City Commission Regular Meeting Brief for October 25, 2022

City Commission Approves Ordinance 22-23 on Second Reading
The City Commission approved a resolution, on second reading, to authorize Rezoning Petition #Z 6-3-21, providing for the rezoning of the approximately .74 acres of real property generally located at 2700 N. Palm Avenue in Cooper City. Upon being approved on a second reading, the aforementioned property has been rezoned from A-1 Agriculture to X-1 Civic. First Baptist Church of Southwest Broward requested the Rezoning and Conditional Use to build a 23,000 square-foot gymnasium with school classroom. These new proposed classrooms will include elementary, three middle, and five high school rooms and increase student enrollment by 200 students. The current Church and school building, to the West, has eight classrooms for K4-3^rd grade and maximum enrollment of 190 students. With this request, the buildings will have a total school enrollment of 390 students. The Planning and Zoning Board, at their meeting of January 3, 2022, unanimously recommended approval of the rezoning subject to a traffic detail being provided. Per the adjoining conditional use agreement, the applicant is not prepared to add a traffic detail at this time but has agreed to conditions that address traffic concerns, while also agreeing to meet with City staff 6 months after opening to determine if a traffic detail is needed. This rezoning approval has been followed up with a conditional use, variance and site plan petitions.

City Commission Amends and Approves Resolution 22-40
The City Commission amended and approved a resolution granting site plan approval pursuant to Site Plan Petition #SP 6-4-21, for the approximately .74 acres of real property located at 2700 N. Palm Avenue in Cooper City. This is a preliminary/site plan to build a 23,000 square-foot combination of gymnasium and school classrooms. The proposed building has a peak roof height of 42 feet. The new proposed classrooms will include two elementary, three middle, and five high school rooms at First Baptist Academy. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended the approval of the Final Site Plan during its meeting on January 3, 2022. This resolution was approved by the City Commission with the following conditions: if the City administration determines there is a traffic issue on Palm Avenue, then the City could work with the applicant to address traffic by using Sheridan Street, First Baptist Academy will change its dismissal time to 4 PM, and if BSO and City resources are required to address traffic issues due to the applicant, the applicant will reimburse the City for those services. The Planning and Zone recommended approval of the final site plan during is meeting on January 3, 2022.

City Commission Amends and Approves Resolution 22-41
The City Commission amended and approved a resolution, granting the request for Variance Petition #V6-4-21, submitted by First Baptist Church of Southwest Broward for the property generally located at 2700 N. Palm Avenue in Cooper City to decrease the amount of parking ratio from one-hundred forty-two (142) spaces to thirty-three (33) spaces (109 space deviation) for the school with an overall count of 328 spaces versus 236 spaces (92 space deviation). The amendment to this resolution requires that the property will not be concurrently used for church services and school assembly. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of this variance petition during its meeting on January 3, 2022.

City Commission Amends and Approves Resolution 22-42
The City Commission amended and approved a resolution, approving the Conditional Use Petition #CU 6-6-21 from First Baptist Church of Southwest Broward for the approximately .74 acres of real property generally located at 2700 N. Palm Avenue in Cooper City. This resolution was approved, after First Baptist Church of Southwest Broward agreed to an amendment that require a member of school staff to be qualified as a guardian on premises during school hours and to allow the campus’ security system be connected to Cooper City’s Real-Time Crime Center. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of this conditional use, during its meeting on January 3, 2022, subject to a traffic detail being provided. At this time, the applicant is not prepared to add a traffic detail, but is willing to meet with City staff 6 months after opening to determine if a traffic detail is needed.

City Commission Approves Awarding of Citywide Landscaping Services
The City Commission approved the awarding of Request for Proposal (RFP) 2022-3-PW Citywide Landscaping Services to Superior Landscaping and Lawn Services, Inc. for City rights-of-way (Group A), and Landscape Service Professionals, Inc. for City parks and facilities (Group B). During the May 11, 2021 City Commission Regular Meeting, staff was directed to make significant changes to the existing landscape maintenance contract. The new contract service specifically identifies each location as a separate unit of work and stipulates frequency schedules that must be adhered to. Performance standards were established and failure to meet these standards will invoke penalties to include payment deductions and liquidated damages. The required scope of work will include: grounds mowing, turf maintenance, plant and tree pruning, chemical application, irrigation system management, weed and vine removal, litter and debris removal, and restoration of damaged property. The initial term of the contracts are for (3) three years with the option of up to one (1) additional two (2) year renewal term upon agreement between City and contractors. The total cost for the recommended award for citywide landscape services is $755,326, which is less than the single award for both Groups A and B. The cost of services exceed the planned original budget due to the improved requirements and compliance tools for the contracted service.

City Commission Approves Agreement to Replace HVAC System at Cooper City/BSO Police Station
The City Commission approved an agreement with TRANE U.S. Inc. to replace an existing 40-ton split heating ventilation and air condition (HVAC) system of like-size and capacity at the Cooper City/BSO police station utilizing the OMNIA Partners Contract #15-JLP-023. The original construction of the police station included two HVAC systems that provide cooling for the entire building. Both units were originally installed in 2000. Ever since the building was constructed the north unit has required an excessive amount of maintenance, including premature replacements of compressor units. Over the years, attempts were made to correct the malfunctions of the north unit, but to no avail. To complicate maintenance activities, the R-22 refrigerant that the system operates on is being phased out completely and requires new refrigerant lines between the outside compressor and indoor air handler. During the process of bringing in vendors for proposals it was discovered that the refrigerant lines are too long and do not meet the American Society of Refrigerant Engineers (ASRE) standards. All vendors indicated that they would not offer any warranty for direct replacement of the north HVAC system. Commission directed staff to find a “turnkey” process to reduce the time for install and one that incorporated HVAC industry specialists. Staff identified a national cooperative contract where TRANE, which has a local office in Miramar, FL, was a qualified contractor. TRANE has completed their review and provided a cost proposal for a turnkey HVAC replacement. The proposal includes both a ground mounted compressor unit option and a roof mounted compressor unit option. The Cost for the roof mount option is $321,245 and the cost for the ground mount $492,430. The City Commission has approved the roof mounted compressor unit option. TRANE will provide a performance bond for 100% of the contract value. It will take approximately 44 weeks for completion upon a notice to proceed. This is primarily due to the lead time for manufacturing of the HVAC system components. The total cost for this project is $321,245 which will be funded by federal dollars received in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

City Commission Approves Resolution 22-38
The City Commission approved a resolution, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Year 48 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) agreement for the Senior Transportation Program between the City and Broward County. Broward County is a recipient of CDBG funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Broward County administers these funds, and allocates a portion to be used by the City of Cooper City for the Senior Transportation Program. This program is facilitated through the Parks and Recreation Department. The Community Development Block Grant is in the 48th year of approved funding. The funding for this year occurs from October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023. The application for submission of the 48th funding year was approved by the City Commission on March 8, 2022.

City Commission Approves Resolution 22-39
The City Commission approved a resolution, which authorizes the execution of the fourth amendment to the agreement for police services by and between the City of Cooper City and Gregory Tonty, as Sheriff of Broward County. The fourth amendment will increase the BSO-DLE staffing by adding one crime prevention deputy. The new position will be leveraged to increase crime prevention programs offered to the residents, while adding another layer of service to residents who may be victimized. The assigned deputy will obtain their “Crime Prevention Practitioner’s” designation from the Florida Attorney General’s office, or equivalent training, to help build these programs locally in Cooper City.
The City’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget includes $175,000 for a new deputy sheriff position. Based on a proration rate of the $177,128 to add a new deputy, the fiscal impact will be within or under budget.

City Commission Approves Resolution 22-43
The City Commission approved a resolution, ratifying the City’s Manual of Engineering Standards. In accordance with Section 19-147 of the City’s Code of Ordinances, this resolution amends the manual to establish a rear yard setback requirement of five feet and a side yard setback requirement of three feet for paver and concrete decking. Pursuant to section 19-147, the City of Cooper City Code of ordinances provides for the adoption of a standards and specifications manual to govern all development in the City with respect to water and sewer service. The City’s Manual of Engineering Standards is a compilation of minimum accepted design requirements for various types of engineering and construction work, both municipal and private, performed within the City. Based on serious drainage concerns and lack of minimum standards, the engineering staff recommended minimum of five (5) and three (3) feet setbacks for rear and side yards respectively. These setbacks have been vetted and approved by the Planning and Zoning Board in its July 2022 meeting.

City Commission Approves Resolution 22-44
The City Commission approved a resolution, which authorized the extension of the maturity date on the note issued for an emergency line of credit (LOC) revolving loan between the City of Cooper City and TD Bank N.A. This approval allows staff to exercise the extension clause contained in the original tax-exempt LOC agreement for an additional two year. The LOC was initially acquired in August 2019 to provide the City with assurance of funding in the event of a hurricane or other forms of natural disaster striking the City. Cost of issuance will be covered in the initial draw on the LOC. The amount of the initial draw being drawn down to ensure the Note meets the tax-exempt status will be repaid within 30 days of the initial draw. The remainder of the drawdown will be evaluated at fiscal year-end against remaining contingency funds for possible distinguishing.

More Information
For more information related to the items on the October 25, 2022 agenda, please visit https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument/index?cc=COOPERCITY&me=7b2da19cc13c4ba0b91e38bc147c0f3f&ip=true.

The next City Commission Regular Meeting will be held on November 15, 2022 at 6:30 PM at Cooper City City Hall located at 9090 SW 50 Place, Cooper City, FL 33328.