City Commission Meeting Summary - July 2, 2008
The City Commission met in regular session and took the following action (with Commissioner Katz participating by telephone):
Item 1 - Mr. Tim Center, Director of Sustainable Florida - Collins Center for Public Policy, presented the Best Practice Award in the Government category for the City of Tallahassee's Green Initiatives, and a resolution recognizing the City of Tallahassee on also being a finalist for its LEED Certified Solid Waste Services Administration Building in the Green Building category and the StarMetro-Florida State University partnership to increase student ridership (brought forward by Environmental Policy & Energy Resources)
On behalf of the City, Mayor Marks accepted the awards and thanked the staff who had made these awards possible, recognizing in particular Mr. Ron Garrison, Director of StarMetro; Ms. Cynthia Barber, Director of Environmental Policy and Energy Resources; and Mr. Reginald Ofuani, Director of Solid Waste Services, who also appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Additionally, Mr. Center commended Mayor Marks on his work encouraging the mayors in the State of Florida work together regionally, and advised that the Regional Planning Council looked forward to partnering in that effort.
Item 2 - Viewed the debut of a new 17-minute WCOT promotional/marketing video on the City of Tallahassee (brought forward by the Assistant to the City Manager)
The Commission commended Ms. Sandra Allen, Utility Marketing Manager, the script writer, and Mr. Tom Bronakoski, WCOT Interim Station Manager, the producer, on the quality of this video.
Item 3 - Mayor Marks presented a proclamation to Mr. and Mrs. Roy Samuels, and Mr. Steve Kahn, representing the Tallahassee Jewish Federation, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Israel's statehood and the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the City of Ramat-Hasharon
Item 3.1 - Mr. Tom Helgeson, representing the FWEA Board of Directors, presented the following awards from the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) to the City of Tallahassee:
- the Municipal Utility Operational Performance Excellence Award for the T. P. Smith Water Reclamation Facility, in the Underground Utilities Department
- a Safety Award for the Lake Bradford Road Wastewater Treatment Facility
- the Leroy Scott Award for Leon Hightower, Chief Inventory Specialist for the Underground Utilities Department
On behalf of the City, Mayor Marks accepted the awards and thanked the staff who had made these awards possible, recognizing in particular Mr. Mike Tadros, Director; Mr. Joe Cheatham, and Mr. Leon Hightower, of the Underground Utilities Department, who also appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Mayor Marks also recognized and welcomed Ms. Lois Hightower, his long-time assistant for over 20 years while he was in private practice.
Items 4-8 - Voted 5-0 (Commissioner Katz voting telephonically) to approve the staff's recommendations presented in Consent Agenda Items 4-8, taking the following action:
Item 4 - Approved a three-year pricing agreement for the purchase of 115/230 KW 2000 Amp disconnect switches (Bid #0108-08-RM-TC) from Cleveland Price, Inc., low bidder meeting specifications, in the total amount of $300,000 for the three-year period (Option 1 as recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 5 - Approved the transfer of funds in the amount of $88,270 from Project #E00149, $37,500 from Project #08014, $10,000 from Project #08019 and $20,000 from Project #08023, and a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $74,230 from the RR&I fund balance to Project #08020 in the amount of $130,000 and to Project #08007 in the amount of $100,000 - for total funding of $230,000 for streetlight improvements, and recurring replacements and upgrades for the remainder of the current fiscal year (Option 1 as recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 6 - Approved the submittal of joint City and County applications for grant funding totaling $126,238 through the FY08 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program based on the recommended allocation of funding, i.e., $64,338 for the Juvenile Assessment Center and $61,900 for the Pre-Trial/Probation GPS Tracking Project; and the scheduling of a public hearing on July 9, 2008, to meet federal program requirements (Option 1 as recommended by the Tallahassee Police Department [TPD])
Item 7 - Approved and authorized staff to execute two one-year extensions of the term contract for installing underground utilities, gas mains and electric conduits with R. A. W. Construction, LLC, Contract #1101, for estimated annual expenditures of $5 million (Option 1 as recommended by Underground Utilities)
Item 8 - Adopted Resolution No. 08-R-31, authorizing defeasance of the City's Capital Bonds, Series 2004, in an amount not to exceed $7.5 million - with a fiscal impact of reducing the City's debt service by approximately $1 million per year for the next five years, assuming defeasance of $5 million, providing more debt savings if the defeasance is more than $5 million (Option 1 as recommended by the City Treasurer-Clerk)
Items 9-10 - By consensus, introduced Ordinances Nos. 08-O-42 and 08-O-43, as follows:
Item 9 was a staff recommendation to introduce Ordinance No. 08-O-42, which would amend the allowed uses and development standards in the Central Urban Zoning District, and set the ordinance for two public hearings, scheduled for August 20 and October 22, 2008 (Option 1 as recommended by Planning).
Item 10 was a staff recommendation to introduce Ordinance No. 08-O-43, which would amend the Commercial Parkway Zoning District to implement changes from Comprehensive Plan Amendment 2006-2-T-009, and set the ordinance for two public hearings, scheduled for August 20 and September 24, 2008 (Option 1 as recommended by Planning).
Item 11 - Received an update from Commissioner Gillum on contract negotiations for the delivery of countywide Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) services, and reviewed major points of their recommendation to the City and County Commissions that Fire and EMS be consolidated into a single intergovernmental agency, clarifying that the Fire Services Fee Study would be completed and brought to the City and County Commissions in February or March of 2009 and suggesting that would be the time to consider whether anything needed to be done differently
County Commissioner Desloge also appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Voted 3-1 (Commissioner Lightsey opposed; Commissioner Mustian abstained; Commissioner Katz voting telephonically) to authorize the City Manager to contract for a Joint City-County Fire Services Fee Study with Government Services Group (GSG, Inc.), sole source provider with experience in developing a joint city-county fire services fee, at an anticipated cost of $197,400, which would be jointly funded by the City of Tallahassee and Leon County (Option 1 as recommended by the City Manager)
Commissioner Gillum recognized and thanked County Commissioner Desloge, City Manager Thompson, Assistant City Manager Coe, Assistant City Manager Fernandez, Fire Chief Cindy Dick, Director of Management and Administrative Services Raoul Lavin, EMS Chief Tom Quillin, County Manager Parwez Alam, Assistant County Manager Vince Long, County Aide Brenda Tanner, and his Aide, Ms. Angie Whitaker, for their work on this issue.
The Commission congratulated and commended the Commissioners and staff for their work on this proposal.
Items 12 and 13 - Voted 5-0 (Commissioner Katz voting telephonically) to approve the recommended actions for Items 12 and 13 (as recommended by StarMetro):
Item 12 - Approved and authorized the City Manager to execute an amendment to the Florida State University (FSU) "Seminole Express" agreement, amending and incorporating into one agreement the two FSU agreements, "Seminole Express" and "Night Nole", to reflect changes in the service, creating the new Osceola Route -- providing the City with a total of $2,189,198 in funding for the transit system for the period July 2008-June 2009, and including a request for an additional $79,224 to cover costs of providing the new service for the remainder of FY2008 (Option 1)
Item 13 - Approved and authorized the City Manager to execute a one-year amendment to the Florida A & M University (FAMU) "Venom Express" Service Agreement, providing the City with a total of $558,152 in funding for the transit system (Option 1)
City Commission Information and Sharing of Ideas:
Commissioner Mustian discussed an inquiry from a sign vendor desiring to offer a sign that would be electronic on one side and trivision on the other side, and he requested that the City Attorney investigate requiring something less than the current Sign Ordinance requirement to remove five (5) other sign boards in exchange for an electronic board.
Mayor Marks commended Director of Economic and Community Development Tom Lewis and his staff on the City's success in hosting the 12th Annual Florida Neighborhoods Conference.
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