A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

May 6, 2014

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 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:  Jimmy Conner, Chairman; Sean Parks, Vice Chairman; Timothy I. Sullivan; Leslie Campione; and Welton G. Cadwell.  Others present were:  David Heath, County Manager; Sanford A. “Sandy” Minkoff, County Attorney; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Neil Kelly, Clerk of Court; Barbara F. Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance; and Jennifer Johnson, Deputy Clerk.

INVOCATION and pledge

Rabbi Hayyim G. Z. Solomon with Traditional Congregation of Mount Dora gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda update

Mr. David Heath, County Manager, pulled Tab 12 from the Consent Agenda to have it heard separately.

Emergency Medical services week

Commr. Cadwell presented Proclamation No. 2014-45 proclaiming the week of May 18-24, 2014 as “Emergency Medical Services Week.”

Mr. Jerry Smith, Executive Director of Lake County EMS, thanked the Board for their recognition of the fine work that the Emergency Medical Services provide to the public and the community on a daily basis.

100th anniversary of cooperative extension service

Commr. Parks presented Proclamation No. 2014-49 recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Cooperative Extension Service to Ms. Juanita Popenoe, County Extension Director; Ms. Megan Brew, Livestock/Natural Resource Agent I; Mr. Gary England, Fruit Crops, Extension Agent III; and Ms. Brooke Moffis, Residential Horticulture Extension Agent II with the Agricultural Extension Office.  

Commr. Conner welcomed Mr. Michael Holland, Eustis City Commissioner, and thanked him for attending today’s meeting and noted that he was recognized on April 30, 2014 with the Community Service Award.

EMPLOYee awards

Ms. Christina Brandolini, Employee Services Director, presented the following employee awards:

TEN YEARS

Kevin Allen, Roads Maintenance Operator (Not Present)

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

 

FIFTEEN YEARS

Philip Aldrich, Fire Lieutenant/EMT

Public Safety/Fire Rescue Division

 

 

Debbie Fore, Landfill Supervisor

Public Works/Solid Waste Division/Solid Waste Operations

 

RETIREMENT

Deborah Butterworth, Equipment Operator III (34 Years)

Public Works/Road Operations Division/Maintenance Area I (Leesburg)

 

Mr. Robert Aguayo presentation

Commr. Conner introduced Mr. Roberto Aguayo’s family and displayed a short video about Mr. Aguayo to the audience.  Commr. Conner stated that they were very impressed with his character and tremendous accomplishments.  

Commr. Conner presented Proclamation No. 2014-47 to Mr. Roberto Aguayo, Place-Kicker for Florida State University and recipient of the Lou Groza Collegiate Play-Kicker Award.

Mr. Roberto Aguayo thanked the Board for recognizing his accomplishments and stated that he is proud to be from Lake County and the City of Mascotte.

Recess and reassembly

The Chairman announced at 9:37 a.m. there would be a recess for a reception honoring Roberto Aguayo.

citizen question and comment period

Mr. Rich Dunkel, Mount Dora resident, spoke regarding the upcoming developments, such as the DRI’s and Wellness Way.  He requested that the current development process be looked at, because it is constantly adding nutrients and pollutants to the surface waters and once the waters are polluted, the cleansing process is difficult and expensive and the Water Authority can only do so much after the fact.  Mr. Dunkel requested that the County look at the LDR’s through a low impact development lens, which is the next evolution in planning, development and living.  He advised that this is important and should be looked at before there is any further approval for development in Lake County, because solutions are not out of reach.

Commr. Campione stated that Mr. Dunkel has brought up some good ideas that they need to be looking at, because the Board does get to weigh in on the developments and the DRI size projects to make recommendations.

Commr. Parks noted that he agrees with Mr. Dunkel’s comments and clarified that the Wellness Way Sector Plan is not a development plan, but a plan to address water resource protection with irrigation requirements, as well as trail issues and other issues that are lacking for future developments that may come to that area.

External audit presentation

Mr. Neil Kelly, Clerk of Court, introduced Ms. Barbara Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, and requested that she take a moment to present the staff that put together the external audit.  Ms. Lehman announced Kristy Mullane, Tracy Zeller, Jo-Anne Drury, Karen Huffman, Connie Rodgers, Julia Wilson, Courtney Vincent and Kevin McDonald as the individuals that spent many hours working on the external audit.  She advised that the Board staff assisted with putting the audit together as well, with Magdalena Contreras, Communications, designing the cover; Kelly Lafollette, Communications, assisting; and Dianna Magrum, Procurement, reproducing the audit and printing it out.

Mr. Kelly thanked Ms. Lehman for overseeing the audit process and shared his appreciation for Clerk staff for the hard work they put into the audit as well.  He noted that they have received an award for the CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report) for the last 32 years, and for the last three years they have received the Citizen’s Popular Report for the condensed version of the CAFR made for the citizens.  He recognized Mr. Kevin McDonald, Clerk’s Budget Officer, advising that the Clerk’s Budget has received the GFOA (Government Financial Officers Association) Budget Award for the last 23 years, and Mr. McDonald has been the author and key person involved in that.   

Mr. Kelly introduced Mr. William Blend, CPA, CFE, with the firm of Moore, Stephens and Lovelace, CPAs & Advisors. 

Mr. Blend thanked the Clerk and County staff and elected County officials; Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, and Property Appraiser due to the amount of hard work and cooperation that was granted to their firm during the audit process.  He presented an overview of the Auditor’s Report on financial statements, which is an unmodified opinion and is the highest level of assurance as it relates to financial information, meaning that the financial information presented in the CAFR after performing the audit procedures is believed to be accurate as it relates to a materiality stand point.  He advised that there were no internal control findings related to compliance with federal and state grants and no compliance findings.  He noted that there were no findings on the internal control and other matters related to grants and major programs.  He stated that the requirement of the State of Florida Auditor General is the Auditor’s Management Letter, and there was a finding there related to the County’s financial condition assessment, which means that governments throughout the State are alerted to negative trending financial ratios and analysis so that they are able to address the findings before something significant happens, where they note that the County is having a negative trend continue over a five year period. 

Commr. Cadwell inquired about when the Management Letter would start affecting the bond rate.

Mr. Blend replied that it would not affect the bond rate at this moment because they have not been downgraded, but if the trend continues for the next three to four years, then there could be an effect.  He stated that he could not judge when a rating agency would downgrade the bond, but as long as the revenue sources are holding up, the bonding agency will not downgrade.  He then discussed the auditor responsibilities to include the requirement to perform in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards.  He noted that the standards are designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that the financial statements and federal and state grant programs tested are free of material misstatement.  He related that management responsibilities mean that management is required to set up internal controls, provide the agency with the information needed to perform their services and they are responsible for the financial information overall.  He explained that they evaluate internal controls for purposes of performing the audit, but they do not audit them.  He pointed out that they did not have any findings with bond compliance or communication matters, with no unreported or unadjusted differences, no audit adjustments made, and no disagreements with management; and management did not receive opinions from other accountants.  He advised that they determine materiality and audit areas of significance by testing transactions on a sample basis, verify account balances deemed significant, analyze relevant controls, and perform other procedures deemed necessary.  He noted that the County identified Barbara Lehman as the management-level individual to oversee the firm’s work and take responsibility for the County’s financial statements, with their team being made up of governmental specialists and IT specialists.  He reported that the CAFR was submitted to the GFOA by March 31, 2014 with submission to the State by June 30, 2014. 

Mr. Blend discussed the financial highlights by stating that there are more assets than there are liabilities when it comes to the county-wide analysis.  He noted that there is a 13.6 percent unrestricted net position when all governmental activities are consolidated, and the current year net change is 25.6 negative, which is a decreasing trend, but they expect this to improve in the upcoming years.  He pointed out the major funds for the County, which are governmental, general fund, road impact fees, public transportation, sales tax capital projects, facilities expansion projects, the Enterprise landfill fund, and Fiduciary Funds or agency funds.  He explained that there are $28.7 million in assets and $5.8 million in liabilities; also, the unassigned fund balance is $12.7 million or 11.3 percent, and the stated goal in the CAFR is 7-12 percent, so there is a downward trend.  He noted the budget to actual report shows that revenues picked up slightly from what was budgeted for, so there was a savings made giving the county a positive budget position.  He advised that there will be new standards for FY15 regarding the new pension standard and what FRS will be required to provide. 

On motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the external audit.

Commr. Cadwell stated that the audit did not contain anything unexpected, and there was a well thought out deliberation about the budget the previous year.  He noted that they need to stop and think about the great relationship they have with their Constitutional Officers because of the thought out discussion of where they are going in the future to do what is best long-term. 

CLERK OF COURTS’ CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Parks 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.

Annual Reports from the City of Mount Dora

Request to acknowledge receipt of the Mount Dora Community Redevelopment Agency and Northeast Community Redevelopment Agency Annual Reports for FY 2013 from the City of Mount Dora.

 

City of Umatilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Request to acknowledge receipt of the City of Umatilla’s Fiscal Year 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

 

City of Mount Dora Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

 

Request to acknowledge receipt of Fiscal Year 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report from the City of Mount Dora.

 

City of Leesburg Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

 

Request to acknowledge receipt of Fiscal Year 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report from the City of Leesburg.

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the County Manager’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 6 through 15, with Tab 12 being pulled, as follows:

Water Safety Month

Request for approval of Proclamation No. 2014-63 proclaiming May 2014 as Water Safety Month per Commissioner Parks.

 

Community Safety and Compliance

 

Request from Community Safety and Compliance for the Department of Children and Families Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Final Report.

County Attorney

Request from County Attorney for approval of Resolution Nos. 2014-53 (Makin) 2014-54 (Swanson), 2014-55 (Summers Enterprises of Lake County), 2014-56 (Denise Galbreath Craine), 2014-57 (Donald and Janet Galbreath), and 2014-58 (Moore) instituting Eminent Domain proceedings for acquisition of property for the CR 466A Road Project and approval to proceed with pre-suit negotiation offers.  The fiscal impact is not determinable at this time. 

Request from County Attorney for approval of the First Addendum to Interlocal Agreement between Lake County, Lake Sumter College and South Lake Hospital relating to the Softball Complex.  There is no fiscal impact.

Facilities Development and Management

Request from Facilities Development and Management for approval of three (3) contracts - 14-0622A to Wayne's Paint & Body (Leesburg); 14-0622B to Bales & Langley Body & Paint Shop Inc. (Mt. Dora); and 14-0622C to Coach Crafters Inc. (Tavares) for the provision of vehicle painting and body repair services on an as-required basis, and authorize the Procurement Office to execute all supporting documentation.  The prior annual expenditure for these services was $19,500.

Request from Facilities Development and Management for approval of contract 14-0618 to Port Consolidated Inc. (Tampa, FL with facilities in Groveland and Orlando) for the purchase of fuel products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and bio-diesel, on an as-required basis, and authorize the Procurement Office to execute all supporting documentation.  The initial estimate for BCC expenditures for the first year of the contract is $1,000,000. 

 

Public Works

 

Request from Public Works for approval and authorization for Chairman to execute a satisfaction and release of lien for two (2) special assessments.  There is no fiscal impact.  Commission Districts 3 and 4. 

 

Request from Public Works for approval to amend the existing Solid Waste and Recycling Collection contracts for all three service areas within the County to coincide with the commencement of new contracts. The fiscal impact is $105,547.00 (Expenditure).

 

Request from Public Works for approval for authorization to execute Resolution No. 2014-60 accepting the following roads within the Village at Black Bear Subdivision into the County Road Maintenance System:  Bear Club Lane “Part” (County Road No. 6486A), Calusa Boulevard “Part” (County Road No. 6587), Oconee Avenue (County Road No. 6587A), Saranac Court (County Road No. 6587B), Alaqua Court (County Road No. 6587D), Menominee Lane (County Road No. 6587E), and Oshawa Lane (County Road No. 6587F).  The Village at Black Bear Subdivision is located East of Eustis off Lake Norris Road in Commission District 5.  There is no fiscal impact.

Request from Public Works for approval for authorization to accept the final plat for Highland Overlook, and all areas dedicated to the public as shown on the Highland Overlook plat, accept a cash surety in the amount of $28,362.68 for maintenance of improvements, execute a Developer's Agreement for Maintenance of Improvements between Lake County and Lake Minnehaha, Inc., accept a cash surety in the amount of $7,141.20 for sidewalk construction, execute a Developer’s Agreement for Construction of sidewalk improvements between Lake County and Lake Minnehaha, Inc., and execute Resolution No. 2014-61 accepting the following road into the County Road Maintenance System:  Mantanilla Drive (County Road No. 1038B).  Highland Overlook consists of 28 lots and is located south of State Road 50, off Bronson Road in the Clermont area, in Section 2, Township 23 South, Range 25 East.  There is no fiscal impact.  Commission District 1.  

Public Safety

Request from Public Safety Department, Fire Rescue Division, for approval to transfer $38,055 in budgeted operating funds to capital funds, and to purchase vehicle extrication tools with a total cost of $39,495. The fiscal impact is $39,495 (Expense).

 

Roundabout at CR 561 and CR 455

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried by a 4-1 vote, with Commr. Conner voting no, the Board approved the following request from Public Works:

Request from Public Works for approval and signature of Resolution No. 2014-59  and Execution of an LAP Agreement with FDOT for the construction of a Roundabout at CR 561 and CR 455 (Project Tracking # INT 11021), and approval to advertise for bids. (FDOT is providing the safety funds for the improvement in the amount of $1,345,571.00).   The fiscal impact is $1,345,571.00.   Commission Districts 1 and 3.

Commr. Campione commented that this was a very resourceful way for Lake County to take care of a safety issue at a problem intersection without relying on its own gas tax money and were able to take advantage of gas taxes that everyone has paid to the State and Federal government.

Commr. Conner stated that the debate on this issue was settled long ago and he voted no on the issue, but he will support the majority of the Commission and he will be signing the documents that come along. 

 

children’s services grants presentation

Ms. Rebecca Foley-Kearney, Lake County Children and Elder Services, announced the following individuals who will be making a presentation and their programs: Ms. Rebecca Teston, Assistant Executive Director, Grant Manager, Haven of Lake and Sumter Counties; Ms. Diane Pisczek, Executive Director, Lake Sumter Children’s Advocacy Center; Ms. Cathy Green, Assistant Director, Continuing Education, Lake Sumter State College; and Ms. Lori Shallcross, Child Clinical Services Director, LifeStream Behavioral Center. 

Safe Kids Program

Ms. Rebecca Teston stated that the Safe Kids Program is a safe alternative for violence exposed children funded by the COC Council.  She noted that over the past two years, they have expanded the program to help with intervention and prevention components, where the children are served in an outreach or emergency facility.  She explained that while at the emergency shelter, they stay with their parent at the shelter where they are assessed when they first arrive and are provided with basic needs such as food, medication or other needs, including counseling for a witness or victim of physical or sexual abuse.  She stated that counseling is provided 24 hours a day, and parents could also obtain services such as counseling, parenting classes and outreach location assistance.  She mentioned that the prevention component is a teen dating violence program that was started several years ago, which is an eight session curriculum which meets the State Standards passed in 2011 requiring every student to get a dating violence component in their schools and which they plan to utilize to assist young children and teach them how to be in healthy relationships.

Lake Sumter Children’s Advocacy Center

Ms. Diane Pisczek stated that their Center works with children who have been victims of physical or sexual abuse, and the program funded by the Children Services Council is an expansion of the forensic interview program.  She noted that the forensic interview is a collaborative effort between a specially trained Children’s Advocacy Center Interviewer, the Department of Children and Families Child Protective Investigator and a law enforcement representative assigned to the case, where a child only has to tell their story one time.  She explained that when a child discloses abuse or there is reason to believe there is abuse that has occurred, they are brought to the facility for the forensic interview, which they can now conduct in both English and Spanish.  She stated that the funding pays for a bilingual interviewer and additional crisis counseling for families who are in crisis and panic mode, and they are able to stabilize the family and reassure the child until they can start long-term therapy.  She pointed out that they projected to conduct 260 interviews during this fiscal year, and to date they have conducted 163, 13 of which have been after hour emergency appointments and eight of which have been in Spanish; also, 11 crisis counseling sessions with families have taken place, and if the trend continues, they project that they will probably have between 280-300 interviews for the year.

Lake Sumter State College Kid’s College

Ms. Cathy Green stated that Lake Sumter State College Kid’s College is a fun, energized learning opportunity for students ages 7-14, and it provides an enriched experience for school aged children to explore new areas of interest or to expand their creativity.  She advised that the program is three 2-week sessions, and the students can attend for half days, taking two subjects or full days, taking 4 subjects; and if they attend the full six weeks, they have the opportunity to explore all 12 subject areas.  The students have the opportunity to learn a new sport, investigate nature, enhance computer skills, learn dance steps, practice cheerleading, utilize creative imaginations, be involved with a college production or explore riding, crafts, music, or acting,.  She explained that this is the 26th year of Kid’s College, and they have grown from an annual enrollment of 200 to 1,100 students.  She noted that they are proud of the 200 high school volunteers that assist with the College, which allows them to use the hours to apply for Bright Future Scholarships, and they are honored to have the 70 professors that teach the students.    She expressed that benefits of the program include giving the students the opportunity to explore subjects that they do not have the opportunity to explore in school, giving them the opportunity to make new friends from different cities, providing childcare for parents, providing a summer income for teachers, and introducing students to college at an early age.  She added that the cost is comparable to child care and includes supplies, and the program gives students a chance to build a rocket, an opportunity for them to speak in front of a group, an opportunity for students to get excited about subjects, and a great way for grandparents to visit with the children in the evening after Kid’s College. 

Commr. Parks commented that his two daughters have attended Kid’s College and really enjoyed their time there.

LifeStream Behavioral Center

Ms. Lori Shallcross stated that a majority of the services provided by LifeStreams today are in the homes and schools and it helps to eliminate barriers because many of their population are from lower socio-economic individuals.  She noted that the Board funded a program, Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which takes place in their outpatient center.  She advised that PCIT is an evidence-based practice out of Gainesville that is targeted towards children ages 2-8 years of age, which takes place in their outpatient center, where two clinicians from the Center were recently sent to Auburn University to learn new methods for this program.  She explained that what happens with the families that are at risk of abuse and neglect is that the parent relationship is not strong, with lacking communications skills. 

Ms. Amanda Cypret, Advanced Clinician at LifeStream Behavioral Center, spoke regarding her attendance at the Auburn University training in PCIT, which she believes if they target children between ages 2-8, that they have a better success rate because it takes parents with attachment issues to help build a relationship between parent and child.  She advised that many adults have never learned how to be a child and did not learn great parenting skills, so through live coaching the parents learn how to interact.  She explained that the therapist will be in another room with live video feed, and the parent wears an ear device while the therapist is telling them how to interact, play and connect with the child.  She stated that there are two phases, the first of which is CDI, where the parents have homework to learn how to play with the child, let the child lead the play; and the second phase is the behavior modification portion (PDI), which teaches them time-out skills.  She noted that the hope for the program is to increase and strengthen the relationship so that there would be an increased compliance with the child. 

Agriculture in lake county presentation

Ms. Wendy Breeden, Public Resources Director, introduced Dr. Rodney Clouser, Professor at UF-IFAS0-University of Florida, who specializes in extension policy work related to land values, economic development and the training of local elected officials.  She mentioned that he holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Perdue University with his efforts in economic development centering on the economic impacts on agriculture and natural resource related industries, local economies and assisting local elected officials in understanding the inner workings of their specific local economies.  He works closely with the Florida Association of Counties through CCC and ACC (Advanced County Commissioner) programs.

Dr. Clouser gave a presentation on the agriculture, natural resource and related industries in Lake County.  He noted that the 2012 Lake County Agricultural Census shows that there are 152,145 acres of agriculture, average farm/ranch size is 85 acres, and market value of production is $142,061 million.  He explained that the 2007 Census of Agriculture showed that the nursery, greenhouse, and sod production ranked 4th in the State and 18th out of 2,703 counties nationwide, being in the top one percent of sales, with fruits, nuts, and berries ranked 13th in the State and 76th out of 2,659 nationwide, which is in the top three percent in all counties in the United States.  He displayed on the monitor a graph showing the Lake County future land use data, inventory and analysis from 2010.  He advised that they conducted a study using 2008 statewide data where they indexed economic subsectors in every county in Florida, with the largest five economic sectors and industry groups in Lake County being Agriculture, natural resources, and related manufacturing and services; construction; health care; real estate and financial services; and government, which he feels has changed since 2008.  He mentioned that he used the output from a 2011 study where the total output impacts for greenhouse, nursery and floriculture has been growing; fruit farming has increased and is large compared to the overall industry.  He stated that agriculture contributes to the local county and contributes to employment, where between crop, livestock and fisheries and agricultural inputs and services they employ approximately 10,000 full and part time jobs in Lake County.  He explained that agriculture provides environmental services and other benefits such as open space, water recharge and retention, wildlife habitat and food, locally produced fresh food, and pay taxes that subsidize services of others, of which added up to over $1,194 billion for 2011. 

PUBLIC HEARINGS

water supply and waste disposal

Mr. Sandy Minkoff requested approval of adoption of Ordinance No. 2014-21 amending Lake County Code Chapter 21, “Water Supply and Waste Disposal,” and creating Chapter 23 to be entitled “Solid Waste Collection and Disposal and Litter.”  He also requested adoption of Resolution No. 2014-62 amending the Public Works fee schedule for fiscal year 2014, in order to add the fee for awarding a non-exclusive commercial franchise for commercial waste collection.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by those present by a 4-0 vote, with Commr. Campione stepping out, the Board approved the adoption of Ordinance 2014-21 and Resolution 2014-62.

Commr. Cadwell stated that he appreciates all of the hard work on these items by staff, the County Attorney’s Office and the Board.

Public safety

firestation 90 update

Mr. John Jolliff, Public Safety Director, gave a presentation regarding the status of Fire Station 90, economic development potential in the area and the acquisition of right-of-way for the realignment of Hartle Road.  He advised that the station is currently located in the Value Place Hotel where they rent two rooms, and initially they proposed relocation to the Sheriff’s Office sub-station.  He indicated that there was a joint cooperative effort with the City of Clermont where they identified a need east of the current location, so they initiated the site selection process.  He mentioned that the County Attorney has been working with several property owners to find a suitable site, the Facilities Department has been coordinating with Public Safety on the specifications, and Economic Development indicated the potential of a joint partnership, with the proposed quarters being a modular building with a metal roofed structure for the storage of the fire trucks.  

Commr. Cadwell inquired as to the modular building that would be erected and whether that would be permanent.

Mr. Jolliff answered that it would be temporary, only to get them out of the hotel and established.

Mr. Paul Simmons, Economic Development (EDT) Coordinator, stated that Economic Development is actively engaged in a business attraction, retention and expansion program which they do as a regional approach with multiple coordinators, who are liaisons between business and government.  He noted that they take problem solving through a solutions based approach to assist businesses in the County, where they have created and sustained a pro-business environment.  He advised that he met with Senninger Irrigation, which is a valued manufacturer in South Lake County, regarding their employees not having a traffic signal to cross three lanes of traffic on Highway 50 to do U-turns to head back west.  He reported that he met with FDOT in regards to attempting to acquire a traffic signal for Senninger, but FDOT advised that it did not currently warrant a light at the Senninger access road.  He stated that Economic Development felt that a traffic signal or access road would spur economic growth in the area, so they took a step back and partnered with other counties, Public Works and Public Safety to attempt to find a solution. 

Mr. Sandy Minkoff, County Attorney, stated that they were asked to look for property in or around SR 50 near Hartle Road, where they determined property to the north was too expensive, and property too far south would be too close to residential homes, when Economic Development conveyed Senninger’s willingness to partner on the location.  He noted that they had several meetings with property owners in the area, BFG, Mr. Daniel Wise, and Senninger, where Senninger indicated that donation of land for a fire station is possible if access to a traffic signal could be provided.  He indicated that Mr. Wise presented a map of the future PD&E for Hartle Road which showed that Hartle Road was supposed to cross his property, with a connection/extension of Hook Street to the south and west of Senninger’s building.  He stated that the next steps would be to purchase the right-of-way from Mr. Wise and accept a donation from Senninger of the fire station site and convey Hartle Road right-of-way in exchange for impact fee credits, and Senninger would permit temporary ingress and egress across the property if needed.  He elaborated that the County would work with Senninger on the new access from Hartle Road, and they would continue to work with the City of Clermont regarding long-term plans and financial participation, as they would be utilizing the fire station as well.

Mr. James Burks, President of Senninger Irrigation, provided a brief history of the company by stating that they were founded in 1963 by Joseph Senninger, who was a citrus grower, and developed several products that helped rid the problems of citrus irrigation with insect infestation and the mud dauber.  He noted that shortly after Mr. Senninger founded the business, he brought along his two nephews, Mark and Andy Healy as cofounders.  He mentioned that they are a manufacturing company, but they see themselves as a solution provider by globally identifying a need for agricultural irrigation, with 99 percent of their product going outside of Florida and 35 percent of that directly exported outside of the United States.  he commented that they feel as though they cast a broad net for revenue and bring a large portion of that back into Lake County.  He stated that in 2003, Senninger worked with EDT, using Industrial Revenue Bonds to fund relocation of their corporate headquarters to Lake County and their research and design and manufacturing plant relocated to an 84 acre parcel in South Lake County.  In 2012, Senninger worked with EDT to coordinate the resurfacing of Granville Avenue, benefitting all parcel owners on the avenue.  He explained that Senninger currently employs approximately 270 people on multiple shifts, but since increased travel lanes on SR 50 have created difficult ingress and egress from the site, they are hesitant to expand because of concerns of safe ingress and egress for employees.  He pointed out that expansion will add more high paying jobs to the region and increase the building footprint by 64,000 square feet.  He noted that Senninger is committed to being a valued partner with Lake County by supporting long-term growth and economic prosperity in the region.

Mr. Simmons requested the following actions of the Board: appraise property for purchase of right-of-way, negotiate an agreement with Senninger for donation of fire station parcel and right-of-way exchange, utilize existing continuing contract engineer for right-of-way and fire station site, bid modular fire station including site development, continue to work with the City of Clermont regarding long term plans and financial participation, and return with all agreements for BCC consideration. 

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the actions requested. 

Commr. Sullivan stated that this is a great example of public and private entities working together to find a solution to assist everyone, and this fits the big picture of what they are trying to do to grow economically.

Commr. Parks commented that he feels the residents would appreciate this agreement and innovative approach due to the cooperation.  He explained that this will not give up areas of territories for fire service and coverage, and firefighters will continue to serve all points east and the Turnpike.  He advised that he would like to thank Mr. Paul Simmons for his hard work on this issue.

Commr. Cadwell questioned the time frame for the road that is proposed.

Mr. Minkoff stated that he feels as though the road will be complete when the fire station is complete.

Mr. Heath noted that the City of Clermont will participate with connection fees and site development.  He advised that the modular unit will initially be a joint unit, and in the future the new building will be a permanent station that both departments will share.

RECESS AND REASSEMBLY

The Chairman announced at 11:43 a.m. that there would be a 5-minute break.

Appointments

library advisory board

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Cadwell and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board appointed Mr. Frank Kirschenheiter as the Lady Lake member of the Library Advisory Board to serve an unexpired four-year term ending 2/28/2016.

Affordable housing advisory committee

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved Resolution No. 2014-64 regarding appointment of Ms. Phyllis Dallinga as the resident who is actively engaged as a real estate professional in connection with affordable housing on the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee to serve an unexpired two-year term ending 11/30/2014.

commissioner discussion

south lake regional water initiative

Commr. Parks stated he wanted to give an update on the South Lake Regional Water Initiative, and he explained that the five cities of South Lake County, the County and the Water Authority have been working together over the last three years to address water resources, lake levels and conservation.  He advised that alternative water supply is not going to only be optional, but it will have to be required from the water management districts for years to come as part of consumptive use permitting.  He noted that there is currently a preliminary inter-local agreement between the five cities, the County and utilities to fund a preliminary engineering plan, which would include looking at reuse, storm water harvesting, and conservation levels.  He mentioned that the House and the Senate have recommended full funding of that request, and they appreciated how the cities and County have worked together.  He stated that he has a teleconference scheduled with Governor Rick Scott’s lead policy advisor, Mr. Noah Valenstein, to confirm their support and will provide an update.  He noted that the key to the success of this is everyone working together, with assistance from those, such as Mayor Tim Loucks with the City of Groveland who helped co-chair and especially Mr. Alan Oyler, who started off under contract with the St. John’s River Water Management District to help with the initiative and is highly knowledgeable in the water resources planning and alternative water supply issue.  He noted that although Mr. Oyler has not been under contract for several months, he has been volunteering his time and attending meetings.  He opined that the South Lake Regional Water Initiative will not be able to continue on their current path if they do not have Mr. Oyler engaged to address the water resource issue to move forward.  He expressed his wish to possibly bring Mr. Oyler on with a not-to-exceed contract of $25,000 year by year, not as an employee but as a consideration for the budget, for him to advise on water resources as a whole, as well as the South Lake Water Initiative.

Mr. Heath stated that there are several aspects of this issue, and the Board approved the interlocal for a consultant for $50,000 several weeks ago to start October 1.  He mentioned that they will be able to fund Mr. Oyler starting October 1, but the issue is the gap between now through September 30 and whether they would like to take money out of the reserves for that.

Commr. Conner commented that he appreciated the way that Commr. Parks presented this to the Board. 

Commr. Cadwell expressed his concern for the purchasing process that they normally use; pointing out that there have been other items that needed funding that they said denied until October 1, and he feels that it should wait for the budget process.  

Commr. Conner inquired about the process for hiring someone for a position such as this.

Mr. Minkoff answered that whether it is a services contract or temporary employee, there would have to be publication for the position to ask if others were interested and then have a selection process. 

Commr. Campione questioned how long a process like this would take.

Mr. Heath advised that it would take several months for the process to allow time for people to respond to a publication for solicitation.

Commr. Parks advised that Mr. Oyler was paid by the St. John’s River Water Management District and was helping Lake County, but he stopped when there were complaints about his assistance.

Commr. Conner suggested that Commr. Parks send a letter to the St. John’s River Water Management District on behalf of the Commission to ascertain if there is another way to utilize Mr. Oyler.

Commr. Campione suggested that they  make a request on any outstanding programs to fund the position for a period of time, because this could fit in one of the mini-grant programs.

Commr. Cadwell opined that although they should look into that, he expected the answer to be “No.”   

The Board gave consensus for Commr. Parks to send a letter to the St. Johns River Water Management District asking whether a consultant, Alan Oyler, could assist the South Lake Water Initiative regarding the alternative water supply, lake levels, and conservation.   

Letter to naco

Commr. Conner requested approval of the Commission to send a letter to the National Association of Counties (NACO) conveying the Board’s support for Commr. Cadwell’s participation in all NACO functions, should he be appointed to the NACO Committee.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by at 5-0 vote, the Board approved sending a letter to NACO.

reports – commissioner sullivan – district 1

leesburg music and bike fest

Commr. Sullivan noted that 250,000 people attended the Leesburg Music and Bike Fest,  and there was great support by Economic Development, Public Safety, the Sheriff’s Office and EMS, which was outstanding.  

Reports – commissioner parks – district 2

Roberto aguayo presentation

Commr. Parks thanked staff for the presentation to Mr. Roberto Aguayo.

Reports – commissioner campione – district 4

villa city project in groveland

Commr. Campione mentioned the attention that has been given to the Villa City Project in Groveland and related that she would like to make sure that the Board is being involved with the project and that their input is registered during the regional planning process.  She noted that one main concern is that there are adequate light industrial uses due to being in close proximity to major transportation networks, because it is prime property for creating jobs in Lake County.  She opined that it is a great opportunity to incorporate state of the art methods for purposes of being a model for water reuse. 

reports – commissioner cadwell – district 5

Early learning coalition

Commr. Cadwell advised that he attended the Early Learning Coalition orientation two weeks ago, and he will be attending his first board meeting on May 7, 2014.

Mr. c. guy maxcy

Commr. Cadwell noted that he attended the funeral of Mr. C. Guy Maxcy, a former Highlands County Commissioner and current DeSoto County Administrator, on Saturday, May 3, 2014.

mr. nicholas faryna

Commr. Cadwell stated that he attended the service for Mr. Nicholas Faryna, owner of Faryna Grove Care and Sunsational Citrus, on May 5, 2014.

REPORTS – COMMISSIONER conner – CHAIRMAN AND DISTRICT 3

letter for city of eustis

Commr. Conner advised that the City of Eustis requested a letter supporting a grant proposal for GIS mapping of historic resources.

national day of prayer

Commr. Conner stated that he appreciated Pastor Brooks Braswell of the First Baptist Church of Umatilla and Sheriff Gary Borders for organizing the National Day of Prayer.

Community service awards

Commr. Conner noted that the Commission attended the Community Service Awards on April 30, 2014 in Mount Dora.

EDT and senninger irrigation

Commr. Conner complimented the Economic Development Department and Senninger Irrigation for the work they have done together.

Roberto Aguayo presentation

Commr. Conner thanked Ms. Kelly LaFollette, Communications Director; her staff, and Ms. Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office, for all of their hard work on the presentation for Mr. Roberto Aguayo.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:23 a.m.

 

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jimmy conner, chairman

 

 

 

ATTEST:

 

 

 

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NEIL KELLY, CLERK