City Commission Regular Meeting Brief for October 11, 2022
City Commission Approves Resolution 22-23 on First Reading
The City Commission approved a resolution, on first 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 will be rezoned from A-1 Agriculture to X-1 Civic. First Baptist Church of Southwest Broward has 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 K4-3rd 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. The applicant is not prepared to add a traffic detail at this time but is willing to meet with City staff 6 months after opening to determine if a traffic detail is needed. This rezoning approval will need to be followed up with a conditional use, variance and site plan petitions. As of this writing, Resolution 22-23 is set for second reading during the next City Commission Regular Meeting on October 25, 2022.
City Commission Amends and Approves Revisions to Job Descriptions of Certain Positions in the Finance Department
The City Commission has approved revisions to the job descriptions of Accountant (Utility Billing/Accounting Supervisor), Account Technician (moving from part-time to full-time), and IT Technician (Technician Senior IT) positions in the Finance Department. Certain job descriptions in the Finance Department are not aligned for optimum performance and or service delivery. The Accountant position assigned to supervise the Utility Billing function does not currently capitalize on the full potential of the position. The revisions to this position will broaden the responsibilities of this position to include supervision of the Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll Processing. The Accountant Technician position has incurred additional responsibility for the Park Lot operation. As such, this position is being moved from part-time to full-time. The IT technician position has been filled by the same staff member since October 2016 and has grown/changed significantly over the past six years from an entry level to a mid-level position. The revisions have been determined and or based on the Finance Department’s operational requirements. These updates do not reflect the market conditions and are limited to the needs of the Department only. Any adjustment to the pay ranges and salaries will be determined by a pay and classification analysis.
City Commission Amends and Approves Job Descriptions for Positions in the Community Development Department
The City Commission approved the job descriptions for the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Administrator and Senior Administrative Specialist positions in the Community Development Department. On September 27, 2022, the City Commission approved the annual budget for fiscal year 2022-2023. The annual budget included the creation of two new positions in the Community Development Department. The Community Development Director has evaluated the needs of the Department specifically regarding the future implantation of the electronic permitting and plan review system as well as dedicated personnel to manage the administrative process of the City’s Building/Local Business Tax Receipt division.
City Commission Approves Donation Agreement for the City’s Park Ranger Radio
The City Commission approved an agreement between the City of Cooper City and Broward Sheriff’s Office, where the City will contribute one radio to BSO for use by the City’s Park Ranger on BSO radio channels. The City of Cooper City recently hired a Park Ranger to support the Parks and Recreation mission. At times, the Park Ranger needs to communicate with the law enforcement team to report suspicious activity and to request assistance. Currently, the Park Ranger utilizes an interdepartmental radio that communicates with a compatible desk unit located at the police lobby. However, the radio does not communicate directly with the patrol deputies, so there is a delay in relaying information. To improve communication and efficiency, the City recently purchased a Motorola APX 900 radio, which is compatible with the county’s emergency communication system. The donation agreement helps the City facilitate programming and adding the Park Ranger’s newly acquired radio to the county’s emergency communication system. The Park Ranger’s radio and associated equipment was purchased during FY 2022 in the amount of $3,555.23. There will be no fiscal impact during FY 2023.
City Commission Approves Second and Final Amendment to Agreement for Laboratory Services for Wastewater
The City Commission approved and authorized the second and final amendment to the agreement with Advanced Environmental Laboratories in the amount not to exceed $40,000 to provide laboratory services for wastewater by extending their contract until October 9, 2023 with the same terms and conditions. Pursuant to the requirements of the regulatory agencies, wastewater is sampled and tested at various points in the treatment chain to ensure strict compliance associated with wastewater treatment and disposal. Some of these tests are performed by the City staff, but many of them require specialized training and equipment and are more economically performed by a private, certified laboratory. On October 9, 2018 the City Commission awarded two contracts for laboratory services pursuant to solicitation number ITB-2018-11-UTL – one to Advanced Environmental Laboratory for wastewater and the other to Pace Analytical Services for potable water. The original agreement was approved for three (3) years with the option of two (2), one (1) year renewals by mutual agreement between the City and Contractor. The first one (1) year renewal was approved on October 10, 2021 and expired on October 9, 2022.
City Commission Approves Renewal Agreement for Fireworks Displays
The City Commission approved the renewal agreement with Fireworks Display Unlimited, LLC d/b/a Firepower Fireworks Displays. The City hosts its annual Founders Day celebration in March. The closeout to this event is through a captivating Firework display. In 2019 the City issued an invitation to bid (ITB 2019-13-REC) for the firework display services. The initial contract was awarded for one three-year agreement with a first and final renewal agreement for two additional years. This contract was awarded to Fireworks Display Unlimited, LLC D/B/A Firepower Fireworks Displays. The fireworks cost for FY 2023 will be $13,500 and for FY 2024 will be $14,500.
City Commission Tables Ordinance 22-24 on First Reading
The City Commission tabled a potential amendment, on first reading, to the City’s Code of Ordinances Chapter 21, entitled “Unified Land Development Code;” Chapter 25, entitled “Development Standards,” Article I entitled, “Off-Street Parking and Loading.” The proposed amendment would have specifically amended Section 25-10, entitled “Parking of Commercial Vehicles; RVs and Boats” to remove the recreational vehicle registration requirement and to permit the parking of boats and recreational vehicles in the property owner’s front yard for up to thirty-six (36) hours for certain purposes. The City Commission has directed the City Attorney and staff to draft an amendment that would remove the registration requirement and provide language that allows for enforceability.
Discussion Item of Note:
The City Commission discussed a request from residents to consider an adjustment to the bulk waste collection schedule. The City Commission has directed City staff to schedule a workshop for this purpose. A workshop date will be announced at a later date.
More Information
For more information related to the items on the October 11, 2022 agenda, please visit https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument/index?cc=COOPERCITY&me=499677e4ba0a45849e834ce7d49021cf&ip=true.
The next City Commission Regular Meeting will be held on October 25, 2022 at 6:30 PM at Cooper City City Hall located at 9090 SW 50 Place, Cooper City, FL 33328.