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07/28/1998 - Penny for PinellasCITY COMMISSION SPECIAL WORK SESSION PENNY FOR PINELLAS CITY OF CLEARWATER July 28, 1998 Present: Rita Garvey Mayor/Commissioner Ed Hooper Vice-Mayor/Commissioner J. B. Johnson Commissioner Robert Clark Commissioner Karen Seel Commissioner Also Present: Michael J. Roberto City Manager Richard L. Hedrick Deputy City Manager Bob Keller Assistant City Manager Pamela K. Akin City Attorney Rich Baier Public Works Administrator Tina Wilson Budget Director Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Gwen Legters Board Reporter The Mayor called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. for the purpose of discussing prioritization of the Penny for Pinellas projects. City Manager Michael Roberto said the City is reviewing past and future projects funded from the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) budget and Penny for Pinellas dollars. Priorities will be reflected in each year’s budget and will be subject to change. He acknowledged staff’s hard work in preparing the documentation. Deputy City Manager Rick Hedrick said today’s presentation is a work in progress, based on staff’s understanding of the information required by the City Commission. Additional guidance and direction will be needed. Commissioners received Proposed Capital Improvement Budget Fiscal Years (FY) 1998/99–2003/04; Public Works’ revised synopsis of Penny for Pinellas Capital Projects; a revised Penny for Pinellas Forecasting Worksheet, expanded to include old and new projects; and Penny for Pinellas Annual Operating Costs, a spreadsheet showing impact of Penny projects on the operating budget, adjusted to reflect a 4% annual CPI (Consumer Price Index) increase. Budget Director Tina Wilson reviewed Proposed Capital Improvement Budget Fiscal Year (FY) 1998/99–2003/04. The total CIP budget for 1999 from all revenue sources is $48,679,750. The total CIP program over 6 years will be $325,515,400. A slide presentation highlighted totals for capital projects reflected in the project summary. In response to questions, it was indicated numbers for the parking program will change as the program progresses. The best estimate of the City’s allocated share for a new downtown multimodal facility is $1,500,000. Ms. Wilson provided clarification regarding bonding for certain projects, the lease-purchase process for vehicles, and revenue growth factor calculation. Staff was requested to determine whether the new ISTEA increased the percentage of gas tax to the City. Discussion ensued regarding the Penny for Pinellas Forecasting Worksheet, showing $96,900,000 revenue from new Pennies, as well as $3,669,650 from old Pennies allocated in the Capital Improvement budget for current projects. Staff was requested to provide information on which projects were financed from internal borrowing. Ms. Wilson stated the City Manager has recommended total project funding of approximately $135,000,000, fronting the money for bridge replacement. Discussion ensued regarding how staff arrived at the current bridge replacement costs. In response to questions, Public Works Administrator Rich Baier said a fixed bridge cost can be determined when staff brings forward all the design options for Commission review. Staff was requested to prepare a single document showing the bottom line estimate for the bridge, including all costs that might go into building the bridge. In response to a question, Ms. Wilson said the recommended $135 million expenditure of Penny for Pinellas revenue includes a $5 million contingency reserve. These expenditures will be made over a 12-year period. Mr. Baier gave a slide presentation highlighting the revised Penny for Pinellas Capital Projects, noting where changes were made from the previous proposal. Mr. Baier and Mr. Hedrick responded to questions. The Beach Streetscape proposal was amended to eliminate some streets, and the funds diverted to Gulf to Bay Boulevard improvements. Discussion ensued regarding incorporation of mast arms and underground wiring into the State Road 60 Corridor Beautification project, expected to come back for design approval. The idea for a baseball stadium was deleted from the Harbor Bluff Waterfront Park design, but inadvertently left on the paperwork. Any construction on the waterfront, including docks, would require a referendum. The Memorial Civic Center project will depend on roadway configuration and other decisions not yet made. Mr. Hedrick stressed dollars allocated for this project are needed to help leverage private dollars to create public-private partnerships. The visitor information center may be omitted from this location, and a new 15 by 15-foot visitor center built on Pier 60. The State is willing to assume maintenance costs for the new Memorial Causeway bridge, with the City paying for lighting, irrigation and landscaping maintenance. The meeting recessed from 11:08 to 11:23 a.m. Discussion ensued regarding a new Main Library, including funding, space needs, features, and the possibility of saving money by tying it in with an existing building. Inclusion of an art center would be difficult to tie in with existing plans. Expansion of Countryside Library is not included in funding for branch expansions. The wisdom of spending a significant amount on major library expansions within two miles of each other was questioned. Library Director Arlita Hallam explained the Main Library provides support functions to the branches and serves businesses not served by the branches. A referendum would be required for both bonding and location. Wisdom of spending one out of every eight dollars for debt service was questioned. It was questioned whether a separate meeting is needed to discuss bonding and debt issues. Review of capital projects resumed. It was indicated annual operating costs were inadvertently included on the spread sheet for Ruth Eckerd Hall. Many details regarding Martin Luther King Recreation Center and a new North Greenwood Branch Library have not been determined and will come back to the Commission. Kapok Recreation and Stormwater Retention project is not on the Penny for Pinellas funding list. Grant applications have been submitted. The project includes purchase of the Kapok Mobile Home Park, but not relocation of the mobile homes. This issue will come back for in-depth discussion. The City’s contribution to the $1,996,354 Long Center improvements is $1,000,000. Economic Redevelopment and Environmental Assessment project relates to the Town Pond because of the needed contamination remediation. Brownfields money can be used. Regarding Myrtle Avenue/Ft. Harrison widening, Mr. Baier said the City maintains all traffic signal assemblies, including mast arms. Some of the $2,000,000 for mast arms could be added to this project. General scope of the North Greenwood Complex and Pool project indicates Ray Green Field does not have sufficient space for the complex and a library. Acquisition of more land will increase costs. Interim Parks and Recreation Director Art Kader said expanding and extending the current east/west recreation trail from the Long Center to the Safety Harbor Bayshore Trail probably will not use all the allocated funding. Discussion ensued regarding Druid Road improvements. It was indicated future funding would be needed for maintenance between Belcher Road and Ft. Harrison Avenue. Missing stretches of sidewalk will be filled. The project includes replacement of the bridge over Allen’s Creek. Funding the Parks and Recreation Infrastructure Facility from the regular CIP instead of Pennies is an option, but environmental concerns exist. The project may be scaled down, depending on what happens with the County’s Keene Road extension project. Discussion ensued regarding the proposal to construct a new East Branch Library on the SPJC (St. Petersburg Junior College) campus. Dr. Carl Kuttler, SPJC, has asked the City to consider doing the project next year instead of in 2008, to enable application for a state grant that would pay for the entire project. The City would repay SPJC with proceeds from sale of the current East Library and Pennies funds, when they become available. Dr. Kuttler needs the City’s commitment before August 1998, to proceed with filing the partnership funding request. Discussion ensued regarding benefits to the City, what SPJC is bringing to the table, and potential contract details for operation, maintenance, staffing, and authority of the shared facility. Concerns were expressed regarding the recommendation to allocate $500,000 for Countryside Infrastructure Improvements, as no details were given. The City Manager said no specific project is currently recommended because the neighborhoods have not had time to reach consensus, but he felt it important to balance Penny spending throughout the community. He noted many projects cut from the Penny for Pinellas list were in the Countryside area. In response to a question, Fire Chief Rowland Herald said the proposed Addition/Improvement Fire Training Facility project, as submitted did not meet the Fire Department’s needs. He felt it was important to build a larger classroom/emergency operations center to get dual use from the building. He indicated some County funding may be possible. Upon review of the Penny for Pinellas Annual Operating Costs projections, grave concerns were expressed the decisions under discussion will create the need for future millage rate increases. Discussion ensued regarding costs attached to providing what citizens want. The City Manager pointed out the difficulty of projecting cost of living increases, for employees staffing facilities, beyond the first two or three years. He expressed a need to clear the decks ahead of time to enable future staff reallocation. It was indicated user fees, adopt-a-road, and xeriscaping could help reduce future operating expenses. Mr. Roberto said priority decisions and clear direction from the Commission will be needed with regard to Penny for Pinellas projects at the meeting of August 18, 1998. The meeting adjourned at 12:42 p.m.