City Commission - Regular Meeting

This meeting is adjourned. We're going to go into the regular city commission meeting. Yes. Right into it. I know I'm going. I'm going. Absolutely. I will. I will make sure. Sure. Okay. Just give me a heads up when we're ready. Ready. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Good evening. I'd like to call to order the first budget hearing for the City Commission of the City of Hallandale Beach. Today is September 14th, 2026. The time is 6.37 p.m. May I have a roll call?

Mayor Cooper.

Present.

Vice Mayor Lazaro. Present. Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler. Here. Commissioner Lima-Tobb. Yes. City Manager Dr. Earl. Yes. City Attorney Brand.

Present.

Madam Mayor, you have a quorum.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Before we rise for the Pledge of Allegiance, I'd like to conduct a moment of silent prayer for Ms. Oh, my God.

Angelina Glass. I was thinking Angelina Glass.

She must be. Thank you. Oh, my God. Gloria Stoner. Mac is back. My mind is going back to those times. We pray for her health this evening. Gloria Stoner. Let her know we are thinking of her. We also pray for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. We call to mind all our armed forces that are in harm's way, protecting those in harm's way. We also call to mind all our first responders here in our city, county, and state and nation. Thank you. A moment of silent prayer, please. Thank you. I'll have a motion for the supplemental agenda, please.

So moved. I have a motion and a second.

Could I have a roll call, please?

Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Topp. Yeah. Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I'll also entertain a motion to move public participation after presentations.

And one more notation, Madam Mayor. We need to move item 9A and 9B after public participation. Those are the budget items.

Okay. Let's do one. We'll do the first one separately. Public participation after presentations. Do I have a motion? Do I have a second? Second. I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call, please?

Commissioner Adams?

Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Tobb? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Butler? Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Now for clarification. Are you moving 9A and 9B after?

Public participation, yes, ma'am.

After 5A?

Yes, ma'am.

So moved. Could I have a second? Second. I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call, please?

Commissioner Butler?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Mayor Cooper?

Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Tobb? Yes. Commissioner Adams? Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Okay. Thank you so much. I had a special request, and I apologize to Memorial Healthcare. I know that she had to leave. to take care of her ill dog, so sorry for that. But I'm gonna actually, I had another special request that I'd like to move for the presentation. I'm gonna go to 6C first, which is Christmas in July presentation. Dr. Earle, if you'd be kind enough, and Cecilia, if you would be kind enough for your presentation.

Hello, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners. I'm on this side today. My sister's partner in crime, Donna Grace, had to leave to attend another meeting. So I'm going to be her other partner in crime for Christmas in July. So I want to thank you all for your support of Christmas in July over the past years. And I especially want to thank our police department. And I'm going to ask Dr. Cedar Earl to come and present.

All right. Good evening, Madam Mayor and Vice Mayor and Commission and everybody else up here. Well, I tell you, it's my pleasure to be here again to just commend the Hallandale Beach Police Department on all that they continue to do for Christmas in July for the homeless children. This is one police department that doesn't just talk the talk, they walk the talk. and they use their day offs and everything to assist with this project. It's a seven month long planning and implementation and they step up to the plate every single year. 20 of them, 25 of them, I mean they just show up in droves giving back. So when people are giving the police a bad rap, I am one that can stand up here and say, the city of Hallandale Beach has one of the best in the nation. And that is where I will go with that. Because I see it firsthand again and again and again. Of course, it's all under the leadership of Chief Michael. He's always there, I have to say. He's always there to along with the officers, always. So at this point, it's my pleasure, if they will come down, please.

All the officers, please.

All of the ones here in attendance, if you will come down, please. And let me just say, so Christmas in July, just so everyone is aware, provides personalized... necessities for the county's homeless children. So these are homeless children from every single city within the county, bar none. So that is what it's for. It's for the personalized necessities. Underwear is the number one necessity of a homeless child, followed by shoes and then clothing and everything else. So everything that is provided to these children are their needs. So on behalf of Christmas in July, I would like to present the city of Hallandale Beach Police Department as a diamond sponsor that's just with their times. And it's not the taxpayer money, so I don't want to hear any foolishness. But for really... stepping up on an annual basis and making the positive difference in the lives of these homeless children and their families. The need is great. It continues to be great. But you all make that positive difference every year. Every single year. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We look forward to a longstanding partnership with all of you. So don't think you can disappear on me. So after four years, you're stuck. So I expect to see you all. As everyone knows, it's not my day job either. So it's 100% volunteer effort. Nobody gets a single penny off of it. But that's what we do. As I say, it's my second job. Thank you. Just a little token. We don't have money to do fancy schmancy.

Thank you.

I'm also on the board. Oh, wow.

Yes. Thank you, Raul. I'm Dr. Earl. And nobody can leave. Nobody can leave.

So so very quickly, just so everyone understands. So since Helen Dale Beach PD began participating, I think it was in 2022. They have when I said sweated, you know, because to pack these bags, you're packing over 1000 bags, this organization, it's every single week and on the day that we go to the emirate bank arena you're moving hundreds of boxes and these guys and gals they come out they are packing they're moving and i'm i'm telling you without hbpd we would not be able to serve and so i would think probably in the last since 2022 just since so christmas in july since since since its inception in 2001 when you started, it's about 64,000 homeless kids total in that 25-year period of time. So just in the last, since 2022, our PD has probably held probably around 5,000. Probably more since just... Oh, so it's 2,000 a year, yeah. 8,000 kids. And that's significant. So I just want to let everyone know that that's what our team has been able to do.

Talk about awesome. Thank you.

There's nothing I can say. It's a great... Organization is a great experience to be part of it. Every year we grow, we get more officers, volunteers, family members involved, and now it's part of it. Like, we have to do it every year. Like, everybody knows this is our event. Everybody knows we're there, you know, and we do it with love because we know what the results are on that Saturday when you see all the kids going in there, the families getting the bags, the school supplies. It goes a long way. So it's definitely something that... We started one day with a phone call, 2022, and now it's something that we do every year and it's part of our organization. So we love it.

Wait, don't go anywhere. Thank you, wait. Don't go anywhere.

And actually I don't have to read this now because you basically covered it and I know that you need to need to actually Stay with us for one minute And I know this is more of a labor of love than the two of you acknowledge here so from the depths of our gratitude Actually, Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Top made the recommendation that we do this this evening, which is quite very nice, thank you. So whereas in 2001, Dr. Cecilia Earle, then Lieutenant Governor of Kiwanis Division 23, researched the plight of children experiencing homelessness in Broward County, and identified underwear, shoes, and clothing as their most urgent needs, inspiring her to establish Christmas in July and mobilize Kiwanis clubs and community partners to assist children from birth through age 19. Over the past 25 years, Kiwanis Division 23 and 24's Christmas in July program, co-sponsored by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, has served more than 64,000 children experiencing homelessness due to circumstances beyond their control. including parental job loss, illness, abuse, limited affordable housing, demonstrating that their community cares about them and their families. And whereas Christmas in July works closely with shelters and service providers to meet each child's needs, providing personalized book bags containing new appropriate sized clothing, underwear, shoes, infant care supplies, hygiene products, school supplies, and reading materials to promote comfort, dignity, and well-being. Whereas these personalized necessities are distributed during the event at Emirate Bank Arena, where participating children and families enjoy food and entertainment with the School Board of Broward County, providing transportation for many of the families, bringing the community together in a spirit of compassion and support. Whereas the city of Hallandale Beach honors Dr. Earle's visionary leadership and dedicated service in uniting Qantas clubs, public officials, volunteers, and yes, our police department, and donors throughout Christmas in July and encourage all residents to celebrate her contributions and support the mission she established to bring necessities, encouragement, and hope to the children in need. Now, therefore, I, Joy Cooper, Mayor of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, on behalf of this entire City Commission, do hereby proclaim September 14th as Dr. Cecilia Earle Recognition Day, founder of Christmas in July.

Wait, wait, we're not done yet. Wait.

Have a seat. Whereas Dr. Jeremy Earl has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to advocating for the well-being of children and families, encouraging community support to address food insecurity, homelessness, and financial hardship, while holding the values of compassion and service exemplified by his parents. And whereas, through his long-standing involvement in Christmas in July, founded by his sister, Dr. Cecilia Earle, Dr. Jeremy Earle has supported efforts to provide children from birth through age 19 with clothing, shoes, hygiene products, school supplies, and other necessities, advancing the belief that every child deserves dignity, care, and opportunity to thrive. dr earl's advocacy extends to families throughout hallandale beach where he's encouraged city employees and community partners to respond to residents needs through charitable giving and hands-on service including championing the spirit week 2026 mobile school pantry initiative with the goal of helping to feed approximately 2,000 residents. And whereas Dr. Jeremy Earl's dedication to children and families reflects his belief in the importance of compassion, dignity, and opportunity, and his commitment to helping families overcome hardship and build more hopeful future. Whereas the city of Hallandale Beach honors Dr. Earl for his compassion advocacy on behalf of children, families, his enduring commitment to Christmas in July, and his efforts to inspire collectively responsibility for the community where families feel supported, children are valued and cared for, and are hopeful for their future. Now, therefore, I, Joy Cooper, on behalf of this entire city commission, do also proclaim Dr. Jeremy Earl Recognition Day Champion for Children and Families.

Thank you.

Just want to say thank you. And we're just doing what our parents would want us to do, which is giving back. We're not on this earth for self, but to help others and make that positive difference in the lives of people. We are here not to leave it as we found it, but to just do good, do good, help others.

That is why we're here.

So I challenge every single person here to do that, to let us leave this world better than we found it.

Thank you.

What she said.

There we go. Thank you, thank you.

Thank you, ladies, gentlemen. Hey, come on up.

And I need to give staff a shout out as well. Spirit Week was amazing, and your hard work and dedication, it really shone through this year. Thank you for all you do for our city and the kids. Chief.

Come on up. Come on up. Come on up. Come on up.

Hi, little Minnie.

Hi, Gracie. We know who's in charge. She's going to keep saying crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy.

Thank you guys. Thank you for your service.

Really appreciate it.

Okay. Very well done. Kudos.

Okay. Okay.

And I'm going to invite our memorial partners to please come step forward and thank you so much for your patience. It's the proclamation of the City of Hallandale Beach, whereas the access to quality healthcare, preventative services, and health education is essential to the health and well-being of residents of the City of Hallandale Beach. Memorial Healthcare Systems has been a valued community partner to the City of Hallandale Beach for many years. through its continued support of community health initiatives, outreach efforts, and programs that strengthen access to healthcare and connect residents with essential services. And whereas this partnership was further expanded through the launch of One City at a Time, OCAT, healthcare initiative on May 2023, bringing preventative healthcare services, primary care, health education, and community resources directly into Hallandale Beach's neighborhoods through Memorial's healthcare system's adult and pediatric mobile health units. And whereas One City at a Time initiative reflects the shared commitment of Memorial Healthcare Systems and Broward Health through Better Together, a collaboration to expand access to healthcare and improve health outcomes throughout Broward County. And whereas Memorial Healthcare Systems continue to support the City of Hallandale Beach through community events, health initiatives, and collaborative programs that promote wellness, improve access to care, and connect our residents with essential healthcare services. The City of Hallandale Beach and Memorial Healthcare System remain committed to strengthening the One City at a Time initiative by evaluating community impact, responding and identifying needs through community health needs assessment, and continuing to work together to improve the health and well-being of Hallandale Beach residents. Now, therefore, I, Joy Cooper, Mayor of the Hallandale Beach, on behalf of this entire city commission, do hereby proclaim September 14th, 2026, as Memorial Healthcare System Partnership Appreciation Day. And we certainly appreciate you. Thank you. And it is amazing. I remember when this first came to be, I know the chief, Dr. Earl, we all sat, pow-wowed around the table, and you guys have delivered. And I think Better Together, that initiative, as you continue to explain it to all of Broward County, how access and access to records and that unity has bring really just, Memorial Health Care has always been exemplary. Now you're just like the gold standard. So thank you for all you do in our community. We appreciate you. We really do. Thank you. Thank you.

On behalf of Memorial Health Care System, I'd like to thank the city of Hallandale Beach, the commissioners, Vice Mayor, Mayor Cooper, and I do remember you. The city of Hallandale was our inaugural city for one city at a time. And Since this program has started, we've served over 1,500 adults and pediatrics, residents of Hallandale Beach, providing preventative care, offering resources, food, health screening, preventative care, linking them back to our actual four walls, our primary care centers. for pediatrics and adults. And that is extremely important to us, and that's why this initiative, Better Together, collaborating with Broward Health, is going to offer the same resource and services throughout Broward County. That's great. So we're excited to do this, and thank you so much for recognizing us.

Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Thank you.

Do you want to get a picture, too, to show you were here? Come on up.

You're part of the team.

Come on. Better together. Yes.

Thank you so much.

Thank you ladies for all that you do. Thank you so much. Thank you. I've been to so many of your events. You've done a fantastic job. Thank you so much. Thank you. OK. And last but not least, Hunger Action Month.

Who do we have here for hunger action? What's wrong? Oh, goodness.

Yeah, you're going to need that.

Who do we have here from Feeding South Florida? Do we have? Oh, great. Good to see you. How are you doing? Thank you for your patience. Right down the street from us, you guys are always doing a great job, and we appreciate what you do. You help so many people. Thank you. This is a proclamation, whereas since 1981, Feeding South Florida has worked to address hunger and food insecurity in the city of Hallandale Beach by providing our community with immediate access to nutritious food and other vital resources and support. And whereas hunger does not discriminate, it knows no race, no religion, nor age. In South Florida, approximately one million individuals face hunger. Food should not be an impossible choice for a community of the city of Hallandale Beach. And whereas Feeding South Florida leads hunger and poverty advocacy efforts in our community while transforming lives through an innovation programs, education, and provides economic growth and overall well-being. And whereas the City of Hallandale Beach is therefore committed to supporting Feeding South Florida so that together we can achieve a hunger-free South Florida. Now therefore, I, Joy Cooper, Mayor of the City of Hallandale Beach, on behalf of the entire City Commission, do hereby proclaim the month of September as recognizing September as Hunger Action Month. And we want to welcome you and thank you. Thank you so much.

I am from Feed in South Florida. I want to thank you Mayor Cooper and the Commission members for recognizing September as Hunger Action Month. Feed in South Florida serves over 1.7 million individuals across South Florida. And here in Hollandale Beach, our 36 partner agencies have helped provide 336,000 pounds of food, which represents more than 13.2 million meals. We all have a part to play. And I encourage everyone to wear orange, donate food or funds, and continue taking action throughout September and beyond. To learn more, you guys can visit FeedInSouthFlorida.org. And again, thank you.

Great. Thank you. If you could, and I just want to confirm, I know if you want to donate, you can tell them the address, where you're located for donations, because it's right down the street.

We are right up the street. So we are located at 2501 Southwest 32nd Terrace, and we're actually located in the city of Pembroke Park.

Right. So thank you. Come on up. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Madam Clerk, you have the floor.

Good evening, everyone. I'm here, representation of Florida Association of City Clerk. As the vice president of the Florida Association of City Clerk, I'm here to present Ms. Abram Manning with her certificate of municipal clerk. The Certified Municipal Clerk, CMC designation, represents more than completing educational requirements. It reflects a meaningful commitment to professional development, ethical leadership, and excellence in public service. Municipal clerks played an essential role in local government. We preserve the records, support transparent and accessible government, facilitate the democratic process, and help ensure our organization remain consistent and well organized. As our responsibilities continue to evolve, ongoing professional development strengths our ability to meet new challenges and better serve our communities. Each clerk who pursues professional growth helps elevate not only their own career, but our profession as a whole. April's achievements reflect her dedication to that shared standard of excellence and the City of Hollander Beach support for continued learning and professional advancement. April, congratulations on your well-earned accomplishment. To believe you just started in the police department and now you're an assistant city clerk and can handle many roles in my office is astonishing and I'm so proud. I can't wait for you to become a city clerk so I can retire. On behalf of the Florida Association of City Clerk and our South District Director, unfortunately she had to leave, I'm honored to recognize you as a certified municipal clerk and present you with a CMC designation. Wow.

Congratulations.

I just want to say thank you for recognizing me for my CMC. I'm excited to get my MMC. I appreciate all the assistance from the city clerk and my coworkers to achieve this level. Thank you. Thank you.

Congratulations.

Want to get a group picture? Come on. Hi.

Congratulations. Sorry.

Congratulations. Oh, my God. In your spare time, right? In your spare time. Come on down.

Come on down.

You're in the middle, right? Great team. Come on down. You guys are in a competition, huh? Everybody's going to be done, huh? Everybody's going to be done? You're sending them all? You're not paying them in? Good. That's a true leader. There you go.

Come, come.

Come, come, come. Okay. Okay. See you for the next one. See you for the next one. The masters, right? Okay.

Let me let them get settled for a minute. Okay. That was nice. Yeah. We're good? Okay, we are going to jump back to public participation for city business. Madam Clerk, you can call the speakers, please.

The first speaker, Ms. Cheryl Robinson.

Greetings again. By this being a budget meeting, I just wanted to bring some things to the budget. As I did my research, we don't really have nothing for the seniors, affordable housing for the seniors. That hurt my feelings to research that. We got to do better, guys, even with the homeless people. I know that it's a big thing. Broward County does a lot of it. But again, that's why I feel like I'd be a great addition to the commission. Due to my connections with other commissioners through other cities, I'm the type of person that will put my neck out there and really network with other cities to bring that funding that we need to get these projects executed. Just like Vessel just came and did their presentation with the low-income apartments, I feel like we can do something like that for the homeless. I feel like we can do something like that for the seniors. $4 million to build that for a year? Well, we can get so many people off the streets. Even if we start putting in the budget something before they can base their behinds. I came across a lot of homeless people. Sometimes they just want to base. It gets your mind right to base, to take just the... Even if they're homeless, they just want to take a shower. I think we need to start really putting that in the budget, guys, to help these people. Even if we can't do so much, but we can. I just heard them saying that we got to spend these millions of dollars. Let's do something for the community, revolutionary. All of these elders, we got all these senior projects, and shout out to the human service department. They're doing a wonderful job down there at the Help Burn Center. I love seeing the elders every morning before I go, when I go to go work out. But after the Help Burn Center, what? They have to figure out where they're going to stay. They got to take most of their Social Security check. They got to hope they get with Social Security. We have to do better for our seniors. We have to do better for the homeless. It's ridiculous that we're building all these after structures, we're spending millions of dollars, and all this money has been allocated for the homeless, allocated for the seniors. Why don't we really execute some things instead of just doing little programs here and there that's costing millions of dollars? Let's take these millions of dollars and build something. for we can really help these people even if it's on whether they can take a shower and we can also start incorporating all of these churches it's like 20 churches on every block shout out to my church I'm out there trying to make them open the doors not just on Sundays and funerals we can start really bringing our churches together too because it's a lot of waste of property that can really and it's supposed to be for fellowship and worship and things like that the city should start investing in these churches to help them through the needs of the community of the homelessness that we've been lacking for some years as the commission supposed to be doing it. So I'm just here to bring some solutions and really get some things going because we all need help, we all need love, and I feel like we can do it. They said spend it up, y'all need to spend that up, put four million aside for the seniors, put four million aside for the homeless, and we'll have some real, revolution things happening.

James Tucker.

James Tucker, a resident of Hallandale since 1975. I came down here today because I got a notice in my water bill that they were going to be talking about the billing changes for the stormwater utility fee. I also came to pay my water bill. And when I got here in time for this meeting, which was, I thought, starting at 5.30, I walked in and I went to pay my water bill. They said they were closed. I thought they stayed open until 6 o'clock. So I was disappointed. I haven't paid my water bill, but I guess I have to pay it online now. But I had some residents who were also complaining about the same thing. This is supposed to be a four-day work week, and oftentimes when they come down, the place is closed. The people are gone. So this is one complaint that I have about the... For a day work week and then with the water bills. I looked at three meters today Two of them were under water and dirt and I doubt if they're ever read Could be read so I'm concerned about that and this water utility change will only add an annual fee. It's not changing a new fee. It's not a new fee. But the water bills that I looked at today were at least $100 a month. And if you add that to the tax There are some people now who have a hard time paying their tax bill when it's due. It's going to be a larger tax bill when the tax bill comes due. So I don't know if that's going to help anyone, but I want to make sure that you give that some thought and maybe discuss it even more to the residents because a lot of them haven't even heard about this meeting. And this is the third meeting But this is the first meeting that I got a notice about. That's why I'm only here today. I didn't come to the first three because I never even heard about the first three meetings that these proposals were being made. So let's see if we can communicate with the community and make sure that they are aware of what this actually means and how it will affect each one of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Dr. Earle, do you want to talk about the reconfiguration of our water billing department, that they were upstairs and not downstairs? Maybe you can clarify that one. And thank you for pointing out the notice. That's why we did a notice to everyone. That went to everyone in tax, and it's not a new fee. It's actually putting it on the property tax.

Thank you very much, Madam Mayor. I'm going to ask Director Neste. to address some of the comments.

So the changes for the stormwater charge, it's about $145 a year. Normally it would go on the utility bill, but we're transitioning that to the tax bill. And so if you pay it in November, or if you pay it early, you actually could get a 4% discount, so that does help a little bit. But it's basically changing it to the tax bill. In terms of the closure? It's just stormwater, so it's not your water.

In terms of the closure?

Oh, I'm sorry, the office. So we are renovating the finance department, and so right now we're operating out of Windows 6 in the development services, and so we're open until 5 p.m. 5 p.m.?

7.30 to 5 p.m. For six weeks?

For six weeks. Thanks. Thank you.

Thank you. We're sorry for that inconvenience.

They had to reconfigure the whole office, so I don't know why they're not open till six.

Is there a reason for the time change?

So we're down to one desk. I think you're using some of the space from code?

That's correct. So nothing's changed. It's operation same as always. We're just helping you out a different window. And the time?

So time has not changed.

No, from 7.30 to 5 p.m. 7.30, not 8 o'clock, till 5 p.m. That's correct.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay, any other speakers? Oh, I'm sorry, Vice Mayor?

Yes, in relation to Mr. Tucker's concern regarding the particular water meters that he says are unreadable. One other thing, thank you for coming, Mr. Tucker. It's always nice to see you. Just so you know, our meetings are published and they are on the website and we do publish them on the calendar with the agenda two weeks in advance. So if you're following that, then you would be able to know that we're having the meetings. But the budget discussions are happening for months prior, starting in May, prior to us getting to this point today. So there's been ample time to have the discussion and be involved. So I'm not... saying that you're wrong or anything like that. I just want to make it known to the public and to you that it is all the information readily available. Prior to us getting to this point. Can you please respond about the meters and maybe somebody can speak directly with Mr. Tucker regarding any other concerns, make sure he gets a contact phone number, see him.

Absolutely, Vice Mayor. So Director Neste, after this, if you can meet with.

Sure, yeah, I'll meet with Mr. Tucker and provide him my information so he can follow up. So a lot of the information is on a special website that we created, hbstormwater.com. We started sometime in April.

April, huh?

We actually included a PR firm to help us. We put a lot of PR information on social media and also sent out materials through our trim notice and also our utility bills sometime, I believe, in July and August.

So it was a new utility bill as well?

That's correct.

Thank you.

That's correct. And in terms of the three meters that Mr. Tucker referenced?

Well, I can meet with Mr. Tucker and go over his specific situation with his meters. It sounds like it's multiple accounts that he may need assistance with. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, next speaker.

No more speakers, Madam Mayor.

Great.

We apologize, Mr. Rodriguez.

Okay, this is definitely the meeting that I've been waiting for. My name is Dalia Rodriguez, and this is my first time returning before the full commission after the way I was treated when I tried to bring community concerns forward. Honestly, it made me feel like I should stop coming, but I didn't stop. Instead, I spoke to leaders outside of Hollandale Beach, including West Park Commissioner Touchstone and members of the Broward MPO. They thanked me for speaking up. They encouraged me to continue attending meetings, identifying problems, and presenting ideas. That reminded me, civic participation should never make a resident feel unwelcome in their own city hall. I understand elected officials will not always agree with residents. That's democracy. But disagreement should never mean disrespect. Residents should be able to ask questions, raise concerns without being belittled and saying that they need a hobby, or dismissed and saying the issues are nonsense, or cursed at. Tonight's budget discussion is about more than numbers. It's about whether taxpayer dollars are delivering the services residents pay for. The cemetery is one example. On September 6th, it wasn't even open at 9.30 in the morning. They had to call the city police to open it up. If the city sets operating hours like he did back in April when he told me The city manager said he says it how he wants to set it, and he made the hours for a specific time no longer from sunrise to sunset. It's supposed to be open at a duration of time.

Why was it not open on Sunday, September 6th at the correct time?

What accountability is the systems ensures that they are being followed? Our residents should not be left out with needing police intervention just to access the public facility. I also want to provide photos about the staff directory, because you also said you had a cemetery manager in your own public works directory. You have no city manager, no semi cemetery supervisor over the grounds. And I think there's even a new position open. None of that. I have provided those photos to explain to people that this is what's really going on. Do not just listen to your commissioners and your city managers that sit on the stand and tell you things that they don't show proof with. I have proof today. After I provided also streets about photos, I'm sorry, I also provided photos about the streets and no sidewalk crossings. These are also real conditions that residents face every day. They show why safety must be prioritized in the budget and not delayed or ignored. I am not here for attention, not running for commission, or any of that. I am here because I care about this community. I am now going on three years being a resident here. I will keep attending, keep asking questions, and keep bringing back ideas from other municipalities. I am asking the commission members, residents are not your enemy. Please let us speak and serve as well.

The last speaker is Ms. Charissa Johnson. She's no longer here.

Okay. All right. Okay. We are going to move to, I have no minutes. There is consent agenda. I do want to pull.

Wait, wait, wait.

Madam Mayor 9A, we need to do budget first.

Oh, gosh.

Forgot.

Okie dokie, we are going to go into the first budget hearing. I'd like to read item 9A, an ordinance of the mayor and the city commission of the city of Hallandale Beach, Florida, levying an ad valorem tax millage for the 2026-27 fiscal year, providing for an effective date. This is brought forward by budget and programming monitoring director. I will turn it over to Dr. Earle. As we mentioned earlier, we have been working on this budget since March, and obviously it's a continuation of our strategic planning over the years. I wanted to share with my colleagues, FIU professor reached out to me last week and I gave kudos to staff during our budget workshop that we had with the Commission that they were intrigued by our budget process our strategic planning how we were strategic and also heard that we had presented the budget in whole also planning with the proposed changes in homestead exemptions. So it was used as an example in class for one of the FIU professors, and I wanted to share with that and commend you guys, because I know this isn't something that's just stagnant, it's ongoing, you've been working extremely diligently. through very trying times, actually. And I want to commend Dr. Earl, too, for his stick-to-it-ness. And our colleagues, my colleagues, it is a pleasure working with you. We have such a civil commission. Everywhere I go now, it is utilized as one of the prime examples of how a city should operate, how we handle our business, how we conduct ourselves in professional, civil manner, It is an honor and privilege to serve with you all and as the Mayor. Thank you very, very much. Dr. Earl, you're recognized, sir.

Thank you very much, Madam Mayor. First, I want to thank the City Commission for your support over the years. This is our sixth year of presenting to you all a balanced budget. It's the sixth year that we have not used reserves to balance the budget. And, you know, anecdotally, Madam Mayor, we are getting calls from other cities asking us how we've done the things that we've been able to do here in Hallandale Beach. It's just a fact. I mentioned this last week, but I'll mention it again today. We are one of only two cities in the entire county who is actually in a position where we can, and I'll speak for Hallandale, where we can actually honestly reduce the millage, or we can go back to the rollback rate. We're one of two in the entire county who's actually proposing to even do that. And that is a testament to this commission and the difficult decisions that it had to make for years to stabilize our city and i really want to thank staff everyone has busted their butts for six years on so many different things and uh and we would not be here uh without staff um who's really doing all the work to do this so staff i want to thank you all very much for everything that you've done and so natasha director mazzi I'd like for you to come and present our.

Before we get into that, if you don't mind.

I'll recognize you.

Okay, I'm sorry. And we did say we're going to do this presentation for the public. I am going to probably go to the restroom, so I'm going to give the floor to you for comments just for a minute. Okay, thank you. And then we'll continue. I'll be right out.

Before we get bogged down into the nuts and bolts of the budget, I heard Mr. Tucker say that our taxes were going up. So can you explain, please, what, in layman's terms, the rollback rate is? And if taxes go up, why that would be happening not on behalf of Hallandale Beach?

I'm actually going to ask our budget director. Okay.

Oh, thank you, sorry.

To Director Mazzy. Sorry, Director. No, just because she's an open.

Good evening, Commission.

We talked about this last week, and if you could talk about the recapture as well.

That's right, Natasha Mazzy, Budget and Program Marketing.

Remember, not everybody, because even somebody who's listened to recapture rollback, it's very difficult, so try to make it as simple as possible. I will try my best. Okay, I know it's not easy.

So when someone receives their trim notice, if they are... If they are homesteaded, which means that they have a property that is homesteaded in Hollandville Beach is their primary property. The property appraiser sets the market value rate, right? That is different than your assessed value and your taxable value rate. Property appraisers sets the market value rate, then you have save our home portability. After that you have your assessed value. then you have your home set at first 25,000, second 25,000, you might have some other deductions if you're widow, if you're veteran disabled, things like that, and then you end up with your total taxable value at the end. The city is not responsible for setting any of those values. The city is only responsible for setting the millage rate. That's the only thing we control. We don't control the county rate, the school board rate, the South Florida Water Management District rate. We only control the City of Hondale Beach millage rate, Three Islands millage rate, Golden Isles millage rate, and the bonded debt, geobond debt rate. So I say that to mean also is that it could be that we roll back the rate. The rollback rate is the amount of revenue we would capture if we, it's the amount of revenue that we would capture if we kept the millage, to capture the same amount of revenue with the millage rate going to the rollback rate. It is very possible that we could go to the rollback rate and you could see an increase in your property taxes. That's because the value of your home went up. So there's a reason why you could see a rollback rate and still see an increase in your money.

So most people saw a value of their homes go down.

The market value went down. The assessed value went up. The taxable value went up. which means that even though we roll back the rate, you might have an increase. Which was about 2%, I think, roughly.

Which was about 2%. Now, in addition to that... You have non-advalorum assessments.

Correct. Which is separate from your property tax rate. Correct. So non-advalorum assessments are things like fire assessment, stormwater assessment. Those are the items that are not based on the value of your home. They are based on... They are... divided equally among all of the residents. So if the fire assessment is $349, whether you're living in a 5,000 square foot home or a small little condo, we're all paying the same amount. That is what differentiates between the non-advalorum assessments and the property taxes. Property taxes are based on value of the home. Non-advalorum assessments are not based on taxable value.

Okay, and even myself, I forget. The trim notice is not the actual tax bill. It is not the final bill. And it has a column that says, if nothing is changed, if something is changed. So the numbers that may be increased are the other taxing districts and not necessarily Hallandale, who receives a very small part of that actual tax bill.

That is correct. The bill that everyone's received is a proposed tax bill. It is not the final bill. What we're going to do today is, and on the 28th is to set those millages so that they are final. So when you receive your bill in October, that will be your final bill.

On behalf of Hallandale. On behalf of Hallandale.

We cannot control the other taxing districts. Our goal today is to set the rollback rate for the city of Hallandale Beach.

Correct. Thank you.

And I would just add, Vice Mayor, that this is the third year in a row.

Third consecutive year we've gone to the rollback rate.

That we have reduced the millage rate.

We have reduced the millage rate.

I think, Dr. Earl, we said just this year was we're only one of two cities. How many cities have rolled back or reduced the millage rate three years in a row? So we're trying, Mr. Tucker. I know it's not easy. Our costs are going up, but we are trying.

And just to be sure that you're getting all of the applicable homestead exemptions that you have, I'm assuming you know which ones you're entitled to or not entitled to, but in case you can speak to the director and make sure you're taking advantage of all of the not discounts, what's the word? Exemptions, thank you.

We can help you reach out to Marty, the property appraiser, and work to make sure that you have all the exemptions before that.

So make sure Mr. Tucker gets that information. Thank you. Absolutely.

Thank you.

You explained recapture?

I thought that's what you were going through. I'm sorry. It's difficult to learn recapture, but okay. Oh, I'm sorry. No, that's okay.

I just wanted to confirm because I'm just getting up. Because that, I think we had talked during our budget workshop. in regards to the recapture rule. The only time that I've seen it happen was in 2008 when they had the housing crisis. So if you could publicly just address what the recapture law is, it's by state statute. So you're right if your taxes went up even though our millage went down and she will

So under Florida law, the property appraiser may continue increasing a property's assessed value when it is below the market value, even when the market value remains flat or decreases. This is known as recapture. Again, the city, we do not control the values, only the millage rate. This is why a resident's taxable value and or tax bill may increase even though the city may lower the millage rate.

But there is a maximum, right? The maximum is 3%. 3%. So the maximum increase in the taxable value is 3% if you're homesteaded. If you're homesteaded. So you roll back the millage rate. It could be increasing your taxable value. You end up, who knows what the final is.

But even if your taxable value went down, you are still going to pay an increase in. If your market value went down. The market value. Market value went down.

The assessed value goes up, which means the taxable value goes up. Right, right.

No, and it's just one part of. It's one part of the bill. Yeah, so there's two other major taxing districts, the county and the school board.

That's correct, and they are based on different taxable values.

Way too complicated.

It is. Market value went down. Sus value went up.

Thank you for explaining.

Go ahead. Yes, please.

I keep hearing my badge against the podium.

We didn't hear it.

Oh, you don't hear it? Well, it's a good news presentation, so.

Great job.

Are you good? Yeah, thank you. Oh, there we go.

Yes, thankfully.

Okay, tonight's presentation, this is our first budget hearing. We've done a series of presentations over the last few months. We're gonna do a brief recap for those members of the public that were not able to attend the last few months. We're gonna recap everything that we're gonna show you here tonight. Nothing is new. We've had workshops on every single one of these items. All these slides, they're just copies of prior presentations that we've done all year long. We're gonna take a look at the city-wide general fund budget followed by the property value changes, proposed millage changes, and buyer assessment. We're also gonna do a small review of the capital program as we have a separate presentation on that, renewal and replacement fund, and the recommended five-year financial outlook. We're gonna close with potential effects of property tax reform and the actions required to complete the adoption of the budget. The budget process began in January with early planning and continued in February with departmental requests. Staff then completed the city manager review in April. The public review phase included workshops on May 6th, June 10th, June 22nd, August 5th, and August 19th. Those meetings gave the commission and the public several opportunities to review the budget, ask questions, and shape the final proposal. We are now at the formal adoption stage. The first public hearing is tonight. The final hearing is scheduled for September 28th, and the adopted budget will take effect on October 1st. Going backwards. Again, five public workshops shaped the budget presentation this evening. On May 6th, the commission reviewed the initial budget overview, Shaves Lake project, and bus shelter improvements. On June 10th, the discussion expanded to the five-year CIP capital improvement plan, fire assessment, and the commission annual action plan. The June 22nd workshop incorporated resident survey results from the resident survey that we did. In August, the commission reviewed additional discussions on the cemetery, development service fees, a review of the commission annual action plan and the updated budget. Tonight's proposal therefore reflects the culmination of the process, not a single point in time recommendation. The 2026 resident survey identified three top priorities that residents said that were top priorities. Traffic flow, stormwater drainage, and the city's appearance as the three highest community priorities. Traffic flow ranked first with 50% of the respondents identifying it as a priority. Satisfaction improved from 18% in 2024 to 22% in 2026. but the result confirms that this remains an area requiring attention. Stormwater drainage ranked at 39%. Satisfaction increased from 24% to 31%. City appearance ranked third at 32%, while satisfaction with the city's overall image increased from 51% to 57%. The important takeaway is that the satisfaction improved in all three areas while residents continue to identify them as priorities for investment. For traffic flow, the budget includes $334,000. This consists of $185,000 for single retiming and $150,000 for assistance from the Transportation Research Center, which is an agreement with Florida International University to help our Transportation Mobility Department for transportation-related tasks and transit. For stormwater, this budget directs approximately $16.8 million towards drainage and utility work. This includes $500,000 for northeast drainage infrastructure, $350,000 for citywide pipe cleaning, and approximately $16 million in active utility bond projects. For city appearance, the budget provides approximately $3 million for road paving, sidewalk repairs, wayfinding and gateway signs, bus shelter improvements, and continued right-of-way maintenance. These investments demonstrate how resident feedback moved from survey results into the proposed financial plans. This section provides a high level review of the proposed budget, including the size of the citywide budget, the general fund, and the workforce supported by the various funds. The proposed citywide budget totals 251.3 million, an increase of 16.49% compared with the 26 adopted budget. The increase primarily reflects investments in the general fund, capital projects fund, and utility fund. These increases include major infrastructure commitments and one-time project funding rather than only reoccurring operating growth. The proposed general fund budget totals 134.3 million, an increase of 16.8 million or 14.33% over the prior year adopted budget. As we will see on slide 13, the details of how that increase occurred. The general fund is the largest component at approximately 134.3 million, representing 53.44% of the total budget. It supports core governmental services such as police, parks and recreation, infrastructure, facilities, human services, and general administration. The enterprise fund total 64.1 million, or 25%. These funds support business type services, including sanitation, stormwater, utilities, where services, where charges for services generally support the operational and capital needs. So an enterprise fund is where the user pays a specific service for that specific service to be rendered to them. Special revenue funds, these funds are restricted and can only be used for designated purposes. They include the building fund, building permits, grants, cemetery operations, and the special neighborhood districts, such as Three Islands and Golden Isles. The remaining fund types, approximately 31.4 million, and include debt service, capital projects, and internal service operations such as fleet, general liability, and workers' comp. Within the general fund, $68.9 million comes from ad valorem property taxes.

Oh, did I?

Hmm. Oh, I went backwards.

Oh.

Oh, wait. Of the 535 positions, 384 supported by the general fund. This includes the charter offices, human resources, finance, city manager's office, procurement, parks and recreation, budget, sustainable development, portion of it, because the portion is funded by the building fund, IT, police, public works, and human services. Enterprise fund supports 105 positions, 23 in sanitation, 73 in utility, and nine in stormwater. The key point is that the general fund supports most of the city's workforce and therefore carries most of the pressure from personal costs and property tax changes. I missed a slide, sorry. We do have two positions that are, we have two increases in our position count for FY27. They are two utility engineers. These are utility funded and has no impact to the general fund. And these are to support in-house expertise and less reliance on consultants. Okay, general fund highlights. One slide, 12. The proposed general fund is balanced at approximately $134.3 million. The year-over-year increase is $16.8 million or 14.33%. The largest driver is one-time funding for Shaves Lake. It includes $4.5 million appropriation from the general fund fund balance and a $6 million contribution from the Hollandale Beach Community Redevelopment Agency for this project. The city begins the year with projected reserves at $45.3 million, remaining well above the minimum policy of 16%. Taxable value growth remains positive at 2.53%, but slowed significantly compared with recent years. The general fund also absorbs a $749,000 increase in the TIF payment to the CRA. Slide 13, these are the major general fund cost drivers. This table explains the difference of the $16.8 million increase in the general fund. Salaries and benefits increased by approximately 3.5 million, or 8.7%. BSO contract increased by 2 million. That's due to the contract negotiations that we had last year, and in addition, the increase in the FRS special risk delineation for BSO. Those numbers came out on July 1st of 2026, and they have an impact on the 2027 budget. Transfer the capital projects fund increased by 9 million. The largest individual change in this is Shays Lake. Also in the capital projects fund, we're funding bus shelter improvements, sidewalk improvements, and design for bridge repairs to name a few. The transfer that R&R fund, that's our fund where we're setting aside dollars that we can repair our general fund assets. That increased by $577,000. These increases are partially offset by a small reduction in the Transfer Transportation Fund of $709,000 and other small decreases in expenditures. Advalum taxes are property taxes based on property's taxable value. Advalum taxes are annual property tax based on the assessed value of real estate determined by the Broward County Property Appraiser Office. This is the largest source of revenue for the general fund. These funds support public safety, police vehicles, set aside for normal replacement that fund HVAC systems, playground equipment, roof repairs, capital projects, pension obligations, to name a few. The remaining general fund revenue comes from other sources, including charges for services, franchise fees, utility taxes, communication taxes. intergovernmental revenues, transfers, and other receipts. Taxable value growth of 2.53% again remains positive, but the slower pace reinforces the importance of conservative assumptions and diversified revenues. or dollar. Where do your general fund tax dollars go? This graphic shows how each general fund tax dollar is allocated. Police and fire services really see the largest share at approximately 45 cents of every dollar. Other obligations and transfer accounts for approximately 17 cents. The payment to the HBCU IRA accounts for approximately 13 cents and citywide administration accounts for another 13 cents. The other category includes commitments like Shaves Lake, streets and sidewalk improvements, renewal replacement, debt service payments, and general liability obligations. Property values, this section explains the relationship between the taxable values and the rates per supported, proposed to support city operations, debt service, and fire protection. Taxable value growth varied across the city and the special districts. Citywide taxable value increased by 2.53%. Three islands experienced a 3.82% decline in taxable value. Because the tax base declined, its rollback rate is higher than the current millage rate. Golden Isles experienced the strongest growth at 4.79%. These differences are important because each district has its own taxable base, budget, and millage calculation. That's the good part. The citywide budget, the proposed millage rate is 7.3189 mills, down from 7.3848 mills that we presented in June. The proposed debt service millage is also down 0.3437 mills, down from 0.3445 mills. Again, we are one out of two cities that are going to roll back rate in FY27 out of 32 municipalities. That is huge. That is because we have done such hard work over the last few years to make sure that we can bring our residents some sort of tax relief, even staring down property tax reform. The average taxable value of a single family home in Hollandale Beach is $456,000. It is important to distinguish taxable value from market value because taxes are calculated using taxable value, not market value. Millage trends. Proposed combined operating debt millage service is 7.6626 mils. This again consists of 7.3189 mils for operations and 0.34737 mils for the debt service. The proposed operating rate decreases by 0.0659 mils and the debt service rate decreased by 0.0053 mils. This is the third year that we've been able to reduce the millage rate to the rollback rate. Compare with other Broward County municipalities, Holland Beach ranked seventh based on the proposed combined rate. The comparison provides useful context, but each city's rate reflects its own tax base, service responsibilities, debt obligations, and revenue structure. And you'll see on the next few slides how the fire assessment and the millage rate, when I get there, you'll see that some of the cities, while they might have a lower millage rate, will have a much higher fire assessment rate.

So we'll see that comparison.

The average taxable value of a single-family home increased from $433,000 in FY25 to $456,000 in FY26. That's a 5% increase. Since 2024, the increase is approximately 61%, or about 15%. Over the same period, the millage rate decreased from 7.5884 mills in 2024 to 7.3189 mills in 2026. The Broward County Property Appraiser determines the taxable value. the city commission sets the millage rate needed to fund city operations. Because the taxable value increase, the city can reduce the operating rate and avoid collecting the full revenue that the prior rate would have generated. The tax impact on an individual property will vary based on its taxable value, exemptions, save our home limitations, and whether it is homesteaded. For illustration, the average single family taxable value increased from $433,000 to $456,000. At the 2026 rates, the city operating debt service taxes on the prior average taxable value total about $3,300. At the proposed rate, the estimated total on the taxable value is approximately $3,400. It's a slight increase, but again, that is due to the increase in the taxable value amount. This example uses the average taxable value, not the market rate value, and the result for each property will be different. Proposed 2027 fire assessment. Again, this was a presentation that we did back in June. The current annual residential fire assessment is $347.98 per dwelling, residential dwelling unit. The proposed maximum rate is $394.15. The proposed increase is $46.17 per year, which is about $3.85 a month for a 24 hour, 365 fire service. This assessment is expected to generate approximately $800,000 dedicated to fire services. The proposed adjustment helps keep the city pace with the increased cost of providing fire protection and maintaining the equipment and resources needed for service delivery. So on this slide here, you'll see that for our fire assessment. What about the middle of the pack? There are 19 municipalities in Broward County that are proposing an increase to the residential fire assessment rate, 19. Hollandale Beach ranks 13th amongst the jurisdictions shown. The average proposed rate in the comparison is approximately $444. Our proposed rate is less than average. The city, we used an updated fire assessment analysis to evaluate the cost of fire services and the funding needed to support those services. The assessment revenue is restricted to eligible fire service costs. You can see from the slide here on slide 23, we are 13th ranked. Some cities are going up $306. Some cities are going up $3. But we're going up at the rate that we need to so that we can afford to pay for the fire services and not dip into the general fund. This slide proposes support for fire protection, stormwater, water, and sewer services. Just to note on this slide, the fire protection, the residential fire assessment is yearly, and the stormwater, water, and sewer is monthly. That was my mistake. I should have made them. I should have annualized all of them. BUT THE FIRE ASSESSMENT IS YEARLY AND THE REST OF THEM ARE MONTHLY. I JUST WANTED TO SHOW ON ONE SLIDE ALL THE INCREASES THAT WOULD AFFECT A RESIDENT OF HOLLAND MILL BEACH ALL ON ONE SLIDE SO IT'S NOT SEGREGATED AND KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE IN THE PRESENTATION. So again, the stormwater, water, and sewer base charges and drainage fees used to support infrastructure improvements that we have long awaited for, and those costs by the month are about $1.34 to support all the bond work that we're doing out there.

Okay, capital project funding.

The proposed budget includes 33.3 million for capital investments in FY27. The largest source is 18 million utility revenue bond funding. The plan also includes 6.5 million from governmental city funds, a $6 million CRA contribution, and approximately $1.87 million in grants. Please note that appropriation of grants are executed once we've received the executed agreements. The city has also important unfunded capital needs, including approximately $12 million for Atlantic Shores roadway improvements, $2.7 million for Diana Drive roadway and drainage improvements, and $5.7 million for Northwest and Southwest 8th Avenue. Identifying these needs does not mean they are funded in this budget. It just helps the city plan future funding and pursue grants and partnerships. There is a separate five-year CIP presentation later on in the commission, so there's a lot more detail in that presentation. Again, I just wanted to provide one slide with a summary so that this presentation has basically all the workshops that we have discussed for the last few months. Renewal and Replacement Fund. The Renewal and Replacement Fund provides approximately $2.7 million for assets scheduled for replacement during the year. The proposed annual contribution is approximately 1.8 million, an increase of 900,000 over the prior year. A stable annual contribution reduces the need to address major replacements through emergency appropriations or sudden general fund impacts. It also helps the city plan for vehicles, technology, park assets, public facility components, and other equipment as they reach the end of their useful life. On slide, I can't really see that, 26? Sorry, oh boy. On slide 28, we have a detail. We have a five-year. We actually have a 20-year schedule, but it doesn't all fit on the slide. But this is a five-year schedule, the next five years of what we plan to replace over the next five years. You can see in FY27, we've got laptops that we're trying to replace. And in FY30, that's our big year right there. We have two fire trucks that we need to replace. As you'll see, we're going to refine the renewal replacement plan. Our five-year plan also captures funding the renewal replacement plan. They fund a little more so we can afford those items and not have to come back to City Commission looking for a millage increase to take care of our general fund assets. So every year this plan will get refined as we add more items as our facilities assessment studies come due. Project carried forward in 2027. These are projects that have already been funded, already been appropriated, approved by commission. We just like to bring to this commission what's going to be rolling from FY26 to FY27. So it's about $101 million in projects that are expected to carry forward. It's approximately about the same from last year. Last year, I believe it was 102 million that we carried forward. The largest portion, of course, will be in the utility bond fund, 2025. The second largest is 21 million, the 2024 utility bond fund, and then 15.8 million in the capital projects fund. Major examples include Shaves Lake, the electric vehicles facility, Northwest Southwest 8th Avenue, and again, ongoing utility projects. The carry forward does not represent new 27, FY27 revenue. It represents prior year appropriations that remain available because the related projects are underway and not yet completed. Okay, the recommended five-year plan. Okay, the financial plan incorporates, again, this is not new. We had this in our last presentation, a few presentations before then. The financial plan incorporates a planning scenario for potential property tax reform. It assumes $150,000 homestead exemption in FY28, increasing to $250,000 FY29 in later years. It also assumes the assessment cap on non-homesteaded property decreases from 10% to 5%. For planning purposes, the ad valorem revenue assumes 2% growth beginning in FY28, along with estimated revenue from future major developments. The plan also includes the higher fire assessment revenue beginning in FY27 and approximately $400,000 annually for the new school zone enforcement program. Other revenue assumptions rely on recent collection trends. These are planning assumptions, not guarantees, and we will update them as actual results and legislative decisions become available. Other assumptions that the plan assumes is 5.5% increase for non-police bargaining employees. For police bargaining employees, the plan assumes an 8% increase. Police and fire pension costs are expected to grow by 5% annually. Health insurance costs are expected to grow 10.2% annually, making health coverage one of the strongest reoccurring pressures in our forecast. The plan also assumes a 5% annual increase in the Broward Sheriff's Office contract. Together, these assumptions allow the city to see how reoccurring costs growth compounds over time. And here we have a little slide that shows the taxable value growth from 2022. As you can see, we went from 10.72% in the city's taxable value growth to 17.88%, back down at 9.6%, up to 10.2%, and now this year we're at 2.53%, which is why we are projecting a 2% planning assumption for FY28 and forward. Five-year plan, this is again, not a new plan. We presented this back on August 19th, August 5th, June 22nd, and back in May. The proposed, the 27 proposed general fund balance, a general fund, fund balance is approximately $45 million. One second. The ending unsigned fund balance is approximately at $45.1 million for FY27 and declines to approximately $25.7 million by FY31 if we do nothing. And this is, of course, due to the property tax reform. Projected gaps will have to be covered by reserves if we do nothing. The reserve percentage remains above 16% minimum in the forecast, but the margin narrows to approximately 19.8%. by 2031. This is why early action matters. Waiting until reserves approach the minimum would require more abrupt service or revenue decisions. And on the bottom of this slide, again we have the future financial factors baked in. We have the reduction in our property values for the $150,000 homestead exemption built in 250,000 built in as well major development revenue is built in, which gives us a total there at the bottom. Okay, we're gonna just end on property tax reform. This section summarizes the proposal reflected in the city's planning scenario. The details remain subject to legislative and voter approval process, so the financial plan treats them as a risk scenario rather than a final outcome. Property tax is the city's largest and most flexible revenue source. The proposal could significantly reduce that revenue and restrict how the remaining property tax dollars may be used. The permitted core service categories shown here include public safety, infrastructure, stormwater, flood control, debt service, retirement obligations, and general fund operations. A reduction in this flexible revenue source could place pressure on current services. lead to greater reliance on fees and assessments, delay capital projects and asset replacement, or reduce funding available for senior youth and community programs. The gross potential impact shown over four years is approximately $32 million before considering offsets such as revenue from new development. The exact impact will depend on the final proposal, voter approval, taxable values, and impending legislation. So what comes next? The city's approaching this issue through early planning and financial discipline. First, we will continue to diversifying revenue through grants, partnerships, and appropriate service fees. Second, we will protect the city's financial position by preserving reserves, prioritizing investments, and updating the five-year financial plan as conditions change. As the tagline at the bottom of this slide says, we are not waiting for change, we are planning for it. Next steps include the September 28th adoption of the city's budget. This concludes the overview of the city manager's sensitive budget and financial plan for FY27. And I'm available to answer any questions.

It did a great job. I just want to thank you also for sending the two, four and 6% projection. So I appreciate you including that. So I did get that by email, but thank you. Great job.

Thank you.

Yeah. Well, why somebody else can read it doesn't need to be made. This is the so well, Mike's got it.

Do you want me to read it? Or do you want to read it? It says as required by statute, we will now announce that for the purposes outlined in the presentation and commission discussion, the tentative millage rate proposed by the city commission is 7.3189 mills, which is the legal rollback rate. The parks obligation bonds millage is proposed at The Golden Isle Safe Neighborhood District tentative millage is proposed at 1.0934 mills and the Three Island Safe Neighborhood District tentative millage is proposed at 0.4584. The aggregate proposed millage generates a 0.56% decrease in property tax revenues over the aggregate rollback rate The second hearing to set the final millage rates will be held on September 28th at 5.05 p.m.

Thank you.

Sorry, Mayor. Thank you.

Motion? It's a motion, right?

Second? Motion, yeah, to approve.

Second. Roll call, please.

This is an ordinance on first reading. There's no public speakers signed up for this item. Just for the record, Madam Mayor. Vice Mayor Lazaro.

Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Tobb. Yes. Mayor Cooper. No. Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler.

Yes.

Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

9B, an ordinance of the Mayor and the City Commission of the City of Halland County, Florida, adopting the annual budget for the 2026-

Thank you. I apologize. Start over.

Lawrence, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, adopting the annual budget for the 2026 through 2027 fiscal year, including the Golden Isles and Three Islands Safe Neighborhood District budget, providing for effective date. It's brought forward by Staff Budget and Programming Monitoring Director. We do not need a presentation on the budget. You did a great job. She's like, oh my gosh. Almost done the budget. It is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so at this time. Have any speakers signed up? No speakers. I will close the public hearing and entertain a motion to adopt or amend.

Second.

With no changes. I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call?

Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler. Yes. Commissioner Limital. Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Okay, back to the beginning. Okay, we are going to go to consent. I would like to pull item 8M.

No. Yes, yes, MM, you're right, sorry.

8M. Is there any other pulls? I have a motion and a second. Okay. Could I have a roll call?

Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Lima-Tobb. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Commissioner Butler.

I'm sorry, Mayor. I needed to pull two on consent.

Oh, geez.

K and L. Wait. Oh, my God. My apologies.

No, it's okay. It's been a long night already. Oh, my goodness. Wait. Wait. Item K and L. Reset.

Yeah. K and L.

And L. And L. And M. L. So motion to approve all consent except K, L, and M. Perfect.

I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call please?

Commissioner Adams? Yes. Commissioner Lima-Tobb? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Commissioner Butler? Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you. Item A, K26387, a resolution, Mayor and City Commission, the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, adjusting the annual compensation of city charter officers on providing effective date. This is brought forward by myself, Vice Mayor Michelle Lazaro, Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Tobb, and Commissioner Adams.

second i have a motion in a second further discussion hearing none could i have a roll call please um mayor yep yeah so this is item k okay i'm sorry i'm working on an emergency on another um issue so my apologies everybody so um so i on item k the the I just, there's not enough backup detail here for me to support the item, so I will not be supporting it tonight. I just wanted to make that statement before the vote. So my apologies again to the City Commission.

Thank you. Roll call.

Vice Mayor Nazareth. Yes. Commissioner Limitao. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Commissioner Adams.

Yes.

Commissioner Butler.

No.

Motion carries 4-1.

Thank you. Item L26388, a resolution, Mayor and City Commission of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, setting the 26-27 annual compensation of the City Commission in accordance with Section 231 of the City Codes of Ordinances and providing for effective aid.

Motion approved. Second.

I have a motion and a second.

Go ahead.

So thank you, Mayor. So same thing with this item. And I do want to make just a quick statement about the previous item as well is that I very much do support us ensuring that we compensate our city employees and have supported and advocated for us ensuring that we pay them a competitive salary. But again, like this item, there's just not enough backup for me to support this item. Thank you, Mayor.

I have a roll call please. Commissioner Adams. Yeah. Commissioner Nemitz-Hopp? Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Butler?

No.

Motion carries 4-1. Thank you.

Item M-26-312, Resolution of the Mayor and the City Commission of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, awarding RFP 2526 through 10 State Lobbyist Services to the highest-ranked responsible and responsible firm, Becker & Polakoff, PA, for a period of five years for a total amount of $270,000. thousand dollars and providing for effective date I am we what you call it I'll start with this it's been a really first of all thank you all for your patience and being here and thank you very much for bidding on this after consideration due to the year that we have ahead of us and all the challenges the city is facing. I believe it behooves us and no disrespect to any of the top firms or firms that applied that I think that we should stay with the existing lobbying firm that has represented us this year. and I wanna share that with my colleagues. I know staff went through this process and it's before us.

I agree, I'm in agreement. So how would we address this attorney?

I don't know if city manager wanted to.

How would you, do we? I think the motion would be to.

I believe legally.

Yes.

Deputy.

Yes.

City attorney. That the commission can select whomever they want per our code, correct?

Well, correct. You do have provisions in the code that speak for how you would address if they did not want to go with the recommended proposal from the evaluation committee.

So do we vote now or do we rescind or? I don't know.

I would entertain a motion to reject all bids.

Well, there's a couple of ways you could go. I apologize, Madam Mayor. You could reject all bids, or you could reject the proposal that was recommended by the selection committee. You have precise code language that talks about who you would, if you're not going with the recommended bidder. Obviously, I'm assuming, just hearing some comments from the mayor herself, that there are some reasons for that. You cited the need for continuity in lobbying services, or at least a preference for that. But I believe if you are making a recommendation based on what's most advantageous to the city, and in the best interest of the city. Those are the provisions that the code language speaks to. You do also have requisite provisions in the solicitation that went out that covers that, the RFP itself. So the procurement director can speak to that language if if necessary, but this is essentially for the commission to decide what they wanted to do based on the rankings from the evaluation committee that came before.

So the mayor can make a motion. I'm back to my original question. How would we be addressing the item that's on the agenda tonight, given how the commission, I don't know how everybody else feels.

So if the preference is to go with one of the other recommended proposers, You could reject the proposal. Your motion would be to reject the proposal recommended by the selection committee. You could amend this resolution to award that contract to that vendor and then ask to approve that resolution as amended. Alternatively, if there is a decision from the dais to reject all bids, you could also go that route under your procurement code.

I think the cleanest way is just, I'm making a motion that we reject the recommendation from staff selection committee that is before us and I'm recommending to keep with continuity and in light of this year and what the city will be facing in the best interest that we select Ballard. Second.

Who is the third ranked. Second.

I have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

Yeah, so I mean, I'm just looking at the summary rating sheet. I mean, it's a pretty significant difference between Ballard and Becker and Polykov. I understand. So are we able to, under state law, reject a lowest bid? Yes, you do. Do you have any reasoning behind it to support it?

Well, yes, as I said, under your procurement code, you can make such a recommendation when it is determined by this commission to be in the best interest of the city, and therefore something that's most advantageous to the city. So you have the ability to reject all bids, you have the ability to go against that recommendation. But yes, I do think you are correct that your grounds should be stated, and I've heard grounds so stated by the mayor, at least.

Thank you.

Dr. Earl, I don't know if you wanted to add anything or from the procurement director. No. But this is a commission decision at this point. Exactly.

I have a motion and a second. I have no other buttons lit. Could I have a roll call, please? It's to reject the recommendation from the commission, the committee, the selection committee, and go with Ballard based on the best interests of our city in light of what we're going to be facing and going for the next year.

And so we would still need to based on the same procedural posture. Yeah, same procedural posture to negotiate that contract with the next vendor. We would have been doing that with the recommended motion.

We have a second. What's going on? Okay, thank you. Move forward, please.

Commissioner Butler.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazzaro? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Limatog? Yes. Commissioner Adams? Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you. This is one year, not five. One year, not five. One year. Okay.

Okay. We are going to go back to... Ordinances. Okay. Item C, an ordinance of mayor and city commission of the city of Hallandale Beach adopting the five-year capital improvements program for fiscal year 2027 through 2031, establishing the fiscal year 2027 capital improvement program as the capital budget for the city of Hallandale Beach and providing for conflict and providing, excuse me, for servability and providing for effective date. This is the first reading. It was brought forward by our budget and monitoring director. It is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so. None. No one. We're good. Any questions? Comments?

No, Mayor.

Nope, we're good? I'll move it then. Second. I have a motion and a second. I opened and closed the public hearing already, correct? Yes, ma'am. All right, could I have a roll call, please?

Vice Mayor Lazaro?

Yes.

Commissioner Nemetov? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Adams? Yes. Commissioner Butler? Yes. Motion carries 5-0. Thank you.

Okay, item D, an awareness of mayor and the city commission, the city of Hallandale Beach, Florida, setting and amending the water and wastewater rates for fiscal year 2026, 2027, providing for conflict, providing for survivability, and providing for an effective date. This is also a first reading. It is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so at this time. Seeing no one approach, I will close the public hearing and entertain a motion.

Just for the record, Madam Mayor, this item is also to be heard with item 10B. And outside council has requested we vote on item... Oh, because of the...

I forgot.

Correct.

I apologize. Because of the...

Setting.

The changing of the way of collection. So 10B. 10B.

We're going to vote together.

Yeah, should I read it in the record? Please. Okay. Item 10B, A, wait, 10B. How you got me confused? 10B, in the words of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, relating to the City's stormwater utility fees, providing for collections of such stormwater utility fees as non-advalorum assessments on the annual property tax bill. approving the amount of the stormwater management service cost to be funded by the non-advalorem assessment in fiscal year 2026-2027, approving the method of calculating the stormwater non-advalorem assessment wow this is long approving the stormwater non-advalorum assessment role imposing assessments upon all tax parcels described in the assessment role appro approving collection of the stormwater service assessments on the annual property tax bill commencing with the tax bill mailed in november 2026 ratifying and confirming city resolution number 2026-067 and providing an effective date. This is a second reading. This item was adopted on August 19th, 2026 on a 4-0 roll call vote. This also is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so at this time.

No speakers signed up.

Seeing no one speak on this item, I will close the public hearing on second. and take a motion for first ordinance to set for.

Are we voting on 9B and 10B? We have to do it separately. Motion to approve.

Thank you. I have a motion and a second. Do I have a second? I'll second it.

Commissioner Adams? Yes. Commissioner Butler?

Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Tobb? Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Motion carries, 5-0. Okay.

Now I've got to go back. I don't have to read it, but I want a motion on the ordinance D. Motion to approve. The first reading and second reading will be at the budget hearing? At the 9-28. 28? Mm-hmm. 28.

You said B?

9-D. D. D is in David. It's a first reading.

Motion to approve.

Second. Thank you, Mayor. I can do a second.

I can do a second.

I'm really not supposed to do a motion to approve. I can. I'd have to remove myself.

Commissioner Butler?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Limitao? Yes. Commissioner Adams? Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Okay, now who's on first?

I'm on E now.

E, now.

As in Edward.

Okay, item, thank you. In ordinance of the Mayor and the City Commission, City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, amending Chapter 32, Zoning and Land Development Code, specifically amending Article 1, Division 1, Section 32-8, definitions to modify the definition and requirements for condo hotels amending Article 3, Division 2, Section 32, 153, CRP, Commercial Recreational Passive District, to allow multifamily dwellings as a conditional permitted use, providing for servability and providing for conflict, providing for codification, providing for effective date. This also is the first reading, and it's brought forward by... The director of development services. I thought we did this last year. It is the first hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so at this time. No speaker signed up. Thank you. Motion to approve. I will open and close the public hearing. No, I have a motion. Thank you.

Could I have a roll call, please? Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Commissioner Lima-Tobb. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler. Yes. Motion carries 5-0. Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Item F26309, an Orinson Mayor and the City Commission of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, amending Chapter 32, Zoning and Land Development Code, specifically amending Articles... for division 17 signs section 32607 general requirements to revive regulations regarding use of LED technology for freestanding signs in section 32610 administration and enforcement regarding procedures for sign variances Providing for servability, providing for conflicts, providing for codification, and providing for an effective date. This also is a first reading. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so at this time. Seeing no one approach, I will close the public hearing and entertain a motion on 1st and obviously 2nd on the 28th. I have a motion.

Second.

And I got a second. Could I have a roll call, please?

Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler. Yes. Commissioner Limitaud. Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Item 10A, 26214, an ordinance of Mayor and City Commission of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, approving amendments to the City of Hallandale Beach General Employees Retirement Plan document and the investment policy statement to authorize the early retirement window pursuant to the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement approved on May 6, 2026, providing for conflicts, providing for servability, providing for codification, and providing for an effective date. This is a second reading. It's been brought forward by a human resource risk management director. It was adopted on August 5, 2026 on a 5-0 roll call vote. It is a second reading. Anyone wishing to speak on this item may do so at this time.

No speakers signed up?

I have no speaker, so I will close the public hearing and entertain a motion on second.

Motion to approve.

Second. Thank you.

Could I have a roll call, please?

Commissioner Butler? Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Mayor Cooper?

Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Tobb? Yes. Commissioner Adams?

Yes.

Motion carries 5-0.

Okay, so I'm all the way through. Okay, going to item six. Well, now, see? Yes, okay.

I don't know why it wouldn't be, it's all out of order.

Item C-26307, an ordinance of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida related to the City Stormwater Utility System. Amending Section 30-241 of the City Code of Ordinances of Pride that the method used by the City to calculate and determine the amount of the stormwater management utility fee imposed by the City to fund stormwater services, facilities, and capital improvements may be determined by resolution, and that such utility fees may be collected as non-ad valorem assessments pursuant to section 197.3632 and section 403.0893 Florida statutes by direct billing or any other collection method authorized by law, providing for servability, providing for conflict, providing for codification, and providing for an effective date. This is the second reading. It's been brought forward by our finance director. This item was adopted on August 19, 2026 on a 4-0 roll call vote. It is the second reading. I'll open the public hearing. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I'll close the public hearing and entertain a motion on second.

I'll make a motion, but I have a question. Okay, go ahead. Okay. So I don't know if this is the time, but I'm gonna do it now anyway. So the problem is that the HOAs have been paying their water through their maintenance. They are no longer going to be doing that. Now they're gonna be paying it directly, correct? So they're double dipping in a sense. We're charging them and the HOA who I don't believe is going to say to them, oh, by the way, right. Just so I understand, I am telling the people that I know who are in HOAs, and I don't know what we can do about those HOAs such as my own. I have already, you know, indicated to them, you need to, in your budget, not account for this part of the HOA, and I guess for the bill, and I guess that would not be our place to do that, but... you know, when we're talking about seniors and paying bills and where they can save money, you know, we know how HOAs are. They're certainly not going to give back anything. But I'm just wondering, you know, when we're talking about this, how we can What can we do? How do we inform people? You know, I know for myself and the mayor, we were engaged with Kathleen Carroll, who, you know, had no idea that this was happening. It was on her tax bill. You know, she didn't know what it was. And I was trying to explain to her because it's on the tax, the trim that you used to pay this to them. now you're paying it directly, you need to go to them. So I think this commission needs to understand that they need to tell people that when seniors or anyone comes to them and say, why are you charging me for this water? You need to let them know that you were paying that to your HOA and you're not anymore. So I just have my concerns around that and I don't know what else we can do.

Huh? It's a valid concern. I had a chance to speak at the Hemispheres and do a budget presentation. And at least their finance, the person that volunteers on their finance committee actually came up and said, thank you for that information. So you mean we will not see that? And I said, yes, but you realize that as that pass through, I hope you're going, they said, absolutely, you know, they will do it. And I had the same question because I sat and debated it with our finance director. There's no way we can force that private entity.

No, I understand that, but here's the question. You know, there's going to be a general HOA bill for water for the general property. Right. I mean, they're going to have to pay for something because of the general... HOA, gym, pool, stuff like that. But I don't, this is very complicated for seniors and people that pay money to HOAs. I understand we needed to do this to collect, make sure we didn't have debt and all of the reasons that you list here that are to our benefit. But I really, this part of it really upsets me.

Vice Mayor, so we sent an email out last week. I think your concerns are absolutely valid. I've asked Director Neste to get an FAQ and an actual mail out for us to send out. like ASAP, that will hopefully get the word out as well and put some people on notice.

I mean, I'm hoping that people call me and ask so that I can tell them, go tell your HOA. But I think it's also going to be confusing for the HOAs. They're not going to know how to back out each individual other than to say, I was trying to do the math myself with my own maintenance. How would they do it? What part of my maintenance accounts for? And what I was saying is that we need to back out that actual number, right? So what is it? What was it? What is it? 125? 145. 145, 145. So out of my maintenance, how to account for that 145?

And that will be up to them to figure that out. We did an exercise with the hemispheres. So if you want, if through the city, I'm sorry, city manager, I apologize. Through the city manager, like discuss the exercise we went through. And it's kind of like... To be politically correct, GEO's right. It's their decision to make. We can't force them to make it, so we don't want everybody's hair on fire, but you're absolutely right. If there's a board that isn't saying their bill, whether it's 3,000 or 4,000, they need to cut their budget, but how do they know it's gonna go back into the maintenance? Go ahead.

Yeah, so Gio Nasti, finance director. So when we first started this, we initially, because we have a team of four of us that are kind of handling this since April, we originally thought that the concerns were mostly gonna be with the commercial properties, right? Because the way that we're billing everything is based off the actual measurements, and some may have some major increases, but Once we sent out the trim notices in August, the most amount of feedback we got were from the HOAs and the condo associations. So what we ended up doing was mailing out to the HOAs that we have their email to the property managers an FAQ for unit owners and then also like a toolkit for board members and also the property managers to kind of help them understand if they have a calendar year end, that there might be a gap of three months where they're billing for the stormwater, and yet not paying the stormwater anymore, and what they could do with their next year's budget. So we could definitely forward that information, and as the city manager just directed, we'll also mail that out.

Yeah, and if you wouldn't mind forwarding me that packet that you sent to the managers.

Yep, absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you. Yeah, it's kind of a slippery slope. We're good.

Did I do a roll call?

Motion to. I am motion. Okay, I need a motion.

And a second.

I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call, please?

Vice Mayor Lazaro? Yes. Commissioner Lima-Togg? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Adams? Yes. Commissioner Butler?

Yes.

Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Okay, Item A, 12A, Commission Action Plan. The Commission Action Plan brought forward by Staff, Budget, and Modern Director. I guess for discussion or adoption. Do we have to stop this?

You need a motion on this? Motion. Second.

I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call?

Commissioner Adams?

Yes.

Commissioner Butler?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you. Item B, 12B-26177, a resolution of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Hanlon, Dale Beach, Florida, establishing the total sum of the annual fire protection services special assessment. setting the amount assessed against each parcel of property for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, providing for the continued use of the uniform method of collection, providing an effective date. This is also brought forward by Budget and Monitoring Director, and I'll entertain a motion to approve.

Motion to approve.

I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call, please?

Commissioner Butler.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Commissioner Lima-Tobbs. Yes. Commissioner Adams. Yes.

Motion carries 5-0. Thank you. Item C, 26291, a resolution the Mayor and City Commission and City of Hallandale Beach, Florida. approving the fiscal year 2026 through 27 non-advalorum special assessment role for the Three Islands Assessment Area, including the role of payment delinquencies for the prior fiscal year, directing certification of the assessment roles to the Broward County Tax Collector, approving ratifying and confirming collection of the three islands assessment pursuant to the uniform tax bill collection method commencing with the tax bill mailed in november 2026 and providing for effective date this also is brought forward by the budget monitoring director if there's no questions i will entertain a motion to approve i have a motion and a second could i have a roll call Vice Mayor Lassero.

Yes. Commissioner Dimitrov. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Commissioner Adams on communications.

No comment.

Thank you. Commissioner Butler, communications.

No communications, Mayor. Thank you.

Commissioner Lima-Taub, communications.

I just wanted to take a quick moment to recognize the city clerk and thank her for her uber professionalism and the... amazing work that you do on behalf of all of us. You make us all look really good. And a lot of times we get the credit for the work that you actually have done. So I also want to thank those who have advocated on your behalf. And I'll leave it at that. So thank you. And very well deserved. And then I will make it very quick. met with the secretary of the dbpr and then served on a panel with the miami with the south florida realtor association and they had their condo forum for brower county so i would like to be able to work with the dbpr and the state ombudsman to bring some resources to the city of Hallandale Beach. Specific to condo owners, there's a lot of changes that were enacted as of August 4th that are going to affect most of the condo owners here who want to sell and the 800 agents in the city of Hallandale. City of Hallandale Beach.

It's not me.

No, I know. And so I would like to be able to work with staff. I might lend my office to the ombudsman. We don't know yet whether it's once a month or once every three months so that condo owners can come and get the assistance they need. And also would like to be able to pick a date, and if any of the commissioners or the mayor want to join in, it doesn't just have to be my initiative, it could be collective, to bring in some resources to condo owners and have a forum maybe at the cultural center so that they can come in not file complaints, but get the resources that they need. So I'll make that in the form of a motion.

Thanks. I'll second that. First of all, what a breath of fresh air. I know she had reached out to us. I had a chance to meet with her and her aide for about a half hour, actually introduced her to Detective Camaro. He was very excited. and it was a breath of fresh air. So I tried to introduce her to our building official, our code enforcement officer, as well as, again, the PD. I think it's wonderful. I think it's very generous of you to open your office. It might be a little bit easier. I was thinking we do have a smaller... I know we use it, and things are pretty tight. There's a conference room. I think it's room 208. That used to be... additional lounge area for 203 but also I don't know if we can but it might if we can do some type of link on our website to directly link our residents to their office I know she has a real robust new programming and resources as well for applications, so I second the motion, but I think maybe just because logistically, having people all in that back room and accessing the back area, but I guess we could leave it up to Dr. Earl. They'd like to schedule office hours.

Okay, we're good. Anything else? A meeting or whatever, a forum would be great.

And I'm sorry I couldn't attend that. I had previous commitments, but I'm glad it went really well. So, yes, I would love to help in any way I can.

Does it need to be a motion?

She made a motion. She has it. I got a vote.

I might need a date from the cultural center. Yeah.

Roll call. Commissioner Adams. Yes. Commissioner Butler.

Yes.

Commissioner Lima-Todd. Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Motion carries 5-0. Thank you. Okay.

And that'll be it for my comments.

All right. Vice Mayor.

Thank you.

Um, yeah, so I have a request of city attorney and Chief Michael to research kratom, which is a opiate derivative from a plant base. And after speaking to people who work in treatment and psychiatrists that I know that have run treatment centers, apparently they are admitting now more patients addicted to this plant than actual opiates or any heroin or any kind of narcotic.

What's it called?

Kratom, K-R-A-T-O-M. You do like a tea or something or smoking? Well, you could do it smoke, you could do it tea, I don't know. But the legislature had a bill that died in 2026 and the... Altmeier, Attorney General, passed a form of a regulation of a chemical compound of this product, which is called 7-OH, but nothing limits us from banning it in Hallandale Beach entirely, as far as I understand. It is most likely being sold here.

over the counter and i would like to consider banning that from the sales in hallandale beach wow when it goes want to go one step further and i don't know if we can do it yet i am so sick and tired of the proliferation of all these it's gross and um the smoke corner on everything smoke shops in every corner and fast food restaurants that's what hallandale is like that's it Well, not only things.

No, no, or like businesses. It really is. I mean, that's the feedback I get from people. So, I mean, do you want to stop?

I don't know what we can do at this point, but if we're looking to ban it, I don't know what the state legislation will allow us to do since they had the new bill.

Well, let me focus on mine first and then we'll go forward. So can I make a motion to work with the city attorney's office and chief's office to research an ordinance? Absolutely. Do you need a motion?

Yes.

Motion. Second. I'll second it.

Could I roll call please? Commissioner Butler.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Commissioner Matab.

That is really doing a service to the community. Seriously. Thank you. That's really, thank you.

Commissioner Adams. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

no i'd like to um piggyback on that to have staff have legal and um through dr earl our staff look at what we can do at least even if we're able to do any type of moratorium to stop it and the proliferation of all these smokehouses and also move it second

a motion and a second could i have a roll call please it's mary lazaro yes mr lima top yes mayor cooper yes commissioner adams yes commissioner butler ladies tonight

All of us, good, good, we're good. Yes, and I know that it's legal in Denver, in Colorado, rather, to sell marijuana, but I was at my first dispensary. First of all, it's all over the place it's legal, which I could not believe. Ohio, Ohio is legal before Florida.

Like, what?

Florida's stupid. Although, I have to say, it was a... business and I I felt like grandma Moses because the kids behind the counter that were selling it's in it like a kiosk or whatever and somebody was buying it not me but somebody else was buying it and I was there and I was like I remember the day when you had to buy a dime bag and there was seeds and you had a hit the guy next to you because he was holding a joint, you know, and everybody was worried. But I said, like, I never thought I would live to see this day. And while it's great, you know, because we all have this debate about alcohol versus marijuana and what's more destructive, I really, I guess I've turned into... this old stodgy or whatever you want to call it. I really have a hard time with all this stuff being sold over the counter. And I have come to believe that this progression, as somebody who's got 27 years clean and sober, that it's not working in our favor to continue down this path. And so I've always been a live and let live person. person but as I've walked into some of these businesses and seen because we know it's no longer was just dispensaries and now it's in a kiosk and now you can walk into any head shop they're selling it right over the counter and you know it's unfortunate because when you see something like this and find out, actually, if I could say that, the chief just told me that he called the businesses and three out of four of ours sell kratom.

I've seen the signs.

Yeah, so anyway, I'm just saying one of the reasons that I have kind of taken an interest in this is I'm very, and I would like to reach out to Ballard, actually, and ask them to find out what happened to the bill from Senator Grutter's last year and see if they would reconsider looking at that again statewide. But in any event, apparently the lobbyists for the manufacturers got a hold of the, yeah, and killed whatever protections were coming. But yeah, I've turned into this person that more and more I'm saying this is not the direction that we want to be going in, and it's unfortunate, but...

Well, just to shed some light, I am not a fan of rec marijuana at all. I think it's a proliferation. It's just an erosion. It's on every corner. I've seen it in Denver. I have, no, I do believe there is medicinal purposes for marijuana. Agreed. I support medical marijuana. But I was opposed and will remain opposed. I don't believe it's controlled enough. There's too much going on with fentanyl and mixes. How do you know with the proliferation, where it's coming from, what the genetics are, what it was treated with? even if you want to have something organic. So I agree with you.

When I say stupid Florida, I mean that people are doing it anyway. We might as well. I hate to say it. It's kind of going against what I'm saying. But if we're going to do it anyway, let's tax it and get the money out of it. But by the same token, then you're opening the door to exactly what I'm saying. I just, I never thought I would live to see the day when we walked in in a kiosk and punched it into a computer and they spit it out out of a, I would just, maybe I'm just old, I'll never get used to it.

Anyway, that's it. Thanks.

Okay. I'd like to, I have to make a motion or a request to have the family fund day waiver that we had discussed at budget. I'll move to... I'll request it. It's kind of weird. It's my request. I'll motion it in a second.

One more thing. Thank you so much for this. This is so nice. It really is, Mayor. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah, I love it.

It's an interesting story. I know.

I love it. I'm sorry. I just wanted to thank you for this beautiful call. It's really unbelievable. It's just so lovely.

Wait, I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call?

Commissioner Adams. Commissioner Butler. Yes. Commissioner Lima Tom. Yes. Vice Mayor Lazaro. Yes. Mayor Cooper. Yes. Motion carries 5-0.

Art Fair for October CCC, October 7th waiver. I'll move it. Second. I have a motion and a second.

Thank you, by the way, for taking on another, and I'm sure it'll be very... Peaceful. Successful. Peaceful, but very well done. So thank you for taking another...

I have a motion and a second. Well, I said I was going to do what I got to do, and I got to do what I said I was going to do.

And you are definitely a woman of your word.

I have a motion and a second. Could I have a roll call?

Commissioner Butler?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Lazarum? Yes. Mayor Cooper? Yes. Commissioner Lima-Tobb? Yes.

Commissioner Adams? Yes. Motion carries, 5-0. Thank you. I was, first of all, and I do need to thank... Commissioner Adams, she's very, very active with the high school. I know that our high school is only four days a week and she is part of the SAC. Is that final now?

Yeah. It is?

Yep.

What does that mean?

It means on Fridays, this is what they are doing. It's called Future Ready Fridays. They have social Fridays where there's different, it's basically, there's a hub with the United Way and they're trying to really get people, the kids involved in Friday activities. There's social Fridays. They can also have tutoring on Fridays, extra credit tutoring and after time for school. They've reinvented the choir program which is great. They also have a great band already. They have almost 40 people now in the marching band again, and they have a leadership training as well.

Can I just ask a question?

Yeah. If I may. Tomorrow they're having a meeting, I think, in the afternoon. i think with the principal um and i don't know i might go to it are you going to go to it no okay because if we are going to our paths are going to cross we have to remember that if we're both at a meeting together we might need to publicly notice it wouldn't hurt anyway because then people will know we're meeting in the schools the next one's the 28th and i told me i had a commission meeting i couldn't go but if you want to go You know, not the SAC. This is something different. I think it's with the hub and about these activities. But in the future, if we know we're going, we'll let the clerk know. We need like 48 hours? 72? 48? 48 hours ahead of time. But go ahead. I didn't want to lose that thought because our paths will cross.

Are the school hours going to be longer now in the fall?

No, they go to 3.30.

Yeah, 3.30. It's an extra hour?

Yeah.

And then what about the kids that their only meals are breakfast and lunch? That's it.

That's it. They didn't say anything if they were going to feed them.

And then they come here and they ask for more money. This is just like four days now. No, but it's...

I know, but I will tell you the model that they have in Pompano. No, because it's very important. The Pompano model has been working. But if it's not working and we have more shenanigans, I was going to ask through the city manager that you let us know, Chief. Okay? All right, and I want to thank you for doing public relations. Do you have an event coming? When's the event through the city manager? We're doing a safety event for bikes and stuff at Ingalls? Or did it pass already?

I think that happened already. That was at 6.30 in the morning.

There was something, an event, like a rodeo type? 6.30 in the morning. I'm not sure either. Okay, but just wanted to let you all know that and I want to give a shout out to our Rotary. They went and partnered with the school and dropped off a Constitution. They're celebrating the Constitution on September 7th. So with that said, I think I covered everything I needed to cover. Right, we're good? City Attorney?

Nothing tonight, Mayor, thank you.

City Manager?

Yes, ma'am, just want to thank Our city staff especially Kathy and her team and faith in their team for working very hard on our the North City Beach facility, also known as Tower and Cove Club. We've had two very successful events, approximately half of which have been attended by our residents who continue to rave about it. But without our teams, without parks cleaning and helping to organize and buying stuff and working in conjunction with the CRA team and Norman from facilities and Just everyone really chipped in, and I want to make sure that staff receives the acknowledgement for all of their hard work in making these events very successful. We have, obviously, more things happening this month, so it continues. But we hope to continue to make you guys proud, and that is it. Thank you.

Thank you.

Meeting adjourned.

Thank you.