HomeMy WebLinkAbout10252006
SEBASTIAN CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25,2006 -7:00 P.M.
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA
1. Mayor Burkeen called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:15 p.m.
2. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Paternoster.
3. There was a moment of silence.
4. ROLL CALL
City Council Present:
Mayor Brian Burkeen
Council Member Andrea Coy
Council Member Nathan McCollum
Council Member Sal Neglia
Council Member AI Paternoster
Staff Present:
City Manager, AI Minner
City Attorney, Rich Stringer
City Clerk, Sally Maio
Deputy City Clerk, Jeanette Williams
Growth Management Director, Rebecca Grohall
Growth Management Manager, Jan King
Human Resources Director, Debra Krueger
Police Lieutenant, Michelle Morris
MIS Systems Analyst, Barbara Brooke
Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Two
5. AGENDA MODIFICATIONS (ADDITIONS AND/OR DELETIONS)
Items not on the written agenda may be added only upon a unanimous vote of City Council
members (R-05-26)
On MOTION by Mr. Neglia and SECOND by Ms. Coy, the agenda was accepted as
presented on a voice vote of 5-0.
6. PROCLAMATIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, PRESENTATIONS - none.
7. CONSENT AGENDA
All items on the consent agenda are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no
separate discussion of consent agenda items unless a member of City Council so requests; in which event,
the item will be removed and acted upon separately. If a member of the public wishes to provide input on a
consent agenda item, he/she should request a Council Member to remove the item for discussion prior to start
of the meeting or by raising his/her hand to be recognized.
1-17
A.
Approval of Minutes - October 11, 2006 Regular Council
06.155
19-22
B.
Authorize Road Closures and Logistics Associated with 2007 Pelican Island
Wildlife Festival (Public Works Transmittal, Letter)
-Close Indian River Drive From Harrison Street North to Jackson
Street from 6:30 am to 8:00 am For 5K Run
-Close Sebastian Blvd. From Just Past Hess Station East to Indian
River Drive and Indian River Drive From Sebastian Blvd. South to
Harrison Street From 6:30 am to 5:00 pm
-Restrict North Half of Yacht Club Boat Ramp From 9:00 am to 4:00
pm to Load and Unload People for Pontoon Boat Tours
Mr. Neglia removed item B.
On MOTION by Mr. McCollum and SECOND by Mr. Paternoster, consent agenda item
A was approved on a voice vote of 5-0.
Item B
Mr. Neglia asked if "no pets" signs would be posted and if an event sign planned for the
intersection of Indian River Drive and US 1 would be placed by the County or the City.
The City Manager said no pets signs will be posted and that the event sign would be
posted by us at the intersection because it in reference to a City road. Mr. Paternoster
asked him to make sure the event date is correct on sign. Ms. Coy requested that
police officers be informed that they are to enforce the ban of dogs during the event.
Mr. Neglia inquired about security, to which the City Manager stated standard operating
procedures would apply.
On MOTION by Mr. Neglia and SECOND by Ms. Coy, item B was approved on a voice
vote of 5-0.
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Three
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS - None.
9. OLD BUSINESS
06.150
A.
Resolution No. R-06-23 - Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the City of
Sebastian and the Communications Workers of America. Local 3180 (HR
Transmittal. Tentative AQreement, R-06-23, AQreement)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SEBASTIAN, INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA,
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE BARGAINING UNIT OF THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS OF
AMERICA (CWA) AND THE CITY OF SEBASTIAN FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1, 2006
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2009; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF RESOLUTIONS OR PARTS
OF RESOLUTIONS IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND
PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
The City Attorney read the resolution by title and the City Manager briefly described the
agreement, stating union members ratified the agreement 42-4 and noted corrections for
the record (see Human Resources Director memo dated October 24, 2006 and revised
agreement pages attached)
On MOTION by Mr. McCollum and SECOND by Ms. Coy, Resolution No. R-06-23
ratifying the bargaining agreement with CWA was adopted with agreement revisions as
submitted by staff in a Human Resources memo dated October 24, 2006 and as read in
the motion by Mr. McCollum on a roll call vote of 5-0.
10. QUASI-JUDICIAL PUBLIC HEARING
06.142
69-109
A.
Approval of Site Plan Application. Conditional Use Permit and Waivers from
Riverfront Overlay District Requirements for Two Story Hotel Resort at 1034 &
1109 Indian River Drive (City Attornev Transmittal. Staff Report. Moia
Letter, Advertisement, Architectural Plan Submitted to Staff, Architectural Plan
Submitted to P & Z. Site Plan)
Mayor Burkeen read the title of the item and opened the hearing at 7:23 p.m., all Council
members disclosed ex-parte communications with Mr. Gilliams over the last year and a
half and the City Clerk swore in all who intended to offer testimony in this hearing.
Attorney Richard Torpy, 202 North Harbour City Boulevard, Melbourne, representing Mr.
Gilliams, said the majority of factual testimony would be presented by Mr. Moia, MBV
Engineering. He said he is here to state for the record his concern for the process of
review and approval of this application. He cited his experience as an Attorney for
several governing bodies and said it is the code interpretation that he believes is the
problem with this case, that staff interpretation of the codes is different than the
interpretation of the applicant, and he asked Council to listen closely to the evidence and
if it finds codes are too ambiguous to note that.
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Four
Damien Gilliams, applicant, stated he had been a resident of the community since 1985,
and would speak to Council from the heart, noting when the project came to mind it was
an existing property and that he hoped the City would work with him and make needed
hotel rooms available to the community. He cited a Chamber of Commerce letter that
indicates a need for rooms in the community.
Bruce Moia, MBV Engineers, reviewed his responses to each of staff concerns as set
out in the Growth Management staff report dated 7-12-06 and the MBV letter to
Planning and Zoning Commission dated 7-21-06 both being set out in the agenda
packet, individually as item ge - building coverage, 9f - floor area ratio, stating staff's
interpretation of the code is incorrect and the applicant is way below the requirement, 9h
- should now show compliance, 9j - the material has not yet been provided but would be
stucco with metal roof, 91 - there is no code requirement for them to put it where
planned, 9m - he does not know of any code that that sets out a parking stall radius
standard of 25', 9n - this is a private secured resort only for use by its patrons and not
open to the general public and not mixed use so there should be no additional parking
required; 90 - a variance has been requested for backup parking because the existing
use already has backup parking, 9p and 9u - both are variance requests, 9z drainage -
they would pursue SJRWMD permits, 12a - material would be stucco with metal roof,
12b -mechanical equipment would be screened, 12c - also a parking issue, 13b - has
applied for a variance, 14 - traffic impacts are stated on the plan, ,15d - location of
proposed utility service was provided, 15e - location of proposed structures have been
fully dimensioned on the plan, 15j - landscaping calculations have been included in the
variances, 151 - they have made efforts to save oak trees on the west side, 12m - they
could adjust the size of palms, 12p - this can be shown and they are not affecting
anything off site of their property, 22 - drainage concerns would be addressed and a
variance has been requested for parking deemed hazardous by the Engineering
Department, 23 - this is a secured private resort and the uses are accessory for. use by
the patrons. He said he believes they have met the intent of the code and that he would
respond to questions from City Council.
The Growth Management Director said the items before Council tonight are
consideration of three separate actions which are conditional use approval, approval of
three waivers from the riverfront overlay district requirements and site plan approval,
and in addition the Board of Adjustment would have to consider nine variances from the'
Land Development Code at another time. She said staff has reviewed the site plan
numerous times since first submitted in 2003, and spent hundreds of hours in review.
She said staff is ready to rebut each statement with specific code citations, believes the
code is very clear and not open to interpretation. She used as an example, "Floor Area
Ratio is a measure determined by dividing the gross floor area of all buildings on a lot by
the areas on that lof' and goes on to define "gross floor area" as "the areas of all floors
of a building including finished basements and all covered areas including porches,
sheds, carports, and garages."
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Five
Mr. Neglia asked about the nine variances and was told they are set out on circle page
84 of the agenda packet but the City Attorney advised the variances are not set for
discussion tonight.
Mr. Neglia asked if item 9m relative to typical engineering standard of 25' radius was the
City's standard, and the Growth Management Director cited LDC Section 54-3-10 #5e4
which states, "minimum radius on all commercial driveways shall be 25 feet':
In response to Mr. Neglia, the Growth Management Director said the applicant has
shown the location of the dumpster but not how it would be screened and they been
asked to determine if there is not a better location for the dumpster that doesn't block
the waterfront view.
In response to Mr. Neglia, Mr. Moia said a four-foot decorative security fence around the
pool is planned which would not be accessible without going into the resort.
In response to Mr. Neglia's concern about preservation of trees, Mr. Moia said the best
quality trees preserved would be in front of the building.
Ms. Coy expressed concern for the four-foot fence and asked how it would keep people
out and Mr. Moia responded that resort staff would participate in keeping people out
who are not patrons, and that the breezeway would have a gate.
Ms. Coy said this plan needs some tightening up and would want to see more
information about security, because the applicant has stated that the tiki bar and the
marina would no longer be open to the public and only invited guests of residents of the
motel would be able to enter.
Ms. Coy then cited several sections of the code that are very specific and not
ambiguous including floor area ratio, noting that Mr. Moia had forgotten LDC
requirements of gross floor area set out in Article 12 Section 54-5-22.2 which would
include all surface in the tiki bar; that Article 10 Section 54-3-10.2 covers screening of
waste containers; that Article 10 Section 54-3-10.2 states that minimum radius on all
parking shall be 25 feet; noting requirements for mixed uses as "the requirement for
parking spaces shall be equal to the sum of all uses computed separately" and here we
have to decide if this is a resort or a separate motel, marina, bar, etc. She said we don't
want a fence that would obscure the view of the river and rely on bartenders and other
resort personnel to police the area; that if we believe it is a resort then the applicant may
be close on the parking problems; that she finds it hard to believe the 15 boat slips
anticipated would only be used by resort residents in 39 rooms; that backing up into a
public street is set out in Article 10 Section 54-3-10.6 'general design standards' which
states no backing into a public street and that there should be an aisle or driveway; that
it is known that if this project kept the exact footprint as it has today it would be
grandfathered but that is not the case, but the applicant has totally changed the
footprint, and that entries and exits are required by Section 54-3-10.7. She said she
was not interpreting data but reciting the code. She then cited internal circulation
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Six
system requirements, which were not hypothetical but code; then went on to the tree
and landscape code Section 54-3-14.7 subsection b.i. which sets out criteria for removal
of specimen or historic trees and requires an alternate site plan to protect the trees,
stating if the applicant turned the building around he could save those oaks, that this
was not opinion but code.
Mr. Paternoster discussed the variances that would need to be granted stating that
when someone makes a request for a variance they are asking for a deviation from the
code, and stating there is a hardship to the property and not the individual. He said in
this case he did not really see a hardship on the land.
Mr. Moia responded the depth of the land on the river is the hardship.
Mr. Paternoster suggested the pool could be removed.
Attorney Torpy said a variance requirement usually occurs when there is a unique
problem with the land that is enjoyed by other property owners and that there are
several resorts and businesses up and down Indian River Drive which have special
circumstances. He cited backing out onto Indian River Drive at Captain Hirams.
He was corrected by several people that there is no backout parking at Captain Hirams.
Mr. McCollum asked the City Attorney what Council would be voting on tonight.
The City Attorney said City Council would vote on whether this hotel meets the
conditional use criteria, then Council would want to consider whether to grant a waiver of
from riverfront overlay district requirements based on whether enforcing those
provisions would create an inordinate burden on the applicant that as a matter of
fairness should be borne by the public in general rather than the applicant, and then
whether to approve the site plan which would be subject to obtaining variances.
The Growth Management Director read conditional use criteria for CWR zoning as set
out in the agenda packet page 81 paragraph 24 subparagraphs 1 and 2. The City
Attorney also cited general conditional use criteria in Article VI paragraphs 1 through 6
on page 81 of the packet, which also must be met. He said to grant a use of a hotel in
the CWR district you have to decide on all of these criteria affirmatively.
In response to Mayor Burkeen, the City Attorney said during a review of a prior site plan
for this project by Planning and Zoning, the west side of the project was approved
subject to approval of the east side and then the east side was denied so that vacated
the approval of the west. He said there are no provisions to approve a site plan unless it
is phased and he had advised Planning and Zoning of this.
Mayor Burkeen said going back to accessory use issues he is confident the applicant
can meet the requirement for security, and based on that, wanted to know if the City is
using the same standards for others such as Best Western, Riverboat Tours and
Captain Hirams Key West Inn and Sandbar.
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Seven
The Growth Management Director said she is confident the developments cited have
met the parking requirements of the code and again reiterated the code states that in
the case of mixed uses, parking spaces shall be equal to the sum of several uses
computed separately, and in the hotellmotel section it says one space for each 100
square feet of accessory and meeting rooms, and does not say accessory bars, pools or
accessory restaurants.
The City Attorney said nowhere in the Code does it state that you don't count parking for
accessory uses. He said after he arrived the next time Hirams came in they sat down
and determined exactly what parking was required for each individual activity and the
number of parking there now is the sum of all the uses.
In response to Mayor Burkeen, the Growth Management Director said Riverboat Tours
only has one driveway in and out and this was allowed by the Code if you cannot have
two way, but you still have to provide an area to turn around and not back out into traffic.
The Growth Management Manager explained the applicant received a benefit by
considering the breakfast room an accessory meeting room but to call a bar an
accessory meeting room is a stretch.
Mayor Burkeen called for input in favor of the application.
Bruce Hayes said we deserve another resort, that sometimes that this Council pulls the
wool, that Mr. Gilliams wants to generate jobs and do something for the city and Council
needs to stand up to the issue and say do this, said he understands codes, that half the
town doesn't have water, the street lights last three minutes, and said give the man a
chance.
Tammy said she wants a place for her children to work, and that she cannot jump over a
four-foot fence.
Tiki Crumenacker, said he was new in Sebastian and had served on the Wellington P &
Z and supported the resort, stating it would bring business to the area and improve the
waterfront.
Barbara R. Cheatam, said she had worked at Disney and they only had one security
guard at the gate and employees knew who was supposed to be there and who was
not.
Flo Ursulean said he spent several thousands of dollars to get variances and it keeps
getting canned and said staff is dictating.
Ruth Sullivan, Indian River Drive, said the hearing notice she received mentioned
conditional use permits and waivers from the riverfront overlay district requirements
which is in place to prevent overdevelopment in the riverfront; that we have had hotels
built recently and business is slow right now; that this proposed development is planned
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Eight
to go on less than 1.5 acres with 39 hotel units, a breakfast room, office, tiki bar,
outside seating area, pool, and 15 boat slips which would not doubt be rented, and in
her opinion this was 20 pounds of potatoes in a five pound bag. She said this is a
serious case of overdevelopment and violates many regulations and requirements; the
site is 50 parking spaces short; existing businesses are grandfathered and have been
there for years and that cars do not back out from Captain Hirams; that the sidewalk on
Indian River Drive is very popular and many use it and it is a wonderful City asset and
this would create a personal injury accident just waiting to happen; that there are
environmental concerns in this district to consider; she would like to see the area
developed but within the code, that this plan had been rejected a number of times and
asked that it be rejected again until it meets the code. She also expressed concern
about Council bringing back Ordinance 0-00-08 regarding the twenty-five foot building
height restriction.
Joseph Palladin, Chairman of the Growth Awareness Committee for Indian River County
and President of Atlantic Coast Construction and Development Corporation of
Sebastian, stated that there are many variances and code infractions which could be
overcome if Mr. Gilliams had a desire to do so; that there are use and safety issues; and
finally that this is Sebastian, this is your riverfront and you only have so many chances
to make it right and something to be proud of and it is important that Council represent
itself well and serve the people well.
Donna Keyes, 725 Layport Drive, Sebastian said Damian is her neighbor, she knows his
family and has no personal problems with him but does have problems with this plan;
said the only hardship here was that there is not enough room for this size project laid
out the way it is and stated that variances have to be for conditions not created by the
applicant and these conditions are created by the applicant. She said she knows Mr.
Gilliams could create something very nice on this property but not this plan because
there are too many things that the City has to give where the City should be getting.
She said the project is too big for this lot and respectfully requested that Council deny
the application.
Trish Adams, 47 River Oak Drive, Sebastian said it is totally inappropriate to shoehorn
this project into a property this size; that it would remove specimen trees and would
have improper storm management; said the project should be reduced and sets a bad
precedent for our waterfront. She said she would personally not frequent a resort only
one acre in size; that it should be reduced, redesigned and have it fit the property. She
recommended the application be denied as proposed.
Lisanne Monier, 725 US Highway One, said the project is far too intense for the amount
of land on which it is to be built, that Mr. Gilliams has utilized enough time from City staff
and boards and he and his engineer have been directed to make appropriate changes
time and time again and each time have refused to do so; that there is no excuse
anymore, that his properties are the blight of this community, and that she is sick of her
tax dollars being spent on staff time spent on this project, noting that fees have
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Nine
been waived and he is not even paying now. She said it was time to stop the mockery of
the governmental process, the laws and the codes, and suggested perhaps Mr. Gilliams
should buy the old Bealls property and build his resort there because there would be
plenty of property.
The City Clerk read a letter of objection from Willard and Kathryn Siebert e-mailed to
City Council members on Sunday, October 22,2006 (see attached to the minutes).
The City Attorney advised City Council members said while the Siebert letter does not
appear to contain any factual statements in it to this case, to the degree that it does,
Council is allowed to consider that they were not under oath in those statements read
into the record.
Mayor Burkeen called recess at 8:45 p.m. The City Attorney advised Council not to
speak to anyone during the recess relative to this case. Mayor Burkeen reconvened the
meeting at 8:57 p.m. All members were present. There were no additional ex-parte
communications by City Council to disclose when the meeting reconvened.
Mr. Moia admitted he was in error on the gross floor area and said his client would be
willing to reduce the size of building by 162 square feet, and would provide adequate
screening such as a block wall for the dumpster. He noted that every driveway in the
plan already has a 25 foot radius, that there is adequate parking because this is not a
mixed use but is a secured resort which is a single use and parking should be based on
a single use, said the fence can go to five feet and that it would be an aluminum
decorative picket fence which would not block the view of the river; that the docks, if
rebuilt are planned to be used only by patrons of the resort; that backup parking should
be encouraged in this type of area and was not a safety concern, stating no one has
ever brought him an incident of anything happening because of it; and as to clearing of
the trees some trees cannot be relocated but they are preserving those that can be
preserved; and that drainage would be improved from what exists there now because
there is currently no retention.
Attorney Richard Torpy, said you have two lawyers in the room, the City Attorney who
represents City staff and can't give Council a neutral opinion and then asked that his
own input be given the same weight as Mr. Stringer's input. He noted that Mr. Palladin
said Council is here to serve the people and then Mr. Torpy asked people in the
audience who support the project to stand up. Many people stood up and were holding
"Save Our Resort". He said when you are looking at conditional use approval, the basic
question you have to ask is do you want this project, and that most of the nine variances
deal with parking. He said you also must ask does this improve what you have there
now, noting this is currently not a clean site which already backs out onto the road, it is a
bar and there is no drainage plan on the current site. He said it is going to be better
than what you have now, and that backup parking was currently being done but could
be better by using signage. He discussed cost benefit analysis, stating that this project
was not being done out of benevolence, the applicant was not a not-for-profit
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Ten
organization and that the applicant intends to make money. He further stated the
amenities within the structure would be for the use and benefit of the occupants of the
structure only and there would be security measures to ensure this. He reminded
Council that parking would have to be handled at another meeting, but that doesn't
mean you say no to the project, if they believe this would bring a benefit to the
community as a whole, he asked that Council approve it.
The Growth Management Director commented that development could occur that
complies with the Land Development Code, improves the waterfront, benefits the
community, provides living wages; that there are businesses up and down the riverfront
that have complied with the codes, and respectfully requested that Council deny the
conditional use, the waivers and site plan before them.
Mr. Neglia said as we have discussed over and over, he was glad trees won't be moved,
that there are other buildings which have gone up recently that are blocking the
riverfront, noted that as the City Attorney had said earlier we can't partially approve a
site plan, said cars are not backing out on Indian River Drive in the new projects, that
the hardship is to the property not the individual. He said he thought a total of 39 units
with 15 boat slips is kind of questionable, that the applicant has agreed to include the tiki
bar in the floor plan and that waste containers would now be taken care of, that he
questions whether or not the tiki bar would be open to the public, would like to see more
information on security, and suggested that perhaps Mr. Gilliams can lessen the amount
of rooms or remove the pool. He concluded by stating he would like to see the project
possibly scaled down, would like to see a resort here but can't see this fitting in there
because there is not enough room.
Mayor Burkeen noted Mr. Moia said they would reduce the square footage by 162 feet,
agreed that this was a single use resort, and asked if Mr. Gilliams expanded his tiki bar
as it was now he would he still be able to back out onto Indian River Drive.
The City Attorney said the current use is non-conforming and under the code he could
not expand or change a non-conforming use and until he changes one of those two
things he can continue to backout.
Mayor Burkeen asked if Com cast vehicles were still backing out across the street and
the City Attorney confirmed they were.
Mayor Burkeen said Council talks about economic development, that Mr. Gilliams could
scale down his project that would meet the requirements but it would not be
economically feasible, that he would like to see specimen trees saved, that Council
makes considerations to others on the riverfront relative to boundary lines and
landscaping and noted that Mr. Gilliams would create tax money for us and there would
be some jobs. He said it probably is ten pounds of potatoes in a five pound sack but he
would like to see something done in this area, that Mr. Gilliams could put in 39 boat slips
if he wanted to, and did not think the project was terrible but there was room for
improvement but hoped Council could see past that and look for conditional use on it.
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
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Ms. Coy said the code states that alternative site plans shall be considered regarding
saving specimen trees and no alternative site plans were ever submitted as required,
and yes trees cannot be moved as the building was planned but the building could be
relocated. She said she had no problem with a hotel here but she believed it was ten
pounds in a five pound sack, that this plan violates nine different sections of the code,
that backing out over a sidewalk was never considered by her because it is too
dangerous and ordinances prohibit it. She said there are things that could be done to
the site plan to reduce the scale and still have a bar and maybe a smaller pool but no
effort was made to do that, and in looking at conditional use criteria she sees that the
parking has to be designed to protect the public safety and welfare, that backing out
over a sidewalk fails to meet provisions of conditional use, and as presented this project
fails conditional use criteria. She said she would love to approve the project if it was
scaled down.
Mr. Paternoster said there is not much more he can add that has not already been said,
agreed the applicant could improve what is there now but it needs to be scaled down,
that the hardship is created by the owner, that this would be a great addition but nothing
has been offered to scale it down, noted that Mr. Torpy has stated that backing out is
bad and agreed that backing out is bad whether it is a tiki bar or a resort. He agreed we
would be remiss if we didn't look at this and see the potential. He asked, if Council sees
parking problems on the riverfront should it agree to give nine variances to every
business that wants to develop down there? He respectfully said to Mr. Moia that he
was taken aback by the fact that Mr. Moia missed the gross floor area ratio in the code
and to Mr. Gilliams said if he could scale the project down and meet criteria Council
probably would not have a problem.
Mr. McCollum said if he was developing the property he would build a second floor on
the west side and make a parking garage, was against reducing the ten foot perimeter
landscaping to five foot because this was a buffer to a residential district and he doesn't
know what is going in there, and agreed with everyone that the project needs to be
scaled down. He asked what became of the height ordinance. He said property owners
have the right to build but Council also had the right to require things and we have to
think of adjacent property owners. He said the project has a lot of potential and can be
worked on.
Attorney Torpy requested that Council table the item for thirty days to give them time to
respond to some of the requests of Council.
The City Attorney said tabling it would say they are going to make changes, and Council
could do it, but it would be no different than starting from scratch and fundamentally it
would be a new site plan.
Ms. Coy said Council had agreed to make a decision tonight as a clean slate, that
Council agreed to review it as is, and now it needs to go back and be redrawn and it
was foolish to think we could make revisions without going through staff and thirty days
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Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Twelve
was not long enough for staff review. She said she was prepared to review the site plan
as it was, that this was our agreement with Mr. Gilliams' attorney and recommended it
start from scratch.
Mr. Neglia said he agreed with Ms. Coy, let Mr. Gilliams make new plans, start it from
scratch and go back to Growth Management because he knows exactly what Council
wants.
Mayor Burkeen said he hated to put it off in all fairness.
MOTION by Mayor Burkeen and SECOND by Mr. McCollum to table it for thirty days.
Mayor Burkeen, in response to Mr. Neglia, said the thirty days would be time for it to go
back to staff.
Ms. Coy said she believed Council had met its obligation and thought to extend it further
would be ludicrous.
Roll call on the motion to table failed 1-4 (McCollum, Neglia, Paternoster, Coy - nay)
Ms. Coy asked what would have to be found in order to approve conditional use.
The City Attorney advised on the requirements for general conditional use approval by
reiterating the requirements set out in the Land Development Code and on page 81 of
the agenda packet, as follows: Is the project so designed, located, and proposed to be
operated so that the public health, safety and welfare would be protected; does it
present any unduly adverse effect upon other properties in the impacted area in which it
is located; and based on the scale, intensity and operation of the use shall not generate
unreasonable noise, traffic, congestion or other potential nuisances or hazards to
contiguous residential areas; does it conform to all applicable provisions of the district in
which the use is to be located; does it satisfy specific criteria stipulated for the
respective conditional use described in this article; and is it consistent with the code of
ordinances and comprehensive plan.
The City Attorney went on to advise that to grant the waivers from the riverfront overlay
district regulations Council must determine that granting of the waiver is necessary
because strict interpretation of the regulations would place an inordinate burden on the
property owner as defined by Florida Statutes, and Florida Statutes defines "inordinate
burden" as "applying the code directly restricts or limits the use of the property such as
the owner is permanently unable to attain the reasonable investment backed
expectation for the existing use which isn't here, or the vested use which isn't here or
the vested use right to a specific use of the property with respect to it as a whole and
that he would permanently bear a disproportionate share of the burdens imposed for the
12
Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Thirteen
good of the public with fairness should be borne by all people." He said that to grant the
waiver, Council would have to find that applying the code creates an inordinate burden
which in essence means it so unfairly restricts his ability to use the property in
accordance with its rights under the code.
Mr. Gilliams said he has been asked by the City to come back several times and he was
asking once for the item to be tabled so he could address the issues.
Mr. McCollum asked if Council decided to approve the conditional use permit to say this
could be a resort what did Council just say, and the City Attorney responded Council
would be saying a hotel would work at that sight, then Council could move to the next
step which is the waiver, and then on to the site plan. He said Council could say a hotel
would work on the site and then still reject the waivers and the site plan.
Ms. Coy said the six conditional use criteria have to be in line and before she could say
yes that a hotel would work, and she said she believed it would, she would not be able
to say this meets the criteria.
The City Attorney said if Council says this meets the conditional use, then we are
already approving the waiver. He said if Council wanted to defer action on the
conditional that is understandable and go straight to the others.
Mr. McCollum asked if this Council approved the conditional use, but denied the waiver
and the site plan then what would happen. The City Attorney said Council could defer
action on the conditional use and go on to the site plan or the waivers.
The City Attorney said if the applicant has no problem Council could take all three in one
vote, and asked Attorney Torpy if he had any objection to combining the vote.
Attorney Torpy said he would have an objection and if Council tabled this tonight they
could go back and tweak the site plan, and let it go back to staff. He said by simply
denying this we have no incentive to move forward. He said failing that Council could
grant us the conditional use, deny the other two and at least we know that Council wants
a hotel at this site, and then we could mess with the site specific issues and come back.
The City Attorney said if this were the first time this had come up he could see it, but for
a few years staff had been saying we like a hotel, but we have problems with certain
issues and this was not new.
Attorney Torpy said this was nonsense and as far as he knows, this was the first time
this board had heard this project in total.
The City Manager said this was the second time, that the applicant had submitted it in
total and it was rejected and this is a resubmittal with fees waived, these comments
have been given to the applicant before and this was not a surprise.
The City Attorney said this is a resubmittal but no changes were made.
13
Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Fourteen
Attorney Torpy said he did not want the applicant labeled a villain because he asked to
have Council hear this rather than Planning and Zoning or City staff.
Ms. Coy showed Attorney Torpy the different site plans that were submitted and said
this was the second time, that it had been tweaked and tweaked and substantively had
not changed. She said plans that were reviewed by staff were then tweaked again by
Mr. Gilliams when he appeared before the board and that just doesn't normally happen.
MOTION by Ms. Coy and SECOND by Mr. Paternoster to deny the conditional use
passed on a roll call vote of 3-2 (Burkeen, McCollum - nay)
The City Attorney then said the rest of the issues are now moot because the conditional
use permit request failed.
11. INTRODUCTION OF NEW BUSINESS FROM THE PUBLIC
Item that has occu"ed or was discovered within the previous six months which is not otherwise on the agenda
12. NEW BUSINESS - None
13. CITY ATTORNEY MATTERS
The City Attorney said he would bring back the Ordinance for first reading relative to
building height at the next meeting, and he would look to Council for guidance as to
filling and other protective actions along the riverfront.
He said this is the sixth jurisdiction he had represented citing when he had private
practice it was his job is to get his project approved, but when he works with government
his responsibility is to work for Council to make sure the codes are applied.
He reported on the Clambake noting there would be money prizes for the raft race and
chowder cook-off.
14. CITY MANAGER MATTERS - None.
15. CITY CLERK MATTERS - None
16. CITY COUNCIL MATTERS
A. Ms. COy
Ms. Coy said in working with Indian River Community College, specifically Dr. Massey
and Dr. Sullivan she had found that out of 1000 or more classes offered there are only
three offered in City of Sebastian. She said she would like to look at building something
in Sebastian, possibly rehabbing two buildings here on the city complex site or their use.
She said with Council's consensus she would like to continue the dialogue and Council
concurred.
14
Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Fifteen
The City Attorney said he would check the Boys and Girls Club contract for joint use of
facilities such as computer labs and gyms during their off hours.
B. Mr. Paternoster
Mr. Paternoster asked when the restrooms would be open at the splash pads and the
City Manager responded in a couple of weeks. He also requested sun protection for
parents at splash pad and the City Manager said he would look into it.
C. Mr. NeQlia
Mr. Neglia requested looking into putting some protective coating over the concrete at
the splash pad and the City Manager said he would look into that and a gate.
D. Mr. McCollum
Mr. McCollum discussed Waste Management noting their contract stated their pickup
deadline is 5 pm, and said if they were not going to meet their deadline then let's bring
them in here.
He encouraged people to get out and vote relative to the School District issues noting
this Council had done everything it could legally do to get things done, and said Dr.
McGarvey had no plans to do anything about overcrowding in the middle school.
He reported that when he was in Tallahassee he found out the Fish and Wildlife and
Coast Guard have funding for derelict vessels.
Mr. McCollum said it would be difficult for him to get to meetings during the winter
months when a huge wildfire situation was expected. He stated that he would be
resigning from his position on Council as of December 31, 2006 as of 11 :59 p.m. He
said by Charter, because it was less than six months before the next election, Council
could appoint someone by vote of Councilor it does not have to appoint anyone at this
time and to meet the rule of the Charter Council could select one of the March electees
at the regular meeting following the election. He said he did not think the City had ever
had a more solid City Council and he feels comfortable leaving it in their hands and the
best news is he would be able to discuss anything he wants with any of them and Mr.
Barnes would have nothing to write about.
He requested that an item relative to disussing the process for filling the vacancy be
placed under his matters for December 13, 2006.
E. Mayor Burkeen
Mayor Burkeen said he attended the Treasure Coast Council of Local Government
Meeting for Mr. Neglia and said it was nice to see everyone at the table. He said there
was a discussion of the establishment of the Treasure Coast League of Cities and their
15
Regular City Council Meeting
October 25, 2006
Page Sixteen
intent was never to initiate the Indian River League of Cities but rather there is a
movement to put together a Treasure Coast League of Cities and they would ask Mr.
Neglia at his next meeting what the intent of the City of Sebastian would be.
It was the consenus of Council to approve establishment of a Treasure Coast League of
Cities rather than an Indian River League of Cities.
17. Being no further business, Mayor Burkeen adjourned the Regular Meeting at 10:24 p.m.
Approved at the November 8, 2006 Regular City Council Meeting.
......2
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Brian Burkeen, Mayor
ATTEST:
,~
16
CIlYOF
HOME OF PELICAN ISLAND
Memorandum
Date:
Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Debra Krueger, Human Resources Director @
October 24th, 2006
To:
From:
Re:
Agenda No. 06.150, Subject: Collective Bargaining Agreement
between the City of Sebastian and the Communication Workers of
America, Local 3180.
In the CW A Bargaining Agreement, the following changes must be made to the
agreement, and the attached amended pages are to be inserted in place of the existing
pages you have.
. Top of page 18, Article 10.2 (b), the word "must", should have a strike through it.
. Page 30, Article 16.5 - "Effective October 1, 2006, the City will match
contributions to an employee 457 plan up to 1 % of employee wages", needs to be
deleted. It was never intended to be part of this agreement. It was included in the
previous tentative agreement, but it has since been removed, and needs to be
removed for your agreements.
. Page 35, Article 20, the 2% salary increases effective April 1st, 2007, 2008 and
2009, omitted in error.
The approval of the agreement will be discussed during old business, and when this
item comes up, someone from City Council will have to make a motion to; (1) strike
through the word "must" in Article 10.2(b), (2) delete Article 16.5 (3) add the 2%
salary increases effective April 1st, 2007,2008 & 2009, to Article 20 and (4) amend
the attached pages to be included in the agreement and delete the incorrect ones.
I apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions regarding this matter,
please call me at 388-8202.
(b) If a bargaining unit member is absent from work in excess of three (3) consecutive due to an
illness, the member must flffiSt-may be required to submit a doctor's note to the Department
Head, or hislher designee, attesting to the employees ability to return to work with or without
restrictions.
10.3: Use of Sick Leave:
(a) Sick leave may be used for the following purposes:
(1) employee ill health or;
(2) medical, dental, or optical treatment required during working hours;
(3) quarantine due to exposure to infectious disease;
(4) employee ill health while on annual leave;
(5) in connection with Workers' Compensation;
(6) for death in employee's immediate family; and
(7) illness of an immediate family member requiring the employee to remain at
home.
(b) Whenever it appears that a bargaining unit member abuses sick leave, such as when a member
consistently uses sick leave immediately upon its being accrued or before and after holidays or
weekends, the member shall be required to furnish a doctor's note verifying that the member
was medically unable to report to work on those days. Failure to provide such notice will
result in no pay for the day (s) in question.
(c) Sick leave may be used for absences due to illness or injury sustained while engaged in
outside employment.
(d) Bargaining unit members may not use sick leave during their first sixty (60) days of
employment. If an employee resigns or is otherwise terminated during the first six (6) months
probationary period, he/she will reimburse the City for all sick leave used by deducting the
cash equivalent of hours used from hislher fmal pay check.
(e) Upon separation from employment in good standing (resignation or retirement with a two-
week notice or medical separation), a bargaining unit member is eligible to be paid for a
percentage of hislher accrued balance of sick leave up to a maximum of 600 hours. The
percentage is as follows:
If separated before completing first year
1 - 5 completed years of service
6 years to 10 completed years of service
Over 1 () years completed years of service
11 years to 20 completed years of service
Over 20 years of completed service
-0%
-25%
-50%
75%
-75%
-100%
(f) Every bargaining unit member entitled to sick leave benefits and who has been employed for
one (1) full fiscal year and who does not take sick leave during a fiscal year (October 1st
through September 30th) shall be given one (1) day's pay to be added to their paycheck during
the first full pay period in December. Such bargaining unit member shall also be given
18
16.1: Effective April 29, 2001, the Employer agrees to contribute to the CWA/ITU Negotiated
Pension Plan (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the Plan) nine (9%) of a bargaining
unit member's annual gross earnings for each employee covered by this Agreement, for
purposes of providing pensions on retirement, death benefits, and other related benefits
for covered employees of the Employer and other contributing Employers. The Plan is
jointly administered by Trustees appointed in equal numbers by the Union and Employers
under an Agreement and Declaration of Trust, and has been found by the Internal
Revenue Service to be entitled to exemption under the Internal Revenue Code.
16.2: Contributions shall be paid to the CW A/ITU Negotiated Pension Plan, P.O. Box 2380,
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901, no later than the 15th of the following month, together
with reports on forms to be furnished by the Plan or the employer's printout, if in an
acceptable format. During the effective period of this Agreement, this benefit will be
paid monthly over a twelve (12) month period which will continue for the life of the Plan.
16.3: Title to all monies paid into the Plan shall be held exclusively by the Trustees in trust for
use in providing the Benefits under the Plan and paying its expenses.
16.4: The Employer recognizes that in addition to the Union's right to enforce this section, the
Union shall have the right in its discretion to take any legal action necessary to collect
any contributions or monies due and owing to the Plan and to secure delinquent reports.
The Employer further agrees that the Union shall have the right to collect reasonable
attorneys' fees and expenses incurred in connection therewith. The Employer shall
supply to the shop steward (chapel chairman) the union representative's copy of the
Negotiated Pension Plan employer report forms or a copy of the Employer's printout
forms on a quarterly basis.
Eligibilitv:
A. Only regular full-time bargaining unit members are eligible for inclusion in the
CW A/ITU Negotiated Pension Plan.
B. New regular full-time employees are eligible for entry into this Plan as of the first
day of the next full pay period following sixty (60) days from their date of hire.
ARTICLE 17
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
17.1: Purpose:
The purpose of the City of Sebastian performance appraisal program is to provide a
consistent practice of establishing written goals and evaluating the performance of the
bargaining unit member. It is needed to help measure, improve, and reward bargaining
unit member performance, to assist departments and the agency to meet their goals.
17.2: Definitions:
30
incurred by the city for the purchase of the work boots/shoes.
ARTICLE 19
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
19.1 : Disciplinary action may be taken against any employee for just cause.
ARTICLE 20
SALARY
20.1: Eligible bargaining unit members shall receive a 2.5% increase to their current step effective October
1, ~2006. and eligible employees shall receive a 2% increase to their current step effective April 1.
2007..
20.2: Eligible bargaining unit members shall receive a 2.5% increase to their current step effective October
L 2007. and eligible employees shall receive a 2% increase to their current step effective April L
2008. Effeetive Oetober 1,2001, the City will provide all bargaining l:lflit members with a pay inerease
of 2.5% pereent added to their base salary, i.e., excluding longevity, supplemental or any additional
pay.
20.3: Eligible bargaining unit members shall receive a 2.5% increase to their current step effective October
1. 2008. and eligible employees shall receive a 2% increase to their current step effective April 1.
2009. Eff-cetive October 1,2005, the City will provide all bargaining unit members with a pay increase
of2.5% percent added to their base salary, i.e., excluding longevity, supplemental or any additional
pay.
ARTICLE 21
SUBSTANCE ABUSE TESTING
The City's Policy regarding Substance Abuse Testing that is currently in effect-will be followed for the life of
this Agreement.
ARTICLE 22
UNIFORMS
22.1 : The City shall provide and maintain uniforms to all members of the bargaining unit who are
required to wear them.
22.2: All issued uniforms and equipment must be returned to the City. Failure to return issued uniforms and
equipment will result in the bargaining unit member paying for the actual cost incurred by the city for
the purchase of said uniforms.
22.3: Any bargaining unit member assigned a uniform will be required to wear the uniform at all times
while performing his or her job functions. The City uniform shall not be worn at any other time or for
any other reason.
ARTICLE 23
TUITION REIMBURSEMENT
35
Sally Maio
From: Willard Siebert [willsiebert@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2006 11 :54 AM
To: Sal Neglia; Brian Burkeen; Andrea Coy; Nathan McCollum; AL Paternoster
Subject: Paradise Marina Site Plan
We w11l be unable to attend the public hearing on October 25, 2006 because we are currently out of
state. Please note that we are directly impacted by the proposed project and have spoken against every
exception to the city's riverfront ordinances at every opportunity. We are hereby requesting that our
previous remarks be included as part of the minutes of the public hearing.
In addition to these remarks we respectfully request that you strongly consider the following:
1) The riverfront is precious to all the residents of Sebastian and requires protection from those that
would exploit it for profit. There are acceptable ways for it to develop but it must be done carefully.
That is why we have ordinances in place. If the ordinaces create an unreasonable bUrden on quality
development, we should consider changing the ordinances rather that granting exceptions.
2) The issue is rea11ly density. The property simply cannot be developed at the desired density under
existing regulations. A lot of thought and effort went into developing the riverfront ordinances including
all the issues being addressed at this public hearing. The developer has the option of scaling down the
project. There will be no turning back if the exceptions are granted.
3) There is no issue of hardship. We urge you to review all the previous decisions regarding this site
plan and we are confident that you will agree that it should not be permitted to proceed as proposed.
We sincerely hope that this will be the final time we have to defend against this project. It just doesn't
make sense that we must continue to waste staff time and effort when the issue has been decided on
several previous occassions. If they returl1., please tell them to return. with a plan that meets the letter and
the intent of the ordinances.
This is an extremely important decision for Sebastian. We do not want overdevelopment. Our future is
true1y in your hands. If you stand up to this developer, you are standing up for us. We, the citizens of
Sebastian, are not afraid of threats of lawsuits and will enthusiastically support your efforts on our
behalf.
We appreciate your consideration of our concerns. If necessary, we can be reached by cell phone at 532-
3046 or at willsiebert@hotmai1.com.
Willard & Katherine Siebert
1013 Indian River Drive
Sebastian, Florida 32958
10/2412006