Three. Good morning everybody. Uh tell me if we're live PJ. We're live. We are. Okay. Um just wanted to chime in. Uh we are here in the commission chambers uh for the June finance and economic resiliency
committee meeting. Uh we are waiting to achieve quorum with uh the commissioners uh to come and as soon as we do that we will return. So I did not want to leave the thousands of people in person or the millions around the world watching uh in
purgatory. So we will be returning shortly. Thank you. How? Please take your seats. The meeting is about to begin. Remember to speak into the microphone as this meeting is being recorded for public record. Please stand by. We are going on
air in 5 4 3 2 1. Good morning everybody. Um we're back. Have uh vice chair commissioner Suarez that's here. We're going to get kicked off with the finance and economic resiliency committee meeting for June of
2025. uh have a full agenda. So, we're going to look to um really get through some things and have some pretty uh uh important discussions today. Uh we've uh especially my colleague and I uh I think we've really been out in front of getting through um and communicating
that this could be uh a challenging budget year and you see it not only in Miami Beach, but that's probably even more pronounced uh at the county. that certainly got in a lot of press in the headlines, but our county is facing a uh projected budget shortfall somewhere in the tune of 400 some million dollars.
Now, uh there are some idiosyncratic things that are causing that such as uh the constitutional officers uh overspending or misspending on transit. Um but we are not immune from some of those challenges uh facing here in Miami Beach. Um we uh will discuss this in a
more proper form at the budget uh committee retreats coming up. Um however uh we got in an initial analysis of where property valuations are going to be uh to essentially maintain base level services uh as projected we would have needed to see property valuation
increase of about 7.2% we saw about a 6.9% increase uh with certainly the possibility of uh our condo market slowing even further. Um so it becomes even more and more critical that uh we find inefficiencies. We are prudent with
our budget. Um we're analyzing uh what truly needs to happen. Um because uh a government we don't sell iPhones, we don't sell widgets. We raise revenue in one way and that is through tax. So any type of uh overspending is going to be
met with uh uh basically flowing through and taxing our residents and our visitors. And that's something that we want to uh go above and beyond uh not to do. Um and I think we both pride ourselves on being very conservative stewards of taxpayer money. So we want to see that continue. Mr. CFO, we'll
turn it over to you and the city attorney um to open our meeting up and then we'll uh get going. Good morning. Today's meeting of the finance and economic resiliency committee has been scheduled in a hybrid format with a quorum of the committee physically present and remaining members staff and
members of the public appearing either in person or virtually via Zoom. In order to participate in today's meeting virtually, members of the public may dial 1888-475-4499 and enter the webinar ID which is
8636059-5462 pound or log into the Zoom app and enter the webinar ID which again is 8636059-5462. Any individual wishing to speak on an item must click the raise hand icon if they are using the Zoom app or dial star9 if you are participating
by phone. Uh a couple announcements. Uh NB39 is withdrawn. Uh we have a number of deferrals uh mostly to the June 11th meeting. Uh, Commissioner Bot is a member of uh, FK, will not be able to attend and asked that her items be uh,
put to uh, June um, the June 11th meeting and we have few of July. So, here we go. Uh, OB1 will be deferred to June 11th. OB4 June 11th, OB6 the July FK meeting, OB7 July meeting, MB5 June
11th, MB11 June 11th, MB19, MB23 and MB27 all June 11th. MB34 July, MB38 June 11th, and MB40 June 11th. Uh the following two items would be uh linked
if heard. Uh MB 42 and 43 related to Crown Castle Fiber. MB4 and MB10 uh related to hotel and Miami Beach workforce parking rates would be linked and heard together. And then we have a number of time certain 10:30 a.m. MB44
call me uh the call me Gabby lease MB31 I'm sorry at 10:31 MB42 and 43 uh at 10:32 MB41 at 10:33 MB45 and at 10:40 MB1. Those are the announcements. Chair.
Yeah. Thank you, Mr. CFO. and what we discussed uh kind of from an administrative process, we have about seven or eight um budget process items that essentially no matter what the recommendation is here, they're just going to go back to commission to be heard during the budget process. Uh we could sit here with two or three people
and beat some of these to death just for them to be be discussed uh in what a month or two months from now at the uh broader committee. um things like adding additional police, additional marine patrol. These are all things that we're going to want to
discuss as a uh more unified body. Um so what we were thinking is essentially just pushing those to be heard uh as part of the full budget process meeting. Um essentially how I opened up, we're going to be finding ourselves in a situation where we have a lot more
places where we want or desire to spend money than our ability to do so. So essentially, we're going to come uh during the budget meeting with a process where we have, let's call it, 15 uh items on a wish list, and we only have funding for five or 10 of those. So,
we'll essentially go through an evaluation process. Uh so, I don't really see the need to um you know, beat those to death here when we're going to essentially go through that process again in another couple of weeks. Um turn that over to Yeah, chair. I could I could Yes. During our briefing, your
team had identified a number of items that were pretty straightforward to be considered the budget process. Um, if you can if you want, I can list those eight items that you would you had discussed and I think you were going to be entertaining an item just to send back to commission to consider in the 26 budget process. Those items are NB5
related to park uh weekend parks classes, MB7 additional police dividing area 2, MB8, additional marine patrol, MB12 wraparound palm tree lighting. in the SoFi neighborhood. MB13, Festival of Lights projection mapping to North Beach. MB14, purchasing a mobile police
substation, MB15, private security on Lincoln Road, Washington. And MB21, annual allocation to the six advisory committees. And I believe we discussed was just asking for a motion to send those back to commission with a recommendation to be considered in the 26 budget process. So, we just need
someone to make that motion. We'll show Commissioner Suarez. Uh uh the second. I'll second. All right. Uh, all in favor? All right. Thank you. That passes. So, we'll show those items going back to commit to the June commission to
uh be confirmed. Okay. Excellent. Um, and then let's get to some of the time certain. We have uh three that are going to be uh somewhat administrative or procedural. Uh but let's uh get started with the call me Gabby Lisa. If we can have city staff come up uh turn it over
to you to um open that up and we'll have city staff present. Sure. Uh MB44 propose uh discuss a proposed lease agreement between the city of Miami Beach, a Florida municipal corporation landlord and Soie Tuscana LLC tenant
waving by 5-fifths vote the competitive bidding requirements as set forth in section 8239 of the Miami Beach City Code finding such waiver to be in the best interest of the city for the use of the city property located at 22 Washington Avenue directly in front of the tenants restaurant. Said lease having a term of 9 years and 364 days.
MB44. Good morning. Azie Dominguez, division director of asset management for the city of Miami Beach. Uh call me Gabby, also known as uh Soie Tosskana, is a tenant has a um it's a restaurant uh that has a lease with a private developer across the street from Joe
Stone Crap. Uh directly in front of them is a pies-shaped city parcel of about 2200 square feet with they use as seating area. uh they have entered into a new 16-year lease with their tent with their landlord and they have requested an early renewal so that their agreement
with the city is called closer in cult terminus with their permanent agreement uh with the restaurant. We do have uh the tenant here they have a small presentation if uh the commission would like to hear a little bit more about it. Um I'm not sure if that's necessary.
What is your recommendation? You know how I see this? I think we're all familiar with Call Me Gabby, are an absolute phenomenal uh uh steward of the neighborhood. It is a true neighborhood establishment. It's a walkable area. And I think first and foremost
uh there's no other use that the city could ever possibly have for that other than uh leasing it to the tenant in that private development. And and just to frame this conceptually for uh those watching, you have the restaurant that is privately owned and then the city
owns essentially the patio out front that is just west of the sidewalk. Correct, Mr. Chair. And as you said, there really is no other use for the city uh for this parcel. Uh it is it is in the highest and best use right now. We generate about $70,000 a year. They
have 3% annual escalations. They also have an easement agreement within the same footprint for their grease trap that is called terminus with their agreement. Um, and the city re staff recommends that we move forward and take this to commission for approval. And these are fair free market terms. Yes,
they are. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Thank you. So, we'll show the the item to return to commission with a favorable recommendation on the lease extension as presented. And we'll show uh Commissioner Suarez and Commissioner Magazine a
second. All in favor? I. Okay. Passes. Three. Should I continue with those lease items as we discussed? Thank you. We're going to hear MB 42 and 44
together. Uh MB42 discuss a proposed new rooftop lease agreement between Miami Beach redevelopment agency RDA landlord and Crown Castle Fiber LLC tenant for the operation maintenance of wireless communication equipment at the anchor shops and garage premises for a term of
9 years and 364 days and MB43 discussed a proposed early renewal of the distributed antenna system DAS facility use agreement between the city of Iowa Beach landlord and Crancastle Fiber LLC tenant for the continued installation, operation, maintenance of the DAS at the
Miami Beach Convention Center premises to be co-terminus with the rooftop lease agreement at the anchor shops and garage for a term of 9 years and 364 days MP43. Thank you very much. Uh uh we currently have a long-term
agreement with uh Crown Castle Fiber for the antenna at the rooftop of Anchor Garage. It expires October 31st of 2025. So we thought we were doing a renewal and in discussions with Crown Castle, we found that it was in the best interest since one system cannot exist without
the other that we do an early termination and new lease for the uh int the DIS system at the uh convention center. The RDA item which is at anchor shops will have a 25% increase in their
rent. So, they will be uh escalating from approximately $5,000 a month or I'm sorry, $68,000 a year in revenue for the city to $85,000 a year with 3% escalations. Uh we have a security
deposit from the tenant that will remain on hand with the convention center site. Uh we since they pay a percentage of sales, I'm sorry, a percentage of the revenues that they generate from the wireless providers and there really has not been much change on that. We did
negotiate with them to get a onetime $25,000 rent payment um upon execution of the agreement. Both agreements would be effective November 1st of 2025 and be for 9 years 364 days. Staff recommends
that we move forward with this as well. Motion. Yeah, I'll second. Thank you. All right. So, we'll show this return to commission with a favor recommendation for the lease extension as presented and we'll show both Commissioner Suarez and then Commissioner Magazine a second. All in favor? I. All right. So, it passed.
Thank you. And then the next item is MB41. MB41 is discussed a proposed lease agreement between Miami Beach redevelopment agency a B a public body
corporate and politic RDA landlord and Miami county tax collector's office tenant for approximately 3,955 ft of ground flooror retail space at the anchor shops and garage located at 116th Street units 1 through 5 Miami Beach Florida premises for a term of 9
years and 364 days MB41. Thank you very much. Uh Azie, before uh you open that up, um Commissioner Fernandez, do you want to introduce I don't want it to fly under the radar uh the critical service that we are bringing to Miami Beach and
I know that you were pretty instrumental in actually helping find this location and I think our citizens should be fully aware of uh the service that we are bringing to Miami Beach. I want to welcome our county partner here uh from Dariel Fernandez's office. um he has
just been a tremendous partner to uh to our city and we look forward working together. But Commissioner Fernandez, why why don't you just kind of uh tee up what what we're bringing to Miami Beach? Thank you um Mr. chairman and it really is uh great to see this partnership between Miami Day County Tax Collector's
Office and the city of Miami Beach uh to bring the tax collector's office here so that people can renew their uh tag registrations. They can get new driver's licenses uh and address other essential and vital county services right here in
the city of Miami Beach without having to go to other locations throughout Miami date county. We had this uh space uh that uh was previously under consideration for another lease. I believe we were going to lease it out to a barber shop. It was a barber shop and
a cafe, but yeah, a barber shop and and and a cafe. Great services. Um but but not utilized by Aussie. might obviously might not need the barber shop, but uh but we felt it was in the best interest in the best interest of the public and the services
that the residents are asking from us uh to consider instead reaching out to the tax collector's office and see how they could best use this this space. And as you mentioned, I'd be remiss not to thank our tax collector, Dariel Fernandez, and his office, uh, Manny
Orbis, uh, Rayundo, um, Delgado, who's present in our meeting today, for their collaboration and for the work in bringing these essential services to our residents right here in our city. Thank you, Commissioner. Um, I I I don't know what
else to say about about this particular item. It's a great deal. It's occupying all of the vacancies we have on 16th Avenue at at Anchor Shops and Garage. It's market rents, triple net lease. They're providing incredible services and um they're going to be doing a
complete buildout. We should be getting renderings prior to the commission meeting. So, we should be able to show some renderings um at that meeting. Um, in in lie of any tenant allowance, we are going to be providing a 10-month rent abatement for them after the commencement date of the lease to allow
them to recover uh some of the uh the investments that they're putting into the space and then they're ready to rock and roll. Just a pretty creditworthy uh tenant. Correct. Very worthy tenant. I can personally attest recently. There you go. I'll second. Thanks. So, we'll
show the item return to commission with favor recommendation for the lease as presented. Uh all in favor? I I shall pass three nothing. Thank you. Thank you. And then chair the the next time certain. Thank you. Uh the next time
certain is uh MB45 discuss the creation and implementation of a one Miami Beach call to action for increased proactive service during important moments. Activate departmentwide teams to respond with an emphasis on citywide responsiveness, cleanliness, and setting
culture from the top of leadership. MB45. Me. Uh, Mr. City Manager, I I want to welcome you and just to tee up uh what this is. Um, this is about setting culture from the top and truly providing
uh an all hands-on deck service for all city employees and came to me through a couple anecdotal experiences and I think this is very timely as we approach flood season. Uh there were several moments uh but two really stood out. Um, one in the
recent flash flood in uh I found myself out providing almost uh mobile taxi services in my golf cart during a flood moment in Flamingo Park. Uh people quite literally couldn't navigate uh through and I found people I didn't intend this
but I I was just out kind of monitoring our city and people weren't able to navigate through the flood waters. So I I would take people in Flamingo Park where where you at? Where do you need to go? Um, and as I was doing that, there were there were quite
literally in some areas two feet of water. Cars were stuck in the middle of the road. Uh, tow trucks deployed. And I took this one lady with her uh, newborn um, child and I dropped them off up uh,
by Flamingo uh, the Flamingo building. And in the midst of all of this, I saw a um a parking enforcement agent writing a ticket there. Now, that that that's
great in any other circumstance. Uh but it really showed me I was like, we have this need to essentially we have these hands that are available. Why are we not activating them to provide essential services that need to happen here? And when I think about who the true partners
here are going to be, it's going to be our police. It's going to be our firefighters. Whether it be a commissioner, a city manager, a police officer, a firefighter, or a parking agent, if people need to put their hands in a gutter to free leaves during a rainstorm, we need to set culture from
the top uh in doing so. There was another instance where uh my aid and I uh last summer we were out in the Collins Park area and we were handing out sandbags and we were there with a great team from public works. Brad, your your team was incredible. Uh we were
probably out there for about four hours in the rain. Uh there were four individuals from public works and I think we handed out over 200 sandbags and um I don't know if there was a police officer that had to be assigned because of what was happened. Um, but there was a police car that was uh kind
of over in the corner of the lot. And after those four hours, some of the public works uh agents were rather elderly uh you know, 65, 70 years old, but they're sitting there bending down putting uh sandbags in in people's cars for hours. And at the end of that, the
police officer got out of his car, came over and goes, "Hey, that was really good work, guys." Well, what prevented you from sitting there and handing out sandbags with us? Right. So, as we prepare for resiliency, as we prepare for the flood season
that's coming up, and I think today is is or the last few days are just a preview of what we're going to be facing when we have these moments. And it's not just going to be for flooding, but I think that's where we start. Uh, I added cleanliness as well. Again, whether you're the city manager, the
commissioner, or or a parking attendant, you need to flag things and have that pride that it's the same sidewalk. You know, you would do the same thing if this was a sidewalk outside of your home as it as it is in Miami Beach. So, Mr. City Manager, we've talked about this a
bunch. Let me hand it over to you for your thoughts and where we can go with this. Certainly. Thank you, Commissioner, committee chair, committee members. Uh, Eric Carpenter, city manager. It's kind of nice to be down here. Um, kind of feels like old home.
Um, but thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to come and and discuss this item. This is something that's very near and dear to me. Uh, since I first started with the city, uh, my least favorite phrase has been not my job. Uh, everything is everyone's job.
We are one city, one team. And when someone from the public sees us, they don't differentiate what department we are. We don't they don't differentiate what job responsibilities they have that we have. They differentiate whether we're a member of the city and we're
here to serve the public, the constituency of the city of Miami Beach. And so you have my full commitment that my leadership team, which is here today, um is fully committed to making this a
priority and making sure that everybody understands that when things, especially emergent situations, uh evolve, we need to chip in and help out. Um but not even just then. Um, I'm a firm believer when
I walk down the street and there's a piece of trash, I pick up the piece of trash and I put it in the garbage. I'm not above doing whatever it needs to be done for the city to make this the best version of Miami Beach that it can be. I appreciate that. Um, any of my
colleagues want to chime in? I I have a few questions, but I want to give others the ability to talk if uh if they so choose. If not, what I would ask from you, I don't think that there's any financial considerations that are part of this. Uh, but if um perhaps for uh the July
Furk, and I don't want to wait till then to implement it, but if you could return to the July Furk with just kind of what uh an initial kind of plan of action is, I think it would be great to start uh for um storms. Right. So tell me what
you are going to implement in talking to your department leaders whether it be the police or the firefighters and you say whether it's in the summertime where we're preparing for hurricanes or one of these flash floods in the afternoon uh that there has to be some sort of you know okay guys you know we we're in one
of those situations we're always all hands on deck as you said but even more so now so whether you're a firefighter or a parking agent I know you were handing out tickets before but now go find a gutter to stick your hand in and remove the leaves from. Whatever that
plan of action looks like. If you could return with uh some sort of outline in July, that'd be much appreciated. Happy to bring back an outline. Um and I can tell you that we've already started with things like that. Uh the chief uh police chief and I have had multiple
conversations about when these type of events happen, how do we best protect the assets of the residents of Miami Beach? Um, and sometimes it's doing something a little bit outside the box, but sometimes it's a matter of using the
authority that they have as as police officers to try and keep people from making bad decisions, driving into flooded streets, um, throwing wakes into people's driveways and ultimately potentially into their garages. And how
do they best protect the assets of our citizens? Yeah. And I think if collectively we are a little more proactive in the leadup and initial phases of some of these storms, it's going to save us a lot of resources uh that would be otherwise exhausted being
reactive. Excellent. Thank you for coming down making time. My pleasure. So chair will share the item uh returning to the July FK with an implementation plan. If I can though we have the last time certain. Yes.
real quick. MB will be MB1 discuss city of Miami Beach comprehensive financial policy MB1. Yeah. And Commissioner Suarez, I know uh that you have a lot of items that were very much uh aligned
with this. Um but Mr. CFO, do you want to kind of uh kick this off about where we're going here? Sure, if I if I can. We have the item is actually kind of broken into two elements because there's the initial comprehensive uh citywide financial policies which I'll go through and then there's a second half that was
in relation to a request or a resolution I'm sorry uh by by yourself back at the March commission meeting to discuss some potential uh fiscal responsibility measures which uh Tamika our budget director will be on her way to also work on with us. So, first let me take you through what is the appendix A, which is
the city of my beach comprehensive financial policies. What this is is in response to is when I got here, you know, a couple years ago, um, what it appears is there's been many policies passed over the decades in the city by resolutions. Um, and I identified with
the team, uh, 14 different resolutions going back as far as 1994. uh and my concern was that if someone was not aware that there was a 1996 resolution about establishing a per it could get forgotten about. So my interest was to consolidate them all
into one document uh so that nothing can get lost. And I'll give you an example actually it came up recently related to a separate item about uh Doville fines. And as I was researching that uh the budget department actually found one
that I was not aware of related to uh the use of lumpsum payments which was a financial policy. So if we hadn't done that research it may have been completely forgotten about as an example. So what we've done is we've consolidated all
um 14 different resolutions into one comprehensive document. And I just want to mention a couple of changes to it. So there's no there should be other than I think one item I want to mention that's slightly different than the existing resolution. So the first section on the
first page of of um exhibit A and it printed a little odd in the book. So we did put uh on the dis a copy of that memo with that attachment A but the first section is related to the general fund contingency uh reserves. We it
still maintains the existing policy of of two months of emergency reserves requiring a six seventh vote to tap into and then one month of uh contingency uh reserve getting us to the full 3-month or uh 25% and it does list out the you
know the policy about how we restore that using our year-end general fund surplus or any prior surplus over over the prior year. Uh the next we have the resort tax. Again, no change from the existing resolution related to having two months of the emergency reserve.
This one only requires a five seventh to tap into. And then the one month of contingency reserve, I'm sorry, is actually four months. So getting six months. Again, that is exactly status quo as how we have it it here today. Um it does mention about use of
non-recurring uh revenues. So you can only use uh one-time non-recurring revenues for capital expenditure or onetime expenses a onetoone match which is our practice. Uh next is the use of lumpsum payments which we we added in and that says is that any 20% of any
one-time unrestricted cash payment of half a million more lease negotiations, legal settlements, audit findings and other lumpsum payments that are not restricted payments not restricted uh must be set aside for uh it was transit in there. We we're asking it to be a little bit more open to transportation
because we have so many transportation problems. So we have that incorporated in there. Uh the next sections on capital asset renewal and replacement is all existing from our existing resolutions. I don't believe and Tamika will jump in if she can think of anything that was changed. Uh getting down the next page on four is the 5% of
annual funding for capital needs. That one you know you've heard us talk about ad nauseium about this commission's goal about getting the 5%. The fifth item there is the use of general fund fiscal end surplus. So there's an existing policy that says all of the year end surplus would be deposited into the
capital reserve. That is historically been waved and used for different purposes mostly for capital projects. What we're recommending is that 50% of that surplus be put into the capital reserve and the other 50% for capital projects either either in the CRR or PIGO which is closer to what we kind of
been doing the past couple of years. The sixth item is an item that this commission approved in the 25 budget which was a new item uh and it's we like to have it formally more moralized in the policy is the use of general fund interest income for capital projects. The the discussion you and I had talked
about commissioner was the idea of looking at um volatile uh revenue sources that could be moving up and down without any kind of uh fault of our own. We could have a budget deficit. So we started in 25 allocating 25% of that interest income uh in the general fund
to capital expenditures. This 26 will move it up to 30% be 5% per year so that in many years we'll be at 100%. So that would be a new item. Next is enterprise fund policies. The city's never really had them typically approved but it lays out very basic um financial policies
related to enterprise funds. It does state that our, you know, our goal is to have a double A rated um credit rating uh in our enterprise funds and to have a 25% reserve policy for that for the enterprise funds which we do now have. uh they were they were upped a few years
ago and it talks about the renewal and replacement reserve policy uh which the city has done typically where we fund renewal and replacement based on the amount of the prior year's depreciation and the process about how we go to utilize it and if we utilize it how we would go ahead and replenish it and
we'll be discussing that more in this budget year cycle related to water and sewer on rate studies it does formally say that we sh should perform every 5 years a rate study which is good best practice um and and getting down in the grants area, which is a resolution that
was passed, I think, two years ago, that every 3 years that the the administration to review and make recommendations on recurring grants. Uh, next uh 27 would be FY27 would be the third year, so we're not there yet. And
JC, you mentioned um the having to do a rate uh study every five years. One of the things that this committee kind of uncovered and I'm proud of uh all of my colleagues for uh all of us collectively kind of uncovering and supporting was um
impact fees on new development had not been raised since what the 1980s I think it was the the water and sewer connection fees. I think it was the '9s but yes. Yeah. Um, is there anything in here that essentially safeguards us from those things slipping under the cracks for not
only years but decades? Um, I don't think specifically in here, but we could add some language that says that the administration is responsible for reviewing impact fees on a periodic basis and bringing recommendations to the commission when appropriate. I think that would be fine.
If we're going to review our our rate fees, I I think impact fees uh because essentially we we allowed developers to um run rough shot over us playing uh fees that they paid in the 1990s uh here up until the year 2024. Okay. Yeah, that
would be great. Uh what I'll be looking for is a motion to approve this policy, but we'll show it as amended with that item. And I think I have one more item I wanted to mention was debt management policy. The uh we didn't technically have one uh but I use this from ones that I've used in other uh governments uh just related to ethics requirements
debt issuance process and then the refunding is we always like to use the the 5% rule that we you know try to look for a 5% net present value uh on that and that summarizes the financial policy before we get to the second section. Sure.
Um Jason, one of the things that I worry about um are is the percentage of salaries when I look at the full budget. So I would like to add to this that current salaries of the city of Miami Beach employees cannot um be more represent more than I would say 65% of
the budget right now as a target. Right now it's 71%. And I find that that starts to get frightening and scary. um if you thought that 70% would be better because we are at 71% because I think if we were going to look at like total savings like you're talking about and
completing capital projects like this says I think that that needs to be a target and that should be part of this ordinance and I don't know how you feel about this but certain organizations like Miami date county public schools for example it's gotten out of control it's almost at 90% of total budget and
they can't do anything they can't even afford to buy toilet paper in the spring for students so like literally they have to raise money for essential items. That's the direction that we're moving in. And I think that if we are going to be a fiscally responsible city, that should be top priority and part of this
um resolution and then I will support it. Yeah, it's uh it's a good point, Commissioner, and something that struck me when we went through our budget where uh uh mun a municipal government does tend to be topheavy with uh salaries
because we provide services uh to our residents and to our city. I don't know what that right number is. I actually tried uh ironically doing research on this very topic. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. CFO, but one of, you know, I read a lot of uh academic literature and
things from rating agencies and uh different think tanks. One of the problems that didn't allow me to compare apples to apples is we kind of got conflated with the county because when you read a lot of these reports, they
say, um, okay, X% should be for uh this expenditure, but a lot of local municipalities provide education funding and that's what kind of skewed um us because the county provides that. But
along with what Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez is doing, before we implement something with a specific percentage, can we conduct an analysis of benchmarking where some of our spending is versus
what broader industry norms are, right? So, I want to know what local governments they tend to spend on salaries. I I want to know what the uh kind of gold standard benchmark is for what their parks and recreation spending are. Um we need to determine what our
priorities are. That's not to say that we can't be out of line on that, but uh you know I I think we need to benchmark about what is kind of best practice. Well, I think that doing a study like that um between now and next month as we're moving forward and modernizing
like Jason wants us to, I think it it's great because it will give us some sort of aspirational policy. So then when um different departments and this will not affect current employees, we're talking about adding on extras, right? and different areas will will understand
where we're going and you know it will force actually um departments to really look at how they're spending money on salaries because maybe they do need more you know boots on the ground as opposed to you know additional administrator in a certain position and I do think that
the 71% is uh dangerous fiscally I think we are moving in into a zone that makes me feel uncomfortable and um especially given Given all of these other bullets here, Jason, with the capital projects, reserves. So, I would like the study
done possibly. I think your motion is that well, can I make your motion to complete m a study or analysis on what the percentage of budget is? I would like to look at other municipalities. Bell Harbor, Coral Gables. Let's look
at, you know, pick all the different municipalities in Miami D County actually. find out what that is, what that percentage is and um and build in some sort of aspirational policy so that it does not go beyond I'm very uncomfortable with 71%. I would like our
aspirational policy to be it was 60% like what like 10 years ago, right? So that is swollen immensely. I think what you might be conflating is the percentage of the budget related to public safety. Uh public safety, you know, was was 60%. And if I could just
add a couple of things to it and we could look into compiling a list of the Mad County municipalities percentage of the general fund budget that's to a salary tax and benefits. Um and I would ask uh break it down. Don't just constrain that to Miami date because there is a lot of academic research on
this. I've been reading a lot myself. There's probably not too much academic research on just Miami date. Those are easy numbers for your team to pull. Um but then you know look at some of these different think tanks and rating agency analysis of what industry standards are. So that'll of course be more broad than
Miami date if I can. So um we wait just one second and I would break it down into what is the percentage in public safety, what is the percentage in fire and what is the percentage of all you know all employees salaries. Um together Jason that's I think a a nice place to
start. So if if I can on that and we can that's something that we can work on will probably take a little bit of time because obviously the team is tied up in in this budget which is a difficult one. Um but a couple things to to that is in
my years of doing this and I'm going to ask Tamika to speak to this a little bit that metric is not one that I see used in in government in general. Um because I know as we've spoken is and and commissioners as you had mentioned that it's people delivering services at the
end of the day. So, um, if you wanted to reduce it, you're just reducing services. And if that's fine, but as a percentage of the budget, what you would just be doing is pushing it to an outsource situation. And I'll give you an example. Uh, Weston, Florida is a good example. Weston has a model where
almost all their services are delivered by contractors. Um, you know, very few employees. So if we pull them they might be 20% or 30% or 40% of their budget being that where most services uh from the building department to the finance department to many of the departments
are outsourced. They don't have many employees as it were. That's the model that they they use. So there's a little bit of that that'll be in play. Uh but if you were to say oh let's go from 70 to 10 to from 70 to 60% let's say on on
salary tax benefits that 10% on a you know 400 let's call 450 $500 million is a $40 $50 million decrease in salaries. So that would be a reduction in $40 million in employees. Um so the question is is is the interest that keep the
service level the same and outsource all that it's a very complex discussion that this would would drive if it's overall about limiting the budget which was what the next section we were going to discuss which was commissioner magazine and commissioner Suarez's you know elements about what things we can do to
kind of bring down the the the level of increase going forward that we have some elements we're going to discuss there uh which is really about adding new you know being wary about adding new employees But if it's just artificially saying this is a percentage, um, you're just going to be in a situation where we're going to be letting people go. Let
me chime in real quick and then I'll turn over to you. I I get what you're saying, but in good faith, it it it hurts me and I can't go out to my constituents and say, "Well, we we spent $500 million on people providing
services, but we have to sit there at the end of the year and decide if we have $150,000 to pave a road, right? What's the good of having $500 million of people providing services if we need to sit there and pick and choose if we have
$150,000 to pave a road for them to provide that service, right? Uh I I think there has to be a better balance and maybe it is the right balance and that's what this study shows. Um but what's the good of having all these people providing services if we don't
have the money for those simple operational services for them to provide? Commissioner. Um, I agree with you. I was looking at the Lincoln Road surface lots the other day and those lots have not been repaved or the wall painted in so long and it looks terrible
and I think we're paying these huge amounts. It's not about a reduction of services. I think it's about being fiscally responsible and also also more efficient. And you have to remember, Jason, that we are at a time where we're experiencing this tremendous shift and
acceleration in technology and what it takes for people to, you know, do a job. You know, I just saw this app the other day where you can create this tremendous video, right, by just like speaking what video you want into it. You can say anything that you want. It's kind of
dig. The point is is that we're moving toward more efficiency, right? And I do think that we need to have a target. I think this analysis is incredibly important um and I would like to see it baked into um this reform which I congratulate you on embarking on with us
because this is one of the most key parts of it because this is the lion share of everything that you are discussing right here. Um I I I like the idea of um
possibly limiting it to a certain percentage but you know that can also be abused right I mean they can the city can u raise the salary for that same person and we're at the same budget and
so you know how about if my colleagues feel about a hiring freeze where we don't hire for a certain period of time. Um, and that would really um, and I
don't know if Eric's still here, but um, you know, maybe have a situation where if we have to hire someone, it goes through, I don't know, the commission or uh, a consent vote or something. But I I think if we really want to be serious
and and really, you know, cut off the the where a lot of our spending is on salary, how about we have a hiring freeze? I'm I would I would be on board with that. I don't know what essential positions there are out there right now because I know that certain areas like
CIP possibly and facilities management need people. So, we're never going to get any projects done and I don't know what the positions are available, but I think we could do both. I think we could explore a hiring freeze outside of essential positions potentially in some of those departments and in addition
complete this analysis so that we understand fiscally where we are. And I'd like to see this. I think that this analysis needs to be done and then we need to even outsource it to professional to get a another opinion on how because I would like I I would like
business I would like several businessmen or I you know what we'll do we could do this analysis refer it to the budget committee okay and the audit committee because there's a bunch of accountants that live in Miami Beach they will look at this and tell us what they think of it and then have it come
back to us did you have you referred this by the way to the audit and the uh budget committee. Jason, no, not for the budget committee. No. Okay. I think that it needs to my motion would be complete this analysis, refer it to the audit committee, refer it to the budget
committee, and explore um a hiring freeze outside of essential positions. How do you feel about that? Yes, I think we're all on the same line about wanting to be uh financially responsible. Ironically, um I had a call with the city manager just yesterday, uh where I
said, I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're at the point of a hiring freeze, but I think we need to be very selective about the open positions that we do fill. I think we've transitioned into um I will leave it at your discretion about what is essential right
now versus what is nice to have. and if there are things that were on the nice to have list and were nice to have uh a year ago or even six months ago. Um whether those are truly critical to fill now because um if we get this wrong I've
said for since the day I got elected right now we need to do more with the same or else at some point in the future we're going to be forced to do more with less. And what that means is if we make the wrong hires and we keep growing the budget and property valuations continue
this trend uh downward, we're going to be forced to do um dramatic cutbacks, right? And I don't want to get to that point. So, if we're more prudent in how we're growing our budget right now, we won't have to get to that point. So, I I had a very um very straightforward
conversation with the city manager yesterday about our hiring going forward. Um I'm not at the point where we we do an acrosstheboard freeze at this point. Uh but I think this conversation makes very clear um the directive
that you know I don't want to say if if the building department we all need we all recognize that needs reform and we need more resources there. I don't want to be too broad with a hiring freeze, but if there are things that were just kind of in the uh the wish list that
would have been nice, um but we've gone 25 years as a city and we haven't needed that position, maybe now is not the time to add it. So, I just shouldn't we mandate that though? I mean, I I don't necessarily feel comfortable leaving that to the city administration. I think, you know,
we should as as elected officials that are going to be fiscally responsible, I think we should set that policy and then they they they follow. Yeah. I I don't know if it's a policy. Maybe it could be a resolution that comes uh through this next city commission meeting, right?
Because a policy is something that kind of more broadly this is going to travel for years or decades. But if you wanted to um work on something through the city attorney that mirrors uh kind of the thoughts that we both shared for June, I'd certainly um I just want to jump in
here. Um, number one, I I see there's two parts to this item. And there's the part um where our commission over the years, over the decades, generations of commissions that have sat here have adopted strong financial policies on
reserves, on surpluses, on capital funding with a goal of safeguarding our fiscal health. um without consolid without consolidating those they risk being forgotten and inconsistently applied. Uh so I think that this
comprehensive framework ensures uh that those values are preserved and institutionalized into our budget process. So that first part I think it's very important. Um when we look at the
GFOA and what the GFOA says they always kind of like raise a red flag once a budget once you have you know a 75% to 80% of your salary going towards uh towards
towards 75 to 80% of your budget going towards salaries. Uh and that's when it starts to threaten your capital uh projects. it starts to threaten your reserves, the your ability to fund uh certain services. Certainly, we want to
be I think this body wants to be more conservative than any standard set by the GFOA. Um, and that's and that's where I think I think the direction of this conversation is going. You know, we should be in fact putting up those those
safeguards so that we don't overextend ourselves that we're so topheavy that that we're not able to fund capital projects. Well, can I can I respond to that? Sure. If he's on Yeah. Yeah. Well, I that's why I think that there has to
be some guiding percentage that informs every director's department so that when they do begin to hit that number of bell goes off and they say, "Okay, now you know we got to reorganize or become more efficient or change, you know, the way
um you know, or or or change the way the department is run." I find in many cases we are we are top topheavy. We are um so what I do think is that you know a lot of times who grows the government a lot
of times we grow the government uh David's laughing and then and then when there are when there are ideas and tough decisions to be made to scale back the growth it doesn't happen and you know
our colleague brought up a lot of these points earlier earlier in the year and they're tough conversations to be had. What I do think, you know, moving forward is that whenever you fund something, you're taking away from something else and and we're usually
taking away usually, I guess, from surpluses, capital program from capital programs. And I think as as we look at new positions, when we create new positions, we need to see, okay, are there old positions that were created in
the past that may have been needed in the past that are no longer needed? You know, what are the measurable outcomes of every position in our in in our in our city? Did we 20 years ago create a position that is
still there that perhaps the need is not there anymore but now the need is in pressure cleaning just for an example or or or something else. So how do we determine that like right well that's where we have uh the city administration
to determine that. So if if I can add I'm going to ask Tamika to add in a bit here because you know as I mentioned this this item was really two. One was just a standard set of uh you know governmental and financial policies. The second was related to I think most of the issues
that uh the committee uh has been bringing up which is really about how do you um restrict you know the increases in in the budget. Um and that's done I would I would I would recommend that it's not specific to a salary tax and benefits percentage. It's just the
overall budget. If it's an uh you know we want to decrease it, we can go ahead and decrease it because it could be staffing, it could be studies and things along those lines. So the direction from the commission which we are getting ready to get into the heat of this budget process is saying we want to cut this number. We can go down through that
process. There's many different mechanisms than to just say looking at salary uh taxes and benefits. But I wanted to but that is the biggest chunk. Correct. Correct. Uh correct. Correct. And that may be but I want Is that normal for every Yes, it's very it's what's the average what is the average
for for a government? Uh because it' be good to you know you know you mentioned Weston earlier. Yeah. Um you know what do other cities we have 34 cities in Miami date county this what is it 70 something in South Florida. I know 34
Miami day county right there's over 400 in Florida. Yeah. you know, how are all these cities measuring up as it relates to their budget against salaries? How much of their budget is dedicated to salaries? And I think we need to understand, are we in line with with
with other governments? And even if we are, you know, do we want to be more conservative so that we really protect our ourselves knowing what's coming in the next fiscal years? So, I prefer to wait till we have the study. From my
experience, we're about the same. Um, I think one of the biggest drivers of the cost is also pension. Um, which we we don't have necessarily control over. That number comes in as a surprise to us each year as it comes to you. Um, because it just depends on the benefits
we've approved and the CBAs and also the performance of the market. That's also a function of how many people we hire. Correct. Yes, the more people hire, the more the more people we have, the more benefits we approve and also the performance of the stock market because the dollars are invested. So that's a wild card which I would recommend we
have an aspirational goal because when the pension annual requirement comes in, we do not have a choice but to fund. Um we would have to make cuts somewhere else. If I can add to if we can I'll ask Tamika to go through the fiscal responsibility measures which specifically was requested by the
resolution commissioner magazine path but it was in the spirit of of commissioner Suarez's interest and what these are as Tamika will go through these are basically when we are going through the budget process typically this year as you you you saw that went
out with the LTC when the um and the chair mentioned early that uh we're in a situation where our current service level. We're in a we're in a deficit going forward. And we feel comfortable we might get back to black with the July 1 numbers. But either way, in my couple of years I've been here, there's been a surplus and it's what do you do with
that surplus? And you could either, you know, lower the taxes, you could add dollars to the capital, you could add operating expenses with people and and things like that. And some of the recommendations we have here are about, okay, in a year in which there is a surplus, you know, let's put some guard rails in there. recommend. These are
recommendations because these are guard rules you'd have to live by. Uh at the end of the day, they say, "Okay, well, if we haven't met our capital requirement goal, you know, an x percentage of it of that surplus should theoretically be be put aside so that it future commissions won't spend that as it were." But if you could walk through
some of those items, we have double recommendations. This is on page three. Just just so that we're all in focus here. You know, I think our biggest concern is the spending money, not how to spend our surplus money, right? I mean, that to me is insignificant. This is two things. So I think one this is
going to be discussing about additional expenditures whether it's adding it through the budget process or some some of the items are related to midyear uh which we have you know almost every month we have them. The other one about if you wanted to cut the budget that would have to be a direction from the commission to say, you know, the budget
is X, we presented the the current service level be X and say, no, we want to cut $20 million or something like that. And then or a dollar, a percentage, whatever it is, and the administration would come back with a a list of recommendations how we would meet that uh budget policy. Let me just ask how much um how much are these
midyear expenditures? Uh well, this year so far, we've appropriated about 1.4 4 billion of the general fund reserves for midyear and about the 200 how much of it was recurring 200 it was do you remember how much of it was recurring most of it was one time but there was some staff
added no I I don't want to say okay just I just have one point going to it all can I just add one thing because I told I just you know I mean it's it's it's 1.4 before, but usually, you know, I think I think it's something that we need to be budgeting as part of our budget. I think it's unrealistic to
expect that a city of our size uh with the amount of activity going on that you're not going to have these mid-year, you know, budget and budget situations where people are going to come things that we do need to support or we should support. I think we should be budgeting
for that rather than it coming from from our reserves. Um because in in in reality when we look at the size of our budget that's a very small part of of our budget. Oh, I can say that um two
years ago the commission approved a recurring addition to reserves of $3 million approximately three million because 3 million 28,000 specifically um to be funded to to add to reserves uh during the budget year which was new to the city which was good you know at at
the end of the day but effectively that would be probably you know where when you're making these mid-year things you're just reducing that amount to reserve. So so effectively it is it is budgeting of that. Um, not that we would necessarily recommend it, but if if that's what the the commission is approving these mid-year ones, that's where it would kind of come from. And
that's where these conversations get difficult where I'll use the Sunset Island Park for example, right? We have uh residents there that pay a tremendous amount of taxes and they come and say, "We we really think we deserve these types of enhancements to our park that
total a million dollars, right? So, um.1% of uh of our budget." and we say, "Well, we have $500 million of uh salary and expenses, so you could get these enhancements five years from now." Those are those are very tough conversations
to convey. Um, so while I understand we pay 70% of our salaries to provide services, uh, if we don't have that kind of discretionary money as things come up, as my commissioner puts it, then it becomes are we truly do we have the
right allocation uh, aligned? Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez and then let's let's move on because I don't think we're going to close anything out here. Uh but I think you you've heard us loud and clear about where we'd like this to come back in a month's time. No, I first and foremost I think it is
responsible Jason um to take surplus and add it to capital projects because what we've been doing is taking money away from capital projects and putting it into operating and that is not good or sustainable or solid fiscal policy. So I
agree with that. But I just wanted to show you that when looking at, you know, the recent study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average is like 61 salaries and wages, 61.8% of a budget. So I think that
um this is a good start and um so we would have to if I want to refer to the budget and audit committee, we would have to go back to commission and from commission refer. Yes, I if you were going to refer it to committee, I would I would suggest budget because that's really the in their purview, not the
audit, which is really about audits. But if you wanted to, yes, it would have to return to commission then to refer it to the BAC to discuss uh this policy. Um and then also for the uh staff administration to prepare a percentage general fund budget on salary, tax, and
benefits uh for them to uh for the BAC. And then I would suggest then returning back to FK after we have the BAC recommendation. Should we refer it to the audit committee too so that they can take a look at it? You don't think they have any? I don't think it's really in their purview. I don't think it's really in their purview. It's the B This is
right up the BAC's alley. Correct. Yeah. Where the audit really just deals with like the finance department's annual audit and the audits. So, my motion would be to refer it to the budget commission, ask them what they think of this policy and how we could improve um
upon this policy and also uh bring this back to us in a couple of months. Do you think two months or do you want it next month? Well, we're if we can, we'll get it um it'll go to commission then uh at the June meeting and then it'll send it to BAC. It'll get on the BAC cycle and it would just come back uh whenever that
would be. I don't know if that would end up in September or what? We need the additional analysis complet all that work has to happen too. So, so you want that to happen in July or I think if we just let it to be referred to the BAC and then returned to FK, you know, when the time time allows. Uh but we'll
obviously get it back. We'll put this on the June commission meeting and get the clock rolling on this because we have some a little bit of work to get done. You mean just put it on as a referral? It No, it would go back to commission as a C7 uh referral to uh BA. Okay. Well, let's let's start there and then I would
also bring I would bring this back here in September because Jason like you need time, right? I I just don't want to if if it's okay. I would prefer not having a timeline on getting back to FK because it has to go to BC than the BC has to give its recommendation and then we
would bring it to FIRK. I just don't know if that would okay. So without a time constraint and remember all the most of the items elements that are in this current comprehensive financial policy already exist in standing resolutions. So there isn't um a time a clock I guess as it relates to to most of the these items that are here because
we're most of these things we're already doing. But if if that's final on that though what I um I don't know if we wanted to continue because there there was the second part of this item related to Commissioner Magazine's item on the fiscal responsibility measures related to and they they are I think important
to hear because these are specifically um policy recommendations or items to take it upon yourself when you're as we're developing this upcoming 26 budget process. So I think you may want to hear these. I think it would be good for all of us to attend the budget um the budget committee hearing because I know that
there are several you know long-term um CPAs and people that serve on the budget that have a lot to say and sometimes they scream at me especially about uh the fact that we've been taking you know cap taking money away from capital and transferring it into operating. I hear
that a lot a lot of complaints about that. Yeah. And if I can just before I really do want Tamika to go through that, but I just want it to be understood that in the past couple of years the commission you know and with Tamika and I's, you know, recommendations have been taking some
measures to be fiscally responsible when it comes to the elements I think a lot of you are speaking about which is you know keeping that growth in there. The the fact that the commission approved uh putting setting aside $3 million of that operating budget to go to reserves which is basically unspent. You're just saying
we're not going to spend that three million. Uh that was good. A million dollars going to capital reserve. That's new. That was passed a year or two ago and that's that's positive. The this commission just passed this in this current budget cycle that the percentage of the general fund interest income
which is going to be 2.4 $2.4 million. That's more going to capital. So the percentages of dollars going to capital has been increasing over the years. And the commission has been through the administration's recommendations moving towards that I think towards that concept that this this uh committee is
talking about about getting operating dollars and getting that into the capital program. But absolutely we'll we'll we'll show u a motion to return to commission uh to refer this to refer this policy to the BAC along with analysis the percentage general fund
budget on salary tax benefits and then return to FK with uh BAC's recommendation. Excellent. So, if I can show who would make that motion. Do you have public comment? I'm making the motion. Okay. Sorry. I think public comment. Did you want to take public comment? Yeah, I I always do. Okay.
Larry Schaefer, please unmute yourself. Larry, hello. Uh, thank you guys for hearing this. I know this is a combination of Joe's item and David's items and I think there's also just a variety of items related to financial accountability and really starting to take a look at can we tighten our belts
before times get bad. Um so this is fantastic news that the administration and every elected official is really behind these efforts. Uh I would like to see if the budget advisory committee meeting is is going to be available on Zoom so that we can uh see what's going on in there. But once again, thanks for
doing all this. Thank you. So the budget advisory committee meetings are hybrid. So they meet in person. Um people are invited to come, but we also have a team link. So can Thank you for your work on those. Y
Okay. So we have uh Commissioner Ros Gonzalez made that motion. Do we have a second? I'll second. Commissioner, we have one more comment. Oh yes. Joanne Moore, please unmute yourself. Hi Johan. Welcome. Hi. good afternoon or good morning
still. Everyone, thanks um for your discussion. I wasn't actually signed in to listen to that, but found it so fascinating. Uh I'm glad I'm not in your seats since uh it is apparently unlikely or or uncertain if you will uh reach
item NB30 today, but as it relates to the the metaanalysis that I see you all engaging in, I can only echo Commissioner Magazine's words back to him. And trust me, I'm not advocating cutting any staff positions or anything, though there may be redundant ones. But
I would argue that irrespective of other obligations, we need to make sure that our most vulnerable residents concentrated in historic districts in contributing buildings are not forced out of their homes due to unaffordable
utility rate increases. So, I would just add that back into your broader discussion. Please do not throw out the uh uh baby that is NB30 when you get to it with the bath water that may in fact be excess fat to be cut. Thank you very
much. Thank you. Thank you. And then uh all in favor I I show it pass through nothing but I I still that was the main element then Tamik could please walk us through and these are elements for you I I think for the committee to listen to and
consider uh you know policy recommendations um as we get look for guidance you know going through this budget process and it's not only this budget process it's really kind of going forward also and some of it could end up being incorporated into the policy. All right. So the first recommendation we
have is that any surplus that we have during the budget process. So right now we have a policy that at year end any excess be used for first the reserves and then for capital. So what we're recommending in the budget process that we're going through now any surplus if
any um at this point we actually have a deficit. Uh but we are hoping by the July 1 come in we may have a small surplus. So one recommendation is to just transfer all of that capital in, you know, following what you all are recommending. So that would reduce our
ability to have enhancements. That would be a hard pill to swallow, but it would be um transferring more of our surplus to capital versus using it for new operating expenses. Yeah. But Jason, would it make sense to say uh that is automatic given that our reserve levels
are at X amount, which is an adequate level, right? We don't want and that and that would be a And to that I think to that point is if you put the guard rail on it to say that um in a year in which there is a surplus uh you know available
in in the budget assuming the city has met its reserves requirements and met the 5% capital funding goal then you know the surplus can be utilized for whatever purposes. If you haven't met both of those requirements, which we always meet the the number of years
since I've been here, we've always met the reserve, but we haven't met the 5%. That it doesn't it could be 100%, you could say 75%. So, let's say 75%. Say, okay, the the preliminary budget the city manager will provide in July, 75% of that surplus uh must go to C to
capital project until such time as we meet the 5% goal. Um and then the commission obviously always uh will and always should have the authority to you know override that or or make changes to it say look this is a a really important thing this year and we let's let's take
a little bit less from capital as an example. So that's one of the the possible recommendations for you to look at is in the years in which we don't meet the reserve requirement which we have typically since I've been here but the 5% capital hasn't been met in many many many years um you could direct the
policy to say that the preliminary budget is presented with X percentage uh of the surplus added to capital projects. Yes, I I think that's critical as long as we have the caveat that our reserve levels uh are at right those two those two the two guard rails and and if
you meet both of those if both of those are met, we're able to say yes, we've met both of those goals, then the preliminary budget could show the surplus, you know, being recommended for other other purposes. I and I also believe that either way would probably assume that that some percentage would go towards capital. So, I think that's a really good one, but there's a few more.
Yeah. So, the second one addresses what happens to the budget during the year outside of the budget process. So what our recommendation is is that if there is any budget enhancement that would require a budget amendment before it gets approved there should be some strategic discussion about how this new
expenditure is going to be funded moving forward particularly for the recurring expenditures. So either what programs would we cut in order to afford this new program based on a balanced budget or is there a recurring revenue that we could generate in order to cover the cost of
the new program. So to that point, we currently have our 25% goal met 2% two months uh emergency one month of contingency uh uh reserves in our general fund. So whenever you're doing those mid-year amendments and you know
50,000 for this or 100,000 for this uh which are all worthy things I'm sure that come through you know just don't live in the budget cycle. uh we we dip into that contingency reserve a bit and then at year end we replenish it with when any general fund surplus that we may have which typically we always do. I
think what the item here is that instead of dipping in the reserve there could be a requirement and I know commissioner Suarez uh championed and pushed through an ordinance change that made um items that have expenditures that don't go to FIRK uh beyond the the R seven resolution. So there has to be an open
discussion. They're not there. So that was, you know, one thing I think towards that concept. This might take it a step further, which is a bit tough, but it might be something to say, I want a $50,000 grant to give to XYZ, and my proposal is to take it from this from
this location. That's a very difficult uh one, but it's one that could be considered uh for the next, you know, I think for the next fiscal year, I it would be up to the commission, but the concept could be right there. it's I'm I'm 50,000 because this is very important and maybe this organization is
a little less or we're going to cut back on this versus this. So it might have to be an addition subtraction one and this is a very difficult concept but again we were asked to give some some concepts about how we limit for recurring grants it would be anything I mean one time or
or or uh recurring again this is just a concept uh this is probably one of the more difficult ones that are listed here sure so I think the idea is if um there's an item that says uh I want to give a a grant a one time or recurring whatever it might be an expenditure of x
of $50,000, let's say, uh that the commissioner is required to propose a cut of reciprocal amount. So, you're saying that there's just one pie and well, it's just the general fund and you're saying I want to add 50,000 where we're where commissioner you proposing to take the $50,000 from. Now,
typically, like I said, we take it from the general fund reserves and we have very healthy reserves. Um and it has never been an issue in my my three years here that where we haven't been able to replenish that at year end. These aren't uh in the grand scheme of things. We you know I think uh it's mentioned we're
like $1.4 million uh which may to some people seem like extraordinary amount of money but when you're talking about a $450 million general budget it's not you know a ton. We have generated through the Q2 about four 4.7 $4.7 million
surplus. So we're generating a surplus this year. That's where it's really coming from. Again these are it's a good it's a good idea. What's the I'm cur what are the ideas. All right. So, the third one we actually mentioned at the budget retreat last week and that is to if we have any fee wavers or any
sponsorships that the city is doing, we would recommend that they're only for three years. Some some are just five years, some years just constantly recurring. We'd recommend that they be limited to three years and then only if it's on an offseason um date. So if it's
off season, we need to fill our hotels and the restaurants, you know, those could continue, but for the ones that are actually in our peak season, we would only sponsor and wave the fees for three years maximum. So the kind of think the concept there is, you know, maybe is it only for new organiz new
organizations, new programs that come out and you know, we want to help them live. It's a good or it's a good organization running a good event, but uh you know, we're going to give you three years worth of fee wavers, but after that you have to live on your own. every time that there's a fee waiver that is lost revenue to the city which
is you know uh being impacted by you know how much do we lose a year on that I don't have it with me yeah we can we can look into that but um so Jason would would it make sense actually to break out for-profit events versus nonprofit
events right so I think that makes a lot of sense for some of these extravagant events on the beach like uh food and wine where they're generating profit and once they get established I I think my friend and colleague Commissioner Fernandez put it
uh a couple of days ago in in a meeting um once they kind of get up and running on their own they they should be forced to kind of tread water but if these are like a nonprofit entity right there there's no really like okay well get
yourself established and you know then kind of start walking on your own. Um, sure. Does it make sense to bifurcate that? That's absolutely the purview of the commission. Um, did you Yes. Well, for the fee wavers, we went back to 2020. Um, till today, we've waved about
$4.9 million. So, I mean, that's about five years, four and a half uh fiscal years. Million a year. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's lost, you know, that that's lost revenue. Um, and again, every single one individually, you know, without context is I absolutely believe is important.
you know they you know these events uh provide good services to the city uh to city residents but it's just again it's an idea for to think about if the commissioner wanted to have some kind of policy related to fee wavers and putting some kind of limitations on those what's the next idea so yeah this is the last
one and this actually was you the conversation started be disappointed this is the last one I I seem enjoying this well this one is a big one we actually started the discussion at last week last week's workshop where we are going to we're working with all the departments. We gave them some homework
to give us a list of their their programs and we're going to have us first and then have the commission review and prioritize what we what we want what are our major um functions and what do what do what do we want to be or who do we want to be? We're a public
safety comm um city and what else are we doing that's above and beyond what other municipalities actually do right now. So we are going through what we call a program budget and we're looking at our ex actual programs how much it cost us right now in the 26 budget the number of
FTEEs that are being funded with those and so we're going to make recommendations at the July Circ when we go through the budget of possible programs with possible position cuts. So, if I can add to that, I think this goes to what Commissioner Fernandez uh brought up and discussed and I know Commissioner Magazine, you were
supportive of this concept which gave us the work Tamika's team to have to go back and and do this work with all the departments was what are you know give us a list of not that we're necessarily recommending the cuts but just here what are a list of what we believe are noncore municipal things that we that
you know we've gotten ourselves into. If you look at it as as a as a business, if we look at it as a, you know, a big corporation with lots of divisions and departments and things like are we, you know, we turn ourselves into like a general general electric, right? We're in like 19 different lines of business. Some are core to your responsibility,
right? Like police and fire and co-co compliance. But there's definitely been programs over the years, whether through administration or through elected officials over the decades that have we've gotten into certain lines of business, let's call it, if we use some business terminology, that are not
necessarily core to what a municipal government typically provides. Doesn't mean they're not good services, delivering great programs to people, but they may not be considered core municipal services. We may be working in a in a realm that another government is
working in or the private sector. So, that is something that we uh because Commissioner Fernandez had had brought that up during the retreat and Commissioner Magazine kind of seconded that and we we went ahead and did that work and we'll be presenting some of that information at the July uh FK budget workshop which is really on the operating just to kind of give you a
menu of like by the way here's the things that we find that are you know kind of out of the typical now I'll bet you you go through that list and one of the seven will say this is abs on everything will say this is absolutely core so it will probably not be unanimous Um, and it isn't again that
this list is necessarily going to be a list of ne recommended cuts, but it was anformational item and it could be programmatic. If there's a saying, hey, I want to curtail the budget. I I don't want to increase it by X. I want to cut something. That might be the first place that you go look at that isn't cutting
core services. So, um, there isn't necessarily an action on this. Uh, but we've given you some ideas. So Jason, you know, we talked um to a good point where we kind of re-evaluate and we mentioned that we
didn't even know really that impact fees weren't adjusted since the 1990s. Uh I know a government really can't do a zerobased budgeting, but do we have this system in place
where it's so large that uh our staffing hasn't evolved as our city has evolved, right? Uh are there things that were put in place 20 years ago um that are just kind of continuing because that was the
priority 20 years ago and we haven't kind of done a fresh re-evaluation is Milton sitting out there in in the basement somewhere from uh from office space with his red stapler uh but 100 Milton you know um how can we do something that isn't
zerobased uh budgeting but we're doing kind of a refresh and re-evaluation of show us your budget, I'll show you my priorities. Right? So, we grow due to new priorities and where we are as a city, but do we ever rightsize?
Right. You know, we we just grow, but do we uh get rid of the old priorities? Exactly. If I speak to I mean a couple points and I'll ask Tamika to to chime in on that. Um I think you're going to get that a little bit through the programmatic budget on on noncore. Um,
so I think that's an answer to that, you know, a lot. Two, if we end up in a situation in the black where we we are forced to recommend cuts that come from the administration, you'll probably see some of those elements. And you're absolutely right, they may be two three
commissions ago re, you know, said we we should be doing this police detail, this code detail, this parks program that maybe isn't delivering, you know, to the best of the services, but it was directed by commission, it was funded, and we're we're doing that. So, I think that when you ask for those cuts, if if we're in that situation, that would
probably be some of the first areas we go. But I would be remiss in not mentioning that, you know, through the years, and I'm just speaking in my two and a half, three years that I've been here, you know, the legislation that comes from the commission drives a lot of that work. So, you know, we often have, you know, this we we showed uh at
the retreat that the number of workers added that were non-public safety were 12 14 something like that over the last five or six years, which was a surprise to me when that data was put together and said, "Wow, we've done a lot more." Of course, if you look at all the
legislation that we are getting directed to do, you know, whether it's at creating of LTC's, manning of committees or you know doing studies or doing all of that work is being done almost by the same group of people at the end of the day. So to that is often we have to rep prioritize internally and say hey you were doing this we need to do this now
because commission is directing us to go do this analysis. So Tamika do you want to add anything on that? I would just add that I think the last time that we did uh a deep dive into the budget and our positions was in COVID. So because of COVID and we had a we had to freeze
hiring, we had to make some reductions in our expenditures, capital expenditures. We did go on and use a program budget. So the document that I emailed to you all after the budget retreat actually has the program budget that we used without having to go to the departments to actually just make
freezes. Um we eliminated positions. Um, some positions have come back. As I mentioned, parking, for example, cut several of their positions, put a lot of people on furlow. They've come back overtime, not necessarily to the level prior to COVID. Um, but that was the last time that we did use a program
budget to do some strategic cuts. Jason, um, if so for the the hiring freeze I item that I'd like to propose, is that something that I'd have to I I think that there was discussion with the chair that you would discuss with the city attorney and bring something to the
June commission meeting. Can it be ready by June? Okay. Are we looking at as something, you know, a shortterm um hiring freeze? What's the what's the time per because like for example we
have I think this year in our police budget I think we have 18 uh positions that we were looking to create is that or yes and I know that we're in the process of also achieving uh full staffing which is something we haven't had a very long time in our police
departments. So are we looking at nonpublic safety positions? I think possibly anything that we have that is not currently budgeted for. Okay, that's that's where I would that's where
I would start. So yeah, and if I can to the effect so so that's really policy. What I always I talk about uh policy the top in my my opinion I guess I'm the CFO say that the top policy direction from the commission is the budget. So if
there's an interest in, you know, a freeze, it's it's through the budget to say eliminate positions a at the end of the day because all the positions that the city manager will usually be able to hire is within that budgetary authority. But I do get to that concept that if you say not within the budget, he does have the authority to meet within the overall
budget. But if the position count or that headcount isn't in there, that could be, you know, so not to add any additional headcount, that could be something that could be entertained. But again, through that's why we always, you know, direct everything to go through the budget process. um that if there's an interest in curtailing some activity
uh whether it's a dollar value or a number of headcount and things like that programs we go through the budget process and we we make adjustments uh based on the the direction and the policy of the commission which I do agree you know will change from time to time and the last point I want to make
is that uh in speaking to what Tamika was mentioning is and my this is my third budget cycle I've been through the first one I I started a new concept in the retreat which was the spotlight and it was exactly to that point was I jokingly said I let's look at citywide
grants I said there might be grants there to the vaudeville academy you know a joke that like some kind of 1920s thing well it's always been there we just can't set the check and that's just the way it is so the budget's very large and we used to have we dayong retreats and everything they gotten smaller but I
wanted to to spotlight certain areas and that first year we spotlighted you know citywide grants not something you would typically look at in the big budget a few million dollars as an example. And we did do that. We went through that process. We highlighted all the sponsorships to events, the citywide grants that we give and things like
that. And you know, at the end of the day, you know, the there wasn't any adjustments downward. I think actually there were a few increases uh where where commissioners saw and said, "Hey, wait a minute. We're only giving, you know, that that group X. I want to add to it." So we do, the administration, you know, is sensitive to that concept
and we do try to highlight uh those things for the commission to to look at periodically. That's something that I've, you know, really championed since I've been on air. So, Commissioner Fernandez, some, you know, something along the lines of also anything that's pensionable, correct? if there's a hire
that involves a pension, a salaried employee. And um you know, I I think there's also a lot of room for efficiency in the police department, right? Um and and and al as well as the
fire department. So I think between now and first reading, I'll work with um Jason and and Eric to really get a a better sense of of of how this would look like after being baked and then I would welcome
everyone's feedback on it and if if we can't just er some of these items that we talked about if if wanted to put them in the policy or we can bring those to the BAC as part of it and see and I think this committee seemed to be very interested in that first one about you know um directing the administration on
a preliminary budget wise to put X percentage of the of any surplus in a year in which you have it to capital programs until you hit those two main policy goals. And I think that we can highlight those to the BAC and see if that's uh one of the ones that they think is also a good idea and bring that
back to FK. Yeah. Again, I think the direction what we're we're moving in is we want to really make an impact. Um and where we spend our surplus isn't really like saving people tremendous amount of money in
taxes. We we want to have um a real plan for how how can we be ready for the next couple of years. Speaking of I I apologies, I was out of town uh for the first budget retreat. Um
I I had an item I believe I I didn't listen to discussion, but um it's very similar to this. It's limiting uh what we spend uh for next year. And I just wanted to know what what do my colleagues think about that. Um just
just not reducing spend but just saying whatever we spent this year we're not going to spend more next year. Yeah. I mean, I I think you've I don't want to speak for everybody, but you've certainly heard from me um the desire to
be very fiscally conscious and to see what are the old priorities priorities of past commissions that might not be re relevant anymore. Identify, you know, all of these costs, recurring costs that are not essential and seeing how we can
go in and do efficiencies. That was this that's as part of you know that conversation that you placed on that agenda. That's where you know this concept came from. Yes, Commissioner that that's exactly Commission Commissioner Fernandez. So that's kind of where the um I think that discussion morphed into giving some direction to to
staff to come back with that analysis and so that we so that we do hold the line on spending of of what we did this year. The request was to provide a programmatic budget on non-core municipal services. So, if the commission wanted to make any
adjustments down to perhaps make that number or or or more or less, whatever it might be, that they would have a menu of of possible non-core municipal services they can say to get to that budget number. We're going to not do this or curtail that because it doesn't have to be a redu. It doesn't have to be an elimination. It could be a
curtailing. Yeah. Because one of the things uh today we opened up highlighting uh perhaps a challenged property EV valuation scenario. But what we got into at the budget meeting is we actually are
facing a number of different headwinds that could be now the property appraiser is now an elected position and he's conveyed that he is looking to uh reduce you know valuations and uh reading
between the lines some of the art deco buildings uh seem to be kind of at the forefront of some of that commentary. And then from a state perspective, there's a committee right now. Of course, the headlines were made about talking about abolishing property taxes.
Well, I think that's a bridge too far. Um there is certainly going to be efforts that are being made right now actually uh to um rein in uh government local government spending and a number
of different initiatives that could really tie our hands and force us uh to be even more conservative because um you know what I foresee coming out of Tallahassee is something that is going to essentially be um at odds with uh
local government's ability to collect property taxes. Yeah. So, I I guess where I was getting at is how does how does some of my colleagues feel about act, you know, actually like agreeing
to to capping our our spend and saying at at all costs we are not going to increase our spend for next year. I I I know it's it's a tough cookie to eat, but tough times cookies. Okay. You know
what I mean? I think it's responsible. Yeah. So, where where is that item fall, Jason? It was at the budget retreat and it goes back to commission and we vote on No, the the retreat it was uh presented at um at commission and it would be I guess it would be up to a
commissioner to to bring an item because that that that retreat is not technically an item where um any actions can be taken. It's just a I would say casual but it's a you know off-site retreat where we just have an open discussion about the budget. Okay, I'll take it from there. And we will have and
just you know we will have a very in-depth discussion at the July uh FK budget workshop where the preliminary budget will be presented by the manager and that would be where if we wanted to say okay that was that number no we need to reduce it by X and then we will discuss uh some actions about that or
well I would just add that I think your item mentioned if we could cap the budget at CPI over last year so what we presented last week is that if we did that we'd have to cut $7.1 million from this year's budget because we hit four.
Yeah, we hit 4.4 uh which was a little higher than we hoped and I think it was related to you know the second year of the collective bargaining agreements which you know is the expectation that second year uh when we had a number of firefighters being added through the budget. So 4.4% um well we all know
those union guys are they're they're hard hitters. They know how to negotiate against you guys. And Jason, just to refresh uh my memory, we were able to put in uh some policies that will prevent kind
of some of the mess that happened on the last uh day of the budget. I don't want to say mess, but um some of the items that just kind of seemingly appeared out of nowhere that were put into um at the last minute. We put in some policies to
kind of curtail that. Correct. If you are talking about a policy where items need to go to FK before it gets approved as a part of the budget. Yeah. Technically um but or or we raised the threshold for an item that is right. I think there's two things there. I think
it's two two things now. is is what I think it was Commissioner Suarez's ordinance change was that and Rick I know is is ready to chime in if I get this wrong because me went back and forth was any I think there are two points to it is any item that has a dollar value an expenditure to it that
didn't go through the finance committee is required to be an R seven item so it must be discussed um and because I think that was the the threshold that was cut so that was really the main thing was you eliminated the concept that you had all of these elements in in the consent agenda where it was go spend 50,000 on
this, spend something on this. Uh or if it came back as a something prior to that because the last budget cycle, remember there was stuff that kind of came up on that last day and it was like, oh, here's a million dollars. Oh, well, at the budget, you know, at your budget hearings, your first and second,
it was the grants, right, for I remember this. It was they they I think Commissioner Bot wanted to just give another half million dollars to some of the um am I am I? Yeah, there was there was an item related to the one-time arts and culture grants because
of the state cuts that was actually dealt with in July and I think there was a discussion that she had um at the hearing about trying to amend that amount up. I think it's important there's also the mamogram testing that there was another and I think that that's something that um to make sure
that we don't end up with these situations if there have been allocations in the past you know staff should be checking with the commission about what the commission intends to keep funded in its budget because it's not staff's budget it's a city
commission's budget uh and it's our it's our budget reflecting the priority of those who have elected us here and so before staff makes the decision not to include certain priorities in the budget. You know, let's let's meet with with with the commission. Let's let's
see the feedback of of the people who have sponsored this over the year so that when we come at the budget hearings, we can determine whether we want to include this in the final budget so that we don't have stuff like that that that we've been funding, you
know, over the years. and then all of a sudden staff decide, well, we're not going to include it in this budget. And then it's then at the last minute, we're like, okay, well, where's the funding for that? Everything you're speaking to is is one-time elements. We have many one-time elements every single year that we have. So, those don't get
automatically put into the next budget um for consideration. So, uh if there wanted to be something considered year-over-year, the commission would have to say, let's move that from recurring, I'm sorry, let's move that from a one-time to a recurring funding source. Um but we could look at providing a list um at some point um
through the budget process of a list of you know all the onetime grants in the prior year um so that it's in one location for it. But I think it's important to that particular point is it's always important as much as you want to put limitations on yourself is that you always have the ability to
override something because something the world the world happens around us and it happens every day. Yeah. I I think we just increase the threshold uh the voting threshold if something hadn't been previously circulated through the proper finance committee if it just came
up during the budgeting process that it would create a maybe a 57 threshold. Am I am I thinking about that correctly, Rick? Well, what we added to the ordinance in the last several months was that if there's an item added to the budget that will be recurring, that would require 57th vote of the
commission. I think that might be what you're thinking of. And then the more recent legislation uh was related to items that don't go to fur can no longer go on the consent agenda. Right. As it relates of whatever dollar value. Sorry. As it relates to the the budget hearings in my career,
it's been very typical at the first hearing that there's some last little tweaks. Something comes up and says, you know, can we fit this in? I'll reduce this or let's reduce the surplus and do that. I think that that's a purview that that I think it's important for the commission to have things happen. Uh the second hearing we would that's one we would definitely the administration
would be good with it being a quick we usually like it to be a 15 quick meeting it's a move it second pass just approving the prior adjustment. So yeah, at the second hearing it it would be more preferable. I always kind of say if there's speak now forever hold your peace at the first hearing uh would be would be good with that. But okay. All
right. So I think we have the resol uh we have the the motion. It was passed. We'll return this to commission uh to to begin it its route. And well, there'll be this discussion will be ongoing and continuous through our capital budget uh workshop next week and then our
operating one which will um I'm sure be very lively uh in July as we uh deal with you know some of the policy concepts and uh making ourselves having a balanced budget. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let's hear um NB18 uh kitty
campus for you and your team. Yeah. Uh MB18 discuss purchase of a new trailer to supplement the city's trapneuter vaccinate release TNVR program and the kitty campus. NB18 Commissioner Rosen
Gonzalez. Hi guys. Um I would disregard the memo that is in the book here which is an inflated price and we have significantly reduced the cost of having an auxiliary um trailer for the trap.
neuter and Spain. There's I I will turn it over to you guys though. I don't see the printed copy. I don't think we ever got the memo. So, maybe you could explain it to us what we're proposing. Go ahead, Linda or Holly or whomever.
So, Holly program coordinator for the city. I also am the director of and I'm Linda Diamond. I think I know you all already. um president of Soie Catat spay and neuter and also the chair of the animal welfare committee. And I'd also like to point out my background is
in corporate America, but now my specialty is not getting paid. So all of this hiring freezes, please fire me. Um so the item on the table she said is securing some additional um space cost
effect cost effective space for the Kitty campus due to the huge success of our program. So, first off, thank you all for all your support. That's why we are so successful. And our program has gotten accolades internationally. By the way, we received accolades from um Mars
Pet Care, as in Mars Candy Bars and so forth. And one of the things they mentioned in a case study that they did about the city of Miami Beach was how well the city uh staff support us. So that was actually highlighted in the middle of the um the little case study
which I was very proud of. Um so I know your agenda is long. I will speak in bullet points. I'm always to the point. What is the issue overflow? What is our solution? Mobile I'll call them compartments which we'll get into. So why do we have this overflow now? So we
hired Joanna the very first trapper a year ago. She has doubled our intake numbers, which is a great problem to have, but we're bursting at the seams. And why do we even need to hold these cats? So, basically, what happens when
someone traps the cat, whether it's Joanna or she's training a resident or it's another volunteer, we have to hold the cats until they're queue to get surgery. So, we hold them at the kitty campus. So, once they go have surgery, they have to recover. So, they come back
to the kitty campus. So that's number two. Number three is we also have healthc care recovery for a lot of simple cases. So I wanted to share a couple pictures if you don't mind me bringing up to you. These couple
pictures are of cats with mange. It costs $20 to fix these guys and they're walking around our streets and they 20 bucks and it takes literally sometimes two weeks, sometimes four. But this is not a good look for our city. Our residents don't want to see these
pork. They look like they have barnacles. I'll pass them off to you. You want to pass? What's What's the typical time frame for a get a cat captured, spay, neuter, and then back on the street? So, it really depends on which outlet we're using to do the spaying and neutering. So, I'll let you
speak to where it's normally just a few days at the most. And so, how many cats can you hold in the trailer that you have now? Well, we don't have a trailer now. We have a hallway. So, so here's where they're going now. So, in in the Kitty campus, we have two rooms that are
uh we call them treatment rooms. And then we bring cats into those rooms that we want to put up for adoption. In order to put them up for adoption, they need to be vaccinated. They need to be dewormed. So, they're usually there for two or three weeks. Once they graduate, we've got another room which is called
the free room where they can just run around with all their buddies and they're checked. We've done a fecal exam, everything which we could all we do all that in house. Yeah. So, but those rooms are all full doing our typical kitty campus stuff. So, now
that we had crazy Joanna, who's very impactful. Oh, by the way, this this guy, he now lives in the apogee. So, don't feel so bad for him. So, where are the kitty cats now?
Here's my favorite. In the bathroom. So, talk about lack of privacy. And then also on the right side of Kitty Campus, there was a big cement platform with a tarp on top. We've made that into a makeshift Kitty Campus
holding place, which is the other picture. So, I mean, this is not a hot look, right? So, how much square feet do you have now? So, we have I think it's about 3,100 square feet. 2400 2400 ft. I don't know. Would it
make sense to put them in another location that's not a trailer that that we have available, maybe like a city building? This is kind of like what we did to Fab Lab, right? And we're open to moving and and our solution here is is a part-time solution. So, yeah,
because what's happening right now is uh and here's a patio we had built on the side. So, here's what's happening right now. So, so how much square feet do you need? Let's let's let's let's reverse engineer what we Well, we're looking for two two trailers and they're each 40
feet by 8 ft containers. Containers, we're calling them. We're not calling them. They're actually retrofitted shipping containers that have air conditioning and such. So, and the reason why those are good bread, what is the cost of that? I think cost. Yeah.
So, I'll I'll go over the cost. She'll get more into but here's the situation. the outside cats that we all have here on this lovely outside area. We have to move them all because it's getting too hot. We have fans in there, misters in there, but we have Is that part of the
3100 ft that you're talking about? No. Okay. By the way, 2400 plus this I guess. Listen, I the second short floor of the Southshore Community Center could in essence become a kitty a second kitty campus facility. We we looked at that and yeah, so we the issue was that was
where seniors were have coming in for lunch and so forth and there was a problem with cats. They did the second you know if it was the second floor the only the only reason I'm kind of getting at this is because you know there the VCA on the second floor uh the old location on Alton moved right they
haven't and but that location is still there. It's for rent. We have all their cages they gave us for free $40,000 worth. Thank you. I I believe it's 20,000 a month. Well, that's why I'm asking how much what the cost is for the trailers and then what what is the operating cost
right now? So, the trailer cost So, the trailer cost what we would look to do is get two of these containers. So, one container would have just air conditioning and shelving. So, that's going to be like bare bones and that's about $25,000. The second trailer, also the
same size, 40 ft by 8 ft. This one would have air conditioning as well, but a kitchen, a sink, and a bathroom. So, that's about 35,000. So, then we have to worry about leveling the foundation, which is easy. It can be on dirt still, but it needs to be level. Um, having a
sidewalk would be great, and a ramp so we can push the cats in and out. So, what is a sidewalk six grand, a ramp is five grand. The electric, we already have some electric pulled outside, so we just need to get it piped into the two different locations. Um, I don't know if we can, they would each need a 50 amp.
So, we'd need to make sure we have that enough in our building to handle that. We would need to run plumbing, but I don't know why we couldn't just tap into our existing plumbing. And I realized that the sink water and toilet water, even though it's gray water and black water, they're all considered black
water city of Miami Beach. So, they're all going to go to the same place. And then we would need to pay for delivery and setup. Four grand architectural and permitting. I'm not sure what pieces of this would be permitted because I know just to have a uh a what are you looking
what soup to nuts? What are you looking at all into it? So I 130 to $175,000 and ongoing cost. A one time and what yeah what's the ongoing cost? Ongoing is just paying for the water and electric and some upkeep. So we have 10 15,000 ongoing. So, I mean, it's a
really inexpensive situation and we can plug and play with this pretty quickly. And then if you find another property, fabulous. Well, pack up and move. Yeah. And I I think just when you say trailer, it has this like negative connotation.
But if you look at the sales center for five park, they're selling $50 million condos there, and those are quote unquote trailers. I I would gladly gladly uh move in there versus my humble abote. But these are containers. We should have gel containers built
containers. No, these are containers. Have some artists, you know, make some fun. No, those are those are shipping. As far as I understand, Brad, those are shipping containers. The five park sales gallery, right? So, what I'm saying is that it sounds like, oh my gosh, we're putting some money in a trailer or a
shipping container. But point being, you go in there and yeah, I would certainly trade it for where I live uh to live in the shipping containers at Five Park. Well, and in terms of visibility, so the Kitty campus is on a property that has got a chain link fence all the way around it. The two
containers would be by the side, so not very visible from the road because it's pretty far off. And then this the chain link fence, we could also put a nice dressing all the way around the chain link fence. To the left you have ice skating or a skateboarding scenario. To the left you have to this side you have a parking lot. I just have a question.
How much Okay. How much square feet is it that you need? So we've got 2400. If you add the what you got you you have 3100 ft now, right? 2400. 2400 and then plus our little makeshift weirdness we have on the side. And what does this
what is that for? What would these two trailers bring it total? So what what is do the back? It was 8 foot by 9t by 8t. I mean 80 foot by 8. I'm sorry. Well, 40 foot by 8 by 8, I think. Yeah. Sorry. One at a time, please.
Right. They were 40 ft by 40t by 8 ft. 8 or 9 ft. 40t. 3200 square feet each. Yeah. So, you probably need about what 3,500 square feet in total. Yeah. So, do we have any any empty space? No. So, now
that we're inputting the tax collector in anchor garage, that's that was our last space. There was a a property over on around second in South Fifth. That small house. Yeah. The house that used to be ran by uh Ecom. Yeah. What about I
love that little house. I mean, I mean, we would need to add to that. Am I misunderstanding something, though? um you have a space and you're saying if we're you have a solution for it, right, with these um containers that are able
to accommodate this, right? At a very cost uh affordable. Yeah. Yeah. And there's also some benefits to it. And here's why. Because a lot of times when you're bringing in these cats from outside, they have maybe an upper respiratory infection which is airborne. So it's we like the ability to keep the
adoptable cats inside and then all the cats that are coming going that are getting fixed that might have upper respiratory keep them in their own individual areas so they can't because if our whole kitty campus gets URIs then our ability to push them and find them
homes just is delayed. So probably my number one takeaway that I have from my first year and a half into office if the cat ladies want something give the cat ladies what they want. They're great. Who am I to recreate the wheelchair? I don't even have a cat and I just rescued a pit bull, so don't if uh if that's
what you want. I got I'll to be honest, I got pretty nervous uh over the weekend reading the agenda because it was like, well, the cat ladies won something. It's a million dollars. I go, how do you make those two things coexist? But to now come back at something of a $50,000
asset and this essentially delivers the exact results that you want 130 to 175. Yes, 175. Sorry, I was talking per and realistically it could staff is giving me a look at it could be a little bit extra. It could be anywhere between 225
and 250. And this comes out of what budget? It it's funded through sanitation, right Jason? Currently we'd have to we would recommend obviously I think the motion would be to return to commission uh you know to be considered as part of the 26
budget process. Uh typically the cat related programs are funded through the sanitation fund which is a at this point is a massive structural uh operating deficit. So we would have to decide whether we want to continue pushing that or through the sanitation. I would like this to be a budget amendment at the
next meeting in June so that we can get started on it because these are immediate needs. Those cats right now are in a tent where it's extremely hot and they're stuck in in plastic. And I mean we we allocated funds for another cat trapper. the program is successful
and we can't just say we're going to do it in a couple of years because these are our four-legged friends, Jason, and we need So, I have a question. So, I have a question on this, but I have a question on this. I I have a question. Yes. So, okay. So, now let's
just walk through the policies that we were just thinking of adopting and I think we're all in agreement. We want to help. Yeah. This is how do we fund it? This is important. So, so let's say we would have adopted the policies we were just discussing. At next week's meeting or whenever we
have our next commission meeting, we'll figure that Chris whenever we have the next meeting. If someone brings a midyear item to say we want to fund this, it's how much thousand? We'll say I mean what? No more
than 225. We'll say anywhere between 175 and 225. 225. Okay. So if if a whose item is this? This item is Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez. So if Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez comes back at the next meeting and says she wants to do a mid-year budget amendment for 225 to fund this
this year, she would have to say but this is what I am this is where I'm getting the money from. This is what I'm not going to fund in order to fund this. Uh that was one of the uh financial uh fiscal
responsibility measures we discussed and it was referred to BEC for more uh more discussion. So that means you're going to have to give the commission more transparency as to the city's accounts and funds in order for us to be able to determine where are we not going to fund something in order to fund something
else because we don't know where the uh different uh pots of money are. All right. This has always been the city's administration's responsibility. So, Commissioner So, Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez, like where would we what what
would we not fund in order to be able to fund this? Because we need to I mean, I don't policy that I supported that policy and I don't support that policy because this is a one-time expense. It is not a recurring expense. Not all expenses are created equal and certain
expenses are more important than you know have like a certain expediency to them that others don't. So a one-sizefits-all uh doesn't work especially with one-time expenses. So I I would not be in accordance with cutting one of my
colleagues funding measures or some community program to you know expand another program which is why I'm saying that where we need to cut in the general fund is this 71% of salaries um and reduce that amount so that we don't have
these other issues because what we're doing is we're playing around with a very small pot of money in relation to the overall budget and that's the direction that we need to Jason because right now salaries are at 71%. And I would I would like to say this is not
going to affect any existing employee. It's just a question of looking at your budgets moving forward and seeing how you're going to organize your departments efficiently because that's where it's not a cutting of service services Jason. It's looking at current
positions available because this is we're talking tens of millions of dollars versus, you know, tens of thousands of dollars. So that I'm not in accordance with that policy, which is why I referred it to the budget committee because I'd like to attend that hearing, explain my concerns. And
um I don't support that policy. Commissioner Fernandez, I'm not I'm not going to cut, you know, iguanas for cats or, you know, security and safety for cats or turtle funding for cat. Do you know what I mean? That doesn't make sense to me. I just, you know, it's just
a good opportunity because we were just talking about these policies just now. They're important policies, uh, Jason, but, you know, it's going to be then incumbent upon us to identify, you know, something important like this. I mean, does the administration support this
request? Yeah, it's it's it's a critical need. So, it's a critical need. It's it's a it's a critical need that a commission wants to bring for a budget amendment, but then the policy being recommended to us by the administration is saying, "Yeah, but you the commission have to
find the funding source for it. You the commission needs to need to say where we need to cut in order to fund it, Jason. That's what your polic recommendation, right? It was is it was there was a number of uh policy recommendations. I did mention that was by far the most draconian uh one and I knew that would
be one of the most difficult and if you were going to um move forward in that kind of concept, I could see it being pertain to recurring perhaps. One time may seem a little too much. I can understand recurring it certainly makes a little bit more sense. Um but just back to this particular item, the
sanitation is at a deficit. Is that because we haven't uh figured out the waste hauler situation. Yeah, there's a couple elements to it. One is the commission in the last budget cycle added a number of additional programs which kind of pushed it further down
that line and but from the revenue source perspective there were some adjustments made. Commissioner bot championed uh an adjustment related to the rolloffs which you know will take time for us to recognize and see how that really has an impact. But I think to the franchise fee percentages we we discussed I think that was last budget
cycles spotlight during the retreat was that we talked about when those contracts are up and coming back whereas you know we're in a situation where we could be doubling the franchise fee. Not to not to get too off topic, but where are we with that? You know, when do we come to an an agreement of where we're
doing a single hauler or a or what we're doing now, which is multihauler, you know, because going from cats to waste coming with you. I mean ju to address that point. Um June did
since there was a recommendation last year to look at if there were any hybrid possible scenarios out there to hire a different consultant to analyze that. At that point in time once that went out through uh you know procurement process
um the only company uh firm that submitted a proposal was the existing one and there was a specific direction to not want to use the existing one. So we didn't accept that proposal and the manager did not sign off on. So where are we right now? So the the the the actions that we have on the record today
are the vote that the commission took back in March of 2024 which was to go 70 to a single hauler. We after that there has not been really any movement and and and in fact you know we have to make a decision. Are we going to single or are we going to go with the non? Yeah. And
and that that decision could potentially double our franchise fees and bring the deficit bring the budget of sanitation back into the black. It can I I to what extent I couldn't stand here and tell you today but it will certainly have a
positive impact on the sanitation. And when we're we're talking about a structural deficit here, we're talking on an annual basis. Overall, recurring overall though, while it's declining, we still have a surplus in the sanitation fund. Is that correct? Correct. We're
we're utilizing the reserves. So, if this is a one-time expenditure, I wouldn't have any issue taking this from the sanitation. So I think if I can to help land this is the question is I think that there's interest in in accepting this is will the recommend will this be a favorable
recommendation um for the TNVR program trailer to be considered as part of the 26 budget process or is this something that um No, I would my motion is to refer this to the June commission with a positive recommendation and fund it um
immediately with a budget amendment and in the amount of let's go for 225 so that you have enough for electric and plumbing. And correct me if I'm wrong. If it's a budget amendment, where does that money come from? It comes from the general fund. It would it would um come from the sanitation fund uh reserves.
Sanitation. Okay. So I I define doing it from the sanitation, right? Not the general fund. Um although we have a declining surplus, we still have an ample surplus in the sanitation fund. I would be very concerned if this was ongoing expenses, but given these are
one-time expenses, I think we're able to essentially weather that from the sanitation fund. But I think it's important when we when the item comes, you know, when it needs to be identified which funding source is coming from because for us as a as as a commission,
okay, we put this but the items is supposed there every item by ordinance is supposed to have a fiscal impact statement and what I've been used I remember at the county you had an item like this would come forward it would have a fiscal impact statement saying this is the cost of this okay it's
coming from this fund This is the current balance on this fund. This is how much this is going to cost and this is going to be the remaining balance on that fund so that we can budget ourselves appropriately because if these things just
get, you know, put on the agenda and we don't know where it's being paid from and the balance on those on those funds, then people just keep on putting and putting and putting and we don't know what's left. And so like I really we really do need the administration to be
more informative of the impact that these items are having to identify where they're being paid from and and you know the overall balances so that so that we know the impact that it has. So, so the
the motion would be Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez to budget amendment for the June meeting and it's going to come from the sanitation fund. Yes. Okay. In the amount of we're going to do 225 if I can because what actually always what we
need to do is it goes back to commission with a federal recommendation to expend up to $225,000 for the TVR and trailer. The commission would then the whole commission would need to approve approve that. Then we come back with a budget amendment. budget amendment is a public hearing. So we need the commission to
approve this new expenditure and we would always make sure on the items that the administration does that says to expend dollars that we would would show that funding source and we will make sure that well I'm going to put it on the consent agenda because I don't know if you guys remembered at the last
meeting in the morning we had an item if I may. Yes, we can because at the last meeting, I don't know if I don't know if you remember, Jason, at the last meeting, we had an item on the agenda that was um $100,000 for sealing uh the Petra Portuguesea and and acid washing
and we made that motion in the morning and then we funded it in the afternoon. So, we can absolutely do that. I believe we did it last time. Don't you remember? Well, I I think we just agreed that we can't put anything on consent, right? But well, I mean, if it's a critical
need, the thing is, you know, I I I don't want it to just get I just we have this need right now. It's getting really hot. I would like to get facilities. I think you at least have four people up here who are going to be very supportive of it. Uh I but I I just don't think
that you can put it on consent anymore, right? It has to be an R seven item and then it has to be called and then, you know, we vote on it. Is that correct? We could call it in the morning as we all say. If I may, if I if I recall, the Petra Portuguese was actually going to be a referral, but then because there
was a budget discussion on a budget amendment, you made a motion to amend the budget amendment to go ahead and include it. I'm going to coer and then there was discussion. I think the one thing we can do to co-sponsor Yeah, exactly. Well, let's all four co-sponsor. I don't know where Commissioner Fernandez is that you'll
have four votes. Co-sponsor the kitty trailer. Okay. So, you have four co-sponsors and just could we make it happen? There's a budget amendment at every single meeting. I mean, I've never seen a meeting without one. So, I would like it added to the budget. I think I'll I'll ask Rick to help me out here
if I got this off is since this went through finance. This can go as a consent resolution. The department would prepare this and would send it back. Uh the resolution, if it isn't pulled, assuming it isn't, would pass. And then uh assuming we have an operating budget amendment then on the floor you would
request then the uh an amendment to the amendment there. Okay. So we're going to make an amendment to the amendment. Yes. Yeah. We we we would just ask that the number is two not to exceed 250. Not to exceed. Can I just ask something about this and I know that we have these
conversations all the time but just looking pull up Amazon and you can order these prefab homes. I would live in these 370 days a year. These are beautiful. Literally beautiful. You can
move in for $25,000. How are we going to trap a nut or you whatever works. Listen, if you guys have the votes to do that, then then call the votes. We'll keep looking at that. But he but he does he does he does bring up an interesting point. I mean, some of
these prefab homes are very cost effective. $40,000, right? I don't think it's necessarily that. I think we'll be able to find the numbers as it relates to that. But you just have to understand anything that is there for a longer than a ser period of six months is considered like a permanent structure. So there's
certain permitting and things that we need to go through the building department to obtain for that. Um so we who do we pay for the permit as well? Us. We yeah we have to get foundation. Insane. We shouldn't have permits. It's ridiculous. It's insane. It's
ridiculous. You're telling me that I can uh come up with uh for $30,000 have this pre-fabricated home that um it looks like the Taj Mahal, but we have to pay ourselves to permit something uh that's going to be there
like this is insanity. I think the employee cost we should be waving all permit fees for ourselves. Well, it's just the the cost it's the cost of the u it's the cost of the manpower to to work on the permit. So, I think Commissioner,
did we make a motion? If I I'll move I think uh we're going to show a couple things is I think we're showing that um everyone here is going to become a co-sponsor with Commissioner Rose Gonzalez's prime and the motion we return to commission with a favorable recommendation to expend up to
$250,000 uh for the TVM program funded through the sanitation fund. Yeah. And two things I think we have public comment. Could we add to this and this has nothing to do with this specific item. This has been a recurring theme. So don't think that this Can you send me
a line by lightm line by line cost analysis of what this is right? Like I I really need to understand how this is over $50,000. Well, I would tell you you're getting two containers, both air conditioned, one with a kitchen. And I do think that Holly and Linda really
source this. Oh, this isn't about this specific item, right? This is just about why it costs government so much to do anything. We've had the same conversation on 20 different items. I promise you it has nothing to do with you, your analysis or anything like that. I just need to understand whether
it be playground equipment, a shade structure that uh cost $30,000 when I'm looking at it and they go, "Well, yes, but for you, we could get it for the nice price of $450,000." Oh, well, thank you very much. Um, I need to understand why I can
go on and get a pre-fabricated home that I I would literally hand over the keys to my apartment for and move into tomorrow for $40,000, but two trailers for cats are $250. Well, I think they actually said that the trailers are 25,000, right?
Yeah, they're 35 for the really fancy one, which has the sink and the bathroom and the kitchen. where the biggest expenses you've got to lay down the foundation. You got to make a sidewalk, a ramp, you've got to run electric, you've got to now deal with sewage, plumbing, electrical. Yeah. So, if I can commissioner can send you the cost
estimate break. This is just my learning curve. You know that, by the way, this is what this is what business owners and residents have to deal with, right? You know, they you think about that. The majority of the cost is basically conforming to some ridiculous policy
regulation and permit fees when in reality the cost of the actual structure is only like a fifth of the price. And yeah, you know, yeah, it's a little it's a little disingenuous for us to say, well, why don't we just wave our own permit because when everyone else has to
pay it, you know, it's um but but Godspeed. Okay. And and I want to bring up another u the waste hauler. Okay. For punishment. Yeah. Well, listen, I I think you know, look, the reason why,
you know, we're not, you know, we're we're going to be in a a worse fiscal responsibility because sometimes we all, and we're all guilty of this, including me, kind of kick the can down the road and are hesitant to make a decision. So, I think maybe by June or the July
meeting, let's have a discussion on if we want a single hauler or a multihauler and then let's just let's just get it over with and and get our sanitation fund back into black. So, just make a motion to put it on the June agenda so that we can finally hear it. You can do
that, right? I think I think that's a good idea. I make a motion to put it on the June agenda. Do I have a second? I second that. Okay, there we go. Fun fun. Okay. And we have the other motion for the kitty campus. So, I think we're good.
Mary Schaefer, please unmute yourself. Uh, hi again. Uh, can we get an extra container for Joe because apparently his digs at home are not working for him. Um, I want to say thank you to Linda and Polly. They never they should be thanked more often for all their hard work. Thank you also to Brad Kane for uh
taking care of of this department and this function for the city. That's so important. I believe that uh regarding financing this, here's some ideas. I believe that the county, Miami date animal services should be paying for this. We pay taxes. We pay so many taxes
to Miami date county, but we don't get the animal services funding that we need. They get about 43 million in budget. We are about an eighth, I believe, of the of the property taxes paid into the county. That's about $5 million that they should be providing in services. They should be paying for this
and we should be sending the mayor and the city manager to lobby or negotiate with them to get what uh our share of their budget. Next, another idea is to go out to nonprofits and look for grants. Uh a local provider might be Friends of Miami Animals. Uh national
ones might be Rachel Ray and Beth Stern. Howard Stern's wife has uh Beth's furry friends. they might be uh interested in sponsoring uh this. I know that Rich Regg is part of the Food and Wine Festival, so there's a connection there. And also Howard Stern is a Florida
resident. He lives in Palm Beach. So that might be an optional creative ideas for funding. As a neighbor, I would like to see a mural on the side of these and also mature landscaping installed. Just I know that the container homes, I'm very familiar with them. They can be
beautiful um but boxy. Um, and I think a little bit of landscaping on them. Maybe a green roof would be an idea uh to to for that. Uh, finally, the the containers. I like that they can be moved to another location if the KC moves. Uh, keep in mind volunteers work there, so you want to make it nice
paying them so they get paid in the experience and the environment. So, it's a good investment. You're getting free labor. You want to take care of them. Um, and uh, the South of Fifth Ecom location. Uh, oh, I think I ran out of time. A side note, sociats pays more
than half the expense to run a campus. Yeah. So we have fundraisers and contribute quite a bit all volunteers. So chair, if I can the uh we have the the motion on this item, but I don't have a who's making the motion. I'm making the motion which item the single
the this is related to the key campus. Okay. Motion. Okay. Um second by commissioner magazine. All in favor? I showing that pass. Now, on this item about waist hauler, which is not this agenda item, I don't think we can just make we can't make a motion. I think whoever whatever commissioner is
interested would just speak with Rick about getting an item on the June agenda. Brad and I will I you could just tell Brad to put it on the agenda. Does it does it need to come from a commissioner or can come from staff? I think the item is currently with staff
and I think staff has heard, you know, some feelings here. So staff should consider uh what the next move should be. bring it forward, Brad. Okay, great. Next item. Great. Thank you so much. NB20, uh, Miami Beach Prominant.
Thank you ladies so much for all that you do. Um, and is this you, Commissioner Fernandez? Let me see it up for you. Uh M MB20 discussed potential short-term improvements at Miami Beach Prominade, formerly known as Miami Beach Drive, situated between 24th Street and
29th Street, including rehabilitation of sidewalks, landscapes, lighting improvements, and other necessary aesthetics, MB20. And we've been working on this for a long time. It's uh it's along a very highly dense area of our city and it's
also adjacent to our uh beachwalk. But we are facing issues uh with uh with flooding there. We're facing issues with um with the sidewalk there and just landscape and sanitation issues. So, I'm going to pass it over to Brad to tell us
what short-term improvements are in the works. I I'll try to talk about the positives first. Um and from a landscape perspective, we have been doing more routine landscape maintenance there, including mowing, trimming, shrubbery, edging, irrigation, um and the additional uh green management staff has
provided palm tree pruning as well. So from a landscape perspective, uh you know, we've we've been improving and and I've heard only good things about that. Um the more challenging issues as have recently been we we we did a um test pilot program with the pavement there
between 24th and 20th Street that was grinded and stealed and unfortunately um the results of that just didn't yield um what would be a good temporary fix. Um it's just that the pavement there is is really really rough. It's just not in
good shape. It's been there a long time and these since the early 80s. How long? It's a long time. I I can get you the specifics, but but but it's been a long time. It just highlights the fact that there really hasn't been significant
public investment and and I think as part of what CIP is doing um that will hopefully be a permanent solution to address uh the pavement there because it probably all needs to really be replaced as part of that program. Um again we
thought that this um you know perhaps method that we engaged in. So what other options are there to to improve the sidewalk conditions along Miami Beach? uh prominade. What we're going to do is
we did something uh similar to um this the year before when uh Joe Gomez was still here with a a different contractor and we're perhaps going to we have talked about reaching back out to them and seeing you know maybe if they could do uh another you know test sample uh
with their application and if that would yield maybe perhaps different results. Okay, that could be something we go for with temp you know on an interm basis. Okay. How about on the on the issue of of the of the flooding, especially we're heading into um into rainy season, and I
know the ladies at MBNA and Oscar and and the entire group gets very concerned. Uh and just for those of us, just for the benefit of of the public, this is the area, this prominade that is just west of the beachwalk between the
one hotel and the addition. So adjacent to the Riviera, the Merosul, um Club Atlantis, Trident Towers, that area there. Uh so there's there's issues there of uneven pavers. Um and there's
issues of flooding. The uneven pavers have caused issues of trip and falls in the past and and the the flooding has been a recurring thing. Uh so you know, what are we doing to address that? Well, the staff our our street staff has been working on our uh the onset of the
resetting the existing pavers. Um they've been doing that and they've been prioritizing that. Um I have to get we'll get an update as to where we are in that and pro but we have been doing that and and they have been having you know some success uh with that. Um so that that's a positive. The the hardest
part of it all is really the drainage issue because there really are no connection points at all there. Um so that makes it much more challenging than working in other areas. The are these pavers permeable? I I believe so. Can we get clarification
on that? Because maybe, you know, we might be resetting the pavers and if we are facing a flooding issue there, maybe we just should be looking at if if we're looking at resetting, that means we're removing, we're filling it with sand or something and and putting them back in
so that the surface is leveled. I would imagine that's what resetting the pavers would mean. Correct. If we're going through that exercise and we're using a product that's not permeable, that might be contributing to the flooding, might be
better, you know, do we do a Venetian drain? Do we do some sort of, you know, um what's it called? The grass brick um or something else that makes it more easy for the water to be absorbed. One one other thing that you know we've just
recently discussed with our engineering team is possibly looking at maybe French trains. Again, it's not ideal, but it may be able to yield some benefit because again, not having any connection points in that location, you know, make it a lot more or or or even maybe in
some of those areas, we just replace um the bricks with green space. you know, you put, you know, grass uh back back in there because that way it's something that, you know, people could use more than just a hard surface. Absolutely. We
can work. So, let's let's uh let's get some feedback on this. I think we should meet uh with the working group from MBNA that is dealing with this. I think we should try to go on site with them. Absolutely. And perhaps we can keep this open, Mr. Chair, and bring it back for
another update. uh let's not say next month but the following month so we have some time September because I think we're I don't mean we don't meet in August correct right so September so that should give us sufficient time plenty of time to you know look at addressing some of these issues okay so
we'll show the item heard and return in September thank you commissioner Fernandez why don't you stay on the spotlight and hear NB6 I know that was uh something you wanted to hear call that in MB6 six. We're actually I'm withdrawing that
item. Yeah. Following I know I know how important the red light camera program is uh for our public safety efforts for as much as I would like to do away with them. Well, actually there there is one thing I I would like to understand and perhaps it's through the attorney. Uh
there's there's a contract that we have with a red light camera vendor. Yes, there is. Okay. What's the status of that? Do do we like does it expire at a certain point? Um, I'm going to defer to the gentleman who just came up to the
podium. Okay. Good morning, sir. Good morning, Sergeant Price from the accident unit. So, we actually have a contract that started in 2022 uh with the new vendor. Well, it's our old vendor, but they won the contract again. Uh, believe their name now is
Elevate. So, the way it reads, as far as I understand, is that um it goes into effect after the 10th location is built out. The 10th location. How How many locations are currently built out? Two. Yeah. And we went into contract with
this vendor when? 2022. 2022. And so then that means that they have us they're implementing the program because right now we currently have two cameras. They get a percentage
of those revenues. Is that correct? As far as I understand. Yes. Right. But then their contract term doesn't start until they've done the 10th installation. So for as long as they don't do that 10th
installation, can they drag this out for as long as they like? I mean, that's that's just a concern that I have because at one point I was looking to repeal the program. I'm not a fan of the red light cameras. your office uh did
some research about this and you guys educated me as to the contract that's that's involved, but I'm just concerned, you know, is this a way that a vendor might be gaming us where where they just kick the can down the road on down they
kick the can past the red light camera and down the road uh to extend the the contract period. Sure. Um, I was not involved in negotiating that contract. I don't know who was at my office. Um, I would typically have
included a drop dead date by when the term would begin. That does not appear to be in this particular contract. I think the question is, is the vendor acting in good faith? Is the vendor doing everything that the vendor needs to be doing in order to secure the permits or whatever regulatory approvals
it may need from the county or whoever else is involved. But that's not something that our office is monitoring. That would be something again that I would uh defer to uh police to advise as to whether you believe that the vendor is is doing everything possible to get the installations in and if not but but
to your point yes this so this was a renewal in 2022. When was the initial contract? I want to say 2010 if I'm not mistaken. I don't want to misspe but I want to say somewhere around 2010. Okay.
So the initial contract in 2010 at 15 years later we still have we still don't have the 10th location. So I think I Mr. Attorney if your office just could look into it is I understand the
importance of the program in terms of public safety. I get that we want the cameras because the cameras help us identify uh cars that with people that might have arrest warrants or cars that you know may may
be stolen and that type of stuff. So, it does serve a very good public purpose. I get that. For as much as I don't like my little old people getting the red light camera tickets and for as much as I hate the accidents that they do inadvertently cause, I get the public purpose.
However, I just want to make sure that this vendor is not gaming this 10th camera installation to their benefit. Okay. Well, I think we're going to need to work closely with the police department to determine whether there's anything more that the vendor should be doing. Uh whether there needs to be any
kind of notice sent pursuant to the contract to make sure that a fire is lit under their rear. So, we can show like lighting fires under people's rears. So, we'll just show the item uh discussed and closed and I think you got some direction.
Okay. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Um thank you all. Uh we have uh members from the Lincoln Road bid here. Thank you. Um uh let's hear NB33. Hopefully this is very quick. uh city staff could just say, you know, we're looking at
this um and Lincoln Road Bid wants to be involved in uh how this uh plays out. MB33 discuss the placement of additional or improved wayinding that would direct guests, customers, residents from the Miami Beach Convention Center to Lincoln
Road Mall, MB33. Yeah. And where this comes from, I I spend a lot of time just walking around our campus here and exploring. I think there's a tremendous amount that from an urban planning standpoint just doesn't make sense. And we have thousands of people that go into the convention center and you get out
and you just at times feel like you're in the middle of nowhere and you certainly don't appreciate that you are uh two blocks away from Lincoln Road. Um so I think we should be drawing uh attention to that. Uh I don't want I
think we have so much sign pollution in the city it's nauseating. But I want this to be something that's artistic and fun that is inviting, not, you know, something that looks like a no parking sign. Hi. Um, Claudia Jagged with the Lincoln Road bid. We just want to be
involved in the process. And I think there's another item F8 which has to do with the the 17th Street garage. Same thing. You walk out. You go down uh is that convention center drive right there and you just see this brutalist uh sorry
um if I get that architecture wrong, but brutalist garage that looks awful and uninviting, disgusting, and that is our gateway into Lincoln Road. That that is across from Miami Beach City Hall. Yeah. Right. We should take pride in that. It
looks awful. It should be artistic. It should be inviting. It should have some sort of great mural on it. Whatever it may be, it should be cool and signal to the thousands of conventioners that are coming out from Chicago or Detroit where it's four degrees outside and they
landed in Miami Beach and it's February and we have this beautiful city says this is Miami Beach, not here's a Macy's that looks like it's from 1970 and a parking garage. Uh so go get in your car and have fun. I love this item, by the way, what you're mentioning because when
you drive south on Convention Center Drive, what you see is that blank canvas of the 17th Street garage. And for we know that that uh building does have structural issues and it is reaching um
you know, probably the end of its lifespan and someday it has. But for as long as it's there, well, thank you all for putting my RFP up on the roof there. for as long as it's there. That is such a beautiful canvas where we can have something artistic really welcoming
people. Um, not only welcoming people to Miami Beach and the convention center, welcoming people to Lincoln Road. People don't know, you're so right. You are in the heart of our city in our city center. You come and you don't realize that you're just a few feet away from
from Lincoln Road. I totally support your idea. That's it. So, Um, I don't know if I have to take official action. Brad, can the bid get in touch with you about doing these signs or do we need to take some sort of action on this? During our recommendation, we said we we absolutely
supported and and this can be handled, you know, basically through the wayfinding sign program. So, we're we're good. We can we can get it done. If I may, because of the the direction, I think that that's a future item that isn't on this agenda. Uh, but this item on the wayfinding, I think that it any
any recommendation has to go back to commission, but I think it's just a simple return to commission with a favor recommendation to direct the administration to work with the Lincoln Road bid on wayfinding signage from the convention center, Lincoln Road. Okay, so that would be and what is classified as wayfinding signage? Is is that am I
getting overly excited here? Is this going to look like a traffic sign or is this something where um almost like what we have outside of city hall where it goes Lisbon over here, Madrid over here? Could it be something cool and artistic? We put a picture in here. So, it's kind
of like this. That looks Let me see. Something cool where you know, look, we need sign help everywhere. I know that um Commissioner Suarez had another item for signs on Lincoln Road and we should
possibly engage someone to come up with a great design for Lincoln Road for the convention center um complex area and then just replace all those signs. That's really what the recommendation should be to the commission on this item. work with the Lincoln Road bid,
but it's I know I know Commissioner Suarez's item is different, but side street all signs to get a design something, you know, to get a a better design, the funding, right? Is it's not
just I mean, we have parking. Don't park here, Brad. It's not your It's not you, Brad. it. But I think it's something that is cool and artistic that also serves as a very good direction that Lincoln Road is right ahead.
Right. It's Yeah. It No. Um so but I know that the garage is future, but maybe we do the garage first since you know it's kind of backwards because the garage is there now and maybe they're both kind of branded together that wayinding and
Yeah. Um, how about the sign that's downstairs right out front of city hall uh fronting convention center drive where it's almost like the sister cities where they have the ones that are pointing in directions. It says this city here. I forget the specific cities that are
there but it serves as wayfinding but it just has a little cool artistic touch. Something along those lines you know if I may if you're if the request is to work with the Lincoln Road bid I think that whatever the teams would come up with it would be something that would be amicable to the Lincoln Road bit. Great. So if if that's the the recommendation
of direct admin to work with the link of road bed to come up with a a good way finding signage program between the two in that that'd be great. Okay. I think I I think with those I've seen them in different cities. I know in downtown mount Dora they have it in their in their historic district. Um,
the one thing I would say is, you know, find one location like like one pivotal location, whether it be Pennsylvania or Meridian, uh, or, you know, one or two pivotal locations so that you don't have them all along the corridor because they
can be a little bit overwhelming, but if you have like two key locations that points you in different locations, I think on the CIP plan there might be something on Drexel Meridian already that was designed find on a side street,
but I'm I'm not sure. I don't know if if upstairs in in the booth they have the picture I just sent them um I don't know if PJ is there, but I texted him a picture um about but I don't know if they got it or not.
So maybe they didn't. PJ. Wow. Did we just realize that PJ just has this on uh cruise control and autopilot autonomous autonomous cameras. talk about the technology that's helping efficiency. I'm not sure if it's independent, but I don't know if you
want them to uh make the motion to do the vote while he's trying to fund it or do you want to wait? Um let's just keep it here, right? Uh we'll hear it again in let's call it uh well I I think that the take action. I think you were looking at sending this back to commission to direct the work to happen,
but if you don't want the work to happen and wait, then it would stay. do want the work to happen, but the work can just be us talking with Lincoln Road Bid and my office and any other commissioners that want to give input about what that sign should look like, right? I'm not talking about uh we need
something that looks like, you know, um the Burning Man statue, but something that is a little better than just the wayfinding statue that looks like 10 million other signs in our city. Okay. So, so it's we'll just show the item discussed and staffed a return with I
guess you were looking for pictures or something like that in September. Okay. So, we'll show we'll show it uh we'll just show it return. We'll show the item heard uh and returning. By the way, whatever signage you guys pick and design can also roll over to Christopher
Suarez's item and then, you know, we can see it. It the signage makes a huge difference. I mean, it's transformative. It's not expensive. you you should walk out of that convention center and feel like you are somewhere cool, right? And right now I I don't get that feeling
when you walk out there like you should feel, wow, I am in Miami Beach and I don't get that feel. It feels like you just landed in anywhere USA. And what about like South Beach? The signs are old and worn and tattered, too. There's
no specific design. Midge Beach should have its design. The North Beach at one point had its design, but those signs are just falling apart, too. Um, they're weathered, they're battered, and um, I know we have money for signs. I think, don't don't we have money in the geob bond for signs, Jason? Was there sign
money there? I don't recall there specifically being a bucket specifically for signage. It was, sidewalks, trees, asphalt, things like that. I could be wrong. I I do know that we worked with communications, Brad, and we came up with a design. We didn't spend any money to do it uh to brand uh you know the
Palm View neighborhood. So So we'll show the item heard in return with a recommended way finding signage in conjunction with the Lincoln Road Bid. What's the support this? The discussion is free. The discussion is free. Funding source for is this
something that does the staff support this? Yeah, the administration. So, so where does the administration recommend that this that the funding come from? Well, we don't know what the funding is. Okay. We also don't have any idea at this point. It could be just 2,000 bucks.
Well, I mean, we'll probably come it could come out of the way finding program. I mean, just obviously depends on the cost. Yeah. Okay. All right. Excellent. Thank you all so much for that. Just confirm that there is a sign on Pennsylvania on the CIP plan already.
like a sign or there's like a thing a big thing, but it's not going to be outside the convention center. It's not going to take care of the garage, but there is. Yeah, I'm thinking somewhere right in between the convention center hotel and the convention center somewhere along there. David, hi. Good afternoon. Uh to clarify, there is a
signage package included in the Lincoln Road improvement project. It is within that area. It doesn't extend all the way out to the convention center or even down the side streets. There are reference points that reference beach and convention center and the museum and
the the new world symphony, but it it's limited to within that area. They're not extending beyond that. Well, maybe we could just do those signs right now because we're not even starting that main project until 2027. So, at least if it's clean and there's beautiful new
signs, that goes a long way instead of waiting until 2029 and sitting there with the same weathered signs. Okay. The signage within the Lincoln Road will be part of the Lincoln Road. Yeah. It's awful. It's awful. And I mean, if we have funding there, I would
move forward and just do the signs. And if we paid James Corner to come up with signs, then take his design and just put the signs up. Yeah. Like we did the lighting. Uh I mean, this this isn't complicated. If if you put in chat GPT, create an artistic wayfinding sign for
Lincoln Road, you get pretty cool examples. Do that. It's not a bad idea. Something tropical with flamingos. Put that in there, too. Yeah. Yeah. Put a flamingo under. Be creative. I don't know. Go out and be
creative. Make this place cool. We can put cats. Pictures of cats from the kitty campus. Flamingos. Their lobby team is already strong enough. Commissioner. Iguanas. Iguanas. Okay. The official city reptile. I appreciate that. I'm very excited to see
what comes back. Uh let's move on to um uh NB35 and MB36. Can we hear these together? Let me call them in. These are both parks items. Uh this
uh MB35 discuss take action to expand access and discounted rates for North Bay Village residents at Normandy Park Pool and North Beach Recreational Programming. That's MB35. MB36 discuss take action on possible revision of
non-resident entrance fees andor the introduction of resident guest pass for city pools. MB36. Great. Commissioner. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. One of the commissioners who I'm working with in North Bay Village asked me to defer it to next month. Oh. So, um
then what's up? Both items or Yeah. Yeah. So, let's just defer it one month and then um I think they'll even be present for the next. What is it? I just want to say huh a fur meeting. Yeah, let me let me connect with them.
They they texted me uh today to to I just want to say I love this item. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's a good item. And I think and I think you know you're setting a good example because as we look at new capital, we should also be looking
okay what do our neighboring municipal governments have in terms of parks? Do they have a park that we that we don't need to recreate here? Um like the Olympic size pools like you know are there other places where they have Olympic size pools like Dorado. out just
create an Olympic size pool like seeing what do the other cities in this case on the barrier island already offer so that we don't replicate services and what do we have that they can take advantage of as well because no one knows the municipal boundary lines we're all one
community we're all neighbors and I love that you're bringing this one so great thank you commissioner u one of the thing one of the requests was that they make it free um and in turn. Um, our our kids can go to their summer camp for
free. Um, I think this is specifically what? Yeah, I love that. This is for North Bay Village. What what what item for free? The pool access. Yeah. Okay. Um, and then um, you know, in addition to discounted rates for their new sports complex. So, they they're going to be
getting a huge sports complex. Um, and uh, you know, we want to have a collaboration, but we want to just make sure we get it right. So, I work go to the summer camp. That's what that's what I want to iron out between. Great. You We need to get that done. So, I'll work with Brandon on this. Is that Brandon?
Should I work with Brandon on this? He has the information. Sure. So, if I can the deferred It sounds like July 11th, next week is going to be too soon. So, no, I think it could be But okay, we'll just copy thems. We'll just defer it again. So, okay. So, we'll we'll show we'll just show the item deferred for now. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, John.
Why don't you stay up here and uh we'll hear NB22. NB22. Okay. M NB22 discuss requesting the administration to explore the feasibility of establishing a muscle beach in North Beach considering the
widely recognized positive impact on the health community and quality of life observed at Muscle Beach and South Beach22. When I go to uh Ocean Drive, I look about what works and what does not work. One of the things that just works is um
Muscle Beach, that area is incredible. The activation uh whether you're a bro like my friend David, uh whether you are just more recreational or whether you're just rollerblading by and uh observing what's going on. It is such a positive
activation for um for Miami Beach. People come from all over. Uh there's even fitness tourism. people come there to work in outdoor and I'm really excited to be working on expansion of that area. Um we need to show that same love to North Beach. What are some ideas there?
And one of the things you know uh piggybacking on what we heard up here is this is probably going to come with uh and not insignificant ask I don't think in the millions of dollars um but something where it could put us uh uh you know with some funding challenges.
What are some creative ways where we can maybe privately raise funding um to really kickstart this expansion? Okay, great. Thank you, Commissioner. I couldn't agree with you more. I know myself and many people say dollar for dollar. Muscle Beach may be the most transformational project we did, at least in the parks department. It really
is it really is amazing. Um so we took a look at North Beach and you know there's a few areas. You have um you have Beno Park and the area behind it where we call the Sandbool. um that area is heavily used by um volleyball, beach
tennis and those sand um net activities. So I wouldn't recommend taking away any space from them because that that area is growing. So we went up to Alto Delmare Park and we do have two sand volleyball courts there and that's really the only space that we have other
than the you know the park itself with the with the turf, the grass. Um it's possible, you know, we have the volleyball courts to the south. How far to the south? Oh my god, I terrible blocks. Like four blocks, three blocks. It's it's it's just you have you have you have to traverse Ocean Terrace,
which is going to be a beautiful public space very very soon. Um there may be an opportunity to go ahead and take those two volleyball courts that we have at Alto Delar and we could probably move them to the beach side. We may need to remove them from time to time, but we can work with the county so we wouldn't
take away from that from that group. and then take that volleyball space at Altos and turn that into our North Beach Muscle Beach. Um, looking at just dollar amounts while getting into fundraising or sponsorships. Looking at what we did in South Beach, looking about maybe
$400,000. I think it might be less because the footprint is less. Um, and then I don't have any strong leads on anything major for any sort of sponsorship yet. One group did come with I don't want to put put their name on the record. want a group to come with some maybe small donation of some
equipment but nothing major actually like fund it or fund half of it but we continue to to look at that. I think the I think the original Muscle Beach had some aristic Yes. and that costed money and that there was a a cost to that. Yes. There
there was there was a there was some very basic equipment pull-up bars and whatnot at Muscle Beach. And then we worked with the My Equilibria and that was artistic piece the leopard tree it's called. Um that's what the focal point that you see down there. And we worked with the group from Italy that brought
brought them there. We did get a discount at that time. was their first installation I believe at least in the public space for sure in the United States but there was a cost associated with it general idea what that because that's what I'd be looking to see right I I know that we have a little less of a
footprint but I I I'm not envision I we want to do things world class right not just like a pull-up bar and somewhere to do push-ups like something that is going to be a draw and an attraction absolutely and nothing less so we'd be looking if we
wanted to mirror what we did in South Beach, estimate would be $400,000. And if we didn't have that artistic component, what would it be? I I would I'm I'm guessing I would take 100,000 off of off of that. And I was just guessing we want to put the pull-up bars, go ahead and put the the fitness
locker, you know, the the container that has all of the free weights and whatnot. We'd want to do that, I believe. Yeah. I mean, you know, I go to Muscle Beach all the time. Um, and most of the activity is near the containers where they have the pull-up bars, the push-up bar, not the bench
presses, uh, squat racks. Um, and I don't think that could that doesn't cost $400,000. I mean, that is that that should that should be pretty cost, right? My my estimate included all the components you see at at um South. Does
it include my equilibria? Yes. Yes. Yes. And now you over at even at Pride Park, we have the the My Beast and we have um on the it would be the west side of Flamingo Park and football field, we have my So there's another option with the instead of doing the leopard tree,
there is another mic. Are we locked into that cost for them? Did they do we have a standard rate with that with that company? We do not have a standard standard rate with that company. Does this have to go through procurement or well something like that if we want to be very specific that would I believe we
may have a procurement resolution that allows us to do it. If not we would have to do a wave of bid because that is one company does that specific equipment. Yeah. I mean it just seems like a lot to have you know monkey bars. I think
there's a rings, muscleup rings, and for I know there's like a a nice artistic structure, but for like half a million dollars, it seems like a lot of money. And we could this was this was um for discussion purposes only is I get more direction. I could refine the scope and
and get it more. You could always do this in phases. I mean, you don't have to go in with the artistic element. I think the artistic element does create an attraction and does give it a sense of Instagramable. It's very Yeah. And and it and it gives it a sense of place.
I think people, you know, know that it's there kind of get drawn to it. Um but um but I see it with uh with Pride Park when I see outside my window. I think the sculpture that's there, it it does
draw the people there. And we did face South Beach. So um Lumis Park. So this is a very phasable project in that it's components. You set a footprint and you put your components in. Yeah. Yeah. Again, you know, most of the discussion today was on how to save money. Right. Exactly. So if you want to come back
with um maybe a phase plan, but I think at the at the very minimum, people want to have the same sort of amenities that they do in South Beach, right? um bench press, free weights,
bars. Um and you have you haven't reached out to maybe Rogue to see if they'd be willing to sponsor a lot of the equipment. I have not reached out to Rogue. Okay. Yeah. Please, you know, get creative in some of the sponsorships.
Maybe let's brainstorm about getting creative about how we could do uh almost some parks and wreck fundraisers, right? and maybe it could be allocated towards uh some of these expansions quickly. We could have uh some type of huge uh event um at Muscle
Beach where people, you know, uh are coming down. Let's get creative. Uh maybe we could do some sort of a quasi fundraiser. Well, I I to to your point, bless you. Um I think we should refer an item maybe back to this committee. We
used to have a foundation called, I think it was called One Miami Beach. Um, I think there's so many wonderful things that we want to do in the community like this. And I think we should have like a wish list, a wish list because there's so much wealth
that's coming into into this community. People that want to contribute back to Miami Beach. make it. The other day I spoke with someone that wanted to to to contribute a few hundred thousand dollars to help us with pickle ball courts and you know and I think of
people like that who just have wealth who want to contribute to the city but they don't know what the city's needs are. um unfunded uh programs that we have that we could potentially get done quicker with uh private investment and we should look at putting together a
wish list like that of individuals that may want to come forward and be charitable and uh and contribute to the city. I don't know if we have any legal restrictions with that, but if it's something we could explore. Yeah, I mean unless it's a prohibited donor, then we
would we would need the commission to accept the donation. If it's below a certain threshold, then the manager could accept it pursuant to a resolution that was adopted a few years ago. Yeah. Because we might have children parks, muscle, uh, beach activations, cultural
stuff that we may want to do that we don't have funded and people with deep pockets that are moving into our city might see that, you know, it might touch an interest of theirs and they may want to contribute to the city. So, and and also for the again the equipment I I
don't I I think uh a company like road would jump on this to put their brand of equipment in this location for free. You know, I it's it's a it's a highly targeted location.
So, I'm surprised you guys haven't done that yet. Um, but any sort of which way where we can make this happen in the cost most cost effective way. I'd like to see that I'd like to see Commissioner Magazine's item, you know, be on like a
warp speed because we are changing into a fitnessoriented community, right? Everything about what we're trying to change, our brand image is fitness and wellness related. So, um I certainly welcome outside funding, but I I think
where would we come where would this item be now? What what position? You'd have to come back to this committee and and tell us the stages of funding or let's go to the commission now. That was clarification I was looking for. Yeah, that's what I was going to ask. At first I it was looking like there would be the
you know the the standard to return to commissioner with the favor recommendation considering funding in the budget and also to direct administration to find a sponsor to assist with the implementation which I think is similar to what was done at the expansion of the South Beach one which was less about um any additional new funding was just directing to find
sponsors for that. But then there was talk about a phased implementation. So I wasn't sure if this was an item that uh based on you know parks needs to get input and discussion you know if they're about specific vendors or you know rogue I'm not a company or something like that. So if they want to give some direction to staff to um you know do a
little bit more research and come back with a more refined program. Mr. Chair, this is your item. How would you like to move this? Um maybe if staff could look at some sponsorships, right? have a more refined depiction of what this area
could look like and then we'll essentially determine, okay, here's where we think some sponsorships could come from. Uh, and then where could we essentially plug that funding gap? So, this is if if help or perhaps it's even something the CRA would uh take up as
well. So that would be a separate issue, but I think on on yours and and I'll ask Rick to chime in if I'm I'm off on this is uh that I think you would send it back to commission to direct the administration to then begin the process of you know going out and seeking sponsors through
the various avenues that they have available to them. John? Yeah. Yes. And I'll I'll work on this. I'll work on the phasing plan everything. Why clarity Jason is we'd want to take the budget processes now if I don't come back to July with a phasing plan if we've missed
the So that's so so that was part of the thing is is is it something because on the South Beach item that you had on it wasn't about funding it was about just directing the administration to find a sponsor and and to implement as a sponsorship comes up or is this about kind of a blend of the two meaning that
it should go through the budget process but also direct finding a sponsor and I'll just give an example put in the budget process. I I I know it's going to be a big wish list that a lot of people have. Um so I want to and so I want to
provide some uh second options if this doesn't get funded in this budget cycle. I don't want this being one of the things that's just kicked down the road. I want some alternative uh funding mechanisms. Commissioner Commissioner of How much is the total cost of a muscle beach? It's not that much. We're
saying300 to400,000 $300,000. And could we take that out of the reason I think this is so important is that this really does create community. I mean I don't hang out at Muscle Beach like you guys do. You should. But you're welcome to. I do know that there is a group of people
that religiously goes to Muscle Beach and like now they're even like like selling coconut juices like waters there. So it's creating a real community space. And by the way, North Beach needs that. you know, we do it in South Beach. We could either use it for uh in tourism
taxes, maybe you take half of it out of the CRA and half of it out of tourism, but just get that funded and get it up and going because parks we get immediately pretty much. John is really good at going out there, setting up the
park. It's something that residency, it has an immediate impact. And anything that we can do like that while we're waiting 10 to 20 years to get a capital project completed. You know, I would say let's go for it because at least it shows that we're proactively doing
something. Yeah. I I think this is lowhanging fruit that like you said a tremendous bang for the buck. And commissioner, I think that I think to your point that that's the important part of the second part of that motion is to if it isn't find funding through the budget process is direct the administration to find sponsorship. So
if it I'm just making number up. if it ends up being a $300,000 enhancement, uh if it doesn't find funding or partial funding, uh by going having that direction, it wouldn't fall through the cracks. You would still direct the administration to find a a sponsor to perhaps implement it uh in another way or partially. So if that's if that is
the motion and to have it on the June budget as an amendment, the motion, my understanding the motion is to be considered as part of the 26 budget process and just and that's the part of the process or just have it as a budget amendment and just get it done. Pull it
pull some from that we can get permission to pull some of it from the CRA, pull some of the funding from a tourism reserve and just get that done over the summer. How long would it take you if we fund it, John, to get that done? I'd have to check the lead times of the equipment, but less than a year.
I'm thinking six to nine months. You know, it's gonna take a year. And you know what, Jason? As part of these things that we're pushing through, maybe you just like repay us what you know in the in the future toward we according to our policies, we have to replenish these funds. But if we don't fund it now and
you wait to fund it, that's how we get to places where it takes two and three years to do. We could even take some of the revenue that's being generated from the paddle RFP in in years. Okay. I I would just I wouldn't complicate things. I would say half from if you could if you could get it from the CRA, get it from the CRA. And if you can't get it
from the CRA, then do half and half. Just do a little tourism, a little CRA. And and I would have on the CRA, I would have to ask economic development. I'm not so sure if they're here if they're able to answer. I don't know if this is uh we have to be wary on the remember the CRA funding. This is up their alley though. This is to see if the see if
it's approved part of the approved plan. Um, and also I believe the commission has expended all I think if not all of the reserves already of the the CRA. Uh, most of it. So I'm not 100% of sure if there's any money left. Um, so what I
would ask the sponsor then is what is the motion? Let's put it in the June budget process and to the extent that we're able to get this rolling as quickly as possible. So part of the budget amendment, nobody's voting against the Muscle Beach. What we would
show is it a favorable recommendation to direct the administration to implement a north beach uh muscle beach um muscle beach and to direct administration to find a sponsor to assist with implementation. If that uh item passes, then we would bring back a budget
amendment uh from uh an applicable source uh to fund that. Thank you. Can I just mention something? Yes. I love this idea. I love Muscle Beach. I love the energy it creates, the people that it attracts, the community that it puts together. Um, one of the things I would
just mention, it would be great as we do this year to make something that is physically as inclusive as possible. We have the senior center that's right there behind uh that bowl area and maybe, you know, have something that an element of it that is, you know, that
keeps them in mind. You know, people of diverse age groups because we do have the elderly people, senior swings. It's a great point. I know it's I don't I don't want this just for advanced athletes like myself. I'd love to see people like Commissioner Suarez there,
you know. Exactly. Exactly. You know, thank Yes. Larry Schaefer. Please unmute yourself. I uh I'd like to say thanks to Mr. Rebar. Staff got the location right on this one immediately. I I don't think there's any debate that that's the right
spot for this. Uh, regarding the funding, there was a fitness center supposed to be built in the 72nd Street garage. It's impossible to use geo bond money uh for that allocation over here for a fitness center that's outdoors. Um, maybe Jason Green can answer that. Regarding the CRA, I think they're fully
spent, but maybe get on the agenda for a second phase or expansion. Uh, agreed with Alex who might want to change the mix of equipment for North Beach for an older crowd. We're North Beach fit. We're we're a little older. We're we're you know we need may need different equipment. Uh yes to artistic element.
You have $25 million homes immediately north of this Altos Delmare single family homes. Maybe go and ask their association if they want to contribute to make it look better. And finally 7605 Collins Betsy Perez place has space under air for in interior uh fitness
equipment if you want to provide just as another idea. I know that the commission is looking for a turtle rehab or marine life center there, but it would be wonderful to have fitness equipment under air. Thank you to Joe for supporting this item. Thank you, Larry. As chair, I just need to know who uh who
makes that motion. Am I able to? I'll make a motion. Yeah, I'll second. We'll show Commissioner Suarez, a second by Commissioner Magazine. All in favor? I. All right, let's show pass three nothing. Can we hear uh 37 and then one
quick question since since the um since 7605 was just brought up and I know we have an item um that's that's before us at budget about seeing how we buy this back through the general fund from the enterprise fund. We just had
our uh second quarter uh update that our city manager just sent to us and we have um what is it? $4 million. It's I think it's about uh 4.7 4.7 million projected in this fiscal year which you know we
look at those dollars you know can we use those dollars to acquire um to acquire 7605 through the general fund back from the enterprise fund so that we don't place the burden of that completely on
the next fiscal year. and just wanted to put that there into the universe. Uh because I just know if we just store it all completely into the next fiscal year, it's just gonna make the the numbers even better than what we wanted to do. So, just wanted to put it out
there. Do uh we need a motion to extend. Yes. Okay. We can I'll make a motion to extend 15 minutes. It's just one item. So, we'll show show it extended. Uh, and then let me read in item which item 37.
MB 37 discuss senior meal site programming at Southshore Community Center. MB37. Are you saying this one? Good afternoon. Marcel Rubio, assistant director with the office of housing and community services. Just to provide you a quick update on the senior meals site
programming that would serve up to 50 seniors at the Southshore Community Center. That's it. 50 seniors. Up to 50 seniors. Why are we doing up to 50 seniors? There were like a hundred people down there that were on a wait list. I thought it was going to be like a hundred people. Well, we're we put out
an ATN for up to 50 seniors uh with the expectation to receive a proposal and so we are now uh negotiating terms with uh the selected vendor, Jewish Community Services. We toured the site and we're working with facility staff and with
procurement to finalize the details and work on a budget with them to um get the services up and running as soon as the agreement is finalized. When do you think that will be because you know what as it gets hotter in summer the seniors are literally stuck in their apartments
and with no place to go and so I was under the assumption because this has been going on for a long time. How much how what is the expected date? Can you get this up within a month? I mean, how like what are you looking for? The repair should be completed in June this
month and uh we hope to have the services finalized and or ready to go by July. I have a question. So, we're working with the with JCS on that. How many seniors did we have there before? Uh at some point there may have been up
to 75 seniors. I don't I don't think they ex the ITN I mean we I do know that this is an area of our city where we do have a lot of seniors that do experience food insecurities and we have a lot of poorest area where we have a lot of
seniors who are on fixed incomes. How did we what and there was probably a reasoning a thinking behind limiting the ITN to 50? Well, Albatare Office of Housing and Community Services,
$175,000 were allocated and we were looking at about $8 a meal uh per day. So, to be able to accommodate individuals with the amount of funding that we had available, that's where it comes from. Okay. And this is based on the nutritional which nutritional standards. I just want to make sure.
Yes. Uh kosher meals are at $8 about $8 or so. Okay. But I just want to make sure that these are, you know, nutritional standard meals. Nutritional standards. Yeah. Because sometimes some of these vendors, especially when it comes to people of of low means, they'll give them all, you know, starch, you
know, and not sufficient protein and and that type of stuff. So, I just want to make sure that there's a certain nutritional standard that we're adhering to. And there's also a recreational programming component to it. So, it's not just the meals, but there is some social component. That's great. So, what
I would like to do with this is to keep this on the agenda until the July meeting. And hopefully in July, we're going to get the update that it's up. It's running. And by the way, this is if you want to open this foundation, this is the kind of thing that we potentially might need to fund too because we're funding, you know, this and maybe we can
raise money from a lot of people who would say yes, we want to fund seniors. We want to fund uh gaps in school lunches or school breakfast or, you know, there's there's so many things. So, Commissioner Fernandez, I would love for you to take on the one Miami Beach thing because I do think there are so
many opportunities, especially in some of the development agreements that are coming up to say one Miami Beach, a million dollars. Then look, you get a million dollars right there. You're funding seniors, you're funding children, you're funding muscle beaches and all sorts of uh parks programs that
people benefit from. I'm not sure I want to be going to developers, but if there are people in our community that want to come forward and true, but as we but if we had that vehicle, for example, if we had that vehicle when we when we when we have these development agreements, we
could just say, you know, yes, part of the public benefit goes to one Miami Beach and then when we do have these requests, it will be funded. And I think that that's funding that has a like serious um impact. So my motion would just be to uh keep this on get an update in July and let's get it open so that
the seniors from LU lab and by the way if you need to increase the amount of people I from 50 to 75 I would like to see what that number looks like for July too because I think that you're going to have somewhere between 50 and like 75 to 100 seniors based on need. I mean I
think that prices are escalating at supermarkets. a cafe pilon even cafe la yave is like8 dollars and that's just like that's unacceptable it was two or three dollars like a year ago so escalation of cost okay so we'll show
the item heard and return in July how much cafe have you had today Chris did have several meeting adjourned Mr. Sure. I'd be remiss not to recognize that today is the birthday of our dear colleague, Commissioner Laura Dominguez. And from
her colleagues here, we just want to wish her a beautiful and blessed birthday. Happy birthday, Laura. Love you. Happy birthday.