City Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, Coconut Creek.

Good evening, good evening. Calling to meet an order, meeting number 2026-0625R. City Clerk, we good?

Yes, we are, Mayor. All right. Talk to us. What do we got? Tonight's music selection made by Commissioner Welch was Love Where You Live by Oslo Soul Children.

I'd like to, Commissioner Welch, talk to us about the song and maybe the Oslo Soul Children. Haven't heard of them. I'd love to learn a little bit about them.

Well, I mean, I think it wasn't just those that sang it. I think it's the theme of the music itself, Love Where You Live. And I know I do. I hope a lot of other people do, too. So thank you.

Absolutely.

The next commission meeting on August 13th, Commissioner Rydell will make the music selection.

Oh, that's going to be fun.

As we begin... Can I make a request for that? Can we have like a keyboard placed in commission chambers?

Not a joke.

Can we do that?

You might need to make the arrangements for that. You'll bring it myself? Yeah. I'll bring it myself. Absolutely.

As we begin, we kindly ask that all mobile devices be silenced. And should the best possible sound quality, please speak clearly and directly into your microphone. And remember to mute your microphone when you're not speaking. Should anyone experience difficulty hearing at any time, please raise your hand and a hearing device will be provided to you. Thank you for your cooperation. Clerk, please call the roll. Commissioner Rydell. Here. Commissioner Welch. Here. Commissioner Raley.

Here.

vice mayor brody here mayor wasserman here city manager rose here city attorney piber here city attorney

This meeting is being conducted live with a physical quorum present. The material for today's meeting is available online at coconutcreek.gov. Anyone wishing to appeal any decision made will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim recording of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The archive of this meeting may be requested from the city clerk or may be heard online at coconutcreek.gov. If you haven't already, please silence your mobile devices. If you must take a phone call, please excuse yourself and step outside. Respect and proper decorum will be maintained throughout the meeting. Vocal outbursts, cheering, cheering, or applause can impair the rights of others and derail the decision-making process.

All right. We are going to do the Pledge of Allegiance, and I believe, Commissioner Rydell, you have an intern here with us today. If you'd like to say who that is, and he can lead us in the pledge.

This evening, we have Hunter Fetter here. He's an incoming senior in high school, and he's interested in government and has been spending the week around City Hall. So, Hunter, please.

of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

That was a little impromptu. He wasn't prepared for that, but you certainly know your pledge. Very good. A couple things. Oh, here it is. Are people helping us tonight? We have Chris from Public Works, Ryan from IT, Fred for the PD. Really? I know, we have a bunch of people here. Art? Who else? That's it? All right. Jeanette's here. Jeanette's always here. So those are some people. Marianne is here. Marianne, it's good to have you here. Anybody else we'd like to shout out? Yvonne is here. All right, Sheila, we can't do it with everybody. Yeah, no, it was super great. And to those people who enjoyed a nice little pre-meeting treat, walked around with some brownies, hopefully you all enjoyed. It's our pre-summer celebration, so hopefully you enjoyed a nice little sweet treat before this meeting. The water fountain is in the lobby. So we're going to start tonight with a presentation recognizing the members of the 2026 Redistricting Board for their distinguished service. And we're going to, I'd like for them, Marianna, Yeah, come on. Really outstanding job, what you guys did. I know we kind of shouted it out last time. And Leni, glad you're here today. And I know we've talked, but thoughts and prayers to you and your family. But I'd like you guys to come up on stage. And I'm going to call your name. And Marianne, who's here tonight. is going to be passing out the certificates to our board members of the redistricting board. Chair Alex Escoriaza. Vice Chair Craig Valvo. Brandy Draybick-Martin. David Menzies. and Leany Smith. And Commission, we're all going to go take a photo. Let's do it. Yeah, looks like it.

One, two, three.

One, two, three. One, two, three.

I think Alex is going for the hat trick of boards. He's the board hat trick? All right, cool. So we are now going to shift to a proclamation recognizing June 2026 as Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. Commissioner Raley will read the proclamation into the record and present it to Charisse Irons.

OK. Thank you, Mayor. whereas headache disorders are among the leading causes of disability globally, affecting more than 40 million Americans and over 1.1 billion people worldwide, and whereas the symptoms of headache disorders extend beyond head pain, often impacting vision, cognitive function, balance, and daily activities, with attacks lasting hours to days. And whereas an estimated 4 million Americans live with chronic migraine, experiencing symptoms 15 or more days per month, yet access to specialized care remains limited. And whereas there is a severe shortage of headache specialists, with fewer than 800 certified headache medicine specialists nationwide. creating significant barriers to care. And whereas stigma and misinformation have historically stifled research, treatment innovation, and public awareness, leaving many patients undiagnosed and untreated. And whereas individuals with headache disorders are at an increased risk for developing depression and suicidal ideation. underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive care and mental health support, and whereas all individuals living with headache diseases deserve equitable, timely, and affordable access to effective treatments to improve their quality of life. Now, Therefore, be it resolved that the City Commission of the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, hereby proclaims the month of June 2026 as Migraine and Headache Awareness Month and encourage all residents, health care professionals, and policymakers to support awareness, research, and improve access to care for headache diseases. In witness hereof, we have hereunto set our hands and cause the seal of the City of Coconut Creek to be affixed this 25th day, 2026. Signed by the Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Commissioner. Thank you.

She's coming up the stairs right now.

One, two, three.

Miss Irons, are you going to share a little? Yes, you're going to share a little. Yeah, yeah. Come on, right? The microphone's all yours.

I was planning to share something. Absolutely.

The floor is yours.

Okay, thank you. So good evening to Mayor Jeffrey Wasserman, Vice Mayor John Brody, Commissioner Jackie Raley, Commissioner Joshua Rydell, and Commissioner Sandra Welch, who helped to push this proclamation forward. Thank you for recognizing June as Migraine and Headache Awareness Month and for helping bring visibility to a condition that is often misunderstood. For many people, migraine is still viewed as just a headache. The reality is that migraine is a complex neurological disease that affects more than 40 million Americans and an estimated 3 million Floridians. It impacts careers, families, education, mental health, and quality of life. My connection to this issue is deeply personal. In 2015, migraine changed the course of my life. As a former educational leader, I never imagined that I would one day become a patient navigating the intricacies of our healthcare system while living with a disabling neurological disease. Migraine affected my health, my career, my finances, relationships, and daily functioning. What I discovered along the way was that many people living with migraines suffer not only from pain, but also from misunderstanding because their illness is often invisible. That is why this proclamation matters. It sends a powerful message. living with migraine and headache disorders in our community that they are seen, heard, and valued. It helps raise awareness, reduces stigma, and encourages compassion and understanding. While awareness begins in our local communities, there is also important work happening nationally. Advocates across the country continue to support efforts such as the Headache Act, which seeks to improve research, education, awareness, and access to care for people living with headache disorders. These efforts recognize what patients have known for years. Migraine is a serious neurological disease that deserves greater attention, understanding, and support. Today, Coconut Creek joins communities across the nation that are helping to make something that's invisible visible. I brought purple brains, which I've already gave to your city clerk, as a symbol of millions of individuals living with migraine and headache disorders whose pain often cannot be seen. Purple is the color of migraine awareness, and each brain represents a person, a family, and a story. As the founder and CEO of Irons Consulting Group and a patient advocate with the American Migraine Foundation, my mission is to build bridges between patients, health care providers, leaders, and communities so that those living with invisible illnesses feel seen, heard, and valued. Tonight's proclamation is especially meaningful because it represents the sixth city in Broward County to recognize Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. With 31 municipalities across Broward County, Coconut Creek is helping to lead a growing movement to bring visibility to a disease that affects millions of Americans and millions more family members, caregivers, friends, and coworkers whose lives are touched by migraine. Each proclamation helps make the invisible visible. Each city that says yes helps to reduce the stigma, increase understanding, and remind those living with migraine and headache disorders that they are not alone. Thank you all very much for your part in this movement. Thank you.

All right. We're now going to move on to a proclamation recognizing July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month. Commissioner Idel is going to read the proclamation into the record. And because we have so many Parks and Rec people here tonight, we're going to present it to all y'all. So when he's done reading the proclamation, please, Janet, lead your team up here for a nice photograph with the commissioner.

Thank you, Mayor. Whereas the U.S. House of Representatives has designated July as Parks and Recreation Month, and whereas parks and recreation programs are vitally important to contributing to the economic, environmental well-being of a community and region, establishing and maintaining quality of life, and ensuring health of all citizens, whereas parks and recreation programs increase a community's economic prosperity, through increased property values, expansion of the local tax base as funded by ad valorem tax dollars, increased tourism, the attraction and retention of businesses, and crime reduction, and whereas Coconut Creek's parks and natural recreation areas contribute to ecological beauty of our community and provide a place for children and adults to connect with nature and recreate outdoors. Whereas parks and recreation programs are an integral part of communities throughout the country, including the great city of Coconut Creek. Whereas the city of Coconut Creek's 18 parks and nine greenways provide residents and visitors with a diverse for recreation, wellness, environmental stewardship, and social connection, and serve as gathering places that foster community pride, strengthen neighborhood relationships, and enhance the quality of life for all. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Commission of the City of Coconut Creek that July 2026 is Parks and Recreation Month. In the City of Coconut Creek, we encourage all residents to participate in parks and recreation activities signed by the Mayor, the Vice Mayor, the rest of the Commission, and attested to by the City Clerk. Thank you, Mayor.

Just a little bit.

Okay.

One, two, three.

Commissioner Railey, of course. I just want to say thank you, guys, because our parks are exceptional. Beautiful. Great job. Thank you.

Okay.

So. we are now going to have input from the public on non-agenda or consent agenda items and i remind everyone wishing to speak that all comments must pertain to city business respect and proper decorum will be maintained behavior that disrupts the orderly conduct of this meeting such as clapping shouting booing and cheering is not permitted any person who violates the decorum rules will be subject to removal from the chambers and as a reminder all comments must pertain to city business this is for non-agenda items i do know we have some people here wanting to speak about agenda items and we'll get to those people

during a little further down the line in the meeting city clerk thank you mayor we have one individual that signed up to speak on non-agenda items that individual is amanda tang amanda come on down am i able to give this to you

bring it to the city clerk and then he'll he'll pass it along to us thank you

Good evening, guys and ladies. Thank you so much. It's good to see you again. Last time I spoke about the gym, and I'm here in front of you again, so keeping in front of you guys. But as it stands now, the South gym costs too much. We get it. Staff has identified approximately $184,570 in projected equipment replacement costs, and we understand why that raises concerns. But instead of asking whether the gym should close, I'd like to ask a different question.

How can we make it work?

After reviewing the documents provided by the city clerk and with the help of Janet, thank you so much, it appears that this estimate assumes replacing essentially all of the strength and cardio equipment. The strength equipment represents more than 83,000 of the estimate. Workers use these machines regularly, and they remain functional. Cybex weight equipment is considered exceptionally high quality and known for its commercial-grade durability, and they can be maintained for decades through strategic replacement of wear items such as belts, pulleys, upholstery, and bearings. An illustrative refurbishment approach, if it's even needed, could potentially cost maybe around $10,000 instead of replacing everything at $83,000. With the facility averaging approximately 25 visits a day, the demand placed on the equipment is relatively modest. Lower utilization generally results in less wear and tear, which raises the question of whether refurbishment and targeted repairs may be more effective in the cost approach than a wholesale replacement. And likewise, the city has projected over $101,000 for cardio replacement. wondering, does a gym this size need a full fleet of cardio equipment? If the facility maintained four essential cardio machines, replacement costs could potentially be reduced to about $35,000, and if they need to be replaced at all, which I recently spoke with Janet, and apparently they do. Under this scenario, the total capital investment could be closer to $45,000 rather than $184,000, a potential reduction in $140,000. so we represent that the operating cost exceeds revenue it does we're not asking the city to ignore the cost we're asking the city to evaluate lower cost alternatives before eliminating a facility that continues to serve approximately 750 to a thousand visits per month and remains an important resource for residents in south creek if the problem is cost let's work together to reduce the cost rather than eliminate the service entirely When a playground needs maintenance, the city doesn't remove the entire playground because something needs replacing. We repair, maintain, and extend the life of the investment. The same principle should apply here. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you, Amanda. The city is working on alternative scenarios. Amanda, the city is working on alternative scenarios and solutions, as we've discussed and as the city manager just wanted me to tell you. And I know we'll be having more conversation in August about this. So thank you for your time and dedication to this. We know how much it means to you and the people in South Creek. We're certainly going to do everything we can. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. Is there anybody else, city clerk, for non-agenda? Not at this time, Mayor. Okay. If you did sign up to speak for an agenda item, we will get to that when we get to the agenda item. All right? Also, I was just told my two-and-a-half-year-old is watching. She's not going to sleep. So, Olivia, please go to sleep. Be good for Mommy. Or you could stay up a few more minutes and watch us. All right.

Okay.

Yes. Yes, this could put her to sleep much quicker than I agreed. All right. So we're now going to move on to the consent agenda, items 4 through 10. motion approving the minutes number four motion approving the minutes from previous city commission meetings two zero two six dash zero five two eight r number five a resolution two zero two six dash zero seven six a resolution declaring certain city-owned property a surplus and authorizing the city manager or designee to dispose of said property as described in the attached list Resolution 2026-098, a resolution appointing a special magistrate for city code enforcement and adjudication of school zone speed detection system enforcement matters and authorizing the city manager or designee to execute an independent contractor agreement with Richard L. Doody, Esquire for Professional Municipal Special Magistrate of Services. Yes, I said the last name Doody. resolution 2026-093 a resolution accepting a utility easement over across through in and under a portion of land lying within the lions trade winds park north plat relating to parcel number four eight four two one seven zero zero zero zero five zero located in broward county florida more particularly described in exhibit one for the trade winds park utilities improvements project and authorizing the mayor or designee to execute the utility easement agreement number eight resolution two zero two six dash one zero zero a resolution approving a temporary construction and permanent access and maintenance easement agreement with coco mar property owner llc for an easement over across through in and under coco point park generally located at 4870 northwest 6th street to provide for the installation and maintenance of solar lighting fixtures and solar electronic device charging station equipment water break Resolution 2026-101, a resolution approving an access easement agreement with Kokomar Property Owner LLC providing access over, across, through, in, and under a portion of land lying within the Coolidge plot relating to a portion of the Kokomar Warehouse development site, parcel number 484231270010, located in Broward County, Florida, more particularly described in Exhibit 1 to provide access to a community garden. resolution 2026-102 a resolution approving an access and maintenance easement agreement with coco mar property owner llc providing access over across through in and under a portion of land lying within the coolidge plot plat relating to a portion of the coco mar warehouse development parcel site parcel number four eight four two three one two seven zero zero one zero located in broward county florida more particularly described in exhibit one to provide for the installation of a city of coconut creek monument sign Are there any items the commission wishes to pull from the consent agenda? Move consent.

Second.

Moved by Commissioner Rydell, seconded by Commissioner Welch.

Please call the roll. Commissioner Rydell?

Yes.

Commissioner Welch? Yes. Commissioner Railey? Yes. Vice Mayor Brody? Yes. Mayor Wasserman? Yes.

She fell asleep. A resolution authorizing the city manager or designee to execute an agreement with Construction LLC for the construction of the Sawgrass Boulevard and Lyons Road Drainage Improvement Project pursuant to IFB number 04-21-26-10. Is there a motion and a second? Move it.

Second.

Moved by Commissioner Riedel. Seconded by Commissioner Welch. We're going to have a little presentation from Randall Blanchett. Randall, from Utilities and Engineering. What you got?

Good evening, commissioners, mayor, city manager, attorney. Appreciate your time today. The project before you is the Sawgrass Boulevard Drainage Improvement Project located just west of Lyons Road. Historically, some flooding occurs on Sawgrass Boulevard, north of the entrance of El Dorado Plaza. This creates a safety hazard for drivers and causes an accumulation of debris. The city hired a consultant to design a solution that includes the addition of a new curb inlet and adjacent piping to the existing drainage system to improve capacity. The design will impact the existing lane and sidewalk, which will be restored to current code and updated to current ADA standards. After a competitive bidding process, Construction X LLC was selected to perform the construction phase of this project for about $90,000. And they are here in attendance with us today. We have Renee and Romero from the company. The project is expected to be completed within approximately five months after the notice to proceed. We're expecting it to be a very straightforward project, and we look forward to the improved drainage system. Thank you.

Are there any questions or comments from the Commission? Yes, Commissioner.

just advising my colleagues that when we get those those days of like flash flooding this is a there's a couple areas this is probably the worst pocket in the north creek area that you see cars in the police department getting caught like for cars get flooded out too many electric cars are getting flooded out you've seen a lot of it so this is a a great project and i want to thank the vendor for being here anybody else all right city clerk any members of the public not at this time there okay is there anybody who'd like to speak on this

Okie dokie. Please call the roll.

Commissioner Rydell?

Yes.

Commissioner Welch? Yes. Commissioner Raley? Yes. Vice Mayor Brody? Yes. Mayor Wasserman?

Yes. Thank you. Ordinance 2026-019. This is second reading. City Attorney?

Thank you, Mayor. An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, repealing ordinance number 2018-24 in its entirety, providing for a revision of the boundaries of City Commission voting districts, accepting the recommendation of the 2026 Redistricting Board. which provides for a revision of the existing legal boundaries for the five at-large commission voting districts to establish four at-large commission voting districts with a mayor elected at-large as depicted in map 13 labeled Exhibit A, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, and providing an effective date.

Move it.

Second.

Moved by Commissioner Welch, seconded by Commissioner Raley. City Attorney?

This is before you for a second reading. I don't know if you have any additional questions. The proposed changes, again, propose to place all of the neighborhoods within single districts and to go from five districts down to four due to the change with the elected mayor, but it won't be effective until after the next election in March of 2029.

Anybody from the public signed up to speak on this item? Not at this time, Mayor. Is there anybody who would like to speak on this item? Okay. Any further questions from the Commission? All right, please call the roll.

Commissioner Rydell?

Yes.

Commissioner Welch? Yes. Commissioner Raley?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Brody? Yes. Mayor Wasserman? Yes.

Okay. Moving along. Ordinance 2026-016. Second reading. City attorney, please.

Thank you, Mayor. An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, amending the City's Code of Ordinances by amending Chapter 13, Land Development Code, Article 1, Administration, Regulations, and Procedures, Division 3, Implementation Procedures, by creating Section 13-43, Workforce Homebuyer Purchase Assistance Program, providing a purpose, definitions, Criteria and methodology for providing funds to assist qualified purchasers in the workforce Target income group with the purchase of residential dwelling units within the city of coconut Creek Providing for conflicts providing for severability providing for codification and providing an effective date Move it second move by Commissioner really seconded by Commissioner Welch There any questions or comments from the Commission

No, just job well done.

All right. Open the public hearing. Are there any members of the public who would like to speak on this item? Public hearing is now closed. Are there any further questions or comments from the commission?

Clerk, please call the roll. Commissioner Rydell. Yes. Commissioner Welch. Yes. Commissioner Raley.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Brody. Yes. Mayor Wasserman. Yes.

City Attorney, you've got a lot reading tonight. Ordinance 2026-005, second reading. City Attorney, it's all on you.

Thank you, Mayor. An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, amending the City's Code of Ordinances by amending Chapter 5, Animals, Section 5-12, Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats, to delete the definition of hobby breeder to focus regulation on retail sales of dogs and cats, providing for conflicts, providing for severability, providing for codification, and providing an effective date.

Move it. Second.

moved by commissioner welch seconded by commissioner rayleigh city attorney oh good evening hello cassie how are you good how are you we're good we're good talk to us uh mayor vice mayor commissioners uh you may remember we were here at the last meeting so we're up for second reading uh on ordinance 2026-005 which amends section five point or 5-12 of the city code This amendment is to remove the definition of hobby breeder, which allows the regulation to focus on retail sales of dogs and cats. Eliminating this definition closes a loophole that could allow pet stores to claim that their animals came from small-scale breeders, which would undermine the city's existing restrictions on the retail sales of these animals. This, the city commission previously approved this ordinance on first reading June 11, 2026. Again, there are no fiscal impacts of this amendment and staff recommends approval. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Now open the public, any questions from the commission? Oh, Commissioner Welch.

Just a comment. Thank you so much for your diligence and tenacity in working with all of the parties that reached out. And bringing this across the finish line, it's, I think, with the intent of what we had when we originally made the no retail sales in pet stores in Coconut Creek. Thank you.

I'll now open the public hearing. Are there any members of the public who would like to speak on this item? Closing public hearing. Any further questions from the commission? Please call the roll.

Commissioner Rydell. Yes. Commissioner Welch. Yes. Commissioner Raley. Yes. Vice Mayor Brody. Yes. Mayor Wasserman. Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you. OK. We're now going to shift to 2026-020, first reading. You guessed it, city attorney.

you're up thank you mayor an ordinance of the city commission of the city of coconut creek florida amending the city's code of ordinances by amending chapter 15 parks and recreation article 2 rules and regulations to amend section 15-30 parks facilities and use fees delete section 15-34 special activity instructors slash administrators and amend section 15-37 violations and penalties to provide for adoption of the schedule of parks and recreation user and service fees by resolution of the city commission remove activity instructor fees from the code of ordinances to be adopted within the schedule of parks and recreation user and service fees and update violations and penalties consistent with these changes providing for conflicts providing for severability providing for codification providing an effective date

Move it. Second.

You guys are like the mover and groovers for the night.

And I might just make a clarification. Item 15 allows, years ago, the parks and recreation fees were part of the municipal code. They were taken out, and they were adopted by the parks and recreation director. This amendment does not adopt the new fees. What it does is allow us to adopt it by resolution. So item 15 is a procedural issue. Item 16 is where we get into the meat of the discussion, just for clarity.

okay and does anybody um so what i like to do is we'll get through 15 and then we'll take public comment on 16. because that's where that's where all the comments are are for okay all right um parks and rec staff you're up

Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, and commissioners. Before you tonight is ordinance number 2026-020, which proposes amendments to the chapter 15 of the city code related to parks and recreation fees and administrative procedures. This ordinance is intended to streamline the administration of parks and recreation users and service fees while maintaining commission oversight. The amendment removes fee-related provisions from the city code and consolidates them with the parks and recreation fee scheduling, allowing the departments to more efficiently manage fees and respond to operational needs and market requirements. conditions. The ordinance also removes provisions related to the special activity instructor and the administrators from the code and relocates them to the fee schedule, where they can be managed alongside other parks and recreation fees and charges. Additionally, the ordinance updates the violations and penalty sections to ensure consistency with these amendments. As outlined in the business impact estimate, this ordinance is an administrative in nature and does not create new regulations, compliance requirements, fees, or financial obligations for private businesses. Any impact on the business community is expected to be minimal. Staff believe these amendments will improve administrative efficiency while supporting the continued delivery of high quality parks and recreation programs and services.

staff respectfully recommend approval of ordinance number 2026-020 on the first reading and is available to answer any questions thank you thank you um we do have a question from a commissioner so sheila i know you just presented the item as being an outlier of just a procedural issue but it does a little more than that because it removes certain sections of the ordinance as is correct or maybe terrell can answer that question madam city attorney yes as it relates to special activity instructors and just clarifies a provision as it relates to penalties I understand but there's a portion of it that's removing potential fee sharing with um any instructors there's a section removing penalties there's there's changes being made is that fair yes as it's outlined there is because there's strikeouts in the ordinance fair correct okay that's all I have before we discuss

OK. City Clerk, are there any members of the people who spoke to speak on this item?

Not at this time, Mayor.

OK. Thank you. Is there anyone who would like to provide input on this item? Sure. Yeah, come on down. Please say your name and your address for the record.

Can we just speak on the next one also?

You can speak on both items, absolutely.

Tina Nuzzi, 3956 Northwest 56th Street, Coconut Creek 33073. I'm here on behalf of All Play Soccer Club, which I've been here before. My only question, and I thought of it as you were speaking, that business impact report, does that not consider nonprofit organizations only for-profit organizations? I believe it says so in there. I'm just curious why we don't also consider non-profit.

So the business impact report specifically has to do with whether or not there's any impact of the regulation change on any businesses. Again, this particular ordinance is not setting forth the fees. It's the resolution after that. And so in that regard, the ordinance itself is not directly impacting any businesses. OK. OK.

Thank you.

Thank you, Tina. Are there any further questions or comments from the commission on this specific item? Commissioner Rydell.

Yeah, so I'm not supporting this item tonight, and I'll tell you why. Because the ordinance as is makes substantive changes to how we're doing this. So if there's going to be modifications to the next item and other methods that we would want included in the ordinance, I'm not supportive of the next item either. So I'll just put that out there. I believe that they should be both done in tandem for a commission that supports it. Maybe this commission does tonight, but there may be aspects of the ordinance which we're being asked to vote on first prior to the application of the fee schedule attached to it that creatively There could be maybe other things included in that ordinance. I understand we're removing things, but just as we remove things, we can add to things. So I see it as potentially duplicitous work that I don't know how the discussion is going to go on the next item. But if this commission isn't in support of the next item, there may be other creative solutions, much like Ms. Tang brought up, that the city could reevaluate for adding to this ordinance that may not be in it as written. So I don't support this item. I'm not supporting the next item. Thank you.

Okay, so this is what we're going to do. We're going to move up public comment.

Let's just do it.

Yeah, I'm going to move up a public item. Anybody who wanted to comment on 16? Yes, we're going to combine. So anybody who wants to talk on 16, we're going to start calling up. City Clerk, can you please call the first name?

Yes, the first name is Lane Armstrong.

Hello, all. How are you? All right. So my major concerns are about the huge increase, obviously, for sports fields. I have a child.

Name and address, please.

Leanne Armstrong, 4810 Northwest 75th Street, Coconut Creek, Florida, 33073. So my concern is with the price increase for the sports fields. I have a son who plays for Creek Little League. I also have a daughter who plays for All Play. Obviously, if the prices go up, it's going to increase the baseball. It's going to increase the soccer. As I'm a teacher for Broward schools, you know we don't make big money. So I can't afford. I can't afford to go to these other clubs that are charging $300 and $400 a month for both baseball or soccer. Both sports have competitors that we could go to in other cities. We have Parkland right here. We have North Springs for baseball. I could go there, but I feel like for Creek residents, we should try to keep those Creek kids in Creek. Specifically for all-place soccer, they are a non-profit, so this increase would probably put them out of business. They can't afford to charge their people the prices that travel soccer charges. It is the perfect middle ground for us. It's not quite travel. It's not quite rec. We can't afford the travel. We can't afford the traveling all over the world. We also can't afford three months of rec soccer with the volunteer coaches. We appreciate it, but it's not going to get our kids to the level they need to be at for, say, high school soccer or high school baseball. All play has prepared my daughter. She is the starting goalie at Monarch. And they've done that. They've prepared her for that. She's played two years already. She'll play the next two years. Unfortunately, if all play goes downhill, she's only going to have the high school soccer. And that's not going to be enough for her. AllPlay has built a sense of family and community within the children and families, so we want them to keep going. And I mean, you can see all the teenagers that are here. AllPlay is keeping them on the sports fields and not on the streets. You see what happens when kids aren't on the fields. They're out there riding their bikes through the streets. They're out there doing other things that we don't want in our neighborhood. So that's my two cents. I hope you guys can consider it. Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker on this item is Tina Newsy.

Me again. Tina Nuzzi, 3956 Northwest 56th Street, Coconut Creek 33073. I'm here tonight on behalf of All Play Soccer Club to discuss the proposed athletic field fee increases and the impact I believe it will have on the children and families we serve here in Coconut Creek. First, I want to acknowledge the tremendous undertaking I know this was for the Parks and Rec staff. We met with Janet. We understand all that went into this. We understand that maintaining quality athletic facilities comes at a cost, and I don't think anyone expects the fees to remain unchanged. My concern is the drastic increase, basically, overnight. As most of you know, All Play Soccer Club is a low-cost, affordable Coconut Creek community initiative developed for our city to benefit the families of our city. Since our inception, the player over profit mission has proved to be successful because we have never wanted the cost to be a reason a child could not play. We've served hundreds of families in Coconut Creek and given local kids the opportunity to play soccer no matter their family's financial situation. Under this proposal, for the same two-hour practice, the base athletic field rental costs increased by as much as 166%, both with and without lights. And the rental fee for soccer goals increased 50%. For organizations like ours, who steadily permit multiple fields every week, all year long, this sudden price increase will be devastating for our organization. To absorb these large increases, we would significantly have to increase our monthly membership fees, and every additional dollar our families pay would simply be passed directly on to the city of Coconut Creek. To absorb these, we also would have to cancel our Tuesday and Thursday U18 pickup nights that give local teenagers a safe place to get out of the house, away from screens, participate in physical activity, play and have fun. Our affordable programs like our summer conditioning sessions and special events like Boys vs. Girls and Parents vs. Kids nights would most likely also be on the chopping block. And unfortunately, we would also have to reevaluate our financial assistance for approximately 15% of our players who participate for free or at a reduced cost. This leaves me with two questions for you. If local nonprofits can no longer afford to permit fields, who will? because the fields will not sit empty. There will be people on the fields, but they won't be organizations from Coconut Creek. Our fields, built and maintained by Coconut Creek taxpayers, will be overtaken by large pay-to-play clubs with bigger budgets who are able to afford these increases. My second question, the city already recognizes the value of nonprofit organizations in other areas on this proposal. On the fee schedule marked Exhibit A attached to the agenda, if a resident Coconut Creek nonprofit rents an indoor meeting room, it receives a significantly reduced rate compared to a for-profit organization. Why does this philosophy exist, does not exist when it comes to athletic fields? I'm asking you to recognize the local nonprofit organizations in this community. I fight for our club because I've seen what it can do, and there's no denying the positive impact All Play Soccer Club has had on this community. We provide a great service. We put in time and effort. And if you come to one of our trainings, you will see a sea of kids running around having fun, not inside on devices or out causing trouble. We have amazing coaches, volunteers, and family. We do the right thing. And I don't say this to pat ourselves on the back. I'm proud of our club and what we have been able to accomplish on such affordable prices.

Thank you, Tina.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Michael Guardino.

Hello. Thank you. You all know me. I won't go into who I am. Name and address, please. My name is Michael Gordino, 3956 Northwest 56th Street, Coconut Creek, Florida. What I would like to point out is that a week ago tonight, and there's two employees of the city that were there to witness this, we had about 15 kids on motorbikes who intentionally were riding directly across our field during our practice. When they got bored of that, they went over to the pavilion and they proceeded to jump one of the other teenage girls and steal her cell phone. So that's what goes on at our park. And while those kids are doing that, these kids are here to fight for the right that they should have, the ability to play soccer at a reasonable cost. That being said, we have a 14-year-old player who was very upset that she's not 18 and she can't speak here tonight. And I promised that I would read the letter that she wrote, so I would like to read her letter on her behalf. Is she here? She is not here tonight. Because anybody could speak. The parents didn't want her speaking, but they did approve the reading of the letter. Also, I'll just use her initials, LG, where she puts her name, because I don't want to put her name out to the public. My name is LG, and I am a U15 player at All Play Soccer Club. I cannot exaggerate enough how much being part of APSC has meant to me. In the past year, I have grown so much as a player and as a person. I have improved my skills, made close friends, and found a community where I feel welcome and supported. I look forward to going to soccer every day. It is one of the best parts of my week and has become a safe, stress-free space for me. After school, I get to be active, I get to clear my mind, I get in the zone, laugh with my friends, focus on something I truly enjoy. Soccer gives me a break from schoolwork and everyday stress, and I honestly cannot imagine something better than being out on the field with my teammates. APSC is also affordable and convenient for my family because my brother and I can both train and play there. A 166% increase in field rental costs would force us to choose which one of us plays as we would not be able to afford to pay for both of us. It could also mean fewer kids have the chance to play soccer, make friends, stay active, and spend time doing something positive instead of being at home on our screens using social media. Please consider how much this club means to the kids and families who are part of it and part of this community. I respectfully ask that you reconsider this increase and continue supporting youth sports in Coconut Creek. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, LG U15 Player All-Play Soccer Club. The reason I read this letter is to point out to you, these are the type of kids that we are not going to support by raising the fees. Please consider this. Thank you.

all right now uh we do respect the clapping and the excitement but as described the beginning of the meeting please no clapping or you know i know it's very exciting all right and we want to hype them up but we do have to have keep the norms here so i do appreciate that respect um next who we got the speaker is julie gabbiati

Hi, Julie Gabbiotti, 3854 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida. I'm here today as someone who has grown up on the fields of Coconut Creek, not just as a player, but as a volunteer and a coach. I was one of the very first people to join AllPlay. Back then, it was small. There weren't big numbers. or formal system, just a group of people who wanted a place to play. We showed up not knowing who else would be there. It was just us, some pennies, a few balls, and a dream. But what we built wasn't just a soccer program. We built a community. Some of my closest friendships today have started on those fields. People I never would have met otherwise became a part of my life because AllPlay was open to anyone and everyone. Over time, I didn't just play, I started coaching. That's when I really saw the impact. I remember kids showing up on their first day, standing off to the side, unsure, nervous, not knowing anyone. And then week by week, you'd see them change. They'd start talking more, laughing more, calling for the ball, building confidence, not just as players, but as people. I've seen kids who didn't have many opportunities find something that was theirs. I've seen friendships form that went beyond the field. I've seen what happens when you give people a space where they feel like they belong. That's what these fields represent. They're not just places to play, they're places where people grow. So when we talk about raising the rent for these fields, it's not just a financial decision. It's a decision about access, about who gets to be a part of something like this and who doesn't. Because when costs go up, programs like AllPlay feel it first. These programs aren't built on profit, they're built on people, on volunteers, on the idea that anyone should be able to show up and play, regardless of their financial situation. If we raise the cost, we risk turning something that was created for everyone into something that not everyone can afford. i've watched all play grow from just a handful of people into something that impacts so many lives that kind of growth doesn't happen by accident it happens because the accessibility please don't undo that don't put a price on something that has given so many people myself included friendships confidence and ascendable sense of belonging keep the fields accessible keep them for everyone thank you thank you thank you are you are you a coach are you a player Both. I play with the U18s and I also coach under five.

All right. Well, Alyssa, a lot of courage. We clap for that. She did very good. She did very good.

Thank you.

We'll clap for that. All right. Next. Next speaker is Angelina Parolo.

Hi, Angelina Peralo, 4812 North State Road 7. I started playing soccer in the eighth grade, and in eighth grade I also found All Play Soccer Club. I am now going into my senior year, and almost all my good friends I have today I met from All Play. My relationships, connections, and the soccer family I have, I have all because of All Play. Soccer has become such a big part of my life, not just playing, but coaching. I advanced at a fast-paced level because of All Play, and soon after started coaching in the ninth grade. I met so many kids who had the love for soccer I have and sent kids to play in the next age group, seeing kids come out of their shell and grow in soccer and in social skills through this club. This club is the only club that I know to be affordable for families that don't have the resources to pay for big clubs. That being said, raising the prices for field renting would mean doubling the amount families are paying monthly for membership. Keep in mind, AllPlay is a nonprofit organization. The money that is being put into memberships by these families go into paying for the fields. I really want to make sure these SHER families can keep enjoying the club without feeling the financial pressure. It's important to me that this place stays welcoming and accessible for everyone. It truly breaks my heart to think about how doubling the field rental prices would impact the families who rely on this club. Many of these families already stretched their budgets to provide their children with opportunities to play and grow through sports. Since this nonprofit organization Since this is a nonprofit organization, every dollar from memberships goes directly toward maintaining the fields and keeping the club running. Raising these prices so drastically could make it impossible for families to continue participating, which would be a huge loss for the community. I hope we can find a way to balance the city's financial needs while still keeping it accessible and welcoming for everyone. Thank you.

Thank you. And as another young adult, we clap it up for the young adult. sorry adults you know the young adults we gotta clap it up for them you know what i mean come on takes courage to come up here and and speak like you both did so really appreciate is there anybody else who'd like to speak on this item i'm actually going to read the uh the fee item into the record oh two more i'm sorry yes go go victoria guardino is the next speaker

Hi, my name is Victoria, 3956 Northwest 56th Street. I've played at All-Play Soccer Club since it very first started. My parents originally started it because there was no other options for children to play who didn't want to play competitively and felt that the recreation programs just didn't offer the skill that we were looking for. APSC has become a safe space for me and my friends to be outdoors, stay active, and become better players overall. Because of this opportunity, I was able to make the varsity soccer team all four years and eventually become a captain without ever competing in a travel team. ALPA has also been such an amazing coaching experience for me. While I started off volunteering, I now proudly lead my own group of four to six year olds. Coaching these kids is one of my proudest achievements, and anyone who knows me knows that I love to spend my time teaching them. Leading them has taught me so many different valuable lessons. It's taught me patience, it showed me the value of listening to everyone no matter how small they may be, and most of all it's taught me that little kids love to give lots of hugs. These kids are a shining example of what All-Play Soccer Club is all about. It's not about watching them learn how to pass and shoot a ball. It's about watching them learn how to help each other get up when they fall, how to get up and try again, and how to create new friendships. My favorite part is that All Play Soccer Club is so much more than a soccer practice twice a week. It's a community. I can without a doubt tell you that I've made more genuine and lifelong friendships in the few years All Play has been established than I have in the 12 years I spent in school. The friendships that started on Tuesday and Thursday nights now go off the field. After every practice, we meet up at McDonald's and hang out. Every year, my Thanksgivings are filled with more All Play members than my own family. And these friendships are even about a travel to UCF this upcoming fall where I'll be surrounded by all the friends I made right here at Sable Pines Park. That's why All Play Soccer Club is so special. It's given me friends that I'm proud to consider family. There were the older players I grew up looking up to, and now there are the younger ones I hope to be a role model for. I truly believe that All-Play Soccer Club represents the kind of community that I think Coconut Creek should be using as an example, and it gives kids the safe space to grow, families to connect, and young people to build confidence, friendships, and leadership that will continue to stay with them for the rest of their lives. Thank you.

Thank you. It was Victoria, right?

Yeah.

Here, this is candy for all the kids. Come up, come up. Dish it out, all right? All right, no problem. We appreciate, you know, I mean, listen, you guys are here, paying attention, at least get something to eat, you know. What did you say? Hunter did the pledge. All right, Joe, city clerk, next.

Next speaker, Gustavo Lopez.

Gustavo?

Thank you.

All right. Is there anybody else who would like to speak on this item? Come on up. Don't eat the candy yet though. Yes, and when you're done with the bowls, just bring them up here to Commissioner Rydell, please.

My name is Davido Oliveira. My address is 3533 Wallace Road, Coconut Creek, Florida. So my name is Davido Oliveira, and I'm here to speak on behalf of AllPlay. This organization is not just a soccer program. It's a community that truly changes lives. Speaking personally, Coach Mike, the head coach, has given me opportunities to grow as a player and as a person. He believed in me, and that support has made a real difference in my life. This club has also given me a sense of family. It's a welcoming place where kids can be encouraged, supported, and pushed to their best. That kind of environment is rare, and it means a lot to everybody involved. I understand the city has financial responsibilities, but raising field costs would make it harder for this nonprofit to keep serving kids like me. It could limit access to a program that gives so many young people the chance to learn, grow, and succeed. respectfully ask you to keep the field prices and so all play can continue doing it what it does best making a family thank you for your time and consideration is there anybody else who'd like to come on up

Hello. Hi, my name is Cruz Pineda. My address is 3646 Asperwood Circle, Coconut Creek, Florida. And this is what I wrote. All Play Soccer Club has had an incredible impact on my life, both on and off the field. As a nonprofit organization, it has given me opportunities that I never could have imagined, helping me grow not only as a soccer player, but more importantly, as a person. The field has become a second home to me, a place where I've built friendships, learned discipline, and gained confidence. I've also created memories that will stay with me forever. Coach Mike has been much more than just a coach. He has been a father figure to so many of us, always teaching us the importance of respect, responsibility, teamwork, and perseverance. The positive environment that AllPlay has created has shaped countless young athletes and continues to make a real difference in our community. I truly understand that running a nonprofit organization comes with many financial challenges, but I respectfully ask that you reconsider raising the participation fee. One of the greatest strengths of AllPlay is that it gives every child, regardless of their financial situation or of their level in sports, that it gives them the opportunity to play and grow and feel like they belong. I hope that future players can continue to experience everything this club has given me and so many others. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else who'd like to speak? All right. I'm actually going to read Resolution 2026-097 into the record. Resolution Adopting a Schedule of Parks and Recreation User and Service Fees. Is there a motion and a second? We're combining these two, by the way, Commission.

Move it. Move it.

Moved by Vice Mayor, seconded by Commissioner Welch.

And Janet Hall is here, prepared to give a brief overview if you'd like.

Good evening again. Tonight I'm presenting the proposed parks and recreation fee schedule as part of the fiscal 2027 budget process. This proposal represents the department's first comprehensive review of fees since 2015. Over the past 11 years, the costs associated with providing parks and recreation services, including staffing, programming, facility maintenance, utilities, equipment, and operational expenses have increased significantly. The proposed fee adjustments are intended to better align our fee structure with the current service delivery cost while continuing to provide affordable and accessible recreation opportunities for our residents. As a part of this process, staff conducted a thorough review of fees across all major program and service areas, including fitness memberships, camps, athletics, facility rentals, athletic fields, courts, and special events. We also reviewed comparable fees charged by neighboring municipalities and evaluated opportunities to improve cost recovery while maintaining the appropriate resident benefits. To ensure transparency, the department notified approximately 10,000 participants and stakeholders that the fee schedule was under review and provided opportunities for public awareness and feedback. In addition, the proposed fee schedule was presented to the Parks and Rec Advisory Board on May 20, 2026. The board generally supported the proposed adjustments and provides several recommendations, some of which have been incorporated into the final proposal before you tonight. It is important to note that not all fees are increasing. Many fees remain unchanged, while others have been adjusted modestly or more significantly depending on the cost recovery needs, market comparisons, and program demand. Resident rates continue to be subsidized in many areas, reflecting the city's commitment to providing quality recreational opportunities for our community. Thank you. The proposed fee schedule also includes an update to the methodology used to calculate the program fees, creating a more consistent, transparent, and sustainable approach for the future fees evaluations. Staff believes this proposal strikes an appropriate balance between fiscal responsibility and painting the high quality Parks and Recreation services our residents have come to expect. At this time, staff recommends approval of the proposed Parks and Recreation fee schedule as presented and is available to answer any questions from the commission.

Thank you. You've had a busy couple months as the new director.

Yes.

I'll say so. So we do have some commissioners who would love to speak. And she buzzed in quite some time ago. She's been very patient. Commissioner Welch.

Thank you very much. I didn't necessarily want to go first. I just wanted to buzz in while I was first and foremost in mind. There were a lot of great comments here tonight, particularly from the participants. And that's not discounting the adults that came. But there was one comment that did strike home before I talk about the schedule as presented. First of all, it's been 11 years since a consistent review of all the fees Long time coming and you have been baptized by fire since you became new enroll not for nothing lots and lots of things have taken place so Congratulations Thank you You definitely are in your role now. But one thing that I think the first speakers said that did come to mind, is there a possibility to, because we know that fees, many of them, must be increased in some way or another. It's been 11 years for many of them. Was there any consideration for the nonprofit in regard to the athletic fields and courts Because I know we have other nonprofits that utilize courts, particularly the basketball and the pickleball. I didn't know so many necessarily about the soccer. But I just was curious, was that taken into consideration? And is that a possibility for some flexibility of the rates in the schedule? And then I have another couple of questions.

for the record, Danielle DeBaris. We looked at the fees of all other municipalities, and we adjusted the fees accordingly, but didn't change the overall structure. But it is something that we could review because, as it was noted by, I believe, Ms. Newsy, that the room rentals, the indoor rentals, currently do have that breakdown, whereas the outdoor rentals do not. So that is something that we could look into. We didn't change that structure. We looked at the fees as is, or the structure as is, and adjusted the fees accordingly. But it is something that we can go back and review.

Well, I just thought since it's undertaking this major overall review of all the fees and schedules, I was hoping that that would be something that could be considered. And so it's not for me to know how much it should be increased, because I'm not the subject matter expert, and I really look to you. And I know you've done your due diligence in way more than due diligence in all the municipalities in the county that you have surveyed to get consensus on what they do or don't provide. compared to us. Naturally, ours is better. I'm just saying that. The only one thing that I did, and I brought this up at my agenda review, and it was about the showmobile. Because I know former Mayor Tooley is here tonight. We waited a long time to get that showmobile replaced. I was just curious. I didn't know that we rented it or it was a possibility to be rented, because especially given the climate that we're looking at today about maintaining the longevity of the equipment maintenance of all types of property that we have in the city, including the gym equipment at South Creek Fit. But I haven't thought about that, too. But I was just curious, why are we renting it? Because it's for the liability, the staff set up. I mean, would staff have to stay there during the whole time? I mean, it just seems like it's opening up a whole other plethora possibilities the last time that i remember it being going off campus for something that wasn't on city property was when monarch hosted the relay for life for those 10 years and i remember we took i think we took the showmobile there and uh had it utilized but staff stayed and even on the overnighter events so I mean, I'm just curious how that came about.

Is it really necessary? Yeah. We've not rented it out before, but we felt the need to put it into the fee schedule so that we could get a return on our loaning it out or renting it out. So there is an additional fee if it is on city property for them to do cleanup for staff to stay and take part in that. There is not an additional fee if it goes off, because they're responsible for their own cleanup. But it does include the staff cost.

Put the liability. I'm just saying, we waited a long time to get a finally replacement, and it's a really beautiful piece of property.

That was an addition we just added.

I would hope that we'd be able to keep it in as good a shape as possible. I'm just putting that out there. My recommendation would be that it not be rented. I don't think there's a need for it other than city events. But anyway, I'll reserve for later. So thank you. Thank you.

Vice Mayor.

All right, so everybody bear with me. This might take a little bit of time. As everybody knows, I ran a sports league here, two of them to be exact. You didn't know that? Yeah, big surprise. So we started a nonprofit called Coconut Creek Girls Softball. Then we started a nonprofit called Coconut Creek Girls Crush Travel Softball. They fell under two different tiers of understanding. One was rec and one was not rec. In 2010, Mike, just like you, I was sitting in this audience because our city manager back then, Dave Rivera, decided he wanted to do some changes. Now, the fee wasn't even really the problem. It was the other stuff that was problems that he brought onto the table. But we sat here and we did the same thing. It's going to kill our league. It's going to hurt us. There are things that we'd look at in the short term that say, man, this is not good. But in the long term, it's a splinter in life. So I'm saying this from a place of experience and knowledge to say I think we're wrapped up emotionally in this cost because everything is going up. My feeling is this, just like when we had to do it. I can't expect a retired person to pay for a second tier youth organization. Our tax money and our fields primarily are for rec programs. So I'm speaking specifically to the fields because you guys are here and because I also used the fields when I was doing my programs. I coached soccer. I coached football. I was going through the whole gamut of youth sports. And we all talked about how horrific this is. And I'm going to tell you, I look at these now and I go, it was way less then. And we were crying about it. Times change. Things change. We're staring down the barrel of property tax issues. We're looking at our prices aren't even comparable. We're so low. And this is why everybody loves it, because we're so much lower than the other surrounding cities. Well, that's great. But somebody's paying for those fields. Somebody's paying for that wear and tear. Now, I'm not going to say whether I'm voting for this or not voting for this. I'm just going to state my opinion on this. Everybody adapts and overcomes. This is a small hump in life. We have to look at this as we have to operate a budget. We have to make sure that these things are being paid for. And if you're not a youth program that's considered a wreck, you're a second tier. And you're going to pay for the fields. You're going to pay for the lights. When they put five and six fields, these little baseball fields over here, We had to pay for those lights. We were like, we never paid for lights before in our life. And all of a sudden, we're paying for lights. We got mad. Obviously, right? You'd get mad if you had to pay for lights all of a sudden. Didn't kill us. The league still exists. Here's the other thing. The only league showing up tonight is all sport. Not that I'm saying it's not a bad thing. I really love to see the youth out here getting involved in government. This is great. But there's only one league that showed up that seemed to have a problem with this in my eyes. Because I called softball. They didn't seem to bother me. They were like, yeah, let's get over it. Same thing with Little League. So I'm kind of at a point where I'm going, how much are we really talking about? How much of an issue are we really talking about? And I know emotionally, you guys are like, this sucks. I get it. I was in your boat. I understand. We look at this as a cost recovery so that we have budget line items taken care of. You have to pay something. And if we're not paying enough to cover it, it's kind of a joke. We're paying it for 60,000 people, not the people who are renting fields. So my feeling is if you're going to rent the field, you're going to pay the price. Because you guys tear grass up. You're soccer. We tore dirt up. And trust me, we had to pay for clay. So I get it. But there's a cost involved in playing these sports. Life never goes backwards when you talk about paying for something. You don't see things going back to 1988 gas prices, $0.79. We're paying $2.90, whatever, $3.90, whatever we're paying. It's been a while since I got gas, man. Anyways, we're not going back. It always goes up. And you have to understand, you have to adapt as a program. I'm telling you this from experience. I ran that program for 10 years. We adapted like crazy trying to make sure that we fit into what the city wanted. And it wasn't easy. There was a lot of bloody noses in the city manager's office. And I get it. I get where you guys are coming from. This is important. But in the same fact, we want to maintain these fields. And if we can't afford, if we're asking a retired person who has no kids to pay taxes on a field that the kids are tearing up, that's not fair to those people. So who pays that cost of the cost that's going up? Because we all know water's gone up. If you live in Coconut Creek, you've seen your water bill. It went up, right? We water fields. What happens to the fertilizer? What happens when we re-sod? All those costs of that stuff goes up. It doesn't go down. So I don't know where the shock factor is. Is it how much it went up or that it's going up?

Are you asking me?

No, it's rhetorical. I'm just looking at you because you're here. So. Regardless, it's going up. Regardless, we have to recover that cost. And yeah, it sucks. And yeah, my league had to pay for it too. And we had to scramble. And we had to do a lot of car washes and selling candy bars and everything else to make up that cost. But that league is still here. It still exists. Jan, you said that we did a 10,000 person survey. Is that what you said?

We notified.

Notified. So how many responses did you get back out of 10,000?

Not very many. A handful.

A handful. See, and this is how I'm feeling. We have to look out for the entire program and the entire budget line item. And it's tough. And I get it, man. I get things are tough. I get it hurts when you have to pay more money, especially being a nonprofit. And especially, Mike, how you run the program I think is wonderful. You make it affordable for anybody to be able to play. And I've told you many times, I admire that because that's what we did. Because we wanted to make sure that any girl could go play softball. But this is just an operational cost. This is just something that we all have to deal with. Now regardless of what ends up tonight, the city's paying that price somewhere. Who's paying for that price? You're not a rec program. You're a second tier program. That's what you are. You're not our rec program. You're not a travel program. But they would also still be in that same predicament. Are they going to pay to rent the cost? That's not a non-profit. That's not our rec program. So really, where's the fine line? Where's the median? Where are we going to make people happy? That's what we're here to discuss tonight. That's what we're all talking about. There's no easy, pleasant conversation about when you raise fees. But we have to be realistic about this. With the property tax staring us down the barrel, we have to be thinking conservatively, how do we maintain our budget? How do we recover any cost? And these are real subject matter, and they're not tough, they're not easy, and they're not pleasant, especially for us up here. Now, we read every email. Just because I didn't respond to the 60 emails, we read them all. So don't think anybody that you send an email that we ignored it, because I guarantee every one of us up here read those emails. But when it gets to be that many, it's just too much to respond to. So I'll respond here. Thank you very much. All those were read. All of them were considered. But I think the tougher question is, it's not If the prices are going to go up, it's how much it's going to go up. Because they're going to go up. There's no way around this. Inflation, cost of doing business in the city, cost of doing business in the state, everything's going up. And it's just the unrealistic thinking that it's not. So really the question I'm going to pose to everybody is, are we really talking about how much are we talking about at all? Because I think to say it's not going to happen at all is naive. It's going to happen. It has to. There's no way of doing this. We raise fees on all stuff all time to make up for losses, to make up for inflation, to make up for this stuff. So I know I'm long winded right now, but you guys got to understand this is not easy for us either. But it's also we've got to look at it logically. We've got to look at it through eyes of 60,000 people, not one program. So it's a little bit more complicated when we talk about this. So I just want to put it out there. We have to look out for 60,000 people. And so we need to make sure that we're not hurting 60,000 people. So you understand that our thing is the 30,000 foot view of this program and these fees and everything else. Now, you guys are eyeballing it. You're here with it. And we understand that. But we have to make the tough decision of what we're going to do. I'm going to turn it over. I'm going to listen to what my colleagues have to say about this. And then we'll see what happens in the vote.

Thank you, Vice Mayor. Commissioner Rydell.

Thank you. I think, John, you make some points. But we have a policy philosophical issue to deal with. And this is part one of that decision, right? So I look at this. And why I don't support this, because I don't think this is equal. I think we're cherry-picking certain items to make a higher percentage increase than other increases. I think Commissioner Walsh brings a point about nonprofits that was something I was going to hammer on as well, that in certain nonprofits, depending on the type of nonprofit, can reap an enormous benefit in the city, and others sure don't. Right? John brings up a point, why is an elderly person, Vice Mayor, I apologize, why is an elderly person going to pay for a field? The same way we don't send bills through the fire department to probably a majority of the ambulances that go to Windmoor, with all due respect, those people don't get bills, and they probably use 40% of our emergency services. So I could pick every department here. Heimbeck and Public Works, the person that's putting out more than six cubic yards of bulk waste that we're not fighting for, that's in violation of our public agreement who happens to be here. So there's a department. Every department in this city has something like this. And if this commission makes a decision to go full cost recovery, that has to be consistent. And I will not support anything until there's a plan by the city manager to make full cost recovery consistent. That's my position, and it's going to be my position. We got budget cuts coming down. But that doesn't mean we start banging our residents. That means we're taking hits in City Hall. We're taking personal hits. We're taking hits across the board. We're not trying to make everything cost recovery and piecemeal. The Showmobile is, I get it took us forever to get it, and I wasn't going to even talk about this. It's paid for by tax dollars. If someone wants to rent it, rent it. We had Relay for Life hosted in our city this year, and it will be hosted again next year. And do you know whose Showmobile we used? Coral Springs' for free. Because we were going to charge $2,500. I can't. I can't support this. If we're going to make this, you make it global, you make it consistent, and this is not what was before us. And let me just say this to Parks and Rec, thank you. You've put in so much time to this, and this isn't directed to the team at all. Philosophically, as this commission, if we're going to change with property tax reform, change uniform, don't take low-hanging fruit and add nickel and dime charges to certain people where they're going to be affected. Pick it on Parks and Rec first, because I'll tell you this right now. I have bought more kids in girls basketball snacks because their parents can't afford it. There's girls that specifically come from other cities to play, and yeah, they're not residents, but they come here because they like the climate, they like the culture. These are kids. I'm always going to support our kids, but this is larger than that today. If we're going to be going into full-cost recovery, rip the Band-Aid off Madam City Manager and do it across the board, and then we can have a real robust conversation of the policy of what this commission could be, but I can't support doing it in piecemeal. Thank you.

Commissioner Railey.

Thank you. Thank you all for being here. First off, I would like to say thank you, coaches. Thank you, Mike. Thank you for starting this. I don't think anyone here, I don't think there's one person in this room that would question the advantages that keeping our youth busy and involved in sports is paramount. I mean, you guys, that's the first rule of parenting. Keep the kids active and busy. that's not the problem here we love that you do that and we want you to continue to do that and commissioner rydell i don't think this is full recovery costs that we're talking about right now um i think this is realistic um increases i think what's hurting and what's Sticker shock is the fact that we haven't touched these fees in 11 years. And we're trying to catch up slowly, slowly. I mean, and we're in line with the other cities. I love that our residents are using these fields. Our children are busy. They love it. that non-residents come in and use the fields. But these are taxpayer dollars. Our residents are paying for all the services we have. If we have to address other areas of city services, we may have to do that. But we have to start somewhere. But I do want to say, kids, keep up the good work. Don't get discouraged. I mean, we're not talking life-changing numbers here. We'll keep them in line. We'll do what we can. But don't get discouraged. Thank you for coming out here. I think it's great that you're supporting your sport. I have two grandkids that love soccer, but unfortunately, they're in New York. So I don't even want to tell you what it costs them up there to even play. But I'm trying to get them down here. And I would love for them to play with you one day. But thank you. Thank you for being here. And it's very tough. It's a tough decision. If it were up to us, we'd say, no fees. Let's go out there and let you do your thing. But unfortunately, in real life, there are other factors coming in on us as a commission and as a city that have to be dealt with. But thank you. Thank you again for being here. Thank you for everyone participating and speaking.

OK. So I would like to I know, but I want to go. Everybody's gone. So now I want to go. Well, write it down. So looking at this, and I'm just looking at the soccer piece, the fields, because you guys are here. And I think as we're here and we're looking at the numbers and we're kind of analyzing it, I mean, honestly, it's been a bargain. It's been a bargain. We have to agree to that. Oh, hold on. Well, she shook her head yes. So I'm going to look at her, not you. I mean, you're talking $15 per hour right now for a resident to rent the field. What's the amount of people that a resident can rent the field for $15 right now? How many people are allowed in the field in that instance?

They rent the field. Are you asking how many people are on the field?

No, like if I want to rent the field, is there like a cap of how many people I can have on the field? No, it's just two teams.

Yeah, not really a cap.

OK. So I need to be understood, because I saw Michael's face. So obviously my information might not be accurate. Can somebody describe what a nonprofit like they would pay for an hour today?

OK, so we don't have a distinguishing for nonprofit. And the issue with the nonprofit is that not all nonprofits run the same type of business. You can have a nonprofit that has a profit. That's just the way it is. And so we can't discern between whose business model is what we want to work with. It's very difficult. So when we do our indoor rentals for rooms only, for meeting purposes only, we look at SunBiz. And they're a nonprofit. And it's for meeting purposes only. So there's a difference. You're comparing apples to oranges from inside to outside.

So educate me as to how much they pay for field usage right now. $30.

This year, we've spent $35,000 on field usage.

I just want to know per hour.

If we may, if we can have Andrew St. Remy, who's the expert here.

Yes, please.

Yeah, if he has the information. Absolutely.

Thank you.

Yeah, yeah, come on up.

Hello, how you doing tonight? What's up? All right. Yeah, my name is Andrew Santremi. I'm the park supervisor here at the city. So when it comes to fees, it's $30 for two hours for a resident.

So Michael is a resident.

Yes.

Okay.

Yes. So they paid $30 for two hours. Yes. So their business is categorized as a resident because their principal address is in Kopenhag Creek.

That's correct. Okay. So it's $30 right now for two hours, which is basically $15 per hour. Correct. Okay. So I was right on my information.

No. We pay additional for the lights. We pay additional for the goals. There's other add-ons. If it's later at night, there's a different price. If it's not a one-size-fits-all pricing model.

Thank you, Michael. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate that. Anything else? Oh, that's it. OK. So there are two thoughts I have. I know that things are changing. I look at prices at the neighboring cities. And like I said, it's a bargain. We have a bargain here. I can't deny that, because I look at the numbers of the other cities. It's obvious. But I do also think we are a tiny bit premature on this. Because if property tax reform does happen in November, I would expect this to change again. That's my take, right? Because we're going to have to, as a city, we have to operate. And I think everybody kind of made really salient points up here. We have operating costs. We have whatever else anybody said, things that I agreed on. I do think we're a tiny bit premature. Because if, let's say, this got approved tonight, and then we came back next year and did this again because the property tax reform got passed, for example, I would just hate to do it again. Because I do see if property tax reform happens, this is getting changed. And that's a fact. And I think you guys know that. So today, I'll say my stance. I'm not OK with this today. I will eventually have to be OK with it, because if things do go a certain way, I'll have to adjust and we'll have to do what we got to do. So that's where I stand on that. I had a bunch of other things here, but when you started saying all the other variable fees and things, I'd like to understand it just a little bit more clearly. But I do understand that this could raise a cost for the bottom line person, the player, the family. I get that. But I hope you guys understand that times are changing. And if November does go yes, Times are going to be changing big time. And I think we all can kind of foresee what's going to happen. OK? But Commissioner Welch? Oh, wow. Everybody's going for round two. I see a round two coming. Commissioner Welch?

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. First of all, when I saw this item on the agenda, I was told, and I reiterated it during my agenda review, that this is not full cost recovery in any regard. Is that the case?

That's correct.

OK. So that's why I was very open to it, because given the number of years it's been, since there's been an intensive review of fees across the board relating to our parks and recreation. We bring up the referendum of the property tax vote in November. However, what we are being asked to approve tonight is with a schedule in front of us and an annual review. So it won't wait 11 years. However the vote goes, this is just talking about October 1, right? October 1 of this year for the next fiscal year. What happens on November isn't going to affect this fiscal year. However the vote goes in November with the property tax, at the first of the year, we're already prepared. Our finance department and all the other departments have already prepared numerous scenarios in anticipation of how the vote may or may not go. So I would fully expect that given next fiscal year, regardless of how the vote goes, one of those scenarios is going to be included in another fee schedule that will come back to us to identify what may or may not need to be adjusted. So I was open and receptive to it, knowing how it's just been so long, and with the promise that we're not going to wait that long anymore. It's going to be every year, fresh eyes, fresh input, and hopefully find a better way to reach our audience, our participants, so that those 10,000 users. I mean, I used Monkey Survey, and I got back 20%. I don't know. whatever we can do if we can find a way to get people's opinion before it comes before us and they have to show up here tonight i'm totally in favor of but i understand why it's like this and i appreciate the work because i think it does need to be done thank you randell commissioner

The 11-year thing is like a little bit of a red herring, right? Because we've actually changed fees on a number of different programs in the past decade. Yes or no? minimal i i we haven't our cheat sheet chart says that we've modified fees for certain programs in 2023 we've done certain changes in 2022 we've done certain changes in 2019 we did program modifications for cost for covid so i i just want to say like for us to take the position now and i wasn't going to go down this route that we haven't done anything in 11 years isn't necessarily true because there has been modifications to certain programs done in that time just just to say that and let's we're not going to play the game full cost recovery How much money is anticipated to be generated by this change?

Our current estimate is about 220,000.

Okay, so about a quarter million dollars. Where's the majority of that money coming from in the anticipated schedule? So if we broke that down, that 225, where's the biggest pot of that 225 coming from?

Do we know? I don't have it in front of me, but I feel it's fairly dispersed between fitness, fields, facility rentals. I feel it's fairly dispersed between the different categories.

Because if you percentage down all the increases, which I did, they're not all equal. All the percentage increases aren't equal for all the programs. There's actually some are single digit, some are double digit. So there's a kind of a shotgun approach to that.

That is correct. And if I could just explain the fields. The reason the fields are so high is because we have always been charging for two hours when all the other cities were doing one hour and so we have gone to the one hour model to do our cost recovery for some of the maintenance on the field that we have so again we were really really low and so it seems really high but we're actually right there or at the bottom of other municipalities so there are some that are a higher percentage i get it and i appreciate it so that's those are the only two points i wanted to make

Commissioner Railey.

Thank you. Yeah, I see the fields had a small increase in 2019. OK. What I did want to ask, Mike, you brought up that I think it was, Mike, $35,000 a year it costs you? Yes. OK. Well, with the increases, what do you anticipate? Have you done that?

I couldn't tell you because I would have to significantly drop field usage.

OK. Yeah, well, it depends.

Like, I pay, we pay for.

Yeah, come to the mic.

So the way we operate now, we're currently renting steady nine fields a week. So we do Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have four hours. We have three fields. Four hours, eight, 10, 12, so about 14 hours. I've never done it that way, right? About 14 hours a week. And just when we rent the fields, just know we also have to rent soccer goals. We're paying for the lights. So it's not just you see that $30, but I'm paying minimum $70 for a field. So how much are you?

I'm sorry, Commissioner Rayleigh, if I could tag team with you. No, no, go ahead. I'm paying right now. So for the lights, how many? So right now you're paying $50. $50 with the lights. So we pay. So it's $25 an hour right now with the lights.

Yeah.

We have multiple sets of goals in some of those fields.

How much is a goal? Did we raise prices on the goals?

Yes.

We did?

It went from $20 for two hours to $15 an hour.

For the goals?

For the goals. And we rent two sets of goals per field because we have so many kids out there.

OK. OK. No, that's OK. Thank you. Yeah. But I think, can I just say, if $220,000 was brought in and we're bringing in $35,000, that's not nothing.

That's major.

The 225 is the additional increase of what is projected to be brought in with this new schedule. That was the number that was said.

And what do we get for that? What additional? Nothing changes. Everything stays the same. We're not getting anything additional. I said when I spoke, I understand the need for an increase. I'm not against it. During our meeting, I'm not against an increase. It's the drastic increase suddenly. All right.

Commissioner Raley, do you have any more questions for Tina? Okay. Thank you. Anybody else on the dais who would like to speak?

I mean, I'm just going to put this out there. I'm prepared to table this.

Yeah. Yeah, no, it's 100%. I'm not... Hold on, hold on.

I didn't make the motion yet, just mayor.

Yeah, I understand. And I was already kind of talking to the city manager about this over here. I just... Yeah, it's premature, as I said. I totally agree with that. And I would... be on board with tabling as well and I think the vice mayor just expressed interest in that as well um so is there a motion is there a motion to table I move to table items 15 and 16.

I'm sorry but we have to vote on each separately

i move to table 15. thank you i just i'm sorry oh no yeah go i just want to make sure we will address this whatever we pass will be addressed annually an evaluation will be an annual evaluation the way the proposal is to annually evaluate fees yes thank you all right oh uh commissioner welch

should we do a table date certain because we're we're in recess for the month of july so yeah yeah i'd be moving up to table item 15 to the december meeting i tend to agree is there a second on the table until december yeah i'll second that okay

I tend to agree with that. It's premature. I'd like to see what happens in November. I'd hate to raise and then raise again. If we're going to raise, I'd like to do it all at once. Motion to second. Vote on the tabling.

Commissioner Rydell?

Yes.

Commissioner Welch? No. Commissioner Raley? No. Vice Mayor Brody? Yes. Mayor Wasserman? Yes.

Is there, so now we'll move on to the next.

I move to table item 16, which to the same December meeting. I second that.

Okay. Motion made to table item 16 to the December meeting, seconded by Commissioner Rydell, seconded by Vice Mayor Brody. Please call the roll.

Commissioner Rydell. Yes. Commissioner Welch.

No.

Commissioner Raley.

No.

Vice Mayor Brody? Yes. Mayor Wasserman? Yes.

Okay.

See you in December.

youth kids thanks for coming tonight that's government in action we got some more time We still do have a meeting, yes. But all parks-related things are now moved to December. No, we're moving on with the meeting, Michael. Thank you. Resolution 2026-103, a resolution approving the Second Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement, ILA, with the Solid Waste Disposal and Recyclable Materials Processing Authority of Broward County, Florida, providing for additional opt-out opportunities for cities and authorizing the mayor or designee to execute the same. Is there a motion and a second?

Move it.

Second. Moved by Commissioner Railey, seconded by Commissioner Rydell.

Let's do it. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners. As stated, this is the second amendment for the Solid Waste Authority. Based on input from some of the cities that were considering passing the first amendment, they wanted some options to get out of the authority. And thus, this amendment allows for two opportunities to get out. One is after all the RFPs are done and the pricing is available. And the second one is in 25 years. So I did want to just kind of give you a quick update on where the approvals have been so far. Approximately cities representing 45% of the population have approved it, and another 42% have it scheduled for vote. The only two that have not scheduled it for vote are Miramar and Deerfield, but Deerfield does have a workshop coming up.

Any questions or comments from the commission? Any members of the public who'd sign up to speak on this item? All right. You have something, Commissioner?

I was just going to wait until John came back. I don't think John heard that, and I know John had questions before.

John, you have questions for this item?

This is the second reading of the renewed solid waste with the opt-outs. The opt-out?

Mike, present...

Mike presented. Yeah, I wanted to make sure you got a chance to comment.

Don't ask him. I don't know where we're at. Yeah, it's comment time.

He just did his little spiel. Yeah, I just went over the basics.

I missed you speaking, Mike. That's my favorite part of this session.

So this gives the cities two options to get out beyond the 40 years for the total agreement. One is after all the RFPs have been received, and that's around late 27, early 28, and also in 25 years. OK. Well, can I make a comment real quick?

Listen, Mr. Rydell, I appreciate you. when this whole thing played out and I asked that question, I appreciate you going after it and making sure there was significant change in that. And I was never going to bust your chops on it, just so you understand. I think that you were being honest in the moment. And I... I give you a lot of credit for backtracking and then fixing the problem. So it's good to have somebody on the Solid Waste Authority board, and it's also good to have somebody with some integrity that's fighting for us there. I have no other comments. I think that we just need to vote and move on with our lives.

just had one thing like to clarify deerfield beach doesn't really have one coming up a little troubling is deerfield's workshop is actually july 30th yes it is troubling if anyone has any friends in deerfield that's actually pretty significant because the deadline to pass is mid-august i spoke to one okay and i didn't get much traction so and i suggested that they take the vote The other point to Vice Mayor Brody's point is I think something that gets lost in the noise that in some of these cities that are a little hesitant is the fact that the board itself can dissolve itself at any time. So while we get concerned on this commitment, and I probably didn't highlight that enough at the first meeting, there's a really easy methodology for the solid waste authority sitting as the governing board to dissolve itself that is actually an easy thing to happen obviously there's a percentage of people on it but if this becomes something that's not working i can't imagine these cities continuing to want to stay in that's that's the only other point so thank you mike okay please call the roll

Commissioner Rydell. Yes. Commissioner Welch. Yes. Commissioner Raley. Yes. Vice Mayor Brody. Yes. Mayor Wasserman.

Yes. Ordinance 2026-002, first reading. City Attorney Pyburn, please.

Thank you, Mayor Wasserman. An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, amending and restating the franchise agreement between the City and Republic Services of Florida, LP, dated September 10, 2019, and amended September 3, Sorry, September 9th, 2021. Providing for the reinstatement of curbside recycling, allowing for price adjustments due to increasing labor and equipment costs, as well as additional solid waste generation. Authorizing the city manager or designee to execute the attached amended and restated franchise agreement between the city and Republic Services of Florida LP. Providing for conflicts, providing for severability, and providing an effective date.

Motion.

Move it.

Second.

Motion by Commissioner Rydell, seconded by Commissioner Raley.

He's back. Good evening. All right. We just wanted to go over a few slides and recap some of the stuff that we've already talked about in the past few weeks really quick. I just want to hit some of the agreement highlights. This is a competitively priced agreement. Curbside recycling is coming back. It's going to have the artificial intelligence to identify contamination. We're going to be a leader in that field. All of our automated electric curbside collection vehicles will be electric. And also, this agreement aligns with the initiatives of the Solid Waste Authority. So I'm always hesitant to talk about what services cost in other communities, but I think it's important here to take a look at that, especially since we had a lot of discussion last time about cost and budget. So when you look at our neighboring communities, you can see that we are at least in the mid-range of all of the other pricing. So when you look at the residential collection, and you see that Deerfield and Pompano are tied at $28.21. But Deerfield does not have curbside recycling. So if you add that cost in, $6 to $10 per month is what they'll probably incur when they go back to curbside recycling. The commercial end? We do not have the commercial base that Pompano and Coral Springs have, so we do come in just behind them and ahead of the other communities. When it comes to multifamily pricing, we have the lowest of our neighboring communities, and we have the second lowest in the county. And as you know, multifamily is the fastest growing component here in the community. So just go over real quick some of the things. New carts are coming. So we've selected those carts, and we're going to be ready to order them through Republic in the next week or so. We're going to be able to notify and identify where the contamination issues are arising from. And this contract requires Republic to collect broken down cardboard that is placed next to the cart. As you know, carts are not really conducive to cardboard collection. And just again, solid waste is one of the largest greenhouse gases. The collection disposal is one of the greatest causes of greenhouse gases for communities. So transferring to electric trucks will help reduce that. I'll talk a little bit about the curbside changes. We're going to add 96-gallon carts to the mix. Currently, we're using the 64s and 35s. Each resident for the monthly rate will get two carts. And then an additional cart billed by Republic will be at $11 per month. So those that have three or four could go to the 96-gallon cart, and that could help reduce their cost. To reduce abuse for bulk waste, we're going to put a max on that at four, as I stated before. That's a number, but if it's five yards, six yards, I'm sure Republic's going to grab it up, and then we're going to have two big bulk opportunities for people per year. And just a couple things as we talk about the Solid Waste Authority. We have pricing for source-separated yard waste. And if the future commissions wanted to look at options like pay-as-you-throw, which is based on garbage cart size, and also once a week garbage service with the extra carts now available is also a possibility for future commissions. And we've been working very diligently here internally on the marketing and public education program. And we'll be meeting with Republic next week to kick off some of those plans. So we're already working very hard. And Republic is making commitments before the approval of this agreement to get this thing done in time.

So we've been doing this, I feel like, for a long time. So I'm just going to say something. I know the vice mayor wants to say something. Can you explain, because last time we did the single family rates. Can you explain how a multifamily goes about, like a township or a win more? Talk to me about the process for them and the negotiation.

What happens? So there's no real negotiation. So they select the size and frequency of their container. And the pricing is based on that.

OK. And then so does Republic go to each subdivision or neighborhood? How does that work? So basically, I mean, they have the service that they have now.

So if there are issues with overflows, they will reach out to that community to say, hey, you need more garbage. now are they reaching out and saying your container's half full i doubt it but it's up to you know property maintenance and and and other folks to observe those things what's their window for like figuring out like so now so so let's say you're you're the hoa of a multi-family community what's the window now for them to to talk to republic and figure out that information And they're here tonight. But generally, they get a notification of overages. And whatever their contact is for that account, they receive that information. So it's really up to the HOA to come back and say, I'm over every week or every other week. I need to expand my service.

Okay. All right. Right, okay. Wow, nobody was buzzed in until, I know, but nobody was until, you know, I guess I inspired, you know, in the vice, well, Vice Mayor, you're up.

He just ignored me. I actually buzzed in before he started talking. I just have one question. Sure. And I think it's the next screen over. Nope, not that one. Nope, back the other way. Not that one. Go back to the can, the size of the can. Yeah. The very first can that every resident will get, household, what size is that?

OK, so for recycling, it'll be 96 gallons. That's what I was trying to figure out. Yes. And so if somebody has space issues, they can contact Republic and get a smaller cart. That's all I have.

Commissioner Welch.

OK, thank you very much. I appreciate that question, Vice Mayor Brody. I didn't know you'd put your necklace back on.

I should have included that.

So I didn't realize that there would be separate days for recycle. And bulk.

Right. That's the way it was traditionally. Bulk was the first day and recycle was the second day.

OK. I'm a fan of that because I was concerned that if we were going to accept cardboard next to the recycle cart and it was bulk day, that if it wasn't appropriate, it would go with bulk and people would think they were doing the right thing. But never mind. It works out well. Recycling trucks, they both waste and recycle have AI.

So the AI is for recycling. And so that will be on the recycling trucks. So the garbage trucks will have all the other technology, which includes cameras and GPS. But it will not have the AI, because it won't be picking up recycling.

But the waste cameras show enough to know Let's say 4372, that's me, didn't have a card out, and then I call and say I was missed. They can say, no, you didn't have it out.

That's correct.

So I hope, I shouldn't probably say this, but I hope they stick to their guns because it's really disconcerting when you see neighbors do that and then call a truck and it has to come back. The evaluating the data, we're going to get it on a regular basis. Can you talk to me about what that means?

Once a month, a quarter. We had discussions about that. Maybe you, Republican, can come up and talk a little bit more about that. There is a process that is going to take a little more time instead of getting the data like the next minute. I know it's not going to happen immediately. Because one of the things is that because the technology is new and still learning, so humans have to take a look at those pictures. And that helps the AI train.

um and maybe a couple weeks before we actually get that data right yeah and um just on that same note are will we have the same trucks austin as lewisville colorado has

It's the newest version of the trucks. So we have the Mack Volterra's top of the line. They've had those for several years, is my understanding. And these are the newest ones just rolling out across the company. We're seeing them in a few places like Georgia. And they're coming back off of the route with 20%, 30%, 40% of the battery left, if that's what your question is about.

It was.

Yeah.

And I just have to say, I really thank every commissioner here that voted last time to return curbside recycling in its truest form, because not only is it the technology that's the first, I think we're the first city to have the truest form of curbside recycling and the results thereof. And it's as a result of the partnership, but I just personally want to thank everyone for the vote, because I live to see it, and I appreciate that. And just thanks again for all your work, Mike, because I know you and your All the team devoted a great deal of time, effort, and wherewithal into coming to this, not even counting the city attorney's office and the city manager and whoever else was involved. It's a very good day, very, very good day. So thank you.

Commissioner Riley.

Thank you, dear. Yeah. I'm glad we're nearing the end of this. Yes. I do have a couple of questions about the old bins. Will you be collecting those, the old recycle bins that are still in use?

Are you talking about at multi-family?

I have them anyway in the multi-family.

Yeah. I don't know what your plans are for those, Austin, the multi-family carts. Okay, so they'll phase them in. Okay. Yeah. Great. They're probably looking a little old these days anyway.

Great. Any idea when multi-families are going to be phased into recycling?

OK, so the last quarter. Yeah, they're going to prioritize single family. Sure. And that order's coming in September.

Right. OK, great. Also, the regular solid waste pickup, are you transitioning to electric vehicles for those as well?

Good question. yes it's the uh automatic asl trucks that come by your house for both the um regular garbage and the recycling what you're talking about okay great you're talking about no you're talking about multifamily right yeah so i know uh republic uses or has experimented with the front load electric vehicles do you have any plans to bring them to this market yes

It's not a part of the contract, but we are looking at implementing them across our market here in Broward County.

Is that your goal, to be a full electric fleet?

It will take time to get to that point. That's not necessarily a company policy. We are the leading company with pushing electric vehicles. Right now, we will, after this goes through, have a mix of C and G and electric and a little bit of diesel. Full electric will take a little bit of time to get there.

I don't mean to put you on the spot. I'm just curious as to if I'll see it. All right, thank you.

And I would add, there are draws on the battery from those trucks that are greater than the side load. So that's been one of the challenges that the industries have with those.

So let me ask you a question. Great, thank you. So single-family neighborhoods, Garbage truck, recycle truck, bulk truck are all going to be electric.

No, not the bulk truck. So that's not automatic collection. So it's either going to be the grapple truck, which is for the larger piles, or the rear load for the smaller bulk piles.

So single family neighborhoods will be having electric recycle truck and garbage truck. Multifamily. Multifamily will be having

What? For the cart collection, it'll be electric, automated, right? Electric for the? Yeah, electric for the carts and then CNG for the front load dumpsters.

Is there a piece of inequity in this? No, seriously. Seriously. I'm thinking to myself, you have single family homes who have the ability to own a home and have this luxury. That's great. And they're getting this electric truck coming through the neighborhood. Well, now you have subdivisions. You have apartment complexes that are getting not electric trucks coming to pick up garbage.

So as Austin noted, they are moving towards that. And as I noted, that technology is not quite as dependable right now as the automated trucks are. Because it's a heavier pickup.

Right.

And you're doing things like this, and there's more of a draw. So like as Austin noted, that they're now coming back with charge. So earlier models of the automated trucks were doing about 80% of what the CNG trucks do. So now they're back. They do 100 and plus now for as far as pickups. So the technology on the front load is coming. And based on Republic's commitment to that, I think we'll see the electric vehicle soon. Oh, here's something.

Yeah, go ahead.

We do have electric front loads coming. It's not technically a part of the contract, but we'll put one in for the multifamily, absolutely.

I appreciate that. I mean, you get what I'm saying. Yeah, I understand. You get the perception, you know what I mean? I think the commissioner really asked a question about recycling for the multifamilies. Can you re-answer that question?

So we got into a bad situation. So what we're doing once we execute this agreement, we've been talking to Republic. We are going to make improvements and go to each community individually to discuss what works best for them. As we've been saying, quality over quantity. We have some ideas that we can try in the different communities to get the contamination out and make it better and make sure that it gets to the recycling facility.

And we're doing block parties.

And we're going to be doing some events. That's what I heard. Yep. We're going to be doing them. I heard you're cooking the hot dogs. I'm going to be cooking the hot dogs. The public's going to be paying for them. And we'll be discussing that with them next Wednesday.

Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much. All right. Is there anything else from the commission on this? All right. Let's move to a vote.

Commissioner Rydell.

Yes.

Commissioner Welch. Yes. Commissioner O'Reilly. Yes. Vice Mayor Brody. Yes. Mayor Wasserman. Yes. Thank you. City Manager report.

Thank you, Mayor. Vice Mayor and Commission.

You're not on.

Sorry. Each year, the city is required to submit their preliminary millage rate, the fire assessment, and the single family solid waste rates to Broward County property appraiser early in August. The preliminary rates are then included in the truth in millage rate, which is the trim notice. that is mailed to every property owner in mid-August. The trim notice is an important communication tool that provides residents with an estimate of their potential property taxes and assessments for the upcoming year, while also informing them when the public hearings are to consider the various property rates. With that in mind, tonight I'm asking you for a consensus on a preliminary millage rate, a fire assessment, and a single family solid waste rate to be included in this year's trim notice. For the purposes of the millage rate, staff is proposing for fiscal 2027 a consensus on maintaining the millage rate at the same rate it was last year at 6.8988 mills, which is unchanged from last year. Maintaining the current millage rate will continue developing the funding available to complete the fire station and some of the other commitments that we've made over the last several years. The preliminary June 1 taxable value estimate increased citywide by 5.52%, bringing the city's total taxable value to approximately $6.8 billion. This growth is projected to generate approximately $2.3 million in additional property tax revenue. So that will help offset some of the increased costs that we're seeing and allow us to continue to budget for increased personnel costs and those other items. As it relates to the fire assessment, staff is also seeking consensus to include a 10% increase in the fire rescue assessment on the term notice. For the typical single-family home, the proposed annual assessment would increase from $333.26 to $366.59, an increase of $33.33 per year. As it relates to the single-family solid waste assessments we've been talking about, staff is seeking a consensus on the single-family solid waste assessment of $493.24. This does represent an increase of $166.70 annually, or about $13.89 per month. The proposed rate reflects the costs associated with the new contract that we just discussed. Staff will continue to refine our existing budget over the next several months in preparation for the August 13th budget workshop. So if I might, at last, I'd like to ask if I could have a consensus on the proposed millage rate of 6.8988 mils for the fiscal 2027 trim notice. Yes. Thanks. So I have a consensus. Next, do I have a consensus to include a 10% increase for the fire rescue assessment for the fiscal 2027 trim notice?

Yes.

And finally, do I have a consensus to include a single family solid waste assessment of $493.24 for the FY 2027 trim notice? Yes. Thank you very much. That's all I have. City attorney?

Good evening. I just wanted to point out I sent to you all a memorandum earlier this week on Senate Bill 1134 having to do with DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion, that passed this past legislative session and becomes effective on January 1st. My office is working with staff, and we are trying to determine any policies, proclamations, ordinances, personnel policies, anything that might possibly be impacted by that. I just wanted to point it out. If you haven't had a chance to take a look at it, please do, and let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.

Commissioner right now I wish everyone a great summer.

Commissioner Welch.

OK. Thank you very much. To continue talking about the water advisory board, county water advisory board, and the discussion, I met with Dr. Gerardo, Jennifer Gerardo, last Friday by Zoom to ask if we could have a presentation at our next meeting talking about the individual, there are 21 individual water districts in the county if not more and at the very end she did indicate there are a large part of projects that need to be done and these projects will require cities to find ways to get get them done and it may require raising the millage and some districts aren't able to do that on their own. And so I'm very anxious to hear the history of all the districts and bring everybody up to speed as how the county intends to hang our cities out to dry in relation to the water districts. It was very alarming. But at least she did indicate that she would have the presentation at the next meeting. And she thought it would be a good idea, as did I. So I did have one. I wanted to thank Amanda for coming tonight about the alternatives for Creek Fit South. I submitted some to the city manager to take into consideration after our last meeting. And I do have one more. It requires an eight-hour shift to man the Creek Fit South. So since the low attendance comments seem to be based on the hours not being suitable to families or people that work, et cetera, and we only have two days now dedicated to the 12 to 8 PM, I was hoping that we could take into consideration when we keep it open, that it be maybe for the early bird, 8 to 12, and then have a 4 to 8 PM shift, four hour shift, for all five days. That way it accommodates the majority of those that come and can participate according to their work hours or their schedules. And that's all I have, and I hope everyone has a good, safe 4th of July.

Commissioner Railey.

Yes, have a happy, healthy July and July 4th celebration. I just want to say, sorry, just want to say that This is very difficult to sit up here and make some decisions. And I want our residents to know that we're looking out for every one of them and for the benefit of all. And it is troubling when we have to do something against a certain group or a certain age group that they feel that they're being targeted. But you're not. They're not. The seniors are not for ambulance service or the parks and rec. I mean, we all just have to work together. And we have to find a solid solution. And I think we will. We will all come together. And I think Coconut Creek will maintain their reputation of being for the residents. Thank you.

VICE CHAIRMAN MILLER- Vice Mayor.

So this has been an interesting night, and it's going to be even more interesting here in about 45 minutes. If you all notice, I wear my FIFA flag. There's going to be a battle of the Brodies tonight. If you don't know this, my wife is Turkish, and USA is playing Turkey tonight. And Turkey could be a spoiler in this whole thing and knock them down a notch. So go USA. Everybody enjoy your summer. If you get a 911 call from my house, it's just my wife stabbing me. I'm just joking. She's working.

All right. I just have one thing. And we've talked about it, but it's the butterfly, the Welcome to Coconut Creek sign at the Gray Star. Yeah, it really should. It should say, welcome to Margate, welcome to Coral Springs. It's beyond me how this sign got placed there. When you are driving west on Atlantic and you see the sign. You don't see the sign when you're driving east, but when you're driving north on Lyons. I am blown away by That this is where it is. I really am. We've talked about it, you know, and I know it was that, it was, you know, it was the, it was Graystar who did it. It's, it's, the only time I see, you know, when I'm leaving the city, when you're leaving the city and you're hooking around and you're going, you know, and you're, you're on lines, you're hooking and you see, it's like, it's like, it should say bye. It should say bye from Coconut Creek. Not welcome. I'm sorry. I'm just... You know, we're up here to make decisions on things. And when some things, I know there's some decisions, it is a beautiful sign. Don't get me wrong. It is beautiful. And unfortunately, for the four people that are going to see it who are entering our city, it's just you have to see it. Well, you're going to have to get out of the car, walk on the sidewalk. You know, I don't know. It's just, I know, I hope I'm not offending anybody, but it's just, it's just, what? Well, I didn't vote for it. It's just, yeah, it's just upsetting. But, hey, it is what it is. Have a great summer. You got it.