MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

May 8, 2007

 

 

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special/workshop session on May 8, 2007, at 2:05 p.m. in the Government Center Florida Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida.  Present were:  Chairperson Jackie Colon, Commissioners Truman Scarborough, Chuck Nelson, Helen Voltz, and Mary Bolin, County Manager Peggy Busacca, and County Attorney Scott Knox. 

 

 

 

Chairperson Colon advised Dr. Pergo is retiring as President of the Palm Bay BCC; expressed her thanks for his service; noted his replacement is Joe Lee Smith and expressed her congratulations; and requested the Board send a letter of recognition to Dr. Pergo and a letter of congratulations to Mr. Smith. 

 

 

 

Chairperson Colon noted Lynda Weatherman was selected by NASA to go to Washington to receive the NASA Distinguished Public Service Award; NASA is very selective in issuing the award; and requested the Board send a letter of congratulations.

 

 

PRESENTATION BY LEIGH HOLT, RE:  LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK

 

Legislative Delegation Coordinator Leigh Holt advised there are two options for property tax reform, statutory options and constitutional options; one of the main things the Legislators are trying to do is address the inequities in the current system; it is the most difficult thing to do because the inequities have been caused by Save Our Homes which was voter approved; and people with homes that are homesteaded are not interested in changing that.  She stated the State is discussing caps on non-homesteaded and business properties, but that creates new inequities and can discourage economic development; they want relief for homeowners and one proposal is to increase homestead exemption by $25,000, but it could also increase the inequity; they want to free homeowners trapped in their homes so there is serious consideration of portability; and although there has been some question about its constitutionality, the Senate has a version they think will address that constitutionality issue.  She noted the Department of Revenue has projected that the estimated cost to Brevard County for portability would be $6.6 million; the State wants to encourage home ownership so one of the proposals includes a $25,000 exemption for first time home buyers; they want relief for businesses; and the House, Senate, and Governor’s Office are all in agreement about exempting the first $25,000 of business tangible personal property.  Ms. Holt stated the Department of Revenue estimates that impact to Brevard County to be $1.8 million; the State wants relief for renters and businesses, and another way that they want to address that is by how valuations are done; there is a lot of discussion about highest and best use versus current use; and there is a proposal that qualified affordable housing would be taxed based on rent collected versus valuation.  She advised there is a call to cap run away spending;  there  are  several  ways  to do that addressing property tax; there are caps but with factors that address growth, which is usually defined as new construction and also allowing property tax revenues to grow by CPI or median family income; and there are several options on the table.  She noted one includes freezing revenues for two years; there are several different versions of overrides, from no override at all by the County Commission for two years, overrides for declared emergency, override by a supermajority, and override by a unanimous vote of the County Commission; and there is also a proposal to cap all local government revenue including taxes, fees, licenses, and charges for service at CPI Plus Growth with some override options.  She stated the State wants immediate meaningful relief; the only way to have immediate relief is through a Statutory measure, which would be a rollback; there are proposals for a reduction in County Property Tax ranging from 10% to over 50%; and the lowest published offers currently on the table are 15% from the Senate, 25% from the Governor’s Office, and over 50% from the House.  She displayed a chart depicting Responsible Growth versus Actual Local Government Revenues from 2000 to 2007; and noted both the Senate and the Governor have focused on the chart.  She advised it shows that local government revenue and median family income tracked right together from 1982 to 2003; 2003 is when the gap started between family income and government spending; and if they roll back to 2003, that would be a 23.6% hit.   

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca inquired when Ms. Holt says that, is she presuming the numbers that the Department of Revenue has put together; with Ms. Holt replying yes.  Ms. Busacca noted those would show that the property values in Brevard County have actually increased; but the Property Appraiser has tentatively told the County that it will expect a decrease; so all the numbers that Ms. Holt is using are probably off by five to eight percent because the Department of Revenue has not had the same projection as Mr. Ford.  Ms. Holt responded that is right; all of the Department of Revenue projections assume a 2.5% valuation increase over all the years that are being looked at.  Ms. Busacca advised instead of a 23% decrease to the County, the Board should consider that to be a 28 to 30% decrease; and the Board needs to add five to eight percent to whatever numbers Ms. Holt gives as far as percentages of reduction. 

 

Ms. Holt noted counties around the State are preparing their budgets with cuts ranging from 10% to 25%; one of the Senate’s proposals has a long statement about transparency, which requires publishing budget information such as contracts on the Internet; many communities are doing what the Board did with the ad explaining the programs that are going to be cut or that could be cut; but engaging the public in the conversation is being considered as very important to do at this point.  She advised in addition to having public forums, some counties are contacting Advisory Board members and involving their contracted agencies that provide services; some counties are building an email list where people can go to the website and sign up to get regular budget information and budget updates; Volusia County activated its Emergency Operations Center, saying that this is a budget crisis and it brought in all the players that would have to be available if the EOC activated to discuss what the budget cuts were going to mean in the community; and then it released a list of the County’s and the cities’ layoffs there would be.  She stated some counties have increased impact fees; this week, Pasco County doubled its impact fees on new homes to $7,000; some counties have increased gas tax to pay for transportation maintenance or new construction; and Alachua County has just voted to raise its gas tax five cents.  Ms. Holt noted some counties have established new fees in taxing districts for libraries and EMS; some counties are doing commercial sponsorship of parks; and Broward County is estimating it can raise $7 million for parks by offering naming opportunities for parks, facilities, and buildings.

 

Commissioner Voltz noted the State is interested in encouraging ownership, and raising all the impact fees and such is a total opposite reaction to what the State wants counties to do.  Ms. Holt replied yes, she knows but she is sharing what other counties are doing. 

 

Ms. Holt advised all agencies funded by property taxes are being asked to submit reduced budgets, including the Constitutional Offices and the Sheriffs; for example, Jacksonville has asked for all Constitutional Officers including the Sheriff to submit their budgets with a 10% decrease; and the community involvement in the discussion process is very important.  She noted the Special Session is scheduled to begin June 12, 2007; she expects to see some ideas floated before that so counties will have a sense of the direction that the State might be going; there is also the sense that the Special Session will not go all the way to June 22, 2007; it might go through just the first week and maybe through the weekend; and then they would be able to come to consensus and vote on the final product. 

 

Commissioner Voltz inquired if the State Legislators will be back in town this week; with Ms. Holt replying yes.  Commissioner Voltz inquired if Ms. Holt is aware of anything that the Legislators are going to be doing as far as community input; with Ms. Holt responding no, not at this time.  Ms. Holt stated some of the Legislators are off this week; the League of Cities will be having the Legislators at their meeting; they have confirmed four of the seven members that will be attending; and she sent an email to the Board about the format of the program.

 

Commissioner Nelson inquired if the State is still exempting some of the counties; with Ms. Holt replying that was in one of the very early proposals but it was taken off the table as well as not exempting special districts.  Commissioner Nelson inquired how are those counties going to deal with the 10 mills cap; with Ms. Holt replying she does not know the answer to that, but it has been a while since there was the exemption for the small counties.  Commissioner Nelson noted on the chart that the State is using, much of the County’s valuation was in the commercial non-homesteaded properties; and inquired is there any discussion about the fact that there is still a sizable portion or population that has not seen tax increases above their median income.  Ms. Holt inquired if he means the homesteaders; with Commissioner Nelson replying yes; and on the chart that the Governor is using that growth in valuation in a lot of respects is due to the business and the non-protected properties.  Ms. Holt advised the only potential proposal that she has seen is one that was developed by Representative Simmons and it completely changes the formula and would address the inequity.   Commissioner Nelson noted he can understand why they would chart together revenue versus income until they see a growth in a segment of the economy; a lot of the growth occurred outside of the residential; but the Governor is not taking that into consideration.  He stated Jacksonville is talking about taking a 10% cut with its Constitutional Officers regarding reduction; and inquired what is the total cut that Jacksonville is anticipating.  Ms. Holt replied Jacksonville asked all departments to do 10%. Commissioner Nelson inquired if that is equivalent to what they are expecting to lose; with Ms. Holt replying Jacksonville chose to start with 10%; and Jacksonville has a range just like Brevard County does that is 10% to 25%.

 

Chairperson Colon noted the real numbers that are being proposed are anywhere between 14% to 50%, with the Governor coming in at 25%.

 

Commissioner Bolin inquired if the State anticipates the rest of the county government to do 25% and Constitutional Offices to do 10% or was it 10% across the board; with Ms. Holt responding it is pretty much 10% across the board; but that is just where Jacksonville is starting because around the State counties are assuming that it is going to be at least 10%.

 

Chairperson Colon inquired if there is any feedback in regard to House Bill 1577 from Representative Mayfield; with Ms. Holt replying it passed; and it does require a Referendum so it would not go into effect until after an election. 

 

Commissioner Nelson inquired if the Governor has signed it; with Ms. Holt responding no, it has not been sent to the Governor yet; usually the local Bills go in a group; and there are probably 40 or 50 of them. 

 

Chairperson Colon inquired what municipalities and counties will be affected by this Bill; with Ms. Holt replying as it is written, it is only unincorporated Brevard County.  County Manager Busacca advised Representative Mayfield originally started out with a Bill for both Indian River County and Brevard County; but he has withdrawn the Bill for Indian River County.  Chairperson Colon inquired if the Board would like to send a letter asking Representative Mayfield why Indian River County is now exempt and he is only focusing on Brevard County. 

 

Commissioner Scarborough suggested Chairperson Colon make a phone call to ask him that question.  Chairperson Colon stated she would like it in writing.  Commissioner Scarborough noted a phone conversation could get into more; a person is able to couch all their language in a written letter; but if Chairperson Colon is on the phone with Representative Mayfield she will be able to discuss the issue in depth and then she could request him to confirm it in writing.  Commissioner Scarborough noted Chairperson Colon needs to inquire because there is something that is missing; and it was Indian River County that had Representative Mayfield’s original concern. 

 

Chairperson Colon noted the reason needs to be on record; she will make the phone call and then she will ask him to put his answer in writing as well; and commented on some of the Board’s concerns such as cities not being included, impacts affecting growth management issues, operating budget, and emergency and critical need not being defined, and the language not addressing treatment of the twenty-one Referendum-approved millages.

 

Ms. Busacca advised the public did vote on a Firefighter Referendum to specifically increase that by a certain number of mills; staff has brought that to the attention of the Legislative Delegation and to date that does not seem to have changed what is going on in Tallahassee; it may have been convincing to the Delegation and they simply were not able to convey that; but the Board has had a lot of discussion about those.

 

Chairperson Colon inquired as of now, is it not protected; with Ms. Busacca replying no, it is not protected.  Chairperson Colon noted that is where she thinks the citizens are concerned; if the citizens want to vote to be able to tax themselves in regards to fire, police, and so forth, then they should be allowed; and it just does not make any sense.

 

Commissioner Voltz noted one good thing that was mentioned about Stan Mayfield’s Bill is that it will go out for a vote; the citizens will have an opportunity to speak; that is what makes the difference; and at least the citizens will have an opportunity to look at what they want their community to look like.  Chairperson Colon stated that is a very good point.

 

Ms. Holt noted if the State calls for a special election in the fall then the local bill language would be on this year’s ballot because it would be the next countywide election.  Chairperson Colon inquired who would pay for that special election; with Commissioner Voltz replying the County would.  Chairperson Colon noted that is $700,000.  

 

Commissioner Scarborough advised the dumping of sewage coming out of the Port for the gambling ships has to be studied for another year; but the budget has to be done this year; the Board has a difficult time with the budget when there is complete control over the revenue stream; and suggested either delaying the budget or enabling the people to have a supermajority vote.  He stated the citizens should have a right to be involved in this.  Ms. Holt noted there was some discussion about the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission doing something now to handle the Constitutional issues; but the headlines around the State today were that the Governor wants to make sure the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission does not have much to do; and the Governor wants the Legislature to make the decisions in the Special Session.

 

Commissioner Voltz inquired if there is Statewide election and a county votes a different way than everybody else, is it then county-by-county; with Ms. Holt responding no, it is a Statewide election.  Chairperson Colon noted even if Brevard County does not want it, someone else would basically decide its destiny. 

 

Commissioner Voltz inquired what was the rate of inflation that was used for the Responsible Growth versus Actual Local Government Revenue Chart put together by the Governor’s Office; with Ms. Holt replying she is not sure if the Governor’s Office used CPI or the Median Family Income; the same chart that the Senate produced used Median Family Income; but it is not defined on the Governor’s chart.  Commissioner Voltz advised those are two different things.  Ms. Holt responded yes; CPI is a little smaller than Median Family Income.

 

County Attorney Scott Knox advised one thing the Board may wish to take into account is there may be some legal problems with Representative Mayfield’s Bill; and if the Board is interested, he can prepare something for them.  Chairperson Colon noted the Board would need that information because calls are already coming in.

 

Chairperson Colon inquired if May 14, 2007 is still the date for the meeting of the Space Coast League of Cities with the Delegation; with Ms. Holt replying yes, it will include a panel made up of two mayors, a city manager, and one councilman; discussion on the 10% cap and unfunded mandates; a presentation from the Satellite Beach City Manager on the Property Tax Reform Proposals’ impact on the City’s budget; a wrap-up; and the Legislators’ questions for the panel; and they are not going to have questions from the audience.

 

Chairperson Colon inquired if any Representatives are going to attend; with Ms. Holt replying Senator Haridopolos, and Representatives Allen, Altman, and Poppell have confirmed their attendance; and Representative Needelman and Senator Posey are out-of-town and not available to respond yet.  Commissioners Voltz and Bolin noted they will be attending; with Chairperson Colon adding she thinks the entire Board is going.  Ms. Holt noted the League of Cities does not expect Representative Mayfield to be there because he is ill.

 

Commissioner Nelson inquired if the State’s final version of the budget lowered the millage for the local required effort on the School Board’s side; with Ms. Holt responding they did not.   Commissioner Nelson noted the State, which had an opportunity to lower the millage collected locally did not; and Statewide that is an increase in revenue to all the School Districts that had increases in property values.  Ms. Holt replied that is correct; and noted the justification for that is the citizens of the State voted for the Class Size Amendment and those funds are needed to meet the demands of the class size.  Commissioner Nelson advised the Legislators get to pick and choose when the citizens get listened to; the County had the same thing on the park side; the citizens voted to pay for park maintenance;  and  the  County  is  now being told that is being reduced because it is not protected.  Chairperson Colon noted that is an excellent point; Florida’s public schools would get nearly 6.7% increase per student funding; but a large chunk of the public school’s increase, about $546 million, would come from taxes paid by city and county property owners.  She stated it does not make sense to have a $546 million increase and the people the State is saying it wants to protect are going to be the ones that pay for it. 

 

Commissioner Bolin inquired if Ms. Holt will be attending the Special Session for the County; with Ms. Holt replying yes.

 

Chairperson Colon advised the Florida Association of Counties’ meeting will be the second week of June in Orlando; and there will be three Commissioners attending.  Ms. Holt advised the Florida Association of Counties will be revamping some of the agenda because the property tax discussion will be going on simultaneously in Tallahassee; they will have regular reports and updates on what is happening in Tallahassee; they may have phone banks for folks to be able to call their Legislators as things are happening; and they will have a focus on Property Tax Reform in the Conference.

 

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca noted the Commissioners have in front of them a packet of information provided by staff; it includes a Memo dated April 23, 2007, which highlights some very broad policy issues; staff has identified four they feel are the highest priority; and she will be happy to walk the Board through those.  She stated the second set of papers is a listing of the services broken down by cost; and at the end, is very general information that may be useful to the Commissioners or their constituents.

 

Budget Director Dennis Rogero advised the adopted budget for the current Fiscal Year was just under $1.2 billion; just under $249 million or 21% of the total budget is what they are discussing when they talk about tax reductions that may be forced on the County by the Legislature in Tallahassee; and that is the slice of pie the Board is able to work within when it reduces tax revenue.

 

Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten noted $17 million of the $249 million is for debt service; and the operating revenues are $231 million. 

 

Mr. Rogero stated as the Board discusses the 10% to over 50% reductions that may happen, it is only the $231 million portion they are able to reduce; and the other portion of the pie at just over $911 million has nothing to do with the property taxes.

 

Commissioner Scarborough inquired to what extent does the Board have the ability, under what is currently being discussed at the State level, to become more fee operated; with Mr. Rogero replying the only limitation is what the Board has limited itself by way of ordinances, etc.  Commissioner Scarborough noted he is going to be candid because the Board is going to be asked to go to priorities; it may end up that libraries have to take a harder hit; therefore, does it close  a  library  or  does  it  have  the  patrons  pay  to  a  greater  extent; and what the Board is struggling with is how to keep a viable County together. He stated it is going to take a lot of prioritization so it does not destroy certain component parts.

 

Ms. Busacca noted if the Commissioners are interested in additional fees, staff can bring that information back to the Board.   Commissioner Scarborough advised the Legislature has not prevented counties from looking to those issues.  Ms. Busacca noted that is correct; it may be part of the Special Session; but it has not happened yet.

 

Mr. Rogero stated he will break down the $911 million of other revenue; 14% is for Parks and Recreation; and it includes every other revenue source except property taxes.

 

Mr. Whitten advised the presentation is structured this way because staff was asked to explain the 79% of the pie that cannot be used to fund the services that are funded with the 21% of the pie; he has seen in a lot of correspondence from some members of the Delegation that the cuts are only a certain percentage of the $1.16 billion figure; that may be true in terms of simple math and it would be true if this 79% could be used to fund those services that are directly supported by property taxes; but this part of the presentation really brings home the fact that the 79% is for dedicated services.  He stated it is a fee for services in some instances; it is illegal to use those revenues for any other services; there is grant funding in there; and so this piece of the pie is restricted in its use and cannot be used for the 21% of the pie.

 

Mr. Rogero stated 11% of the $911 million is for Transportation and Engineering; it includes every other revenue source, excluding the property taxes; 10% is for the Solid Waste Department; and 9% is for Insurance/Risk Management.

 

Commissioner Scarborough requested Mr. Rogero describe what an enterprise fund is and how it has to be totally segregated.  Mr. Rogero noted a big chunk of the $911 million is attributed to enterprise agencies; Solid Waste Management is an excellent example of an enterprise agency; enterprise agencies are simply the Board’s agencies that act like a private business; and they are in business to make money.  He stated the only real difference between these agencies and the private sector is if they make a profit, they either return the profit to the citizens in the form of lower rates in subsequent years or as typically happens in Brevard County, the profit is held in reserves for anticipated future needs like additional landfills or landfill space.  He advised Water Resources is another excellent example of an enterprise agency because the profit is held for the anticipated additional water treatment plants that the County is likely to need in the coming years; when they charge the citizen for these services be it landfill, water treatment, etc., they have to spend that funding on landfill or water treatment; and the Board has no discretion to take that funding and hire planners with it, for instance. 

 

Mr. Rogero stated 8% of the $911 million is for Utilities; 6% is for Impact Fees; a significant amount of the Impact Fees is a pass-through; and 6% is for Fire Rescue.  He noted Fire Rescue is another indication of the complexity of most of the budget; Fire Rescue receives a General Fund transfer that has its own tax levy as voted upon by the citizens and it receives many other revenue sources that account for 6% of the $911 million; and that is another reason it is so difficult sometimes to identify which service is being funded by which block of funding because in many instances the County receives all of this money and then allocates it out.

 

Mr. Rogero advised the remaining is for Other Services; many agencies have a portion of that slice for services; yet the agencies also receive general funding, most of which originates with property taxes.  He noted he wants to key off something Commissioner Nelson brought up earlier; not only is the required local effort not being cut, it is mandated to be increased; in Fiscal Year 2002, Brevard County’s taxes accounted for 40% of the total taxes; and the other 60% was the School Board, the municipalities, and the independent special districts.  He advised the School Boards and the Independent Special Districts will continue to remain exempt from any mandated cuts coming out of Tallahasee; he anticipates that in FY 2008, the Board’s taxes will be even less of a percentage of the total taxes and the School Board and Independent Special District taxes will increase; and the Board’s taxes have decreased from 40% to 37% in a six-year time period.  Mr. Whitten inquired if that included the voted levies; with Mr. Rogero replying yes; and despite the success of the Parks and Recreation Referendum for millions of dollars in increased taxation, the Board’s percentage has continued to decrease.   

 

Chairperson Colon inquired what percentage of the total taxes would be to the municipality; with Mr. Rogero replying it would depend on the geographic location of the particular residence it would be looking at.  Chairperson Colon inquired if it is a similar number for the municipalities; with Mr. Rogero responding not necessarily, as they include Countywide levies, like the General Countywide Mosquito Control; and they are the sum total of all the revenues that the Board of County Commissioners received for all of its levies.  Chairperson Colon inquired if a Merritt Island resident for FY 2002 would have a higher percentage than 40% since it is unincorporated; with Mr. Rogero replying yes.  Ms. Busacca advised it would; but, for instance, if a person was in the unincorporated area, they might pay the Law Enforcement MSTU, while a person in a city would pay that through the city; and so some of those are trade-offs. 

 

Mr. Whitten advised he cannot speak for the cities but the Tax Collector website shows the total taxes by taxing district by geographical area; and depending on where a person lives, the School Board’s taxes are ranging from 39% to 61%.  Chairperson Colon noted no matter whether a person is in the unincorporated area or a municipality, a good chunk of the property taxes is coming from the School Boards; people will be still be paying that percentage no matter what happens out of Tallahassee; and many folks are under the impression that it is going away completely.

 

Mr. Rogero displayed slides showing where the money went for the last four years; and noted in FY 2003, $0.9 million was spent on 10 new patrol deputies and $0.9 million on Jail increases.  Commissioner Voltz inquired what Jail increases meant; with Mr. Whitten responding it could be positions, the medical services contracts, equipment, and vehicles for Jail personnel.  Commissioner Voltz inquired if it has anything to do with the Jail expansion; with Mr. Whitten replying no, it does not. 

 

Mr. Rogero continued with expenditures from FY 2003; and advised $0.7 million was spent for referendum projects start-up capital, $0.7 million for increased library maintenance, $0.6 million for additional Ambulance Service and Rescue Unit, $0.6 million for vehicles for deputies, $0.2 million for County Court increases, $0.172 million for two Court deputies and vehicles, and $0.133 million for Elections Office increases.  Mr. Rogero stated in FY 2004, $1.2 million was spent for Landfill Operations increases, $1.2 million for Jail Medical Contract, $1 million for Fire Rescue compensation and benefit increases, $0.8 million for two additional elections, $0.7 million for 12 new patrol deputies, and $0.6 million for additional Ambulance Service and Rescue Unit.  He noted in FY 2005, $2.4 million was spent for 89 civilian Jail positions, $1.3 million for touch-screen voting equipment, $1.2 million for Medicaid payment increase, $1.0 million for Jail repairs and renovations, $0.7 million for Mosquito Control equipment, $0.6 for Sheriff’s vehicles, and $0.6 million for additional Ambulance Service and Rescue Unit.  He advised in FY 2006,  $3.7 million  was spent for  Utilities  loan,  $1.1 million  for  ambulance  rate increase, $0.9 million for Referendum projects operating and capital, $0.8 million for Jail 100-bed tent operations, $0.7 million for annualized cost of FY 2005 Jail positions, $0.6 million for additional fire engine, $0.6 million for ambulance new station equipment, $0.5 million for reduction in grant funding for deputies (MSTU), $0.5 million for prevention of Transit Service cuts, and $0.4 million for Referendum projects operations.  He stated in FY 2007, $2.2 million was spent for Jail expansion, $1.6 million for additional funding to relieve gas tax, $1.1 million for additional fire engines and replacement package,  $1 million for additional funding for  Public Transit Service, $0.6 million for additional ambulance personnel and equipment, $0.6 million for libraries maintenance, $0.6 million for additional funding for Economic Development Commission, $0.5 million for Utilities equipment, $0.5 million for Elections operations, $0.5 million for Mosquito impoundment, $0.5 million for Sharpes Community Center, $0.5 million for Referendum compensation and benefits in the South area, and $0.4 million for Court Security Deputies. 

 

Commissioner Voltz inquired if each of the listings are new expenditures every year; with Ms. Busacca replying yes.  Commissioner Scarborough requested staff to delineate the non-recurring expenditures from the recurring.  Mr. Rogero advised staff hopes to capture that information in a more detailed list for the Board.  

 

Chairperson Colon requested staff also specify unfunded mandates, not just from the County but the Sheriff’s Department as well, from 2003 to 2007, to see how much money the State has demanded from the County.  Mr. Rogero advised staff will get that information to the Board.

 

Mr. Rogero displayed a slide showing annual payments for Mandates for FY 2007; and noted they are $4.4 million for Medicaid, $3 million for pre-trial detention of juveniles, $2.8 million for Courts, $1.9 million for Comprehensive Plan, $1.7 million for Baker Act, $1.6 million for Medical Examiner, $0.2 for Health Care Act, $0.125 for hospitalization of arrestees, $86,000 for Child Protection Team, and $80,000 for indigent burials.  

 

Chairperson Colon noted there is a debt that the County has when it tries to comply with the unfunded mandates; that is where it is difficult because the State will say it is unhappy with the County’s debt but the State is the one responsible for it; for example, the County is about to look at expansions that are going to cost the taxpayers of Brevard County $20 million; and there is a debt that is involved with that.  She stated the State is demanding the expansions; and these are the things the Board needs to bring to the forefront so the constituents know where the money is going and why.

 

Commissioner Scarborough noted the Property Taxes were shown as 21% of the total budget; Mr. Whitten mentioned a portion of that was paying advertising the County’s indebtedness; and inquired if staff, rather than breaking it apart by Department, could take the indebtedness out and then break it into functionalities for everything from equipment replacement to utilities to wages.  Commissioner Scarborough noted Ms. Busacca told him he would be surprised by how large the amount is for wages; as the Board gets into the program discussion it will need to know that in every program wage is the issue; and the breakdown of functionalities may help the Board to see the bigger picture.   

 

Commissioner Voltz advised she has gone through the budget line item by line item for the last five years, and probably 75% or greater of it is due to health insurance, salaries, and benefits. 

 

Ms. Busacca noted staff has identified several large issues which they believe will be very useful to them in honing in on what the Board wants to do;  there  are four that staff believes are the most important right now; and the Board may see that differently. She stated the first is what does the Board want to do with Charter Officers.  She referred to a document contained within the Commissioners’ packet; and noted the document is a five-year history of Charter Offices’ budgets and increases.  She advised the second issue staff feels would be important to discuss is salary and benefits; the third issue is construction versus operation and maintenance of parks, libraries, and roads; and if there is any direction the Board could give staff, it would be helpful.

Commissioner Bolin stated as far as Charter Officers, when looking at the budget she feels everybody should be touched; and it should be a percentage decrease across the board.

 

Chairperson Colon noted the Senate is proposing a 15% cut, the House is proposing a 50% cut, and the Governor is proposing 25%; some jurisdictions are doing 10% across the board; and inquired what does the Board want to look at and does it also want to request cuts from the Charter Offices.  She stated it looks like 20% would be more along the lines of where it is starting.

 

Commissioner Voltz noted the Board should work at a higher percent and work backwards; and the minimum should be 25%.

 

Commissioner Nelson reminded the Board Ms. Busacca advised them to add 5% to the numbers being discussed and inquired if they should bump it up to 30%.  He noted if the State selects the Governor’s proposal, that is 25%; the County needs to add 5%; and 30% will be right on target.

 

Commissioner Nelson noted apparently Brevard County is the only county in the State of Florida that is looking at a roll forward; and inquired if Mr. Whitten knows anything more on that.  Mr. Whitten replied if Brevard is not the only one, then it is one of a few counties that will experience a decrease in the roll; the simplest way to explain what that means is there is a valuation number that tax rates are applied to and the State originally projected that number was going to increase by 8%, taking Brevard County from $39 billion in taxable value to approximately $42 billion; the Property Appraiser has predicted that the County will experience approximately a $1 billion decrease in the taxable value going from the $39 billion that is currently on the tax rolls to approximately $38 billion; and that necessitates a roll forward which is an increase in the tax rate to get the same amount of revenues that the County is receiving this year.  He advised the roll forward is an increase to most of the taxpayers; also in terms of the law, the County is able to increase the tax rate without actually advertising that as a tax increase; and it is a real tax increase for the homeowners yet there is nothing in law that requires the County to advertise it as a tax increase.  He noted the State is projecting the impact based  on  a  roll  that  has  gone  up  8%  but  in  Brevard’s  particular circumstance the roll has decreased 5%; he is not sure that even 5% is the difference there; and it has been very difficult for staff to put any sort of economic impact on the State’s numbers because of the uncertainty with regards to the roll.  Mr. Whitten further noted it is almost a double hit for Brevard; in subsequent fiscal years the Board will not only have some sort of Legislative rollback, it will also have a local bill that limits the County in terms of where it can go; and that is another double hit.

 

Chairperson Colon inquired what is the County able to do about the information being incorrect; noted this is not the kind of information that can just go uncorrected; and the impact is huge to the citizens.  Mr. Whitten advised Brevard is in the same predicament as the other counties; there is an extensive email listing correspondence from at least half of the counties that are in the same predicament; in Brevard’s case the numbers are too low; and in other cases it may be that the numbers are too high.  He stated it is a wait and see game until the Special Session concludes and then hopefully everyone will get the real numbers; and the Board is doing the correct approach by being cautious.  Chairperson Colon inquired how detrimental could the percentage of the roll decrease be for the County; and should they stay quiet or should they put their concern in writing or does it not really make a difference at this point.  Mr. Whitten noted the Board will have the preliminary numbers for the tax roll on June 1, 2007, before the Special Session; probably two weeks after the Special Session it will have the final certified numbers; so in terms of knowing at least locally what the tax roll looks like, the timing is good; and at least the Board will know prior to Special Session what the preliminary tax roll looks like.

 

Commissioner Scarborough inquired going back to the $248 million or 21% for property taxes, if he takes the bonded indebtedness out, is the remainder solely property taxes or does some of it come from other sources.  Mr. Whitten responded there is about $52 million in general revenues that are used with property taxes to fund Countywide services; and the $52 million comes from the FP&L Franchise Agreement, the Communication Services Tax, the State-shared revenue, and from the half-cent sales tax.

 

Mr. Rogero advised the 21% represents the block of funding that the Board has discretion to transfer to the Charter Offices; this is what they do it in; and 42% of that block of funding is given to the Charter Offices.

 

Commissioner Scarborough noted if the Board decided not to touch the Charter Offices that would mean the remaining 58% would have to bear the full reduction; the Property Appraiser’s office has gone up 40% and the Tax Collector’s Office has gone up 41% in a five-year period; certain people have driven the budget up more than others by absorbing a larger portion of the pie; and what concerns him is that if certain people do not pick up their proportionate share, then other people are going to have to pick up the remainder.  He noted there may be certain budgets that have remained relatively stagnant while other budgets have increased; the Board needs to look at those that were increasing and ask more questions; the Board has never really questioned the Constitutional Officers; and he would like to ask each of the Constitutional Offices what the impact would be if they went back to revenue levels of 2002/2003.  He advised everyone should be going back equally; and every Department should go back to 2002/2003 levels.

 

Chairperson Colon stated that is exactly how the Board needs to approach this; otherwise it will be doing exactly what it is accusing the State of doing, which is doing the cuts without asking what the ramifications will be; and inquired if the Board is looking at a 30% cut across the board and asking the Constitutional Officers to be a part of the discussion in also looking at 30%.

 

Commissioner Scarborough advised the constituents are requesting the Board look at who is increasing and ask those offices why they had to increase.

 

Chairperson Colon stated each one of them are unique; the Supervisor of Elections did not want to go to the touch-screens but it was something that was mandated based on everything that went on; and that is a perfect example of the State mandates, which affect the Constitutional Offices as well.

 

Mr. Rogero noted the Tax Collector’s Office is something of an anomaly because he collects funding based on a mandated formula, which is in turn based on the County’s tax collections; the  unused  portion  he  returns  every  year  to  the  Board  and  that  has  been anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million; so he is somewhat unique among the Charter Officers.  Ms. Busacca advised there is a built-in reduction in his budget based on the amount he collects so his allocation will mirror whatever the reduction is in property taxes.

 

Commissioner Scarborough advised if an office has machines doing billing, when they move from the first ten thousand to the next ten thousand, the cost is substantially less; all the Commissioners have been involved in election campaigns and know that if they order 5,000 brochures it is one price, the next 5,000 is a fraction of the first 5,000 because the printer does not have to stop and set it all up again; the Board needs to ask questions because more bills to send out does not mean it should have a 40% increase; and if the Board could inquire he would feel better.

 

Ms. Busacca inquired when would the Board like this information brought back to them.  Chairperson Colon inquired if Ms. Busacca sent an email to the Constitutional Officers letting them know of the reductions; with Ms. Busacca replying yes.  Chairperson Colon inquired out of all the Constitutional Officers how many gave any feedback; with Ms. Busacca replying zero.  Chairperson Colon inquired if anyone gave any feedback at all; with Ms. Busacca replying no, they did not.  Commissioner Bolin inquired if any of the Constitutional Officers acknowledged the letter at all; with Ms. Busacca replying no, they did not. 

 

Chairperson Colon stated the Board will ask the Constitutional Officers to please give feedback on how a 30% reduction will affect them; for example will it create lay-offs or will offices have to close; they can choose not to do that but the Board will ask that question one more time; and if they choose not to give any feedback, that is not good.  

 

Commissioner Nelson inquired when are the Constitutional Officers required to submit their budgets to the County; with Ms. Busacca responding it varies.  Mr. Rogero advised the Property Appraiser gives staff his when he gives his estimated valuations on June 1; the Tax Collector is not required to submit until August 1; and typically the other agencies are May 1 to June 1.  Commissioner Nelson suggested an alternative in dealing with the Charter Offices might be to tell each office what the Board anticipates being able to fund each of them and then getting their feedback.

 

Chairperson Colon inquired if he means to take away 30% of what it usually gives them.  Mr. Rogero advised if the Board has to reduce 30% of their ad valorem revenues and confines it to only the Board agencies, the Board agencies are going to have to reduce more than 30% because the Board agencies do not receive all of the County’s property tax revenues.

 

Chairperson Colon noted the Board also needs to give some sort of direction of exactly who it is talking about, because if it is not talking about the Sheriff’s Office all that would be left would be 30% of $22 million.

 

Commissioner Bolin stated she would like to see what the Sheriff’s Office would be able to do without touching any of the deputies but just looking at what they can do administratively. 

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated that is an excellent idea because the Board does have to say something to the Sheriff; every agency has an ability to do things differently; even if it is marginal, it will still help; and the Sheriff’s Office is $87 million, which is a large portion of the $109 million. 

 

Ms. Busacca advised the contracts for the deputies include a salary increase for this year; and inquired when the Board says do not touch the deputies, does it mean the total number of deputies.  Commissioner Bolin responded that is correct, no lay-offs.  Ms. Busacca noted if the Board eventually gets to a discussion about salaries, it could then consider extending that direction to the Charter Offices. 

 

Commissioner Scarborough noted he believes the bottom line is going to be salaries; the County is a service provider; Human Resources Director Frank Abbate had indicated the necessity to invoke emergency clauses; and it is difficult to talk about laying people off while other people stay and get wage increases.  He further noted it may mandate a rollback in salaries as opposed to the diminishment of basic County services because there are certain basic services that have to happen.

 

Chairperson Colon advised one of the things that has to remain a priority is public safety; all of the Commissioners have said that; in regards to pay increases, there is no way she can justify giving anybody a raise; but as far as making sure that the Board is protecting these positions that have to do with public safety, that is crucial.  She stated deputies should not be looked at; and inquired as far as an increase, how can the Board justify where that increase will come from when it has to cut $76 million.  She stated if the Board had the dollars, the firefighters and deputies are the groups that deserve it; and there needs to be some sort of discussion on who is going to be protected.  She advised there are programs within the Sheriff’s Department and Fire Rescue that need to be looked at such as the camps and the programs for youth; it is heartbreaking to think about but it is a matter of priority; public safety is something that is very important to the Board and the citizens, therefore, that is not what it is looking at; but yet within the Department, there are different programs and different kinds of grants that do support the community but need to be looked at. She stated the Sheriff should have the opportunity to speak to the Board on how it would affect the Department to do away with these programs and to also discuss the percentage of reduction.

 

Ms. Busacca noted in the time allotted the Board, it would be exceptionally difficult to look at those program type of changes; the Board is going to struggle with just doing it for the Board agencies much less for the Charter Officers; Commissioner Nelson was on target when he said to give the Offices a certain amount of money and expect the Charter Officers to make some decisions; because to look at those types of programs would be an overwhelming task given what the Board is already being asked to do.  

 

Chairperson Colon noted she was not trying to give the impression that the Board would do it; what she is saying is when it comes the deputies, the ones that are out there on the streets protecting the citizens, she wants them protected; they are not going to be the ones to face any kind of reduction; but the Sheriff would have to look at where he could cut within the Department, without touching the deputy positions.  She further noted as far as a pay increase, she cannot even entertain the thought when the Board is looking at cutting $76 million worth of property taxes and 1,700 County employee layoffs.

 

Ms. Busacca noted to summarize, staff has to notify the Charter Officers that the Board would like to know information about the impact of a reduction of 30%; and when it comes to the Sheriff, the Board would like to know what the impact would be assuming no reduction in sworn officers. 

 

Commissioner Voltz advised the School Resource Officers are very important to the schools but if the Sheriff has to make a decision to put the officer on the streets versus the officer in the school, he is going to put them on the streets; and the School Board is getting extra money so maybe it could pay for the School Resource Officers.  Ms. Busacca noted it is interesting Commissioner Voltz would mention that; she meet with the City Managers last week and that was the first item that they said would go; and they felt like it was something that they may not be able to afford anymore. 

 

Chairperson Colon inquired if the members of the Board are comfortable with the ideas they have discussed in regards to the officers that are actually on the streets.  Commissioner Scarborough noted Ms. Busacca will ask each of the Constitutional Officers to go to 30%; but he would like to ask each of the Constitutional Officers to explain to the Board their 40% or 45% increase because they ate up a greater portion of the increase; and if the Board does not ask them where that went, then somebody who did not get an increase is going to be decreased below the 2002/2003 revenue level.

 

Ms. Busacca noted when it comes to Fire Rescue, there should be no reductions in the field but there may be some reductions in administrative or equipment purchases or some type of thing like that that would be considered by the Board.  Chairperson Colon advised there are also programs where they go out and teach the young people; and they are unfortunately discussions that have to happen.  

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated one of the questions he asked Mr. Abbate was what if they roll back Cody; Cody is still in implementation; people do not like these conversations but the Board is far away from $76 million in the numbers that he is looking at; and he does not want to end up on September 18, 2007 without being able to understand the full implications.  He noted the Board has been put in a terrible position where it has no idea where it has to go until late June.

 

Ms. Busacca advised the Board is saying no pay increases for anyone; the other part of that is benefits; the County has benefits for employees and retirees; and staff can bring to the Board a variety of ways to either eliminate or reduce benefits.  She noted for example, it could increase the monthly payment for employees’ insurance or it could have employees pay $5 more co-pay whenever they go to the Doctor; those are just two of the options; and inquired would the Board like to consider both employees and retirees.  Commissioner Scarborough replied the Board should look at everything; one of the problems when dealing with the insurance issue is it is disproportionably harder on the people at the lower end of the pay scale; that has always been one of his concerns, that people could walk away with less money; and if the Board is going to have people walk away with less money, it should not be hitting the people who have the least amount of money to begin with.  Chairperson Colon agreed with Commissioner Scarborough.  The Board reached consensus to have that information brought back to them.  Commissioner Nelson requested she include what the impact would be of rolling back Cody.   Ms. Busacca stated that is fine; and reminded the Board that would only hit about 40% of the employees.

 

Ms. Busacca inquired would the Board like staff to look at cuts at the program or department level; and advised her suggestion would be that staff look at programs or services rather than simply across the board and expect fewer resources to do the same job.

 

Commissioner Voltz noted she agrees with Ms. Busacca’s suggestion; the Board needs to look at the individual programs; and none of them are going to be easy.  The Board reached consensus to look at individual programs.

 

Ms. Busacca noted the fourth item is the idea of moving forward with some of the bonding or construction projects; and she thinks that libraries is a fairly easy one, not because libraries are not important, but because they are not very far down that road.  She advised they are a little bit farther down with the bonding for Local Option Gas Tax (LOGT); the Board stopped short of that because it wanted to discuss it at a workshop; and staff needs to know whether to put that agenda item back on or not.  She advised the next issue is no money has been spent yet for sand for the Mid Reach and that money is available; and if there is any interest in reviewing that, staff can provide the Board with some additional information about what is happening at the federal level.

 

Commissioner Scarborough noted there are still issues with the courthouse and the park referendums; each one has its own dynamics; and he thinks the Board needs to go through each of them.  Commissioner Voltz noted she thinks they have already bonded the parks.

 

Commissioner Scarborough advised the Mims/Scottsmoor area was to get a library; that money was not voter-approved, it was just by action of the Commission last year; but he cannot in good conscience open a new library and close others.  Commissioner Voltz noted her agreement. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Bolin, to abandon the building and expansion of libraries until the County has the funds to do it.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Chairperson Colon noted she agrees with the libraries but the train has already taken off with the parks; and that was something that the voters voted for.

 

Commissioner Bolin stated she has a question on the LOGT bonding; and she has a road that will be affected if they do not do something now.  Commissioner Voltz noted they all do.  Commissioner Nelson stated his concern is they are going to be laying off Road and Bridge people and it is going to impact the whole road program; the question is not much different than the libraries or parks question; and inquired do they build the roads if they cannot maintain them.

 

Commissioner Voltz stated it is a public safety issue; libraries are not a public safety issue.

 

Commissioner Nelson advised potholes can be a public safety issue too as well as signage and all the things that go with that; and it would be a huge mistake to build those new roads when they do not have the people to maintain the roads they already have.

 

Commissioner Bolin noted in her case it is the bonds; there is State money, trip money, and even money from the City of Rockledge involved; and once the road is completed, Rockledge is taking it over.

 

Commissioner Nelson advised there will still be lost positions as a result of that decision; it is a huge issue; he hates the discussion because he agrees that those roads need to be done; and the Commission finally did the right thing and now the Legislature is taking that out of their hands.  He stated by the same token, he agrees with Commissioner Scarborough on the magnitude of the cuts; and the Board is going to be looking for millions and millions of dollars.  Commissioner Bolin noted the roads should be prioritized just like everything else; and they are not going to stop doing all roads.  Commissioner Scarborough noted what Commissioner Nelson said is very true; but by the same token, some of the deals have been very difficult and tedious to put together; if they walk away from them now, he does not know if they will ever go back; and he is really torn.  Chairperson Colon noted she supports roads being continued.  Commissioner Scarborough advised he is not prepared to make a decision on roads yet; and requested more time to continue discussions. 

 

Ms. Busacca noted it is her understanding that the Board wants to continue to move forward on Parks Referendum projects.  Commissioner Scarborough stated he told the people in Mims that they are not going to get a Community Center; the project is almost complete but it cannot be opened because there is no money to operate it; and he does not want to move forward on anything until it is fully scrutinized.  Ms. Busacca inquired if the Board is saying it has not made a final decision on Parks and it will continue to work through the issues; with the Board members replying yes.  Commissioner Voltz inquired if they could find out a little bit more about all the voted on millages and referendums.  Ms. Busacca noted part of the confusion at the Legislative level is that the definition for voter-approved millage is a millage which is in place for two years or less so for most people in Tallahassee, they say exclude voter-approved millages but Brevard County does not meet that Statutory requirement.

 

Commissioner Nelson noted the State is including the bonded piece but excluding the maintenance piece; he does not know if the Legislators understand that, for instance, some community centers are intended to be hurricane shelters; so the County is not going to build hurricane shelters because it cannot afford to operate them even though the voters approved it; and it is troubling that the Board has done all the right things but it is now going to be penalized for it.

 

Commissioner Nelson noted he does not see how they can bond the expansion of the courthouse; and requested more discussion; with Ms. Busacca replying she will add it to the May 8, 2007 meeting along with the discussion on roads.  Chairperson Colon noted the whole expansion is $20 million; and inquired how much is it each year for debt service; with Mr. Whitten replying $1.7 million approximately.  

 

Ms. Busacca advised the Code Enforcement Department is completely funded by General Fund and by ad valorem; in the event that the Board ultimately has to cut Code Enforcement, what the staff has suggested is that rather than enforcing all Codes that the Board specifically say which Codes it wants enforced; some of the codes are more nuisance related while others are more health and safety related; and inquired if the Board wants to go that way for both Environmental and Code Enforcement.

 

Commissioner Scarborough inquired how much are their budgets; with Ms. Busacca replying they are relatively minor.  Commissioner Scarborough replied that is the problem; the Board does not have time to get into discussions on which Codes to enforce; and it needs to find the $10 million budgets to chop and then go onto the smaller ones.  Ms. Busacca advised the big money is in public safety, parks, and libraries; so if that is what the Board wants to talk about, staff can certainly focus their work on that. 

 

Commissioner Voltz inquired what about privatizing some of the Departments like the Building Department, Code Enforcement, Parks, and Libraries.  Ms. Busacca responded the Building Department is completely by fees and so it has no property tax.  

 

Commissioner Nelson noted the best starting place is the reduction of thirty percent of County agencies and looking at programs to cut as opposed to talking about Code Enforcement.

 

Ms. Busacca advised she can provide the Board with what the Departments have suggested as thirty percent cuts first thing in the morning.

 

Chairperson Colon noted all the Board has looked at is property taxes; it has not looked at the General Fund; but when they get into employees, they will be looking at the General Fund; and inquired if those numbers, in regards to the 1,700 employee layoffs, will be available for the Board at the May 10, 2007 meeting.  Ms. Busacca responded she cannot tell the Board where the 1,700 employees would come from because the Board has not told her what programs they want to cut; if the Board says to her they absolutely do not want this program, then she can tell them what that means; or the Board can say find 1,700 employees, she can bring that back; but the Board would not have had the opportunity to weigh out which services were being cut versus which are being kept.

 

Commissioner Voltz inquired how many employees does Fire Rescue have; with Ms. Busacca replying there are about 4,000 employees that work for all of the County agencies; about 1,100 are for the Sheriff’s Department, about 400 are for Fire Rescue, and Parks and Recreation is the next highest but she does not have that number off the top of her head.

 

Commissioner Scarborough noted he had asked from the $248 million, after the debt is taken out, how much of that would be salaries and Ms. Busacca told him he would be shocked at the amount; there can be rippling effects in the reductions; but the Board is going to ask Ms. Busacca where else can it cut; and it may have to go several layers down to know who can be cut and that person being cut will understand the movement within the overall community.  He stated all the Department heads have given Ms. Busacca particular numbers of what the reductions could look like; for example, Road and Bridge Director Billy Osborne said he could lose 21 employees; and inquired to what extent does he not have other expenses.  He advised if there are less employees to run the equipment, maybe the Department needs to buy less equipment or less gas; he needs to know exactly what not having 21 employees means so he can back all this up; everybody who is getting laid off may not be at the average wage; and he needs to have this kind of dialog.  He noted when the Board asked Ms. Busacca where it could get the $76 million from, she gave the answer; and now he needs to know, as the different scenarios come through, is that less than or more than $76 million, how much of it will have to be in wages, and how much is not in wages.  He noted the employee represents to him not only a human being and a friend who is not going to have a job, but also programs that other friends are not going to be able to enjoy; this is not an easy task for him; but for him to just say this program is not needed is almost an impossible job without having a dialog.  He requested Ms. Busacca help the Board in having those kinds of conversations and information.

 

Ms. Busacca stated she can provide the list of the cuts that the Departments have given her, which will include impacts and people.  Commissioner Scarborough advised that will be great.  She noted she will have that for the Commissioners tomorrow. 

 

Chairperson Colon advised the saying “tightening their belt” gives the impression to the community that there was fat there; she did not see fat there; tightening the belt might sound positive to a constituent but she does not feel that is really the right word; and the Board is being asked to cut the services that the community expects with the quality of life.  She noted the Board is about to affect the quality of life of the citizens; it was the quality of life that the citizens of Brevard County expected and the kind that was given to them;  but  it  was not because there was any fat there; and it was because that was what the citizens wanted.  She stated the citizens wanted the baseball fields to be nice and smooth when they went out to play on Saturday morning and for the senior citizens to have bus routes that would pick them up when they can no longer drive; that is quality of life, not fat; and it is in the millions of dollars to be able to get the bus to service the rest of the community because it has grown so much.  She noted the Board will do whatever it needs to do; it does not have a choice; Brevard County is not the only county going through this; and it is not trying to use any scare tactics.  She further noted the Board is trying to be diligent with the information given by the State and figure out the best scenario; a positive attitude is very good; it is hard for the Board to comprehend that the Delegation would affect the quality of life of a community this way; but everyone is in this together.

 

Commissioner Voltz noted Mr. Whitten said the County may have to roll forward to collect the same amount of money as last year; at that point, the Board needs to be mindful that there are taxpayers who do not want to pay any more money; “tightening the belt” does not mean there is fat, it means to prioritize; and that is what the Board needs to do.  She stated this whole thing is about prioritization; it is not about fat or anything else; it is about asking the community what are the important issues for them; and that is what the Board needs to hear from the citizens.  She advised the citizens may want libraries closed or parks; the Board will hear it all come budget time; and that is when it will have to prioritize.  She noted the Board will be looking at prioritizing all of the things that the County does and it may affect the quality of life; that is unfortunately just the way it is going to have to work; the citizens have gotten used to a lot of services; but the Board will need to look at what is important to the majority.

 

Commissioner Bolin advised she has heard time and time again from the citizens that roads are their priority; and the citizens are continually calling and emailing her saying they need roads taken care of.   

 

Chairperson Colon expressed her thanks to Ms. Busacca and the staff for their hard work; noted this is not an easy task by any means; and the Board is appreciative.

 

Ms. Busacca noted staff will provide some information on LOGT bonding, benefits, the Cody Study, the Courthouse, and the specific cuts that have been developed by the Department Directors for the Board to go through and give feedback on.  Commissioner Voltz advised it is important that the Departments are the ones that look at what programs can be cut and what programs they see as being able to do without.  Ms. Busacca stated that information is available.

 

 

Upon motion and vote, the meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                  JACKIE COLON, CHAIRPERSON

                                                                                  BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

ATTEST:                                                                   BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

 

 

SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK                             

 

 

 

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