OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Commission Workshop on Stormwater Master Plan - April 16, 2025

Hollywood Public MeetingsWednesday, April 16, 2025
BodyHollywood, Florida
SessionHollywood Public Meetings
DateWednesday, April 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:40:42

Transcript — Verbatim
4:14

All right, top of the morning, everyone.

4:15

Welcome to City Hall here in the City of Hollywood.

4:18

As you all know, we're here for a city commission workshop.

4:22

It's of course April sixteenth, twenty twenty-five.

4:26

Of course, to discuss the stormwater master plan.

4:29

And I'd like to begin by recognizing the city manager for some opening remarks.

5:00

Um we we located it in in the commission chambers just so to make sure we had plenty of seating and capacity because this issue is obviously one of the most important and weighty issues that we will deal with at any time this year or in the future, and it's um it's going to have a great deal of impact on the quality of life in this community and uh exactly how we proceed uh in terms of capital work and financing for the next generations of the next two decades.

5:20

Um it is a workshop session, so it does not require any formal decisions or actions today, but we do need to gain some consensus and some direction on uh three key areas actually adopting the master plan itself, the uh the capital work, the infrastructure improvements, and then how do you finance it?

5:42

And uh, of course, there are some variables there as well.

5:44

The presentation today is is a bit involved and and lengthy, so we'll move through it as quickly as we can.

5:51

If we can uh ask to try and hold any comments or questions to the end, it would be appreciated just so you can get the full kind of package of of information, and then we'll have plenty of time at the end for for questions and discussions.

6:03

And uh with that want to introduce Vin Morello, our public utilities director, and he'll lead off the presentation.

6:10

Thank you.

6:12

Thank you.

6:14

Thank you.

6:14

Uh Vin Morello, uh Director of Utilities, City of Hollywood.

6:18

Um I've put uh over 30 CIP plans uh over my career.

6:28

Uh interspersed with those uh annual plans have been uh I've had the opportunity to put together major programs such as the Boston Harbor Project, uh, the Broward County Administrative Order, worked on the Miami Dade Consent Order, and this program uh stands up with those.

6:50

And the plan that we'll be presenting is as detailed as any that I've worked on.

6:57

There is an engineered solution for every uh corner of the city.

7:07

How do you get to the next slide?

7:27

Today we're gonna cover the discussion in three uh in three portions.

7:32

Uh first, we're going to go over the the master plan.

7:37

And there's uh the advantages of of the of uh of discussing and basically formally adopting the master plan are uh we'll we'll be able to obtain CRS points for uh reduced insurance rates.

7:55

Uh we'll we'll get uh bond let uh bond lender confidence and uh grant program uh checklist requirements.

8:06

And that's pretty straightforward.

8:07

And if we look at the sort of the agenda today, it's basically please stay on the first screen.

8:15

Can we go back to the first screen?

8:24

The the second portion is to discuss basically it's in three portions objectives, strategy, and tactics.

8:31

So there shouldn't be uh gener there's general consensus on the first.

8:38

The second is pretty straightforward, pretty linear on the recommended slate of projects.

8:43

The projects are grouped into two groups.

8:46

Uh one would be interim projects, and that would be pay as you go, and those will be citywide.

8:53

And so there's immediate relief citywide uh over several years under that under the interim projects.

9:00

And then what you'll see is our recommended first slate of major capital projects, and those require the large-scale bonding uh or or loans from the from the federal government to accomplish.

9:13

And the third part is how to get how to fund it.

9:16

And we've we've presented several options for funding, the conventional flat citywide rate and several zone-based rate structures for discussion.

9:28

So uh after the after the presentation and the ensuing discussion, what we'll do is we'll come back to this and uh staff will try to glean from the commission uh consensus on each of these issues so that we can articulate them and put them in resolutions that we would be back to the commission for formal adoption at a later date.

9:51

Uh so without any further discussion, I'm gonna bring up John Caldman of CDM Smith to start the uh presentation.

9:58

Thank you.

10:00

Morning, everybody, Commissioners Mayor, Vice Mayor, uh John Goldman with CDM Smith.

10:04

We're your stormwater consultant, authors of the stormwater master plan, and on the engineer of record and the project manager for the project.

10:12

Uh today's discussion, you've seen before, it's less technical.

10:16

We're going to go through the technical part quickly, and then we'll help facilitate the discussion about costs and rates and projects, which is really the meat of what we want to talk about today.

10:26

Uh we did establish the desired level of service.

10:30

It's a very robust level of service.

10:31

It's almost a one billion dollar program if you do it citywide.

10:35

Uh it addresses the major roadways and evacuation routes.

10:39

Uh, and it's brief duration flooding in your residential streets only six inches, and that's uh in a five-year storm.

10:46

And everywhere possible, we're keeping the flooding without uh underneath the homes.

10:52

And this one came out to a 2.9 to 1 uh benefit to cost ratio, meaning every dollar you spend on capital improvements, you are then getting back in flood damage reductions, $2.9 back, which is very impressive, and that is due to the top topography in a lot of the homes that are being inundated uh under some relatively uh smaller storms.

11:18

Uh there is a two-pronged two-step implementation strategy that uh Vin had talked about.

11:24

One of this to first focus on those long long-term large CIP projects, the ones that are in the news all the time, the ones that affect the entire city, while at the same time hitting all those flooding hotspots that we've talked about.

11:37

You've talked to your residents in your districts, you've talked to us, we've addressed as many of those as we can uh in these initial interim projects, they're interim relief, and these projects, some of them are even going in now, and we'll speak about those momentarily.

11:53

So it's two types of projects, like we said, under this program.

11:56

The first one are these interim projects, interim projects are a little bit smaller, up to four million dollars uh, and these are to give some immediate relief, and there's a series of backlog projects that are renewal and replacement that the city has already slated in the stormwater department there, and these are proposed as pays you go from your stormwater utility funds.

12:18

And then the large area CIP projects, those can be 25 to 40 million, and those are full neighborhood scale improvements designed to meet the full level of service and those require bonds, grants, loans, etc.

12:32

Uh the criteria for an interim project, as we said, addresses the hot spots citywide.

12:38

It has to provide some noticeable flooding relief.

12:41

We tested these in the models and we stopped at a point where we saw some noticeable relief.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Stormwater Management█████████████████████████████████████████████58%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████████19%
Zoning█████6%
Public Engagement█████6%
Public Safety████5%
Public Works███4%
Capital Improvement Plan1%
Intergovernmental Cooperation1%
Summary of Proceedings

City Commission Workshop on Stormwater Master Plan - April 16, 2025

The Hollywood City Commission held a workshop on April 16, 2025, to discuss the city's Stormwater Master Plan. The workshop focused on three key areas: adopting the master plan, approving the recommended first slate of capital improvement projects (CIP), and determining the funding mechanism. No formal votes were taken, but staff received direction to bring back formal resolutions for adoption of the master plan and the CIP projects, as well as a comparative analysis of four rate structure options for the stormwater utility fee. The discussion highlighted the $900 million to nearly $1 billion program needed to achieve a robust level of service (10-year storm protection), with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.9 to 1.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Bob Glickman (Hollywood Beach) raised concerns about FDOT flapgates on the beach that are not being maintained, causing water to back up. He asked the city to explore cutting expenses or raising other revenues (e.g., a general obligation bond) to reduce the impact of rate increases on residents. He also suggested dredging canals to increase capacity and raising canal banks for safety.
  • Tom Good (Executive Director, Central Broward Water Control District) and Commissioner Miguel Castillo offered intergovernmental support for stormwater solutions in western areas, noting past partnerships under former Commissioner Biederman.

Discussion Items

  • Stormwater Master Plan Presentation – Vin Morello (Director of Public Utilities), John Goldman (CDM Smith), and Kyle Stevens (Stantec) presented the plan, objectives, and rate alternatives. The plan identifies 21 interim projects (pay-as-you-go, up to $4 million each) and initial large CIP projects in the most urgent flooding areas (e.g., North and South 14th Avenue corridor, Oakwood Hills, Liberia, Sunset Park, North Central). The large CIP projects are estimated to cost $294 million and require bonding. Three rate options were presented: flat citywide fee ($18, $20, or $22 per ERU initially, rising to $42 in years 5-10), and two-zone or three-zone rate structures where fees vary by geographic area depending on where CIP projects are located.
  • Commission Discussion on Rate Structure – Commissioners debated equity and affordability. Commissioners Callari, Shuham, Biederman, and Gruber supported a single citywide rate, arguing that all residents benefit from stormwater improvements and that the east side (which receives the most projects) serves as an economic engine for the entire city. Commissioner Hernandez advocated for a zone-based approach or a millage rate tied to property values, emphasizing that his district (District 2) has the highest concentration of low- to moderate-income residents and would bear a heavier burden under a flat fee given that most initial projects are east of US 1. Vice Mayor Quintana supported exploring a millage option but also acknowledged the difficulty for her LMI constituents. The city attorney noted legal constraints on using a millage rate for stormwater, but Mayor Levy requested a full comparison of options.
  • Other Topics – Commissioner Callari suggested exploring stormwater impact fees for new development, closing alleyways in hot spots to create permeable surfaces, and acquiring repeatedly flooded homes for stormwater retention. Commissioner Shuham emphasized the need to communicate flood insurance savings (via CRS points) to residents. Commissioner Biederman proposed using school board fields and parks for water storage. The commission also discussed ongoing efforts to secure state emergency pumps and the need to partner with FDOT on flapgate maintenance and canal management.

Key Outcomes

  • Consensus to adopt the Stormwater Master Plan – Staff will bring back a formal resolution for adoption at a future commission meeting.
  • Consensus on the recommended first slate of large CIP projects – The list of priority areas (as presented) was generally accepted; staff will prepare a resolution for formal approval.
  • Direction for Rate Structure Analysis – Staff (with consultants) will prepare a comparative analysis of four funding mechanisms for the stormwater utility:
    1. Citywide flat fee (single zone).
    2. Two-zone rate (east/west of I-95).
    3. Three- or four-zone rate.
    4. A property-value-based method (either a non-ad valorem assessment on the tax bill or a general fund millage rate increase). The analysis will include impacts on single-family, commercial, and LMI households, as well as long-term projections over 30 years. The commission also requested exploring a more gradual annual rate increase to avoid a sharp jump when bonds come due.
  • Additional Studies – Staff will look into stormwater impact fees for new development, credit programs for on-site stormwater retention, and potential partnerships with the school board and county for water storage.

Meeting Transcript

All right, top of the morning, everyone. Welcome to City Hall here in the City of Hollywood. As you all know, we're here for a city commission workshop. It's of course April sixteenth, twenty twenty-five. Of course, to discuss the stormwater master plan. And I'd like to begin by recognizing the city manager for some opening remarks. Um we we located it in in the commission chambers just so to make sure we had plenty of seating and capacity because this issue is obviously one of the most important and weighty issues that we will deal with at any time this year or in the future, and it's um it's going to have a great deal of impact on the quality of life in this community and uh exactly how we proceed uh in terms of capital work and financing for the next generations of the next two decades. Um it is a workshop session, so it does not require any formal decisions or actions today, but we do need to gain some consensus and some direction on uh three key areas actually adopting the master plan itself, the uh the capital work, the infrastructure improvements, and then how do you finance it? And uh, of course, there are some variables there as well. The presentation today is is a bit involved and and lengthy, so we'll move through it as quickly as we can. If we can uh ask to try and hold any comments or questions to the end, it would be appreciated just so you can get the full kind of package of of information, and then we'll have plenty of time at the end for for questions and discussions. And uh with that want to introduce Vin Morello, our public utilities director, and he'll lead off the presentation. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Vin Morello, uh Director of Utilities, City of Hollywood. Um I've put uh over 30 CIP plans uh over my career. Uh interspersed with those uh annual plans have been uh I've had the opportunity to put together major programs such as the Boston Harbor Project, uh, the Broward County Administrative Order, worked on the Miami Dade Consent Order, and this program uh stands up with those. And the plan that we'll be presenting is as detailed as any that I've worked on. There is an engineered solution for every uh corner of the city. How do you get to the next slide? Today we're gonna cover the discussion in three uh in three portions. Uh first, we're going to go over the the master plan. And there's uh the advantages of of the of uh of discussing and basically formally adopting the master plan are uh we'll we'll be able to obtain CRS points for uh reduced insurance rates. Uh we'll we'll get uh bond let uh bond lender confidence and uh grant program uh checklist requirements. And that's pretty straightforward. And if we look at the sort of the agenda today, it's basically please stay on the first screen. Can we go back to the first screen? The the second portion is to discuss basically it's in three portions objectives, strategy, and tactics. So there shouldn't be uh gener there's general consensus on the first. The second is pretty straightforward, pretty linear on the recommended slate of projects. The projects are grouped into two groups. Uh one would be interim projects, and that would be pay as you go, and those will be citywide. And so there's immediate relief citywide uh over several years under that under the interim projects. And then what you'll see is our recommended first slate of major capital projects, and those require the large-scale bonding uh or or loans from the from the federal government to accomplish. And the third part is how to get how to fund it. And we've we've presented several options for funding, the conventional flat citywide rate and several zone-based rate structures for discussion. So uh after the after the presentation and the ensuing discussion, what we'll do is we'll come back to this and uh staff will try to glean from the commission uh consensus on each of these issues so that we can articulate them and put them in resolutions that we would be back to the commission for formal adoption at a later date. Uh so without any further discussion, I'm gonna bring up John Caldman of CDM Smith to start the uh presentation. Thank you. Morning, everybody, Commissioners Mayor, Vice Mayor, uh John Goldman with CDM Smith. We're your stormwater consultant, authors of the stormwater master plan, and on the engineer of record and the project manager for the project. Uh today's discussion, you've seen before, it's less technical. We're going to go through the technical part quickly, and then we'll help facilitate the discussion about costs and rates and projects, which is really the meat of what we want to talk about today. Uh we did establish the desired level of service. It's a very robust level of service. It's almost a one billion dollar program if you do it citywide. Uh it addresses the major roadways and evacuation routes. Uh, and it's brief duration flooding in your residential streets only six inches, and that's uh in a five-year storm. And everywhere possible, we're keeping the flooding without uh underneath the homes.

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