LTC 077-2004 Weekly Update CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 077-2004
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager
WEEKLY UPDATE
Date: April 2, 2004
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
describing some of the areas the administration has recently been focusing on:
Budget Preparations - The Office of Budget and Performance Improvement
(OBPI) continues to work on budget preparations with all City Departments for
the next fiscal year. All departments have turned in their budget requests on
March 31 and budget reviews are scheduled to take place throughout April and
May. Briefings with the Commission will be scheduled for eady June.
On-Line Building Pe,mit Processing - Staff and I met on March 22 to finalize
plans for the City's on-line building permit processing designed to provide
increasingly higher, more efficient levels of customer service by streamlining the
building pe,,it process. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the
City's website, this system gives building professionals and residents in Miami
Beach self-service, online access to permit information and services. In addition
to being available through the City's website, an information Kiosk will be
available at City Hall with access to the City's website as well as a live link to the
on-line building service. The system should be operational by the April 14 City
Commission meeting. Additional details regarding the system will shared at the
April 14 Commission meeting.
Quality of Life Issues - Several meetings took place to continue addressing
quality of life issues on Miami Beach. Staff and I attended, along with the Mayor
and several Commissioners the "Mayor on the Move" meeting on March 22 and
heard several concerns from residents. In addition, I met with the
representatives from Police, Neighborhood Services, Public Works and Legal on
March 24 to discuss issues related to noise.
Potamkin Site - Staff and I met on March 24 to continue discussing issues
related to the Potamkin site. I plan to travel to Atlanta on Apdl 5 to finalize some
outstanding issues. The first reading of the development agreement will be
heard by the Commission at your April 14 meeting.
Police Department - Chief Donald De Lucca and the Miami Beach Police
Department were presented with the Franklin Covey Organizational Excellence
award on March 25 at the Franklin Covey Company's Principle Centered
Leadership Symposium in Atlanta Georgia. This award honors organizations
utilizing the Covey principles that have demonstrated a strong record of
leadership.
Council of Excellence in Government - Upon their request, I met with
representatives from the Council for Excellence in Government on March 25 to
discuss leadership development within government entities. This group,
comprised of 25 senior level employees of the U.S. federal government from
departments including the Departments of Education, State, NASA, Social
Security Administration, Army, Air Force, CIA, EPA and Administration of
Children, Youth & Families, visit leading private, not-for-profit and government
organizations to meet with leaders who share their insights on achieving high
performance. Commissioner Bower and Tom Mooney also spoke to the group
and shared insight regarding our historic preservation efforts. The City of Miami
Beach was given the honor of being the only municipal government in the
country selected this year to take part in this study; and the fourth consecutive
year which I have been made part of the process
Major Events Planning (MEP) - Staff worked throughout the past several
weeks to ensure that various special events held on Miami Beach were
successful and have been meeting to plan and prepare for several major events
that will be taking place on Miami Beach in the next couple of months, including
the Memodal Day holiday weekend.
Cultural Arts Council (CAC) - I met with Ada Llernedi, Chair of the CAC, on
March 25 to discuss several issues related to the CAC and explore ways in which
the CAC and the City can work even better together to continue benefiting the
community.
City's Birthday - A historical exhibit of photos from the City are currently on
display in the 4~ Floor Gallery and will run through April 26, 2004. In addition,
the "Ali-America City Birthday Celebration" took place on Saturday, March 27 at
North Shore Open Space Park and will included food, games, and the
celebration of the City's birthday. The event drew nearly 800 employees and
members of the community that came out to celebrate.
National Association for the Advancement of the Arts (NAFAA) - Staff and I
and representatives from the New World Symphony and the Miami City Ballet
met with representatives from NAFAA on March 29 to discuss a major event that
plan to hold on Miami Beach in January 2005.
New World Symphony - Staff and I met with representatives of the New World
Symphony to continue discussing and reviewing project concept plans that will
be reviewed by the Planning Board at their May meeting and then by the City
Commission at a future City Commission meeting.
Parks and Recreation - The City's "spring break" camp was available from
March 29 through April 2 (the week Miami Dade County public school students
are on spring break) from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and included activities, games,
sports and other events. An Easter egg hunt is being planned for Saturday, April
10 at the North Shore Open Space Park and is open and free to all children and
residents. In addition, on Saturday, April 17, the Miami-Dade chapter of the
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASIA) along with the City's Parks
and Recreation Department, is planning to co-host an informal community design
charrette for Poinciana Park. The park, located at the intersection of W. 63rd St.
and La Gorce Dr., is highly underutilized and has opportunity for basic
improvements that may better serve the community. To celebrate Arbor Day,
which is celebrated on April 17, the Parks and Recreation Department has
committed approximately $2,500 for the purchase and installation of trees in the
park, using the charrette's master plan for the park as a guide. Also on that day,
the City will celebrate Arbor Day in the Poinciana Park with a tree planting
ceremony and a brief verbal-educational presentation of the history of Arbor Day
and the important role that green-space plays in the earth's ecosystem.
Voter Registration Program - Staff from the Administration has been working
with Commissioner Steinberg's office to create a voter registration program to
increase voter registration and participation and create and stimulate awareness
among Miami Beach residents about voting. This incentive program will offer
Miami Beach registered voters a discount at several local businesses. Additional
details about this program will be shared at the April 14 Commission meeting.
Hurricane Preparedness - Staff has started to prepare for hurricane season
and has scheduled the third annual City of Miami Beach Hurricane Information
and Preparedness Fair to take place on Saturday, June 5, 2004 from 10 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. along the 1000 block of Lincoln Road. The purpose of the event is to
reach out to the community and provide information on what the City does and
what is suggested for residents and businesses to do, before during and after
hurricanes in an effort to educate and protect our residents and businesses.
Union Contracts - Staff from our Office of Labor Relations continues to meet
separately with representatives from the Communications Workers of America
(CWA) and ASFCME unions in the hopes of reaching fair agreements in the near
future.
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Nor,.andy Isles / Normandy Shores Encroachments - Staff and I did a walk
through of the Normandy Isles and Normandy Shores areas to look at right-of-
way encroachments that might represent a potential conflict at some point.
City of Doral - On March 29, I met with the new, and first, City Manager from
Doral to share insights and offer support as she begins managing one of the
County's newest municipalities.
North Beach Development Corporation - Staff and I met with representatives
from the North Beach Development Corporation on March 30 to discuss the
priorities for use of the Quality of Life funds in North Beach.
Florida Legislature - I traveled to Tallahassee with staff and Commissioners
Garcia and Steinberg to take part in Miami Dade Days. Our agenda while we
were in Tallahassee included meeting with various members of our state
delegation to discuss ongoing and relevant issues being considered by the state
legislature during this year's legislative session.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to
contact me.
Electronic Copy: Leadership Team
F:CMGPJALL/LTC04/VVeekly Update/April2.doc