City Commission Meeting Summary - June 24, 2009
The City Commission met in regular session and took the following action (with Commissioner Katz participating by telephone):
Acknowledged and welcomed the attendance of members of the New Public Servant Initiative group (NPSI), a two-year program of training in professional development made up of City employees with five years or less experience with the City who show potential as future leaders -- headed by the Department of Equity and Workforce Development and an extension of the City's Succession Planning Program
Item .1 - The American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) presented an Exemplary Service Achievement Award to Retirement Administrator Steve Chase in recognition of his outstanding contribution on a sustained basis during his 33 years of service to the City, nominated by City Manager Favors Thompson and City Treasurer-Clerk Herndon.
Dr. Ralph Brower, ASPA Board Member, appeared before the Commission to make the presentation.
Items 1-6 - Voted 5-0 (Commissioner Katz voting telephonically) to approve the staff's recommendations presented in Consent Agenda Items 1-6, taking the following action:
Item 1 - Reappointed J. Terry Peterson, representative of the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc., and appointed J. Piers Rayling, owner of property zoned HPO, to serve on the Tallahassee-Leon County Architectural Review Board to terms expiring June 2012 (recommended by Mayor Marks)
Item 2 - Authorized staff to accept and execute the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Grant, and associated contract awards and projects amendments, as follows (Option 1 recommended by Aviation):
- accept and execute FAA AIP Grant Agreement;
- modify the Airport Security Program Project (COT NO. 07124) budget to show the grant funding budget modification to $2.14 million AIP, $25,000 Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and $250,000 Passenger Facility Charge (PFC);
- award the construction contract for the Airport Security Improvements Project to ADT Security Services, Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida, low bidder meeting specifications, in the amount of $1,968,772;
- establish a new project for related Airport Pavement Management Program Improvements with a budget established as $271,000 AIP and $25,000 RR&I; and
- authorize staff to execute the Engineering Task Assignment for the Pavement Management Program Improvements to Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., in the amount of $273,529
Item 3 - Approved modification of the scope of the Purdom Unit 8 - Zero Discharge Filter Cake Conveyor Project Reprogramming Project #0101251, to include the purchase of roll-off equipment, replacement vapor compressor, and filter press repair/replacement in lieu of the conveyor system, within the existing project budget totaling $2,000,000 (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 4 - Adopted Resolution No. 09-R-11, requesting an easement from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Division of State Lands, on behalf of the State of Florida, necessary for an electric utility distribution facilities and other infrastructure on property being purchased by the state off of Natural Bridge Road (Option 1 recommended by the Assistant to the City Manager/Property Management)
Item 5 - Approve the award of contract for Property Management Services at the Renaissance Building (for a proposed cost of $2,334 per month) and the Gemini Building (for a proposed comparable cost to the current fee of $1,250) (RFP No. 0128-09-ER-RC) to Tallahassee Land Management, Inc., the top recommendation of the Selection Committee, and authorized the City Manager to execute a contract with the recommended vendor, low bidder meeting specifications (Option 1 recommended by the Assistant to the City Manager/Property Management)
Item 6 - Approved the ranking of respondent firms for the purchase, installation, training and service for a Driver Training Simulation System, RFP No. 0031-09-BM-RC, and authorized the committee to negotiate with Doron Precision Systems, Inc., of Binghamton, New York, the top-ranked firm, and if an agreement cannot be reached, continue negotiations for an agreement with the second-ranked firm, FAAC Incorporated - with funding provided from a FDOT Joint Participation Agreement (JPA) providing $271,000 in capital and operating assistance, plus City set aside funding of $400,600 (Option 1 recommended by StarMetro)
Item 7 - Voted 4-1 (Commissioner Katz voting telephonically, and Commissioner Mustian opposed) to approve an accelerated RFP for the Red Light Camera Safety Program as amended to monitor the designated six (6) intersections, listed below in priority order as prime candidates for red light camera enforcement; choose one (1) firm to provide and operate the program; authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute the contract for said program during the Commission's summer break; and direct staff to evaluate the program over a two-year period (Option 2 brought forward by Public Works as amended):
- Capital Circle NE at Killearn Center Blvd.
- Magnolia Street at Park Avenue
- Tennessee Street at Monroe Street
- North Monroe Street at East 7th Avenue
- North Monroe Street at Tharpe Street
- West Tennessee Street at North Woodward Avenue
Item 8 - Voted 5-0 (Commissioner Katz voting telephonically) to approve the City Manager's execution of the Clemons Rutherford & Associates/Morris Allen Joint Venture (CRA/Morris Allen JV) contract to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Public Safety Complex contingent upon the City's share of the contract amount not exceeding $1 million; and also, to approve the transfer of $1.5 million from the Future Capital Bond Construction Fund to Project No. 08162 (Public Safety Complex) to fund these architectural services, future construction management services, permit fees and other contractual design services to support these architectural design services (Option 1 recommended by Public Works)
Clarified that the award of contract for construction management services for the Public Safety Complex would be brought to the Commission on July 1, 2009
Emphasized the importance of this special purpose building being constructed to be a hardened, hurricane proof, high security, LEED Certified Green Building
Item 9 - Received a Power Point presentation on Public Safety and crime trends in Tallahassee, presented by Police Chief Dennis Jones
Directed staff to develop for discussion at the next budget workshop, within the range of $100,000 to $200,000 for the summer, a pilot program to provide some immediate employment for young people in areas such as parks maintenance, assistance at the animal shelter, and code enforcement grass mowing, along with skills/trade development and character/leadership workshops, potentially with some community partners, and also investigate obtaining some stimulus funds and grants focusing on jobs
Also, acknowledged the importance of keeping the City's youth occupied through positive programs such as those offered through the City's Parks and Recreation Department
Item 10 - DELETED FROM THE AGENDA a request to adopt Resolution No. 09-R-15, authorizing the City to borrow from the State Revolving Loan Fund, under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection - RE-SCHEDULED TO JULY 1, 2009
Item 11 - Held a public hearing and voted 3-0 (Commissioners Gillum and Katz absent) to approve recommendations for the allocation of $216,501 in FY2009 Justice Assistance Grants through the U.S. Department of Justice, totaling $129,901 for the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) and $86,600 for the Leon County Sheriff's Office, administered by TPD with Leon County as a sub-grant recipient; and authorized TPD to expend the JAG funds and approximately $2,000 in interest earnings (Option 1 recommended by TPD)
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 12 - Held a public hearing and voted 3-0 (Commissioners Gillum and Katz absent) to adopt Ordinance No. 09-O-28, introduced on June 10, 2009, revising amending the City Code to eliminate the registration and inspection requirements for golf carts on designated streets in Southwood, leaving all other aspects of Ordinance No. 07-O-29AA intact so that safety and age requirements of golf carts could be enforced at the discretion of the enforcement agencies (Option 1 recommended by the City Treasurer-Clerk/Revenue Collection Administrator).
There were no speakers on this item.
Item 13 - Held a public hearing on Ordinance No. 09-O-30, introduced on June 10, 2009, which would modify Section 14 of the City Charter to remove language calling for a special municipal election to be held for the purpose of filling an unanticipated City Commission vacancy, and by consensus, continued the public hearing on Ordinance No. 09-O-30 to August 26, 2009 (brought forward by the City Treasurer-Clerk and the City Attorney)
The following persons appeared before the Commission in opposition to this item:
- Mr. Evan Power, 2740 West Tharpe Street #307
- Mr. Bill Helmich, 303 Johns Drive
- Mr. Bob Fulford, 231 Westridge
Item 14 - Held the first of two public hearings on a proposed development agreement with Seminole Tribe of Florida Holdings, Ltd. (S.T.O.F.) upon the demolition of two downtown structures near the intersection of Jefferson Street and South Monroe Street, allowing a Temporary Easement for landscaping and exhibits on the property; set the second and final public hearing for July 1, 2009 (Option 1 recommended by Legal)
There were no speakers on this item.
City Commission Information and Sharing of Ideas
Mayor Marks stressed the need to aggressively pursue projects for potential federal stimulus funding, and reported that approximately 30 ideas had been submitted pursuant to the "Homecooking Concept". He also advised that he was not pursuing some proposed activity relating to the Gaines Street Hotel Project.
CTC:RM:ecg:07-10-09