LTC 175-2002CITY of MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager ~~
WEEKLY UPDATE
Date: July 22, 2002
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
describing some of the areas the Administration focused on during the week of
July 15, 2002:
Department Budget Reviews - The City Manger and representatives from the
Finance Department and the Office of Management and Budget continued to
meet throughout the week with staff from City Departments to finalize budget
plans and allocations for the 2002-2003 fiscal year. In addition, a second budget
briefing was held with the Mayor and Commission on July 19 to provide
information about the budget process for several City Departments. A
Commission workshop focusing on the budget is scheduled for July 24 at 4:00
p.m. in the Commission Chambers.
800 MHz Public Safety Radio System Internal Review Committee - Technical
staff from the Police, Fire, and IT Departments conducted a site visit to the City of
Coral Gables to meet with users of the proposed MA/COM system. Site visits to
West Palm Beach, the City of Sarasota and Hillsborough County are scheduled
for next week. The Internal Review Committee will meet again on August 7,
2002 to hear reports from the site visit teams, RCC Consultants and the two
vendors, MA/COM and Motorola. The Committee will provide the City Manager
with a report in mid-August of their findings that includes the pros and cons of
each system.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) - Representatives from the
Administration attended several meetings this week associated with the DNC site
visits to our community, including a session on July 16 with representatives from
Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami to discuss how our community is
prepared to host the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Emergency Preparedness Plans - Representatives from all City Departments
met on July 17 to review and discuss updates to the City's Emergency
Preparedness Plans. Staff leads for the Operations, Logistics, Administration,
Information and Planning, Police, and Fire functional areas all discussed plans
and preparations included in their plans that will be incorporated into the City's
Emergency Preparedness Plan. In addition, a representative from Grubbs
Emergency Services attended the meeting and discussed their role in assisting
the City's recovery efforts in the event of an emergency. City staff will participate
in a hurricane recovery drill on July 23 that will give the Administration an
opportunity to review the plans and make any necessary updates.
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) - Representatives
from the Administration met with representatives from the GMCVB to discuss
several important issues, including the Summer Festival Season, bookings at the
Miami Beach Convention Center, issues associated with Watson Island and the
GMCVB's relocation status, Board and Committee appointments, funding for the
Thanksgiving Day Parade, and terms of the renewal contract. A separate LTC
will be sent to the Mayor and Commission regarding this meeting and the issues
discussed. In addition, a representative from the Administration participated in
the GMCVB's advertising agency Selection Committee's first meeting where this
group analyzed and discussed the 17 proposals submitted to the GMCVB and
ranked the agencies according to a set of criteria. The top five agencies will be
invited to make presentations to the selection committee at their next meeting
scheduled for August 5, 2002. Additional details about the advertising agency
selection process will be made available to the Mayor and Commission shortly.
Mount Sinai / LNR - A meeting was held on July 18 with Steve Sonenreich and
Amy Perry at Mount Sinai to discuss issues relating to LNR's relocation to Miami
Beach, particularly with child care programs and how Mount Sinai may partner
with LNR to make services available to the LNR employees who will be working
on Miami Beach. Also discussed was the current financial condition of the
hospital, their plan with respect to consolidating the Emergency Room facility at
Mount Sinai, and future use of the Miami Heart Campus.
Pine Tree Drive I La Gorce Home Owners Association - Representatives
from the Administration met with this HOA to discuss tree materials to be used in
the swale areas as part of the planned projects along Pine Tree Drive. Residents
reached consensus and picked two types of trees that will be planted. This will
go out to bid soon.
PAR 3 / Construction Staging - Representatives from the Administration met
with residents who live near the PAR 3 Golf Course neighborhood to continue
discussing the construction staging of the Fire and Public Works yards
equipment. Residents are beginning to understand and accept the City's
proposal. Follow-up meetings are being scheduled.
Bad Boys II Filming - Representatives from the Administration continue to work
with representatives of the production company filming Bad Boys II to ensure that
the production company continues with their extensive outreach campaign to
inform residents about the film schedule so that they can prepare accordingly.
National Council of La Raza (NCLR) - Representatives from the Administration
met throughout the week to finalize plans for the NCLR annual conference and
Latino Exposition which began on July 20 and will conclude on July 24. Over
15,000 are expected to attend the conference over the course of its five days at
the Miami Beach Convention Center.
Bass Museum - Representatives from the Administration met with
representatives of the Friends of the Bass to discuss several issues, including
financial related matters, particularly how the loan made to the Friends by the
City will be repaid. It was agreed that a committee made up of a diverse group of
representatives will be proposed to address the future make-up of the Bass
Board of Trustees.
Group Health Insurance Task Force - The City Manager met with this Task
Force at their final meeting and discussed issues contained in a report submitted
to the City Manager. Several of these issues will be discussed in meetings in the
next few weeks and further discussions will be had at the July 31 Commission
meeting as there are several related items on the agenda. A more detailed LTC
will be sent shortly.
If you have any questions or need any additional information about any of these
items, please feel free to contact me.
JMG/d
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