Okay. Testing, testing, testing. Hello. Okay. Here we go. Good evening. Uh, good afternoon. I want to call to order the I want to call to order the first budget hearing, Aventur City Commission, first
budget hearing, September 9th, 2025. Call the meeting to order and ask for roll call. Mayor Weinberg here. Vice Mayor Erlinsky here. Commissioner Aim here. Commissioner Blatchman here. Commissioner Bloom here. Commissioner Freriedeland here. Commissioner Cruz here.
Mr. Pis here. And Mr. Rango. She is on. She is okay. You have a quum. Thank you. Okay. Let's um rise those that can for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Thank you. Um item three, public hearings ordinances first
reading. Um, madame clerk, an ordinance of the city of Aventura, Florida, establishing and adopting the city of Aventura adalorum tax operating millage levy rate at 1.7261 mills per thousand of taxable assessed
property value, which as a percent change of roll back rate of 1.6365 mills is 5.48% above the roll back rate computed pursuant to state law for the 2025 tax year. providing for conflicts, providing for severability, and providing for an
effective date. Can I have a motion to approve? Commissioner Cruz, seconded by Commissioner Blanchman. Uh, Mr. Manager, please. Thank you, Mayor. In accordance with state law and the requirements of Miami Day County Property Appraiser, I
respectfully recommend that the city commission adopt the proposed millage rate of 1.7261 mills for fiscal year 2526. This millage rate represents no increase from the prior year and continues the city of Aventura's proud record of
maintaining the same property tax rate for 30 consecutive years. At this rate, the city will generate approximately 23.27 million in advorum revenue, which is about 1.05 million over last year due to an overall 4.7
4.72 increase in assessed property values. The adoption of this millage rate ensures that the city can maintain essential municipal services, fund ongoing public safety and capital improvement priorities, and continue investing in the quality of life for our residents while remaining fiscally
responsible and avoiding any tax rate increase. I respectfully recommend that the city adopt this uh mill rate for the 30th consecutive year. Thank you. And thank you for the hard
work of you and all of the people that work for the city of Aventura to put together this budget and balance our budget um and keep our taxes low low. Um hugely low hugely low. Um
it's a big beautiful budget. Um [Laughter] let me uh we got to have some entertainment. Um, let me open this item for public comment. If any member of the public
wishes to speak on this item, which is the budget and establishing the millage rate, uh, please come forward one at a time. I don't see Oh, I'm sorry. I see one. Former mayor Weissman, please.
Green. Green. Do I have to raise my hand? Alyssa, you do not. Okay. It would have been remiss of me not to come here tonight. I've spent my life really reading budgets and I want to commend the city manager and the
director of finance, Melissa Cruz. This is an outstanding budget. I read 430 some odd pages of it. And I also want to thank Commissioner A for your oversight, for your knowledge about finance. Um,
there's nothing you left out. And it wasn't until I got to about page 430 that I found what I was looking for. Um, I was concerned about the school. And you couldn't have said it more eloquently that right now we don't have
the information on costs or anything. So whatever you put in there would be meaningless. And I so appreciate you're having the courage, the risk, the knowledge, and the fortitude to to tell the truth that once we get the numbers, there'll be a budget amendment and it
will all be taken care of. Mr. City Manager, Mr. Pis, it's an outstanding budget. Thank you so very much. Thank you, former mayor Weissman, and thank you for continuing to stay involved. In fact, there's something about on the school issue that you're
working on now at my request, which I greatly appreciate, which will come here um hopefully in the near future. Um any other public comment? Seeing none, I'll close it for public comment and I will ask uh the
commissioners if there are any comments or questions. put your put your uh Okay, push your button if you want to. I'm pushing my button. Um I just want you to know that as as our former mayor said, I had several meetings with our
staff and I do commend them. Um, we went over lots and lots of pages and I'm happy to say it's a very sound budget and uh, next year hopefully it'll be a little easier for our finance staff because in the budget is amounts being
spent for new software. The city is upgrading all the new software after many years and I think that'll be an asset for us planning and moving forward. Thank you. I recommend we adopt it. Any other commissioners with any comments? I don't
see any. So, I will close it for commission comment and ask for a roll call vote. Commissioner A, yes. Commissioner Blatchman, yes. Commissioner Bloom, yes. Commissioner Freeland, yes. Commissioner Cruz, yes. Vice Mayor Erlinsky, yes. And Mayor Weinberg,
yes. Motion passes. 3B, please. An ordinance of the city of Aventura, Florida, adopting the attached tenative operating and capital budget as reviewed and approved by the city commission at the review meeting held on July 24, 2025 as the city of Aventura
final budget for the 2025 2026 fiscal year pursuant to section 4.05 05 of the city charter. Authorizing expenditure of funds established by the budget. Providing for budgetary control. Providing for personnel authorization. Providing for gifts and grants.
Providing for amendments. Providing for procedures regarding incumbrances and the reappropriation of unexpended capital appropriations. Establishing the committed fund balance for capital reserve. Providing for severalability. And providing for an effective date.
Motion to approve. Please. Commissioner Bloom. seconded by Commissioner A. Mr. Manager. Thank you, Mayor. In accordance with article 4, section 4.05 of the city charter, I'm pleased to recommend approval of the city of Aventur's operating and capital budget for fiscal
year 2526. This budget was reviewed in detail at the commission workshop on July 24th, where changes were directed and have since been incorporated. It reflects both financial responsibility and our ongoing commitment to providing highquality municipal services to our residents. Some key highlights of the
budget and we have a balanced budget of 66.3 million which is 4% less than last year's amended budget. No increase in the property tax rate. Um we have some additional savings from the July meeting and $800,000 in health insurance savings
and an additional $90,000 in savings in the police department with computer subscriptions and other equipment related items. And then um we have targeted staffing expenditure adjustments across departments including reductions in the city manager's office and reallocation of resources in
community development and the police department. Capital improvement projects totaling 5.7 million to strengthen public safety, enhance community spaces, and upgrade city facilities. Major projects include uh $600,000 for new police vehicles and associated
equipment, $395,000 for HVAC replacements at various city facilities. We have $270,000 for a new police boat. Half of that will be off will be uh funded through a state grant. $250,000 each for improvements in the Aventur Arts and Cultural Center and the
Government Center. We also have uh $100,000 for Biscane Boulevard improving landscaping and $125,000 for Country Club Drive landscaping, including we're going to be putting additional water fountains and and uh stations throughout the uh Sofur Trail along Country Club
Drive. And then we have $73,000 in upgrades for lightning detection systems at all our parks, bringing them up to uh current standards. And then $95,000 to transition the police department to body warrant cameras. And
we have some ongoing investments in community recreation, including expanded programming and additional funding for Founders Day to celebrate the city's 30th anniversary. and then progress on learn long-term initiative initiatives including the new high school project now entering design and planning stages and implementation of the new finance
ERP system which I'd like to commend Melissa and her team. We went live yesterday uh with that system and we're working through it. So, it's been uh been great and I recommend that the city uh adopt the the approved budget.
Thank you and congratulations on a great budget. Again, uh, members of the public, this is the same issue. So, if you changed your mind and you do want to speak, now would be the time. I see none, so I will close it for public comment.
Commissioners, comments, questions? No. See none. Let me just say that um, we are the envy of every other city. Fantastic. Taxes aren't going up. Budget is slightly down. Level of services
continues to rise. Improvements continue to be made. Fantastic. The greatest city, the city of excellence. Uh, let's vote. Commissioner Freeland, yes. Commissioner A, yes. Commissioner Blatchman, yes. Commissioner Bloom, yes. Commissioner Cruz,
yes. Vice Mayor Olinsky, yes. And Mayor Weinberg, yes. Motion passes. Okay. Could I have a motion to adjurnn? Uh, would you like to bring something up? You may. We didn't have that in the beginning.
No, this is because this is the budget meeting, but we can do it. Go ahead. It's a budget meeting only. Can we add any other comments? Ask the attorney. Yes. I'm sorry. Someone have a question. I'm having a little difficulty hearing.
I just wanted to make sure since we're only scheduled for a budget meeting. Can I bring up one other thing that I wanted to raise in front of the commission or is it completely limited? Well, it's limited. This is a special budget hearing. It's limited to the budget items, but if you want to bring
it out as a matter of conversation, no action or direction can be provided though at this time. That's not a problem. Thank you. I just wanted to ask the city manager um publicly to reach out to either the county or the state so we can begin the process of trying to draft some
appropriate legislation on regulating the ebikes or the electronic bikes. Um, I know our police is doing a great job trying to regulate them, but I think that we need some enforcement from the state legislation or county legislation
to make that easier with regards to the helmets and regards to the number of riders on these electronic bikes. Um, so I think this is a serious safety issue and I want to ask and direct our city manager to reach out to either county or state to raise this for legislation
or also our lobbyists if we could put that on an appointment for them to work out work on as well. Thank you. So I think the best thing to do is to put it on our workshop agenda for this month. I think it's the 18th 19th 18th.
Um, we've discussed this many times. our hands are tied which is why we've got to have uh the county or the state or both do something. I believe I sent a link to the manager recently that Kiscane having now suffered their second death their
second death because of ebikes um outlawed them. Now whether or not that is legal or not or can withstand a challenge or not is a different issue, but we are um we want to be proactive before we're in the situation
unfortunately that they find theirelves in. And as we have all said before and I walk every morning and they come up behind me on the sidewalk and I can't hear them coming or see them coming and they're super fast and super dangerous. So um I know our police have been
confiscating them. I know they've been issuing citations. I know our police are on it with the limited legal steps we're allowed to take, but I agree. I think we all agreed in our three workshops where we discussed this that more needs to be done. We need a higher authority. So,
thank you for bringing that up. We can't really give direction except to say put it on the workshop agenda. And um is there anything else I think to put out to on a workshop agenda and the idea is that we reach our county and state legislators and the lobbyists to see that we can push for
legislation on this make it one of our priorities for safety. Um thank you. Let me just add that I received a letter, you know, the bike rides we used to go on, bike 305. So apparently that's not in the county's budget anymore, bike 305. and they've asked us to support
getting the county to put it in their final budget. I don't know what the relationship is, but there's probably some between safe biking and this scooter ebiking thing. It's probably all related to just getting the right thing done and making it safer. So, I just want to bring that up. Um, anything
else? Okay. I need Go ahead. Yes. Um, I want to mention that um in a recent meeting that I attended, I run into the tax collector's office. um Dariel and he mentioned that he was trying to present a project for most of these
scooters and and and vehicles to be tagged that to to have some identification for for for us to be able to enforce, you know, traffic laws. So, that's something that you may want to look into, Mr. City Manager.
Okay. Thank you. Anything else? Uh Mr. your manager, did I send you a link about the possibility of having uh mobile registration renewal come to our city? Yes. Okay. So, that's something we we need to consider. Make it easy for our people to
renew their driver's license and their vehicle registrations here in the city. I'm already in contact with with them to Perfect. Thank you for following up. Okay. Can I have a motion to adjurnn? Commissioner Bloom, seconded by Commissioner A. All those in favor say I. Any opposed?
We are adjourned. Thank you.