A
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
2006
STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS
OCTOBER
26, 2006
The
Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in special session on Thursday, October
26, 2006, at 7:30 a.m., at Lake Receptions, Mount Dora, Florida, for the 2006
State of the County Address. Commissioners
present at the meeting were: Catherine C. Hanson, Chairman; Welton G. Cadwell,
Vice Chairman; Jennifer Hill; and Robert A. Pool. Commissioner Debbie Stivender was not
present, due to illness. Others present
were: Sanford A. (Sandy) Minkoff, County
Attorney; Cindy Hall, County Manager; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County
Manager’s Office; Barbara Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance; and Sandra
Carter, Deputy Clerk.
OFFICIATING
Commr.
Catherine C. Hanson, Chairman, Lake County Board of County Commissioners, welcomed
those present to the 2006 State of the County Address, stating that the theme
for this year’s presentation was “A Fresh Outlook”.
INVOCATION
Reverend
Dr. Isaac Deas gave the Invocation.
PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE
Commr.
Robert A. Pool led the Pledge of Allegiance.
2006
WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Commr.
Jennifer Hill announced that the Lake County Women’s Hall of Fame inductees for
2006 were Ms. Norma Hendricks, former Journalist with The Daily Commercial and The
Lake Sentinel; and Ms. Susannah (Sanna) Henderson, retired school teacher and
Mayor Pro-Tem, with the City of Leesburg, at which time she provided a brief
narrative on the accomplishments of Ms. Hendricks and Ms. Henderson. Ms. Henderson was presented with a plaque
commemorating her induction into the 2006 Women’s Hall of Fame and Ms.
Hendricks’ son, Mike, and his wife, LouAnn, were presented with the plaque
commemorating his mother’s induction into the 2006 Women’s Hall of Fame.
PRESENTATION
OF AGRIBUSINESS AWARDS
Mr.
John Jackson, Jr.,
Extension Agent IV, Cooperative Extension Service, Lake County Agricultural
Education Services, who is retiring after 38 years of service with the County,
presented Agribusiness Awards to the following companies:
AgriStarts 3, Inc.
Cherry Lake Tree Farm
Florida Food Products
Holloway Irrigation Systems
Senninger Irrigation, Inc.
Valencia International
STATE OF THE COUNTY MESSAGE
Commr. Hanson recognized
the other members of the Board of County Commissioners who were present; Senator
Carey Baker; Mr. Bob McKee, Lake County Tax Collector; Mr. Ed Havill, Lake
County Property Appraiser; Interim Sheriff Gary Borders; Lake County
Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Anna Cowin; Ms. Cindy Hall, County Manager; and Mr.
Sandy Minkoff, County Attorney, as well as various other city and county
officials who were present. She stated
that twelve years ago she recommended that Lake County begin to host a State of
the County event, noting that she felt it was an excellent opportunity for Lake
County Government to openly share its highlights and achievements from the past
year and, more importantly, the State of the County provides the citizens of
Lake County with a report that reflects the Board of County Commissioners’
accomplishments and priorities. She
stated that she and her fellow County Commissioners developed long term goals
and are taking the steps necessary to begin their implementation and, more than
ever, the County, its citizens, and its municipal partners are jointly
addressing Lake County’s future. She
stated that the County’s community partners are key in moving forward with the
County, as they build the future of the County with “A Fresh Outlook”. She stated that this year’s theme is also an
interpretation of the abundance of natural resources found in the County,
noting that, for decades, the fertile land of Lake County has been the
foundation for great families and communities.
She stated that this year’s annual report contained a keepsake photo,
depicting some of the natural wonders of Lake County, and that complimentary
Dahoon Holly saplings, as well as sunflower, marigold, and butterfly mix seed
packets, were on each table, for those present to take home with them, to
celebrate the natural gifts of Lake County.
Commr.
Hanson thanked this year’s sponsors:
Colonial Bank, Florida Hospital Waterman, Grass Roots Nursery, Leesburg
Regional Medical Center, Nabors, Giblin and Nickerson, P.A., Progress Energy,
Sumter Electric Cooperative, and United Southern Bank. She thanked staff for their dedicated work,
in making this event successful, noting that it has come a long way since
1994. She stated that she was impressed
with the professional quality of the Annual Report and the video presentation. She spoke of the County’s high unemployment
rate after the freezes and the fact that, since the 1990s, the Board has become
much more involved in solving problems within the County, at which time she
noted all the things that the Board now focuses on. She stated that the County has the
Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park; the Board held its first Economic Summit in
1994; there is now a Volunteer Center for the County; a Citizens’ Academy; the
County has an Adopt-a-Highway Program; a Blueways Program; one of the County’s
residents, Bruce and Cathy Brown, was recognized by the National
Wildlife Federation for their backyard wildlife habitat and received the
Federation’s 2006 “Volunteer of the Year” award; the County now has a
Land Acquisition Program; it now requires that public buildings meet “Green
Building” regulations; the County has enhanced the Wekiva Basin; it is working
on a fixed transit system; the County was able to get the waste to energy
facility contract rewritten, which was a major accomplishment for the County;
the County implemented a mandatory Solid Waste Disposal Program; transportation
in the County seeks funding through legislative efforts; the County has a
potable water system; it is involved in Social Services; and it has been a
strong proponent of Smart Growth.
In
her closing remarks, Commr. Hanson encouraged the Board to, among other things,
enter into public/private partnerships; tread lightly on the environment; keep
thinking outside the box; steal ideas and pass them on; and listen to the
community.
ADJOURNMENT
There
being no further business to be brought to the attention of those present, the State
of the County Address was adjourned at 8:50 a.m.
____________________________________
CATHERINE
C. HANSON, CHAIRMAN
ATTEST:
__________________________
JAMES C. WATKINS,
CLERK