HomeMy WebLinkAbout01101978Meeting of the Sebastian Licensing Board held on Tuesday, January 10, 1978.
All members were present: Ed Schmucker, Ed 'Paluch, Jim Harris, Merle Hasson,
Terry Verner, Houston Tripp.
First topic of discussion-was the electing of the chairman and ~ioe chairman.
Nominated for chairman was Ed Schmucker by Ed Paluch. 'Motion 'carried to have Ed
SchmUcker as the Chairman. Ed Paluch was nominated by E~'Schmuker to be Vice-
Chairman. Motion carried.
Next topic was the naming of the board. Several names were suggested and the final
vote was to have "CITY OF SEBASTIAN CONSTRUCTION BOARD."
Next topic was how many people were to be on this board. Five members were sug-
gested, but the final count was seven. 'They"include two (2) certified contrac-
tors, (not necessarily general contractors), one '(1) electrician, one (1)-heating
and ventilation contractor, one (1)-artchltect or engineer, one (1) plumber and
one (1) concerned citizen. This number could be expanded in the future if the
need arises.
Mr. Paluch suggested that a citizen be,on this board,'as this city is growing
and the need for citizen participation"is increasing. Also needed-is a contrac-
tor from each of the trades.
It was suggested that this board go by-the Palm Beach County 'Certification Law
book, as far as format is concerned'. This board will also be an Appeals Board.
To be eligible .for appointment as one of the first six members of this board, you
must be actively engaged in construction in"the City of Sebastian, be a resident
of indian River County or have an established business in the city'limits.
You must meet two of the three requirements..as stated above.
The concerned citizen member on this board must be a resident-of'the City of
Sebastian.
The members, except for the citizen, must meet these requirements. The' architect
or engineer shall be licensed in the'State of Florida. Each member of.this, beard
shall hold a valid certificate issued by this board in the State of Florida.~ Only
the citizen on this board is.exempt from all these requirements .
If the City Council appoints'the citizen"member,.then the .board cannot'dismiss
him. All the board can do is recommend to'the City Council said members's dis-
missal.
In the event that any member of the board, at any time duri. ng his ,term,, no l~.nger
~ossesses the required qualifications the board may, u~on a'majo~ity 'vote, recommend
to the City Council said members suspension or removal.
A normal appointment for a member to be on this board is three .~' years..
Within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act the City Council shall
appoint seven qualified persons to be members of the board as follows~-,.Three"(3)'
members for one (1) year; two (2) members for two (2) years;' and %wo (2)'-' ~emberS
for, three (3) years. All terms of office expire on September'.30' of the"~st year
of the term. As the terms of members expire,, the City Counci1'sha11 ap~0i'nt a
member to fill the vacancy for two (2) years.
A suggestion tO the City Council would be to have the Chairman on 'the board for
two (2) years and the vice chairman on the board for three (3) years, so that
when the chairman retires, the vice chairman would take over the chairman's
for a period of one (1} year. In further discussion, it was stated-that the council
w~d-determine-the number of--years-~or.-each member_Df the board. After the orig-
i~al appointments, the council would not have anything else to do with this board.
The board shall meet regularly as the need presents itself. As soon as practic-
able after the effective date of this act, the board shall meet. to elect officers
from its membership. Five (5) members of the board cbnstitute'a quorum.-.:.
Special meetings of the board may be held as the board provides rules and regula-
tions. It was discussed that this ~oard should get away from the city council.
Everytime that this board would want to change a rule, you would have to go.to the
city council for its approval. This board should be separate from the council
once it's set up.
It was discussed that if the city council-didn't have a say in a~opting the rules
and regulations of this board, then, if the board'suspended a man"s license, the
city council could not over rule this decision.
The board is authorized to adopt rules and regulations to carry:out provisions
of this chapter.' The board may from time to .time change, alter,- or amend the
rules and regulations adopted.
When a complaint arises, you send someone out in the field to:investigate it.
He will come back to the board and document this complaint to the board. In
this way~ the board would not-have to..spend~meeting after meeting trying to
figure out who is telling the truth--the owner or the contractor.
The ideal situation is a self-supporting board, so that your city council doesn't
have to worry about you taking money from them..-If you have an efficient board,
you can afford an investigator out in the field because the poople'that he's
going to catch and they've been licensed, they are going' to,ay hfs salary.
The men paying--.to take the test and paying' for renewals is going to'be your
primary source of income. If a license isn't renewed within a certain length
of time, then that man has to take the test all over again and ~ay the fee again.
The Building Department iS going to have to keep a file on all the men"who have
taken the test so that when it comes time to renew a license', they'wi11 know
just who should have to pay a renewal fee and who is not going to 'have to.
The board is authorized to employ personnel and incur expense as necessary to
perform its duties and enforce'this chapter"and shall sue and be sued.in its
official name.
Any member of theboard-or duly appointed.,hearing officer designated by,the bgard
may a~minister oaths 'and take testimony about ,all ~atters within the'jurisdiction
of the board.
The board shall adopt a seal.for its use.containing the words "City of Sebastian
Construction Board."
All revenue.received.by virtue of this ordinance, shall be .deposited into the
Building Department fund'which shall provide necessary funds ,to.meet the expenses
of the board. Members. of'the board shall receive one hundred do~lars.($100.00)
per annum and approved.expenses. These expenses will be approve~,by the majority
of the board. The expenses would incl-ude the printing of the licenses; tests,
seal, etc.
A ~oint was brought up as to the time limit of each of these meetings. One member
suggested one and one half hours and one member suggested two hours. No time limit
was settled upon at this meeting. It was stated that this board will meet once a"
week in the afternoon until this project is completed. The completed-format will
be presented to the city council'for discussion at their next meeting, which will
be February 6, 1978.
This board will meet again on Tuesday, January 17, 1978 at I p.m. here at City Hall.
Meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m.