The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, December 12, 2000, at 9:00 a.m., in the Board of County Commissioner's Meeting Room, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida. Commissioners present at the meeting were: Welton G. Cadwell, Chairman; Catherine C. Hanson, Vice Chairman; Debbie Stivender; Jennifer Hill; and Robert A. Pool. Others present were: Sue Whittle, County Manager; Sanford A. Minkoff, County Attorney; Barbara Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance; Wendy Taylor, Administrative Supervisor, Board of County Commissioner's Office; and Sandra Carter, Deputy Clerk.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE
Commr. Cadwell gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
On a motion by Commr. Stivender, seconded by Commr. Pool and carried unanimously, by a 5-0 vote, the Board elected Commr. Catherine C. Hanson as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners for the year 2001.
On a motion by Commr. Hill, seconded by Commr. Stivender and carried unanimously, by a 5-0 vote, the Board elected Commr. Robert A. Pool as Vice Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners for the year 2001.
Commr. Hanson thanked Commr. Cadwell for his leadership to Lake County, during his tenure as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, particularly his accomplishment of pulling together the not-for-profit ambulance service, noting that she felt it was a very challenging situation and that he had handled it well, in fact, so well that there was no impact at all to the County. She stated that, during her tenure as Chairman, in the upcoming year, she would like to see the Board move forward on smart growth; the Elder Ready Program; resolution of the incinerator issue; hold more community meetings, spread among the districts in the County; health care; improvement in accessibility of rural roads; and improvement in the County's relationship with the public, particularly in the Building Department. She thanked the Board for their confidence in electing her as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners for the upcoming year, noting that she would do her best to represent them well throughout the year.
AGENDA UPDATE
Commr. Hanson noted that there was an Addendum to the Agenda.
PRESENTATION
LAKE COUNTY'S PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC/PRIVATE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Ms. Sandra Glenn, Director of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC), addressed the Board stating that approximately two and a half years ago the ECFRPC was struggling for a purpose; therefore, they held a Summit, which representatives from all six counties in the region, being Brevard, Osceola, Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Lake County, attended and discussed the future of regional planning councils. She stated that, from that Summit, it became obvious that to succeed as a region they would have to work together as a region. She stated that two items before the Board this date were direct outcomes from that Summit, being (1) the Lake Apopka Basin Planning Initiative Brochure, which she noted Commr. Pool spent a lot of time and effort making a success, involving six cities and two counties working together for the betterment of Lake Apopka; and (2) the ECFRPC is working with the homebuilders association, the University of South Florida, some real estate people, county staff, and some people from the Soil and Water Conservation Department. She stated that they have obtained a grant to put together a lake front brochure, which the homebuilders association will be giving to new homeowners, to assist those people who have never lived in Florida or on a lake, in how to better manage their property for the integrity of the lakes. She stated that the ECFRPC is very excited about the brochure, however, noted that it will be approximately six to seven months before it is completed.
Ms. Glenn stated that the ECFRPC has been to four of the six counties in the region asking support for a grant, to be awarded over a period of three years, in the amount of $50,000.00 per year, for a total of $150,000.00. She stated that they feel, at the end of the three year period, they will be able to give the Board a product that will give them information not only on Lake County, but on the region, and will create a new focus on shaping the future of the region, to establish a mentality among the communities that the counties need to be regional partners. She stated that there will be training and leadership to guide the region's future economic development, they will be building consensus, and they will create a deeper understanding among the public about the realities of regional competition and cooperation. She stated that they were not before the Board this date asking for money, but for a consensus. She stated that each county will sign the same interlocal agreement, so that there will be a contract with all six of the counties, as well as the ECFRPC, which will indicate what they have paid for.
Commr. Pool stated that there is a need for regional cooperation and understanding of what the needs are and, while this program is not inexpensive, it is one that may be very cost effective, when one figures what the benefits may be. He stated that it is an aggressive plan, to try to bring the community together, to work closely and understand more about what it needs. He stated that, from that perspective, it would be a good investment; however, he was not sure whether the County had the dollars to do it.
Commr. Cadwell stated that the County has never had a regional vehicle where it could address everything that involves ones daily life and this would be an opportunity for it to do that. He stated that all the counties in the region have approved the plan, thus far, except Lake and Brevard counties. He stated that he felt it was more important to Lake County than the rest of the region, therefore, felt the Board should commit to participate and move forward with it.
Ms. Glenn informed the Board that each county will be charged the same amount, that it will not be based on population. She stated that the reason for doing so was because the ECFRPC did not want a larger county to feel that they had a bigger buy-in than a smaller county in the region. She noted that private enterprise is kicking in as much as government, so it is truly a public/private partnership.
On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Pool and carried unanimously, by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved a commitment for a three (3) year grant, in the amount of $50,000.00 per year, for a total of $150,000.00, requested by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, for the purpose of creating a new focus on shaping the future of the region, to establish a mentality among the communities that there needs to be regional partners; for training and leadership to guide the region's future economic development; for building consensus; and for creating a deeper understanding among the public about the realities of regional competition and cooperation.
Ms. Glenn informed the Board that she would be back before them, when the contract is ready for signatures.
ADDENDUM NO. 1
OTHER BUSINESS
COMMITTEES/RESOLUTIONS/TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
On a motion by Commr. Stivender, seconded by Commr. Pool and carried unanimously, by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Resolution No. 2000-214, appointing Ms. Jonnie Hale, City Councilwoman, City of Eustis, to the Tourist Development Council, under the category of Elected Municipal Official, to fill the unexpired term of Mr. Hugh Gibson, ending December 1, 2002.
COMMITTEES/RESOLUTIONS/TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
On a motion by Commr. Pool, seconded by Commr. Cadwell and carried unanimously, by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Resolution No. 2000-215, reappointing Mr. Jack Sargent and Mr. Bob Zahradnik to the Tourist Development Council, for four year terms, ending December 1, 2004.
APPOINTMENTS-RESIGNATIONS/COMMITTEES
On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Pool and carried unanimously, by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the appointment of Mr. Buddy Martin as Lake County Schools Representative on the Lake County Environmental Protection Advisory Board.
WORKSESSION
SOLID WASTE ISSUES
Mr. Bill Gilley, Senior Director, Solid Waste Management Department, addressed the Board stating that the purpose of this worksession was to educate and inform the Board about how solid waste is handled in Lake County. He referred to a notebook, contained in the Board's backup material, at which time he gave an overview of the Solid Waste Management Department, reviewing the Department's profile and discussing the County's rules, regulations, ordinances, and policies governing solid waste disposal; managing the County's waste; its budget and funding; short-term issues and strategies, and long-term issues and strategies. He discussed the County's residential collection contracts; recycling; waste-to-energy; landfills; residential drop-offs; hazardous and special wastes; leachate; and litter and illegal dumping. He stated that approximately one-third of the County's waste goes to recycling, with newspaper recycling comprising well over 65% of the total recycling program. He stated that part of managing the County's waste involves the Ogden Martin power plant, noting that 90% of the remaining two-thirds of the County's wastestream is incinerated. He stated that, with regard to litter and illegal dumping, if there is a lot of litter and illegal dumping in the County, it means that the County is not managing its waste. He stated that a Litter Team has been formed and will be making a presentation to the Board the first part of next year, regarding the matter. He stated that, with regard to budgeted revenues, staff is looking at alternatives for generating revenues, so that the County can get the tipping fee more in line of where it should be, and will be bringing the matter back to the Board at a later date. He stated that 61% of the County's budgeted operating expenditures for solid waste goes to Ogden Martin, thus, the reason staff spends a lot of time looking through the contract that the County has with Ogden Martin, to see if there are ways to interpret it to the County's benefit, in an effort to save what the County pays them.
Mr. Jeff Cooper, Support Services Director, Solid Waste Management Department, addressed the Board and discussed why 130,000 tons is the magic number, when dealing with Ogden Martin. He referred to Tab 15, in the notebook alluded to earlier, at which time he reviewed a chart that had been prepared indicating the relationship between Lake County's tonnages and the total Ogden Martin cost. He stated that it is in the County's best interest to meet the 130,000 tons, the way that the service contract is currently drawn up. He stated that, even though it may look like the County can save $1 million, it depends on all the factors listed in the chart. He stated that it could be anywhere from $300,000.00 to $1 million - they just do not know until the end of the year.
Mr. Gilley readdressed the Board stating that, with regard to the Solid Waste Management Department's short-term issues and strategies, the Board will be given a presentation by the Litter Team, as alluded to earlier, the first part of the year, regarding illegal dumping and litter; the County is looking at constructing a full service residential collection center in the Pine Lakes area; one of the County's goals for the upcoming year is to expand the recycling center, possibly locating it next to the waste-to-energy plant, which will allow the two facilities to be together, and the County could recycle some of the waste off the floor of the incinerator, market it, and avoid paying Ogden Martin $63.00 per ton; with regard to leachate and Class III management, the County is looking at long-term options, working with the Purchasing Department, trying to obtain agreements that will allow the County, as things change, to go someplace else and negotiate prices, keeping competition among the people in the County that dispose of the County's waste; and that, as part of this year's budget, the County is closing the ash monofill, at Astatula.
Mr. Gilley briefly discussed the history of the 420 acres that the County acquired, over the years, that is currently utilized for the landfill, noting that, in 1971, the County acquired 80 acres; in 1979, it acquired another 100 acres; and in 1994 it acquired an additional 240 acres, to be used as a buffer and possible disposal capacity.
Mr. Gilley discussed the Solid Waste Management Department's long-term issues and strategies, at which time he stated that the County needs to do a Master Plan update - something that will address the County's solid waste disposal strategies for the next 25 to 50 years; the possibility of siting a new landfill; the possibility of transporting waste out of the County and concerns regarding same; what the County plans to do with its waste after the Ogden Martin contract is up in 2014; trends in the region - possibly a regional landfill approach; and other factors, such as state regulations, which are currently being rewritten, and how the County will have to do business in the future, to comply with said regulations; paying off the County's existing line of credit; new guidelines and standards that OSHA has developed for repetitive businesses and the fact that, if haulers have to comply with said guidelines, the County will be looking at automated trucks, which will have a big effect on the County's rural areas and could cause the price of business to go up.
At this time Mr. Gilley reviewed a test sheet that had been given to each of the Board members, prior to the start of the worksession, to familiarize them with factors involving the County's solid waste disposal program and answered questions they had regarding the issue of solid waste.
MEETINGS
It was noted that the Board Meeting of January 2, 2000 was postponed, due to the New Year's Day holiday.
REPORTS
COMMISSIONER POOL - DISTRICT 2
ORDINANCES/WORKSESSIONS
Commr. Pool informed the Board that he felt they should hold a worksession to discuss the County's Landscape Ordinance, to see if there is a way to help reduce a concern about the County's water resources and water conservation, by encouraging xeroscaping and plants that consume less water.
There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:20 a.m.
________________________________ WELTON G. CADWELL, CHAIRMAN
ATTEST:
________________________________
JAMES C. WATKINS, CLERK
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