March 18, 2004

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special session on March 18, 2004, at 9:00 a.m. in the Government Center Florida Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida. Present were: Chair Nancy Higgs, Commissioners Truman Scarborough, Ron Pritchard, Susan Carlson, and Jackie Colon, County Manager Tom Jenkins, and County Attorney Scott Knox.

LETTER TO BREVARD LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, RE: STATE IMPACTS ON
BREVARD COUNTY TAXPAYERS FOR FY 2004-2005

County Manager Tom Jenkins stated yesterday he faxed a draft letter to the Delegation identifying what the County anticipates State impacts on County taxpayers for next year to be to each Commissioner; there are $6,979,000 worth of potential impacts; and read the letter, as follows: “Dear Delegation Members: There are a number of pending State impacts on Brevard County taxpayers for FY 2004-2005. The following summary is provided for your reference: pre-trial detention of juvenile offenders, $2.2 million; loss of courts revenue for courthouse construction established by Chief Judge’s Administrative Order on traffic tickets, $1.8 million; touch-screen voting equipment for Supervisor of Elections Office, $1.3 million; Medicaid increase, to be determined; Florida State retirement cost increases, $600,000; increase in match for Baker Act for new beds, $430,000 and existing beds, $100,000; discontinued State funding for Law Library, $200,000; and discontinued State funding for Library Services Department, $349,000, for total of $6,979,000. County government is not yet aware as to the full impact of Article V. These proposed new cost impacts to local taxpayers are of great concern to us. We urge you to inform the leadership of your respective Legislative bodies that you do not support State government assessing these additional State costs to local taxpayers.”

Commissioner Carlson stated it is important to note it is $7 million in cost shifts to date and the County does not know what the Medicaid increase is; and it is potentially looking at a huge increase to the budget.

Motion by Commissioner Pritchard, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to authorize the Chair to send a letter to the Brevard Legislative Delegation requesting it inform the leadership of its respective Legislative bodies that it does not support State Government assessing proposed additional State costs to local taxpayers. Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

LETTER TO BREVARD LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, RE: SENATE BILL 1376, HABITUAL
MISDEMEANOR OFFENDERS

County Manager Tom Jenkins stated Commissioner Scarborough brought up an item at the last meeting concerning Senate Bill 1376, Habitual Misdemeanor Offenders; and Gay Williams sent a memorandum late yesterday concerning the issue.

Commissioner Scarborough stated perhaps the Board needs to take the thoughts of the memorandum and put them in a letter for the Chair’s signature.

Chair Higgs requested staff explain the item so that folks who may be watching the meeting on television can understand what the issue is.

Mr. Jenkins stated Senate Bill 1376 provides that a defendant is a habitual misdemeanor offender if there are four or more prior convictions as an adult for a misdemeanor, all qualifying offenses were committed within a one-year period, and all qualifying offenses are separate offenses that are not part of the same criminal transaction or episode. He noted the issues that have been identified are that the enactment of Senate Bill 1376 has the potential to impact the current jail overcrowding and related cost of incarcerating persons with mental illness; even a short stay in the County jail is enough to disqualify a person with mental illness from entitlements such as Social Security, Medicaid, or Medicare; the latter two programs would pay for treatment; however, once revoked, the County could be required to provide continued treatment to incarcerated persons with mental illness without a designated funding source. He stated there are simply no services available to enforce this law; the wait time can be four to six months for services; the waiting list for treatment will result in months of jail time; and the Bill could also increase the expenses of the jail due to the discontinuation of Medicaid benefits when a recipient is jailed. He noted the wording of “shall” sentence to six months means there will be more trials because it does not give a judge discretion; the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Florida adamantly opposes this Bill because of the potential impact it will have on those persons who have a mental illness; the Florida Homeless Coalition has actively opposed the Bill; and the Florida Sheriff’s Association is in favor of the Bill, as the President of the Association, Sheriff Rutherford proposed it. Mr. Jenkins stated the Florida Police Chiefs Association has not taken a position on the Bill; the Commission on Mental Health and Community Solutions (CMHCS) has not had an opportunity to convene to formulate a position on the Bill; and it is scheduled for a regular meeting on April 16, 2004.

Chair Higgs stated the letter would be sent to Senator Haridopolos stating the Board’s concerns. Mr. Jenkins stated the letter would go to the Delegation.

Commissioner Carlson inquired is too late to request the CMHCS to have a meeting to review the item before April 16, 2004.

Commissioner Scarborough stated mandatory sentencing impacts the facilities as well; the County already has jail overcrowding; it has been trying to work with the judiciary in preventing jail beds from being taken by the mentally ill and those people who do not need them; and the misdemeanor is the most minor crime, so it is not a bad person, but a silly, stupid person getting in jail and taking the place of a bad person, and the judge has no discretion. He noted that is another thing that should weigh in as well; he is surprised there has not been some comment in that regard; he is sure it is well-intended; but there is the idea that any four random misdemeanor acts would trigger the taking of a place that may be needed for someone that is dangerous to society. He stated that is another risk in this measure; the best way is to couch it in the broadest possible language and to not say the County is adamantly opposed or something of that nature; but it could give full consideration to the factors as the Delegation proceeds with the Bill; and while there is a need to protect society, it may have a propensity to sweep those persons who have mental illness or homeless, who are not violent criminals, but persons who can be treated in other manners by society. He stated keeping the valuable jail beds for those persons who are of most threat to citizens is important; the Board hopes the Delegation will be able to work with NAMI and others in making amendments to the Bill; and that type of language may be palatable.

Commissioner Pritchard stated anyone who is a habitual misdemeanor offender has some sort of mental issue; otherwise, they would not be habitually doing whatever it is he or she is doing. Commissioner Scarborough noted a lot of the homeless people have a mental problem that is preventing them from becoming effective members of society. Commissioner Pritchard expressed concern that the people are not being treated properly, and the County is losing Medicare, Social Security, or Medicaid payments because individuals are incarcerated because of, most likely, a mental illness; it is punishing the people of Brevard County more so than the person who is having the issue with habitual misdemeanor offenses; and inquired is there some way the Board can couch its response to say there must be a way it can continue the Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security payments for this type of person. Commissioner Carlson responded the Board can couch it by unintended consequence, which is potential impact to the community as a whole; if it is being used as an incentive to not commit worse crimes, then that is an unintended consequence also; and it could create a problem because the person is involved in the jail system longer, and has the influence of potentially causing more interest of committing a greater crime. She noted there are a lot of unintended consequences that could come from this.

Commissioner Colon stated the intentions are good because so many things are happening; Senator Haridopolos’ heart is in the right place; it is just a matter of folks like NAMI coming together and putting the kind of information that is needed in place; and Senator Haridopolos’ job is to protect the public, which is what he is trying to do with the Bill. She noted it is important for the Board to get together as soon as possible on a one-on-one basis with Senator Haridopolos, NAMI, and Housing and Human Services Department to discuss the approach; reiterated the intentions are good; feedback is needed; and Senator Haridopolos is not trying to hurt the people who already have a weakness. Commissioner Scarborough inquired if Commissioner Colon would be willing to facilitate a meeting with Senator Haridopolos and NAMI concerning the Bill; with Commissioner Colon responding yes. Commissioner Colon stated she has been going with NAMI wherever it wants to go. Commissioner Scarborough noted it would be more constructive. Commissioner Carlson stated she will be in Tallahassee next Wednesday; she has asked Carol Laymance to set up appointments with the Legislators; and she can hand-deliver a letter from the Board if it desires, and discuss what it talked about today. Commissioner Colon noted she would prefer meeting with Senator Haridopolos and NAMI to be clear on the issue; anyone else who may have been left out and needs to be part of the discussion can do so; and it should not be just a letter to Senator Haridopolos saying the Board is against the issue.

Chair Higgs stated the Board can express its concerns and the consequences that may arise, rather than say it is against the Bill, and request the Delegation review them; meeting with the appropriate individuals would be helpful also; and it would be useful to lay out the Board’s concerns in writing. Commissioner Colon stated her office will contact those individuals; and Commissioner Carlson indicated she does not mind bringing the letter with her.

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Pritchard, to authorize a letter to the Brevard Legislative Delegation expressing the Board’s concerns regarding Senate Bill 1376, Habitual Misdemeanor Offenders, the consequences of such Bill, and requesting the Legislative Delegation review the issues. Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

REPORT, RE: EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL

Commissioner Carlson stated the Board has discussed the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC) several times and postponed paying its dues since October 2003; she recently had a conversation with Sandra Glen regarding the support the Council has been providing to the St. Johns River Alliance; the County is going to be in the process of looking for a facilitator to help it with some things; and she called Ms. Glen to ask her if the County still had that support, as it sounded like it was not interested in giving the County the same support it had put on paper that it would. She noted she told Ms. Glen the Board was looking for certain information before it sent the check for the dues; the response was an e-mail saying Ms. Glen was sending, by general mail, a copy of the scheduled payments and deliverables for the MyRegion.org project; and inquired based on the commentary at a Board meeting in the past, what was the County Manager’s expectation in terms of getting something back from the ECFRPC.

Commissioner Scarborough stated the Council has played a fundamental role in the whole process; the County would not have benefited if it was not there; as the County goes into phase 2, it wants to have meetings between the Alliance, MyRegion, and the Council; and the Council should say, “Yes, we think regional planning is the name of the game.” He noted he has a feeling it is not there; Commissioners Pritchard and Colon sit on the Council, and if they want to give him the assurances it is there, that is fine; there are a couple of people over there who write the agenda; and the County can sit there day-after-day and never make an impact. He stated if dues are the only way, it is a hard way to go. Commissioner Carlson stated the Alliance includes 11 different counties; several of them are on the ECFRPC; when she asked for the support as the Chair of the Alliance, it told her to pay the dues; and she told them she is not the only one here. Commissioner Scarborough stated he does not like it; the Council wants the County’s money, but not its input; and the Board can vote today, but it will not get his vote if that is the game that is being played. Commissioner Carlson noted she is not asking for a vote on anything. Commissioner Scarborough stated the Council has a Charter, but it is not complying with it if it is not doing certain things; he will counterclaim that it is failing its responsibility; if it wants to have it on the front page of the Orlando Sentinel, he will take it there; and it is a misnomer to call it the ECFRPC when it fails to participate in regional planning. Commissioner Carlson noted those are some of her concerns; the County received a copy of the letter from Sandra Glen, Executive Director of ECFRPC; the Council is in the process of becoming an economic development district under the Federal Economic Development Administration; and Item 2 in the letter says, “eliminates the need for counties to adopt a comprehensive economic development strategy.” She inquired is Brevard County required to do one of those.

Chair Higgs stated the County had that before the ECFRPC several years ago, but it was not supported. Commissioner Carlson noted evidently it is supported now; this all intertwines with one another about what is the County getting for what it is paying, how does it all work with MyRegion, and is the reason it is being supported now is because MyRegion is there; and she does not know what the County Manager’s response to that has been.

County Manager Tom Jenkins stated he is still formulating a response; he has not had a chance to talk to staff about it; and it is on his list of things to do.

Commissioner Colon stated she knows where Commissioner Scarborough is coming from, but this is mandated; and the County has to pay it. Commissioner Carlson stated she agrees the County needs to pay the dues, but it needs to get some accountability. Commissioner Colon stated she agrees, but the County needs to pay its bill. Commissioner Scarborough stated the County goes to the meetings; the Council tries to get the County in and out in two years; there are complex Development of Regional Impacts (DRIs); and the Council does not give the opportunity to discuss the issues. He noted he sat at the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Alliance; there was Commissioner Poole from Lake County, Commissioner Northy from Volusia County, and Commissioner Jacobs from Orange County; they were all pushing for regional planning through the Council; and Brevard County is not alone on the issue. He stated if the Board throws in the towel, it may just as well forget it; sometimes one just does not pay his or her bill so he or she can get the person to take the call; and he is ready for the call and has not received it yet. Commissioner Carlson stated the Statute created the entity; and the County needs to go to the people who put the entity in the process and ask for some accountability, at least from the region.

Chair Higgs stated she tried hard to be a part of the Council; she went for years and gave it a shot, even being on the Executive Board; the Council does not serve Brevard County ably and in the way that is in the County’s best interest; and she does not know if not paying the bill will do it, but the Council, in all the years she has gone, has not served the County in the way it should be served. Commissioner Scarborough stated the irony is the Council can play such a fantastic role if it changed its philosophy; it is not a major mind-shift because it did so much with the original step; why it is refusing to now is baffling; and Randy Morris was the Vice President and decided he did not like it. He inquired if Mr. Morris and Ms. Glen write the agenda; stated he does not know; but there are a couple of people writing the agenda over there; and the average member is not allowed to participate. He noted it is terribly wrong; if the County has to move to change the legislation, it needs to do so; but to pay the bill at this time is irresponsible on the part of the Board. Commissioner Carlson stated it would be nice to see how the Northeast Regional Planning Council works as it does not seem to have the same problem; both Planning Councils are on the St. Johns River Alliance and there have not been any problems with them; she cannot speak for that Region; but it might be a good thing to talk to it and ask it what is the difference.

Commissioner Pritchard stated Chair Higgs and Commissioner Scarborough have a good point; they were on the ECFRPC for years and feel the way they feel; Commissioner Colon and himself are newcomers to the Council and have been to a couple of meetings; and they found out where the meetings are held, which is about the extent of their knowledge and involvement with how things actually work. He noted Chair Higgs and Commissioner Scarborough have that knowledge and involvement; and their concerns, at the very least, should bear a letter from the Board asking why it is paying the dues if it is not getting anything out of it, and if the County pays the freight, is not sure it would have a counterclaim against some sort of non-productivity. He stated if that is possible, he does not have a problem with it; and he believes in holding people accountable.

Chair Higgs inquired if the ECFRPC is not meeting the Charter and State Statute, could the Board review the issue; with County Attorney Scott Knox responding yes. Commissioner Pritchard stated if it is a matter of making the ECFRPC what it is, then that is what the County is paying the Council for. Chair Higgs stated she agrees totally with the concept of competent professional planning; but the County is not getting it. Commissioner Carlson stated it would be nice to get the Statute to see exactly what the Council’s purpose in life is; she would like to reflect back on that and find out what the County is expecting from the ECFRPC that it has not received from the dues paid over the years; she sat on the Council with Chair Higgs; and she asked then what purpose was being served.

Commissioner Colon stated she does not like playing games; the Council came before the Board, and the Board told the Council what it wanted and expected, including that it wanted to work regionally; the ECFRPC addressed the fact that the County has been part of the whole data gathering, comprehensive plan, etc.; and if the Board feels it is not getting what it should, then it can completely withdraw from the ECFRPC. She noted the folks sitting on the Council are not going anywhere; the person who is the head of it is not going to change the way she is doing things; the Council is happy, based on the meetings she has attended, how it is carry on such meetings; and the only one unhappy is Brevard County. She stated the County does not need to play games and can withdraw completely if it feels it is not getting anywhere by the end of April 2004; it does not need to waste time; if the majority of the Board wants to go forward and withdraw, she will support it; but she is uncomfortable prolonging the process.

Commissioner Scarborough stated his problem is Brevard County needs to be there; it needs to have regional planning; it has played roles; and the problem is not the County, it is the ECFRPC. He noted the problem does not include the fellow commissioners on the Council; he has talked to them and they share Brevard County’s frustration; the problem is cramming everything in a two-hour period; and the Council is not allowing sufficient time. He stated the last year he served there were probably one-third to one-half of the meetings canceled, yet Ms. Glen could not find the time to put on the agenda this discussion; she does not want the discussion; for some reason, she has decided not to have it; and some of it goes to the personalities of people who are in management. He noted they have in some way gravitated the control, but they do not represent the counties; the counties want more from it; the Council has produced less than it should; and Brevard County’s problem is not to withdraw, but the problem is to charge forward and make the Council do what it is supposed to do for the region. Commissioner Colon stated she agrees with Commissioner Scarborough, but if there are people behind the scenes uncomfortable with something, they need to tell the Council they are not getting their monies worth; and unfortunately, that is not happening. Commissioner Carlson stated there needs to be some sort of tactic to bring it in front of the ECFRPC. Commissioner Scarborough stated when he was at the MPO Alliance meeting, Commissioners Pritchard, Colon, Poole, and Northy were present; Teresa Jacobs was pushing to bring the ECFRPC into the regional discussion; there is the same type of people saying they need to be involved and brought to the table; and he believes it is going to happen, and Brevard County does not need to throw in the towel. He noted it is time the County’s fellow commissioners in the region have a lot of things on their plate and a lot of issues; there is an underlying belief that the Council has to play a larger role; if it takes some changing of the State Acts and management, it will occur; and the Board is doing what it should at this moment and let others begin to play roles like they did at the Alliance meeting.

Chair Higgs stated she does not remember if Commissioner Scarborough was on the ECFRPC when the leadership was changed at the administrative level; Ted Edwards from Orange County, as well as Brevard County, were concerned about the budget and increases; there was a change in leadership, downsizing, etc.; and Orange County exerted some leadership then. She noted even though there was a change in leadership, the paradigm did not change; it is going to get back to the individual people who serve on the Council wanting it to do something different; and while Brevard County may want that, she does not see that commitment. Commissioner Scarborough stated Chair Higgs should have been at the Alliance meeting as there was a lot of strong discussion along those lines. Chair Higgs stated meeting after meeting, many folks do not show up, particularly the county commission leadership people who should be there; there are gubernatorial appointees who have full-time jobs doing something else and a couple of people from cities who have been there a long time; and she believes in the purpose, but it is not the message. Commissioner Carlson stated there may be that kind of response if there was the seriousness of the issues; and there has been a lot of apathy regarding those that actually are in the group. Commissioner Scarborough stated he believes it is going to happen with some time; he will make telephone calls to some of his friends and other commissioners, and ask what is happening; and Brevard County is looking to other counties to take a forceful stand in making the Council make some sense because it needs other counties’ help. He noted as the County says that to its fellow commissioners, it will happen because there are good people out there.

Commissioner Pritchard stated the Board is talking about $130,000 in dues to the ECFRPC; and it is a lot of money the County is investing.

REPORT, RE: ORLANDO CENTER SCIENCE CHALLENGE

Commissioner Carlson stated two 10th-graders of Astronaut High School took the top prize in the Orlando Center Science Challenge; Eric Smith and Ryan Jones captured the Best in Fair prize at the competition for their project; they were looking into the possibility of turning table salt into a source of electricity; and their results could lead to alternative power sources and a decrease in pollution. She noted Brevard County had 48 participants at the event; Orange County was the next county with the highest number, which was 13; Brevard County ran away with the prize; and it is obvious the impact the community has on the whole entire region and probably the State. She stated the intellectual ability of some of the County’s students is obviously being cultivated here; it is great; and congratulated the students.

APPOINTMENT, RE: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ADVISORY BOARD

Motion by Commissioner Pritchard, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to appoint Mary Williams to the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board, replacing Timothy Walker, with term of appointment expiring December 31, 2004. Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

REPORT, RE: TOWN MEETING WITH CITY OF PALM BAY

Commissioner Colon stated on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Senior Center there will be a combined town meeting with the City of Palm Bay and her office; and they will be discussing all of the projects in regard to the referendum at the town meeting.

REPORT, RE: EVENT AT ANDRETTI THRILL PARK

Commissioner Colon stated next Friday an event will be held with about 17 churches that have come together and rented Andretti Thrill Park to have a concert; the only way young people can get tickets to this event is to get in touch with the participating youth pastors who have put the event together; and cities from North, Central, and South Brevard are coming together for the event. She noted Space Coast Marine is also going to be there; anyone who is interested can call 508-4998; Tom Redmond and the youth pastors are helping to put together the event; and such event is to promote making sure kids stay away from alcohol and drugs. She stated not all young people are getting in trouble; they are doing wonderful things; and there will be between 1,200 and 1,500 kids at the event.

DISCUSSION, RE: BUDGET PRESENTATIONS

Supervisor of Elections

Supervisor of Elections Fred Galey stated his Office is adamant about the funding it needs to do the job for Brevard County citizens; his staff is the best in the whole State and the Board can be proud of them; and the Office’s mission statement is to provide the citizens of Brevard County with outstanding registration services while conducting efficient, error-free elections. He noted some of the programs include voter registration; it continues to grow and is now 313,000; the County’s voter registration system is the same system as some 30 other counties have; but it is being forced into a central voter file, which is being worked on at the State level. He stated it is an expensive process, but the County’s system will fit to it; it is going to be more involved and will make the County more efficient in making the transfers as about 30% of the people move every year; and the data will be compared at the State level. He noted the notices will be sent to the County from the State; and it will also provide better election management, both on the State and National levels. He stated Brevard County is one of the few counties in the State that has a waiting list of people to be poll workers; on any given election day, his Office uses from 1,100 to 1,600 poll workers to man the 218 precincts; and such workers have to show up at 6:00 a.m., attend training, and are essentially his prisoners for 13 or 14 hours. He noted the polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.; the interest in being a poll worker goes down quite rapidly when there are 13 and 14-hour days; the present poll workers have been with him for a long time; and he cannot say enough about them. Mr. Galey stated he tells such workers every time he does training that the County could not do it without them; they are part of the front door to democracy that helps the republic go forward; management of the poll workers is key and critical; and they do a wonderful job. He noted concerning election logistics, there is a three-piece planning preparation and then the production; along with performance, he adds a fourth into that, which is a prayer; on every election day, his Office holds its breath from start to finish as one never knows what is going to happen; and it tries to do the best it can. He stated election day operations start early in the morning with delivery of the list to each polling place of those people who have voted between the time his Office printed the poll books to the point it opens on election day; and the election day operations are quite complex as a lot goes into getting ready. He noted recount facilities is an issue; he anticipates this fall will be a close race; as the County continues to do expansion of the mandates the way it has to do recounts, the space downstairs is fast becoming inadequate; and storage facilities are both at Viera and Cocoa. He stated as his Office continues to expand its number of precincts and equipment, it is fast beginning to fill up the facilities; if it has to go to the touch screen Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is mandated now, it has to have it by 2006; where it stores the electronic equipment downstairs is going to be inadequate; and technical support will be more complex. Mr. Galey stated there have been problems in the south with the programming; the County is not into the multiple language yet, but may eventually get there; when it starts programming the touch screens into the multiple language or printing ballots in multiple language, it not only increases costs, but it drives up the complications and the difference between one election and the other; and that is one of the reasons all of the supervisors of elections throughout the State have been interested in getting a permanent elimination of the second primary due to the time for the touch screens and programming. He noted the time between the primary and general election, if there is a second primary, affects all of the military overseas and mailing them absentee ballots; the law requires his Office to mail an absentee ballot to them 45 days in advance to the general election; if his Office is holding a second primary less than 45 days in advance of the general election, it has to mail ballots out for the general election before the second primary is held; and that is why it is important to keep that out of the process. He stated this year the primary is on the 31st of August, which is the earliest it has ever been; it gives time to hold that election, get the ballots printed, and get them mailed out 45 days in advance of the November election; everything that has happened on the national level is affecting Brevard County and driving the cost of elections up; and it is amazing the amount of things that are mandated. Mr. Galey noted his Office operates in multiple locations, including Titusville, Merritt Island, Viera, Melbourne, and Palm Bay; the main office is in Titusville, which is the County Seat; and the storage facility is in Cocoa, which is where all of the flags, voting booths, ballot boxes, etc. are located; and the polling places are opened at 7:00 a.m. He stated acquisition at polling places is becoming more difficult due to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Bill; every polling place has been surveyed to meet ADA requirements; a couple of polling places had to be eliminated and one was being sold; and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) was used the last time, which worked well. He noted there has to be adequate facilities for handicapped access ramps and parking; paved parking lots are being forced; his Office suggested using mats, which a lot of states use and meet the requirements of HAVA; and paved parking lots will drive up the cost, from $100,000 to $600,000 to get everything in compliance. He stated it may be done closer to the $100,000 figure if his Office is allowed to do it in the most cost-effective manner; it will have to see what happens; ADA accessibility is big in voting; and his Office will do everything it can to comply with the law. He noted regarding precinct determination, any time anything is annexed into the city, it affects precinct boundaries and changes the ballot style; in a particular precinct there is one style of ballot; his Office tries to keep it that way instead of having two or three different styles of ballots in a precinct as it eliminates the possibility of making an error an issue and the wrong kind of ballot; and keeping only one ballot style in each precinct is the more efficient way to keep everything error-free. Mr. Galey noted absentee voting has grown and will continue to grow; 10% to 15% of the voting population that is now voting absentee; his Office has been mandated now to be open on Saturday and Sunday for eight hours to allow people to vote other than on election day; and it is driving the cost up. He stated early voting has been done in Texas, Washington, Colorado, and a few other states; there is an early influx of increased voters; it doubles the cost of the election; and the turnout goes back to what it was before.

Commissioner Scarborough noted even though there is early voting, the total number of people voting does not increase. Mr. Galey stated there is the early bubble of turnout and then it goes back to the same turnout; it has been proven in all of the states that have early voting; and it doubles the cost of the election.

Mr. Galey stated his Office does everything it can to allow the uniformed, overseas, and civilian voters to vote; it accepts faxed ballots; they can vote over the Internet; but when they do that they lose some of their ballot secrecy. He noted any votes by fax or over the Internet come to the Canvassing Board; it is continuing to expand; an experiment was run of electronic voting, which he opted out of; and he was lucky as the decision was made that it was not going to work and there was not the right security. He stated it saved the County money; the first time the experiment was run the cost was about $130,000; the issues are still being worked on; and when it is ready he is sure Brevard County will be part of the process.

Commissioner Carlson requested Mr. Galey explain how the law has changed now in terms of the postmarks for military absentee voters; stated sitting on the Canvassing Board for the last election, it was hard to deny someone the ability to vote because he or she did not sign the outside of the envelop; in that case a vote cannot be counted; and it is important that the ballots are signed.

Mr. Galey stated on absentee ballots, the instructions are very clear; the ballots must be signed and witnessed; several ballots are received that have not been signed or witnessed; and the information needs to be complete. He noted the signature of the voter is checked against what is on file; there must be a signature and address of the witness; there is a place to put the date next to the signature of the voters; and it is important to put such date in case there is no postmark on the front of the ballot. He stated it is especially critical for those when there is a general election; there is a 10-day count for military ballots coming from overseas; and if a signature of the voter does not match, the voter does not sign the ballot, or the ballot is not complete, it comes to the Canvassing Board for a decision. He noted any ballot that is not accepted, a letter is mailed to the individual telling he or she why the ballot was not accepted; it is a costly process; the new law is if someone votes absentee or requested an absentee ballot, it is going to be marked in the poll book; and if the individual shows up at the polls and have already been logged in, he or she cannot vote at the polls. Mr. Galey stated provisional ballots is a fail-safe procedure; if somebody insists he or she is registered to vote but is not on the books, he or she can vote a provisional ballot; and a research is done. He advised administrative support, finance, candidates and committees, absentee ballots, and computer operations are all divisions in his operation; it is all a smooth and blended process; the precinct mapping capability has been expanded for using Geographic Information Systems (GIS); and the Support Center is the Cocoa facility, which is fast running out of space. He noted the Center works with Parks and Recreation Department and has had some discussions; whatever is done is going to cost money; 100% of the funding for his Office is from the County; and his Office generates little revenue. He stated his budget is about $3.6 million from the County General Fund; the revenue for this year was supposed to be $104,000, but it changed and will decrease; when there is a change from running city elections by themselves to Countywide elections, the cities pay only their ballot costs; so there is about a $70,000 or $80,000 decrease. He noted on program service costs, election year administration salaries are $1.7 million; about $660,000 was spent the first five months; the March 9, 2004 election is going to end up costing about $240,000; and it looks like there is going to be enough money to complete the year. Mr. Galey stated for August 2004, he anticipates a large turnout of over 50%; there are about 313,000 registered voters; the projected registered voters for 2005 is 325,000; and he has 28 permanent staff. He noted there are about 1,600 election day staff; staff training includes continued education for peak loads and certified election registration administrators (CERA); his Office was the first office in the State to have both the Supervisor of Elections and members of staff certified by the Election Center and CERA; so there are three individuals in the Office that are certified at the national level. He stated his Office is starting to bulge at Viera; he does not see how to expand the building; if there are 35,000 absentee voters in the fall, it is going to max out his Office; and it will have to be looked at in the future. He noted tabulation equipment storage, election equipment storage, and ADA requirements are other issues; his trained staff and the deputy sheriff at the polling places will do anything they can to allow the voter adequate ease; the law now requires that anybody should be able to vote unassisted at the polls; but it proves to be very difficult in some cases. He stated external trends include continual modification for federal and State mandates; by 2006, his Office has to have a touch screen or another device in each polling place to allow individuals with visual or hearing imparities to be able to vote unassisted at the polls; he has been helping to get some things certified in the State; and there are a few machines that are certified. Mr. Galey noted there is a device that will allow his Office to use the equipment it presently has; a ballot can be inserted in the machine; it will read the ballot to the person or blow it up larger; and individuals with a sight impairment will be able to vote unassisted. He stated it is called “auto mark”; one can touch the screen on the auto mark and it marks the ballot; after the ballot is completed, the person can review and confirm it, and put it in the tabulation equipment. He noted it is probably the most efficient way to go; it has to go through the certification process; Florida is the most difficult State in the nation to get voter tabulation equipment certified in; and it is all controlled by the State and it does a good job. He stated in the last election when there were difficulties in the south, they extended all of the polling hours in the State for two hours; anytime it is done now, the machines will be closed out at 7:00 p.m.; anybody that is in line at 7:00 p.m. will get to vote normally; but anyone who shows up after 7:00 p.m., if the hours have been extended due to an emergency, will have to vote by provisional ballot. Mr. Galey noted if that occurs, the provisional ballots will be brought in and the research will be done; such ballots will be tabulated separately and added to the regular polling hours count; and the last time there were 85 people that voted during the extended hours. He stated priorities and goals include voters services and conducting elections; polling places are becoming more difficult; to have a polling place in every precinct and neighborhood would be ideal, but some do not meet the requirements; and his Office tries to keep them as close as possible to neighborhoods locations. He noted he wishes every fire station built in Brevard County had a room available for election day; a few fire stations are used for elections; if the schools were closed on election day it would also be good; and he worries on every election about a voter being in a hurry at a school where there are teachers and students, and something happening. He reiterated that requests for absentee ballots are increasing; and in 2002, Judge David Silverman sent a letter to the Board saying, “I marveled at the sophistication and precision of the technology the Supervisor has acquired. This, combined with the dedication and sheer effort of the hardworking staff at the Supervisor of Elections’ Office to ensure that the right to vote, a cherished constitutional right of every American and what many people consider to be the most magnificent expression of our democracy, is safe here in Brevard.” Mr. Galey stated his staff and poll workers do a wonderful job and keep him out of trouble.

Parks and Recreation Department

Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Nelson stated the County is mandated by the State Comprehensive Planning Act, Parks and Open Space Element, to provide park space for citizens at whatever level the local body determines; in the County’s case, it is three acres per thousand people; there is no facility component of that, which means the County could have a lot of land, have no facilities, and still be beaten up by its citizens because they do not have access to things; and it is a little bit misleading, but at least it is a guide and gives some information. He noted the Strategic Plan had some key elements in it; the Department has made some headway in diversifying recreation programs, particularly for the youth and seniors; it has been able to hire a youth coordinator to begin to diversify the programs; and the most recent publication, which lists the summer programs and other programs available at the sites, the teen area has been increased significantly in terms of the availability of programs. He stated it is a tough group to get to as they have a lot of different ideas about what they would like to do, and usually it does not involve structure; with the assistance of some partners, the Department has been able to hire a Senior Wellness Coordinator; and the Department will be working with the Brevard Cultural Alliance (BCA) in terms of an agreement to provide a “Youth at Risk Arts Program.” Mr. Nelson stated youth at risk are basically those youth who have a propensity for getting into trouble or could get into trouble; the Department is trying to intercept and give the youth positive things to do and positive outlets; BCA has been a great partner in that regard; and also in the Strategic Plan is to develop public use facilities that create a positive visitor experience in the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EELS) Program. He noted last year the Department opened the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary Center and is in the process of renovations at the Pine Island Sanctuary; construction of the Barrier Island Ecosystem Center is to begin in FY 2003-2004; the Department has improved access and passive recreation experiences at the sites; and a lot of the sites that may not have facilities still have the ability to do hiking, have off-road bikes, and in some cases, horseback riding. He stated the Department is continuing to try and improve access to those facilities, not only for educational purposes, but also for passive recreation purposes. He stated the total budget shows $125 million; the budget book says $130 million; but there is $5 million that comes in as revenue, gets transferred to another revenue account, and counted again; and it is misleading. He noted staff wanted to make sure the Board understood the dollars the Department is dealing with, not with an accounting number that is greater than what is available; of the funding, 70% of it is associated with Capital and Debt Retirement Programs, and Voter-approved Programs; the Capital Improvements Program is $75 million, debt service is $12.8 million, operating reserves is $3.2 million, and debt service reserves is $3.8 million; and the costs for daily operations include salaries and compensation of $17 million, and operating expenses of $10.5 million. Mr. Nelson stated park operations includes maintenance as well as recreation, which is $28.5 million; golf is $5 million, EELS is $13 million, parks referendum is $63 million, and debt management is $15 million; there are 314 full-time employees, 136 part-time employees, 439 seasonal employees, and a number of volunteers who participate in the program; and it has been a great partnership and the County appreciates those volunteers and their assistance. He noted Park Operations is currently involved in 113 developed parks and 42 beach access sites; at the end of the referendum projects, there will be about 125 parks; Palm Bay Regional Park in District 5 is being expanded to its full potential; the parks are a combination of partnerships; and they are either owned, leased, or maintained through interlocal agreements. He stated on Merritt Island, youth programs would be in significant trouble if they were not on school sites; there are five school sites that have little leagues or soccer; the County is appreciative that the School Board and principles have allowed it to make those kinds of improvements; and the spin-off benefit is that there is access to those same facilities for physical education programs. He noted instead of the grass getting cut once or twice a year, the youth are playing on safer surfaces; Bermuda grass is used for soccer and little league baseball; and it will benefit the daily school programs. Mr. Nelson stated Park Operations does a variety of things on the maintenance side, from custodial to horticultural management; one of the biggest areas is athletic field maintenance; it has become a science in and of itself; and sandlot baseball is a thing of the past for a variety of reasons, but liability being the greatest. He noted the County is no longer able to have holes in fields, which is acceptable, as they turn into lawsuits; the Department takes a significant amount of effort and pride in providing those facilities; on the maintenance side there are currently 175 permanent positions; and the total maintenance budget is $13,549,860. He stated the Park Operations recreation side provides a full range of programs and recreational activities meeting the needs of all ages; it provides leisure services on 115 athletic fields and 86 courts, 11 pools, 14 community centers, and 44 boat ramps, both salt and freshwater; there are 31 boat ramps in salt water; and those boat ramps are in 14 park areas. He noted the County has less than 500 parking spaces, but it has over 30,000 boats registered; on any given weekend there are not a lot of places to go, particularly for saltwater access; it is frustrating because it is the most expensive land and the most difficult to acquire; and it is a challenge. He stated the number of personnel in Park Operations recreation is 119 permanent positions; there are 435 seasonal positions and also volunteers; and the recreation budget is about $8 million. Mr. Nelson noted several years ago, the campgrounds received General Fund support to help operate them; currently the campgrounds are all fee-supported; Wickham Park has camping, equestrian, and a huge park; and if Park Operations was only running the campground, it would be self-supporting as well. He stated the campground budget and staffing is about $2 million; Golf Operations include The Habitat, Spessard Holland, and The Savannahs golf courses; after the September 11, 2001 event, golf decreased at such courses; however, it has increased 2% for this year and may be even better than that; and the golf courses currently are in the best condition they have been in many years. He noted Environmentally Endangered Lands is a voter-approved Program; it promotes environmental educational opportunities to the community; the Board approved two sanctuary centers and conceptually two field stations at two other sites, and asked staff to come back as it got into development of the Barrier Island Ecosystem; and it will be back to get the Board’s recommendation on proceeding ahead with those two opportunities. He stated the County has expanded access to such lands and is providing more public access to the facilities; it was an important element of the Program; land acquisition has been a real success story in terms of partnerships with St. Johns River Water Management District and the State of Florida; and yesterday on the agenda there was support for the Florida Forever Program, which the Board approved. Mr. Nelson noted there is also a Bill before the State that is asking for shared title. Chair Higgs stated the Board discussed it. Mr. Nelson stated it is an important component of this and staff supports it; it has always been a frustration; the County would put in 50% or more of the money and deed it to the State; the State would send the County a bill for managing the lease; and at least the County got one lease instead of 50, which was an improvement. He noted to date, total funds expended by all partners is $61 million, with the EEL Program contributing $27 million; the Enchanted Forest has received over 20,000 visitors in the first year of operation; design and construction will begin this year on the South Beach Barrier Island Ecosystem Center; and in terms of land acquisition to complete the Program, the County is down to about $4.5 million available for acquisition. He stated the identified properties well exceed that capacity; the number of Parks Referendum Projects are listed for the north, Merritt Island, and south areas; during this FY, staff anticipates having 76% of the north area projects under construction, 100% of the Merritt Island projects, and 87% of the south area; and the difference in the percentages is that the north area has a unique problem in that one project has to be finished before another one can be started as the County is moving organizations and doing a jumping across to different facilities. Mr. Nelson noted the goal is to have 95% of the referendum projects completed by April 2006; it would be the five-year window staff was originally looking at; the projects that may be delayed will be those that involve permitting for boat ramps; and they are difficult, but staff is hopeful it can get those projects under way. He stated Rodes Park is a complicated project; staff is acquiring out parcels, which is going to take more time; but it will be shortly after that time frame. He noted through interlocal agreements, Parks and Recreation offers programs and facilities, eliminating duplication of services within cities; the Department has an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Titusville where the Department provides the recreation services for all of North Brevard, including the City; the Department does the same in Cocoa and Rockledge; in other parts of the County, it has interlocal agreements related to specific sites; and Satellite Beach has been a great partner in terms of giving money so that unincorporated residents use the facilities on the same basis as the City residents. He noted it has been a good partnership; the Department has done the same with Palm Bay in terms of the pool and Palm Bay Regional Park; the Department contracts for mowing services at 73 park locations; and those are the sites that do not require the greatest level of attention. He stated the Department retains those athletic sites as they are specific; schedules change on a daily basis for youth leagues and the Department has to be able to react to it; a contractor cannot do so; and specialty equipment is also used, such as mowers that cut Bermuda grass. Mr. Nelson noted the contracts were done at a time when there were vacancies, so personnel did not lose their jobs; maintenance personnel are grouped in teams to provide maximum efficiency within assigned areas; the Department annually conducts a user fee review for recommendation to the Board to see how the fees compare to market, such as golf, recreation programs, and campgrounds; and golf operations will continue to require General Fund support for the foreseeable future. He stated the Department has gotten to a low of about $250,000 to a high of over $1 million; it has increased and decreased for a variety of reasons; there have been hurricanes, national disasters, etc. that have impacted it; but for the foreseeable future, the Department is looking at needing that support. He noted the Department has made a stronger effort in marketing; it is fortunate enough to have stolen the number one marketing person from the State of Florida’s combined Fish and Wildlife organization, Dennis McKee; Mr. McKee has a strong private sector marketing background, as well as a public marketing background; and Mr. McKee has taken on that role for golf, as well as for the EELS Program and Parks Program. He stated the County is seeing the benefits of it this year where it is getting more bang for the buck in terms of the funds expended on marketing; the EELS Selection Management Committee and Procedures Committee this week heard a presentation from citizens who are interested in being able to generate additional revenues for the EELS Program for acquisition; there will be an item coming before the Board shortly on it; and the concern is that with only about $4 million left and well over $50 million in lands that have been identified for acquisition, it is never going to meet the needs of the Program. Mr. Nelson stated a presentation will be made to the Board; the concept is with the beach and riverfront sunsetting in 2005 to have an issue before the voters that would replace that for additional acquisition; in 2005, the Department will be faced with a budget shortfall of about $620,000 on an annual basis for parks; and it has to address how it is going to make up that shortfall. He noted capital replacement continues to be a concern; a Department capital replacement program is needed to insure operation and maintenance of existing facilities do not decline; one of the ways the County could look to meeting the needs in the future is a park impact fee; and there are many counties that have it. He stated there are pros and cons; the Board may want to review that issue as a way of providing funding for growth; the referendum will take care of a lot of past needs; but it does not necessarily take care of all the future needs. He noted there will be more people here demanding more facilities; and the question is how is the County going to pay for it. He stated the County has a history of referendums, particularly for park purposes and protection, as opposed to a program of a more routine analysis of what the needs are; at the end of the commitment to get all of the parks built in 2006, probably most of the park staff will be institutionalized because they are trying to make up 15 years of growth in five years; no one is happy because the County cannot do it fast enough; and it is hard. Mr. Nelson stated some of the opportunities for acquisition have passed by; the County knew it needed boat ramps 15 years ago, but did not have the resources to do it; now it is faced with the lack of land to do it; and it is almost a Broward County model where it has grown so much and has a lot of revenue that can be generated by its tax base, but the lands available that it wants cannot be bought, and what is left is very expensive. He noted the question is Brevard County can use that model and end up in that kind of scenario or it can try to create a program that addresses it on a more proactive basis and picks them off one every couple of years instead of 20 in two years; that would be a recommendation; and if staff can come away with some kind of method of doing that it would be very happy.

Commissioner Carlson inquired has Mr. Nelson been developing a method the Board could agree with, because it does not want to get in the position where it has lots of money, but cannot buy anything. Mr. Nelson stated in 1990, the methodology was the County created a wish list every year, which went into the budget but never got funded because of the resources; staff and the Board got frustrated, and staff decided not to do the wish list anymore; it got criticized for not doing the wish list and started doing it again; and it has gone back and forth. He noted it is not a hard process; advisory boards can review what the needs are; the County can use that process to generate the needs; the key element is how is it going to fund it; and he does not have an easy answer. He stated it may be referendum in a different fashion than what the County is currently doing, which is wait to the end and there are already horrendous problems; there may be some other mechanism; but longer range planning would be advantageous. Commissioner Carlson noted the County could incorporate that philosophy in any referendum that goes to the ballot box in terms of future purchases for future events that will happen, and not just buy it now. Mr. Nelson stated the original list in North Brevard was $30 million; it went through a process that pared it down to $15 million; it was done for affordability reasons; and $30 million would have been almost a mill and a half. He noted the reality is that referendum would not have passed; it had some elements of what Commissioner Carlson is talking about; maybe if the County considers doing something sooner than identifying all the problems and sitting on them until it is a demand, it may be a way; and it could identify new needs for the future.

Commissioner Pritchard stated the Beach and Riverfront Program sunsets in 2005; stated $620,000 is the Beach and Riverfront Program maintenance budget and inquired if the referendum goes back to the voters to decide whether to continue the Program funding or use the revenue stream for other projects that are either not funded, under funded, or in the wish list category, how will the County continue beach and riverfront maintenance without the revenue stream. Mr. Nelson responded there will be no mechanism, and the Board would be faced with cuts to the programs; in some cases, if there is any room within existing special district millages, the Board could increase such millages or additional General Fund support; and those become the only options. Commissioner Pritchard inquired about increasing user fees. Mr. Nelson responded most of the beach and riverfront programs do not generate fees, and the County would have to increase recreation fees to pay for the maintenance of a beach and riverfront site.

Commissioner Carlson stated the entire budget of Parks and Recreation Department is $125 million, which is one of the biggest budgets in the County; it is primarily funded through voter-approved referendum; the spreadsheets show for Operations about $15 million that is extracted from General Fund of the $125 million; and inquired what is $14 million listed under the Other category on page 7. Mr. Nelson responded it is the Special Districts and MSTU’s. Commissioner Carlson noted it is not extracted from General Fund. Mr. Nelson stated it is special funding sources that include special taxes, grants, etc. Commissioner Carlson noted $15 million of $125 million is a small piece of the pie when talking about General Fund and ad valorem tax.

Commissioner Scarborough stated Mr. Nelson showed projects 76% completed or under construction in North Brevard; the major projects have yet to evolve; the Chain of Lakes is one-third of the whole thing; and the County will not break ground until sometime early fall. He noted the 76% does not correctly depict the progress the County has made to date in North Brevard, not that it has not made a lot of progress and dialogue with architectural and engineering firms; and as far as being under construction, he would say it is 25%. Mr. Nelson stated sometimes comparing numbers like that it becomes misleading; and Chain of Lakes is the primary project of about $6 million. Commissioner Scarborough noted he saw 87 projects listed in the south; he would like to see a more detailed depiction based on the amount of dollars involved, where the County is to the point that it is going to be letting contracts, groundbreaking, and completion; 100% is listed for Commissioner Pritchard’s District; but construction does not necessarily mean completion. Mr. Nelson stated he will provide additional information for the Board.

Commissioner Pritchard stated he has been waiting for the groundbreaking of Mitchell Ellington Park and has his shovel ready; the neighborhood is complaining; the County needs to do some digging there and get the project under way; and the 100% listed for Merritt Island is misleading. Mr. Nelson noted the County has gone through a pre-qualification process for contractors in four of the major regional parks; the first project will be the Chain of Lakes and staff is using it to pre-qualify a pool of contractors; the process will be completed by the end of March 2004 or beginning of April 2004; and a project will be done every two weeks, one of which will be Ellington Park. He stated there are some frustrations with the permitting process, etc.; staff cannot do the projects fast enough; and it is difficult trying to do them all. He noted staff put together the referendum in a six-month period; and there were issues with individual sites that it was not able to address or did not know existed as it was putting the referendum together. Commissioner Scarborough stated the Board got some of the flavor of how political Marina Park was; he is not trying to criticize; it behooves the Board to have adequate information on all the park progressions; and the more information he has, the better he is able to describe to the community how much the County is doing. He noted just because it has not broken ground does not mean staff has not attended many meetings and considered a number of ideas that had to be discussed with architectural and engineering firms and constituents. Commissioner Carlson stated from the public’s perspective things need to open in some sort of sequence of events to show the County is doing things even though everything is undergoing all these processes; and the community does not always know that. Chair Higgs noted sometimes staff wants to work things to get it to the point where the Board can deal with it; with the South County boat ramp there is no easy solution; and she knows how hard it is.

Mr. Nelson stated staff will be bringing the boat ramp item to the Board; and it has some unique problems. Chair Higgs stated it is very difficult and staff has worked long and hard; it is a decision the Board is going to have to make about how to move forward; staff has worked it as long as it can; and it needs to let the Board decide if it is willing to move in certain directions.

Commissioner Colon stated Parks and Recreation Department is one of those unique departments; it worked hard for the referendum; the Department has been incredible and has a wonderful team; and she is amazed how it is able to juggle everything. She noted the staff is pulled in all different directions; they attend her town meetings as well; and she appreciates them. Mr. Nelson noted there are going to be a lot of good things happening in 2004 and staff is proud of that; and a lot of things they have worked hard on are now coming to fruition.

Commissioner Pritchard stated the miscellaneous item on page 237 shows over $4 million; and requested Mr. Nelson provide a breakdown on it. Mr. Nelson responded it includes interest from referendum, debt service, and the EELS Program; those things where they do not have any ability to be assigned to anything else gets called miscellaneous; and $3.2 million of the $4 million is referendum interest. Commissioner Pritchard stated Mitchell Ellington Park is going to take a significant amount of money to construct, and inquired is the interest that is generated by the money not being spent going to go into the increased cost of park construction; with Mr. Nelson responding yes. Commissioner Pritchard noted page 258 shows travel under the EELS Program being paid for by bond proceeds. Mr. Nelson stated it is not really bond proceeds as it comes out of the millage that is generated by the referendum. Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten advised it is revenue generated from the millage. Commissioner Pritchard stated the information says bond proceeds; and requested staff correct it.

Library Services Department

Library Services Director Cathy Schweinsberg stated Brevard County libraries are a mandated service under Florida Statute, Chapter 257, which calls for the free-lending of library materials and the free provision of reference and information services, and Brevard County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 230; and Brevard County is a Countywide Library Tax District. She noted as a Countywide service with 17 libraries, citizens have access to the resources and facilities throughout the library system, regardless of residence location; Brevard County libraries enables people of all ages to improve their quality of life by providing information and enrichment through traditional resources and new technology; 78% of the Department’s revenue comes from tax dollars; and it also gets State aid to libraries. She stated in 2003 it was over $1 million, but the amount keeps getting smaller; the County recently learned of a $349,000 cut to State aid for next year; the Department gets impact fees, which are less than 1% or $133,000; and fines and fees are 2.64% of the budget, which is important as it is the account that major facility maintenance comes out of. Ms. Schweinsberg noted it becomes critical when smaller libraries with old facilities do not collect enough money and cannot maintain their buildings properly; also out of the money comes funds to purchase more books, DVD’s, and other materials for collections; on the expenditure side, compensation is the biggest expenditure at $10 million; and 18% of the budget is for operating costs. She stated large facilities take large dollars, which goes toward utilities, insurance, maintenance, and office supplies; the Capital Improvement Program at less than 14% is for books and other items in collections; capital outlay, which is less than 1% of the budget, is for computer equipment; and less than 15% of the Department’s budget is allocated for these important tools of the trade. She noted the libraries are staffed by 155 full-time employees and 202 part-time employees; such employees are allocated to 17 libraries, support services, and administration; the libraries need to operate with many part-time employees in order to cover the amount of open hours each week; however, the libraries experience much more turnover at these jobs than the full-time positions. Ms. Schweinsberg stated it is critical that the libraries rely on volunteer hours; there were 58,000 volunteer hours in 2003, which equate to 28 full-time employees that the County did not have to hire; the libraries include public services, support services, and records management; and public services include circulation, reference services, and programming for ages preschool through adult. She noted circulation is the checking in and out of materials; the goals are to provide current and popular library materials that meet the needs of citizens and increase circulation by 3% in 2003; that year, 4.3 million items were circulated, for a 7.3% increase over the previous year; and 8.6 items were circulated per capita. She stated there are over 1.3 million items in collection, which is 2.6 items per capita; reference services include answering requests for information, suggesting books, searching genealogy and government documents, providing information databases, assisting public with the Internet, and public PC training; the goals for reference services are to provide the information that citizens need and increase reference transactions by 13.5%; in 2003, there were 773,722 requests for information, an increase of 11.3% over the previous year; and the number of reference requests could be increased with more reference staff. She noted currently there are times during the week when service desks are unmanned, particularly at the smaller libraries, and there is no one for the patron to interact with; and the ideal is to have at least two people on the desk at all times because so much time of staff is spent in assisting people on the public computers. Ms. Schweinsberg stated programming provides information in a different format; it brings non-traditional users into the library, encourages reading, and promotes library resources; the goal was to increase programs by 1%; and it was not a very ambitious goal on her part, but she was not sure what could be accomplished since staff is not dedicated entirely to programming duties and do it in addition to their regular responsibilities. She noted in 2003, there were over 5,000 programs, over 142,000 participants, and programs were increased over the previous year by 11%; and there was a 17% increase in participants over the previous year. She stated public services at the 17 locations are supported by technical processing, computer services, and talking books and homebound services; all of these sections function Countywide, meaning funds for the services are in three separate budgets and not included in the budgets of individual libraries; and technical processing makes new materials shelf-ready for customers. She noted the goal is to catalog and process all new media within 30 days; in 2003, over 68,000 items were catalogued and processed, 80% of them within the goal; and this Section has 11.8 full-time equivalent employees and a budget of $554,000. Ms. Schweinsberg stated computer services manages all library technology, including 585 computers for staff and the public at 18 locations, the online computer catalog, automated circulation system, data lines and networks, and the library website; the goal is to maintain computer services efficiently for the library automation system and Internet at least 98% of available hours; with the addition of three people, computer services were maintained 99% of available hours, up from 94%; and there are 7.5 full-time equivalents and a budget of $792,000. She noted before the additional employees, there were many complaints; every card the County Manager received that was not a good comment was about the slow speed and down time of computer services; and people are now very satisfied with the service. She stated talking books and homebound services provides library services to patrons with visual and physical limitations; the goal is to improve the per capita circulation by at least 2%; 123,000 items were circulated and there was a 9% increase over the previous year; and there are 5.13 full-time equivalents and the budget is $229,000. She noted County Records Management stores and retrieves County records, verifies and authorizes record disposal, and informs departments of records retention schedules; the goal is to provide for State-mandated preservation, disposal, and retrieval of County records; 7,800 boxes were stored, 781 cubic feet of records were disposed of, and 992 items were retrieved. She stated there is one full-time equivalent and a budget of $58,000; and County Records Management is funded entirely by user fees.

The meeting recessed at 11:05 a.m. and reconvened at 11:30 a.m.

Ms. Schweinsberg stated under strategic plan goals accomplished, the Department was able to improve the speed of the Internet computers and provide a portable computer lab for use at remote locations; T-1 lines and smart ring technology allow the County to keep up with the demand on the system; previously all training was done at the Central Library, but not all citizens like to travel away from their homes; so now there are six lap tops for training classes in other libraries, which has proven to be successful. She noted a strategic plan goal that is in progress is to achieve a ratio of one copy for every five reserves; funding would need to increase as demand for books increases; the strategic plan goals not accomplished were to increase DVD collection by 100% and increase percent of population with library cards by 10%; it is a continuing goal; and staff is working hard at that. She stated public library services are not provided by any other local, State, or federal program; increased efficiencies include self-checkout; there is only one of these units at the Melbourne Beach Library as it was able to be funded by construction funds; and with the public so accustomed to ATM machines and self-service everything, the Department would like to have more units to free up staff time to deal with the more problematic issues with patrons, but the cost is prohibitive as each unit runs over $65,000. Ms. Schweinsberg noted the Department would like to increase services through the library website; access to databases from locations other than the library, reserving books online, and perhaps reserving meeting rooms online are things staff is looking at; credit and debit card payments of fines and fees would occur both at the library and online; and it would make it easier for people, thus generating more income, but it costs to put it in place. She stated the Department is also looking at online library card registration; issues and trends include continued public demand for more services, which means more books and more facilities; the people of Rockledge would like a library; the people in Palm Bay want the replacement of the smaller Palm Bay/Port Malabar library; and the folks in the north area would like a renovation and expansion of an old building requiring much maintenance. She noted the increased cost of materials is always an issue for public libraries; the average cost of a non-fiction book is currently $76.00; in 1998 it was $49.86; and fiction is $29.00, up from $22.00. She stated libraries need to keep pace with rapid advances in technology; technology is costly, but is how the libraries do business; T-1 lines, additional servers, and smart ring technology all come with a price tag; and the County needs to figure out Law Library funding.

Commissioner Pritchard inquired how much do the libraries charge for overdue books; with Ms. Schweinsberg responding 20 cents per day. Commissioner Pritchard inquired does 20 cents a day mean anything; with Ms. Schweinsberg responding yes, and the Board should hear the complaints from people when they owe the fees. Ms. Schweinsberg noted fines and fees are $400,000; and in this budget presentation there were over $500,000 in fines and fees.

Chair Higgs inquired how does it compare with fines and fees around the State. Ms. Schweinsberg responded staff reviewed it and felt 20 cents per day was all the libraries could do as there were not a lot of systems that had fees that high; and the market is between 10 cents and 20 cents.

Commissioner Carlson stated under strategic plan goals it says increase percent of population with library cards by 10%; and inquired does staff track the numbers it gives out. Ms. Schweinsberg responded 41% of the population in Brevard County currently has a library card. Commissioner Carlson inquired how many new cards this last year were given out; with Ms. Schweinsberg responding she will provide that information to Commissioner Carlson.

Commissioner Scarborough stated probably nothing is going to be more dynamic than how information is accessed in the future; a library is for accessing and using information; newspapers are going online; and inquired is the County trying to understand the dynamics of where it needs to go with systems. He noted in 10 years it may think libraries in different senses. Ms. Schweinsberg stated staff constantly looks at how library service is changing and it has changed dramatically; when she went to library school she did her computer work with punch cards; it is incredibly different now; but there is also a balance. She noted people accessing information on computers still need trained librarians to help them access the information; the information is just out there; and without librarians, it is not organized in a fashion that anybody can get it. Commissioner Scarborough stated there was discussion about the Law Library and the significance to have somebody train and direct people; one can bring up movies on demand; he can go to the video store and get a totally different type of entertainment; and the non-fictional matters available, such as PBS, Discovery Channel, and some things that would be wonderful for young people who are preparing for a project or something are not readily available. He inquired is it possible that the County could evolve into a methodology where those things could be available and called up on demand through the library system in a similar manner as the entertainment type; entertainment is failing the County tremendously as it is not developing as a society to have available the non-fictional matters, which is how people get jobs and bring home the paychecks; if they do not know the technical data they are not going to advance; and inquired is there a capacity the County could move into some type of on-demand delivery of these types of videos. Ms. Schweinsberg responded it is probably coming but it is not there yet; and the County libraries keep special collections of those types of non-fiction things. Commissioner Scarborough stated the libraries would not have to have a repetition of a set of something in all the libraries; the items could be located in the Central Library and automatically called on demand; he sees libraries evolving into beyond the dissemination of information and the focal point where people come together; and library and community rooms are wonderful facilities. He noted information is available within that context; and the community is looking for more utilization. Ms. Schweinsberg stated she received a letter from a woman in Cocoa Beach who thanked the County for the beautiful facility and all it means to her and the community; she indicated the facility was a community focal point for them; and they are very proud of it.

Commissioner Carlson inquired has Ms. Schweinsberg seen an evolution with the electronic books, CD books, etc.; and does she see it coming down the road in any length of time. Ms. Schweinsberg responded the libraries have electronic books and it has not made a big impact; and individuals cannot take those books to the beach or get in bed with it. Commissioner Carlson stated she agrees, but there is the traditional side of human nature; people like the libraries and community, and the services the libraries provide; and the electronic book is something the libraries are going to have difficulty getting away from. Ms. Schweinsberg noted there are community book reads where the community reads one book at a time; and that is how popular it is becoming.

Mr. Jenkins inquired does staff keep tabs on the utilization of the libraries on a daily basis so it knows how much activity it has each day of the week; with Ms. Schweinsberg responding yes, there are people counters at the doors of each library.

Housing and Human Services Department

Housing and Human Services Director Gay Williams stated the Department’s team seeks to contribute to Brevard County’s quality of life by assisting citizens meet their health, social, and housing needs; the Department’s goals and plans are to provide a sufficient amount of quality services to meet the needs of eligible citizens; staff has actively participated in federal and State advocacy, which lobby for increased funding; and the Department has not been able to hire an additional Veterans Services officer, but it was able to hire a grant writer and increase discretionary funding. She noted in 2000-2001, the Department only received $183,000 in discretionary grant funding; it has substantially and steadily increased annually; for 2003-2004, the Department received almost $3 million in the grants; and another goal was to improve the quality of what the Department provides to Brevard’s citizens. She stated the Department has done cross-training and mentoring, which provides continuity of service and excellence in execution; it has encouraged and provided opportunity for team members to achieve certification in their areas of service; a quality improvement team, called Team Work with Leadership and Commitment, was created by staff; and the Department also wanted to meet the increase in demand for services with existing resources, so it made upgrades to its hardware and utilized the MetSys System, which allows community providers to now track clients and the utilization of limited resources within the community. Ms. Williams stated the increase in clients requesting assistance is estimated at 35% for FY 2003-2004; the Department sought to empower community stakeholders to take ownership of issues and needs identified within various communities; it is not able to do the newsletter or annual awareness survey, but it has added partnerships and done marketing plans to increase awareness and knowledge of resources and needs; and for FY 2003-2004, the Department’s budget was over $22 million. She noted $15 million of it was derived from grants, which represents about 64% of the total budget; 35% of the budget was funded through general revenue funding; however, 20% of it or $4.6 million is strictly utilized to pay State mandates of which the Department is charged with the oversight of. She stated four programs within the Department include Veterans Services, Community Planning and Revitalization, Country Acres, and Support Services; 70% of all the funding is for direct services; 20% of the funding is for mandated programming; only 8% is to administer the programs; and 2% goes to the County from grants to support indirect costs and rental costs. She noted Support Services’ goals are to coordinate and effectuate County and departmental support functions and assist low-income families to meet their social needs, and help with their home energy bills and conservation measures; the objectives are to provide the services efficiently and timely fulfilling the responsibilities in reimbursing State mandate payments; the Support Services team is comprised of 15 full-time employees; and three employees are grant-funded and 12 employees are general revenue funded. Ms. Williams stated Support Services provides oversight to the mandated County responsibilities, including the Health Care Responsibility and Baker Acts, Kids Care, burials, Medicaid, and special needs shelters; the team also provides oversight to non-mandated services, such as Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) Contract Management for secured services, Finance and Auditing, Community Based Organizations, Health Department, and Community Action Team; the team further assists with emergency assistance for basic needs of residents within the community; and it has assisted over 13,000 households and estimates it will assist over 18,000 households this fiscal year. She noted grant-funded services provided by Support Services includes the LIHEAP Weatherization Program and the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program; it is a State-approved plan that was submitted by the County that targets the elderly, disabled, and households with children under the age of 5; and the Community Services Block Grant funds the Community Action Agency (CAA), which helps clients achieve self-sufficiency. She stated within the budget, 15% supports mandated programs; 14% of the budget is grants; and 29% is for non-mandated services provided by the team, with the remainder being derived from juvenile assessment court fee fines. Ms. Williams advised the goal of Veterans Services is to assist veterans, families, and survivors with their submission of claims to the Veterans Administration (VA) and the State for veterans benefits; the team seeks to meet the objective by increasing the claims, dollars, and the number of contacts; such team is comprised of four full-time employees, with three veterans service officers and one support staff; and in Brevard County, there are over 77,000 veterans who receive the highest amount of retirement pay than any other Florida county of $295 million annually. She stated the Veterans Service team has been responsible for bringing $34 million annually into Brevard County; and the team is responsible for State mandates and its budget only represents 1% of the total Department budget. Ms. Williams explained the annual economic impact of veterans within the community; stated the Country Acres Children’s Home team’s goal is to provide a safe, nurturing environment for at-risk children and youth through residential, educational, and therapeutic services; the objective is to provide residential care and services that include daily living skills, education, counseling, and recreation to children who have been placed by the State; and the team consists of 17 full-time employees and four part-time permanent employees. She noted the team provides supervision, structure, security, recreation, life and social skills development, family-style meals, and homework support; there is a certified teacher, which is mandated; Country Acres partners with the local mental health provider to provide behavior programs; and the demographics for Country Acres reflects a 95% occupancy rate. She stated the children range from ages 6 to 17 years; most of them are in elementary school; the average stay is from six months to one year; the children are active in the community; and there are many partners. She noted the Country Acres budget is comprised and supported by 50% of general revenue funding; 48% comes from grants; and the remainder is from donations and fund-raisers. She stated the Community Planning and Revitalization Program’s goal is to improve quality of life by addressing needs and revitalizing neighborhoods, while offering opportunities that promote well-being and self-sufficiency; the objectives are to promote health, housing, and social needs of eligible citizens by revitalizing neighborhoods through planning, public improvements, and affordable housing initiatives; and the team seeks to increase the annual discretionary funding to meet identified community needs. Ms. Williams noted the team is comprised of 25 full-time employees, 20 are grant-funded and five are supported through General Fund revenues; the team oversees a mandate in insuring the County is ADA compliant and provides other non-mandated services; the Strategic Planning Team oversees Board initiatives, such as Together In Partnership, Commission on Mental Health and Community Solutions, Leadership Roundtable, Community Based Care of Brevard, and County strategic plan and strategic measures; and a grant writer works hand-in-hand within the Department. She stated the Strategic Planning Team oversees over 200 volunteers, manages eight boards and 14 subcommittees, has contract management of 41 CBO, CDBG, and other State and federal contracts through development of such contracts and monitoring; the Department also staffs the Affordable Housing Council, CDBG Advisory Board, Community Action Board, Commission on the Status of Women, and Veterans Services Council. She stated there are over 426 volunteers that provide a total of over 4,504 hours; and the grant-funded services include the First-time Homebuyer and Home Repair Rehab-Replacement Programs, and security and utility deposit. She noted last year the Department assisted 773 families and handled 5,500 requests; it utilizes grant funds to revitalize neighborhoods through land acquisition, demolition, capital improvements, capacity building, and neighborhood plans; presently there are about 17 projected projects; and there is an increase in emergency assistance for basic needs in the community. She stated there are 550 presently qualified first-time homebuyers, which has increased 450% from last year; rising health care costs, unfunded mandates, reduction in State funding, and other changes in policy impact the Department’s ability to respond to community needs; SHIP, CDBG, and HOME funding is reduced; Medicaid costs increased this past fiscal year by 34%; and Baker Act beds match increased 16%. Ms. Williams stated the Department is pleased with measures it has taken, such as downgrading of positions and reassignment of duties, and a reduction in the overall operating costs by reevaluating contracts and how the Department does business; it has had the assistance of Asset Recovery to reclaim any outstanding revenues that might be owed to the Department; in-house training is done for staff; and it has modified the entry criteria, which has increased bed utilization and revenues for Country Acres. She noted partnerships have also been formed that have enhanced the County program revenues; the Department pays for its indirect costs through grant revenues received; cost allocation allows it to maximize the distribution of grant funds; and the Department is exploring areas for cost-saving measures. She stated a cost/benefit analysis was conducted of the First-time Homebuyer Program indicating outsourcing of service, which may save the Department about $80,000; it is exploring the CBO process and receiving assistance from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) to evaluate program processes to see if it can be done more cost-efficiently; staff continues to explore possible opportunities that will allow the County to take advantage and leverage dollars that are being expended; and it anticipates in FY 2004-2005 that the County will realize up to $750,000 in revenues from such an opportunity. She noted the Department’s team members are committed to the County and the services they provide; they have put many volunteer hours to County and community-sponsored events that benefit the community, such as United We Paint, and Day of HOPE for homeless to receive support services; the Department had the privilege to host the first Florida Association of Counties Social Services Executives Conference in Brevard County last year; and the team chose the theme, “Partnering for Success.” She stated if there is not teamwork, collaboration, or partnerships, the initiatives and priorities cannot be made a reality or success.

Commissioner Colon stated it is incredible the amount of grant money the Department has been able to bring to Brevard County; some things have been discussed in terms of leveraging dollars; and Partnering for Success is definitely the key. She noted one issue discussed at the last budget workshop was to make sure there was accountability from those individuals asking for funding; and inquired how is it coming along. Ms. Williams responding very good; and staff has done that and made sure through all of the contracts and monitoring that the agencies are more accountable and the services they say they will provide are being provided.

Commissioner Pritchard stated veterans services shows 37,000 veterans, and inquired is there any federal or State funding specifically for veterans; with Ms. Williams responding negatively. Ms. Williams stated the benefits are federal benefits; the benefits include those the veterans or their survivors would be entitled to from serving in the military; and they may be entitled to benefits due to illness or prolonged stays in assisted living facilities. Commissioner Pritchard stated Support Services shows three grant-funded positions; and inquired what would happen should the grants cease. Ms. Williams responding the positions would go away. Commissioner Pritchard inquired what affect would it have on the program. Ms. Williams responded it would hurt the people in the community as the Department would not be able to provide what it does with the grant-funded positions; and the program or service would be eliminated. Commissioner Pritchard stated CDBG capital projects includes Merritt Island cemetery preservation; and inquired is it the cemetery at Pineview. Ms. Williams responded it is the historical cemetery off of Tropical Trail.

Commissioner Scarborough stated he is always interested in the Medicaid funds; and requested Ms. Williams provide a historical breakdown on how much the County has had to disburse for Medicaid and fax the information to the Commission offices. Chair Higgs inquired how much is Ms. Williams anticipating the increase to be this year; with Ms. Williams responding about the same amount as last year, which was almost $3.5 million. Mr. Jenkins stated it was a spike and has not historically increased as much as it did last year; he and Don Lusk had a conversation about the issue and before they drew a conclusion they were going to wait for the pay out one more month to see how the trend is; right now it looks like there is going to be $200,000 under funded; but they did not want to make a premature judgment. Commissioner Scarborough noted Medicaid for the elderly is both a State and federal program; the State program basically comes to the County and asks for its financial share depending on how many people are drawing on Medicaid; there are all kinds of dynamics to the issue; and the County is able to deal humanely with these people through things that Joe Steckler is working with. He stated keeping the spouse in the community alive and well keeps them out of the larger pockets; as the population ages, the propensity for dementia and Alzheimer’s begins to become more of a factor; there is nothing to indicate a reversal in this trend, either in Brevard County or nationally, unless there is some breakthrough in the capacity to treat Alzheimer’s and let these people lead a normal life; but until that occurs, Brevard County is going to be particularly impacted. He noted the figures from 1990 to 2000 show the over age 85 population went over 100%; he asked Ms. Williams to give him the numbers for surrounding counties for MyRegion, and they were running about a 30% increase; while the County has certain trends that are in line, its aging population is far exceeding other areas in the State and nation, which means the impact on the County’s budget by Medicaid fund transfers is going to impact the Board to a greater extent than in Seminole County.

Chair Higgs stated one of the things that was not pointed out in the presentation was the involvement in some of the community organizations and efforts that are being made across the County, both community-based care, as well as the Health Alliance and other things; staff is being pulled into those because of their positions and are doing that on behalf of the citizens of Brevard County; it does not show up sometimes in the report; and she appreciates what staff does there.

Commissioner Colon stated the Spring Teen Fest came about through Together In Partnership and the United Way; and the partnership is incredible.

Animal Services and Enforcement Department

Animal Services and Enforcement Director Craig Engelson stated the Department’s primary mission is public health and safety, and animal welfare; animal services and enforcement is mandated by Florida Statutes 828, 767.12, 767.13, and 588.16, and Florida Administrative Code 64D; Florida Statute 828 also covers animal cruelty and animal welfare; and Florida Administrative Code 64 is the Health Code. He noted State-mandated programs include dangerous dog management, which includes the entire investigative process, as well as maintaining the dog in the County’s custody pending the outcome of all the hearings; the Department also monitors and insures compliance with the dangerous dog restrictions, issues citations for violations, is a law enforcement agency and fire rescue support, handles livestock recovery, public health quarantine, animal disease carrying management, and bite investigations. He stated other programs include impoundment of animals, companion animal health and care, cruelty prevention and enforcement, neutering and spaying of all cats and dogs adopted through the animal care centers, and domestic animal and wildlife management in disasters. He stated during the wildfires of 1998, the Department rescued over 4,200 animals from the North Brevard area; some locally-mandated programs include the Nuisance Domestic Animals Trap Program, feral cat management, Community Outreach Program, and companion animal licensing; and all State-mandated programs are also locally mandated under Chapter 14 of the Code of Ordinances, which is the Animal Enforcement Ordinance. Mr. Engelson noted the Department does not receive any State funding for the local programs; programs that are mandated include dead animal removal, nuisance wildlife and trap program, and wildlife issues; the Department is mandated to do bite investigations; and wildlife issues account for approximately 17% of the total workload. He stated revenues for the FY 2003-2004 budget are a little over $1 million; the Department collects revenues through animal license tags, transport, bite investigations, adoptions, impoundment fees, citations, and donations and other services; the General Fund contribution is $2.4 million; a breakdown of the revenues show 70% is General Fund; license tags is 17%; and Other includes special cremations, DOA pickups, leashes and carriers sold to people who adopt animals, and dangerous dog registration fees. He noted 93% of the General Fund is used for salaries and benefits; the remainder is used for capital and the Community Partnership Program; the revenue for animal license tags this year second quarter to date has increased 16% over last fiscal year; and currently there is a 38% increase over last fiscal year for animal adoptions and a 24% increase in transport fees. He stated the board and impound fees increased 32% over last fiscal year; the good news is the Department only gets the fees if the owner reclaims their animal; so it is returning the animals it is picking up; and citations increased over 23% from last fiscal year. Mr. Engelson noted expenditures programmed for the FY 2003-2004 budget include enforcement operations, North Animal Care and Adoption Center, South Animal Care and Adoption Center, community partnerships, and support services; the major part of the expenses is enforcement; the Animal Care Centers are 30%, support services is 21%, and community partnerships are 1%; and the Enforcement Program includes bite, dangerous dog, and cruelty investigations, stray and nuisance animals, abandonment of animals, and compliance with State and local animal laws. He stated the Animal Care and Adoption Centers include care and maintenance of stray animals, veterinarian care to promote the adoption of homeless animals, spay and neuter, and maintaining abused, quarantined, and dangerous animals until cases are resolved; the Centers have to hold the animals the entire time during any cruelty investigation; a couple of years ago the County held over 21 cats for three years while the cruelty investigation was ongoing and the appeal process; and for over nine months, the County has had the dangerous dogs that attacked the Florida Power and Light (FPL) Company worker and they are still in custody pending all the appeal processes. He noted community partnership includes spay and neuter of feral cats for the management of colonies, pre-exposure rabies vaccinations for volunteer rescue groups, mileage reimbursement for wildlife rescue groups, and storage facilities fees; storage facilities are used to maintain the traps used in the Spay and Neuter Program; the Support Services Program includes telecommunications, licensing, database, and public outreach and education; and the Department currently has 55 full-time employees and five part-time employees. Mr. Engelson stated enforcement staff includes 26 full-time employees; the North Animal Care and Adoption Center includes five full-time employees and two part-time employees; the South Animal Care and Adoption Center includes 12 full-time employees and three part-time employees; and Support Services includes 12 full-time employees. He noted part of the Department’s Strategic Plan was to make animal adoptions more convenient; adoptable animals are available twice a week at Petsmart in Melbourne; the County participates in many offsite events and is looking for a mobile adoption unit, which is currently unfunded; and it wants to return pets to owners quickly, so the license tag data entry was streamlined. He stated the Department wanted to have a microchip program, but it is currently unfunded; it offers microchipping during adoption events; it has been working fairly well; and lost and found animals are on the web page at www.brevardanimalservices.com. He noted also included in the Strategic Plan for the Department is to increase staff competency; a training manual was created, a training room is available, a lieutenant who is a supervisor within the enforcement section is the training officer and maintains the training records, and training is budgeted in current year’s budget. He stated the Department has improved animal management during emergencies; Brevard County is one of only three counties currently that have a pet-friendly shelter; and the Department wanted to expand its Spay and Neuter Programs, but it is currently unfunded. Mr. Engelson noted offsite as well as onsite adoption events are conducted throughout the County and have been very successful; reiterated that adoptable animals are available at Petsmart twice a week; adoptable animals are also featured on both radio and television programs, and can be viewed on the Department’s website; and the efforts have resulted in a 38% increase in adoptions. He stated the Department uses SCGTV and Channel 31; it is a local station in the south, but will probably go cable soon. He stated trends and issues include an increasing number of calls for assistance and service, increasing number of conflicts between animals and people, a greater number of aggressive dog breeds being owned, and an increase in population of displaced indigenous wildlife. He noted there is increasing demand for nuisance trapping, an increasing number of animals being brought into Animal Care Centers and an increasing number of homeless animals; funding levels are marginal to carry out current duties; and the Department ran over $100,000 last year. He stated due to the overwhelming amount of requests for service, the Department developed a priority response list to insure it was able to respond to the more important calls in a timely manner; and such list includes bite investigations of severe injuries, animals at-large, aggressive animals toward people, large animals in traffic, law enforcement assistance, bite investigations with minor injuries, aggressive animals, contained aggressive animals, injured animals, cruelty reports, wildlife in homes, other safety or health-threatening situations, trapping, citizen-held animals, which means someone found a dog loose and called the Department to pick it up, stray animals, owner turn-ins, animals in traps, dead animal pickup, and patrols. Mr. Engelson stated opportunities for savings and efficiencies include increased media presence to promote adoptions and license tags using two radio stations and two television stations currently, increased outreach activities in public schools and outside events, partnering with Petsmart to have animals for adoption twice a week available at the store for viewing, improved volunteerism at the Animal Care Centers, web page improvements with links to view animals at the Centers to include both lost and found and adoptable, and change in Enforcement operational hours resulted in a $40,000 annual savings; and goals and objectives include investigating all reported bites and attacks within six duty hours of original notification. He noted in February 2004, staff investigated 118 bite reports, with the average response time being two hours and eight minutes; another goal and objective includes responding to all calls for aggressive animals within eight duty hours of original notification; in February 2004, staff investigated 105 reports of aggressive dogs, with an average response time of 37 minutes; and these times are attributed to the priority response list. He stated the Department wanted to establish an investigative unit for all bite, dangerous dog, and cruelty investigations; it has been successful with a bite investigative unit and is looking at ways to add the cruelty and dangerous dog investigations to that section; the Department wishes to enhance its public education programs; and it may have to reduce services or obtain more revenue or funding to continue current level of services.

Commissioner Carlson inquired what was the total animal adoptions compared to last year; with Mr. Engelson responding about 20% actual adoptions. Mr. Engelson stated there is an increase in animal adoptions; and there is also an increase in return to owners, which is encouraging. Commissioner Carlson inquired about the numbers for euthanasia; with Mr. Engelson responding he will provide the information to the Board. Mr. Engelson noted as adoptions increase, euthanasia decreases.

Commissioner Pritchard stated the summary page in the budget includes intergovernmental with zero, and inquired was there a revenue stream from the municipalities at one time; with Mr. Engelson responding no. Mr. Whitten noted it is used to represent grants also. Commissioner Pritchard inquired do the cities have their own animal control services. Mr. Engelson responded the City of Rockledge has one animal control officer who covers from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; and all other hours are covered by his Department. Commissioner Pritchard inquired what is the breakdown on how many animals the County is taking from the municipal areas and unincorporated areas; with Mr. Engelson responding the information is in the database, and he will provide it to the Board. Mr. Jenkins stated a Countywide revenue source is used; if the County was to look at any kind of a charge for cities it would have to start charging the unincorporated area for their service; and it could not take it out of the Countywide General Fund. Chair Higgs noted it would be interesting to know how the breakdowns go. Commissioner Pritchard stated he has received a lot of postcards about opening a shelter on Sunday; and he suggested closing a shelter on Monday and opening it on Sunday. Mr. Engelson stated staff has reviewed the issue; Monday traditionally is his busiest day in all the other sections, such as enforcement, etc.; if the County went to a seven-day-a-week operation he would need to increase staff; and minimally for both Centers being open on Sunday, it would take approximately seven and a half more employees, which is about a $210,000 increase in employee costs alone, not operational costs. He noted if the revenue generated on Sunday was the same on Saturday, which he does not believe it would be, it is about $20,000; it did not seem to benefit his Department; and being closed one day has a benefit as there are no citizens coming in and staff can do detailed cleaning, etc. Commissioner Colon inquired if Monday is so busy, what about a day in the middle of the week, such as Wednesday; noted on Sunday folks would be able to see the animals for possible adoption; perhaps the people who work at the shelter could change their schedules around; and the County needs to seriously review the issue. She stated the Department is unique versus other County departments in regard to the service with the community and being able to have flexibility; some people work on Saturday and are not able to go to the shelters; the volunteers are key as they were able to raise a lot of money for the adoption center; and she was used as a fundraiser and put inside a cage with a collar. She noted the headlines read, “If you would like to see a Commissioner behind bars, come to the adoption center”; it was not fair for her to be the only Commissioner that went through such terrible abuse by the humans that were passing by; and requested staff go after the other four Commissioners. Mr. Engelson stated he has a Commissioner in mind right now.

Chair Higgs stated a few years ago the County went to the automatic system of mailing out renewal notices on tags; and inquired about the response to it, what the County has received in terms of revenue, and how it is working. Mr. Engelson responded the system has worked well, but staff went away from the automatic response; it is doing mail outs and trying to do a second mail out as well; it has been good for the Department as far as revenue collection; and it still has a long way to go. He stated there are about 80,000 animals registered; there is a certain number staff can get to, but it has not come close to that; and when it gets to that point, revenues will increase dramatically. Chair Higgs inquired is the County still trying to sell any of the tags through retail outlets. Mr. Engelson responding the outlets chose not to do so as they did not like the inconvenience of their staff doing that; through mailings and support of veterinarian, license tags are being sold; and it has helped. Chair Higgs inquired how much are license tags; with Mr. Engelson responding $7.00. Chair Higgs inquired how does it compare to the rest of the State; with Mr. Engelson responding the County’s fee is low. Commissioner Carlson inquired does the County connect the tag with the rabies vaccination; with Mr. Engelson responding no. Mr. Engelson stated all veterinarians are required by State law to send all of the rabies vaccination certificates to the County; staff has them on file by veterinarian; the State says the County can recognize a three-year vaccine; and it seemed easier and more efficient to do the animal license tag registration annually and add to it rabies vaccination information. Commissioner Carlson inquired do individuals who respond and get the license tags have to present the rabies certification; with Mr. Engelson responding no, but staff strongly recommends it to them so they can document it.

Emergency Management Office

Emergency Management Director Bob Lay stated the mission of the Emergency Management Office is to help protect the public through a developed organized response and recovery, and by using awareness and education to help mitigate potential loss of property and life; the Office is part of Chapter 252, Florida Statutes; it directs that every county will have an office of emergency management, as well as a director; and it defines the roles that the Office has to play and the authority the Office has. He noted many of the responsibilities listed, such as coordinate all disasters within jurisdiction with Florida Emergency Management and coordinate resource requests of municipalities are all there for the Office to perform, but at the same time, they also tie a scope of work to grant funding; the responsibilities are left up to the Office to either enhance or further expand upon; and a good example is to provide alerting and warning of residents. He stated the normal method would be through using the Emergency Alert System; the Office has enhanced that by the use of a Call Notification System to better inform residents in the event something happens; the System is used quite a bit in the County; and a grant paid for the System. He noted the Office is required to maintain an Emergency Operations Center; the Center was built in 1965 and the federal government paid for it; however, in 1998, it provided a grant to pay for about half of the funding needed to expand the facility; and it is about 10,500 square feet. He stated health care plan reviews were started in 1996; the federal government did not provide the County funding to conduct the reviews; however, it gave the authority to charge health care agencies; and the Office also started the special needs registry and sheltering in 1994. Mr. Lay noted the Office developed a local mitigation strategy in 1999; it has continued with the program to insure funding during emergencies, and federal and State grant cycles; and if it is not in place, funding for grants is in jeopardy. He stated the Office is continuing to develop a coordinated homeland security program within the County and has seen some funding for specialized equipment for select organizations, such as Hazmat teams, etc.; and it has received minimal funding for community emergency response teams and planned development. He stated the plans have been supported by grants from Department of Justice and the radiological grant was from FP&L Company; the Office also receives a small grant to maintain extremely hazardous material storage locations and plans; it has coordinated with Kennedy Space Center and Patrick Air Force Base for space launch activities; and it is in the process of looking at being able to upgrade some equipment it has to better perform another function, which is alerting and warning.

He noted there are some programs mandated by the State; the clients are the residents and municipalities within the County; grant funding is associated with each program; and for those programs without a clear funding stream, the State provides funds to the County in the form of the Emergency Management Preparedness Grant and a scope of work that requires it to complete the mandated items. Mr. Lay stated the special needs registry is an extremely time-consuming effort on the Office, but it is working with the Health Department and other agencies to take care of the evacuation and sheltering part; and the maintenance of a roster with over 2,000 people on it is a very time consuming effort. He stated continuation of the mandatory programs are all State mandated, except for the local mitigation strategy; the program is required by the federal government to have in place prior to a disaster; and without that being in place, the County would not receive any funding for the mitigation part following a disaster. He noted the Office consists of one Director, a secretary, four full-time employees, and two full-time employees from other agencies that are working at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to integrate actions; all staff have multiple assignments and responsibilities, as well as additional responsibilities during activation of the EOC; and the Office performs duties on weekends, as well as launches and Hurricane Expo on Merritt Island. He stated Volusia County has a Director plus seven employees, Orange County as a Director plus eight employees, and Osceola County has a Director plus five employees; his Office is modest in terms of funding and staffing; the General Fund makes up about 62% of the revenue; and the total revenue amount for operating is $590,248. He noted grants make up 36%; capital expenditures are all from grants; none of it is from the General Fund; and it is about $38,000 for communications and information systems items. Mr. Lay stated operating expenditures is $181,000; almost $90,000 of it is spent on building operation and maintenance, which pays for electricity, water, pest control, and other things; and about $85,000 to $90,000 is used to help manage some of the programs as well. He noted for overall revenue, the General Fund is 51%; it takes the 10 grants for the Office to have enough funding to be able to do the job it has on hand; it is very time consuming to manage all the grants; and overall expenditures includes not only the Office, but any projects it may have, such as writing a continuity of operations plan, continuity of government plan, and another plan as well. He stated in 1997, the Office received a grant for $350,000 to do the extension to the EOC; it started construction and received the funds in 1998; in 1999, it received additional funds for the call notification system and other equipment to be put in the EOC; and when Hurricane Floyd came along in 1999, the Governor and Legislature made a concerted effort to release funds to take care of a shelter deficit. He noted the peaks shown on the chart is funding the Office to provide shutters and generators for many of the shelters it uses within the County; all of the property does not belong to it, but the School Board; the shelters are used for the hurricanes; and the funding is for projects that supports the County, but is not under the Board of County Commissioners. He stated he expects to see an increase in 2005; the County may receive another $400,000 or $500,000 to do some of the projects it should be doing; the goals are focused on improving information, alerting, warning, and mitigation opportunities; and one of the goals is to develop public sector partnerships. Mr. Lay noted Parks and Recreation Department allows his Office to include information in its pamphlet on hurricane preparedness and other information; each year the Office has been able to meet its goal in terms of 10% concerning the shelters; he does not envision retrofitting any more schools for shelters; and new school construction will continue to give the County the additional shelter space it needs. He stated staff is continuing to work on a mitigation for public and private partnerships; it has been working with hospitals, as well as major employers within the County; and it is continuing to develop public sector support and coordination. He noted the Office is currently updating the Terrorism Annex/Homeland Security Threat Level Plan for the County and municipalities; this Saturday is a Countywide expo and another one will be held in June 2004; his Office is working for a Hurricane Preparedness Day with the Brevard Manatees; Brevard Prepared has prepared with SCGTV a series of videos called weather watch; and it is primarily developed to help local industry provide training resources to their employees so they have thorough knowledge of the kinds of weather here and the actions that have to be taken. He stated the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) Program has been a big success in residential areas; over 800 people have been trained in the Program; about half of the municipalities are also participating; and it is a growing Program. He noted a major exercise was conducted at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Universal Studios several months ago; some objectives include improving alert and notification of general public and municipalities of impending emergencies; modernization of hardware is continuing to be an objective and staff is working on plans to take care of it; he previously mentioned the shelter spaces; and there are training opportunities for staff to make sure they are trained for any emergencies that may arise. Mr. Lay stated those folks living in the coastal high hazard area, mainland, and manufactured home parks are all at risk for hurricanes and other hazards; with an increase in the maturing population, it continues to place a demand for public shelters, particularly special needs shelters; nursing homes on the Barrier Island or adult living facilities will have to evacuate during hurricanes; and staff is actively looking into their evacuation procedures and trying to work with them to make sure they have adequate plans in place. He noted the demand continues to grow for the CERT and people like the Program; if the Office has the grants it can run such Program, but cannot if the grants are not available; years ago before the grants he tried to use corporate sponsorship to help sponsor the Program; and he would prefer not to do that if it is not necessary. He stated homeland security has been the focus of much attention in planning and coordination since the September 11, 2001 event; Brevard County is clearly a potential prime risk area; early warning for residents and tourists is essential; and maintenance and/or upgrade of equipment and skills needed to utilize the equipment becomes degraded without necessary funding and manpower to be able to maintain it. He noted based on the current demand on General Fund increases, his Office needs to continue focusing on grants to make sure it has adequate funding to keep the programs alive; he has been working with the Orlando Urban Area Security Initiative; it has about a $8.5 million grant this year and will probably double next year; and the County is part of the grant and staff is looking at ways to be able to receive some of those funds to make sure it can provide alerting and warning. Mr. Lay stated staff is looking at connecting the EOC to SCGTV and to be able to provide live broadcast from the EOC, as well as traffic information; it is also working with the Space Wing to make sure the County has the most modern and up-to-date equipment available during launches; he has been working and coordinating with the Domestic Security Oversight Board; and such Board was setting the strategy for the funding for about $92 million that became available in Florida for funding. He noted because many people were involved in it, he believes the County will see some funds coming into local government this coming fiscal year; the Office is never going to have enough employees to do all the tasks that need to be accomplished, so it continues to try to work with volunteer organization to make sure there is adequate resources to perform the jobs; the CERT Program is a very important one; and the Office continues to maintain its focus on business and industry because it knows following any kind of a major disaster if they are slow to come back that means employees living from paycheck to paycheck have no funds and perhaps no place to live. He stated other strategic planning includes to determine ways to provide a new EOC no later than 2010 that is functionally efficient and houses consolidated 911 dispatching and transportation engineering; for Brevard County’s size, an EOC would be about 80,000 square feet; the present EOC is 10,000 square feet, so there is a deficit there; and the trend is to start consolidation of some of these things so there is a focal point for all the information sharing that needs to take place. He noted strategic funding options include the Emergency Management Trust Fund; the Office gets about $106,000 a year from it; such Fund has not changed in the last 10 years; and there have been new residents coming to Florida and more homes have been built. He stated the Fund is generated by $2.00 off the homeowners’ policies, but the counties are not getting anymore; they feel they are being short-changed and are working on it to see what can be done; another strategic funding option is to establish a coastal high hazard fee; and Lee County has such a fee and generates about $3 million a year that is used toward sheltering, hurricane evacuation, emergency planning, etc. Mr. Lay noted other funding options could include a charge for persons of special needs being placed on the registry and provided shelter, and municipal assessments; such assessments may not be that doable because of general funds; and a specific portion of the impact fees available to the Office may be able to provide some funding.

Commissioner Pritchard inquired is the County EOC the only one in Brevard County or do the municipalities have EOC’s. Mr. Lay responded the City of Palm Bay has an EOC, which it built about one year ago. Commissioner Pritchard inquired on the funding for the County’s EOC of Countywide based tax, would the City have a consideration of withdrawing a portion of what it cost it to operate from its contribution toward the County’s EOC. Mr. Jenkins responded the City’s Fire Department is housed at the City’s EOC building and used for its office; and it is a small block building. Mr. Lay stated the structure is smaller than the County’s EOC; and the County is looking at the City’s EOC as a backup EOC in case something were to happen at the County’s location. Commissioner Pritchard inquired where does the Office derive the impact fees that provide for specific amounts to its management funds. Mr. Lay responded he does not have impact fees and was suggesting it might be a source of income.

Commissioner Carlson inquired what the Governor did to change some things after Hurricane Floyd in terms of evacuation and the need for shelters, etc. Mr. Lay responded sheltering was a major issue; in some cases there was not adequate sheltering available and signs were not on the roadways to tell people how to get to the shelters; there was no method in place where once a person got in a car somebody could talk to them to tell them where to go or not go; and immediately following Hurricane Floyd, his Office and Commissioner Scarborough, who was Chairman at that time, received telephone calls from the Governor soliciting input. He stated funds were made available that had not been previously to try to reduce the shelter deficit; and there was a concerted effort across the State in signage, upgrading the shelters, and providing needed equipment. Commissioner Carlson inquired about the transportation issue. Mr. Lay responded the signage part also dealt with changes on the turnpike where it is one-way traffic only on certain turnpikes; Brevard County has a way of moving westward; the Beeline is one way into Orlando; the County can do that at any level of storm and is probably the fastest and cheapest to one-way; and Interstate 10 also can be one way.

Commissioner Scarborough stated Brevard County suggested evacuations sooner than some of the surrounding counties; at the time some people questioned the wisdom; but the longer the County waited the more the road system became impacted. He noted there was a tremendous backup in trying to get off of I-95 onto S.R. 528; if there is ever a disaster in the State of Florida, it is going to lose a tremendous number of people due to the lack of capacity to carry traffic and put people in shelters; it is not safer and much worse off; and it is extremely complex. He stated the County does not have the shelters or the capacity to move to other areas of the State; it is impacted by the movement of people from South Florida through Brevard County; it is at risk of a major hurricane; and it is liable to find many deaths occurring on the highway. He noted recently the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was talking about the SYST concept; it totally ignored the evacuation concept; there has been a shifting in Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) from the needs of transportation systems to move people for this purpose to an economically-driven thing; and to ignore that facet is probably incorrect and the County needs to address it further.

Commissioner Colon inquired how is the education and training with homeowners associations coming along in South Brevard; and stated she usually has meetings with the city managers within District 5. Mr. Lay responded staff encourages the cities to develop their own public information programs for preparedness; some cities have done that; the City of Palm Bay is starting to do it; the County has been doing homeland security with 10 or 15 briefings a week; and it is starting into hurricane briefings with homeowners associations, hotel/motel owners associations, and other large groups to have the most impact. Commissioner Colon expressed concern with the beachside community as those individuals need to make sure they come to the mainland; and stated Indian Harbour Beach and unincorporated areas between the causeways of U.S. 192 and Eau Gallie are also important areas. She inquired who she can contact in Mr. Lay’s office to see if those contacts have been made; and stated if such contacts have not been done, she can try to facilitate them. Mr. Lay stated his office maintains those contacts; if Commissioner Colon would like to find out more information about that, he can provide it; every city has an emergency management coordinator; and normally County staff works with the fire chiefs, and in some cases, the police departments. He noted staff is constantly doing presentations; and he can tell Commissioner Colon where they have been done. Commissioner Colon inquired if Mr. McKnight is leaving the County. Mr. Lay responded Mr. McKnight is going to Brevard Community College and will be a tremendous asset; he is not leaving the County, but is shifting a little bit; and he will be able to train a lot more people.

Human Resources Office

Human Resources Director Frank Abbate introduced Jerry Visco, Insurance Director, who will be assisting him in the presentation; and stated the Office is grouped into four Program areas, including Personnel Technical Services, Employee Relations, Employee Benefits, and Risk Management. He stated the Personnel Technical Services Program provides four primary services that are mandated and regulated by more than nine federal laws, three State laws, the County’s Personnel Ordinance, and the Board’s Merit System Policies; and the mandated services include recruiting and referral of applicants, processing and orientation of new employees, compiling, maintaining, and retrieving personnel records, and processing employee separations from employment. He noted non-mandated services include pre-employment drug testing for all safety-sensitive positions, such as Fire Rescue, individuals who drive any County vehicle, people in Solid Waste and Water Resources Departments, etc.; recruiting volunteers for the BRAVE Program and matching those volunteers to service needs, and administering the Board’s Employee Tuition Reimbursement Program. He stated the Employee Relations Program performs three mandated services; and under Florida Statute, Chapter 447, the Program administers three Collective Bargaining Agreements, including the Labor International Union Local 678, as well as two Labor Agreements with IAFF Local 2969, who represent both the rank and file, and supervisory units within Fire Rescue. He stated the Program also processes and adjudicates grievances and appeals, as mandated under Florida Statute, Chapter 447 and the County’s Merit System; and it assures equal employment opportunities through the administration of the County’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Plan. Mr. Abbate stated non-mandated services under the Program include conflict intervention; the methods that are used include mediation services, conducting organizational assessments in different agencies, and formal and informal investigations. He stated a second major non-mandated service relates to internal training of employees; and those efforts focus primarily on employee development, supervisory training, and customer service, with an added emphasis being placed on helping and putting the customer first. He noted the Employee Benefits Program provides the administrative support necessary to fulfill the State mandate requiring the County’s participation in the Florida Retirement System; the primary responsibilities are to administer the Board’s Group Health Insurance Program; while this service is not currently mandated, and since it is offered, three additional mandates are triggered; and the first federal mandate is COBRA, which requires the continuation of health benefits after an employee leaves employment with the County for defined periods of time. He stated HIPPA is a federal law that establishes procedures for the handling and protecting of the privacy of personal health data; Florida Statute 112.08 requires the Board’s retirees and their eligible dependents be offered the same health insurance coverage that is offered to employees; the Employee Benefits Program also administers the Board’s Health and Wellness Program, Deferred Compensation Program, and an assortment of voluntary benefits, including but not limited to, life insurance, dental insurance, Vision Programs, and a Long-term Disability Program; and the Programs are fully paid by the participating employees. Mr. Abbate stated the Risk Management Program is responsible for assessing risks associated with all Board activities and contracts, and obtaining insurance coverage or contractually shifting those risks as appropriate; Florida Statute 440 mandates workers compensation coverage; Florida Statute 324 mandates auto liability coverage; and while it is not mandated by Statute, the inherent risks associated with government operations requires the County to be fiscally prudent by obtaining additional insurance coverage for general liability, public official, and property insurance. He noted the County is self-insured for auto physical damage; and while the Loss Control/Safety Program is not currently mandated for Florida public entities, the County maintains such Program to assist it in identifying and minimizing risks, thereby creating a safer workplace. He stated a four-year historical review of his Office’s revenue stream shows the General Fund transfer, which funds personnel, technical services, and Employee Relations Program, has increased less than 4.5% annually, from $681,000 to $763,000; and revenues collected to fund the Property/Casualty Programs have increased approximately 8% annually, from $9 million to $11.7 million. He stated the most significant increase in revenue has been from health insurance premiums, which has averaged approximately 14% annually, increasing from $21 million to $30.7 million; the General Fund revenues utilized to fund personnel costs make up 1% of the revenue received; property and casualty premiums make up approximately 18% or $11.7 million; and employee benefit premiums make up approximately 47% or $30.7 million. Mr. Abbate noted reserves for property and casualty, and the Group Health Insurance Program make up 33% or $21.3 million; and interest earned makes up nearly 1% of this year’s expected revenue, for a total budget of $65.3 million. He stated for FY 2004 expenses, employee benefits, which is primarily group health insurance, accounts for 56% of the Office’s overall budget expenses; and the Property and Casualty Program accounts for 43% of overall expenses. He stated the remaining 1% is General Fund expenses of $763,000, which are utilized to cover costs associated with personnel, technical services, and Employee Relations Program; and health care expenses have increased an average of 14% per year, with reserves required by State regulators increasing at a constant proportional rate. He stated on the unfunded reserve requirement, the County has been able to gradually close the gap over the last several years; and group health insurance reserves equal 60 days of claim runoff, and incurred but not reported equates to an additional 60 days of claims. He noted while overall the group health insurance reserve requirements have increased annually in proportion to the increase of annual claim costs, the unfunded amount has decreased over time, from $2.7 million in FY 2001 to $1.6 million in FY 2004. He stated the Property Casualty Program is made up of four major lines of insurance, including workers compensation, general liability, property, and auto liability; on a relative basis to annual expenses, casualty reserves are much more significant than group health insurance reserves as casualty claims have a projected life expectancy of several years, compared to group health insurance reserves that are based on the 60-day runoff plus the incurred but not reported; and expenses are composed primarily of premiums paid for insurance coverage, claims expenses paid within self-insured retention, and third-party administrator and administrative costs. Mr. Abbate stated the reserve numbers reflect the cost of all claims and years projected over their lifetime; the excess reserves are returned to participating agencies, either through direct reimbursement or a credit against the following year’s expenses; workers compensation claims extend over a prolonged period of time and require significant reserves to be carried over several years; and part of the increase in reserves over the four-year period is attributable to the maturing of claims that have arisen from the Sheriff’s Office joining the Workers Compensation Program, effective October 2000. He noted in FY 2003, there was a 35% increase in workers compensation premiums; it was attributable to conditions in the Florida market and commercial market at that time; under the General Liability Program, a four-year historical review shows an expense increase from FY 2001 to FY 2002 of 30%, from $1.3 million to $1.7 million; and during that year the County moved from the commercial market with AIG, where it was facing greater premium increases, to the FAC Program where it obtained additional coverage. He stated there was a significant decrease in reserves from FY 02 to FY 03; that decrease was attributable to the elimination of 20% in contingency margin, which the County had, and the actuary used to figure in terms of what it needed in reserves; as budgets got tighter, it was able to eliminate that and work with the actuary in Finance; and it did not have to carry as much in reserves. Mr. Abbate stated the coverage for property insurance has the smallest reserve requirements due to property claims having a short life expectancy; claims are usually resolved in the year in which they occur; the primary expense is the annual premium the County pays for property insurance coverage; and since September 11, 2000, the property market has experienced multiple year increases in the 30% to 40% range annually, coupled with reduced coverage. He noted expense in FY 2001 was $1 million; it increased to $1.8 million in FY 2002 and to $2.4 million in FY 2003; the County experienced some relief this current fiscal year when it had a softening of the property market, resulting in a reduction of property insurance premiums of nearly $600,000; it was able to gain additional coverage; and his office budgeted earlier in the year and when FY 2004 started it was able to achieve savings when it moved with the Governmental Trust Program. He stated the Auto Liability Program has been the most stable market over the last four years; expenses have been relatively stable; changes in the reserve are reflection of the severity of vehicle accidents in proceeding years; and each of the reserve requirements are set annually by the actuary and staff provides the Board each year an executive summary of the actuary’s findings. He noted Strategic Plan goals include improving technology to provide applicants and employees self-service access to information and increase organizational efficiencies; the Office implemented an online enrollment system this past year; there was a 95% participation rate; and this coming year, it will be providing all employee benefit information electronically online, reducing both printing and mailing costs, which may have a savings of approximately $3,000. Mr. Abbate stated training employees to enhance their ability to provide excellent customer service is a focal point; the Office is developing additional training, which is emphasizing courtesy in the workplace, as well as treating the customer best and first; it attempts to obtain customer feedback to be responsive to their needs and exceed their expectations; it is moving in how it communicates with applicants in terms of more online ability to download applications and fax them to the County; and it is currently working on a method for applicants to complete applications and send them back by e-mail. He noted other goals include maintaining competitive employee health plan options; the Board has done a good job in that particular area over the years; the County has a competitive model currently; and it moved through several RFP processes this year and implemented a CIGNA Program for EPO and PPO Programs, which will have a significant savings over the Brevard Partnership Plans. He stated the County obtained reduced costs in pharmacy this year, although overall health insurance continues to rise at an alarmingly high rate across the country; another goal is to ensure well-timed access to insurance markets; the County has moved from the commercial market to Preferred Governmental Insurance Trust and Property; and it realized savings. He noted the last goal was updating and expanding the Rewards and Recognition Program; and staff developed additional award programs for employees to further emphasize safety, diversity in the workforce, excellence in customer service, and volunteer service to recognize employees who provide volunteer services to the community. Mr. Abbate stated productivity and performance measurements are personnel technical services, which is supported by nine full-time employees and one part-time employee; they processed 625 job requisitions last year and issued 592 lists of applicants; they received, reviewed, and referred over 9,500 applications; and they processed and conducted orientation for 875 employees. He noted such staff further compiled, maintained, and updated over 53,000 personnel records; they responded to 225 public records requests; when a public records request is received in his office, it is typically labor intensive as there is a variety of information that is not subject to public records laws, including banking and health information; and the law changed a few years ago so social security numbers have to be removed. He stated staff members need to go through the files carefully before they are able to share information; staff copied 9,300 plus documents in response to public records requests; there were over 2,800 employee verification of income requests for mortgages and other things; and staff responded to 9,271 telephone requests for information. He stated staff also processed separations and retirements from employment of 177 full-time employees, 68 part-time employees, and 407 temporary employees. He stated in the area of drug testing, staff conducted 718 pre-employment drug tests and 104 random drug tests; and through the BRAVE Program, staff placed 73 volunteers and interns who provided over 22,000 hours of service. Mr. Abbate stated the Employee Relations Program is supported by three full-time employees; they conducted 151 workshops with over 3,775 attendees for employee training, and conducted 24 workshops with 692 attendees concerning equal employment opportunity; and they were involved in 101 compliant interventions. He noted staff was also involved in grievance handling, with 18 final step grievances and appeals; the County was involved in hundreds of grievances where it provided counseling, guidance to employees who had concerns, as well as supervisors, in trying to assist them in how to address employee concerns on grievances; and only 18 in an organization of over 2,400 employees had to reach the final step of the grievance process. He stated there were 408 recipients in the Excellence in Action Recognition Program in the past year; the Employee Benefits Program provides services for 8,900 members, which include retirees and their dependents, County employees, and their dependents; the Program is supported by four full-time equivalent employees; and they respond to over 1,400 telephone calls and 60 office visits on a monthly basis. He noted the Program also provides health and wellness initiatives, including three employee fitness centers, four health fairs, one senior health fair, six blood drives, and 696 medical evaluations, which includes blood pressure screening, cholesterol and related screenings, and over 500 episodic care visits. Mr. Abbate stated Risk Management is serviced by seven full-time employees; new claims in 2003 included workers compensation where it provided indemnity benefits for 76 claims; there were 483 medical only claims; general liability included 384 claims; and there were 110 property claims, and 340 auto liability/physical damage claims. He noted the Safety and Loss Control Program provides technical assistance to the departments; staff provided 85 technical assessments in the areas of asbestos, indoor air quality, and industrial hygiene, and 605 loss control reviews; it responded to 242 “How’s My Driving” contacts; and it provided 26 safety and defensive driver training workshops, which had 1,854 participants. He stated staff was asked to look at trying to provide cost reduction options; while it is not necessarily recommending these, pre-employment drug screening for safety-sensitive positions is not mandated and could realize a savings of $16,000 throughout the budget; it includes Fire Rescue personnel and anyone who drives a County vehicle that is non-CDL licensed; and there is also the opportunity if the Board is looking to cut costs to reduce property insurance coverage. He noted currently the market has softened; there is $450 million worth of property that is insured; the County pays about $1.6 million to $1.7 million for coverage on an annual basis; and it is to protect it from catastrophic events. He stated if the Board was willing to assume additional risks and say in any year the County would receive reimbursement if it had catastrophic events up to $50 million instead of $450 million, it could realize a savings of $300,000; but it is assuming a significant risk. He stated over the last four years, the County has probably spent in excess of $6 million for property insurance coverage; and what it has received in return from the insurance carriers in terms of reimbursements is probably less than $100,000, but it is a necessary coverage to protect its assets. He stated in terms of internal/external issues and trends, Personnel Technical Services and Employee Relations are looking to upgrade the SAP system, implement improved human resources and payroll functions, and an employee self-service feature, and expanding training efforts to further enhance quality customer service and organizational assessments. He stated in the area of Risk Management, casualty premiums are expected to stabilize in 2004; workers compensation premium increases are beginning to moderate; and insurance markets are volatile and expected to react adversely to their next catastrophic loss. He noted in the area of employee benefits, health care program costs continue to increase at 12% to 14% annually; as the costs continue to increase, the County faces budgetary constraints; it is going to require serious consideration for the County to shift additional program costs, which makes up over half of the $65 million budget currently, to employees and retirees; and there is no way to get around it. He stated costs continue to increase and someone has to pay for them; if the employer does not pay then the employee does; if it needs to be done, the County could reduce benefits; and the same services are performed, but there is cost-shifting in a different method other than premium. He noted over the years the Board has always been sensitive to the type of coverage it affords to its employees and how it impacts them; and it may want to consider a long-term strategy that addresses the affect of further cost-shifting on employees’ disposable income.

*Chair Higgs’ absence was noted at this time.

Commissioner Carlson stated on cost reduction options of $300,000 and $16,000, is there a place where the County can relocate those dollars for long-term strategies and reserves; Mr. Abbate’s office keeps a large reserve for other reasons; and inquired is there a reserve for this kind of thing. Mr. Abbate responded there is currently a $2.5 million catastrophic reserve available to cover issues for items in self-insured retention. Mr. Jenkins stated Mr. Abbate also has an actuary look at those every year. Commissioner Carlson inquired in terms of budgetary constraints, etc., where would staff seek to apply the $300,000 savings based on the strategic philosophy in the office; with Mr. Jenkins responding in reduced rates. Mr. Jenkins advised each department has to pay for their insurance; and if the $300,000 was not needed, collectively the departments would save $300,000 in their budgets.

Vice Chair Pritchard stated $300,000 is a nice savings; one always hates to roll the dice just in case something happens; the County’s history has been that it has not happened; and the benefit of insurance is should it happen. He inquired what is the risk exposure. Mr. Abbate responded for the money the County pays on $300,000, if it had a 100-year event within the next 15 years he would be sorry if he told the Board it was worth the $300,000 to save $3 million and there is a $40 million event. Vice Chair Pritchard stated the Board will be looking at what it can do regarding the various insurance programs it has; unfortunately, insurance companies tend to tell the County what they are going to charge; and the Board has to decide what it is going to pay. Mr. Jenkins stated Messrs. Abbate and Visco shop the County’s insurance policies vigorously; and when they come to the Board with a recommendation, it is only after they have exhausted the market to see what is out there.

Vice Chair Pritchard stated the Board can continue with a presentation by the Central Services Office or it can postpone it until Commissioner Higgs is present. Commissioner Scarborough suggested the Office do its presentation at the next budget workshop. Vice Chair Pritchard stated he prefers waiting until the full Board is present.

SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT LEGAL REVIEW PANEL, RE: CHARTER REVIEW
COMMISSION PROPOSALS

County Manager Tom Jenkins stated Doren, Wolfe, Rost & Ansay Attorneys had five votes; Goren, Cherof, Doody & Ezrol, P.A. had four votes; Stenstrom, McIntosh, Colbert, Whigham, Reischmann & Partlow, P.A. had four votes; and they were the top three firms. He noted the other two individuals had one vote apiece.

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to select (1) Doren, Wolfe, Rost & Ansay Attorneys; (2) Goren, Cherof, Doody & Ezrol, P.A.; and (3) Stenstrom, McIntosh, Colbert, Whigham, Reischmann & Partlow, P.A. to serve as the Independent Legal Review Panel for Charter Review Commission proposals based on Section 7.4.A. of the Brevard County Home Rule Charter. Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

Commissioner Colon inquired what happens with the three firms now. County Attorney Scott Knox responded they will be called and told they are on board; and they have to call Mr. Watts to find out what they are supposed to be working on. Mr. Jenkins inquired does the County need to do a contract with the firms. Attorney Knox responded the firms sent their proposals and the County can say it accepted their proposal at that hourly rate.

Upon motion and vote, the meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m.

ATTEST:
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NANCY HIGGS, CHAIR
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA
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SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK

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