A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

may 8, 2012

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 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; Jennifer Hill, Vice Chairman; Sean Parks; Jimmy Conner; and Welton G. Cadwell.  Others present were:  Darren Gray, County Manager; Sanford A. “Sandy” Minkoff, County Attorney; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Neil Kelly, Clerk of Court; and Shannon Treen, Deputy Clerk.

INVOCATION and pledge

Dr. Susan Glenn Caddell gave the Invocation and Commr. Campione led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda update

Mr. Darren Gray, County Manager, pointed out that there was an addendum on the County Manager’s Consent Agenda.

Commr. Cadwell mentioned that he had been asked by the National Association of Counties (NACo) to apply for Chairmanship on one of NACo’s committees but he would need a letter of support from the Board and he requested to add that to the agenda under his business.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Hill and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board added Commr. Cadwell’s request to the agenda.

MINUTE APPROVAL

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Hill and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Minutes of March 27, 2012 (Regular Meeting) and April 10, 2012 (Regular Meeting) as presented.

presentation of dental practice anniversary proclamation

Commr. Conner read and presented Proclamation No. 2012-32 to Dr. Susan Glenn Caddell in celebration of the 50th anniversary of their family dental practice.

EMPLOYEE AWARDS

Ms. Susan Irby, Employee Services Director, presented the following employee awards:

FIVE YEARS

Benjamin Briggs, Firefighter/EMT

Public Safety/Fire Rescue Division

Salena Farrell, Scales Attendant II

Public Works/Solid Waste Division

Vicki Gesinski, Senior CAD Technician

Public Works/Engineering Division

Rebecca Grimm, Right-of-Way GIS Associate

Public Works/Engineering Division

Shawn New, Telecommunications System Administrator

Information Technology/Telecommunications Services Division

Charles Routh, Welcome Center Worker  (not present)

Office of Economic Development & Tourism

Peter Signorotti, Equipment Operator I

Public Works/Road Operations Division

TEN YEARS

Stephen Cantley, Equipment Operator III

Public Works/Road Operations Division

Paul Githuka, Senior GIS Analyst

Information Technology/Geographic Information Services Division

Grace Watson, Office Associate III

County Manager’s Office

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

Mr. John Jolliff, Public Safety Director and Fire Chief, presented the following award, commenting briefly about his service to the County:

Yancey Peterson, Fire Lieutenant/EMT

Public Safety/Fire Rescue Division

THIRTY YEARS

Ms. Amye King, Growth Management Director, presented the following award, commenting briefly about her service to the County:

Carmen Carroll, Building Supervisor

Growth Management/Building Services Division

CLERK OF COURTS’ CONSENT AGENDA

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

List of Warrants

Request to acknowledge receipt of the 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.

Transfer of Majority Organizational Control of Utilities, Inc.

Request to acknowledge receipt of a Legal Notice of Application for a Transfer of Majority Organizational Control of Utilities, Inc. to Corix Utilities (Illinois) LLC, pursuant to Section 367.071, Florida Statutes, stating that this application is not a request to change the rates of any of the subsidiaries of Utilities, Inc., which are Cypress Lakes Utilities, Labrador Utilities, Lake Placid Utilities, Lake Utility Services, Mid-County Services, Sanlando Utilities Corporation, Tierra Verde Utilities, Utilities Inc. of Eagle Ridge, Utilities Inc. of Florida, Utilities Inc. of Longwood, and Utilities Inc. of Pennbrooke.

Transfer of Majority Organizational Control of Colina Bay Water Company, LLC

Request to acknowledge receipt of the notice before the Florida Public Service Commission, In re:  Application for transfer of majority organizational control of Colina Bay Water Company, LLC to Colina Bay Homeowners Association, Inc. and cancellation of Certificate 632-W in Lake County, Docket No. 090385-WU, Order No. PSC-12-0194-FOF-WU, issued April 13, 2012.

Order Approving Transfer of Majority Organizational Control and Cancelling Certificate No. 632-W.

Proposed Budget for the Greater Lakes Sawgrass Bay Community Development District

Request to acknowledge receipt of a copy of the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012/2013 for the Greater Lakes Sawgrass Bay Community Development District and a cover letter stating that a public hearing to consider the adoption of the proposed budget has been scheduled for Monday, June 19, 2012, at 11:00 a.m., at the Cagan Crossings County Library, located at 16729 Cagan Oaks, Clermont, Florida 34714.

Audit Reports

Request to acknowledge receipt of the following audit reports:

BCC 2011-08 Parks and Trails – Parks

BCC 2011-09 Solid Waste

BCC 2012-01 Follow-up to BCC 2008-12 Solid Waste Programs

citizen question and comment period

Mr. Joe Treshler, Vice President of Business Management and Development for Covanta Lake, addressed the Board in regards to Tab 16 and thanked the County for allowing Covanta to be considered for the leachate disposal services proposal and for working with Covanta in January to demonstrate the feasibility of disposing of the leachate through a spray evaporation pilot program with the Department of Environmental Protection because they were able to demonstrate that they could process 18,000 gallons per day.  He stated that he understood the reason the County did not select them as the primary vendor, but they were still confident because they were the low bid for the disposal of the first 18,000 gallons per day.  He also mentioned that the Household Hazardous Waste Collection and the Prescription Drugs Take-Back events that they partner with the County on have been very successful.

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commr. Campione asked to receive more information on Tab 16 since the item was mentioned and because there have been other questions about it.

Mr. Jim Stivender, Public Works Director, explained that because the leachate has a very high salt content, it could not be put into the local sewer plant so it must be disposed of off-site.  He added that Jacksonville was the current primary site for disposal and that the County was going to award to three vendors with sites because it was important to have alternates for disposal of the leachate for when there was a lot of rain.  He noted that they were going to award to a hauler, three sites for disposal, and a combination with hauling and disposal at the same site.  He also mentioned that they would be bringing an award of a contract to cap the 16-acre site cell to the Board in two weeks, which meant that there would only be six acres of leachate left to deal with.

Commr. Hill asked if there was anything in the contract that would prevent Covanta from disposing of the first 18,000 gallons so that they could continue with their project.

Mr. Stivender stated that the leachate was currently very sludgy, but once the rain picked up the leachate would thin out causing the volume to increase and Covanta would then dispose of that.

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Hill and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the County Manager’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 4 through 16 and Addendum No. 1-IA as follows:

Community Services

Request for approval to give the County Manager the authority to sign the Direct Pay form to Shands University of Florida (UF) for an inpatient medical stay qualified under the Health Care Responsibility Act (HCRA) guidelines. The Direct Pay requires the County Manager's signature as the invoice total exceeds $25,000.00. The fiscal impact is $39,449.52.

Request for authorization to fill one (1) part-time/20 hours per week Office Associate I position in the Community Services Department/Health & Human Services Division as a limited term position, duration up to ten (10) months based on operational need. (The fiscal impact is $9,816 for ten (10) months and is fully grant funded.)

County Manager

Request for approval to apply for the FY 2012 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program Local Solicitation. The FY 2012 allocation for Lake County is $49,676.

Information Technology

Request that the Board approve award of contract 12-0424 to QCC dba Centurylink (Tallahassee, Florida) for the purchase of Adtran equipment to complete a network that is already in place at the Lake County Department of Health, and authorize the procurement office to execute all related contractual documentation. The fiscal impact is $77,198.87 (100% Reimbursed).

Public Resources

Request for authorization to fill two (2) vacant positions in the Public Resources Department, Parks & Trails Division: one (1) Park Attendant position and one (1) Park Ranger position. The fiscal impact for both positions is $73,671.

Request for approval of budget change request, transferring savings from personal services to operating for land management at Northeast Lake County Scrub Preserve. The fiscal impact is $41,903.

Public Safety

Request for approval by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners of Modification #3 to Agreement with the State of Florida, Division of Emergency Management, to extend the expiration date for funds awarded for the Lake County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) project to March 31, 2013. This Agreement provides revenue for the EOC Construction Project.

Request for approval by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners of Modification #7 to Agreement with the State of Florida, Division of Emergency Management, to extend the expiration date for state fund expenditures to March 31, 2013. This agreement provides revenue for the EOC Construction Project.

Public Works

Request for authorization to release a performance bond in the amount of $2,047,555.40 posted for Bella Collina North Entrance. Bella Collina North Entrance consists of no lots and is located in Section 11, Township 22 South, Range 26 East. Commission District 2. There is no fiscal impact.

Request to accept and signature of Unanticipated Revenue Resolution No. 2012-51 for $1,500 from the Florida Lake Management Society and Unanticipated Revenue Resolution No. 2012-52 for additional calendar sales of $1,300. Both are for the Adopt-A-Lake program. Fiscal Impact: $2,800; District: Countywide.

Request for authorization to fill one (1) Office Associate V position within the Public Works Department. The fiscal impact is $42,233.

Request for authorization to fill one (1) vacant Right of Way/GIS Associate position within the Public Works Department/Engineering Division. The fiscal impact is $40,163.

Request for the Board to approve awards under ITB 12-0808 for Leachate Disposal and/or Transportation Services as described in the background summary, and authorize the procurement office to execute all implementing documentation. The estimated annual fiscal impact is $500,000.

Economic Development and Tourism

Request for approval and authorization for County Manager to execute Program Participation Agreements with private businesses participating in the Business Incubator Program at the Lake County Business Opportunity Center, and authorize the County Manager to make adjustments to the fee schedule.  Approve Resolution No. 2012-53 for Unanticipated Revenue and appropriation of funds.  The fiscal impact is $7,200.

COUNTY ATTORNEY’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commr. Campione asked, in regards to Tab 18, what the cost estimate would be for the financial advisor and the bond counsel to complete the transaction of renegotiating the Note Payable to Hancock Bank.

Mr. Sandy Minkoff, County Attorney, answered that the $170,000 was a net result that the financial advisor recommended to them and that the original proposal was for the County to rebid the entire loan and refinance it; however, they decided to ask Hancock Bank to reduce the interest rate instead and the bank has orally agreed to do so.  He added that the financial advisor estimated a total cost of about $25,000 to complete the transaction, but they were still negotiating that price.  He mentioned that the County would most likely end up with a savings of about $180,000.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the County Attorney’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 17 through 19 as follows:

Request that the Board approve award of contract 12-0020 for on call attorney services for closings and title insurance.

Request for approval to renegotiate the Note Payable to Hancock Bank; and authorize the Chairman to sign any necessary documents. Estimated savings of $170,000 of infrastructure sales tax which is pledged for the repayment.

Request for approval of Interlocal Agreement Regarding Joint Use of Fields in Clermont to construct multipurpose athletic fields. The fiscal impact is $400,000.

presentations

quarterly financial report

Mr. Steve Koontz, Budget Director, gave a presentation of the second quarter results for Fiscal Year 2012.  He first discussed the revenue status as compared to the second quarter of last year and reported that the ad valorem revenues had decreased from $7.5 million to $6.8 million.  He pointed out that the County receives the majority of the ad valorem revenues in the first quarter and that they were expecting the slight decrease that year.  He then stated that the fire rescue non ad valorem assessment was at $1.6 million, the solid waste disposal assessment was at $1.3 million, and the state sales tax was at $2.9 million adding that those revenues stayed about the same as last year.  He mentioned that the state sales tax revenue would drop in the third quarter because of the additional Medicaid costs to the County.  He related that the infrastructure sales tax had increased slightly and was at $2.8 million.  He then discussed the expenditure status and pointed out that all of the departments have been diligent in keeping expenses down and have used less than 50 percent of their budgets so far.  He related that the countywide and general fund expenses were lower as compared to the second quarter last year.  He then summarized that the County was meeting the expectations for revenues and that the overall spending was on target and below last year.  He mentioned that he researched some articles online and looked at the trends through Workforce Central Florida and reported that the national unemployment rate fell from 8.2 to 8.1 percent in April; however, the reason it dropped was because people had stopped looking for jobs.  He indicated that the Lake County unemployment rate for April was not available but the rate dropped from 9.8 to 9.2 percent in March.  He also stated that the existing home sales in Lake County were about 4.1 percent better than last year and that the Property Appraiser anticipated a decline in property values between five and eight percent.  He concluded the presentation by briefly discussing important dates and deadlines for the budget.

Mr. Gray noted that they were expanding the quarterly report to show Employee Services issues as well, such as which positions the County was currently recruiting.  He also noted that the Board would be receiving the actual report at the end of the week.

lake county health department updates

Ms. Donna Gregory, Administrator of the Lake County Health Department, gave a presentation to discuss several updates for the Health Department including facilities, health care services and grants, the legislation and the budget, and their continued challenges and opportunities.  She first discussed the facilities updates and pointed out that the Leesburg Health Center closed in March 2003, but after renovations by the County, it was reopened in January 2012.  She added that because it was a County owned building, the County had a lease savings of $46,300 annually.  She stated that the Clermont Health Center, which was fully grant funded, was currently under construction and that the building exterior was completed in December 2011 and they were anticipating opening the building in July 2012.  She explained that the warehouse next to the Eustis Administration Building became available so they acquired that building and were able to utilize that for storage of medical records and extra supplies and by doing so, their space increased by 40 percent and also saved them $22,000 each year.  She related that they also planned to eliminate two of the suites in the Eustis Health Center, also known as the Van Dee Building, in the 2012-2013 budget year which would be a savings of $34,800 per year for the County.  She then discussed the health care services and grant updates and specified that the Lake Health Partnership, which includes the Health Department and six other entities, received $1.5 million from the Low Income Pool (LIP) Expansion Grant and that the Lake County Health Department received $250,000 of those funds.  She added that the purpose of the grant was to expand primary care services for the uninsured and underinsured and that it was a major emergency room diversion program.  She showed some statistics about the program and indicated that through the Lake Health Partnership, they connected 339 frequent users referred by the emergency room to the partnership agency for continuity of care, diverted 1,633 frequent chronic emergency room patients to a primary care medical home, diverted 3,012 medical emergency room encounters which subsequently saved the local hospitals $9,821,138, and diverted 53 dental emergency room encounters which subsequently saved the local hospitals $34,340.  She mentioned that the Maternity Program through the Health Department was the sole provider for uninsured and underinsured maternity clients and that because it was not a mandated public health program, they do not receive any State funding to operate it.  She stated that in order to continue the program, they needed to break even but they realized that they were beginning to go in the red in the 2011-2012 fiscal year so they created a new model that would reduce their expenses while still delivering the same level of service to the patients.  She then described the proposed maternity expense reductions and noted that the plan was to change services from a midwife program to a private physician centered model and reduce the midwives from three to two so that they would only provide clinical services and would no longer perform deliveries at the hospital.  She added that they would also expand the delivery services from Florida Hospital Waterman to also include Leesburg Regional Medical Center.  She related that the OB/GYN doctors they partnered with would provide some prenatal and post-partum care at the Umatilla and the Leesburg Clinics and that the midwives would support the physicians at both clinics.  She mentioned that the new model would be implemented by July 1, 2012.  She stated that several months ago, the Health Department had applied for and was denied a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) so they instead applied for a FQHC look-alike and the Umatilla Health Center was awarded the look-alike in April 2012 which allowed that center to remain as a primary care provider for pediatric and adult clients in Lake County.  She noted that they would not receive a large amount of money each year, but they would keep the cost based reimbursement for Medicaid and Medicare clients to help offset providing care for the uninsured.  She pointed out that many years ago, the Board of County Commissioners had created and appointed healthcare professionals to the Comprehensive Health Care Committee to discuss health care issues in the County.  She indicated that the Committee was dissolved in 2009, but realized that the Committee needed to reconvene with the decrease in healthcare dollars and the increase in healthcare demands.  She stated that the Committee was formed again, but without appointments by the Board, and the first meeting was on March 5, 2012.  She reported that the Committee members consist of herself; Ms. Viviana Calandra, Business Manager for the Lake County Health Department; Mr. Wally Plosky, FQHC Consultant for the Lake County Health Department; Mr. Ken Mattison, CEO of Florida Hospital Waterman; Mr. Jon Cherry, CEO of Lifestream; Mr. John Moore, CEO of South Lake Hospital; Mr. Don Henderson, CEO of Central Florida Health Alliance; Ms. Dottie Keedy, Community Services Director for Lake County; and Mr. Jeff Feller, COO of WellFlorida Council.  She noted that the Committee shares concerns on health care issues and services and discusses ideas on how to continue to provide for the residents of Lake County.  She also mentioned that the Committee was currently working on a Health Information Exchange to determine how client’s information could be exchanged among the providers who see the same clients for better case management.  She then discussed the legislative and budget updates and stated that House Bill (HB) 1263 was signed by the Governor this year overhauling the Florida Department of Health.  She explained that the Bill required that the A.G. Holley State Hospital, which is specifically for the treatment of tuberculosis, in Palm Beach County must close by July 2012 and the septic tank inspection program that was instated about a year ago requiring people with septic tanks to flush them out every five years was now repealed.  She also mentioned that the Department of Health’s Central Office would be reorganized to reduce some of the division of bureaus and staffing.  She showed a chart depicting the five-year budget trend and noted that the State dollars had decreased from $3.4 million in fiscal year 2008-2009 to $1.8 million in fiscal year 2012-2013, but grant funding has helped to offset the costs.  She then discussed the Health Department’s continued challenges and opportunities and pointed out that due to the economic conditions, they have had an increase in demand for services, an ongoing decrease in funding, and over the last two years the Health Department has had to decrease staffing by 15 percent.  She expressed that they would continue to be proactive by applying for grants and would continue with the FQHC look-alike, as well as the newly created Health Care Committee.  She also mentioned that they were currently going through a Public Health Accreditation process as well.

Commr. Cadwell asked if the teen pregnancy rate had declined in Lake County.

Ms. Gregory replied that there had been a small reduction, but the repeat pregnancy rate in the 15-19 year old age group was still high in Lake County.

Commr. Parks commended Ms. Gregory on her efforts of reconvening the Health Care Committee, but he suggested that they add a public safety individual to that Committee for their expertise.

Ms. Gregory responded that they started with the CEO’s of the major hospitals and clinical services, but they planned to expand the Committee to include the local FQHC, other major health care providers, and private physicians.  She added that they had already established a list of individuals who they wanted to attend the meetings.

Commr. Campione asked whether the physicians providing the OB/GYN services were private doctors.

She replied that they were private physicians and noted that the contracted group for Florida Hospital Waterman was Lake County Preferred OB/GYN and the contracted group for Leesburg Regional Medical Center was Advanced OB/GYN.

Commr. Campione mentioned that, in regards to the exchange of information, it would be helpful to collect the physical addresses from the hospital patients to make paying those bills for the hospital stays easier for the County.  She also suggested creating a branch with Sumter County for a FQHC in the northwestern part of Lake County since Sumter already had one established and thought that was something the Health Care Committee could discuss.

Ms. Gregory remarked that that was a possibility especially since Mr. Plosky was on the Committee and he was very knowledgeable in FQHC’s.  She added that Mr. Plosky had been helping other county health departments and private partners in the State to get established to continue assisting the underinsured and the uninsured for when the Medicaid reform started.

economic development and tourism activities update

Mr. Scott Blankenship, Economic Development and Tourism Director, gave an update on the activities of Economic Development and Tourism over the past quarter as well as the Business Opportunity Centers.  He first discussed the activities of Economic Development and noted that staff attended the Metro Orlando EDC Board meeting in March where Commr. Campione made a presentation to that Board.  He added that they received a lot of positive feedback and that the EDC Board understood that Lake County was being very proactive in economic development.  He related that staff got together with a former Leesburg incubator client and put together a business plan with Lake-Sumter Community College (LSCC) to try to keep their TV and radio station open and they have also discussed the possibility of letting the County utilize it at times.  He mentioned that staff has been working with the City of Mount Dora to support their SR 46 and Wekiva Parkway study to try to identify ways to maximize Mount Dora’s future economic opportunities in that corridor.  He indicated that staff has met with 282 businesses to date for that fiscal year and that they have been very assertive in reaching out to the businesses and making them aware of the services the County has to offer.  He noted that they have conducted some successful aerospace and manufacturing round tables adding that they planned to offer agritech and bio/green energy round tables in the future.  He stated that Vista Diagnostics and Osprey Lodge had applied for job creation incentives that would create 26 full-time jobs and that Vista Diagnostics also received a grant with the Grow Florida Economic Gardening program.  He related that they were currently working on a marketing plan to revitalize the Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park and that they were currently working on the Granville Road project in South Lake County to create a mini industrial park on approximately 100 acres.  He mentioned that staff was focused on the Wellness Way Sector Plan and that there was a $150,000 commitment from private property owners and a $50,000 commitment from the Board.  He noted that they have been meeting with the property owner’s representative to work on an agreement guaranteeing the private sector contribution and that the Sector Plan request for proposal was anticipated in June.  He then discussed the activities of Tourism and showed a chart illustrating the bed tax revenue for 2011 and year to date and indicated that the revenue had increased almost five percent as compared to the 2011 year to date totals but the revenue received in March had declined as compared to the 2011 totals.  He related that staff wanted to work on getting local hoteliers together on a micro-region scale to start sharing information and gather hotel occupancy data rather than just bed tax data.  He showed some statistics for the Tourist Development Council (TDC) during the first quarter and pointed out that 22 sponsorship grant applications had been received and out of those, 15 were from different organizations, and $151,950 had been awarded.  He specified that they had estimated there were 90,000 out-of-county visitors, 25,000 room nights, and a total economic impact of $35 million.  He then discussed the Business Opportunity Centers and mentioned they have had ongoing meetings with LSCC and the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) on understanding roles and responsibilities for the South Lake Business Opportunity Center and noted that the financial support agreements were in place from Clermont, Groveland, Montverde and the South Lake Chamber of Commerce.  He also remarked that clients have already been identified for that center and they should be moving in that week.  He stated that staff had been working with the Eustis Chamber of Commerce to finalize plans for the Northeast Lake Business Opportunity Center and that the Chamber had purchased the former Wells Fargo building on Highway 19 in Eustis and the County would be using half of that for the center.  He added that they had been working with other local municipalities for financial assistance as well and they anticipated opening the center in either July or August.  He then stated that it had been about a year since staff held regional economic development workshops around the County for the citizens, so they wanted to hold meetings again in the three micro-regions to give the citizens an update and discuss their future plans.

Ms. Kelly LaFollette, Information Outreach Director, continued the presentation discussing the new Economic Development, the Sports and the Tourism websites and recalled that the County received feedback about the County’s website from Mr. Jay Garner, President of Garner Economics, and one of the speakers at the Economic Development Summit that was held in November 2011.  She related that he advised the County to update the website to better define incentives for the County and municipalities, to be innovative, and enhance the quality.  She noted that Information Outreach and the Office of Economic Development and Tourism then created a task force to review some of the websites that were listed as benchmark sites, such as the Metro Orlando EDC, the Jacksonville Chamber, the Kansas City Area Development Corporation and the Charlotte Regional Partnership and after compiling the pros and cons of the various websites, they created the site map structure for the website and started to develop the content and the design.  She stated that their goal was to have a professional looking and easily navigable site and they thought the new design achieved that.  She pointed out that the new website was being written in the latest programming architecture called asp.net mvc because it works well for data driven content and it easily integrates with the latest javascript library called jquery.  She added that the site was being designed using responsive website design principles and that it would look good across all of the different browser types as well as different mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets.  She showed the homepage of the new Economic Development website on the monitor and noted that the website would be the foundation template for the development of a new Sports website, the Tourism website, as well as a new Lake County Government website.  She also mentioned that they would be cross linking the sites at the top of all of the websites and related that they were working with the Programming and Application Support Services Division to integrate some more GIS tracking tools and better search functionality for the property finder tool on the website.  She indicated that they planned to go live with the Economic Development website during the first week in June and would launch the other websites by the end of next year.

Mr. Blankenship concluded the presentation discussing the next quarter activities for Economic Development and Tourism and stated that they planned to finalize the regional updates, open the South Lake Business Opportunity Center, finalize the plans and open the Northeast Business Opportunity Center, and work with Groveland to establish a bio/green energy cluster on property owned by Groveland.

RECESS AND REASSEMBLY

The Chairman announced that there would be a ten-minute recess at 10:32 a.m.

presentations

industrial revenue bonds

Mr. Minkoff stated that the County has had two requests for industrial revenue bonds in the last month and reported that the last industrial revenue bond was issued for Senninger Irrigation in 2003 and in the past, there was a committee that reviewed the applications and made recommendations to the Board but the committee was disbanded in 2008.  He added that because of the two new applications, he wanted to discuss the process with the Board and how they would handle those applications in the future.  He then introduced Mr. Thomas Giblin, President of Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, P.A., who is the County’s bond counsel, to make a presentation to the Board.

Mr. Giblin explained that industrial revenue bonds were different than the bonds the County issued for infrastructure needs because industrial revenue bonds would be issued under the County’s name, but the proceeds would be loaned to a private party.  He added that the County was not legally or financially responsible for repaying the bonds and that information would be disclosed in the County’s financial statements.  He stated that there were many constraints listed under Chapter 159 of the Florida Statutes for issuing industrial revenue bonds and that the bonds could be taxable or tax-exempt.  He pointed out that there were many factors to consider when issuing the bonds, such as whether the project would create new jobs, whether it complied with Florida and federal law, whether it was environmentally safe, and whether it would make a significant contribution to the economic growth of the County.  He also noted that it was important to make sure that the private company was financially stable and capable of fulfilling their obligations and was experienced in the business to be financed.  He remarked that one of the bond applications the County received involved offering the bonds to the public, so the County would need to make sure the bonds were sold to individuals that understood the financial gain.  He then described the process of issuing a bond and explained that an application detailing the project, the company and their financial plans was needed first and once that was submitted, a notice of a public hearing was required stating the County’s intention to finance the project with industrial revenue bonds.  He added that many of those types of projects had a volume cap which meant that only a certain amount of industrial revenue bonds could be issued statewide.  He noted that Lake County was in a region with Osceola and Seminole County and that at the beginning of each year, each region was given a volume cap which determined how many bonds could be issued in that region.  He indicated that Lake County’s region had about $33 million left which could be used up until June 1 and the amount that remained would be returned to the state.  He stated that investment grade bonds were rated Baa or better and if the bonds were not investment grade, then safeguards must be placed in the bonds to avoid misleading the general public.  He then discussed Industrial Development Authorities (IDA) and noted that about 50 percent of the counties in the State had an IDA.  He explained that an IDA is made up of five citizens appointed by the Board, such as individuals interested in economic development, business leaders, and banking officers and that the IDA acts as a review and recommending agency and will report back to the Board for final approval.  He suggested that County staff work with the IDA for integration between the County and the IDA.

Mr. Minkoff added that the IDA was disbanded in 2008 after they recommended approval of a bond that at the time the Board did not like.  He noted that the members of the IDA were business leaders and bankers from throughout the County and that he thought the IDA had been very effective.  He pointed out that he was recommending that the Board consider whether or not to re-create an IDA to be used as an economic development type of agency to work with the Economic Development Department.  He also recommended that they continue with the two bond applications that were received and follow through with the process of evaluating the projects and the companies involved and then bring back a recommendation to the Board within the next 30 or 60 days.

Commr. Campione asked how much money was delegated to the region on an annual basis.

Mr. Giblin responded that it varied each year because the amount each region received was tied into the population of the State and of the region.

Commr. Campione asked if the money was delegated based on a first come first serve basis within each region.

Mr. Giblin replied that the money is distributed from one main office for the entire state on a first come first serve basis until the volume cap has been reached.  He added that because of the economy, the volume cap has not been reached statewide in a couple of years.

Mr. Minkoff also mentioned that applying for industrial revenue bonds used to be much more competitive, but because of the economy and because industrial revenue bonds have not been as popular, the volume caps have not been a factor.

Mr. Giblin then suggested that the County create guidelines for issuing industrial revenue bonds once they decide whether the County would be the vehicle or to create an IDA and offered his help in creating those guidelines.

Commr. Hill asked if there would be any affect to the County’s bond rating if issuing those bonds.

Mr. Giblin answered that they should ask their financial advisor that question, but in his experience, it did not seem to have any effect on credit ratings and the bond market did not seem to react negatively to it.  He added that the bonds were disclosed in the financial statements and in any debt offering that the County makes.

Mr. Minkoff elaborated that the biggest risk to the County was if the bonds were not sold to sophisticated investors and then there was a default, then those investors may think it was the County’s fault.  He advised that it was very important to put in safeguards to make sure that the people purchasing the bonds were sophisticated or were strong companies so that the chances of default were very small.

Mr. Vance Jochim, a resident of Tavares who writes a blog called FiscalRangers.com, stated that he had spent a few hours researching industrial revenue bonds on the internet and the biggest issue he found was the defaults and making sure to select a strong candidate in order to reduce the likelihood of a default.  He mentioned that according to the Fitch Ratings, industrial revenue bonds had a higher rate of defaults, but because he could not find any abuses or scams related to those bonds and as long as the County recognized the risks, he thought it was a good idea.

The Board reached a consensus to evaluate whether they should re-create an Industrial Development Authority and to develop a process and proceed with the two applications already submitted for Industrial Revenue Bonds and bring recommendations back to the Board.

construction projects update

Mr. Kristian Swenson, Facilities Development and Management Director, stated that he would be giving a presentation to update the Board on the various construction projects.  He first discussed the projects in development and noted that the former Florida Highway Patrol Office in Fruitland Park was being refurbished to house the Public Transportation Section of Community Services.  He mentioned that the County owned that building prior to the State and there was a reverter clause in the agreement stating that when the State was done with that building, the County had the option of reacquiring it.  He added that they were currently waiting on the deed from the State and that they were in the process of creating the design layout and the construction should start in the late summer or early fall of that year.  He pointed out that the second through the fifth floors of the Historical Courthouse was being renovated and reconfigured to house the administrative and civil functions of the Sheriff’s Office.  He noted that a new layout was configured for that building and was approved by the Sheriff’s Office after realizing that there was an issue with the bathrooms in the first layout.  He added that the design was currently underway and the construction was planned for the fall.  He then discussed the projects nearing construction and related that the Animal Services Building was being renovated to expand parking, kennel area and kennel support spaces and that they had been negotiating the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) with the contractor and planned to bring that to the Board in about six weeks.  He stated that the Combined Fleet Operations Center located at the industrial park was getting fully enclosed with metal and improvements were being made to it such as fire sprinklers, ventilation, and electrical.  He noted that the Board approved $360,000 for the project but because of the unexpected cost increase for the ventilation system and the metal, staff would be performing some of the improvements in order to stay in budget.  He pointed out that the #10 Astor Fire Station mold remediation project was currently under construction and last week the firefighters moved into temporary housing and that the #112 Clermont Fire Station mold remediation project had the same problems as the Astor Fire Station, but the construction was planned to start that week.  He then discussed the projects under construction and stated that the Horticultural Learning Center Solar Pilot project was an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant project to install solar panels on the roof in order to make it a net zero building.  He related that the Board approved the agreement to return the power to Sumter Electric Cooperative, Inc. and that the improvements were complete.  He mentioned that the Radio Operations Center project was to provide an interior build-out of a county owned building adjacent to the industrial park to house the Public Safety Communications staff.  He added that the project would result in terminated lease space and that the completion date was May 2012.  He noted that the Astor Substation renovation project was to remove the water damaged mobile home portion of the building and to repair and renovate the existing structure and that the completion date was May 2012.  He indicated that the Road Operations Center project would add a 2,000 square foot expansion to the existing building for office and storage space and that it should be completed in May 2012.  He related that the Southlake Health Clinic project was for the build-out of a building shell for the new South Lake Health Department and they anticipated the completion date to be July 2012.

Mr. Glenn Mullins, Vice President of PPI Construction Management, continued the presentation discussing the Emergency Communications and Operations Center.  He briefly mentioned the schedule milestones and noted that the tilt wall would be erected and the CEP renovation would be completed in June 2012.  He added that permanent power to the building would be in August 2012, the HVAC would start up in October 2012 and the substantial completion date was January 2013.  He also showed pictures of the progress of the construction which included an aerial view, the foundation, building slab formwork, underground rough-in, elevator pit, and the slab and casting beds.  He then discussed the Judicial Center Expansion and the schedule milestones and stated that the permanent power to the building was turned on in January 2012, the HVAC started up in part of the building in April 2012, and the substantial completion date for the main building was July 2012.  He related that the round-a-bout was targeted for May through July 2012 and the overall substantial completion date was March 2013.  He also showed pictures of the progress of the construction which included an aerial view, the southwest, southeast and north elevation, jury assembly, 2^nd floor open office area, public counter area, secure holding, courtroom 4, the 4^th level corridor, electrical equipment and the mechanical and fire pump rooms.

Mr. Bob Egleston, Project Manager for Heery Design, continued the presentation discussing the renovation of the existing Judicial Center and stated that in 2006 the concept design was selected for a six story addition and a full renovation to the existing courthouse, but in 2009 the cost was significantly reduced which brought the building scope to a five story addition with minor renovations to the existing courthouse.  He explained the renovations to the different floors of the existing courthouse and pointed out that on the first floor the gallery area would be getting new carpet and paint, the public toilets would be upgraded to comply with ADA standards, the elevator lobby would get new porcelain tile, there would be a full renovation of the current courthouse entry for Court Administration, and there would be a small renovation to the Court Payments/Mail area.  He related that on the second floor the current judicial suites would not be modified, but there would be a significant renovation to the area where the old law library was for housing Court Administration adding that Court Administration would be spread throughout the building.  He mentioned that the third floor would be the most significant renovation for the building because the Public Defender and Court Administration would be moving into that area after the Clerk’s Office employees move into the new building.  He stated that the State Attorney would remain on the fourth floor but there would be some minor renovations to add new offices and conference space since they would take over the entire floor.  He explained that there were some items they could not include because of the scope reductions in the project and specified that the air handling units were not getting replaced because the units still had many years left before needing to be replaced.  He added that there would not be any courtroom finish upgrades or door refinishing and that terrazzo would not be installed in the public gallery on the first floor to match the new building.  He related that there would only be lighting upgrades in the areas where there were significant renovations.  He pointed out that there were add-alternate items included in the renovation scope in case the budget came below what was expected and stated that those included painting the stairwell metal pans, risers and handrails; refinishing the flooring and the laminate panel walls on the elevators; installing new window treatments throughout the building; replacing the public elevator lobby walls with fabricated quartz stone; and refinishing the courtroom entries with new wood veneer.  He also mentioned that they would like to install a new security control system in the central holding area on the first floor and upgrade the camera system and the card access system throughout the building.  He concluded the presentation with the status of the renovation and noted that the final documents for owner review have been completed and once they received comments back, they would undertake the GMP pricing.  He added that the value engineering items had been incorporated into the drawings and they were hoping to include some of the add-alternates once the GMP pricing was complete.

county manager’s departmental business

community services

community development block grant program

Ms. Cheryl Howell, Housing Services Division Director, gave a presentation regarding the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.  She explained that the CDBG program was developed under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and the primary objectives are to provide decent housing, suitable living environments and to increase economic opportunity.  She related that the CDBG program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and that Lake County is considered an entitlement community funded annually based on a population formula.  She then gave an update of the community projects and first discussed the completed projects.  She noted that the Facilities Development and Management Department worked with the Health Department to complete the Women’s Wellness Center in Leesburg and that the County worked with the City of Tavares to complete Aesop’s Park located off Disston Avenue in Tavares which included a dog park, tennis courts and bathroom facilities.  She pointed out that the Sorrento Park was completed in collaboration with the Parks and Trails Department and that the basketball courts were resurfaced and the bathroom facilities were renovated.  She stated that the emergency home repair was an ongoing program that provided emergency repairs to income eligible families to address hazardous housing conditions and improve the quality of living.  She then discussed the current projects and mentioned that the Umatilla Water System project, which would provide clean, potable water to over 250 families in south Umatilla, was about 40 percent complete and they were hoping to be 90 percent complete by June 30, 2012.  She indicated that the Altoona School project was to renovate a historic building to use as an after school site and a community center for the residents and that one portion of the project was complete.  She then discussed the various plans that the County was responsible for as part of the CDBG planning process and explained that a Consolidated Plan was required by HUD for all entitlement communities adding that it was a five-year plan in which they determine the areas to utilize those funds based on the national objectives and the anticipated funding.  She related that the Strategic Plan established goals and priorities based on the needs assessment in the Consolidated Plan and that the Action Plan was an annual plan that determined priorities and funding for the fiscal year.  She noted that the Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) was a reporting process that outlined how the money was spent on the projects that were chosen during the Annual Action Plan.  She explained that they used the housing and homeless needs assessment as part of the Strategic Plan to determine the needs for elderly housing; special needs; low, very low and moderate income; as well as affordability and accessibility issues.  She added that the most common problem for renters and homeowners was cost burden and noted that 42 percent of renters earn less than $20,000, which meant that greater than 70 percent were cost burned, and 14.4 percent of homeowners earn less than $20,000, which meant that greater than 55 percent were cost burdened.  She stated that for the Strategic Plan recommendations they evaluate the community needs such as the need for public facilities and ADA requirements at public facilities, housing needs such as the emergency housing repairs program and the shelter plus care homeless program, and public services such as the Community Health Care Coordinator position.  She then showed the CDBG 2012-2013 Funding Recommendations and pointed out that they were recommending a total budget of $966,650, which included Administration at $193,330, Urban County Projects at $87,500, Community Projects at $458,895, Emergency Home Repairs at $100,000, the Community Health Care Coordinator position at $64,169, and the Prescription Assistance Program at $62,756.  She indicated that the County works with the Health Department to provide the Prescription Assistance Program but that program will now be removed from the Human Services budget and those funds will be moved to Community Projects.  She specified that the funding priorities included completing the unfinished projects, targeting the areas of greatest need, continuing with housing quality improvements, evaluating community infrastructure and community service needs, continuing with ADA improvements, and the economic impacts.  She explained that they planned to present the Action Plan with approved projects to the Board in July based on the budget approval and the funding priorities and they would like to submit the Action Plans to HUD by August 15, 2012.  She concluded the presentation requesting approval from the Board for the proposed fiscal year 2012-2013 CDBG budget and funding priorities.

Commr. Campione asked if they would be bringing a list of ideas for specific projects to the Board after evaluating the needs for funding priorities.

Ms. Howell stated that the specific projects would be included in the Action Plan when staff presented that in July.

Commr. Campione mentioned that the Transportation Disadvantaged Committee met yesterday and discussed a situation where the County needed to move a bus stop to a different location and the new location did not have sidewalks.  She added that the County could cut costs if sidewalks were available at all bus stops because individuals could then get to the fixed routes.  She suggested using some of the CDBG funds to install sidewalks.

Ms. Howell responded that that was a possibility.

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Hill and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the proposed Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Community Development Block Grant Program budget and the funding priorities.

county manager

special event permits

Mr. Gray explained that the County had received an increase in special event permit applications over the past year which caused staff to review the ordinance and the policies relating to special event permits to see what needed to be updated.

Mr. Brian Sheahan, Planning and Community Design Manager, gave a presentation outlining the approval process for special events.  He defined special events as occasional events that attract large crowds that may have extraordinary impacts.

Mr. Minkoff continued the presentation explaining the existing Code and Land Development Regulations (LDR’s) for special event permits and pointed out that the proposed event must be allowed in the zoning district where it is being proposed and the event must be limited to 30 days; however, there is not a limit on the number of times the event could be held per year.  He added that the applicant must also produce a simple site plan and show that there would be adequate sanitary facilities.  He noted that the Code did have strong regulations regarding music festivals but that was written in the early 1970’s when music festivals were more popular and those regulations were now out of date.  He then showed a chart comparing special event permit ordinances for Alachua, Volusia, Seminole, Marion and Suwanee County and mentioned that some of the counties require that the zoning approval be part of the application and some consider the proximity of the event to residences or businesses, the duration, the number of events that could be held per year, overnight camping and amplified sound.  He added that there was not an ordinance that seemed perfect to copy, but those were items he thought the Board should consider.

Mr. Sheahan then discussed the special events in Lake County and reported that the County has issued 22 special event permits since December 2010 which has included survival races, triathlons, running events, jamborees, camping, weddings and other types of festivals.  He stated that the events have occurred from a one-time annual event to events that happen 12 times per year and that the current ordinance did not address frequency or duration or extraordinary impacts such as access, emergency response, traffic, and neighbor impacts.  He gave two examples of the economic benefits of special events and noted that the Horizon League Golf Championship had an economic impact of $195,000 and a direct fiscal benefit of $3,500, which were fees paid to the County, and the Savage Race at Revolution Off Road had an economic impact of $355,218 and a direct fiscal benefit of $4,228.  He pointed out that there were many agencies involved with the special event permits since it required coordination of on-site and off-site impacts and specified that the agencies involved were Economic Development, the Sheriff’s Office, Public Safety and the Department of Health.

Sergeant Ralph McDuffie, Emergency Management Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office, discussed the Sheriff’s Office involvement with special event permits and stated that each event brings unique characteristics depending on the scope of the event, the duration and the frequency of it.  He noted that the Sheriff’s Office has to determine whether deputies were needed at the event and how many, and they have to address traffic and parking impacts.  He added that they sometimes receive unusual requests for Sheriff boats or message boards to inform the local residents of the event and they have to determine whether those items were necessary after reviewing the plan.  He indicated that they also have to address the communication plans in case a disaster took place.  He mentioned that currently there was not a strong review process in place to address all of those impacts.

Mr. Tommy Carpenter, Emergency Management Operations Manager, discussed Public Safety’s involvement with special event permits and explained that one of the main concerns was whether Fire and EMS vehicles could easily get in and out of the events.  He noted that in the summer months there was an increase in open air events with large numbers of people and because of the weather, the potential impacts greatly increase such as dehydration or other medical issues, as well as fire related calls due to the drought conditions.  He added that the Fire and EMS agencies have staffing plans and contingency plans to address those additional impacts but those large events can be catastrophic to public safety in responding to not only the normal calls but the calls that may come from the special event.  He pointed out that the Emergency Management Department was involved with most large events in Lake County and the municipalities ask them to provide the action plan for the event.  He added that their department creates public private partnerships with the agencies and the municipalities and they all work together on the special event.

Mr. Paul Butler with the Lake County Health Department discussed the Health Department’s involvement with special event permits and mentioned that they addressed portable restroom facilities, solid waste disposal and food service.  He stated that Florida Administrative Code 64E-6 outlines the requirements for the number of portable restroom facilities according to the duration of the event, the number of attendees, and whether or not the contract with the portable restroom company calls for pump outs and the frequency of those.  He related that it was also important to have a plan in place to make sure that any solid waste produced from the event was contained and disposed of properly and that any food service vendors present at the event be inspected to ensure that there is proper sanitation and that the food is safe for consumption.

Mr. Sheahan concluded the presentation stating that staff recommended amending the special event zoning regulations, creating a special events code that would be administered by Emergency Management to address health, safety and welfare issues, and to work with Economic Development and Tourism on a marketing plan to make sure those opportunities were utilized.  He specified that staff was also requesting the Board’s approval to revise the regulations related to special events and bring back ordinances for approval.

Commr. Parks asked if the goal was to make the application process as convenient and easy as possible for the applicant.

Mr. Sheahan replied that the goal was to streamline the process and make it more clear and decisive for the applicant because the current process was unorganized and there have been misunderstandings on the applicant’s part or with the various agencies involved.

Mr. Gray added that he wanted to move the process under Emergency Management because they could coordinate with the agencies and review the applications more quickly.

Commr. Conner asked if the ordinance would include a fee structure for the deputies that were called for special events.

Mr. Sheahan responded that the Sheriff’s Office had a process in place for recovering costs but that was something staff would need to evaluate when they revised the codes.

Commr. Cadwell pointed out that the fees had been left up to the Sheriff’s discretion in the past since he is the public safety officer.

Commr. Conner mentioned that if the fee structure was not included in the special events ordinance then they were not accomplishing the goal of streamlining the process.

Mr. Minkoff explained that they planned to address that in the ordinance but they did not have the numbers at that time.

Commr. Hill asked if the ordinance would affect the existing conditional use permits that were currently in place.

Mr. Sheahan answered that the ordinance would not apply to conditional use permits that were already approved for the appropriate zoning.  He added that the ordinance would address events that were extraordinary to the zoning.

Commr. Cadwell expressed that the events would vary drastically so the process may not necessarily be the same for every applicant applying for a special event permit.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved for staff to review the regulations related to special events and music festivals and to bring back an ordinance for consideration and approval to advertise.

REPORTS – COMMISSIONER HILL – vice-CHAIRMAN AND DISTRICT 1

november election

Commr. Hill asked for clarification on when her tenure ended after the election in November because she may not be able to attend the Canvassing Board so an alternate may need to be appointed.

Mr. Minkoff stated that her term would most likely run through all of the Canvassing Board events because she would serve for two weeks after election day.  He added that they could designate an alternate at that point if one was needed.

MSTU for law enforcement

Commr. Hill mentioned that she has had discussions with past Sheriffs and the current Sheriff regarding having a MSTU strictly for law enforcement, corrections, detentions and possibly court related services and to structure it in the same manner as the EMS or Fire MSTU.  She noted that a comprehensive analysis would need to be completed to determine the effects it would have on the rest of the ad valorem and asked if the Board was interested in considering that.

Mr. Minkoff related that countywide services such as corrections and courts could not be included because the MSTU would only be in the unincorporated area so they would have to isolate the unincorporated costs for services such as road patrol and then place those costs in the MSTU.  He also noted that a municipality would need to agree by ordinance in order to place an MSTU on their municipality adding that there was at least one municipality that was at the 10 mill cap so they could not add to their cap.

Commr. Campione asked if the Sheriff’s ad valorem portion could be a separate line item on the tax bill.

Mr. Gray stated that they could dedicate a piece of the general fund ad valorem to the Sheriff but it would not show separately on the tax bill.  He also related that they planned to bring in a consultant in the summer or the fall to look at the MSTU and tax rate structure, so they could look at that option as well.

DMV offices

Commr. Hill mentioned that the legislature cost shifted over the DMV offices to the Tax Collector and asked when the Tax Collector would be responsible for those offices since it would affect the budget.

Mr. Gray stated that would happen next year and the Tax Collector would be updating the Board on that transition.

chickens in urban areas

Commr. Hill mentioned receiving emails from residents wanting to raise chickens in urban areas.

Mr. Gray explained that he was looking into that.

reports – commissioner parks – district 2

proclamation regarding first robotics teams of lake county

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Cadwell and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2012-54 recognizing FIRST Robotics Teams of Lake County.

REPORTS – COMMISsIONER campione – CHAIRMAN & DISTRICT 4

proclamation regarding the wekiva river

Commr. Campione mentioned that there would be a ceremony at the Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park at Katie’s Landing on May 17, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. and that Governor Rick Scott; Mr. Ken Salizar from the Department of Interior; Mr. David Vela, the Southeast Regional Director of the National Park Service; and commissioners from Seminole and Orange County were invited to attend.  She added that she would be in attendance as well to present the proclamation and also invited the other Board members to attend.

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Resolution No. 2012-50 recognizing the dedication and signing of the Wekiva Wild and Scenic River System Management Plan.

proclamation regarding civility month

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2012-49 proclaiming the month of May as Civility Month, calling upon all citizens to exercise civility toward each other.

workforce central florida consortium meeting

Commr. Campione reported that she attended the Workforce Central Florida Consortium meeting on May 3, 2012 and that she had been elected Vice Chairman.  She also mentioned that the Workforce Central Florida Board had been working diligently to get the organization back into shape and have enacted results driven procedures.

letters regarding the long and scott farms airstrip

Commr. Campione stated that letters were sent out to Congresswoman Corrine Brown and to the Executive Director of the St. John’s River Water Management District asking for their feedback and recommendations on the Long and Scott Farms airstrip issue that came up recently.

letters for the constitutional officers

Commr. Campione related that she had the letters prepared for the constitutional officers regarding the Board’s expectations and projections that were discussed at the last budget meeting and that she would finish hand delivering them after the meeting.

mount plymouth/sorrento community

Commr. Campione reported that the Mount Plymouth/Sorrento Community Redevelopment Area community meeting was held in the evening on May 3, 2012 with over 150 in attendance and that it was a very positive meeting and staff gave the residents an update on the East Lake Park and trails.  She also stated that because of complaints raised by the residents and because of multiple code enforcement issues, staff decided to create a community clean-up day which was scheduled for May 19, 2012 at the little Sorrento Park.  She added that the County would be providing dumpsters and curb-side pick-up in a designated area to make it easier for the residents to clean up their properties and to alleviate the need for visits from code enforcement.  She also noted that the East Lake Chamber of Commerce would be hosting a picnic at the park a few weeks after the clean-up and they would be giving out some awards for beautification.

Commr. Conner expressed that was a great idea adding that there were other areas in Lake County that could benefit from a clean-up day and that the ultimate goal was to raise property values in those neighborhoods.

lake apopka restoration task force meeting

Commr. Campione mentioned attending the Lake Apopka Restoration Task Force meeting on May 7, 2012 adding that Senator Alan Hays was involved in starting the Task Force to try to get fisheries into Lake Apopka, to get vegetation to take hold and to improve the water quality.  She noted that Senator Hays secured about $4.7 million for the Fish and Wildlife Commission, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Water Management District to work on innovative programs to try to get the vegetation to take hold.

montverde boat ramp improvements

Commr. Campione stated that Montverde may need a letter of support from the Board in order to secure funding for boat ramp improvements.

reports – commissioner cadwell – district 5

proclamation regarding emergency medical services week

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2012-55 proclaiming May 20-26, 2012 as Emergency Medical Services Week.

economic development steering committee

Commr. Cadwell noted that he had been asked by NACo to apply for Chairmanship of the Economic Development Steering Committee as well as the At-Large seat he was currently sitting on, but he needed a letter of support from the Board.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved for a letter of support.

Central Florida Congress of Regional Leaders meeting

Commr. Cadwell mentioned attending the Central Florida Congress of Regional Leaders meeting on May 4, 2012 at MetroPlan Orlando with Commissioner Sam Johnson from Polk County and stated that he and Commissioner Johnson planned to meet again at the Cagan Crossings Library within the next month.  He then suggested that the library be given a break in their contribution since the County was already making budget cuts.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:43 p.m.

_________________________________

leslie campione, chairman

ATTEST:

________________________________

NEIL KELLY, CLERK