08/31/2015 Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
City of Clearwater
City Hall
112 S. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
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Meeting Minutes
Monday, August 31, 2015
1 :00 PM
City Hall Chambers
Community Redevelopment Agency
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City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
Roll Call
Present 4 - Chair George N. Cretekos, Trustee Doreen Hock-DiPolito (Arrived — 1:06
p.m.), Trustee Jay E. Polglaze, and Trustee Hoyt Hamilton
Absent 1 - Trustee Bill Jonson
Also Present—William B. Horne — City Manager, Jill Silverboard —Assistant City
Manager, Rod Irwin — CRA Executive Director/Assistant City
Manager, Pamela K. Akin — City Attorney, Rosemarie Call — City
Clerk, Nicole Sprague — Official Records and Legislative Services
Coo rd in ator
To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
1. Call To Order— Chair Cretekos
The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. at City Hall.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the minutes of the August 17, 2015 CRA meeting as submitted in written
summation by the City Clerk.
Trustee Polglaze moved to approve the minutes of the August 17,
2015 CRA meeting as submitted in written summation by the City
Clerk. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda — None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Approve an Interlocal Agreement between the Clearwater Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA) and the City of Clearwater to provide CRA funding in Fiscal Year
2015-2016 in the amount of$166,596.78 to underwrite the cost of additional
Community Policing services by the Clearwater Police Department in the East
Gateway CRA District, pursuant to the East Gateway Five-Year Action Program for
fiscal years 2012-2017 and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
On October 15, 2012, the CRA approved the East Gateway District Five-Year
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Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
Action Program for FY 2012-2017. The Action Program responded to public
input on the issues of drug dealing, prostitution and street crime by including
an action item for the continuation of increased police presence and crime
reduction within the East Gateway District.
An allowable funding source of this action item is the use of CRA Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) funds. Florida Statues allows for the use of TIF
funds for community policing innovations in Community Redevelopment Areas.
The CRA and Clearwater Police Department have reached an agreement on a
proposed scope of services and terms as delineated in the Interlocal
Agreement. Included in the scope is the delineation of specific, measurable
crime reduction targets by which to monitor the success of the initiative as well
as providing clear language required by statute assuring that the resources are
applied to the CRA/East Gateway area.
Funding will be from the CRA East Gateway Project account (388-94849).
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
388-94849 $166,596.78
Funding will be from the CRA East Gateway Project 388-94849. $166,596.78
Trustee Polglaze moved to approve an Interlocal Agreement
between the Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
and the City of Clearwater to provide CRA funding in Fiscal Year
2015-2016 in the amount of$166,596.78 to underwrite the cost of
additional Community Policing services by the Clearwater Police
Department in the East Gateway CRA District, pursuant to the East
Gateway Five-Year Action Program for fiscal years 2012-2017 and
authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. The motion
was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.2 Amend the operating budget for the Community Redevelopment Agency for fiscal year
2014-15; approve budget amendments to the CRA Capital Improvement Project Fund;
and adopt resolution 15-02.
Amendments to the revenues of the Operating Budget reflect a decrease of
$55,563 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) received for fiscal year 14-15 based
upon final receipts for the TIF proceeds from Pinellas County, the City of
Clearwater, and the Downtown Development Board.
Operating expenditure amendments at mid-year include an increase of
$75,000 from Payment to Other Agencies-Blast Friday to reflect the payment
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Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
to fund the grant to Clearwater Downtown Events, Inc for Blast Friday.
Proposed amendments to operating budget include:
1. To adjust budgeted revenue to actual TIF receipts, and adjust the related
payment to the DDB to match actual receipts.
2. To adjust budgeted interest revenue to actual receipts to date.
3. To adjust miscellaneous other review to actual receipts to date.
4. To allocate prior year reserves to fund the transfer to the City as
compensation for the Prospect Lake land transfer reimbursement to
HUD as approved by the CRA on August 4, 2014.
5. To increase payment to agencies by $75,000 to fund the grant to
Clearwater Downtown Events, Inc for Blast Friday as approved by the
CRA on November 3, 2014.
6. To reduce the budget transfer of Restricted County TIF funds to the East
Gateway project by $20,089 to compensate for the loss in tax
increment financing.
7. To reduce the budget transfer to the Downtown Redevelopment project by
$75,000 to fund the grant to Clearwater Downtown Events, Inc for Blast
Friday as approved by the CRA on November 3, 2014; and by $3,647
to compensate for the loss in tax increment financing net of the
miscellaneous revenue amendments noted above.
Proposed amendments to CRA Capital Improvement Project Fund include:
1. To reduce the budget to the Downtown Redevelopment project by $75,000
to provide funding for the grant to Clearwater Downtown Events, Inc for
Blast Friday as approved by the CRA on November 3, 2014, and by
$3,647 due to the reduction in tax increment receipts in the operating
budget for the fiscal year, and to adjust for the amendments noted
below. (items 2, 3 and 6)
2. To transfer $65,000 from 388-94714, Downtown Redevelopment, to project
388-94884, Property Acquisition 1356 Park Street to provide funding
necessary for property acquisition as approved by the CRA on July 13,
2015.
3. To increase the budget by a net total of$536,317.15 representing prior
year excess cash which totals $535,343.24 and other revenue, which
totals $973.91. This will bring the budget in the line with actual cash
received in the project.
4. To reduce the budgeted transfer by $20,089 due to the reduction in County
Tax increment receipts in the operating fund for the fiscal year, and
adjust for the amendment below. (items)
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Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
5. To increase the budget by a net total of$3,146.04 representing an increase
to other revenue which totals $4731.98, and increase to
reimbursements for $1,000 and a decrease to CRA transfer in revenue
of$2585.94. This will bring the budget in line with actual received in the
project.
6. To establish project 388-94885, ULI Implementation and transfer
$1,000,000 from 388-94714, Downtown Redevelopment to provide
funding for ULI priorities as discussed by the board on September 15,
2014.
The City Manager said he received a call from Trustee Jonson, he
recommended that the item be deferred to the next CRA meeting as he
would not support the $1 million transfer without more specific
information.
There was no consensus to defer the agenda item.
In response to questions, CRA Executive Director Rod Irwin said the
funding is needed now. Staff would feel more comfortable having the
funds available to ensure implementation is not delayed. Economic
Development and Housing Director Geri Campos Lopez said the budget
presented to the Trustees includes preliminary TIF estimates provided
by Pinellas County. The budget amendments presented throughout the
year are actuals. The County overestimates the TIF roll.
Trustee Hamilton moved to amend the operating budget for the
Community Redevelopment Agency for fiscal year 2014-15;
approve budget amendments to the CRA Capital Improvement
Project Fund. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
Resolution 15-02 was presented and read by title only.
Trustee Hock-DiPolito moved to adopt Resolution 15-02.
The motion was duly seconded and upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 4 - Chair Cretekos, Trustee Hock-DiPolito, Trustee Polglaze and
Trustee Hamilton
4.3 Approve the Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
Preliminary Budget and adopt CRA 15-03.
The major highlights of the Fiscal Year 2015-2016 proposed preliminary
budget are as follows:
Tax increment revenues increased by $166,771 over the proposed 2014-2015
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Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
budget, reflecting an increase in taxable value of 8.1% in the old Downtown
CRA (Downtown) and a 6.3% increase in the expanded CRA area (East
Gateway). These compare with Citywide 6.9% increase in value.
The new CRA value increase is positive, as it indicates value increases in the
East Gateway are more closely approximating the citywide number, as
compared to previous years. The Downtown/Old CRA value increases
continue to exceed citywide increases, indicating positive market response to
redevelopment and public investment activities.
Operating expenditures increased by $ 13,509 or 5.1% largely due to the
increase in pass through revenues to the Downtown Development Board
(DDB), as well as minor increases in operating expenses across several line
items.
New to the budget this year is funding of an Economic Development (ED)
Coordinator position needed to support Urban Land Institute (ULI), East
Gateway and Downtown program activities. This is an expansion of capacity
on the CRA side similar to the addition of an ED Coordinator on the ED side to
implement the ED Strategic Plan several years ago. In this case, the added
work generated by the ULI Advisory Panel project implementation activities
indicates the need for a similar staff addition.
Also in support of the ULI Program and Clearwater Business Spark, an
entrepreneurial ecosystem initiative, funds in the amount of$99,600 are being
allocated to a new project account to underwrite the STEM (Science
Technology Engineering and Mathematics) and Youth STEM centers at the
Main Library.
The budget appropriation of$50,000 to the existing Economic Development
Incentives project account will allow a continuation of the well-established
parking subsidy initiative for office lease deals. As staff continues to support
lease-up of the office space in the Tech District, this initiative has been very
helpful.
The Blast Friday agreement with Clearwater Downtown Events/Ruth Eckerd
Hall has expired and a new proposal, including an increase in CRA financial
participation, has recently been submitted to staff. However, the proposal has
not been sufficiently vetted to warrant inclusion of an appropriation request in
the proposed budget. As was the case in Fiscal Year 2014-15, if agreement is
reached on a program to meet the expanded scope and re-direction requested
by the CRA Board, a funding agreement can be brought forward at a
subsequent meeting. Should a proposal be subsequently approved by the
Board, funding could be appropriated from the Downtown Redevelopment
Fund.
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Community Redevelopment Agency Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
Please note that the annual $6,000 contribution for the Farmer's Market has
been deleted from the budget. The DDB has not funded the event in their
budget, and CRA staff has determined that the business model likely will no
longer be sustainable. Alternately, the DDB has approved funding for a
Saturday Market which seems promising. The CRA will support the effort
through payment of meter fees to the Parking Fund.
Transfers Out to various projects are as designated in the CRA Six Year Plan.
The Proposed Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Agency budget is consistent with the Six
Year Plan.
In response to questions, CRA Executive Director Rod Irwin said the
proposed additional position will assist with the ULI quarterly reports and
TIF renewal, as well as working actively in the East Gateway. Economic
Development and Housing Director Geri Campos Lopez said the
position will work on CRA projects, such as the streetscaping and the
Mercado. Mr. Irwin said the CRA is able to subsidize parking for
businesses that lease space in the CRA as an incentive to recruit
businesses. In regards to expanding the City's use at Station Square
Parking Garage, outside counsel Peter Dunbar said the City could not
expand its use unless the condo documents were amended. The condo
documents only allow retail meter parking. Staff supports the
amendment but the homeowners association must approve the change.
Mr. Irwin said there are many vacancies in the parking garage. Finance
Director Jay Ravins said staff has confirmed with bond counsel that the
bonds used for construction have been paid.
In response to a question, Mr. Irwin said the Farmers Market held on
Wednesdays has declined over the years. The Saturday Market has a
stronger business plan that will link with the Arts Stroll during the
Summer. Ms. Campos Lopez said the Saturday Market will feature local
products, ingredients, and vendors. The market has a broader appeal
than the Wednesday Farmers Market.
Staff was directed to provide a list of companies that have been recently
recruited into the City.
Trustee Hamilton moved to approve the Fiscal Year 2015-2016
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Preliminary Budget. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Resolution 15-03 was presented and read by title only.
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City of Clearwater
Community Redevelopment Agency
5. Adjourn
Attest
Meeting Minutes August 31, 2015
Trustee Hock - DiPolito moved to adopt Resolution 15 -03.
The motion was duly seconded and upon roll call, the vote was:
Ayes: 4 - Chair Cretekos, Trustee Hock - DiPolito, Trustee Polglaze and
Trustee Hamilton
The meeting adjourned at 1:47 p.m.
City of Clearwater
Chair
Community Redevelopment Agency
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