Vice-Mayor Makes a Statement and Businesses on the Move

The November 6th City Council meeting was relatively short but covered a variety of subjects….

• Council member Tinsley requested that one of the Consent Agenda items – Amendment to Storm Water Infrastructure Mapping – be pulled from Consent and presented to the public. It was a very informative update on what the mapping had uncovered todate, and why additional work was necessary.
• City Manager Ferris reminded the public about Tuesday’s Veterans Day Ceremony at 11am. Congratulations were also in order for the now award winning ‘Frog-et Me Not’ program initiated by Karen Cobb of the PBG Police Department.
• The most dramatic moment was clearly the prepared statement read by Vice-Major Jablin during Items of Resident Interest, leading with the phrase “The Trees are Falling” in which he lambasted those who placed the term limits questions on the ballot, the concept of term limits, and those who supported it. Clearly he loves the city and feels that this change is not for the best.  You can watch his statement beginning at minute 1:30 of the Council Video.
• Ordinance 17, 2014 setting a moratorium on medical marijuana was withdrawn, as expected, due to failure of the ballot question to pass on 11/4
• The site plan amendment in Resolution 67, 2014 represented the move by Jo-Ann Fabrics to a new stand-alone retail building near Home Depot. While not mentioned during the meeting, this represents yet another business departing from the Promenade Shopping Plaza on Alt A1A and Lighthouse.
• The signage change covered in Resolution 60, 2014 was for a business moving to Palm Beach Gardens from West Palm Beach – “Garden of Life” – see the Palm Beach Post article about the move.  The Council welcomed the owners to the City.

All Ordinances passed 5:0.

Additional discussion was made regarding coordination with the School District and the desire for a ‘real’ workshop with All Aboard – with real answers, not slick presentations.

 

Term Limits Passes in a Landslide

Voters answered both Gardens’ ballot questions  with a resounding ‘YES”;  Question 1 received 79% of the vote and Question 2, 68%.  Read Tony Doris’ article in today’s paper for additional background.

Total votes cast back in the City’s March 2014 Municipal Elections was 7167.  (See Analysis post for more details) That was an unusually high turnout at 19% of registered voters.   7-12% turnout is more typical in the Municipals.  The winners’ margins of victory were measured in the hundreds.   When any of our council is elected or re-elected because there is no opponent, or by such low turnouts and close margins it is difficult to say any of them are there by a mandate.  That is not so much a reflection on the candidates as it is voter apathy during local elections, and one reason why we in PGBWatch want to foster citizen participation!

There is no doubt with numbers like those shown below, that a much larger portion of the City’s voters were paying attention.   This time, as in the vote for the Ethics and Inspector General Ordinances in 2010, the residents’ desires were loud and clear!

Next City Council Meeting on Thursday Nov 6th at 7pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, November 6th at 7pm at City Hall.

Here are some highlights:

Consent agenda:

• Setting January 8, 2015 as the date for the January City Council meeting
• Purchase awards: $249K for 2 play/fitness areas in Mirasol Park Playground, $123K for long-distance telephone service for Police Dept., amendment to existing contract for mowing and landscaping services, additional $92K for repairs to bridge at Lighthouse Drive, and increasing the scope of a contract to map and inspect the City’s water drainage infrastructure and increasing the cost by $247K.

Public Hearings:

• 2nd reading of Ordinance 16, 2014 which updated the Land Developement Regulations (LDR) text (and will once again set a record for length of the description of the Ordinance)
• 1st reading of Ordinance 17, 2014 which would impose a temporary moratorium on the approval and/or issuance of any new licenses or permits for any uses that involve the cultivation, processing, and/or dispensing of medical marijuana within the City until October 1, 2015.   Taking this action was discussed at a prior council meeting as necessary in case Ballot Amendment 2 passes on the 11/4 election.
• Resolution 60, 2014 is a master signage amendment to approve a tenant wall sign at the northwest corner of Northcorp Parkway and RCA Blvd.
• Resolution 67, 2014 is a site plan amendment for Northlake Commons Shopping Center at the SE Corner of Northlake and Military Trail  I-95.
• Resolution 68, 2014 is an amendment to the City Centre Planned Unit Development (PUD) which is located on the southwest corner of PGA Blvd and US 1.

The agenda (with links to full detail) can be found here.

See a summary of the October 23rd Growth Management Workshop, and the latest Martino Minute on the PBG Watch website.

We get the government we deserve – and it’s up to us to watch what they do.  Hope you can make it.  If you can’t make the meeting try and watch live-streaming or on-demand.

Gardens’ Past, Present and Future Development covered in Workshop

Many residents over the last few years have requested that the City Council hold workshops. So we were happy to see City Manager Ferris request one with the Council to discuss Growth Management. Often the Council meets individually with staff and then somehow vote unanimously on ordinances and issues with minimal deliberation. So it was refreshing to see what came close to an actual discussion on the future direction of Palm Beach Gardens.

Tony Doris, of the Palm Beach Post did an excellent job summarizing the meeting in these two articles: West growth is top city concern and Gardens works to control growth .

Anyone who is seriously considering running for the Council in the future or serving on the PZAB should save a copy of the excellent presentation by Natalie Crowley, Director of Planning and Zoning, as well as watching it on Youtube.   An understanding of the history of growth in the City, the 1999 Forbearance Agreement (and related Ordinance) and its impact on development, as well as the outlook on future projects were all included in the presentation.

Discussion by the Council begins here.  Comments made by both Vice Mayor Jablin and Council Member Russo called attention to their personal long term service and impact on the development of the City, as well as their knowledge on the topic(s).

Discussion on the hot topic of western communities and Avenir begins here.

We strongly encourage that you watch the video of the discussion as well as the presentation so that you will have a better understanding of where your Council, individually and as a group, view the future of the City.  There is a considerable amount of change ahead of us and all of the projects need to be considered not just as single projects but in the context of the complete City.

City Workshop on Growth Management – Thursday October 23rd at 6pm

The City Council will be holding a workshop on Thursday, October 23rd at 6pm at City Hall.  This meeting was requested by City Manager Ferris and the Planning and Zoning Department a couple of months ago in order to have staff and the Council discuss density issues.

There will be a presentation on Growth Management followed by discussion between staff and the Council.  The agenda can be found here.  Note that it was stated when the meeting was scheduled that there will be no public comment as part of the workshop agenda.  Many regular council attendees have said they’d like to see more workshops – so we highly encourage you to attend!

Reminder:  Early voting begins Monday October 20th and continues until November 2nd.  There are two questions on the ballot regarding Term Limits for Palm Beach Gardens City Council.

Palm Beach Post Endorses Term Limits for Gardens Council

On Thursday October 9, the Palm Beach Post endorsed the Gardens term limits initiative which will appear on the fall ballot. You will find the two questions (term limits and making them apply to current council members) at the very end of the three page ballot when you vote.

New Auditing Firm and Gas Station Signage Alternative highlight a short meeting

Reminder: SAVE THE DATE – October 23rd at 6pm at City Hall – COUNCIL/PLANNING AND ZONING WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS DENSITY POLICY AND APPROACH. No public comment will be allowed at this workshop.

Early in the meeting, Purchasing and Contracts Director Km! Ra introduced the new External Auditing firm – Marcum LLC and their Audit Engagement Manager, Michael Futterman, gave a brief presentation describing the firm and its staff and services. Mayor Premuroso commented that it is good to change firms every so often (eg 5 years) to have a fresh look at the City’s books.

City Manager Ferris gave an update on field closures due to the extraordinarily rainy September and outlined a preliminary schedule to address field drainage improvements over the next several months.

During Comments from the Public – Carolyn Chaplik described dangerous conditions arising from a new stoplight put in by the County on Hood Rd between Alt A1A and Military Trail for the Publix shopping center. Council member Tinsley agreed and the council was unanimous in agreeing that the County needs to be contacted since the light doesn’t meet the County’s criteria. Another resident, Douglas Grant, spoke of noise issues in his neighborhood and the impression he had that by contacting Code Enforcement to complain, code issues were found with his property while the issue(s) of his complaint remained unaddressed. He cited a previous similar experience several years ago. The final comments were made by Jean Whibey, thanking the council for honoring her and for the City’s support for Palm Beach State College. Ms. Whibey is Provost of PBSC and also President of the PGA Corridor Association.

All Ordinances and Resolutions were passed unanimously.

Natalie Crowley, Director of Planning and Zoning, described her meeting with Gardens’ gas station owners regarding the County’s ordinance requiring signage that owners and the City believe will be too confusing and too expensive to implement. She presented contrasting mockups of what the County would require versus the alternative and all were in agreement that the alternative was the way to go. The next step will be for the City to pass an ordinance sometime early in 2015 with it’s own signage requirements which will supercede the County’s.

Finally – Ms. Tinsley moved that the Council tell the County that they disagree with any proposal to move the County to the South Florida Regional Planning Council from its current membership in Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council. A letter will be sent by the Mayor to the County Commission before next Tuesday’s (10/7) workshop on the subject. The move, in part, is being considered as a cost savings issue however none on the City Council felt that Palm Beach County should be emulating or strive to become another Miami/Dade or Broward County and that our issues more closely match the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council. The item is Agenda Item 4A1 on the BCC Agenda on Tuesday and the details can be found here.

Next City Council Meeting on Thursday, October 2nd at 7pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, October 2nd at 7pm at City Hall.  It’s not an overly long agenda but there are a few items that may generate discussion.

Here are some highlights:

• Consent agenda:
  • Several proclamations
  • 3 Purchase awards of which two are sizable, multi-year contracts: selection of a new independent auditing firm ($380K) and Microsoft Enterprise License ($418K)
• Public Hearings:
  • Resolution 58,2014 which is a continuation of a discussion from a prior Council meeting regarding a date extension for a temporary modular structure at PGA National golf course
  • Resolution 61, 2014 regarding signage changes for Gardens Station PUD
  • Ordinance 16, 2014 – cleaning up the Land Development Regulations (LDR) and adding some new definitions
  • Appointments to the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
• Items for Council Action/Discussion:
  • PBC Gas Signage Ordinance – since July, when this was first discussed, staff met with a small group of gas station owners in order to develop an alternative to the regulations passed by the County which are viewed as too confusing and expensive to implement.  The alternative will be discussed.

The agenda (with links to full detail) can be found here.

See a summary of the Final Budget Hearing, and the latest Martino Minute on the PBG Watch website.

We get the government we deserve – and it’s up to us to watch what they do.  Hope you can make it.  If you can’t make the meeting try and watch live-streaming or on-demand.

Leadership Matters in Gardens Tax Rate Reduction

Last evening in a surprise move, the City Council voted 4-1 to reduce the planned tax rate slightly, from 5.74 to 5.67 mils, cutting the tax increase from just over $3M to about $2.5M.

This result was produced through the leadership of Mayor Bert Premuroso, who floated the initially unpopular proposal, made a reasoned and empassioned case for it, and put a stake in the ground over his opposition to the budget as written. At once reasonable, empathetic to counter-arguments, yet steadfast in his position, he convinced three of the four other members to follow his lead.

Public input during and since the September 3 meeting had been asking for a reduction, to share some of the property valuation windfall with the taxpayer. This specific reduction of about $500K was proposed by the Mayor at that meeting, but was met with skepticism and definitely not embraced by his four colleagues on the dais. Citing the “5 year plan” for flat millage, the endorsement by the volunteer Budget Oversight Committee, and the need for more money for capital projects, giving money back to the taxpayer was the last thing on their mind. City Manager Ron Ferris was also advising against it.

Last evening’s budget discussion started with Mr. Ferris listing a number of additional projects that could be done by using some reserves. Park usability in wet weather could be improved by a drainage field project proposed by David Levy. Additional ball fields could be created with a proposal by Marcie Tinsley. His report also cast cold water on any plan to reduce the millage, forecasting dire consequences if the stabilization fund were to be depleted, maybe forcing a tax rate increase in future years.

After comments from the public were heard (most asking for a millage cut), the normal order of council discussion was flipped and Mayor Premuroso went first. In a prepared speech, which he said he had been working on since the last meeting, the Mayor repeated his desire to reduce the millage by about $500K, to give a little something back to the residents who stuck with the city through the downturn. Laying out a well researched case involving economic conditions and projections, trends in the reserves, and a discussion of the conservative nature of the city’s planning, his arguments were compelling. With all due respect to staff and colleagues, he said he would not support the budget without a millage decrease.

In the ensuing discussion, Joe Russo first panned the idea, wandered around some other issues, then came back to the possibility of accepting it. David Levy said he could understand the argument, but would prefer to wait until next year to entertain any reductions. Eric Jablin was 100% against giving any money to the taxpayers. Marcie Tinsley, after considering the proposal in the period between the meetings had already convinced herself that it was the right thing to do.

The turning point was when the Mayor restated his intention to vote against the budget as written. On a board that values consensus and usually is unanimous in its decisions, that rattled Joe Russo. Trying to force the issue, Eric Jablin moved that the budget be approved, but it failed 3-2, with Russo joining the Mayor and Tinsley. That was enough for David Levy, who wasn’t as strong in his position as Jablin, and he made the motion to adopt the Mayor’s proposed millage of 5.67 and it passed 4-1, with Jablin remaining opposed and stating that it was the first time he had ever voted against a budget.

The decision process, at times heated, but always cordial, is a credit to this Council, and particularly to the Mayor’s leadership. Decision making by public officials at all levels is sometimes painful to observe, given the partisan and ideological divides and the undue influence of special interests. There was none of that in evidence last evening.

Final Budget Hearing on September 18 at 7pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, September 18 at 7pm at City Hall.  It’s a short agenda.   Note that this is the final of two required 2014-2015 Budget hearings for the City.  

Ordinance 15, 2014 and Resolution 51, 2014 are the budget items. If approved as recommended by staff, the new budget will increase taxes over rollback by 6.14%.  Please read our summary of the first budget hearing here describing comments on the budget. Additionally – former Mayor Martino challenges the Council to go to rollback here.

There will be a District Park Presentation by Council Member Tinsley.  And for those of you who live in the Sunset Drive area – in Resolution 64, 2014 on the Consent Agenda, the County agrees to transfer ownership of the rights-of-way and improvements of Sunset Drive and 40 Terrace North and pay the City $50,000 for maintenance assistance of the roadways within sixty (60) days of execution of the lnterlocal Agreement.  See the details here.

The complete Agenda can be viewed here.  The proposed 2014-2015 Budget can be viewed here.

We have a new feature on the PBGWatch website – The Martino Minute compiling his frequent postings together in a blog.

We get the government we deserve – and it’s up to us to watch what they do. Hope you can make it.  If you can’t make the meeting try and watch live-streaming or on-demand.

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