City Commission Meeting Summary - Janaury 14, 2009
The City Commission met in regular session and took the following action:
Welcomed the City's new Assistant City Manager for Safety and Neighborhood Services, Mr. Jay Townsend
Item 1 - Recognized and commended Lt. Brad Deanda and Lt. Rusty Roberts for receiving the Liberty Mutual Firemark Award, which recognizes firefighters who go above and beyond the call of duty
Mr. John Belcher and Mr. Mark Walters, of Liberty Mutual, and Fire Chief Dick and members of the Fire Department appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Item 2 - Commended the City's Water Department staff and joined the staff in accepting the 2008 Plant Operations Excellence Award from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in recognition of outstanding treatment plant operation, maintenance and compliance for a Large Community Drinking Water Plant of the Northwest Region
Mr. Van Hoofnagle of the FDEP appeared before the Commission and presented this award to the Water Utilities Department.
Item 3 - Presented a proclamation to Mr. Myron Rolle recognizing him and honoring him for his accomplishments for being awarded the 2008 Rhodes Scholarship from Florida State University
Mr. Rolle's brother and mother appeared with him before the Commission.
Item 4 - Presented a proclamation proclaiming January 14, 2009, to be Arbor Day in the City of Tallahassee, and encouraged citizen participation in the tree planting scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning at Pecan and Trimble Roads
Director of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Dee Crumpler, joined by Superintendent of Parks Dan Farrar and Mr. Mike Cooper of the City Parks Division, appeared before the Commission relative to this item.
Item 4.1 - DELETED FROM THE AGENDA a presentation on the Capital Legacy Project Website (by the Planning Department)
Items 5-19 - Voted 5-0 to approve the staff's recommendations presented in Consent Agenda Items 5-19, taking the following action:
Item 5 - Approved modification to the current standard City Commission Meeting Schedule, changing the April 8, 2009 regular City Commission meeting to April 7, 2009 (Option 1 recommended by the Assistant to the City Manager)
Item 6 - Authorized the City Manager to execute a contract for CDBG grant funding, in the amount of $50,968.20, to assist with the rehabilitation of the Mothers In Crisis House located at 1500 Lake Avenue, meeting the Annual Action Plan goal of providing public facilities for special needs populations (Option 1 recommended by Economic & Community Development [ECD])
Item 7 - Approved Contract Amendment No. 1 to the Barkley Security Agency three-year term contract, to provide guard services at the Hopkins and Purdom power plants, at a cost of $35,000 for each plant, for a total of $70,000 per year; and authorized staff to issue the required purchase orders for the services once the infrastructure is in place (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 8 - Approved the standardization of air compressor systems for the Hopkins power plant, and approved the single source purchase of a Kaiser DSD-125 compressor system from Hudson Pump, in an amount not to exceed $68,665 (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 9 - Approved the award of contract for tank cleaning, inspection and upgrading conversion work to convert three of the City's existing fuel oil storage tanks from storing #6 fuel oil to #2 (diesel) fuel oil (IFB #0026-09-RM-BC) to BIS Frucon, low bidder meeting specifications, in the amount of $3,460,289; and authorized the City Manager to approve up to $400,000 in contract amendments if needed (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 10 - Approved an extension of Contract #1196 with Veolia Environmental Services (formerly known as Onyx Industrial Services, Inc.) for power plant brine concentrator and boiler chemical cleaning and hydro blasting services for one two-year period (Option 1 recommended by Electric Utility)
Item 11 - Approved the award of bid for the supply of steel traffic signal poles for the Governors Square Boulevard and Blair Stone Road Intersection Project (IFQ #0020-09-AB-QP) to Graybar Electric Supply, Inc. of Tallahassee, sole bidder meeting specifications, in the amount of $56,800 (Option 1 recommended by Public Works/Traffic Engineering)
Item 12 - Approved the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5311 Grant application for federal assistance in the amount of $298,910 -- actual amount to be determined by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) once all applications are received statewide, providing transportation to those with limited mobility choices in the non-urban area of Leon County; and approved execution of authorizing Resolution No. 09-R-01 and all grant-related documents (Option 1 recommended by StarMetro)
Item 13 - Approved Construction Change Order No. 2 to the contract with Allen's Excavation, Inc., to address unforeseen conditions and the maintenance of traffic necessary for the Concrete Pavement Restoration and Repair for the C. K. Steele Bus Terminal No. 1685 Project, in the amount of $55,339.72, for a total revised contract amount of $393,126.21 (Option 1 recommended by StarMetro)
Item 14 - Approved the participation of StarMetro, as the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) for Leon County, in the Non-Emergency Transport (NET) Program for transportation disadvantaged (Medicaid) clients, and authorized the City Manager to finalize an agreement with the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (Option 1 recommended by StarMetro)
Item 15 - Approved and authorized staff to execute the third and final one-year extension of Contract #1182, through October 30, 2009, with Mark's Lawn Maintenance for water well and storage tank grounds maintenance (BID #0025-05-RM-BC), for the fixed price of $28,000 per year (Option 1 recommended by Underground Utilities)
Item 16 - Approved the award of contract for the purchase of liquid chlorine for use at the City's water wells and wastewater treatment plants (IFB #0006-09-TJ-BC) to Allied Universal Corporation, of Miami, Florida, low bidder meeting specifications, in the estimated total annual cost of $193,252.50, ($22,435 per year for the City's 26 water wells and $170,817.50 per year for the two (2) treatment plants)
Item 17 - Adopted Resolution No. 09-R-02, approving Comcast Cablevision's maximum permitted rates for basic tier service, installation service and rental fees for 2009 (Option 1 recommended by Utility Business & Customer Service [UBCS])
Item 18 - The City Treasurer-Clerk formally announced the names of members of the 2009 Charter Review Committee, which was scheduled to hold its first meeting on Monday, January 26, 2009, at 6:00 p.m., in the Tallahassee Room of City Hall
Item 19 - Approved the minutes of the following City Commission meetings (recommended by the City Treasurer-Clerk/Records Management Officer):
- December 3, 2008 Regular Meeting
- December 10, 2008 Regular Meeting
Item 20 - Voted 5-0 to approve the recommendation of the Selection Committee on the ranking of applicant firms to RFQ #0209-08-JAG-RC, to provide professional services for a Community-Wide Human Services Needs Assessment for Leon County and the Community Human Services Partnership (CHSP) Process, under the management and supervision of the CHSP Joint Planning Board; and authorized staff to negotiate, execute and administer a contract with MGT of America, the top-ranked vendor, in an amount not to exceed $120,000; in the event staff is unable to reach a satisfactory contract with MGT of America, authorized the City to attempt contract negotiations and execution with the second-ranked firm, The Florida Information Technology Center of Excellence (Option 1 as recommended by Economic & Community Development [ECD])
Item 21 - Voted 5-0 to approve the contribution of $5,000 to the Florida A & M University Marching 100 and $1,000 to the Tallahassee Boys Choir to assist them with travel expenses to Washington, D.C., where they will represent the City of Tallahassee at the Presidential Inauguration festivities, utilizing funds from the Legislative Reception Fund - and confirmed the Mayor's Office intent to notify past reception sponsors from the private sector of this action, which would leave an available balance of $8,920.53 for a scaled-down City of Tallahassee annual “Welcome Back Legislators Reception� (brought forward by Mayor Marks)
Item 22 - Voted 5-0 to accept the update from Commissioner Gillum on Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) negotiations and move forward in the direction of those negotiations on an Interlocal Agreement with Leon County for the functionally consolidated provision of Fire-EMS/ALS services and schedule a public hearing for February 25, 2009, on the intent to use the uniform method of levy, collection and enforcement of non-ad valorem assessments for the purposes of adopting a common fire services fee with Leon County (Option 1 as recommended by City Manager Favors Thompson and Commissioner Gillum)
Item 22.1 - Received an update from Mayor Marks on negotiations with Delta Airlines for additional air service to South Florida and voted 5-0 to empower the Mayor to move forward with the negotiations as amended to authorize the Mayor to move forward with a Letter of Commitment of the $2 Million Guarantee requested by Delta Airlines to be submitted to Delta by January 16, 2009, conditioned on having a commitment to the guarantee of $1 million from the State and $500,000 from Leon County
Items 23-25 - By consensus, introduced Ordinances Nos. 09-Z-03, 09-O-05 and 09-O-07, set for public hearings on January 28, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor, 300 South Adams Street, as recommended:
Item 23 was a staff recommendation to introduce Ordinance No. 09-Z-03, which would rezone approximately 0.09 acres located on the east side of North Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., approximately 205 feet south of 6th Avenue, from the Residential Preservation-2 (RP-2) Zoning District to the Residential Preservation-2 (RP-2) Zoning District with Historic Preservation Overlay (HPO), and add the property to the Local Register of Historic Places (PRZ #080024); and set the ordinance for public hearing on January 28, 2009 (Option 1 as recommended by Planning)
Item 24 was a staff recommendation to introduce Ordinance No. 09-O-05, which would require that users of fire emergency services as a result of vehicular accidents pay for maintenance and operating costs related to the incident, provide for the types of costs to be covered by the ordinance, authorize the collection of prescribed fees, provide for a designated trust account for fees collected, and authorize expenditures of funds from the designated account to defray the motor vehicle accident fire rescue costs; and set the ordinance for public hearing on January 28, 2009 (Option 1 as recommended by the Fire Chief)
Item 25 was a staff recommendation to introduce Ordinance No. 09-O-07, which would amend the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) Bylaws to shift responsibility for approving journeymen applicants for examinations from the CIRC to the Building Official, and revise the CIRC meetings to an as-needed basis; and set the ordinance for public hearing on January 28, 2009 (Option 1 as recommended by the City Attorney)
Commissioner Katz requested that the City Attorney investigate pursuing a City ordinance banning the use of cell phones while driving a vehicle.
Item 26 - Voted 5-0 to approve the Second Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement Between the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Tallahassee Regarding the Creation and Operations of the Downtown District Community Redevelopment Area and the Expansion of any Community Redevelopment Area, providing a formula for annual tax increment financing (TIF) contributions to the Downtown District and eliminating the requirement for supplemental contributions by the City and the County to the Downtown District Trust Fund (Option 1 as recommended by Economic Development)
Item 27 - Voted 5-0 to authorize the City Manager to execute contracts with the Bethel Community Development Corporation (CDC) for the rehabilitation of up to five (5) owner-occupied homes, for a total amount not to exceed $195,000, and with Home Rehabilitation and Development Inc. (HRD) for the rehabilitation of up to eight (8) owner-occupied homes, for a total amount not to exceed $312,000 -- using funding identified in the FY2008-2009 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Annual Action Plan for funding from Home Investment Partnership, State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for low-income owner-occupied affordable housing rehabilitation (Option 1 as recommended by ECD)
Item 28 - Voted 5-0 to approve a revolving line of credit (LOC) in the amount of $220,000 for the Tallahassee Lenders' Consortium (TLC) from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to facilitate the new construction of affordable housing on two lots on Pennlyn off Lonnbladh (Option 1 as recommended by ECD/Housing)
Item 29 - DELETED FROM THE AGENDA a discussion on a StarMetro bus purchase and related financing
Item 30 - Voted 5-0 to approve a Task Order to MWH Constructors (MWHC), the City's Consultant providing Construction Management Services for the Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) Improvements Program, to implement Early Work Package 1A for the AWT Improvements at the Thomas P. Smith (TPS) Water Reclamation Facility, in the amount of $28,339,000; authorize the City Manger to approve non-scope change orders to the Task Order in an amount not to exceed $2,833,900 (10%) (Option 1 as recommended by Underground Utilities)
Urged staff to expedite City projects to make jobs available as quickly as possible in view of the current economic downturn
Target Issue Committtee Updates -
Environmental and Energy Resources. Commissioner Lightsey gave an update report on activities of the Environmental and Energy Resources Target Issue Committee in reviewing analyses of Florida Legislative House Bills 697, regarding greenhouse gas emissions, and 7135, regarding recycling plastic bags; the City's Demand Side Management (DSM) Programs developed for residential duct repair and commercial rebates, and reporting that the DSM Program Manager contract had been delayed as a result of two protests of the rankings; and the Wakulla Springs Symposium scheduled for February 25-26 at the Antique Car Museum, coordinated by 1000 Friends of Florida, and a weblink provided: http://www.1000fof.org/water/wakulla%20Restoration%20workshpasp.asp.
Long Range Planning. Commissioner Lightsey gave an update report on activities of the Long Range Planning Target Issue Committee, noting that the Committee had received an update on the Providence Neighborhood Community Center, the Downtown Overlay - a project that would eliminate outdated boundaries and consolidate all remaining boundaries into a single set, a review of the Gaines Street design guidelines, Committee sponsorship of a Comprehensive Plan amendment to preserve right-of-ways at the Welaunee Interstate Interchange, and a Planning staff presentation on the Capital Legacy Project to provide a web page with information on all transportation projects and a plan for future transportation projects.
Economic Development. Mayor Marks gave an update report on activities of the Economic Development Target Issue Committee, indicating that the Airport Development of Regional Impact (DRI) was scheduled for amendment and would be brought to the Commission in February 2009.
Commissioner Mustian reported that County Commissioner Desloge had pulled together a group that included representatives of the City, County, School Board, some area counties, FSU and FAMU with a goal of preparing a cohesive request to the federal government for funding an economic stimulus package. He advised that a list of potential "shovel ready" projects to include in the request had been distributed to members of the Commission for review and input.
Unagendaed Speaker
Mr. Bill Tucker, 2802 Primrose Lane, representing Frontiers, Tallahassee, appeared before the Commission and objected to the currently proposed siting of the BG&E biomass plant.
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