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Description |
City Commission General Fund Budget Workshop; 7/20/06; 3:00 p.m. |
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Date |
7/20/2006 |
Location |
Palatka City Commission |
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Time |
Speaker/Item |
Note |
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Call to Order |
Mayor Flagg |
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Present |
Mayor Karl N. Flagg, Commissioners Mary Lawson Brown, Allegra Kitchens, James Norwood, Jr., and George E. Sanders |
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Also Present |
City Manager Allen R. Bush, City Clerk Betsy Jordan Driggers, Assistant City Clerk Karen Venables, Police Chief Gary Getchell, Planning Director Adam Mengel, Fire Chief James White, Fire Capt. Randy Porter, General Services Director Ken Venables, Parks Supt. Jeff Norton, Streets Foreman Ed Chandler |
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Reading of Workshop Meeting Call |
Mayor Flagg opened the meeting by reading the following call, dated June 6, 2006: TO MESSRS: MARY LAWSON BROWN, ALLEGRA KITCHENS, JAMES NORWOOD AND GEORGE SANDERS: You are hereby notified that a special called meeting of the City Commission is called to be held at the regular meeting place of the City Commission at City Hall, 201 N. 2nd Street, Palatka, Florida, on Thursday, July 20, 2006, at 3:00 p.m., Thursday, July 20, 2006. The purpose of the meeting is to hold the General Funds Budget Workshop for the fiscal year 2006/07. /s/ Karl N. Flagg
Karl
N. Flagg, MAYOR
We
acknowledge receipt of a copy of the foregoing notice of a special meeting on
the 6th day of July, 2006. /s/ Mary
Lawson Brown COMMISSIONER /s/ George E. Sanders COMMISSIONER /s/ James
Norwood, Jr. COMMISSIONER /s/ Allegra
Kitchens COMMISSIONER |
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BUDGET WORKSHOP |
Mr. Bush directed the Commission's attention to his letter introducing the proposed General Fund budget (filed), and noted a correction to his letter, as to the last sentence, saying a $350,000 encumbrance on the Better Place Funds for the CDBG Grant match was not included, so the $800,000 increase in the budget on the revenue side is the correct figure, and not the smaller sum on the other side. |
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He will recommend the Commission adopt a tentative millage rate of 8.65 mills, which is the same as last year, and which represents an increase over the rolled back rate. A copy of the budget is available and on file here at City Hall. |
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ADMINISTRATION |
Mr. Bush said this budget has increased from 8.6% of the total budget to 8.9%. Much of this increase is due to the new records management system the Clerk has been lobbying for, which will serve City Hall, Building & Zoning and the Police Department. It will increase service for the public and staff. Each department’s proposed budget is followed by its CIP. In other departments besides Administration the CIP contains the original budget request as made by each department. He has met with departments and as a result of these meetings he has presented a balanced budget that all can live with. There are also increases in personnel and operating costs. |
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Commissioner Sanders asked that subsequent copies of this budget be printed in larger print, as he has trouble reading such small print. Commissioners Brown and Kitchens concurred. |
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Mr. Bush noted contingency is half of what it was last year, and has been further reduced by $5,000, and will now be around $38,000, due to a $5,000 transfer to Parks. This fund also contains the General Services Director, a new position created last year. This position has proven itself very valuable to all departments, and has especially helped with areas such as RFPs and grants. This has been a valuable addition to Staff. |
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BUILDING & ZONING |
Adam Mengel, Planning Director, said as a result of their facility inspection, they are very much in need of the records management system noted under Administration. It will greatly improve staff and public access, and enable them to be maintained from a more correct, controlled and legal perspective. This will help with their space needs. Current records are not being kept in a climate-controlled facility and continue to degrade. |
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As to capital improvements, They will be looking to use Better Place funds for those projects. The budget is fairly straightforward; other than the records management system and one new auto, there is not much change from last year to this year. |
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Through Urban Service discussions with Putnam County, they have discussed the possibility of merging certain Building Department functions with the County. The strongest argument for or against this is the need to maintain or improve current levels of service. At the very least, they want to strengthen interlocal agreements. |
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Commissioner Kitchens said there are different rules and regulations regarding inspections for the City versus the County. Mr. Mengel said in theory, building codes are the same throughout the state. The only differences are in permit processing. They need to better cover their costs of what they do. The primary blending is a building inspector that could inspect ongoing construction or buildings, whether in Melrose or Palatka. |
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Commissioner Brown again cautioned the Commission about collaborating with or handing over operations to the County, saying City residents always come out on the short end. People complain about having to deal with Putnam County Planning, Building & Codes all the time. The City's operations are much better and she receives compliments all the time on how they deal with people. They don't want to take on the County's reputation. Commissioner Kitchens concurred, saying in all the years she worked for the County, she heard numerous complaints on the County's building department all the time, while people compliment the City's building department. Also, recently anywhere from 200 - 500 people were in near riot over the county's new building maintenance and codes regulations. |
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Mr. Bush said GSG has provided him with the new schedule for the proposed adoption of impact fees, which he has provided to the Commission and departments. |
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Mayor Flagg said staffing is always an issue with this department. He understands the need to balance revenue streams, but when they have vacancies, they are not timely in filling them. They need more of a 'seamless' operation. He'd like more comments on the "state of the department' report and how aggressively they are moving to accomplish these things. He knows the Codes Enforcement officer is new, but there is such a huge deficit of codes enforcement, the CO officer can't even take a vacation. He appreciates cross training, but some people can't be pulled off their tasks while doing someone else's. They are not gaining ground. There are now an abundance of abandoned vehicles all over the City, where at one time they were working to reduce those numbers. They need more code enforcement officers out there. |
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Commissioner Norwood concurred and said they are behind on Code Enforcement due to the lapse of time involved in hiring and training the new CO officer. They need some way to catch up during the 'training curve' interim. Mr. Mengel said they have six employees, two of which are new and one of which is part-time contractual. Three of their employees have a combined 15 months with the City. The three people with experience are training the three without, and a substantial part of their day is spent on training. It is difficult to fill a position being vacated with 2 weeks notice in a manner that the new person receives training from the outgoing employee. Cross training is a dream. They could have multiple investigators, but don't have the necessary help on the administrative side. The Police Chief has approached him and offered help, but this is difficult at best due to the variance of powers between code officers and police officers. They can designate multiple code enforcement officers, but when a matter comes before the Code Enforcement Board, that citing or investigating officer becomes 'married' to that case for a time period that can sometimes stretch out over years. Their goal is always compliance. Mr. Bush said he would like to see a monthly report showing what activities the Code Officer is working on. These stopped with the previous codes officer. Commissioner Norwood said, administratively, Mr. Mengel needs some help. There is a lot of paperwork associated with Code Enforcement work. Mr. Mengel said in the past the Code Officer spent 35% to 40% of her time working in the field and the rest of the time in the office. Commissioner Norwood said he'd like to see the city get more proactive, rather than reactive on code enforcement. They all drive by code enforcement issues every day. They need to get progressive and get on top of things they need to be on top of. |
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Commissioner Kitchens said many residents are poor and can't afford to fix what is wrong. If they start heavy code enforcement, they will put a hardship on residents. This is a point of contention in the County, also. This is a poor county. Commissioner Norwood said if they take that approach, they may as well do away with code enforcement altogether. Mayor Flagg said there are violations out there that affect the health, welfare and safety of citizens that need to be corrected. Some abandoned vehicles have been left to sit in people’s yards for years. Wrecker services can be provided to willing homeowners to remove them. They have taken a 'voluntary compliance' posture for many years. The public needs to be apprised of its options. This is not about people moving in; this is about people who have been here all along. This is about having pride in Palatka. Commissioner Sanders said some people are not so much poor as not actively trying to take care of their property. Things like cleaning and getting rid of trash can be done for free. |
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Commissioner Norwood said people are given 30 days to bring their property into compliance. This lessens whatever hardship there may be. It is not a hardship to clean up your property. Kids go around offering to mow lawns for little or nothing. Mayor Flagg said most of the violators are absentee owners. They need to get a handle on these issues. Aesthetically, this reflects on the City as a whole. |
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As to the landlord permit situation, Mayor Flagg said many times they can't find who is responsible for a certain property. This requires more staffing. They aren't looking for another fee or permit, but need to find a place of balance. Commissioner Kitchens said they need some sort of pamphlet on what the 'main points' are when people put down a water deposit, ie regulations on noise, fireworks, grass mowing, when to take the garbage cans to and from the curbs, etc. |
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Mayor Flagg said the individuals who participate in the "COPs" program could be deputized and trained to follow up on cases that are generated. |
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Gary Getchell, Police Chief, said some municipalities use volunteers for code enforcement, and they can probably get as many volunteers as they want. The issue is equipment and resources for them. They will need autos, computers, uniforms and training, as well as staff support. Also, they are volunteers, and when they don't want to come in, they don't. |
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Commissioner Brown said she hears all the time that people are watching them on television; they are getting an audience. They can ask folks to do a 'do you know' segment on everyday laws that people need to know. Commissioner Sanders said they need to make up a brochure to be given out when people come in to turn on water, as suggested by Commissioner Kitchens. |
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Commissioner Norwood said they need to involve police in code enforcement until the new codes officer gets trained and up to speed, as the situation is deteriorating quickly. Also, they need to address administrative work. Mr. Bush said the Codes Officer handles paperwork as part of their job. Mr. Mengel said they have the same learning curve as the Police Dept. The method for issuing a citation for a violation would be no different than the PD, except for the follow-up. For the PD, a citation with a fine is immediate, with no warning system. It is based upon a schedule of fees specific to the violation. Commissioner Norwood said they'd rather people come into compliance rather than just pay a fine. Most folks bring their properties into compliance before it gets to the Code Enforcement Board, where the fine is levied. |
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Commissioner Kitchens said the City also needs to bring its own property into compliance. She receives complaints on city properties all the time. They can't cite people when their own properties are not in compliance. Mayor Flagg said the City needs a plan for bringing its properties into compliance. They need to provide a level of service of a quality nature. Mr. Mengel said cross training is their option, but right now they are concentrating on primary training for half of their staff. The only other option he has is an interlocal agreement with the County for mutual aid during 'rainy day' times. There is no formal agreement in place, but they do have an 'informal' agreement. It's not been a problem. Mayor Flagg said they need formal agreements in place so service is seamless. Commissioner Brown reiterated her point that the County does not provide services on par with the City. Mayor Flagg said if the service level were zero, it would at least be better than nothing at all. |
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Mr. Mengel said they need to be able to hire a person already trained who can 'hit the ground running' as opposed to someone they have to train and will eventually lose to a higher-paying entity. The salary isn't competitive. This goes for the chief building official. Mr. Bush said they approved a higher salary to attract a building official. Mr. Mengel said they've had two applicants. The salary is comparable with a "plans examiner" for St. Johns county. They need to bring the salary up around $10,000, not only for this but for all positions. |
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Mr. Bush said they need to go back to the table and look at the CBO salary again. Mr. Mengel said this problem is citywide; they all know the City is not revenue-rich. Current employees are dedicated to their jobs, but prospective employees are more dedicated to their pocketbooks. Mayor Flagg said the City Manager has done his level best in dealing with salaries. This is a specific problem with this department that is on going, and needs to be dealt with. Mr. Bush said he will treat this with high priority. Commissioner Norwood said he received this directive four or five months ago; it is still not fixed. If there is an issue with salary, they can't wait until budget workshop to fix it. Mr. Bush said they revisited salary, but it does not seem adequate, and will be revisited. |
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Commissioner Brown said she'd also like to see audio and video surveillance for Building & Zoning to address unruly customers, together with and a system for silent alarm. Mr. Mengel said he likes the audio and video, as it keeps everyone honest. |
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Mayor Flagg said if they have a qualified CBO candidate, they can and should negotiate salary before he/she gets away. |
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POLICE DEPARTMENT |
Mr. Bush noted this budget increased from 36% to 41% of the total general fund budget due mostly to fleet costs and personnel increases. The dollar amount of the budget reflects upon the size of the department. |
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Gary Getchell said he's discussed this budget with them individually. The budget is fairly straightforward. As to personnel, if they had more money to spend on personnel, there is a need for more people on the streets. They do have their budget request in for the records management system Mr. Bush spoke of, which is what they are in dire need of. In summary, they have to live within the reality of city revenues, and although he didn't get everything he asked for, he can live with this budget. |
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They have a downtown officer program in place costing around $62,000/year through overtime; it would be cheaper to hire a full-time officer at around $42,000 salary & benefits, exclusive of a car. They've discussed this with Downtown Palatka, who wants to use TIF funds to fund this. They've included this for TIF funding. They will bring back the details within the next 30 days. Commissioner Brown said she'd like to see a walking beat downtown. Also, someone from Interlachen thanked her for the 'police protection' they are receiving as several city Police live in Hollister and they take their cars home and park them in their neighborhood. Per her question, Chief Getchell said the City pays for the gas for vehicles. Officers aren't allowed to take their vehicles home unless they live within a 10-mile radius of the Station, with the exception of the canine officer. Per Commissioner Kitchens' question, Chief Getchell said they received four new officers in January, and their calls for services are down. Pay is always an issue. As long as they keep positions filled, arrests go down. Traffic officers are a problem; they need two of them. Knowing they can't fund these positions, he's coming forward with recommendations in the 2006/07 budget year, involving charging people's insurance companies for investigating traffic accidents. Other municipalities are doing this; it is legal. It takes the cost off the taxpayer. When the “cost threshold” for investigating an accident is not reached and PD doesn't investigate it or issue a ticket, due to Florida’s no-fault laws a not-at-fault driver is still penalized by their insurance company because they have to pay for the cost of that accident. It penalizes the not-at-fault person. Billing the at-fault driver's insurance company for investigating the accident is not a popular alternative, but is something a lot of cities are going to. Most accidents in the City Limits involve people who don't live here. Traffic fines & penalties are set by the State. |
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FIRE DEPARTMENT |
Mr. Bush said the Fire Department's budget has increased by $54,901. The Department's budget remains at 18% of the total General Fund. Capital and personnel costs and the purchase of the new ladder truck are significant; the truck will cost around $80,000/year amortized. Additional personnel added during the current year should reduce the overtime budget. Minimal staffing remains the same. |
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James White, Fire Chief, said he is satisfied with this budget, but soon this won't be his budget; he will be retiring and another Chief will be coming in. The biggest change is the aerial apparatus they will purchase next year. They are looking at a vehicle with a shorter chassis and a ladder with more and shorter sections, which will enable them to maneuver better around the city. Mr. Bush said a committee will look at several options. They will be looking at a standard truck that does that job, preferably a new truck. They will come back with specifications and seek approval to go out to bid. They hope to piggyback onto bids being put out by larger cities. Chief White said they will take a 'stock' truck and make some alterations to it, and it should meet the needs of the City. |
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Commissioner Norwood asked when the bay doors would be painted. Chief White said they hope to do it this year; last year they received a quote of around $8,000 for sanding and repainting the floors and doors. They have to be sanded and the concrete has to be "roughed up." Mr. Bush said they can buy the paint and do the painting themselves. |
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Mr. Bush said during the tour officials noticed the generator sitting on a trailer outside the building; this will be moved further from the building, housed and secured. The bay doors/shutters grant has been applied for. The 'half' bay door will be taken care of. |
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Mayor Flagg said he was somewhat surprised as to the condition of the Fire Department. It is usually more 'squared away.' There was a lot of old wood thrown up on top of the antique truck, which was also stuffed full of items. Chief White said the wood is for cribbing. Eventually they will have some place to put it. As to the truck, they'd like to have it restored and are searching for an organization that will sponsor that. They'd like to display it at the Bronson-Mulholland house. Per the question, Chief White said the truck is not operational at this time. Mr. Bush said that truck's pumping capacity was used in acquiring the City's ISO rating. |
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Randy Porter, Fire Department, said the USAR grant from the State required them to purchase a certain amount of wood cribbing. It is an extensive amount of wood. They have an over-abundance of it. They are in the process of restructuring a truck to store and carry the cribbing, and need storage for the rest of it. They lack storage space at both stations. It is not usable if it gets wet. There is some room in the east storage room, but they keep medical supplies in there. Mayor Flagg said they do have occasional tours come through the Stations, and it seems they are not keeping house like they had been. Mr. Porter said they are running out of room due to new vehicles and additional personnel. Mr. Bush said at one time they discussed putting a 'glass display case' out front of the FD for the antique truck, much like the one at Masters Funeral Home. Capt Porter said the truck is not presentable enough to display. There hasn't been money available to restore it. They can't seem to garner public support for this. Mayor Flagg said they need to consult with someone experienced in 'capital campaigns' and put a task force together to help with this in order to present it to the community. It should be showcased on City property. Capt. Porter said the Fire College had a similar truck cosmetically restored for $15,000. |
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STREETS DEPT. |
Mr. Bush said the Streets Dept. shows a decrease of $245,482 from last year's budget, due to $350,000 carried over from last year's budget that has not yet been spent. It is encumbered from Better Place Funds. |
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Ed Chandler, Streets, said they continue to pave and rehabilitate sidewalks. They also respond to customer calls within 24 hours. He distributed the list of pending street and drainage projects (filed). They are also beginning a drainage project on S. 13th Street. |
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Commissioner Brown said an oak tree has damaged the sidewalk at 13th & Oak that makes it hard to maneuver for elderly people. She asked him to check that and alleviate the problem. She noticed his crews doing sidewalk work on St. Johns Avenue, and believes they are really accomplishing a lot with their inmate prison crew, even during this heat. Mr. Chandler said they are aggressively addressing sidewalks. They take each complaint accordingly. |
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Mr. Bush said the street system in the City is very good and getting better. They've seen huge gains in the sidewalks. As to underground lines, this was addressed during the Enterprise Budget workshop in Water & Sewer Distribution. They are coordinating working on lines with repaving projects so they don't tear up the road after they've resurfaced it. Commissioner Kitchens commended Mr. Chandler's department responses to a variety of problems. The citizens have taken notice. |
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CEMETERIES |
Mr. Bush said the Cemetery Dept. increased by $32,890. Around 45% of these costs are offset by lot sales & services. Half the increase is due to improvements at Oak Hill West and the rest is increased personnel costs. |
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CULTURAL |
Mr. Bush said improvements here center on city parks and cultural facilities through grant funds. Of the total costs shown, $135,000 is grants. |
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Jeff Norton, Parks & Cemeteries, said he located the survey map on the new cemetery addition, which brings the cost down considerably. They've made cuts where they could through coordination with public works. Per Mayor Flagg's question, the new roads in the Oak Hill West addition will be clay, but they may be able to use materials from the resurfacing project. Mr. Norton said the main roads will be paved, but side roads will be clay. They can make adjustment where needed. |
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He addressed capital outlay projects as outlined in his budget. The dump truck purchase will save them time and effort. Commissioner Sanders said the improvements at Oak Hill to the building and aesthetics are appreciated and noticeable. Mayor Flagg asked as to the posting of the 'cemetery rules and regulations.' Mr. Norton said they plan to post them at entrances/exits and also information on cemeteries. |
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Randy Porter, 602 Carr Street, asked if there are plans to build an equipment storage barn at the Crill Avenue cemetery. He went there the other night to close the gates, and all the lawn mowers and tractors are out in the weather. He is in the lawn business and knows what they cost, and it hurts to see that equipment sitting out in the weather. Mr. Norton said those are surplus mowers and equipment and are slated to be sold at auction. |
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Mr. Norton said they've been discussing adding another "general" work squad to do general around the city. They can use TIF funds to fund it, which will free up his squad on St. Johns Avenue. Mayor Flagg said they need to negotiate a 'facility maintenance crew' for all their facilities. Mr. Norton said the State usually allows them to borrow an extra crew when they've needed it. Mr. Bush said the average crew costs around $55,000 per year excluding vehicles. At this time they have four prison crews. Some times they are limited on time they can spend at work, but they can try it on a one-year trial basis. |
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Mayor Flagg said Mr. Norton has been trying to coordinate perpetual maintenance on St. Joseph's cemetery. Although the County has the responsibility, the clean up has been done by volunteers. The Public Works director needs to sit down with the county administrator and work something out. |
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Commissioner Brown said this was not private property; it was owned by a non-profit agency. This belongs to the citizens of Putnam County. Mayor Flagg said the County hah hoped to change its status to that of a park to open up more funds. Commissioner Brown said it is an historical cemetery and can be documented as such. |
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PARKS |
Mr. Norton said the parks budget did not significantly change. Mr. Bush said Capital Outlay shows a $5,000 increase, which reduced contingency, as he had stated at the beginning of the workshop. Commissioner Brown said many children are enjoying the new park at 10th & Olive Streets. |
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DEBT |
Mr. Bush said this represents 7/10ths of 1 percent of the budget, which is pretty remarkable. This budget is predicated upon the adoption of 8.65 mills. He will ask the commission to adopt that as the tentative millage rate. |
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Commissioner Brown commended the City Manager for being fiscally responsible, and noted the City of Miami went broke several years ago, but Palatka has always remained in the black. |
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OTHER COMMENTS |
Mayor Flagg said he'd like to see the City partner with other government entities and municipalities to develop youth employment programs, patterned after the old CETA program, to put youth to work over the summer in government settings. He'd like to see the community's youth more involved in government. |
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Mayor Flagg said he'd like to see a joint City-County workshop scheduled to begin official negotiations on urban service boundaries. |
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Commissioner Norwood asked when the Commission would begin discussions on impact fees. Mr. Bush said he placed a schedule for the process in their mailboxes today. |
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Commissioner Norwood said they had talked about paving north side streets, such as Dunham where they are building Habitat houses. Mr. Bush said he intends to get with the Public Works Director on that as soon as he returns from vacation. |
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Mayor Flagg asked if the CDBG grant dealing with Madison Street drainage is still on track. Mr. Bush said that was the CDBG grant he referred to while talking about the Streets department budget. The money is encumbered and the project is underway. |
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ADJOURN |
At 5:00 p.m. upon a motion by Commissioner Kitchens, seconded by Commission Brown. |
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