A special MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
august 9, 2010
The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in special workshop session on Monday, August 9, 2010 at 1:00 p.m., in the Board of County Commissioners’ Meeting Room, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida. Commissioners present at the meeting were: Welton G. Cadwell, Chairman; Elaine Renick, Vice Chairman; Jennifer Hill; Jimmy Conner; and Linda Stewart. Others present were: Sanford A. “Sandy” Minkoff, Interim County Manager; Melanie Marsh, Acting County Attorney; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Barbara F. Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance and Brenda Press, Deputy Clerk.
AGENDA UPDATE
Ms. Melanie Marsh, Acting County Attorney stated that she would like to add an item to the Agenda regarding an animal control case.
On a motion by Commr. Stewart, seconded by Commr. Hill and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board moved to place said item on the Agenda.
county manager departmental business
lake-sumter ems insurance participation
Mr. Sandy Minkoff, Interim County Manager stated that staff has provided the reviews by the County’s benefits consultant, RobinsonBush and Wakely Consulting Group, the actuary, regarding the claims experience of Lake-Sumter EMS.
Commr. Hill confirmed that County employees have been assured that there are no changes to the health insurance benefits or the employee contribution rate regardless of the action taken by the Board regarding Lake-Sumter EMS.
Commr. Conner thanked staff for providing the claims analyses from the consultants. He asked the Board if they are comfortable with allowing the EMS employees to participate in the County plan without paying any contributions while the County requires its employees to contribute.
Commr. Cadwell stated that the Lake-Sumter EMS benefit package must be viewed as a whole, and noted that there is a substantial savings because EMS is not part of the state retirement system.
Commr. Conner asked if EMS would be budgeting reserves for the out of pocket expenses associated with the self insurance fund.
Mr. Minkoff explained that the County established that EMS would pay the COBRA rate based on the information from RobinsonBush and Wakely Consulting, and stated that EMS will not have a separate reserve for claims as it will fall under the County’s reserve. He commented that insurance is based on future expected claims, and noted that adding EMS to the County plan would be beneficial based on the previous claims history because they would be paying more for the coverage than the cost of their claims.
Commr. Conner asked if EMS employees have the same eligibility requirements as County employees.
Ms. Susan Irby, Employee Services and Quality Improvement Director explained that all participants would have the same eligibility requirements. She mentioned that EMS retirees would be required to purchase COBRA insurance, whereas the County is required by Florida Statute to offer retiree coverage to County employees.
Commr. Conner asked if there were any possible negative impacts.
Mr. Minkoff stated that the only downside would be if the claims turned out to be much worse than their claim history, and explained that the County’s rates are based on the actuary’s recommendation.
Commr. Conner asked why the Sheriff is not part of the County’s insurance plan, and asked why EMS did not establish their own self funded insurance plan if their claims experience is better than the County’s.
Mr. Minkoff explained that typically advisors will not recommend self insurance plans when the group is less than 500 participants, and noted that the Sheriff is not part of the County’s plan because he participates in the Florida Sheriff’s Plan.
Commr. Hill asked if there will be increased administration costs to the County.
Ms. Irby stated that EMS has some staff available to assist with the non-health related aspects of the administration, and noted that the premium includes the cost to administer the plan.
Commr. Conner asked if there will be any adverse impacts to the County’s plan if there is any downsizing associated with the adversarial relationship between Sumter County and EMS.
Commr. Cadwell opined that it would not impact the County’s plan because only 25 percent of the workforce is attributed to Sumter County.
Commr. Conner confirmed that EMS employees that left employment would be required to personally pay the COBRA premium.
Commr. Cadwell reported that last week there was a meeting with Lake-Sumter EMS, and opined that there will be a long standing relationship between EMS, Lake County and Sumter County.
Mr. Vance Jochim, Tavares resident, opined that the information regarding this matter has been submitted in pieces without a detailed analysis. He reported that in his experience as an auditor, the worst situation is when employees are not required to contribute to the health insurance plan because they do not have any responsibility for the cost and do not ask consumer type questions.
On a motion by Commr. Hill, seconded by Commr. Stewart and carried by a vote of 4-1, the Board authorized Lake-Sumter EMS, Inc. employees to participate in the Lake County Health and Employee Insurance Program.
Commr. Conner voted “no.”
fiscal year 2010-11 budget overview
Mr. Doug Krueger, Fiscal and Administrative Services Director, stated that every year the County is required by Florida Statute to create a balanced budget of the revenue versus the services provided. He reported that reductions were made internally in the support areas based on the Board’s priorities to limit the impact on services that are provided directly to the public. He commented that over the last nine months staff has focused on forecasting the budget needs for the next three years. He stated that there was some department reorganization to reduce the number of departments, align common goals and services, and align programs with available staff. He explained that Animal Services was moved from Public Safety into Conservation and Compliance who assumed the Underground Storage Tank, Home Heating Oil and Adopt-a-Lake Programs. He reported that most of the help programs that were moved into Employee Services last year were moved to Economic Development and Community Services, and noted that Employee Services would take over the Volunteer Lake Program which would change its emphasis to find volunteers to help the departments provide the necessary programs and services. He mentioned that the Planning and Community Design and Zoning Divisions were consolidated into one division under Growth Management. He stated that the Resource Conservation Program employee was transferred from Conservation and Compliance to Information Technology because it is mostly an educational function. He explained that the Mobile Irrigation and Lake Soil and Water Conservation Programs were moved from Conservation and Compliance to Public Resources. He noted the biggest change was the consolidation of Environmental Utilities with the Public Works Department.
Mr. Krueger reported that there was another reduction in force this year totaling 45 full time and 3 part time positions, and noted that there has been a 16.2 percent workforce reduction over the past three years which equals 147 full time and 20 part time positions. He stated that the Public Works Department is adding four positions in the next year. He commented that the County will continue the 12 furlough days which save approximately $1 million annually. He presented a chart of the total number of positions for the County and each of the Constitutional Officers from Fiscal Year 2008 thru Fiscal Year 2011, and noted that the Property Appraiser has 40 full time positions this year and will be making a reduction to 37 positions for next year. He stated that the total operating budget is broken down into two different categories, and explained that the operating budget totals $327.5 million for Fiscal Year 2011 which is a $12.9 million increase over the current year’s adopted budget. He reported that the purchase order function is being handled differently than in previous years because staff used to bring the purchase order total after the budget was adopted in October; whereas, staff is now estimating the purchase order carryovers that will be included in the 2010/11 budget, and noted that $11.3 million of the $12.9 million difference is related to purchase orders that are budgeted in the current fiscal year. He explained that the other differences were related to the $2.7 million energy grant and a $1.1 million reduction. He stated that the total operating budget is calculated by adding all of the funds together for a total of $441.6 million with a $25 million increase from last year which consists of $18 million related to the purchase order carryover, $2.7 million for the energy grant, and $5.7 million for Stormwater projects that are being re-budgeted. He noted that the budget is less than last year’s budget when the purchase order carryover and energy grant are taken out of the total.
Mr. Krueger reported that the County’s property taxes have been impacted for the past three years dating back to 2007/08 when the legislature mandated the nine percent decrease in all property tax rates below the rollback rate, and noted that the mandate resulted in an $11 million decrease from the rollback rate with an actual reduction of tax revenues of only $3.8 million for Lake County due to the increased tax base. He explained that the following year Amendment 1 was passed which increased the Homestead exemptions from $25,000 to $50,000 for a total tax revenue loss of $7.3 million. He stated that the tax revenue reduction of 8.8 percent totaling $8.1 million in the current Fiscal Year 2009/10 is related to the economy and unprecedented foreclosures, and noted that Fiscal Year 2010/11 is projected to have a 10.87 percent reduction in tax base resulting in an $8.4 million reduction in tax revenues. He commented that the County had $1.4 billion in new construction in 2006/07 which has continually decreased by half each year since that time, and projected the new construction for 2010/11 to $225 million based on the tax base that was certified on January 1, 2010. He reported that the Stormwater, Parks and Roads MSTU has held constant for the past four years after dropping from 6.6 mills in 2006/07 to .4984 due to the state mandated nine percent reduction. He commented that the County instituted a Fire Emergency Medical Services Tax in 2008/09 to offset the Emergency Medical Services portion of the Fire Rescue Budget, and noted that the Fire Assessment Rate was lowered from $197 to $175. He presented charts depicting the revenue and expenditures for the entire operating budget, and noted that a majority of the revenues are generated from taxes including property tax, resort tax, local option sales tax and local option gas tax which total $119 million of the $327 million budget. He mentioned that the next largest contribution other than the Fund Balance is generated from intergovernmental revenues which include the constitutional gas taxes, half cent sales tax, revenue sharing and federal and state grants for a total of $46 million. He reported that licenses and permits totaling 9.2 percent of the budget contributes $31.6 million which includes impact fees, Fire and Solid Waste Assessment fees, building permits and occupational licenses.
Mr. Krueger noted that the Fund Balance accounts for 34 percent of the entire budget totaling $112 million which is located in reserves, and stated that detailed information on the reserves can be located in the Recommended Budget on Pages C4 and C6. He presented a chart of the expenditures by department, and noted that there are 18 departments including the constitutional officers, debt service and non-departmental. He reported that the largest percentage of expenditures is from the Public Works Department which accounts for 24 percent of the budget totaling $82 million with the Sheriff’s Department accounting for 19 percent of the budget totaling $63 million. He stated that the Public Safety Department which includes the Fire Rescue and Emergency Operations totals $37.6 million, and the Economic Development and Community Services Department totals $25.6 million. He noted that those four departments and non-departmental expenditures account for 80 percent of the entire budget. He presented a chart of the revenue sources for the General Fund totaling $156.4 million, and noted that the largest revenue source at 49 percent is generated from property taxes totaling $82 million with the second largest source being intergovernmental revenues including sales tax and revenue sharing totaling $13 million. He reported that the Fund Balance equals 26.2 percent or $41 million with $29.8 million being placed in reserves, and noted that $11 million of the Fund Balance will be used to fund next year’s operating budget. He stated that the detail of expenditures by department could be located in the Recommended Budget on Page B28. He explained that 50 percent of the General Fund Budget is appropriated to the constitutional officers and judicial support while only 25 percent of the budget is related to the Board of County Commission programs and services, and noted that the remaining 24 percent is related to the fixed costs and reserves. He reported that the Reserves for 2010/11 will be $29.2 million which is the highest it has been in the last eight years, and equals 23 percent of the current operations which is above the 15 percent minimum established by the Board.
Commr. Hill stated that she appreciated receiving the Tax Collector’s report, and asked if the uncollected taxes due to pending litigation totaling approximately half a million dollars were related to foreclosures.
Mr. Minkoff commented that it is his experience that the uncollected taxes due to pending litigation are usually bankruptcy cases which the Tax Collector is prohibited from collecting, and indicated that it would be best to confirm with the Tax Collector for a definite answer.
Mr. Krueger reported that the County is required by state statute to budget 95 percent of the total property tax revenues, and noted that the County is on target to collect 95.5 percent this fiscal year including discounts that were given and delinquent taxes. He stated that the delinquent taxes total approximately $5.5 million which is $1 million less than last year, and indicated that it was a positive sign to see a decrease even though historically those figures were around $1.5 million.
Commr. Hill asked how foreclosures are accounted for on the tax roll, and commented that sometimes in the past they have been listed as new construction.
Mr. Krueger stated that if the taxes are uncollected and are later paid, then it gets reported as delinquent property tax collections.
Commr. Hill asked if there was any way to know the effects of foreclosures on the tax roll.
Mr. Minkoff stated that foreclosures do not affect property taxes. He explained that either the bank or homeowner pays the taxes or a tax certificate is sold, but noted that the taxes never go off of the tax roll.
Commr. Conner asked how the reserves were increased from $19.5 million this year to the projected $41 million for Fiscal Year 2010/11.
Mr. Krueger stated that Page 3 of the Recommended Budget outlines the specifics of the reverses, but explained that there is an additional $11 million which was previously earmarked for the judicial center which was not spent, and another $5 million that was set aside for capital projects which was put back in the reserves. He reported that the Solid Waste transfer was reduced by $2.3 million in the current year because they had reserves in their long term account which could be transferred to operations, and stated that $2 million was transferred from the General Fund and put into reserves for the South Lake Park because it was funded by the infrastructure sales tax. He commented that $1.27 million was transferred into reserves because the BCC Warehouse was funded by the infrastructure sales tax, and mentioned that the balances of the Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park Fund and Code Enforcement Lien Fund were transferred into the General Fund. He stated that the combination of the one time adjustments, lower department expenditures, and eliminated positions resulted in the increase of the reserves.
Commr. Conner confirmed that the reserves will be reduced by $11 million in Fiscal Year 2010/11 with a balance of $29.2 million which would equal 23 percent of the budget. He noted that the reserves would only be eight percent above the minimum reserve amount at the end of Fiscal Year 2010/11, and asked how much the eight percent would equal.
Mr. Krueger stated that eight percent of the budget would equal $11 million.
Commr. Conner confirmed that if the Board duplicated the budget next year, then the reserves would be at the minimum 15 percent.
conservation and compliance
Animal Services
Mr. Gregg Welstead, Conservation and Compliance Director, stated that Animal Services was moved under the Conservation and Compliance Department this year, and reported that several years ago the Board budgeted $1.2 million to renovate and expand the animal shelter. He commented that most of the facility is not air conditioned, and opined that the animals need better care. He stated that animals are euthanized quicker due to a lack of space. He reported that Animal Services transitioned from using the courts system for violations to the Special Master process which has resulted in quicker compliance, and noted that the fines are being allocated to the County instead of the courts system. He reported that Animal Services has started selling used animal equipment that is donated to the shelter and putting the proceeds of those sales into the Spay and Neuter Fund. He noted that the shelter has received $50,000 in donations this year, which is already $6,000 more than last year. He stated that one of the goals of Animal Services for the next year is to work with local veterinarians to increase the issuance of County animal licenses.
Code Enforcement
Mr. Welstead reported that staff is going to continue to work hard toward assessing new cases within one to two days in an effort to more quickly obtain compliance. He stated that Code Enforcement has realigned the code zones using GIS technology to increase productivity and reduce mileage. He commented that one of the advantages of moving the Environmental Quality Programs into the department is that Code Enforcement staff can be cross trained on the programs and performs inspections while in the field. He stated that Code Enforcement Officers are relaying information to the Property Appraiser’s Office when they identify homes that are in foreclosure or being rented that are not entitled to the Homestead Exemption.
Probation Services
Mr. Welstead reported that last week the Public Safety Coordinating Council recommended implementing the GPS sentencing provision to allow judges to sentence someone to GPS monitoring instead of jail, and noted that a proposal for this provision will be before the Board in the near future after some of the program details are resolved.
Commr. Cadwell commented that the affordability of the program for the offender should be taken into consideration for the program to be successful.
Mr. Welstead responded that cost is being considered, and noted that one of the conditions with the provider is that they will allow a certain percentage each month for indigent offenders. He reported that Probation Services is working with the Clerk’s Office to implement the acceptance of the E-filing of probation documents. He stated that staff is going to request an adjustment of the Probation Fee Schedule to increase the monthly cost of supervision from $50 per month to $55 per month.
Commr. Cadwell commented that if Probation is cost prohibitive, then the County will end up spending more money to house the offenders in jail.
public safety
Communications Technologies
Mr. John Jolliff, Public Safety Director and Fire Chief, reported that Communication Technologies has redistributed responsibilities and cross trained staff in both radio systems and E911 support. He stated that staff has achieved acceptance of the countywide radio system, negotiated a two month extension on the system warranty, installed the next generation of E911 equipment, and management several grant programs including Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), E911Regional Routing and Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC). He outlined the Department’s goals for the next year including the management of the countywide radio system, continued pursuit of grant funding, evaluation of possible opportunities to generate revenue with the existing systems and infrastructure, and evaluation of relocation options to eliminate annual leasing costs.
Emergency Management
Mr. Jolliff reported that Emergency Management re-wrote the Lake County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Plan which is currently under review by FEMA, and noted that staff completed the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan that was found in compliance by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. He stated that staff has partnered with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake-Sumter EMS and The Villages Public Safety Department to provide Incident Command Training to various agencies. He commented that staff has continued to review healthcare emergency plans for a multitude of facilities, and monitor the Special Needs and Public Shelter Registries. He outlined the Department’s goals for the upcoming year including the continued pursuit of grant funding, continued distribution of the NOAA radios to residents contingent upon funding, maintenance of the existing partnerships for the National Incident Management System, continued monthly contact with special needs recipients, review of 78 Healthcare Facility Emergency Management Plans, provide Special Event Incident Action Plan (IAP) development, revise disaster plans to reflect the County’s reorganization, oversee the construction of the Emergency Operations Center, and the implementation of a new Emergency Notification System.
Fire Rescue
Mr. Jolliff reported that the construction of Station 13 in Paisley has been completed, and noted that the County added twelve firefighters with the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant totaling $1.3 million. He outlined the goals for the upcoming year including the continued response time of 6.5 minutes or less on 80 percent of the calls, evaluation of the possible relocation of the fleet into a collaborative countywide fleet, continued achievement of local, state and national training requirements and mandates, development of a new Fire Assessment Fee Study with Tindale-Oliver for Fiscal Year 2011/12, and continued involvement with neighboring agencies to provide mutual and automatic aid. He stated that staff will continue the Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Program for at-risk youth, and noted that the program will now focus on students in kindergarten through second grade.
recess and reassembly
The Chairman announced that there would be a ten minute recess at 2:03 p.m.
facilities development and management
Mr. Kristian Swenson, Facilities Development and Management Interim Director, reported that the department was reorganized by making administrative reductions to cut costs while maintaining customer service, and noted that the Facilities Services Budget was combined with the Facilities Maintenance Budget and the Facilities Development Budget was consolidated with the Facility Administration Budget. He stated that the budget was reduced by approximately ten percent from $6.2 million to $5.5 million as a result of the reorganization. He commented that the department is going to focus on maintenance of the existing facilities to eliminate costly repairs in the future, and noted that the lobby and first floor of the administration building are scheduled to be painted. He mentioned that staff is going to pay more attention to the remote facilities located outside of the downtown complex as some of those facilities are in need of attention. He reported that staff was also going to focus on re-bidding and renegotiating the County’s contractual services to take advantage of the current market pricing and to better define the scope of services that are being provided.
Mr. Minkoff asked the Board if they are agreeable to the emphasis on maintenance of the existing buildings.
Commr. Conner stated that he agreed with making maintenance a priority.
Commr. Cadwell commented that the County needs to maintain their investments.
Mr. Swenson stated that the piping for the water and sewer lines in the Administration Building is 34 years old, and reported that there have been six water leaks over the past two years. He expressed concern that there could be a catastrophic failure during closed hours that would result in serious damage to the building if the building was not re-piped. He outlined the contracts that are planned to be re-bid in Fiscal Year 2011, including custodial services, pest control, fire extinguisher maintenance, lawn services, fire services, fire systems testing and maintenance, and elevator testing and maintenance. He explained that staff anticipates being able to save money on the custodial services contract which currently totals approximately half a million dollars by reviewing the scope of services, and opined that the market conditions will result in better prices for the pest control and fire extinguisher maintenance contracts. He stated that staff is hoping to increase the scope of services on the elevator testing and maintenance contract to include performance measures, and reported that last year there were some problems in the length of time it took to repair the elevator at the Public Defender’s Office.
Jail & Sheriff Maintenance
Mr. Swenson reported that the only capital expenditure under this budget is for the purchase of a replacement mower for the Sheriff’s Department which takes care of the lawn maintenance for the downtown buildings. He stated that there is a need for ceiling repair in the detention center which will be repaired by the inmates with materials provided by the County.
Energy Management
Mr. Swenson stated that the majority of the Energy Management budget is for the payment of the County’s power bills totaling approximately $2 million. He reported that the goals for the upcoming fiscal year include the implementation of the energy grant, investigation of lighting control systems, and activation of the facility energy usage tracking system. He commented that staff is evaluating the use of daylight and occupant sensors and LED lighting to reduce costs. He explained that the Central Florida Energy Alliance is entering all of the County’s power bills into an EPA software portfolio manager which records historic data and compares it to other facilities around the country, and noted that facilities can become energy star certified if they reach a certain level. He stated that he hoped to bring some of the County’s facilities back to the Board for energy star certification.
2011 Construction Projects
Mr. Swenson reported that the Animal Control Building is scheduled for renovation and possible expansion of the existing 11,400 square foot facility, and mentioned that the BCC Warehouse is currently under construction which is adding 13,000 square feet of climate controlled warehouse space to store records for the Board and Clerk. He stated that the County is currently in programming with the architect for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and noted that the preliminary estimates show the building being 35,000 square feet for a total construction cost of $8 million. He reported that staff is working with the Public Safety Department to design a smaller one story prototype for the fire stations in hopes to build two more fire stations with potential sites of Astatula and Altoona. He commented that staff has worked with the end users of the fleet facility to possibly move it to the industrial park for a total cost of approximately $250,000, and noted that staff is still working on the bus component of the fleet. He reported that the Transportation Section would like to relocate to the area vacated in Leesburg, which is also being evaluated to house the Radio Communications Section. He mentioned that the Judicial Center Expansion is currently in progress, and stated that the LaRoe Pavilion is scheduled to be demolished and replaced by March of 2011. He commented that the roof on the Public Defender’s Building needs to be replaced as they are dealing with leaks. He reported that the Historic Courthouse renovation and the Sheriff’s Administration Building renovations are linked as the Sheriff will be relocating employees from the Sheriff’s Administration Building to the Historic Courthouse. He stated that the Public Works Special Projects Facility at the Landfill is scheduled for an expansion of 2,000 square feet to house the Road Operations Section to eliminate the cost of the leased facility, and noted that staff is evaluating all leased facilities in an effort to relocate employees and reduce costs.
Commr. Cadwell asked if staff was aware of the timing constraints on the LaRoe Pavilion.
Mr. Swenson acknowledged the time constraints and anticipates completion by March 2011, and mentioned that staff is coordinating a user meeting with the architect.
Mr. Minkoff noted that the Fair Board is being included in the user meetings so they will have an input on the design.
employee services
Ms. Susan Irby, Employee Services Director stated that the Employee Services Department strives to deliver the best customer service to the County’s employees, citizens and volunteers. She reported that staff developed a training program for all employees and supervisors that encompass a variety of topics including harassment prevention, work place violence, drug-free workplace and diversity in an effort to minimize the number of classes that employees are required to attend. She stated that staff initiated a phone appointment program with the Blue Cross Blue Shield representative to make appointments with the representative more convenient for employees, and noted that staff finalized the implementation of Munis Self Service which allows employees to review and update their information including contact information and tax deductions. She reported that Employee Services developed an exiting employee guide to assist employees as they leave employment with the County. She stated that Employee Services has taken over the VolunteerLAKE Program, and noted that the focus of the program will be shifting to address the volunteer needs within the County departments. She commented that the department will advertise the volunteer positions, enhance the online presence of the program, and provide an online application process. She stated that staff will continue to assist employees affected by the layoffs by providing resume assistance and notifying them of any internal and external positions. She reported that staff will continue to assist the departments with their staffing needs, and noted that staff is currently providing the department directors with a variety of reports on a monthly basis including the performance evaluation report which notifies the supervisors of upcoming due dates for performance evaluations.
Ms. Irby stated that staff will coordinate with the benefits consultant and other vendors to explore a variety of options to reinstate the employee health and wellness program with an emphasis on the prevention and maintenance of chronic health conditions. She reported that staff will also be working with the benefits consultant and vendors to implement any new governmental healthcare mandates that have to be implemented by 2014, and outlined the mandates that needed to be revised sooner including the review of pre-existing condition language, removal of the $2 million per member lifetime maximum, increase the age limit for dependants, and educate employees regarding the changes to the flexible spending account program that will take effect January 1, 2011. She stated that staff plans to review the open enrollment process and attempt to automate the process so employees can complete it online. She reported that staff will be exploring options of educating employees on safety and accident prevention including tips on the intranet, bulletin board, safety quotes on paychecks and a safety article in the Lake @ Work newsletter. She commented that staff will continue to offer computer training programs for the employees and a coaching and counseling action program and performance evaluation class for supervisors. She reported that staff has drafted an employee handbook that is currently in the review phase. She stated that the claims have been lower than expected by the actuary over the past few years which has resulted in an increase in the reserves of the Employee Group Benefits Fund, and noted that it has made it possible for the County to reduce the employer contribution from $8,200 to $7,000 per employee per year for the next fiscal year. She explained that the Property and Liability Fund has remained positive which allows the County to subsidize the department contributions for liability insurance by 50 percent.
Commr. Renick asked if age limit increase for dependants was federally mandated.
Ms. Irby responded that some of the mandates are federal and state mandates, and noted that 18 months ago the County had to allow dependants up to the age of 30. She reported that there is a separate premium for the dependants with the increased age limit, and stated that the County has not had anyone elect coverage for this mandate.
fiscal and administrative services
Mr. Doug Krueger, Fiscal and Administrative Services Director stated that the Fiscal and Administrative Services Department is an internal function that assists departments with accomplishing their mandated services, and noted that the department is made of three divisions, Budget, Procurement and Fleet Management. He commented that the main objective of the Budget Division is to assist the County Manager prepare the Recommended Budget which was submitted to the Board on July 15, 2010, and the 5-year Capital Improvement Program which is included in the County’s Comprehensive Plan. He stated that one of the major goals is to continue to provide fiscal analysis on the current budget, and noted that the fiscal analysis has increased over the past year because staff has been providing the Board with reports on a monthly basis. He commented that there are always adjustments to the budget after it is adopted, and mentioned that staff works closely with the Finance Department to maintain the MUNIS system. He stated that one of the roles is to manage the Fire Assessment Program and Municipal Service Benefit Units (MSBU) which are the lighting districts and homeowner associations, and to coordinate the FEMA application for federal assistance once a disaster is declared, and noted that staff is still working on finalizing the process from the 2004 hurricanes. He reported that another role is to review the Agenda items to ensure there is appropriately funded and budgeted. He stated that staff assists with special requests for information throughout the year, either by the Board or the county manager to assist in policy making decisions. He commented that the Procurement Division will continue to provide a full range of contracting requirements. He stated that the division hopes to improve and automate the RFQ process, and maximize the PCard and Epayables programs to reduce the administrative burden and shorten payment cycles. He reported that staff is now selling some of the surplus items that were previously being thrown away. He stated that the Document Services Section has experienced some reduced work volume because departments are being more cognizant of their reprographic needs, which has created the need for staff to look for other ways to make revenue because this service should not be subsidized. He commented that the Fleet Management Division is working to unite the County’s fleet with the Fire Rescue Public Transportation and Mosquito Control Fleet into one location potentially at Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park, and stated that the division will also coordinate with the departments on the procurement and disposal of the fleet vehicles.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m.
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welton g. cadwell, chairman
ATTEST:
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NEIL KELLY, CLERK