MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

July 18, 2006

 

 

 

The Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County, Florida, met in special session on July 18, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. in the Government Center Florida Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida.  Present were: Chair Helen Voltz, Commissioners Truman Scarborough, Ron Pritchard, Susan Carlson, and Jackie Colon, County Manager Peggy Busacca, and Deputy County Attorney Shannon Wilson.

 

 

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated the Cody Study needs to be discussed, because while the Board has implemented half of the study, it still needs to implement the other half.  He noted the Clerk’s Office has some questions; and he was asked to get some information, but maybe it would be better to come back at a subsequent meeting.

 

Chair Voltz suggested the Board discuss the issue at the end of the meeting; with Commissioner Scarborough responding affirmatively.

 

 

Commissioner Pritchard noted Marcus Herman will join the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency, and he will also Chair the Beautification Committee.

 

Motion by Commissioner Pritchard, seconded by Commissioner Colon, to appoint Marcus Herman to serve on the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency, replacing Sandee Natowich, with said term of appointment expiring November 17, 2007.   Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Chair Voltz noted the Board was supposed to have a workshop with the Homebuilder and Contractors Association, but they have requested the workshop be cancelled because their recent meetings with the Building Department have been so good that they do not have the problems they had six months ago when the process was initiated.  She noted the Association also indicated the permits are down so severely they do not have time for a workshop at this point; and they are very pleased with the response they have gotten from Mike McCaughen in the Building Department.  She stated she would like to commend Mike McCaughen for the job he has done with the Homebuilder and Contractors Association.

  

 Commissioner Carlson inquired if the Board could have a Resolution from them; and she would like a brief summary of the problems they were having, and how they have improved.  She added if

 

Mike McCaughen has done a good job, then the Board needs to make mention of how he has made the Association happy.

 

Chair Voltz stated she will get some information for the Board.

 

Motion by Commissioner Pritchard, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to cancel the Joint Workshop with the Homebuilder and Contractors Association.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

Commissioner Pritchard noted the Board is going to have an Affordable Workforce Housing Workshop, and have a presentation from staff on the plan they have developed as to how the County can better get into the business; and he suggested the Board also have the Homebuilder and Contractors Association present.

 

Chair Voltz commented she thinks they are already involved; with County Manager Peggy Busacca stating they can be formally invited. 

 

 

 

Chair Voltz stated Commissioner Scarborough suggested she contact the Titusville City Attorney regarding the marina; and from what she understands, 90% of the boat slips are going to be open to the general public.  Commissioner Scarborough inquired if those slips are where the condo is built; with Chair Voltz responding affirmatively.

 

Chair Voltz noted the Titusville City Attorney also mentioned there are about 20 acres north of the Titusville Marina that the City can potentially expand on; and the City Attorney advised her the marina makes about $200,000 a year.   

 

Commissioner Pritchard inquired when the City Attorney stated the slips will be open to the public, is it per-foot, per-month, or do they mean someone can buy one for $100,000; with Chair Voltz responding it is per-foot, per-month.  Commissioner Scarborough noted if it became available to purchase, the City has a right of first refusal. 

 

Commissioner Carlson commented she received a call from the Chairman of the Marine Resources Council; and when the issue was brought up of the complaint from the Marine Advisory Council and the Marine Resources Council, they called and lodged the same complaint, and they made a suggestion and said the reason why there is a problem with the two of them is that each one of them is considered to be a Marine Council, so they suggested to make it a Board.  She advised she gave that information to County Manager Peggy Busacca, and she asked that the Board now refer to the two Councils as the Marine Advisory Board; and hopefully that will help alleviate some of the problems they seem to be having.  Chair Voltz commented she thinks the issue was a financial one, in that the Marine Resources Council is a 501.C.3, and it collects money.

 

 

 

Richard LeAndro stated he wants the Parks and Recreation Agreement between the City of Titusville and the County dissolved.  He commented he has specific proof that the City systematically let the fishing pier and pavilion be destroyed; the City likes for things to be new, but they want the County to take all of the responsibilities, so right now the County is being subservient to the City in that it has to hire all of the employees, and take care of everything.  He stated it should all be turned back over to the City, as it wants to expand and incorporate as far out into the County as possible, but they do not want the responsibilities that go along with it, such as the maintenance of the parks; they have let the parks be destroyed and that is why the County eventually came in.  He commented he has been in front of the City Council 100 times and he has brought up facts and information on what is going on, and they would not listen, even though he had the proof in pictures, and he has documents of when he got consultants with his own money; for as little as $30,000, the pavilion never had to be destroyed, and they never had to lose the building, but because the City knew that the County’s benefactors would take care of everything, they let everything self destruct and now it belongs to the County.  He stated it has happened before at Marina Park, and the pier, and he can sit with each of the Board members and give them all of the facts and figures and all the information to show how the City has systematically let Parks and Recreation and Facilities destroy it.

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated Mr. LeAndro has put in a lot of time on the issue, and there will be catwalks under the new bridge because of his efforts; Ted Beck is not a County employee, but he is the Chairman of the Committee, and if the County were to undertake a splitting of the function, then they need to understand the City would no longer be contributing to the MSTU; so it is not just a matter of County revenue, they would have a loss of revenue.  He noted there are some advantages in having one Parks and Recreation Department instead of two, but he thinks the subject has been brought up by disgruntled City Council members at times also.   He commented currently, they are trying to work through individual problems because that is the way it is funded; and another option could be the partnership break-up, but then the County would not get the contribution from the MSTU and the taxes from that area. 

 

Chair Voltz inquired of Commissioner Scarborough how the County Commission can better work with the City of Titusville to ensure the facilities do not fall apart, so it does not cost the County.  Commissioner Scarborough commented there are good people with the City and the County who are trying to address questions in a timely manner, but there are a lot of needs out there right now.  Chair Voltz inquired how the Board is going to get an answer to that question, and if Commissioner Scarborough is working toward getting an answer for that; with Commissioner Scarborough responding he thinks the situation is that they are always trying to identify places where they need to move money to prevent the loss of structures, there are different user groups who want to draw for monies and different priorities, he is pleased with the attitude of County staff, and he cannot do anything but compliment them on their efforts to identify problems and put monies in the right places.  He stated there are right questions to ask and wrong questions to ask, and he thinks Chair Voltz asked the right question; and the Board needs to be diligent in looking at how to move money correctly to the right projects. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard commented the issue goes beyond Titusville; there was a recent issue in Cocoa Beach to purchase the County’s part of Sheppard Park and there are other parks operating as enclaves which are smaller parks wholly within municipalities.  He stated maybe the Board should only be in the business of operating regional parks such as Wickham Park, Fox Lake Park, Palm Bay Regional Park and Viera Regional Park.

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated the Board can do that, but the problem is that it has been imposing an MSTU for Parks and Recreation in the City for operation, and they are not going to be able to say they cannot do it and still collect the revenue; and then the revenue will go to a group that no longer needs the personnel.  He stated it can occur, but it is nothing that can be handled this afternoon; with Commissioner Pritchard commenting he realizes that the MSTU would go to whoever is performing the operation, but the Board knows with the Sterling process, there are deficiencies in Parks and Recreation.  He stated if the County has smaller parks that are better served by the municipalities, then perhaps the park should be operated by the municipality, and Titusville may be just a symptom of the overall problem.  

 

 

Bob Furci, with Brevard County Professional Firefighters, Local 2969, advised he would like to ask the Board to remember why they conducted the wage study.  He noted it was conducted so they are not a training ground; and they do not want to train people to go to other Cities and County Fire Departments, as has happened in the past.  He stated firefighters/paramedics were identified as one of the hardest career positions to fill and retain.  He stated they have tried to work with staff to reduce the cost, and last year they spent over $750,000 to train firefighters and paramedics who left for other better paying jobs; since then, they have worked with staff in trying to streamline the process and reduce that cost to show how they are trying to work hand in hand with management, and hopefully, they can count on the Board’s support and follow up with the Cody Study as the budget will allow; and hopefully it will be a full implementation so they can stop the turnover rate and keep people in Brevard County.  He stated they are concerned about the experience level, so they need people to stay so they can have experienced people to serve the citizens of Brevard County.  

 

 

 

Motion by Commissioner Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Pritchard, to appoint Moses Harvin to serve on the Brevard Workforce Development Board, with said term of appointment expiring June 30, 2009.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

 

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca stated she wants to give the Board a brief overview of the budget as it is proposed and tell the Board what the priorities were in the funding of this year’s budget.  She noted the first budget priority was transportation; and as the Board directed, the budget includes $1.6 million to offset Local Option Gas Tax; and that means currently, Road and Bridge, under this budget, is completely General Fund as an MSTU.  She commented the Board should be aware that over the last three or four years, they have put $5.4 million worth of General Funds into offsetting Local Option Gas Tax, so this has been a priority for the Board over the last several years. 

 

Chair Voltz inquired of the $1.6 million, if the Board bonds out, how much money will it bring them.  Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten commented he would guess $1.6 million would get the Board approximately $15 million. 

 

Ms. Busacca stated the other items they have done in the budget include the re-timing of traffic signals; the minimum level of inventory the Board sees will actually set aside a minimum level, so that in the event of a hurricane, they will have those traffic signals and signage that they had to order before, and as they know, after a disaster everyone wants the same type of equipment.  She noted in addition to that, they have rehabilitation of priority traffic signals and an intelligent transportation system; and both of those can be considered to be assisting with traffic flow, and although they are not putting money into pavement, it will increase the capacity of the roads.  She stated this year, Road and Bridge has requested they replace a significant amount of aging equipment, which they have put off for a number of years; in addition to that, the budget includes a $547,000 General Fund transfer to Transit Services; and there has been an increase in ridership and she expects that will continue as gas prices escalate. 

 

Commissioner Carlson stated the Board is going forward with ITS, and there was discussion the Board had about housing ITS with EOC in one building; and if the Board brings in ITS, and they do not have the facility to set it up, are they considering the cost to establish at one place, and then having to move it. 

 

Peggy Busacca stated there is no significant amount set aside in moving costs, so if the Board tells staff to go forward with the building, then they would probably delay setting it up until they could get it into the new facility and not pay twice.

 

Commissioner Carlson commented the Asset Management System is something that keeps track of how the Board is providing paving on a timely basis on the roads they have to deal with; the Cities are complaining that the County roads in the Cities are deteriorating, and that is why they had the City of Melbourne come in with the Sales Tax issue; and the Asset Management System is supposed to help the Board be more efficient in how it programs dollars for road maintenance.  She inquired where that stands; with Ms. Busacca responding the request remains unfunded.  Commissioner Carlson inquired of the amount.  Peggy Busacca advised it is $1.5 million. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard inquired if the $547,000 transfer to Transit Services includes the recent request of $300,000 to operate a couple of new routes.  Peggy Busacca responded it is in addition to that request.  Commissioner Pritchard commented if the Board were to go with that for the additional ridership, assuming the ridership would help offset a portion of the cost, it would still be up to $900,000.

 

Peggy Busacca stated the next issue that was addressed is Public Safety.  She noted Criminal Justice Services includes four school crossing guards and an increase from a part-time medical examiner, to a full-time medical examiner, and a State mandated pre-trial detention, an additional $240,000, for a total of $3.1 million for that program.  Commissioner Pritchard stated he had a visit from the Medical Examiner, and he is looking to privatize; and he is coming back with a full presentation showing the benefits.  He noted he told the Medical Examiner he wants to know what the benefits are to privatizing the Medical Examiner’s Office.  He commented according to the Medical Examiner there are 14 Medical Examiner districts in the State, and seven or eight of them are privatized; and it did not impress him as something the Board would want to do because he did not see where the functionality would improve, and the amount of cost savings at $10,000 in a $1 million-plus budget did not ruffle him either.

 

Peggy Busacca commented they intend to use the County’s budget and operate it differently than it is operated today.  Chair Voltz stated the issue is not so much the function of the office, but it is that there are 10 County employees working there, and the Medical Examiner does not have any control over the County employees; and there are some efficiencies that need to be worked out, and the issue is that the Medical Examiner has no control over County Employees. 

 

Commissioner Carlson stated the Medical Examiner spoke to her as well, and he feels that the efficiencies can be had and they can get a new doctor on board; and as to how many cases they get, what the workload is, and what that means exactly.  She noted the $10,000 was not thrilling to her either; and if they are going to privatize, they would expect a contractual agreement where some costs are going to be cut because that is the idea of privatizing; but because this is the Medical Examiner’s Office it has to keep running.  She advised there are some pros and cons to look at before the Board makes a decision.

 

Chair Voltz commented the Medical Examiner told her there are two doctors and they have approximately two autopsies a day.  Ms. Busacca noted there was a request for an additional Medical Examiner, which is unfunded.  Commissioner Pritchard stated the function the Medical Examiner’s Office performs is a lot different than the editorialized version on television; but there is a lot more under the surface that has not surfaced at this point in terms of management and operations; and it all needs to come out before the Board accepts one person’s presentation. 

 

Ms. Busacca stated the next issue in the budget is the Sheriff’s Office; the request includes a School Resource Officer for the new Viera High School, six new Court Deputies, based on the fact that they are getting some new judges, and the conversion of 16 civilian positions for Correction Deputy Officers.  Commissioner Carlson inquired what the overall increase is for the Sheriff’s Office; with Peggy Busacca responding it includes a General Fund increase of $7.5 million for an 11.5% increase.  Commissioner Carlson inquired if that was the total; and in looking at Law Enforcement, and the Detention Center expansion, there is $2.2 million.  Peggy Busacca stated staff will have to calculate to add that to the MSTU.  Commissioner Carlson stated Ms. Busacca speaks about an increase or a percentage, but she does not say how much of an increase, so she does not know where it was and how much it has actually increased.  Ms. Busacca stated the total expenditure this year is $97 million and last year it was $89 million. 

 

Chair Voltz inquired when the Board is going to begin to see the numbers, it gets the daily numbers, but she wonders when it is going to see the numbers that are decreasing.  Deputy County Attorney Shannon Wilson responded it is something that is up to the Sheriff, but if the Board would like, she can get with the Sheriff’s Office and coordinate that; with Ms. Busacca responding that already happened this week.  Chair Voltz commented she looked at the numbers this morning and they were 1,700.  Ms. Wilson stated the capacity is now 1,141, and it was 1,041.  Ms. Wilson noted they have occupied the first ten; and as she understands, they do plan on bringing in a second and third tent on line in a gradual basis, and they will probably be inhabiting the second tent early next month.

 

Chair Voltz inquired how it is affecting the lawsuit.  Ms. Wilson commented she does not know if it has had any effect at this time, and the plaintiffs are holding back to see what happens; there are two additional phases of the construction with respect to the medical forensics unit, which the Board will be considering in this budget, and there is going to have to be some remodeling on the interior of the jail regarding the kitchen facilities.  She commented the Board has already funded some additional upgrades to the jail annex, and the Sheriff’s Office has already given a segment of it to the female population to make it more of a female facility.  She stated they added approximately 400 beds for each of the sprung structures; and the medical forensics unit was projected to be another 280 beds, and by the time it is brought on board, they are going to be breaking even in terms of the population.  She stated the next need is likely to be a medium and maximum security facility, which means they are not going to be able to do another tent, as they are going to need a more hardened facility.  She added it is a piece of infrastructure, like anything else.

 

Ms. Busacca stated the next priority in Public Safety is Fire Rescue; and the revenue flip occurred this year so that EMS is now funded through the General Fund.  She stated the Board will see a significant increase in EMS, and part of that is $3.8 million in bad debt, 81% of which is due to statutory limitations for the amount the County can charge for transport.  She commented Medicare and Medicaid have a maximum and they cannot charge anyone else for that, so that is 81% of the bad debt.  She noted in the past, the bad debt has not been fully recognized in the budget, and was used as negative cash forward; and for the first time in many years it is being recognized in the budget.  She stated the request also includes $286,000 for a Hazmat unit, special response team, additional fire station, an ambulance, and seven personnel.  She commented as part of the continued wildfire issues, last year Fire Rescue spent $300,000 on wildfires, so that is now included as part of the budget, since it seems like it may be a more frequent event.  She noted the Ordinance the Board will see in the upcoming weeks actually states the County will budget the amount it spent in the prior year, so if there was not a significant wildland event, that money will still be in the bank, so more money will not be put in for the next year. 

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca stated finally, the budget includes $700,000 in additional General Fund support for the 800 megahertz system.  She noted the 800 megahertz system is a significant amount of money, but as the Board remembers, it has been a badly neglected system for the past several years.  She stated the next priority is Facilities, and it includes $500,000 in debt service for the EOC dispatch center, and that would be utilized as debt service; and she also sees co-locating that with traffic operations as well.  She noted the Facilities request includes $600,000 in library maintenance, which is coming from the library district; and in the past few years, the fines have been utilized to maintain libraries, which was intended to purchase additional books, and it has been unable to do that over the last several years because the libraries have really begun to deteriorate.  She stated in addition to that, $274,000 additional is in maintenance and operation for the Clerk’s archive warehouse and the build-out of the Justice Center.  

 

Commissioner Carlson commented when the Board first spoke to the Sheriff regarding the 800 megahertz system, the numbers were in the millions; and inquired if the $700,000 for the additional funds support will be used to bond.   Ms. Busacca responded it is just to do the repairs and day-to-day maintenance, and not what needs to be done in the long-term, which is approximately $15 million that is going to need to be done.  She noted the rebanding is occurring, and as part of that, some facilities will be paid for under the rebanding; but the significant work that needs to be done is going to cost $15 million, and it is not part of today’s discussion. 

 

Peggy Busacca stated in Economic Development the budget includes an additional $100,000 for EDC of Florida’s Space Coast, as well as $50,000 for the UCF Medical School.  Chair Voltz commented the EDC is actually requesting $300,000.  Ms. Busacca stated with financial considerations, it includes $2 million for operating reserves, totaling $15 million, which is seven percent of the General Government Operating Revenues; and the State mandated annual increase to Medicaid, which is $250,000.  Commissioner Carlson noted $250,000 is an estimate, and inquired what the increase was last year; with Commissioner Pritchard responding it was a quarter million.

 

Ms. Busacca commented the maintenance of qualified staff has been a priority of the Board this year; and the budget includes $6 million in health insurance, and there has been an increase for the County as well as the employee; and it includes salary adjustments, and conversion of temporary employees to permanent employees.  She stated the Board received a memo stating the employees had been utilized, for all intents and purposes, as permanent, and the Board will see an increased number of FTE’s shown in the departments’ budgets.  She noted the request also includes an increase in millage and per-diem consistent with the State and IRS reimbursement, and the State has now gone to 44.5 cents per mile, which is consistent with the IRS.  She stated the next request is for $100,000 for the CDL training program, as the County is having difficulties getting drivers with CDL licenses.  Chair Voltz inquired if $100,000 is enough money; with Ms. Busacca responding staff believes it is sufficient for a training program, and they are working the Workforce Development Board, so it should be sufficient. 

 

Peggy Busacca commented there is a lot of additional needs; and the usual are roads, and the $1.6 million LOGT offset is bondable.  She commented on the expansion of transit services, routes and hours; someone is going to speak on that; beach renourishment is an issue, and the County has been spending about $5 million on beach renourishment, and the Mid-Reach has a significantly higher price tag than that.  She commented the 800 megahertz is long term and is $15 million; land for mosquito impoundments is not included in this report, but County Attorney Scott Knox is at a hearing right now to talk about whether or not the County is going to have to reimburse property owners for mosquito impoundments that could be millions of dollars a year; and the current Mosquito Control budget includes $500,000 just as a set-aside, but it is very minor compared to the amount that is potentially there for mosquito impoundments. 

 

Ms. Busacca stated when the County started mosquito impoundments four decades ago, it was property no one wanted to build on; and it was agreed that the County could maintain those as mosquito impoundments.  She noted over the years, that land, which had previously been too wet to build on, is now becoming increasingly interesting for the idea that homes can be built on it, or some other type of development.  She stated the County is in court right now on a taking issue, in that the County has taken the use of their land because the County is continuing to utilize it as a mosquito impoundment.  Mosquito Control Director Craig Simmons stated the Department has $1 million set aside, not $500,000; and what Mosquito Control is trying to do is establish a plan that will allow it to continue to purchase some of the privately owned properties.  He noted there are 14,000 to 15,000 acres of privately owned impoundments.  Ms. Busacca advised depending on the value that is pending on the court case, they will have some idea as to what impact it could be.  Craig Simmons stated the program change was designed to address two issues; first, give them a plan that would allow them to move forward with purchasing those properties; and the second portion was to give Mosquito Control some type of money to pay for whatever comes out of the case. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated the bottom line is there is a significant amount of land out there that the County has been utilizing that may have to be purchased if they intend to keep utilizing it for mosquito control, which is in the public interest, and it could be in the millions of dollars.  Commissioner Carlson stated there are mosquito impoundments all over the State; and inquired what comes out of this from a Legislative perspective, and if there are any other cases in the process.  Mosquito Control Director Craig Simmons stated it will be precedent setting, as Brevard County has the largest amount of impoundments in the world; and in the eyes of everyone dealing with mosquito impoundments they are looking to Brevard County’s Mosquito Control to see what actually takes place here.  Ms. Busacca noted this is a significant pending issue and should a court case not be in the County’s favor, they could expect payment quickly. 

 

Ms. Busacca stated drainage improvements can remain unfunded and they have continued with the same amount of money with the stormwater. 

 

Ms. Busacca stated there are facilities requests for libraries, a request for archives, and each of the Charter Offices have made a request for some additional space.  She stated in addition to that there are additional needs for space, as well as simply maintenance.  She commented the Detention Center has many issues; and the Court system is likely to continue to get new judges, and Criminal Justice Services is out growing the space it shares with Fire Rescue.  She noted in addition to that, they need roofs and air conditioners.  She stated the Facilities needs are something that are going to become larger in the list of needs.  Chair Voltz commented she thought the Board put money aside last year specifically for Facilities; with Peggy Busacca responding the Board did put an additional $500,000 aside last year, which is still in the budget.

 

Ms. Busacca stated the County has a 10% cap under the Special Act, and if the Board wishes to go to that 10% cap, there would be an additional $7.5 million dollars.  She commented staff has estimated that about $6.5 million of that would be bondable, if that is what the Board wishes to do, for any number of long-term issues, in which case the bond proceeds would equal $81 million for a 20-year bond, or $98 million for a 28-year bond; and the total sales tax bond capacity is $143 million, and they are well below that.  She stated the Board has not talked about what it will do to peoples’ tax bills; and they can calculate that if there is any interest in going above what has been proposed.

 

Commissioner Carlson inquired what that $154 decrease in a tax bill means; and stated it is pretty significant when they look at last year and that there was only an $88 decrease, and it got chiseled down; and she would like to know if the $154 decrease is a real number. Commissioner Pritchard commented last year it was not an $88 refund, it was an $88 decrease in the amount of taxes someone would be paying; however, there were some people who received a tax decrease.  Commissioner Pritchard stated it was his understanding, based on last year’s conversation, that it was going to be less tax paid, based on what the taxes would become.  Ms. Busacca stated if someone had a medium priced house of $224,800, they would have paid $2,136; and if they take that same house and assume a 3% increase in assessed value, they would be paying $1,777 for a total decrease in property taxes of $358, plus they would add the assessment of the fire, which is the revenue flip, for a total that is $207.49 less than they would have paid for the same house last year; so it is not less than proposed, it is less money than they would have paid.  Commissioner Pritchard noted that is the message the Board needs to get out.  Ms. Busacca stated if the Board chose to go to the additional cap, and use that money, they would still see a decrease in the amount that a medium priced home would pay.  

 

Chair Voltz stated she would like to give the public a chance to speak.

 

Thomas Hargrave stated he is the Advocacy Outreach Specialist at the Space Coast Center for Independent Living and also the Chairman of the Interagency Council of Brevard Legislative Task Force.  He thanked the Board for allowing him the opportunity to deliver a statement of support for Space Coast Area Transit.  He stated transportation is the main obstacle preventing individuals with disabilities from fully participating in all aspects of life; according to officials, there has been an increase in ridership from 273,843 in 2000, to 839,510 in 2005; for 20% of riders, SCAT is the only means of transportation; and 28% would like evening routes, and 20% would like more frequent service.  He commented public transportation is a direct link for individuals with disabilities to access employment, education, and entertainment; and the majority of public transportation systems in the State of Florida receive between 40 and 50% for their operating budget through local government.  He noted in the last year local funding has provided SCAT 26%; and over the past five years State funding has increased by 45%, but due to the fact that local money has not been made available, SCAT has difficulty obtaining new grants that require a 50% local match.  He noted there is an unfunded request in the budget for $396,633.00, and this amount would provide one additional paratransit bus route; and if not funded, it would deny community members approximately 20 medical trips per day and an extension of Saturday bus service, which would provide 700 additional hours of service yearly.  He stated the given estimate would provide between 16,000 and 20,000 trips the first year; and lastly, an extension of fixed-route service to 9 p.m. on six routes would include Cocoa/Rockledge, Melbourne, Palm Bay, South Beaches and Titusville.  He noted the increase in service would provide citizens the ability to get home from their jobs by bus after 4 p.m.  He commented the three requested items would not only provide services to individuals, but the entire community, including senior citizens, students, and the workforce.  He stated on behalf of the Space Coast Center for Independent Living and the Interagency Council of Brevard, he would like to request an increase of $396,633 for Space Coast Area Transit.  He stated the increase would have a positive impact on thousands of Brevard County citizens.

 

Bob Seemer stated he is a resident of Rockledge and Chairman of the Persons with Disabilities Assessment Project.  He read a statement to the Board, “For many residents of Brevard County, the lack of transportation is a barrier to independence.  Current route times limit access to educational and employment opportunities, as well as social activities and other routine needs, like medical appointments, shopping, and other services.  In order to enhance the quality of life for all residents, including seniors and those with disabilities, Space Coast Area Transit needs additional local funding.  On behalf of the Brevard County Persons with Disabilities Assessment Project, I am asking you to support providing additional funding for the SCAT Fiscal Year 2007 budget, in the amount of $396,633.00.  These funds would be used to provide an additional paratransit route and additional weekday evening and Saturday service hours.  The continued support of the Brevard County Commissioners is greatly appreciated.”  He commented three of the Board’s main objectives are to increase citizen satisfaction in services; another is to improve the transportation network, giving all citizens options, other than expensive gasoline; and increasing the efficiency of services.  He stated the money is targeted at six high-density routes, by extending routes and services along those routes, and it would increase the amount of riders, and therefore reduce the overall cost per passenger.  He thanked the Board for its attention. Commissioner Carlson inquired if Mr. Seemer’s group looked at what other communities around Brevard have put into transit, for a comparative basis.   Mr. Seemer responded he does not have the comparisons at his fingertips, but the analysis has been conducted and the information is available upon the Board’s request.  Commissioner Carlson stated she would like to see how Brevard compares with other counties in terms of transit and paratransit increased routes.  Mr. Seemer stated he will do that; and he has also asked Mr. Hargrave to get with the Transportation Department and try to quantify in terms of approximate additional ridership, and what impact the $393,000 would have in generating additional ridership.  He noted the transit system is the only transportation for 20% of the riders, so when they look at the seniors and the disabled who use the system, he would expect the percentages to be greater.

 

Bob Seemer stated his understanding is that $100,000 of the $393,000 would be targeted for paratransit routes, which would be about 20 additional trips per day; another $100,000 is to provide Saturday service hours, which would generate about 2,700 additional hours of service; and the remaining $194,000 is to provide for weekday evening hours, which would be equivalent to 5,200 to 5,500 hours of service.  He noted it would not only benefit people with disabilities with service, it would benefit seniors and the general population.

 

Doug Dixon stated he is the President of the North Melbourne Homeowners Alliance and Live Oak Homeowners Association.  He commented his group covers from Suntree, Suntree Master Association, and Grand Haven’s Master Association, and nine more homeowners’ associations from Suntree to Post Road.  He stated his group is concerned about the Assessment Management System that would assess what roads need work, the type of work needed, how much, and when it is going to be done.  He commented he knows a budget is very hard to do with a County the size of Brevard, growth management issues, and concurrency issues; but he does not know how a budget is done and not have any long range projection where roads are identified, what needs work, when, and how much it is going to cost.  He stated he hopes that is something the Board can look at while it is making its budget to decide how much money is to go where.  He stated another issue is cooperation with the City for matching funds on County roads within the City; and he is under the assumption there have not been any funds in the budget from last year to resurface County roads within the municipalities; and Wickham Road is one of the roads that desperately needs resurfacing in certain areas before they have to reconstruct the road.   He stated from Eau Gallie to Dustin’s Restaurant is an area that needs resurfaced, and Road and Bridge Department and the Transportation Department say the roads can be resurfaced for approximately $75,000 per lane, per mile; if the Board waits much longer it is going to have to reconstruct part of Wickham Road, and he cannot imagine the nightmare that would cause the residents who live in Melbourne, at the cost of about $225,000 per lane, per mile, which would be tremendously more expensive; and that does not account for moving utilities.  He stated Wickham Road is one of the major thoroughfares in Brevard County and it is one of the reasons his group got together.  He stated the one-cent sales tax was brought up by the municipalities, and it looks like Palm Bay pulled out, and was the only City to pull out to bring forth a one-cent sales tax referendum; and no one likes to pay a sales tax, but the only reason Palm Bay backed out of it was because they were not sure where the money was going.  He stated he imagines the County thinks it has enough money to do all of the road work needed to be done in Brevard County, but he doubts if that is true.  He asked where money is going to come from; and stated impact fees are not going to cut it.    

 

Mr. Dixon stated he would also like the Board to look at a better definition of proportional fair share mitigation; and when Home Depot came in, it came in with no clear definition of proportional fair share mitigation, and they were going to pay 8.5% for a right turn lane on Post Road; and when they found out that utilities had to be moved, it shifted to the ITS system.  He inquired if Home Depot got away without paying their fair share.  He noted if they do not look at that, they are taking money away from taxpayers also.

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated in the City of Cocoa, the County is fixing Michigan and Dixon; and at Cape Canaveral, the County is fixing Ridgewood, Ocean Breeze, and North Atlantic.  He noted the State is even participating with SR 520, and SR 528; and on Merritt Island, North and South Courtenay Parkway is being fixed.  He noted the money is being allocated and it is being used appropriately; and he does not want Mr. Dixon to think nothing is being done.  Mr. Dixon stated when he calls the City and when he talks to people at the County, he gets a different answer every time, and it does not seem like the cooperation exists; and he thinks much more cooperation needs to happen. 

 

Dave Kershaw stated he is with the Technological Research and Development Authority, and he would like to speak to the Board about support for the Business Incubator Project.  He commented it is the initiative that will allow them to provide new business development, business assistance, and entrepreneurial support services to the area at a location on Nasa Boulevard at the Melbourne Airport Authority.  He stated the project is under construction and is due to be completed in May, 2007; and it has been great to have many partners associated with the project they have had over the last year or two, such as the Economic Development Administration, the United States Department of Commerce, the City of Melbourne, and the County.  He stated he is seeking the Board’s support of continued co-funding involvement at the $200,000 level that will allow them to have both the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Central Florida be integral parts of the business incubator center once they are in the operational phase.  He stated they know from experience with business incubator operations, the involvement of Universities is critical to having sustained, technological innovation, new business formation, and the building of community wealth; so the linkage between incubators and universities is strong and produces great results.  He advised they are anticipating they will meet or exceed the national return on investment average for their incubation program; right now it is $3 to every $1 of public investment, so they are looking forward to bringing in three times what public dollars have invested in this particular project, and will do that through salaries and direct purchases and general operations of those companies.  He stated in the first two years of operations of the incubator, they are expecting to serve 12 to 15 companies; and in the following three years, another 15 companies at least; so over the first five years of operation, they are looking forward to having served as many as 30 new companies, and each one of those companies to have created two to five jobs; and within the first five years of operations, having anywhere from 60 to 150 new, homegrown jobs created through the business incubator operations.  He stated they look forward to the Board’s continued support to the TRDA with the Business Incubator.

 

Commissioner Pritchard inquired how much money the TRDA is requesting from the Board; with Mr. Kershaw responding $200,000.  Commissioner Carlson inquired if the TRDA’s request for money last year was a two-year request. Dave Kershaw stated he does not know exactly what the request was, but he knows it had to have been for $200,000, because the Board generously granted that to the project.  Commissioner Carlson stated she was wondering why he was back this year, because she thought it was a two-year request for a total of $400,000, and the Board only did it for $200,000, and told them to come back this year; and she is just trying to remember the sequence. Chair Voltz stated she does not remember it being for two years; with County Manager Peggy Busacca stating she also does not remember it being multi-year.

 

Commissioner Colon inquired if the TRDA is still getting the same dollars from the State that was committed last year.  She noted she recalled an investigation from the State, and inquired what that was about.  Dave Kershaw stated they have had some inquiries within the last year, but they have provided all the information they requested; beyond that, there is nothing he can share with the Board, as there has not been a conclusion or outcome. 

 

Tuck Ferrell stated he would like to ask the Board for more transportation dollars to fund their transportation destiny.  He commented he understands everyone is struggling trying to make ends meet, and the budget is a big part of it; and at this time he wanted to ask and see if they could find some more money for transportation so they could bond and get some matching funds, and get some state and federal funds and build some of the roads that are needed. He stated the entire economy hinges on transportation, and it has been talked about a lot today already; the business jobs, the Government, schools, and every citizen’s quality of life depends on good transportation; and they need to build some connectors and improve transportation. 

 

Chair Voltz commented Mr. Ferrell is not alone on that subject; and everybody wants to see transportation improved, and the Board is working on that.  She stated while there is a billion dollar budget, $281 million is basically what the Board has to spend; and out of the $281 million, the Board funds the Supervisor of Elections, the Property Appraiser, the Tax Collector, and the Sheriff; and it does roads, libraries, and quite a few other things.  She advised $281 million does not go very far; and it includes the health insurance, the employee’s benefits, and many other things, so for the Board to find money within the General Fund to do roads, the money is not there; and they spend every penny of the available money to do roads. 

 

Chair Voltz stated when the press prints the fact that the County has a billion dollar budget, the general public sees a billion dollar budget; and the Board sees a $281 million budget that it has to spend on everything she mentioned, plus a number of other things.  She noted the budget is very tight, regardless of what people think, and she has an entire book of unfunded issues the Board needs to deal with; some of them are mandated by the State or Federal Government, and on some of them the Commission stated it wanted to do them, but did not have the money for it.  She noted the Commission is at a dilemma as to where it goes from here; and every one of them knows the roads are probably the priority, and it is least behind on that than any other thing it could possibly have.  She stated the voters voted on millage for the EELs properties, they voted on millage for Parks, and she thinks sometime down the road the Board is probably going to have to look at a voter referendum for roads; and that is the only way anything is going to be passed.  She stated the issue today is specifically the budget and when the Board sees the budget, it sees $281 million to fund everybody’s things, plus everybody else’s priorities that come up; and it is not an easy thing for the Board to begin handing out money.  She noted the Board’s priority is roads, and it needs to address that desperately, and whether it is an intelligent transportation system, the asset management system; and whatever it is that is going to help down the road is what the Board needs to look at. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated he met with Geo Ropert and Kristin Bakke regarding thinking regionally.  He commented they go to meetings and talk about how to be part of a region, but the County is not even part of a region, and the cities cannot agree with each other, and the County and cities cannot agree.  He commented he does not know how Brevard County is ever going to operate as part of a seven-county region, when Brevard County cannot think regionally.  He stated he would like to hear a comment from Mr. Ropert based on their conversation about the region, because it impacts parks, transportation, stormwater and all of the other issues.  He noted they are all part of a region, and it needs to start with Brevard County.

 

Geo Ropert stated he agrees with Commissioner Pritchard, and geographically, they have segregated the County into North, South, and Central; and then they went one step further and did it through municipalities, so they have put themselves into little boxes and thought very locally; thinking like a community is one of the things that sets them apart, and it is the reason the seven-county Central Florida regional visioning initiative, myregion.org, has gotten the leverage it has.  He commented they need to sit down and discuss joint planning agreements, when it comes to annexation, where the future growth is going to be; Senate Bill 360 has a lot to do with concurrency issues; and they are going to have to act as a County and a region to address those issues such as schools, water and transportation.  He stated if they are going to look at the social welfare of the community they have to think regionally as well, because they have resources scattered throughout the area, and if there are cooperative efforts, they can really provide for a better quality of life.  He noted they talked to Commissioner Colon about a future summit to bring the County leaders together with the municipal leaders, and the school officials, and sit down and look at some concrete ways they can start putting aside some animosities and start thinking for the benefit of everyone.  He commented he agrees they are one region that is very unique with the beaches, mainland, and environmentally sensitive lands; Titusville has to start thinking about what is happening in Melbourne and Palm Bay; the beaches have to recognize that growth that is coming into the mainland is going to effect them as well; and it is not going to happen in one place, and everybody is going to have to be proactive and react to what is going on around them.

 

Commissioner Carlson inquired if Mr. Ropert could share with the Commission a quick update on what the region is looking at, and what Lead Brevard is doing to take the information that is coming from the Community and roll it into an update for the Strategic Plan.  She noted she does not know how many Commissioners were able to go to some of the community things.

 

Geo Ropert advised myregion.org has come up with the initiative of How Shall We Grow?, creating a shared vision for Central Florida that is looking at the entire Central Florida region, as one, and looking at the growth issues, transportation, the water, and environment, and saying there are 3.2 million people right now, and in the year 2050, there will be 7 million people living in the region; and how will they all get along and live together, and where will the workforces be, where the industrial areas are going to be, where the urban center is going to be, and what kind of environmental lands they are going to have.  He noted all of the issues have to be looked forward to, and myregion.org is doing Community Visioning Meetings; they had three of them in June and Commissioner Colon was at the first one, and they will be doing it again in September, where they will actually look at the impact of where the participants said they would like things.  He stated it has helped them to look at the Brevard Tomorrow strategic vision, which is a plan and not an entity; and what yregion.org is doing in cooperation with that is initiating the development of the First Communities Indicator Report, which is going to give them some baselines from which to measure quality of life issues, and making them tangible and legible, and looking at those things that are truly important to them.  He noted in the reflection of the five years since Brevard Tomorrow has been there, is that they are working on a report card so that the community can see how far they have advanced as a community and how people have really been putting their efforts towards a lot of  initiatives and  goals and strategies that are very important to them; along with that, they will take the information they have and come together as a community and ask if these are the goals and strategies they would like to go forward with; and that will bring Brevard Tomorrow to the next level and continue that next phase.  He stated Brevard Tomorrow is a reference document and it is something they, as a community, looks towards; and as Lead Brevard, they are working to be the stewards of that plan and also be able to utilize their leadership and community development skills, to be able to move that forward, and then be able to work in the regional aspect, and get everybody talking on the same page. 

 

Commissioner Colon stated one of the things she was impressed with, coming from a municipality after five years, was the fact that the Board of County Commissioners did think regionally.  She commented the County Commission was looking at the larger picture, as they were part of myregion.org; and she recalls Commissioner Higgs bringing the water to the Board’s attention, and then the municipalities were upset with the County because they were looking at it on a regional basis, and the fact that Orlando was looking at Brevard County and its water.  She stated Commissioner Higgs was part of the meetings regionally, and she was getting feedback and bringing it back to the other Commissioners.  She stated she knows that when it comes to the Board of County Commissioners, she can say it is not territorial; and Commissioner Scarborough is just as concerned as to what is going on in the south part of the County, as she is with what is going on in Titusville, and it is the same with all of the Commissioners.  She noted she has asked Mr. Ropert and Lead Brevard to take over the summit and have more of an involved role, because that is where they need to go; and the summits were not intended for the Commission to tell the School Board what to do and how to run the schools.  She noted communication is key to get to the next level; and she felt when she went to the Florida Association of Counties in June she was the only one dealing with the growing pains, but then you hear from the 60 other counties and about how they are the fastest growing county in the State of Florida, but she heard the same thing 60 times.  She stated getting the community to think regionally is what the goal should be; and she agrees with what Mr. Ropert is saying.

 

Geo Ropert stated he would hope the Board would look at myregion.org as the community conveners; it represents much of the community leadership, whether it is professional, public or private, or non-profit individuals; they have people with a great deal of perspective, and they can help move the County forward.  He noted they are a one-family unit, and there are seven of them in Central Florida, but everybody else is thinking about themselves as much as they are the seven-county region; and they have to be prepared to participate there as they are to guard, preserve and conserve the quality of life and the things that have made Brevard great.

 

Chair Voltz stated the citizens of Palm Bay have always been willing to step up to the plate; and they have been wonderful at funding things if they know exactly what it is they are going to fund.  Commissioner Carlson stated she thinks that goes across-the-board from a regional perspective and they all like the ideas, and they all have embraced it, and the Commission is the least territorial of all of the government bodies; the Board is thinking regionally, and there is 70 miles in between them; and the only way they make a connection is through the efforts that started six years ago.  She noted Lead Brevard is in the community facilitating many different things and is building credibility, which is a huge issue, because cultural arts and what they mean to people is a huge piece to the quality of life and how they all define the quality of life.  She stated regionalism is huge and it is the next generation of how they need to start planning and thinking about their future as more and more people populate the state, and if they do not, they will continue on the road they are on, which is piecemeal and sprawl.  She stated she knows developers want to do what is right because that is what is most appealing; they want to encapsulate the workforce and the housing all in a nice area, but to get there is a paradigne shift from where they currently are; it is going to take time; and myregion.org is doing its best and is modeling some of the things it is doing based on what the County Commission has successfully done.  She commented she would like to see it happen quicker, but that is the frustration in government in general, that it moves slow, and sometimes it is important that government moves slow.  She noted roads are a big issue, and if sales tax is not the answer, then there needs to be a shift to maintenance and transit, and there is not better time to do it than in the gas crunch that they are having. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard commented he has found that most people are agreeable to have someone else to pay a tax.  He noted when he moved to Brevard from Broward, he moved to Cape Canaveral and had water provided by the City of Cocoa, and police provided by the Sheriff; and when he moved to Merritt Island he had water provided by the City of Cocoa, and police protection by the Sheriff.  He commented he does not care who provides police, fire, water, or anything else, he wants to know that when he turns on the tap or hits a switch, he wants the service to be there, and it does not matter to him who it is; but Brevard County has smaller municipalities that do not think that way, and they want what is best for them, and they look at it that way.  He stated the outreach that has happened recently is a derivative of the Leadership Academy that he attended for five days; what came out of that was him going out into the community to get others to participate; and Brevard County had a more definitive idea of what the County is going to become.  He stated another team’s version, and his team’s version was very similar; but other interpretations coming from Orange County, Osceola County or Seminole County, were completely different from what Brevard views Brevard to be; and they view Brevard as their beach, and they talk about their performing arts center, or their sports venue, but Brevard has that too.  He commented the whole thing is regional and they really need to take the initiative to make it happen.  He stated the way this is operating is excruciatingly slow, and he is not sure the best comes from operating slowly; and he tends to move forward and make adjustments, or beg forgiveness, depending on the situation.  He stated he believes in moving forward as expeditiously as possible; and the problem with the Growth Management Coalition Committee is that each one of them has to go back to their council, which meets every other Tuesday, and then they have to discuss it; and by the time it comes back together, nothing much has happened. 

 

Geo Ropert commented Commissioner Pritchard is correct, but they are looking at paradigne shift; this is many years of separated municipal and county agreements and attitudes and relationships; and at times they are all frustrated that it is not moving fast enough, but at the same time, there is progress.  He stated before they know it there will be shifts in attitude and there is some cooperation, Joint Planning Agreements, and Interlocal Agreements that start to work; and it is not perfect, but it is movement; and if they stay the course, if they move forward, and if they continue to think regionally, they are going to get there; and it is going to be in their lifetime that they see justifiable, recognizable changes appear.

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated one way to affect that kind of change is to start thinking of services that can be provided regionally; and FPL is a good example, and as with water, some municipalities may have a large revenue that is based on their water; but there are other types of services that might be better because of an economy scale, to be provided regionally, such as libraries, mosquito control, engineering, and maybe even public safety.  He noted people need to realize how much more bang they can get for their buck, when the economy scaled better.

 

Chair Voltz stated last year and this year, Mr. Ropert asked for $50,000 for Brevard Tomorrow; and inquired now that they are Lead Brevard Tomorrow, why are they not combined as one organization.  Geo Ropert responded the reason they did this was because there was getting to be a lot of confusion and people saw Lead Brevard and they know Brevard Tomorrow, and many people perceived Brevard Tomorrow to be an organization or an entity, not understanding it is a plan, and that their efforts were being directed specifically towards that plan; and his job is to have the oversight responsibility for the plan, the goals, and the implementation strategies within.  He noted what they saw was that the organization needed to have a central recognizable, which became Lead Brevard, and under that organizational name is the Leadership development side and their community development side.  He noted the community development is the Brevard Tomorrow plan, and it is the young professionals of Brevard and the workforce housing taskforce, and it is working with the Melbourne/Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce right now in the development of the transportation task force; and so, when they said the money was going to Brevard Tomorrow, the money they are requesting is still going into Brevard Tomorrow actions and activities.  He stated if the Board decides that as an organization, because they are using their leadership potentials and the people within that, and meld that with the community development side, if the Board decides that the money should go to Lead Brevard to implement the community development plans, or to do more community development, then they are fine with that as well.  He stated it is the Board’s choice, but the Brevard Tomorrow work still continues and they still allocate dollars specifically to those activities that are under those five issue areas and plans.

 

Chair Voltz inquired if the $50,000 the Board gave them is all spent, or if they have any leftover.  Mr. Ropert stated the money from last year was spent, and Brevard Tomorrow takes approximately 50% of their budget.  Chair Voltz stated their budget is $133,000 and the Board gives them $50,000 of that; and she thinks any time the Board gives an organization money, it would always like the organization to lean less on the Government and more on the community, because that is what the whole issue is all about.  She stated she would like to see them do that sometime in the future. 

 

Geo Ropert stated he would agree, and they want to become more sufficient and receive more money from the private sector; but that $50,000 is money well spent, and the Board gets a return greater than the money invested in the overall positive impact on the community; they appreciate that the Board has stayed with them and has remained a partner; and it has come now to an appreciation and an understanding from their side and the Board’s side, and there are some good things happening.  He stated it is their goal to gradually grow to be funded more through grants and acting as a non-profit and having more participation from the private sector as well. 

 

Chair Voltz stated what Geo Ropert is doing with myregion.org is important and she thinks until they get that whole issue settled and a plan out there, then they need to continue to work with them and represent the Brevard County Commission in those meetings.

 

Commissioner Colon stated she would also encourage the Board to make sure it gives that money every year, because it allows them to concentrate on the bigger picture of this plan versus them having to worry about going out and doing fundraising; and she does not mind partnerships,  and  they  should  be  encouraged;  but  to  encourage  more  companies  to  get involved, but not to take the dollars the Board is giving them, because it is not a lot of money overall.  She commented the Commission offices have utilized the services of Lead Brevard or Brevard Tomorrow, so she would continue to encourage partnerships, but she is also concerned that their goal does not become going out and fundraising.  She stated to know there is support from the Board of County Commissioners is important and it sends a message that the Board is encouraging partnership; and she was critical in the beginning, until she attended the meetings; and it goes back to communication and they have done a very good job of bringing everybody together.  She noted the Board of County Commissioners does not have anybody on staff who does that. 

 

Commissioner Carlson commented the Board has everything to lose by not being a part of the myregion.org process; and they are looking at Brevard, as well as Brevard is looking at them from a regional development perspective; and there is a lot of people looking at it, at the State level they are looking at Brevard as a central model for the entire State, and the Governor has always been very supportive of the regional process.  She commented going forward like they are is the right way to go to make sure Brevard stays on top of the regionalism, and it is not going to slow down. 

 

Chair Voltz asked how many people fund Brevard Tomorrow; with Geo Ropert stating there is 12 or 14 public and private entities.  Chair Voltz stated she would like to see more, because there are more than 14 people out there; and it is important they get more partners, as it is a partnership of the region, and in Brevard County there are a lot of assets, and a lot of people who are interested in where they go forward; so she would think some of the businesses would be willing to donate their time and money. 

 

Commissioner Carlson stated the longevity of the program, and the longevity of the Board’s support play very big in the minds of the private sector, and the other municipalities; and having the Board support them, is very impressing, and more people will go to Lead Brevard and want to be a part of it.  Geo Ropert stated they have a plan they have been developing to look at resource development in a new way so that people feel a connection and a commitment to the causes, and to the direction and focus the plan is taking; and they are working as a team, and with their leadership to establish those types of givings from both the private and public sectors to find some long term solutions to that; and he would love to come to the Board some day and tell it they do not need any money.

 

Chair Voltz stated the Board supports what Lead Brevard does.  Commissioner Pritchard stated he always looks at the return on the investment and he does not care if it is TRDA, or EDC, or a social program, he looks at the return on the investment; and transportation is an issue with bus routes; and the return on that investment may be a social return, and not an economic return.  He stated he thinks the return investment on Lead Brevard is going to be substantial; and he does not see how any other organization is going to have the capability to facilitate as Lead Brevard will be able to do; Lead Brevard has the opportunity to be the regional free thinker; and with Lead Brevard taking the lead, it is going to benefit the entire community.

 

Commissioner Carlson read a statement, “Native American wisdom says that when you are riding a dead horse the best strategy is to dismount.  It seems we often try the strategies with dead horses, including, but not limited to, the following:  buying a stronger whip, changing riders, appointing a committee to study the horse, arranging visits to other sites to see how they ride  dead horses, increase  the  standards to ride dead horses,  appointing a team to revive the

dead horse, creating specialized training sessions  to increase our riding ability, changing the requirements and declaring that the horse is not dead, hiring outside contractors, privatizing, to ride the dead horse, harnessing dead horses together for increased speed, declaring that no horse is too dead to beat, providing additional funding to increase the horses performance, and declaring that the horse is better, faster, and cheaper, dead, revisit the performance requirements for horses, and promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.” 

 

Commissioner Carlson stated she has a preliminary report that she wanted to pass out, and it is an update on the BCA (Brevard Cultural Alliance).  She commented she has sat on the BCA for eight years because of her interest in the cultural arts and she thinks the cultural arts are essential to the overall quality of life; and what she handed out is a preliminary report, and on the previous weekend they had a strategic summit because they found the necessity to regroup now that the Executive Director is no longer with them.  She noted the direction of the BCA is going to change substantially, and if the Board reads the handout, it will see how that change is going to occur, and the inputs they received from the arts groups were essential to moving forward; and they had a strategic plan that was in place as of 2001, and not much motion occurred because of various issues, and now the Board feels very comfortable moving forward in a different perspective.  She stated that because the Board and members of the BCA are very aware of the sensitivity of the budget process, and they understand that in order to shop for an Executive Director who can do what they need in the community to help them transition to a Cultural Alliance that was more service oriented and doing less fundraising and competition with existing art groups, which has been the main problem they have had for years, they need to have some dollars set aside to help them get on their feet and get through the process and be able to look for an Executive Director who is going to be dynamic enough and have all the credentials to get them there; and then to provide the service oriented programming they hope to provide in the near future.  She stated in the summit over the weekend they worked with all the different agencies in the community, and they had Park and Recreation, the EDC, the TDC, and others that were there, because they are looking at their 501.C.3 structure and a hybrid of that structure because they have looked at many of the different models throughout the State that have been successful, and they have had nationally based consultants helping them with that; and Kristin Bakke from Lead Brevard was there to help with facilitation and they effectively secured their future in the fact that they are going forward, but they will have a different structure and mind shift.  She stated the BCA is going through a shift of their own, and it is going to be a benefit to the community as a whole when it comes to cultural arts and the provision of cultural arts throughout the community; she thinks they have made a major step with changing some of the grant processes that have been a big issue to many of the arts groups, both small and large; and now what they are looking for is to at least ask the Commission to set aside $100,000, only because they are working with the TDC, and they want to be able to work with County, TDC, and the EDC, who have gone through much of what the BCA is currently going through.   She commented she is essentially requesting the Board to give Peggy Busacca the authority to set aside $100,000; it may not be that much, and it will not be more than that; they have other funding potential, but because of the way the current BCA is structured with their program, some of the programs will go away, and when they go away, the money for them goes away; and if they do not do fundraising, their funding to provide an umbrella organization to provide cultural arts in the community will not be available.  She commented they are trying to develop the arts in the community and keep the big ones that are established going.  She stated she understands the Board just received the handout, and if on Thursday they want to discuss it more, they can do that.

 

Chair Voltz inquired if the Board is giving the BCA any money right now; with Commissioner Carlson responding the Board is giving them housing, under Parks and Recreation, of around $50,000, and it may be less than that.   Chair Voltz inquired how the BCA has been functioning all along; with Commissioner Carlson responding through grants, TDC dollars and fundraising, and a big piece is fundraising; and that is one of the biggest complaints they have, that the larger organizations, such as the King Center, the BSO, and the Museum are all being competed with because not only do they have people on the BCA Board that could be better utilized with their knowledge and understanding of the arts on their Boards to help them bring in money for their institution, but also on a basis of fundraising and competing for that fundraising dollar.  She stated if the BCA fundraises, that is less money for the others to receive; the BCA has continued to fundraise, even after 2001, and they are going to get out of that and shift into a more service oriented kind of organization; and they really have not done what the Arts Organizations would like for them to do, and they are their bosses, so the BCA is not giving them what they need, which is help with grant writing, and technology help, and things that can help them grow into a better arts organization for the community and for citizens to enjoy.  She noted it is going to be very hard for the Cultural Alliance to actually gain assistance or a safety net from County Government.

 

Chair Voltz inquired if Commissioner Carlson was stating the BCA did fundraising to pay their Executive Director; with Commissioner Carlson responding they are trying to figure that out; there are a number of employees currently that are driven through the grant processes right now, and they are paid through the grants or TDC dollars that are being brought in; and it is all laid out, and she does not know the detail, but they are working on that trying to look at the programs they currently have and looking for arts groups in the community who would rather take those programs.  She stated that for example, the Art of Harleys is a lot of expense, and others have said they should be doing that, and then the BCA can do things such as additional shows, art exhibits, or anything else; so the biggest problem has been in competition with the smaller art groups that exist out there already.  She commented the BCA is looking at bringing in some of the larger arts groups because they are substantial, they have a level of credibility, and they are established in the King Center or the BSO, the larger groups, and then all of the partners in that process, whether it is the Commission, the TDC, the EDC, and private sector, are potentially going to be restructuring the Board so that it becomes more of a service oriented group. 

 

Chair Voltz inquired if she understood the BCA is not going to be funding grants.  Commissioner Carlson stated that is a very simplistic way to look at it, but the BCA gets dollars whether it is a State grant or some other grant for art and education; and they do the art in public places and those types of things, and they are not going to get rid of them immediately, but they are in a transitional process and they need someone who can help them in that process, and right now there is not anybody, and they have to do a National search to find someone equipped and have the ability to create an umbrella organization that is going to work.  She stated it is going to be private/public, because that is the only way they are going to be able to provide those kind of services.  Commissioner Pritchard commented this is more like bridge-financing, to get them over a hump; and the previous Director made approximately half of what the BCA is going to have to pay the next Director, so that will be a significant amount of money.  He stated he thinks the return on investment is there, and all he hears from the major companies is, “where is the culture and the arts”; and Brevard County has lost some major companies because they did not have as large an art venue as  they would have liked.   He  stated the amount of money is a little

more than he expected, but Commissioner Carlson stated it was up to $100,000, and it may not be that much.

 

Chair Voltz inquired if it is a one time payment; with Commissioner Carlson responding it is what the Board is going to have to assess once they get someone in place, and once they show the business model; and that is what the group is now working on, the business model that will show a new structure, and there will probably be by-law changes that will all be presented to the Board in the near future.  She stated the bridge-type financing might be a good way to look at it, and they may be able to figure out they can get funding through the TDC; they do not anticipate that it will be the full $100,000, but that is a safe number, and they will probably come back with a business model that will also be requesting to work with the County on benefits, because in order to keep somebody they would have to look at benefits; and there has to be a recurring source of income to keep a high-level person like that, plus good benefits. 

 

Commissioner Colon stated she would prefer the money to be part of the budget; the return investment is hard to put in dollar amounts, so it is money well spent and the Board needs to be careful not to be trapped in a one time payment; and it needs to be part of the budget so it can be operational, and if the Board is going to do it, it needs to do it right, and if it is changing is that where the philosophy of the Board is going.  She stated if there are certain people that sit as Board of Directors and belong to the EDC or TDC, they will be able to encourage people to contribute. 

 

Commissioner Carlson stated she appreciates what Commissioner Colon said; and what the BCA Board is planning to do is come up with a business model and make an official request; and the Commission is going to have to see it as an established thing, and she is one for accountability, so she would want to know who is partnering with them and what it would get from those dollars.  She stated the expertise comes from the people sitting on the BCA, but they have been so consumed with fundraising and other things, that they do not have the time to share that expertise, which is time, talent, and treasure.  She commented if the Board can at least set aside those dollars for discussion, they can get conversations started with Peggy Busacca, the TDC, and EDC.

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated his thought is that anybody who wants to put something in at this time, it would proceed forward as unfunded, and that while the programs come together, he is not in favor of putting anything that is currently unfunded into a funded, but something that is currently not on the list into unfunded would be prudent, so at least it is in the scope of discussion.  He commented what Commissioner Carlson is saying sounds good, and all of the programs are very important for the quality of the community, but as the Board moves forward, he would like to bring them all together.  Commissioner Carlson stated she is bringing it to the Board in a timely fashion that lets it know that this is the preliminary, and on Monday the Board will give further direction.   

 

Motion by Commissioner Scarborough, seconded by Commissioner Carlson, to direct staff to include $100,000 unfunded request for the Brevard Cultural Alliance (BCA), and authorize the BCA to prepare a policy allowing it to hire personnel when necessary as long as funds are available in the budget.  Motion carried and ordered unanimously.

 

Chair Voltz noted she would like to also see the extra $200,000 that is unfunded for EDC put in the same boat.  Commissioner Scarborough inquired if the request is unfunded; with County Manager Peggy Busacca responding affirmatively.  Commissioner Pritchard stated the $600,000 is already there, but that excludes the $100,000.  Commissioner Pritchard inquired if the TRDA has been included for the $200,000; with Ms. Busacca responding it is included in the unfunded.  Ms. Busacca commented what she was hoping to get today is those things which the Board was most interested in, whether it is a reduction or an increase, then come back to the Board on Thursday and let it know what the fiscal impact would be, so it would be able to make an informative decision; Tuesday is the tentative millage; and as the Board knows, once it sets the millage, it is very difficult to increase it.  She stated if the Board could give a high number today, it can always reduce it, as that is much easier than going in the other direction.

 

Commissioner Pritchard inquired if TRDA is in for $200,000; with Peggy Busacca responding it is unfunded right now; and he inquired about SCAT and its proposal.  Ms. Busacca responded it is unfunded.  Commissioner Pritchard stated he believes there is going to be a request for an increase for Lead Brevard.  Chair Voltz stated they have not submitted anything.  Commissioner Pritchard inquired if there is an unfunded amount in the budget for Lead Brevard; with Peggy Busacca responding it has been funded.  Commissioner Pritchard commented he asked that question because the Board has charged Lead Brevard with a responsibility to be a representative of the Community in this regional visioning process; if it is going to take more money to do that, then the Board is short changing them; and he cannot ask someone to do something and then not make sure they have the availability of funds to see that it happens. 

 

Commissioner Carlson commented the Board had the same issue with EDC, when it gave them money for a strategic plan, and then the next year there was not any request; and if organizations get support from the Board, and if they have analyzed their budget and know how much they are going to need, it behooves them to bring something like that forward.  She noted the Board may want to look at it on Thursday, because once the Board sets everything up for Tuesday, there will be no changes.  Commissioner Pritchard stated his commentary regarding that, is that someone has to take the lead, and he does not see any other organization poised to take the lead; and if that is what is going to happen, based on the direction of the Board, he wants to make sure it is not giving them a nickel and asking them to do 50 cents worth of work.

 

Commissioner Colon stated $200,000 is a lot of money for the TRDA; the EDC visited her and proposed one position that was approximately $46,000; and she was the one who brought up at one of the workshops that the EDC needed money, but at that time it was only one position at $46,000, and now she is hearing $600,000; the EDC has been patient, but $300,000 is too much money, and she thinks $100,000 is reasonable.  She stated in regards to the wall the Board discussed, $80,000 was requested, and the Board offered $20,000; there needs to be some kind of compromise, because the citizens in the community had already went above and beyond, and the wall is for the community; and the Board needs to compromise on what would be reasonable to give the Vietnam Vets the money they need to finish the project.  She stated she knows it is in the unfunded, and that is why it is good that the Board is letting everybody know it is not set in stone, and what it is doing is listening to the requests, putting them on a list, and then figuring out where it goes from here. 

 

Chair Voltz commented the Board has a lot of unfunded issues that have come forward, and very little money; it is something the Board needs to look at; and she supports giving the EDC $300,000 after hearing their proposal, and they have been tremendous in what they have done for the community and for jobs in the community.  Commissioner Carlson commented she also supports the EDC based on the information she has read; she knew when the EDC got a strategic plan started, there would be more, and the community needs to have the best people hitting the streets; and if the space flight stops tomorrow and the County has a huge deficit in the workforce, the EDC is working towards obtaining other interesting approaches.

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca responded anything the Board can give today would be very helpful; as has been identified to the Board, there are long-term issues; the 800 megahertz system, mosquito impoundments, transportation, and facilities are not going to go away, and the price is not going to go down; her suggestion to the Board is to think about some of the capacity and utilize it this year, even if it just puts it in the bank; and when these issues come due, they may look back and say they wished they would have taken advantage of the additional capacity.  Commissioner Carlson stated Peggy Busacca laid out all of the priorities, and has taken the Board’s priority; and inquired would it be a good request to maximize the capacity, $7.5 million; and of that staff would bond $6.5 million.  She noted she is not talking about bonding, but potentially the Board has five projects based on its priorities and the high-level needs in the community; and inquired how would the Board disburse those dollars in bonding capacities.  She stated she does not want staff to sprinkle it around just so that everyone is happy; and she wants them to focus on transportation, and the things that will help emergency processes work better, whether it is dealing with moving expenses to push everybody into excel so they are on point when it comes to a major emergency; making sure they can act in the event of a major emergency making sure the transportation is up to speed, and making sure the emergency response sources are all working together; the County has a great EOC, but they are striving to make it the best, and they are on the road to do that, but it is going to take money.  Commissioner Carlson noted there is a myriad of unfunded things; and it would be nice to have a small portion set aside for those things; as far as safety and welfare for the citizens, the Board has to look at what it wants to use those dollars for, in the most practical and feasible way that is going to help the Board move toward the priorities it has already set.

 

County Manager Peggy Busacca commented if that is an interest of the Board, it can come back on Thursday.  Chair Voltz stated she is not going to support 10%.  Commissioner Carlson commented she is looking at the picture of what the Board can achieve; at least it will have a picture, and know how to best attack some of the greater needs, with transportation being at the top of the heap, and her biggest concern is maintenance and making sure there are efficiencies on the maintenance side and improving transportation.  She stated she supports any additional transit the Board can throw out there, because the people will appreciate that; and that is on the $300,000 side also.  Commissioner Carlson stated it is critical for the Board to get a picture of how it can utilize those dollars; if it says no, or it can approve just half, at least it will have a feel for what it can get done; and that is her motion.  Ms. Busacca stated that can be provided to the Board. 

 

Commissioner Colon inquired if the options are coming back to the Board on Thursday; with Ms. Busacca responding affirmatively.  Commissioner Carlson stated the Board is just asking staff to

bring it back; and maybe it does not need a motion.  Commissioner Pritchard stated it does not need a motion, as staff can bring it back and the Board can see what the results will be.  Chair Voltz noted bringing it back will increase property taxes; she inquired how much it will increase property taxes; with Ms. Busacca responding staff will let the Board know on Thursday.  Commissioner Carlson stated her understanding is that if they do the cap based on the documents she has received, there would still be a savings; with Ms. Busacca responding that is correct, and that is what staff calculated in the example she cited earlier, if they take a median house and combine that tax bill from last year with the tax bill from this year.  Chair Voltz inquired if that was based on raising it 10%; with Ms. Busacca responding staff has calculated that raising it up to the 10% would still result in a savings to the average taxpayer; and she can provide the Board with the specific number, and it can look at them.  

 

Chair Voltz stated it is confusing to the general public, and inquired how it would be explained to them.  Ms. Busacca responded the issue is rollback; the increase in property value is approximately 11%, so when the Board goes to 10%, it is still below.  Chair Voltz stated she is wondering how the Board gets the information to the public without Florida Today printing headlines that state, “Property taxes increase 10%”.  Commissioner Colon stated the Board has no control over what the newspaper prints, and it should not care. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard noted right now the rollback is 3.58%, so it is .58% over the 3% the voters would like to see; with Ms. Busacca responding affirmatively.  Commissioner Pritchard stated as part of what will be brought back on Thursday, he would also like to know what the tax bill would be if it were at 3%, excluding the .58%; and he realized $1 million spread out over the tax base is going to be small to the individual, but people need to know that. 

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated he also wants to discuss Cash Carry Forward; in 2003, in the General Fund, it was $7.5 million; in 2004-2005 it was $8.4 million; in 2005-2006 it was $19.2 million; and next year it will be $29.7 million.  Ms. Busacca noted Cash Carry Forward includes capital dollars that have not been expended, but need to be expended; and what the Board needs to look at is what has already been allocated and that which has not been allocated.   Commissioner Pritchard stated 2007-2008 could be $39 or $40 million if the same type of rollover progression occurs.  Ms. Busacca stated money was set aside for the jail and the build out for the courthouse, so that is one of the reasons the Board is seeing some additional monies; that probably includes money for Pineda Causeway, which is in the bank but has not been spent because the project cannot get started; if the Board wants staff to talk to it about that, it might be helpful if they subtract out the major capital projects; the County has just started on the West Connector in Port St. John, and they had been saving money for that and now they are going to expend it, so the cash forward balance will go down this year; and she does not anticipate seeing it next year because it will take 12 to 18 months to finish the job.

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated he has mentioned funded vacant positions a few times; and Ms. Busacca has separated and indexed temporary and seasonal positions apart from full time and part time positions and departments have decreased their funded vacant positions; he was surprised by a memorandum last week that stated some of the funded vacant positions were not really funded because they were awaiting grants; and inquired why the positions were classified as funded even though the grants had not come in.  Ms. Busacca responded they were on the S.A.P. system.  Commissioner Pritchard stated the way the memorandum was written was not really the way the Board would view it, although they were listed as funded vacant positions on the funded vacant position sheet.  Ms. Busacca responded affirmatively and stated when the money came in, then the money would have been allocated and the positions would have been filled.  Commissioner Pritchard inquired if the heartburn was over throughout the Departments about having to be accountable of how many positions there are; stated all he is looking for is accountability; and he is not going to continue to discuss funded vacant positions.

 

Chair Voltz stated Ms. Busacca’s memo mentions to the Board the possibility of administratively changing the way it hires those personnel because it takes so long for the Board to recognize it needs somebody; and one of the options in the memo was to allow Ms. Busacca to be able to be in charge of that.  Ms. Busacca responded she would not be increasing budgets, she would be telling the Board it needs something it did not need, and it has the money.  Chair Voltz stated it is something Ms. Busacca should have had all along, as the Board is not responsible for hiring anybody; and Ms. Busacca needs to have that authority, because she is the County Manager and she basically hires everybody.  Commissioner Pritchard stated the Board has become too embroiled in issues that it should not tread, and this is one of those issues.  Chair Voltz stated she did not know if the Board needs to make a motion; with Ms. Busacca responding staff could put together a policy so the Board will know it happened.

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated he and Sharon Luba had a lot of conversations with Budget Director Dennis Rogero and Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten; and Ms. Luba is to be commended for all the work she has done.  Commissioner Pritchard stated the reimbursement process with FEMA is ridiculous and much of the delay is due to the Budget Office having a dedicated analyst working full time on the paperwork and the forms; and he thinks if the Board can provide a position of $70,000 and benefits, that person can be dedicated to returning the FEMA money to the County, then the return on the investment is going to be ten to hundred, to one.  Commissioner Pritchard stated it makes sense to him, and he was wondering if Mr. Rogero can put together a package for the Board to digest.  Commissioner Colon inquired if the Budget Analyst will no longer be employed after the FEMA money is returned.  Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten stated when staff started out with FEMA in 2004, they contracted with the Internal Auditors to provide the service, and they are now almost three years out, and they are still working on FEMA; they are still working on Hurricane Floyd, so the auditing aspect projects and FEMA reimbursement occurs for years; and the reimbursement process lasts for six or seven years; and there is the disbursement of funding and the auditing aspect.  Commissioner Colon inquired if the Budget Analyst would also help in the insurance with regards to FEMA; with Commissioner Pritchard stating he would not want to spread them too thin because if the focus is to keep FEMA on its toes so the County gets its money, then he would rather that person focus on FEMA.  Mr. Whitten commented Commissioner Colon was speaking of reimbursements only in regards to FEMA, because it has to be proved to FEMA that one does have insurance and that the insurance has kicked in before FEMA will reimburse anyone, and that is part of the process.  Chair Voltz inquired if the FEMA money would pay the salary for the Budget Analyst; with Mr. Whitten responding there is an administrative reimbursement that occurs with FEMA.  Commissioner Pritchard inquired how often that reimbursement comes in; with Mr. Whitten responding it is primarily in regards to each project and it is approximately 1.5% of each project.  Chair Voltz inquired if the position would pay for itself; with Mr. Whitten responding affirmatively.  Commissioner Pritchard stated he has three primary considerations with the budget, and they are transportation, saturation, and compensation; and that is what he would like to see the Board really focus on; stormwater issues, and stormwater is more than flooding, and it is what is going out into the Lagoon because the County does not have the catch-basins or a street sweeper to pick up the debris so it does not go into the Lagoon.  Commissioner Pritchard commented transportation is not just roads; it is SCAT and all of the amenities; and what people need to realize is that a new road cannot be built in Viera when the crowding is on A1A; the Board needs to have other methods for providing traffic calmers, which could be landscaping, lighting, traffic signals, crosswalks, and et cetera; and if one is going to be in traffic, at least the experience would be a little more pleasant because the roadways are nicer. 

 

Chair Voltz commented another thing that has to be put out there is that when someone gets their tax bill, it is not just from the Commissioners, it also includes the cities, the special taxing districts, and the School Board; and people need to look specifically at the General Fund taxes. Chair Voltz stated an issue for the Medical Examiner is that they have no benefits because they are contracted employees and if the Board contracts out, or privatizes that Office, then they could provide the benefits for themselves and the employees; and they cannot hire a doctor and not provide benefits.  She noted it is going to be a difficult  budget year; it is extremely difficult to keep the budget at 3%; it is going to be difficult to approve the budget; and what she is going to come back with a budget that decreases the 3.58% to 3%. 

 

Commissioner Scarborough inquired if the Board was comfortable asking the Clerk’s Office specific questions to work with Ms. Busacca; and if the Chair wants to bring that item back on Thursday; with Chair Voltz responding affirmatively.  Chair Voltz stated the Board has included the full funding for that this year, and the Board may want to look at doing that over two years, so it does not hit the Board all at one time.  She inquired the total amount of the full half of the Cody Study; with Mr. Whitten responding the total for the Board for 2005-2006 was $750,000; for 2006-2007 it is $1.6 million, and that is a total of $2.3 million; and that is the full implementation excluding the Sheriff and Fire Rescue.  He advised the Sheriff’s Office for 2005-2006 is $1.56 million; for 2006-2007 it is $2.9 million; and Fire Rescue is $4.2 million.  Commissioner Pritchard noted all of that is in the Budget.

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated his concern is the Clerk’s Office has spent a great deal of time asking if Cody is budgeted, but if it is accomplishing the objectives of the Cody Study; the Board has been questioned as to whether the first step of the implementation is correct; whether it is or not, the Clerk’s Office has some professional people who have put a lot of time into it; and the Board needs to discuss it.  He stated the Board may decide everything is okay and go ahead; and if there are some problems they need to be addressed in the second step of the implementation.

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated his other concern is that there are Parks and Recreation projects that may not come forward, and he wanted to see if there was means to budgetarily handle the smooth movement of projects forward; and the Board has some commitment to make things work.  Chair Voltz inquired of the Board’s Bond status on the Park Referendum; with Peggy Busacca responding they are waiting for the hearing in front of the Supreme Court.  Deputy County Attorney Shannon Wilson stated bond validations go to the Supreme Court.  Finance Director Steve Burdett stated the only difference he noticed on this bond validation versus one ten years ago is that the Clerk is appealing it, and that may add to the timeline; with Ms. Wilson stating the reason it is taking longer is because it has been appealed.  Chair Voltz inquired if there is a timeline; with Ms. Wilson stating she can have that information to the Board on Thursday.

 

Commissioner Pritchard stated projects like Mitchell Ellington Park are plodding along with the limited amount of money that is available.  Chair Voltz inquired if the Board was going to do an audit; with Steve Burdett stating he does not know when, but he would let the Board know. 

 

Commissioner Scarborough stated the auditors were in his Office to talk to him this morning as to what the Board would like to see; and he expressed to them he would not like to see every work order to the dime, but he is more concerned with the dynamics of a process, and how the Board can find answers to respond in a dynamic manner.  Commissioner Scarborough the Parks and Recreations Board cut the issues in half; and there was a demand from the beginning; and his issue is how they go back and get what they want.

 

Commissioner Colon stated her citizens are very angry over the hold-up and the lawsuit, and her end of the County is busting at the seams with Little League and football, and they just want to get what they voted for.  Commissioner Pritchard stated what he has heard is similar to what Commissioner Colon has heard, except his citizens feel they were sold $72 million worth of projects, when they were really $125 million worth of projects; it is sort of opposite from what happened with the first EEL’s program, when they were promised $54 million and only generated $27 million; how that happened with the exploding property tax increases in 2001, 2002, and 2003, is beyond any expectation; if anything, it should have gone well over $54 million, so in that case they were short-changed the other way around in that they were promised $54 million, and delivered $27 million; and this time they have been promised $72 million worth of projects, but it was really more like $125 million and there was a lot of miscalculation.  Commissioner Scarborough stated his District had a miscalculation with the Port St. John referendum; and they had a senior center and a ball field, and they found that they had excess money; they found Fay Lake and wanted to buy it, but he said no, because it was not on the referendum; they put it back to the citizens of Port St. John; and they were agreeable to pay taxes for Fay Lake Park.  Commissioner Scarborough stated the Board can always go back to the Electorate and tell them where the Board stands and ask them where they want to go.  Chair Voltz commented the Board needs to go back to the people and ask them; everybody wants the parks done, but in the meantime it makes the Commission look irresponsible with the money it has been given; that is the basic distrust for Government, and if the Board had just gone back to the people they would have voted for it again.  Commissioner Scarborough stated the only good community is a dissatisfied community; the only good constituent is a dissatisfied constituent, because they are the one who is going to go out and work for the referendum; if there is a happy constituent, they are not doing anything; and anybody who trusts Government too much is not wise. 

 

Upon motion and vote, the meeting adjourned at 4:06 p.m.

 

 

 

 

                                                                        ____________________________

                                                                        HELEN VOLTZ, CHAIR

                                                                        BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

ATTEST:                                                         BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

 

 

__________________

SCOTT ELLIS, CLERK 

 

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