2005 0908 Regular City Commission Meeting - Budget

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Summary Minutes: Special City Commission Meeting September 8, 2005 First Budget Hearing Sunny Isles Beach, Florida $3.9 Billion which makes up that 21 % increase in our tax base which gave us the ability to propose a reduction in the tax rate. He said that the City of Sunny Isles Beach is 28 out of34 municipalities, and is in the lowest 20 percentile in tax burden in the County. He noted that our budget in total has gone from an $18 Million budget to a $20 Million budget, and approximately 3/4 of that increase is made up on the revenues. He said the ad valorem property taxes is up roughly a little over $600,000.00, that is the growth that was still there even after the tax rate reduction but underneath that for the first time in a while, are other revenue category that has gone up by almost $1.5 Million. City Manager Russo then went through the budget book and highlighted some of the major increases. He noted that the City's total interest income from all of the accounts is approaching $1 Million. He then went through the General Fund and pointed out some highlights on the expenditure side that has changed. City Manager Russo pointed out in the City Clerk's Office budget, that he wanted to make an important comment that was not reflected in the budget that they will add in the Capital budget between now and second reading, the first year of the image processing of all of our records. He said they are going to do the Building Department and the Police Department the first year which will be roughly about $375,000.00. He noted they were working on trying to piggy-back off from another municipality's contract that mayor may not work out, but are still working on that. He said that money is going to come out of Capital, and that is a one time work that we can properly not use operating funds for and that is going to be reflected there. He said he brought this up here because it is really something that is overseen by the Clerk's office with technical assistance from IT and the City Manager's office. City Manager Russo noted under the Police Department's Capital Outlay where we have got some car replacements and are actually buying ten vehicles and we are going to surplus and auction off 13 vehicles from the Police Department. Mayor Ede1cup asked what the cycle is on a vehicle, and City Manager Russo said a normal cycle of a police vehicle is two to maybe three years, and we are at a solid five years. He said the vehicles we are getting rid of are seven years old, so the take-home policy is clearly measurably adding at least two to three years on the life of our vehicles by having one officer personally responsible for everything that has happened to that car. City Manager Russo noted that the other equipment are copiers, portable low-jack system, shot guns, rifles, surveillance equipment, satellite phone equipment, and Mayor Edelcup asked if these were new pieces of equipment and City Manager Russo said yes. He said most of them are new and some are replacements, but he wasn't sure on the rifles and the shotguns and Chief Fred Maas said they are but they are limited, they are not for each officer. Mayor Edelcup asked if we can hit the fines and forfeiture monies for any of these that are new, and City Attorney Ottinot said if it is for crime prevention purposes we can use forfeiture funds, and that he will sit down with the City Manager and the Chief to discuss it. Mayor Edelcup said he would like them to look into that because we always have difficulty using those funds and if we can on these, this is where we should draw the money down from. City Attorney Ottinot said it is not a recurring expense that we generally have, that is the issue. Mayor Ede1cup said if these have to be replaced afterwards he can understand that they have to come under operations but if this is the first time around and they didn't have them before then we can get them under the fines and forfeiture funds. City Manager Russo said we will look at the list between the first and 2