City Council - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our council meeting on December 18th. Today is December 18th, December 18th, 2024. The time is now 10.08 a.m. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

If you'll please bow your heads for the invocation. Heavenly Father, we come before you today to give you honor and praise. You are the source of all that is good. You are the source of all our blessings. Thank you for every gift that we have been given. We thank you for the opportunity to come and gather together on this day. We ask for your hand and blessing over this meeting. We ask that you would guide us, direct our meeting, that it is full of wisdom, productivity, and respect for one another. We thank you for helping us accomplish the work and the goals we have for our city. Amen. Okay,

Through the mayor, very quickly. My screen's not working, so I don't know if IT can come.

Got that? Anything from the city manager's office? Councilman Pinedo?

All right. I'm going to go ahead and defer item A- I'm sorry, 7D. 6, 7D, yes. D as in David. 7D. To the January meeting, the city attorney needed a couple more days to get the Exhibit A prepared. That's the only change I have. Okay, if there's no other additions or deletions to the agenda, we'll go ahead and open up public comments. Public comments is now open for this meeting. If you would like to speak, please approach the podium. You have three minutes to speak in respectful manner to this council. Please make sure you fill out a comment card. I'll go ahead and call the comment cards I have

Thank you, Richard. Next, we'll have all day to arrest.

Anyone else would like to speak in public comments? This would be your opportunity. Please approach the podium. Being none, public comments is now closed and we need an approval of the minutes. I'm sorry, of the agenda. Motion by Councilman Pinero. Second. Second by Councilwoman Cabral. All in favor say aye. Aye.

Second. Motion on the minutes by Councilman Pinedo, second by Councilman Cabral. All in favor say aye. Aye. All right, we move into discussion items.

ALL RIGHT. ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. I NEED A MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION BY COUNCILMAN PINERO. I NEED A SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN GABRIEL. No more discussion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Seconded by Councilman Cabral. Councilman Pinedo.

Motion to approve. Motion to approve by Councilman Cabral. Second by Councilman Pinero. All right. There's no more discussion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you madam clerk all right as you all know there was a charter amendment. On November 5th therefore being that our city manager. Senator his resignation effective December 31st we need to appoint a charter. per the charter, a selection committee. So this item allows for us to go ahead and do that. And then we can have a discussion. I'd like to call for the committee to meet and then have an opportunity for everybody to move forward. So I don't know if we can start with Councilman Cabral. Do you have your appointment? I will appoint myself. Okay. Councilman Reynoso.

Vice Mayor Porras? Myself. Councilman Pinero? Okay, I will be appointing myself as well. I'd like to call for a meeting of the committee on Friday morning.

One works for me. Actually, apologies. Can we do 1.30? That will work.

Thank you. Good, 1.30? All right, 1.30. I'd also like to request an abundance of caution that at this point we ask Deputy City Manager Francisco Rios to serve as our interim city manager should it take past December 31st to appoint a city manager. So I don't know if we can go ahead and do that.

Okay. Would that be appropriate, Mr. Cobiella? Yes. Okay. And additionally, I'd like for HR to have all the applicants that have applied. The applications have been open for some time now. So if you could please provide the search committee with all applicants that have applied up to the 19th in the evening on Friday morning, please. All right. Perfect. So I need a motion for the search committee, please. Motion to approve. Motion to approve by Councilman Cabral. Second by Councilman Pinero. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Okay. And now I need a motion to appoint Deputy City Manager Frank Rios as our interim city manager. Motion. Effective January 1st through when we have a city manager. Okay, motion to approve by Councilwoman Reynoso, seconded by Councilwoman Cabral. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

I'm asking for a moratorium to be placed on council-initiated events. I'd like to review the policy with the administration. So basically the direction to staff would be that no more council-initiated events be scheduled, neither in this building or in any building that go through this policy or that would go through a SCADA, for example, in this building.

Through the mayor? Yes. Is this effect already currently scheduled?

Anything past December 31st has to be put on hold at this time.

Including things that have already been scheduled? Yes.

Everything has to be put on hold at this time.

Why are we changing or why are we making the effective date January 1st for this one? instead of immediately?

Well, I haven't seen anything advertised, so there's nothing that should be affected at this point. The decision would be to make it effective January 1st, so anything through December 31st would take place. Anything after that would be on a moratorium until further notice.

There is an event that's Councilman Bineto's this Friday, and I have one in January. So this would be applied partially, honestly. will be applied till December 31st.

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo. I need a second. Second. Second by Councilman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you, Mayor. I'm requesting the support of my colleagues to refer and formally authorize the mayor's role as the ceremonial head of the city, its official spokesperson, and its representative in dealing with other governmental agencies and coordinate with section 2.02 of the city charter of the city of Doral. I request to my colleagues consideration in adopting a resolution that reaffirms this critical function and ensures consistency representation of the city's interest at all levels of government. You have the resolution attached as well. If you have any questions. Otherwise, I'll be t

Thank you, Councilman Pinero. Motion by Councilman Pinero. Through the chair? Yes. Councilman Camarada. Mr. Attorney? I think your microphone may be off.

So, yeah. Are you seconding the motion? Yeah. Okay. It's in the charter. Great. All right. We have a motion and a second by Councilman Cabral. Any other comments, questions? Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Yes. Vice Mayor Porras? Yes. Mayor Fraga? Yes.

Okay, Councilman Pinero, this is also your item.

Thank you, Mayor. I'm requesting the support from my colleagues for the proposed updates to the existing policy for issuing keys to the city proclamations and certificates. In light of identifying efficiencies with our current framework, I see your collaboration to refine our process for the benefit of our community and administrative efficiency. Attached, you will find some of the additions and changes that I'm recommending. If you have any questions, we can go by one by one. You have key to the city, proclamations, certificates, and also policies and procedures. By the way, this goes along w

Thank you, Councilman Pinero. Any questions, comments for the mayor? I have a couple.

Yes. Okay, so the... First, I want clarification on the first page, the first paragraph, the added sentence, only the mayor will have authority to present the key to the city, period. And then in the vice mayor's absence, the mayor may delegate a council member, city administrator, city attorney to act on the mayor's behalf. Just to confirm, I mean, we're implying that if the mayor is absent, the vice mayor will take their place, right?

IT'S ONLY THE VICE MAYOR'S ABSENCE. GOT IT.

THE OTHER ONE, LET ME SEE, PROCLAMATIONS, KEYS, I don't have any questions on or really specific concerns. As far as the certificates, I do have a couple of concerns. So the first one is the addition to have the mayor sign all of the certificates and then allowing the discretion or giving the discretion to the mayor to include the name and signature of the requesting council member. I do have an issue with the discretion. Shouldn't we just do, just have the signature? I feel like this could be really abused and misused. There are also individuals and people in the community that have specific

Councilwoman, since we're adding or returning to the approval by the discretion of the mayor, I think that will be subject to the mayor's discretion to ask her signature as well in case of the request that we're making. So that's why. I'm adding that is subject to the mayor's discretion based on the request that we as council members are based on the request that we're making to recognize a specific individual or organization.

All right, so what would be the the reason why you would decline to have the council members signature on a certificate? I guess that's my question just to confirm why it's a may and

So I have a couple of things that I'm going to actually update on this policy or recommend on this policy as well. I have no problem with when it was originally this way before it was changed so that the mayor didn't have the authority to approve or deny the certificates. I never denied a certificate. I would not deny the signature of a council member that was requesting it. So I have no problem striking through on that. So if you're okay with that, Councilman, I have no problem striking it through. I would not deny a signature of a requesting council member. I've never denied, and maybe other

It would have both signatures on the certificates, which you see it's customary in the county. I have no problem with that. So thank you, Councilman. So we can strike through subject to the mayor's discretion. Certificates may also include the signature of the requesting council member. Or if you want, we could just strike through, sorry, subject to the mayor's description and leave certificates shall include the name and signature of the requesting council member to be placed in addition to the mayor's. That's better.

Thank you that's all thank you. Okay, I do have a couple comments just technical under proclamations there should be the word the before mayor. And then I'd also like to strike through. At the end of the first paragraph. where it says, and only the mayor will have the authority to present. There's a lot of times that proclamations are requested from organizations that someone is affiliated with. So if like Councilman Pinedo, if you ask for a proclamation that's approved through my office, I'd like for you to go give it. So I think that that should not be just the mayor. If anybody's requesting

I will be okay with that, seeing how it actually applies. Because I really do think that is a violation of the charter. However, I'm okay with it. I would like to see it actually applied. And if not, I will raise the issue with the council again. Okay?

Motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo. Second second second by Councilman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Oh, I'm sorry. I have one more amendment I forgot to add. I would request that under policy and procedure that not only requested through my office or the mayor's office, I should say, but also copy the city clerk's office for purposes of record keeping. So please add to also copy the clerk's office. for purposes of record keeping.

Councilman Pinedo, this is also your item, I believe.

Thank you, Mayor. Well, this one's pretty simple. But I request the support from my colleagues to repeal the decision to rename the Mayor's Conference Room to the Council Conference Rooms. I propose that we restore the original name, ensuring it remains the Mayor's Conference Room in recognition of its connection to the Mayor's office and extended purpose.

Thank you, Councilman Pinedo. I appreciate it. Any comments, questions? Concerns? I have a question.

Yes. So just to confirm, we will still be able to use the conference room? And also, I do like the waiting area idea. Where were you envisioning, though, in the office?

So I actually wanted to make a comment about this. We've had space planning on the table for the third floor for years, since I was a councilwoman. we had space planning discussions on the third floor. So what I wanted to request of Councilman Pinedo in this item is that allow me to work with the administration that comes in next and actually with the current administration too, but this will take some time to bring back a plan for third floor space planning so we can have a final say and then build out the spaces for the legislative analysts, every section that we've talked about for years th

That works, Mary. Yeah, we had, I remember the conversation back in 2015, 2016. In 2017 as well, and never took place. So I think it's appropriate because it will certainly be like a welcoming area, not only for people that come to visit you, but visit us as well.

Okay, that was my question. It's going to be available to all members of the council, right? Yes, it'll be, of course. Anybody who's waiting to see...

myself or any member of the council can wait in that area. So if you all allow me as part of this item, if you could have direction to meet with the administration, Mr. Valdez and Mr. Rios and Mr. Arroyo, and we will finalize a plan and bring it back in January. Okay, good. Also to do the offices for the legislative aides.

Okay, motion to approve by Councilman Pinedo. Did you get that part, Madam Clerk?

Second. Second by Councilwoman Reynoso. Madam Clerk, please call over.

All right, I don't have a report except to say congratulations to my colleagues. I'm excited for these next four years and all the great things that we will do. I wanted to thank everybody for coming last night to our swearing-in in State of the City. It was an absolutely beautiful event. public affairs, thank you to IT, thank you to police, thank you to the city manager's office, everyone who really made it such a spectacular event. I think everybody really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed Councilman Reynoso's speech. You did a great job. And Councilman Pinedo's speech. You guys did wonderful. An

Councilor Reynoso. Well, first I want to thank everyone for coming out today to today's council meeting. I hope to have this same energy and this even more attendance for more council meetings in the future. I want to thank staff and also special thanks to all the community members who took part in my campaign to be here today and to have the opportunity to represent the city as a whole, which is... Something that I think many of us like to be part of, which is our saying, Dorado Unidos, Dorado United. And I hope within the next four years, we continue to unite our community. I want to end by

Thank you, Mayor. I also want to congratulate Councilwoman Reynosa for now becoming part of our great city of Doral elected officials. and also Vice Mayor Porras. And it's an honor to serve next to all of you and Councilwoman Digna-Gabriella as well. I wish you all the best in 2025. Many blessings to you and your families. I also want to thank everybody and all the residents, everybody from the bottom of my heart that have reached out to me and show affection and support for me and my family during this difficult time. As you know, I lost my mother a week and a half ago. And it has been very c

So first say I would like to express again condolences to council and the NATO for the loss of his mom. She was truly the embodiment of strength and resilience and I know that her losses being felt very a lot of individuals, including ourselves. Welcome to council and I know so like I mentioned I'm looking forward to working with you to serve our community and I'm very excited to serve as your vice mayor for this next term. And I look forward to working with the mayor in this role to support as well and continuing to serve our community. Thank you to all of our staff, all of our departments. I

Thank you, Council Member Cabral. All right, City Manager's Report. Mr. City Manager.

I forgot it was my birthday. I've been celebrating for like two weeks. Thank you. All right, Mr. Manager, thank you.

All right. And finally, City Clerk's report.

Thank you, all right. I need an adjournment, and Vice Mayor Puig Corbett is no longer here to adjourn, so I guess we'll be here forever. Oh, are you gonna take over? Awesome. Councilman Pinedo, motion to adjourn. I need a second. Second. Second by Councilman Cabral. All in favor say aye. Aye. This meeting is adjourned. We have a special meeting right after.