08-21-2019 VC BWS-MSUMMARY MINUTES OF BUDGET WORKSHOP SESSION
VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
August 21, 2019
Present: Darryl C. Aubrey, Sc.D., Mayor
Mark Mullinix, Vice Mayor
David B. Norris, President Pro Tem
Susan Bickel, Councilmember
Deborah Searcy, Councilmember
Andrew D. Lukasik, Village Manager
Leonard G. Rubin, P.A., Village Attorney
Jessica Green, Village Clerk
ROLL CALL
Mayor Aubrey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All members of Council were present except
Councilmember Searcy, who arrived at 7:17 p.m. All members of staff were present.
PURPOSE OF THE MEETING
Mr. Lukasik provided an overview of the budgets for Police, Fire Rescue, Public Safety Building,
and Community Development. The following items were reviewed:
• FY 2020 POLICE & FIRE BUDGET SUMMARY (COMBINED)
• FY 2020 POLICE STAFFING
• FY 2020 POLICE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
• FY 2020 POLICE BUDGET SUMMARY
• FY 2020 FIRE RESCUE STAFFING
• FY 2019 FIRE RESCUE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
• FY 2020 FIRE RESCUE BUDGET SUMMARY
• FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFFING
• FY 2019 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
• FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET GOALS
• FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET TRENDS
• COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED FEE SCHEDULE CHANGES
• FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET SUMMARY
FY 2020 POLICE & FIRE BUDGET SUMMARY (COMBINED)
% Increase/ $ Increase/
Category
FY 2020 Budget
FY 2019 Budget Decrease
Decrease
Personnel
$8,829,858
$8,195,985 7.73%
$633,873
Operating
$1,460,984
$1,475,890 -1.01%
($14,906)
Total Expenses
$10,290,842
$9,6715875 6.40%
$618,967
Village Council Workshop Session held August 21, 2019
Page 2 of 6
FY 2020 POLICE STAFFING
Police Chief Rick Jenkins provided an overview of Police staffing. He noted four (4) officers were
needed, and it was a difficult time with staff attrition. Discussion ensued regarding the reductions
in available volunteers.
Summary FY 2020 FY 2019 Change
Full -Time 38 38 0
Part -Time 15 15 0
Volunteers 15 25 -10
FY 2020 POLICE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Chief Jenkins reviewed the FY 2020 Budget Highlights, including:
• Recruitment efforts are a top priority
• Continue to participate in the CALEA re -accreditation process
• Capital Improvement Plan — renovation of the Police evidence room to upgrade it to the
International Association for Property and Evidence professional standards, including
evidence and property room security
• Review and continue three (3) Police Department grant programs
o Ballistic Vest Partnership (BVP) Program
o Manatee Marine Grant
o Pedestrian High Visibility (HVE) Grant
FY 2020 POLICE BUDGET SUMMARY
Chief Jenkins reviewed Police Department revenues for FY 2019 and budgeted figures for FY
2020. He reviewed the budget summary and noted changes:
• Salary ranges increased six (6) percent plus six (6) percent wage adjustment and merit
increase not to exceed four (4) percent
$23,000 increase in NorthCom Dispatch operations
• $13,000 for Toshiba copier lease previously recorded in rental category, now budgeted as
contractual service line item
• Cost for Visio license for patrol cars, approximately $6,000, removed and paid through
Gardens
• FY 2019 expense included $56,000 for Police laptops
• Budget includes $30,000 for night vision for SRT
% Increase/
$ Increase/
Category FY 2020 Budget FY 2019 Budget
Decrease
Decrease
Personnel $5,389,019 $4,939,348
9.10%
$449,671
Operating $1,067,612 $1,077,635
-0.93%
($10,023)
Total Expenses $6,456,631 $6,016,983
7.31%
$439,648
Village Council Workshop Session held August 21, 2019
Page 3 of 6
FY 2020 FIRE RESCUE STAFFING
Fire Chief J.D. Armstrong provided an overview of Fire Rescue staffing. He noted there was no
change in staffing numbers over the previous year.
Summary
FY 2020
Full -Time
24
Part -Time
0
Volunteers
18
FY 2019 Change
24 0
0 0
18 0
FY 2019 FIRE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Chief Armstrong reviewed photos of some FY 2019 Fire Rescue accomplishments, including:
• New Cardiac Monitor Defibrillator Purchased with PBC EMS Grant
• First Leased Fire Engine Ordered, Delivery Early 2020
• Fire Safety Fair and Fire Sprinkler Demonstration
• Replaced all Village AEDs
• Fire Safety Talks and Demonstrations at Local Schools
• Heritage Day Fire Prevention Booth
Chief Armstrong reviewed Fire Rescue revenues, noting an expected 11.18 percent reduction from
the FY 2019 budget to the FY 2020 budget, due to a large project to close out by the end of FY
2019 and adjustments to the expected ambulance fees based on the current collection rate.
FY 2020 FIRE BUDGET SUMMARY
Chief Armstrong reviewed Fire Rescue Department budget summary and noted changes:
• Salary ranges increased three (3) percent plus three (3) percent wage adjustment and merit
increase not to exceed five (5) percent
• Increased travel and training budget for additional training
% Increase/ $ Increase/
Category
FY 2020 Budget
FY 2019 Budget Decrease
Decrease
Personnel
$3,440,839
$3,256,637 5.66%
$184,202
Operating
$312,105
$28205 10.44%
$29,500
Total Expenses
$3,752,944
$3,539,242 6.04%
$213,702
Discussion ensued regarding training needs related to new equipment and the charges for non-
emergency ambulance calls, as well as the line item for five (5) eligible employees to take the test
to apply for the open Captain position.
FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFFING
Community Development Director Jeremy Hubsch provided an overview of Community
Development staffing and open positions and outlook:
• Removed Administrative Assistant position (which had been meant to be temporary)
• Renamed Village Planner to Principal Planner to match other municipalities
• Previously had two (2) Senior Building Inspectors, shifted to two (2) lower level inspectors
with the intent to provide training to become Senior Inspector
Village Council Workshop Session held August 21, 2019
Page 4 of 6
• Building Official — currently under contract with Calvin Giordano and Associates with no
plan to advertise. $205,000 allocated in operating budget for Building Official Services
• Senior Building Inspector — currently under contract with Calvin Giordano and Associates
and being advertised. Position budgeted in salary and benefits
• Building Inspector — currently under contract with Calvin Giordano and Associates and
being advertised. Position budgeted in salary and benefits
• Planner — currently managed by NZ Consultants and advertised as an available position.
$30,000 of "General Planner" services allocated in budget
Summary
FY 2020
FY 2019
Change
Full -Time
15
15
0
Part -Time
0
1
-1
In response to a question from Councilmember Bickel, Mr. Hubsch stated one (1) building
inspector was currently on staff and provided background on that employee. He explained how
contracted staff was utilized. Discussion ensued regarding the possibility of shared staff with a
neighboring community and having a Code Enforcement Officer in the office on Saturday.
FY 2019 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Mr. Hubsch reviewed the FY 2019 Budget Highlights, including:
• Adoption of Ordinances modifying the Village's walls and fencing code for corner lots;
updating the Village's seawall and dock regulations, boat and RV parking requirements,
and reasonable accommodation process
• Participated in workshops and discussion with Dover, Kohl and Partners and Spikowski
Planning Associates for the preparation of a form-based/hybrid land development code to
implement the Village Master Plan
• Conducted plan reviews and inspections on several large commercial projects, such as
North Palm Beach Country Club, Water Club Tower 3, Galaxy HQ, Benjamin School
STEM Building, and Crystal Cove Commons
• Collaborated with the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) in setting code
compliance priorities, Code resolved several long-standing compliance issues
FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET GOALS
Mr. Hubsch reviewed the FY 2020 Community Development budget goals, including:
• Code Enforcement
o More proactive enforcement
o Greater focus on high priority/high visibility violations
o Enforcing new boat -and RV regulations
o Evaluation of new software system
o Continued coordination with NET team
• Building
o Hire in-house inspectors (currently only one)
o Continued customer service improvements
o Improve Business Tax Receipt (BTR) review and permitting process
o Streamlining of internal processes and evaluation of new software system
Village Council Workshop Session held August 21, 2019
Page 5 of 6
• Planning
o Adoption of Commercial Code re -write
o Outreach to the development community to highlight opportunities now available
due to new Code
o Re -write of Village's Residential Code
o Creation of Development Review Committee and other streamlined processes
o Coordination of annexation efforts with Village Manager, Village Attorney, and
PBC
o Coordination with NET team and Code Enforcement to address proliferation of
rehab facilities into the Village
The Councilmembers and staff discussed requirements for BTR and registration and how the rules
applied to service businesses based outside the Village.
FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET TRENDS
Mr. Hubsch reviewed the FY 2020 Community Development budget trends, including:
• Average of 672 walks -ins per month from October 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019, an increase
of 57 visitors per month
• Permit and inspection load anticipated to grow slightly in FY 2020
• Code activity has increased in recent years
0 2017 — 108 cases opened, 77 went before Special Magistrate
0 2018 — 381 cases opened, 236 went before Special Magistrate
0 2019 (projected) — 890 cases opened, 295 before Special Magistrate
0 2020 (estimated) — 900 cases opened, 300 before special magistrate
o Open Code search requests have also increased year-to-year
• Third Code Enforcement Officer started in early 2019 and has taken time to learn processes
and carry as heavy a workload as the existing two officers
FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET TRENDS
Mr. Hubsch outlined a proposed fee schedule change for Community Development and shared
comparison data for Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and Lake Park. Discussion ensued regarding
the minimum permit fee, and whether the Council wanted it to apply to smaller jobs.
FY 2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET SUMMARY
% Increase/
$ Increase/
Category
FY 2020 Budget
FY 2019 Budget
Decrease
Decrease
Salary &
Benefits
$15236,796
$1,335,371
-7.38%
($98,575)
Operating
$537,150
$323,552
66.02%
$213,598
Total Expenses
$1,773,946
$1,658,923
6.93%
$115,023
Mr. Hubsch reviewed changes in each section of the Community Development budget and
explained changes from FY 2019. Discussion ensued regarding the amount of BTR and whether
they should be increased. Mr. Hubsch agreed to look into the issue, including determining whether
the Village was competitive, and report back.
Village Council Workshop Session held August 21, 2019
Page 6 of 6
FY 2020 BUDGET HEARING AND WORKSHOP DATES
Mr. Lukasik outlined the Budget Workshop dates and stated hearings would be scheduled for
September 12 and 26. He explained the Council would be discussing the Capital Improvement
Plan and looking at capital needs.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
Je sic Green, MMC, Village Clerk