Okay. Good evening. Hello. 5:30. I'm calling the meeting to order. Call the roll, please. >> One. One second. May. I'm sorry. >> Okay. Sure that it gets it. Okay. Commissioner Joseph
>> present. >> Commissioner Styverent >> Commissioner Viscar >> here. >> Vice Mayor Lama >> here. >> Mayor Fetchin >> here. >> All members present. >> Okay. We're not going to play the opening statement because I don't have
that many people here. So, I'll just remind everyone that we have two items on on the agenda. Uh if you wish to speak, you all know the drill, but uh please fill out a speaking card. Um I'm asking everyone to just uh follow our
decorum rules. Remember, we have three minutes. I'm asking everyone in the day to please not talk over each other. I know that this is um a really important meeting and an important vote, but please respect everyone's time. Um and uh you know, I want to make sure that we
we set a good example. Uh before what we begin, I also want to welcome back Vanessa who's in the back and uh congratulate her on her new baby. Okay, start. >> Would you like to do the pledge of allegiance?
>> Sure. Of course. Uh Chris, would you like to do the pledge of >> allegiance >> to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all. >> Thank you. Okay, the first item on tonight's agenda is 3A, a resolution of the city commission of the city of Sunny Als Beach, Florida, adopting the city of Sunny Als Beach Adval Mill levy rate
tentative, just to clarify for the record at 1.700 mills per $1,000 of taxable assessed value, which is 1.55% more than the roll back rate of 1.6 6741
mills for fiscal year 2025 2026. >> Okay. >> Go ahead, Mr. S manager. >> Mayor, vice mayor, members of the commission. This budget presented to you this evening is a culmination of a tremendous
amount of work by our finance department. Following the budget workshop, we were directed by the city commission to reduce the millage rate from 1.8 to 1.7 mills at the July
meeting. This provided only 377,000 additional revenue from property taxes for this upcoming year based on the adjusted property values. This required us to reduce operating expenses to align
with the pro proposed reduction in the millage rate. In addition to the 377,000 increase in property tax revenues, other notable revenue increases include
utility taxes of 200,000, charges charges for service of 223,000, fines and forfeitures of 666,000, and miscellaneous revenue which includes interest earnings in the amount of
$476,000. 900. These are offset by the anticipated revenue reductions providing a total increase in revenues of 1,937,533, still leaving a shortfall for the
upcoming year. With good governance in mind, we could not just lower the millage rate without reducing our expenses to help balance the budget. The reality is that we have no less than a potential $1 million
increase in personnel services in the police department alone, which is based on your direction of public safety being number one. And we have a pending PBA contract renewal, which will be
presented later this month. We had to make some major adjustments to cover this and other necessary expenses as the muchneeded maintenance for the government center. We took into consideration all of the input I received from you following the vote to
lower the millillage rate and understood the desire to continue to provide the exceptional services our residents have come to expect. Therefore, what we did was we looked at new requests first and eliminated new
proposals that would not impact the quality of life for our residents. These were some tough choices which are outlined in the handout in your budget book. Please remember that the budget process started in April and much has changed
since that time. In the police department, for example, I heard from you that it was important to keep the two additional officers. At the time of the budget preparations, the PBA contract was not yet settled. We
have since settled that and are bringing an agreement to you for approval at our September meeting. That agreement, if passed, will have an impact on personnel services, some of which are now accounted for in this
final budget. Some notable numbers for you. Our property values have increased by approximately 1.3 billion. We have a reduction of 186 million and decreased values from the value
adjustment board that are due to appeals. Our millage rate is reduced from 1.8 8 to 1.7 mills. And important to note, the taxes a homeowner pays to the city is only 10.16%
of their overall tax bill. The total budget for all funds, including fund balance and enterprise funds, is 232,687,882. The highest percentage of expenses in our overall budget is dedicated to our
capital improvement program at 26% of the overall budget. And the general fund public safety makes up the greatest expense at 34.8%. At one of our budget meetings, it was suggested that I am fiscally
conservative in my budget approach and development, and I thank you for that note and compliment. I also want to thank you for your guidance throughout the process. There was much back and forth, and I believe that we have a budget that represents your direction
while meeting the needs of the community. With that, I present to you a budget at 1.7 mills, and I'm asking and recommend that you approve it on first reading. Mayor, I'm asking for you to call for a motion. >> Um, first, do we have any public
speakers? >> We do, mayor. >> For 3A. >> Oh, no. I'm sorry. We don't. >> Okay. All right. Um, does anyone have any comments or would someone like to make a motion? >> I'll make a motion.
>> Okay. I need a second. Second. >> Okay. Are you >> Commissioner Joseph? >> Yes. >> Commissioner Steen, >> yes. >> Commissioner Viscara, >> yes.
>> Vice Mayor Llama, >> yes. >> Mayor Setchin, >> yes. >> The resolution passes 5 to zero. >> Okay. Next >> 3B is an ordinance of the city commission of the city of Sanosby Beach, Florida, adopting an operating and capital improvement budget for the
fiscal year commencing October 1st, 2025 through September 30th, 2026, pursuant to section 200.65 65 of the Florida statutes, authorizing expenditures of funds established by the budget, authorizing encumbrances, authorizing issuance of checks, providing for grants
and gifts, providing for local and federal law enforcement trust funds, providing for a post audit, providing for servability, and providing for an effective date. >> Mr. City Manager, did you have anything else to add? >> No, ma'am. >> Okay. Do we have public speakers? >> We do.
>> Okay. Call them up, please. Stephen Hirs Steven Hirs 17201 Collins. Although the proposed 293 page 2026 operating and capital improvement budget is comprehensive from a fiscal reporting
perspective does not provide the commission or the public with clear insight into how well city resources are achieving intended results. I wish to suggest a budget method that is widely adopted as a municipal best
practice that aligns financial resources with measurable outcomes. It's called performance-based budgeting and I have been involved in effectively implementing this in state and municipal budgets in years past. At its core is
what traditional budgets ask. While traditional budgets ask, how much did we spend on X? Performance budgets ask, "What did we accomplish with money spent on X?" It links resources to results, giving both the commission and residents
a clear picture of whether city programs truly delivering on their stated goals. During my attendance earlier this year at the sevenweek sunny ales beach residence academy with my thanks to Commissioner Viscara for being an instructor and facilitator.
I met department heads and met with our city's truly knowledgeable budget director Tiffany Neely. I asked if the city utilize performance-based budgeting and she responded they have new software that will allow this process to be utilized in the tentative 2026 operating
and capital improvement budget under page A2 budget process. No performance measures are established for our commission to effectively measure whether a budgeted program is working, needs adjustment, or may be eliminated.
The city manager finalizes his budget recommendations and they are produced for transmittal to the city commission. Yes, there are subsequent workshops where commissioners may ask questions and make requests for modifications. However, what is missing is that the
commission cannot properly evaluate the effectiveness of a budgetary line item. Performance-based budgeting strengthens the commission's oversight role by invoking its early and defining measurable goals with department heads and the city manager. This allows
quantitative analysis of whether the budget matches the community needs and priorities and assists the commission in making datadriven decisions and allows residents to understand where their tax dollars are going. Though too late for this year,
adopting this for the 2026 2027 budget will move Sunal's Beach towards a more transparent, accountable, and resultsdriven budgeting process. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. >> Thank you. Right on time. Next speaker,
>> Dana Goldman. Dana Goldman, 308 Point Sienna Island Drive, Sunny Als Beach, Florida. Nice to see the commission here. I just have a couple of comments and it it revolves around the capital improvement program. And while there are
some capital improvements um I do approve of, I think that uh two in particular stand out as being uh somewhat of folly. uh one of which is the fleet services compound to see the
com the city commission uh advocate or approve a $2 million expenditure to turn prime Collins Avenue location into a codified and institutionalized mechanic shop and fleet center seems to be a
total um waste of resources and it's just it's absurd to turn uh Collins Avenue property into basically a mechanic shop and a parking lot. There has to be a higher and better use for that particular property um going
forward. Fleet maintenance should not be uh put right on Collins Avenue next to the school. The second item, while I recognize that construction costs, being a real estate attorney, they aren't what they were, they aren't what they were,
um, to spend $200 million, $200 million, which is in excess of our annual city budget, seems just just absurd, overpriced. It's hard to imagine
that you're going to have revolving courts or seats that are going to take up $200 million and what that's going to cost and how the city is going to bond that out. I think it's just it's just an awful lot of money to be approving in a
capital improvement expenditure. So, those are my notes on this budget. >> Thank you, >> Maria. Do we have any other speakers? >> That's all. >> Okay. All right. I will take uh comments or questions uh from the commission. Vice Mayor, do you want to start? >> Yeah, I I just wanted to go over this
handout with some of the cuts. Um if we could explain like for instance the drone program, it talks about eliminating it, but I'm not sure if that means we are eliminating because we have two drones right now. We purchased two drones. if that means we're eliminating
one drone and we'll have one that works uh or we just I need some more clarity on that line item. >> Z manager. >> Yes. Thank you. So when you directed us to cut from 1.8 to 1.7, one of the
drones were proposed to be eliminated. So we took that out. Now, in my discussions with the chief, we're looking at alternate ways to add that drone back in for the future. Okay? >> So, at this time, we have one. >> The proposal is to have two additional
drones. >> Okay? >> And we'll bring that back to you, but we're seeking an alternate way to fund it. >> Okay. And then with the elimination of one lifeguard tower, where would that location be? Are we talking about down south
between around uh Tropicana? >> We're not eliminating one versus we were proposed to buy three. >> No, I remember we proposed buying. Yeah. >> So, we weren't actually eliminating one. It was a replacement of one for the
future, but not an elimination of a lifeguard stand that we have existing. because I know there was a request to install one between I I don't remember the name of the building, but there's like a like a stretch there where perhaps one is
needed. It's in the south side of the uh of the um city. So, okay. So, we're not really Are we eliminating one of the three that we're supposed to buy or replace? It's a replacement, correct? >> A replacement. Yes.
>> All right. All right. Uh, and then the government center fountain refurbishment. Um, you don't have to tell me today, but I'd like to know exactly how much that alternate remodel
plan will cost. Um, and then regarding the executive assistant, the the position that was eliminated for CCS, um, get more detail on what exactly that role is
and see if there's alternate ways to obviously, you know, be able to because we're talking about 1.5 million a little north of that. So because of that lowering in the in the millage rate from 1.8 to 1.7, just
wanted to see how we could probably accommodate. Obviously the drone program, I'm a little concerned. I'd like to have two drones, but um yeah, let's see how we could be accommodating to that.
And that's about it. That's all the questions I have for now. Then there's other things like the museum partnership. I know that's getting eliminated. Art and court. Um, and I'm just checking my notes. Just bear with me. Inventory for Okay. Yeah,
that's that's it for me. >> All right. Who would like to go next? >> Commissioner Joseph said, you have questions? >> Not at this time. >> Okay. Commissioner Stewen. >> Okay. So um just to clarify during our
conversation I never understood that the direction was to reduce the new youth uh program and to even change um what was about it from $65,000 to $25,000.
If anything we did ask to reduce the amount of people that we are overestimating to hire every year. We do always a very ambitious hiring plan and it never materialize and I'm very surprised to see that we have exactly
the same number of new hirings proposed for next year. It didn't reduce at all. So that was a specific direction that we gave and I believe that we were all in agree. However, like I said there is no
reduction whatsoever in numbers of the amount of hidings. So, I want to do a little clarification about that. >> Is that all? >> I want the city manager to clarify. >> You're asking him a question? >> Yes. Yes.
>> Go ahead. >> When we were directed to lower the budget from 1.8 to 1.7, we effectuated some changes. uh we did not have consensus to my knowledge to reduce any of those potential vacancies.
>> Well, okay. So, I I remember differently. I even believe the mayor did that. Um also, she gave that direction, but maybe um if we could see the the video game that is not available because whatever reason it is that we
don't have it. But um yes we are overestimating our spending. We have a very ambitious hiring plan. We didn't h we are not reducing anyone. I know we are moving from one department to another but at the end of the day we
have the same exact number. The thing the same thing about the drones uh we should continue the program and expand it. Uh also the K9 program we need more dogs in the streets and everywhere. And uh what I see is that the reduction that
we are having is basically with the programs that they're going to affect directly the residents like for example the FIFA um world cup event out um more programs like the art on cirk the museum
partnership and also like I said uh the one for the youth uh so we are reducing um the services that we give to the resident and nothing Yes. >> Okay. Thank you.
Commissioner Joseph, you ready? >> Um, not yet. >> You sure? >> You can come back to me. >> All right. Because you know we're not going to be here all day. Just want to make sure you did you need more time to prepare or >> No, just um
>> Okay. I don't have anything to say so Jerry can speak. Okay. >> Okay. So, I've always had a problem with the uh commission not having input from departments and where which leads us to be in the dark
on many issues and I believe that um regarding the budget uh that that leads to a lot of issues um with transparency and gets us
to this point where there's movement of monies without us seeing exactly where it's going or for what benefit or purpose. And um that's why I believe that uh these cuts
to um necessary items should uh not be necessary. That it >> that's it. >> Okay. Um let if Commissioner Viscara had something to add.
>> Well, just in in in reaction to what um Commissioner Joseph just said, it's we do have access to department heads. That's the whole point of having the workshop with all the department heads present. So, and we have, you know, in between meetings opportunity to to speak with whomever we
want. So, I'm not sure what that means. And at the end of the day, I mean, the cuts are a consequence. If you cut cut on one side, if you're reducing the money, and we understood this, we talked about this last month. So, I I don't I don't
understand the surprise when if we're if you're reducing what you're what you're taking in, you're going to be balancing in order to balance it, you have to reduce something else. And like we spoke about before, that could be taking away something that
exists. It could be reducing something. It could be not acquiring something and you know shrinking the plants. Uh but it's this is the consequence and this is why uh last meeting that we had, I said we can we can still work to reduce it, but
let's do it in an informed way. But we didn't do that. we were forced into a 1.7 and now we're surprised at the consequence. But that was this is the result of how we chose to do things. Uh and there's, you know, we we'll be able to to hopefully, you know, make
adjustments as we go. And and I think in the long run, we'll we'll we'll be okay. So, it's not the 1.7 that's the problem for me. It's how we got here. And so, let's not pretend to be surprised that there's a consequence to our actions. Um
for me the broader concern which you know going down the road is legislative and there's a lot of tax talk uh that is may directly impact municipalities around property taxes and other you know we were attacked um we municipalities
were and home rule we were um really on the block in the last legislative session and a lot of the stuff didn't go through but um it's coming back and it's not a matter matter of I mean what experts say is it's it's not whether
we'll get hit but by how much. So we that's part of the context that we need to keep in mind and hopefully it won't be that bad. And that's that's all. >> Thank you. Vice Mayor, did you want to add something or you had a question? >> Yeah, I I'm also concerned. I mean the
real estate market right now is is soft. Um you see days on market for a lot of property especially for condos uh going uh significantly up. Uh you see the inventory going up a lot and then you also see the the between the asking
price and the actual close price um you see a decrease as well. So I'm concerned about with the um the values of properties going down. So that's that on the real estate front. Um, going back to the actual budget, uh, I had a question
about the central island drainage improvements. So, I see that we have some grants. I have I see well Stormmore capital fund, you know, the funding sources for for this project. I have I see the resilient grant and I see the Florida State grants. Have we received
these grants yet or or are we in the process of of getting those grants? >> Yes. Central Island >> the reimbursement grants. So you have to spend the money first. We're not there yet. >> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Now I recall that. I think we we we touched upon that. Okay.
So are we sure that because it's it's almost it it almost covers the entire cost of the project, right? Are we sure we we'll get that money or because we'll only have to out of pocket we'll only
have to spend like 82 $83,000 if we do get those reimbursement grants, right? I mean, is it almost sure how how these >> It is not. It is not. Um, when those grants were applied for, it was a $53 million project and they require a match. >> So, we will not get the full amount
funded through the grant. >> Okay. Okay. >> Grants. >> And then the 22 million here, that is for the injection wells, right? >> Correct. >> All right. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Um before I ask for a motion, I just wanted to mention um
first of all, I want to say thank you to the staff for putting this together. Um every every year this is a lot of work and uh although it could always be more transparent and could always do a better job, I you know I appreciate all the
work. Um I I do want to say that I I was not here for the last meeting. I was literally in the emergency room. So I'm sorry I missed it. Um but I do understand that obviously if we lower the millillage we have to have cuts. The programs that are chosen are really unfortunate. I think that we need to
take advantage of uh budget amendments in after this is um approved to see how we can get those programs back. Um to Commissioner Stuersonen's point, um I I do remember um also asking that we look at staffing because if we're not going
to be cutting any staffing, then it's hard to also say what, you know, the staff is who supports the programming. So, um I think that we just need to stay in in front of this and whatever it is that we as a commission feel really strongly needs to come back needs to come back as a bud budget amendment
including um any uh potential additional cuts. So, okay. Want to add something? >> Okay. Then I'll take a motion, please. I'll >> move. >> Need a second. >> Second. Marica, do we need a a voice?
Commissioner Cyent, >> no. >> Commissioner Viscaro, >> yes. >> Vice Mayor Lama, >> yes. >> Commissioner Joseph, >> no. >> Mayor Fetchin, >> yes. >> The ordinance passes on first reading 3
to two. The second hearing is scheduled for September 11th, 2025 at 5:30. >> Okay. Thank you. Meeting adjourned.