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05/25/2021 City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 City of Clearwater Main Library- Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 m Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 25, 2021 1 :00 PM Strategic Planning Session to Review 5-year Financial Forecast Main Library - Council Chambers City Council Page 1 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 Roll Call Present: 5 - Mayor Frank Hibbard, Vice Mayor Hoyt Hamilton, Councilmember David Allbritton, Councilmember Mark Bunker and Councilmember Kathleen Beckman Also Present: William B. Horne II — City Manager, Micah Maxwell —Assistant City Manager, Michael Delk—Assistant City Manager, Pamela K. Akin City Attorney, Rosemarie Call — City Clerk, and Nicole Sprague — Deputy City Clerk. To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Call to Order— Mayor Hibbard The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. 2. Citizens to be heard re items not on the agenda - None 3. City Manager Verbal Reports 3.1 Strategic Planning Process Presentation The Florida Institute of Government will give a presentation regarding the recently started Strategic Planning Process. This will include the various phases of the process as well as a timeline. FIOG Director Angela Crist provided a PowerPoint presentation and led Council in an activity in which Councilmembers cited milestones that impacted Clearwater throughout its history. In response to questions, Ms. Crist said she has not conducted the strategic planning process in the middle of a new city manager search. She has conducted the process during an election period, she held one-one-one meetings with the newly elected officials to review the process and data reports. She said Dr. John Daly will conduct the citizen survey. The citizen and employee surveys will create a statistically sound foundation for the focus group topics. Ms. Crist, Dr. Daly, and Dr. Stephen Neely will be involved with the focus groups. Ms. Crist led Council through an activity in which two groups of Council described the City's accomplishments from 2021 through 2031. Page 2 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 In response to questions, Ms. Crist said the activities today will be similar to those used during the citizen engagement process to help mold a city vision. She is coordinating with city staff to obtain information from the National Research Center to ensure residents are not bombarded with surveys or duplicate questions. Historically, information about the citizen survey has been provided via utility billing, emails, and flyers at recreation centers. The employee survey will be disseminated to all city employees. Ms. Crist said the citizen and employee surveys are conducted anonymously. 3.2 Long term financial forecasts for General Fund and major utility funds Review of long-term financial forecasts for the General Fund and the major utility funds consisting of Water & Sewer; Stormwater; Gas, and Solid Waste & Recycling. Finance Director Jay Ravins provided a PowerPoint presentation. In response to questions, Mr. Ravins said the City received its 50% allocation of$11,241,946.50 in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds last week, the other 50% will be provided within one year. The City has until December 31, 2024 to commit the funds and an additional two years to expend the funds. Mr. Ravins said any funds not expended by December 31, 2026 must be returned. The funds have not been allocated yet, staff will brainstorm and present a list of proposed projects to Council at a future date. Spending the funds will not be an issue since stormwater projects are eligible expenditures. He said the utility reserve fund has been diminishing due to ambitious master plans in process. The master plans are not fully reflected in the current forecast because they are still in process and will identify projects the City cannot afford or include items the City is not willing to take the required rate increase. He said the master plans are designed to identify the City's needs, staff will work with the rate study consultants to determine an affordable balance and future rate increases. He said a lot of the excess reserves reflect cash that has been designated for advanced funding of capital projects. Public Utilities Director Rich Gardner said state legislation recently approved may require the Department to reprioritize projects identified in the master plans. 3.3 Discuss Penny for Pinellas project list, proposed project changes and reallocation of funding. Page 3 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 In response to questions, Engineering Director Tara Kivett said past reports identified that the Sand Key Bridge be replaced in 2045, fifty years from when it was constructed. The 50-year timeframe is a very conservative approach. Staff discussed the matter with Pinellas County, Department of Transportation, and structural engineers and determined that based on the bridge's construction, a 75-year replacement period is more appropriate. She said the City inspects all of its vehicular bridges once every two years. The Sand Key bridge was inspected this January and no signs of deterioration associated with a 50-year replacement was identified. Assistant City Manager Micah Maxwell said staff did not feel comfortable utilizing tax dollars collected between 2020 and 2030 for a project that was so far out. Ms. Kivett said given the results of the recent inspection, there is evidence of some scouring and need for minor repairs but overall, the bridge is in good shape. Budget Manager Kayleen Kastel said the Penny proceeds identified in 29/30 are lower because it accounts for only a portion of the funding cycle. 3.4 Minimum Wage Implementation Proposal Florida Amendment 2 (2020) provides for a 73.4% increase to minimum wage effective September 30, 2026, with annual adjustments beginning on September 30, 2021, and ending at $15. The Human Resources Department reviewed comparators plans for implementation, and the majority will have implemented in the current year. Staff reviewed several options, consulted with PSPC, and recommending an October 1, 2021 implementation of$15/hour along with two options for compression adjustments. HR Manager Billie Kirkpatrick provided a PowerPoint presentation. In response to a question, HR Director Jennifer Poirrier said if there was council consensus to move forward with the proposed plan, staff will prepare an agenda item for the next meeting. She will begin negotiating with the CWA. She said all CWA members would receive an increase but members will not receive the same increase. The City Manager said the intent is to include the minimum wage implementation in the preliminary budget. Assistant City Manager Micah Maxwell said staff will present an agenda item to Council at the June 14 work session. Page 4 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 There was council consensus to proceed with Scenario 2. The Council recessed from 2:37 p.m. to 2:48 p.m. 3.5 Code Enforcement Staffing Responsibilities of Code Compliance Division and Current Staff Levels and Budget The Code Compliance Division of the Planning and Development Department is tasked with ensuring property is maintained in a manner consistent with community standards established in the Community Development Code and Code of Ordinances. The Division is also responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Business Tax Receipt program, which generates approximately $2,000,000 annually. The Code Compliance Division budget for FY 2020/21 is as follows. Salary + Benefits $934,404 Other Operating and Internal Charges $283,730 Total Budget $1,218,134 A total of 14 FTEs and one 0.5 seasonal FTE are funded in this budget. •1 Manager •1 Inspection Specialist •9 Inspectors •1 Sign Inspector •2 Development Review Technicians/Specialists •.5 Seasonal Customer Service Representative (during BTR renewal season) The duties of a Code Enforcement Inspector focus on receiving and investigating complaints and identifying violations proactively while patrolling one of nine geographic assigned zones. Inspectors evaluate property, identify areas of noncompliance, communicate with property owners/tenants, and explain how to remedy violations with the goal of achieving voluntary compliance. They also conduct follow-up inspections to determine progress with the violation and communicate updates to the violator and any complainant that has provided contact information. In addition to the actual work of identifying violations and working with owners to resolve them, Inspectors have a significant amount of administrative work Page 5 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 associated with case management which involves documenting all aspects of an investigation in the Department's property management system (Accela). If voluntary compliance is not gained, Inspectors also need to prepare and issue Notices of Violation or Notices to Appear and ultimately prepare all documentation and materials for those hearings if violations are not corrected. Code Enforcement Inspectors also communicate and engage with the public via email, phone and in the field. They coordinate with other city departments to resolve issues and work with outside organizations/agencies to facilitate assistance for those owners lacking resources and/or abilities to comply. Lastly, Inspectors attend neighborhood/homeowner association meetings in their assigned zone as needed. On average Inspectors spend approximately 50% of their time in the field, 35% on administrative tasks and 15% on customer contact via phones/email. Options for Increased Code Compliance Staffs Levels Doublinq of Code Compliance Staff For purposes of the Strategic Priorities discussion, the Department was tasked with determining costs of doubling inspectors in the Code Compliance Division. To manage such an increase in inspectors, additional supervisory and customer service support would be required which would include the reclassification of one existing position. The proposal to expand staffing levels would include the addition of 11 FTEs as follows. •2 Code Enforcement Supervisors (+1 FTE and Reclassification of 1 FTE) •9 Inspectors •1 Customer Service Representative This increase would result in a total staffing level of 25.5 FTEs. The costs to fund the additional salary and benefits and operating costs are as follows. Salary + Benefits $625,085 Other Operating and Internal Charges $199,030 Annual Increase $824,115 1-Time Equipment & Software Purchases $241,002 (excluding office furniture) Total First Year Increase $1,065,117 This increase in staff would enable the Division to create a total of 17 inspection zones that would have much smaller areas to patrol. It would also provide for the reestablishment of a dedicated BTR Inspector, needed customer service/inspector support and provide an appropriate supervisory span of control. It is my opinion this level of resources is excessive, and goals can be met with fewer new FTEs. Ideal Code Compliance Staff Levels A robust but more ideal increase in resources for the Code Compliance Division would result in the addition of six new FTEs. Page 6 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 •2 Code Enforcement Supervisors (+1 FTE and Reclassification of 1 FTE) •4 Inspectors •1 Customer Service Representative This proposal would increase the total number of staff from 14.5 to 20.5 FTEs, increase the number of inspection zones from nine to 12 providing each Inspector with a more manageable area to patrol in the densest areas of the city. This scenario would also re-establish one BTR Inspector and provide appropriate levels of supervision and customer service support. The additional costs to fund salary and benefits and operating cost of this increase (6 FTEs) is as follows. Salary + Benefits $341,049 Other Operating and Internal Charges $106,590 Annual Increase $447,639 I-Time Equipment and Software Purchases $122,982 (excluding office furniture Total First Year Increase $570,621 Strategic/Conservative Increase in Code Compliance Staff Levels If City Council decides more resources are needed to achieve its code enforcement goals, I believe a more targeted and incremental approach to expanding staff resources would be prudent. The current gaps in the Division are in three areas — administrative support for the existing Inspectors, BTR enforcement and appropriate management levels; therefore, Council may want to consider the addition of three new FTEs which would bring staffing levels to a total of 17.5 FTEs. •1 Code Enforcement Supervisor •1 Inspector (dedicated to BTRs) •1 Customer Service Representative This proposed increase would reduce administrative work (e.g. departmental phone coverage, opening cases in Accela, preparing certified mailings, etc.,) for Inspectors that currently takes time from an Inspector's field work and enforcement activities. This staffing option also would provide needed management assistance as the current span of control is large considering the diversity of functions in the Division and the needed level of customer interaction. Lastly,this proposal would also eliminate the need of current Inspectors to perform work associated with BTR investigations. Having a dedicated BTR inspector may also result in increased revenues from the city's BTR program. The costs associated with this staffing option is as follows. Salary + Benefits $167,013 Other Operating and Internal Charges $51,127 Annual Increase $218,140 Page 7 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 1-Time Equipment and Software Purchases $50,290 (excluding office furniture Total First Year Increase $268,430 It should be noted that none of the above scenarios include the costs of furniture/cubicles for additional staff and it is unclear how new staff could be accommodated within existing Department space. In response to questions, Planning and Development Director Gina Clayton said staff reviewed the existing zones and adjusted them to a more appropriate size. She said some areas have more structures, older areas of the city have multiple dwelling structures, older housing stock have more violations than the newer areas, and some areas look larger because they include county land. Top of the World is located in Zone 7. She said Zones 11, 12, 15, 4, 3, and 6 have greater density. Ms. Clayton recommended an incremental approach, adding 3 FTEs, evaluating later staffs accomplishments and consider adding additional staff if needed. She said code enforcement staff rotate a list of properties to inspect every Saturday. Staff conducts special inspections of properties where violations are known to occur during certain hours. Code Enforcement Manager Ken Pieslack said staff meets weekly to identify problem areas. He does not believe the recently approved state bill disallowing anonymous code enforcement complaints will impact the Department's workload. He said during a recent staff meeting, staff identified the need to hire a code enforcement customer service representative, inspectors are spending a lot of time answering phone calls while trying to enter new case information. Ms. Clayton said due to the state bill, staff will ignore anonymous code enforcement complaints. Code Inspector Ryan Odegaard said staff needs an employee dedicated to answering phone calls. He said the 2,000 BTRs in the red status symbolize $2 million in potential revenue for the city. In response to a question, Mr. Odegaard said it is not necessary to double the number of inspectors as staff can currently manage workloads for their assigned zones. 80% of his workload is proactive. He suggested increasing staff with 1 BTR employee, 1 customer service representative, and 1 supervisor. Code Inspector Shelby Brown supported three additional employees. She said the City's property inventory is aging and when she first joined the Department, properties were better maintained because there were Page 8 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 more code inspectors to enforce city code. Code Inspector Jason Hauser said the City's enforcement mechanisms are limited. He said one of the major issues is the City assesses many fines and liens but do not reclaim those funds or foreclose on properties. He suggested that the new city attorney address the matter. The City Attorney said staff is aware of Mr. Hauser's concerns and that he does not agree with how the City is handling the matter. In response to questions, the City Manager said the majority opinion among staff is to add 3 additional FTEs, as a baseline for future evaluations. There are internal measures in the BTR division to evaluate the effectiveness of the additional FTE. He said staff will need to develop some measures to evaluate the code enforcement division. Mr. Pieslack said even if the number of code inspectors was doubled, problem properties will not go away. When the code enforcement process has been exhausted, Legal takes over to begin the foreclosure review process. 3.6 Real Time Crime Center The Police Department will provide an overview of the Real Time Crime Center to include the technologies in use, operation of the center, general overview of staffing, and successes of the center. Police Chief Daniel Slaughter provided a PowerPoint presentation. In response to questions, Chief Slaughter said there are security cameras in the N. Mandalay parking garage, staff is discussing the ability of getting live access to the video feed. The proliferation of bars in Clearwater Beach has created a different atmosphere. The management of the N. Mandalay parking garage has added additional staff to help address the safety concerns raised by patrons. 3.7 Discuss social services funded by the City of Clearwater. Since Fiscal Year (FY) 95-96, the Economic Development & Housing Department has provided funding support to numerous organizations for services and facilities that address priority needs identified in the city's Page 9 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 HUD-required Consolidated Plan (Plan). The Plan is reviewed/evaluated every 5 years to ensure that goals and objectives identified in the Plan are aligned with documented needs. Each year, Economic Development and Housing Department (ED&H) solicits grant applications for public services and facilities projects that address the needs identified in the Plan. For FY2020/2021 -FY2024/2025 Consolidated Plan, the following Goals are supported by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds: 1. Housing - providing availability of, and accessibility to, decent affordable housing; 2. Homelessness - helping to prevent and reduce homelessness; 3. Non-homeless Special Needs - expanding the accessibility; and coordination of social services to special needs populations; 4. Community Development and Public Services - enhancing the living environment for persons in low- and moderate-income areas through community development activities, public service programs and elimination of blight; 5. Economic Development - Supporting programs that create economic opportunities particularly for persons of low- and moderate-income and in Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Areas; 6. Emergency/Disaster Response - Providing assistance prior to, during and after a community emergency and/or disaster event (2020). Importantly, ED&H also utilizes other sources of funds (HOME, SHIP, Pinellas County Housing Trust Fund) in the form of loans, deferred loans, and loans-to-grant to support these efforts. From approximately 1996 to 2012, the direct expenditure of General Fund revenues to support these efforts were limited. Records indicate an annual allocation of$19,400 to the organization now known as Homeless Leadership Alliance. In 2012, strategic and tactical approaches began to take shape following the city's engagement of Dr. Robert Marbut, a homeless consultant and professor. Since that time, the City has been intently focused on the micro and macro issues surrounding homelessness in our community. A comprehensive approach to this issue, led by City Manager Horne, has yielded a dramatic and measurable decrease in street-level homelessness and an awareness and understanding of the top causes of homelessness (according to National Law Center of Homelessness & Poverty) that persist: 1. Lack of affordable housing; Page 10 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 2. Unemployment; 3. Poverty and low wages; 4. Mental illness and lack of needed services; and 5. Substance abuse and lack of needed services. Over the past 10 years (FY11-12 through FY20-21*), the city has committed up to $250,000 annually in General Funds to 6 organizations that align with the city's philosophy toward solving homelessness in our community. To date, ED&H has allocated more than $6.2 million in direct grant funding** to organizations: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program (HUD) $3,998,510 64% General Fund (City ad valorem) $2,220,300 36% TOTAL$6,218,810*** 100% * Includes FY2020-2021 expenditures, year to date. ** Does not include other funding sources which may be administered by other departments and utilized for similar purposes. ** Figures above do not include loans or subsidies for income-based affordable housing, fagade improvement loans-to-grants, or funding allocations associated with COVI D-19. Services and facility improvements funded by these sources include, but are not limited to: • Self-sufficiency programs, family services, and ex-offender re-entry programs • Shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs and facilities, including those serving families, pregnant women, and victims of domestic violence • Services for elderly and elderly disabled • Mental health, alcohol and substance abuse services and facilities • Medical and dental clinics providing no- or low-cost services Administration of Funds: Annually, the department solicits grant applications from non-profit organizations that meet HUD eligibility criteria for CDBG funding. Applications are independently reviewed and ranked by a Technical Review Committee. Staff reviews each application to determine eligibility and whether the applicant has the organizational and financial capacity to carry out the proposed activity. Staff then prepares the budget distribution for the Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board which then makes a recommendation of approval by City Council. Allocation of funding to these organizations is subject to federal, Page 11 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 state and city review, monitoring, and auditing requirements. Distribution of General Fund monies to 6 organizations is not competitively bid. Quarterly reports are received and reviewed by Community Development Coordinator to ensure expenditure of funding is for homeless-related services. Councilmember Bunker exited Chambers at 3:39 p.m. and returned at 3:42 p.M. It was suggested that the City's annual contribution be increased to $500,000 and that Mayor Hibbard, with the help of Mayors Kriseman and Brown, make an appeal to other Pinellas municipalities to contribute to the continuum of care (COC). It was stated that the City's contribution has been $250,000 for the last ten years and that case management and wrap around services are needed. A comment was made that the beach communities do not have as much revenue to contribute to the COC. The City Manager said there is no mandate for the City to spend for social services and he did not feel that he had that mandate as the city manager. He brought to Council a way of addressing the most critical homeless issue the City is facing, the chronic homeless. For the last ten years, the City has been contributing $100,000 to Safe Harbor and $150,000 to Continuum of Care. He said both of the organizations provide services that address the City's problem. If Council wishes to spend more general fund dollars for social service agencies, which is a county function, then Council must provide that direction. It was stated that the topic should be part of the strategic planning process and that citizens should be given the opportunity to decide if they want more general fund revenues diverted to social services. Economic Development and Housing Director Denise Sanderson said if general fund dollars are dedicated for a targeted use, regulations must be established in order to vet and determine an organization's ROI. She said this would be a departure from the current CDBG process that only requires a stated letter from the organization. Ms. Sanderson said the City has received additional American Rescue Plan funds, approximately$1.6 million, that can be used to fund homeless supportive services. Staff would also like to explore leveraging some of those funds to address the short-term family shelter needs in the community. Page 12 City of Clearwater City Council 4. Adjourn Attest Meeting Minutes May 25, 2021 In response to questions, Ms. Sanderson said the $1.6 million must be spent by 2030. Ms. Cri'st said "support for social services funded by the City" can be included in the SWAT question of the citizen survey. Ms. Sanderson said the City is expecting $779,230 in SHIP funds for the next fiscal year; over the last five years, including the zero funds for last year, the average amount received was $304,000. The City Manager said council, as policy makers, are in the position to determine how the general fund dollars should be spent. If Council wishes to increase the amount, they can set the policy. Support was expressed to increase the City's contribution, to consider where the funds would be directed to, and to include a question in the strategic planning citizens survey. The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m. (///67/ Mayor City of Clearwater Page 13 City of Clearwater