City Commission - Regular Meeting

Wednesday, July 15, 2026Official site

The City Commission recognized outstanding police personnel and approved a new employee health program offering FICA tax savings and enhanced benefits. They also advanced ordinances to designate the Recreation Center as the official polling place, standardize city board appointments, and regulate parkway improvements, while discussing the upcoming budget and a new bus purchase.

About this meeting

Government Body
City Commission
Meeting Type
City Commission
Location
West Miami, FL
Meeting Date
July 15, 2026

Published excerpts

Only published remarks appear here. The full transcript is not published.

33 sections (from 34 segments)

35:58 – 36:14•Ivan Chavez Jr.

I JUST WANT TO VERIFY, YOU STATED THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE WAS 60th AND 11th STREET, IS THAT CORRECT? I KNOW YOU SAID A LOT, SO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS COMING. THAT WAS THE ONE THAT YOU REFERENCED IN TERMS OF THE PERCULATION.

36:18•Ivan Chavez Jr.

THAT'S GOING TO BE IN OCTOBER AND THAT'S GOING TO TIE IN THAT DRAINAGE PROJECT ON 11th STREET AS WELL. THAT IS CORRECT, SIR. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE?

36:34 – 36:46•Ivan Chavez Jr.

We haven't had a rec meeting, but there has been a conversation that I've been having with the manager, and I'd like for him to explain. We're looking at doing something known as a charrette over at Cooper Park. Fancy word for what the manager's about to explain.

41:31•Ivan Chavez Jr.

So just confirming each board member is going to be assigned to a specific member of the commission. Correct. Moving forward.

42:13 – 42:27•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Yeah, and previously the different boards were mentioned here. Just to confirm, because it was brought up in the past, the branding board is going to be a board that we're going to have moving forward, correct? I think initially when we talked about it, like we added it to the ordinance, the branding board?

45:49 – 46:11•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Um, vice mayor, how do you, how do you, how do you want to, uh, I guess it would be where any board where a commissioner isn't directly involved in that board would be selected by the board itself. But if there's a commissioner, a member of the commission in the board, then it automatically falls under their chairmanship.

47:15 – 47:26•Ivan Chavez Jr.

And Commissioner Ceballos used to chair our planning and zoning board. That process for your selection, you feel moving forward that the folks that stay on planning and zoning are happy with that selection process?

47:29 – 47:40•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Right. It was an obvious choice at that. Right. But there may be cases where someone doesn't want to step up and chair a board. That might be an issue as well. So we might have to enter.

47:55 – 48:17•Gustavo J. Ceballos

Commissioner Ceballos, anything on this ordinance? My only comment was, I think I mentioned it before, code enforcement. I don't know if we need to create a carve-out. It says it can be reappointed or replaced by the appointing authority, and I'm pretty sure that we just need to spell that out because code enforcement is born in the state statute, and I think only members can be removed for cause.

48:27•Gustavo J. Ceballos

You're right. I didn't see it underlined.

48:39 – 48:53•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Go ahead. So just moving forward, are we going to get a list of all the board members and who exactly is assigned to us? And then moving forward, we would be able to hash out who's staying, who's going. Obviously, after speaking with those folks, making sure they want to continue serving.

53:28•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Are you guys the house right behind it? Yes. The nice new house? Yes. I played baseball with your brother here at the rec with David. Nice meeting you. He's told me for a bit that you live there.

1:00:22•Gustavo J. Ceballos

Um, can we condition the approval of the waiver of the plot to the site plan? Not sure who that question would be to.

1:00:56 – 1:01:07•Gustavo J. Ceballos

Is the applicant voluntarily proffering to covenant this approval to the site plan provided? Yes. Yes.

1:01:45•Ivan Chavez Jr.

I just had one question for the applicant. I see one rendering here. There's going to be two homes. Yes. Are they going to look identical? Same build, same color, everything? Yes.

1:02:13•Ivan Chavez Jr.

It looks beautiful, absolutely, and I think it would be great in that location as the residents stated what was there prior was an eyesore.

1:18:46•Ivan Chavez Jr.

As long as at least 25 employees are part of it. I mean, as the mayor stated, there's a ton of great benefits. As long as there's no catch, it seems like a no-brainer.

1:19:38 – 1:20:05•Gustavo J. Ceballos

and your face as we thank you all right can we anything else I had one brief question um just in case because everything that sounds too good to be true sometimes is although I think this is a great system um my only question is this partnership agreement is that for a certain period of time what how long are we committing to can we opt out of the city we decide to I'm just wondering there's a release valve do you want me to answer that

1:27:31 – 1:28:27•Ivan Chavez Jr.

uh just going over the few options here i see that turf is an option i think the mayor somebody mentioned it prior there's different qualities of turf some look like rugs some don't look very great so to make sure that we that the intent of this is going to be utilized by the resident there's no way to circumvent it with super cheap turf for example another thing another concern is with the grass creed if we're going to allow for the grass in between that's something that we do have to police because the moment that that comes out, let's say if it's natural grass and it dies, it just looks lik

1:28:51 – 1:29:20•Ivan Chavez Jr.

So if we wanted to improve the piece of grass between the sidewalk and the street in front of a residential home, that would be a parkway. That would be the parkway. Okay. And then the last concern I have, it's not really a concern. It's a great presentation, great options along, along 16th street and along 62nd Avenue. I think we have to be careful. We allow there, especially 16th street has a very large parkway slash soil. So I think in those areas we have to be careful, especially with future potential projects coming.

1:29:49•Ivan Chavez Jr.

And 16th is a concern with how large their parkways are.

1:33:38•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Go ahead. I think that's great. Cause the intent behind this is to improve swales for parking. If you have a curb, you're not parking on the Swift. So that meets my concerns.

1:34:43•Ivan Chavez Jr.

And in the renderings here, there's hedges around the gravel examples. Those hedges are required additional greenery from what I understand.

1:34:58•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Right. Yeah, that would address multiple residents having gravel back to back and there's green breaking it up.

1:48:40 – 1:49:01•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Okay. Vice Mayor? Yes. This would be more for a second reading, but you mentioned nine to seven. I think we would like to discuss that time, but then for parks, you mentioned special event, Mr. Manager, I know in the future we've discussed potentially having permanent food truck type items, maybe at the rec or a Cooper park. Would we have to add that into this?

1:54:34•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Right. So getting a new bus is the only option at this point.

1:54:53 – 1:55:17•Ivan Chavez Jr.

uh yeah the bus is an embarrassment I've been hearing from a parks director though yeah I do want to give a shout out to him as well he's here uh you might have the numbers on how many additional kids we have during the summer compared to years past how much more revenue is coming in because of that so 200 000 is a large number but there's ways that we're going to eat into that with additional revenue that the wreck is bringing in

1:59:14•Ivan Chavez Jr.

I'll fly back August 12th. I don't know the time, but I'll text you later on.

2:05:13•Ivan Chavez Jr.

So I made a mistake. I fly back on the 11th, and I work on the 13th. Can we do the 12th? I know that August 12th was the original date, Wednesday.

2:05:31•Gustavo J. Ceballos

This will be... I'll take this meeting over that meeting.

2:06:07•Ivan Chavez Jr.

I work on the 13th. And I fly back the 11th. I thought I was flying back the 12th.

2:06:17•Ivan Chavez Jr.

I was just starting to miss Luciano until Commissioner...

2:07:10•Ivan Chavez Jr.

Ex-Commissioner Suarez texted me to ask Commissioner Blantes to stop talking so much.

These excerpts are remarks by officials whose identity a person confirmed, from a transcript generated automatically from the official public meeting video and presented unedited. Accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.