The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special/workshop session on July 15, 1999, at 10:15 a.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, and Sue Carlson, County Manager Tom Jenkins, and County Attorney Scott Knox. Absent was: Commissioner Helen Voltz who was in St. Louis, Missouri.

BUDGET PRESENTATIONS, RE: FY 1999-2000

Budget Director Kathy Wall advised this is the first of two budget workshops prior to adoption of the tentative millages on July 27, 1999; those millages will be sent to property owners in August; and the two public hearings on the proposed budget will be held on September 7 and 21, 1999.

Commissioner Higgs inquired what is the last date the Board could adopt the tentative millage; with Ms. Wall responding about the first of August, because it has to be done so many days prior to the tentative notices going out. County Manager Tom Jenkins stated it also takes several days to do the forms so they want to do it several days in advance of the cutoff date.

Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts

Ms. Wall advised the Clerk's budget is down approximately 1%, and includes funding for five additional positions for County Court. She stated County Court's records and traffic violations have increased in volume; and the budget reflects the increase in County Court.

Mr. Jenkins advised the Board will see a number of budgets that are down today because the Florida State retirement contribution has been reduced; but the Board also lost $2.5 million in State Revenue Sharing; so there is a reduction of expenditures, but there is also a reduction in revenue corresponding with it on the other side of the budget.

Chief Deputy Clerk Jim Giles advised the volume of traffic citations over the last two years has increased 29%; collections for traffic fines have increased by $474,000; and total court collections that are deposited with the County and not the Clerk, including traffic fines, increased nearly $1.2 million or close to 25%. He stated the budget recommended by the Board's staff is almost $6,000 less than two years ago; the request has been reduced by $50,980; and $25,000 of that is from County Finance which has been supportive and involved with the SAP conversion process and will be assisting County Departments in understanding how the new accounting system operates and how to input information and produce information. He noted he understands the Budget Office is getting an increase this year. He stated in the County Court area, collections increased, but its budget was reduced by $25,980; he got the budget yesterday morning and still does not know, other than a general overall balancing scheme, how it is applied or the basis for the reduction of $50,980.

Mr. Jenkins acknowledged the assistance from the Clerk's Office in implementing the financial and human resources system; and stated the County has saved a lot of money by doing it in-house, but it is a drain on all the agencies. He stated what they attempted to do was address the overall budget and allow the agencies the flexibility to trim where they want to; and they recognized the increase in the court's volume, and that is why they recommended the five positions. He noted they also attempted to recognize the volume of traffic citations; however, the fines increased so there is more revenue; and the best indicator is the volume of activity.

Mr. Giles stated the volume is 29% more; the TAP Program has a slight increase, but the advantage has not been to the Clerk but to the County's Fine and Forfeiture Fund. He noted installment payments increased services; and the areas the Board wants to cut should be an issue. Chairman Scarborough stated it is okay with the Board if agencies have unfunded items they want to fund; the information being shared is already known by the Board; so it should get to questions if there are problems with the budget as proposed. Mr. Giles stated the $50,000 reduction is not warranted because services and programs have increased; and the budget is less than it was two years ago.

Discussion ensued on reduction in fees charged for services, lock box service, revising fees, charges for copies and research, the new financial management system providing efficiency in terms of manpower, and functions transferred to the Budget Office by Finance.

Sheriff's Budget

Sheriff Philip Williams advised they are hosting the International Police Games from around the world and will have dignitaries in Brevard County; and he would not want the County to step over dollars to pick up a dime if his staff is required to work overtime. Commissioner Higgs inquired what is being requested for the event; with Sheriff Williams responding $84,000. Commissioner Higgs inquired if Sheriff Williams requested support from the TDC; with Sheriff Williams responding no, but they will approach the TDC; however, if they say no, it will cripple the event that would bring $2.5 million into the business pockets; and he does not want to forego that for $84,000. He explained the requests for additional positions, training, 6% raises based on performance, replacement of weapons, communication center jackets, and travel.

Chairman Scarborough advised the Sheriff to contact Rob Varley, TDC Executive Director, to put it on the agenda as it may be an appropriate cost since the hotels and motels will get additional revenue and will increase funding for TDC. Sheriff Williams stated although it is a law enforcement function, it is tied to national politics, and is a good opportunity which may allow the County to solicit other events in the future. He stated they were in competition with Toronto, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.

Commissioner O'Brien advised of a letter from Mr. Abels dated April 28, 1999 to the Budget Review Committee which contained inaccurate information and needs more explanation. He stated the graphs showed 188 plus part time officers and 268 vehicles; the MSTU has 109 personnel and 37 vehicles; the jail has 31 vehicles, and Support Services has 120 civilians and 85 vehicles. Sheriff Williams advised the Budget Review Committee requested clarification which is lengthy; and presented a copy to Commissioner O'Brien. Commissioner O'Brien advised the Agriculture Unit added 11 cars and has 85 cars and six boats, two from a FIND grant. Sheriff Williams advised one boat was donated by Sea Ray Boats, Inc. at no cost to the taxpayers. Commissioner O'Brien stated the cost to operate the boat is not zero; and inquired if they are all necessary. Sheriff Williams advised the BRC suggested adding six boats because they assist the Marine Patrol, and the community says they are not doing enough. Commissioner Higgs stated the Marine Patrol is an unfunded mandate from the State; and Representative Posey said they thought it was a manatee issue and ignored it. Commissioner O'Brien stated the responsibility is with the Florida Marine Patrol; and if the State is not willing to get the personnel and equipment, it is not the responsibility of the County to pick up the slack; his taxes are not for State waters; and as long as the County does it, there will be no compulsion on the part of the State to put boats in the water. He recommended the Sheriff hold off on patrolling State waters. Sheriff Williams stated philosophically he agrees; Florida Highway Patrol is responsible for I-95; however, he would not drive by a person who needed help on I-95. Commissioner O'Brien stated pouring more tax dollars into State problems is not to the County's benefit. Commissioner Higgs stated it was the Sheriff's Department and not the Marine Patrol that resolved the Sebastian River airboat problem; however, philosophically she agrees with Commissioner O'Brien.

Commissioner Carlson inquired if staff asked for the money for the Sheriff's Office instead of having Marine Patrol; with Commissioner Higgs responding there was a deal that would provide half the funding if the County did half the work. Commissioner O'Brien stated the State will later say the County can pay for the whole thing.

Motion by Commissioner O'Brien, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to direct staff to prepare a letter for the Chairman's signature requesting Florida Marine Patrol provide funding to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office to take over its responsibilities. Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

Chairman Scarborough recommended staff coordinate with the Sheriff and Legislative Delegation prior to preparing the letter. Commissioner O'Brien stated if it is $1 million the first year, the next year the State will cut it back to $800,000, and then to $600,000 etc. Commissioner Carlson recommended an agreement stipulating the funding.

Commissioner O'Brien advised the Corrections Center has ten vans and two buses; there are four more vans and two more buses at the Farm; and that is a lot of vehicles to transport prisoners. He inquired if there is a need for that many vans; with Sheriff Williams suggesting Commissioner O'Brien come to the Farm and jail and spend a few days observing the operations. He stated the vans and buses at the Farm contribute $780,000 of labor to the County by delivery and pick up of inmates. Commissioner Carlson inquired how many prisoners are being transported; with Sheriff Williams responding it varies by the job and manpower needed. A representative of the Sheriff's Office advised on Mondays they transport 160 inmates to various courthouses; an average van has 12 seats; if they have females, the number is reduced; but all nine vans are on the road, and one is on loan to Palm Bay. He stated on Tuesdays they transport 140 inmates; Mr. Higgins is in the jail; and it takes one unit, two drivers, and four CRT members to take him to court and back. He advised of the problems with Mr. Higgins in Orange County and the functions his officers perform to avoid similar problems; and stated Brevard County is charging him with five crimes, so he will go to court five different times. He stated they need all the vehicles they have including the one on loan to Palm Bay; and there are 1,200 inmates in a facility built to hold 384, so there are significant problems.

Commissioner O'Brien stated if Mr. Higgins is sentenced to death row why would the County want to spend money on five charges and let him sit in jail for years. The Sheriff's representative advised that is the State Attorney's responsibility. Chairman Scarborough recommended State Attorney Norm Wolfinger be asked about Mr. Higgins.

Agriculture and Extension Services Department

Mr. Jenkins advised there is no change in the Agriculture and Extension Services budget, and he will not bring staff up unless the Board has questions. Ms. Wall advised the 2% increase is due to the reduction in the County's contribution to the retirement program.

Chairman Scarborough requested a log of the budgets showing if there were no adjustments for the retirement contributions, whether or not there would be an increase or decrease.

Commissioner O'Brien advised before 1997, the Historical Commission was not funded by the County; they were given funds to produce the history book; however, now they are being funded $1,200 to attend the Florida Historical Society annual meeting. He inquired how was it done before the Board gave it funding. Chairman Scarborough requested a report from the Historical Commission.

Animal Services and Enforcement Department

Ms. Wall advised the Animal Services budget increased 21.35% for program changes, $115,000 for operation of the North Brevard Animal Shelter, $41,000 for the feral cat program, $60,000 for vehicles and data terminals, $12,500 for rabies protection, $182,800 for additional enforcement officers, $31,000 for rabies control study, $15,680 for temporary data entry specialist, $9,000 to bring the National Cruelty Investigation School Level I to Brevard County, and $10,300 for travel for employee training.

Commissioner Higgs inquired if the entire amount is necessary for the feral cat program or could the Board fund half the year and look at it again in mid-year; with Mr. Jenkins responding that is a dangerous precedent. Discussion ensued on implementation of the feral cat program.

Mr. Jenkins commented on increasing sale of dog tags. Commissioner Carlson inquired what is the status of the tags; with Animal Services and Enforcement Director Joe Ward responding it is $5.00 sold by veterinarians who keep a $1.00 per tag. Discussion continued on methods to increase sale of dog tags, mass marketing, and the rate resolution.

Commissioner O'Brien made a motion to adopt a resolution setting a $5.00 fee for license tags; and Mr. Jenkins responded the Board already approved the Resolution, but it needs to be signed by the Chairman.

The meeting recessed at 11:25 a.m., and reconvened at 11:40 a.m.

Board of County Commissioners

Mr. Jenkins advised due to the Board's frugality and good government, staff has been able to reduce its budget.

Budget Office

Mr. Jenkins advised the Budget Office has a small staff; the director works seven days a week and stays late almost every day; they picked up the Capital Improvements Plan process from the Planning Office; and the proposed budget contains two additional positions. He stated Ms. Wall cannot work 90 hours a week and is making changes in her life.

Chairman Scarborough stated when he came on board, Finance did the budget and presented reams of paper which was difficult to analyze, so the Budget Office is vital. Mr. Jenkins stated the way the budget is presented now is simple so the average person can understand it.

Code Compliance Department

Ms. Wall advised Code Compliance's budget decreased 3.37%, but there is a $13,198 increase for monitoring the sign program, funds for one voice recording unit to streamline review and permitting process and provide the public 24-hour site plan and permit status, faxing of application forms, etc., two digital cameras for Environmental Health, demolition of clearance of dilapidated homes for which $25,000 will be funded by CDBG, and one unfunded office assistant for Code Enforcement.

Commissioner O'Brien inquired how many homes are scheduled to be demolished; with Code Compliance Director Bill Osborne responding 40 homes, and 10 to 15 are scheduled each year. Commissioner O'Brien inquired if staff got legal clearance next year, could they do all 40; with Mr. Osborne responding they have to schedule and coordinate with Road and Bridge. Mr. Jenkins inquired if the paper work could get done; with Mr. Osborne responding yes. Commissioner O'Brien stated it took five hours to demolish a home on Merritt Island; and if staff can do that, it could cut the budget for next fiscal year. Mr. Osborne advised there was an oversight under Code Enforcement which stated zero full-time employees, but there are 88. Commissioner O'Brien questioned the number of positions for Code Compliance in 1998 and 1999; with Ms. Wall responding those positions are transfers within the Department.

Commissioner Higgs stated several years ago the County went from pro-active to only dealing with complaints; and inquired if it is more or less effective in dealing with complaints, and if being pro-active would be more effective. Mr. Osborne advised being pro-active will require more people on the street; as complaints come in, they are being handled as effectively as possible with the number of personnel they have; and to be pro-active would require increasing the number of officers and office staff. Mr. Jenkins stated it would be more effective because everyone has violations in their yards, but if it is not bothering anyone does the Board want to go through the process. He stated they take care of those that create problems. Commissioner Higgs stated there may be a lot of things not dealt with at low levels of nuisance that may clear up, but if left to fester, could cause problems.

Commissioner Carlson inquired if there is an area of violation that requires a lot of man-hours; with Mr. Osborne responding overgrowth and parking in rights-of-way are the biggest complaints. He noted if an officer is driving down a road and sees a blatant violation he does not look the other way. Commissioner Carlson inquired how many times have they done that; with Mr. Osborne responding he can find out because they log everything they do.

Commissioner O'Brien stated compensation and benefits increased by $62,000 with no increase in positions; and requested an explanation. Ms. Wall advised they had an unfunded position they are funding for the next fiscal year. Commissioner O'Brien stated the full time positions say 22 this fiscal year and 22 next fiscal year; with Ms. Wall responding the position was there but not the funding. Mr. Jenkins advised the program is self-supporting and revenues can only be spent for that purpose; there were 22 positions but no money to pay for them; and as revenues increased, they now have dollars for that position. Commissioner O'Brien inquired if one position costs $62,000; with Ms. Wall responding it is two positions. Commissioner O'Brien commented that Code Enforcement is doing a good job.

County Attorney's Office

County Attorney Scott Knox advised the budget request reflects an 8.03% increase; most of that is for salary increases and two positions approved by the Board; and for adjusting salaries of Assistant County Attorneys. He presented a survey comparing his staff's salaries to attorneys of other counties; and noted their salaries are on the low end. He stated the impact is four attorneys were contacted and recruited, three by private firms and one by a public entity; he lost one attorney, convinced two to stay, and one rejected the offer; and all were monetarily related so it is important to be competitive with other firms.

Commissioner Carlson inquired if Lee County has only five Assistant County Attorneys; with Mr. Knox responding no, they have 15. Chairman Scarborough stated the top bracket pays $74,000; and inquired how many does Brevard County have in that bracket; with Mr. Knox responding two. Commissioner Higgs inquired if the $100,000 in Seminole County and $106,000 in Lee County are the County Attorney or Assistant County Attorneys; with Mr. Knox responding Assistant County Attorneys. Chairman Scarborough requested the total operating budget of Lee County and whether they hire a lot of outside counsels; with Mr. Knox responding he will get that information. Commissioner O'Brien advised in-house counsel provides continuity and intimate knowledge; and if outside counsel is hired from different firms, they begin with no history of the County and may cost more. Commissioner Carlson inquired what criteria is used to hire attorneys; and if Mr. Knox looks for those with specific expertise, such as adult entertainment, or hire them out of law school; with Mr. Knox responding they find that those with local government experience are doing things unrelated to local government. Commissioner Carlson inquired if they are taken from the private sector; with Mr. Knox responding no, most of those have gone through government experience and proceeded to private practice. Commissioner Carlson inquired what experience does the new Assistant County Attorney who will be starting Monday has; with Mr. Knox responding Code Enforcement and Animal Control. Commissioner Higgs inquired if the County Attorney's Office interacts with Animal Control officers who have to go to court; with Mr. Knox responding yes.

Chairman Scarborough inquired if Mr. Knox is trying to bring the salaries in line; with Mr. Knox responding yes, not at the highest or the lowest, but somewhere in the middle. Commissioner Higgs inquired if there are funds for outside counsel; with Mr. Knox responding no, the departments pay for those. Mr. Jenkins advised there is $100,000 in an account for that.

County Manager's Office

County Manager Tom Jenkins advised his budget is down from last year.

Chairman Scarborough advised Mr. Knox has done an analysis of salaries for his staff; and recommended Human Resources Director Frank Abbate do an analysis of all employees to determine where adjustments are needed. Mr. Jenkins stated they are taking significant steps forward with the Pay Plan this year; and it will be costly, so he is trying to do it in two or three years to get salaries up. Chairman Scarborough inquired if that is across the board as opposed to weak points in the structure; and he would like to know where the weak points are. Mr. Jenkins responded one of the weak points are in the professional library staff.

Emergency Management Services Department

Ms. Wall advised the Emergency Management budget has gone down by 82% as a result of a decrease in a grant of $2.1 million, but the General Fund contribution has remained the same.

Commissioner Carlson inquired how much has EMS spent in revising EMS plans for various agencies; with Emergency Management Services Director Bob Lay responding around $10,000 for health care facilities. He stated that will change depending on the number of plans they review each year and the amount of time it takes to do it. He stated they do not charge for that review; but he would like to ask for the ability to charge a fee.

Commissioner Higgs inquired if the EOC expansion is completed; with Mr. Lay responding no, they hope to energize the end of the building with air conditioning and dry it out so they can lay carpet and do other things. He stated they anticipate to be fully operational by the end of July, but they have a plan to take over and operate out of the building in case something happens.

Commissioner Carlson inquired if Mr. Lay incorporated increasing CERT teams in the budget; with Mr. Lay responding it was in his visioning, but not in the budget. He stated they would like to do four teams a year, and are continuing to train those teams, but they need resources to provide the equipment for them. Commissioner Carlson inquired about the server to communicate with the State's Emergency Operations Center; with Mr. Lay responding that is in the budget, but is unfunded. Commissioner Carlson inquired if there are priorities Mr. Lay wants and is not asking for; with Mr. Lay responding $275,000 for renovation of the middle portion of the building and the server.

Commissioner O'Brien stated compensation and benefits are down 2.67% and the number of personnel is the same; and inquired if Mr. Lay should plan for the 5.5% pay increase; with Mr. Jenkins responding the decrease is the Florida State Retirement reduction and pay increases are in a different budget and is not distributed to individual department budgets. Ms. Wall noted they are held in General Fund Reserves. Commissioner O'Brien stated if the net reduction is 2.67%, then every budget should be down that percentage; and inquired why the budget went up $16,000 last year and is down $8,000 this year; with a staff member responding grants go up and down in amounts. Chairman Scarborough stated Ms. Wall will advise the Board which budgets are up and which ones are down without calculating the retirement reduction.

Mr. Jenkins advised, excluding annualized salary increases, any significant program change has been itemized so the Board can see if positions were added, more capital program changes, etc. and know why they are going up or down.

Health and Human Services Department

Ms. Wall advised the overall budget for Health and Human Services has decreased by 5.39%; however, it is due to federal and State grants associated with housing programs. She stated the General Fund has increased by $850,233 due to mandated increases in Medicaid funding of $472,920, Health Care Responsibility Act for hospitalization for County residents of $130,086, purchase of health insurance for the Healthy Kids Program at $101,036, and increase to Community Based Organizations Program of $117,000. She noted one unfunded program change for $165,000 is the expansion of Crosswinds Youth Center; and she spoke with the Director who indicated that $55,000 for the next three years would suffice if the Board cannot find $165,000 to purchase the land for their new shelter. Mr. Jenkins advised the CBO funding has been increased by $117,000 which is a potential funding source for Crosswinds.

Commissioner O'Brien stated his concern is as the County funds more and more low-income children, the funding from Tallahassee will be reduced and the burden upon the County will become insurmountable and the County will not be able to afford the program. He stated it should be more cautious with funding those programs; originally it was $35,000 and now it is $101,036; and if the Board does not want to increase taxes it needs to stop increasing other areas. He stated he will not vote to increase the Beach and Riverfront tax for parks and he would prefer to take the Healthy Kids Program out than to get further into the program. He noted it is a nice program, but what did they do before; and inquired if Medicaid took care of it.

Commissioner Higgs responded no, the 14,000 to 16,000 children in Brevard County who are not covered by any type of insurance cannot be covered by Medicaid and do not have private insurance; and they are working on a mechanism to meet the match for federal dollars. She stated the State decided to use Title 21 money which meant the County could not use money from the health care providers, so it has made it difficult. She stated the children who may not get health care will not learn and will not be successful; and it could start a cycle of children not being successful which would cost the County later. Commissioner Higgs stated when she asked people in the School system what is the biggest need, they pointed to this program four years ago; children who are not healthy cannot get medication; and if she had to choose between good parks and this program, the parks would not look pretty. She stated those children who cannot get coverage are more important because down the road that would be a bigger cost; it is an investment that will return many times; and they are working to find a plan to get a good part of the cost covered. Commissioner O'Brien inquired why does the County not cover the 14,000 children instead of only 2,000; with Commissioner Higgs responding the cost would be tremendous. Commissioner O'Brien stated if it is that important, then the rest of the budget could be cut to cover those children; and inquired at what point would the School Board consider this; with Commissioner Higgs responding the School Board has contributed. Commissioner O'Brien stated he has a problem funding the program when it is a School Board program; with Commissioner Higgs responding it is a health care issue. Commissioner O'Brien stated he does not want to keep spending money; and inquired why the Board does not cut budgets or not increase them.

Human Resources Office

Ms. Wall advised the Human Resources Office budget decreased by $61,000 or 9.27% due to reduction in the State retirement contribution and transfer of one employee to the Benefits Program funded by Health Insurance. She stated there is one unfunded program change at $372,000 for employee health clinics.

Mr. Jenkins advised the health insurance funding has been increased by 20%. Commissioner Higgs inquired if that is adequate; with Mr. Jenkins responding hopefully.

Human Resources Director Frank Abbate advised they are doing everything they can to reduce the cost of health insurance; and they will do interviews tomorrow, but are disappointed in the responses to the RFP because the insurance agencies said there is no fully insured market in Brevard County. He stated they received one proposal from Blue Cross Blue Shield for a fully-insured plan; however, it was three times the current cost of the County's plan; so they are working on direct contracting and looking at self insurance through existing vendors, primarily Aetna and HealthFirst. Chairman Scarborough inquired when will a report come back to the Board; with Mr. Abbate responding no later than August 10, 1999 is their goal.

Mr. Jenkins advised there is another unfunded component in health insurance; it has been put on hold until staff works out the insurance program; Mr. Abbate has done research that indicates large corporations have opened their own clinical care offices that provide direct care using ARN's under direction of a doctor and employees can go to those clinics and get direct care. He stated it appears to have saved corporations money because they continue to do it; and Harris Corporation does it. Mr. Abbate advised it is also being done in Orange County, Disney, and City of Jacksonville; and staff is exploring that from two components, clinical care and minor care, and combining that with disease management to identify risks within the population, identify those people, and help them. Chairman Scarborough inquired if they hire someone from the outside to do it; with Mr. Abbate responding it is typical to hire a management component and bring in the nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Mr. Jenkins stated staff is looking at both methods, either on a contractual basis or hiring people; but it may be difficult to recruit people because the salaries for ARN's have escalated dramatically. Chairman Scarborough inquired how much; with Mr. Abbate responding $55,000 to $65,000 salary range.

Commissioner Carlson inquired if staff reviewed cost benefit analyses from other counties; with Mr. Abbate responding yes, but it is difficult because of indirect cost benefits from preventive care. Commissioner Carlson inquired what are the health insurance plans for the counties that have clinics; with Mr. Abbate responding most of the major corporations are self-insured. Mr. Jenkins stated it will cost a lot of money to do it, and staff has to make sure the County can afford it. Commissioner Carlson stated there may be a savings; with Mr. Jenkins responding it may be a savings for next year, but they have to pay for health insurance this year.

Chairman Scarborough inquired if a lot of corporations are going with self-insurance; with Mr. Abbate responding the larger ones are. Mr. Abbate stated the North Central Florida Health Care Coalition, which is a lot of big groups, are having a special meeting to consider direct contracting because the fully-insured market is having significant problems in their area as well; and that is the primary market for Brevard County.

Commissioner Higgs inquired, if the RFP was just for the County and not the School Board, would it have gotten a different response; with Mr. Abbate responding that is hard to predict; and the only other major player he is aware of is Cigna which is having significant problems with the School Board. Commissioner Higgs inquired if there were provisions in Aetna's Contract for an additional year at a certain rate, but by issuing an RFP the Contract was voided; with Mr. Abbate responding this is the last year of the Agreement; Aetna did not come back and propose a fully-insured program for the County; and they proposed a program where the County would pay a set administrative fee for their network; and the cost of the claims experience. Commissioner Higgs inquired if the County is precluded from offering Aetna 10% more to keep the same deal; with Mr. Jenkins responding the issue is going to be who the doctors are because they will want to shrink their list. Mr. Abbate stated there is a big change in Aetna this coming January that does not apply this year, and that is no HealthFirst facilities will be in the Aetna plan. Mr. Jenkins stated the County can buy re-insurance over a certain level; and Chairman Scarborough stated it makes sense to cover catastrophic cases.

Commissioner Carlson inquired how much do employees contribute to the self-insurance programs of corporations; with Mr. Abbate responding it is a wide gap that goes from marginal to extraordinary, and Brevard County is relatively on the low end. Commissioner Carlson inquired if the County goes with self-insurance, will employees have to contribute; with Mr. Abbate responding that is not the goal; the goal is not to diminish the pay increases by increasing employee cost for insurance; but it is difficult to know that because they would be making assumptions. He stated a lot of what they have to rely on is what Aetna tells them; they are the ones who have the best information on the County's group; and they have to base assumptions on the information Aetna provides.

Discussion ensued on self-insurance alone or with the School Board, unions, co-payments, out-of-pocket expenses for PPO, responsible use of access to health care, prescription and medical deductible increases, using generic, formulary, and brand drugs, and exceptions.

Chairman Scarborough inquired how the hospitals are responding to the concept; with Mr. Abbate responding they received proposals from all three hospitals, which are significantly different; and on Monday, they will negotiate with each hospital to try and bring them within something that is reasonable and fair to them and to what the County has to pay.

Health and Human Services Department (continued)

Commissioner O'Brien advised the Family Children Services Program changes proposed for funding are low-income children at $101,000 and an increase for CBO of $117,000; those total $218,000; and the Board should not be doing that kind of giveaway programs. He stated there is one mandated increase, and that is the Fire Department; but other than that the only mandate he gets is from the public not to raise their taxes.

Commissioner Carlson advised on page E-10.4 there is a decrease in intergovernmental revenues which appears to be a decrease in the low-income Energy Assistance Program; Page E-10.3 shows low income as one of the performance measures; it is a non-mandated item; and the projection is quite a bit lower. She stated looking back at intergovernmental revenues, is that because the County did not get the grant or have not asked for it or what is that due to; with a staff member responding this year they received $450,000 because of the heat wave; and that is more than usual, and why it shows 4,600 clients this year compared to next year when they will receive the usual amount of $280,000. She noted they can only budget half of it because it runs from April to March and covers two different fiscal years.

Law Library

Ms. Wall advised the net budget decreased by the amount of money they project to receive for filing fees which fund the majority of the budget, and recognizing revenues they will get from overdue fines and surplus book sales; and their General Fund transfer has gone down by 6.3% due to retirement savings. She stated the overall budget has gone down in all expenditure line items due to reduction in revenue sources.

Mr. Jenkins advised they have a new Director, Susan Szymula, who has done an outstanding job and comes from the County's Library System.

Commissioner O'Brien inquired if attorneys pay a fee to use the Law Library; with Chairman Scarborough responding he has a problem with law libraries; they should be integrated in the Public Library System to benefit the public; attorneys do not use law libraries that frequently because there is capacity on the Internet; and the taxpayers should not subsidize a profession. He stated it should be available to the public; the hours of operation and location are not user friendly; and to let the public use it when they need it should be a priority of the Board.

Commissioner Carlson advised of her experience at one of the law libraries, noting the difficulty for someone who does not know the legal system. Ms. Szymula stated it has improved since they consolidated to one law library and have more staff; and usage by the public is almost 60%. She stated they are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Commissioner O'Brien inquired how many people represent 60%; with the new Director responding it averages 2,500 every month; and they answer about 1,500 questions each month which are different from the public libraries and more complicated, so it takes longer to answer. Commissioner Carlson inquired if staff tried to integrate the law library into the Central Library System; with Mr. Jenkins responding there is more coordination now because Ms. Szymula is from the County Library System and works closely with them. He stated Florida Statutes establishing law libraries would have to be amended to combine the library systems. Commissioner Carlson suggested opening until 8:30 p.m. and on weekends; with Mr. Jenkins responding they would need more staff. Commissioner O'Brien stated they can open later and close later. Chairman Scarborough stated he would like to entertain ideas of making the law library more user friendly. Ms. Szymula stated they took steps to make their collections available through the County's card catalog on line. Chairman Scarborough inquired if he could order them from the North Brevard Library; with Mr. Jenkins responding the books do not leave the law library.

Commissioner O'Brien stated 2,500 people a month is about 100 people a day, and that is a significant number. Commissioner Carlson stated it makes her wonder if they opened at different hours how many more people will be served if 2,500 deem it necessary to go in during working hours.

Chairman Scarborough suggested an experiment to stay open an hour or two later one night and some hours on Saturdays to see if there is a larger response and determine the cost. He stated here are people who may not be able to afford an attorney; and it would give them the opportunity to get advice. Commissioner O'Brien stated they could open from noon to four on Mondays and Saturdays. Chairman Scarborough stated that would shift the hours at no cost.

Natural Resources Management Office

Ms. Wall advised the Natural Resources Management budget increased 17.82% due to increases in permits and licenses associated with new development, as well as DER petroleum clean-up grant; and the General Fund decreased by 6% due to reduction in retirement contribution.

Commissioner O'Brien inquired who took Virginia's place; with Mr. Peffer responding they are still recruiting to fill the vacancy. Commissioner O'Brien stated the budget says 17 to 17 employees; with Mr. Peffer responding the position is there but it is unfilled.

Commissioner Carlson advised in the visioning presentation, there were several low number items to put together educational brochures, purchase a scanner, additional color printer, materials, etc.; and inquired if those were incorporated in the proposed budget; with Mr. Peffer responding no, there is nothing in the budget that increases the education effort beyond what it is now; there are printers that need to be replaced; they are only able to maintain the current level of service; but the vision is what they would like to do if additional resources were available. Commissioner Carlson inquired if those are priorities, and why were they part of the visioning if they can be done some other way; with Mr. Peffer responding there are different thoughts of what they would like to do in visioning if they had the resources; and some things they can do if they do not do other things. He stated their priority is to meet the level of service that they are doing now. Mr. Jenkins advised Commissioner Carlson is asking if Mr. Peffer could use additional resources; with Mr. Peffer responding it could make the educational pieces possible. Commissioner Carlson inquired if it is a priority and will it create a good benefit; with Mr. Peffer responding yes, they are doing some public education now and others will be needed as certain things occur in the coming year. He noted they hope the Manatee Protection Plan will be adopted, and they would need to have public education on how that applies to people. Commissioner Carlson stated the County will soon have a new TV government channel which will provide a resource for educational purposes.

Commissioner O'Brien advised the Property Appraiser's Office has a GIS; and inquired if the County is being redundant by having a GIS in Natural Resources. Mr. Peffer advised they provide a specialized service that is not provided by the Property Appraiser's Office; they work closely with the Property Appraiser's GIS staff and use their database, which is basically property information; but if someone wanted to know about soils, wetlands, scrub jay habitats, etc. they maintain that database which is used extensively to develop and prepare documents for the Board. He stated they also support the EELS Program which shares in the funding of that operation through interoffice revenue; and feel they can provide a better service in Natural Resources by maintaining that database. Commissioner O'Brien stated Natural Resources could give that information to Mr. Ford; with Mr. Jenkins responding Mr. Ford operates the core system, and different County Departments put data in about natural resources, sewer lines, water lines, surface water areas, zoning, etc. He stated each Department is responsible for putting their specialized information into the database; and Mr. Ford would have to hire people who work in those areas to do what they do.

Sheriff's Budget (continued)

Commissioner O'Brien advised his office called the Cape Canaveral Precinct of the Sheriff's Office where they have the free Sea Ray boat and asked if they could go out and look at a problem with jet skiers harassing people on the beach; and the reply was they have no one to operate the boat. He inquired if the Sheriff has six boats, does he have six operators.

Commissioner Higgs stated two are airboats. Chairman Scarborough recommended an analysis of where the boats are located.

Commissioner O'Brien stated the County is paying for maintenance of the boats; if they are on trailers and outdoors, they will start to turn to junk; and the insurance is costing the taxpayers. He inquired if the Sheriff has one operator for six boats. Chairman Scarborough recommended Commissioner O'Brien put those questions together and have Ms. Wall or Mr. Jenkins send them to the Sheriff because the Board needs answers to those questions.

Upon motion and vote, the meeting adjourned at 1:07 p.m.

ATTEST:

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

SANDY CRAWFORD, CLERK
(S E A L)