2015-0219 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting February 19.2015 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida in her footsteps would be very appropriate. Chair Viscarra said yes,there are three things we are keeping including the Condo Series,and she is also looking for direction on how to grow because nobody really knows what the Commission needs or what direction the City is going in,and so ideas were brought up but they didn't get any traction. Before we send individuals to create subcommittees it is better to identify a handful of broad categories. If we can get a couple more things where we can direct, especially the new members who are eager to help but they have never created a subcommittee or understand how it works. She wants to be able to give them direction so that they can be productive and we can be effective. Commissioner Goldman said that she has found over the years in her participation in the City Advisory Committee that one of the things the Committee always laments is sometimes the lack of attendance and so while we have our own ideas, the best ideas come from the residents and from the City. The more we can engage people and bring people into the fold and have that conversation the better it will be for the City. And so the challenge is how to get people to come to the meetings and maybe it is through social media, a platform, it is through increasing that level of communication. We need to get the attendance up at the CAC so again we can bring ideas to the floor and make a suitable recommendation that would ultimately go before the Commission. Chair Viscarra said she agrees and that is why the subcommittee that she is going to create is actually the CAC Outreach which is addressing exactly that,how to capitalize on the media,the email,and all of that. Also going to the Condo meetings, and if she could get five minutes in front of condo meetings so they know that they exist because we take for granted that we all know the neighbors names and a lot of people don't. She feels it is important that she goes to these condo meetings to reach out to the community directly and let them know what we are and that we want their ideas, and to precisely increase the attendance. Commissioner Goldman said that she is also very much in favor of.the idea that the Commissioners one at a time can go to a meeting. We have a lot of ideas and perspective and knowledge about the CAC and some of us that have served on it, and Commissioner Levin has served on it. And so we are all going to import our own knowledge, our own experience and perspectives and she thinks that will be a very positive flow of information. She thinks that is a great idea and she would be happy to participate in it. Vice Mayor Gatto said she was intrigued with something that Chair Viscarra said on an idea that you would almost be an extension in helping staff communicate situations that are going on out there, whether it is construction where residents would be inconvenienced but you could sort of be the mouthpiece to give people a head's up. That would have been a perfect idea when we started the Samson Park/Chateau project, we probably could have all done a better job of communicating and so she thinks that is an excellent idea. Commissioner Levin said she agrees with Commissioner Goldman. One of the difficulties of being a Commissioner is getting feedback from the residents and wanting to know what they want and what they think. She knows that Susan Spiliotis mentioned doing pedestrian and bicycle safety and she had mentioned it, and the Mayor had mentioned the two pedestrian bridges that she didn't know about until tonight. She thinks she would like to speak to the City Manager because he has a handle on everything that is going on and she would also be interested in speaking with Chair Viscarra about the strengths of the Committee members to 26