Mayor Commissioners S. Scott Vandergrift

Mayor
S. Scott Vandergrift
Commissioners
Danny Howell, District 1
Scott Anderson, District 2
Rusty Johnson, District 3
Nancy J. Parker, District 4
City Manager
Robert Frank
Memorandum
Date:
To:
From:
Subject:
July 29, 2004
The Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners
Robert D. Frank, City Manager
Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2004-2005
I am pleased to present the city manager’s recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2004/2005. A
comprehensive review of proposed revenues and expenditures was conducted with each
Department Director and Finance Department staff, with my final adjustments incorporated
within the last week. Top priorities are, of course, the safety and well-being of our residents
along with the need to manage growth and development in a sound manner. In addition, I have
proposed needed staffing enhancements to improve our efficiency and productivity in the areas
of purchasing, fleet, and public infrastructure management.
General Fund budgeted revenues for FY 2005 exceed the FY 2004 budget by 11.5%. Revenue
streams are relatively flat, however, we are projecting an increase in building activity as
evidenced by the trend of the last several years. The proposed budget is balanced using a millage
rate of 4.5789, the same as last year. Intergovernmental revenues represent 31% of the general
fund budget, ad valorem taxes comprise approximately 25% of general fund revenues, and
franchise fees and utility taxes combined represent 16%.
The single largest component of the General Fund expenditure is personnel costs at 61%. Health
insurance costs will remain constant with the annual premium totaling about $1.9 million—
however the City is one of very few to enjoy this budget year free of a significant increase in
health insurance premiums. An automatic 3% cost of living adjustment and a potential 2% merit
is included in this budget (the first since FY2001/2002). The COLA is slightly less than the
Consumer Price Index of 3.2%.
Growth continues to be the driving force behind the budget. Staff anticipates a continued
increase in building permit activity and associated revenue gains. In 2003-2004, the number of
projects reviewed by the Planning Division nearly doubled in volume over FY 2003 and building
permits nearly tripled on an annualized basis. To address this, the recommended budget includes
additional staff to reduce the need for contracting out plan review services. Although we are
adding staff, this will actually result in an overall savings due to the high cost of contracting
these types of personnel services.
City of Ocoee ▪ 150 N Lakeshore Drive ▪ Ocoee, Florida 34761
phone: (407) 905-3100 ▪ fax: (407) 656-8504 ▪ www.ci.ocoee.fl.us
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Budget Message
Capital projects will continue to improve our city’s infrastructure and provide some needed
beautification in several areas of the City. The Old Winter Garden Road/Professional Parkway
widening will be completed in FY 2005 as will the infrastructure for the Crown Point Planned
Unit Development. The first phase of the Clarke Road reconstruction project will take place,
which includes the north and southbound lanes from White Road to Silver Star Road. Several
utilities projects under the recent bond issue will also continue.
In accordance with the Commission’s direction, staff has initiated efforts to redevelop certain
portions of the city. It is anticipated that the McKey Street streetscape project will be completed
before we ring in the New Year, and we expect the State Road 50 CRA to be officially approved
by June, 2005. The budget also includes drainage retrofit work in older sections of town where
flooding has historically been an issue. In addition, the medians on Silver Star Road, east of
Clarke Road will be beautified as a result of a grant obtained from the Florida Department of
Transportation.
Today’s population places a tremendous importance on recreation and leisure activities. We plan
to continue addressing this area and keep pace with those demands. Our aquatic programs will
continue to expand and we anticipate additional participation on the city’s swim team, which
started its first season in 2004. Staff will also begin renovations to the Glad Tidings facility in
the coming budget year with funds from a federal grant. The first phase of the Hackney-Prairie
Park will be built this fall to include a playground, shelter, walking path, and parking area. The
City will also assist the Ocoee Bulldogs with construction of a new press box at the Bulldog
Football Field and the Ocoee Little League with installing lights on the Junior Field at the
Sorenson Baseball Complex. The improvements to all of these facilities will help to continue to
provide quality parks and programs to the residents of Ocoee.
Since the City prides itself on providing accurate and timely information to our residents, we will
begin televising more city meetings as part of our OGTV line up. We plan to redesign our web
site to improve the way we communicate information to the public. This form of communication
is gaining in popularity not only for residents to have better access to their local government, but
to use the web site as a tool for economic development in reaching a broader audience. We also
plan to continue publishing our quarterly newsletter and to augment the information we provide
to the public through the production of an annual report. In addition, the proposed document
imaging system will allow the City to provide computerized access to city records through public
computer stations. The first of these stations is expected to be installed in the upcoming budget
year.
Internally, several departments plan to restructure operations and implement new ways of doing
business to improve efficiency and customer service. The Public Works Department will be
decentralized, creating a new Public Works Department and a separate Utilities and Engineering
Department. Public Works will oversee stormwater, solid waste, streets, fleet maintenance,
traffic, and facilities maintenance while the Utilities and Engineering Department will manage
the water and wastewater functions as well as the various engineering tasks associated with
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Budget Message
development review and capital projects. In response to the critical need to reduce water
consumption, a new position is included for the Utilities and Engineering Department to assist
residents and businesses in the development of water conservation programs. Communications
and dispatch duties for the Police Department will be moved under Police administration to
provide a more suitable reporting structure. The City’s purchasing functions will also undergo
some changes, moving towards a more centralized process with additional checks and balances.
In order to remain competitive in the market and to adjust to new workforce trends, a wage and
classification study has been included as a necessary program.
It is also important to note that many of the expenditures we face are the result of outside
influences beyond our control. We are all looking forward to the opening of our new high
school, however schools exert a definite financial impact on municipalities. In this case, we will
add two police officers dedicated to the high school and will spend additional funds for
necessary infrastructure to support the school. The City has also budgeted funds to implement
homeland security measures as a result of the completed vulnerability assessments that were
required by the federal government.
As we prepare to enter a new fiscal year, I want to acknowledge some of the accomplishments of
our dedicated staff during the past twelve months: Ocoee opened a new, state-of-the-art fire
station which includes an emergency operations center to be outfitted through a State grant. The
City’s first standardized Citizen Survey was conducted to provide a basis for determining citizen
priorities and measuring our effectiveness in service delivery. A new reverse 911 answering
system was implemented; “Code Red” allows the City a new way to communicate important
information to our residents and better enable us to respond in emergency situations. Utility
rates were adjusted to mirror the actions taken by other communities to comply with SJRWMD
Consumptive Use Permit requirements and provide revenues for necessary capital infrastructure
improvements. Our solid waste operations were outsourced after an extensive review of the
options and with procedures put in place to guarantee top-notch service to our customers.
Several new residential and commercial developments were reviewed and approved and building
permits increased by record numbers. The West Orange Narcotics Task Force was created based
largely through the efforts of the Ocoee Police Department through a partnership with the City of
Winter Garden and the Sheriff’s Office. In its’ first full year of operation, the Task Force has
managed to make a significant impact on illegal drug activities within the City limits and
surrounding communities of West Orange County. Ocoee Police personnel, together with
community activists also developed our Neighborhood Juvenile Restorative Justice Program
which has been instrumental in providing a positive solution for counseling troubled youth
before they find themselves with a criminal record.
I look forward to working with the City Commission and City staff to implement the projects and
programs included in the proposed budget. I place an enormous priority on customer service for
both external and internal customers with the belief that serving the public must be done
efficiently and professionally.
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Budget Message
I would like to thank City staff, Acting City Manager Williford, members of the budget team,
and the Human Resources Department for assisting me in the proposed budget. I appreciate the
efforts made by all involved, especially in light of the tight schedule. I am confident that the
City will continue its tradition of citizen-oriented government in a fiscally-conservative manner.
Cordially,
Robert D. Frank
City Manager