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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01052000SEBASq-ZAN &*ZTY ¢OUNCZL WORKSHOP MZNUTE$ 00.001 WEbNESbAV, ,TANUARY 5, 2000 - 7:00 P.M. CZTY COUNCIL CHAMBERS l aa5 MAZN STREET, $EBAST'%.AN, FLOI~DA Mayor Neuberger called the Workshop to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. ROLL CALL City CounciJ Present: Mayor Chuck Neuberger Mr. ~Toe Barczyk Mr. Walter Barnes Mr. Ben A. Bishop City Council Absent: Mr. Edward ~T. Majcher, ~Tr. (Excused) Staff Present: City Manager, Terrence Moore City Al~orney, Rich Stringer City Clerk, Kathryn O'Halloran Chief of Police, Randy White beputy City Clerk, 5ally Maio WORKSHOP A. Enforcement Issues in th~ City of Sebastian Mr. Barnes read a prepared statement into the record and submitted a list of questions and suggestions to the City Council and City Manager. (See both attached) It was the consensus of City Council to allow public input. jily Council Workshop anuary 5, 2000 Page Two The following individuals addressed City Council: Robert Pliska suggested Public Works not be used for code enforcement and that code enforcement be conducted during off hours. Dennis O'Hara suggested seven day per week enforcement, accountability and follow up to complainants. Mayor Neuberger at this time cited the use of civic tracker software which he had provided to the City Manager and the City Manager assured him staff was directed to report back on its use. The Mayor then went on to cite code enforcement statistics since May 1998 for the record: 1585 new cases 1162 of those self-initiated of 162 civil complaints no basis 24 cases to Code Enforcement board 110 tree removal inspections 150 water restriction violations reports He then suggested a third Code Enforcement officer and certification. Richard Taracka noted certification was to have been looked into 2 years ago; and agreed with weekend code enforcement Alan Schofield discussed violators who do not abide by imposed regulations and fines; and supported the job the current officers are doing The City Al"rorney discussed the Robert Taylor case whereby the property owner names was changed, tying the cil~/s hands Sol Neglio, said officers were doing a good job. Al Vilardi reported on the poor condition of the back of businesses abutting the alley adjacent to CR 512, and fences and burros at a residence on George Street TAPE I - SIDE II (7:45 p.m.) Discussion continued on problems at the Georgia Boulevard residence. Louise Kautenberg cautioned against micro-management and suggested if people see violations they call them in. ity Council Workshop anuary 5, 2000 Page Three Mr. Barnes then reiterated that people do call in and suggested that perhaps a be~ter process could be put in place such as productivity studies. Mr. Brauer questioned why it took two years to clean his ditch and time is being wasted discussing code enforcement. The City Attorney explained Code Enforcement procedures. Chief White suggested using the system Vero Beach uses, whereby citations are written and the violator is given a choice of either paying the fine or go before a county judge to protest. Elizabeth ~riffin said Code Enforcement is doing a great job. The City Manager said performance budgeting process includes future goals and objectives and recommended that City Council direct staff to come back with recommendations, noting he would be meeting with the Management Team the next day to discuss these issues. He suggested staff come up with ways to enhance operations, keep better records and track programs. He noted he will be bringing a budget adjustment to Council on ~Tanuary 26, 2000 and could also bring back this recommendation at that time. Mr. Bishop noted that city-wide communication has vastly improved and agreed with the need for seven day enforcement coverage, follow-up to complainants, and continued employee training. Mr. Barczyk noted that some city boards do not get information they need until one or two days before their meetings. ]~t was the consensus of City Council that the City Manager will bring forth a recommendation to City Council as previously stated. Robert Pliska suggested garage sales be limited to two per year. Being no further business, Mayor Neuberger adjourned the Workshop at 8:35 p.m. Approved at the Kathryn M~. O~Halloran, CMC/AAE City Clerk ,1999, Regular City Council Meeting. Chuck .berger / / / Mayor / (~,// Since I requested holding this meeting I want to explain my motivation. Some people have suggested that I have a vendetta against code enforcement or some other department. Nothing could be further from the truth. My desire is to mutually agree on a course of action that will keep council and staffon the same wave length and hopefully to agree on some parameters for future progress. In the final analysis Mr. Moore is responsible for running the city and applying council approved policy. I am sure he is interested in what council and the public have to say. No one has defended staffmore than I. We have an excellent staffand our workers are as good or better than any city has. I feel that we X, as a city, have to begin to emulate more closely, those practices and polities employed by private business entities. We should be acting in the same manner as a business in a competitive environment. We have to have strong management oversight of operations,flexible strategies, employee empowerment delegation of authority where practical and the concept of all our employees acting as a team. The city is growing and we have grow with it. Business as usual is not acceptable. What is it that we have to do. Dept. Heads must be accountable for establishing goals and objectives for their Dept. Follow up on progress must be implemented and reported to council periodically. The Strategic Plan must be the basis for the goals and objectives. I am sure some of this is in place fight now and hopefully each Depts. Goals & objectives support the Strategic Plan and also other Depts. When council establishes policy we need feedback on implementation. We dont want to be ignored. Employee training. What are new employees told. Do supervisors break them in or do they learn the ropes from their co-workers. Are policies and goals etc. explained to them. Is there a process for continuing training. Is good work recognized by supervisors. Do supervisors act as cheer leaders of a team. Does every manager, supervisor and employee know who their "customers,' are. Is every Dept following good business practices. Do we review work and change if necessary, Do we listen to employee suggestions. Do our supervisors feel empowered to take action where required without checking up the line. There seems to be a disconnect between policy and practices in some instances. Once enacted,regulations are meant to be implemented and not ignored_Problems should be addressed when observed by any dept. The attitude its not my job: should be discouraged, Can Public Works report observed code violations to code enforcement. Can the Police Dept use their eyes and ears to assist other Depts. Why not? These observations are all concepts employe~a-by businesses which are successful in a competitive market. It takes a long time to implement them but'I feel we, the City of Sebastian, must begin~ The Quality program started several years ago is no longer in place. It could have reinforced many of these concepts. I think the staff& employees are in place to meet the challenge and it is a challenge. Change comes hard in any environment. It is happening all over the country and maybe it is time to re- asses ourselves in a positive mannerdaas-¢ome. I am confident that some of the practices and processes I have mentioned are in place and functioning. We do rec/eive monthly reports from some Depts. now. We may not have to far to go to get where we want]o be. With the help of all concerned the future is bright. I Have compiled a list of questions and some suggestions that I will give to Mr Moore and Council members at this time. I am sure some could be answered tonight but feel that others will require time. These are not meant to be all inclusive questions but are rather a composite of some requests which would indicate to council what we need to know. I have always felt that the City Manager and staff are the group which provides continuity to the path to success for the City. I would hope that in the future they are allowed to do their job and work towards progress for the residents of the City Thank you Are code enforcement officers only responding to complaints and if so, why? If not, do they inform all obvious violators that they are not in conformance with code. When will they be scheduled for certification training. Do all Departments with field employees keep productivity. Are affected employees made aware of new ordinance requirements. Do we review each personnel requisition to be sure there is a need for the position. Can Council'begin to receive reports of monthly activity from Depts who are not currently providing them. Are operations reviewed to consider the possibility of transferring or eliminating those operations. Can code enforcement establish a numbering system in order to allow residents to follow status of complaints more efficiently. What is going on in the from yard at 458 Georgia Blvd. This looks like a violation of setback regulations. Madison Street off Rt. !. There is a junk What is the outcome of the building height vehicle in the driveway for several months. problem on Del Monte Streets new house-.?