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