Attendee Name	Title	Status	Arrived
Robin Fisher	Chairman / Commissioner District 1	Present
Chuck Nelson	Commissioner District 2	Present
Trudie Infantini	Commissioner District 3	Present
Mary Bolin	Commissioner District 4	Present
Andy Anderson	Vice Chairman / Commissioner District 5	Present

 

 

 

Don Walker, Government Editor for Florida TODAY, stated Florida TODAY is partnering with the Brevard County Commission on the Electronic Town Hall Meeting in a effort to reach the greatest number of people.  He added the proposed County budget for next year totals $925 million; the meeting will reflect how tax dollars are spent; it is the residents' money, but it is the role of the Board to ensure it is spent wisely and on priorities for, and by, the taxpayers.  He stated during the course of the meeting he will pose budget related questions to the Board that were submitted by email over the last two weeks by Florida TODAY readers; and they Board will also entertain questions submitted by the taxpayers in the audience.  He noted it is a 90 minute presentation, and he asked the Board to keep the answers somewhat brief so he can get through as many questions as possible. 

 

 

 

Howard Tipton, County Manager, stated he is required to present a budget to the Board for its consideration; and this year's budget is $925 million, representing a 9.14 percent decrease, or about $93 million less, than the adopted budget last year.  He added the overall aggregate operating millage is proposed at 7.2394, which is 1.36 percent below the aggregate rollback rate.  He stated General Revenue, which includes property taxes, makes up 22 percent of the revenue stream, and is used for basic government operations; the Enterprise Fund, Solid Waste Management, and Transit Services, better known as Space Coast Area Transit (SCAT), are all in this category; and there are no proposed rate increases for any of those areas.   He stated the largest revenue source is the Special Revenue Fund, which is at 38 percent of the total budget; special revenues include activities in a number of different departments, including road construction services, road and bridge maintenance, and road maintenance districts; and these activities are usually funded by a single major revenue source and are typically considered self-supporting.  He noted some examples of funding sources for these activities include, gas taxes, MSTUs, tourist development taxes, and grants.  He stated some other funding sources within general revenue include the addition of property taxes, which make up the largest portion, and they include a half-cent for sales tax, State-shared funding, Communication Services Tax, and franchise fees for Florida Power and Light (FPL).  He stated the distribution of general revenues has been modified to show the jail being broken out from the Sheriff's Office, as the jail is the County's responsibility; the Sheriff operates it on behalf of the County; and the departments under the Board of County Commissioners include, Animal Services, Public Works, Planning and Development, Parks and Recreation, Mosquito Control, Libraries, Housing and Human Services, County Manager's Office, County Attorney's Office, and a number of others.  He stated all of those together require 36.6 percent of the general revenues to operate.  He added, the Charter Officers that are also included are the Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, Clerk of Courts, and Property Appraiser; and they take up 32.8 percent of the available general revenue.  He advised the County jail eats up 19.4 percent of the general revenues; and the remaining two percent goes to mandated court support and outside agencies such as, the Economic Development Commission, Community Based Organizations, and the Brevard Cultural Alliance.  He stated there was a decline in property tax revenues of 22 percent from 2007 to what is proposed next year; and like many of the revenues over the past four years, they are all on negative trends.  He stated over the last four years, the County has taken action to address budget revenue shortfalls; and the five specific areas with budget shortfalls include, personnel, operating expenses, capital outlay and improvement, innovations and investments, and debt.  He stated in looking at each of these areas, personnel means people; the County has reduced the number of employees by 16 percent compared to 2006, or by more than 400 positions; merit increases and cost of living increases, and increased employee and retiree insurance contributions have been increased by 91 percent, while lowering the County's obligations by 24 percent; and the County has used unpaid furlough days, adjusted staffing models, used staffing agencies, increased volunteers, increased outsourcing, moved positions from full-time to part-time, and utilized layoffs and early retirements in order to achieve those numbers.  He stated operating costs were reduced by cutting back operating hours, reducing training, eliminating non-essential travel; reduction of janitorial services and ground maintenance, and turning off the hot water in the buildings to lower electricity costs; and there was also the privatization of the misdemeanor probation and pre-trial release services.  He noted one of the things the County has seen through the investment of some of the stimulus and Federal dollars is savings in the electricity bill, which is down $900,000 over the past two years through aggressive conservation measures, as well as investments in infrastructure.  He advised, despite the challenging economic times, the County has made strategic investments using one-time federal dollars to help meet immediate needs while working to build in long-term operating savings; additionally, staff has leveraged funding through Transit Services through a ratio of 13:1, and Valkaria Airport at a record 99:1; and this year, service partnerships include, providing dispatch services for the town of Malabar, and providing GIS services for the City of Rockledge.  He stated the County has refinanced debt in Commercial Paper loans, re-financed the utility debt obligations by $1 million, defeased bonds, and lowered the annual debt payments by $1.5 million; and the overall fiscal integrity of the County is sound.  He stated the County has been doing all of this while facing increasing service demands from a growing population; since 2001, the County has an additional 74,000 residents, which is equivalent of adding another city the size of Melbourne; and during the same period of time staffing has come down to 2001 staffing levels.  He stated one important thing to note is in spite of the recommended rollback rate, Brevard still has low taxes and enjoys a competitive economic position within the region and the state.  He stated the comparison of the countywide millage rate around the Central Florida areas include counties that are typically used in comparison to Brevard, which are Polk, and Volusia Counties; and Brevard is in the middle in terms of the millage rate.  He advised when the millage is applied to properties in the respective counties, the rate charged in Brevard County produces the least amount of ad valorem taxes, which are taxes based on the assessed value of real estate and personal property, and that is done on a per-capita basis.  He noted Brevard has a middle of the road millage rate, but it brings in the least amount of revenue across the board in comparison to those other counties.  He stated it is important to remember there are several other major taxing areas that communities may choose to use, oftentimes to keep property taxes lower; some major revenue sources used by other Central Florida communities include, the public service tax, which is a tax up to 10 percent on electricity and natural gas; and it includes additional sales tax, either a half percent or a full percent; but Brevard County is the only county in the region not utilizing any of those additional tax generators.    He stated except for Broward County, Brevard's tax environment was lower than Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Duvall, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Orange Counties; and when taking into consideration the taxes Brevard does have, and more importantly the taxes it does not, Brevard is the leader in low taxes for the region and the state.  He stated Brevard has been a significantly smaller government over the past four years; the proposed budget is $93 million less, or 9.14 percent; and it continues to focus on the Board's priorities, and aligns with the County's vision.  He added the next fiscal year will be the fourth consecutive year of decreasing budgets; and between 2008 and 2012, the County budget has been reduced $310 million.  He stated his recommendation is to set the aggregate millage rate at 7.2394; he believes the recommendation preserves the minimum service levels to be maintained; continues efforts in job creation and economic development; focuses on core service and Board priorities, to include public infrastructure, public safety and public health; and aligns with the vision of the organization. 

 

 

 

Don Walker, Florida TODAY, inquired if County Manager Howard Tipton could provide some details of what the budget process is, when the budget needs to be approved; why the Board is discussing the budget at the end of July; and if there will be other public meetings for citizens to attend and ask questions. 

 

Howard Tipton replied the budget development process is a year-round process for the County; it beings in the fall when staff begins to get the estimates of what the State revenues are going to look like; staff goes into the early winter months when the meetings start with the Commissioners to find out where the priorities are for the coming year; there were three County Manager Community meetings this year, one in the central, north, and south parts of the County, for community input;  there were three workshops last week, at which various elements of the budget were discussed; August 2, 2011, is when the Board will set the tentative millage; the Board will vote to either accept his recommendation or do something else; and the Board can lower the millage, but it cannot raise it after August 2nd.  He added after that, there are two public hearings, September 13th and September 27th, at the end of which, hopefully the budget will be adopted; and the fiscal year will begin October 1st. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired when the budget had to be legally adopted.  Mr. Tipton responded if the new budget is not in place by October 1, then the County will continue with the current budget until a new one is adopted. 

 

Paula Bryson stated Orlando Mayor, Buddy Dyer, credits tough decisions for holding the line on taxes there; but Brevard proposes to raise the tax rate; Brevard should make the tough decisions to hold the line on taxes; and inquired why the Board needs to raise the tax rate to make a status quo budget.  Mr. Tipton responded part of Orlando's success is that  Harry Potter saved the City; Harry Potter came online and became part of the tax base; and Orlando was looking at potentially around nine percent, but it came in at about 2 percent less.  He added there has also been some strength coming back into Downtown Orlando, and other commercial developments; but an investment like Universal Studios is what saved the City.  Chairman Fisher added Orlando has a different tax base than Brevard County; and Orlando collects revenue, such as the public service tax; it is a huge part of their revenue stream; and it offsets some other operational costs and general government. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if Brevard County has considered other tax options.  Commissioner Nelson responded he does not think anyone realizes how much budget cutting has occurred over a period of five years; and although the Board references a number of 400 full-time equivalent employees, there were actually over 500 jobs that were cut.  He added in the Parks and Recreation Department there was a large number of part-time personnel, and that is still income to those families, and he was speaking to one of the Commissioners from Orange County who was surprised to learn that Brevard County had to lay people off, because Orange County had vacant positions. He stated the Board has been cutting over an extended period of time to get to the point where it is today; the Board is even continuing with this budget having additional reductions in it; and the Board has been making tough decisions all along. 

 

John Smith inquired if there is any money in the budget for Animal Shelters.  Mr. Tipton responded the County operates two animal shelters, one in the south, and one in the north; there is funding in the budget to continue those operations; staff has talked about the facility issues related to Animal Services, but neither of those facilities is ideal; the one in the north in particular is very outdated and the County would be well served with another facility, but the monies that are in the budget are not for any capital changes, it is just for ongoing operations; and staff anticipates no shelter decreases this year, but there is no funding for any shelter investments either. 

 

Mr. Walker stated it seems in Brevard County the people are pushing for better animal services facilities, and better animal services period; and inquired why that is such a big issue in Brevard County, and if it was because of the number of stray animals in Brevard, or the end of the Shuttle Program.  Commissioner Anderson responded one of the biggest problems that the Board has seen throughout Brevard County is when people have a hard time feeding their children,  the pets become secondary; and good-natured people will find a way to relinquish those pets to the shelters to try to hopefully find them new homes.  He stated it is a hard decision, but they have to choose between feeding their kids, or their dogs and cats.  He noted fortunately for the Board, there are a large group of volunteers that step up; there is a foundation that supports the shelters; and hopefully, through those types of efforts, more funds can be generated to assist animal services, and especially the shelters.  He stated there are always choices; the Board could raise taxes, or increase the budget for animal services, or ask the non-profit entity to help out; and he believes that is the way to go with a lot of different things in the County, especially the shelters. 

 

Commissioner Infantini stated she believes Commissioner Anderson brings up a very good point that there are a lot of people turning over their animals because they are having a difficult time making ends meet; and that begs the question as to why the Board would raise the tax rate.  She added if someone is relinquishing their pets because they cannot feed their children or their family, then why make it even harder for individuals to pay their taxes.

 

Mr. Walker stated the Miami-Dade County Manager has proposed closing 13 of its 49 branches of libraries; and inquired why are excess libraries not on the table to be cut.  Commissioner Nelson responded he would like to know what an excess library looks like; he thinks the difficulty is that Brevard is a linear county, and has communities that have put significant dollars into the libraries; Melbourne Beach funded the acquisition of its site; and Merritt Island just added an expansion to its site, through its foundation and its taxing authority, which is different from the County's.  He stated there are communities that have significant ownership over these locations; for the Board to come in and say it wants to close one of them, is going to be a difficult choice; and additionally, it would not be reasonable for people to get from one library to another because the distances are going to become very significant. 

 

Commissioner Bolin added it is not just about checking out books anymore at the libraries, it is a location for people to come in who are unemployed to use the computer systems, and if those libraries are closed that do not have as much foot-traffic, the Board could be cutting off the ability of those people who need access to those computers.  Commissioner Nelson stated the hours and personnel have been reduced at the libraries; volunteering is up at a time when the utilization is up as well, but staffing is down; and the Board does not always get credit for the choices it has made, but hours and personnel have been reduced significantly.  Commissioner Bolin stated Libraries had a decrease of 7.25 percent in their budget already. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if there was a proposal last year to privatize libraries.  Commissioner Anderson responded it was not a proposal, but something staff wanted to entertain; libraries have their own separate millage rate that funds them; and the Board does not subsidize any money from the General Fund to pay for libraries.  He advised the question is, as assessed values go down, and if they continue to go down further, what would be done at that point; and hopefully, the bottom can be seen in a year or two, but if not, the Board is going to have to come to grips with that, because only so much money can be collected at the end of the day. 

 

John Bone inquired when the County will complete the Ellis Road connection to I-95, and if there was money in the budget for road projects.  Commissioner Anderson responded he would like it done tomorrow, but as everyone knows, it is a big undertaking; currently, the I-95/Ellis Road plan is only in the planning phase; there are very limited dollars for anything else; and he cannot give a completion date. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if it is getting any cheaper to build or repair roads, and further inquired where the County stands with roads, and if there are any funds for repairs.  Mr. Tipton responded yes, and no; this past year the Board utilized some one-time dollars for road resurfacing and repair work, which has been a big boost; and in fact, the County will re-pave more in 2011 than it has ever re-paved.  He stated staff is making a dent into the back log; the challenge is the on-going maintenance, and once those one-time dollars are used up, the County is still around $500 million short of what it would take to fully fund all of the road maintenance projects.  He noted Brevard is not the only community that is struggling with this; as gas tax revenues have either stabilized or decreased, those funding sources do not provide any ongoing revenues once they are bonded out.  He added in terms of the County's ability to maintain infrastructure, it is an ongoing challenge.

 

Mr. Walker inquired with the Pineda Causeway extension, were there not federal dollars that at some point tied the County's hands on whether or where it dedicated money to a particular road project.  Mr. Tipton replied yes, the County does work in partnership with either the State or federal government; and because of the limited dollars on the County's side, as it commits to those projects, those dollars are not available for other projects.  He noted the Pineda extension has been in the works for a long time; that was one of the keys for keeping Patrick Air Force Base, that there needed to be access off of the coast to I-95 quickly, so having that open now is not only going to help with the flow of tourists down to that part of the County, but long-term with economic development. 

 

Joe Ludo inquired with housing values going lower, he feels the Board is saddling the taxpayers with unfair increases so staff can have raises; and further inquired where that extra money is coming from.  Mr. Tipton responded that County employees have gone four years without pay raises; this past year, the Board employees, not the Charter Offices, took either a two and a half-percent or, five-percent pay cut if they were a director or higher; and staff understands these are difficult decisions, but at some point the Board needs to invest in those employees that are left.  He added it was his recommendation to the Board that staff is as thin as it can get in terms of the service levels provided, and it was time to invest.  He advised the pay raise dollars come from property taxes and other funding sources as well.

 

Commissioner Infantini stated what she thinks Mr. Ludo is trying to address in that question is that so many individuals, at least in the south part of the County, lost their jobs a year or two ago; and what she has encountered is that a lot of people are having to dip into their retirement savings or regular savings account to pay their property taxes; and when she explained that the Board was planning to give staff a two and one half percent raise, their response was they did not want to give raises, they wanted jobs. 

 

Commissioner Nelson stated it has actually been five years since there were pay increases; during that period of time there have been additional health insurance costs to employees as well; people want Brevard County to be more like a company, but the average increase for U.S. companies is projected to be 2.86 percent; and what he is finding is that the companies have had to reduce, but they continue to pay the employees that remain because they want to keep them and make them viable in the workforce; last year it was 2.38 percent, but there was no last year for the County; and the last time there was an increase was before he was elected over four years ago. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if there furloughs or layoffs or anything like that planned for this year.  Mr. Tipton stated furloughs are not being considered this year; staff is eliminating 18.75 full-time positions, half of which are filled; and staff will be working to absorb those folks into other positions throughout the County. 

 

Laura Wild stated she sees a lot of trucks and SUV's that are budgeted; and inquired what is the reality of Brevard County for vehicle purchases in the upcoming budget.  Mr. Tipton stated unless it is an emergency, there are no vehicle replacements planned; the fleet will be one more year older; the average age is about eight years on the general light truck and car fleet; it continues to be an issue; there are more breakdowns; it seems that the heavy machinery stays in the shop longer or more frequently; and he is finding that the mechanics are getting worked harder; and in fact, in Fire Rescue they are adding a mechanic to keep up with the work load.  He advised the fleet continues to age; staff will get every last mile out of it that it can; that is an area they can hold onto; but the flip side is that staff is not buying more fuel efficient cars; and when there is an opportunity to do that, the Board needs to be able to take advantage of that, because as the price of gas goes up, there is another half million dollars budgeted for fuel costs this year alone. 

 

Mr. Walker stated this has created quite an uproar in the southern part of the state, Key West officials recently announced they do not have the money in their budget to continue their aggressive mosquito control; and inquired what the budget for Brevard is on mosquito control.  Mr. Tipton responded the budget that is proposed is really a status quo budget for Mosquito Control; Brevard has been fortunate over the past couple of years, in terms of the timing of the rains and how things have worked out; this year has seen a tremendous increase in the mosquito population, as many residents will attest to; staff was struggling with some of the impoundments, which is land the County owns that is flooded and keeps mosquitoes from breeding, and that way some fish can be put in there to eat up all of the mosquito larvae; it is a very natural way to control mosquitoes; but when there is no water to put in there, then the mosquitoes just go happy; and that is a big challenge.  He added Mosquito Control has sprayed more to date than all of last year; every year, it is a guess as to what it will find; currently there is no virus activity; but this will get heavier on the budget this year because it will be used more than normal. 

 

Mr. Walker stated a resident from West Melbourne by the name of Laura stated when she drives around town, she sees the County inspectors at construction sites leaving their vehicles running, along with Sheriff's vehicles continuing to run at scenes of crimes; and inquired if the County is doing enough to save energy costs.  Chairman Fisher stated he is not aware of vehicles running.  Mr. Tipton stated the County does have, for SCAT, a monitor when the bus is idling and it tracks the idle time for the bus fleet; the department is able to somewhat keep up with that idling; if it is diesel, it is a little bit different, but idling in general does not help; and staff is trying to increase awareness of that and reduce where possible. 

 

Mary Rodriguez stated she keeps her home temperature at 77 degrees and believes the County would save tax dollars by doing the same; and inquired what energy cost-saving measures are in the budget.  Stockton Whitten advised there is a directive to keep all of the thermostats at 78 degrees; the libraries are set at 78 degrees; and most of the County buildings are also set at 78 degrees.  Chairman Fisher stated from an energy cost stand-point, the County turned hot water off from the government buildings. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if that was done last year.  Mr. Tipton stated yes, and it is still off.  He added some of it goes back to facilities maintenance; and the County has saved $900,000 over the past couple years.  Commissioner Nelson stated if someone feels a library is too cold, he or she can call the library and let someone know; and maybe it is an issue that can be addressed that they are not aware of. 

 

Mr. Walker stated another question out of Melbourne is if there are any steps being taken toward a more fuel efficient fleet; for example, the State has gone to vehicles like Ford Fiesta's and Chevy Cruz's, which cost half as much and get twice as much mileage.  Mr. Tipton stated once the County gets back to the point where vehicles can be replaced, it is absolutely going to pursue more fuel efficient vehicles. 

 

Mr. Walker stated a question from Palm Bay is if there are any cuts planned in travel.  Chairman Fisher responded three Commissioners have gone to the Space Syposium for economic development reasons; Commissioner Nelson went to Tallahassee to represent the Board earlier in the year; but when Commissioners leave the County now, it is for job creation.  Commissioner Anderson stated in his office he has cut all travel for the remainder of 2011-2012.  Mr. Tipton stated most travel is going to be tourism related; there are people in the Tourist Development Office who are out there around the world promoting Brevard County and the Space Coast as a destination; and he would say the vast majority of travel is related to the Tourism Development Office.  

 

Mr. Walker stated an individual from Palm Bay has heard that there were hourly employees that were allowed to make up time for lost furlough pay; and inquired if the County has done an audit of hourly employee overtime to see what was actually saved, and if there was overtime after furloughs.  Mr. Tipton responded the County is still in that fiscal year, so in terms of total savings, staff will know at the end; but he is not aware of overtime after furloughs.  He advised unless it is an emergency, staff is not working overtime, as overtime dollars have been reduced and are just not available.

 

Commissioner Infantini stated the only extensive over time budget that she is aware of is at the detention center; she believes that is about $1.4 million; and she believes that staff is looking into that now with Sheriff Parker to see about reducing that overtime budget to get it into a manageable number. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired what leads to that over time.  Commissioner Infantini stated she believes it is the way the Sheriff's Department operates their shifts.  Commissioner Anderson stated it is a tough situation there; the County was under a federal lawsuit for overcrowding, and in corrections someone's position cannot go unfilled when they call in sick; and it has to be done, because if not, they get into all sorts of bad situations that create litigation that leaves all of the taxpayers liable.  He advised a lot of it was unavoidable, and is just the nature of the beast when operating a jail.  Commissioner Infantini stated she believes the lawsuit has been dropped by now.  Commissioner Anderson stated the County is still under State mandates; it has not been dropped completely, and it could come back tomorrow; and the downside is if the Board does not pay overtime, it could end up paying $40 million to build a new jail.  Chairman Fisher stated it is important to remember that the detention center is handled through the Sheriff's budget and operation; so the Board has no control over what that overtime is; the Sherrif runs that department and is an elected Constitutional Officer; and he does ask the Board to fund his budget, but the Board has no control over that personnel.

 

Debbie Thyson inquired what plans does the Board have for the horse facilities at Wickham Park that cost the taxpayers millions to build, but still sits empty.  Mr. Walker inquired if there were plans to privatize the facility.  Commissioner Anderson responded it went out to bid, but only one entity responded, and it was not a viable response; and why the Board ever got involved with that is beyond him, but it was before any of the Commissioners present were on the Board; and it was a referendum deal.  He added the Board is stuck with something that it certainly regrets; he is not in favor of boarding animals out there on a permanent basis because that competes with private boarders who are barely getting by now; and government should not ever compete with the private sector. 

 

Commissioner Infantini stated it was her understanding that the stables can be dismantled and sold; it may be an option, because at some point she would like to get rid of it; the Board is not doing anything with it; and noted there is an excellent farmers market once a week, or once a month, but that is a very expensive venue for a farmers market.

 

Commissioner Nelson stated the County, under Joe Wickham, got into the boarding because there was no private sector doing that; so the County was one of the first to get into it, and the market came afterwards; he would like to go back to boarding horses; the Board has probably lost a couple hundred thousand dollars in rental rates since the stables have been completed; he would like to have that conversation and reconsider it; and he believes the Bard needs to do what it promised the voters the first time around. 

 

Pat Reed inquired if non-residents get billed when they need fire and police services, and how much money is owed to the County in uncollected emergency and related costs.  Mr. Whitten responded non-residents are not billed as they are tended to, as they are passing through; if an individual has an accident on their way through the County, they are charged for transport, just like anybody else; and the total uncollected is about $11 million, but it is never budgeted to receive a certain portion of those; and for each year, for transport, it is about $5 million that goes uncollected that is eventually written off. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired why that money is out there, and if it is a misnomer that taxpayers do not have to pay that fee, or do they think their insurance will handle it, or are people just not paying it.  Mr. Whitten responded it is a combination of what the Medicaid rates will pay and peoples ability to pay; and those two things together make up that number.  Mr. Walker inquired if there is a collection agency that tries to get the money.  Mr. Whitten responded if an individual is billed and does not pay, there is an effort to collect; and there is a billing and collection agency under contract with Fire Rescue. 

 

William Clark inquired what the status is on recouping funds from the Clerk of Court, as Mitch Needelman removed nearly 150 employees form the insurance pool on March 4th of this year, costing the County nearly $1 million.  Mr. Whitten stated that issue is insurance and the amount that the Clerk owes to the County; he does not think it is $1 million, it is more in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $200,000; staff has had meetings with the Clerk's office, and that is an ongoing matter of discussion; staff has attempted to sit down with the Clerk's office, and attempted to reconcile dollars that are in arrears; and eventually, the Clerk is either going to come to the table or staff will have to go back to the Board and discuss the issue again.  Mr. Walker inquired if that was involved with the legal issue right now, or if there was a lawsuit pending on that.  Mr. Tipton responded there is no lawsuit pending regarding the health insurance; and if Mr. Walker is referring to the other staff sourcing lawsuit, he believes the injunction was denied; and he is not sure if there is a follow-up suit out there or not. 

 

William Farrell stated jobs stimulate the economy, and the real estate market floats tax revenue, and inquired how to promote regional, local, job growth, especially in lieu of the shuttle program ending.  Chairman Fisher responded it is the job of the EDC (Economic Development Commission); they think regionally, locally, and globally; and that is how the County is marketing Brevard County.  Commissioner Bolin stated that is also one of the jobs of the Commissioners, to go out and do everything they can to promote new industry to come in; and Commissioner Nelson and herself were instrumental as far as Embraer coming in; and other Commissioners have been involved with bringing other companies also.  Commissioner Infantini stated she also believes that when the St. Johns Heritage Parkway is completed, it  will give the County the connectivity to the southern parts of Florida and help the Board develop a high-tech corridor and bring businesses in to the southern region of Brevard County; that is one of the important things that Commissioner Anderson and herself have been working on; and she believes Commissioner Bolin has also been working towards that as well. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if there was any other way to diversify the jobs in the County; it seems that unless someone is an engineer, in the medical field, or in government, there is not anything in Brevard; and he further inquired if there was a job sector that is on the horizon that people need to be looking for.  Commissioner Anderson stated he believes there is some emerging technologies that are very interesting; and Mr. Tipton had mentioned a couple meetings ago about something Chairman Fisher has been working on with things like nanotechnology, to absorb some of those high-skilled jobs from the Kennedy Space Center and other areas. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if there was any particular region of the County that is looking at any sudden job growth in the near future.  Mr. Tipton responded there is one coming up on the next Commission meeting, Project Megalo, which would be located in Palm Bay; it is one of those emerging technologies that uses LED lights for various activities that are right out of science fiction; there are other places the County is competing with; but if it is successful, that will be another one that becomes a cluster for LED lights and their many uses.  He stated it is important to remember the region is so much stronger than it was at the end of the Apollo Program; in the 1970's, Disney had just opened, and Orlando was a sleepy little town; the University of Central Florida (UCF) is the second largest university in the Country; Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) is one of the major researching universities in the country; there is the medical city going up in Lake Nona; and there is great access, with the Port Canaveral, I-95,  air access, and space access.  He added there are things in the pipeline, but Brevard will not solve the jobs issue with one employer, it will be 100 employees here, 200 employees there; and that is how it will get solved. 

 

David Folsom stated so much of the budget goes to things that are nice to have, like parks and recreation, and lifeguards, but the County is at a critical time; and inquired if the Board would support a budget dedicated to vital services.  Chairman Fisher responded that is an interesting question and inquired what are vital services, because it means so much to so many different people.  Mr. Walker stated Mr. Folsom does not specify, but he is assuming it would be public safety.  Chairman Fisher stated if the County is forced to run it from the State, then that is an essential service as well; and individuals can talk about the Constitutional Officers, or Sheriff, but the Board has to fund the Supervisor of Elections, and Mr. Folsom may not think that is an essential service, but it is; Mr. Tipton explained earlier how much the Board really has control of; and when all of these other commitments are taken care of, the Board really is only talking about roughly $50 million for the budget. 

 

Mr. Walker stated he believes that what Mr. Folsom is saying for himself is that he is not so concerned with how much the Board budgets for lifeguards, as more police protection on his street. 

 

Commissioner Infantini stated she personally believes lifeguards are public safety, because so many of the individuals that use the beaches are not locals; they are usually from out-of-town, or from the mainland; and they are not always aware of the water situations.  She advised a lot of individuals choose to swim in lifeguard protected areas; and people that are familiar with the water can swim in areas that are not protected by lifeguards.  She stated the Board always talks about if someone's house is on fire, they would want a firefighter to show up; and if someone was drowning, would they not want a lifeguard to show up.  She advised surfers have rescued numerous people in the south beaches, but they rely on the lifeguards to protect the individuals out there; she believes the taxpayers are talking about Parks and Recreation, which in this budget contains $4 million to build another Community Center; and she thinks the taxpayers are trying to address why another community center would be built when the County is struggling to keep the doors open on the existing ones. 

 

Commissioner Anderson stated it is plain to see how diverse the Board is when it comes to the views of critical functions, or essential functions; Commissioner Infantini and himself disagree about lifeguards; at some point there is personal responsibility when someone decides to go swimming in the ocean; if one decides to go swim in the ocean in February, that is a risk that person takes; and inquired if, as a society, citizens expect to pay for that service.  He stated there are a lot of people saying they want their services cut; someone will say to cut libraries, but do not touch Parks and Recreation; or to cut Parks and Recreation but to stay away from the EEL Program; so there will be five completely different views on the Board; and 500,000 different views in Brevard County. 

 

Mr. Walker stated Commissioner Infantini asked a question that begs an answer, which is why would the County spend $4 million on a community center when other centers are struggling to stay open.  Chairman Fisher responded one was just opened in West Melbourne; and there was opportunity to not do that.  Commissioner Infantini noted that was done back in the planning stages.  Chairman Fisher stated the Board could have stopped building it, not opened it, and not ran it; but it has to be staffed; and it was a unanimous vote by the Board to open a community center.  He stated Commissioner Infantini voted to build a community center when she knew the Board could not afford it last year, because the people in her district actually voted to have that community center built, supported it, have been paying their taxes referendum has been in place; it was time for government to do what it said it was going to do; it promised those residents a community center so it got built; and inquired if that was why Commissioner Infantini voted for it. Commissioner Infantini responded that was not the reason; she did vote for it because when she attended a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, the residents said they would step up to the plate and help operate it; they knew the County was having tight budgetary times; and she agreed if that was the case, that was fine; but she also did not know the County would be giving away a $3 million piece of property for $10, and that the Board would turn around and sell that to help finance for the cost of that, which she did not vote for. 

 

Commissioner Anderson stated if the Board could have gotten $4 million for that park, he would have been on Commissioner Infantini's side.  Commissioner Infantini responded it is not worth $4 million today. 

 

Commissioner Nelson added he thinks another thing that gets lost in discussion is that they were voter-approved; there was a need identified in 2000 and in 2006; and the voters, twice, said that is what they wanted.  He advised the interesting part is that no one in 2000 saw what was going to happen with the economy and the Board is struggling with it; but those are the decisions that it makes.  He stated the County has re-prioritized; during the early stages of budget cuts that the Board was making back in 2007 and 2008, it added lifeguards; he agrees with Commissioner Infantini in this case, that that was a good decision.  He noted Brevard County took a beating nationally over having unsafe beaches and it hurt the tourism industry; and that is a huge provider of revenues to run government.  He added he also believes that now is a good time; things are being built much cheaper; the County is going to come out of this, it may take another year; but the construction time on a facility is 18 months to two years to get it out of the ground; the one that was built in West Melbourne, the first one built was about $4 million, and the last one was $2.1 million, so things are getting built for half the cost. 

 

Commissioner Infantini stated maybe the Board could use $2 million of that referendum because there is $4 million set aside to build it, if the last one only cost $2 million, perhaps $2 million could go towards paying off the debt, so that the County would not have such an increase in the tax rate.  Commissioner Nelson advised to put it out to bid, and then the Board can have that discussion. 

 

Commissioner Bolin stated tourism is very important for Brevard County, and in reference to the lifeguards, it is a trickle down effect; if the lifeguards are not there, and there are problems with the major tourism stopping point; then there will be people working in the industry who are going to be losing their jobs because the hotels would not be filled; and that would also mean the restaurants will not have that business.

 

Commissioner Anderson stated the issue of tourism being damaged by not having lifeguards has not been quantified; in Key West last month, hundreds of people swam with only one lifeguard on site.  Commissioner Nelson stated there were 10 drowning deaths that made Brevard County beaches among the top-ten most dangerous beaches in the world; and that is not what he wants for his community to be known for. 

 

Commissioner Anderson stated one of the most dangerous beaches in the world is also one of the most heavily used by surfers.  Commissioner Nelson stated Brevard County is a family destination, so there are a lot of families that come to Brevard with their children.  Commissioner Anderson stated he would feel better about it if the Board is going to settle a debt service with the Tourist Development Tax when the stadium is paid off next year; under current State legislation, the County cannot use tourism dollars to pay for lifeguards; and if that were the case, the tourists would be paying for their own lifeguard protection and it would not come out of the General Fund. 

 

Chairman Fisher stated it is also important to realize that citizens have different views of what is important; as elected officials, they have the challenge; and it is hard to get everyone on the same page.  He stated more than 50 percent of the people in the community think their park in their neighborhood is important to them; they voted for it, and sometimes not once but twice; and their Libraries are also important to them.  He added, in some cases, the citizens need to understand this is not just a County Commission problem, a lot of the issues on a lot of the items today were voter referendum items; he believes the Wickham Park stables was a voter referendum item, so the voters helped to get the Board into this situation because at that point in time they said they wanted these certain things; and there are a lot of people out there fighting and saying to get rid of these things.

 

Mr. Walker stated a few years ago the tourism industry was clamoring for lifeguards on the beaches; last year in the budget, initially, there was a proposal to trim the number of lifeguards; and ultimately, the Board kept the number that was in place.  He noted it is not an issue the County has never looked at; and like Chairman Fisher stated, for someone who does not use the beach, they might think it is a waste of money, versus the thousands of people who do not think it is a waste of money.

 

Michael Wilson inquired when the ship that has become a permanent fixture in the Indian River will be required to be moved; inquired if there is money in the budget to clear waterways following storms and major events; and further inquired if there was money still available for derelict vessel removal.  Commissioner Nelson responded staff has been working with the Coast Guard to try and get that vessel, the Princess Grace, removed from the river; but as long as it is on anchor, the navigation lights are on, and is not on the bottom, it is allowed to be there.  He advised he struggles with that, because a few years ago a barge broke loose during a hurricane, and almost took out the Banana River Bridge;  the Princess Grace is certainly large enough to take out either of the two bridges to the north or the south of it; but rights to navigation are some of the most basic rights; and it is allowed to stay there.  He stated there have been several boats throughout the County that have sunk; staff continues to work to get grants to remove them; and staff has been very aggressive in removing them.  He stated when a lot of the marinas went out of business, many boats suddenly had no place to stay, and the best location was just to anchor them up until they sank.  He noted the Board has removed probably over 100 derelict vessels now; and still have more to go.  He added he wished he could get the Princess Grace out, and he would hope the owner continues to feel guilty about it and tries to relocate it. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if the Princess Grace was the one in Rockledge, or Cape Canaveral.  Commissioner Nelson responded it is the one between S.R. 520, and S.R. 528.  He added there is a shrimp boat that burned and sank in Rockledge, but he is unsure if that is on the list for removal or not.  Ernie Brown, Natural Resources Director stated yes, it is.   Commissioner Nelson stated it is an ongoing problem, but as long as people are allowed to anchor their boat and not take care of them, it is going to happen. 

 

Linda Postma inquired if the Board has considered the dissolution of the established community redevelopment agencies as a means to return revenue to fund police, fire, public works, libraries, etcetera to the General Fund budget.  Commissioner Infantini responded yes, but there is not enough votes.  Commissioner Bolin stated no.  Commissioner Anderson stated it needs to be remembered that some of those were formed before the Charter, and the Board has no authority over dissolving them.  Commissioner Nelson stated there are obviously varying views on the success of the redevelopment agencies; one thing he found interesting this year is as the values of property drop throughout the County, the center part of it, for whatever reason, did not drop as much as some of the other areas; and he would be willing to bet if downtown Melbourne was looked at, their property values probably have not dropped much either.  He added he believes it is due to the very successful CRA's; Melbourne has been very successful in transitioning its downtown area; Titusville has done a good job; and there are bigger issues that are being dealt with.  He added Palm Bay is in the process of being successful, so he believes CRA's have value.  Commissioner Anderson stated he believes there are also some tweaks needed in the Legislation of the redevelopment agencies that kind of regulates them, because as they become more successful, the argument is why do they not supplement the police and fire that are in the CRA; and right now, under current Legislation, as seen with Satellite Beach, the Board cannot do that. 

 

Jay Eker stated for 20-plus years indigent cremation paid to funeral homes has been $50; the amount needs to be minimally doubled due to the no increases in the past; and ignoring funeral home services to those in need is wrong.  Mr. Walker inquired if the County was paying for cremations for indigents.  Mr. Tipton responded yes, it is a mandated responsibility that the County has; and in terms of the price, if it is out dated, and has not been adjusted in a while, then it is certainly something that needs to be looked at.  He added that was not an item that was talked about during the budget discussions, or that he has had on his radar since he has been in Brevard County.  Mr. Walker inquired what part of the budget that falls under.  Mr. Tipton stated it would be under the Housing and Human Services budget, but it is out of the General Fund, which means everyone is contributing.  

 

Chairman Fisher stated he has been asked if some of the funeral homes are questioning the amount that they are getting for that service, because the cost is going up, and there are probably some issues from the Board's standpoint, to make sure that people who qualify really do not have family members to help.  Commissioner Infantini inquired if the funeral homes have to perform the cremations, or can they bid out the service; and stated funeral homes do not have to accept indigent clientele.  Mr. Tipton stated no, they do not have to accept it. 

 

Mr. Walker stated a reader from Palm Bay has noticed there are workers driving trucks with two-way radios, and they carry walkie-talkies, and also have a County cell phone; and inquired if there were equipment redundancies that the County needs to be addressing.  Mr. Whitten stated for most County staff that works in the field, they either carry one or the other for Road and Bridge, because they become first responders during hurricanes, and during a hurricane, radios are more reliable than cell phones.  Mr. Tipton stated redundancy was mentioned, and in many cases, that is an intentional part of what the County is doing, as Mr. Whitten stated;  in the budget, one of the things staff will be talking about is the 800 MHz radio system, which is the backbone of all public safety and all radio communications with city and County employees; and that is a big ticket item, but it is at the end of its useful life, and it will need to be replaced. 

 

Mr. Walker inquired if the County currently has a 800 MHz radio system.  Mr. Tipton replied yes, but just like other equipment, it has a useful life; and the County is about five years beyond the useful life of this system.  He noted Brevard has grown as a community; and there are now people living in areas where there is not great coverage, so from a public safety perspective, it is not a good place to be if in need help and cannot get coverage or signal.   

 

 

 

Wilhemena Burns stated she has a complaint about the sound barrier wall, which she and others feel should be in the Cocoa area.  She stated she has lived in Cocoa since 1964; I-95 came about afterwards; she did not have a problem with it; and she has never had a problem until a few years ago when the reconstruction was done.  She stated I-95 is now closer to her residence; her complaint is that it is now affecting her health; and she has complained about it since the beginning of the reconstruction.  She stated she has written letters to some of the Board members, such as Commissioner Bolin, and Commissioner Nelson.  She added Commissioner Nelson and his assistant, Liz Alward, have taken the time to  come out and take a firsthand look at what she is going through; and she is sure they will attest to the fact that they would not live in those conditions; but she has no choice.  She advised the residents need a sound barrier wall in Cocoa; when driving down I-95, a wall can be seen from Rockledge to the south; and up to the Titusville area; but between there and the Cocoa area, there is nothing.  She stated something really needs to be done about it; and she is sure she is talking to the right people to make it happen. 

 

Commissioner Nelson stated he did go out there, and in Ms. Burns' front yard, he could not have a conversation, much less in the backyard, which is up against the highway; the problem has been with the Legislature, because Ralph Poppel was leaving as Tom Goodson was getting elected, and now there is redistricting, so that has been part of the problem.  He advised the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has now looked at it, they have run their formulas and say that it does not qualify; but he does not know how it cannot qualify.  He stated maybe it is to that political stage where Senator Altman and Representative Goodson need to go see FDOT, because it is horrible; and it is not just Ms. Burns' home, but she just happens to be one of the several that are in there.  He added the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) staff have been talking with FDOT also to resolve it, but it has been tough. 

 

Chairman Fisher inquired if it would help if it was brought back to the TPO, and it voted on the issue.  Commissioner Nelson stated he does not believe it would hurt, and what staff has also been trying to do is get a meeting with the Community and Senator Altman, who was helpful in getting some of the sound walls along I-95. 

 

Commissioner Anderson stated from his former Council member experience, it is Legislative heavy lifting; Representative Needelman got the one in Palm Bay at Holiday Park; and the Board needs them to step up, because it is the only way to get that done.  Commissioner Nelson stated the County was losing one Representative, and at the same time, was getting a new one, and a lot of horsepower was lost when that happened. 

 

Chairman Fisher stated he believes the Board needs to supports it and then get TPO to support it, and at least let the State Representatives know how staff feels about it, and the work from there.  Commissioner Nelson stated he would like to put it on the next Agenda so that discussion can be had. 

 

Leartis Brothers stated ever since it was decided to widen I-95, she asked the question of why her area was not included in the planning when Lost Lakes was included; she spoke with Commissioner Nelson at meetings; she called the offices of State Representative Tom Goodson, and State Senator Thad Altman; and she was told they would get back to her, but to date she has heard nothing.  She added Pineda Causeway has a sound wall, and she does not believe there is as much noise producing traffic is in that area compared to her area.  She noted in north Brevard, there is a sound wall at Garden Street and I-95; Commissioner Nelson requested FDOT do a study on sound walls south of S.R. 520 and I-95; and inquired what happened to the study.  She stated when her subdivision was built, I-95 had not been completed; and since the reconstruction of I-95, the intense noise from the traffic has become very annoying and very often causes her sleepless nights.  She noted her home is so close to the Interstate that it is almost impossible to have family gatherings in her backyard, and others' backyards, because of the intense noise, exhaust fumes, worn rubber, and other debris, coming from vehicles.  She added when I-95 was widened, dump trucks and heavy equipment travelled Brophy Boulevard day and night for the duration of the project; the street was damaged; the only repairs that have been done were to patch several holes; and in other words, her street needs to be re-paved. 

 

Chairman Fisher stated Ms. Brothers has a commitment from the Board that it will bring it up on the next Agenda for both the County Commission and TPO; and the Board will ask the State to investigate and make the sound barrier wall happen. 

 

Douglas Brothers stated he would like to comment on drugs in his neighborhood in West Cocoa; drug dealers are standing up on peoples porches; they do not stay away from the houses; they are on Brophy Boulevard up by the store as well; and stated the area needs more police support.  He further stated West Cocoa has a route for the bus; he knows SCAT (Space Coast Area Transit) is working on more routes; but people need jobs, and if there can be more routes, more people can get jobs. 

 

 

 

Commissioner Nelson advised Sky Magazine, which goes into all of the Delta flights, has several incredible articles about the Space Coast.  He stated he would like to congratulate the Melbourne Airport Authority, and Commissioner Fisher, as well as other citizens; there is a lot of Brevard's industry advertising in the magazine, which goes out to approximately 25 million people who fly Delta Airlines.  He advised it is incredible exposure at no cost to Brevard County, other than some advertising. 

 

Chairman Fisher stated he believes this is where some of those relationships with Tourist Development Council (TDC) comes from; this is why they travel, and why they do what they do.  He advised there is no price for this kind of advertisement. 

 

 

 

Upon consensus, the meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTEST:                                                                                                                                

                                                                        ROBIN L. FISHER, CHAIRMAN

                                                                        BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

                                    _______                    BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

MITCH NEEDELMAN, CLERK