City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the regular council meeting. Today is June 18th. We can call to order at 649. Can we please rise for the invocation of the Pledge of Allegiance?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many blessings of our lives. We thank you for our friends, our neighbors, our family, and those that we work with. And we also thank you for our service people, our police, our firefighters, our EMTs that keep us all safe. Please watch over our servicemen and women as they toil around the earth. And watch over our kids because so much can happen. And if you could give us some rain, that would be good too. We ask for this and more in the name of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to

All right, if we can go ahead and take a roll call.

So just for the record, we got some people on summer leave, I guess, on vacation. Debbie's overseas, George is up north visiting family, and our attorney is actually on a flight back now from Columbia. And we have our council member who just joined us. Thank you.

On to meeting notices, nothing to report. Presentations, there's none. Citizens' comments, do we have any citizens' comments? Announcements or amendments, corrections to the agenda, nothing to report. Approval of the minutes, regular council meeting that was held May 21st. Do we have a motion on the floor to approve?

We have a motion to approve by Councilwoman Taylor Martinez. Do we have a second? Second. We have a second by Councilman Turr. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion passes. On to Mayor's report. Mr. Mayor?

Thank you, Council President. Let me just take a look at something real quick here. Okay, so the first item on my agenda is an update on the Phase 2 Central Drainage Improvement Project. Everyone should have the paperwork in front of them. The bids, I think, came in. We talked about it last month. But the lowest bidder was $556,000, which is a lot. It was way under from our second and third place bidder. So we vetted the contractors. I know Macbeth reached out to a few of the contractors that they listed as references. And everyone should have a copy in front of them right now. We received a r

The Palmetto Bay said that they haven't done work with them yet. They haven't done work with them yet, but the other ones came back. And this one says Hard Tech Group.

Spell Bellens. How long have they been in business? I don't know. How long they've been in business?

It's okay. All the requirements, they put the bid in like everybody else. Not to say we have to go with the lowest bidder, but usually it's a reason why if we don't go with the lowest bidder, it has to be a reason why.

Do we have a motion to approve Healy Construction for the Phase 2 Central Drainage Improvement Project?

We have a motion by Councilwoman Deida Martinez. We have a second by Councilwoman Turr. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. All those opposed? Motion passes. Heating construction.

Move forward with the phase two, central drainage approval. And we'll have a resolution coming up on the attorney's report, so we'll get to that in a few minutes. So the second item I have is a request council approval to contract the Cordino Group to develop the geographic information GIS system. That's our water system that we need to, we're already behind with the county right now. So the county is requesting that our water system be on GIS and submitted to the county. Is that in the front? All of our water systems, our force mains, our water line, water service lines to our residential, ou

No. Just mapping it out. So for example, the system that you see Google Maps type of thing? you can see on the map all the lines, all the existing lines. So if construction starts, hey, where are the water lines? They show you where they are. Not just, hey, I know we put a line there at some point, or go through all the plans of previous projects and see where this puts it all together. What's actually in the field.

We did receive a grant for this, so it's not going to cost us anything. The village, I should say, it's not going to cost the village anything. We will have enough money left over from this grant to move on with other projects But for now, the first phase will be the water mapping.

The idea would be eventually to do water, power, sewer?

Water, probably sewer, storm drainage, and then probably trees as well. So that's the idea. All right.

Do we have a motion to approve the GIS system with the Corradino Group? I have a motion. We have a motion by Councilman Turr. We have a second by Councilwoman Taylor-Martinez. Any other discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Corradino Group can go ahead and start on the GIS.

And the last thing I do have, Laz is not here either. He left out of town today. We got like a skeleton crew here. But he did want me to remind everybody that at P&L, they are going to start the restoration process in about two weeks. So if you notice, they're going around putting all the pad mounts in, the transformers, and in about two weeks, they'll start coming back repairing all the sidewalks that were damaged. On this side? In between 5-9 and 6-4. Yes, which is at Phase 1. Mayor, what's the deadline for the whole VT?

Once everything is connected, they come back, remove all the transformers above. Remove all the lines except for the poles are staying the same. The poles aren't going anywhere. Absolutely. Transformers will be removed along with the power lines will be removed. And then from 5-9 to 5-7, they're working on now. I don't have a timeline for that, but they're moving along pretty quick. I saw them out there today, as a matter of fact, in that area. And then the last phase, which won't be probably until next year, is 6-5 to 6-7. So that will be next year. So next year they should be done with the w

Can I ask you, are the apartment buildings also going to have an entire building?

Everyone in DG. That's beautiful. It's a beautiful thing. Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. All right. Did you have something else to report? No, that's all I got.

I don't know. Maybe just the other day. Those hippies, you know how they were. 1971, that's a good thing. They should tell everybody.

Administrative items, beautification, the minutes for the month of June have been submitted.

And the palm was actually trying to grow sideways because it was trying to reach the sun.

And you have a guest here. Why don't you introduce your guest?

Enrique Leon, he lives across the street from Mr. Garrett on 39th. Right, David? Yeah. The corner house? Oh, he's next to the house that has... Next to the house that has like 13 cars. That one. The house to the west. Yeah. Yeah.

Anything else? No. All right. Thank you. Thank you very much.

On to planning and zoning. The meeting for the month of June was canceled. We're going to move on. Public safety. Mr. Chief. One and only. Come on.

Did she read the Miami Dade College Police? Yes. Yes. She didn't read that thing right here.

And again, before we even come to the council, the background check's already been done. Everything's been vetted on the future employees.

I don't know. It doesn't say we shouldn't ask. Anything else? She wanted to say yes.

We have a motion to approve the new part-timer. We have a motion. We have a motion by Councilman Turr.

And we have a second spot. And we have a second.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion passed. Thank you. Say that again? That's a drive.

Like I tell them all, if you can, move on, get the retirement, get the pension, and come back. We have a lot of guys here like Sacramento who worked here many years ago, left, and now he's back again. They'll come back.

Just for the record, I am not. Big Brother is alive and well. How many more of these cameras are we going to be putting? One more. I'll tell you what. Miami Springs has caught quite a few. They've caught three people. No. You know what? Invasion of privacy over three people. That's okay. No, that's not.

If you have a wallet and credit cards, they already know where you are.

Well, we need to have security. That's all I have to say.

All right. Thank you, Chief. On to public works. Nothing to report. Recreation, nothing to report. And resolutions. Mr. Mayor, would you like to take that over? Yes. I'll go ahead and read this for the attorney.

A resolution of the Village of Virginia Gardens for approving the statewide mutual aid agreement 2026 between the Village of Virginia Gardens and the Florida Division of Emergency Management authorizing the mayor to execute the agreement providing for implementation and providing for an effective date.

Do we have a motion on the floor to approve resolution G1? We have a motion. We have a motion by Councilman Turr.

I have a question. Yes, ma'am. Oh, well, I have to say it in a second. Does it cost us money?

No, it does not cost us money. If we need their assistance in case an emergency comes along, no different than us having a mutual aid with Miami Springs, Medley.

All right. Have they ever asked us, the whole state? This is standard.

We have a second by Councilwoman Taylor Martinez. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion passes. Resolution G1.

On to Resolution G2. A resolution of the Village Council of the Village of New Gardens for adopting a Village Water Conservation Plan consistent with the Miami-Dade County Water Conservation Program and the permanent year-round landscape irrigation restrictions of Chapter 32 of the Code of Miami-Dade County establishing water use, efficiency, landscape irrigation, plumbing fixture, leak detection, reclaimed water, public education, and drought response measures Directing the mayor to implement the plan, providing for incorporation of recitals, providing for conflicts, providing for severabilit

We have a motion by Councilman Jerry Martinez. We have a second by Councilman Turr. Any other discussion?

So this is required by the county as well. We have that information on our village website right now with the links to the different water saving measures that the county uses, irrigation.

All right. No more discussion. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed?

Resolution G2 passes onto Resolution G3, a resolution of the Village Council of the Village of Virginia Gardens in Miami-Dade County, Florida, adopting a contract of heat reconstruction group in the amount of $565,000 for the Virginia Gardens Phase II Central Drainage Improvement Project pursuant to RPQ number 002-2026. This was a rebid authorizing the mayor to execute the contract and all necessary documents requiring a 100% performance payment bond and provide it for an effective date. So just for the record, we just talked about this a few minutes ago. The grant amount was for $800,000 like

It's just the asphalt in those spaces is insane.

Not only that, they may prepare some of the areas that they didn't. Damage. So we'll use that money somewhere else. And our grant was for $800,000. So we did spend all that money we paid for through the grant. Good.

We have a motion by Councilman Martina Martinez. Second. And a second by Councilman Turr. Any other discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed? The resolution G3 passes. On to attorney's report, but he's not here. Old business, nothing to report. New business, good and welfare. Does anybody have any good and welfare? Go USA tomorrow.

Our department is amazing. The police officers are the ones that you see. Not the chief, but you'll see the police officers patrolling, right? Mike, is that what you're trying to say?

I'll say one thing. We do have to calm some of our guys down. A lot of them come from FHP. Bingo. Yes. I like to take a second on that. Other departments where they weren't used to community policing. It's hard to go from here, and I say here, I don't mean they're superior to us, but a whole different ballgame on highways and dealing with speeders. Here, it's more community policing. Steve and I have had many conversations on that Even this week we had a conversation on that and trying to change some of their, you know, ways of thinking.

You're parked over a sidewalk. Take a good knock on that door. Yeah, talk to them. Meet the residents.

Actually, that's why we used to do the bicycle when they rode the bike.

I have a question, but I'm going to ask you. Can I ask you? It doesn't have anything to do with Good Woman. What happened with that audit we were supposed to do?

The audit where they wanted to know everything about everything. Oh, that's yearly.

It's ongoing. That audit's ongoing. Every year we have the audit, and that one's ongoing, but... Whenever we receive a grant for over $750,000, I think, we have to have a single audit also. That's a whole separate audit from everything else. So that might be the one you're talking about. So we'll have an audit next year just on that one grant.

On the one that we're going to have. Yeah.

That's a single audit. That's good to know. Another one was from our previous audit with the Canal Bank and 38th Street, 37th Street.

These swans are beautiful. They chased away all the turtles. They chased them all up to my neighborhood. We had five.

We have four eggs over there. We're going to have more swans.

It's too hot now. Anything else? No, but I was going to tell you, we put water in the driveway, so they had water to drink.

Yeah, well, they didn't want to go back.

Do you have a motion to adjourn? Yes. We have a motion by Councilman Turr. And a second by Councilwoman Tera Martinez. Any other discussion? Before I close out, next council meeting will be canceled July 16th.

It will be rescheduled. So what's the date of the new meeting? Is that an issue for you guys? At 6 p.m. July 23rd. I'm in. Or are you over in Hialeah? Are you in town or in Hialeah?

Fourth of July parade. Fourth of July parade. We should all know that already. July 23rd, I can be here.

Yeah, I think so. I think I'm going to put you in Andy's car. me inside it whatever you want something about in the cage or i don't know something about that no all right any other discussion motion adjourned at 7 15.