A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

june 4, 2013

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 9:00 a.m., in the Board of County Commissioners’ Meeting Room, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida.  Commissioners present at the meeting were:  Leslie Campione, Chairman; Jimmy Conner, Vice Chairman; Timothy I. Sullivan; Sean Parks; and Welton G. Cadwell.  Others present were:  David Heath, County Manager; Melanie Marsh, Deputy County Attorney; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Neil Kelly, Clerk of Court; and Susan Boyajan, Deputy Clerk.

INVOCATION and pledge

Dr. Don Pratt from Lake Church gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda update

Mr. David Heath, County Manager, noted that the County had uploaded a new version of the Agenda the day before, and although there were no items added to it, they moved the VAB appointments to “Other Business” and made the TIGER Grant a departmental item.  He also related that he was pulling Tab 22 regarding the hurricane briefings and bringing that back at a future meeting, and he mentioned that Tab 20 and 21 regarding economic development were interrelated and would be presented together.

Commr. Campione related that she had sent an email to Mr. Heath about adding a discussion about the timing of the EMS board meeting to the Agenda under her reports.

Commr. Conner commented that the Board did not have the authority to change any of the EMS board meetings.

Commr. Cadwell suggested that EMS still have that meeting, but he could ask that board if they need to continue that meeting or schedule a new meeting for the next Tuesday.

Commr. Campione commented that that was a great solution.  She also requested to move Tab 18 up to be heard right after the County Attorney’s Consent Agenda, since Mr. Mike Graves, Public Defender, needed to get back to his office as soon as possible.

employee awards

Ms. Christina Brandolini, Human Resources Manager, presented the following employee awards and commented briefly about each employee’s contribution to the County:

ten years

Joseph Jackerson, Firefighter/EMT (not present)

Public Safety/Fire Rescue Division

 

fifteen years

David Berger, Area Maintenance Supervisor

Public Works/Road Operations Division/Maintenance Area II (Minneola)

 

Vera Collins, Office Associate III (not present)

Public Resources/Agricultural Education Services Division

 

Twenty five years

Ms. Amye King, Growth Management Director, presented the award for twenty-five years of service to the County to Mr. Richard Hartenstein, Senior Planner, and commented extensively on his service.

Mr. Steve Earls, Information Technology Director, presented the award for twenty-five years of service to Ms. Vicki Runninger, Senior GIS Analyst, and commented extensively on her service.

retirement

Chief John Jolliff presented the award for Retirement to Thomas Mitchell, Fire Lieutenant/EMT, Public Safety/Fire Rescue Division, and commented extensively on his 26 years of service to the County.

boards and committee certificates

Ms. Brandolini presented the following awards:

Children’s Services Council

Mr. Courtney Barnett, for service from 2012-2013

Kendra Akers, for service from 2009-2013 (not present)

Barbara Howell, for service from 2006-2013 (not present)

 

Public Safety Coordinating Council

Howard Babb, for service from 2005-2013 (not present)

T. Michael Johnson, for service from 2005-2013 (not present)

Ed Nathanson, for service from 2008-2013

MINUTE APPROVAL

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Minutes of February 26, 2013 (Regular Meeting) as presented.

citizen question and comment period

Mayor Bob Thielhelm of Mount Dora spoke in support of Tab 10 on the Consent Agenda and indicated the City of Mount Dora’s support for advancing the construction phase of the US Hwy 441 widening between SR 46 and 44 to match the 46/441 intersection so they can reduce the impact on the businesses along that corridor.  He also expressed concern that no sponsor has been designated for the County portion of the Wekiva Trail, and he requested that the County come up with some agency to support the Wekiva Trail in that area at some point in the future.

Mr. Vance Jochim, a resident of Tavares and a writer of a blog about fiscal issues, expressed concern about the issue of metrics and how the County manages operations.  He pointed to an example in the County budget illustrating performance measures, commenting that he believed that to be activity tracking of the number of calls received, vehicles serviced, and invoices processed rather than management of resources. He opined that he did not have a level of comfort that operations are managed in an efficient manner, because the County did not have any tracking systems that are publically reported which would track cost per service or revenue per service, and he recommended that the Board discuss this issue.

Mr. Russell Grundy, a resident of Mount Dora, complained that his neighbor’s parrots were squawking and making noise throughout the day which disturbed him when he sat on his back porch.  He related that he called Animal Control several times about the problem, but the Animal Control officers who responded did not hear the noise from the front of the property over the sounds of traffic, since the birds were on the back of the property.

Mr. Heath commented that this was actually a Code case, so he directed a Code Enforcement staff member to talk to Mr. Grundy outside of Chambers at that time.

CLERK OF COURTS’ CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Clerk of Courts’ Consent Agenda, Items 1 through 8, as follows:

List of Warrants

Request to acknowledge receipt of list of warrants paid prior to this meeting, pursuant to Chapter 136.06 (1) of the Florida Statutes, which shall be incorporated into the Minutes as attached Exhibit A and filed in the Board Support Division of the Clerk’s Office.

Resolution from Town of Lady Lake County

Request to acknowledge receipt of Resolution No. 2013-104 from the Town of Lady Lake supporting the Lake County Board of County Commissioners in the renewal of six cents of local option fuel tax for the continuing operations of Lake County Public Works, including maintenance and personnel costs.

Annexation Ordinance from the City of Tavares

Request to acknowledge receipt of Annexation Ordinance #2013-04 from the City of Tavares amending the boundaries of the City of Tavares by annexing approximately .35 acres of land generally located on County Drive, rezoning the property from County RM (Mixed Home Residential) to City RMH-S (Residential Manufactured Home Subdivision).

Proposed Budget for Estates at Cherry Lake CDD

Request to acknowledge receipt of the fiscal Year 2013/2014 budget (the “Proposed Budget”) approved by the Board of Supervisors of the Estates at Cherry Lake Community Development District for the purpose of setting a hearing to consider public comment and testimony on same. The public hearing on the Proposed Budget has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, 2013, at 1:00 PM at the office of Booth, Ern, Straughan & Hiott, Inc., located at 350 North Sinclair Avenue, Tavares, Florida 32778.

Proposed Budget for Pine Island CDD

Request to acknowledge receipt of Pine Island Community Development District’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2014 for purposes of disclosure and information only. The District will schedule a public hearing not less than 60 days from May 13, 2013 for adoption of same.

Notice to Taxing Authorities

Request to acknowledge receipt of Notice to the Taxing Authorities that the Mount Dora Community Redevelopment Agency intends to issue its $2,500,000 Redevelopment Revenue Note, Series 2013, to finance various projects. The note will be secured by tax increment revenues generated from ad valorem tax revenues levied within its community redevelopment area.

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report from City of Mount Dora for FY ended 9/30/12

Request to acknowledge receipt of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2012 from the City of Mount Dora.

Certificate of Authorized Officer for Covanta Lake II, Inc.

Request to acknowledge receipt of Certificate of Authorized Officer of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 stating that Covanta Lake II, Inc. is in compliance with all indenture covenants.

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the County Manager’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 3 through 13 as follows:

Community Services

Request for approval to award for a one-year period continued funding to the Lake County Shared Services Network, in the amount of $25,000.00 for FY 2012/2013. Funding will be taken from the Crime Prevention Fund established by the County pursuant to F.S. 775.083(2). The fiscal impact is $25,000.00 (Expense).

Request for approval to advertise an Ordinance amending Lake County Code, Chapter 14, Article VII, entitled "Pain Management Clinics," Section 14-101, entitled "Moratorium," to extend a moratorium on the business tax receipts for new pain management clinics. The moratorium is due to expire on July 1, 2013 and this Ordinance will extend the moratorium to October 1, 2013. There is no fiscal impact at this time.

Fiscal and Administrative Services

Request for approval to (1) declare the items on the attached list surplus to County needs, (2) authorize the removal of all of the items on the attached list from the County's official fixed asset inventory system records, and (3) authorize the Procurement manager to execute any required title documents.

Request for approval of the Unanticipated Revenue Resolution No. 2013-59 in the amount of $31,567 to accept funding from the City of Tavares for the early implementation of dispatch services for the City by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Human Resources

Request for approval of award of contract 13-0024B for Life/AD&D to Symetra and contract 13-0024A for STD/LTD to Cigna. The fiscal impact is $117,288, Fiscal Year 2014 Budget/Expenditure.

Public Resources

Request for approval and signature authority for the County Manager and County Attorney to execute sales agreements between Lake County and several adjacent and interested property owners of Parcel C of the Mount Plymouth Lakes Reserve, regarding resolution of boundary disputes between the County and said property owners. The fiscal impact will be determined per parcel, ranging from $600 to $3,000. The total fiscal impact will not exceed $25,000 (Revenue). Commission District 4.

Public Works

Request for authorization to accept a maintenance bond in the amount of $5,000.00, and execute a Developer's Agreement for Maintenance of Right of Way Easement between Lake County and Revolution The Off Road Experience, LLC and JAK Holdings, LLC. The subject right of way easement is in Commission District 1. There is no fiscal impact.

Request for approval of Resolution No. 2013-60 supporting the Lake County Priority sponsorship of Projects on the Lake-Sumter MPO List of Priority Projects (LOPP) FY 2017/18-2034/35. There is no fiscal impact.

Request for authorization to award Lake Minneola Shores (CR 561) and Villa City Road (CR 565) Bridge Abutment and Pile Repair, Project No. 2013-04, Bid No. 13-0033, to Boykin Construction, Inc., in the amount of $598,890.13, to approve budget amendment to put Stormwater funding in place, and to encumber and expend funds in the amount of $333,100.07 from the Stormwater Infrastructure Construction fund and $265,790.06 from the Renewal Sales Tax Capital Project fund. The fiscal impact is $598,890.13. Commission Districts 1 and 2.

Request for authorization to accept the final plat for Bella Collina Replat No. 2 and all areas dedicated to the public as shown on the Bella Collina Replat No. 2 plat. Commission District 2; there is no fiscal impact.

Request for authorization to release a letter of credit for performance (sidewalk) in the amount of $21,054.00 posted for Hammock Reserve. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 2.

COUNTY ATTORNEY’S CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan, and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the County Attorney’s Consent Agenda, Tab 14, as follows:

Request for approval of Second Amendment to Lease between Lake County and Grande Commercial Property, LLC for Sheriff space in Lady Lake.

COUNTY MANAGER’S DEPARTMENTAL BUSINESS

conservation and compliance

criminal justice mental health and substance abuse grants

Ms. Stephanie Glass, Teen Court Specialist, Probation Division, stated that she would be giving an update on the Criminal Justice Mental Health and Substance Abuse Collaboration Grants, which are used to conduct a project which is a County initiative to increase public safety, avert the increased spending on criminal justice, and to provide more effective and efficient mental health services and treatment to individuals involved with the Criminal Justice System.  She related that the rate of serious mental illness is two to six times higher among incarcerated populations than in the general population, and the vast majority of this population is charged with minor, non-violent crimes.  She noted incarcerated people with psychiatric needs are more likely to be victimized, segregated, require medical care, stay for longer periods, and re-offend, resulting in significant financial and social costs to the community.  She reported that research has shown that Lake County has rated above the state average for the number of arrests resulting in mental health and substance abuse services.  She named some of the grants that they had already received during the last few years to implement this project totaling about $1 million.  She stated that the Forensic Community Services Team is primarily administered through LifeStream Behavioral Center for the intensive therapeutic and case management services, and she specified that the individual is first prescreened by jail staff for mental health needs, is given a more thorough comprehensive assessment if warranted, offered services, and given a transition plan for when that person re-enters the community.  She related that the intensive case management the participants receive will address health needs, housing, employment, education, and the support needed to help them get back on their feet and carry on a successful life.

Ms. Glass pointed out that the average Lake County jail bed cost is $52 per day as well as an additional $30 for those with severe mental illness or a cost of $14,760 for a 180-day stay; however, the FCST program costs about $34 per day or $6,120 for a 180-day stay, which results in a savings of about $865,000 a year for the annual program goal of 100 participants.  She reported that the program has served 99 participants to date, with 62 percent that have successfully completed the program and a 21 percent recidivism rate after successfully completing the program compared to a 56 percent rate for those that do not successfully complete it.  She noted that they have already applied for a BJA Expansion Grant, and they will bring the request for approval to submit the Reinvestment State Grant to the Board in a couple of weeks, which has been postponed from a previous agenda.

Mr. Mike Graves, Public Defender, opined that this was the best, most important program in Lake County that serves this need, adding that it is progressive and diverts individuals who were in custody and the criminal justice system based solely upon mental illness.  He also pointed out that this program is becoming a model for other counties in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, the cost savings are quantifiable to the taxpayer, and it was the right thing to do.  He noted that Pinellas County, which has fully implemented this program for about eight years, has a recidivism rate of less than 10 percent after successful completion of the program.  He added that they were hoping to expand the program with future grants to include individuals within the jail on some broader nonviolent offense spectrums who do not pose a danger to the community and some substance abuse issues.  He thanked LifeStream, the County, and the Sheriff’s Office for being engines that are driving this program, and he was hoping to continue to increase their public-private partnerships for vocational rehabilitation and transitional housing that will show the best that government and the private sector can do when working together for the best interest of the community and to help those that were most in need.  He thanked the Board for their support and commented that he was glad to see Lake County lead the way in this effort.

Commr. Sullivan commented that this was an example of good resource management.

presentation regarding lake county health department

Ms. Donna Gregory, Administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Lake County, stated that she would give an update on their healthcare services, the Community Health Improvement Plan, a facilities update, and their continued opportunities and challenges.  She noted that the maternity program had a deficit of approximately $500,000 in 2011-2012 due to a decrease in pregnancies nationwide, an increase in OB/GYN providers in the area, and the migration of mostly Hispanic workers to other areas.  However, a public-private partnership for providers has allowed them to expand their services to other areas and hospitals since they have adopted their new model which was implemented in July 1, 2012, as well as being able to provide better continuity of care, and she pointed out that the maternity program currently has a balanced budget.  She next explained that the purpose of the Low Income Pool (LIP) grant is for emergency room diversion and providing primary care services to the uninsured and underinsured.  She reported that they have received $1.5 million per year for three years in order to partner with six agencies making up the Lake Health Partnership (LHP), and she added that they received a LIP Expansion Grant for an additional $500,000 for their federally qualified health center look-alike which is located in Umatilla.  She specified that during this three-year time period, they have served 5,372 unduplicated clients for a total of 23,137 visits, providing a savings of $26 million to local hospitals due to Emergency Room diversion.

Ms. Gregory explained that the federally qualified health center look-alike (FQHCLA) is a private-public partnership offering comprehensive primary care for the medically underserved in North Lake County.  She elaborated that they provide the staffing and financial oversight, and the County provides the facility.  She explained the FQHCLA is run by a nine-member non-profit community board, most of whom are required to be clients or receive services at the Umatilla clinic., and their services include preventive and primary medical care for all age groups, dental health, maternity care, health screenings and education, prescription assistance, and supportive services.  She related that their Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) in 2011 was developed as a result of an assessment sponsored by the Department of Health and coordinated by the Well Florida Council, with goals and objectives established to combat inappropriate use of healthcare, lack of information about health care resources, the need for community collaboration and participation, and lack of specialty, primary and dental care providers.  She stated that a key component of the CHIP is creation of a permanent and ongoing health issues task force to lead community projects, with the Health Department taking the lead in mobilizing and creating the task force to meet all of those objectives in the next three years.  She then gave a facilities update, stating that they had the grand opening of their new site known as the Clermont Health Center on July 30, 2012.  She also pointed out that the need for storage space is decreasing, since they were moving more towards an electronic health record system, so they were able to turn in two leased suites, resulting in a savings of $34,800 annually for the County.  She related that their challenges include a constant increase in the demand for services at the same time as an ongoing decrease in funding and staffing.  She also pointed out that although the county had less than a 12 percent increase in population, the Health Department had an almost 100 percent increase in unduplicated clients, along with a 17 percent decrease in full-time employees and an over 15 percent decrease in funding.  To counter this, they have had to be proactive regarding the health care issues and services using the grants they have received and continue to increase efficiencies, while also increasing the quality of services they provide to the extent of receiving three Davis Productivity Awards this year.  She mentioned that they would be celebrating their 75th anniversary on October 1, 2013.

Commr. Campione asked how they would serve the South Lake County area.

Ms. Gregory responded that there were locations of the Community Health Center in Orange County, the Groveland area, and Leesburg, and they work collaboratively with them.  She added that their goal was to expand their FQHCLA into Leesburg and Clermont.

Commr. Cadwell noted that Umatilla was chosen as the first site because of the greater need, and he added that a LakeXpress bus stop at that location helps the patients get to the clinic.

public hearing

ordinance amending code regarding animal control

Ms. Melanie Marsh, Deputy County Attorney, read the proposed ordinance by title only, as follows:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA AMENDING THE LAKE COUNTY CODE, CHAPTER 4, ARTICLE I, ADMINISTRATION; CREATING SECTION 4-12, ENTITLED ADOPTION OF UNSTERILIZED ANIMALS; PROVIDING FOR REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS AND WRITTEN AGREEMENTS; AMENDING THE LAKE COUNTY CODE, CHAPTER 4, ARTICLE II, ENTITLED ANIMAL CONTROL; AMENDING SECTION 4-35, ENTITLED RABIES VACCINATION REQUIRED; REQUIRING RABIES VACCINATIONS FOR DOGS, CATS AND FERRETS FOUR (4) MONTHS OF AGE OR OLDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FLORIDA STATUTES; AMENDING SECTION 4-36, ENTITLED RABIES CERTIFICATE AND COUNTY TAG; PROVIDING THAT CERTAIN PET OWNERS MUST OBTAIN A COUNTY LICENSE; PROVIDING FOR RENEWAL NOTICES TO ANIMAL OWNERS PRIOR TO THE LICENSURE RENEWAL DEADLINE; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE LAKE COUNTY CODE; PROVIDING FOR FILING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

Ms. Wendy Vasquez, representing an approved rescue partner with Lake County Animal Services, who has fostered and adopted animals from the shelter, commented that Lake County Animal Services should be the first place Lake County residents go to look for a pet, not the last, and the goal of Animal Services should be to reduce kill rates as much as possible through education, marketing and advertising, adoption events, and better communication with rescue groups through frequent email updates, which are all done by other counties.  She stated that the group supports the creation of low-cost spay and neutering clinics in the county and believe this was vitally necessary to reduce the local animal population; also, they support not requiring fees and deposits for rescue groups to pull unaltered animals outside the cost of vaccinations, which is already the current policy.  She added that the group would also like the ability to have free or low-cost heartworm testing, and they think it is a good idea to get rid of the drop boxes, as other counties have done, in order to give staff the opportunity to get some information about the animal.  She also asked for more transparency regarding decision making at the shelter, such as the criteria for the decision of what animals are euthanized and whether microchips were being checked thoroughly and regularly.  She commented that she was saddened and very concerned to hear about the proposal to charge rescue groups a $100 deposit to pull an unaltered animal, and she believed this would cause kill rates to sharply increase, since rescue groups run on a shoestring budget, and this would cause too much of a financial burden for them.  She pointed that the proposed regulations would also add another layer of accounting and administrative work, which might cause a delay in the refund of those fees to the rescue groups in a timely manner.  She requested that the Board not implement this proposal, which would make it more difficult to save lives and would be a death sentence for more animals.

Commr. Campione pointed out that the deposit fee paid by the rescue groups would be returned once it is confirmed that the animal is sterilized.

Ms. Marsh explained that Florida Statutes requires the County to collect a deposit to adopt unsterilized animals in order to ensure that the animals get sterilized once they are out of the shelter; however, this particular ordinance does not set any dollar amount, leaving it to be set by resolution of the Board, and the deposit amount has not yet been determined.

Commr. Campione commented that they know these groups believe in sterilization as part of the key to getting a handle on the animal population and lowering kill rates; however, the Board has to comply with state law, but they need to make that fee a reasonable amount.   She also asked for an update on the signage directing people to the animal shelter.

Mr. Heath responded that the Public Works Director has applied to DOT for signage along SR 19 and SR 27, which will require state approvals since they were both state roads.

Mr. Jim Stivender, Public Works Director, elaborated that the state has to go out and evaluate the use of the facilities, but meanwhile his department would be erecting signs this week on CR 561 as well as additional signage at the site to better direct people to the site.

Commr. Campione commented that they can address the issues that were raised regarding the deposit fee when they get to their fee schedule and noted that this was a first step towards getting their licensing program in effect that the Board discussed at their last workshop.

There being no one else who wished to speak, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the adoption and execution of Ordinance No. 2013-28 amending portions of the Lake County Code Chapter 4, entitled, Animals; Fiscal impact unable to be determined at this time.

county manager’s departmental business

community services

agreement with lynx for fy 12/13 fixed route services

Ms. Dottie Keedy, Director of Community Services, explained that the purpose of the presentation was to seek approval from the Board for the LYNX South Lake Transit Route 204 annual agreement for Fiscal Year 2012-13, and she recapped that staff made a detailed presentation to the Board on December 18, 2012 on funding for the County’s public transportation system.  She reported that the total funding from the general fund for this fiscal year is approximately $1.8 million, with about $1.4 million of that used for the paratransit program, and she added that the County funds two South Lake routes, Route 55 and Route 204, for a total of $239,110.  She recapped that the Board approved an agreement with LYNX in March for Route 55 along US 17-92 to the Four Corners area, which included an early-termination clause ending June of 2013 and which saved the County $29,500 for this fiscal year, and the Board also directed staff to meet with LYNX representatives to discuss the future of Route 204, which is the Clermont Park and Ride providing express service to downtown Orlando for currently about 77 South Lake residents.  She showed on a graph the ridership trends since 2007 for Route 204, illustrating an increase from about 12,000 to about 40,000 trips during that time.  She specified that the cost of the annual agreement is $168,376, and the riders pay $70 for a 30-day pass, but the actual cost of the fare without the subsidy under this agreement would be $253 per rider, meaning that the subsidy from the general fund per rider is approximately $183 per month.  She recalled that staff met with LYNX in March under the direction of the Board to discuss options for continuing the South Lake routes without a Lake County subsidy, and the proposed agreement between LYNX and Lake County for Route 204 was amended.  She elaborated that the LYNX governing board approved that agreement at their May 23 board meeting and will evaluate the continuation of Route 55 as part of their overall service plan and the financial feasibility of continuing Route 204 service after October 1, 2013, including the possibility of fare increases.

Commr. Campione clarified that the service for Route 204 would end if LYNX does not step up with a proposal that is workable, which riders would need to plan for.

Mr. Keedy responded that LYNX has indicated that they would really try to continue this route and eventually take it up to the Minneola Park and Ride and possibly connect it with the fixed route service along 50 in South Lake County.

Commr. Parks commented that it was one of the better performing routes.

Commr. Campione noted that this agreement will only be effective through the end of this fiscal year.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved an Agreement with Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX) for FY 12/13 for fixed route services for Link 204 in South Lake County from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013 for Link 204. The fiscal impact is $168,376.00 (100% General Fund).

recess and reassembly

The Chairman announced at 10:20 a.m. that there would be a ten-minute recess.

presentation regarding outsourcing of libraries

Mr. Bill Veach, Deputy County Manager, stated that the purpose of the presentation is to give an overview of outsourcing with a focus on libraries and available options, and he emphasized that although outsourcing and privatization are often terms that are used interchangeably, they are different for the purposes presented at this time.  He defined outsourcing as any task, operation, job, function or process that could be performed by employees within an organization but is instead contracted to a third party for a significant period of time, while the governmental organization still maintains a role usually defined by contract; but he defined privatization as the transfer of ownership of the property and operation from a government to a privately owned entity in its entirety.  He mentioned that there was a broad spectrum of services that are currently being outsourced by other counties, including custodial services, EMS, and library services, and he pointed out that currently Lake County outsources custodial services, building inspections, residential trash pick-up, some library material processing, and pet registration.

Mr. Steve Koontz, Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services, stated that he would give a comparison between the Lake County and Osceola County systems, some budget data, and some operational information.  He related that Lake County’s system is made up of 15 libraries with six County branch locations, an administrative office, and nine cooperative member libraries, which is an important aspect of the Lake County system; and he noted that they had interlocal agreements with all of the member library governing bodies, as well as Lake Sumter State College for the Cooper Memorial Library.  He specified that the County’s operating annual budget is about $4.8 million, but they currently do not have any dedicated funding source.   He pointed out that they gave direct financial assistance of a little over $1 million for the 2013 budget allocated among the nine cooperative member libraries, with about $695,000 of in-kind services to those libraries in 2012.  He commented that Lake County has a very integrated system with reciprocal borrowing among all of the member libraries and a seamless system that provides services to all the citizens of Lake County.  He reported that they provide about $3 million directly to their own six member libraries for County operations, which is what they would be looking at when they discuss outsourcing.  He reported that a general fund transfer makes up about 83 percent or about $4 million of the Library System fund, and other funding sources are fines and fees, contributions from Osceola and Polk Counties for the Cagan Crossings operations, state grants, and interest.  He recapped that staff has already taken some steps in 2013 to identify savings to the general fund transfer, such as elimination of the Law Library, which would result in reductions of about $95,000; and they have also identified areas of reduction for 2014 of $240,000 consisting of the Law Library savings and a six percent reduction to the member libraries.

Mr. Koontz noted that the Osceola County Library System consists of six library locations with no municipal libraries, and their budget had been $6 million prior to outsourcing, which was funded from a dedicated special district ad valorem millage of .2566.  He pointed out that Osceola County was the only county in the state they found to have outsourced its library system.  He noted that there was only one response when Osceola County put out their Request for Letter of Interest in 2011, which was from Library Systems and Services, LLC (LSSI), which implemented its system in January of 2012.  He described some of the contract provisions that were in the LSSI contract, which were that all 70 positions were offered employment at their current salary for a six month period, the County retained authority for policy-making and management decisions as well as ownership of the facilities, maintenance of the same operating hours, incorporation of the latest technologies, and a 90-day termination clause.  He explained that the contract was fee-based and had a set fee for all five years, with some increases each year, and with any revenue collections such as fines going back to the county and were not part of the contract.  He reported that during the first year, the savings which were estimated to be about $6 million over five years were closer to $4 million over that period or about $800,000 per year, due to some miscalculations when it was first calculated.

Mr. Veach related that Lake County staff began their analysis process with the goal of providing the Board with a realistic expectation of what the County’s savings could be with library outsourcing by looking at areas that they felt a vendor could lower existing costs from what the County was currently paying.  He commented that it looks like the savings would be primarily due to the reductions in staff costs and employer contributions to retirement, health benefits, and paid leave, and there are limited savings that can be achieved through material purchases, although the County’s material purchases budget is already small.  He estimated that the first year’s savings by outsourcing library services could be between $250,000 and $350,000, but there are many variables to consider that are less definable.  He opined that there would be some factors compounding the difficulty, such as the interlocal agreements, their relationship with Lake Sumter State College, the potential costs long term of restarting and reassuming the role of running the library system, and the potential impact on support from the Friends of the Library, foundations, and volunteers.  He requested that the Board direct staff  to take action on one of the two options presented, which were to either retain the current library system under the County operations, following the budget guidelines the Board prescribed, or to develop an involved Scope of Services while following the procurement guidelines for outsourcing, which he believed would take about three to six months.

Commr. Cadwell pointed out that the Library Division has already reached the six percent guideline for reductions for 2014.

Commr. Campione pointed out that they originally were trying to come up with a way to avoid having to close libraries, but the good news is that it looks like the County already has a plan to deal with the budgetary constraints while keeping all of the libraries open, the status quo, and their system intact.  She commented that they would have looked at operational issues if they had a problem with the system itself, but they have a wonderful library system.

Commr. Cadwell opined that they would lose a lot of volunteers who would think that a private company would benefit from their free services.  He pointed out that when he attends the State of Florida Library Advisory Board meetings, he hears about how other counties admire how innovative and cutting-edge the County’s library system has been, and he commented that their system is a model for other counties of their size and one to be proud of.

Commr. Campione mentioned that the higher FRS (Florida Retirement System) contribution that was mandated by the legislature is a factor that makes budgetary planning harder and throws everything out of whack.

Commr. Conner responded that it was normal for the state to increase the FRS or anything else that the County has to pay to the state, but he believes that the Board has done a good job holding things together in those circumstances without raising the millage rate.  He opined that it was their obligation to look at ideas like this for savings, even though he does not necessarily support them, and they do not know what the future holds.

Commr. Cadwell agreed that it was normal for state government to take away more revenue from County governments and was something they had to historically contend with.  He also noted that Osceola had a lot of severe management problems and a broken system prior to outsourcing, which was why it looked into and ultimately decided to implement that option, and he commented that they also needed to add how it affects their community into the equation, since the library is the only outreach for some people and the heartbeat of those communities.

Commr. Campione mentioned that the County is currently saving about $100,000 a year by outsourcing some parks maintenance while still maintaining the continuity of one shift of parks operations by County staff, but she related that she found it problematic that a company would be making a profit from the County’s library system, especially in the context of all of the volunteerism and fund raising done for the County library system.  She opined that the County was running the library system efficiently and well and that the libraries were a large part of their community; and she commented that she was not in favor of going any further with looking into outsourcing.

Commr. Cadwell pointed out that the County Commissioners cannot talk to each other or discuss any of these issues outside of the advertised public meetings due to Sunshine Laws, so this was the first time they all had an opportunity to discuss this issue.

Commr. Sullivan, the liaison to the Lake County Library Board, relayed that the members of that committee were against outsourcing, partially because of the uncertainty that it brings to the table, but he believed that they needed to look into this and everything else in order to fulfill the fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers of Lake County to evaluate every dollar.   He commented that their library system is used by a variety of residents of all ages for community outreach, and he mentioned that he received a lot of emails about this issue.

Commr. Parks stated that he learned from the presentation that there was a big difference between privatization and outsourcing, noting that none of them were in favor of privatization or turning over the County’s assets.  He commented that he was also not in favor of reducing library services and was a huge supporter of the member libraries, which were the community centers for the less-populated areas of Lake County, and he believed they should minimize any effect on the libraries.  However, he stated that he believed they had to look at every possibility to find the lowest cost options for providing those services, and his research indicated that there was a possibility that no funding, programs, or services would be reduced by outsourcing.  He pointed out that they were not planning on making a decision or actually implementing it at this time.

Commr. Campione polled the audience of who was in favor and who was against moving forward with gathering more information regarding outsourcing, the majority of which were against the contemplation of outsourcing.

Commr. Conner indicated that he would support the majority position of the Board, although it was not his preference.

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried by a vote of 4-1, the Board moved for the County to retain control of the library system while following budget guidelines and to not consider outsourcing.

Commr. Parks voted “no.”

economic development and tourism quarterly update

Mr. Robert Chandler, Economic Development and Tourism Director, related that the purpose of their presentation was to provide a summary of economic development and tourism activities for the first two quarters of 2013, and he commented that they have been working on many things and were excited about all of the challenges ahead.  He recapped that he had been promoted from Northeast Coordinator to Director of the department, and Mr. Adam Sumner had been promoted to Manager while still handling the northwest micro-region of the county.  He also announced that Mr. Jason Mabry, who resides in Umatilla, has a Master’s Degree, and is a former business owner, has been hired as his replacement for the Northwest Micro-Region Coordinator.  He mentioned that the rest of the staff has remained the same, and he announced that their office has moved to the second floor of the Administration Building about a month ago to an office that will serve them well and allow them to serve their customers a lot better.  He showed a graph illustrating data regarding the unemployment rate for the time period of January 2010 to March 2013, indicating that the unemployment rate was 11.5 percent in June of 2011 but dropped to 6.9 percent currently according to the most recent data, and he pointed out that Lake County was third in terms of total percentage points dropped.  He opined that these numbers show that the things they are doing are working, and he was hoping to get that percentage even lower.  He then commented that Tourism was a vital part of their department, and he noted that the TDT (Tourist Development Tax) revenues have been jumping up in 2012 and 2013 by six and seven percent respectively and were very good.  He opined that tourism was strong and that the programs they have been putting in place were working.  He specified that they have gone from $595,000 in TDT revenue in the first quarter of 2010 up to $693,000 in 2013, which is a 16 percent increase over that time.  He explained that one of the main ways they spend that money is on sponsorship of events, noting that they have sponsored 60 different events this year, which was double the amount from 2012.  He specified that the estimated economic impact has gone from $35 million to $47 million, and he assured the Board that his department will keep evolving those over time to make sure they were performing as high and efficiently as they could.  He added that they just started the TDC (Tourist Development Council) Capital Projects Funding Program with two cycles in 2013, and he gave the details of the four applications that were submitted for the 2013 Spring Cycle, including a rowing facility from the City of Clermont and a Wooton Park Expansion project from the City of Tavares, which they would be presenting to the Board at the June 18 BCC Meeting.  He mentioned that the 2nd Annual Wings and Wildflowers Festival is scheduled to be held on October 4-6, 2013, and he commented that they were excited this year to have two well-known keynote speakers.  He noted that they have decreased the number of excursions from what they had last year in order to focus on the quality of those.

Mr. Chandler explained that Business Retention and Expansion has been the main area of concentration on the Economic Development side, which has been a national trend since the return on investment is much higher, and their major areas of focus under that program are business opportunity centers, Economic Development Coordinators, and business incentives.  He related that their Small Business Development Center gives free one-on-one consulting and training assistance, and the Lake Sumter State College Business Incubator Program is an entrepreneurial and start-up training program which gives low-cost assistance to businesses.  He opined that the Business Opportunity Centers (BOC) were their biggest asset, and his priority is to make sure that they are functioning at the highest level possible, so a full evaluation is being performed on those.  He stated that those centers have been open a little less than a year, and although his department has learned a lot in that time, they feel there are a lot of things that they could do to make it better, such as looking at staffing, roles and responsibilities, marketing and advertising, partnerships, and costs and contracts.  He indicated that they would also be asking for more engagement and collaboration with the business community.

Mr. Stan Austin, Certified Business Analyst from the University of Central Florida, commented that he has been going to the Chamber events and the local community organizations in order to get people educated about what they were trying to do.  He stated that the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has over 970 centers nationwide with resources throughout the country to draw from and is a partnership program with many entities, including private businesses; federal, state, local, and municipal governments; educational entities; and other organizations; and he mentioned that they recently started a program called GAP (Growth Acceleration Program) for the second-year companies.  He related that they offer training, seminars, workshops, one-to-one counseling, business incubators, and the SBRN (Small Business Resource Network), which is a new initiative made up of bankers, accountants, insurance brokers, lawyers, and other professionals.  He listed some of the topics that are covered by the SBDC, including QuickBooks; patents, trademarks, and copyrights; business plan writing; and website planning; and they also offer a “For New Ventures” seminar series offering instruction in start-up, marketing, legal, bookkeeping, tax, finance and insurance basics for those just starting a business.  He noted that other important things offered are continuing education from Microsoft, Apple, and all of the people in the industry that present small businesses with what is coming in the future, keeps them up to date, and helps them going forward in their consulting projects.  He specified that he gives three training classes a month averaging 20 to 25 participants per class, and the SBRN just did a seminar recently on determining whether someone is an employee versus a contractor, which was well-attended as well with 25 people.  He concluded that in order to do a complete package for business owners and people that want to start new businesses, they need a network of professionals supporting them, and he was currently working on ways to get entrepreneurs funded, which he opined was a very important factor.

Mr. Chandler explained that Lake Sumter State College is the facilitator for all three locations of the Business Incubator Program in Leesburg, Groveland, and Eustis.  He commented that the number of clients of that program is currently not as high as they would like it to be, so they were planning new things to further evolve this program.  He related that the key for the Economic Development Coordinators is building relationships and trust and letting the business community know that the Coordinators will do whatever they can to help those businesses.  He specified that staff has done 400 site visits in the first two years, but they have to examine some things such as the BOC incentives and put the programs in place in order to do something with the information gathered from those visits going forward.  He gave a brief overview of the progress of the two major business incentive programs, which were the High Value Job Creation Program (HVJCP) and the Business Assistance Program (BAP).  He elaborated that the HVJCP was directly tied to job growth, and it required a minimum of the creation of five jobs.  He specified that there have been 111 jobs created by this program since January 1, 2012, and the County has awarded $195,000 so far.  He explained that the BAP was a matching grant to help businesses with development and infrastructure costs, which has created 82 jobs since January 1, 2012 with expenditures for the County of $125,000.  He opined that one problem, however, is that these programs do not meet the needs of the small businesses, and he believed they needed to tailor these incentives to better help their smaller businesses, which he would be bringing to the Board in the future.

Mr. Chandler stated that the key for business attraction right now is making sure they have what companies want already in place when the businesses come to them, such as locations with correct land use and zoning, infrastructure, and visibility, although they would continue to work with the EDC (Economic Development Commission) to do the marketing.  He opined that the Duke Energy Site Readiness Analysis was important because there is no certification process for land in Florida in order for the site selection consultants to know whether a site was legitimate and could accommodate a business’s needs.  He stated that the nation’s leading site selection consultants did a full site analysis of a site’s strengths and weaknesses and gave a report to the City of Leesburg, who is actively working to correct those weaknesses to make them strengths, and he pointed out that the site selection consultant firm could present those sites to their clients as well.  He related that staff was also doing an Economic Development Overlay, which is a land use overlay to allow businesses to get an expedited approval of a land use if they meet certain economic development criteria.  He reported that they had a kickoff meeting for the Wellness Way Sector Plan on May 22, which was planned for an 18-month timeline, with an adoption hearing by the Board in May of 2014.

Commr. Campione pointed out that it was scheduled for transmittal on November 19.

Mr. Heath responded that the Comp Plan will be effective before May 27, and it will come back in early spring after it is transmitted to DEO for the final adoption hearing; then, the County will work on the smaller plans, since it is a two-tiered system.

Mr. Chandler elaborated that they will know what the plan will look like by Christmas, and they will fine tune it after that.  He then commented that the Mount Dora Employment Center was incredibly important for Lake County because of the construction of the Wekiva Parkway, and he reported that the City of Mount Dora has put out an RFP for the marketing analysis and was applying for a State Planning Grant to help pay for that analysis, with the County’s support. He added that the County will also offer assistance in branding and marketing, and he opined that it is critical for them to capitalize on the expected growth generated by the Wekiva Parkway.  He then gave a new business update, stating that Recovery Village had their grand opening May 21, which created 50 jobs.

Commr. Campione remarked that Recovery Village was an amazing facility and encouraged everyone to visit it.

Mr. Chandler elaborated that the company took a facility that was close to being demolished and spent a lot of money to completely renovate it, and it will be a great asset for Umatilla.  He also mentioned that NeuLife Neurological Services would be bringing 54 jobs when opening in Mount Dora in the early fall, and the County has three fairly strong leads from Enterprise Florida, which staff has responded to.  He recapped that they sent out a quality marketing packet to over 60 gun manufacturers across the nation and got some favorable responses back.  He opined that finding a competent workforce was Lake County’s primary challenge, and they needed to put a lot of focus into that moving forward.  He related that they have been working with Lake Tech, Senator Alan Hayes, and Representative Larry Metz to get a $936,000 appropriation for the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, and they plan for Phase I of that project to start at Lake Tech for the renovation of some buildings in order to add to the number of welding classes, a machining component, and computer and information technology training.  He related that they were currently going through due diligence and working with the School Board to determine what they needed to do to get the project expedited.

Commr. Campione explained that the building is a School District building, and they needed to work that out with the School Board.  She thought it would be good to get a timeline for that, and she mentioned that they would team up with the school system again when they begin Phase II of this project.

Mr. Chandler listed their next quarter activities, such as continue their site visit program, continue to make sure their Business Opportunity Centers are working effectively, continue to identify and inventory their available sites to make sure they are ready to go, begin to look at the branding and marking initiatives, work with Lake Tech on the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, and evaluate the TDC Capital Projects Policy.  He related that they will be giving a two-day tour to the Metro Orlando EDC staff to show them everything they have in Lake County in order to market the area.

Commr. Campione elaborated that the Lake 100 group indicated that it would help with that effort by setting up site visits and work directly with the Economic Development Department to bring that event to fruition.  She commented that the EDC needed to be their sales people and get immersed in what Lake County is all about, and it would also give the County an opportunity to inventory their own assets and to work on branding so that it was a two-fold process.  She related that the EDC hired a firm from Winter Park which was carefully vetted by a committee of all of the key marketing people from the EDC in order to begin a branding effort for the Metro Orlando area, and part of that process would entail looking at each of the four counties that make up the EDC.  She specified that they were planning to do a bus trip and then brainstorming sessions after the bus trip.

Commr. Cadwell commented that there is a feel of excitement in the TDC, and he feels good about the direction of the Economic Development and Tourism Department.

 Commr. Sullivan commented that the business retention efforts were positive, and the quality of life in the County depended on retaining and attracting businesses.

public works

joint tiger grant submission for north hancock road

Mr. Fred Schneider, County Engineer, related that this discussion is regarding the fifth round of the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant for the Minneola Turnpike interchange roadway connection of North Hancock Road.  He commented that this was a highly-competitive process with only about seven percent of applicants receiving an award, and staff from the City of Minneola, Lake County, Florida Turnpike, and FDOT worked together to put this application together over about seven working days and a weekend holiday.  He recapped that the North Hancock Road extension and the proposed Turnpike Interchange within the City of Minneola have been discussed and planned for ten years or more, and the PDE studies have been completed, but will need updating.  He reported that FDOT has agreed to fund $30 million for the interchange with construction to begin in October of 2014 and be completed in December of 2016.  He pointed out that FDOT requires that North Hancock Road shall be constructed through the Turnpike Interchange from CR 50 north to CR 561A as a condition for construction of the interchange, and he commented that this TIGER grant is very important, because the funds requested will be used to build N. Hancock Road to connect to the Turnpike Interchange.  He showed a map of the location broken down into segments while giving details about each segment, and he mentioned that the USDOT want to see very detailed budget numbers and schedules.  He related that FDOT had a benefit cost analysis done showing a benefit cost of 5.1 as compared to a minimum benefit cost of 2.0 to be considered, which took into consideration factors such as safety, congestion, livability, and economic competitiveness. He indicated that the total TIGER grant amount requested would be $18,925,000, and the County currently has $4.9 million budgeted for the N. Hancock Road project.  He also specified that the County currently has budgeted $.5 million for Segment 1, $1.92 million for Segment 2, and $.64 million for permit, mitigation, and miscellaneous requirements.  He suggested that they could look at their sales tax as well as expected transportation impact fees of about $500,000 beginning January 1, 2014 from South Lake if the Board goes forward with increasing the rate in South Lake, which could be determined after the awarding of the TIGER grants after September.  He assured the Board that they would have a better idea by next June where they stand as far as funding coming in and how much they would need or whether they would need to supplement that as they go forward, as well as final designs for Segments 2A and 2B and further numbers as far as engineered cost estimates.  He reported that the requested TIGER amount was about 30 percent of the total $60 million project cost, and he opined that the County has the ability to cover up to $3 million if they needed to.  He mentioned that the County will manage its project segments through a Local Agency Program Agreement with FDOT.  He requested approval of the resolution in support of the TIGER Grant application for the Minneola Area Economic Development Facility also known as N. Hancock Road as well as approval of the application submission to the USDOT by the FDOT Turnpike Enterprise on behalf of Lake County.

Mr. Mark Johnson, City Manager of Minneola, commented that County staff and the MPO (Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Agency) worked very hard over the Memorial Day weekend to get this done in a short amount of time.  He also was pleased to see that level of intergovernmental cooperation, and he appreciated all of the Board’s help and support.

Mr. Schneider added that he believed they put together the best application they possibly could for this location, and now it was up to someone else to decide.

Commr. Sullivan commended his fellow Commissioners for what they have done so far, and he opined that this could be an economic boon for the county.

Commr. Campione expressed consternation about some of the things they have to state on their application, although she understood that was part of a master concept that has been integrated into every federal agency.

Mr. Schneider responded that an award would come through a separate agreement from the DOT Local Agency Program (LAP), and they are just submitting an application at this point.

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Resolution No. 2013-61 supporting the Lake County Board of County Commissioners Joint Tiger V Grant Submission for North Hancock Road at Minneola Interchange as well as the application submission to the USDOT by the FDOT Turnpike Enterprise on behalf of Lake County.

Mr. T. J. Fish, Executive Director of the MPO, opined that Mr. Schneider really put a lot of effort into this.  He stated that he wanted the Board to be aware that there still will be a local responsibility to see this project through even if the money is not awarded and wanted them to keep the funding of this interchange project in mind over the next few months as they discuss their budget.

other business

appointments to women’s hall of fame selection committee

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the appointments of the following members to the Women's Hall of Fame Selection Committee to serve a one-year term ending June 12, 2014:  Debbie Stivender (District 1), Rick Reed (District 2), Bernice Odums (District 3), Tracy Belton (District 4), and Jean Martin (District 5).

appointments to value adjustment board

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the appointment of Mr. Richard Riker as citizen member to the Value Adjustment Board (VAB).

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the appointments of Commr. Parks and Commr. Conner to the Value Adjustment Board, and requested that the School Board appoint a School Board Member, an alternate Member and a citizen to the VAB.

appointment to enterprise zone development agency

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the reappointment of Dwight Seidner to serve a one-year term beginning June 12, 2013 and the appointment of Robert Mack to complete an unexpired term ending June 12, 2014 to the Enterprise Zone Development Agency.

reports – commissioner sullivan – district 1

south lake job fair

Commr. Sullivan brought to everyone’s attention the South Lake Job Fair on June 6 at the Clermont Community Center, and he wanted to make sure that residents who need a job were aware of some of the opportunities in Lake County and that this was posted on the web site.

reports – commissioner parks – district 2

vacancy on elder affairs council

Commr. Parks explained that Paul Richardson has been asked to resign his position on the Elder Affairs Council, since he has not met the attendance requirement for almost five months in a row now.  He requested to remove him from the board and open it up for advertising.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the removal of Mr. Richardson from the Elder Affairs Council District 1 position and for staff to advertise for a new member to be appointed at the next BCC Meeting on June 7.

boys and girls club building

Commr. Parks related that the Boys and Girls Club of Lake and Sumter Counties has to move out of their current building by August and is asking for some guidance and possibly assistance from the Commissioners.

Commr. Sullivan elaborated that the Boys and Girls Club has been looking for new space, since the local church building they have been using could no longer handle the volume of participants.  He commented that the church that just bought the old building could possibly help them out.

food drive

Commr. Parks mentioned that although the food drive has ended, people can still donate food to that cause.

Commr. Cadwell mentioned that Commr. Parks and the employees have done a great job with that, and he appreciated it.

wekiva trail

Commr. Parks suggested that the Board could support the Wekiva Trail by designating the County as the management agency by an action from the Chairman.

Mr. Jim Stivender, Public Works Director, responded that he did not think they needed to do that, because they were already assigned a number and were in the system, and they would only need to take the action Commr. Parks referred to for a new sponsor for a new project.

REPORTS – COMMISSIONER conner – vice-CHAIRMAN AND DISTRICT 3

intersection of CR 455 and 561

Commr. Conner stated that he would be bringing a presentation to the Board in July regarding some possible discrepancies in the data or conflicting crash data regarding the intersection of CR 455 and 561 and the methodology used on the crash data, which he would bring up under his reports at that time.

reports – commissioner cadwell – district 5

letter to st. johns endorsing paddling trail

On a motion by Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board moved for the Chairman to send a letter to the St. Johns River Alliance conveying the Lake County Commission’s endorsement of its application to the DEP’s Office of Greenways and Trails to designate the St. Johns River as a paddling trail.

Commr. Cadwell clarified that the letter only commits them to take care of what the County already has, which currently consisted of three boat ramps.

babe ruth championships at north lake park

Commr. Cadwell announced that North Lake Park was hosting the Babe Ruth softball and baseball championships on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, since it was one of the only facilities in the area where they could hold both of those at the same time, and he commented that those events would bring in a lot of people to the City of Umatilla that weekend.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:50 p.m.

 

_________________________________

leslie campione, chairman

 

 

ATTEST:

 

 

 

________________________________

NEIL KELLY, CLERK