MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

September 24, 2002

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special session on September 24, 2002, at 5:00 p.m. in the Government Center Florida Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida. Present were: Chairman Truman Scarborough, Commissioners Randy O'Brien, Nancy Higgs, Susan Carlson, and Jackie Colon, County Manager Tom Jenkins, and County Attorney Scott Knox.

DISCUSSION, RE: FISCAL YEAR 2002-2003 TENTATIVE BUDGET

County Manager Tom Jenkins stated staff has spent the last four days revisiting the budget; it has been using the 1.8% cost of living consumer price index (CPI) as the measurement in terms of the maximum allowable increase; if the Board uses the CPI, it means that the tentative budget needs to be reduced by almost $2 million in ad valorem taxes; this means the Board will have to make reductions only in those agencies that are funded by ad valorem taxes; and it has an impact in terms of what is being reduced in the budget. He noted he previously recommended to the Board no across-the-board type cuts as he is concerned that it may reduce the pool of money it has to spend, but not the rate of spending because across-the-board cuts do not reduce spending levels and shrink the pot one is spending from; the consequence of it is continuing to spend at the same rate from a smaller pool of money, and at the end of the year, the cash forward shrinks; and the County has to make it up the following year, as every year it depends on having cash forward to balance the budget and considers it one of its revenues. Mr. Jenkins stated it is going to be necessary for the Board to eliminate specific items, primarily services and programs, as well as positions; those are things that have hard dollars associated with them; if the Board wants to reduce the budget, it has to reduce things and not make some general reduction; he has been working closely with the Assistant County Managers, Budget Office, and Department and Office Directors over the past several days to begin the process of identifying those areas the County may be able to reduce in the budget; and a budget reduction of $6.2 million is a sizeable reduction, particularly when it is limited to the agencies funded by ad valorem property taxes. He noted the County will have to be looking at a number of ad valorem service cuts; while staff is not finished doing its total review, he will identify the types of things that are funded with ad valorem taxes and may be in jeopardy and experience some cuts and reductions; they include the 20 Sheriff’s deputies that the Sheriff received a federal grant for where the County was only going to provide the matching funds for same; eliminating mental health treatment at the jail, which was started this year; and reducing the number of inmates at the jail due to insufficient medical treatment. Mr. Jenkins stated the County has had a sizeable increase in the medical treatment Contract at the jail; another potential problem is eliminating the security at the Juvenile Assessment Center; reducing spraying for mosquitoes in the County; reducing maintenance of parks facilities; and reducing hours and potentially books at the libraries. He noted other issues include reducing the funding to the Economic Development Commission (EDC); reducing funding to Cultural Alliance and cultural grants; reducing or eliminating grants to the human service agencies; staff is investigating closing the North Brevard Animal Shelter; and one option would be to close Country Acres Residential Youth Home. Mr. Jenkins stated another option that has been discussed is turning off street lights in neighborhoods and only leaving lights on in main corridors; eliminating the Feral Cat Management Program; and not providing a match for community health insurance funding for indigent children has been mentioned as a possibility. He noted reducing Code Enforcement is another option; it would undoubtedly be necessary to lay off some support in administrative employees; the County is looking at the Charter Officers for potential sizeable reductions, including court employees; so there is a wide range of issues; and those are the kinds of services funded through the ad valorem property tax. Mr. Jenkins stated staff is continuing to work to put together a plan to bring back to the Board prior to Thursday's budget hearing; and if the Board has any specific ideas and input it would like to provide staff, it would welcome such input.

Chairman Scarborough stated the Board is required by the TRIM to meet on Thursday; and if it gets into an extensive discussion and needs to further adjust, it can continue the public hearing. He inquired when is the deadline on that time parameter. County Attorney Scott Knox responded Florida Statutes provide for spending from the tentative budget until the Board finalizes the final budget; so it could be more than one week. Chairman Scarborough noted the Board would have the time to go from Thursday into a series of other meetings if needed. Attorney Knox stated the County would have to notify the Department of Revenue (DOR) by September 30, 2002 as to whether the Board would continue the public hearing or not.

Commissioner O'Brien inquired besides cutting expenditures of $6 million, what increases of income has the County had; stated this morning the mobile home owners appeared before the Board discussing their tax increases; if the Property Appraiser reduces their assessments by 33%, the average increase in taxes is $75.00 per home; and the adjustment would be an extra $1.8 million in taxes for the County. He noted one-third from $1.8 million is $600,000; so the County would not expect to get $1.2 million this year; but because the taxes have been increased, it will get such amount; and the County would then be looking for $5 million. He stated the revenue summary given to the Board by staff was dated September 30, 2001; last year, the half-cent sales tax received $995,000 more than expected; the County received $3 million more in franchise fees than it expected; and building permit fees increased by $436,000 more than expected. Commissioner O'Brien noted the income stream may be a lot more than what the County projected; it is looking at the new income for new construction and income from higher appraisals of non-housing at 7%; and his appraisal increased by about 7%. He stated the funding may be there for most of the cuts the County has to take; and if the County can account for $3 million of other income today, there is a $3 million cut instead of $6 million cut.

Chairman Scarborough noted when there are increases in assessments, the County is required, as part of the Truth in Millage (TRIM) Legislation, to roll back millage so the exact same amount of revenue comes in; it is required to start at a reduced millage; and taken as a whole, there is no additional revenue produced from increased assessments. He stated the only kick-in is with the new construction; as there are assessment increases on existing buildings, there is the roll back; the County starts with the roll back; and there is not any new money. He noted the County operates from a balanced budget; it has taken income and expenditures and balanced; there is no extra $3 million, unless staff comes back and revises the income figures; and all of it has already been calculated into a balanced budget. Chairman Scarborough inquired does the

County have any additional changes to the income that would be helpful today; with Budget Director Dennis Rogero responding not that he is aware of.

Mr. Jenkins stated the County received approximately $15 million in new revenues combined; the revenue projections are based on the experienced forecasting of Budget staff who have a track record of being accurate; it is based on the property roll from the Property Appraiser; and staff multiplies it by the millages and calculates how much revenue the County is going to receive. He noted the County lost $4.1 million in revenues it did not get this year, so the $15 million is down to $11 million; there are built-in cost increases and previously approved cost increases by the Board during the course of the year that totaled $11.3 million; so the County has a balanced budget. He stated the County gets new revenues and it loses some revenues; over the period of the preceding year, there have been built-in costs and prior commitments; and the County has one of the best managed health insurance programs, but its costs are increasing. Mr. Jenkins noted some of these things are built-in costs that the Board cannot control; reiterated the County has a balanced budget; while it would be nice to look at revenues, which would be his preferred choice, unless the Board can find some opportunities to increase permit or user fees, it is basically limited in terms of revenues at this point; the Board does not want the Budget Office to over-forecast on revenues as it would put the County in a deficit situation; the only recourse the County has is to look at the expenditure side as the revenue side is fairly well set in stone at this point, except for user and permit fees; and the Board is limited as to what it can do with that.

Commissioner Higgs inquired how much did the County realize in revenues at mid-year; with Mr. Jenkins responding approximately $300,000, which was well below what it historically has been and was negligible this year. Commissioners Higgs stated there have been concerns about what the County has in reserves; and inquired has it contributed any to reserves and if so, what. Mr. Jenkins responded staff is working to hold its reserves at 5%. Chairman Scarborough noted it is his understanding the County had reserves in excess of 15% historically; with Mr. Rogero responding yes, and for the current year, the Board adopted a budget at 7% reserves. Chairman Scarborough noted the County is trying to keep the reserves from falling below 5%; and this ultimately will be reflected in how the County is rated for bonds and many different ways as to how financially secure it is. Commissioner Higgs inquired has staff looked at all the opportunities to flatten out the sales tax revenue bond payments. Mr. Jenkins responded the County recently refinanced one of those. Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten stated staff has reviewed all of the bonds and had discussions with the Financial Advisor; and such Advisor constantly looks at the opportunities. Mr. Jenkins stated one of the options staff is looking at is postponing one of the major projects that was specified for the bond funds and to investigate whether or not it is prudent to use those for other capital projects; there are not that many of them that are funded with the General Fund; staff is scrutinizing the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) closely to see if it can receive a cash benefit in the General Fund by not doing the building and paying for some of the other major capital items through the bond issue. Commissioner Higgs inquired is Mr. Jenkins looking at freezing any new General Fund-related positions; with Mr. Jenkins responding staff has closely scrutinized all of the program changes and any of those changes that one might describe as being discretionary in any way.

Mr. Jenkins stated staff is scrutinizing any program changes between this year and next year and may well be unfunding a number of program changes.

Commissioner Higgs stated health care costs have increased significantly; the County has balanced between the employees and the Board the cost of the increase; and inquired has staff investigated any increase in the co-payments and what they might realize. Mr. Jenkins responded this year, the employees increased their contribution by 17% and 12% for the Board; next year, staff is proposing 12% and 12%; it has run numbers on co-payment; and it has the data. Commissioner Higgs stated the co-pay in the PPO is a higher level and costs the Board more to fund it; and staff may want to review those in particular. Commissioner O’Brien noted the co-pay to PPO is up to $4,000. Mr. Jenkins stated Commissioner Higgs may be referring to the per visit co-pay which is $20.00 a visit. Commissioner Higgs noted the cost to the Board for PPO and EPO is higher than HMO; and staff may want to review the co-pay for PPO and EPO. Mr. Jenkins stated staff can look at that; unfortunately, there are few employees who have PPO; and it does not generate that much money. Commissioner Higgs noted the County needs to know the dollar figures.

Commissioner Carlson stated the reserves have fluctuated from 15% to 5%; this year the reserves are 7%; and inquired when does the County find itself going to reserves. Mr. Jenkins responded when the County spends at a rate that is not comparable to the amount of new revenue coming in; therefore, there is less money left over at the end of year; every year, the County depends on having cash balance forward to balance its budget; while it may be budgeted at a certain amount, it typically spends 93% of the budget; it knows it is going to have “x” percentage left over each year to use the following year; and it depends on having that. He noted if the County finds itself spending at a higher percentage, it has less money left over; therefore, the reserves are shrinking; when the County is reducing its budget, it must reduce specific expenses and not just shrink the pot it is spending from; if it continues to provide services at the same level, continues to do the same things it has always done, and it is coming from a smaller pot of money, it is going to have less left over; therefore, the reserves will shrink.

Commissioner Higgs inquired has staff eliminated or reduced non-required staff travel; with Mr. Jenkins responding it is being reviewed. Commissioner Higgs inquired about replacement of County vehicles. Mr. Jenkins responded staff has looked at all the capital; whether it is a car, truck, or bulldozer, if the County does not periodically upgrade and replace worn out equipment, it finds itself in the dilemma, as with the Sheriff’s Office where the County has not been replacing cars on a regular basis; in this year’s budget, it received a request for $3 million to replace cars; and the County needs to continue to invest in replacing its equipment as it wears out. He noted if the County has equipment that is not worn out, it is not going to replace it just because it is three years old; but when a department tells him a vehicle has 140,000 miles on it, is broken down all the time, and needs to be replaced, those kinds of things he has left in the budget. Commissioner Higgs stated it may be something the Board would want to see an analysis on before it makes a final decision; and she understands the problem with the investment, but would like to see the analysis and what potential savings might be available, as well as staff non-required travel.

Commissioner Carlson inquired were there any projections overcalculated into the budget based on collections from the Clerk's Office. Mr. Jenkins responded staff has had difficulty with the whole issue as the numbers have changed on several occasions. Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten responded staff is basically keeping the collection rates flat; and it is not projecting an increase in the collection of those revenues. Mr. Jenkins noted an audit is being conducted of traffic fines; there are difficulties in tracking how the fines are calculated; so staff has not been able to show any increases. Commissioner Carlson expressed concern with the productivity in that regard; stated the County was expecting a large amount to potentially come to General Fund from collections once the system went in; but it has not seen the productivity from the system that the County was expecting; and she is concerned that the County is putting additional dollars into the Clerk’s Office, continuing to increase such budget, and not getting any productivity out of it or return on the investment. She inquired if staff has any productivity or cost-effectiveness numbers that would show the County needs to continue its investment further from this day on. Mr. Jenkins stated the Clerk’s Office is still having serious problems with the system; and the Board is getting quarterly status reports. Commissioner Carlson stated she has seen a couple of reports, but has not seen anything consistent; and she has not seen the plan of attack from the Clerk’s Office and when it will stop asking the Board for additional dollars to help fix the problem.

Clerk of Courts Scott Ellis inquired what additional funds is Commissioner Carlson talking about for the computer system; and stated his Office has not requested additional funds for the computer system. Commissioner Carlson noted the funds requested were for salaries; with Mr. Ellis responding that is correct and they have not been for the computer system. Commissioner Carlson noted she has not said anything about the computer system; and she is asking for additional data showing the productivity of the Clerk’s Office and hoping to understand that the dollars the Board has already spent in the budget last year and potentially this year, which are under question, are going to be the type of things that will move the Clerk forward in getting the problems fixed. Mr. Ellis inquired what type of data is Commissioner Carlson looking for; with Commissioner Carlson responding she is looking for anything that says the Clerk is being cost-effective and productive with the system the Clerk is currently trying to fix. Mr. Ellis stated Commissioner Carlson can go to the Courthouse on Friday as the Clerk’s Office has been suspending licenses for about one month; and the line is backed up out the door from people coming in to pay their fines. Commissioner Carlson inquired does Mr. Ellis have a stated plan for when he will not be asking the Board for additional dollars in his budget because the problem is fixed; with Mr. Ellis responding he did not ask the Board for additional dollars this year. Mr. Ellis advised his budget increase is due to insurance costs and pay raises, which are not additional dollars that Commissioner Carlson is referring to. Commissioner Higgs noted it was her understanding that the Clerk had new positions; with Mr. Ellis responding the new positions are funded, but not through the Board. Mr. Ellis advised the Clerk’s budgeted increase is 4% General Fund; overall, it is less than that; and the 4% includes 3% for pay raise. Commissioner Higgs noted Mr. Ellis is giving a pay raise higher than the cost of living, so there is cost of living plus merit. Mr. Ellis inquired is the Board not giving 3% for pay raises; with Commissioner Higgs responding no. Mr. Ellis stated his understanding is that the Board is giving 3%; with Commissioner Higgs responding it is giving cost of living plus merit. Mr. Ellis inquired is the Board giving 2.8%; stated it said the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is 1.8%; and the original information from the Board was 2% plus 1% for merit. Commissioner Higgs noted that was back when the Board thought the CPI was higher than it appears to be. Mr. Ellis inquired what version of the CPI is the County going to use; and stated he heard Messrs. Rogero and Whitten say to the attorneys that the CPI number should be 1.8%. Mr. Whitten stated staff asked the Department of Labor how it should be calculated; and the most precise method was the one that yields 1.8% CPI. Mr. Ellis inquired which CPI figure is staff using for its cap-it calculation; with Mr. Whitten responding 1.8%. Mr. Ellis inquired is the cost of living going to be 1.8% and 1% for merit; with Commissioner Higgs responding Mr. Jenkins has recommended a merit plus the CPI. Mr. Ellis noted that is 2.8%; and the raise money the Clerk’s Office folded into its budget came from the Budget Office. Commissioner Higgs noted Mr. Ellis would be satisfied with the cost of living plus merit if that is what the Board is giving its employees; and Mr. Ellis wants to give the same thing. Mr. Ellis noted his Office has done that; it was told after the budget was done to fold the raises into the budget now instead of waiting for a mid-year supplement. Commissioner Higgs requested Mr. Ellis speak to the issue of what he thinks the fines are going to come in at; stated the Board is trying to predict its revenue; it has remained flat for a number of years; and inquired if Mr. Ellis can give the Board a better figure than it has presently. Mr. Ellis responded he believes there should be an increase; and there are people lined up out the door. Commissioner Higgs inquired how much does Mr. Ellis predict the revenue will be; with Mr. Ellis responding approximately $300,000 to $400,000 in traffic fines. Mr. Ellis stated when he says 3%, he is using the number that the Budget Office gave the Charter Officers; his Office did not tell the County to give it so much money for raises; but the County told his Office this is how much money is available for raises; and it was folded into the change in his Office’s budget. Commissioner Higgs noted the most important figure the Board has is that Mr. Ellis predicts $300,000 to $400,000 in new revenue over last year’s revenue on traffic fines. Mr. Ellis stated it does not all go to the County; and approximately one-half of such revenue goes to the County as another portion of the money goes to the cities. Mr. Ellis noted when there has been discussion about a big increase in the Clerk’s Office, the increase is fundamentally for pay raises and insurance costs.

Commissioner Colon inquired where are the dollar amounts; stated the Board needs something to look at before the final budget hearing; and staff mentioned programs and spent four days doing it. Mr. Jenkins responded staff will have the numbers before Thursday’s meeting. Commissioner Higgs noted the Board may want to schedule an additional meeting for Friday as a backup; and if she does not receive information until Thursday morning, she may need more time. Chairman Scarborough inquired can the Board have the meeting on Thursday and continue it to Friday; with County Attorney Scott Knox responding affirmatively. Chairman Scarborough stated it may be worthwhile to tentatively make some arrangements for a Friday meeting. Commissioner Higgs noted she is concerned that the Board will be getting information and have to make difficult decisions; and it is going to take more time. Mr. Jenkins stated staff will try to get the information to the Board by tomorrow afternoon. Commissioner Higgs noted she would like to have a backup plan. Mr. Jenkins stated another option would be for the Board to come in earlier on Thursday. Commissioner Higgs noted it would be acceptable if the information gets to her early. Mr. Jenkins stated the Board could continue this meeting until Thursday afternoon if it desires.

Commissioner Higgs inquired has Mr. Jenkins eliminated from the budget any new construction not mandated by referendum. Mr. Jenkins responded the only new construction the County has that is funded by ad valorem would be in Parks and Recreation Department and the South Mainland facility he mentioned. Commissioner Higgs inquired about the expansion of the Courthouse across the street; with Mr. Jenkins responding it is through the sales tax bond issue. Commissioner Higgs stated the Board needs to know any new construction and the impact to the budget if it is not mandated by one of the referendum projects. Commissioner Colon inquired about land acquisitions, such as extension of Pineda Causeway. Commissioner Higgs stated Commissioner Colon asked a question in regard to the use of gas tax revenue, any plans for it, and how it may be impacted by acquisitions in land or road construction beyond repairs; and inquired is there a transfer from the General Fund this year to Road and Bridge. Mr. Jenkins responded there is not a transfer for Road and Bridge, but there is for Engineering, Traffic Engineering, Surveying, and others. Commissioner Higgs requested the Board get an alignment of the gas tax revenues and those costs Mr. Jenkins enumerated.

Commissioner O’Brien stated there are a number of meetings staff has to attend offsite, such as homeowner association meetings and other special board meetings; and inquired is there a cost in overtime for such meetings that would affect the County. Mr. Jenkins responded the senior professional staff is salaried; and if the County is providing clerical staff, it is highly probable they are getting overtime or comp time. Commissioner O’Brien stated there are many boards that meet; and inquired what kind of costs are associated with such meetings and could the County cut down on the number of those meetings, which would decrease costs. He noted the General Fund often has to match a grant; sometimes the Board has to say “not this year because we don’t have the money to match a grant with”; and he would like to know what the effect of a four-month hiring freeze would be and reducing the number of employees by attrition and retirement. He stated it would be good to look at how many new computers were purchased last year and whether the Board wants to put a freeze or reduce budgeting for new computers; 50 new computers could cost $50,000; there could also be a freeze on buying office equipment; and the Board may want to review cutting its budget for vehicles by 50%. Commissioner O’Brien stated the Board also funds Brevard Tomorrow for $50,000; with Commissioner Carlson responding it is $25,000 this year. Commissioner O’Brien noted the 211 information he requested has never been given to him; inquired how many calls have been received, how effective is it, and what is the accountability; and noted the Board funds that system for $50,000 or $60,000. He stated when adding up the numbers, there is the first $1 million; the Board may have to look at the Community Based Organizations (CBO); it raised the amount to $500,000 three years ago from $175,000; and it may want to reduce the amount by $150,000. He stated the Sheriff has asked for approximately $4 million; the Board could negotiate with the Sheriff on that; the Board has to have priorities also; the Clerk has explained there is no real increase in his budget; and he is happy to hear that.

Chairman Scarborough stated there are a lot of issues to discuss; at one time the County had a hiring freeze; and requested Mr. Jenkins review what happened that year and estimate the cost savings from the hiring freeze.

Commissioner Colon stated the County is not doing anything different this year than it was last year; the reason there is discussion now is based on the interpretation of the attorneys that the cap was illegal; and it was stated the County was basing it on a Charter that is not legal, according to such attorneys.

Commissioner Carlson stated the County has done the same calculation for the last six years; and it is the interpretation that has changed. Commissioner Colon stated it has been the same formula for the last year; the major issue was that no one ever expected the tragedy on September 11th; the County did not think it was going to have an impact, but the monies that have gone to the Sheriff’s Office in the millions have been directed to what happened on September 11th; and the increases were not small. She noted even though she was not supporting the budget for her own reasons, she does not want the community to get the impression that it was all left for the last second, as the County has been addressing the budget since the summer; she does not want the misconception to be out there with the community; next year the County may need to start the budget process sooner; and she was uncomfortable only having two weeks left to try to come up with $6 million worth of cuts. Commissioner Colon stated she did not want the citizens to think that the Board was not trying to do its job in the last four months.

Commissioner Carlson stated the clarification is that there are three attorneys who all agree on the two questions asked of them—is the cap-it constitutional or not constitutional; the attorneys agreed that it was unconstitutional; the second question was how to identify what goes into the cap-it calculation; and they all agreed that cash carry forward was not one of those things that should be going into it, even though the County had been doing it for six years. She noted the Finance Department and Budget Office have both agreed with it; it has been recently that they disagreed; consistency and applying cap-it has been a question in her mind; and inquired if there was an issue of why the Board was applying cap-it that way, why did it not come up six years ago.

Commissioner O’Brien stated the Board rolled back the taxes one year and decreased them another year; and it kept within the cap-it. Commissioner Carlson noted it was not challenged last year when the Board increased taxes. Commissioner O’Brien stated it was challenged verbally; the question was never asked of the attorneys; and this year the attorneys said the voice of the people of Brevard County indicated they do not want a tax increase.

Commissioner Higgs stated several communities around the State have gone to the Tourist Development Council (TDC) monies that are available for a variety of activities; and inquired has staff looked at what might be used from TDC dollars that would be appropriate for community activities not funded under that category. Mr. Jenkins responded the County is using tourist tax dollars the way they can legally be spent. Commissioner Higgs stated there could be amendments to the Ordinance; there may be some ways of looking at it that would fund additional activities; and the County has both an Ordinance and State law with which it needs to comply. She noted there was a memorandum that the way TDC is covering the beach money may generate a significant amount of money back to the County; if the Corps of Engineers interprets 100% being paid by it in terms of beach renourishment over the years, there may be significant dollars available in capital projects that the County committed in the TDC to the beach projects; and requested staff provide an update and information to the Board.

Commissioner Carlson inquired has staff looked at the offsetting potential of increasing the local option gas tax for Public Works Department. Commissioner Higgs responded the Board cannot do it now as it had to be done by July 1, 2002.

Commissioner O’Brien inquired what are Mr. Jenkins’ suggestions to cut $6 million. Mr. Jenkins responded staff is preparing a plan; it still has loose ends it needs to tie up; it wants to consider things from all angles and every perspective; and staff will have recommendations as to how to do that. Commissioner Colon stated that is why it is crucial to be able to focus on services and positions; the County may not like it; if the Sheriff’s Office needed deputies, she supported him; no one can put a dollar amount on safety; but the County cannot spend any more money and the message needs to go out to all the organizations and everyone.

Commissioner Higgs inquired what percentage of the General Fund dollars is used by personnel costs. Mr. Rogero responded staff will have to calculate it for the Board.

Commissioner Carlson stated the Board went through strategic planning earlier in the year; in the plan of attack on the budget, staff is going to be utilizing such plan; in that process, all the departments strategized where they felt they needed improvements; each Board member identified his or her priorities; and it should not be difficult to determine what the priorities are. She inquired is staff going to be looking at that model, what has been worked on, the department strategies, and basing decisions on performance and outcome issues, and certain services; stated services that are not utilized as much as others should be first on the cutting block. Mr. Jenkins stated the entire budget process is based on performance measurements; when one cuts $6 million off the budget, it is going to have an impact on the strategic plan; and the County is looking for ways to reduce costs.

Chairman Scarborough stated if the County is going to be abandoning things that have been around for a long time, it is not a matter of strategic planning; and it is trying to strategically limit the impact. Commissioner Carlson noted the strategic plan has all the basic things that government should be providing; everything under each one of those were the additional things the County would like to move toward; and the County still applies the strategic plan in terms of providing public safety, health issues, and all the main things that government is supposed to be responsible for based on Florida Statutes. Chairman Scarborough stated he heard Country Acres mentioned; it has been there for many years; and it is not a matter of strategic planning but will be a strategic loss. Commissioner Carlson noted the strategy can go both ways. Chairman Scarborough stated that is true; the County needs to understand what could happen; and there are some things it may lose and never regain.

Commissioner Higgs inquired has staff analyzed all fee-based services and fee-based programs to determine if there are reasonable increases that could be entertained that would not push it over to negative; with Mr. Jenkins responding affirmatively. Mr. Jenkins stated the budget contains the fee adjustments staff felt could be increased. Commissioner Higgs noted in the last few days staff has not entertained any new fee adjustments. Mr. Jenkins stated there are one or two, but not extensive as they are already in the budget and staff reviewed them. Commissioner Carlson noted the fees are 100% in terms of paying for what they provide; with Mr. Jenkins responding negatively. Commissioner Carlson stated the County is working toward 100% of having fees cover the services provided, but is not there yet; and inquired has it been calculated. Mr. Jenkins responded there have been additional adjustments programmed into the budget; Permitting and Enforcement and Planning and Zoning Departments reviewed it as staff developed the initial budget; they did not take the fees to 100%; but he was under the impression that the Board’s direction previously was to do it incrementally; and all of the fees have been examined. Commissioner Higgs noted the County needs another $1 million in revenue from golf courses; there are some new fees for golf courses in the coming year; and requested staff review the hours for those and any other operations. Mr. Jenkins responded the longer the golf courses are open, the more money they generate. Commissioner Carlson stated she would like to see what the 100% fee dollars would look like if the County went to 100% for all the fees it has discussed to help offset the costs; there have been conversations on privatization; and inquired has staff looked at it for fleet maintenance or landfills. Chairman Scarborough noted the landfills are under Enterprise Fund so it does not help. Mr. Jenkins noted the Enterprise Fund is an internal service fund; staff continuously reviews those issues during the budget process; the County never has enough money, so it is always looking for ways to be more efficient; and all those issues are reviewed on an on-going basis.

Commissioner O’Brien stated there is a Law Library at Brevard Community College in Cocoa; there is an expenditure this year of $65,000 for the County’s Law Library; and perhaps it could be eliminated or the County could charge a fee to those individuals who want to use the Law Library, such as a $25 membership. He noted if the Library cannot be kept up, it is time to shut it down; information is available on the computer; and the County may have to tell the public who uses the Law Library to go to BCC to research there.

Chairman Scarborough stated his concern with the Law Library was not the cost of it, but the users of such Library had continually been citizens at-large as opposed to attorneys; attorneys have their own sources for legal research; when the County moved the Library to Viera, it made it difficult for people in the community to utilize it; and the data continued to show that there were people traveling from around the County to come to Viera to use the Law Library. He noted while the Board talks about cuts, it also wants to talk about systems and how systems impact other things in the community, such as mental illness affecting homelessness; this has been how to smartly spend money as opposed to cutting across the board or spending across the board; it is cause and effect; and his question to the Law Library has always been is it really servicing the population that really wants it. Chairman Scarborough stated there are some people who want to do their own law research; the Law Library is difficult to access and the hours are not friendly to the general community; that was his concern with the Law Library, not that it was costing the County that much money; it has a shared responsibility; there is a group of attorneys who are the trustees; and their concern is representing the Bar Association. He noted his contribution as a Commissioner should be to assure the community; that is the complexity of an issue; if the County goes to closing down Country Acres, it needs to ask itself what is the impact to the children; they are not going to have a place to go; and inquired what happens to them and what does that mean to society. Chairman Scarborough stated when the County begins to make cuts, it needs to ask itself is it going to cost the community more in the long run; and he does not want to have accidents with the budget cuts. Commissioner O’Brien noted he does not want to have accidents either; and he is looking at all the small items and the priorities.

Commissioner Higgs stated some of the other communities do not maintain the same hours of their city halls; and inquired is there any cost savings to be achieved by addressing the hours that the County operates general government services and offices to reflect what some of the other cities and municipalities do. She noted some of them do not have their hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. as the County does; and requested staff review the issue. Mr. Jenkins inquired is Commissioner Higgs suggesting the County shorten the day; with Commissioner Higgs responding she is suggesting staff look at it as a potential way of saving money. Mr. Jenkins stated the County makes its facilities available in the evening for organizations. Commissioner Higgs inquired what does it cost the County to do same.

Chairman Scarborough stated as soon as staff gets information to the Board it can review same. Mr. Jenkins noted he wrote down 24 items discussed from today’s meeting.

Commissioner O’Brien inquired is there a projection of an increased one-half cent sales tax this year. Mr. Jenkins responded it would be for capital only; and the Board does not see a lot of capital in this budget under the ad valorem fund.

Upon motion and vote, the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.

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ATTEST: TRUMAN SCARBOROUGH, CHAIRMAN
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

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SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK

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