Submitted By: Holly Lang
presenter
Presentation By: Tammi Haslam
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Department: Growth Management
STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
title
Adopt Budget Resolution 2022-173 appropriating funding from the Building Division’s Reserve for Building Fund account for Building related expenses in the amount of $28,998
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OCALA’S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Operational Excellence, Economic Hub
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND:
The city has a five-year agreement with GovSense and Oracle/NetSuite for its land management software system. The anticipated “go live” date for the permitting module of GovSense is December 1, 2022. At this time, the city does not have enough NetSuite licenses for our IT staff to adequately provide testing prior to “go live” which will limit their ability to handle “glitches” that may arise. The city needs to have an additional workflow script for the site development review process written and implemented for our ProjectDox ePlans, which is the software that is used for electronic plan submission and review.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS:
The additional NetSuite licenses, which cost $13,810, are critical to being able to resolve problems that would negatively impact the public and create financial problems prior to implementation. The new workflow script, totaling $15,188, will allow an additional oversite review to be done in the event of a denial and the ability to send plans back to the applicant for revisions based on a Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation. It will also allow for additional oversight review tasks to be assigned when revisions are resubmitted. Currently, there is no provision within the existing software routine to allow for multiple oversight review cycles.
GovSense and ProjectDox directly support the building function and therefore are appropriate expenses of the Building Fund.
In July 2019, the Florida Legislature passed a bill (HB 447) that states a local government cannot carry forward an amount exceeding the average of its operating budget for enforcing the Florida Building Code for the previous four fiscal years. The four-year average (fiscal years 2018 - 2021) for expenses is $1,838,479.25. Building’s Reserve for Fund Balance is approximately $2,839,235. According to the bill, funding needs to be used to pay for Building expenses or fees should be reduced, which was done in FY21 and is being proposed again at this Council meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed expenses will reduce the Reserve for Fund Balance (001-099-999-513-81-99170), which will assist in helping to meet legislative mandates. Funds will be transferred to account 001-016-061-524-68-68010.
PROCUREMENT REVIEW: N/A
LEGAL REVIEW: N/A
ALTERNATIVE:
• Approve with changes
• Deny
• Table
BUDGET RESOLUTION 2022-173
A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022 BUDGET TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FROM THE RESERVE FOR BUILDING FUND FOR BUILDING RELATED EXPENSES IN THE AMOUNT OF $28,998
WHEREAS, the city has a five-year agreement with GovSense and Oracle/NetSuite for its land management software system; and
WHEREAS, the anticipated “go live” date for the permitting module of GovSense is December 1, 2022; and
WHEREAS, the city does not currently have enough NetSuite licenses for our IT staff to adequately provide testing prior to “go live” and be able to handle any glitches that may arise with it; and
WHEREAS, it is critical that the permitting module of GovSense work smoothly once implemented as any issues with it will negatively affect the public; and
WHEREAS, the city needs to have an additional workflow script for the site development review process written and implemented for our ProjectDox ePlans, which is the software that is used for electronic plan submission and review; and
WHEREAS, due to the robust construction taking place in Ocala, the Reserve for Building Fund has been steadily increasing despite lowering fees; and
WHEREAS, according to Florida House Bill 447 passed in 2019, local governments should not carry forward a reserve that exceeds a four-year average of the annual cost of performing the building function; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Reserve for Building Fund currently has a balance of approximately $2,839,235, which exceeds the four-year average of its annual operating budget of $1,838,479.25; and
WHEREAS, since the expenses are necessary for the building operation and their cost will help reduce the reserve, it is an appropriate use of funding; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OCALA, FLORIDA, duly assembled in regular session, that the FY22 Budget be amended as outlined below to appropriate funding as follows:
Source:
001-099-999-513-81-99170 Building’s Reserve for Fund Balance ($28,998)
Use:
001-016-061-524-68-68010 GRM Bldg. - Intangible Assets $28,998
This resolution adopted this ______ day of ______________________, 2022.
ATTEST: CITY OF OCALA
By: By:
Angel B. Jacobs Ire Bethea Sr.
City Clerk President, Ocala City Council
Approved as to form and legality:
By: _________________________________
Robert W. Batsel, Jr.
City Attorney
Reviewed for accounting accuracy & completeness:
By: _________________________________
Peter A. Lee
Interim City Manager