MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

September 26, 2006

 

 

 

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special session on September 26, 2006 at  5:40 p.m. in the Government Center Florida Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida.  Present were: Chair Helen Voltz, Commissioners Truman Scarborough, Ron Pritchard, Susan Carlson, and Jackie Colon, County Manager Peggy Busacca, and County Attorney Scott Knox.

 

 

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated he received an email regarding property taxes and affordable housing and it reads, “My husband and I own a small, one bedroom condo in Cape Canaveral.  For the majority of the time we have owned the property we’ve rented it to a woman in her 80’s, and we have tried to keep the rent affordable.  We recently received our proposed property taxes and have learned they were almost double if the budget is passed, going from $985 to $1,850. We shall have no choice but to raise this woman’s rent by $72 a month, a considerable amount for someone who lives on a fixed income.  The fallout of uncontrolled increases in taxes on properties that are not homesteaded is affecting the affordable housing market.”  He stated the impact of the email is that the cost of taxes is not generally paid by the people who others think are paying it; everybody ends up paying and in this case, there is someone trying to help someone else but it has come to a point where it is not affordable for them to continue with trying to help with a fixed rent, so they are going to have to increase the rent on someone who is on a fixed income.  He stated in today’s newspaper is an article stating that new home building is still slow; the article reads, “The steady activity of several months ago is steadily diminished, with subcontractors finding less work and homebuilders pulling fewer permits.  New home construction has been an important cog in the local economy, employing thousands of workers, such as plumbers or electricians.”  He commented some people might be giddy about the thought of not having any more development; but if they look at the effect it has by just closing the door on something as important and as viable as industry, such as the construction industry, the effect on taxable income as a Government is going to be significant and choices are going to have to be made, because government services cost money and if someone is not paying the money then it becomes a question of what services are going to be cut, reduced, or eliminated.  He stated it is not so much an issue this year because there is going to be a carry forward based on the recent property valuations and the money that has been derived from new construction, but next year it will be significant, and the year after that will probably be even more significant.

 

 

Budget Director Dennis Rogero stated for Fiscal Year 2006/2007 the aggregate rolled  back   rate   is   5.3714  mills;  and   the  aggregate  tentative   rate   is   5.9235   mills,  a

 

percentage change of 10.28 %.  He stated the aggregate tentative rate is 9.07% below the current aggregate rate and 8.06% above the aggregate rolled back rate, excluding millages previously voted upon and approved by the citizens of Brevard County.

 

 

Dayle Olson stated he hopes the Board realizes the non-profit community in Brevard consists of a group of local organizations that truly care about the people they are serving in whatever their mission is; they care about each other as far as organizations go, and they are fortunate in Brevard to have non-profits that work well together.  He commented he is here to talk to the community about the Community Based Organization dollars in hopes there are not any cuts to the system; if services are cut, and services are not provided to people who need them, there is a domino effect; and those people are going to run to other agencies, agencies are going to be short dollars and the services are not going to be available.  He requested the Board to consider not making any cuts tonight in the CBO process.  He thanked the Board for its support over the last several years, the County Manager, Mr. Lusk, and the staff in the Housing and Human Services Department as they have been wonderful to work with.

 

Charles Pindziak stated he has been a Brevard County resident for 33 years.  He commented in the July 10, 2006 County Managers Budget it states the proposed budget under the heading of Taxes and Millage Rates, “A proposed budget provides the taxpayers a noticeable decrease in the taxes levied by the Board of County Commissioners.  In fact, any decrease is only seen by those who have Save Our Homes benefits or those who had no increase in assessment or taxable value.  For the rest of the property owners taxed in Brevard County, we have a significant tax increase for the General Fund which is paid by every owner with a taxable value, including those who might see slightly lower overall County taxes this year.”  He noted the document further states the aggregate operating millage is reduced 11.54% from the current fiscal year 2005/2006 tax rate; and the DR-420 filed on July 28^th, 2006, with the Property Appraiser and Florida Department of Revenue shows a proposed rate of 5.9235 mills.  He stated last year’s rate was 6.5147 mills, which is a rate decrease of 9.07%, not 11.54%, and actually represents a tax increase of 10.28% on the existing property, plus $10,034,370 in new revenue above the tax increase from new construction.  He stated this is a total of $39 million in new revenue for Fiscal Year 2006/2007.  He inquired how the Board could, in good conscience, portray in the Budget in Brief message that by its actions the budget proposal provides a noticeable decrease in the taxes levied by the Board of County Commissioners.  He stated the Board has taken action to send a Resolution to the Governor’s Property Tax Panel, created by the 2006 Legislature to study the State’s property tax structure, to freeze assessments in Brevard County until the assessments are straightened out.  He noted the action taken by the Board to increase revenues by 34.8% from last year’s $111,963,535 to this year’s $150,963,338 is not an assessment problem on the Property Appraiser’s action; and to continue to focus the tax increase on the Property Appraiser is disengenous on the part of the Board.  He commented there is a spending and taxing problem with Brevard County; and the ultimate responsibility for it rests with the Board as it approves the millage rates that are applied to the value that generate the revenue, which is being grossly increased in this year’s budget for both the General Fund and agencies that make up the aggregate millage rate.  He requested the

 

Board to consider the plight of the residents of Brevard County; stated there have been hurricane damages to some properties that still are not repaired and property insurance is up approximately 100%, and if someone has a mortgage or lives in a condo, he or she is forced to pay it, and many cannot afford it.  He stated property values are down more than 20% since January when the assessed values on properties were set for this year.  Mr. Pindziak commented vacant land property tax is up over 100% and in some cases, over 400%; people who refinanced their homes late in 2005 and early 2006 are now upside down as their property is worth less than their mortgage, and they only need to look at the increase in the For Sale signs countywide.  He stated in conclusion, the Board can vote on the budget in one of two ways; number one, it can vote for the budget increase and continue runaway spending; or number two, it can sympathize with the plight of the Brevard County resident and vote for no increase and keep the budget the same as last year.  He advised the Board can tighten its purse strings, as residents are forced to do; and the residents do it and so can the Board.  He stated citizens cannot ask employers for 10% to 30% raise increases year to year for salaries.  He stated the County should subcontract-out County maintenance; the City of Cape Canaveral, through its Mayor and its Vice Mayor, Bob Hogue, negotiated contracts for landscaping in the City; the City was originally paying $250,000, and is now paying $80 to a subcontractor; and they are doing the job better.  He stated there are approximately 2,000 positions in the County that are budgeted but not filled, some of them for four years; and maybe they are not needed and can be taken out of the budget. 

 

Bonnie Worthy stated she read a memo that Peggy Busacca wrote to the Board in July, in which she talked about true tax relief for the residents of the unincorporated areas of Brevard County.  She stated Ms. Busacca used an example of a property owner with a medium priced home worth about $225,000 with a Save Our Homes cap, saying that the property owner would save about $154 this year.  She commented she did the math; last year on that property the taxes would have been about $1,300; this year, after adding the 3% Save Our Homes capped increase, the taxes would be about $1,225 for a savings of about $75; and those are ad-valorem taxes.  She noted the decrease came from the Fire Control MSTU and that money was added back in as an assessment, so the total tax bill for that property is actually higher.  She stated, to her, an assessment is a tax, and they have to be paid as well.  She noted at the rollback rate, taxes for the same home should be around $1,100, a savings of around $200 over last years ad-valorem taxes.  She stated what irritates her is the misleading language that has been used; and to those who understand the process it is insulting, but to those who don’t, it is deceitful.  She stated she has an example of a homesteaded property on Merritt Island; last year they paid $917 in ad-valorem taxes, this year, the ad-valorem taxes are $855, which is a savings of $62; but after moving the EMS charges out of the assessment and then adding in the Fire Service assessment, the assessments went up by $154, so this homeowner is paying about $92 more this year, and that is what the Board is calling tax relief.  She stated the Board has increased taxes by $100 million; and last year it increased it by $200 million, so in the last two years, taxes have gone up $300 million for population of a little over half-million people, which has only increased in the last two years by about 25,000, most of those in the incorporated cities.  She stated under the Fire Rescue Department, the Board has a line item called, “Other Contracted Services”, but it does not say it will be paid through MSTU funds, so that is not a cut, but just a rearrangement of where the Board is going to place that charge.  She noted there is a new maintenance position for $114,000; inquired how she could get such a job; and

 

stated if she had that job then maybe she could afford to pay her taxes. She commented in the Road and Bridge Department there is $102,000 for a vacant position; she does not see that vacant positions have a place in the budget, and that is not a cut, it is just less of an increase.  She stated the Board has cuts in three line items under Transportation Engineering, which it says will create motorist delays; and noted no new roads is what causes motorist delays.  Ms. Worthy commented there was $1.7 billion in new construction last year and no new roads; and that tells her the revenue is being misappropriated and misspent.  She stated the biggest proposed cuts she sees are to the reserves; and she counts four line items that add up to over $7 million in reserves.  She stated she realizes there need to be reserves, but if the Board does not cut spending she is not going to have a savings account.  She commented the cuts she suggests are for fewer new County employees, to hold the line on pay increases and to make-do with the facilities the County has now.

 

Pat Freeman stated on the agenda tonight is Free Public Libraries; and as Chairman of Brevard County’s public libraries she is here to thank the Board for the support it has given the libraries.  She noted she attended a meeting of the Foundation last night and they are proposing a project that will take the third floor of Central Library in Cocoa and turn it into Horizons Unlimited Brevard; it will become the epicenter of electronic and digital futuristic abilities; and every citizen from the age of four through 103 or above can use it and avail themselves of it.  She stated the Foundation is committed to promoting library growth through usage; implored the Board to not touch the millage for the public libraries as they are growing; and noted the use is growing and her concern after having taught for 39 years is the impact it will have on the children if anything is done to curtail that growth.  She stated she will do everything within her power to oversee the dollar and the usage of the dollar if the Board gives them the dollar.  She noted she is on a fixed income, she is now retired, she volunteers, she does other services, she knows the plight of other people on fixed incomes and she does not envy the Board’s position, as it has some heavy decisions to make tonight; but she can tell the Board honestly that the public has to pay for the services it demands, and the value of what the Board does tonight will be measured in the services that the County has and will determine the future; both the growth and quality of life.

 

Robert Leichtenberg stated he would like to talk about the General Fund millage rate.  He commented he hears people blaming the Property Appraiser.  He stated the Board is talking about the millage rate last year; it is totally irrelevant because it does not balance both sides, the only millage rate that matters is the rollback rate because that gives them the same amount of income; and the Board is telling taxpayers it is reducing their tax rate, but actually it has raised taxes.  He stated the Board is increasing the taxes by 34.8%, and it is telling the citizens that it cut taxes.  He stated the total tax increase is $30 million, and the Board cannot manage it.  He commented the Board increased taxes from the General Fund to $150,963 million this year; in 2000 they were a little less than $70 million, completely disproportionate to growth, and to inflation; the Board, not the Property Appraiser, is taxing people out of their houses, and the Property Appraiser could double the assessments tomorrow and not one more cent would be paid to taxes if the Board handled the millage rate, but it wants to put the blame on the Property Appraiser.  He stated there are double digit increases; between 1996 and 2000, the highest increase was 4.6 and the lowest was 1.9, and there is 34.8 this year and 13.3 in 2004; and he knows how appraisals and rollback work.  He stated the Board increased

 

his taxes to $441, they were $399, and they should be $341; but the Board is not alone, as the School Board is up 18%, St. Johns River Water Management District is up 17 ½ %, and everybody is spending money like they are printing it.  He stated the Board has raised the taxes, but it is blaming the assessments; the Board is spending a whole bunch of money on raises and new equipment; and the saddest thing is that for all of the huge increase in spending, there has not been one new road.

 

Linda Wagner stated she is here to talk to the Board about a cause she is serving right now; she has been a nurse for 26 years and recently her husband passed away of an illness; and because of him she has decided to go into work to help other people with Alzheimer’s or any other type of brain injuries, or any forms of dementia.  She stated she is pleading for her cause and the program in Cocoa; it is called Senior Care Brevard and they have started an outreach program to help the caregiver to deal with the problems with the Alzheimer’s patient. She noted she has become certified by the State to teach Alzheimer’s to professionals and to the caregivers to help them with the illness and to help them deal with the issue.  She stated Debbie Brown is the outreach coordinator and she would like her to explain a little bit about what it is that she does.

 

Debbie Brown stated she has been working with Senior Care Brevard for about two years; and she goes to the homes of caregivers and has a consultation with the caregiver themselves, the family, and the teenagers, and teaches them how to take care of their loved one.  She stated it is a wonderful company and is very small; it started a year and a half ago with two people and now has 60; and it is growing in leaps and bounds at the hope that the Board will smile upon it and give it the budget it is asking for.

 

Thomas Hargrave stated he represents Brevard Achievement Center and Interagency Council of Brevard’s Legislative Task Force.  He thanked the Board for its continued support of Space Coast Area Transit; and commented on the need for extended services such as weekend services, and an additional paratransit route that will allow members of the community to access education opportunities, and get to and from work, recreational activities, and medical trips.  He commented public transportation is vital to the independence of individuals with disabilities; and without the service a large number of individuals the agency serves would be at home with no means of transportation.  He noted because of the Board’s support, the citizens of Brevard County who use the public transportation system will be able to get home from their jobs later in the evening; the extended weekend service will provide between 16,000 and 20,000 trips within the first year alone; and the paratransit route will provide additional medical trips to citizens of Brevard County.  He stated public transportation will remain at the forefront and will continue to provide individuals with disabilities the ability to get out of their homes and further become active contributing members of the community with the Boards support.  He thanked the Board for its consideration.

 

Robert Lewis stated he represents the Cocoa North Civic League and he is the Vice President.  He commented the League has a center that is in the developmental stage.  He stated it is imperative that the funds remain intact for the League’s ongoing community project, and requested the Board to keep them umbrellaed.  He stated they have suffered long and hard in order to rightly gain this vital project; and he wants the Board to think about them and why they are here.  He thanked the Board.

 

 

Fanny Faye Johnson stated it has come to her attention that some of the Commissioners would like to take away monies they promised last year.  She noted last year,  when  she  appeared  before  the  Board  asking  for  additional  funds,  it  made  a

covenant, which is an agreement between two people; and it may not have been unanimous, but the Board agreed she could have additional funding.  Ms. Johnson noted she Chairs the Community Action Board and represents Commissioner Scarborough; however, all the Board members represent each of the Commissioners and they volunteer their time for the people of Brevard County.  She commented a covenant is an agreement between two or more people; the Board placed them in a precarious position of not accepting additional funding requests; and they abided by the Board’s request, and accepted no new funding requests.  She stated her group applauds Commissioner Colon for standing up for them last year; there were additional monies that were a carryover and she has the paperwork; those monies were figured into their budget and brought them over a million dollars; and that is what the Commission agreed on.  She stated she hopes the Board will not break the covenant it created last year.  She stated she lives in Titusville, but her group represents the entire County and they are not just asking for North Brevard County; any cuts the Board makes today will affect all of Brevard County, and there are people who are in need.  She stated her group must monitor the agencies to see how they are doing with the funds appropriated to them; they all have done well with what they had, and some of them did not have enough to do anything with; however, they did the best they could. She stated she serves and represents the Board and the people of Brevard County who are less fortunate; and requested the Board not take away the money.   She read from the Community Action Board Code of Ethics, “Community Action changes peoples’ lives, embodies the spirits of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live; we care about the entire community and they are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”  She stated this is all she can do; and she requested the Board consider the impact it will have if it cuts the funding.

 

Gary Johnson stated he has a fourplex in Cocoa Beach he has been trying to earn a living with and he has done all right for the last 20 years except for the last three, as insurance and property taxes continue to escalate out of control.  He commented property tax increases are a recognized critical problem in the State and in the area; the Board is the problem; and inquired why it continues to ignore the concerns and will of the people, which it is supposed to represent, and continues to raise taxes.  He noted citizens cannot afford a 15% increase in taxes on top of insurance rate increases, high gasoline prices, escalating costs of medication, and other expenses; therefore, the residents do not approve the current.  He commented the Florida taxpayer is being squeezed to the point of rebellion, and inquired why the Board does not understand that.  He inquired how property owners are supposed to afford the continually unreasonable property tax and insurance increases; stated no one is getting a 15% increase in income; and State and local government are out of control.  He noted his property taxes have increased over 99% in the past three years; and inquired how that is justified.  He inquired what it would take to stop the oppression, and if the residents need to demonstrate in the streets to get the Board’s attention.  He stated there needs to be a limit on all property tax increases just as there is for homestead property and the Save Our Homes program; there is a limit on what taxpayers can afford and what is fair and reasonable; therefore, there needs to be a limit on tax increases.   He stated the taxpayer has no control over government spending; there is no means for approval in

 

the budget process, and there needs to be.  He stated property values went up 37%, but that does not mean they need 100% increase in the budget to operate; and the citizens cannot afford the Board’s continued spending without limits on top of the exorbitant insurance rates approved by the Florida State government together with the high cost of gasoline and medication.  Mr. Johnson stated he has a budget and so should the Board.

 

David Kershaw stated he is with the TRDA, and thanked the Board for its continued consideration of their Small Business Incubator request.  He stated small business is the backbone of every economy; it is where most of the jobs are created; it is where the majority of innovation takes place; and it is the focus of TRDA’s particular project, which is new local small business formation and the high-tech, high-paying jobs that are created by new local companies that will get their start here, grow here, and stay in the community.  He commented business formation is a very risky proposition; most companies do not get to celebrate their third birthday, they simply fail; their incubator project is a solution to that failure rate; and historically, business incubation helps seven out of ten companies succeed and in the process creates those high paying, high-tech, jobs in communities.  He stated they have been fortunate to have a number of organizations make it a truly collaborative team effort and team project; they look forward to the Board’s continued support on this; its effort complements its existing and current investments in economic development in Brevard County; and they think it is a project that will capitalize on their area’s strong suit in communications technologies and aerospace technologies, software.  He stated they also think it is a project that should have a return on investment of four-to-one without multiplier effects; past successes have included companies that have been recognized by the federal government as some of the small business contractors of the year; they have been recognized by ‘Ink’ magazine as some of the fastest growing companies in Florida; and they intend to continue on with those kinds of results in the years ahead.  He thanked the Board for its consideration and continued support of the project.

 

Linda Brandt stated there is a tension to the quality of life issues and educational, cultural, and other infrastructure offerings that provide some of the key foundation pieces in the decisionmaking of families and companies, young professionals, and others as they consider investing in their businesses and lives here.  She stated to be successful, every sector must keep up and contribute to the balance and the sum of what they are and what they can be.  She noted she represents the Arts Cultural Sector as the Chair-elect to the Brevard Cultural Alliance, but she is not only that, she is deeply involved in making a difference in the arts and cultural environment because she understands how it intersects with other key areas to provide balance and the essential vitality that sets a community apart and sets it on a path to a preferred future.  She noted a thriving arts and cultural environment and economic development go hand and hand; she believes in the leadership shown to date by the talented professionals at the EDC; and encouraged the Board to fully fund its missions. She stated arts and cultural activities can make a difference in tourism’s bottom line; arts and cultural activities are now at third place, up from ninth place, according to visitflorida.org, for what visitors to Florida look for when considering coming to Brevard, and that is a meaningful shift.  She stated arts play a role in keeping young professionals engaged, involved and staying here. She stated they can make a difference by having a robust arts and cultural environment here; it takes more than money, it takes planning, commitment, leadership, collaboration, and hard work to grow, and that is the way it should be and needs to be. 

 

Walter Butler stated a few days ago a project was started in Sharpes for a community center, and they hope they will be able to go into  that  center in May 2007; however, he is concerned about the Board cutting the budget of the North Cocoa Civic League, and whether they are going to be able to go into that building on schedule.  Mr. Butler stated the building is not just a recreation building; it is for any kind of disaster in the area, as a shelter; and it is a project they have been working on for over 30 years. He requested the Board not to cut the budget on the community center; and stated he does not think it is fair, as the Board would not like for anyone to cut its salary.

 

Lloyd Behrendt stated as Treasurer of the Brevard Cultural Alliance and the working artists, he would like to thank the Commissioners, who in their wisdom, have agreed to provide modest funding to the BCA this year to help retool the organization to become more effective in carrying out the Charter.  He stated the BCA provides support for local cultural organizations, area schools, area artists, and the community at large by nurturing and growing cultural opportunities on the Space Coast.  He stated in terms of economic development, a healthy cultural base attracts the types of value added companies sought after by most geographic areas and in turn, helps those companies attract and retain a very desirable employee demographic; and 75% of tourists coming to Florida list cultural activities as their reason, including historic, ethnic, and ecological offerings as well as the fine arts.  He noted the benefits serve the Commissioners’ constituents, the citizens of Brevard County; and the Board’s investment in the organization and its accomplishments has a much larger return than conventional wisdom often recognizes.  He thanked the Board for its foresight.

 

Alan Hooley stated he owns six different rental properties in Brevard County and his taxes have gone up approximately three times the amount when he first purchased them; he rents to low income people and recently he was told he could not raise his rents; but if the Board raises his taxes, he has to raise his rents.  He stated all of the Commissioners have been elected to look at the budget and review it and it seems to him that they have gone to $1.1 billion; he was at the last budget hearing; and the Board’s proposal was to reduce the proposed budget by 1%.  He stated taxes need to be cut and if the Board does not do it now it is going to be forced to do it in the future and if the Board does not do it, someone will take its place and make that happen; and the citizens of Brevard County cannot afford the runaway taxing and spending. 

 

Dawn Hooley stated there seems to be a shell game of keeping things not very specific for people like herself who would like to understand what is going on, because she found the budget cumbersome and hard to read.  She stated she also did not know if $1.1 billion in an area like Brevard is really over the top, so she looked at some other counties in Florida, some of which she owns rentals and some of which she is from. She stated Lake County’s population is 277,000, and it is proposing a budget of $450 million; and the interesting thing with Lake County is it had a 31% growth in the last five years, and that is three times what Brevard’s growth has been.  She stated the population of Volusia County is 490,000 and its budget is only $656 million; in Brevard County there are only 531 million people with a $1.1 billion budget, and there’s been almost a 100% increase in the budget windfall in the last five years.  She stated the population in Leon County is 240,000 with a budget of $250 million; and just on those numbers there is something off, but she is not sure what it is.  She stated she would like the Board to know it is scary for the taxpayers to know that five people control the decisions on $1.1

 

billion.  She requested the Board refuse to sign the budget tonight, go back and look at every department, and tell them they need to look at a 20% reduction; and she stated she looked at some of the departments and they are all asking for new trucks, and every department is looking for laptops.  Ms. Hooley stated she does not  know how many employees in Brevard go from the north part of the County to the south part of the County and need a laptop in their car at all times; and she would think laptops are a little excessive for County employees when they can stop at their local library where they can use a computer if they have to travel for their job.

 

Donna Taylor stated she is the Executive Director of Space Coast Center for Independent Living and she is here in hopes of encouraging the Board not to reduce any CBO funding, as it is important to the community.  She stated if a cut occurs, it creates a loss for everyone in Brevard County who desperately needs their services; those able to get out of bed, go to work, and live a life of full freedom do not realize the limitations that can hit immediately; and those who provide services for people with disabilities see the limitations every day and realize how quickly it can take place.  She stated in recent years different organizations have combined and it means so much community consumer control; their individual funding assisted individuals to gain additional transportation; additional CBO funding has assisted in that; persons living in rural areas cannot often get public transportation, and that is something that their individual services have provided.  She requested the Board not reduce CBO funding.

 

John Orzech stated a while ago the Board discussed deciding on a budget and putting in a number; it had to put in number because the State is only going to allow it to take up to a certain number; it does not mean it has to use the whole 10% but if it does not put it in, it is not going to be able to use it; and right now they are using the 10% increase in budget.  He stated on September 19^th the Board stated it has to control taxes, has to put a freeze on the taxes, and it is hurting everybody; so the Board knows there is a problem.  He stated he would like to ask the Board not to increase the budget; he knows people have come before the Board asking for a check and asking for money; and he knows they probably need it, but everybody else needs it as well.  He noted more and more people are losing their homes; their taxes and insurance are going up; and if it continues, the County is going to be in a lot more trouble than it is right now.  He stated 40% of the property in the County is homesteaded and 42% is non-homesteaded; and there are people who either have rental property trying to make a living or who have a second home here and are selling and moving out because they can go to North Carolina, have a three bedroom house next door to another three bedroom house, use it as an investment property, and the taxes are the same.  He stated non-homesteaded commercial is 2%; government that is not currently taxed is 3%; if the Board continues with taxes like this, it is not only going to affect the people who live here, it is going to affect the people who have a second home here, because they are going to leave.   He requested the Board not increase the budget.

 

Bill Tolley stated in the article from Florida Today last week, the Commission seemed to be in agreement that the problem was the increase in property appraisals; that has already been discussed; and just because the property appraisal went up did not mean the Board had to hit it with the millage that generates the bottom line tax.  He commented it is incongruous to ask the Legislature to save the Board from raising taxes; and he cannot understand that mentality when the Board has the ability to control taxes.  

 

He stated there has been a lot of discussion about ad valorem tax; if the Board held the total ad valorem tax against all the assessed property the same as last year, it could still increase the budget $13 million for the fire flip that put the EMS up in ad valorem and took the Fire below the line.  Mr. Tolley inquired without the radical increase in the total appraised property for the tax base, what would the Board have done if it did not have a 28% increase, and what if it was only 5%, 6%, or 7% or 8%. He inquired what the Board would have voted to do?  He stated his recommendation is regardless of what the Board votes on tonight, it does not mean that throughout the year it has to spend it. 

 

Katrina Wildenradt stated she is here as a taxpayer and the wife of a firefighter; she does not understand the whole situation with the Cody research that was done for the firefighters and the policemen; and she would like the Board to explain that to her.  She inquired if the Board already agreed on the Cody study, then why is it not being followed through with; stated her husband works very hard for the County; people need ambulance and fire service every day; and she hopes the Board does not make any decisions tonight, but goes back, looks at everything and remembers it is affecting everyone.  She stated it is not fair to get peoples’ hopes up and tell them one thing and then not follow through and not hold the Fire Chief accountable.

 

Clerk of Courts Scott Ellis stated one of the things his office has been concerned about is that over the last three to four years, as they have been moving through the housing bubble, there has been a dramatic increase in taxable value, going from the year 2000, from $16 million to $37 million in taxable value; and using these numbers the Board has run the ad valorem from $113 million to $239 million, so there has been two and one-half times on taxable and it has doubled the ad valorem taxes.  He commented when in a period of windfall revenue, which is the only thing one can call a period of money that goes horizontal and then turns vertical; there are four things one would do in a household, pay debt, build reserves, capital replacement, or capital improvement; and if one is a governmental entity it might choose to reduce taxes along with the other four.   He noted that is not what has been done in the last three years; the money has been used to leverage more debt; and the reserves have gone nowhere and the money has been spent.  He stated capital replacement, and capital improvement have come at the expense of more debt; and if the Board looks at the handout that has been given to it, his office has done an analysis on the effect on County taxpayers if there is a decline in property values, which they feel is very likely to happen.  He stated on a 5% decrease in property values on taxable assessment it goes into a 2% roll forward, if there is a 20% decline in values, there is a 16.5% roll forward millage, and roll forward is not a good thing to have.  He advised if there is a roll forward situation, then everybody gets a tax increase, homesteaded or not; and taxes go up because the millage must go up to achieve the same amount of money achieved before.  He stated if the Board puts its windfall revenues into paying off debt, building reserves, capital replacement, capital improvement, then when the windfall goes away it is not forced to increase taxes to come back and recapture the windfall; if the Board puts the money into recurring expenses, then in a couple of years it will have to either go to a roll forward millage or it is going to have to make some severe cuts; and clearly, cutting reserves does not cut spending.  He stated it is clear they have been through a period of dramatic increases in property values and just now they are on the way back down; there have been unrealistic price increases; no one has ever seen in Brevard County what they have

 

 

seen in the last three years; and something will be coming down that no one has seen since Apollo, which was a mass liquidation of housing market.

 

Joe Robinson, Directed of North Brevard Charities,  stated during the good years, you put back in a reserve so that you can survive the lean years; and he heard Commissioner Pritchard say that there were some good years, and he is sure the Board prepared for the lean years. He stated he is here to speak on behalf of funding for the CBO, and he had a call for housing for a homeless person who had threatened to commit suicide because of the delimma he was in, and he needed to be housed.  He stated he had a call from a mother with five children who was being evicted because she could not pay her rent because the utilities have gone up so high; and a 19-year old homeless man came in who was sleeping in a van.  He stated if the Board cuts the funds, he only has one place available and it is tough, between the three, to choose who gets it; and inquired where he should tell them to go.  He stated the Board needs to make its choice based on the needs of the community and remember that the community knew the lean years were coming.

 

Bea Polk inquired if the Board found the money to pay Mr. Ford’s extra money that he overspent.  She stated Mr. Ford came out with a 3% cap, and inquired how much his budget has gone up every year.  She stated it went up over $9 million last year; she reads now that it is $11,684,853 this year, and does not include his pay raise; and she inquired how much his pay raise is.  She stated the Board pays Mr. Ford’s budget but it knows nothing about it; the State tells the Board to pay his budget; and why the citizens are paying the budget when the State tells Mr. Ford he can put any kind of money he wants.  She noted she called the State and was told the County Commissioners are to check to see if he has overspent; and she inquired if the Board is going to give Mr. Ford this much money over last year when there are people who are losing their homes, who cannot pay their taxes, cannot feed their kids, and politicians are spending this kind of money.  She inquired what Mr. Ford does with $12 million to run an office; stated he pays the electricity and phone bill, but does not pay rent; she would like to know who paid the $169,000 that Mr. Ford overspent; and she would like an answer in writing.

 

Cindy Flackmeier stated she is with the Community Services Council and would like to speak to the Board about the CBO cuts.  She stated her group is Meals on Wheels, Senior at Lunch, and they do home improvement by going into seniors’ homes and retrofitting them; they have a senior help line so they can get information on a timely basis, and they also have a community kitchen.  She noted her organization is taking over the Sunflower House; they do respite for seniors, care giving, and a shared cost program; they have approximately 130,000 seniors in Brevard County; and they need the CBO money as they need to be fed and to have the opportunity to stay in their homes.  She requested the Board not cut funds for the seniors in Brevard County.

 

Bob Furci stated he represents Brevard County Professional Firefighters Local 2969; and he requested the Board continue on its path for fair wages for its firefighters.  He stated the firefighters try to bring forth the facts on how Brevard County has become a training ground; they have discussed on several occasions the cost involved and the experience lost; and to his dismay people have misinterpreted these into a ploy to discredit staff, and that is not the case.  He stated they may not always agree on everything, but they are not putting the blame on one single person; and staff has

 

recently worked well with them to try and cost-out a version of what Cody could represent that is still to be negotiated.  He commented he is also here to bring light to the  teamwork between the Board,  staff, and the Union; 1998 was the worst wildfire season Brevard County has ever seen; realizing they were understaffed, their equipment was aging, and the employees were not trained to handle such a massive event, staff worked on a referendum; the Board put it on the ballot and the voters approved it with a 73% approval rating; and since then they have new equipment, and three-person ALS fire engines.  Mr. Furci commented in 1999 the Board elected not to renew a contract with Harbor City Ambulance Squad, which put two paramedics on all rescues in Brevard County; and since then, they have added five new rescues to the Force to reduce the response time and improve patient care overall.  He noted they are now the seventh largest fire department in the State of Florida; there was another bad fire season in 2006, which they were ready to handle with the new training, increased manpower, and equipment; and to the people who did not think the season was bad, he would invite them to talk to the residents of Port St. John, Canaveral Groves, and especially the residents on Dalehurst Drive.  He stated those are the things the Fire Chief and his staff, with the support of the Union, have accomplished.  He stated they are not people who require recognition, but continue to do selfless acts day after day; for example, Dave Hover, on the Executive Board, is involved in many activities along with other members; some of the activities they participate in are: the Space Coast Sports Commission; the Battle of the Badges between firefighters and police officers; the Cocoa Beach Fest competition between all branches of the military, firefighters, police officers, and lifeguards; they built several fire engine bookshelves and placed them in libraries around the County with donated material on their own time; they host a booth a Boo at the Zoo; the Fear Factor Zoo Challenge; they sponsor Little League teams; they hosted Firefighters Games in 2002, which brought in over $2 million to the local economy; the Guns and Hoses Challenge; the Zachary Project; Cystic Fibrosis Golf Tournaments; they collected almost $40,000 last year for Hurricane Katrina victims; a boot drive for MDA; and they also donated over $61,000 out of their own pockets last year.  He stated they make difference in Brevard, and requested the Board to support the firefighters.

 

Walter Pine stated the Board is violating its own rules again.  He noted persons addressing the Board should have five minutes to speak on each agenda item, but it is only giving them one time to speak; in order to waive that, the Board has to take a vote, and the Board did not do that.  He stated the Board expects people to believe it is going to hear the public on their pleas regarding taxes, but it does not even follow the rules that it writes on its own agenda; and inquired how the public is supposed to have faith in what the Board is going to do.  He stated he has mixed emotions about the budget, some of the proposed cuts are, to him, a problem; the Board is cutting the funds to the Volunteer Fire Association, which has been around for a long time; several years ago he was in front of the Board and one of the issues was the way the volunteer firemen were being treated, and it was a move to get rid of them.  He commented first, the firemen were treated as clean-up crews; then their education requirements were raised; and it went on until the Board stated it was going to cut the budget.  He stated it does not mean anything because the Board is going to hire other firefighters to cover those areas, so it is not a cut, but just a loss of a benefit and a program, because for every volunteer, the County gets more for the dollar than it would for a paid fireman, especially when a volunteer has to have the same training as a paid fireman.   He noted his oldest son is a trained fireman and he does not qualify for the County’s program; and although he has

 

been employed as a fireman, he does not qualify to be a volunteer fireman in Brevard County.   He stated  the  Scottsmoor Fire Station building was damaged  twice in hurricanes; no substantial repairs were made, and the tarp on the roof is deteriorated to the point one cannot tell it was ever there; and inquired if the Board is going to defer it again.  He inquired at what point is the Board going to take the FEMA money it got the first time, use it, and put it where it should have gone.  He stated the screen behind the Board is a projector that is broken; but due to the expertise of the people who work for SCGTV, they have managed to keep it going; and a lot of their equipment is becoming antiquated and they only have one of everything.  He commented SCGTV performs a good service for the County, being able to publicize the meetings and provide access to persons with disabilities; SCGTV needs additional money;  it is being very frugal with the budget it is being given now, but it needs twice what it is getting; the equipment is beginning to fail; and the perfect example is sitting right behind the Board.  He commented those services need to be advertised; firemen, policemen, ambulance attendants, and paramedics are more important than the people who cut the grass; and there are people who have to wait for treatment, there are people losing their homes, and there are people who have nowhere to go.  He inquired how the Board can justify giving raises and increasing the manpower to the County when people are losing their jobs and their homes.  He stated there are hard decisions but possible solutions; and the Board needs to look at them.

 

Thelma Roper stated her son was involved in the Volunteer Program in North Brevard, and when he told her of the requirements that he had to meet to be a volunteer she could not understand why there were so many requirements for a volunteer who is donating his own time.  She stated the requirements included hours and hours of training and schooling; at the Community Association meetings in Scottsmoor, there have been people her age who used to be firemen who have said they cannot volunteer because they cannot meet the requirements; the volunteer program does not need to be discontinued; and she knows many places where the volunteers are the fire department and they do perfectly well.  She stated she was told the difference in the volunteers and the regular firefighters was that the Union did not want the volunteers there and were going to work them out and get rid of them.  She stated there are line items on the budget under the Fire Rescue Department that are necessary for their safety; the air breathing units are a safety issue and not optional; the Scottsmoor Fire Station was built by volunteers in the community and given to the County for it to take care of; and now the County has fallen down and not taken care of the station, and to see it deferred again is a sad thing.  She stated the one thing on the proposed budget cut that she does not see at all is that no County Commissioner is taking a voluntary pay cut, and no staff is taking a voluntary pay cut because they know things are drastic; the raises have become the bane and burden of the citizens; she does not see anybody volunteering and offering to take a little less, and that is the one thing that can be done to show people that the Board cares.

 

Roz Foster stated she is here on behalf of the North Brevard Heritage Foundation to discuss the historic preservation of the treasures of Brevard County; and she thanked the Board for helping to preserve and restore some of the wonderful treasures they have so the past can be saved for future generations.  She stated the Board has been marvelous in showing support for the preservation and restoration of the Pritchard house in North Brevard and for many of the other sites they have been able to obtain and

 

restore; the citizens of North Brevard County appreciate the efforts the Board has shown to the preservation and restoration in  Brevard County in the  recent  past  and  they hope it will find somewhere in the budget to continue supporting the restoration and preservation of these true treasures of Brevard County.

 

Kim Lucks stated he is here to honor the people of Scottsmoor who built the volunteer station, which is the only brick and mortar building in the north end of the County; it is used for a voting precinct, community meetings and the volunteer fire station.  He stated it is painful to the residents in the area to see the deterioration that the building has been allowed to go through.  He requested the Board make sure the building gets fixed so the residents can continue to use it.

 

The meeting recessed at 7:45 p.m. and reconvened at 7:55 p.m.

 

 

 

Chair Voltz stated since the Board must adopt millages and budget separately, comments concerning the individual millages can also be made each time a millage is adopted.   She stated there were several comments that were made and she had an email from somebody stating the millage is lower than it was 10 years ago, but the values of the homes have more than tripled and have gone way out of control.  She inquired of the $300 million the Board had in the last two years, as someone pointed out. 

 

Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten stated the comment was a $100 million increase this year and $300 million over the last couple of Fiscal Years; in terms of the tax revenue, the budget proposes a $39 million increase, which is with 10% over roll back for this year and given the valuation increase, nets the Board $39 million; they could be talking about total budget; tax revenues only amount to $249 million; this proposed budget is at $1 billion, so the tax revenue in relation to the total budget is only a quarter of the budget; and there are grants, other State revenue sharing, fees, and other revenue sources that make up 75% of the budget.  Chair Voltz inquired if the speakers were indicating there was an increase in the assessed valuation by $200 million; with Mr. Whitten responding they could be confusing the assessed value as a taxable value, which is a $39 billion number with increases from year to year.  He noted that is probably where the confusion came into play.

 

Chair Voltz stated a number of people suggested the issue is not the assessment, but it is the millage; from what she understands 40% of property currently is homesteaded, and those properties will see a minimal decrease or increase; the other 40% or so are not homesteaded properties, and those properties will see a tremendous increase because of the assessed values; and she inquired if the Board could do anything in order to make that person who had a 50% increase in assessed values not pay more taxes.  County Manager Peggy Busacca stated if the assessment went up approximately 27%, the Board would have to cut the millage by approximately 27%.  Chair Voltz commented the Board would have to individually assess each property with different rates, and then it would have to look at a different millage rate for every single property.  Ms. Busacca stated if it was going to be the same that it paid last year, then yes, that would  be  the only way, to  look at  individual  assessments  and  change  them  with the

 

individual millages; and there are non ad valorem assessments that have to be taken into account as well.   Chair Voltz inquired if it was not possible to look at individuals; with Mr. Whitten responding that is not the tax structure in Florida; everybody is applied the same millage rate regardless of whether one is homesteaded or not homesteaded; and it is not possible in terms of the property tax law in Florida.  Chair Voltz stated the Board looks at millage, yet one of the charts shows the assessments going high, so the assessments go up, but they do not affect the homesteaded property as much. 

 

Mr. Whitten stated Save Our Homes limits a homeowner, if they are a Save Our Homes home, to 3%, or CPI, and there is not a cap on non-homesteaded or commercial property.   Chair Voltz stated in order for the Board to look at assessed values, it really does not have an option of looking at each individual property value; so it is the assessment issue that is the problem, and she does not know what else the Board could potentially look at.  She stated somebody mentioned the Board needs to cut now because maybe next year or the year after, will be too late; she does not have any problems with any of the programs that people spoke about tonight, but sooner or later the Board has to look at cutting the budget; and the Board has heard from a number of people tonight that they want it to cut spending.  She noted the more it gives, the more people want; the more people want, the more the Board gives; and it is a vicious circle.  She commented someone inquired without the increase in the total appraised valuations, what will they have done this year and stated it would have had to massively cut spending or tremendously increase the taxes.  Commissioner Scarborough stated the TRIM Law requires the Board go to rollback; and this is assuming there is no new construction, so it starts the budget at a millage that reflects the increased values.  He stated the assumption is that there is no rollback, but there is a rollback that is mandated and the TRIM notice shows where citizens would be with the rollback.  Chair Voltz inquired what happens if valuations go down and it has to roll forward the millage, which would be a tremendous tax increase on people; and advised it needs to think about those kind of things. 

 

Ms. Busacca stated Mr. Ford’s letter addressed the $168,000, and he also provided a check in the amount of $9,768, which was determined to be the shortfall. 

 

Chair Voltz stated there were a number of cuts she suggested at the last meeting; and she had Ms. Busacca pull information from other counties; Polk County has the same population as Brevard and its budget is about the same at $1.2 billion, but Volusia County has 500,000 people and its budget is $656 million, and inquired if that is because they have not voted on millage; with Ms. Busacca responding she saw two voted millages Volusia County has, one was similar to Brevard’s EEL’s program and there was something called ECHO that looked like a tourist tax and dealt with the environmental cultural historic.  She stated it did not look to her like Volusia County had any of the Parks and Recreation referendums that Brevard has, and it did not look like it had any fire referendums; and she also looked at some of the total amounts of some of its departments and they seem to be significantly different, noting Volusia County does have approximately the same departments within its budget.  Chair Voltz stated Hillsborough County has 1.13 million people and a $3.5 billion budget, so it has three times the population of Brevard and three times the budget; and Seminole County has a 411,000 population and a $750 million budget.  She stated if the Board is going to look at the relief program or the fire assessments, it is going to have to look at some cuts; if it

 

is going to look at Cody, it is going have to do cuts, and if it looks at anything other than what it has now, it is going to have to look at some of the cuts.  She noted everybody has a great program, but the citizens the Board heard from tonight were loud and clear when saying to stop raising the taxes; and the Board has to stop spending in order to do that.  Chair Voltz noted there are no budget cuts, there are just no increases over last year’s budget.  She noted she does not know if the Board wants to look at cuts or whether it wants to go forward with the tax increase, but the budget is not about her, it is not her budget and she is only one vote, so it has to go with the majority of whatever the Board wants; and she understands that, but they all need to listen very clearly to what has been said tonight.

 

Commissioner Pritchard inquired in regards to Save Our Homes and millages, do homesteaded properties have the same millage as commercial properties.  He stated Save Our Homes protects homesteaded property and limits it to 3% or CPI.  Mr. Whitten responded the roll forward and the whole issue of roll back is a budgetary issue and also, in cases where the Board is rolling forward, it is technically not considered a tax increase, even though if one is captured by Save Our Homes because the value may be capped out at a certain percentage increase, but the rate is increased to take in the same amount of revenue.  He noted for instance, if the valuation decreases, the rate has to go up to take in the same amount of revenue, so that presumes either the same tax rate the next year or a higher tax rate, and for the Save Our Homes residents it would either be the same amount or some increased tax rate under a roll forward scenario.  Commissioner Pritchard inquired if it would be something above the 3% cap; with Mr. Whitten responding he is not sure, as it depends on the decrease in the tax and the taxable value.  Ms. Busacca stated if the appraised value is well below the market, which is true in many cases, she does not know how the Property Appraiser would look at market, and it may take a great deal of time before the market and the appraised value caught up with each other.  She commented if the market were having a 5% or 10% decrease, she does not know that it would automatically turn into a decrease to the appraisals because the market is so different right now for many of the appraisals.  Commissioner Pritchard stated one of the comments he received from Lance Larson recently was that one sale does not a market make, and just because property in a neighborhood would go for $300,000 for a home, which would be due to last year’s bubble, does not mean the houses in that neighborhood are now worth $300,000.  He stated the point he is trying to make is there has been discussion about roll forward and the implications that it might have; but what the Board is saying is the implications may not be there because of where the market currently could or would not be; and it could take two or three years before those things could catch up with each other, and the Board really does not know what the effect might be.  He stated the issue of roll forward is not really something to be feared.  Mr. Whitten stated he does not know, because it depends on how quickly the Property Appraiser will get out and do the reassessments to catch up with the market, and he would be guessing if he said it would happen next year or the year after.  Commissioner Pritchard stated for the last three years he has supported CAP IT, which was to limit the three percent above rollback, but he hasn’t voted for any of the other tax increases; he thinks they have reached a point where the taxpayers have said they are tired of paying the freight, because they can barely get by on their own; there are a lot of things they are being charged with that they may not participate in and things they participate in, such as living, that are costing them money.  He stated when taxes are coupled with insurance premiums, people are taxed into their

 

properties and are now being insured out of them; when added together it does not make for a good scenario; and if one is not homesteaded, their taxes can go up thousands of dollars every year.  Commissioner Pritchard commented there was a mention about redistributing the wealth and he thinks in the perfect society a redistribution of wealth would be something that would not be painful to some people; and while he believes there is a specific need to help in a variety of situations, there is also a specific need to control the amount of help by charging the amount of whatever that payment might be.  He stated the idea of the Cody Study came about because the Board had employees in certain occupations who were being underpaid based on comparables in neighboring jurisdictions; they were losing many of them and becoming a training ground; they were also deriving excess costs in overtime; and the excess costs in overtime do not make a lot of sense when there could be capable people here and employees would not be forced into mandatory overtime as well as excess cost of overtime.  He noted the whole purpose of Cody was to ensure that the comparable positions were paid comparatively with neighboring jurisdictions; the Fire Department should be part of that, as it was the one who initiated it, and should be part of it.  He stated he does not agree with the 10% revenue; he has heard others say that the County should do it because the municipalities do it; he does not think that is a good reason; maybe the municipalities should not do it; and he supports the CAP IT initiative, which is 3% over rollback.

 

Commissioner Carlson stated she and the two other Commissioners who are supporting the budget do it because they think it is the best budget the Board can pass this year; and she knows it does not sound like it is the best budget from some perspectives, but the Board has toiled with the budget for the last nine months looking for efficiencies.  She note it has contracted a person to look at efficiencies and some of the biggest department budgets; it found some; and the next Commission will continue that effort.  She stated hurting them this time is wage improvement; the Board promised it would do something when it could, it is doing it this year, and it is a big deal; and it is not an easy thing to swallow but it is there, and it is time to do it because of the windfall.  She stated she does not believe in the 10% scenario, other than the Fire Department where they are taking the hit for the Fire Assessment relief; the biggest piece is the roads, and she knows there is a road deficit in the $400 million category that the Board has not been able to deal with; the Commission has not dealt with it, although there have been attempts to deal with it in the past that have fallen flat, and so a big piece of the budget is going to go to roads, which drives the economy and a lot of things in terms of the quality of life. She stated she thinks it is a good budget, she supports it, and now is the time the Board has to do this kind of budget; maybe it will see some negative impacts in the years to come because of what it is doing today, but now is the time to do what it can do with the money it has; and it cannot do anything about the price of insurance, the assessed values, and some of the other external issues it does not have any control over.  She stated she has supported the issues and the budget reflects that; the Board had plenty discussion over the last nine months about why it has the things in the budget it has; and she thinks it is a good budget.  She stated the Board is building a community that will be a quality community; and if there is a time when it has to cut, it will cut and freeze wages and future employment.  She stated this is her last budget hearing and it has been a very interesting road in terms of trying to make sure the County is looked after from a positive perspective, and a service perspective; and she thinks the Board has done a good job over the last eight years.  She stated it has not always had big

 

increases, and sometime it has been at rollback, but it has still done a good job.  She stated she supports the budget and she feels certain the Board is going to pass the budget tonight; she sympathizes with the  people  who  are seeing the increases, whether it is insurance or whatever; homeowners’ insurance has gone up $3,000 a year on her house and she does not live in a huge house, so it hurts in all aspects; the Board has to look at all services for all people, and she thinks the Board has done the best job with the resources it has.

 

Chair Voltz inquired what the percentage is on the library increase; with Budget Director Dennis Rogero inquiring if the Chair wants the percentage in ad valorem revenue or the budget. Chair Voltz responded the ad valorem revenue for libraries; with Mr. Rogero advising the increase in revenue is 21%.  Ms. Busacca inquired if that is the tentative millage; with Mr. Rogero responding affirmatively.  Chair Voltz stated everybody needs libraries, but when people are crying because they are being thrown out of their homes, their rents are going sky high, and there are people out there who own the buildings who are renting to low income because those people cannot afford to buy homes, the Board needs to look at what is more important; and she thinks it is more important for someone to live in a house than it is for them to have an opportunity to go to a library.  She stated there are plenty of libraries, and libraries are great; but the 21% increase in libraries is way out of line.  She stated the Board is making negative impacts on everybody; throughout the year, the Board looks at things it wants to add to the Budget; and suggested for next year, the Chair should have staff come back incrementally and tell the Board how those things are going to impact the budget. She suggested the Board look at the budget quarterly and at every single item it has proposed to increase so that during budget time next year it will already know how it is going to hit the Board.  She stated the proposed budget cuts were taken directly from the budget; they were highlighted per department; and she thinks it is good to get an update every quarter that shows the Board exactly what it has increased.  She noted there were a number of things on the budget that say it was a proposed budget; she does not remember voting on some of it; it was added in as a potential in a particular department; those are the things the Board needs to look at throughout the year; and that is her suggestion for next year’s budget.  She stated she does her best to try to hold down taxes and she thinks it is important to do that for the people in the community; that is not saying that everybody’s program is not important; everybody has a good program, but the Board has to remember it is taking taxes out of somebody else’s pocket to put into somebody else’s and that is not the way it should be.

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated roads have been mentioned many times over the course of the past couple of years; and what has to be done are improvements.  He stated A1A, Courtenay Parkway, S.R. 520, and S.R. 528 happen to be State roads, which is FDOT money and not County money; and although it is their tax money, it is State money.  He stated this is the time to cut; he has been asking for the past three years and might as well make it four in a row; and he has never had a proposed budget that starts with less.  He stated he is trying to be responsible with the taxpayers’ money, but it becomes difficult when people tend to look at the tax money the Board gets as funding; funding is dollars; and dollars belong to the taxpayers.  He stated Ms. Busacca came up with a proposed list, and he thought it was a great start at $15.8 million; it did not include EDC or a lot of other things, but it was a good start; and it was broad based and covered most of the disciplines in the County.   He stated  the  important components of the budget are

 

still there and they have not been affected, but it was a good start and that is how he viewed it.  Commissioner Pritchard stated he is not going to support any increase in the budget, and he is not going to support the 10%; he is going to support the rollback to CAPIT with the 3%, and that is where he has been in the past three years.

 

Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten noted earlier he stated the tax revenues were increasing by $39 million, but that figure is actually $31 million. 

 

 

 

Chair Voltz called for the public hearing to consider millages and Resolution establishing final millage for FY 2006-07.

 

            General Fund

 

The Budget staff advised for the General Fund, FY 2005-2006 millage is 3.6249 mills; the FY 2006-2007 tentative millage is 3.8558 mills; and advised the millage generates $150,963,339, for a budget of $287,804,212. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for the General Fund at 3.249 mills, and budget at $287,804,212 for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Chair Voltz voted nay.

 

 

            Free Public Library District

 

The Budget staff advised the Free Public Library District millage for FY 2005-2006 is .5750 mill; the FY 2006-2007 tentative millage is .5497 mill; and the millage generates $21,599,916, for a budget of $25,784,304. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Free Public Library District at .5497 mill, and budget at $25,784,304 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Chair Voltz voted nay.

    

 

            Mosquito Control District

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage is .1986 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .1800 mill; and the millage generates $7,072,921 for a budget of $9,438,002.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Mosquito Control District at .1800 mill and budget at $9,438,002 for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

           

 

 

            Fire Control MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage is 2.2035 mills; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.6529 mill; this millage generates $11,593,717 for a budget of $41,682,791.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Fire Control MSTU at 0.6529 mill, and budget at $41,682,791 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered: Chair Voltz and Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Recreation District 1 MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Recreation District 1 MSTU is .5637 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .5637 mill; this millage generates $2,818,051 for a budget of $11,749,323.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Fire Control MSTU at .5637 mill, and budget at $11,749,323 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered;  Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Recreation District 4 O&M

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Recreation District 4 O&M is .5092 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .4305 mill; and this millage generates $1,756,552, for a budget of $7,151,736.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Recreation District 4 O&M at .4305 mill, and budget at $7,151,736 for FY 2006-07.   Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            TICO Airport Authority

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for TICO Airport Authority is 0.0155 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.0128 mill; the millage generates $211,205, for a budget of $2,013,742.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for TICO Airport Authority at 0.0128 mill, and a budget at $2,013,742 for FY 2006-07. Motion failed; Chair Voltz, Commissioner Pritchard, and Commissioner Colon voted nay.

 

 

 

 

            Law Enforcement MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Law Enforcement MSTU is .9960 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .8680 mill; this millage generates $14,261,407, for a budget of $16,247,961. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Law Enforcement MSTU at .8680 mill and budget at $16,247,961 for FY 2006-07.   Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Road and Bridge District 1 MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridget District 1 MSTU is .5699 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .4704 mill; and this millage generates $1,367,401, for a budget of $2,781,348.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridge District 1 MSTU at .4704 mill, and budget at $2,781,348 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Road and Bridge District 2 MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridge District 2 MSTU is 0.2871 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.2477 mill; this millage generates $1,086,281, for a budget of $2,412,895.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridge District 2 MSTU at 0.2477 mill, and budget at $2,412,895 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Road and Bridge District 3 MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridge District 3 MSTU is 0.3814 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .3061 mill; and this millage generates $759,913 for a budget of $1,627,452. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridge District 3 at .3061 mill, and budget at $1,627,452 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

 

 

 

            Road and Bridget District 4 MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridge District 4 MSTU is 0.3555 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .3080 mill; this millage generates $1,325,811, for a budget of $2,433,396.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridge District 4 at 0.3080 mill and budget at $2,433,396 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Road and Bridge District 5 MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridget District 5 MSTU is 0.4918 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.4235 mill; this millage generates $683,583, for a budget of $1,420,361.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridget District 5 MSTU at 0.4235 mill and a budget of $1,420,361 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Road and Bridge District 4 North Beaches MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridge District 4 North Beaches MSTU is 0.3873 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.3271 mill; this millage generates $200,225 for a budget of $886,564.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridge District 4 North Beaches MSTU at 0.3271 mill and budget at $886,564 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Road and Bridge District 4 South Merritt Island MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Road and Bridge District 4 South Merritt Island MSTU is 0.1571 mill; the tentative millage for 2006-07 is .1439 mill; and this millage generates $21,400 for a budget of $190,105.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Road and Bridget District 4 South Merritt Island MSTU at .1439 mill and budget at $190,105 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands (1991) is 0.0482 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.038 mill; this millage generates $1,563,896; and the budget is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands (1991) at 0.038 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            Environmentally Endangered Lands (2004)

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands (2004) is 0.0572 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.0472 mill; and this millage generates $1,854,671, and the budget is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands (2004) at 0.0472 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            Port St. John/Canaveral Groves Recreation MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Port St. John/Canaveral Groves Recreation MSTU is .2449 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is .1996 mill; this millage generates $217,029; and the budget is not applicable.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Port St. John/Canaveral Groves Recreation MSTU at 0.2449 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            North Brevard Special Recreation District

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for North Brevard Special Recreation District is 0.2714 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.4449 mill; this millage generates $1,528,940; and the budget is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for North Brevard Special Recreation District at 0.4449 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

 

 

 

            Merritt Island Recreation MSTU Operations and Maintenance

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Merritt Island Recreation MSTU Operations and Maintenance is 0.4088 mill; FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.4714 mill; and this millage generates $1,669,836, for a budget that is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Merritt Island Recreation MSTU Operations and Maintenance at 0.4714 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            South Brevard Special Recreation Distrct

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for South Brevard Special Recreation District is 0.3230 mill; the tentative FY 2006-07 millage is 0.4188 mill; and this millage generates $9,362,567, for a budget that is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for South Brevard Special Recreation District at 0.4188 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            Environmentally Endangered Lands Debt (1991)

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands (1991) is 0.2018 mill; the tentative millage for 2006-07 is 0.1665 mill; and this millage generates $6,542,452, for a budget that is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands (1991) at 0.1665 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            Environmentally Endangered Lands Debt (2004)

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage is 0.1188 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative is 0.0980 mill; and this millage generate $3,850,800, for a budget that is not applicable. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Environmentally Endangered Lands Debt (2004) at 0.1188 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Port St. John/Canaveral Groves Recreational Facilities MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for Port St. John/Canaveral Groves Recreational Facilities MSTU is .4975 mill; the tentative millage is 0.4054 mill; and this millage generates $440,615, for a budget that is not applicable.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Port St. John/Canaveral Groves Recreational Facilities MSTU at 0.4054 mill for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

            North Brevard Special Recreation District

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for North Brevard Special Recreation District is 0.5078 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.3551 mill; and this millage generates $1,220,334, for a budget of $1,777,017.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for North Brevard Special Recreation District at 0.3551 mill and budget at $1,777.017 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            Merritt Island Recreation MSTU

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2006-07 millage for Merritt Island Recreation MSTU is 0.3909 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.3286 mill; and this millage generates $1,163,997, for a budget of $1,275,747.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for Merritt Island Recreation MSTU at 0.3286 mill and budget at $1,275,747 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

            South Brevard Recreation District

 

The Budget staff advised the FY 2005-06 millage for South Brevard Recreation District is 0.2306 mill; the FY 2006-07 tentative millage is 0.1812 mill; and this millage generates $4,050,853, for a budget of $7,578,960.

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the millage for South Brevard Recreation District at 0.1812 mill and budget at $7,578,960 for FY 2006-07.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

 

 

Budget Analyst Elizabeth Swanke commented for the record that the General Fund portion is $287,804,212.  Commissioner Carlson inquired what the total budget is; with Ms. Swanke responding the total budget is $1.16 billion.  Commissioner Carlson stated that is the portion of General Fund that the Board was just dealing with; the Charter Officer’s portion of that was $119,539,543; and Dependent Special District portion was $79,102,224.

 

Chair Voltz noted Mr. Rogero will have to recompute the millage, as one was turned down.  

 

Mr. Rogero advised the FY 2006-07 aggregate rollback rate remains 5.3714 mills; the final aggregate rate is 5.9181 mills, a percentage change of 10.18%; the aggregate final rate is 9.16% below the current aggregate rate, and 7.94% above the aggregate rollback rate, excluding millages previously voted upon and approved by the citizens of Brevard County.

 

 

 

Chair Voltz called for he public hearing to consider a resolution adopting final budget or FY 2006-2007.

 

Budget Director Dennis Rogero read aloud the action paragraph of the resolution adopting final budget for FY 2006-2007; and noted the Budget Office will revise Exhibit A to include the change associated with the TICO millage and provide the Board with a copy of it.  He noted the comparison to the aggregate rollback rate remains the ssame as what he stated earlier. 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final budget for FY 2006-2007 at $1,160,307,770.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.  (See page                                    for Resolution No. 06-269.)

 

Mr. Rogero stated the Board will have to wait on the next Resolution until it makes decisions under Items III.A.5. and III.A.6., addressing the TICO millage and TICO budget.  Chair Voltz inquired if the Board had to read those millages into the record; with Mr. Rogero responding affirmatively and advising the Budget staff will read Resolutions for the Dependent Taxing Districts.

 

 

 

Chair Voltz called for the public hearing to consider Resolution adopting final millages for Dependent Special Taxing Districts for FY 2006-07.

 

 

 

The Budget staff advised of the final millages and budgets for all the Dependent Special Taxing Districts for FY 2006-07, as follows:   

 

Free Public Library District                                                     0.5497 mill       $21,599,916

Mosquito Control District                                                        0.1800 mill           7,072,921

Recreation Special District 4 O&M                                         0.4305 mill           1,756,552   

Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority                                            0.         mill                          0

South Brevard Recreation Special District-Operating           0.4188 mill            9,362,567   South Brevard Recreation Special District-Debt                           0.1812 mill            4,050,853

North Brevard Recreation Special District-Operating            0.4449 mill            1,528,940

North Brevard Recreation Special District-Debt                    0.3551 mill            1,220,334  

                       

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.5497 mill for Free Public Library District for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioners Pritchard and Voltz voted nay. 

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.1800 mill for Mosquito Control District for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.4305 mill for Recreation Special District 4 O&M for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of zero mill for Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Scarborough voted nay.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.4188 mill for South Brevard Recreation District – Operating for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.1812 for South Brevard Recreation Special District – Debt for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.4449 mill for North Brevard Recreation Special District – Operating for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution adopting final millage of 0.3551 mill for North Brevard Recreation Special District – Debt for FY 2006-2007.  Motion carried and ordered, with Commissioner Pritchard voting nay. (See pages                                            for Resolutions Nos. 06-270 through 06-275.)

 

 

 

Budget Director Dennis Rogero read aloud the final budgets for Dependent Special Districts for FY 2006-2007 as follows:

 

Free Public Library District                                                                 $25,723,666

Mosquito Control District                                                                        9,617,502

Recreation Special District 4 O&M                                                         7,159,627   

Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority                                                            1,811,926   

South Brevard Recreation Special District                                           22,733,951   

North Brevard Recreation Special District                                             2,749,274

Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency                                                    2,005,183

Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer District                                                 6,146,663

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final budget for Free Public Library District at $25,723,666.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioner Pritchard voted nay.

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final budget for Mosquito Control District at $9,617,502.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final budget for Recreation Special District 4 O&M at $7,159,627.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final adjusted budget for Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority at $1,811,926.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final budget for South Brevard Recreation Special District at $22,733,951.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final budget for Merritt Island Redevelopment District at $2,005,183.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to adopt Resolution approving final budget for Barefoot Bay Water and Sewer District at $6,146,663.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.  (See pages                           for Resolution Nos. 276 through 283.)

 

 

Mr. Rogero read into the record the Resolution for the entire County budget, as revised at $1,160,307,770.

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to adopt Resolution approving the County budget, as revised at $1,160,307,770.  Motion carried and ordered; Commissioners Pritchard and Voltz voted nay.  (See page                   for Resolution No. 06-269.)

 

 

 

Chair Voltz called for the public hearing to consider permission to execute certification of compliance and form DR-87.

 

There being no objections, motion was made by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to authorize the Assistant County Manager for Management Services to execute Department of Revenue Form DR-487, Certificate of Compliance with Sections 200.065 and 218.63, Florida Statutes; Form DR 420, Certificate of Taxable Value; and Form DR-422, Certificate of Final Taxable Value; and to assemble all components of the TRIM Compliance package and transmit same to the Department of Revenue.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.  

 

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Scarborough, to approve the Capital Improvements Program for Fiscal Years 2006-2007 through 2010-2011.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

 

County Attorney Scott Knox inquired the Board to hold an Executive Session on the IAFF Negotiations for October 10^th.

 

Motion by Commissioner Pritchard, seconded by Commissioner Colon, to approve an Executive Session on the IAFF Negotiation for October 10^th.   Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

 

Upon motion and vote, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        ____________________________

                                                                        HELEN VOLTZ, CHAIR

                                                                        BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

ATTEST:                                                         BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

 

___________________

SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK 

 

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