| REPORT: |
AIRPORT AND TOURISM COMMITTEE
AIRCRAFT NOISE ABATEMENT TASK FORCE FOR MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MIA) AND AIRCRAFT NOISE ABATEMENT TASK FORCE FOR OPA-LOCKA AIRPORT
Mr. Max Fajardo, Deputy Director, Miami-Dade Aviation Department, noted that the Board should remain in existence. He said since the Board was formed noise complaints surrounding MIA had decreased by approximately 90%.
DIAL-A-LIFE PROGRAM ADVISOR AND OVERSIGHT BOARD
Ms. Paula Musto, Vice Chairwoman, Dial-A-Life Advisory Board explained the purpose of the Dial-A-Life Program and reported that the Board met regularly.
FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Will Edwards, Chairman, Film and Entertainment Advisory Board noted that the Board had recognized several issues of the Film and Entertainment Industry and has held regular meetings to discuss these issues and possible solutions and recommendations. He noted the quorum rate was 100%.
MIAMI-DADE SPORTS COMMISSION
Mr. Larry Gautier, Co-Chairman, Miami-Dade Sports Commission stated the purpose and primary goal of the sports commission. He listed the sports events the commission had brought to Miami-Dade County. He noted they would continue to work with county officials to identify any sports facility needs and working with schools to find ways to provide the best facilities for our schools.
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (TDC)
Mr. Michael Spring, Director, Department of Cultural Affairs, explained that the mission of the board was to promote Miami-Dade County’s appeal as a tourism destination by supporting tourism and events. Mr. Spring said the TDCs funding source was a grant program which used application forms, review criteria and followed published guidelines. $925,000 had been invested in more than 105 different events and organizations over the period of one year. Mr. Spring pointed out that the TDC had implemented public nominating to make sure that the 9 members of the council were renewed on a regular basis. Mr. Spring said the council was mandated by State Statute and had a 100 % quorum rate.
BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
BISCAYNE GARDENS AREA MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Mr. Vernell Edwards, Chairperson, Biscayne Gardens Area Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC), stated there had been 36 meetings of which four (4) did not have a quorum because there had not been enough active members on the Board. Mr. Edwards noted that he felt the Board should sunset.
COMMUNITY SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Ron Frasier, Chairman, Community Small Business Advisory Board, noted that the Board monitored the Community Small Business (CSB) ordinance and the Board had revised the ordinance several times in effort to make the ordinance more effective. He noted the 15 member board met on a monthly basis and had not met quorum approximately 3-4 times.
In response to Commissioner Gimenez’s inquiry regarding the Advisory Board issuing reports to the commission, Mr. Frasier explained that the Board did not issue reports to the commission, however they were beginning to meet individually with commissioners to apprise them of issues relating to CSB and to make quarterly presentations to the commission.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AUTHORITY
Ms. Rachel Baum, Director, Finance Department, stated the Educational Facilities Authority was created by the County Commission pursuant to State Statues; she indicated that the board had not met in a long time and that the board only met when an educational facility desired to issue bonds. Ms. Baum indicated that if Educational Facilities wanted to issue tax exempt bonds for the benefit of an institution the board needed to remain intact.
FISHER ISLAND AREA MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Mr. Jorge Fernandez, Office of Strategic Business Management, appeared before the committee and noted that the Fisher Island Area Municipal Advisory Committee could not be present at today’s meeting (7/23), because there was an existing moratorium in effect which began in November 2005 and board had not met since the moratorium began.
In response to Commissioner Gimenez’s inquiry, Mr. Fernandez stated that prior to the moratorium the board met regularly.
GOULDS AREA MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Mr. Lewis Canty, Chairman, Goulds Area Municipal Advisory Committee, he explained that the advisory committee had been created to study the feasibility the possible incorporation of the Goulds area and preparing and advisory report addressing the results of the study prepared by County staff as well as incorporation concerns of the Commission. . Mr. Canty explained that there were boundary disputes between the Redland initiative and the Goulds Initiative, which have not been settled; Mr. Canty noted that the dispute with the Redlands posed a handicap to the Goulds initiative; he said they were unable to resolve their dispute even using the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium. Mr. Canty said the advisory committee had not met in approximately 13 months. Mr. Canty requested that a solution to the boundary issue would allow the moratorium to be lifted and advisory committee to complete their study.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s inquiry whether the dispute could be solved, an unidentified staff member apprised committee members that the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium came to the conclusion that there was no resolution to the boundaries between Goulds, Princeton, Leisure City, Naranja (PLANT) and the Redlands.
Chairman Diaz stated all Municipal Advisory Committee’s reports needed to reflect whether staff members attended meetings and the costs relating to this.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ms. Martha Alcazar, Comptroller, Chairperson, Investment Advisory Committee (IAC), stated that the committee was comprised of 6 members, 3 Miami-Dade County employees, and 3 members from the public/private sector.
Ms. Alcazar stated that the IACs mission was the following:
o Review status and performance reports on the County’s investment Portfolio;
o Make recommendations regarding investment strategies, current market trends,
o opportunities and risks in developing short and longer term investment strategies;
o Advise on and recommend investment policies concerning the use and selection of legal investment alternatives;
o Advise on and recommend on:
1) performance monitoring methods;
2) cash flow projections, models;
3) yield and cost rates performance;
4) corporate banking services agreements;
5) statutory and regulatory compliance
o recommend implementation plans for the use of new investment techniques and methods; and
o issue any other recommendation related to cash management and investment which will improve and benefit the financial performance of the County’s cash management activities.
Chairman Diaz asked Ms. Alcazar to provide a report outlining the costs of operating the IAC.
Responding to Chairman Diaz’s question regarding the quarterly meetings, Ms. Rachel Baum Finance Director, explained that the IAC held quarterly meetings to review the performance of the investments, submitted an annual report and a summary of the investment results to the Budget and Finance Committee, then to the Board of County Commissioners.
LIVING WAGE COMMISSION
Mr. Gary Waters, Chairman, Living Wage Commission stated that the purpose of the Living Wage Commission was to review the effectiveness of the Living Wage Ordinance, review certifications submitted by covered employers to the County, and to make recommendations to the Mayor and the County Commission regarding matters relating to the Living Wage Ordinance.
Mr. Waters noted that the Commission met on a monthly basis.
MIAMI-DADE HIV/AIDS PARTNERSHIP
Mr. Dan Wall, Director, Office of Strategic Business Management, noted that the Miami-Dade HIV/AIDS Partnership was a federally mandated planning council under the former Ryan White Comprehensive Aids Resources Emergence (C.A.R.E) Act which was recently reauthorized (December 2006) as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act, Public Law 109-144. he noted this board’s mission was to eliminate disparities and improve health outcomes for all people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS; Mr. Wall further noted that the board served in an advisory capacity to the City of Miami as it relates to their Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA) funding program.
PLANT (PRINCETON, LISURE CITY AND NARANJA) AREA MUNICPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ms. Barbara Dotson appeared before the Committee on behalf of the PLANT Area Municipal Advisory Committee’s Chairperson, she gave a brief report regarding the MAC. She noted the main purpose of creating the Plant MAC was to review incorporation and the boundary dispute. Ms. Dotson noted there had been meetings with the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium as well as the Redlands Group, she noted the Redlands Group would not discuss the boundary issue; therefore the boundary dispute currently existed. Ms. Dotson suggested due to growth in the immediate area a new assessment needed to be conducted to review whether the budget had been met to form a new municipal city; she asked committee members for help determining the boundaries of the PLANT area.
SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD
Ms. Nancy Nagamatsu, Chairwoman, Small Business Advisory Board noted that the board was comprised of a diverse range of small business owners and financial executives from Miami-Dade County, meetings were held monthly. Ms. Nagamatsu noted Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) firms were invited to attend meetings and were encouraged to bring forth issues that affected their business with Miami-Dade County.
Chairman Diaz expressed concern regarding the lack of quorum at meetings and the board not being able to properly refer particular small firms to particular jobs.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s concerns Ms. Nagamatsu said that the Boards role was to ensure there were enough certified small businesses and that the Board only covered products and services.
Ms. Penny Townsley Interim Director of Small Business Development, Procurement Management Department explained that this Board was not responsible for the review of contracts or the application of measures.
Commissioner Gimenez expressed concern regarding having 2 separate boards; the Small Business Advisory Board and the Community Small Business Enterprise Advisory Board. He inquired whether both boards were necessary and if the 2 boards should be combined.
Ms. Townsley explained how the 2 boards were different; she said the Community Small Business Enterprise Advisory Board was for construction and the Small Business Advisory Board was for goods and services. She noted the 2 boards were based on different ordinances which governed the programs. Ms. Townsley stated she could not answer effectively regarding combining the 2 boards; however she felt that it may not be feasible to combine the 2 boards to the different industries and the different expertise needed for the different boards.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
ADDICTION SERVICES BOARD
Ms. Michaela Doherty, Representative, Addiction Services Board, appeared on behalf of Chairman James Hall. Ms. Doherty noted that the Addiction Services Board was established by County Ordinance in 1989, it was created to work with public and private sector providers to make recommendations regarding the need for prevention and treatment services within the substance abuse arena; to serve as an advisory Board to the Board of County Commissioners, the County Manager and the Community concerning substance abuse prevention and treatment services in Miami-Dade County; to make recommendations on the administration and distribution of funds directed to substance abuse prevention and treatment services. She noted the Board was comprised of 18 members, 9 from the public sector and 9 from the private sector; there were currently 3 vacancies on the private sector side and there had been only 3 vacancies for the past 2 years. Ms. Doherty said that within the last 2 years attendance and achieving quorum had been a problem for Board Members. In June of 2006 Board Members decided to meet quarterly as opposed to monthly in an attempt to boost attendance and achieve quorum on a regular basis.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Jose Fabragas, Chairman, Affordable Housing Advisory Board (AHAB), said that during the past 5 years AHAB had distributed $99.4 million of award money which had created 9,442 affordable housing units. Mr. Fabragas noted that the State Attorney’s office had recommended dissolving the Board or changing it; he stated they were awaiting the committee’s decision whether the AHAB would remain as is, be eliminated or be transferred to the Housing Finance Authority.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Fabragas about the State Attorney’s recommendation and noted that the AHAB was State Mandated and whether the State Attorney had the power to dissolve a State Mandated Board.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s comments, Mr. Fabragas clarified and explained that the powers of the AHAB would be transferred to the Housing Finance Committee and that this was a pending issue.
ASIAN AMERICAN ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Saif Ishoof, Chairman, Asian American Advisory Board (AAAB), noted that the AAAB was created in 1997 under county ordinance 97-128; the board was established with the purpose to advise the county commission, administrators and the community on matters pertaining to Asian-American and advance the interest of the Asian-Americans in the community at large. Mr. Ishoof said the AAAB met 9 times on a monthly basis and met quorum 7 times; he noted that there had been attendance issues and that the county’s attendance policy was vigorously enforced by terminating the members that did not attend meetings regularly.
Commissioner Gimenez noted that the AAAB was a very active board and asked why operating costs were so high.
Mr. Ishoof explained that the operating costs only included staff, and that staff would be able to answer the question more thoroughly.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Ishoof to forward a report immediately to the committee explaining the operating costs.
BLACK AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Didler J. Fabien, Chairman, Black Affairs Advisory Board, said the Board was established in 1994 and its purpose was to advocated and advise on behalf of the Black World Community in Miami-Dade County, he noted the Board was comprised of 13 members which were all appointed by commissioners. Mr. Fabien pointed out that 5 vacancies existed due to lack of appointments.
CHILDREN’S TRUST
Ms. Loretta Duvall, Senior Manger, Children’s Trust noted that their board consisted of 33 members which were appointed and represented various agencies. Ms. Duval said the trust met for 12 full board meetings, 1 each month, and quorum had been achieved for every meeting; she further stated that 30 subcommittee meetings were held in 12 months. Ms. Duval noted the following amendment to the report: the cost to support the board was calculated to be $90,000 annually also $75,000 annually for a part time County Attorney.
COMMISSION FOR WOMEN
Ms. Joan Sampieri, 9031 SW 62nd Terrace, noted that the Board met on a monthly basis with the exception of August and December and that the quorum rate was 80%, she said that active committees met year round in between regular meetings. In closing Ms. Sampieri noted that currently 21 appointed members existed on the board and that the budget was $246,000.
COMMUNITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRTEGY ALLIANCE TASK FORCE
Mr. Luis Rabell, Chairman, Community Affordable Housing Strategy Alliance (CASHA) stated that CASHA was formed on May 9, 2006 and expired on April 30, 2007, during that time the task force met 6 times and 40 committee meetings. Mr. Rabell noted of 41 seats, 34 were filled.
COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY
Mr. Bill Zubkoff, Volunteer Chairman, Community Action Agency (CAA), gave an overview of the services CAA provided to the community.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Zubkoff to provide a current report regarding meeting quorum rates, vacancies, and the costs to operate this board.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD
Mr. Harold Vieux, Vice Chairman, Community Relations Board (CRB), gave a brief overview regarding the activities and accomplishments of the CRB.
Commissioner Gimenez expressed concern regarding there being several different cultural boards and suggested that the cultural boards all be merged with the CRB in an effort to make the board more efficient from a cost perspective.
DADE-MIAMI CRIMINAL JUSTICE COUNCIL
Mr. Paul Sweeney, Representative, Dade-Miami Criminal Justice Council, noted that the board was comprised of 36 members that met quarterly with a 100% quorum rate. Mr. Sweeney reported that the cost of the board was approximately $174,000 yearly.
Commissioner Gimenez suggested merging the Domestic Violence Oversight Board and the Youth Crime Task Force Board into the Dade-Miami Criminal Justice Council.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY BOARD
Mr. Erigene Belony, Chairman, Equal Opportunity Board (EOB) gave an overview of the Boards duties, accomplishments and activities. Mr. Belony recommended amending Chapter 11A of the County Code to make the ordinance more effective and responsible, for example, he noted it would be recommended that source of income be included within the ordinance as a protective category in housing discrimination; he further noted that the provision would benefit persons that relied mostly upon Social Security and Veteran’s Benefits to pay a portion of their rent. He said that other minor amendments would allow the EOB to obtain certification from United Stated Housing and Urban Development (USHUD) and receive federal funds.
Marcos Regalado, Director, EOB, stated that the recommendation was to go from ten employees to one.
Commissioner Gimenez expressed concern regarding the recommendation to eliminate 9 positions within the EOB.
HISPANIC AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD
Ms. Marili Cancio, Chairwoman, Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board, noted that the board met on a monthly basis, and that between October 2006 and October 2007 the board had met 9 times and accomplished quorum at 7 meetings.
HOMELESS TRUST
Rabbi Soloman Schiff, Vice Chairman, Homeless Trust noted that the budget for the coming year was close to $41 million, out of which $14 million comes from the 1% food and beverage tax. He stated that the cost of operation was $126,00 which also came from the %1 food and beverage tax.
HOUSING LINKAGE PROGRAM TASK FORCE
Mr. Rickert Glasgow, Assistant to the Director of Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) stated that OCED provided administrative support to the Housing Linkage Program Task Force and noted that the Chairman of the Task Force was out of the Country and there was not a report available for this Task Force.
JAY MALINA INTERNATIONAL TRADE CONSORTIUM (ITC) OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Mr. Tony Ojeda, Executive Director, International Trade Consortium noted that the board currently had 35 Mayor appointed members. Mr. Ojeda stated that the budget for ITC was $1,594,000 and of that amount $26,000 was allocated to support the ITC Board which met every other month, and $11,000 to support the Sister Cities Coordinating Council; Mr. Ojeda said that approximately $37,000 was allocated to support the activities of the ITC Board.
Chairman Diaz inquired further regarding the budget and asked Mr. Ojeda to submit a complete budget.
METRO-MIAMI ACTION PLAN TRUST (MMAP)
Mr. John T. Jones Jr., Board Member, MMAP Trust gave a brief description of the duties and accomplishments of the MMAP Trust.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Jones to provide him with a full breakdown regarding the operating costs of this board, including the amount and costs of county staff and the overall cost of the actual program by Friday July 27, 2007.
In response to Commissioner Gimenez’s inquiry regarding the MMAP’s funding sources Mr. Jones explained that MMAP was funded by the occupational license tax, and document stamp tax.
METRO-MIAMI ACTION PLAN (MMAP) NOMINATING COUNCIL
Mr. Bill Diggs, Member, MMAP Nominating Council noted that the MMAP Nominating Council had a zero budget. He stated that the Board was comprised of five members, four of which were appointed by the Mayor and the fifth member was the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and that all nominations had to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Ms. Jennifer Glazer Moon, Director, Office of Strategic Business Management gave a brief description of the functions of the Social and Economic Development Council (SEDC). She noted that the direct operating cost of the SEDC was approximately $360 annually, and that there were indirect costs of approximately $2,000 annually associated with county staff salaries associated with attending the meetings.
URBAN ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION TASK FORCE
Ms. Karen Ward, Director, Urban Economic Revitalization Task Force (UERTF) provided a brief overview of the mission of the board and its accomplishments.
Chairman Diaz asked Ms. Ward to submit all costs and budget information to him by Friday July 27, 2007.
YOUTH CRIME TASK FORCE
Ms. Isabella Afanador, Member, Youth Crime Task Force gave a brief overview of the mission of the board and its accomplishments, she noted there were 33 current members.
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES STUDY ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. James Humble, Committee Member, Agricultural Practices Study Advisory Board noted the accomplishments of the committee, he noted the committee was comprised of 13 members, the quorum rate was 99% and the annual budget was $43,000 annually.
BISCAYNE BAY SHOERLINE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE
Mr. Jose Escandell, Committee Member, Biscayne Bay Shoreline Development Review Committee noted that the committee was comprised of 13 Commission appointed members. He noted that the budget for the committee was $41,532 annually, which covered direct and indirect costs.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s concern regarding the 30% vacancy rate, Mr. Escandell explained that currently 6 permanent members and 7 vacancies and that the Board had approximately 36% capacity not including the municipalities that had the ability to assign temporary members for each project.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Ecandell to revise his report and resubmit it to the committee and include more detailed information regarding the budget, amount of members.
BOARD OF RULES AND APPEALS
Ms. Kathy Charles, Assistant to the Director, Building Code Compliance Office reported that the Board members met on a monthly basis and had a 100% quorum rate.
BOAT DOCKING AND BOAT STORAGE FACILITIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ms. Patricia Hamilton, Committee Member, Boat Docking and Boat Storage Facilities Advisory Committee gave a brief presentation regarding the purpose of the committee. She noted the committee was strictly involved with environmental practices of every commercial marine facility that has 10 boats or more within Miami-Dade County. Ms. Hamilton noted there were currently 7 members of the committee.
Commissioner Gimenez expressed concern regarding the committee meeting once a year and expressed further concern that this committee’s functions may be better served by an Ad-Hoc Committee as opposed to an advisory committee that only met once annually.
BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES CITIZEN’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Ms. Barbara Bisno, Committee Member, Building Better Communities Citizen’s Advisory Committee noted there were 21 members which were appointed by Commissioners, the Mayor and the County Manager; she noted the committee met every 45 to 60 days, and of 13 meetings only one had not achieved quorum. Ms. Bisno noted that the budget was approximately $20,000 annually.
CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISORY TASK FORCE
Mr. Harvey Ruvin, Climate Change Advisory Task Force Chairman noted that the Task Force had submitted to committee members a report regarding the Task Forces current activities. He commended committee members for the appointments of Task Force’s members. Mr. Ruvin noted there had been 4 meetings and that the Task Force’s purpose was two-fold, 1) to reduce greenhouse gases and 2) to provide a format for other communities to follow; Mr. Ruvin explained that global warming would cause serious impacts which needed to be thought out in advance in an effort to take proactive steps to minimize the negative aspects of the negative impacts.
Mr. Ruvin said the Task Force had set out its methodology which involved breaking the Task Force up into the following committees:
1. Steering Committee
2. Natural Systems Adaptation Committee
3. Property and Infrastructure Adaptation Committee
4. Scientific and Technical Committee
5. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Committee
Chairman Diaz said he thought this was an excellent Task Force which would benefit everyone in the future and that he looked forward to working with this Board in the future.
Commissioner Gimenez expressed concern regarding the power generating industry which contributed 40% to greenhouse gases, and suggested bringing in representatives of the industry.
COMMISSION ON DISABILITY ISSUES
Ms. Elizabeth McNally, Chairwoman, Commission on Disability Issues explained the mission of the commission and noted that the commission was comprised of 13 members.
Chairman Diaz commented that the Commission on Disability Issues Board had done an outstanding job for Miami-Dade County.
COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAM TASK FORCE
Ms. Beverly Washington, Chief, Enforcement Division of Solid Waste Department stated the mission of the Task Force was to prevent illegal dumping, she noted a few of the Task Force’s major accomplishments.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s inquiry whether illegal dumping was a federal crime, Ms. Washington stated that it depended upon the amount of refuse being dumped determined if this crime was a felony or not.
Commissioner Gimenez suggested perhaps changing the name from Community Awareness Program Task Force to Illegal Dumping Task Force to make it clear what the task force’s activities were.
COMMUNITY COUNCILS
NORTHEAST DADE COMMUNITY COUNCIL 2
Mr. Patrick Gannon, Chairman, Community Council 2 noted that the council was comprised 7 council members. He noted that his report did not include the staff costs and revenues; he indicated that Ms. Lourdes Avalos of Team Metro would submit a report to committee members which would include the aforementioned detail. He reported that the Northeast Dade Community Council 2 held 9 zoning hearings all meetings had achieved quorum and 14 applications had been considered, the cost was $20,710 in 2004-2005 and $22,524 in 2005-2006. He further reported 15 non-zoning hearings, 14 met quorum and 12 resolutions forwarded to the BCC; the cost was $5,085 between 2004-2005 and $4,764 between 2006-2006.
COUNTRY CLUB OF MIAMI COMMUNITY COUNCIL 5
Mr. Richard Freedman, Chairman, Community Council 5 noted that the council held 15 zoning hearings, of the 15 hearings 14 met quorum and 35 applications were considered. 13 non-zoning meetings were held, of the 13 meetings, 11 met quorum and 18 resolutions were submitted to the Board of County Commissioners. Mr. Freedman noted the zoning portion of the council’s budget for Fiscal Year 2004-2005 was $37,278 and that the non-zoning portion was $2,825.
BISCAYNE SHORES COMMUNITY COUNCIL 7
Mr. Mike Bresher, Vice Chairman, Community Council 7 noted that the zoning budget for FY 2004-2005 was $12,426 and for 2005-2006 was $22,524; for non-zoning in 2004-2005 was $3,955 in 2005-2006 $5,558. Mr. Bresher said that 7 zoning hearings were held of which 6 met quorum; 8 applications were considered 1 of which was sent to the BCC; for non-zoning 14 meetings were held of which 13 met quorum and 17 resolutions were produced.
NORTH CENTRAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL 8
Mr. Vernell Everett, Representative, North Central Community Council 8 reported that the Fiscal Year 2004-2005 costs were for zoning $45,562 and non-zoning $4,520. For the Fiscal Year 2005-2006 costs were for zoning $61,941 and non-zoning $5,058 noted Mr. Everett. Regarding quorum at meetings, Mr. Everett said of 21 zoning hearings held, 19 achieved quorum; of 15 non-zoning meetings, 14 achieved quorum and 155 applications came before the council. Mr. Everett expressed concern regarding the high vacancy rate of the council and suggested a mechanism be put in place to fill vacancies immediately.
WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COUNCIL-10
An unidentified representative spoke regarding the Westchester Community Council. He noted the board’s mission was to provide residents of unincorporated Miami-Dade County with increased governmental accountability and responsiveness in decision making, to improve the effectiveness of service by making them more responsive to retain efficiencies to services, to maintain the ability to match unincorporated areas in availability to maintain a sense of community identity. The representative noted in 7 years there had been 54 meetings (non-zoning) 22 of those had not achieved quorum; there were 86 zoning meetings in 7 years, 12 of those had not achieved quorum. The representative recommended including a conflict of interest and code of ethics resolution regarding who can be a member of a community council and the process of being a member of community council, also to allow the chairperson to fill vacancies if commissioners fail to do so within 30 days; he further recommended restructuring of impact fees and to hold a conference every 4 years with all community councils, divide themselves into committee and come up with recommendations to the commission.
Chairman Diaz asked staff to provide to him a report regarding the revenue each Community Council received.
WEST KENDALL COMMUNITY COUNCIL 11
Mr. Domingo Pastillo, Representative, West Kendall Community Council 11 noted the mission of the Community Council. Mr. Pastillo reported that between 1997 and 2003 the council held 128 meetings, of which 74 were zoning meetings and 54 were non-zoning meetings; he further noted that 295 applications had been reviewed and that only 3 of the 128 meetings had no quorum.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Pastillo to submit to him the financial information regarding direct and indirect costs of the Community Council 11.
KENDALL COMMUNITY COUNCIL 12
Ms. Carla Ascencio-Savola, Representative, Kendall Community Council 12 reported that between 1997-2003 the council had 195 zoning applications, 40 applications denied, 12 appealed and 8 went to litigation. She noted that between 2004-2006 the council had 155 zoning applications and that approximately 3 were appealed. Between 2004-2006 the council held 23 zoning meetings, all meetings had achieved quorum. The council held 13 non-zoning meetings, 12 of which achieved quorum. The 2004-2005 budget for zoning was $45,562 and for non-zoning $3,955; from 2005-2006 the budget for zoning was 67,572 and for non-zoning $4,764.
REDLAND COMMUNITY COUNCIL 14
Mr. Curtis Lawrence, Chairman, Redland Community Council 14 noted the boundaries of his community council. He said the council had held 21 zoning hearings, considered 159 applications; the council held 10 non-zoning meetings resulting in 29 resolutions being forwarded to the BCC. He reported that the operating costs of the council were detailed within the report that was submitted to Chairman Diaz.
SOUTH BAY COMMUNITY COUNCIL 15
An unidentified representative of the South Bay Community Council came forward and indicated that the representative had to leave therefore she would give the oral report. She noted that for FY 2004-2005 the councils zoning costs were $37,278 for 2005-2006 $16,893; the non-zoning costs for 2004-2005 was $3,955 and for 2005-2006 $1,588. She noted the council held 12 zoning meetings of which 11 met quorum (50 applications); 9 non-zoning meetings were held of which 8 met quorum (21 resolutions forwarded to the BCC).
FISHER ISLAND COMMUNITY COUNCIL 16
Mr. Sidney J. Stern, Chairman, Fisher Island Community Council 16 said for FY 2004-2005 zoning costs were zero (0) and non-zoning costs were $2,260, he noted the stated costs did not include staff and he would forward a report with this detail included. For FY 2005-2006 the $16,893 for zoning (1 zoning application, no appeals) and $3,176 for non-zoning noted Mr. Stern.
Commissioner Gimenez expressed his concern and asked Mr. Stern if he thought this council could or should be combined with another council.
Mr. Stern responded that the community council was the voice of the residents of Fisher Island and the residents deserved to have their voice heard and if the council was combined with another council that may not give the residents of Fisher Island the opportunity to voice their concerns.
COMMUNITY IMAGE ADVISORY BOARD
Ms. Alyce Robertson, Community Image Manager, Community Image Advisory Board noted the mission of the Advisory Board. She explained that the Board currently had many vacancies and was operating with approximately 30 members.
Chairman Diaz asked Ms. Robertson to submit to the committee a full report regarding details of the board’s budget.
CONSTRUCTION TRADES QUALIFYING BOARD-DIVISION A
Mr. Bob Steib, Chairman, Construction Trades Qualifying Board-Division A, gave a brief description of the tasks of the board. He noted the board was comprised of 8 members and had 6 vacancies, and the board had only failed to achieve quorum once in the past 2 and a half years.
CONSTRUCTION TRADES QUALIFYING BOARD-DIVISION B
Mr. David Yokam, Representative, Construction Trades Qualifying Board-Division B noted the mission of the Board, he said that the Construction Trades Qualifying Board serves currently community needs by insuring that competency standards were met through mechanical, plumbing and electrical trades and worked to resolve citizen complaints.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s inquiry regarding whether there needed to be an A and a B Construction Trades Qualifying Board and how were the two different, Mr. Herminio Gonzalez, Director, Building Code Compliance noted that the main differences were that Division A dealt with the Building side only (general contractors and roofing contractors) and that Division B dealt with the Trades (mechanical and plumbing).
CRANE AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
An unidentified representative of the Crane and Heavy Equipment Advisory Committee gave a brief description as to why this committee was created. He noted the committee was comprised of 13 members. The representative said 10 meetings had been held and an ordinance had been created which was being reviewed by the County Attorney’s Office.
In response to Commissioner Gimenez’s inquiry regarding who regulated and who enforced violations within the crane industry and heavy equipment industry, the representative said that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulated and enforced the industry however; OSHA did not go out to sites and inspect cranes or enforce violations.
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CONTROL BOARD
Mr. William Hopper, Representative, Environmental Quality Control Board stated the purpose of the Board. he noted the Board was comprised of 5 members and in the past 2 years they held 24 meetings 22 of which achieved quorum; 410 items were advertised in the agenda, 31 items withdrawn, 3 submitted to the BCC and 122 Board Orders were issued of those none had been overturned by the courts, however one case was being appealed to the circuit court.
LAND ACQUISITION SELECTION COMMITTEE
Dr. Michael Rosenberg, Chairman, Land Acquisition Selection Committee gave a brief report regarding the Committee’s mission. He noted the committee had made 65 individual recommendations to the BCC, all of which were approved; the committee conducted upwards of 160 field inspections via land, air and sea in order to make the recommendations. Dr. Rosenberg noted that in 16 years only one meeting had been cancelled due to a lack of a quorum. He stated that the total value of lands acquired by the Environmentally Endangered Land (EEL) Program to date was approximately $85 million. The EEL Program, explained Mr. Rosenberg, actively managed the land it acquired. Dr. Rosenberg said the operating costs of the committee were $6, 624.
Chairman Diaz asked Dr. Rosenberg to submit a complete detailed report regarding the costs of the committee.
UNSAFE STRUCTURES BOARD
Mr. James Cueva, Chairman, Unsafe Structures Board (USB) noted that the USB functioned as a quasi-judicial board with subpoena powers. He said the board was comprised of citizens in good standing appointed by individual commissioners and of 13 seats 11 were filled. The USB met monthly with recess in the month of August and that quorum had been achieved for every meeting noted Mr. Cueva. He said in 2007 the USB had issued a total of 102 repair or demolish orders and it issued 142 in 2006. Mr. Cueva reported that for FY 2005-2006 the direct costs were $167,888, indirect costs were $99,634.
HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY APPEALS BOARD
Mr. Larry Cohen, Chairman, Fire Prevention and Safety Appeals Board, noted that the Fire Prevention and Safety Appeals Board was a quasi-judicial appeals board. He explained the two types of appeals both were grievances or disagreements with the Fire Marshall’s of Miami-Dade County, the first type of appeals were regarding disagreements with the Fire Prevention Code known as the Life Safety Code and these were typically building permit issues; the second type of appeals were appeal regarding violations given to homeowners or business owners, appeals such as failure to keep up their smoke detectors and fire alarm systems. Mr. Cohen said the board was composed of 13 members, currently with 10 members assigned. The board met every other month with occasional emergency meetings for certain appeals. Mr. Cohen reported that the source of the boards funding was the Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Fire Prevention Division budget as well as a $100 filing fee. The budget for 2006 totaled $11,851, direct cost of $1,561 for court reporters, an indirect cost of $10,290 for staff and an a county appointed attorney.
In response to Chairman Diaz’s inquiry whether the board was funded by fines it collected for persons that did not comply, Mr. Cohen stated that he was only aware that the board received funding from application fees.
Chairman Diaz further inquired as to where the funds collected from fines went.
Ms. Suzanne Gilmore, Secretary, Chairman, Fire Prevention and Safety Appeals Board explained that none of the fines went to the Board, and the funds were given back to the various fire departments.
HEALTHCARE TASK FORCE
Ms. Janet Perkins, Chairwoman, Healthcare Task Force, said the Healthcare Task Force was due to sunset at the end of September 2007. She noted the Task Force had met approximately 10 times achieving quorum each time.
INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL
Mr. Jorge Bernardes, Chairman, Independent Review Panel reported that for FY 2005-2006 including all operating expenses direct and indirect were $531,000, the Panel heard 321 complaints in 2006, met monthly and only missed quorum once.
NUISANCE ABATEMENT BOARD
Mr. Gregory Sams, Chairman, Nuisance Abatement Board, noted that the board was a quasi-judicial board which was comprised of 13 commission appointed members. Mr. Sams said a copy of the board’s budget was included on the written report submitted to committee members.
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST (PHT)
Mr. Ernesto DeLaFey, Chairman, Public Health Trust noted that he had submitted a full detailed report to committee members; the report also included the budget for the PHT/Miami-Dade County Annual Operating Agreement Committee, PHT/University of Miami Annual Operating Agreement Negotiating Committee and the PHT/Compensation and Evaluation Committee.
PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST NOMINATING COUNCIL
Assistant County Attorney Eugene Shy, appeared before the committee in the absence of Commissioner Moss Chairman of the Public Health Trust (PHT) Nominating Council. He noted the purpose of the PHT Nominating council and said between March and November of each year approximately 3 to 4 meetings were held.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Shy to provide a written report regarding the PHT Nominating Council.
RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
ART IN PUBLIC PLACES TRUST
Ms. Sandy Jo Gordon, Representative, Art in Public Places (APP) Trust, gave a brief report regarding the mission and the accomplishments of the APP Trust. She noted the APP had completed 8 projects for the Carnival Center for Performing Arts 7 of which were installed at the Carnival Center. Ms. Gordon said
Chairman Diaz asked Ms. Gordon to provide a full report detailing the APP’s budget as well as the funding source for the APP.
CULTURAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Mr. Dwayne Wynn, Vice Chairman, Cultural Affairs Council stated that the Cultural Affairs Council met monthly for 10 months of each year; he noted that with the exception of one meeting every meeting had met quorum since January 2004. He noted that the cost associated with managing the Cultural Affairs Council was less than $5,000 per year; he said this included a rough estimate of the value of staff time and the annual planning and budget retreat which was held off site. Mr. Wynn pointed out that any further expenses were handled out of pocket by the Cultural Affairs Council members themselves.
Chairman Diaz asked Mr. Wynn to provide him a more detailed budget including direct and indirect costs of the Cultural Affairs Council. |
