A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
october 25, 2016
The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 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: Sean Parks, Chairman; Welton G. Cadwell, Vice Chairman; Timothy I. Sullivan; Jimmy Conner; and Leslie Campione. Others present were: David Heath, County Manager; Melanie Marsh, County Attorney; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Neil Kelly, Clerk of Court; Kristy Mullane, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance; and Susan Boyajan, Deputy Clerk.
INVOCATION and pledge
Ms. Patricia Haney from Baha’i Faith gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Agenda update
Mr. David Heath, County Manager, recapped that he issued an addendum on Friday containing Tab 23 under the County’s Attorney’s agenda dealing with a fairground improvement agreement to be approved under the County Manager’s Consent Agenda. He also asked that presentation of the Proclamation under Tab 3 be delayed until between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. so that Senator Bill Nelson could make a special presentation to honor Ms. Emogene Stegall, Supervisor of Elections.
MINUTE APPROVAL
On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Conner, and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Minutes of September 13, 2016 (Regular Meeting) as presented.
citizen question and comment period
No one wished to address the Board at this time.
proclamation for 80th anniversary of florida forest system
Commr. Parks commented that it was a privilege and an honor to be able to present this proclamation honoring the Florida Forest Service, which was previously unanimously approved by the Board. He then read Proclamation No. 2016-119 recognizing the 80th Anniversary of the Florida Forest System aloud and presented it to Mr. Joe Bishop and Mr. Roy Cribb from the Florida Forest Service. He opined that the Forest System plays a big part of maintaining the Real Florida, Real Close atmosphere.
Commr. Campione mentioned that she appreciated the efforts of the Forest Service to get notice out to their residents about the controlled burns.
CLERK OF COURTS’ CONSENT AGENDA
On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Clerk of Courts’ Consent Agenda, Items 1 through 3, as follows:
List of Warrants
Request to acknowledge receipt of 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.
Resolution Adopting FY 2016-17 Meeting Schedule for Cascades at Groveland CDD
Request to acknowledge receipt of a copy of Resolution 2016-05 adopting the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 meeting schedule for the Cascades at Groveland Community Development District, in accordance with Section 189.015 (1), Florida Statutes.
Inspector General Reports
Request to acknowledge receipt of Inspector General Report BCC-147, Unannounced Audit of Cash Funds – Fairgrounds, and Inspector General Report BCC-148, Fixed Asset Verification – County Vehicles.
approval of proclamation honoring emogene stegall
On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Proclamation No. 2016-118 honoring Emogene Stegall for her 44 years of elected service to Lake County.
COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA
On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the County Manager’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 5 through 18 and Tab 23, as follows:
Community Services
Request for approval of the extension to the Agreement between the Lake County Sheriff, Armor Correctional Health Services, Inc., and the Lake County Board of County Commissioners for the management and administration of inmate medical care. The Agreement shall be extended for an additional three months, commencing on October 1, 2016 and terminating December 31, 2016. Authorization for Board Chairman to sign the Extension and any subsequent documents relating to this Agreement. The fiscal impact is $164,942.00 (Expense).
County Attorney
Request for approval of the Fairground Improvement Agreement between Lake County and the Lake Agriculture and Youth Fair Association, Inc. for Specific Utility Improvements to the Lake County Fairground.
Economic Growth
Request for approval of the 2016-2017 agreement between Timothy Frederick and Lake County, Florida for lakebigbass.com Tourist Development Sponsorship. The fiscal impact is $47,500 (TDT funds - expense).
Request for approval of funding for an amount not to exceed $125,000 (Tourist Development Tax) for operational and capital costs associated with hosting the 2017 Canoe/Kayak National Championship at Lake Minneola in Clermont, FL. Commission District 2.
Facilities Development and Management
Request for approval to award contract 16-0438 for on-call moving services to Commercial Works (Orlando). The annual estimated cost is below $25,000; however, the award recommendation is being submitted for BCC approval in the event moving services in any given term of the contract exceeds $25,000.
Fiscal and Administrative Services
Request for approval to (1) declare the items on the attached list surplus to County needs, (2) authorize the removal of all of the items on the attached list from the County’s official fixed asset inventory system records, and (3) authorize the Procurement Manager to execute any required title documents.
Public Safety
Request for approval to accept the settlement received from the County insurance carrier in the amount of $173,673 for a claim related to a fire engine accident.
Public Works
Request for approval of a Local Agency Program Agreement (LAP) and supporting Resolution No. 2016-123 between Lake County and the Florida Department of Transportation for the design services for traffic safety improvements on CR 473 from Treadway School Road to CR 44 (FPN #437485-1-38-01). The fiscal impact is $120,000.00 (100% grant funded in FY 2017). Commission District 3.
Request for approval and signature on Resolution No. 2016-124 authorizing the posting of “No Standing, No Stopping, No Drop Off” signs on Round Lake Road (4183) in the area of Round Lake Elementary School in the Mt. Dora area, Section 27, Township 19, Range 27. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 4.
Request for approval to accept a performance bond in the amount of $155,862.15 associated with Commercial/Subdivision Driveway Connection Permit #53119 and Right-of-Way Utilization Permit #7290 for the Surgical Practice Resource Group Outpatient Clinic Building in the Town of Lady Lake. The turn lane and driveway connection will be located on Rolling Acres Road, just south of Duck Lake Road, in the Town of Lady Lake. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 5.
Request for approval and execution of a release of a utility easement dedicated to Lake County by the City of Mount Dora for future installation of fiber optic cables from the County Public Safety Tower to SR 46; also, acceptance of a replacement easement in an alternate location on the same property. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 4.
Request for approval to execute Interlocal Agreement between Lake County and the Town of Lady Lake to transfer jurisdiction of a portion of Teague Trail and Oak Street within the Town of Lady Lake municipal limits. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 5.
Request for approval to award five contracts for on call appraisal services under Request for Proposal (RFP) 16-0627 to Clayton, Roper & Marshall Inc. (Altamonte Springs), Eminent Valuations (Orlando), Pinel & Carpenter Inc. (Orlando), Pomeroy Appraisal Associates of Florida Inc. (Edgewater), and The Spivey Group (Orlando). The actual annual fiscal impact will be dependent upon needs, but is estimated to be $70,000 annually based on prior contract expenditures (Expenditure).
Request for approval and execution of Resolution No. 2016-125 and a County Deed to the Florida Department of Transportation for right of way on CR 46A that is no longer needed and will be used for the construction of the SR 429 (Wekiva Parkway) Improvement Project F.P. No. 238275-7, Section 11320. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 4.
Request for approval and execution of two (2) Subordination of Utility Interest Agreements which provide for Sumter Electric Cooperative, Inc. to subordinate to the interests of Lake County along CR 46A, for the construction of the Wekiva Parkway Improvement Project, F.P. No. 238275-8, Section 11580. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 4.
public hearings
first hearing for moratorium ordinance on medical cannabis
Ms. Melanie Marsh, County Attorney, placed the proposed ordinance on the floor for its first reading by title only as follows:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA, ESTABLISHING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM WITHIN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF LAKE COUNTY PROHIBITING MEDICAL CANNABIS ACTIVITIES DURING THE MORATORIUM PERIOD; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR FILING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Ms. Marsh explained that this will be the first of two public hearings, and the final adoption hearing would be November 8 if the Board chose to move forward. She pointed out that her office would expand the title to also include a statement clarifying that this would prevent the Tax Collector from issuing business tax licenses, which was already in the body of the ordinance.
The Chairman opened the public hearing.
There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this issue, the Chairman closed the public hearing.
Commr. Campione emphasized that it was not the Board’s intention to withhold medical cannabis services from people that were in need of them but to ensure that they handle this issue in a very systematic way so that business owners do not start those types of businesses before there are any guidelines in place. She elaborated that the concern that has been expressed by members of the Board is that this be done appropriately in order to look out for their community.
Commr. Cadwell explained that the reason he agreed to the moratorium was to give the Board time to meet with the municipalities to come up with some type of organized zoning procedure to avoid the proliferation of pockets of those types of establishments and to ensure some degree of uniformity, and he wanted the County to take its time creating a practical and consistent zoning category, just as they would for any other type of new business.
Commr. Sullivan related that he had attended the League of Cities meeting accompanied by staff in which they passed out the proposed ordinance for the moratorium and explained that the County is trying to come up with standardization or a uniform program, although he knows that could be difficult with 14 different municipalities. He also mentioned that every city was represented at that meeting.
Commr. Parks added that the County wanted to be proactive in addressing the regulation of the number and location of the dispensaries, and a similar ordinance to the one he proposed two weeks ago was passed unanimously by Osceola County. He commented that the doctors still could not prescribe cannabis if the amendment passes but could only make a recommendation, and since the pharmacies will not be able to distribute drugs that are not recognized by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration), it would only be able to be distributed by dispensaries. He summarized that he supported the moratorium.
Commr. Campione commented that she also wanted to be careful that they do not overregulate the issue to the point that it created more paperwork and resulted in the County deciding who would meet the regulatory requirements set by the state. She suggested that they keep the ordinance simple so that they do not have to spend a lot of money on the regulatory aspects of it.
Commr. Conner asked whether this ordinance was regarding dispensing rather than growing the cannabis.
Commr. Parks responded that there are already five established areas within Florida where it will be grown, but this ordinance addresses where and how it will be dispensed.
On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Cadwell and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved moving forward with a second public hearing to be held on November 8, 2016 for an ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium within unincorporated areas of Lake County prohibiting medical cannabis activities until May 23, 2017.
vacation petition 1228 for phase 2 of cr 466a widening project
Mr. Fred Schneider, County Engineer, Public Works Department, explained that the request for Vacation Petition No. 1228 was regarding an easement consisting of a lateral ditch located in the Fruitland Park area and recorded in 1953, when CR 466A was a state highway. He related that this section of the highway adjacent to the Villages has been four-laned since that time, and there is no longer need of this easement for Phase 2 of the CR 466A widening project or for drainage purposes. He showed the location of the easement on an aerial map, and he explained that this vacation was part of the agreement with the property owner when the County acquired right of way. He mentioned that the County received no letters of support or opposition and concluded that staff recommended approval of this easement vacation.
The Chairman opened the public hearing.
There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this vacation petition, the Chairman closed the public hearing.
On a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Conner and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Resolution No. 2016-126 for a Public Hearing on Vacation Petition No. 1228 to vacate a 20 foot-wide drainage easement for a lateral ditch that is no longer needed for Phase 2 of the CR 466A Widening Project. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 5.
public hearings: rezoning
rezoning consent agenda
Mr. Tim McClendon, Planning and Zoning Manager, Economic Growth Department, submitted the advertisement for that day’s rezoning public hearing on the overhead monitor. He related that there was only one case on the Rezoning Consent Agenda, which was unanimously recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Board on October 5, and he requested that the Board approve the Consent Agenda consisting of Tab 1.
The Chairman opened the public hearing.
There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this rezoning request, the Chairman closed the public hearing.
On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the following rezoning request:
Tab 1. Ordinance No. 2016-50
Rezoning Case #FLU-16-10-3
Kapoor Property Small Scale Map Amendment
Request to amend the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) on approximately 4.69 acres located south of Poe Street and adjacent to Radio Road in the Leesburg area from the Regional Commercial FLUC (Future Land Use Category) to the Urban Low FLUC.
DEPARTMENTAL BUSINESS
human resources
increase in pay grades for included job classifications and providing pay for certifications
Mr. Robert Anderson, Human Resources Director, explained that the purpose of this presentation was to provide the Board with an overview of employee turnover and a recommendation to increase employee retention. He recapped that he had initially mentioned his concerns about high turnover to the Board about two years ago in Fiscal Year 2015 when the County was at a 13.6 percent turnover rate and third highest of the eight comparison counties, and he pointed out that the Fiscal Year 2016 rate was over 16.2 percent. He reported that last year’s highest turnover positions included mechanics, road maintenance operators, equipment operators, and senior building inspectors, and he presented charts illustrating the specific turnover numbers for those positions from June 1, 2014 to May 30, 2015 as well as for the period of June 1, 2015 to May 30, 2016, showing a range of about a 30 percent to over an 85 percent turnover rate. He recapped that he had presented information on the salary study in July showing that the County’s salary ranges on average were nine percent below the public sector and 5.6 percent below the private sector for the starting salary, with the midpoints about 3.7 percent less and the maximum salaries about .4 percent below the public salary range. He related that the consultants who had conducted the study recommended three options to bring the County’s compensation rates to the average rates for other employers, which would have resulted in a fiscal impact of $447,000 to $1.63 million affecting a range of 164 employees to 337 employees. He noted that there was not enough funding at the time to fully implement the recommendations of that salary study, but the Board approved the staff’s recommendation to increase the minimum of the pay range for all non-bargaining classifications by 3 percent and providing a 3 percent across the board pay increase for all non-bargaining positions, which resulted in a slight improvement in competitiveness for the Lake County pay structure; however, the turnover and recruiting problems persist in the face of other employers providing pay raises and changes in pay structures as well. He also mentioned that staff outlined some next steps, which were to continue to monitor employee turnover, continue to assess the salary ranges relative to the market, and prepare a recommendation to address Career Pathing and pay for certification and skills for certain skilled positions.
Mr. Anderson related that staff had contacted other organizations and jurisdictions to ask whether they had any type of certification or salary incentive and listed the results of this inquiry, which varied from compensation of $100 more per month for permitting and licensing employees who have more than one license, $50 more per month for Code Enforcement staff with FACE (Florida Association of Code Enforcement) 2 or 3, $50 more for mechanics and welders for each ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certification, 43 cents per hour more for each ASE certification, 20 cents more per hour for employees who have a CDL (Commercial Drivers License), placement of Plans Examiners into four different levels depending on the number of certifications, two to five step increases for building inspectors who receive additional Standard Inspectors Licenses, $25 to $125 per month for Treatment Plant Operators depending on the license, to $10 more for Vehicle Technicians who receive ASE certification up to $50 per month. He reported that in their current proposal, they are recommending certification pay in three different areas as well as increasing the minimum pay grades to try to cut down on some of the attrition and turnover that they are having and to help the County in their recruiting efforts. He listed all of the specific proposed salary increases for certain employees in the Fleet Management, Public Works, and Economic Growth Departments who obtain certifications or special licenses related to their employment, such as CDLs and mechanical certifications as well as increasing some of the current pay grades by one.
Mr. Anderson related that the turnover in the above-mentioned classifications is a problem and that it is important that measures are taken to increase retention in a number of those positions. He commented that the identified positions are ones in which turnover or vacancies significantly and negatively impact the respective department’s ability to provide their core services to the public. He pointed that the certifications proposed for incentive pay are external to the County, are widely recognized, and provide clear evidence of an employee’s skill level. He opined that increasing the minimum of the pay grades for the proposed classifications by an additional step will further increase the County’s ability to recruit and retain critical employees, and certifications pay is another means whereby the County can attract highly qualified applicants and increase retention of qualified applicants by providing a direct link between compensation and employee skills. He added that these proposed changes to the pay grades and the certification pay plan would impact 83 positions and is expected to have an estimated fiscal impact in Fiscal Year 2017 of $129,393, including $19,017 for Fleet, $51,370 for Road Operations, and $59,006 for Building Services, which he pointed out could be absorbed in the budgets of the affected departments. He requested that the Board approve the increase to the respective pay grades by one for the included job classifications and implement the proposed plan for providing additional pay for the possession of relevant certifications.
Commr. Cadwell asked if the requested action would be enough to stop the loss of employees in those departments.
Mr. Heath responded that this would be a start which would give the mechanics and equipment operators some compensation; however, the adequate compensation for the inspectors will be a challenge because they are in demand in this market environment. He elaborated that the building employees are the biggest challenge because their jobs depend on the cycle, with a lot of opportunities currently due to a good economy, but they get laid off or get reduced working hours when the economy slows down.
Commr. Cadwell expressed concern about making sure the County is providing the services for the builders and businesses as the economy improves.
Mr. Heath explained that they currently have a healthy reserve in the building fund, and they will increase their reliance on using outside vendors and subcontractors if they do not do this, which will cost the County 40 percent more.
Commr. Cadwell asked how much they currently have budgeted for outside vendors and how much the County has in the reserve fund, which he emphasized was an enterprise fund rather than a general fund.
Mr. Heath answered that they paid the outside vendors about $130,000 and that there is about $2 million in reserve. However, he expressed concern about using up the reserve in the event of an economic downturn. He also assured the Board that he will continue to track the turnover and the attrition.
Commr. Parks commented that this issue was part of a larger framework of looking at staff and what the County could do to provide good service, including a discussion of performance pay and incentives to improve efficiencies for their employees.
Mr. Heath added that the building inspectors have a clear connection to economic development, and the County has become a “training ground” for mechanics who leave to go to work for other entities for a higher salary as soon as they get some of the required certifications. He commented, however, that he did not mean to imply that the other employees who work for the County should not be compensated or that they are less valuable to the organization.
Commr. Conner elaborated that it was a market issue.
Commr. Sullivan opined that this issue needed to be monitored every year as part of the budget process, especially in those critical job classifications.
Commr. Campione pointed out that those areas could actually be measured by determining whether those employees have those certifications, and she opined that this was a good way to do this incrementally. She elaborated that the Board knows they have to address this issue or the County will not be able to get qualified people to do those jobs, noting that the turnaround time in the building department was very essential to getting construction completed and affected economic development.
Mr. Heath commented that he has a fiduciary responsibility to propose a solution that was financially feasible, although he knows there are some employees leaving the County for positions elsewhere paying $10,000 to $15,000 more. He added that he was looking at trying to develop their own internal process in the next year or two for hiring entry-level people and establishing additional compensation benchmarks as they develop expertise and experience without having to leave the County to better themselves.
Mr. Jimmy Nussbaumer, a resident of Groveland and owner of South Lake Electric, stated that he wanted to talk about the inspectors’ pay. He pointed out that the Building Department is self-sufficient and not part of the general fund. He also noted that the County is currently using a lot of subcontractor inspectors, which results in different inspectors coming in to inspect the same project, inefficient overlapping services, unnecessary delays, and a problem for the business owners and contractors. He noted that the businesses ultimately pay the fee for those inspectors when they pull a permit, and it was important to those businesses to have consistency. He opined that the Building Department currently does a great job in Lake County, and he wanted to see that continue. He also opined that the building inspectors need to be paid what they are worth, especially since there was currently a large reserve in that fund.
Mr. James Moore, a resident of Leesburg, stated that he agreed with the previous speaker and opined that the salaries still were a little low for building inspectors in this proposal. He commented that he has had to schedule his inspections two to three days out, and missed inspections may cost him extra money. He related that he supports the increase for inspectors and asked that they look at further increases for those employees in the future.
Mr. Adam Edgeton, a resident of Clermont, related that the County has lost about 50 percent of their inspectors over the last year after paying about $12,000 per discipline for those inspectors to get certified. He opined that the proposed increase would not make a significant impact or be enough to stop those employees from leaving the County’s employ, since many of them are leaving for $15,000 to $20,000 pay increases. He added, however, that there is a certain core of inspectors who have stayed with the County even with the possibility of pay increases elsewhere, and he recommended giving them some horizon type pay increase for six months into the future. He commented that as the private sector grows, they need the inspectors in the Building Department to be able to keep up with that growth. He mentioned that loss of continuity does have an effect on the economy, and he echoed the concern previously discussed that the County is becoming the “training ground” for eight surrounding counties and several private inspection firms. He concluded that the increase in pay is definitely warranted in this case.
Mr. George Hansford, a resident of Apopka, endorsed the previous speakers’ statements, and he emphasized that the contractors who pay for the permits were funding the Building Department rather than the taxpayers. He opined that the proposed increase, which was about $4,160 per year, would not nearly be enough to be competitive in the marketplace, since Lake County’s salaries are consistently 20 to 35 percent lower than the surrounding counties for the same positions. He noted that working with a different inspector every day costs the contractors money that will be passed along to the homeowners. He encouraged the Board to use the surplus money in the Building Department to increase the salaries more than was proposed.
Mr. Tom Madden, a resident of Clermont, pointed out that there was a huge and sometimes intangible cost in hiring and training new employees, and he encouraged the Board to continue to move forward in looking into further compensation for those employees.
Commr. Campione commented that they have gotten responses from the people who this impacts the most, and she recommended that they go forward with the requested action rather than delaying it but to look into this issue further at an upcoming meeting. She especially thought that they needed to review the building permit and inspector aspect of it, which is financed by an enterprise fund subsidized by the permit fees paid by the industry itself, which had indicated that this is costing them money in the field because of the lack of continuity of the inspectors.
Commr. Cadwell suggested that they approve the requested action but include in the motion that the County Manager come back in six months with a reevaluation of the inspector program and how it has worked, which would give enough time for the employees to get certifications and for the County to get an idea of a trend of whether the inspection fee collection is going up enough to justify an increase of the base pay of the inspectors.
Mr. Heath stated that they can look at that issue on a quarterly basis as part of the Economic Growth’s quarterly presentation, and he asked the Board to decide a minimum amount of how much they wanted to keep in reserves in the future.
Commr. Campione commented that they need to make sure they have enough of a reserve in case of a change in the economy and more difficult times, but they need to be doing a better job of handling this issue.
Commr. Cadwell suggested that they put a maximum rather than a minimum cap on the reserves, and pointed out that they will not have to use up their reserves if the inspections and permits are generating enough revenue to increase those salaries.
On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Cadwell and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the request from Human Resources to increase the respective pay grades by one and implement the proposed plan for providing additional pay for possession of relevant certifications for the included job classifications. The fiscal impact for FY 2017 is estimated at $129,393. The Board also moved to readdress the issue at the BCC Meeting on January 10, 2017 after looking into how much they should have in the building reserve account and how much they could increase the base salary of the building permit inspectors.
reports – county manager
pickup of debris caused by hurricane matthew
Mr. Heath related that he had contracted with Waste Pro, who is typically the hauler for the southern part of the county, for additional crews to augment WCA’s efforts to pick up storm debris from Hurricane Matthew during the last two Saturdays in the eastern part of Lake County, which got hardest hit from the hurricane. He recapped that the Board gave him the authority to spend up to $75,000 to pick up storm debris at the last BCC meeting, and he explained that Waste Pro had available equipment and staff to help with that effort.
eligibility for aid from fema
Mr. Heath stated that $2 million in storm damages reported by SECO (Sumter Electric Cooperative) has triggered the threshold for Lake County to be eligible for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) reimbursement funding, according to the conversation that County staff has had with the state. He related that staff is working with the state and FEMA on the reimbursement process from damage due to Hurricane Matthew.
reports – commissioner cadwell – vice chairman and district 5
dedication of hickory point soccer field
Commr. Cadwell related that the dedication of the Hickory Point soccer field in honor of Mr. Mike Stone will be on Saturday, October 29, at 10:00 a.m.
reports – commissioner parks – chairman and district 2
proclamation for promotion of ICAMR
Commr. Parks requested that a resolution be approved at a future meeting expressing Lake County’s intentional support and willingness to work with Osceola County to promote the International Consortium of Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR) in Kissimmee. He opined that the direct benefits of being close to this facility and the derivative industry that will come from that will be immense for Lake County, and he pointed out that Osceola County took a risk to bring ICAMR to the area.
recess and reassembly
The Chairman announced at 10:00 a.m. that there would be a recess until 10:30 a.m.
presentation of proclamation honoring emogene stegall
Commr. Parks read Proclamation No. 2016-118 aloud which honored Ms. Emogene Stegall for her 44 years of elected service to Lake County as Supervisor of Elections, which was unanimously approved earlier in that day’s meeting, and the Commissioners then presented that proclamation to Ms. Stegall. He announced that there will be a reception at 3:00 p.m. later that day at the Historic Courthouse honoring Ms. Stegall. He recognized Senator Bill Nelson, who presented a proclamation on the Senate floor honoring Ms. Stegall’s service, and he related that a video would be shown of the actual reading of that proclamation.
The video showed Senator Nelson stating that he wanted to praise the work of a local elected official in Florida who has admirably served as Supervisor of Elections of Lake County for 44 years, adding that her name was almost synonymous with Lake County’s because of that longevity. He elaborated that she embodied the details and the ideals of public service and that she will oversee her last election day this November after decades of public service. He commented that her legacy for being a committed and tireless public servant will continue to be remembered and that she has used her position to benefit the community she was elected to serve and was an example for everyone in public office. He concluded that he was honored to share her story and to acknowledge her accomplishments in that occasion on the floor of the Senate.
Senator Nelson thanked the Board for the opportunity to honor Ms. Stegall, who has seen Lake County go from 17,000 to 212,000 registered voters as well as many changes to the election process, including absentee ballots and early voting. He pointed out that Lake County was a segregated county when Ms. Stegall started her career in the Supervisor of Elections office at a time when there were very few women in elected office, and there have been enormous changes since then. He commented that Ms. Stegall always treated everyone the same and with fairness and respect. He also mentioned that he had known Ms. Stegall since he was a young boy, since two of her closest friends were his cousin and his cousin’s wife, and that many members of Ms. Stegall’s family were in attendance at the meeting that day. He presented Ms. Stegall with an embossed copy of the speech he made about her on the floor of the Senate.
Ms. Stegall thanked everyone and stated that it has been an honor to serve the citizens of Lake County and to work with the Board, which has always been very appreciative, supportive, and helpful to the elections office. He also thanked Senator Nelson for being there that day. She commented that they will try their best to conduct a good election this year.
Commr. Campione related that she was appreciative for the fine job that Ms. Stegall has done, and Ms. Stegall has been a role model for so many people. She elaborated that Ms. Stegall rose above partisanship, and it was clear that her number one goal was always fairness, accessibility, and making sure that the election process had the integrity that it deserved. She commented that Ms. Stegall has left a legacy and a standard for those after her to live up to, and they were proud and thankful for all of her service.
Commr. Conner remarked that he knew Ms. Stegall since he was a child, and he relayed an anecdote about how Ms. Stegall gave him an hour of her time when he was a college student taking a political science course and needed to interview an elected official. He elaborated that Ms. Stegall has always treated him with respect and courtesy and only asked for extra money if there was a critical need. He suggested that they put a plaque in her honor in the Supervisor of Elections Office before she leaves office as a nice way to remember her. He commented that Ms. Stegall has been a role model who is loved and respected by people of both political parties.
Commr. Sullivan related that he met Ms. Stegall for the first time after deciding to run for County office, and she made him feel welcome and helped him through the process. He thanked Ms. Stegall for all she has done for the citizens of Lake County.
Commr. Parks indicated that he liked Commr. Conner’s idea about the plaque and suggested that they put a plaque in one of the conference rooms as a remembrance of her 44 years of service.
Commr. Conner asked Ms. Stegall’s family who were present to introduce themselves.
Commr. Parks addressed himself to the family, stating that Ms. Stegall was above reproach and was a good model of what someone needed to do to be a good public servant and leader. He concluded that the Board appreciates her service, and they wish her and her family the best. He also thanked Senator Nelson for making the presentation for Ms. Stegall and for the recognition that he gave to Lake County.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
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sean M. parks, chairman
ATTEST:
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NEIL KELLY, CLERK