increased staff levels need Council approval. These requests are based on priorities expressed by the City Council. A resource committee validates the number of FTEs required. It was felt the City needs to do a better job conveying costs related to additional facilities. Council Special Work Session 2005-07-01 4 The cost of keeping tapes 10 years instead of 5 was requested. In response to a question, Ms. Wilson said beach parking revenues will begin to decrease as spaces are removed. It was suggested that a two-year projection would create more certainty in processes and would increase staff planning. The impact of the Save our Homes cap on City revenues was noted. In response to concerns regarding the proposed size of City reserves, Ms. Wilson said while the percentage is being reduced, the amount of money in the reserve remains about the same. A comparison of per capita expenditures for various services between local municipalities was distributed. It was noted that half of the City’s General Fund budget is spent on public safety and that some costs are outside City Council control, such as increased fuel and pension costs. An updated analysis, comparing Pinellas County municipal budgets, was requested. 9 – Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m. Council Special Work Session 2005-07-01 5