Boca Raton City Council Workshop – April 21, 2025
Boca Raton City Council Workshop – April 21, 2025
The City Council held a workshop on Monday, April 21, 2025, beginning at 2:15 PM and adjourning at 4:50 PM. The agenda included public requests, updates on the government campus redevelopment partnership, a recreation master plan presentation, the annual comprehensive financial report, the compliance and long‑range financial plans, and council discussions on the city flag and administrative support staffing.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Judy Morrow (1305 NE Fifth Ave) urged the city to prioritize the Boca Raton Tennis Center, noting that Boca Raton “is considered by most people to be the tennis capital of the world.” She expressed support for building new clay courts and stated the city should be known for outstanding recreational services. She said she was “waiting for the good news” from the council.
- Bill Trinka (4097 NW Fifth Ave) opposed the planned closing of 28th Street, arguing that required documentation for the closure has not been provided despite his FOIA requests. He asked the council to table the related proclamation scheduled for the next regular meeting, citing a potential negative financial impact on his property and stating the city is “stealing access” from him.
- Anastasia Collis (199 Mansfield E) advocated for the formation of a volunteer cybercrime‑response group, stating she has over 75 signatures of support and resumes from qualified IT professionals. She noted that a prominent cybersecurity expert, Richard Mendel, endorsed the idea. She also brought a recording demonstrating that cybercrimes reported to police were not acted upon.
Discussion Items
Government Campus Redevelopment Partnership Opportunity
- City Manager George Brown reported that staff and consultant CBRE are meeting weekly, and that the developer Terra and Frisbee has begun due diligence, including core borings and utility locates on the property. The city website (MyBoca.us) now has information about the upcoming charrette (10 tables of 10 participants each, registration required).
- Council discussed work‑from‑home policies; members agreed the current policy is adequate and may be expanded slightly in the future.
- No public comment on this item.
Recreation Master Plan Update
- Greg Stevens (Recreation Services Director) and Brianne Harms (Executive Director, Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District) presented a conceptual plan for addressing the relocation of downtown amenities (skate park, softball fields, tennis courts) and new facilities (rectangular fields, sand volleyball, competition‑size pool, field house).
- Key locations under evaluation: Meadows Park, Sugar Sand Park, University Woodlands Park, DeHornley Park, and North Park. Three to four softball fields are proposed for Sugar Sand Park’s Tract A (11 developable acres). The skate park and pump track are planned for North Park.
- Council questions addressed the potential closure/replacement of Meadows Park pool, the timing of public and Parks & Recreation Advisory Board input, connectivity between DeHornley Park and its dog park, and the use of public‑private partnerships (P3s) for a pool or field house. Staff noted that P3s at North Park have been limited due to bond constraints, but the district is open to such partnerships.
- The consultant, Keith and Associates, was selected March 13, 2025; the 98‑day process will produce conceptual plans by mid‑July, followed by public presentations.
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) & Compliance
- Jim Zervis (Chief Financial Officer) presented the ACFR for fiscal year ending September 30, 2024. The city’s net position is $1.5 billion in total assets, $469 million in liabilities (including ~$60 million in bonds payable), and an increase in net position of $24.4 million. General fund revenues were $228.3 million; expenditures were $217.9 million, yielding a surplus of $7.7 million. Unassigned fund balance plus the emergency reserve is about 23% of the next year’s budget.
- Hermes Garzon (auditor) reported a clean (unmodified) audit opinion, no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, and no compliance issues. The city received its 43rd consecutive GFOA award for financial reporting. An informal recommendation was made to formally document the OPEB plan description.
- The city expended $1.6 million in federal awards and $1.2 million in state financial assistance, triggering a single audit; no noncompliance was found.
Long‑Range Financial Plan
- Sherra McGuire (Budget Director) presented the 2025 long‑range financial plan (28th update) forecasting through 2030. The baseline forecast shows expenditures slightly outpacing revenues, resulting in a gradual drawdown of unassigned fund balance (from $56.7 million in FY2024 to $46.7 million by FY2030). The plan assumes 5.2% annual growth in property taxes and 3–4.9% growth in expenditures. Recommendations include fee reviews, cost containment, maintaining fund balance policies, and evaluating the financial impact of the government campus redevelopment separately (not yet incorporated).
- Council noted that the city’s millage rate of 3.67 is the lowest among full‑service cities in Florida.
Key Outcomes
- Flag redesign discussion: Mayor Singer presented several alternative flag designs created by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) and Merritt Mile, but council members (Thompson, Drucker, Nackle, Wrigder) expressed that the current flag has garnered renewed civic pride and that a redesign is not a priority. The matter was tabled without a vote; the city will continue to fly the existing flag. Mayor Singer noted he would take the purchased sample flags home.
- City Council staffing: Council members raised concerns about the management and retention of city council assistants. Ms. Drucker emphasized that the council had budgeted for two dedicated council assistants and a chief of staff, and asked that future hires be clearly titled as city council assistants reporting to the council. Mayor Singer and others agreed that job expectations and reporting lines need to be clarified. The city manager stated he would review the positions and discuss with council.
- Meeting adjourned at 4:50 PM. The next regular council meeting was scheduled for April 22, 2025, with an item to pull the speed‑zone camera from the consent agenda.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to a workshop meeting of the Boca Raton City Council. It is Monday, April 21st, 2025. The time is 2.15. We have no proclamations or presentations today. We have no board interviews, so we'll open the floor to public requests. I do have two cards, first from Judy Morrow and then Bill Trinka, and then anyone else who wishes to speak on any city matters. Please come forward, give your name and address, and you'll put the three minutes. Ms. Morrow. Hello, everybody. And my name is Judy Morrow, 1305 Northeast Fifth Avenue. And my priority is always to stand up for Boca Ratone Tennis Center. And thank you for saying that good news is gonna come. Can't wait to hear it. But in the meantime, I remember Scott Singer said, instead of when you look it up, it says the City of Boca has 99,000 people. And Scott Singer said, we have a hundred and three thousand residents. So we have more people, we're growing. So we need more tennis because Florida is considered by most people to be the tennis capital of the world. So Boca Ratone, instead of I mean, we need housing, don't get me wrong. But we need to be known for other things, such as we have beautiful parks, we have 49 or however many you all say. But we need to be known as like Boca Raton Tennis Center received an award in 1992 for being an outstanding tennis court. And I would hope that this year or next year, whenever you build more tennis courts, clay tennis courts, new ones on the 30 acres, that we receive that kind of award again. Because the financial department, they have a very good record as being very transparent, the city of Boca. So we don't want to just be known maybe for having a lot of parks. We want to be known for having the best recreational services, programs, clinics, children's programs, uh things for all income people, and it would be very nice. So thank you. And we're waiting for the good news. Mr. Trinken. Good afternoon. Bill Trinka, 4097 Northwest Fifth Avenue. I'm talking about the 28th Street closing. I have been asking for months for some documentation of where that requirement that one be closed or three be closed, and was negotiated down. I filed a foyer at Crest in January, and after months, the only thing I got back from them was that the city would be filing an application with Florida Department of Transportation. I went to Florida Department of Transportation, found one sheet, 1457.012 that lists closing to open one as a consideration, not a requirement. It was two and a half months later when I finally got a response from the city manager. He sent me the same thing that I had sent him, showing that it was a consideration. No requirement anywhere. I fired a second FOIA request at the end of March. After a couple of weeks, I get an invoice for 425.94 cents for them to provide me with that documentation. I still have nothing. I'm out 425, but then I look at the agenda and I see there's a proclamation coming up tomorrow that's going to set this whole thing into motion. So I'm requesting that you table that motion for tomorrow. Don't vote on it. Let it sit back until the information comes to me that I bought and paid for, and I will gladly share it with all you. Either way it goes. If it shows that it's documented and it has to be closed, I'll go away happy. Well, I'll go away unhappy, but I'll go away satisfied that at least somebody listened to me and heard. Where is this coming from? It's ridiculous.
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