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Home My WebLink About2007 05 03 Meeting Minutes of 042607 CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES AH HOC WINTER SPRINGS CITIZEN PROPERTY TAX REFORM MITIGATION STUDY COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 26, 2007 1. CALL TO ORDER The Ad Hoc Winter Springs Citizen Property Tax Reform Mitigation Study Committee Meeting of Thursday, April 26, 2007 was called to Order at 6:35 p.m. by City Manager Ronald W. McLemore in the EOC Room of the Police Department Building (300 North Moss Road, Winter Springs, Florida 32708). 2. ROLL CALL Committee Member Sondra Ahlers, present Committee Member Ethel Beecher, present Committee Member Michael S. Blake, present Committee Member Fred G. Curtis, present Committee Member Kathryn Fairchild, present Committee Member Mark Fischer, present Committee Member Cindy Gennell, present Committee Member Byron Giltz, present Committee Member Dale Kirby, present Committee Member Ron Ligthart, present Committee Member Gerry M. Marino, absent Committee Member Edward Martinez, Jr., present Committee Member Richard M. Mastroberte, present Committee Member Mathew Matisak, present Committee Member David W. McLeod, present Committee Member Terry Patten, absent Committee Member Bill Poe, absent Committee Member Bob Rucci, present Committee Member Max Swaim, present Committee Member Rande Thompson, present Committee Member Stephen Thompson, present ,..., r--, ;:- ~ ~ ~ t.:l-. ~ :;2:.:: ~ CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES AD HOC WINTER SPRINGS CITIZEN PROPERTY TAX REFORM MITIGATION STUDY COMMITTEE MEETING -APRIL 26, 2007 PAGE20F5 3. SUNSHINE LAW ORIENTATION City Attorney Anthony A. Garganese presented this Agenda Item and said, "As a Committee established by the City Commission with a certain City function you cannot discuss matters that could come before your Committee with other Board Members on this committee outside the Public Meeting. In other words, all your discussions about the issue that you have been charged with have to take place amongst Board Members or Committee Members in a Public Meeting. And the Sunshine Law requires that those Public Meetings be 'Noticed' ahead of time, has to be held in a room where the public may attend and once the Meeting has been called to Order, Board Members are free to discuss Committee business. And your discussions should be limited to the time when the committee is actually in session. Sometimes at the end of Committee meetings you may want to continue your discussions with one (1) or more Board Members. Once the Chair bangs the Gavel, do not discuss matters that come before the committee outside of the Public Meeting with a Board Member. One question that frequently comes up is 'Well, can I talk to other citizens about matters coming before the Committee?' 'Is that a violation of the Sunshine Law?' No, it is not. Sunshine Law only applies between Board Members on the same committee - and communications, in the last fifteen (15) years, the law has evolved with the use of emails. Emails are considered communication based on talk between Board Members. That is a communication. Written correspondence, smoke signals - if you can communicate a certain way, that is considered communication subject to the Sunshine Law. One (1) other thing that I want to bring to your attention is that as a Committee Member, all the documents that you receive regarding this official city business is Public Record. So, sometimes you will get documents from citizens outside of informal channels that come to the City Clerk's Office. Please be aware that if it relates to your business before the Committee considers - Public Record, you should turn at least a copy of it in to the City Clerk's Office for the Record." Deputy City Clerk Joan Brown discussed the Orientation package and Attorney Garganese conducted the Oath of Office and swore in the new Committee Members. Attorney Garganese then stated, "This is an Ad Hoc Committee and has a very short duration. Just keep in mind that the City has a policy that if you miss three (3) consecutive meetings, five (5) meetings within a twelve (12) month period, you have automatically vacated your committee seat. So, attendance does count - City Commission adopted in 2001." Introductions from each of the Committee Members and Staff were then presented. 4. REVIEW OF RESOLUTION NUMBER 2007-15 Manager McLemore presented this Agenda Item and discussed the Task of the Committee Members. t::::a ~ ;;;:-. <:::) ~ CL.. g..... -e:r.:: ~ ~ CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES AD HOC WINTER SPRINGS CITIZEN PROPERTY TAX REFORM MITIGATION STUDY COMMITTEE MEETING -APRIL 26, 2007 PAGE30F5 Manager McLemore said, "To complete this job, we need to understand what we are going to propose - in Section [R] [3)] it talks about, what if anything from your Seat the City should do relative to dealing with a Referendum on the issue of property taxes." Next, Manager McLemore said, "Get you established, make sure we answer all your questions about what you are suppose to do and then get ready to move on into the actual - of issues. Now, we propose to do that by bringing forth to you each of the Department Heads who will lay out in a very schematic format what they do, what their resources are and what they accomplished with those resources. And in their opinion they will tell you what the impacts of the proposed legislation or proposed Referendum would be on their organizations. The basic thought of that is that you understand what they do and how they go about it." Manager McLemore added, "How you would be affected by the changes in the delivery of services." Manager McLemore stated, "On these Ad Hoc Committees, we don't do things by Vote we do it by Consensus. Does that mean that everybody has to agree? No. That means you are able to get a majority position by Consensus on what you are going to recommend. Now it also provides that if you don't agree with the Consensus, you can by writing, submit an individual report that will append to the Consensus Report." Discussion ensued on various Legislative issues. Committee Member Cindy Gennell asked, "When your Department Heads make presentations to us, are they going to give us handouts?" Manager McLemore said, "Yes." Manager McLemore said, "The CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report) is a tremendous resource." Tape I/Side 8 5. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON COMMITTEE MEMBER DAVID W. McLEOD SAID, "I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT THAT [COMMITTEE MEMBER] MICHAEL BLAKE IS CHAIR AND [COMMITTEE MEMBER] MATHEW MATISAK IS VICE CHAIR." COMMITTEE MEMBER BOB RUCCI SAID, "[COMMITTEE MEMBER] MR. DAVE McLEOD." COMMITTEE MEMBER McLEOD SAID, "I DECLINE." ,--, ~ ;;...- ~ ~ Q.,... t'"'" ill ~ ~ ;:..-~ CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES AD HOC WINTER SPRINGS CITIZEN PROPERTY TAX REFORM MITIGATION STUDY COMMITTEE MEETING -APRIL 26, 2007 PAGE40F5 COMMITTEE MEMBER EDWARD MARTINEZ, JR. STATED, "I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE [COMMITTEE MEMBER] MICHAEL BLAKE AS CHAIRMAN AND [COMMITTEE MEMBER] DAVID McLEOD AS VICE CHAIRMAN." MANAGER McLEMORE SAID, "LET'S GO WITH THE CHAIRMAN. ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS ON THE FLOOR FOR CHAIRMAN?" WITH CONSENSES OF THE COMMITTEE, THE MOTION WAS APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. CHAIRMAN BLAKE SAID, "I KNOW WE HAD TWO (2) SEPARATE NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIRMAN. ONE (1) FOR [COMMITTEE MEMBER] MR. MATISAK AND ONE (1) FOR [COMMITTEE MEMBER] MR. McLEOD." COMMITTEE MEMBER McLEOD SAID, "I DECLINE." CHAIRMAN BLAKE STATED, "DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIR? DO WE HAVE ANY ONE OPPOSED TO [COMMITTEE MEMBER] MR. MATISAK SERVING AS VICE CHAIRMAN? WITH CONSENSES OF THE COMMITTEE, THE MOTION WAS APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED. 6. SELECTION OF MEETING TIMES, DATES, PLACES Chairman Blake said, "Does anybody here have any problem with a 6:30 PM start time going forth?" There were no objections from the Committee Members. Chairman Blake said, "Well, let's go ahead and keep 6:30 [PM] as our starting time and let's keep it at this location right here." Committee Member Byron Giltz noted for the Record a letter dated April 26, 2007. With discussion on the next Meeting date, Chairman Blake said, "We can look at that for our next Meeting perhaps which is the third Thursday, May 17'h [2007]." Chairman Blake then said, "One thing we are going to have to understand is twenty one (21) people - if we can get a general Consensus that the date is good and we can get, in this case, the speaker who we are looking to hear from, here, and we are going to try hard not to conflict with any of the other City boards." Chairman Blake stated, "Weare looking to pick one (1) Meeting date. This is the Meeting date that we are looking to get educated on the process as well as have the Staff and Finance Department come in." ~ ~~ ::-- c:> r=d CL. c:a..... :~ ~ CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES AD HOC WINTER SPRINGS CITIZEN PROPERTY TAX REFORM MITIGATION STUDY COMMITTEE MEETING -APRIL 26, 2007 PAGE 5 OF 5 Chainnan Blake said, "I would like to set the Meeting for May 17th [2007], Thursday at 6:30 [PM]." There were no objections from the Committee Members. With further discussion on Meeting dates, Chairman Blake then said, "So, the next Meeting regardless of which day it will be, will be at City Hall in the Commission Chambers." 7. WRAP UP DISCUSSION Chainnan Blake said, "So, we have our next Meeting. Staff will get back to us and verify the dates and time. The thing that we wish for them to go over will be [Mr.] Hank Fishkind's - presentation, secondly, Staff - Finance - to go through the Budget process, the vision, the goals, bring folks up to speed - perhaps about governmental accounting and how it is different." Committee Member Kathryn Fairchild asked, "Is it possible to video tape Mr. [Hank] Fishkind's presentation?" Manager McLemore said, "Audio is not a problem." 8. ADJOURNMENT Chainnan Blake adjourned the Meeting at 7:41 p.m. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY: JOAN L. BROWN DEPUTY CITY CLERK NOTE: These Minutes were approved on Study Committee. , 2007 Ad Hoc Winter Springs Citizen Property Tax Reform Mitigation t~;':'~;:~~ 1""7-....-"'1 ~;......~ ;.;~ ~ &:d CL..a t"""..... ~ ~ ~