Yearly Archives: 2011

Dec. 2011 Board Minutes

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Council of Civic Association
Board Meeting Minutes
December 19, 2011
City Hall, 8th Floor

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 5:35 pm.
2. Attendance:  Present were President Sterner, 1st Vice President Marilyn Mammano, 2nd Vice President Betty Shelley, Corresponding Secty Donna Mergenhagen, Recording Secty  Rochelle Golub, Treasurer Madeline Klein, District 1 Rep Linda Nugent, District 2 Rep Shirley Smith,  District IV Rep Brucie Cummings.3. Minutes:  The minutes for the November 21, 2011 Board meeting were unanimously approved upon a motion by Ms Smith and a second by Ms Cummings.

4. Treasurer’s Report:  Ms. Klein circulated a written Report of the Treasurer showing an ending balance of December 19, 2011 of $7,594.12.  Ms. Klein stated that the only outstanding bill was for the post office box. No vote was taken on the Report.
5. Chaz Adams and Shannon Vezina from the City’s Public Information Department attended the meeting to further discuss the CFLCA’s interest in assuming the administrative responsibilities for organizing a time capsule to be sealed on March 27, 2012 – the end of the City’s Centennial celebration. They indicated that the City would offer support for the project but that it was anticipated that the Council would establish the basic rules of participation, the costs of participation with proceeds going to the Council, the collection of fees, the collection and safekeeping of  submitted materials offered by neighborhoods, individuals, organizations and businesses. Many details need to be addressed such as whether a separate bank account is established, what would be done with any profits from the event,  how submissions would be collected, whether envelopes to hold submissions would be sold in advance or participants would get their own envelopes and pay fees in accordance with the terms of participation. The event would be publicized through the City Public Information Office and at City Council meetings and through Council Corner and other Council communications. Ms. Golub  suggested that all of the organizations that sponsored events during the Centennial be contacted to participate in the time capsule. A motion was made by Ms. Golub  and seconded by Ms Shelley that  CFLCA  take on the administrative responsibilities  for preparing a time capsule for the City of Fort Lauderdale in conjunction  with the City’s Centennial celebration.  There were 6 votes in favor and 2 abstentions by  Ms. Klein and Ms Cummings. Ms. Klein indicated that she abstained because she could not take on any additional responsibilities. She was assured that she would not be overburdened by the time capsule activities.  A committee was formed to be chaired by Ms. Mergenhagen to include Ms. Golub and Mr. Sterner and Ms. Nugent. Ms Mergenhagen and Ms Golub agreed to outline a plan to be discussed by the Board. It was agreed that time is of the essence.  Mr.  Adams and Ms Vezina will research the costs of time capsules and appropriate fees.
6. Immediately before this Board meeting, the committee for the Council Election Forum met. Ms. Shelley reported that Hope Calhoun was going to be the moderator of the Forum and she attended the meeting. Over 26 questions were submitted in response to outreach by Ms. Mergenhagen.  The committee envisions that Mr. Sterner will make welcoming remarks.  Each of the 8 candidates for Commission seats will have 1 minute to introduce themselves.  They will be able to circulate printed resumes. Ninety minutes have been set aside for the Commissioner Forum including the opening remarks, introductions, responses to approximately 5 prepared questions and a 10 minute break. Excess time will be used to take questions from the audience.  After the break, the mayoral candidates’ forum will run for 60 minutes.7. Mr. Sterner reported that planning staff has not scheduled a second meeting to finish the presentation of the Council’s ad hoc reform committee. Staff responded well to the initial presentation.

8. Progress on finding a new host and programmer for the CFLCA website was discussed. To date, those contacted have been either too expensive or not reliable. Ms. Golub was advised to reach out to Tarpon Bend and Victoria Park to see who they use because they have good websites.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

November 2011 General Meeting

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Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations
General Meeting
November 8, 2011
City Hall- 8th Floor Conference Room

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 7:32 pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Attendance: First Vice President Marilyn Mammano took the roll and declared a quorum.

3. Minutes: The minutes of the October 11, 2011 were unanimously approved upon a motion by Steve Gillespie (Coral Ridge) and a second by Betty Shelley (2nd Vice President).

4. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Madeline Klein distributed the Report showing an ending balance as of October 31, 2011 of $7,810.80. She noted that the accrued interest from the Ascencia CD had been deposited in the checking account. The Report was unanimously approved upon a motion by Ms. Mammano and a second by Mr. Gillespie.

5. FLPD Police Report: Assistant Chief – Chief of Operations Steve Kinsey provided this month’s report. He talked about the institution of community meetings within the three police districts. He stated that the intent was to hold three monthly meetings within each of the three districts. The main purpose of the meetings is to exchange information and share resources with the residents. There was some discussion about whether monthly meetings were optimal use of time for all concerned. Assistant Chief Kinsey also reported that there was some progress being made in the area of juvenile justice; that fingerprinting for metal recycling can reduce recent crime wave; that Swap Shop is the primary place for the sale of stolen goods.

6. Announcements and Introductions:
• President Sterner announced that the CFLCA was going to host a Candidates’ Forum on January 17 from 6pm to 8pm at City Hall before the City Commission elections on January 31, 2012. Ms. Shelley and Ms. Mammano requested volunteers from general membership to work on the committee overseeing the event.
• President Sterner announced that the December general meeting would be devoted to the Annual Holiday Party. CFLCA would supply turkey, ham, paper goods, and beverages. Those who attend are requested to bring “pot luck”.
• Heather Stein from the Public Works Dept. stated that they were reaching out to the neighborhoods through the civic associations to spread information about energy conservation. She described a high efficiency toilet rebate program in effect for homeowners through Conservation Pays. More information is available at 1-800-270-9794 or conservationpays.com.
• Alena Alberani from the City’s Smart Watt program informed the membership that they were available to attend neighborhood meetings through March to talk about energy conservation and distribute tool kits valued at $100. Schedule by calling 954-713-0940 or register for an existing workshop at www.mods.org/energy/.

7. Committee Reports:

• Education Advisory Board: Ms. Shelley stated that the Board has been revitalized by the appointment of new members a new vice chairman. She said the board is working on a uniform code of conduct that should solve recurring problems.
• Charter Revision: Recording Secretary Rochelle Golub stated that the Committee had a workshop with the Commission about priorities for revising the City’s Charter. The Committee raised the issue of the enforceability of study results adopted by the Commission on future acts or failure to act by the Commission. This issue was advanced by the CFLCA. The Commission was of the opinion that this was a matter of good governance and policy and not a charter issue. The Commission did request the Committee to look at revisions to Articles III, IV and VIII.
• Centennial: Ms. Mammano read a report by Corresponding Secretary Donna Mergenhagen thanking Imperial Point, Coral Ridge and Sailboat Bend for sponsoring October events and reminding neighborhoods that there are still opportunities to use the tools created for the Centennial. If interested, fill out the form on the website or call Shannon at 954-828-4743.

8. Ad Hoc Code Reform Committee. It was the consensus of the membership that it was not appropriate to bring the Committee‘s report to a vote at this meeting and that the Committee should present the final report in writing to the membership. In the meantime, the Committee could attend the P&Z Board workshops and make an oral presentation when the Board takes comments.

9. Ms. Mammano stated that she had gathered a lot of information from the City and from the Neighborhood Conference in July about topics ranging from running better meetings to newsletters to increasing attendance at association meetings. She requested input from the member associations about the topics that interested them.

10. A special election was held as noticed for District 3 Representative. Dr. Magdalene Lewis was nominated and unanimously approved. A special election was held as noticed for District 4 Representative. Brucie Cummings was nominated and unanimously approved.

11. Park Goals Committee Report. In February 2009, the Parks Goals Committee chaired by Mr. Sterner and including: Abel Conejo (Lake Ridge), Denis Ulmer (Lauderdale Manor), Mark Boyd (Progresso Village), Marilyn Marcus (Bermuda Riviera), Betty Hays (River Run), Debra Van Valkenburgh (Chula Vista Isles) with input from Earnest Jones, Park Ranger Supervisor, published a report for consideration by the CFLCA as the official policy of the Council about increasing green and preserving green space in the City. The report which appeared to have reflected the consensus of the neighborhoods had not been formally adopted. Tarpon Bend and other communities had contacted the Council regarding recent talk about using a piece of Hardy Park for a fire station highlighting the importance of the Council having an official policy on the subject matter. City Manager Feldman asked to address the membership about Hardy Park. He accepted responsibility for the proposal as a cheap way to accomplish the goal of a new well-placed fire station; he apologized that he was unaware of the prohibition on the use of the land for any other purpose. He noted that the process of consideration of the proposal prevented any wrongful action by the City. The Report was distributed to those present who had not yet read it and it was discussed. Ms. Golub noted that the Report contained outdated facts and appendices which should be deleted. Ms. Mammano moved to adopt the Report without the appendices and facts about park rangers. The motion was seconded and it passed unanimously.

12. For the good of the Community. Announcements were made about various events to take place within a week of the meeting including the Rotary Club’s Power of 1 Hour event in conjunction with Veteran’s Day on November 12 and the renaming of a street for Jerry Cooper.

13. The Council thanked Bermuda Riviera for providing refreshments.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

October 2011 Board

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Council of Civic Association
Board Meeting Minutes
October 23, 2011
City Hall, 8th Floor

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 5:35 pm.

2. Attendance: Present were President Sterner, Past President Genia Ellis, 1st Vice President Marilyn Mammano, 2nd Vice President Betty Shelley, Corresponding Secty Donna Mergenhagen, Recording Secty Rochelle Golub, Treasurer Madeline Klein, District 1 Rep Linda Nugent, District 2 Rep Shirley Smith, Chairman of Committees Ron Centamore.

3. Minutes: No minutes were circulated by Ms. Golub for the September 26, 2011 Board meeting.

4. Treasurer’s Report: Ms. Klein circulated a written Report of the Treasurer showing an ending balance of $7,827.29 including the accrued interest from the Ascencia CD. The Report was unanimously approved.

5. The Agenda for the November 8, 2011 General Meeting was presented and discussed. Inasmuch as no legislators have confirmed their attendance for the proposed panel about the upcoming state legislative session, it was unanimously decided to postpone the panel until 2012. It was decided that it was a very busy agenda highlighted by the report of the Ad Hoc Code Reform Committee and discussion of the CFLCA response to staff. There was some discussion among the Board Members about staff’s presentation to the P&Z Board and the Board Members’ responses. There was discussion about the meaning of “incentives” and it was decided that the use of that term was misleading and should be replaced by the term “options”. The CLFCA Committee is meeting on October 27 with the Building Dept and is having a meeting to draft its report that same evening. Marilyn Mammano stated that she did not need to make a report on the visioning committee in light of the presentation at the last general meeting. President Sterner reported that there were vacancies for District 3 and 4 representatives and special elections would be required. Dr. Magdalene Lewis has agreed to run for District 3 Representative and Brucie Cummings has a agreed to run for District 4 Representative. Additional nominations will be taken from the floor. President Sterner requested that Corresponding Secty Mergenhagen send out the required notices for the special election.

6. President Sterner raised the timing of the preparing the new city neighborhoods map with commission districts. It was decided to wait until January to see if the Commission would adopt new districts before the January election or knew when the redistricting would occur.

7. The Board decided that in light of the scheduling of the elections for City Commissioners at the end of January, CFLCA would again hold its Candidates Forum in mid-January. While all commissioners are running unopposed at the present time, the filing deadline has not yet passed. It was the majority consensus of that even if all of the commissioners ran unopposed, a Forum is a good idea and has been historically poplar. A committee was formed consisting of Ms. Ellis, Ms. Mammono and Ms. Shelley to plan the Forum. Volunteer to be on the committee will be solicited at the General Meeting.

8. President Sterner asked Ms. Ellis who owned the CFLCA’s URL. She said the Council did. He asked the Treasurer about payments to GAT Media for the website. Ms. Klein stated that the fees for the URL of $38 and a fee to GAT Media of $398 were paid in December for 2011.

9. President Sterner stated that he had arranged for the CFLCA to use a storage closet in the City Manager’s office on the 7th Floor for archival documents and party supplies instead of the closet on the 8th Floor. After some discussion about convenience and privacy, it was unanimously decided that we would use the closet on the 7th floor as the archive and the closet on the 8th floor for party supplies.

10. Ms. Mergenhagen reported that the Tarpon Bend neighborhood has asked for the help and support of the CFLCA regarding the alleged use of part of Hardy Park for a fire station. It was determined that until more specific facts are gathered about the City’s actual intent for land dedicated to Hardy Park, it would be difficult to form a responsible position. However, the general issue of the City’s use of park land for purposes other than as a park is of historical importance to the neighborhoods. As part of the CFLCA’s goal-setting, a draft section on parks had been prepared based on the desires of the neighborhoods. A core concept was no net loss of park land in the event of a taking of park land by the City. It was decided to submit the draft to the membership at the next General Meeting and finalize the Council’s position.

11. Mr. Centamore announced an event hosted by the DFLCA and the DDA On October 25 to highlight the new lights on Riverwalk and the historical buildings open to the public.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:15pm

Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

October 2011 General

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Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations
General Meeting
October 11, 2011
City Hall- 8th Floor Conference Room

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 7:35 pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Attendance: Corresponding Secty Donna Mergenhagen took the roll and declared a quorum.

3. Minutes: The minutes of the September 13, 2011 were unanimously approved upon a motion by Genia Ellis and a second by Betty Shelley.

4. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Madeline Klein distributed the Report showing an ending balance as of September 30, 2011 of $7,880.36. She announced that the Board had voted to deposit the accrued interest from the Ascencia CD in the checking account and roll over the CD. The Report was unanimously approved upon a motion by Genia Ellis and a second by Ron Centamore .

5. FLPD Police Report: Officer Luis Alvarez provided this month’s report. He stated that Chief Adderley had adopted “intelligence led policing” and had formed an ILP Group. ILP was implemented in Hillsborough County and after an initial rise in crime, incidents went way down. FLPD sent officer to review ILP in Hillsborough County. The theory behind ILP is that 60% of the crime is committed by 6% of criminal offenders labeled “prolific offenders”. The FLPD want the prolific offenders to know that FLPD knows them. Instead of investigating crime from an area basis, crime solving is approached based on information gathering and knowledge of the whereabouts of the prolific offenders Crime analysts work together in one room gathering information from street officers, neighborhoods, and informants. There is cooperation among area police departments fostered by the Tri-County Crime meetings about patterns of crime. He also announced that given the success of the use of portable finger printing tools, the FLPD had ordered some additional units.

6. Announcements and Introductions:
• President Sterner introduced Julie Richards from the City Manager’s Office who will be attending the general meetings.
• Chaz Adams from the Public Information Office was in attendance and President Sterner thanked him for his presentation at the last meeting.
• Hal Barnes of Neighborhood Services stated that they were working on the review of the NCIP applications.

7. Tim Smith, former chair of Visioning Committee gave some background and introduced the current chair Randall Vitale. Mr. Vitale stated that the Committee had requested the Consultant to make sure that the whole city was considered in Phase 1 as the projects moved to Phase 2. He stated that the Committee was working hard and will hold open houses throughout the City to give information and receive input. The Consultant will review the input and post information on the Committee’s website: fortlauderdalevision.org. He stated that the Committee hoped to solicit as much input as possible through various means. Individual and neighborhood comments were welcomed and could be submitted online.

8. Ad Hoc Code Reform Committee, represented ar rhe meeting by Charles Jordan, President Sterner and others, gave a history of the evolution of this most recent attempt at code reform instigated by CFLCA. Prior to 2007, in response to the real estate boom, citizens came to the CFLCA to express concerns about the trends in residential development. Richard Mancuso chaired a committee of diverse professionals that prepared a report that was presented to the City Commission. The City Commission voted to take on the issue of residential code reform in 2007. A consultant, Winter and Co., was hired. City staff presented the Winter & Co. Phase 1 report at the CFLCA September General Meeting. Since that time, the Council’s Ad Hoc Code Reform Committee met and Gus Carbonnell compiled comments in a document distributed at the meeting. It was decided that the Committee would continue to meet and bring a recommended response to the membership at the November General Meeting.

9. Committee Reports:

• District Representatives reported that Target has adopted a school in Lauderdale Manors and is redoing the school library. This is a school that the EAB has also been working with; the plans for the Swimming Hall of Fame renovations are on line; Juanita Gray from Rock Island stated that SMART was very successful in her neighborhood.

• Centennial: Ms. Mergenhagen reviewed the highlights of the Centennial celebrations through the end of the year and encouraged members to check the calendar on the City’s website.

10. Tom Andrews of Riverside Park Residents’ Association made a presentation about a product that they developed called “PooPylon” designed to act as a cost effective pet waste bag supply station. The City’s Engineering Department is prepared to recommend the product to the Commission for no-fee engineering permits provided it is approved by the CFLCA. After the presentation and discussion, the CFLCA voted unanimously as follows: The Council applauds the efforts of the Riverside Park Residents’ Association to come up with a solution to an on-going problem. The Council endorses PooPylon as an option for neighborhoods that choose to use it subject to City staff’s approval and conditions.

11. The Council thanked Harbordale for providing refreshments.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

July 2011 General

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Minutes – July 12, 2011 – General Membership Meeting Corrected and Adopted Sept. 13, 2011

Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Association’s General Meeting July 12 2011
City Hall- 8th Floor Cafeteria
1. Call to Order: President Doug Sterner called the meeting to order at 7:45 pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Attendance: 1st Vice President Marilyn Mammano took the roll and declared a quorum.
Doug introduced our Guest Speaker Mr. Lee Feldman the new City Manager.

Mr. Feldman talked about his background and core beliefs such as “civic conflict leads to creative solutions’ and “neighbors not clients or citizens is the mind set”
He described his proposed restructing of the City Departments around five core service areas: Public Safety, Infrastructure, Public Places, Business Development and Neighborhood Enhancement. He proposes to name a city department head to coordinate across departments based on this new structure. Each service area will have a Strategic Plan with a 3-5 year cycle and an Implementation Plan with a shorter one-year cycle. He proposed that the Visioning Process that is ongoing be integrated into this new structure to assure its implementation. The City’s Vision Plan should drive these strategic plans.
His management team consists of Stanley Hawthorne, Budget, Susan Torriente, Planning and Coordination and TBA, Process Performance, Julie Richards, Neighborhood Support.
He took questions and pledged to work with the Civics.

Police Report
Crime statistics are now on line at http://www.raidsonline.com/ a new service that allows anyone to bring up the same statistics that are reported at our monthly meetings. Log on and choose Fort Lauderdale then accept the terms of use. Click on the dots to get information about the crime. It does not include some Part One Crimes like homicides, rapes and battery.

Doug asked for approval of the minutes of the June 14 meeting. Betty moved and Ron seconded, passed on voice vote.

Donna made a motion to correct the May 10, 2011 minutes to clarify……………

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Shirley seconded and passed on voice vote.

Doug spoke about the Florida Neighborhood Conference. He congratulated Betty Shelly on her award. Those members who received stipends for registration gave their reports. Hal Barnes thanked the Council for its help making this the best-attended conference is four years. Doug thanked Hal for printing our new color brochures. Following up on one of the recommendations from the conference, Marilyn asked the members if they want the Council to organize speakers/workshop on such topics as Meetings, Motivation and Roberts’s Rules of Order, The response was affirmative and the Board will start working on this.

Donna distributed the proposed Bylaws changes to all member civics in attendance. The others will be mailed. This constitutes the 60-day notice as specified in the Bylaws. The changes will be voted on at the September meeting.

Marilyn reported that the Commission discussed appointing a representative from the council to the Visioning Committee as requested by the Council. They will vote on this at the August Meeting. Should the vote be in the affirmative, Marilyn will start reporting to the Council on the Visioning process.

Warren Sturman reported on efforts to revive and expand CERT as part of the City’s preparation of a Citywide Disaster Plan. Ron is setting up a committee to pursue this. Anyone interested in CERT training should contact Ron.

Doug announced that the Council was organizing a Legislative Preview for the November Meeting.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15.

Respectfully submitted

Marilyn Mammano

June 2011 Board

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Council of Civic Association
Board Meeting Minutes
June 27, 2011
City Hall, 8th Floor
5:30 PM

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 5:30 pm.
2. Attendance: Present were President Sterner, Past President Genia Ellis, 1st Vice President Marilyn Mammano, Corresponding Secty Donna Mergenhagen, Recording Secty Rochelle Golub, District 1 Rep Linda Nugent, District 2 Rep Shirley Smith, District 3 Rep Joann Kitchen Simmons, Chairman of Committees Ron Centamore. Absent were 2nd Vice President Betty Shelley, Treasurer Madelene Klein, and District IV Rep Jackie Scott. A quorum was declared. Also in attendance were Raymond Detmann and Cathy Curry.
3. Minutes: The Board deferred approval of the minutes of the May 23, 2011 meeting.

4. Treasurer’s Report: No Treasurer’s Report was presented. President Sterner reported that the changes to the signatories to the checking account were completed and Ms. Klein had access to all accounts and deposits.

5. The Agenda for the July 12, 2011 General Meeting was presented and discussed. The Agenda will reflect the extended meet and greet for City Manager Lee Feldman . It will also reflect that the Council sponsored attendees at the Florida Neighborhoods Conference will give their reports. Ms. Mergenhagen stated that she would give an update on the vote on the by-laws.

6. The summer meeting schedule was discussed in light of the potential for Winter & Co. to submit revisions to Draft 1 of Neighborhood Development Criteria Revisions Project sometime this summer to be workshopped by the P&Z Board in August and presented for approval at the September meeting. The consensus of the meeting was that the Board and General meetings in July and August would proceed as scheduled without a summer break. The consensus of the meeting was that a letter should be prepared and sent to Staff that states that (i) CFLCA understands that the Winter & Co. redraft is anticipated to be published shortly and brought to a workshop before the Planning and Zoning Board and (ii) CFLCA respectfully requests time to circulate the redraft to the neighborhood members, gather comments, and prepare comments before the redraft is brought to the Planning and Zoning Board for a vote.

7. Membership Committee. Ms. Mammano reported that the planned District III event was going to be rescheduled.

8. Florida Neighborhoods Conference. The Board voted to reimburse a fifth attendee to the Florida Neighborhoods Conference. President Sterner stated that CFLCA would have a table at the FNC at no cost. He stated that a new CFLCA color brochure was being printed at no cost to the Council. He requested that Ms. Mergenhagen remind the neighborhoods to submit newsletters and other materials about their neighborhood for display on the table.

9. Ms. Golub reported on her research to date on options for upgrading the website to a content management system. She will continue to investigate costs and options. Other Board members will do the same. It was agreed that Ms. Golub and Past President Ellis who is currently the sole administrator for the website will meet to review the website and expand administration rights to other Board members to better ensure timely uploading of relevant information to the site.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:25pm

Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

June 2011 General Meeting

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Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations
General Meeting June 14, 2011
City Hall- 8th Floor Conference Room
1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 7:30 pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Mayor Jack Seiler introduced the new City Manager, Lee Feldman. President Sterner announced that City Manager Feldman would be the guest speaker at the July General Meeting and that the “meet & greet” time before the meeting would be from 7:00pm to 7:45pm.
3. Attendance: 1st Vice President Marilyn Mammano took the roll and declared a quorum.
4. Minutes: Upon motion by Ms. Donna Mergenhagen and a second by Ms Betty Shelley, the minutes of the May 10, 2010 were approved unanimously.
5. Treasurer’s Report: President Sterner presented the Treasurer’s report for April 2011 showing an ending balance of $7,985.94. Mr. Ron Centamore moved to approve the April report and Ms. Marilyn Mammano seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved. President Sterner presented the Treasurer’s report for May 2011 showing an ending balance of $8,185.94. Ms. Genia Ellis moved to approve the April report and Ms. Shelley seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
6. FLPD Police Report: Captain Jack Dale (criminal investigations) provided this month’s report. He stated that although crime is up by about 1% this year over last year, it is down 20% from three years ago. He said that the Department had some challenges working with other agencies that were having economic issues. He said that improved technology was making the Department more efficient. He cited tag readers, tracking stolen goods, digital photography and recoding of statement.
7. Guest Speakers on topic of Privatization of Broward Health: President Sterner introduced Charlotte Mather from Broward Health and State Representative Gwendolyn Clarke-Reed .
8. Ms. Mather distributed booklets about the history, mission and scope of Broward Health. Broward Heath provides medical services to the northern two-thirds of Broward County. Broward Health has taxing powers pursuant to state legislation to provide indigent care. She noted that Broward Health worked hard to keep millage rates stable and tax receipts low. In 2010, Broward Health provided $299,416,000 (unaudited) in uncompensated care including indigent care which was less than bad debt which was approximately $56,074,000 more than government funding. Nonetheless, Broward Health does not operate at a deficit. With respect to the topic, Ms. Mather stated that Broward Health CEO Nask proposed to his Board of Directors (appointed by the Governor) that they investigate moving from a public hospital to a non-profit in anticipation of federal health care reform. CEO Nask has stated that if privatized, Broward Health may not need tax revenue. But, if it were collected, he recommended a public board with taxing powers that gave the money to the non-profit hospital board. She cited FL Statute 155.40 as providing CEO Nask with the power to transition the Hospital District.
State Representative Clarke-Reed recounted that on Sept. 10, 2010, CEO Nask proposed, without notice to county or legislative representatives, that Broward Health privatize its services. She learned from a constituent and when she called Ms. Mather about the rumor, Ms. Mather was unaware of the proposal. She stated that as a result of CEO Nask’s position that he had the right to privatize without consulting the legislature, she introduced legislation to make him do so. Ultimately, in large part due to the efforts of her office, Broward Health slowed the process down and started to conduct public meetings around the county. State Rep. Clarke-Reed stated that she and the community were concerned about giving public tax money to a private enterprise and the level of indigent care that CEO Nask envisioned.
Both speakers acknowledged that Governor Scott’s task force looking into whether public hospitals should continue to exist will be significant. In response to a request from Ms. Mergenhagen, State Rep. Clarke-Reed agreed to provide information to CFLCA for distribution about how to contact the task force.
Questions were entertained from the audience.
9. Florida Neighborhoods Conference. Hal Barnes gave an update on the Conference to be held in Ft Lauderdale on July 7, 8,and 9, 2011 at Pier 66. Early registration ended June 14 so registration is $80. There are still a few spots available. More information can be found on the City website and at floridaneighborhoodsconference.org.
President Sterner and Mr. Barnes announced that CFLCA would be provided with a table at the conference at no charge. Neighborhoods were asked to provide copies of their newsletters for display.
Mr. Barnes also distributed a flyer announcing that the NCIP/BCIP 2012 grant cycle will open June 30, 2011 and close September 30, 2011. Orientation Workshops will be held in July to provide information about the program and to offer assistance to neighborhoods with the application process.
10. Centennial Committee Report: Ms. Mergenhagen reported that there were many events scheduled through the end of the year for the Centennial celebration. She highlighted the celebration of the Wade-In on July 4th. Fort Lauderdale was one of the few cities to peacefully integrated its beaches. Historian Susan Gilles’ contract is over in July so one more workshop scheduled on June 25, 2011 about researching centennial topics. She recommended making a reservation.
11. Ad Hoc Code Reform Committee. Ms. Ellis reported that the consultants recommendations are under review by staff.
12. Membership Committee. Ms. Mammano stated that the records have been updated. She stated that efforts were being made to stimulate membership. She and District 3 Rep Joann Simmons were going to attend Commissioner DeBose’s pre-agenda meeting .
13. By-Laws Committee: Ms. Mergenhagen announced that based on Board recommendations, she was preparing a packet on the proposed revisions that would be mailed to the presidents for circulation. The vote on the proposed by-law revisions will be held at the November meeting.
14. Audit Committee: Charles Jordan reported that the audit committee found no irregularities in the bank records and that former treasurer Tom Welch turned over the records in “good shape”.
15. New Treasurer. Pursuant to notice, nominations were taken to fill the vacancy of Treasurer. Ms. Shelley nominated Madelene Klein and Ms. Ellis seconded the nomination. There being no other nominations, a vote was taken. Ms. Klein was unanimously elected.
16. Representative to Visioning Committee: At last month’s general meeting, Tim Smith stated that CFLCA could have a representative on the committee. Ms. Golub nominated Marilyn Mammano and there were several seconds. She was unanimously approved.
17. CFLCA Centennial Gift to City: President Sterner proposed that the Council’s gift be an updated map of the neighborhoods with a gift plaque. In light of the redistricting that is anticipated, it is recommended that the gift be announced within the Centennial year with the actual creation of the map delayed until the redistricting is accomplished. Mr. Centamore moved that President Sterner by authorized to spend up to $600 on the gift. It was seconded by Ms. Mammano. It was unanimously approved.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

May 2011 Board

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Council of Civic Association
Board Meeting Minutes
May 23, 2011
City Hall, 8th Floor
5:30 PM

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 5:30 pm.
2. Attendance: Present were President Sterner, Second Vice President Betty Shelley, Corresponding Secty Donna Mergenhagen, Recording Secty Rochelle Golub, District 1 Rep Linda Nugent, District 2 Rep Shirley Smith, District 3 Rep Joann Kitchen Simmons, District IV Rep Jackie Scott, Chairman of Committees Ron Centamore. Absent were Past President Genia Ellis, 1st VP Marilyn Mammano, and Treasurer Gabriel Ocasio-Davila A quorum was declared. Also in attendance for part of the meeting were Past President Dennis Ulmer and Jorg Hruschka of the Building Officials and Inspectors Education Association of Broward County.
3. Minutes: On motion by Ms. Mergenhagen and second by Ms. Shelley, the Board minutes of April 25, 2011 were unanimously accepted.
4. Treasurer’s Report: Mr. Ocasio-Davila was not in attendance to make a report. Ms. Shelley, in her capacity as chair of the audit committee, presented a report prepared by the immediately preceding Treasurer, Tom Welch, showing that as of March 31, 2011 the ending balance of all accounts was $7,715,44.

In accordance with the By-Laws, there is now a vacancy for the office of Treasurer inasmuch as Mr. Ocasio-Davila has been absent for three consecutive meetings. It was determined that a special election for a new Treasurer would be held at the General Membership Meeting on June 14 2011. The required ten day notice would be sent by the Corresponding Secretary. Nominations will be taken at the meeting.

Currently, Mr. Ocasio-Davila and Ms. Ellis are the signatories to the checking count. The checking account only requires one signature to conduct business. As current President, Mr. Sterner should be a signatory to the checking account. He will contact the bank and make appropriate arrangements to change authorized signatories to hiself and the newy elected Treasurer.

5. The Agenda for the June 14, 2011 General Meeting was presented and discussed. Rep. Gwendolyn Clark-Reed will discuss the privatization of Broward Health. Mr. Sterner noted that the Broward Health CEO had been hesitant to commit to a date to speak to the CFLCA because of unresolved issues surrounding the chapter. He will be offered an opportunity to speak at a later meeting. Ms. Shelley stated that the audit committee would be prepared to report its findings at the June meeting. Ms. Merhagen stated she would give an update on the vote on the by-laws. The Board discussed options on how best to present the proposed changes for a vote by the membership. It was determined that advance written notice would be provided as well as email notice. It was clarified that modifications, amendments and additional changes would not be entertained before the vote.

6. Increasing Council Membership.
• Topic for meetings: Ms. Scott stated her opinion the speakers/topics at the general meetings were not of sufficient interest to the neighborhoods to get them to participate. Mr. Sterner reviewed the meeting schedule to date. The new City Manager was the featured guest at the July meeting. Most likely there would not be an August meeting. The by-laws would be the topic for the October meeting. Depending on the scheduling of local elections, a meeting would be set aside for related topics. The Board brainstormed topics for future meeting. Ms. Scott stated she would work on getting a speaker about greenways for September. Ms. Scott and Ms. Golub volunteered to work on the topic of historic preservation for a future meeting.
• Better Communications: It was determined that Council Corner should commence immediately and that a permanent part of the template would ask neighborhoods to raise the issues that concerned them.
Also with respect to better communications, it was agreed that the website needed major improvements. Ms. Scott and Ms. Golub volunteered to look into it.
It was also decided that we would resume the practice of having name tags at general meetings.
• It was decided that each of the district reps would arrange one or more social events (e.g. wine and cheese party) in the district for neighborhood associations to stimulate contact.

7. The Board unanimously supports CFLCA’s gift to the City in honor of the Centennial to be a new map of the city neighborhoods and districts. The map will cost approximately $500 so it will be brought to the membership for a vote.
8. The recipients of the stipend to attend the Florida Neighborhoods conference will be announced at the June meeting. Inasmuch as no one from District IV requested to go, Ms. Scott was asked to see if there was a person interested in attending who is eligible for the stipend. The Board discussed having a table at the FNC. Materials were discussed. The charge will be $35 – the cost of the table to the sponsor. The idea was favorably received. Several Board members took copies of the current brochure to see if there was an easy way to update it.
9. The Board unanimously approved Marilyn Mammano to serve as the CFLCA representative to the Visioning Committee.
10. Jorg Hruschka announced that the Building Officials and Inspectors Education Association of Broward County approved the creation of the joint govt, business, residential program to provide educational resources about the County Building Department and building permitting.
11. The Board agreed that Ms. Golub should explore with the Charter Revision Board adding a provision to ensure that the Commission and the City Manager be obligated to use plans that are commissioned and adopted to guide decsion-making.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:35pm

Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

April 2011 Board

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Minutes – April 25, 2011 – Board
Council of Civic Association
Board Meeting Minutes
April 25, 2011
City Hall, 8th Floor
5:30 PM

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 5:30 pm.
2. Attendance: Present were President Sterner, Past President Genia Ellis, 1st VP Marilyn Mammano, , Corresponding Secty Donna Mergenhagen, Recording Secty Rochelle Golub, District 1 Rep Linda Nugent, District 2 Rep Shirley Smith, District 3 Rep Joann Kitchen Simmons, Chairman of Committees Ron Centamore. Absent were 2nd VP Betty Shelley, Treasurer Gabriel Ocasio-Davila and District 4 Rep Jackie Scott. A quorum was declared.
3. Minutes: On motion by Ms. Kitchen-Simmons and second by Ms. Mergenhagen, the Board minutes of March 28, 2011 were unanimously accepted.
4. Jorg Hruschka appeared before the Board to generate support for a new project spearheaded by the Building Officials and Inspectors Education Association of Broward County intended to educate residents of Broward County about the County Building Department and building permitting. He was advised to keep CFLCA apprised of the progress of the project.
5. The Agenda for the May 10, 2011 General Meeting was presented and discussed. Tim Smith City Visioning Committee) and Hal Barnes (Florida Neighborhoods Conference) will be guest speakers. Reports from the By-laws Committee and Audit Committee are scheduled. On motion by Ms. Mammano and second by Mr. Centamore, the Board approved spending $200 for to register four (4) persons to attend the Florida Neighborhoods Conference to be held in Ft Lauderdale on July 7,8 and 9, 2011. The criteria for selection are: (i) one from each of the four Districts; (ii) first-time attendee (iii) must make a report about their experiences to the CFLCA. The first eligible person from each District would be awarded the stipend. The Board rejected funding a fifth position for the Board.
6. President Sterner commenced a discussion about CFLCA’s failure to educate the membership and the communities about the mission of CFLCA and adequately inform them about the accomplishments of the organization. While CFLCA is prohibited from taking sides on controversial issues it is proactive in promoting needed change and fostering open forums on issues. The Board reviewed its recent accomplishments including without limit: ad hoc code reform; election issues; seat of city manager search committee, police department redistricting, forum with city staff on PUD’s, neighborhood noise ordinance.
In order to assist CFLCA member representatives to educate their communities about key issues and better publicize the work of the Council, President Sterner proposed that the Council regularly publishes an article called “Council Corner” made available on the website and for inclusion in neighborhood newsletters and email blasts.
The Board unanimously approved moving forward with “Council Corner”.
7. The Board approved adding to its 2011 initiatives updating the Council brochure.
8. District 3 Rep Kitchen-Simmons initiated a discussion on ways to achieve greater participation in CFLCA in her District. All neighborhood association whether or not recognized by the City can be members of the Counsel.
9. President Sterner noted that the by-laws include specific requirements on attendance to retain a Board position.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:25pm

Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary

March 2011 Board Meeting

 in Minutes - Board Meeting by (updated 4474 days ago)

Council of Civic Association Board Meeting Minutes
March 2, 2011
City Hall, 8th Floor
5:30 PM

1.    Call to order. The meeting was called to order by President Doug Sterner at 5:35 PM.
2.    Voting Board Members in attendance: Doug. Sterner,  Marilyn Mammano, Betty Shelley,  Donna Mergenhagen  , Shirley Smith and Rochelle Golub.  A quorum was declared.
3.  Minutes.  Motion made and seconded to accept the minutes of the January 24, 2010 board meeting. Approved by unanimous  consent.
4.  Treasurer’s Report.  Tom Welch was not in attendance and no report was made.
5.  Agenda for Upcoming General Meeting on March 8, 2011 was discussed.  As the  election of officers will take place at this meeting, the Nominating Committee updated the Board on the status of the slate and the by-laws were reviewed and noted for proper election procedures.  President Sterner stated that there was to be a meeting of the City Manager Search Committee on March 3 so that he could provide the most current information at the general meeting. Ms. Mergenhagen reported that Mayor Seiler wanted every neighborhood to have a centennial party.  She provided a flyer on the Centennial Riverfest scheduled for March 27 to be passed out at the general meeting. She stated that since it is also the SunSentinel’s 100th birthday, the newspaper was joining in the celebration by providing music and fireworks. t. Ms Mergenhagen reported that only 2 comments had come  in on the by-laws and it was agreed that a meeting should be scheduled to give interested persons a final opportunity to contribute suggestions for revisions. Ms Mammano reported that the pace of obtaining membership applications still seemed to be effected by the earlier problem with the post office box.
6. Publicity for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is out but the specific place for CFLCA marchers to gather has not been announced.
7. CFLCA Centennial Project  Report. Mr. Ocasio-Davila was not in attendance (he did join briefly by telephone on this item.) . Ms. Mergenhagen reported that she and Mr. Ocasio-Davila and had made progress with some of the issues surrounding the event. Board members voiced  agreement that a meeting should be called to finalize the details and establish a budget. Board Members also  agreed  that it was imperative that we  get initial publicity about the photo contest out at the March 27 Riverfest Centennial Event.
8. Progresso Village Civic Association Board Election.  In response to a formal written request by the PVCA Board, the CFLCA Board voted in favor of assisting the PVCA with its annual election for its officers. The election was held on February 21, 2011. Ms. Ellis, Ms. Shelley and Mr. Ocasio-Davila attended on behalf of the CFLCA. Ms. Shelley reported on the steps taken to conduct the election  in accordance with the PVCA by-laws.  The ballots were counted with definitive results for 7 offices. There was a tie for 2 offices and there will be a run off at the next PVCA general membership meeting. 9. Mr. Andrew Massagee addressed the Board about his concerns over the future of the North Broward Hospital District. He has done research and attended meetings but noted that a only one citizen he has little influence. He believe that the issues surrounding  North Broward Hospital District are important to the membership of CFLCA. The Board agreed. It was decided that CFLCA would invite a speaker from the North Broward Hospital District to the April general meeting.  Mr. Massaggee was told he could bring printed materials to circulate at the next general  meeting. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

Rochelle Golub, Acting Recording Secretary