MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

May 1, 2007

 

 

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special/workshop session on May 1, 2007, at 5:05 p.m. in the Government Center Commission Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida.  Present were:  Vice Chairperson Truman Scarborough, Commissioners Chuck Nelson, Helen Voltz, and Mary Bolin, County Manager Peggy Busacca, and County Attorney Scott Knox.  Absent was:  Chairperson Colon. 

 

 

 

The Invocation was given by Commissioner Voltz.

 

 

Commissioner Bolin led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

 

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough expressed his appreciation to all for attending; noted it is a very important moment, not just for Brevard County, but throughout the State, as it tries to readjust how it does business at the local government level; everyone needs to be aware that the County is months away from finalizing the budget; and that is the process set forth by Florida Statutes.  He stated first a millage is set and it goes out in what is called the TRIM bill; that notice is mailed out to everybody who has property; and it allows people to come in and discuss what the millage will be.  He noted there are two public hearings on the budget; the last one is September 18, 2007; at that time, the budget will be set based upon the agreement or the concurrency of three Commissioners; and if people do not feel like they were able to get their point across tonight, they will have four more months to work on it.  

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca advised Commissioner Colon is very ill; she is currently in the emergency room and cannot attend the meeting; and expressed best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

 

 

Commissioner Nelson noted he met with the Sheriff and the Public Defender regarding the issue of providing space for the Public Defender; he believes they have come to an agreement on the allocation of space and can avoid going to court; and they will continue to work through the details of the layout of the space and bring it back before the Board towards the end of May, before the June break starts. 

 

 

 

Commissioner Bolin expressed her thanks for everyone attending the meeting; and noted she is looking forward to hearing what the people’s priorities are. 

 

 

Florida Association of Counties Executive Director Chris Holly called in by telephone.  Vice Chairperson Scarborough inquired what the latest news is in Tallahassee from the local government perspective.  Mr. Holly replied for the last two days, there has not been much activity that the Association has been able to get information on; there have been some meetings between local government folks such as County Commissioners and Sheriffs, the Governor, and members of the Senate Leadership Team this weekend; there was a Conference Committee process last week that did not result in agreement; and since that time, publicly there has not been anything.  He noted the Governor came out with a package; the Association has asked counties to determine the effects of the package; it is fairly steep cuts through a cap process; but they are hearing rumors that there could be an agreement reached on a package that could contain both Statutory rules for counties, cities, and special districts, as well as constitutional language that could go to a special election in the fall or to the ’08 ballot.   He stated today, the more consistent rumors are that this is most likely heading towards a special session with the Legislature on tax reform because there are only three days left in the regular session and the budget still has to be passed; and Legislators are running out of time unless there is an extension or a special session.   He advised to try to give people an update on all the different concepts that are floating around would be difficult; they are such wide-ranging issues; the Association has worked hard to put forward a package that includes reform measures, relief for the taxpayers who are not protected by the Save Our Homes Amendment, some relief for businesses, and some suggestions on help for affordable housing in Florida.  He stated the Association has tried to come forward with some ideas; many of those ideas are still in the mix in Tallahassee; but he thinks the biggest concern that local governments have right now is that they are in the midst of the budget preparation process.  He advised the fiscal year begins October first; the public hearings start in September; and normally workshops kick off in June and July.  He noted it is difficult to make decisions on how to allocate resources and continue to provide services when counties are very unsure of what the resources are going to be; the longer this process goes, the more difficult it is for local governments to make decisions; and there are still the property appraisers who will give the rolls and the values in about a month.  He advised those are the issues local governments have to address; in many parts of Florida there will not be the type of appreciation as seen in the past; and in some cases, they may even see the rolls diminishing, which puts pressure on Commissions to make the tough decisions about how to reduce budgets for those purposes.  He stated the media coverage seems to be good; they have identified the issues; and commented on media coverage today about possible additional revenue that might be used for tax relief, and House and Senate bills concerning video lottery. He advised he hopes to know something one way or another in the next two days; and he will continue to brief members as information comes in.

 

 

 

Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten advised staff has put together a brief PowerPoint presentation; it is broken into four sections; the first section addresses what are property taxes; and the second section explains what property taxes pay for.   He noted the third section, “What are the Current Tax Proposals” addresses the legislative proposals that are being hashed out in

Tallahassee; and the last section being “What do Revenue Reductions Mean,” speaks to the proposals and the effect on Brevard County.

 

Mr. Whitten stated generally what one pays in property taxes is determined by the taxable value of the property multiplied by a tax rate; the Property Appraiser determines the taxable value of a person’s property; and taxing authorities such as County Commissioners, School Boards, and City Councils determine the tax rates.  He noted in terms of the percentages represented on the tax bill for Brevard County citizens, the School Board makes up 45% of the tax bill; County Government makes up 37% of the tax bill; cities make up 14% of the tax bill; and Independent Districts make up 3% of the tax bill.  He advised in terms of the County’s $1.16 billion budget, approximately 21% represents revenues from property taxes and the other 79% is from other revenues, which are dedicated to specific expenditures; the 21% from property taxes totals $248.97 million; the non-voted operating portion is approximately $204.2 million, representing 82% of the $248.97 million; the voted operating portion is approximately $27.5 million or 11%; and the voted debt portion is $17.3 million or 7%.   He noted when the voted debt, in terms of what is subject to the property tax reform legislation in Tallahassee is stripped out, it is about $231 million of operating tax revenues. 

 

Budget Director Dennis Rogero noted Part II of the presentation is what do property taxes pay for; $231.7 million is collected for what is identified as operating property taxes; and that is exclusive of any debt taxes.  He advised the general countywide millage, by far the largest, brings in $150,963,339; the Library District is $21,599,916; Law Enforcement MSTU is the Municipal Service Taxing Unit, at $14,261,407; the Fire Control MSTU, which is in large part voter approved, is $11,593,717; the South Brevard Special Recreation District, which is also voter approved, is $9,362,567; the Mosquito Control District is $7,072,921; Road and Bridge MSTU’s is $5,444,614; EEL’s 2004 Referendum, voter approved, is $1,854,671; Recreation #4 District is $1,756,552; and the Merritt Island Recreation District, voter approved, is $1,669,836.  He stated this leaves them to concentrate on the general countywide property tax which totals $151 million approximately and is used with other general revenue sources, which are approximately $52 million, to fund countywide services. 

 

Mr. Rogero advised the breakdown of that total begins with general revenues at $203.8 million; $42.1 million or just under 21% is transferred to the Sheriff’s Office; just over $31 million is transferred to the Sheriff’s Office for jail operations; a little over $22.5 million is for Parks and Recreation; with the change in revenue sources for EMS, just over $20 million is transferred to Fire Rescue; just over $16 million is for Board Agencies and Charter Offices Facilities; $11.3 million is for the Housing and Human Services Agency; the Property Appraiser’s Office is just over $9 million and is a mandated function by the State; Road and Bridge receives $7 million; the Tax Collector’s Office receives under $7 million and is a mandated function by the State; Medicaid and other mandates is $4.4 million; the Transportation Engineering Department is $4 million; Supervisor of Elections is $3.8 million and is a mandated function by the State; Animal Services Department is $2.8 million; the Courts transfer from the General Fund is $2.8 million and is a mandated function by the State; Planning and Zoning Office receives $1.9 million and is a mandated function by the State; the Economic Development Commission (EDC) receives $1.6 million; Emergency Management Department receives $1.6 million; and the remaining services funded by the General Fund are $14.5 million.  He stated the breakdown of the other services include Agriculture and Extension Services, Criminal Justice Services, Law Library, Natural Resources Management, Permitting and Enforcement, the Government Channel (SCGTV), payments to Redevelopment Agencies, Board of County Commissioners, County Manager’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, Central Services which includes Purchasing and Asset Management, County Finance Department, the Board’s minutes, Budget Office,  Economic  and

Financial Programs Office, Historical Commission, portions of the Human Resources Office, and portions of the Information Technology Office.

 

Mr. Whitten noted the associated revenue reductions in the current tax proposals are as follows:  the House Tax Bill totals approximately $76 million; Senate Tax Bill totals approximately $17 to $18 million; and the Governor’s Tax Proposal totals approximately $35.6 million. 

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca advised she would like to give the Board some information about how confusing all of this is; the House passed two bills, both a Constitutional Bill and a Statutory Bill; it then went to conference with the Senate, which had only passed one bill; and  both of the Senate and the House have Committee Bills.  She noted during the negotiations, the Senate moved up instead of moving down to the House; then the Governor released his second proposal; so there are currently seven proposals that are floating around in Tallahassee. 

 

Ms. Busacca noted to answer the question of what do revenue reductions mean, staff took the Governor’s first proposal of cutting $76 million, which is 30% of the Ad Valorem operating revenue; and it is equivalent to 1,400 employees based on the average County employee’s salary and benefits.  She advised certain agencies, which are non-Ad Valorem and have minimal impacts for property tax reductions include Building and Land Development; Solid Waste; Stormwater Utility; Tourism, which is supported by tourist tax; Utilities; and State- mandated programs and services.  She stated the State mandated programs include Medicaid, Pre-trial Detention of Juveniles, Courts, Comprehensive Plan, Baker Act, Medical Examiner, Health Care Act, Hospitalization of Arrestees, Child Protection Team, and Indigent Burials for a total of $15.89 million.  She advised staff has identified what it considered may be priorities; first is Law Enforcement at $90 million and that does include jail operations; second is fire at $30 million; the third is Parks and Recreation, voter-approved by referendum, at $12 million; $7 million is for Mosquito Control because staff felt it could be a public safety issue due to the problem with disease; and Emergency Management is $1.6 million.  She stated if those are subtracted from the total amount of $231 million property tax revenue, it leaves a total of $90.4 million in the Ad Valorem; of that, the County may be expected to find up to $76 million; and the House has one proposal that would require a $115 million cut.  She advised to give everyone an idea of what $76 million means, approximately 85% of all the programs and services, except for public safety and voter-approved programs, would have to be eliminated or reduced, if the priority programs remain untouched; and so the option is for the Board then to look at maintaining some of those services while cutting some of what it may consider priorities.  She advised some of the internal impacts may include the staffing of internal service agencies such as the County Manager’s Office, Human Resources, Budget Office, IT, Purchasing, and others, and it could include cuts to salaries and benefits to both current employees and retirees; and examples of external impacts may include service and programs including roads and transportation, contracts with service providers such as the EDC, contracts with outside vendors, and contributions to community organizations.  She stated in most instances, if there was an announcement that there was going to be a reduction equivalent to 1,400 jobs in the community, there would be some concern; she is glad to see everyone present to comment on this; the Board put out an ad on Sunday to alert people and invite them to the meeting; and there has been some criticism about the cost of the ad.  She noted the ad was approximately $12,000; it reached the Sunday circulation of 110,171, which is an 11¢ per person notice; that is quite economical because letters could not have been sent for 11¢; and when the State mandated that the County send out Fire Assessment mailers to 86,000 addresses in Brevard County the total cost was $65,000.  She stated the ad was put together very rapidly; the list of the items in the ad have not been approved by the Board;   there  has  been  no  approval  or in-depth discussion about service reductions; and it was simply to provide information about the order of magnitude and the very difficult decisions that the Board will be required to make. 

 

 

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough advised Chairperson Colon wrote to the cities; the cities were of the opinion that they had to get a handle on it more from their staff; Brevard County is trying to get out in front and get public comments early; and the Commissioners have been asked to come back early from the June break to put more time into this.  He noted it is not going to be an easy process because what is important to one person may not be important to another; and the Board will weigh everybody’s concerns and give them adequate time to understand the dynamics of what is occurring.  He stated representatives from the cities are present and will have a chance to speak; and requested they look for a signal from Commissioner Bolin as to when their time is up.

 

Mayor Carol McCormack of Palm Shores expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to address the Board on the vital issue; noted there is no question that there is an economic inequity with the current system used by the Property Appraiser; the wide ranging effect of eliminating property tax will have an enormous impact on all of the citizens of Brevard County; and the issue of growth management has been a major concern in the past.  She noted imagine living in another State and hearing Florida not only does not have a State income tax but now does not have a property tax either; inquired how will the County manage growth and continue to provide the services needed without the necessary revenue; and stated with the session fast ending, there are many unanswered questions.  She noted May has been proclaimed Older Americans Month; and inquired what will happen to the programs designed to assist seniors and the children in the County.  She inquired how will the increase in sales tax be distributed to the cities; who is going to make those decisions and on what basis; and what will happen to the cities and towns that are committed to redevelopment.  She advised it appears that the Legislature is trying to fit a round peg in a square hole; one size does not fit all; and it is frustrating for all of the citizens that after all of this time the taxpayers are going to have to foot the bill for a special session.

 

Dan Rocque, representing the City of Satellite Beach, advised the budget process is to provide the services the residents desire and to do so in the most cost effective manner; Satellite Beach is not the lowest tax city as the residents expect and have demanded quality of life enhancements; the enhancements cost money and are funded through the Ad Valorem taxes; and the City goes to great length to solicit citizen input in order to identify enhancements, which the citizens feel are important to them.  He noted one example is the purchase and preservation of 40% of the oceanfront; for over 25 years, the citizens have supported and even voted to raise taxes  to  acquire  and  preserve  the  oceanfront  in  its  natural  state;  the success of acquiring oceanfront property results in the loss of approximately $1 million of tax revenue per year; and the current City tax rate is 5.9 mills.  He noted another example is advance life support services; Satellite  Beach  became  the  first government entity in the County to provide ALS;  the  citizens wanted a quicker response to life threatening situations than could be provided by the former service; and just recently the City expanded its ALS by hiring additional paramedics to respond to concurrent medical emergencies.  He stated Satellite Beach has earned a reputation for providing services and amenities that enhance the quality of life to residents; citizens have supported the development and continuation of the services and amenities; and many of the services are enjoyed by other residents of the south beaches.  He noted the City has the first municipal skate park in the County, which serves skaters in south beaches and  South  Brevard; it also has the first dog park in the County, which is highly utilized by residents of surrounding political jurisdictions; the community teen center and teen zone provide basketball opportunities for south beach residents and are highly used facilities for teens; and Satellite Beach solely funded the construction of a football field and maintains the facility for players from Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Indian Harbor Beach, Satellite Beach, and unincorporated Brevard County.  Mr. Rocque advised these are all costly services and amenities, but the citizens have consistently supported the enhancements; the Board played an important role by making the land where the dog park, football field, and skate park now exist, available to the City; Satellite Beach wishes to thank the Commission for the cooperation and support in the monumental effort to provide these valuable quality of life enhancements; and Satellite Beach supports local home rule.  He requested Satellite Beach citizens be allowed to determine what services are to be provided and what is an acceptable cost; noted the State Legislature should not preclude the ability of Satellite Beach to provide the citizens the services and quality of life issues they deserve and want; and at this time he would like to reference a letter to Representative Thad Altman from Michael P. Crotty, City Manager.  He read aloud as follows, “Dear Representative Altman, I am writing to express my concern over the House counter proposal which was offered on April 25, 2007.  The purpose of this correspondence is to make you aware of the profound impact that this proposal would have on service delivery in the City of Satellite Beach.  Since reading the WHIP’s policy brief dated February 27^th,  entitled the House Proposal for Property Tax Reform, I have had ongoing concerns that our representatives in Tallahassee do not fully understand the impact of the House proposal on local government.  This policy brief asks the question, won’t these rollbacks cripple local government?  The brief contains the following response.  No, first although we are rolling back the rate, we are also rolling it forward to account for an increase in population and inflation, and second, despite popular perceptions the substantial majority of local government revenue does not come from property taxes.  Based on the most recently available data, property tax comprises only 31% of county budgets and 18% of city budgets.  The House proposal will reduce average county property tax revenues by 29%.  Consequently, counties on average will need to reduce only 29% of 31% of their total budget or 8.99%.  The House plan will reduce average city property tax revenues by 38%.  Consequently, cities on average will need to reduce only 38% of 18% of their total budget or 6.84%.  In Satellite Beach however, over 56% of our General Fund revenues are derived from property taxes; the House counterproposal of April 25, 2007 will result in the loss of ad valorem revenues of almost $2 million, a decrease of 35% based on our calculations.  This loss in ad valorem revenue would require the General Fund revenue budget to be reduced by 21%.  What does this mean to our residents in Satellite Beach in terms of service reduction?  While ultimately it will be the City Council responsibility to determine what cuts or services will be reduced or eliminated, I would like to inform you of the potential impact.  While a number of State officials in Tallahassee provided assurances that public safety personnel would not be impacted by budget reductions, I am not certain that that statement is true in Satellite Beach.    Even if the City totally eliminated the Administrative Finance Department, Recreation Department, and Building and Zoning Department, the total reduction would only be approximately $1.8 million.   By eliminating these three vital departments, we still would need to cut elsewhere to reduce to the level of the House counterproposal of April 25th.   As you know, the City cannot eliminate these departments as many are State mandates that these departments must fulfill on behalf of the City.  Even if the City eliminated 50% of these three departments, it will be necessary to eliminate another $1 million.  The WHIP’s report states that local governments have been collecting and spending more than they need.  As property values have skyrocketed over the past few years, local governments have been experiencing dramatic increases in revenues.  These revenue increases are windfalls because the rise in property values did not in and of itself  create  an  increased  need  or  demand  for  local  government  services.   I  would  like to address what Satellite Beach used these windfall revenues for.  Since Fiscal Year 2001, the City of Satellite Beach has employed eight additional police officers and six firefighters.  The firefighters were hired in order for the City to meet the State mandated requirements of the ‘two in, two out’ rule.  Also during this time frame, the City with overwhelming public support purchased for environmental preservation substantial amounts of its valuable oceanfront property and removed it from its tax rolls.  Finally, the City built and operates a 25,000 square-foot community center, which services the needs of many of the individuals living on the barrier island south of Patrick Air Force Base.  Should the House counterproposal of April 25, 2007 become law and the City of Satellite Beach loses over $1.8 million, we will be forced to make massive cuts in all aspects of City operations including the delivery of police and fire services.  I urge you to recognize the impact that your actions might have on citizens of Satellite Beach.  Sincerely, Michael P. Crotty, City Manager.”  Mr. Rocque noted the tax initiative will decimate the services Satellite Beach has strived long and hard to provide and preserve; and for a City which relies on over 56% of its General Fund revenues being derived from property taxes, as Mayor McCormack so well put, one size does not fit all.   

 

Amy Elliott, Deputy City Manager of Melbourne, expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to share the City’s concerns about the proposed Legislative proposals; stated there is quite a variety in terms of the proposals and they change minute by minute; because there is such a wide-range of proposals and impacts, she feels it is a little premature for the City of Melbourne to identify specific programs and service level reductions that may result if any of the bills are enacted; but obviously if they are, revenues would cause them to reprioritize what the issues are and the Council would make that decision.  She noted Melbourne did a survey recently which showed an overwhelming majority of citizens felt that Melbourne is a good value for the taxes; the City has not had any speakers in objection to property taxes for the last several years; she knows that there are horror stories regarding property taxes; but there is a disconnect about what is happening.  She stated people are upset about property tax and what the Legislature is doing to try to solve the problem; the horror stories are the consequences of the Save Our Homes Amendment; and neither the House nor the Senate are correcting this.  She stated their approach to the inequity situation is to say that cities and counties can do with less; and that does not fix the problem, nor does it fix the situation with the unfair application of tax laws on similarly valued properties, which is what people are complaining about the most.  She advised quite noticeably schools are not affected by the proposal; she does not see anything in the proposals that would cause a rollback in the schools’ taxes; and yet school taxes are the largest portion of the tax bill.  She noted citizens think they are going to see a serious reduction in taxes; they are going to find out that it is not really going to happen; but cities and counties are going to be forced to live with reduced revenues and deal with service reductions as a result.  She stated property tax reform is too important an issue to rush through in a sixty-day session; and the State Legislature  needs  to  thoughtfully  and  carefully  evaluate  the  consequences  of the proposed reforms so as to not create new problems.   She advised the matter should be carefully studied by the constitutionally required Tax and Budget Reform Commission with the opportunity for input from all affected groups in the State.    

 

Michael Blake, representing the Space Coast League of Cities, stated by Brevard County being a unique County with the 10% cap, he requests the State Legislature have a special session or place Brevard in a unique category so that it is fair and equitable; everyone is concerned about cost versus services; as an elected official, a taxpayer, and President of the Space Coast League of Cities, he would like to see services not be interfered with; and the last thing he wants is to have people terminated or laid off because of reduction of revenue.  He noted everyone should be made aware that Brevard  County is not spending like  “drunken sailors”  as was quoted; he is asking for understanding, leadership, and guidance; but more than anything, he wishes that everyone would remain calm.  Mr. Blake stated cool heads always prevail; he is affected by the tax just like everyone else; but he knows for a fact that this matter can be resolved.  He noted it will probably be extended to a special session; and the words fair and equitable are key.

 

Clerk of Circuit Court Scott Ellis advised he would like to comment on what he has seen this meeting evolve into over the last week, since it has been called; when he was a kid, his favorite television show was the Twilight Zone; they do not have Claude Atkins, Jack Weston, or the Monsters on Maple Street, but instead they have the Monsters on St. Johns Boulevard; and the Board has created a mob atmosphere tonight, with everybody present for and against taxes, before a body that has no vote in what is going to happen.  He noted as the story goes, for those that may not remember the Monsters on Maple Street, a little panic is spread, lights are turned off, things flicker, horns go off, and the whole neighborhood is at each other’s throats; in Brevard County, letters and emails have circulated for the last week; he has seen seven or eight different versions himself from Courts, Natural Resources, and Parks; and they all say everybody is shutting down everything.  He stated everyone is at a meeting where nothing will be decided or debated by the Commission and no votes are going to take place; but everyone is going to be here all night to talk about something they cannot do anything about; if this were a true meeting to discuss property tax issues, then there would be a series of charts and full information; and the first chart would need to be all County functions by order of priority.  He noted another chart that would be needed is all County functions by order of their spending increase since 2001; everyone knows the money has gone up; but everyone should be able to see where it has gone.  He advised the third item people would need to know is what are the capital additions that do not have to be done in the near term, not capital improvement or capital replacement but capital additions which will create additional operating costs; he does not believe the County really has those; but from those three lists, they could try to figure out where the $75 million could come from.  He noted the House version that came back with sales tax was going to be illegal; there is no way that seven houses on one street have to pay taxes and the other fourteen on the same street do not; it will be something more realistic although he does not know how much that will be; but to do cuts, the Board will have to prioritize its spending.  He stated the initial presentation was that everything gets cut and shut down at $75 million; current County Ad Valorem is $250 million; in 2004, it was $176 million, which is $75 million ago; but in 2004, just three years ago, there were school crossing guards, animal shelters, ball fields with lights at night, libraries in the evenings, road maintenance, and ditches were cleaned.  He advised that is just to put the $75 million in perspective; he believes that if the Legislature does anything at all, it is going to be far less than $75 million; since 2002, which is after the referendum and after the parks, which folded up to $143 million, property taxes have gone from $143 million to $249 million in five years; and that is a $100 million increase in Ad Valorem over a five-year period.    He presented a chart; and noted the upper graph is taxable value of Brevard County.  He stated the taxable value of all property has gone from $16 billion in 2000, to $37.6 billion last year; it has more than doubled; everyone knows the reason is because the County has been in the grip of a housing bubble that is now on the downside; and this year, people are experiencing a 6% drop in the taxable value.   He noted it is his belief that next year it will be far more dramatic than 6%; the point is that this money is going away no matter what the Legislature does; the County has had a windfall based on increased values solely because people overpaid for property; and that is all going away and the taxes are going away with it.  He presented a chart of the General Fund; noted it is simply discretionary money; and the General Fund is set by the County Commission, not by voted millage.  He stated all through the 1990’s, the General Fund was about $60 million; in 2000, it started to move up; and in a period of three to four years, it went to almost $160 million.  Mr. Ellis stated he has a hard time believing that during all of that time, the County had no services.  He noted the Board is not having a rational discussion on this; the flyers that were sent out are not bringing forth a rational discussion; he can guarantee there were libraries and roads back when he was a Commissioner fifteen years ago; and he has a hard time believing that if the dollars are cut back to what they were in 2004, everything closes down.  He stated it does not make sense at all; housing values have already started coming down and will continue to fall dramatically over the next four to five years as housing comes back to earth; and everyone present knows housing values are not realistic.  He advised anyone who has lived in Brevard County for any amount of time knows the prices they have seen the last five years are not realistic and cannot be maintained; as taxable values fall, the revenue number will fall; and all the Legislature has truly done is accelerate the process that already began this year.  He stated this year the drop is already at 6% and next year will be more dramatic; everyone is here tonight with the Monsters on Judge Fran Jamieson Way; the place is jammed full of people that are going to be for and against everything, before a body that can do absolutely nothing tonight; and he honestly does not know why the meeting was held tonight.  He advised if this is some kind of rally for the Legislature, than it should be advertised as such because the Board is not deliberating in a fiscally responsible way.  He noted the money is going away and there is nothing anyone can do; it is a market factor totally beyond the control of the Legislature, the County Commission, and the cities; as the values fall, the tax revenue will fall; and when there is windfall revenue, and clearly the County has had windfall revenue, there are intelligent things to do with it such as reducing debt and increasing savings, and doing capital improvements and capital replacements.  He stated the worst thing to do with windfall revenue is to place it into recurring expenses and increase debt and capital additions that will create further operating expenses down the road; but the Board has done the exact opposite and that is why it is having problems now.  He noted even though there is the money in the bank to do certain capital projects, the Board continues to go out and borrow the money to do the projects, which brings future debt service as the money goes downhill; and he hates to compare this to the 1920’s Florida Land Boom, but the same thing happened to local government throughout the 1920’s going into the 1930’s.  He advised there was windfall revenue, recession, depression, the money went away, and the cities and counties went bankrupt; and what has happened is the County has gotten used to spending at this level, which is an unsustainable level based on market forces for housing.  He advised the number is coming down no matter what the Legislature does; his personal belief is that the Legislature will do very little to affect the counties and the cities; the market factors will take over; and this year is a roll forward.  He stated for those who do not know what a roll forward is, if the taxable value falls, there has to be in increase in the millage to get the same amount of money; he does not think the people have seen that in Brevard County since Apollo busted; Palm Bay actually saw it in the early 1990’s when GDC was liquidated; and they are going back into that situation again.  He noted the difference will be on taxes when they go to roll forward because everybody pays; Save Our Homes will not be the issue any more because when it rolls forward everybody homesteaded will get the bill; and the point is the Save our Homes shield was a billion dollars in 2000, now it is a $15 billion tax shield, and that number is going to contract as property values fall.  He stated the money is going to go away no matter what difficult decisions have to be made;  people can rail against the Legislature and try to put these difficult decisions off, but whether the Legislature acts or not they are still coming; there is no way to avoid them; and it is a market factor, not a political factor.  He noted the money has been coming in dramatically over the last few years; it has not been something level; and that is where they are today.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough requested County Manager Busacca find out which programs have increased the most;  and  noted  it  would  help the Board understand the dynamics of how funds have moved.  Ms. Busacca noted Mr. Ellis commented on the increase in the General Fund; one of the reasons that increase was so large last year is because of the revenue flip; the County used to fund EMS out of a fund that was not the General Fund; and so by adding $20 million to the General Fund, one would expect to see that, even though it was a service the County was already providing, because of the revenue flip.  Mr. Ellis responded the County also added $23 million for a fire fee that does not show up on the chart, so that is a wash.

 

Mark Ryan, representing the City of Titusville, advised no one knows what the various proposals will mean; Titusville’s bottom line impact is estimated between $1.7 and $4 million; that changes hourly; and another unknown is what is going to be the property tax values once the tax rolls are released in June.  He inquired what has Titusville done as a result of the pending legislation; and noted it has implemented what is called a Critical Issues Team to share information from professional associations such as the Fire Chief’s Associations and the Police Chief’s Associations.  He stated this information is vital throughout the process, but also the team has met every other week to examine alternative methods for service delivery, as well as new and alternative revenues; some of the legislation that has transpired in the last week may eliminate that ability but at this point in time, nothing is thrown out; and it is called brainstorming.  He advised this critical activity has taken into account things such as looking at how the Sidewalk Info Program and the Road Resurfacing Program are funded, and deciding if the Collective Bargaining Agreements that are valid through 2008 need to be opened.  He stated those issues will have to be addressed once there are more answers; right now, it is like hugging Jell-O; it cannot be done; and the School Board will have to be looked at because it is untouched as it stands today.  He advised the City is going to have to look at everything as a possibility; it will also have to look at how it is going to provide services to the citizens; Titusville prides itself on being a City of service; but that level of service may change.  He noted it may have to downgrade slightly; it does not want that to happen but it is a reality; it is life and everyone is going to have to live with it; and it may have to look at the Fire Service fee and do something similar to what Cocoa did.  He stated one of the issues commonly heard during the sales tax issues of the 1990’s and early 2000’s, was growth needs to pay for itself; but some of the legislation is going to impact that ability; it may limit the ability to raise impact fees; and everyone needs to understand that and deal with it responsibly and collectively.  He advised it may mean having dialogue with the County on where they can jointly provide services such as fire or police dispatch; nothing should be thrown out; times are changing; and it is not business as usual.   He stated in Titusville, in 2000, the Property Tax millage rate was 7 mills and this year it is 5.19 mills; that is quite a reduction; and it also includes a voter-approved referendum for riverfront acquisition.  He noted every program can and should be examined; the brainstorming that was implemented by the Critical Issues Team is going to be something that is going to venture into the elected officials making some value judgments on the quality of services they want to provide; it is important that Brevard County knows that it is faced with an economic impact of the shuttle program in the coming years; and the hiatus between the shuttle program and the constellation program will impact the economy.  He advised he has heard the comments about the drunken sailors; but everyone also knows that there are some components of the legislation that make a person scratch his or her head, such as a renters homestead exemption, which does not  make sense.  He stated the Legislature wants cities and counties to roll back to 2000; and inquired will the State also roll back some of the mandates that have been put on cities and counties since 2000.  He noted he thinks that is fair; and it is something that will require dialogue.  He advised speeding tickets used to come to the cities but do not anymore; the tickets fund the court system; the citizens of Brevard County expect leadership from the cities, the County, and the Legislature; and it is time for everyone to work together to solve the property tax issue. 

Supervisor of Elections Fred Galey noted the election process is a front door to democracy; the staff and the poll workers that it has will do whatever they can with whatever they are given to continue to provide the services; Brevard was kept out of the election chad process in 2000 and he hopes to continue to do that; but it is a problem everyone is going to have to face and he is here to do it.  He advised if any of the offices have to close or anything like that, people are going to deal with longer lines; there are a lot of unfunded mandates that have come down for early voting; the touch screen voting machines have been popular for ADA people; but it has been very expensive and all that may go away with changing attitudes.  He stated the office will do what it can with what it has; and expressed his thanks to the citizens for the chance to serve them.

 

Ric Holt, representing the City of Cocoa, advised Cocoa is a small City; it is only just now starting to grow; it lost 7.4% of its population; but is now in the comeback phase and looking at 28 new housing projects, equivalent to about 6,600 new homes.  He noted up until 2002, the City’s tax revenue was approximately $1.7 million from Ad Valorem taxes; it is now up to about $4.9 million; that is estimated based on the State’s formula that came down of looking at losing about $1.5 to $1.7 million of that tax revenue; and that basically goes for the road pledges.  He stated the City has done nothing critical now; it has held off on budgets until the State decides what it is actually going to do; and urged the Board and the cities to group together to appeal anything that the State may do, if it is possible.  He stated the State is holding the counties and the cities as a scapegoat for the abnormal spending that it is doing.  He advised the people  think that they are going to get a tax decrease, but the only tax decrease that they are going to get is in the taxes that provide essential services, such as public safety, public works, and even some discretionary funding like quality of life issues; everything else is going to remain the same; it has been reported that the State, in the last seven years, has shifted the burden from the school boards to raise taxes for the local needs; and it is looking at doing it another year.  He noted the State is asking for $1.6 billion to fund salaries for teachers; that is going to be passed to the taxpayer as a property tax; the people are not really going to get the tax relief that they are asking for; and what is going to happen is the people will lose the ability to have a quality of life, and in the smaller cities which do not have discretionary funding, they may even have essential services cut.

 

Sheriff Jack Parker expressed his appreciation to the Board for all the support it continuously gives to law enforcement; and noted he is not very knowledgeable about the rest of the budget, but he would like to say that he is part of the reason that spending is up.  He stated there was a whole lot to do in a very short period of time; the jail had not been touched for a decade; the jail only housed 1,000 people and it should have housed 2,500 people; and the Board has been very responsible in trying to meet that very expensive need.   He advised just a few short years ago, the Deputy Sheriffs were making $24,000 a year; Brevard was one of the lowest paid in the State; there were almost 250 vacancies when he took over as Sheriff; and the Board was good enough to raise those wages over the last couple of years to $35,500, which is not the top and the County is still losing employees to Osceola County and Indian River County.  He noted for the first time ever the County has a waiting list of people that want to become Deputy Sheriffs in Brevard County, so the quality of law enforcement is going up; and he expressed his appreciation to the Board.   He advised all of the unfunded mandates that come down from the State sound good, but some are just simply to push the cost on the local government; an unfunded mandate that sounds good, for example, was the recent Anti-Murder Act; it is a great Act but the problem is it came with no money; and the County is expected to have an increase in its jail population on that one Act of 300 or more inmates in the next year.  He stated it will have an impact on the budget for medical and food services of close to  $2  million  just  for  that act; it is good for quality of life, but it is real money that they have to come up with; and it is hard to do that on a status quo budget.  Sheriff Parker noted there are other types of unfunded mandates that are ugly; one of the only things that the State has funded for public safety is the juvenile justice system; a couple of years ago, it was determined that the counties should all of a sudden start paying for the State Juvenile Justice facilities; and they did not transfer the whole responsibility to the counties, just simply the invoices to the tune of $3 million a year.  He advised the list of unfunded mandates is very long and has a huge impact on the situation and the position the County is in today; a solution that City Manager Mark Ryan talked about, which he thinks is very valuable, is about traffic citations; almost all of the traffic citation revenue goes to Tallahassee now; and it is millions of dollars that used to come to the County, but now goes to Tallahassee.  He inquired if it is at all possible to work with Mr. Knox to find out the feasibility of trying to create some kind of new County ordinance for traffic citations so the money could be kept here in the County; and noted he would really like to see the Commission stand up a little bit harder against some of the mandates. 

 

County Manager Busacca noted if the Sheriff is interested in additional revenue sources, that needs to be done before July 1, because there is some legislation that is making its way through the State that says that the Board would be unable as a local government to increase any fees to increase revenues; and if the Sheriff wants to do that, they need to move quickly.  Sheriff Parker replied he would be happy to offer any expertise he could to the County Attorney, but he views that as a legal matter.   

 

 

Janice Kershaw, representing VSA Arts of Florida Brevard, expressed her support of the Board’s Community Cultural Grant Program; and requested should the cuts be necessary in the future that the Board maintain at the present level the funding for the program and not zero it out as was listed in the newspaper ad.   She noted everyone wants affordability but not at the expense of livability and tourism in the County; the program only received about $18,000 in grant funds this year yet those dollars because they are leveraged with matching funds go much further in providing programs and services that help make Brevard County more livable and more attractive as a tourist destination.

 

Tanya Kulik advised she is pleading with the Board to keep Country Acres opened; Country Acres is a group home in Titusville where children live who have suffered abuse or neglect;  they are caring for the most innocent of citizens; and it must be the Board’s priority. 

 

Alissa Kreman, the Circuit Director of the Guardian Ad Litem Program, noted the Guardian Ad Litem Program is a program that represents Brevard’s abused and neglected children who are now in the foster care system; because of the Board’s support, the Program has been able to advocate for over one hundred children each month; and requested the Board continue its support. 

 

Karen Wilson, representing the King Center, requested the Board keep the arts and cultural programs for youth in mind when making its decision; and to fight for some funding for arts and culture because it enriches the community, creates a better way of life, and brings growth to the community.  

 

211-Brevard Director Libby Donahue stated 211-Brevard helps people find services in the community; last year they handled nearly 30,000 phone calls from citizens of Brevard County who needed things like help with rent, a place to live, food, childcare, and daycare for the elderly; and requested the Board spread the impact of the budget cuts so that as many people as possible still have access to important services that the agencies in the community provide.

 

Dayle Olson, President of the Brevard Achievement Center, advised Brevard County is blessed with the social service network it has; and requested the Board look at not cutting dollars from one program, but at the broad picture and spread the pain across the board.   

 

Joe Robinson submitted a public comment card in support of the North Brevard Charities, but did not speak.

 

Robert Smith commented on the inequalities with the property taxes, State income taxes, and threatening letters from the Property Appraiser.  Vice Chairperson Scarborough inquired if Mr. Smith would like to personally discuss his situation with someone from staff; with Mr. Smith replying no. 

 

Patricia Williams, representing Volunteer Brevard, noted the organization saved the County $35 million last year in volunteer hours based on an $18 an hour cost; there are going to be lots of changes in the County and the need for volunteers is going to increase even more; they will be asking to be part of the Community Based Organizations (CBO) funding again this year; and she hopes the Board will remember what Volunteer Brevard will do for the County in the coming year when it is making its decision. 

 

Charlotte Friedland, Chair of the Melbourne Library Board, stated the Library Board represents the Melbourne, Eau Gallie, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Libraries; last year those three libraries checked out 894,708 items and had 624,668 patrons; and that translates to over 52,000 patrons per month that will be affected by the proposed cuts.

 

Ned Kellar, representing the Brevard Library Foundation, a group of volunteers who raise money to buy books, equipment, and materials for the library service, noted if the cuts come at the projected rate, the mobile library, which the Foundation bought, furnished, and equipped will be parked in a parking lot; and that equates to 5,000 economically deprived children and 2,000 seniors who are homebound or in institutions not receiving library services.

 

Frank Cristadoro spoke in support of the Talking Books Division of the Cocoa Library; noted besides the talking books, the program offers all kinds of aids and reading material for visually impaired people; and requested the Board please consider the libraries and keep the Talking Books Program in effect.

 

Michael Zocchi, President of the Brevard County Professional Firefighters, advised the current funding levels for public safety need to continue to keep the Fire and Sheriff’s Departments strong and viable; the membership is ready to stand by the Board’s side and do its share to make the possible reductions become reality; they fully support the Fire Chief’s plans and appreciate the difficult decisions he has had to make; and requested the Board keep the safety of the public and employees in mind when deciding on a direction to take.

 

Bill Ryder spoke in support of the Special Childrens’ Programs, the Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs, the Indigent Health and Prenatal Programs, and most importantly the Guardian Ad Litem Program.  He noted he is a member of the CBC of Brevard and has been in  Guardian  Ad Litem for ten years; it is the only group that represents only the children and their best interests; and requested the Board’s support.

 

Dee Swink, President of the Brevard Genealogical Society, expressed her concern over the proposed library cuts; and noted it is her hope that the Board can limit the amount of cuts made to the library budget so the library system in Brevard may continue to thrive.

 

Fred Kusterer, representing the Mims Community Group, requested the Board keep the small area study on its list of considerations.

 

Bino Campanini, CEO of Stottler Stagg and Associates, spoke in support of LEAD Brevard and Brevard Tomorrow.  He advised the County funding represents 25% of the organization’s budget and if taken away could jeopardize the continuation of the Program; and he believes the County should keep initiatives like Young Professionals of Brevard because those are things that will help the future of the community.

 

Adam Gracia, Chair of Young Professionals of Brevard, advised the program represents 160,000 people ages 20 – 41, a $12 million direct impact of taxable income if the individuals leave the County today, and $86 million of annual income that will leave the County if young professionals are not actively recruiting and engaged in the community; and Young Professionals for Brevard provides the medium to engage these individuals into the Community.

 

Wally Wildehradt submitted a public comment card in support of public safety, but did not speak.

 

Tommy Gates commented on his support of children and seniors.

 

Cindy Flackmeier, representing Brevard Community Services Council, commented on the Council’s many programs including Meals-on-Wheels; noted the Council uses $134,000 in CBO funding; that funding draws in $1.2 million for State and Federal Grants; and if the Council loses CBO Funding for Seniors in the community, it will also lose funding through the Older American Act, which takes care of Meals-on-Wheels, Home Improvement Persons, and the Community Care for the Elderly Programs.  She advised the Board to be careful in making cuts for seniors in Brevard County, because whatever is done locally also affects what happens on a State and Federal level.

 

 

The meeting recessed at 7:14 p.m. and reconvened at 7:31 p.m.

 

 

Carla Durbin spoke in support of the Parks and Recreation Programs for the Disabled; noted Parks and Recreation benefits seniors, disabled persons, children and the homeless;  and requested the Board not do an even 30% cut across the board because it is not fair.  She introduced Jody and inquired if she liked working at the Brevard Achievement Center (BAC); with Jody responding yes.

 

Paul Stonehill submitted a public comment card in support of the mobile library, but did not speak.

 

Mary Stonehill submitted a public comment card in support of the Talking Book Program and the mobile library, but did not speak. 

 

Ed Priselac commented on his support of the Library Literacy Program.

 

Barbara Walsh-Gruelle advised since Tallahassee has completely missed the boat in regard to the grossly unfair taxation system, the only feasible solution is to raise sales tax and eliminate property taxes altogether; and requested everyone write letters to each Senator, each Representative, and Tax Collector Rod Northcut. 

 

Jane Beskow, representing Friends of the Cocoa Beach Library, noted an extension of the Cocoa Beach Library is being built solely with the contributions of the community; and to cut services so drastically would be devastating to all of those who have donated so freely and generously.     

 

Stephany Eleif submitted a public comment card in support of the West Melbourne Library, but did not speak.

 

Tom Neidert, representing the Brevard County Professional Firefighters, requested the Board not let the State’s tax plan, whatever it may be, affect the citizens’ public safety. 

 

John Coffey, Budget Officer for the City of Palm Bay, stated Mr. Feldman could not attend the meeting, but requested he relay to the Board that the City has currently not developed any plans for reductions because it is watching the deliberations in Tallahassee; and the City will be holding a workshop once the tax reform is passed to establish some reductions.

 

Commissioner Nelson inquired what percent of the City of Palm Bay’s budget is the ad valorem; with Mr. Coffey responding he does not know.  Commissioner Nelson stated the reason he asked is because the City of Satellite Beach is fifty-plus percent of its budget.  Mr. Coffey replied the City of Palm Bay’s is not that much; and it is around 30%.

 

Daniel Dvorak stated the $12,000 newspaper ad lists 53 reasons why citizens of Brevard should ask the Legislators to ignore the County’s unwillingness to control spending; looking at the list he finds threats to discontinue or reduce many functions, even the most basic such as those that provide public infrastructure and those that protect the most vulnerable citizens; and the Board’s failure to prioritize spending on public works is disgusting.

 

Lawrence Maxwell, representing Senior Care of Brevard, noted the Caregiver Outreach Program is a vital program and the only one of its kind in Brevard County that provides a 24-hour, seven-day a week caregiver to people who are caring for Alzheimer family members at home; without the Board’s assistance and help this program would not exist; and requested the Board consider very carefully as it moves forward with the budget this year to not affect the people who need the help the most. 

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough stated one of the more interesting things the Commission becomes involved with is unintended consequences; all of the State’s share of the nursing home costs and Medicaid costs comes right down to the Commission and the local taxes; Medicaid is both a State and a federal program, unlike Medicare; and the State’s share comes down to the Board.  He noted when the Commission funds something like an Alzheimer’s program, it saves money because of the unintended consequences; some of those programs have to be scrutinized very heavily because the cost implications can far exceed the potential savings; and they are the quiet programs in the community.

 

Master Gardener Tanya Knappman commented on the benefits of Master Gardeners Program to the community of Brevard; and expressed her support for the Master Gardeners Program.

 

Professional Tradition Storyteller Ada Forney advised she tells stories to everyone from little children to seniors, and the programs being cut will put her out of business.

 

Pat Freeman, Chairman of the Brevard County Library System, advised she will make the statistics available to the Board if they would like to have a copy of what will happen as a result of the budget cuts; the patron attendance for the years 2005 and 2006 was a 6% increase over the previous year; the computer use in the library was 611,177; and there was a 2% increase in the amount of materials that were checked out this year over last year.   She commented on a story of Alexander the Great and the Gordian knot; noted the Brevard County Library System is one of the greatest in the United States, if not the world; and requested the Board’s support.

 

Maurice Meisner, Chairman of the Veterans Council and Co-Chairman of the Veterans Memorial Center, submitted a letter to be read aloud; and commented on the duties, benefits, and services offered by the Council and Center.  He requested the Board’s support for CBO funding.

 

Carol Hayes requested greater honesty, transparency, and accountability in the Board’s budgeting and taxation process; noted the County’s revenue from property taxes more than doubled since 2004; but it was not the recent red-hot real estate market that caused that increase; and the Board could have funded modest budget increases by slashing the millage rate applied to the property values.  She advised the Board did not choose to do that and worsened the problem by bonding surplus tax revenues from new construction and spending even more money; it is not just what the Board did, but what the State did that caused the problem that everyone faces today; it was the State’s Budget and Tax Law that made it so easy for the County to keep what was done with the surplus revenue hidden from the public; and it is a law that promotes a Statewide culture of government deception and this is not acceptable.  She stated it must be changed to promote ethics, honesty, and accountability instead; it may not be the taxation without representation that their forefathers faced, but it comes perilously close; it is taxation with dishonest representation at both the local and the State level; and the law takes away citizens’ right to honesty and transparency in government financing.  She commented on the newspaper ad; and inquired why not an ad showing the long and the complete list of County priorities with a promise that the Board will make do with the 2004 level of funding and with an invitation to attend a meeting to help the Board slash those priorities from the bottom up.  She noted that would be a truly educational ad and the only kind of ad that is appropriate for the Board to pay for with public money.  She requested the Board make a formal request to the Brevard Legislative Delegation to make the State’s Truth in Millage Statute live up to its name; and noted the Legislature would need to make only one simple change to require that the rollback millage include surplus revenue from new construction. 

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough replied the problem with making a motion tonight is there are three days left in the session; what the Board is required to do is segregate new construction out and then if the current values go up, it has to roll the millage back so there is on the existing values that have gone up, the same amount of revenue coming in; the millage begins to lower and the millage discussion starts with a rollback; however, this year there will be a roll forward because the Property Appraiser is saying the values have gone down.  He stated the County is being compelled to do some reductions immediately because of the reduction in values; it has control over one component part, the millage, but the values are set outside of the Board; and new construction does not become a part of the TRIM formula.

 

Ms. Hayes noted this is a very opportune time with the roll up about to happen because it will make a lot of people wake up to what has been going on.  Vice Chairperson Scarborough agreed; and noted more people will take notice this year.  He stated he agrees with Ms. Hayes; but he does not think three days before the end of the Legislative session is the time for this.  Ms. Hayes advised she is not shooting for the three days, she is shooting to have the motion discussed and voted on so it has an impact on the September budget hearings in the County.  Vice Chairperson Scarborough advised it would be appropriate to have Mr. Rogero put together an information sheet because the Board does not want to get into it at this moment with all of the speakers; but if Mr. Rogero will put together some information on how the TRIM process works, what rollback millage is, the effect of property values and the roll forward, and how new construction is treated, the Board will invite Ms. Hayes back to discuss it further.

 

Ms. Hayes noted regardless of what is done at the State level or not done as far as Truth in Millage is concerned, the Board has the option of fulfilling the requirements of the law but also providing the public in Brevard County with the accurate information it has every right to have ahead of the budget hearing. Vice Chairperson Scarborough stated the TRIM notices go out in August; if it gets the memorandum back, the Board can certainly discuss the process; but it cannot violate State law in the process. 

 

Commissioner Nelson requested Ms. Hayes meet with him to continue the discussion; with Ms. Hayes replying absolutely.  

 

Judy Davis submitted a public comment card in support of the Melbourne Library Board, but did not speak.

 

Dorothy Lawber submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Lowell Loadholtz commented on his support and the benefits of the Agriculture Center, Cooperative Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agricultural Soil and Water Conservation Service, 4-H Youth Programs, and the Sea Grant and Marine Programs; and requested the Board to continue to support the people of the County through the Cooperative Extension Service.

 

Harriet May, Chairman of the Palm Bay Library Advisory Board, advised there have been double digit increases in patron count and circulation materials over last year; if the libraries are cut back to the levels that are being discussed, it will mean cutting back on library hours and even having to close a day or two a week; this will not only affect community members but also staff; and requested citizens ask State Legislators to think through the full consequences of the proposed actions.  She noted the relief that will be brought to some citizens, will have a greater cost to many more.  

 

Dr. Robert Anderson spoke in support of keeping the current funding in the 4-H Youth Programs; commented on the many benefits of the Program; and requested the Board’s continued support.

 

Larry Gold noted there is one group he is concerned about and that is the community’s first responders; and requested the Board remember them when the Budget comes. 

 

Alyce Christ, representing the Brevard Cultural Alliance (BCA), Brevard Cultural Advisory Network,  and  Space  Coast  POPS,  advised  of  the  benefits  the  CBO  funding  does  for the organizations; commented on the upcoming events and invited everyone to attend; and requested continued support of the arts.

 

Anne McKelvey, President of Brevard Association for the Advancement of the Blind, spoke in support of the continued operation of the Talking Book Library in Cocoa; and commented on the many benefits and services of the Programs.

 

Roger Shealy advised in fiscal year 2000, Brevard County received $63.9 million in General Fund ad valorem taxes; these are discretionary spending, non-voted millages and exclude the Fire and the Sheriff MSTU’s; should the County collect 95% of what it is budgeted for FY 2007, it will receive over $156 million; and that is an increase of $72 million or 144% in just seven years.  He noted he received a letter from Parks and Recreation that stated the County would have to cut $76 million from its property tax budget, resulting in dramatic and drastic reductions or elimination of numerous programs; as he looks at the list, he sees that most of the programs existed prior to 2000; the programs were not conceived from the windfall in taxes over the past seven years; and he feels it is disingenuous and irresponsible for the County to use such propaganda in the hopes of increasing tax revenues.  He stated he believes it to be a scare tactic; with the possible exception of Commissioner Scarborough, he doubts that any one of the Commissioners won his or her election by a margin of 85%; but back in 1996, 85% of Brevard County voters approved a Charter Amendment commonly referred to as Cap-it.  He advised Cap-it limited the increase in revenue from property taxes to 3% a year or inflation, whichever is less; just because a District Court of Appeals Judge found a conflict in a vague Florida Statute does not mean the Board must therefore increase taxes every year by more than 3%; it could have followed Cap-it; and had the County chosen to follow Cap-it, the 2007 revenues to the General Fund ad valorem tax would be roughly $78.7 million, compared to the $156 million without Cap-it.  He noted the difference in the numbers is $77 million; what is interesting and ironic is the $77 million difference is equal to the amount that must be slashed from the budget; and should the State force the County to cut its ad valorem property tax revenues, the County can just consider it a reconciliation of past County decisions to the will of the people under Cap-it.

 

Deborah Guelzow submitted a public comment card in support of the Cocoa Beach Library, but did not speak.

 

Shellie Williams, Executive Director of the BCA, noted the arts make a substantial impact on the local economy; the last measure, taken in 1998, was over $39 million of economic impact in Brevard County; the arts address a wide variety of social problems in communities; and local art groups address social, educational, and economic development issues.  She advised art groups collaborate  with  other  local  agencies to increase the livability and the quality of life in Brevard; arts education furthers cultural equity and cultural awareness through in-school arts partnerships, and the BCA artists’ and residents’ programs allow each participant to be awakened to the arts to provide an outlet for their self expression, and has been proven to be therapeutic; and it also provides a well-rounded academic environment, which leads to college and careers for the wide variety of students in Brevard.  She stated arts provide a structural environment during non-school hours and focuses on programs for at-risk youth; the BCA provides art programs and art funding through the cultural community grants; expressed her appreciation to the Board for its support; and requested that it continue.

 

Ray Smyth commented on the inequities of property taxes; and noted if people are upset about what is going on, they should go to brevardtax.net. 

 

Nancy Abbott submitted a public comment card in support of libraries and parks, but did not speak.

 

Marc Vlantas submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Maureen Rupe, representing the Port St. John Library Board, noted the Port St. John Library’s budget has increased 20%, patron count has increased 43%, internet usage has increased 119%, and reference usage has increased 90%; and expressed support of library funding.

 

Thomas Klein expressed concern over how vital emergency services will be provided with the proposed budget cuts; advised State officials are misrepresenting the tax cut issue by insinuating that local governments waste taxpayer money through careless spending policies; fire and police emergency service workers who provide life saving and true quality of life services to the residents of Brevard take exception to that rhetoric; and local County officials should take issue with that type of rhetoric as well.  He requested the Board commit to maintaining funding levels for each of the emergency services departments.

 

Patricia Cazares submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Bruce Wechsler expressed his concern over the newspaper ad; noted $12,000 of taxpayer money on an ad that is inflammatory and misleading is inexcusable; and inquired which Commissioners authorized it.  He stated the Board should not be using the aggression of government and taxation to fund its special interests; the prime function of government is protecting the life, liberty, and property of its citizens; the fire department, the police, and their utilities should never be touched; and the Board will have to prioritize its spending. 

Lori Emly submitted a public comment card in support of the arts, but did not speak.

 

John Orzech submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Larry Gold submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Chris DiSciascio requested the Board not cut public safety funding; noted there must be delineation between essential services and desired services; taxes should be used to provide the citizens with the most vital of services; and budget cuts should be prioritized with that in mind.  

 

Dennis Green, President of the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club, spoke in support of the continuing of the funding for the County Agricultural Extension Offices, particularly the 4-H Program regarding firearm safety. 

 

Mary Hillberg, representing the Partnership for a Sustainable Future, requested the Commission discuss the potential impacts of the pending legislation to the environmental programs that are in place now, including the voter-referendum programs.

 

Carol Hartgen submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Bill Haas, representing the Mims Community Group, requested the support of the Board with the small area study; and noted his support of the Mims/Scottsmoor Library.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough advised the community center and the library for the Mims/Scottsmoor area take operating costs; the Board cannot be cutting back and closing other facilities while it opens new ones; and the Commission will not be opening any facility even if the construction monies are available through the referendum. 

 

Marty Brown Vice Chairwoman of the Advisory Board for the Golf Courses, spoke on behalf of the County Advisory Board and the thousands of golfers who pay over $150,000 in user fees each year at the County courses; and requested the Board give careful consideration to the courses as they stand now. 

 

Nathaniel Fulton, representing the blind community, noted the services Brevard County has provided for the blind are immeasurable; expressed his support of the Programs for the Blind, particularly Books on Tape and the Talking Books Programs; and requested the Board reconsider the proposed cuts on the library system. 

 

Dr. Bill Safranek spoke in support of maintaining the Inter-Library Loan Service. 

 

Biba Watt submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Alberto Martinez submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Bob Furci, representing the Professional Firefighters, Paramedics, and EMT’s of Brevard County, noted if the Board is forced to make cuts, he requests public safety, health, Fire Rescue, and the Sheriff’s Office be left alone; and advised these are essential services for the citizens.  He stated no law requires how many people must staff a fire engine; National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends four people on a fire truck; but the County currently runs with only three due to cost; and requested the Board please not put them further behind and please ensure the buddy system is kept in place.

 

Bea Polk advised of all the people who have requested the Board cut the waste; stated the waste must be cut before services are cut; and every office could cut 10%. 

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough noted Mr. Ellis compared this to India where there are starving people but sacred cows; Mr. Ellis advised him to be careful of the sacred cows; and he feels this is good advice.  He stated the Board was advised that 43% of the general revenue ad valorem tax monies goes to Constitutional Offices; in the past, the Constitutional Officers have been treated like the sacred cows; but the Board has written letters to the Constitutional Officers that say do not assume they will be exempt.  He stated the letters have already gone out; County Manager Busacca could provide Ms. Polk a copy of the letter, if she desires; and it is the Board’s intention to look at everybody’s budget. 

 

Otis Milton advised of a solution; and noted the Board should form a matrix to solve the problem.

 

Meghan Wofgram spoke in support of the 4-H Program and the Agricultural Extension Services; and commented on the services and benefits of the Program.  She stated if the budget reductions are passed, many programs will be compromised, agents will lose their jobs, and youth will lose an opportunity to brighten their futures.

 

Ed Bradford, representing the Historical Commission, noted the Historical Commission is very essential to the community in preserving its heritage; and he is looking to work together with the Board to keep the Historical Commission a viable part of the County.

 

Mel Broom submitted a public comment card in support of the Palm Bay Library, but did not speak.

 

Barbara Osmundsen submitted a public comment card in support of the Brevard Cultural Alliance and continued funding of the arts, but did not speak. 

 

Dolores Kane expressed her concern over how much taxes went up last year; commented on the inequities in the property taxes; and noted something needs to be done in Tallahassee.  She stated she has a graph showing the taxes went up $47 million last year; and inquired if expenses went up $47 million in one year.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough noted Mr. Ellis inquired where did the additional revenue go and it is a good question; County Manager Busacca is going to have individual tracks so the public will be able to look at it rather than as a gross number but individually for each Department and areas; and it will help the community understand where the increases were and where they did not occur. 

 

Ms. Kane noted it seems like expenditures are exceeding growth. 

 

Commissioner Nelson advised the disparity has been created by a system that was always going to create a disparity; it just finally hit; the difficulty is that in Tallahassee they are not fixing that problem; and even if the State gives tax breaks and the County does the proposed budget cuts, the problem will still not be fixed.

 

Lillian Banks submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Marietta Janutolo submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Jan Lokay submitted a public comment card in support of the Brevard Juvenile Assessment Center and Crosswinds, but did not speak.

 

Susan Canada advised in looking at expenditures for the County, she found over $400,000 in waste and differences; commented on inequities with tax appraisals and market values; and advised before the Board cuts necessary services such as Fire, it should question why the difference is there with some of the Constitutional Offices.   She noted currently Manzo Park and Gibson Park are both contracted to be mowed by other businesses, not by Parks and Recreation which has equipment stored at one of the parks.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough requested she meet with him to discuss the subject.

 

Ms. Canada further noted the City of Titusville wants $60,000 given to it from the County to explore expanding the City Municipal Marina into Marina Park; there was a referendum on this; the Municipal Marina barely operates in the black; and obviously, it is not financially feasible.  She advised the Board to start cutting the waste instead of cutting services.

 

John Pine submitted a public comment card, but did not speak.

 

Victoria Jones spoke in support of animal services and programs for seniors. 

 

Susie Saunders submitted a public comment card in support of the North Cocoa Civic Legion, but did not speak.

 

Walter Butler advised he is concerned about the Community Centers in Sharpes and Viera; they are new, almost completed centers and if the proposed cuts happen, the Centers will not be able to be opened; and requested the Board please not cut the funds.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough noted herein lies the dilemma; the Center was built with Community Development Block Grant and Park funds; in months the completed facility will open so it is not a matter of committing construction money; but it is the fact that the Board would have to reduce the number of other personnel; and inquired how does it explain to somebody that its closing an existing center so it can open a new one.   He inquired how can it justify to the people who saw fit to have this and worked thirty years in getting it, that now that it is ready to be opened, it cannot because of budget cuts.  He advised these are some of the hard decisions the Board will be dealing with in the next four months; and whatever it does, it is going to be wrong.

 

Linda Brandt, Chair of the Brevard Cultural Alliance, advised the Alliance represents many artists and many artist groups in the community; one of the most important pieces that the Board funds is the County Cultural Grants piece, which is administered by the BCA; it is a very significant piece that has fought a long time to be the size that it is and as the years have gone by it has been honed and changed; and even now it is being improved so that it serves better and is distributed more fairly.  She stated this is a very important piece; and requested the Board consider that when it looks at the funds in the cultural arts piece.  She advised the arts and cultural sector is a player in the economic health of the community; the Alliance is working with many other constituencies; and she hopes the Board will see the Alliance as a group that is growing better and stronger, and looking out toward solutions that are wider. 

 

Ronald Ternen submitted a public comment card in support of the Brevard Veteran Council Museum, but did not speak.

 

Alex Terrero submitted a public comment card in support of the Brevard Veteran Council Museum, but did not speak.

 

Kathy Nelson noted her support of the 4-H Program and Agricultural Extension Program; and commented on the Chick Program.

 

Dawn Hooley inquired why the funding for the 4-H Programs is not under the School Board.  She stated businesses, landlords, second homeowners, and basically new residents in Brevard have had to absorb the increase in taxes and other market forces such as property insurance, and they are hurting; the State Legislature is trying to do something about it as it can see the future of Florida, its residents, and businesses go down the road if they do not do so; and the scare tactics suggested in the outlandish $12,500 ad, that she is just incensed about, paid for with taxpayer dollars, would be fine cuts because there is definitely waste, fraud, and abuse that needs to be dealt with.  She noted commercial and residential property owners have been squeezed so hard with the property tax bills that they simply cannot afford to do any more; and they can no longer subsidize the lives of others, be it directly or indirectly, by property taxes.

 

Warren Burk noted his support of the law library; and offered his service as a volunteer if needed. 

 

William Gary submitted a public comment card in support of the Harry T. Moore Cultural Complex, but did not speak.

 

Mike Cunningham advised several years ago the former Governor Bush attempted to transfer the State archives and the State Library to a private university; several hundred people descended on Tallahassee to prevent that from happening; library services cover every facet of life in a community; and closer attention to the word reduction rather than elimination would help maintain the needed programs.

 

Rosa Lee Cragett spoke in support of library funding.

 

Roz Foster spoke in support of the historic preservation efforts for the Pritchard House and the Chain of Lakes Historic Dwellings; commented on the Florida Public Archeological Network (FPAN) Center; and requested the Board continue to support the historic preservation in the County as the Historic Commission tries to find alternative funding resources.

 

Jack Masson stated the newspaper article talked about potential reductions and retiree subsidy for health coverage; requested any reductions in employee benefits be equally applied across the board and the retirees not be singled out; and noted the Board has a tremendous resource with the retired employees.  He noted there is a very alarming trend occurring; it is a bite-by-bite approach by the State; and the Board cannot afford to lose its local ability to control fiscal decisions and therefore the destiny of the residents of Brevard County.  He advised it is alarming to see the number of park reductions; some projects built the millage, debt retirement, and operating and maintenance into the levy; it started out at .6 maximum; and it was understood and thought that it could put four-tenths for development for debt retirement and two-tenths for operating and maintenance to operate the new facilities.  He stated the two were separated in the budget; and inquired if staff could look into rolling the operating and maintenance portion back into the total debt retirement to allow these voter-approved parks to be completed.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough commented on referendums, the borrowing process, indebtedness, and Moody Ratings; inquired how can the Board open a new facility if it is going to compel the closing of something else; and stated these are the difficult questions the Board is going to have to face. 

 

Commissioner Nelson stated when he was in Tallahassee, he pointed out to the Legislative Delegation that Brevard County is unique because based on State Law it included debt and operating because it did not want to find itself in the Beach and Riverfront scenario, which is where the County borrowed the money, built the parks, and then had no money to maintain them; it did exactly what it was supposed to do; and the State is now saying that is excluded from the protection.  He noted even though it was voted on by the citizens and the facilities can be built, the County cannot collect the money or it will have to reduce that money for operating; it makes no sense, but that is a lot of what is in that process right now.   

 

Mr. Masson noted he understands the fact that the levy was split out and this was the operating and maintenance side that is not protected like the Board said; but he is inquiring if the dollars from the operating and maintenance side can be rolled back into the debt side.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough noted the problem is if they build it, they cannot open it; inquired how can they open a new facility, but close another existing facility; and noted it is some form of madness.

 

Mr. Masson noted the voters voted in support of the parks twice.

 

 

 

Commissioner Nelson stated he had a chance to go to Tallahassee and meet with the Legislative Delegation; there needs to be tax reform because the system is clearly broken; no one disagrees with that; and there needs to be a system that fixes that.  He advised the fear was that the Legislators were going so rapidly that they were not going to fix it; he requested they please slow down so they can have a discussion that includes counties and cities to better understand the ramifications; and noted it is very complicated.  He advised many people tonight did not understand that the Board is talking about a 50% cut of about 50% of the services because public safety is not on the list; once public safety is pulled out, it will be a percentage of less dollars; and the ramifications are much more significant to those that are left standing.  He noted entire programs could disappear and that is frightening; the ad was not a scare tactic; the Board needed to talk about the circumstances before the Legislature makes its decision because then it will be too late; and this is clearly going to have an impact on the County.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough advised the events that are occurring in Tallahassee are occurring in a sphere that is so much larger than what happened this evening; normally the Board comes back from a June break but with the tight discussions, the zoning issues that have been delayed, all of the regular business, and then the budget, they will be overloaded with too many meetings; and they need to look at this in a longer frame.  He stated the meeting today and a meeting the last week of June will give the Board more opportunity to ask questions and help him understand the dynamics of it.

 

Commissioner Voltz stated regardless of what happens, the Board needs to prioritize; she does not believe the State Legislators are going to hurt the quality of life in Brevard County; they have worked long and hard for the County for many years and she does not see them doing something that is going to hurt it; and no one knows what the proposal will be because there are so many out there.  She held up a belt; noted what the Board needs to do is tighten the belt; it is what the residents are asking for; and the Board needs to look at the things that are vitally important to the community and go forward.  She stated the Board needs to move forward with cuts, but it is all about priorities; the Board needs to set priorities and tell them to staff long before the budget hearings so they know the direction of the Board; and she has confidence in the State Legislature that they are going to do what is right for everyone.    

 

Commissioner Bolin advised the Board needs to have a very transparent, sensible budget that talks with the people; and expressed her thanks to all who came tonight.

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca noted there has been some discussion about perhaps not conducting a Zoning Meeting the first week of August to allow the  Board to have that week as a vacation week if they are going to work through a substantial amount of June; and in order to do that, staff would have to know fairly soon.

 

Vice Chairperson Scarborough noted he feels the Board should go ahead and do that; Zoning Manager  Rick  Enos  said  there  is  no  problem  with  that;  if  Commissioners  are asked to be available the last week of June, he feels they should be given the week in August; and it is after the TRIM notices are out and the Board would be well into it.

 

Motion by Commissioner Voltz, seconded by Commissioner Bolin, to cancel the August 2, 2007 Zoning Meeting to allow the Board to have that week as a vacation week since it will be working a substantial amount of June.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously. 

 

 

 

Upon motion and vote, the meeting was adjourned at 10:24 p.m.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                      TRUMAN SCARBOROUGH, VICE CHAIRPERSON

                                                                      BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

ATTEST:                                                       BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

 

 

SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK                             

 

 

 

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