City of Seminole Community Newsletter

City of Seminole Community Newsletter

PSRST STD

US Postage

PAID

St. Petersburg FL

Permit # 8185

City of Seminole

9199 113th Street North

Seminole, FL 33772

February 2007

Message From The City Council

THE CITY OF SEMINOLE IS DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE, PROFESSIONALISM AND INTEGRITY IN THE DELIVERY OF COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR AN ENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE LIVING, WORKING AND VISITING OUR COMMUNITY.

1st row from left: Vice Mayor Dan Hester, Mayor Jimmy Johnson, Councilor Pat Hartstein

2nd row: Councilors Bob Matthews, Thomas Barnhorn, Peter Hofstra, John Counts

&

Telephone Numbers Addresses

Telephone Numbers Addresses

Conversations with Citizens

Inside This Issue

Inside This Issue

With the arrival of the New Year, the Mayor and the City Council would like to extend “Best wishes for a prosperous, playful, productive, and healthy New Year to all residents of the City of Seminole.” It is not only elected officials, government officials and city staff that make Seminole “A great place to live” but also the support and efforts of volunteers participating on City committees and in city-sponsored activities, civic and business organizations, and the residents of the City of Seminole. The Mayor and Council say “Thank you.”

One of the concerns voiced during the Council's Visioning sessions in 2003 was how to involve and to engage the residents more in the decision making process. Conversation and communication with citizens is a desired process. Any effort to factually inform or to solicit opinion is proactive; to replace misconceptions and misrepresentations is paramount for good government and services.

As a resident in the City of Seminole, how are you informed? This newsletter is a convenient and cursory conveyer of information. If more information is desired, phone numbers and contact personnel are included. Attending a Council Meeting and voicing your opinion, expressing a concern, or just making a comment is always an option and is an agenda item called “comments from the audience.” Currently, “comments from the audience” is placed ahead of the business agenda. In 2003, the Council set a goal to have Council Meetings televised. Watch Channel 15 – the official station for the City of Seminole. Televised Council Meetings are about to happen!

With the advent of technology and access to the internet, the city government can be contacted through their website: www. myseminole.com. E-mail is also available. During the

Citizen Opinion Survey . . . . . . . . . 2

March 13th Elections

Senior Activitiy Center . . . . . . . . . . 3

High Public Protection Classification

Graves Designated Chief Fire Officer. . 4

Check Your Hot Spots, Stay Prepared

Fire Rescue Announces Promotion . .5

Senior Property Tax Exemption . . 6

Penny For Pinellas . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Sports & Events

2007 Pow Wow Festival News . . . . 9

Library Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

New! Community Development

Building & Electric Codes . . . . . .12

Street Resurfacing, Erosion . . . . .13

Volunteer for the City

Boards & Committees . . . . . . . . .15

Phone Numbers & Addresses . . .16

City Hall 391-0204

9199 113th Street North

Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Community Development 398-3108

9199 113th Street North

Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Building/Code Enforcement/ 392-1966 Occupational License

9199 113th Street North

Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Public Works 397-6383

7464 Ridge Road

Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Fire Administration 393-8711

11195 70th Avenue North

Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Recreation Center 391-8345

9100 113th Street North

Hours: M-F 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sat 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Library 394-6905

9200 113th Street North

Hours: Effective when SPC in session

M-Th 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

F 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sat 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Sun 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Waste Management 572-8779

Trash Services, Special Pickups, Brush Disposal

Pinellas County Utilities 464-4000

Water Services, Watering Restrictions

Greater Seminole Chamber of Commerce 392-3245

8400 113th Street North

Pinellas County Sheriff 582-6200

*If your call is an emergency, Dial 9-1-1

www.myseminole.com

Continued on page 14

Message From City Manager Frank Edmunds

Citizen Opinion Survey Completed

Would you like to be an active member of your city’s advisory committees/boards? Please see the descriptions of various boards. Should you find an interest, please fill out the information below, detach and mail to City Hall. (address provided below).

W E W E L C O M E Y O U R I N T E R E S T ! ! !

During the summer of 2006, The Seminole City Council retained the Florida Institute of Government at the University of South Florida (USF), to conduct a Citizen Opinion Survey. This survey is designed to seek citizen opinions regarding City services and conditions as well as possible future services and projects. Dr. Susan A. MacManus, with the Department of Government and International Affairs at USF served as project director.

The 2006 City of Seminole Citizens Opinion Survey is the second such survey conducted for the City by the Institute of Government. The first was completed in 2002. The use of such citizen-based surveys is on the rise nationally as local governments seek input for decision making from a broader base of their residents.

The 2006 City of Seminole Citizens Opinion Survey tapped the opinions of 601 randomly selected adult respondents 18 years of age and older. The respondents were contacted via telephone from July 12-22, 2006 by Susan Schuler & Associates, Inc. The margin of error for the 601 person-survey is +/- 40% at the 95% confidence level.

The 2006 survey is a combination of new and repeat questions. The new questions were designed to probe more deeply into citizen opinions about current and future leisure service activities. The 2006 survey also taps citizen views about the current visual appearance of businesses located inside the city limits and the need and responsibility for stricter minimum standards for business storefronts. The repeat questions, designed to track trends, asked citizens about: (1) the overall quality of life in the City of Seminole today vs. five years ago, (2) the most important issue currently facing the City, (3) current neighborhood conditions, (4) the general performance of city officials, (5) the responsiveness of city offices/officials to citizen contacts; and (6) current city spending priorities.

QUALITY OF LIFE TODAY vs. FIVE YEARS AGO

The 2006 Citizens Opinion Survey asked City of Seminole residents whether it is a better place today than it was five years ago. Among those who have lived here over five years, 47% say Seminole is a better place to live and 27% say it is about the same.

THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING THE CITY

Over one-fourth of the residents (28%) see no serious problem facing the City of Seminole at the moment. But among those who do, Growth/New Development (22%) and Traffic/Transportation (12%) top the list, followed by Taxes (6%).

CONDITIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

In general, City of Seminole residents do not see many adverse conditions in their own neighborhood. In terms of “big problem” ratings, the two that are mentioned most are speeding (14%) and the amount of traffic (13%).

GENERAL PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Nearly two thirds (64%) of the respondents give “excellent” or “good” marks to city officials for their communication to the public while almost three-fourths (72%) somewhat or strongly agree that city meetings and hearings are publicized in a timely manner, and that city officials try to respond to issues of concern to citizens.

CITIZEN CONTACTS WITH CITY

The citizens who contacted city offices/officials give them good grades for their responsiveness: 95 % say they were treated with respect, 87% acknowledge they were given correct information, and 79% admit to being helped in a timely fashion.

BUDGETING & FINANCE: SPENDING PRIORITIES

A majority (59%) believes that the city’s spending priorities are about right while just 17% see the need for budgetary shifts. One-fourth does not have an opinion.

SUPPORT FOR NEW LEISURE SERVICE ACTIVITIES

Seminole residents are overwhelming positive toward the new Seminole Recreation Center: 60% report being very satisfied and another 14% as somewhat satisfied. Just 2% are dissatisfied. Over one half (56%) report that they or someone in their home have used the facility. Twenty-eight percent say they use it several times a month or more frequently. A majority (60%) of the survey respondents believe that it would be a good thing for the City of Seminole to build a Skateboard Park for its residents while 20% see it as a bad thing. There is a high level of support for building a new Senior Services Center. Eighty-four percent are in favor of the City constructing such a facility.

ARCHITECTURAL STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS STOREFRONTS

Over two-thirds (68%) of the survey respondents see the city’s business storefronts as visually appealing, 13% believe just the opposite, while another 16% judge there to be a mixture of appealing and unattractive storefronts. There is little consensus on whether the City of Seminole should adopt stricter minimum standards for the external appearance of businesses or whether individual businesses should be responsible for making their storefronts attractive.

This is only a summary of the survey findings. The information gained in the citizen survey will assist the City Council with future policy decisions and significantly help the administrative staff to make service delivery modifications in order to better serve our residents.

Together we continue to make Seminole a great place to live and enjoy.

Tree Advisory Committee

consists of five members who are appointed for three-year terms. This committee is responsible for annually updating and administering a written plan for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal or disposition of trees and shrubs in public areas. The Committee may also be asked to review other related issues and to assist with the planning of the annual Arbor Day celebration.

Music in the Park Committee

is appointed by City Council, and consists of three Seminole Residents and two Seminole City Staff. The committee meets monthly to plan, coordinate and implement a six concert series in the fall of each year.

Recreation Advisory Board consists of five (5) residents who act in an advisory role to the City of Seminole on Recreation issues. The board meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm.

Fire Pension Board of Trustees

is made-up of five members as set forth in Florida State Statute Chapter 175. State law dictates the members to be two firefighters from the plan, two members appointed by the City and a fifth member selected by the first four.

It is responsible for hiring/firing and monitoring the activities of fund manager(s), money monitor, auditor, actuary, attorney along with complying with changes in State laws and forwarding ordinance changes to City Council.

Pow Wow Festival Committee is a planning committee appointed by City Council which will assist the Seminole Recreation Division with plans, coordination, and implementation of this annual community event. Volunteers will serve on a variety of fun committees and subcommittees such as parade, special programs, sponsorships, entertainment, and public relations. Each committee member will have the responsibility of planning, coordinating, and implementing a specific task of the Pow Wow Festival event. The committee meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm.

Library Advisory Board

consists of five-members who will advise the Community Library Director on the operation, management, resources, and services of the Community Library. The Board is comprised of two (2) members appointed by the City, two (2) members appointed by the College, and one (1) member mutually appointed by the City and the College. Terms of appointment will be staggered.

Developmental Review Board was established as the local planning agency for the city. This board is responsible for: Recommending to City Council needed changes to land use and zoning; Coordinating with the state, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and the county with respect to planning that affects the city and reporting on those matters to the City Council; Considering and rendering decisions on applications for variances, special exceptions and appeals from administrative opinions and decisions concerning building and land development regulations. Members are appointed for a two-year term.

✁

❑ Tree Advisory Committee ❑ Developmental Review Board

❑ Pow Wow Festival Committee

❑ Library Advisory Board

❑ Recreation Advisory Board

❑ Music in the Park Committee

❑ Fire Pension Board of Trustees

Name: __________________________________________________________ Home Phone: __________________________________

Home Address: _______________________________________________________________________ Zip:________________________

Business Name: _________________________________________________ Business Phone: ________________________________

Business Address: ____________________________________________________________ Zip: _______________________________

Related experience and/or background (if any) that would be beneficial to a Board: ________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature __________________________________________________________________ Date _______________________________

Please mail to Attention: City Clerk, City of Seminole, 9199 113th Street North, Seminole, FL 33772

2

City of Seminole Community Newsletter

City of Seminole Community Newsletter

15

Public Works From Page 13

Lesley DeMuth

City Clerk

Municipal Election – March 13, 2007

The next Municipal Election is scheduled to be held Tuesday, March 13, 2007. The election will be for a Mayor and three Council Members. The Mayor’s term is for three years, and due to a City Charter change, the Council Member terms are transitioning from two year to three year terms. During this Election, the two Council Candidates with the most votes will be elected to three-year terms and the third highest voted Council Candidate will be elected to a one-year term. The Municipal Election is non-partisan, and the Mayor and Council Members are elected at large. Anyone needing an Absentee Ballot may request one over the phone from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office 464-6788. Early voting will begin February 26, 2007, at the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Offices: 315 Court Street, Room 117, Clearwater; 13001 Starkey Road, Largo; and 501 1st Avenue North, St. Petersburg. Information on Election Day polling places, and Candidates running for Office is available on the City’s webpage myseminole.com. or by contacting the City Clerk, Lesley DeMuth, 391-0204 x. 102.

T

Trash Collection

A reminder:

• Residents pay for trash service and must contact Waste Management to establish service.

• Residents who live in single-family homes have trash pickup twice weekly. One of those two days, recycling is also picked up. Recycling is paid for by the City.

• Old stoves, washers, dryers, microwave ovens, pieces of furniture, etc. will be picked up as a special collection at no additional cost. Call Waste Management to schedule a pick up.

• Refrigerators, air conditioners, freezers (anything with Freon gas) must be handled according to Federal, State and local laws, and there is an additional charge to pick up.

• Debris generated from household improvement projects that require a contractor is not considered household trash and may entail additional charges. If you have questions, please contact Waste Management.

• For safety reasons, please remember to keep the weight of containers and bundles at less than 60 pounds.

Please direct any questions you have regarding trash collection services to Waste Management at (727) 572-8779.

Harry Kyne

Director of Administration

Senior Activity Center

Continued from City Council, Page 1

2004 annual retreat, the city administration engaged the Council in a discussion on how to improve and reconfigure the use of technology by elected officials which includes wireless network, council chamber technology, and interdepartmental communication. The City Council is discussing the possibility of E-Agendas that will be accessible to everyone.

Of course, public hearings are still an efficient process to solicit comments from our residents. Several public meetings were conducted when the Council sought input about the joint–use library project. Look what has been accomplished! It is important to know your city, to know your neighbor, and to know what is happening in your community. Conversations with the citizens and getting connected, acquiring good data and feedback will enhance the Council’s task of making the best decisions for Seminole – a Great Place to Live.

Earlier this year a survey was conducted by the Florida Institute of Government at University of South Florida to gather information from our residents on overall satisfaction with our City. The goal of one of the questions asked was to determine if there was support to construct a Senior Activity Center. City Council and Administration believed there would be interest in such a facility but they were still surprised with the strong 84% approval rating.

On October 10, 2006, in response to public support for this project, the City Council authorized a contract with the architectural firm Harvard Jolly for the design of a Senior Activity Center/Emergency Operations Center. This contract is the first step in the process that will lead to construction of the facility in Seminole City Park.

The Senior Activity Center is the first item on the City’s list of future projects if the new Penny for Pinellas is passed in March. Should the “Penny” pass, the architects will set up meetings with the City Council, staff, and the public to get a better understanding of activities that may be envisioned for the site. This process is similar to the one used for the design of the Community Library. City staff has already visited similar facilities to get ideas and input. The local meetings will enable the architects to collect information and suggestions from the eventual users of the facility. Some of the possibilities recommended thus far are meeting rooms, banquet facilities, computers, fitness center, and a consignment shop.

3

14

City of Seminole Community Newsletter

City of Seminole Community Newsletter

Dan Graves

Fire Rescue Chief

Allen Godfrey

Director of Public Works

Public Protection

Classification Rating

The Fire Rescue Department received a visit from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to evaluate the Department’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating. ISO typically evaluates the Department every ten to fifteen years and our last rating was in 1994. The PPC rating is used by insurance companies to set fire causality insurance rates for homeowners and businesses. Fire departments nationwide are rated on a one to ten scale with one being the best and ten being the worst. The City’s Fire Rescue Department (along with the Redington communities by virtue of their contract with us) received a PPC 2 rating. Out of the 43,220 fire departments in the United States, we are among the top 0.7%.

Our PPC 2 accomplishment is not easily obtained and took a lot of hard work from our employees and support from the City Manager and City Council. The employees consistently put forth extra effort testing hydrants and hoses, creating Tactical Survey Reviews, delivering an excellent training program and providing outstanding maintenance for our fleet. Council and the City Manager are instrumental in supporting the budgetary dollars critical to accomplish and maintain this quality of service.

The City of Seminole Public Works Department works hard to make sure that the City of Seminole is an attractive and safe place to live. They are responsible for the City’s infrastructure, including the construction, maintenance and repair of streets, parks, signs, signalization, streetlights, storm drains and sidewalk repairs. The goal of the Public Works Department is to provide top quality, professional, efficient and timely delivery of services to City residents, businesses, and City departments.

Street Resurfacing

The Department of Public Works has identified the following roads to be resurfaced in 2007. 104th Avenue