Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to tonight's meeting.
before we actually start, roll call and go into some formal part of the evening, We're going to do a little something fun.
so on our dais, we have just celebrated commissioner patterson's birthday.
at the end of the month, we will be celebrating the vice mayor's birthday. Vice mayor bolton. And today is actually commissioner maury wright's birthday.
so with that, let's have a little fun. A song is going to play. Let's sing to it and wish him a very happy birthday.
go ahead jim. Happy birthday, happy birthday.
happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.
happy birthday, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.
happy birthday. All right, ladies and gentlemen, Thank you so very much for indulging us as we celebrate the birthdays on our commission.
we will be taking a break after item two for about ten minutes, So we can enjoy some cupcakes in the atrium and then come back here.
so please know that that's the schedule of today's events. Now let's get back to more professionalism. City clerk, Please call the roll.
good evening everyone. Mayor gomez. Good evening, Vice mayor bolton. Good evening. Commissioner. Right. Good evening, Commissioner patterson.
good evening, commissioner daniel. Good evening. Thank you, thank you. And everyone, if you would please stand.
commissioner patterson will lead us in the pledge of allegiance. And we will have a moment Of silence. United states of america
and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under god, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
thank you. Please be seated. And forgive me. We do have some dignitaries in the
room that will be presenting and speaking, but I want to have them introduce themselves, If you would,
before we get the meeting started. And we're just going to go by the rose, If you would. I've got the board. Balloons. Please stand up. Say your city,
say your title and introduce yourself to everybody.
just scream it out unless you want to come up. Yes. Thank you. Mayor. This is sam morgan, mayor for the city of north lauderdale.
and thank you for the invitation, mayor. Thank you. Excellent. Thank you. And come on up.
I've got you on councilwoman in the town southwest.
and if you didn't hear him. David kaczynski, Town of southwest ranches, broward county.
all right. Any other elected officials are being here on behalf of an elected official That I am not seeing properly. Nope.
oh, well, there you are. Steve. Mayor. Steve. Reckless. Mayor. Southwest ranches. Thank you. I.
mr.. Come on up and say because. It's great to have everybody here.
and we will now go on to our commission meeting. City attorney, your report? No report, madam mayor.
all right. We're going to have colleagues, if you would. We're going to go to the well and start celebration. Okay.
sir. How much you would charge you if you need it.
I know. I've got rolls. They don't always work that well.
thank you. Okay, we have the pleasure of having our 2026 tamarac university graduation This evening
and we are looking for. Where's the dean? Dean twigger. Come on up. And he is going to announce our graduates of our
program. Good evening. Thank you so much for coming.
tonight, we are really excited for tonight's graduating class. It's been a wonderful year yet again. We've been doing this for quite some many years now.
we've had over 400 graduates, if I'm not mistaken. And tonight is no different.
the program lasts for about eight weeks, where they get to learn about every city Department, including the broward sheriff's office. This tonight. Tonight, we have 18
graduates with us. Thank you, mayor and commission.
so without further ado, I'm going to call their names. And if you would come up and you'll get your certificate and feel free to say hello, Shake hands.
thank you. Okay. Starting off with claire. Claire is not with us tonight, But I still wanted to congratulate her on her graduation.
rhonda gallagher. Congratulations. Rosalie. Antonio.
congratulations. Deja. Boyd.
natalie. Clark. Richards. Congratulations. Christine.
geller. Trisha. Johnson.
to be. Johnson.
elizabeth. Kennedy.
kenneth. Martin. Kenneth is not with us tonight. But again, our congratulations to kenneth roberto nicholson.
eric ortega. Erica is also not with us tonight, But we wish her congratulations as well.
miguel palma.
donna. Rosenbloom. Pickens. Robert. Shafer.
the. Key. Singletary.
paul. Starman.
and. Elise. Thompson. Congratulations. Congratulations to everyone.
well done. If they could come back up now, we're going to get a group photo.
over here.
congratulations.
ladies and gentlemen, another round of applause for your future commissioners and your Future mayor or mayors.
thank you for going through the program, and I think that there's some family members in The audience who will now go through the program as well. It's a great program, and I
highly encourage you getting involved in doing so. And thank you. All right. We will now go to community hero award presentations, And this is requested by vice mayor bolton.
all right. Good evening. Okay. So a couple of months ago, We started this initiative to support local businesses and residents in our
community who are thriving and doing well. And so this evening, To start off the presentations,
we have jackie vernon thompson with us. She is a tamarac resident.
she does etiquette classes with over 1 million views on instagram, 1 million followers on instagram,
5 million instagram followers. And she lives right here in tamarac in pelham bay.
so I wanted to invite you jackie to come and receive the medal of honor tonight.
whereas small business month is a time to recognize and celebrate entrepreneurs, Innovators,
and business leaders whose vision, dedication, And commitment positively impact our communities and inspire excellence.
and whereas jackie vernon thompson is a certified etiquette expert, Consultant and amazon number one best selling author of
transformative etiquette who who has dedicated her life to empowering individuals through Confidence,
professionalism, refinement, and personal development.
and whereas, jackie vernon thompson earned a bachelor of science degree in communication And has combined her academic excellence with her passion for uplifting others
through education, mentorship and leadership. As the founder of from the inside out school of etiquette.
jackie vernon thompson has impacted countless children, Young adults, women professionals,
and community members by teaching essential life skills, Including business protocol, public presentation,
american and continental dining, etiquette, communication, And social graces.
and whereas, through her remarkable influence and engaging teaching style, Jackie vernon thompson has amassed an international audience of more than 5
million followers across social media platforms, Extending her message of excellence, confidence and empowerment around the world.
and whereas, through her five week certification masterclass, Jackie vernon thompson has certified more than 340 consultants through the united states,
canada and the united kingdom, jamaica, dubai, Bangladesh, multiple african nations and beyond,
multiplying the global reach and transformative power of etiquette, Education.
and whereas, jackie vernon thompson's experience and impact have recognized and featured By nationally and internationally respected media outlets including
usa today, newsweek, southern living, the new york post, The daily mail, uk, nbc news, cbs,
fox, detroit tv, the daytime show chicago and the view.
beyond her business accomplishments, jackie vernon thompson is a devoted philanthropist And community leader who's not who's nonprofit organization.
youth empowerment village provides five week summer programs for youth ages 10 to 17, Teaching young speaking professionals,
financial literacy, etiquette and leadership development to empower the next generation.
and whereas since the inception in 2027 2017, Youth empowerment village, inc.
has transformed the lives of countless people, Countless young people by instilling confidence,
communication skills, self-worth, and leadership principles made possible through the Steadfast support of her husband,
jerome thompson, and the organization's dedicated board. Jackie vernon thompson continues to inspire communities through her unwavering faith, Visionary leadership and servant heart,
and commitment to excellence, serving as a powerful example of proven, Purpose driven and entrepreneurship and and
transformational impact. Now, therefore, I marlon bolton, Vice mayor of the city of tamarac,
florida, on behalf of the commission, city mayor and city commission, And the residents of tamarac do hereby proudly recognize and honor jackie
vernon thompson with the small business month community hero award for excellence in Business in recognition of her outstanding entrepreneurial success.
transformational leadership, global influence and extraordinary commitment to empowering Individuals and strengthening communities through education,
etiquette, mentorship and service.
and we have can we. Put it
down so I can. Thank you. You're welcome.
good evening everyone. I believe mayor bolton has said it all.
there's no need for me to add to it, am I correct? Yes. Vice mayor. I'm so. I'm so sorry, mayor.
gomez. Yes. I am so grateful for this opportunity.
transforming lives by teaching them social skills. Life skills, proper etiquette has been my purpose.
this is why god has me here. And I am very grateful to my lord and savior for positioning Me in this place.
so thank you so much for recognizing me. Thank you commission and our mayor gomez for Allowing this to take place.
I am honored, I am humbled and I am grateful. Thank you so much. Thank you.
are you giving him classes? Yes. Wait wait wait.
we got pictures.
okay. Up next. You know, thank you so much. Up next. You know, on sunday, it was mother's day. And on mother's day, We have some amazing mothers who are taking care of their children.
but, you know, we also have some moms who are raising our kids.
and in my book, they're called supermoms. So we have some supermoms this evening and I Want to proudly give them a community hero
award. And also we would love to give them a gift certificate from lucky scoops ice cream.
will the owners of lucky scoop just stand where you are so we can recognize you?
you're going to get pampered with that. We also have a business owner tonight.
damian silvera from dng towing, who has graciously given each of the mothers a gift card Ranging from
$100 to $200. So we really appreciate devin tonight.
and a couple of other business owners have also chimed in for some autism autism themed Gift baskets that will also give the
mothers as well. So if you would please come. Pastor keon robinson. Tyrinthia. Williams. Cassandra.
cassandra. Sims. Jennifer. Sanchez. Henrietta.
davis. Simone. Arnold. I knew exactly where I am, And I'm going to
read each of one of the proclamations, and then each of the moms will get their Personalized medal of honor as well.
whereas mothers are often the heart of the family, Providing unconditional love, compassion,
guidance, and sacrifice to ensure their children are nurtured, Protected, and empowered.
and whereas mothers raising children with autism demonstrate extraordinary, Extraordinary resilience,
unwavering dedication, immeasurable patience and remarkable strength while navigating the Unique joys and challenges associated with autism spectrum
disorder. And whereas these incredible women serve as not only as mothers, But also as advocates,
teachers, prosecutors, protectors, caregivers, Therapists, encouragers, and everyday heroes for their children.
and these occupations are represented here tonight. Whereas, mothers of autistic children often work tirelessly to secure services and Resources,
educational support, medical care and inclusion, Understanding and opportunities for the children while continuing to provide love and
stability in their homes and communities. And whereas, Despite the emotional, physical, and financial demands they face,
these mothers continue to persevere with grace, Courage, faith, and determination, inspiring everyone around them for
their selflessness and unwavering devotion. And whereas autistic children are a tremendous Gift to our world,
bringing unique perspectives, talents, brilliance, And beauty to our children and our communities.
and whereas mothers deserve recognition for their critical role, The critical role they play in nurturing and uplifting them.
and whereas it is fitting and proper that the city of tamarac recognizes and celebrates These extraordinary,
extraordinary women, affectionately referred to today as supermoms for their strength, Resilience,
sacrifice and immeasurable impact on their families and our community.
now therefore, I, vice mayor marlon de bolton, On behalf of the mayor and commission, do hereby proudly honor and celebrate these women
who are raising a child with autism and commend them for their extraordinary courage, Compassion,
perseverance, and unconditional love. May you continue to walk in strength, Hope, and purpose knowing that your sacrifices do not go unseen.
your voices matter and your children matter, And your community stands beside you.
and this tonight, this tonight will be a kickoff to what we are launching in the office of The vice mayor as the circle of love initiative.
we are going to be providing support to the mothers, Both financial and otherwise, and their children.
and so I'm just happy to launch that. We're launching a focus group.
so if you know anyone that is raising an autistic child, We would love to hear from them.
so keon robinson, pastor keon robinson. Okay.
okay. Henrietta davis.
our doctor, simone arnold. Okay. She's on her way in the rain.
okay, this one is torrential. Williams. I don't see
the. Okay. Jennifer. Sanchez. Okay. Cassandra
sims. Cassandra sims somewhere. All right. So we want to give each of the mothers a
medal.
and a wonderful, beautiful gift basket.
and don't go too far away. Come on,
come on. Slide to the left. Slide to the right.
oh! You're fine. Stand up. Nice. And we have flowers for everybody.
and it says happy mother's day. How cute. It's going to be a lot to hold.
and in case you're wondering, this is a local tamarac florist, So if you ever want to give a florist business to support our local businesses would love
that. Excellent.
and I'll turn it back over to our wonderful mayor. Thank you. Can we take a picture with you when you're
ready? Yeah. Come on up. If fred and his wife and david can come down for a photo.
thank you.
yes, we are now celebrating national police week and this is requested by vice mayor Bolton.
thank you mayor. So every year we started an initiative called honor the stripe.
and this year we hosted honor stripe during our tamarac food and wine festival.
but really and truly, on that night, all of us were distraught because we were just coming From a funeral for the late
nancy mateo in coral springs. And so while the police officers are great, Men and women of bso are received their gifts that
evening. I know that I was distraught. And so tonight I want to make a do over.
so I wore my bso green. And if you're wondering where I get this wonderful suit from, It's from my stylist paul
ferran. He's also a tamarac president can you stand paul?
also in his bso green looking way better than I do.
so we're going to have some pins ready for the commission to pin our bso officers.
and if there are any residents in the audience that want to pin our bso officers as well, We'd love for you to do that,
including doctor kate johnson, because you missed the ceremony. And we really, really apologize for that. So this is where, As the city of tamarac proudly joins communities across the united
states in recognizing national police week observed may 10 to 16, 2026 as a time dedicated to honoring the courage,
sacrifice, and unwavering commitment of law enforcement officers who faithfully serve and Protect our communities.
and whereas law enforcement officers throughout the nation and within the city of tamarac Placed themselves in harm's way each and every day to safeguard lives,
preserve peace, uphold justice, and maintain the safety and well-being of all of our Residents and visitors.
and whereas the members of the broward sheriff's office serving the city of tamarac Demonstrates professionalism,
integrity, courage and compassion compassion while carrying out their duties with honor And distinction.
and whereas, national police week provides an opportunity to recognize not only the Officers who currently serve our community,
but also to solemnly remember and honor those brave men and women who made the ultimate Sacrifice in the line of duty in service to others.
and whereas for the past four years, vice mayor marlon de bolton, That's me, the handsome one has proudly led and hosted the annual honor the stripe
initiative dedicated to recognizing the brave men and women of tamarac district, Office of broward sheriff's office for their outstanding service and sacrifice to the
community. And whereas the honor stripe initiative has brought together residents, Community leaders,
and elected officials from across broward county to publicly express gratitude and Appreciation to law enforcement officers through a meaningful
pinning ceremony and community celebration of service.
and whereas, the city of tamarac acknowledges the sacrifice made not only by law Enforcement officers but also by their families,
their loved ones and support systems who stand beside them and endure the challenges and Risks associated with public service.
and whereas strong partnerships between law enforcement and the community are essential in Supporting trust,
enhancing public safety, promoting unity, and building stronger neighborhoods where all People may live and work thrive in peace.
and whereas, during national police week, the city of tamarac encourages all residents to Express gratitude and appreciation for the dedication officers who selflessly serve
with valor, dignity, and commitment to protecting our community.
now, therefore, I marlon bolton, vice mayor of the city of tamarac, On behalf of the mayor and a commission do hereby proclaim may 10 to 16,
2026 as national police week in tamarac and call upon residents to honor and dedicate, Honor the dedicated men and women of law enforcement,
and to recognize their extraordinary service, Sacrifice and commitment to public safety.
captain franks, if you would accept this and the leaders of bso.
are we actually. Yes. Okay. Everybody.
come on down. Come on down. Thank thank you, Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
whoever. Yes. Why would you stand in front? And if it's residents, You get to do this more than us.
oh, we're facing them. They're going to hit you. You ready to get pinned? Oh, good. Good. Here
we go. Here.
it is. Okay.
all right, now join us and we're going to see how we can do this in a photo. This should be in your seat. I guess we're not done yet.
we're giving our thanks. For the quick response.
maybe not. That emotional. It's okay.
gotta have some fun. It's all a joke. You all ready to come on in?
turn around. I know, right? I know.
let me, let me come. Right. Yeah.
guess not. Maybe. She was.
a little shy. My, my. Right, right.
are you ready? One. Two. Three. Here. Thank you.
thank you guys. Thank you. Thank you.
and our captain is going to say a few words. Good evening.
you just saw a part of some of the most amazing law enforcement officers here in broward County.
like, give it up again. These guys and girls go out here every single day and give it to The max.
and when I give my my presentation later tonight, I can show you some of the amazing work that they do here every single day.
and I'd like, you know, ask the community, please, If you do see them, thank them for what they do.
they do an amazing job here protecting this community. But I'd also like for you all to remember those who did sacrifice their life in the line Of duty.
and we had, you know, a deputy here in tamarac that did give the ultimate sacrifice with Brian tafford.
so please keep his family in your prayers. And these deputies every day as they go out and Protect the community.
thank you so much. Thank you captain. And one of the things that our residents, One of the things that our residents can do is please drop something
off at our tamarac bezos office. I know that this morning our office dropped off some Donuts and coffee.
so if you would drop off some gifts for them and let them know that they are special to Us,
thank you, thank you. They are very special. And thank you for protecting us and all that You do every day for us.
I think we're in the safest place, don't you? We are now going to go to celebrating Haitian flag day proclamation,
also requested by vice mayor bolton separately.
thank you. That's funny, I know.
all right. So haitian flag day is an important day for us.
and we have a surprise for a couple of people, But I'm going to read this proclamation first,
whereas haitian flag day is celebrated annually on may 18th to commemorate commemorate the Creation of the haitian flag in
1803 during the haitian revolution. Symbols symbolizing the courage, Resilience, freedom and unity of the haitian people.
and whereas haiti became the first black republic in the world and the first independent Caribbean nation inspiring movements
for freedom and justice across the globe. And whereas the haitian flag stands as a proud Emblem of hope,
perseverance, culture, and national pride for haitians both in haiti and throughout the Diaspora.
and whereas, the city of tamarac is home to a vibrant and thriving haitian community whose Residents continue to make invaluable contributions to the cultural,
civic, economic, education, and spiritual fabric of our city.
and whereas haitian americans in broward county have distinguished themselves as business Leaders,
educators, health care professionals, clergy, Public servants, entrepreneurs, artists, and community advocates who strengthen and enrich
our diverse community every single day. And whereas across broward county, Haitian americans are represented in all levels of government,
the city of tamarac celebrated historic milestones, Electing in.
including the election of mike gelin as the first elected haitian commissioner.
crystal patterson as the first elected haitian woman commissioner and the appointment of Hans ottenhoff esquire as the city's
first haitian city attorney. And in the city of north lauderdale, Samson borgelin was elected as the first haitian american mayor in all of
broward county. And whereas these historic
achievements reflect the progress, empowerment and growing influence of the haitian Community in shaping the future of tamarac and inspiring
future generations of haitian american leaders. And whereas haitian flag day serves as an opportunity for all residents to celebrate Haitian heritage,
honor the sacrifices and triumphs of the haitian people, And recognize the enduring spirit and cultural pride that continues to uplift communities
throughout the world. Now, therefore, I, vice mayor marlon de bolton, On behalf of the mayor and city commission of the city of tamarac,
florida, do hereby proclaim may 18th, 2026 as asian flag day in the city of tamarac and Encourage all residents to join in celebrating the rich
history, vibrant culture, and countless contributions of the haitian community.
thank you so much. And to accept these proclamations will be our wonderful city attorney.
hans. Will you come down, sir, please? To our first haitian woman elected in the city of Tamarac,
miss crystal patterson. And the first haitian mayor in all of broward county, The honorable
samson borgelin.
and because commissioner patterson is the only woman here accepting the award.
and she's so beautiful. We have a beautiful bouquet of flowers for commissioner patterson As well.
thank you. That's it. Do you need them for your photo?
and would like to have mayor board gelin since he's our guest from another city to please Say a few words on behalf of the haitian community here in broward county.
it's only half of me here. Is that okay? All right. Thank you. Let me ask my other half. Better half or best half?
which? Okay. Right here. Thank you. I'm speechless because now I'm starting to
understand as I recognize where we recognize people in the city of north lauderdale what It feels like,
because I've never had a feeling that I didn't know what it feels like to recognize, To be recognized.
so I think god first, because I never expected to be in a public service.
that's what I've been doing the whole of my life. But to become the first haitian and only Mayor in broward county to serve
its greatest honor I have but to be recognized by our next door neighbor.
once I open our doors in north lauderdale, we're in tamarac. We breathe the air. So I feel humbled and honored for the honor to be recognized
for being a haitian mayor. And I don't know. God bless you guys here.
I always like to see tamarac of the city. I want to, To to how do you say imitate and
emulate also as well as another city, but here. Yes. You guys give me, I mean, I'm coming here.
I see a lot of things that I wish I could be doing there, But I'll be doing it right now.
and god bless you for, for this thing. I don't know how to say what what else to say Because I'm just under the shock.
okay. Emotion for that. Thank you. And my wife said if I need to let her go, She lets me go home.
she needs to say a couple words. So allow me that. Okay? So I can get home. Good evening everyone.
good evening mayor. But I mean commissioners, Thank you so much for doing this, vice mayor bolton,
I just have to say thank you because everybody knows you are so extra.
and then you did it. And then. So I know lately you've been taking the haitian community.
you recognize hotel wyclef and then so we really thank you because you know, You and I, we really have a hate and love
relationship. I cannot just not love you. But thank you so much for doing this.
and then so seriously, you, you really you you got me.
I'm sorry. For the first time from the good years, You really got me with your extra.
and then I really appreciate you for doing this. And on behalf of the haitian community. I thank you.
and let me say that to all of you. Respect because you guys have been doing good.
mayor. You know, we're good friends, I appreciate you. You're good, My friend. Also all of you.
god bless you again. God bless tamarac okay. And god bless north florida also.
thank you.
okay. All right. This next
request was actually by me. And it is my pleasure to present to commander neil krasinski.
did I get it right? Come on up, commander. This is 2026 national safe boating week Proclamation.
so I'm a little blind, so I have a little bit. Whereas over 100 million americans boating, sailing, Paddling, and fishing continues to be a popular recreational activity from coast to coast
and everywhere in between, people are taking to the water and enjoying time together.
whereas on average, 650 people die each year in boating related accidents in the us, With 75% of these fatalities caused by drowning.
and whereas, the coast guard estimates that human error accounts for most of the boating Accidents,
as life jackets could easily prevent nearly 75% of boating fatalities.
whereas, during national safe boating week, the us coast guard and the national safe Boating council,
along with federal, state and local safe boating partners, Encourage all boaters to explore and enjoy america's beautiful waters responsibly.
and whereas, through basic boating safety procedures such as carrying life saving Emergency distress and communications equipment,
wearing life jackets, attending safe boating courses, Participating in free boat safety checks and staying sober when navigating.
and whereas having the privilege to enjoy various waterways in our backyard.
national safe boating week helps bring attention to important life saving tips for Recreational recreational boaters so that they can have a safe experience out on the water
throughout the entire year. And now, therefore, I, michelle j. Gomez, very proud mayor of the city of tamarac, Broward county, florida, on behalf of the commission,
encourage everyone to wear a life jacket while practicing safe boating habits and do Hereby proclaim may 16th through 2022 2026 as
national safe boating week. I think the coast guard often gets
forgotten about. Number one, they do work on waterways as well as the sea.
number one, they are a law enforcement organization.
and we do education not just for boaters but for children as well.
we provide this coming saturday, a class in pembroke pines, So please contact us if
you need classes for children. For adults, not just for boat captains, But even for crew.
people who just visit us. And if you've watched the news a week ago, 12 people were sort of blown out of their boat and had a lot
of injuries. So thank you very much, mayor and the commission.
thank you very much. One. Two. Three.
thank you. Thank you.
thank you. Okay. This next request was
also by myself, and it is my honor to present it to allan lamb, One of our amazing city employees.
this is the asian american and native hawaiian pacific islander month.
exactly. Thank you very much. Thank you. Commissioner.
bolton. Marlon. Okay. Whereas the month of may
celebrates and honors the contributions of asian american, Native hawaiian, and pacific islanders in the united states.
and whereas this commemoration, first known as asian american pacific islander heritage Week,
was signed into law as a joint resolution by president jimmy carter in 1978, And later congress expanded the observance from a week to a month,
and in 2022, the month was renamed asian american and native hawaiian pacific islander Heritage month.
and whereas a nhip community is an inherently diverse population composed of more than 70 Distinct ethnicities and speaking more than
100 language dialects. Whereas, generations having enriched america's history, The diverse and growing population of aa and hpi
descendants make up more than 25 million people in the united states.
and whereas asian americans, native hawaiians and pacific islanders have played vital Roles in shaping the nation,
from building the transcontinental railway to advancing workers rights, To serving in our nation's armed forces and making these contributions while also facing
persistent discrimination and violence. Whereas we encourage everyone to recognize this Month by acknowledging the numerous and longstanding contributions of asian
americans, native hawaiians and pacific islanders throughout the history of the united States and in our city.
whereas now, therefore, I, michelle j. Gomez, Very proud mayor of the city of tamarac, broward county,
florida, on behalf of the commission, encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize the Significant contributions of the asian american,
native hawaiian pacific islanders community and do hereby proclaim the month of may 2026 As asian american and native hawaiian pacific islander heritage month.
good evening, mayor gomez. Good evening, vice mayor bolton.
good evening doc commissioner doctor daniel. Good evening, Commissioner patterson.
and good evening, commissioner write on behalf of all asian american native hawaiian Pacific islanders.
who are residing in the city of tamarac and who are working in the city.
staff like me and lisa, who is standing at the back, Who is standing at the back?
come on up. Thank you very much, and thank you for your continuing support
to our community and, and the city staff and for those of you of us working in the city, We are very grateful to working in such a
heartwarming city and city commission. Thank you very much.
take a photo. Okay, good.
through.
this next proclamation was requested by commissioner maury wright. The birthday gentleman. I thank you, madam mayor.
I always say tamarac is a microcosm of america. We celebrated haitian flag day, we celebrated asian american pacific islander, And now we're going to celebrate jewish american heritage month.
one thing of we see in the news today, there's a lot of anti-semitism, And it's important that we stand up for hate anywhere.
you know, mlk said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
one of the pictures I had on my computer is a picture of anwar sadat and golda meir, And someone asked me,
who are those people? And I had to give them a history lesson. I said, Golda meir was a former prime minister of israel,
and anwar sadat was the president of egypt with a complexion like mine. And they were smiling. And that was a time where everyone got along.
and I hope one day we can have a world where muslims and jews can get along and we can all Be one happy family.
jewish americans are part of a rich and enduring heritage that spans centuries.
rooted in traditions of faith, culture, community and a. And continue to preserve and pass down through generations jewish.
american heritage. Month. Observe. Every may provides an important opportunity to Recognize and celebrate the history,
tradition, and diverse experiences of jewish americans while fostering greater Understanding,
respect, appreciation of their culture, legacy. Whereas, the observance of jewish american heritage month highlights the enduring legacy, Achievement resilience of jewish americans whose stories reflect what
challenges they have overcome and meaningful impact they continue to have on our society.
whereas jewish americans have shown enduring resilience in the face of adversity, Upholding rich traditions rooted in faith,
family, education and community while continuing to champion justice, Equality and opportunity for all.
whereas, jewish americans have remained steadfast in their support of civil rights Protections,
working to address ongoing discrimination in voting, Housing, employment affecting women,
communities of color, the lgbtq plus community and individuals with disabilities.
whereas, in communities such as city of tamarac, Jewish residents have played a vital role in fostering strong neighborhood connections,
advancing civic engagement, and enriching the cultural diversity and vibrancy that define Our city.
whereas, it is fitting and proper to honor the generations of jewish americans who have Helped shape a nation and to promote greater understanding,
respect and appreciation of jewish culture and culture and heritage.
now, on behalf of the mayor and city commission, I do hereby proclaim the may, the month of may as jewish american heritage month.
and if anyone who's jewish, please stand and come down.
anyone who's jewish, please come. Come and join us. Yep. Come. Come and join us. Yes. Let's come.
come and join us. Yes! Come on up. Come on. Come on up.
come on. He's counting his tips. Don't be shy.
and I'll present it to a proud jewish man. Mayor. Michel j. Gomez. You got a little tip? Somebody could take a
picture for us. Yeah. Can someone take the picture for you, Greg, so you can get in the photo? You can't get done, bolton. Well,
come on up. We got some more coming. Got some more coming.
let's take the photo. Why don't you guys. Come on in.
come on. Please do. One. Two. Three!
you guys. Thank you. And I am very proud that the tribe has joined.
because sometimes, as you may have noticed, sometimes when you're jewish, You stand back.
you hide. And in today's day and age, there's no reason for anybody to hide.
we should all be proud of ourselves for every way, In any way we look. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being proud.
thank you. You got me a little verklempt. My goodness.
all right, one more proclamation. We have national public services week proclamation.
this is requested by earl henry, our interim public service director. Come on down. Do you want to read it?
you want me to read it? It's not in a big font. I'll try. All right. As mentioned, this was requested by earl henry, P, our interim public services director.
whereas public service professionals focus on infrastructure, Facilities and services that are of vital importance to the sustainable and resilient
communities and to public health, high quality of life and well-being of the people of Tamarac.
whereas, these infrastructure, facilities and services could not be provided without the Dedicated efforts of public works professionals who are engineers,
managers and employees at all levels of government, The private sector and who are responsible for rebuilding,
improving and protecting our nation's transportation, Water supply, water treatment and solid waste systems,
public buildings and other structures and facilities essential for our citizens.
and whereas, in the public interest for citizens, Civic leaders and children of the city of tamarac to gain knowledge of and maintain
progressive interests and understanding of the importance of public works and public works Programs in their respective communities.
whereas, in the year of 2026 marks the 66th annual national public works week, Sponsored by american public works association and canadian public works
association. Whereas, this year the theme of public work week is rooted in service powered By community.
now, therefore, I, michel j. Gomez very proud mayor of the city of tamarac, Broward county,
florida, on behalf of the commission, do hereby proclaim the week of may 17th through 23, 2026 as national public works week in the city of tamarac
and urge all citizens to join with representatives of the american public works Association,
canadian public works association and government agencies, And activities and events and ceremonies designed to pay tribute to our public service
professionals, engineers, managers and employees, And to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our national
health, safety and quality of life. And we thank you.
good evening everyone. Thank you, mayor gomez.
vice mayor and commissioners. As you know, public services are public works in, In the
context of what we're dealing with today is you know, The city of tamarac in terms of our public services department,
you know, it includes utilities as well, utilities. So I'm from the utilities side, so I want to make sure that that's understood.
so public works and utilities you know, together as public services, We, you know, the men and women who
work for the city and go out, they do that every day and they do that with a willing Heart.
and, you know, a lot of times they don't get the recognition. So, you know, I'm happy to be here receiving this on behalf of them.
a lot of times when you hear about public works public services, It's when something goes wrong.
so, you know, I do appreciate, you know, this, This award, and I do want to say that public services on a whole,
not only in the city of tamarac, but, you know, Throughout the united states we it's at a critical stage right now.
there are certain issues in terms of financial.
and so, so be it you know, but the, so we are, We're kind of, we're,
we're looking to, to you as a commission and, You know, the residents of, of tamarac for support,
you know, in what we do you know, we, here we we have a lot of projects and we have a lot Of
things planned and we want to see them go through.
it doesn't happen without, you know, funding and such.
so, you know, it is. Yeah. You know, I don't
want to be long winded, but I, I do want to, I do want to bring that out and, and make sure that everybody understands that and you
know, supports us. So thank you very much. Appreciate it.
public services is the ms of our water and our streets and our pipes and everything.
so we thank you and everyone and very happy.
part two is not over just yet. Soon we're done with the proclamation part.
and then you all have a break.
that's mayor social hour coming up. Come on. All right.
city manager not you yet. Oh, yeah. City manager. Go ahead. Thank you, madam mayor. Vice mayor.
commissioners. Again, happy birthday to our commissioners to many, Many more.
and I also want to thank or recognize our graduating class.
congratulations to all of you. Thank you for your dedication.
I'd like to also recognize dean twigger and his assistant deans for conducting another Great two session this year.
so thank you so much, jim, for for managing this program.
I want to emphasize that rosalina is not just an asian american.
she's also responsible from our payroll, so she's critical.
so with that please join us for this month's district meetings where we will share Important updates and information about your
communities. Please take note of your district meeting date and time.
you're welcome to attend any or all of those meetings. Department directors and representatives from partner agencies, Including the property appraiser's office,
broward sheriff's office and fire rescue will be in attendance to provide insights and Respond to questions after the meeting.
please visit us online to complete the meeting survey and we're all looking forward to Seeing you there.
as you know, hurricane season is two weeks away. Short time residents are encouraged to plan ahead and prepare now.
the city of tamarac is taking extensive measures to ensure we're ready for the season, But everyone must do their part before a storm approaches,
so please stay informed by signing up for code red. I can't emphasize this enough. Please sign up for code red.
it's on our website. Easy. Two clicks. You're done.
and then you will receive notifications and all kinds of other information.
so let's be prepared altogether. City of tamarac has a number of exciting events planned Over the coming weeks,
and we encourage all of our residents to come out and join us.
our city events page is regularly updated with new programs and activities for our Community to enjoy.
join us as we honor our military heroes this memorial day on monday, May 25th at veterans park beginning at 10:30 a.m.
as such, all city facilities will be closed on monday, May 25th in observance of the memorial day.
and again, we would like to extend our gratitude to all the men and women who have served.
our next commission meeting will be held on may 27th, 2026 at 9:30 a.m..
thank you, madam mayor. That concludes my report. Excellent. Thank you very much. We will now go to our bso monthly update.
good evening mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, City manager, city attorney, and the citizens of of tamarac.
today I want to talk about a negative. Negative is not always a bad thing because I want To talk about how for the month of april,
we have a negative in front of every one of our numbers of crimes. And we went down in every single category of crime.
that is just a testament to the deputies that are out there every day patrolling, Getting out there and just getting into the community and letting them know we're
here for them. And the number of arrests have increased, Which is a great positive number,
too. So I'd love to see that. So we put more bad guys in jail. And then the other big number that I want to talk about, That's a positive.
not many people like, but I know it's a good thing because it shows that we're out there Enforcing the traffic laws is we went up 75% in citations.
that number. I don't hear any clapping for that one, But.
and then also, what's a great. Another negative is the number of crashes that have gone Down.
we're down 14% in crashes. So with the traffic enforcement that's out there, That is that is the positive thing that comes out of it.
so that with more enforcement, there are less crashes. So that's a real quick one. But tonight I want to just do a quick honorary thing for I Have some deputies here who we wanted to honor them
for deputy of the month for the month of april, And I'd like to bring them up. It's my cst team and some members of my criminal investigations team.
I have sergeant matt gorman, deputy christopher gonzalez, Dean carty, rolando reyes, detective steven lee,
and detective james redford. These guys exemplify what it means to get out there and take It to the max.
back on april 30th, we had a gentleman, I don't want to call him that. We had an individual who decided to jump the fence at one of our schools and catholic Schools,
where there were children playing in a playground. These were young children. These are like seven years old playing on a playground.
that gentleman, that individual, I'll call him again, Decided to try to entice one of the children over to him,
and luckily the teacher that was there saw something was wrong because he was trying to Hide.
while he was in there behind a wall, saw what was going wrong and stepped in and he jumped The fence and got out of there.
we responded over there and immediately the investigation started.
the detectives got word of this, and detective lee's, Along with detective reyes, started their investigation and they started knocking on doors
looking for cameras because we had nothing. We had a one video clip of this individual Jumping over the fence and being there,
and that's all we had. After knocking on about 40 doors of businesses and residences going Through everything and all the technology that we had,
we identified a car that he was tied to. After that, We were able to get a tag and find out who he was or where the car was registered.
within about 24 hours of having nothing, we located him and took him into custody, Wearing the same clothes that he was wearing when he jumped the
fence. They. These detectives just did an amazing, Amazing job.
the csp. Everybody. And it should be known that this.
this subject already had a history for possession of child pornography and trying to lure Enticing other people.
so this is a very bad person that we have taken off the streets. And I'm hoping that we put him away for a long time.
so I want to thank each and every one of them. These are our detectives, actually our deputies of the month for april 2026.
thank you for your service. Thank you for protecting us. Thank you for protecting our Children. Thank you.
ladies and gentlemen, as promised, there was going to be a break. When item number two is done, item number two is officially done.
and we're just going to round it off and go to 825.
we'll see you all back here at 825. Thank you very much.
thank you. All right, ladies and gentlemen, our apologies. We are running a little late. We have had a really great first part of our meeting.
some of us may have a little sugar high, so forgive us. But it is 828. So we are going to go to the public participation part of our program.
and the rules and regulations are above, but I'd like everybody to just know a couple of Things as I probably now have icing in my hair.
we allow everybody to speak. We know that people may not always agree, So we ask for happy hands.
if you like what somebody said and you can put your thumb down if you don't like what Somebody says.
but we don't encourage we do not like booing, Jeering and cheering because we don't want anybody to feel intimidated.
everybody has the right to speak freely. Now, Along those lines, this is an item for anything that is not on the agenda.
so the workshop item on 11 is not considered on the agenda and consent agenda.
items can be spoken about at this time as well. Please keep in mind if a consent agenda item is removed from consent, It becomes a regular item where public participation is held so you
can speak at public participation during the item that gets removed from consent agenda if There is one.
now that I think I've given you clear as mud, I'll call the first person we give you your name.
we appreciate if you give your address. If you're not comfortable, Just please tell us the city in which you live, or at least the county, and then proceed
for your three minutes. We do not share our minutes here. Alrighty. Moving right along. We've got carol mendelsohn and then kate johnson is on deck.
carol mendelsohn, district four. Madam mayor, Commissioners, I want to begin with a simple but important question.
what value do we place on the well-being of the people who protect us every day?
right now, we make decisions that prioritize events that cost taxpayers hundreds of Thousands of dollars,
the printing and distribution of promotional materials, And even the approval of a $5 million track project,
while critical life impacting issues remain unaddressed.
the state of florida has recommended reducing firefighter workweeks from 48 hours to 42 Hours.
this isn't a luxury. It is a response to very real challenges mental and emotional strain,
ptsd, physical exhaustion, and long term health risks, Including cancer exposure.
our tamarac firefighters are among the best in the state. They have already brought the issue forward, Yet the current timeline would delay meaningful action until 2029 due to the contract
process. This is simply too long. The cost to implement this change is estimated at 1 to $2 million annually,
requiring approximately 10 to 12 additional positions.
so I ask you what matters more? A $5 million track, Or investing $2 million in the health,
safety and well-being of the men and women who risk their lives for ours.
other cities such as boca raton, palm beach, Boynton beach and coral springs are already moving in this direction.
if we do not act, tamarac risks falling behind not only in the standard of care, But in the ability to recruit and retain the best
firefighters. We have options. We can prioritize this in the upcoming 2027 budget Workshop.
recognizing the time required to implement it properly. Or we can bring forward this as an agenda item and begin the process now, Rather than waiting for contract cycles to delay
progress. This is about more than scheduling.
this is about respect. This is about responsibility.
this is about doing what is right. Our firefighters show up for us every single day, Often on the worst days of our lives.
it's our duty to show up for them. This is not simply a cost.
it is an investment in people and safety and in the future of our city.
so I ask again, what is their well-being worth?
I urge you to act with the urgency this issue deserves and to stand with those who stand For us.
thank you. Thank you. Know, if you like it. Happy hands please.
kate johnson is coming down and I have commissioner david krasinski from southwest ranches Here on deck,
if you wish.
excuse me. Getting over a cold. Kate johnson, Mainlands four.
first, I want to thank vice mayor bolton for his apology.
he did accuse me of not reading my emails, so I did go back and read all 12 emails that I Got on that,
and not one of them mentioned ada accommodations.
I reached out to parks and rec. They did not know of any advertising for ada Accommodations either.
so I would suggest with your next big event coming up, That that be started now so that people understand that accommodations will
be made. Secondly, I want to talk about 11 b
$64,932.39 was received by the city as
settlement regarding our water. Now today. Vice mayor bolton has put on the
agenda to see how much of that the commissioners can get.
our commissioner spent over $1,030,000 last year in special projects initiatives Discretionary
funding. I can't imagine how much we've spent already.
and then I know we've got a $300,000 concert coming up next month.
this is insane. That money was meant for water.
I heard we were getting a 15% increase in our water bills to cover the infrastructure Needed.
now, the city manager did say that did not go through the commission, But he said we need the money.
well, if you need the money, take that 1 million plus dollars and put it toward the Infrastructure where
every resident benefits. Not just a select few that some commissioners think are worthy, Or some
projects that some commissioners think are needed. We don't need a bunch of projects. We, as residents could use financial help, And if that money can go toward curtailing
our water bills, that's where the money should go.
not in commissioners pockets. Thank you. Thank you.
as commissioner kaczynski is okay. Thank you. Gary gray will come on down and miss vernon was just signed up as honoree, So leona mcandrews would
be on deck if she has left the chamber. All right.
thank you very much. And then, richard rem. Cartier.
sorry for. I'm sorry. You said it sounded like a perfume.
that is. Well, it's a beautiful name. I apologize for not saying it well.
no, it's ramcharan ramcharan. My apologies. You'll be on deck.
thank you. Good evening, gary gray, isles of tamarac.
I, too, have some serious concerns over 11. Be that money should stay in the treasury of This city,
because we are going to need it for infrastructure. We may even need it for operating costs. We don't know what the tax situation is going to Be coming from tallahassee.
that money should not be frittered away by individual commissioners and their little pet Projects.
that would be a misappropriation of funds in my personal and professional opinion.
save that money for those projects that we know this city is going to need.
put it aside because we're going to need it. And as far as getting the funds for the water System,
improvements from the residents, we don't want to see a major increase in our bills.
we're on fixed incomes, most of us. We have this multi this over $1 million coming to us.
and yes, we did have some legal expenses. I'm sure those are in there somewhere.
but keep the money in the city for these infrastructure projects that we need to do.
I don't know what else I can say. For the mothers here, I hope you had a happy mother's day for the citizens that
went through the tamarac university. Unfortunately, Most of them have departed.
I congratulate them and encourage others to go through that process.
you learn a lot. I haven't yet, but I will. Thank you.
thank you very much. You do it. You will enjoy it. All right, miss ramcharan. Okay. Susan steinhauser, Thank you very
much. Mark goggin. After mark goggin, we have maura bullman.
sorry. Thank you. Good evening. Mark dougan tamarac lake south.
I'll start off with the good stuff first. I thank allan lamb for all the hard work.
I've worked with him on projects around our area out east. He's a great worker. He came out a couple of weeks ago because I called him about some Problems.
the walls when power washed and a couple cracks from car accidents.
going to be fixed. Also, thanks to bso, the great work.
we need to appreciate them anytime you see them. Like the vice mayor says, yes, bring them. Other than donuts, The donut talks too much about the police.
bring them sandwiches or something. Thanks. Fire department.
that's big for me. I grew up in a fire department family. I worked on the rescue up north before I moved down here.
cut into 42 hour shift is great. The men work too much as it is currently.
I know, having been on the fire chiefs association of broward and palm beach county for Those long shifts,
there's three shifts. That means most of the time they work. Today, 24 hours. Go home back in two days to make this adequate.
as someone said earlier, that money is going to be needed in their budget and something we Need to start looking at because every other city up north,
I know that went through this had to put completely additional shift.
so that's at least another 12 to 16 personnel that we need on shift, So that they have four shifts to do this job properly and
protect those firefighters. The other thing 11bi looked at it.
it's money. It's money that should stay in the city coffers.
we out in the east section. If you don't know where that is.
east of 441, all the way out there to prospect almost a power line off of prospect.
I've lived there 20 years. We've been told we're going to become part of tamarac water.
we're not yet. That money should be going in and being ready to help get ready to prepare For that.
it's been 20 years that we told we were going to get tamarac water when they had that big Issue in the fort lauderdale when at the airport and someone broke the big
pipe when they were doing the work. I think it was f, P, and l, our area was out of water.
luckily, the commissioner at that time, he's now vice mayor and some of the city did bring Bottled water around to the neighborhoods,
which helped the neighbors. The other thing with that issue I had in reading it, I thought we had a city attorney that gets paid for
by the city, by our taxes. Why are we paying another $23,000?
thank you. Sorry. We do try to keep to a very strict three minutes.
as rude as it may seem. Apologies. Madison. Bronson.
sydney. Telus. Okay. And apologize again if I'm mutilating names.
carlston gray. I know that one. He's my neighbor.
and then on deck is patrice samonakis. Samonakis wave for now.
are you coming up? Yes. Okay. Awesome. Good evening everyone.
madam mayor. Councilors. Thank you very much for recognizing the work that others do to Make us feel safe.
and in this tamarac, the last time I was here, I made a reference to a bikini
about drawings being submitted by 13th floor.
that was a bikini. What it revealed was interesting.
what it concealed was vital. Little did I know at the time that I would be the one that Those drawings would bite in the
backyard. I got the official drawings that have been used by the contractors in the Woodlands.
and the drawings that the contractors are using is totally different from the drawings That were displayed to us.
several homeowners received letters asking them, Telling them that they were encroaching on 13th floor
property. I'm one of them. I knew I was encroaching. I bought a property that had sprinkler systems beyond my property line, Trees beyond my property line,
and I knew that they were not mine. So they want to take their property. I don't have a problem with that. My problem, However, is that they intend to move the canal from where it is.
remove the 12 to 15 foot buffer zone between our property line and the canal, And convert that to the canal.
then use the existing canal as their new roadway.
I mentioned this in a meeting on monday night and you didn't know what I was talking About.
one of our homeowners got a call today by osni. Can't remember his last name representing 13th floor, And was told that he has three days to move his plants.
madam mayor, councilors, this is a crisis. If they move that waterway to the boundary Line,
it's going to erode the foundations of our homes.
and there are 12 homes that are affected on the south side of orchard tree.
this is an emergency. I expect action. Happy birthday, Commissioner murray.
thank you. And I'll be sending you the telephone number and the the conversation.
we will continue later. Thank you. And commissioner wright is aware of it as well.
madam mayor, the name for the record. Oh, I apologize, I was going to put that on the record for the record,
is carlston gray in the woodlands. Thank you.
all right, patricia, you're coming up. I've got jen angelia.
god bless. I screwed that one up. Sorry. Your handwriting's.
everyone's beautiful. I just can't read. Mine was pretty bad, Though. I was like, oh, crap. Hello, my name is patrice.
I live in spring lake off south gate. You can see our beautiful wall right now, Which is why we're here.
I've lived in the community for coming up on 18 years.
it looked pretty good way back in the day, but we've had some turmoil going on in our Community.
and I would love to thank commissioner patterson because she has stepped in for us and she Is helping us with our wall and our lake.
so we are super excited about that. And we just want to thank you so much.
so this was just a good comment. We'll take them. We like those. It's all good. No we really really appreciate everything she's been doing.
we haven't had that. So good. Thank you. Well good. Very glad to hear. Come on up. And then margaret pandoo.
I got that one I think.
my name is jennifer and I'm from spring lake.
and generally I don't speak in public, but I really feel like this is something that is so Worthy.
commissioner patterson well, first of all, she's a wonderful woman.
I got to meet her for something separate other than spring lake the breast cancer gala, Which.
thank you, thank you. That was beautiful. But our neighborhood, I've been there 26 years.
and it's 97 homes. My husband was on the board ten years ago when I had breast cancer and It was falling apart.
then he came off the board to help take care of my kids. And it just spiraled. It's very difficult, I think, Ever to get a lot of people to agree
on anything. And the one thing we all agree on is that we all love our community.
it's very small. We love it. It was very beautiful.
it still is. Mostly we just have some boo boos, Some big ones.
but commissioner patterson has been really trying to work very hard on getting some things Accomplished with us and for
us. Some of us are with more the. With. And that's why we're here.
I want to thank you so much. The wall. They proposed to paint the wall and take care of That.
it affects everybody outside of us as well as those behind the wall.
I'd like to say that I wish we could get the community to come together 100%, And I don't know that that's ever going to happen.
but in the interim of all these things going on, I know that she's been working endlessly to try to help us.
and we do love our community. So that will be so nice to drive into and see that the lake,
I live on it. I love my lake. She's working to help take care of that.
patrice and others live near the pool. Disaster.
trying to get that covered. I don't know what's to come, But I just wanted to thank you so much.
she's a wonderful person and I thank all of you for listening to her.
that was it. Thank you and congratulations and wonderful being a survivor. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right. As margaret's coming down, Susan dupont.
hi, I'm margaret panda. I live in the same association as them.
I'm also not used to public speaking, but I wanted to come with all of them because I've Lived in spring
lake for 20 years, and we love the community.
it's really a very nice community. And unfortunately, The wall right now has gone down a lot.
I was one with the others. There were there were a few.
we tried pressure washing the wall and then we brought spatulas and we started to scrape The paint that didn't come off,
so I. One day I worked for like four hours from 8 to 12, And then another day, another few days I've been scraping the wall.
but finally commissioner patterson said, we'll try and make the city repaint the wall Because we were trying to put together
a fund to repaint the wall. So we would appreciate any help we get from the city because It's been our home for 20 years and we love the
community. Thank you very much. Thanks. Thank you. And the proposed wall looks really good. Now, Is there anyone else who wish to speak on an item that's not on the agenda?
or 11? You'll go next. You'll go next. Or two of you ladies.
hi. My name is susan de potter and I live in spring lakes also.
I've lived there for 23 years and I have over the years been on and off the board.
I've been a participant in trying to get the revitalization done for the hoa.
we've tried it a few times, and one of the issues when we've gotten very close to getting It done we had issues with the,
our attorney and that has caused a big split in the neighborhood, But whether or not we're going to get our pool back or our clubhouse back,
which would be wonderful because it's such an eyesore there.
I don't know if that's going to ever happen, But whatever help the city can give us, it would be really appreciated because at least
the wall, because, you know, you pull in, you pull out and you see it and it's cracked and It's got big holes in it.
and, you know, the neighbors in general, we all can't just fix it on our own, And we can't get enough participation because a lot of people
have moved in there and they're under the assumption that they don't have an hoa, So they don't.
they feel like that's not their wall, that is not their clubhouse. And they don't want to be held responsible or financially or, You know, physically helping.
so whatever the city can do to help us is really appreciated because it is a good Community and we've got really nice neighbors for the most part.
so yeah, we could really use some help and we don't know where to turn. We've we've tried everything. So whatever you guys can do, We really appreciate it.
so we're there to help what we can do. We'll be there for you.
okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. I know there was a community meeting commissioner Patterson held.
it was here, and the timeline was provided, and everything that's being done as best as Possible is,
and outside the box items are being thought about too, In order to help the community.
so thank you very much. We will now go to patty fox and on deck after her will be sandy Hill.
is there anyone else who wish to speak on an item not already on the agenda?
all right. Then after sandy hill, we will end public participation.
good evening, madam mayor. Commissioners, I'm patricia fox. I live in the woodlands. I've lived there for 25 years now and I am on have been off and On the boards for several
years. I am truly here, though, to speak as a resident of tamarac in general.
about 11 I 100% support commissioner rights establishing a veteran poll.
I think banner program. I think it is an excellent idea and I also agree that he is the Most handsome man on this commission.
okay. That's my vote. That's my vote. Whereas on 11 b, I
disagree. Asking this commission, I'm asking this commission to consider asking this Commission to consider dividing that money up to the commissioners who
opt in or out of this allocation is a ridiculous request.
I've heard several people of the same the same exact thing. These people that the gentleman that was up here earlier and said that he's on the east Side of town,
he wants to be part of the. He's supposed to be part of the tamarac water and he can't Afford.
they can't afford to lose and have their increases done for their water bills.
so a lot of people here live on fixed income. We all know that. And I think it's terribly unfair to think that these funds should be Used by the commissioners willy nilly.
the funds should be used by the city to defray costs. I listened earlier where earl henry said that public works could use money.
I mean, the everybody needs to use this money for the benefit of the citizens and Improving the city of tamarac.
and it benefits all the city residents, not just little districts handing out gift cards.
that's not how government should be run, that you by your little votes.
how about you use some of these funds to support the veterans poll, For instance? I'm sure the the band would be appreciated and honored seeing the city honor our veterans Much more than seeing people get gift cards or
whatever the commissioners decide to do with their money if they were to take that way.
I disagree, and I hope the commission listens to all the people that are against handing This money out to the commissioners.
thank you. Thank you very much. Sandy hill.
hi. Sandra hill, woodlands and a tamarac taxpayer and resident for 25 years.
so in the old days where I'm from, mothers used to want their kids to either be a doctor Or a
lawyer. That's where it's at, and that's where the money is. And you can make a big impact. But nowadays, I swear to god, I think a mother should tell a kid to be a politician because
that's where it's at. And I'm serious. I wished I hadn't gone into finance, I wished I was a politician,
except I'm too nervous to be one, so I couldn't do it. But anyway, some of the commissioners, not all of them on this dais, Have been written up numerous times in the sun sentinel,
in the editorial pages, they're written up in tamarac talk and on our little websites.
right. They've been accused. One in particular has been accused of embezzlement.
another one was fired from their last job. Another one was asked to retire to avoid future Whatever.
and these are. And another one doesn't pay any taxes at all to our city.
they've become very clever in manipulating money.
like on our thing today. The million dollar, 600,000, whatever.
I'm sure they're waiting to get their hands on that, To use it to buy votes or line their pockets.
and if there is a god and I know there has to be, I hope and pray if you guys don't think god's watching you,
darn he is. And the taxpayers of tamarac are watching you too.
amen. Thank you. With that, public comments are now closed and we will move on to our Commission
reports. Vice mayor. Madam mayor, before we go into commissioner reports I want to respond To
two of the we don't do that, vice mayor. You know that. Okay. We I want to respond to some things that your point of privilege is noted.
go ahead. Yeah. So first of all, at face value, When someone hears that the city commission spends
1 million, $60,000, it sounds like, you know, It's taxpayers money and it was wasted.
the half truths that come out of the mouths of some of these paid actors is ridiculous.
and we need to put that on the record, that number one this was not taxpayer dollars.
these funds came from a developer who wanted to see and make sure that our community Remained remained
community benefits. Thank you so very much. So.
this, this is not going to be a monologue I want I want miss calloway to, To come down manager to,
to tell us how much money 13th floor gave us, Gave the city commission in community benefits so that the
public does not think that this was taxpayer dollars.
about $3.2 million. $3.2 million. And how much of that did the city commission get in Community benefits?
about 930,000. Okay. So so that no, no, no you don't get to do that.
do it in the woodlands when you were at the mayor. So vice mayor, that part's not necessary. You know, We we don't go there because the scripts that you give them to come and talk,
they'll be debunked tonight. Yeah. Go ahead. I have a boo corner in my church on sundays, Too.
so so a million, $1 million, almost $1 million was spent on community benefits.
and it and people might think that we spent $1 million, You know, taking pictures and looking and looking great.
I'll tell you some of the programs. Commissioner wright has a program that's called ted Tamarac economic
dividend fund or whatever it is. Out of that same money, He gives $100 per month to residents who are in need.
right. Is that buying votes? The jury is out on that one.
that's that's that's your opinion. For some of us, Commissioner daniel commissioner patterson spent $5,000 each,
$2,000 each, $100,000 each on residents that needed help to pay their mortgage, Their rent and all that
stuff. We gave away gas cards to residents who needed them.
they signed a form. They. They attested that they were in need.
so to think that we spend thousands of dollars just squandering and that sort of stuff.
that's a lie. And so I would I would caution all of you, For those of you who are getting these talking points,
to come to the city commission meeting to berate us.
enough is enough. And if and if that's your personality as a resident, I can't imagine what your personality would be as a city commissioner.
all right. Not not not in my book. It's not going to happen. Vice mayor. No personal attacks. Did I call a name?
it's not personal attacks. You know I am, I am, I am simply, I'm simply.
I am simply responding to the resident who came up here with the half truths.
now, as far as tamarac food and wine festival, This as far.
do you want me to take a motion to to continue to talk? Vice mayor. The point of this is not we don't rebut what the residents say.
and you know that we the city and and we actually do that. So if you want to formalize it for for the purposes of tonight, We can do that and we can go there.
unbelievably rude. Mister. Mister manager. If you would have your employee come down to Talk about the ada requirements for tamarac food and wine festival,
if you are privy to the information, we'd love to hear from you.
vice mayor, I know that there's been extensive preparations for for ada accommodations.
okay. So. So tell us about the ada accommodations that we had for tamarac food and wine Festival.
since there is a member of the public who called parks and recreation, And it was nonexistent,
and that's not the case. Okay. So you want melissa to come down to talk about it?
I would like melissa to come down. And she's been intimately involved in preparing for Those accommodations.
please clarify. Preparing for the accommodations for yard on the lawn. Or you're saying Prepared accommodations,
food and wine, and as well as for any upcoming events as well.
good evening. For the record, melissa petroni, Director of parks and recreation. Yes, we had an extensive ada plan for food and wine festival.
as far as communications that went out, I'm not sure what was communicated about it, But we had full ada parking area on 94th street,
which I believe it's 94th street coming from pine island. We had eight tables for ada seating that had multiple seats around.
the tables right by the stage had very close, Leading to see all the action. We also had transportation from the shuttle drop off because unfortunately, The busses could not come down the street due to the roundabout.
so we had golf carts that could pick up people that needed transportation from the shuttle Drop off.
so those are the accommodations we had for food and wine and any events that take and and Let me ask you this.
the people who needed ada accessibility, we didn't tell them that they couldn't bring Their lawn chairs.
they were able to bring those in and they had a good time. Correct. Yes. And we had clearly marked parking spaces for ada.
yes. On each of the areas and down the street we had cones with physical ada parking signs And with seating.
we had signs on the seating that said ada as well.
correct. Okay. So that's for food and wine. Mr. Attorney, is, is is there a requirement that we have to tell the public, Hey we have ada requirements or we just follow the law.
we just have to comply with the law, obviously.
when you have events they can call the city or the, The event organizers to learn about the combination that will,
will have with respect to parking ada. Because some of us go to dolphin games and Different venues and,
and the best thing to do is call sometime. Okay.
and for yard and lawn that's coming up, we have extensive plans as well.
yes we do. We have parking inside the park for ada handicapped parking, And we also have ada seating available.
and we'll also have golf carts available for any transportation for anyone that's in Wheelchairs that can't get from the ada parking to the site.
so if they're driving to the festival, they'll be able to come in and park at the Handicapped parking spots.
yes. Up until the as soon as the parking spots fill up, Then we won't have any more.
but we have about 30 parking spots. Okay. And your staff has made sure that their seating.
and that there is accessibility for, for ada for ada compliance and that they will also Have the best viewing in every section.
yes. It will be clearly marked ada seating. Okay. And again, there's no requirement for us to advertise that we just have to follow the law.
mr. Attorney. Correct. Okay. So so that, that debunks the, The half
truths or lies that some of you with the talking points have told.
and so for anybody else that wants to hear us debunk anything else, You're, you're absolutely
welcome to my office and let me tell you, I've been here for nine years.
I've had residents put up their phones to, to film.
I've had residents come with signs for bully bolton.
I have had the sun-sentinel write that we spent $19,000 on travel and really and truly Sun-sentinel.
about nine years ago, I was sick to my stomach. I thought it was going to lose my election. But you know what? I won that by a landslide.
so, you know, to to say that, you know, we're doing wrong.
let me tell you something. Everything is under sunshine. It is transparent. Everything that we do here in the city.
so really and truly your talking points tonight are are debunked.
and if you come back with talking points like this, I can guarantee you that every single time I'm going to respond to them because enough is
enough. Now for my commission report, please.
I have a video to show for the, the highlights of our last haitian heritage month Celebration.
so we'll play that first. Hey guys, it's your favorite tamarac district one city Commissioner and vice mayor marlon bolton.
and we are kicking off haitian american heritage month today at the city of tamarac.
we are going to be changing this space to make sure that it is fitting for this Celebration a high
honor for a global music icon and his sister, Wyclef jean, getting a key to the city.
he's being recognized for his impact in music, Business and humanitarian work.
alex miranda is back for us. He's live in the newsplex with more. Alex. Yeah. Joellen. It Was quite the honor for the haitian singer as he received a key to the city.
I never really knew that you could dance like this. She make a man want to speak spanish? Como se llama bonita.
today is more than a ceremony. It is a declaration of haitian excellence, Resilience and global influence.
as we celebrate haitian american heritage month, We honor a people whose history is rooted in courage and whose
present continues to inspire the world. So happy to be here recognizing the one and only Wyclef jean and his sister.
we thank you so much for seeing us. And we wanted to make sure the haitian community in District 20 sees you.
and it's such a good thing, vice mayor bolton, That you're doing this.
the contribution of haiti and the haitian people have too often been overlooked by our Nation.
we want to thank, of course, our vice mayor, The vice mayor, who always stands in spite of all things,
to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table. And so today, we are here to celebrate two great legends.
your impact reaches far beyond your music. Recognize and honor melky jean for her Extraordinary contributions to music,
humanitarian service and advocacy, and cultural leadership and hereby recognize may 1st, 2026 as
melky jean day in the state of florida. Today, We proudly present the broward county key to the county as a symbol of our deepest
appreciation for your contributions, your legacy and continued impact by the board of County commissioner,
broward county that the board hereby proclaims may 1st, 2026, as wyclef jean appreciation day in broward county,
florida. Now, therefore, I marlon bolton on behalf of the mayor and commission of the city Of tamarac,
hereby proclaims may 1st as wyclef jean and melky jean day, And present them with a key to the city of
tamarac. So thank you, marlon, for thinking of our family to honor us on the
first day of haitian heritage month. I salute y'all because without y'all,
we would not be unity strength. Thank you so much.
thank you guys so very much for watching. Again. My name is marlon bolton, Your favorite tamarac district one city commissioner and vice mayor here in tamarac where
our haitian community is vibrant and it is amazing.
thank you so very much guys. Remember happy haitian heritage month to all of you.
happy haitian heritage month to all of our residents. And for those of you who are. Hey guys, it's your favorite tamarac district one city Commissioner and vice mayor marlon bolton. That and one more thing.
there is a member of staff, a staff who is a mom, A super mom to a wonderful autistic
child. The management team let me know this during the break.
and so I'd be remiss if I did not present this award to kimberly dillon our city clerk
who is an excellent mom to an autistic child.
kimberly, you deserve this. Thank you so very much for all that you do as a super mom.
and thank you so very much for all that you do here in the city of tamarac as well. So god bless you. And of course we're glad we ended that on a very positive note.
thank you so much. Thank you. And we turn to district two.
commissioner. Right. The birthday gentleman. No report, Madam mayor.
all righty. Commissioner patterson, district three. Thank you. Mayor. Good evening everyone. Please bear with me. My voice is a little sketchy Here.
I've been trying to get over a cold. But first and foremost, I want to thank my colleague,
vice mayor bolton for the recognition today. It actually means a whole ton.
I remember growing up being haitian wasn't cool. I remember being picked on and, you know, just some of the challenges that came along with Identity as it pertains to being not only haitian woman,
but a biracial woman on top of that. And my journey hasn't always been easy.
so I appreciate that recognition. I didn't expect it. So thank you. And everyone knows I love flowers, So I'll let my husband watch this video to make sure that he knows that they came by way
of the commission meeting tonight. Thank you again.
I also want to recognize some of my colleagues that are here this evening that took time Out of their day to be with us for three hours,
if not a little more. My colleagues on the southwest, Excuse me solid waste authority of broward county for the last year and a half.
I want to thank my colleagues for appointing me to serve as the city's delegate on the Governing board for the solid waste authority for broward county.
and while the work had been well underway for several years you know, My colleagues that are here tonight have all served either on or
both the executive committee or the governing board. I got there and pretty much everything was just about done.
I just needed to show up and vote here and there. But just, you know, having a background in solid waste.
it's been a pleasure to be able to serve alongside them and see the work that's been done.
obviously sustainability is an important initiative to me.
I've done a few things in the city in my tenure here as a city leader relating to Sustainability.
and I've received a number of emails today in support of the master plan and the Interlocal.
and, you know, I just wanted to make a comment on the record just to encourage my Colleagues to support what's being presented on tonight.
I think that the authority at this point is presenting what I consider to be a forward Thinking and a responsible solution to the recycling needs of
our city and of our county. And so I would urge my colleagues to support that as well.
and last but not least, I do want to just make recognition of our upcoming bike ride.
it is the last bike ride in district three for this cycle.
let's say we're going to take a break after the month of may. So if you haven't had an Opportunity to come out for the bike ride,
it is this saturday. It is super awesome. You know, We've had amazing attendance.
this ride is going to be a little extra special. We will raffle off a bike. So that way everyone that's been saying I don't have a bike can Come prepared in september when we kick back off the bike rides.
also we will be riding in honor of armed forces week, Which is may 11th through 17th.
as you all know, my husband is a navy veteran. My father is a retired, my stepdad is a retired colonel in the air force.
and so the armed forces is always important and special to me. So I invite you all to attend. We'll be at the tamarac sports complex at 8 a.m., So don't meet me there.
meet me there. Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner.
doctor. Daniel. District four. Thank you. Mayor.
just want to piggyback on something that commissioner bolton said.
I think we should formalize responding because one thing.
I love this job. It's an honor to do this job. I'm quite a privilege, and I see that when I try to do my best, Believe it or not, and pray every day regarding this job.
but it really hurts when people come and mis educate the public and use statements.
that's not completely true and transparent. It's wrong.
and I know someone came and said, god is watching. Absolutely. He's watching and I'm praying and I'm a child of god, So be careful what you say.
I totally unacceptable, acceptable. So if we could formalize it that the truth Continuously be told.
and this doesn't become like a shaker village where there's lies throughout the community.
like, no, enough is enough. We're grown up. Tell the truth. And if you don't understand, because apparently you don't ask, We will gladly show you.
it's public record. It's public meeting. All you have to do is ask. You don't tell lies you don't miss. Miss, educate the public.
like, to me that is a sham. That's the sin. Come on, Tell the truth.
one one of the first things I had the privilege of meeting with the the fire board, The union.
and what was said is not true, because I'm telling you, I'm a big supporter of the firefighters.
when I lost my second child, I told them a firefighter stayed in my house with my oldest While I was bleeding out five liters of of blood while
I flatlined three times. They were the one advocating for me.
so shame on you to lie. Shame. I retired after 27 years with broward county.
ask anyone in broward county. I am and still am one of their top principal.
the state gave me bonuses to move to turnaround school. I went to pinewood and no one, no educator in this building have my record that I worked Hard for.
that was my purpose. And when I pray and my purpose is to do this, Then that's what I'm doing.
always been highly effective. Turn around. Pinewood. Four years failing the. The governor. The governor wanted to close that school.
guess what? In that year I turned it one point 2ab. By the second year it beat all the schools in parkland in test scores top 3% in the state.
that's my record. State asked me to go to charles f school.
guess what? When I retired, guess what? I left it in a school.
that's my record. Be very careful what you say about people.
in fact, I wanted to retire before they asked me to stay longer.
and because I like giving my all to everything I do. And I know when that season is over. I said it's time for me to go.
I will not stay. I'll give you a few more months, But I'm going. And that's what I did. I'm going to write a book by my book.
that way you'll know the truth. Also, can I ask the fire chief to come up?
city manager. If chief frazier come up. Because maybe he needs to explain about the plan.
I wanted that implemented right away. They said no. They needed time to adjust the truth. Once again, Let's talk the truth.
truth is amazing. It clarity. It brings clarity, Clarification.
spending money. I say this all the time. Listen to any strategic.
my district. District four pays the most tax in tamarac.
we carry the tax load. And guess what? Because of that. Because of the income. No one in my district rarely gets a cigarette because they don't Qualify,
even if they're struggling. Because guess what? It's relative. You make six figures. Your house bill is worth seven figures. It's relative.
so if you live in a $1 million house and you make six figures, It's the same as living in a $100,000 house and you make $40,000.
it's relative. So these funds that I received was to help my residents who qualify for Nothing.
they were given in grants to remove trees, to fix driveways, To fix garage, to do things,
to do things that they cannot get grants for because they don't qualify.
again, truth. Transparency. I'm sorry, chief frazier, But hey, I got a chance to tell the truth.
let me do it. I appreciate. Well, I'll ask for if there's anything I can clarify for you, Please let me know.
yes. Regarding the the plans of changing the firehouse. What's the plans for it? And how would you like us?
because I guarantee you everyone on this commission supports that, So I'm not sure why people are lying.
please say. The contract with the local 3080 is up for negotiation at the end of
next year, and that's something that we will address at that time. There is a promise on the city's behalf. I was just talking with the hr director that they Will look into a
modification of the current work schedule. The governor made a not a mandate, But a recommendation that agencies look
at the work schedule. And it's you know, once again, It comes down to, you know, kind of a dollars and cents sort of thing.
it is negotiated. So therefore, it'd be a little presumptuous to say one way or the other What's going to transpire in the future.
but let me say this. Is there anyone on this commission who would not support the Firefighters working less hours,
being less stressed with the type of job they do know, We all support them.
so we need to stop telling those lies and we thank you for your support. You're welcome and you always have it. So updates.
if my colleagues wouldn't mind giving me some more time, I'd appreciate it. Absolutely. Second last week we had a national day of prayer prayer walk at 6 a.m..
I know that's early for some people, but for those who run in the morning who likes to Pray early morning.
it was fantastic. We prayed for everyone in this room and we know that we prayed for us.
thank you, mr. Webster. He was there. We prayed for our city. We prayed for our resident. We prayed for our community. Pray for our government as a whole.
we prayed for broward county and it was just awesome. I think it's something we should do more often.
get in step with. Keisha is going well. Remember every thursday at tamarac park at 630 and Every second and fourth saturday at 10 a.m..
classes are free. Please register. And for those who want to bash educators on this Commission,
we don't. Thank you. Commissioner patterson, I love that video of you giving sweet treats to millennium and challenger.
I'm also having a barbecue on may 23rd. Educators are to be celebrated, Not bashed, not told lies on.
so make sure you call. If you know any educator that served or are retired or live in Tamarac,
please make sure you come out. Let them come out on saturday, May 23rd.
my district four neighborhood meeting will be thursday, May 28th at 6:30 p.m.
at colony west. Please come out. Thank you. Thank you.
I'll try to do this as quickly as possible. I want to thank the tamarac north lauderdale Chamber of commerce and all the businesses and the people that came out to the rise expo
for health, wealth and small business week that occurred. It was an honor and a privilege to be on a panel with mayor scott brooke of coral springs And mayor richard walker from parkland with the icma nsu
chapter. And talk to budding young minds who might go into government, Whether they're going to be an elected official or they're going to serve as
administration. And it was fantastic. Please join our city of tamarac every tuesday night,
530 to about 830 for game night. Because sometimes you just want to play a game and you Don't have enough people in the house who want to participate,
or you don't have anybody in the house who wants to participate. So it's a good way to Meet your neighbors. I went to the inaugural one the other night, and it was a lot of fun
watching everybody get together. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay due to a conflict.
the five k club every second saturday of the month. Still going strong, run, walk, stroll, whatever makes you happy.
it is early. It's 7:00 in the morning. You stretch a little bit, You walk your 1 or 2 laps around deptford park,
you stretch a little bit more and then you go eat if you wish.
it was great going to the dunkin donuts ribbon cutting. Very proud and happy to have that business in our city.
I know it was planned by the business, so unfortunately not everybody was able to attend, But doctor keisha,
daniel and I were honored to be able to represent. I had the pleasure of attending the ahac elected official workshop for region six Yesterday.
I am the proud chair of the affordable housing committee of broward county.
and there's a lot of good information that was on that call. And I know commissioner patterson, who represents our city, Will be on the region five one and learn a lot as well.
very happy that my roots superfood experience for may 21st for 40 people went like this.
I've got a waiting list and we're just going to be organizing another day for a person who Believes that the cupcakes are nutritional value and the best thing for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner, along with some ice cream. This superfoods lesson will be very hard, But I'm going to try to take it.
so looking forward to that, being a great class and having some more of those.
thursday, which is tomorrow. I have my business district meeting and what that's about is A free meeting.
we will have light refreshments, of course, because it's during dinner time. It's open for Plaza owners landlords,
property managers, realtors, current business owners, Future business owners, anybody who wants to think about starting a business here in the
city and anybody who's ever pulled a permit and had a little bit of not so happiness, Come learn how the city handles these items.
so you can be educated on how to make sure the process goes through and make it smooth for You,
and see what also good stuff that we have in the city. Also, it's an opportunity for those people who may have had some issues going through the Process in the city to help educate us on what happened,
so we can make sure that the process is better. It is not a gripe fest. It's an actual conversation, Question and answers with our wonderful staff to be able to make sure that our process and
progress goes smoothly and that people are happy doing business here in the city. So looking forward to seeing everybody at colony west.
06:30 p.m.. Tomorrow evening, if you get a chance to register, That would be great so we can make sure we have enough food.
and if you don't know the registration, just give me a call or text and or email me at the City and I'll make sure you're on the list or just show up.
for the south water, the water, the swa it's something that I've had the pleasure of being On and off since its inception.
and I'm pleased that commissioner patterson has been on it. It's always good to have a little bit of a change of, Of guard, so to speak, to make sure more voices are heard and to make sure that we're
doing the right thing. It is not an easy item.
and we will be voting on it very soon. So just thank you to everybody who's been on the Board,
whether on currently been on past. I had the pleasure of seeing dan stermer last night.
and we had some war stories to tell about some of our meetings and it was fun.
but looking forward to the continued progress and of course, Looking forward to seeing all of our veterans at memorial day and those of us who support
and love our veterans, please come out and remember our honor wall. If there's anybody in the city of tamarac who is a veteran who's not on our honor wall or Has had a veteran in their home who's been a little too shy in thinking that they're not
deserving of being on our honor wall. Let us just tell you, You're all deserving.
you've whether you've actually been on the front lines or you've just helped whichever Capacity you've signed up to be in our military,
we love you, we support you, and we'd like to honor you. Please sign up to be on our veterans honor wall.
and on that note, we will now go to our consent agenda.
city manager any additions or deletions on this agenda? No. Mayor. Excellent. I am not seeing anybody.
is this a poll? Yes, madam mayor. Instead of pulling item five e, I just want to comment as it is.
you know, I've had the pleasure of working for broward county and also seen in action Commissioner fer and
his passion on the broward county commission.
for, for the record I was fired from the county, But offered my job back several times and I did not want to return to a cubicle office.
but commissioner fer you do an excellent job at broward county, And I really appreciate you and the delegation tonight for being here.
it shows that you are interested in seeing this happen for the good of all of us.
and I wish this item the best. And of course to you, Mary lou, who worked so tirelessly through the broward league of cities.
I don't know how you do it. I really don't you know, But you are a consummate professional.
I had the pleasure of serving on the board of the broward league of cities for many years.
I've watched you and sally just run that organization with a tight fist.
you do an excellent job. And I can't wait to see this item go through celebratory for you Guys.
so thank you all for being here tonight. All of the elected officials and the mayor and of Course the school board member.
thank you very much for being here tonight. I really appreciate your support. Thank you For the segway.
and now I will ask for a second to my motion for the consent agenda. Second. You got it, vice mayor. Sorry, commissioner.
he did go first. All right, let's roll call, Please.
thank you, madam mayor. Commissioner. Right. Yes. Commissioner. Daniel. Yes. Vice mayor bolton.
yes. Mayor. Gomez. Yes. Commissioner patterson. Yes. Thank you. Motion passes 5 to 0. Ladies and gentlemen, You've got tamarac and support.
thank you. Thank you all for being here. We know you'll be leaving us now. We understand. Hope you've enjoyed our show. Get home safely, Everybody.
good to see you. Thanks again. All right, now, Moving this agenda right along.
we are going to ordinances on first reading. 7ato2609.
city attorney, please read the title for the record item seven a an ordinance of the city Commission.
city of tamarac amending chapter ten of the city tamarac land development code by amending Article three use regulation by amending section ten dash 3.2 entire
table of allowed uses. Section h entitled ten dash 3.1.
allow use to add certified record recovery residents as a use type within a residential Group living category and creating section ten dash 3.6 entitled request for
accommodation. Provide for reasonable accommodation process consistent with section three.
97.487 florida statutes providing for effective date.
thank you, madam mayor. Thank you. I'll take a motion and a second, Please. Move it. Second. Thank you very much.
a full presentation on this item was delivered at the staff agenda review workshop on Monday the 11th.
kent weller, our community development director, Is available for any questions. I will now open this up for public comments.
is there anyone in the audience wishing to make a comment on this item?
seeing none. Public comments are now closed. Seeing no one from the commission wishing to Make a comment.
I do have just a couple of. And I know you gave the presentation.
I just guess I'd like some confirmation on the record. There is absolutely nothing that the city is able to do in order to enforce any rules and Regulations,
such as making sure it's clean, people are safe, Licenses are up to date.
is that correct? I can actually answer that question. So the florida statute actually provides that type of information.
so for certified recovery residents, the florida association of recovery residents fa Requires that they do an extensive
background check, make sure that they pass safety fire detectors and the like.
typically with these uses. Parking is really not much of an issue because they kind of Carpool or they have like shuttle services that come and get them.
so you're not going to see a proliferation of cars. We will require a business tax receipt. So, and also the application will require Recertification each year.
so we will work with fa. Fa does on site inspections annually, So we make sure we have a good communication with them.
we get their records so we have consistent evaluation.
as far as a code enforcement standpoint, they have to function like any other resident Property,
make sure they comply with the esthetics from the appearance noise and just the like with Every other residential home.
so there is safeguards in there. I'm going to read a line from our backup.
while certification through fa is voluntary for operators, It serves as a primary mechanism for ensuring and adhering.
if it is voluntary, then how are the safeguards that you've just put said to us actually Effective to put it in place?
so I know that can be a little confusing. And that definitely comes right from the Statute,
that voluntary component. However, the statute requires for certification of recovery Homes.
so if you want to be a recovery home that is not certified.
first of all, you're not able to really get the insurance to support the residents that Are living in that house.
plus, let's say if they came uncertified and they just asked for an application from us we Still have to give them a business license requirement.
we still have to review for occupancy safety fire.
so we'll have that general review and then we have to recertify with them each year.
we as far as on site inspections go, we would defer to far if someone came in uncertified,
we would have to take that into consideration as far as the certification.
I appreciate your answer, but it also doesn't give us access.
so once a year you get to make sure that if there's enough heartbeats per bed, Per room that we allow once a year.
their certification under the statute will be revoked if they deviate from that Application.
so if they have, for example, it's a two bedroom house.
the florida building code requires a minimum 75ft² for one resident.
if you have two residents, a minimum of 50ft² each, So you have a ten by ten bedroom, you can have two residents in there.
so if you have a two bedroom home, you have a maximum of four residents that can be in There.
so if they were to try to deviate beyond that and bring in more residents, They would.
we can then revoke their application because they will go beyond what was approved.
but you'll only know that once a year if you do a site and site inspection for Certification.
correct? For the most part, unless we have reasonable suspicion because, You know, code enforcement,
just like any other residential property, would be driving around, Driving around does not allow you access into a person's home.
understood. We would have to. It's still a home. We would have to get information elsewhere and then investigate that.
we'd have the operator information and follow up with them. My unhappiness with this is Yet again,
as I call it, up north, usurping local rule and our safety precautions for residential Communities turning
into business communities just as what has been going on lately.
vacation homes and rentals and things like that.
they're now making communities specific for using homes as businesses versus residential Communities that have no say in making sure
because recovery is important, the proper treatment facility mechanisms, Proper health care,
because there's no guarantee for licensure. You can have it for a year and well, It's because it's voluntary.
well, our rules be able to remove that home if they lose the certification.
do we have safeguards in place that we're allowed to follow, Or are they usurped? So to answer that question,
because there's statute information in there. If they come in with a fa certification, they have to maintain said fa certification.
if they do something to revoke fa certification, They don't. Do they fail their inspection. The operator, Something happens to the operator.
something happens there. They would notify the city we would approve that reasonable Accommodation based off of what they provided to us.
if they lose certification then they could they would have to reapply with us or be Revoked.
but are we application is something that we're being told we have no choice but to do.
we have to review their applications. We have to allow them.
we can't be we can't prohibit them, however, There is fine parts where they can be denied,
they can be revoked and they would have to. If they appeal the administrative approval, Then they will go to planning and zoning and then city commission.
that does allow for that in the florida statutes. Very thin lines there. I do appreciate your response.
we'll navigate. It's a preemption. We apologize. It's not your fault. And I'm trying to bring that out.
we're preempted on certain things. And I don't know if there was enough information for Significant lobbying to change things
to make it better. And I'm hoping there's going to be some kind of glitch bill to cover This,
because this is another area where I have concerns for the residents in the community, The residents getting the health care that they need
in a business format that takes away certain local control.
so I thank you for the answers to the questions. Commissioner patterson thank you mayor. Just a quick question.
manager, I guess I don't know if it's for the attorney, The manager or through the manager,
the planning director, but I also had a lot of concerns about this issue.
and obviously I'm well aware that we are preempted by the state.
but when we were briefing about this, I had asked a couple questions relating to Licensure.
and originally we were I was told that we couldn't require any licensure.
but then I think you guys came back and told me that the city is permitted to require Licensure.
tr and certificate of use. Can you just confirm on the record that that is the case?
I believe ken can answer that but but tr is is part of the requirement certificate of use.
I don't believe so. Kent. Yeah. Through the tr process the a certificate of use would be Included.
so we'll make sure that we have an application application fee and fee with this process.
so my my follow up question to that would then be given we are preempted.
are we able to adopt a policy that maybe permits some type of a proactive inspection Process that we are able to
I don't want the city to depend on complaints or or even wait for someone to come and Apply for
a tr because chances are they won't come. What's our, I guess it's a two part question.
what is our plan proactively to scan our city for these types of homes and whether or not They're in compliance
with the licensure rules? A and then b, can we adopt policy that calls for, You know, annual proactive inspections
to allow for use inspections. Based on what I just heard, You know, there could potentially be violations that there's too
many folks in the property that potentially could result in revocation of the license.
so two part question. Yeah. So my understanding commissioner is that we are preempted from Those inspections,
but we can cooperate with the, the state agency that that would perform those, Those inspections.
our policy policy that we adopt cannot be beyond what the state statutes call for.
and so our, our jurisdiction here is limited to better process and
anything else you want to add to that? Sure. And I'll speak from experience. I used to regulate these in the city of delray beach, Where we had a lot of certified recovery residences.
and obviously, you know, lobbyists went to tallahassee and got this preemption done.
so from a standpoint of inspection, what we used to do in delray is we would work very Closely with fa and also our we had a
police representative from the police department. They used to help us with inspections. So far.
I would do the inspection and sometimes at the the willingness of the certified recovery Home,
we would do the inspection in addition to fa, We would check it out before they went through the application process.
so that was kind of like a, like a voluntary thing, But we had a lengthy application process that went to city commission,
which we're no longer allowed to do for the florida statute. And then also with fa, we would get their inspection report too as well to make sure they Checked everything off.
okay. So we're not allowed to, I don't know, Manager, you said we can't do the.
so we can issue a beta, but we can't inspect on whether or not they have a beta in a queue And that they're in compliance with the queue.
that doesn't make sense to me. Fara can do the inspection. To my knowledge, the city can't. In the past when I.
so how do we issue a queue and how do we know if they're in compliance with the queue?
far as far as inspection will get a copy of fas inspection.
so how does the city. How is the city able to issue a queue if only that I don't know Where that where I'm disconnected there.
but that seems. It seems almost as if we shouldn't be able to issue the queue. If only far can, you know, regulate them. So if it was a non and I'll probably do some More investigation with our city attorney,
if it was a non certified recovery home, which in my experience of regulating these I've Never seen a non certified one.
they've always been in the process of fa or issued a fa license.
so if they're non certified I'll see if we can build in an inspection and see if that Would be allowed.
I guess I understand that fa has to issue its license. But how does fa regulate the city of tamarac business tax receipt and certificate of use?
that's where I'm not clear. They don't regulate it.
so for certificate of use we're just determining in our permitted use table in the code Certified recovery residence is permitted in any,
any residential district that allows for single family residential because we can't Discriminate the difference.
so that would go in the certificate of use process that the use is allowed in this area.
as far as the business license goes, we would have a application that we would be Reviewing administratively that would go in that process with
the c, u and the issuance of the btr. So they will fill out the application.
they will give us their licensing information. They'll indicate the occupancy rate. We'll look at the safety requirements.
we'll look at the fire requirements. And then we would indicate if that is a complete Application then they can move forward to getting that btr
issued. Then between the application and the btr now we have that renewal of the license And then the renewal of the btr as well.
okay. So in essence, we're saying that the use review is limited to zoning.
it does not necessarily allow for or take another step and, And physically determine the,
the use and what's happening inside the structure, Right. The application will be concurrent. The application is going to require exactly what They're using.
the structure so far has a level one, two, three and four. So we would indicate what type of substance abuse recovery they're doing so far.
certified one is, let's say you have 4 to 6 members living in the house.
there's no permanent operator living in there. There's a communal environment. They would just operate like a non-related family.
then you start getting into fa two, fa three, And now you're starting to get number two is you have an operator that stays like eight
hours a day, checks in on them fa certified three.
you'll actually have a living operator that has that 24 hour support.
so there's like, you know, levels of increasing there. So we would make sure that in that application, We know exactly what type of use is going to be there.
and they're all substance abuse recovery. But we would know the extent of what the Operations are.
so I, I just would, I mean, I mean, lucky for you in delray beach you never saw Non-certified.
but when I worked in in miami, I saw them all the time. And so I just want to make sure, you know, I guess I have one more question before I say What I'm going to say to close out my thoughts.
but the last question would be, if there is a circumstance where there is a non-certified Or non-approved.
home, whatever type it is, and we get wind of that, Does that automatically disqualify them from being eligible to receive
a beta from our city? Like under what circumstances is one? Can they come in and just come into compliance?
or what if they're just doing it and we they didn't come and, You know, take the proper steps to get the licensure that they need to do it.
so if we have reason to believe that a, that a certified recovery residence is operating Without a license,
we're going to have them apply for reasonable accommodation in our certified recovery Residence program.
if they apply for the application and they do not have a license, I'm going to just do my due diligence and encourage them to get a license,
even though I can't require it. I'm going to review all the same requirements and the same Steps.
I'm going to work with our city attorney prior to second reading and see if if they're non Certified,
if I can do an inspection to make sure that everything they're telling me on the Application to confirm is correct.
then if everything checks out, we would have to then issue them that business license Because we're preempted by the florida statute.
however, having some monetary check ins wouldn't be a bad idea just to make sure the Operations are running smoothly.
and if there's reason to believe from surrounding residents or anything like that, If we have reason to believe that they're outside of what is agreed upon in the
application, then we can take it from there and then look at ways to revoke their Application,
maybe take them to the appeal boards that is out listed in the code plus I think special Magistrate they can go to as well
I guess. Sorry. One last question. In all reality how many people could potentially be be In one of these homes.
it's depending on the occupancy rate and the number of bedrooms. Kind of like the analogy I just provided there.
so it goes by bedroom size. So any one of our neighbors could potentially have 15 people In their house across the street because it's a certified recovery
home. Couldn't have 15 people depending on the size of the the house.
so if you're looking at a average square room is ten by ten, 100ft².
you can have a maximum of two residents in there. So you can have 1 to 6. You can have 7 to 14 depending on the number of residents.
so if you were to have 15 residents, you would have to have like a seven bedroom house, Eight bedroom house,
which is I mean, somebody could feasibly turn their family room into living space as well.
they would have to apply for a permit and then meet occupancy rates in order to meet that.
so I don't know if you can take with a building permit.
now it's getting into permit question. Convert a living room, Bathroom den, like a whole bunch of different spaces into a bedroom.
I don't know if they can do that. All right. I mean, I guess, you know, my questions really are all for not.
I just wanted to go down that avenue because I wanted the folks that are listening and are Really concerned with what's going on in our city to have an understanding around kind of
what's going on. And, you know, if you see something, Say something.
we want to make sure that you know, I don't think anyone here loves this idea.
and I hope that, you know, we kind of get to tallahassee next year and we kind of start Planning now because these are the types of conversations and,
you know, things that we want to, I believe, Make sure as a commission we're heard on.
thank you. Thank you. Before you go, because I agree with commissioner patterson.
and one of the things we need to ask our league city is about making sure we lobby on This.
what is the ramification if we say no to this item?
it's more of a legal question. But let me just put it like this. And okay, let legal answer. I mean, state law and we have a duty to comply with state law.
mayor. And, and obviously if we don't you know those operators can challenge
denial of a right that they receive under state law.
so litigation and maybe a possibility. And I need to sit down with staff to see if there's Any penalties involved.
also does this item say that it needs to be in our books by a certain period of time?
yes it does. When is it supposed to have been done? I believe before the end of the year. January 1st.
actually, we're late, but most cities are late too as well. We're just trying to get. So we're late. What's the.
possibility of just doing some rules in place and being accepting as a challenge.
and let us be challenged to protect our city. There are certain suggestions that commissioner patterson has made. There are certain Things that we know we could possibly do, just like the challenge we did to vacation
rentals. You can't be more restrictive and burdensome. The statute is very strong on that. And then there's some previous cases where cities have Lost trying to be more restrictive and burdensome.
is it necessarily restrictive and burdensome when it is for health, Safety and welfare, where the city of tamarac actually still remains in control?
yeah. Well, mayor, we could use that same argument with vacation rentals.
I mean those vacation rentals have obviously in some neighborhoods, Negative effects.
but the special interest groups that obviously are owners or represent vacation rental Went to tallahassee
and lobbied tallahassee and they preempted local government from controlling vacation Rentals,
except with a limited authority to ask for a registration list and the landlord or the Owner of the property name.
so if there's a problem, we can call them, but we have an obligation to comply with the Law.
if, if, if this commission want to know exactly what are some ramifications, Then I need to write you a legal memo.
we have an obligation to comply with the law, But also with vacation rentals. We also fought back by putting certain rules in place that
intertwined into the law, that we were obligated to uphold the rules in place that were Permitted by state law and,
and, and with respect to vacation rental, because initially some local governments had Banned vacation rentals.
then eventually the state legislature modified the law, Basically indicated that we couldn't ban them,
but we can at least regulate them from a terms in terms of knowing who is the owner in Terms of having them register with the city.
and we could charge them a registration fee. But in terms of banning vacation rental, We couldn't do that anymore.
okay. So precisely as I said, there are certain items that we can do to regulate, To intertwine,
to see what we can do that are within the law, But also protect our city. So I think that's what you've expressly heard from myself and commissioner patterson of What would be great if we could do
I, you know, we talk about it would be a permit question if somebody's going to violate The law.
they're not getting a permit for that bedroom. It's not going to make a difference. And they're going to ship shape for the first of the year, When they have to do their license and put it back to ship shape afterwards.
and that's the concern that at least you're hearing from two of us at this time.
so personally, it's on first reading. I'm saying no to this one.
I really think that we need to work in something. We're really late. There's no penalty for being late.
there's no bum rushing our door for this. So why don't we take the time to see if there's Some other regulation that we can add into this that we're allowed to do legally to help
protect our residents? That's my opinion. And seeing, Nobody else wishes to speak further on this item.
city clerk, please call the roll. Your light went on afterwards. Okay. Commissioner. Daniel. It wasn't afterwards. I'm not.
I'm just the truth. Tonight's word of the day. Truth. Attorney, is there a penalty? Do we not follow the law?
we want our residents to follow the law. Do we not follow the law? Because I get it. I hear what commissioner patterson is saying.
we all agree. Yes, that is true. But do we go around not following the law?
and if there's no penalty, then we don't need to follow the law. Well, my job is to, especially when tallahassee enact a law and basically not just city of Tamarac,
but state wide, that local government has to comply. And I will tell this commission and staff that we have to comply, Because obviously there's remedies for people to challenge us.
and I have to go back and read the law and research into exactly what are the exposure That we may
have. But having talked to zoning director and indicate that, Look, we have
no other way but to move forward with this legislation based on the law.
so my job is to tell you, hey, tallahassee enacted with obligation to comply.
thank you. City clerk, please call the roll. Commissioner.
daniel. Yes, commissioner. Right. No. Vice mayor bolton.
yes. Commissioner. Patterson. Yes. Mayor. Gomez.
no. Thank you. Motion passes 3 to 2. Thank you.
did you wish to say anything? No. I was going to just say it's kind of late now, But the statute has the additional safeguards built in there that the recovery agency
would mandate. I could list them or. No, we could talk about it next meeting, But thank you.
can't. Let's work together. Let's come up with a memo outline the law.
okay. Thank you. And if possible, that memo has any suggestions of how to make it, What we could do.
that would be awesome. Anywho, moving right along. We are at 8ato2629. City attorney. Please read the title for the record item eight a an Ordinance of city commission.
city of tamarac. Chapter ten, article four of the land development code of the city of Tamarac entitled development and design standards amended section ten dash 4.10
entitled signs. Specifically amending section ten dash 4.10 b entitled sign permits Provide exemptions except exemptions for certain government related
signs installed by the city. 10.4 ten dash 4.10 entitled prohibited signs to remove the Prohibition on electronic message center
signs. Ten dash 4.10 entitled general requirements to authorize establish a use based Regulatory framework for electronic
message center science providing for effective date. Thank you, Madam mayor. Thank you. I'll take a motion and a second, please. Move it.
second. Commissioner patterson had the second.
full presentation on this item was delivered on april 20th. Staff agenda review workshop for our community development director is available to answer Any questions.
I will now open this up for public comments. Is there anyone in the audience who wishes to Make a public comment? Please come down. The microphone is yours.
same rules apply as public participation. Please give your name, Your location and you have three minutes.
good evening again. Gary gray, isles of tamarac.
one of the things that is never discussed on these electronic signs is the amount of Interference that they can generate
to radios. Now, this is something that the captain should be concerned with.
if they have an incident where an officer is working right next to some of these signs, The officer's radio may not receive.
this has happened in other areas of the country, And it's happened in the city of fort lauderdale.
there were some interfering signs that were found at a convention and they had to be shut Down.
so just be aware that this can happen and make sure that the firefighters and the officers That rely upon their two way
radios understand that that can happen and what they have to do to mitigate the issue.
thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak on this item?
seeing none, public comments are now closed. I open this up to the commission.
seeing no discussion by the commission if this item should pass. Thank you for bringing That up, mr. Gray. I believe that will be taken into consideration when procurement goes
through on the item. If the item should pass.
city clerk, please call the roll. Mayor. Gomez. No. Vice mayor. Bolton. Yes. Commissioner. Patterson.
yes. Commissioner. Daniel. Yes. Commissioner.
right. Yes. Thank you. Motion passes 4 to 1. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, it is 1003. We're going to take a 12 minute break.
we'll be back here at 1015. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, It is 1015 and we are
resuming our meeting. We're currently going to item 11, A consideration of establishing a veteran pole banner
program, and this has been requested by commissioner maury wright.
commissioner. Thank you, madam mayor. I think you mentioned earlier we have a lovely Veteran wall where we have names of veterans who serve and veterans who are in our
community. And with this program, we're just trying to bring their faces to light.
across the country, municipalities have implemented banner programs as meaningful ways to Honor and recognize local military service members and veterans.
these programs typically feature banners display along prominent roadways or public Corridors,
highlighting individuals who have served or are currently serving in the united states Armed forces.
the purpose of such initiative is to publicize, Publicly acknowledge the sacrifice made by these veterans and their families while
fostering a sense of community, pride and patriotism. By showcasing these names, photograph branches of service of other local heroes, Municipalities,
municipalities create a visible and lasting tribute that educates residents and visitors Alike.
the contribution of those who have defended our nation. Programs of this nature also provide families with tangible form of recognition, Often allowing them to retain banners after display.
in addition, they serve as a unifying community effort with participation from residents, Local organizations and businesses.
so this is a program trying to get consensus. First and foremost, I'd like us to see what's the fiscal impact, The cost.
look at other programs. I see there's a program in coral springs where you drive along University. You see the banners and pictures of people who have served.
I've seen it in other cities across the country where I've traveled as well. So I'm just looking for consensus from my colleagues for staff to look into creating this Program within our city and certain corridors or roadways or however we see fit for it
to honor our local heroes and those who have served our community where they can go and See their faces and take their family and just thank them for creating this
phenomenal country. And as we're about to celebrate 250 years of independence.
thank you. Commissioner. Right. There's a gentleman named conrad ogletree who's been Trying to do something like this in our city for years.
I think that if the city wants to start, if it gets consensus, It would be a good person for outreach.
I'm I don't have the founder of veterans homefront voices, Veterans and allies storytelling.
that's a long thing on his thing, but he's been working through all the cities and I think He worked with coral springs on doing their banners.
I appreciate you bringing this forward. I do think that this is an item that the city Could be doing,
whether we have consensus on this or not. We do our pole banners for women's history Month,
black history month, hispanic heritage month the holidays, All kinds of good stuff.
and putting, you know, we're home in tamarac and we're proud but appreciate that you are Bringing it forward.
it is something that will obviously probably be a little bit more personal by using our Veterans.
and I think it's a great idea. And I'm happy to support your item.
vice mayor thank you. Mayor. So commissioner.
right. You, you don't know the fiscal impact of this yet.
do not know the fiscal impact. I'm just trying to get direction for staff and for staff to Work and see what the cost is going to be to implement such program.
in other cities, they kind of rotate every, every three months. Veterans who have served, they kind of submit their pictures and every three months they Kind of change it.
I seen one other city for the 250 celebration. They're doing 20 veterans who have served and they're putting their, Their banners across the city for this year.
so it's first come, first serve basis. That's what I see that they're doing in one other City.
okay. And how long will these banners be be up for?
as I mentioned a few minutes ago, one of the city allows them to rotate every three Months.
again, we're directing staff to look into it. Another city. As I said, have it, for the entire year, 20 people are showcased for the entire year.
so it's just honoring 20 veterans who submitted their pictures, And they're doing it for the entire duration of the year. Coral springs. I do it every
three months. It's, it's on a rotating basis where people submit their pictures, Their branch of service.
and if you drive along university drive, I think that's they call it, They kind of call it freedom. That's not the name of the street, but it just seeing the
different people who have served their pictures and their, Their service to the community.
what I heard a few minutes ago is you benchmarking all the cities, But what I did not hear is your specific proposal for the city of tamarac.
so what is your vision? My my my, my specific if you'd let me finish my.
sorry sorry sorry. What is your specific vision for the city of tamarac?
how long would you like to see these banners up in the city of tamarac?
my specific proposal would be we do it on a rotating basis. Have people because we have a lot of veterans in the city, Meaning that we have a senior community, we have a lot of veterans,
and I think we should do it on a rotation basis, Perhaps every six months. Where to submit their pictures. We put up their names, They come on a first come, first served basis.
and I think that's a great fit for our city. Okay, I'll come back to you in a minute, mr.
manager. How many poles do we have across the city?
I don't have a number, but we have quite a bit.
would earl, the interim public services director, Know that information?
how many poles we have across the city? Yeah.
he may is. Joanna. Joanna. How many of these flag flags that we print?
you know, every time we have these events. Maybe they should tell us.
good evening. Joanna johnson, communications and marketing manager.
off the top of my head, it is public services that goes around the city to put up the Banners,
but it's give or take 15 to 20 pole banners that are around the city.
okay. Okay. You know, so when we're doing, you know, Items like this, it would be nice to do a little bit more
research, right? To see how many pole pole banners are around the city.
you know, look at printing costs maybe go to three different printers and ask them, What is the cost of of this?
how many poles would be utilized in that sort of stuff? And what do we do when we have different events that are coming up in the city or Different initiatives that we want to
to do? For instance, during women's heritage month, We may want to put up, you know, some women around the city,
would that clash with the other things that we want to do simply because we have a veteran That is being featured on the,
on the, on the banner, not necessarily vice mayor.
I think you can select an area to display these pole banners and so that it would be Limited to maybe southgate along the veterans park or,
or university drive, you know, at the edge of the veterans park. So it could be limited to a certain space. Yeah.
and that's what I'm what I'm thinking that, you know, Probably this could be maybe like a on a row or something like that to be in a specific
part of the city. But then that also disenfranchizes, You know, the other districts that may want to,
to do something or if commissioner daniel has an initiative in her district, Then that would kind of take away the amount
of polls that we could utilize for, for these things.
so how is this different from the other walls that we have?
the honor walls are permanent. It is a place that people can go to, To see their names and so forth.
this is going to be, you know, temporary it is adding more fiscal impact on the city.
and we talked about, you know, how our budget is, Is short.
one resident said that tamarac is broke. So, You know, we already have a program that honors our veterans.
why do you think that this is important to, to honor our veterans in another way?
commissioner, as I mentioned earlier, I mean, Sorry, vice mayor, as I mentioned earlier, it's taking the names from the wall and adding
their faces. I think we do it all the time doing different parts of the month, Whether it's black history. We show banners of different people who have contributed to
society. And I'm just saying, let's take our hometown hero and showcase them.
one of the reasons I brought up for discussion without putting too much, Going too much in the weeds, is to get feedback and ideas. I appreciate ideas of all of my
colleagues. So I think a way we perhaps we can do it is memorial day. We designate an area and we show those who have probably died who people want to submit Pictures of their family who have died.
and then for veterans month, which is in november, We, we, we the same designated area, we can put those who are alive and who have served in
our community. So it's about how we can put our heads together and kind of create an idea To create the program.
all your points are valid, but I think at the end of the day, You know, we stand on the shoulders of the veterans.
and I just want to highlight them because I've seen it in other places I've gone and it's Caught my attention. I think it's a great thing for our community to highlight those who
have served and just bring back memories of, Of, of a certain point in their life when they were service.
I know people who have kids that their dads might not be, You know, a stellar dad at a certain point in his life.
and, you know, when he was younger, perhaps have served and seeing your father or someone On the banner reminds them that,
hey, you know, at one point your, your father might have been stellar. So those are things that how we kind of honor our veterans and create community bonding And,
and showcasing their face and, and bringing it to light, Not just the, like I said, we have the wall.
it's unique and we love it. It is just now bringing those who have served to light and Highlighting them in our community.
could it be that the places that you see these banners our cities that do not have a Veterans wall or a place in their city that they honor veterans
like tamarac does. Very few cities have a veterans park and have the ability to put panels Up
just like we do. So I'd be, you know, interested in information like that.
you know, the cities that you're benchmarking, Do they have a veterans park with, with panels like we have?
I think that what we do for our veterans at veterans park with their names and that sort Of stuff is noble.
I think it is sufficient. I think that this would kind of, You know, put more financial strain on the city
considering that, you know, these are going to be temporary signs.
what I don't want to be is politically incorrect because many of the residents understand That,
you know, I love our service members, I love veterans, I love our bso officers, I love our firefighters.
so I don't want to be I don't want this to be misconstrued, You know especially, you know,
under the climate that, that we're in. So I'm inclined under those circumstances to give To have some more homework to see what this can be.
I mean, right now, I think that we are doing an amazing job for our veterans in terms of What we do at veterans park.
I think that this is, you know, the, the fiscal impact on this is probably to absorb, But hopefully when you see the amount
of money for this project nothing can quantify what we do for our veterans, But there's so much,
so many other things that we can do for our veterans that would make them feel comfortable And appreciated in our city.
so you have my support on this. Only for tonight.
did you want to say something? Commissioner. Right. Well, I'm glad we got support for only for today,
but it's also 250th anniversary of our country. I think it was. We have been saying that we were going to be doing something more to show Our support of our veterans and our people in our city.
and so if by chance we find that financially we can't put actually our veterans themselves Personally on these banners because we haven't asked you and we're not going to put you on
the spot to say, how much has the banners cost for all the other things that we've done? But I think that there should be some more patriotic recognition of our city that our
city shows to our residents and support of our country.
because we need to start celebrating the best country that we all live in and are proud to Be living in.
so seeing no other comments, I'm looking straight at the box. Please call the roll for consensus to have the city direct staff to commissioner.
right. Would you please reiterate what you want? Yes. Direct staff into looking creating a program similar to a coral springs and the city Of miramar.
okay, so I point. Point of order. I think if we say we're directing staff to go create it,
then we are blanketly saying that they should go out and create it irrespective of the Cost.
so okay, let me finish. What you just asked for is completely different from what the Discussion was.
so so let's staff do research, find out the fiscal impact and the feasibility of a of a Banner program.
okay. That's a better verbiage. 168 on lsat 168168.
expired. Expired. It is expired. It is, you know.
so I think you'll do better next time. Absolutely. Absolutely. City clerk we're going to try again.
please call the roll for consensus. Mayor gomez.
yes. Vice mayor bolton. Yes. Commissioner. Patterson. Yes. Commissioner. Daniel. Yes. Commissioner wright.
yes. Consensus is passed. Thank you. Moving along to our last item on the agenda 11 b Discussion and consensus on allocation of a
portion of the $1,684,932.39 settlement proceeds related to the pfas
water quality class action lawsuit to commission members who elect to opt in for the Benefit of tamarac residents.
requested by vice mayor bolton. Commissioner. Vice mayor bolton. Thank you. Mayor. So to give some background, A couple of months ago, a couple of attorneys approached
me about this potential lawsuit and said that they were interested in having the
city sign on to the, the lawsuit. At that time you know, Some cities were saying no, that they didn't
want to sign on and some cities were saying that they, That they would sign on.
so I consulted with our city attorney and they I think brought up, Brought it to the workshop or
he might have hired a law firm to to be a part of this class action lawsuit.
and so here we are today, some months later with 1,000,006 million and 6 to
$4932.32. So I'm, I'm, I'm going to
propose that a portion of this money be used for the benefit of our, Of our residents and,
and here's why you know, residents are, are faced with tough times.
we see that gas prices are at an all time high.
we also understand that rent is at an all time high.
lots of people are being displaced you know, Because they can't afford their rent or their mortgage or whatever we
we see fit as a commission to you know, have a portion of the money spent in consistent With
how initiative dollars are spent. So that's the proposal.
I don't have a number yet that will be up to you know, My colleagues to come up with a number,
but I want to ask the city attorney as a part of this presentation, Just a few questions.
so that, you know, we know that we are in good legal standing before we even discuss this Further.
so attorney if, if portions of the funds are used consistent with how initiative dollars Are spent
could that potentially be a conflict of interest with the intent of the settlement?
no. And in fact when the settlement was agreement was executed I have I
communicated with class action outside council to confirm that whether these funds were Restricted.
he advised me they were unrestricted, that the city can use those funds in any manner they Wish.
okay. So there's no language in the settlement agreement that would preclude us from Spending the money consistent with how initiative dollars are spent.
correct. Okay. And for the record what is the amount of money for the award?
I will since the manager cashed the check, I will refer to him.
what's the total amount check? I don't know, Off the top of my head.
I think the total amount of the settlement. Yes, It is in the title, but I'm just.
it's a $1,064,932.39. Okay. There was two checks.
yes. Okay. And the reason I'm asking that is because there are two different payments.
and can, can, can you tell us why there were two different payments and what Differentiates the first payment from the second payment?
basically vice mayor the reason is that there were basically two different
defendants and these class action one defendant had settled with that amount that was over 700,003
hundred and thousand. And change was a different it was two different defendant settlement Amounts.
okay. And I'm sure tamarac was not the only city that received this settlement, I believe numerous cities and
broward county. In fact, some cities received substantial, I believe city of sunrise, I believe received 15 million.
okay. Have you looked at any other cities that on how they are spending this money?
I don't know, except from my experience. I know city of long hill provide residents with Ability
to receive a credit, water seniors water credit with, With, with those funds.
okay. So seniors in lauderhill are getting credits on their water bill.
yeah. Minimum of $150 per household. Okay. So it's not that we have to put this money in The general fund and use it
for other projects that the city manager would want to use it for.
these are new revenues. And obviously the commission has discretion to dictate where Revenues are used.
have you spent any of the money yet? Manager. No, we have not. Okay. Why? That money was just received and and I believe it has not been Programed
yet as part of our budget process. Okay. I believe the correct answer would be through Finance that any time we receive
new funds like this sediment that it is new money that was not budgeted or a part of our Budget.
and so this commission would have to then rework that amount of money into, Through a budget amendment,
through a budget amendment. Correct. Okay. And so that budget amendment has not yet Occurred.
that's correct. Okay. So we're in our rights and it is in our purview to direct management On how to spend that money.
that's, that's true as well. Okay. All right. And so I'm not asking that we spend all of the $1.64 million.
so you have a wish list and it's, if you have a magic wand, What would you spend that money on?
we're going through the budget process. Vice mayor. And so you know, as we prepare to present that to the commission, We're considering a number of items from different
departments. And so I do have a list and that's partly staffing, Partly equipment, partly improvements.
and so we do have a number of items. So this money could go toward paying staff members Making the city more
bureaucratic. Or it could be used to fix the roof of city hall or do some sprucing up of The
city. So it's not necessarily money that was meant for the is now used by commissioners For da,
right. It's it's the money can be used virtually for anything, As the city attorney mentioned that that this is not restricted to,
to certain expenses. So it's open for commission consideration in terms of how it needs to Be
programed. Okay. All right. And I have some questions from my colleagues.
you don't have to answer, but I do have questions and I'm in my prerogative.
it's my prerogative to answer ask questions. And again, You don't have to answer.
so I'll start with commissioner patterson. When you received community benefit funds from Developers or other sources,
you used some of that money for residential assistance programs.
yes. Yes. Okay. And can you share just some of the joys or some of the things that you use That
money for? And were your residents happy or helped with any of the issues that they Brought to you?
yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, the city doesn't necessarily offer certain programs And some of the needs that we're I was able to meet through the
program that I developed was outside of the scope and the realm of what the city provides.
so as a matter of fact, I continue to get requests on a regular basis.
and these are conversations we've been having ongoing on the record, Off the record about,
you know, finding other ways to be able to assist in addition to what we're currently Doing as an organization.
okay. And commissioner. Right. You chose not to give gas cards.
you chose not to give residential assistance programs with your community benefit dollars.
but you started a program called teed. Can you tell me about that program and how Successful it is?
sure. Vice mayor bolton, actually, I partnered with the foremost ivy league university at The university of pennsylvania center for basic income research
with allison fortier, phd who kind of guide me through the program and tell me how we can Use the money to benefit residents.
and I created a program and I have some statistics, Actually, we just surveyed about 70 of our over 200 recipient,
70% use it for food and groceries, 14% for health care, 20% for transportation, 30% for housing,
28% for utilities. And we asked the question in part can expenses?
has it helped? 84% said yes. Financial stress impact, 60% said significantly, it has helped.
we even got some feedback. I want to thank commissioner right with all my heart.
I'm an 87 year old widow living on social security and receiving $100 monthly has been Like a welcome gift.
once again, thank you and bless you. It's very hard living just on social security.
my husband was hurt a couple years ago and no longer work, And all of our savings have been depleted,
so we were worried about paying bills and buying food, Which would do, which we do.
thank you. Commissioner right. I can go on and on and on and on, But I've gotten a lot of feedback on the program.
I've distributed over 100,000. I still have a lot of money remaining because I'm very Fiscally responsible.
all of it had gone to residents. I've literally walked door to door, Put it in my london from the bolton.
we're putting up my door hangers and advertising to residents.
you can see my steps. I can show you. It's not me doing hyperbole or embellishing.
I've done that. And you told me you heard that as well. So obviously this money has had a Huge impact on our community.
but a few weeks ago, I was in the grocery store at publix, Right across the street in sunrise,
and a lady came to me and she said, you know that hundred bucks that you gave him for the Month?
I'm using that to buy groceries. That was very impactful to me, Knowing that we're helping someone in a community.
another lady invited me to a 90 year old birthday party.
her daughter was from new york, and she's like, My mom, love you. I've never met her. I, you know, and the lady said, she kissed me. She
said, oh, I love you so much. You send me $100 every month. But lots of impact on the Community.
and again, those community benefits has been very, Very, very, very impactful.
and we have a lot of people in our community that are hurting. And, You know, and we know the biggest issue in the country today is affordability.
affordability. That's the biggest issue. It's why I got elected in in new york.
affordability. You know what's going on overseas has increased the price of gas.
again affordability is an issue. So I think our community benefits has been very helpful In solving affordability problem.
I can attest to that in district two. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner. Right. And if you had a magic wand and you were able to increase the amount Of money that you have,
of course you have money left. But if you had a magic wand to increase the amount of money That you have left,
would you want to do that in order to support more residents that are going through a Financial hardship?
are you trying to f lee bailey me? No, I'm just I'm just asking. I'm just asking you a simple question. Let let let me get a chance to, To, to rebut when we on the debate and I answer that
question, you know, in true maury style, I know that you have your your rebuttal from Chatgpt ready.
so I'd be very, very surprised if you did not have have one.
but no, but I appreciate your candor. Absolutely. Any anything to improve the life of the residents.
that's the reason I came to office. And yes, Anything to improve the life of residents.
I'm always willing to listen and and, you know, Be a champion for it.
absolutely. And before I go to our commissioner, Daniel I must make mention that there are also not just residents,
but there are hoa's in our community that are struggling as well, And they need to make sure that their reserves are taken care
of and that residents who are in their community are taken care of as well.
one of the things that I did with the funds that that I had was not to just to give gas Cards to buy votes,
of residents. As a matter of fact, the time that I gave the gas cards out, I was not even up for reelection.
I had already won my election. You know, but we partnered with condos and hoas, And we gave them direct money and we said,
go and help your residents with this. And they did in the bermuda club and shaker village And all over this,
this great city. And I'm pleased that through my advocacy in asking smart developers for More
money I'm able to deliver checks to homeowners associations.
as a matter of fact, tomorrow I'm going to a homeowners association to deliver a $10,000 Check.
tamarac lakes, we're coming to you. I hope you're also there, Mr. Walia. Because that's your community as well.
it is a direct result of the advocacy that this commission is, Is, is, is doing.
and, you know, we'll have, you know, residents on ask tamarac on next door or tamarac talk Neighbors saying,
oh, those commissioners are lining their pockets again, But I can tell you this, when residents see the amount of impact that we make in our
community, not just for residents, but for hoas, I can guarantee you that they're going to love us for it.
and I think that some residents who are here that, You know, can't even cut their grass, but they are running for city commissioner should
also apply for some of these funds. Now I have a question for the finance director the Interim finance director,
if you would allow her. Mr. Attorney. City manager.
priscilla.
priscilla moxey, interim finance director. Okay.
and, you know, just segueing. This is a call to public to code enforcement to visit the Home of carol melanson.
but okay by name. We don't do that legislative immunity.
miss moxey if the city commission should have a boost in the amount of money that we can Spend for the
benefit of our residents. As the finance director you get these approvals, You get these,
you know, vouchers or whatever you have to sign off on in your office before it's even Check is even cut,
correct? Correct. Okay. And if I wanted to buy a green suit for $1,500 to look
nicely in our commission meeting. And I said, That is an expense that I want to to have, and I want to use
$150,000 and I want to buy 100 suits. Would you approve that?
no. Okay. Why would you not? What's the public purpose?
public purpose. And when you are looking, when you're signing off on expenditures for the City commission
before a city commissioner can spend a dime, You also look for public purpose, right?
mr. Attorney vice mayor, we have a third review process, Not only myself, but management finance,
as miss moxey indicated. So it's at least 3 or 4 people looking to make sure public Purpose exists for any expenditure.
okay, good. And listen, my suits are expensive, And I treat myself to a suit maybe a couple of times per year.
I can't afford more than that. On my meager salary of $60,000 to the city commission.
but you know what? I make things work. Thank you very much, Miss moxie.
I'll ask you a question. Commissioner daniel you also got some community benefit funds, And you had a lot of
issues in your community with a couple of residents saying I want to apply for these Programs.
I cannot get approved for the programs even though I'm struggling because on paper it Looks like I make a lot of money,
but when I do my budget, I have nothing left. You have given. You have awarded some residents in your community with community Development funds,
benefit funds. Tell me just a little bit more about what you used your money for.
so the, the bulk of the funds that we receive from the developer, Which is not taxpayer money,
which I know that is being said by some who obviously have not taken the time to ask or to See
the bulk of my money went to grants. The first rollout of grants that I had, Every resident that applied and showed proof
received the funds. And let me tell you, I went in public service just for that.
how can I give back to my community? I teach just for that.
how can I have a student learn how to read? It is so rewarding when you see somebody who Was struggling,
smile like we were laughing when commissioner right said about it his the seniors that he Gave,
I see them in the lobby and I'm like, they doing all that for $100 a month.
like that's a lot. And they do it, they line up, I remember that tammy was telling me no,
he has at least 60, 60 seniors, and some of them can't even show proof that they need it Before.
we agreed to this type of funding where we're being creative and innovative, And it's not impacting the taxpayer,
right? My community, we're not getting paid any more tax, But I can help them before I'd have to go to the city manager.
there's no really. I go to maxine because I thought maybe I could slide and go in.
there's no way. Now you have this type of money that you can give back to the residents That you can do without raising taxes.
I'm on the 28th for district for another set of grants is going through.
couldn't do it without developers giving back to the community.
kudos to developers that believe they should give back to the community.
I believe in it. I think this is why people are talking about tamarac. Everywhere I go, people are saying, oh, you guys are doing some good things in tamarac I Lie to you not.
and I'm like, we are. I feel like I'm struggling. But people say that when I walk down the street they say, Good job commissioner.
and I'm I'm in publix. They say, you guys are doing a really good job. That's what I hear. Not from the three people or the four people that come up here and Repeat the same since the four years I've been here.
come on, it's obvious you're being paid. Because if you look at the facts, If you take the time to see what's going on in your city,
you would be proud. But you're not doing that. You're just selling this narrative that is simply not true.
simply not true. Now the general fund. Yeah, I want to leave the general fund alone.
this is money that has nothing to do with the general fund. General fund. If you look at our strategic meeting, It has public works.
want some? Right? Because we gotta do our infrastructure, We gotta do water and we're being proactive.
it's not even that we're in trouble. We're being proactive, Not we're being preventative,
proactive. We're not being reactive. So please be clear, We're not in trouble.
we're trying to be proactive. Firefighters want some, Right?
everybody wants a piece of that pie. So these are ways that we don't have to touch that General fund pie where all these different
departments can get and use that that money for the purpose of running the city.
to me, if that's not being financially stable, I don't know what is.
thank you. And mayor, I want to ask you about what you did with your money because you did Not have it.
you you wanted it, but you. But I think the commission at the time, It's my opinion, the commissioner at the time,
commission at the time you know, decided to split it among four districts.
and your words were, I have a district. I represent the whole city too.
but that's besides my point. I know about an initiative that you did, And it's.
quite frankly, the residents did not mention that when they talked about commissioners Buying votes.
you actually gave out gift cards and gift baskets to a couple of residents with initiative Funds.
don't know what that was for, but at least residents came to me and said that they got a Gift card as well.
well, you're going to give me the opportunity to respond or you're going to talk for me Because you let everybody else in the commission respond. I just didn't ask you because
you didn't because you're going to make assumptions. So I'll just set it straight. Okay. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. No, I was never given the opportunity. Actually, you it was
a decision that the mayor doesn't represent a city. To which I said I'm quite fine because I didn't think that it was appropriate.
so I've been quite fine not receiving the funds to give out. And the initiative that I did was a thanksgiving initiative.
and I think most of us did a thanksgiving initiative. So just like gift cards and my turkeys, it was thanksgiving holiday for our social service To people through social services.
so yeah, it was my initiative funds, not other additional dollars.
so, you know, I'm proud of it and I have no problem with it. Wonderful. Thank you. Wonderful. So you give out gift cards, You give out gift gift bags or whatever it is during thanksgiving.
so bolton is not the only one that give out turkeys and gift cards during thanksgiving Time.
and as a matter of fact, my district residents, They loved it and they appreciated it.
but I'm going to clarify. Also, I had sponsors. Oh, they also helped out. So I appreciate their donations.
yeah. Who manager was who was
affected by pfas. Is. The topic of the. The case.
the lawsuit was those two manufacturers producing material that would have these pfas Materials.
in fact, the the drinking water supply system. So drinking water, meaning that if I'm home and I'm brushing my teeth, Or if I drink the water in my house,
I would be exposed to this potentially. And then that's why anybody in tamarac that drinks Water,
they would be correct. Okay. And, and so it is the people's money.
yes. Everything is people's money. Yes, absolutely.
and so when I looked at it, you know, pfas can cause cancer.
as well. And so, you know, perhaps that money is also fitting to help residents in our Community who are living with cancer.
mothers who have to raise a child with autism that needs support.
residents who are having issues with paying their utility bills, Like their water and their fpl bills.
and just because I drive a tesla does not mean that I'm not feeling the brunt of gas Prices.
I actually went to the supercharger and I noticed that the supercharger now cost $0.50 Instead of $0.34.
and I asked chatgpt why? And you know what chatgpt said?
you know what? It wasn't working for a while. You know what chatgpt said? Chatgpt says in order to power the charging stations, It needs gas.
and so every single one of our residents are going through issues with utility insecurity,
food insecurity. And so some of this money can help with utility hardship grants.
residents living with cancer, gas relief, rental assistance, Rehabilitation grants for our elderly,
elderly mental support services, autism support services helping our law enforcement Officers.
this money can do a lot of good. A whole lot of good.
but you know what? I believe that some commissioners tonight were elected officials may, For political reasons,
say, I don't want any part of the money. So I'm proposing that $500,000 of this $1.64 Million be used
for the benefit of our residents, consistent with how we use initiative funds.
but when you give consensus to use that tonight, I must preface this by saying that the $500,000 can be split five ways,
four ways, three ways, two ways or one way, depending on how we vote.
so that is the, the ask tonight to use $500,000 of this money for the benefit of our Residents
consistent with how we spend initiative dollars. And I ask for a sound vote, just like how we had a sound vote for item 11 a and those People
who select upped that they do not want to use any of the money in consistent with how we Use
initiative funds would not get a benefit of this program.
and of course, the $500,000 would be used consistently with those who opt in to this.
and I also might add that a smart elected official could theoretically vote yes and then Opt to use that
money to be put back in the general fund or to help with firefighter apparatus.
yes. That is my item. Commissioner. Right.
thank you, madam mayor, and thank you, vice mayor bolton, For your presentation.
and I do agree that our residents are hurting.
you know, the great so-called singer from trinidad, Marshall, montana, or marshall, some would say has a song.
that's everything in life. You need balance. I, I, I've not checked gdp, obviously I had eight 60 generals.
and I, I did, I did my research and to answer your question, Fort lauderdale got 35 million in their settlement.
boca got 32 million. Delray got 15 million. Fort lauderdale use some of their money to put Towards their
water, their utility funds and 4.8 million to go into emergency services funds.
delray and in doing my research with pfas, I learned about water treatment plant.
delray used 14 million of their 15 million to go towards their $297 million water Treatment plan.
their water treatment plan costs 120,000,003 years ago. And I know you've mentioned over and over that our water treatment plant has gone from 25 Million to 50 million.
so they've used some of that money to go towards their water treatment plant. Obviously, their congressperson, louie franco brought home 11 million with the arpa funds,
and boca has used all of their money to go towards their $55 million water treatment Plant.
so some and most cities are using it towards their utility funds and towards their water Treatment plant in that type of stuff.
so in doing my research, I know that we have the issue with the water treatment plant. It's important that we work on that. And obviously pfas, When the previous administration was in the regulations were more stringent.
it was four parts per trillion was the number. And as administration trained, change with that current administration, Which is more pro-business,
it's 70. So the the regulations became less stringent in terms of what we need.
and also reading the article from the firm, it says that companies that I mean, Cities that pumped most of the water,
that pumped a lot of water, that's why the sediment was higher. So obviously, Boca, fort lauderdale and delray in those places pumped a lot of water.
and I also learned that all of our water in south florida comes from the biscayne aquifer, which is which is down south in miami, which is why we had the pfas stuff.
so obviously tamarac sediment was a little less because we pumped less water.
so I hear what commissioner bolton is saying. I think, you know, 500 is half of the money. I think we can we can we can put more money Towards the
infrastructure or the water treatment plant. Things that that's going to deal with that Type of stuff.
not necessarily the general fund, but, but a utilities.
I would counter commissioner. Bolton. And say we put 900 towards the water, Whatever we use for utilities.
and then what is that 900 plus what 161 60 is one is 1,000,060.
I would say the 160, we can split it. However we want to split it to help our residents.
obviously, we've demonstrated that we're very good at helping our residents. But I would Favor the majority of the money going towards helping our water infrastructure,
because obviously the data have shown many of the cities have done this. And I mean, these water treatment plants are superbly expensive.
and the reason they're expensive is because they have to be updated for cyber security and Hacking and because of the pfas issue.
you know, to, to, to filter out the pfas. And the reason it's called forever chemicals is Because you don't really it doesn't really leave.
it doesn't really leave the water. So it's something that people have to kind of invest in These water treatment to kind of cipher it out.
so I think, commissioner moulton, you mentioned this one time you said your mom told you In jamaica every is what does it say in every you've mentioned this,
every mcl, every mcl. Help me. It's every mcl.
make a muckle. So you put, you put, you know, A little of this and a little of this and a little of this.
and over time you also accumulate you know what you need to do.
but I must preface this also by saying commissioner that when we give as much money from This pfas money to residents even if it's a
$50 gas card or $100 gas card. And by the way, If we're giving $1,000 to each resident,
that's only 100 residents helped with $100,000 every make or make a muckle.
that's what it means. It also means that when we give them a grant for whatever they want,
that little grant that they that they get goes a far way, Like your $100 t.
I do agree 100 commissioner bolton need to have research. I have data and I work with the foremost ivy league university.
so I totally understand. And you you taught me, You know, you you're just as smart as those phds as ivy league university.
so, you know you know, I, I totally understand it, But I say every makeup maker because some of this money can go towards our infrastructure,
working towards getting that water treatment plant that we kind of need.
I think that's important as well for our residents that we, We, we kind of have that in place.
and, you know, it's a trend of most of the cities. And you're right, doctor daniels. You know, I go places and people are like, Yes, tamarac are doing a lot of stuff for their residents.
tamarac are looking out for their residents. Tamarac are putting programs in place. But I Think,
you know, we, we, we sometimes don't have to think of the next election, But the next generation.
so I think in putting majority of the money towards the utilities or the water treatment Or what it is,
is, is looking towards the next generation and protecting our residents and looking at the Future,
but also keeping that balance of taking a little something to making sure that we're Taking care of our residents.
so making sure that they're getting the things that we need. Because last year we split a million bucks for ways, And all of us have done an amazing job in helping our residents.
but I think this sentiment, majority of it should go towards something affiliated with the Water treatment.
commissioner daniel thank you. I remember when this topic came up, When the lawyers came and said,
do we want to enter into a lawsuit? And I remember preeclampsia being one of the issues.
and I remember saying, oh my god, that's how I lost my child. And I remember the mayor making me feel bad, Saying, I only some people talking because they want a lawsuit.
if you ever lose a child, trust me. Lawsuit, Don't take that away.
so there are people who have suffered because of it.
and I think it should go back to the people. Period. The water treatment. Yes, yes. I think you should give to the water treatment because we Want the water to be better.
but that is being proactive but giving back to the people. Absolutely. And for somebody who wasn't interested in a lawsuit, Sure enough interest in the lawsuit today.
and for the record commissioner. Right. I ran for the future generation.
let's keep it clear. I work for the future generation. Future generation is called the alpha generation. You know, It's in that generation, my kids,
the kids that I serve, the kids that are in my community. So yes, but I also know if as a parent, you can't eat and tamarac will turn off your water Bill,
be clear. Don't pay that bill by the next month, Your water is off.
so if you can't pay your water bill, what about the next generation?
I think the water bill comes first. Thank you. Point of clarification. Doctor daniels. Commissioner daniels.
I agree with what you're saying. I'm just saying that we should put more of the money Towards that.
I think we should take some of the money to put back in the residents pocket. That's just My counter. And that's just.
I'm not I'm not disagreeing at all. I think based on precedents and what other cities are Doing,
I think we can put some of that towards utilities. So I do agree. I'm just correcting what you said about the future generation because no One here cared care more about the future generation than me.
it was a metaphor. So point taken. I do believe it should go back to the residents.
so give 500,000 to either the water bill, the general fund, Wherever the city feels it should go.
give the 64,000 to social services or something to that effect and then split the five.
if the other commissioners don't, and I'm a big proponent of this, If you don't want to vote for it,
you don't want it. Put it back in the kitty. Put it back towards.
and then you will have your nine or 8 or 700,000 towards that.
I love math. Commissioner patterson, thank you.
thank you mayor. I don't have a whole lot to say on this because I do think it is pretty Self-explanatory.
I mean, we're talking about, you know, one time dollars.
you know, a facility like a water plant. We're talking about an up sum of $20 million.
we're having a discussion around $1 million. It's my understanding, Based on some of the questions that I've asked,
that the treatment plan is not even at quite it's not yet quite at the end of life.
with that, I think we've kind of displayed that there's needs across the board, There's infrastructure needs,
the community has needs. The city is not able to deliver in every area.
and I do think it is incumbent upon us on in a lot of in a lot of ways to ensure that all Needs are met.
I think it's a fair proposal. I think that, you know, Over half of the dollars will be able to be utilized for additional services.
it won't make not even a dent in what really the city needs. The city's been lobbying the state for years.
we've been lobbying the federal legislature for years for additional dollars.
we haven't raised the water rates. We haven't raised the millage because we're concerned With,
you know, how that will impact the day to day individual. This is not going to change that circumstance tremendously for me.
it's a drop in the bucket, really. I think we have an opportunity to be able to affect the Day to day lives of many of our residents who are
on a fixed income. I love what lauderhill is doing. If they're able to, you know, give $150 to every resident, That's amazing.
I think we have we have a responsibility to consider some of those same factors.
that's something that I've been talking about in every strategic planning meeting that's On record.
I actually appreciate that this this one time opportunity has presented itself because I Too,
am in favor and will always be in favor of being able to assist my residents in ways that They would not traditionally be able to be assisted.
so I do support this item as well. Okay. We're up to me.
mr. Henry, would you join us up here? I've got some questions for you. Please. He will not come unless his manager tells him to.
city manager as. And when I called miss calloway here through the chair, She.
she never moved a muscle. She looked in her glasses and it was fogging.
so if you can answer the question for your employee, Please do.
and please be consistent. Like miss calloway texted you the information. I don't have a question right now. Okay. So before he comes, Train him not to move.
just like miss calloway did not move. Answer her question. Our residents. Our employees are not dogs. City manager I got you.
I already spoke to you about this, so. Yes. City manager. I'd like to speak to mr. Henry. You can, but if I can answer the question, I'll be happy to answer.
then you'll answer it. But right now, mr. Henry is who? I'd like to come to the podium. Okay. Mr. Henry.
again, mr. Manager, if there's a question that the mayor has. You're the manager, are you? We are. We know we're expected.
we expect that the manager will answer the question. If he can't answer it, then he goes to his employee.
but. And isn't that isn't that consistent in how miss callaway just, Just treated me?
isn't that consistent with what you did? It's vice mayor. Isn't it consistent? Yes or no? When I call miss callaway, She texted you.
you the information that I asked for. And you answered? Yes, sir. So be consistent. I am consistent. Okay.
so when the question is asked, please answer it. And if you can't answer it, then your employee will.
I think that's consistent for making it when it's spot check for when it's convenient.
at this time, I'm going to call for a motion for an extension of time, Because we're approaching 1115 in our meetings and at 1130,
move it in order to have. I will finish my sentence in order to have this item completed.
second. Thank you. I thank you now, city clerk, To please call the roll.
commissioner. Right. Yes. Mayor. Gomez. Yes. Commissioner.
daniel. No. That's okay. Vice mayor bolton. Yes.
commissioner patterson. Yes. Motion passes, 4 to 1. You had your opportunity. Oh, dear lord.
through our utilities. Director. City manager.
do you have the numbers on what pfas is in our city water at this time?
we have done a testing a number of months ago.
I'm not sure when the, the last or latest, but, But those numbers don't mean anything.
you know, because the you know, there's just some numbers if you're asking for, For compliance with the federal guidelines.
I like to think that we're below those federal guidelines.
is that, is that I would like a better answer than I'd like to think. If our employee can answer that, it would be appreciated to have the facts, Please, mr.
henry. Henry? Interim director of public services.
so to answer the question, there's much more testing that we need to do.
and, you know we have done some testing. We got some results, But that doesn't define what
the actual level is. It has to go into a calculation and it does take all the testing
in consideration. Okay. We have more testing to do and consideration of it.
but in the interim we continue to have water go through our pipes, Go through our water treatment plants,
go into our homes, that the numbers could be up or down, But we don't know for certain.
we don't know for certain. In your studies of pfas as a utilities director there were Changes
for items, as have been mentioned for 2024. And I know there's a, There's a call out right now for more comments between april 23rd and this 60 day period
in your expertise, what do you see coming down the pike or the pike?
usually, but pike for us in our city, with our pfas remediation, That is going to be required.
so right now we have a consultant they're doing a pilot study.
so they're getting all the data and putting that together.
and you know, that's going to determine what type of filtration system we're going to Need,
if any depending on the results that, that we are going to see.
but that's going to determine the, the type and also how much it's going to cost.
so at this time, you know, we can't, I can't really tell you how much it's going to cost Depending on
several factors. So. Do you think it's going to be over $1 million?
we. So we budgeted for 20 million for pfas. Right.
and when you. Excuse me, but when you say we budgeted, Did we put a line item for it?
is it actually funded. It's it's not funded. It's it's for 2027.
so we based on, you know, communication with other cities and you know, What they experience and
what their system cost. We came up with a budgetary number of 20 million.
okay. So you've come up with a million of approximately $20 million to help from a Remediation for pfas.
it's a line item that is a desire for saving money for up to $20 million for 2027 for us To be able to spend when we are required by the government to do.
point of order, madam mayor. Would you like to be timed or. No. Excuse you. No, I'm just asking. I'm just asking.
you never got time. Do not start. I'm asking for. For the future. I'm making a point. Listen, I've been called worse.
and you too. So would you like to be timed or not? No. Commissioner. Okay. Go ahead. Go ahead and take your hour.
and you're not going to start putting rules and regulations on me because you don't like. I'm answering asking questions. So stop making presumptions about things and let me speak.
if you guys would be a little bit less insecure about things, It would be a lot better.
anyway, so right now we currently have a line item for $20 million and no savings being Put in there at this time,
correct? That's correct. Thank you. I'm sorry. Can we clarify that? What are we saying? It's very simple.
the line item for 2027 budget at this time is a request for $20 million, But at this time there has been no funding moved into it.
that's correct. So it doesn't say that that there's a line item.
it just says there's a request, but it's not funded. So there's no line item. You know, that's why I was surprised a little bit in basic, We know that the city needs to spend certain
things, spend dollars on certain things. And one of those certain things that the city Needs to spend money on would be pfas removal by government,
federal government regulation, which our city attorney has already told us earlier, That we must follow the law. So therefore,
we will need money to follow the law to remediate pfas in our system.
when we finish with our data that is currently being compiled to find out exactly what we Need to do in order to remove pfas from the water
system in our city, and we currently don't have the money in our budget.
and I'll ask miss miss moxley for the water treatment plant that we have been talking About.
and allegedly, I said in our state of the city about three years ago, We were almost ready to build because we completed design.
we just needed to go out to bid, but we needed funds for it. Is that correct, mr. Henry? Okay. Thank you for the nod.
yes he does, since he's been actively involved in the water treatment plant and the Utilities director and overseeing our water treatment plant.
I don't know why people are so afraid of when we peel back the layer to.
so show that we have some needs. Everybody has needs. Even our residents have needs. There's been discussion about our infrastructure and the Water utilities
increases that there was a study done several years ago, And a plan that was initially proceeding to go through.
but we only approved it one time with the increase, And we have not increased it since then.
not sure who to ask this question. So, city manager, How many homes do we have in the city of tamarac?
32,000 or maxine 35. Okay. 35,000
times 150. Well, $150. If we were to be like one of our sister cities at 35,000 homes Would be
$5,000,250 that we would have to have in order to give everybody $150 break.
so that one's not going to work for our city.
thank you, mr. Henry. City manager. I'd like to ask our interim budget or finance director Question if you can answer it.
maybe I can ask the question and then I'll. Basically, I am curious as to the status of our operating budget that we're preparing for 2027 and
how we are doing so far with our numbers and need for capital.
right. It's been worked on. Mayor. And so we're, We're obviously going to present that draft budget or proposed
budget in july. We're waiting for some numbers that, That come out from the bcpa
june 1st, I believe those numbers come out. And so until then, We don't have a clear picture of our incoming revenues,
but based on zero property value increases. We are a little short today.
can you share a little bit more of a little short today for our conversation?
I can share with you, but it can go up and down. I believe that the last time we looked at it, We were we were short somewhere around a little over $2 million.
that's a different number than what we talked about earlier today. Like I said, It goes up and down.
and so because we have not formulated the the budget and the ask and the the revenue Sources.
so we're, it's a working number. Okay. City manager.
I'll take your answer, but I will tell you it's unsatisfactory, Especially with the number that was provided only a few hours ago.
it's amazing. How about what, 16 million is gone? Anywho I said maybe $2.8 million, but you know.
okay. It is what it is. Look, it is what it is.
point being is we can say that it's a drop in the bucket, But the bucket is really big right now because we have no money in it.
and the fact of the matter is we as a city do need the money.
I am certain that our residents are hurting, But they're going to is a reality that we're going to hurt more later when we don't have
the money. It's kind of like what's going on in the condo community where we're telling People,
if you would have just paid $10 more a month when you had the opportunity, This $100 a month bill would not be so hurtful to the
pocketbook. But we take a chance because we don't want to increase liability on our Residents,
whether it's our neighbors or they're all our neighbors. And but it winds up hurting them in the end when the chunk of change that they need to lay Out is bigger,
like the pipes that are going to burst and the issues that we're going to have if we don't Start saving money now for that rainy day that we know is coming,
the day we know when we have to remediate the pfas is coming.
and again, we follow the law, right? So we can do a spot treatment now and make everybody Feel better for a gift card or whatever it might be.
or we could put more of that money away to make that bucket a little bit less harder to Fill.
as we go through this process between now and 2027, Which, ladies and gentlemen, is in, what,
six months? And I'm sure we're not expected on the dot for january.
so we might have an extra 12 months in there. But where are we finding the funds? The reason for the pfas litigation was because the Pfas in our system and we received the money because
we need to remediate pfas. Now I know how to read the writing in the wall.
it's very, very, very clear. This money is not going to be spent in the manner in which I'm suggesting,
which goes to remediating pfas and sorry. Commissioner.
right. I do feel that the writing on the wall shows that you're $900,000 request is not Going to happen,
because you will only have the support. Potentially, It feels like of one, but I thought it's very creative how the opportunity
has been presented. So it looks like there's a five zero vote for it so that people won't Get criticized if they vote for
it, because the opportunity to return it is there.
very crafty, very smart. But I've always said that he is very crafty and very good at Marketing.
so quite honestly. We all have our opinions. So the reality is,
ladies and gentlemen, if this thing should move forward, As I truly suspect it will, and unless there's some games played between now and when I
finish or when it's voted on, I might be inclined to do exactly what he said or what he Suggested,
because I don't think it's a bad idea. If I should take this fund and I should approve it.
my money is going specifically into the water department, Into the pfas bucket.
vice mayor, your light is lit. Thank you, madam mayor. And I will preface this by saying that I'm asking my colleagues to take that into Consideration as a part of the
item tonight that if the mayor should vote yes on this, That the money, $100,000 is restricted to go back into pfas
remediation. That's what she said. And this is what we're going to hold her accountable To.
mr. Manager is is our water safe to drink? It is.
vice mayor. Okay, so we don't need pfas remediation.
based on the the regulations that are coming down, We will have to deal with that.
before the deadline. Okay. And you heard commissioner. Right. That says every. Michael, michael. Michael, You understand the jamaican nomenclature.
I got I got the sense. Okay. So you think that putting half of the money away for a rainy Day or to remediate pfas
is, is is wise. Vice mayor, I don't want to minimize 500,000 or $1 million, But the amount of
money that we need for the new water treatment plant and the pfas and the other elements Is close to $100 million.
so every nickel may do that. But you know it's a lot of nickels to get to the and so,
so whatever we put away is essentially, you know, Fair, whatever we put away.
okay. And do you think it's also fair that some residents, Even if it's 1 or 2, get a benefit from this?
everything we do is public purpose. And so you know, Water treatment plant is public purpose.
roads are public purpose. So it's all part of the the service to the community.
okay. And let me tell you something. I get criticized for breathing.
and I've still been here nine, ten years later.
so I'm not, you know, shy to to be criticized.
I'm not afraid of people planting the wrong narrative in the media.
we heard from our attorney that this money is not intended to do a specific thing.
it is intended to do a broad range of items that serve a public
purpose. Correct. Attorney. Yes. It's unrestricted funds.
okay. All right. Well, thank you very much. And I hope we can call the question now.
city clerk the question that is before you is a request by the vice mayor to the Commission to take $500,000
from the 1,064,000 $932,093.39 and use it for pfas
now. Question. Use it. Sorry. Excuse me. I want to ask a question.
the 500,000 is for the commission to be divided as however many people agree to it.
the balance of it. Will that be going to the water treatment utilities
plant? Where will that money be going? It would go to mr.
manager. The. The. The question at hand is asking for $500,000 to be used by the city Commission in a manner in
which initiative funds are used at a later time.
it is your prerogative to provide the city commission with whatever you you you see fit.
we're not dealing with the 506 to $4000. Now we're dealing with $500,000.
that was not my item. We're dealing with $500,000 tonight. So I'd like to make sure that we deal with that.
and of course, I want to make sure that we put on the record that the mayor's $100,000 is Going to be used for pfas.
that is what she said. And I want to make sure that that is understood a part of my Motion.
so basically, the answer to my question is that the $564,932.39 remains unencumbered at This
time, and that there is no requirement for it to go towards pfas remediation or the water Treatment plan or anything dealing with helping utilities.
that's correct. I want I want to make sure, mr. Manager, that with this consensus that the commission.
however, we vote tonight would use that $500,000 effective immediately and that you will Bring a budget
amendment to satisfy the spending of the commission, Correct?
that's correct. We'll include in the budget amendment the recognition of the entire fund And the allocations made
as you decide tonight. So there's no, I still have, There's no, there's no there's nothing precludes us from tomorrow morning.
asking the city manager's office or the community development office to create a program For residential assistance.
with the amount of money that we are equally distributed tonight or any way thereof, Not with your consensus.
okay. So I'd like a point of clarification. City manager this item that comes back before The commission is separate and apart from any other
budget amendments. It is specifically only for this to not be intertwined with anything Else.
no, no, it would be part of the the budget amendment that also include other items.
you know, that needs to be amended. So this amends the budget, Madam mayor as incoming dollars.
so it is just like any other grant that we receive that, That we accept through a budget amendment and they are done
on their own accord. Many times they're not always in a single, In a lump sum budget amendment.
they are in its own accord. And therefore, as such, In order to keep the vote intact, it is highly suggested that the city manager puts it on
the agenda, as we do with other grant money or other money that comes in on a single line Item.
it is approved on its own. Well, grant monies are recognized separately because they Require an agreement with the granting
agency. This does not. This is money given to us. So we just need to recognize that into our into our into our budget.
okay. City clerk, please call the roll with commissioner wright. Want to put on the record what he's going to use his money for if he votes yes or no.
city. City clerk, please call the roll. City clerk, Please call the roll.
commissioner. Ray. Yes. Mayor gomez. Yes. Commissioner.
daniel. Yes. Vice mayor bolton. Yes. Commissioner patterson.
yes. Thank you. Thank you. Right. Over to the water. To the water department. Ladies and gentlemen, It is 1135.
get home safely. Meeting's adjourned. Thank you.