2006 0615 Regular City Commission Meeting

Home Browse Search

Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting June 15,2006 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida receive that answer in the very near future. Commissioner Iglesias said that Collins A venue has less and more stringent utility lines under the ground then what you are going to get in the 21- foot easement that you have in Atlantic Isle, so they are saying by August 2006 FPL will be making the determination on whether to use public or private lands for the undergrounding of the utilities. Assistant City Manager Vera said it will be quicker then that after today' s meeting. Commissioner Iglesias said if they come back and say we can't use public right-of-way, we gave up land behind Navarro's where they split the right-of-way which they are using as an easement, the same thing could be done on Atlantic Isle with a caveat that easement that is given to those property owners will be for a utility easement for the undergrounding. Mayor Edelcup, on behalf of the Commission, instructed staff to include Commissioner Iglesias the next time they meet with FPL, since he will recluse himself as it relates to Atlantic Isle, he could be working on behalf of the common interest. Commissioner Thaler said after this goes underground, lets go to the other side, the people of Golden Shores will have to connect with this line? Assistant City Manager Vera said yes, as well as Atlantic Isle, if one individual does not connect, the poles stay up. Mayor Edelcup said that every single homeowner will have to connect from the easement area where the direct line runs through to their individual home. Commissioner Iglesias asked if someone decides not to connect, can we pass an ordinance forcing people to connect? City Attorney Ottinot said that there is law that supports the City position to require certain residents to underground, the issue is, is the City going to pay for the cost connection and eventually recoup the cost from a Special Assessment. He said the bottom line is generally there is a mechanism that you can do it and if the resident refuses to pay for the connection costs, you have to pass an ordinance to recoup it to some kind of Special Assessment. Commissioner Iglesias said that it's not because they don't want to do it, but maybe they just won't have the money at the time. Mayor Edelcup said when we get there we can find out, that is a finance mechanism, and whether or not the City fronts it and then collects over a period of time is something that can be worked out. City Manager Szerlag said he didn't see the right-of-way maps, and asked if they delineate the existing location of utility lines, and Assistant City Manager Vera said no. City Manager Szerlag said we will have to do a stake and location within the right-of-way, identify what specificity the location of existing utility plant material, then we can go to FPL and talk to the decision maker and say, okay here is the cross section of the right-of-way, here is the location of existing utility lines, here is where you can place the undergrounding, and that would be a better argument for us. Commissioner Iglesias said that is fine, and asked if we have a soft- dig contractor that can go out and do utility verifications or do we have to contract that out, as right now it is very easy, we've got everything that is overhead, underground, we have septic tanks, so the only thing we may have is water, just find out where the water lines are. City Manager Szerlag asked if there were any storm drainage underground, and Commissioner Iglesias said no. Mayor Edelcup said that there have been a couple of homes built that put their service underground, and Commissioner Iglesias said their service underground is basically from their property line. 13