A regular MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

june 2, 2020

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., in the County Commission Chambers, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida. Commissioners present at the meeting were: Leslie Campione, Chairman; Wendy Breeden, Vice Chairman; Timothy I. Sullivan; Sean Parks; and Josh Blake. Others present were: Jeff Cole, County Manager; Melanie Marsh, County Attorney; Niki Booth, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Gary J. Cooney, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller; Kristy Mullane, Chief Financial Officer; and Kathleen Bregel, Deputy Clerk.

moment of silence and pledge of allegiance

Commr. Campione called for a moment of silence and then asked for Commissioner Sullivan to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda update

Commr. Campione mentioned that this meeting was a hybrid meeting which was a combination of an in-person meeting and one which allowed individuals to participate virtually. She asked for Mr. Erikk Ross, Director for the Information Technology (IT) Department, to explain how citizens who were listening remotely could participate.

Mr. Ross explained that this meeting was being livestreamed on the County website and was also being made available through a Zoom Webinar for members of the public who were unable to attend in person but wished to provide comments during the Citizen Question and Comment Period later in the agenda. He elaborated that anyone watching though the livestream who wished to speak during the Citizen Question and Comment Period of the meeting could follow the directions currently being broadcast through the streaming; furthermore, he relayed that anyone who had joined the webinar via their phone could press *9 on their phones to virtually raise their hands and anyone participating online could click the raise hand button to identify that they wished to speak. He said that when it was time for public comment, he would then identify the person or their phone number, unmute the appropriate line, and allow the citizen to speak for their three minute timeframe. He added that anyone wishing to provide written comments could visit www.lakecountyfl.gov/commissionmeeting, noting that comments presented before 5:00 p.m. the previous day were shared with the Commission prior to this meeting, and that comments sent during this meeting would be shared with the Commission after the meeting was concluded.

Mr. Jeff Cole, County Manager, stated that the background material for Tabs 16 and 18 had been revised in order to include specific information regarding how the funding would be utilized.

covid-19 update

Mr. Tommy Carpenter, Director for the Office of Emergency Management, provided an update on the County’s response to the coronavirus concerns and reported the following: the Emergency Operations Center remained at a Level 1 full activation; his office was working to support the Florida Department of Health (DOH) in their efforts for COVID-19 testing and monitoring of healthcare facilities, long-term care facilities, and group homes as well as assisting with personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders and healthcare providers; and the Lake County Citizens Information Line (CIL) was open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 352-253-9999, noting that it would be closed the upcoming weekend but would have reporting information which would provide testing locations and the Florida DOH local COVID-19 hotline at 352-742-4830. He then shared these statistics from the Florida DOH’s website regarding COVID-19 cases within Lake County: there were 304 positive cases, noting that two weeks prior there were 254 cases; 15 deaths had been reported as of this date; there had been 16,593 individuals tested, with 12,124 tested two weeks prior; and the percentage of positive results currently was at 1.8 percent whereas it was 2.1 percent two weeks prior, noting that this number continued to decline and that Lake County had one of the lowest positivity rates within the region. He indicated that the Lake County Office of Emergency Management was continuing to work with the Florida Division of Emergency Management in order to obtain PPE for first responders and healthcare providers with weekly shipments from the State; however, commercially produced PPE was becoming more available and was also being ordered. He said that his office was actively working with the Florida DOH to monitor COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities and group homes, noting that Lake County had 160 total facilities. He reported that eight of these facilities had positive COVID-19 cases with six of the eight facilities having positive tests for six staff members, four facilities having positive tests for 12 patients, and only two deaths from these numbers had occurred. He relayed that Lake County had a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved non-congregate sheltering plan but currently no one was being sheltered nor had it been used since it was first approved. He recalled that at the May 29, 2020 Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting, he had reported that his office was working with the DOH in Lake County and a private provider of COVID-19 testing, Adult Medicine of Lake County, in order to provide Lake County’s robust testing plan. He then provided information on the various locations for this testing. He mentioned that the cost for testing was $20, that locations were open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and that Adult Medicine was offering free COVID-19 testing and immunity testing for first responders, emergency medical services (EMS), law enforcement, and fire services. He reported that between the dates of May 15, 2020 through May 21, 2020, Adult Medicine had performed a total of 198 COVID-19 tests, with one being positive, and 238 immunity tests, with three being positive. He also shared that the Florida DOH in Lake County was offering free testing in their clinic locations in the Cities of Umatilla, Clermont, and Leesburg, noting that these locations were open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. He then acknowledged that Lake Support and Emergency Recovery (LASER) had provided the following services: 24,726 cloth masks had been made and distributed; 312,900 meals had been delivered which had a donation value of $661,560; they were working with local businesses to provide PPE to support reopening; they were supporting local high school graduation ceremonies by providing cloth masks and hand sanitizer; and they were monitoring food pantries daily.

Commr. Campione inquired if the high school graduation ceremonies were under the purview of the Lake County School District.

Mr. Carpenter confirmed that it was, and relayed that the school district was also working with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the DOH.

Commr. Campione mentioned that when Governor Ron DeSantis announced his support of gatherings relating to youth activities, he then deferred to local governments and their emergency management groups to make decisions. She said that Lake County’s emergency management group convened to discuss graduations, along with input from the DOH and the school district, and decided to move forward with allowing high school graduations, noting that the DOH and the school district then worked through the logistics of how this could happen.

Mr. Carpenter confirmed that they had worked through the details, and that one limitation was the number of guests who could be invited to the ceremony.

Mr. Aaron Kissler, Administrator/Director/Health Officer for the Florida DOH in Lake County, explained why he was wearing a mask and expressed his support of wearing masks at public events such as this meeting. He then displayed Lake County information from the DOH’s website. He shared that their contact tracing had allowed them to contact almost every person, noting that Lake County was one of the top counties for the State of Florida in terms of their success rate for contact tracing. He also said that the county’s testing percentage rate was one of the best in the state, and that the county’s percent positive was very low. He expressed appreciation for the coordination with the County, the DOH, Adult Medicine, the Office of EMS, and LASER in their efforts to administer testing. He opined that while the county was being very successful in their testing, success was a journey and not a destination. He reported that approximately 20,000 masks would be coming to the county to be distributed to any businesses who needed them, and that the DOH was working with the schools on their graduation ceremonies. He mentioned that his office had also been performing testing at long-term care facilities since that was the population they were most concerned about and was where they were seeing most of the hospitalizations and deaths. He shared that they were still receiving many calls from citizens on their hotline, that they continued to review how they could better utilize technology, that he was thankful for everyone’s efforts in administering testing throughout the county, and that he was proud of all the partnerships that had formed.

Commr. Campione mentioned that the hospitalization numbers had been cumulative, and she asked if anyone was still in the hospital. She thought there might still be two people in the hospital but they were not in the intensive care unit, which she opined was promising news. She believed it would be critical to track the number of hospitalizations especially as the county began reopening measures.

Mr. Kissler reported that the hospitalization rate had reduced quite significantly, noting that even at the peak of outbreak, Lake County hospitals were not overwhelmed and they did not experience the predicted numbers. He indicated that the hospital data might possibly be about three weeks to a month behind in reporting. He relayed that the hospitals had been able to handle all cases, had plenty of ventilators, were prepared for any new cases, and that he was pleased with the partnership with them.

Commr. Campione felt that some people might have been reluctant to go to the hospital if they had other medical issues due to a fear of being exposed to COVID-19; however, she reassured the public that the hospitals were safe, had plenty of capacity, and had measures in place to separate those with COVID-19 from other patients.

Commr. Breeden inquired if the recent spike in positive cases was related to the long-term care facilities.

Mr. Kissler responded that it could have been related as one or two cases at these facilities could increase the numbers. He commented that the age distribution had been more toward the elderly; however, they were seeing positive cases more in the middle and lower range currently. He related that his office would let the County know if they began to see any major community transmission, although he noted at this time they were not.

Commr. Parks indicated that the State of Florida had done a good job with the contact tracing earlier on with a lower technology method, even though there had been conversations about utilizing certain newer technology applications. He asked if the earlier lower technology was still being used for contact tracing.

Mr. Kissler confirmed that was correct, and believed that the State of Florida was one of the best at using this method. He felt it needed to be a combination of both technologies. He remarked that he was uncertain if his organization would utilize the newer technology since the traditional contact tracing was so successful. He shared that some of the techniques they were using were ones they had previously utilized successfully for Hepatitis A.

Commr. Blake asked what the age distribution makeup was for the 72 hospitalizations.

Mr. Kissler replied that it was mostly the elderly population, which was why they continued to monitor the nursing homes.

Commr. Campione inquired about making sure home health providers had access to testing and that the DOH was encouraging this.

Mr. Kissler responded that the DOH had field strike teams that were out at facilities performing multiple testing, noting that they would be working with the Office of EMS to increase this testing and add additional testing sites. He indicated that his organization continued to plan strategic testing and adapt to fighting the virus while still maintaining their normal daily operations.

Commr. Campione then took a minute to explain the recent curfew order which she had signed for Lake County. She explained that due to COVID-19, the workload for first responders had increased, along with them having to take on extra precautionary measures, and was part of the consideration when determining the need for a curfew. She elaborated that should the county encounter a situation which might have needed a mass deployment of first responders, this would be an additional stress for law enforcement, EMS, and fire rescue; therefore, a curfew had been established in light of credible threats that had been convened through intelligence monitoring. She relayed that the purpose of the curfew was to ensure that after 10:00 p.m., people could not congregate outside businesses and commercial districts, noting that Orange County had the same curfew timeframe. She related that many businesses were struggling due to COVID-19, and they did not need to have their businesses vandalized or looted. She said that there were exceptions for people going to and from work, and that the curfew was not to prevent law-abiding citizens from traveling between their own properties; furthermore, the curfew was to be utilized as a tool to assist in dispersing any congregating of individuals that might turn into looting or inappropriate activity. She stated that peaceful assemblies were encouraged, and that the point of the curfew was to facilitate the peaceful assembly of individuals while also protecting businesses. She relayed that the Commission and the community was outraged just as the rest of the country due to what happened to Mr. George Floyd in the City of Minneapolis; however, they also condemned the lawlessness that had been happening as a result of the protests. She reiterated that protecting businesses and property owners, as well as upholding law and order, was important. She also noted that when Orange County and the City of Orlando put their curfew in place, there was concern that inappropriate activities could potentially spill over into Lake County.

Commr. Parks remarked that the County did not implement curfews that often, but only when facing serious issues, noting that the curfew would be dropped as soon as safely possible.

Commr. Campione agreed with that comment, and relayed that there were known organized protests happening the next day in the City of Clermont area that law enforcement would be monitoring.

Mr. Brandon Matulka, Executive Director for the Agency for Economic Prosperity, then reported on the approval of a vacation rental safety plan and his team’s efforts to share this with partners within Lake County. He indicated that this plan was a high priority at the May 19, 2020 BCC meeting, and that at that time, his office was in the process of finalizing the Lake County Vacation Rental Safety Plan; furthermore, he said this plan was submitted to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation on May 20, 2020, and was approved by the State on May 22, 2020 with the implementation effective immediately. He relayed that his office worked with the Office of Communications to message that plan out to partners on May 22, 2020, that they continued to ensure that all inquiries were addressed, and that this plan was on the www.ReopenLake.com website for anyone who needed to refer to or utilize it. He indicated that his office began to focus on tourism and mentioned that they had virtually conducted the Tourist Development Council (TDC) meeting the prior week, and he thanked the IT Department for their assistance with this virtual meeting. He then shared some of the outcomes from the TDC meeting such as marketing, timing for marketing, and assistance for tourism partners as it related to getting business back open for Lake County. He recalled that shortly after COVID-19 started impacting in mid-March 2020, the Office of Visit Lake began to work with Akers Media and the Watauga Group, which is the County’s marketing firm, in order to pivot the marketing message as the county began to come out of COVID-19. He reported that plan was presented to and viewed positively by the TDC. He stated that this plan would begin soon, would highlight Lake County’s outdoor activities with social distancing, would utilize a campaign slogan of “the perfect distance away,” which would fall under the “Real Florida, Real Close” Lake County campaign umbrella, and would be directed to areas within driving distance from Lake County. He stated that another key piece from the meeting was for staff to review ways to potentially expand some of their existing programs or create a new program which could assist tourism businesses with costs associated with marketing and other expenses in order to get people utilizing these businesses. He relayed that the TDC also discussed increasing the frequency of their meetings, which typically happened quarterly, and that they were hoping to meet again in four to five weeks to continue marketing and response strategies. He then mentioned the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding which was addressed at the previous BCC meeting, noting that the Board Chairman had sent a letter to Governor DeSantis requesting that funding be fairly allocated to those jurisdictions which were ineligible to receive funds from the federal government due to population restrictions. He explained that the Governor did address this question recently in a press conference, and had indicated that those funds could possibly be distributed but would include guidelines since the State would ultimately be responsible for how the funds would be spent, noting that counties which received the federal government funding were responsible to the federal government for spending. He commented that the Office of Elevate Lake was researching what a business assistance program might look like and how it could be implemented should Lake County receive any CARES Act funding; additionally, they were preparing for any announcement regarding phase two of reopening.

Commr. Parks inquired if there was any more specific details about the guidelines that the Governor mentioned at the press conference regarding how funding could be spent, noting that according to the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) the funding for Lake County could be about $21.5 million.

Mr. Matulka clarified that the Governor’s comments were simply in response to a question and that he merely mentioned that there would be some type of guidance associated with the funding since the State would be responsible for those funds similar to how counties which had received federal government funding were responsible to the federal government.

Commr. Parks felt it would be used for business development, and encouraged support for obtaining the funding as soon as possible.

Commr. Campione commented that it would seem that if a county followed the same guidelines as the federal government had for the funding they gave to larger counties, then the State should be protected.

Mr. Matulka indicated that his staff was reviewing the 12 counties which had received funding and how they were utilizing it, as well as percentages on how they were allocating the funding on different programs.

Commr. Sullivan remarked that the population of a county or city had to be a half a million or more to receive federal funding, noting that Seminole County missed the population requirement by about 20,000. He indicated that Seminole County would have received about $93 million if they had received the federal government funding; however, under the formula being utilized by the FAC, they would only receive $24 million which he felt was a large discrepancy. He believed it was important to stress to the Governor the fairness of every county receiving funding since everyone pays federal income taxes, and since the first responders and businesses have had extra expenses for protective equipment. He said that since sales tax revenue would also most likely be decreased, this could be usable funding.

Commr. Campione encouraged continued support from the Commissioners to encourage the Governor regarding this funding since the smaller communities had businesses facing the same issues as the larger counties.

Mr. Cole indicated that after the Chairman signed the letter sent to the Governor, staff engaged the County’s lobbyists who were communicating regularly with their contacts in the Governor’s office.

Minutes approval

On a motion by Commr. Blake, seconded by Commr. Breeden, and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the minutes for the BCC meeting of April 7, 2020 (Regular Meeting).

employee RECOGNITION

Ms. Jeannine Nelson, Human Resources and Risk Management Manager, announced that they would be recognizing the retirement of Mr. Tony Lopresto who had served 18 ½ years with the Board of County Commissioners, noting that Mr. Lopresto currently served as the Director for the Office of Building Services.

Mr. John Molenda, Deputy County Manager, stated that it was his honor to recognize the retirement of one of Lake County’s most dedicated and humbled directors. He remarked that Mr. Lopresto started his career with Lake County as a building plans examiner in 2002, and that he rose through the ranks as a licensed investigator in 2003, a chief inspector in 2015, a supervisor in 2016, and ultimately the Director for the Office of Building Services in 2017. He shared that during his 18 plus years with Lake County, Mr. Lopresto had instituted significant changes within the Office of Building Services which allowed for exceptional service and safety to the community. He mentioned that he had also received many prestigious recognitions over the course of his career which included being named the President of the Construction Licensing Officials Association of Florida in 2017, and appointed to the Florida Building Code Administrators and Inspectors. He shared that prior to coming to Lake County, Mr. Lopresto had served as a law enforcement officer, which meant that he had been serving the public for over 36 years and that this county was a better place because of his service. He then thanked Mr. Lopresto for all he had done for the county and congratulated him on his retirement.

Commr. Campione expressed the Board’s appreciation for all the good work Mr. Lopresto had done for the county, noting that she believed the building community appreciated his focus on facilitating their businesses, keeping the economy moving forward within the county, and for his professionalism. She wished him the best in retirement.

Mr. Lopresto said it had been an honor to work for the county, to grow as a professional, to have a positive impact on the business community, and to apply the building code in a fair and equitable way.

Commr. Breeden shared that Mr. Lopresto was an early supporter of the Miracle Field at Lake Idamere Park.

Commr. Sullivan noted that the Office of Building Services had undergone many changes throughout the years, and he opined that Mr. Lopresto had done an outstanding job.

Commr. Campione remarked that even within the last two months, this office had done an amazing job adapting to online permitting, and she acknowledged Mr. Lopresto’s leadership with this effort.

citizen question and comment period

Commr. Campione reiterated that the process for citizen comment at this meeting would look a little different since they would be allowing citizens present at the meeting to speak as well as those who might be listening to the meeting virtually. She then called upon those citizens who were present in the meeting and had filled out a comment card.

Mr. Troy Grimes, a concerned citizen, expressed frustration with the limitations and guidelines placed on upcoming high school graduation ceremonies. He indicated that he wanted more than two people from his family to be able to attend, did not desire to have social distancing at the ceremony, and inquired what enforcement of the guidelines would be taken.

Commr. Campione responded that the decision regarding graduation ceremonies was under the purview of the Lake County School District, who took their lead from the Florida Governor’s Office. She explained that if the school district took the information provided to them by the Governor, and formulated rules after consulting with the DOH, then any citizen who decided to do something contrary to the rules, would endure whatever consequences might be in place. She explained that guidelines related to COVID-19 were for the purpose of protecting the safety and health of people within the county. She emphasized that originally the graduation ceremonies were not going to happen, and she relayed that she was in support of having in-person graduations as was the Superintendent of the Lake County School District. She explained that the social distancing rules were developed in consultation with the DOH, not the BCC, using the best advice from an epidemiological standpoint in regards to holding these events.

Mr. Greg Jones, a resident of the City of Tavares, seemed concerned with the recent Lake County curfew that was implemented, questioned the manner in which it was activated, and asked if there had been activities within the county to support the need for a curfew.

Commr. Campione reiterated that the threats that she was made aware of on Sunday were credible and there was concern that the county might have spillover incidents from what was happening in Orange County which might affect Lake County businesses. She also stated that she had discussed with the Lake County Sheriff how the curfew would be implemented, noting that the Sheriff had been in consultation with police chiefs and police departments in the county. She explained that this was directed towards activities which might occur around and outside businesses and was not directed towards individuals coming and going from work, home, or to another property. She relayed it would be temporary and the goal was to protect businesses.

Ms. Bonnie Field, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of the Villages/Tri-County area, explained her organization’s promotion of electric vehicles, and their work towards this effort. She stated that she hoped the BCC would support their efforts.

Commr. Parks recalled that earlier in the year, staff had pursued opportunities with Duke Energy to place charging stations in the Four Corners area, the City of Tavares, and some other potential areas.

Mr. Bob Field, Co-Chairman for the promotion of electric vehicles with the League of Women Voters of the Villages/Tri-County area, spoke about electric vehicles, climate change, and the effort to reduce carbon emissions. He also opined that there was not enough education on the positive attributes of electric vehicles, and that Lake County needed additional charging stations. He then shared ways that he felt the County could support a sustainability program, such as utilizing electric vehicles for fleet management and public transportation, changing building codes to support charging stations and multifamily construction, simplifying land acquisition and the permitting process for this infrastructure, providing electric vehicle information on the County website, and developing a sustainability plan.

Commr. Parks mentioned that the BCC had signed onto a collaborative as a way to share information and obtain best practices throughout the region with the goal of being resilient and have sustainability with growth. He relayed his appreciation for the work Mr. Field and his organization were working on.

Mr. Ross then indicated that there were no raised hands from anyone participating virtually.

CLERK OF the Circuit COURT and comptroller’s CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Consent Agenda, Items 1 and 2, 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.

City of Eustis Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Request to acknowledge receipt of the City of Eustis’ Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commr. Campione addressed that the request to advertise an ordinance under Tab 12 related to an ordinance which would allow for extensions of development orders which would hopefully assist with the local economic recovery, noting that she had planned to send letters to the city mayors to encourage them to do something similar within their jurisdictions.

Commr. Sullivan acknowledged that within the consent agenda were some action items as a result of COVID-19 that came through community block grants in order to provide rental assistance and enhance affordable housing.

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the Consent Agenda, Tabs 3 through 27, as follows:

PROCLAMATIONS

Request approval of Proclamation 2020-92 designating July 2020 as Parks and Recreation Month in Lake County.

COUNTY ATTORNEY

Request approval to:

1. Accept Offers to Purchase on Alternate Keys 1180864, 1323410, 2689633 and 3307763.

2. Award bid to the highest bidder to purchase Alternate Keys 1416566 and 1447119.

3. Authorize the Chairman to execute any necessary closing documents.

The fiscal impact is $9,301.00 (revenue). Commission Districts 3, 4 and 5.

Request approval to intervene in the case of Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District, Complainant, v. Christopher Douglas Leiffer, as Trustee of the C&K Family Trust Dated January 31, 2020, and Kirk Stephen Leiffer, as Trustee of the C&K Family Trust Dated January 31, 2020, Respondents (White Water Farms), SJRWMD File of Record No. 2020-12.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Communications

Request approval of an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Leesburg to provide broadcasting services through LakeFront TV. The annual fiscal impact is $25,000.00 (expenditure).

Extension Services

Request approval of the University of Florida's recommendation that Jamielyn Daugherty be hired as Lake County Extension Agent II, Residential Horticulture, in the Office of Extension Services. The annual fiscal impact to Lake County is $29,123.00 (expenditure).

Management and Budget

Request approval of the Veterans Treatment Intervention Program Agreement that provides financial support to Lake County for aid in felony and/or misdemeanor pretrial or post-adjudicatory veterans' treatment intervention programs. The total estimated fiscal impact is $88,059.00 (revenue of $22,014.75 in Fiscal Year 2020 and $66,044.25 in Fiscal Year 2021).

Request approval of reimbursement to the Lake County Sheriff's Office from the State Law Enforcement Trust Fund for expenditures authorized under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act. The fiscal impact is $220,703.51 (expenditure).

HUMAN RESOURCES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Request approval of an agreement with ComPsych Employee Assistance Programs (Chicago, IL) to provide employee assistance program services, and authorization for the Office of Procurement Services to execute all supporting documentation. The annual fiscal impact is $17,984.64.

Request approval to update Section 3.2, Classification and Pay Plan, in the Employment Policies Manual, to provide employees who exceed their pay range when approved for a pay increase to receive the increase over 26 equal payments instead of the current lump sum payment provided, while continuing to not increase the affected employees' base salary with the increase. There is no fiscal impact.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Planning and Zoning

Request approval to advertise an ordinance creating Section 7-5, Lake County Code, to be entitled Development Order Extensions. There is no fiscal impact.

Public Safety

Request approval of an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Umatilla for Lake County to administer and process addressing within the municipal limits. The fiscal impact (revenue) cannot be determined at this time. Commission District 5.

PUBLIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Facilities Management

Request approval to re-assign Contract 05-031 for Architectural Services for the Judicial Center Expansion Project from CBRE Heery, Inc. (Orlando, FL) to S/L/A/M Collaborative, Inc. (Glastonbury, CT), due to acquisition proceedings. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 3.

Housing and Human Services

Request ratification of the reallocation of unexpended Fiscal Year 2020 budgeted funds for the Florida Department of Health in Lake County. The fiscal impact is $29,500.00 (expenditure).

Request approval of Unanticipated Revenue Resolution 2020-93 to amend the Section 8 Fund (Fund 1270) in order to receive unanticipated revenue in supplemental administrative fees from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Fiscal Year 2020, and approval to provide appropriations for the disbursement of these funds. The fiscal impact is $74,424.00 (revenue/expenditure).

Request approval to apply for a Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program Grant to improve the resiliency of Lake County's Public Safety Radio System and authorization for the County Manager to execute the application submission and other related documents as required. The fiscal impact is $5,000.00 (expenditure) to potentially receive $12,722,877.00 (revenue) in grant funding.

Request approval of Unanticipated Revenue Resolution 2020-94 to amend the Affordable Housing Assistance Trust Fund in order to receive unanticipated revenue for Fiscal Year 2020 in an effort to support COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts, and to provide appropriations for the disbursement of these funds. The fiscal impact is $96,234.00 (revenue/expenditure).

Request approval to apply for a Florida Housing Finance Corporation Housing Stability for Homeless Schoolchildren Initiative Grant to assist homeless families with children in the Lake County School system, and authorization for the County Manager to execute the application submission and other related documents as required. There is no fiscal impact from this action; however, the County could receive $500,000.00 (revenue) in grant funding.

Public Works

Request approval of a change order for a Florida Department of Environmental Protection Non-point Source Grant time extension to adjust the task completion date to September 30, 2020. There is no fiscal impact.

Request approval of Contracts 20-0514 with Merrell's Grade-All, Inc. (St. Cloud, FL) and Thunderhole, Inc. (Hastings, FL), to conduct swale, ditch digging, and related services. The estimated fiscal impact is $175,000.00 (expenditure).

Request approval to release a letter of credit of $9,348.40 that was provided for the maintenance of improvements in Sherydan Glenn, located in Lady Lake. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 5.

Request approval to release a maintenance bond of $47,125.76 that was provided for the maintenance of improvements in Sawgrass Bay Phase 3A, located near Clermont. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

Request approval to release a maintenance bond of $292,341.33 that was provided for the maintenance of improvements in Johns Lake Landing Phase 4, located east of Clermont. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 2.

Request approval to:

1. Release a performance bond of $180,450.56 posted for completion of infrastructure improvements for the Sawgrass Bay Phase 3B final plat, located near Clermont.

2. Execute a Developer's Agreement for maintenance of improvements with Avatar Properties, Inc. (Maitland, FL).

3. Accept a maintenance bond of $73,459.56 for maintenance of improvements.

4. Execute Resolution 2020-95 accepting Fescue Street "Part" (County Road No. 0361A) and Deermoss Drive (County Road No. 0361D) into the County Road Maintenance System.

5. Execute a Developer's Agreement for Construction and Maintenance of Sidewalk Improvements with Avatar Properties, Inc.

6. Accept a performance bond of $8,768.85 for performance of sidewalk construction.

7. Accept a maintenance bond of $797.17 for maintenance of sidewalk improvements.

There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

Request approval to:

1. Release a performance bond of $279,730.92 posted for completion of infrastructure improvements for the Sawgrass Bay Phase 4B2 final plat, located near Clermont.

2. Execute a Developer's Agreement for Maintenance of Improvements with KB Home Orlando, LLC (Orlando, FL).

3. Accept a maintenance bond of $39,804.68 for maintenance of improvements.

4. Execute Resolution 2020-96 accepting Yelloweyed Drive "Part" (County Road No. 0360D) and Centipede Street "Part" (County Road No. 0361) into the County Road Maintenance System.

5. Execute a Developer's Agreement for Construction and Maintenance of Sidewalk Improvements with KB Home Orlando, LLC.

6. Accept a performance bond of $46,768.43 for performance of sidewalk construction.

7. Accept a maintenance bond of $4,251.68 for maintenance of sidewalk improvements.

There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

Request approval to release a cash surety of $12,707.25 that was provided for the maintenance of improvements in Woodland Hills Acres, located north of Groveland. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

recess and reassembly

The Chairman called a recess at 10:20 a.m. for fifteen minutes.

public hearing: ordinance 2020-25 impact fee waivers

Ms. Melanie Marsh, County Attorney, placed the proposed ordinance on the floor for reading by title only as follows:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA; AMENDING SECTION 22-8, LAKE COUNTY CODE, ENTITLED WAIVER OF IMPACT FEES FOR INFILL DEVELOPMENT; INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WAIVERS AVAILABLE TO A SINGLE ENTITY; AMENDING SECTION 22-9, LAKE COUNTY CODE, ENTITLED WAIVER OR DEFERRAL OF IMPACT FEES FOR VERY LOW AND LOW INCOME HOUSING; PROVIDING FOR WAIVERS FOR MODERATE INCOME HOUSING; CREATING SECTION 22-17, LAKE COUNTY CODE, TO BE ENTITLED ARCHITECTURAL STANDARDS FOR RESIDENTIAL WAIVERS OR DEFERRALS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE; PROVIDING FOR FILING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

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.

Commr. Campione said that this was an ordinance that the Board had expressed interest in previously in order to facilitate affordable housing in Lake County.

Commr. Parks stated that he was supportive of the ordinance, and believed that this would assist with encouraging attainable housing.

Commr. Sullivan relayed that under section 22-9 of this ordinance, it talked about having 50 maximum waivers per year, and he felt that might not be enough when discussing multifamily housing. He thought this ordinance was the right thing to do but believed it would need to coordinate with any strategy for housing.

Commr. Campione confirmed that in regards to affordable housing impact fee waivers, that this ordinance would allow waivers to be granted for moderate income levels, noting that in the past they were only allowed to do these waivers for low and very low income levels. She then inquired if this would need to be supplemented from another source or could they utilize the Florida Statute which allowed it to be done for moderate income levels.

Ms. Marsh responded that the County would not have to subsidize from another source as the statute allowed for a 100 percent waiver.

Commr. Campione said that staff could then monitor to the extent that these waivers were actually being utilized. She recalled that in her discussions with the school board members regarding the effects on the school district and its ability to fund new schools, that she relayed staff would monitor the number of waivers and track the issues within the county where they might be issued to determine if there were deficiencies in actual facilities.

Commr. Breeden believed that most of the infill properties were smaller and might not build multifamily dwellings.

Commr. Sullivan explained that his point was that when considering the strategy for attainable housing, multifamily buildings would need to be a part of it which might affect what they could allow in terms of waivers.

Commr. Campione agreed it would be part of the overall discussion, and that this ordinance would allow the County to address single family dwelling units and possibly a small number of multifamily dwellings such as duplexes.

Ms. Marsh reminded the Board that there were other State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) strategies that covered multifamily; therefore, they could obtain waivers under other programs and this specific code was just for single family residential waivers.

Commr. Breeden asked if the County had gotten near the maximum number of 50 previously.

Ms. Marsh replied that when the BCC originally adopted this a few months ago, they wanted to have 50 as a maximum; however, she said they could amend this ordinance at any time.

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Breeden and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to amend the Lake County Code, to increase the number of infill development waivers available to a single entity, and to make the affordable housing impact fee waivers available for moderate income levels.

other business

value adjustment board

Commr. Sullivan volunteered to remain on the Value Adjustment Board (VAB), and felt that the current board worked well together with the Lake County Property Appraiser’s Office and the Clerk of the Court’s staff, and that work got accomplished in an efficient and effective manner.

Commr. Campione thanked Commissioner Sullivan and Commissioner Blake for their service on the VAB, noting that many issues were worked through by the Property Appraiser’s Office prior to having to go before the VAB.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the appointments of Commissioner Sullivan, Commissioner Blake, and Mr. Brian Feeney, as the citizen member, to the Value Adjustment Board.

the lake 100 presentation

Ms. Jo-Anne Drury, Director for the Office of Housing and Human Services, introduced Mr. Kent Adcock, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter, who would be speaking on behalf of The Lake 100 regarding a proposed Housing Strategic Plan.

Mr. Adcock thanked the Board for all the innovative ways that they were working to provide leadership in a challenging and different environment. He mentioned that he was on the Workforce Housing Committee for The Lake 100, which was composed of various business leaders and CEOs across Lake County. He shared that this group had been having discussions regarding the challenges that the county faced, and how they could take action to support endeavors. He relayed that while Mr. Greg Beliveau was the chairman of The Lake 100 Workforce Housing Committee as well as being a member of the County’s Affordable Housing Committee, he had been brought into this initiative due to his previous experience as a market research executive, which provided him the opportunity to work with companies in developing strategic direction, as well as his current role with Habitat for Humanity. He believed that many were aware through anecdotal information as well as recent reports from ABC News that 906 people were moving to the State of Florida every day and 1,500 a month were coming to Central Florida; furthermore, some of The Lake 100 business leaders in the areas of healthcare and education had been indicating that it was difficult for their employees to find housing that they could afford in Lake County. He related that a first level home in the Four Corners area cost approximately $270,000 which was difficult for service oriented employees to afford. He said that Habitat for Humanity could assist with housing on a small level, but that The Lake 100 group was looking for solutions which would help on a larger scale. He explained that once The Lake 100 realized that the BCC was considering creating a strategic plan for attainable housing, they thought they could possibly offer to lead and facilitate that effort since they had the structural pieces in place to assist with this without having a cost to the taxpayer and they would be able to perform it in an expedited fashion. He then shared a one page summary outline of what his organization was hoping to accomplish. He believed it was important to have stakeholder input from the County, the business leaders, those impacted by the need for housing, government leaders, realtors, and builders through focus groups, noting that his organization would do this expeditiously in order to collect the qualitative data. He explained that information from this qualitative data would enable them to compile key driver information and then do a quantitative survey. He elaborated that from this, an analysis could be related from all the different stakeholders, five to six key drivers of the issues could be identified, and then an action plan could be created. He indicated that they hoped to accomplish all of this by the end of September 2020.

Commr. Parks relayed his support and excitement for this plan, and his confidence with The Lake 100 taking the lead on this initiative. He believed that The Lake 100 could accomplish this quicker than the County, would save taxpayer money, and that this group would have great influence when presenting to the municipalities.

Mr. Adcock indicated that there was already some actions being taken; however, he opined that a more cohesive path and direction that everyone could support needed to be created. He reiterated the importance of having stakeholder participation so they could engage and contribute their views as well as be a part of the plan in order for them to support it once it was put into action. He remarked that they had also worked with Seminole County and had templates from the City of Orlando, City of Atlanta, Georgia, and other municipalities who had created a similar type of strategic plan. He felt it was key to see the trends and actionable decisions that might come out of the Coalition for Housing and Community Development in Washington, D.C.

Commr. Breeden expressed appreciation for The Lake 100’s desire to assist and obtain input from stakeholders.

Mr. Adcock stated that the BCC would also be a stakeholder and could invite other stakeholders that they thought should be included in the focus groups.

Commr. Sullivan disclosed that he was the President of The Lake 100, and shared that one municipality had approached The Lake 100 to make a presentation due to issues they were having and their desire to develop a plan. He shared that the goal of The Lake 100 was true, economic development of Lake County; furthermore, he opined that until the county had an effective housing strategic program, that goal probably would not be attainable. He expressed concerns for a service worker at an income of $36,000 being able to qualify for a house if the average house cost was $270,000. He thought that people often think about lower income, government assisted individuals when discussing affordable housing; however, he encouraged a strategy that would provide workforce housing. He believed that utilizing The Lake 100 was a quicker way to get this accomplished because it included business expertise, and that it was important to maintain the quality of life for Lake County.

Commr. Parks felt that this would help from an economic standpoint and would assist industry since many entry level workers could not afford homes in Lake County, which he opined was a deterrent to attracting and growing a business in the county.

Mr. Adcock shared that many entry level employees in the Washington, D.C. area were driving an hour and a half to get to work which then added the cost of transportation. He felt that everyone should look creatively and innovatively in order to invest in the right decisions for the future since growth would continue.

Commr. Blake expressed support of this and his thankfulness for Mr. Adcock’s expertise and willingness to participate.

Mr. Adcock said that his organization was grateful for the opportunity and respectfully asked for the BCC to consider their proposal.

Commr. Parks said he would make a motion if the Board desired to take formal action.

Commr. Campione inquired from the County Attorney if a formal vote would be acceptable, even though not required, in order to show Board consensus.

Ms. Marsh confirmed that would be fine.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved asking The Lake 100 to lead and prepare the Lake County Strategic Housing Plan.

citizen comment follow-up

Commr. Campione relayed that earlier during the meeting break, she had spoken to Mr. Grimes regarding his concerns about high school graduation ceremonies. She said they were able to establish that there had been a misunderstanding regarding how the rules were formulated with regard to the graduation, and that there had been a misrepresentation that the BCC dictated these rules. She reiterated that the BCC was supportive of having live graduation ceremonies. She noted that Mr. Grimes also had a question for Commissioner Sullivan and that she was able to connect him with the Commissioner; additionally, she was going to assist Mr. Grimes in connecting with the school district for discussions regarding this.

fiscal year 2021 budget development workshop

Mr. Brian Jaruszewski, Director for the Office of Management and Budget, presented an update on the fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget development which he relayed would cover activities to date, preliminary property values, Constitutional Officers’ budgets, County operational budgets, federal/state grand funding, disaster event funding, revenue projections, and the FY 2021 budget timeline. He mentioned that due to COVID-19 and having to have virtual BCC meetings, this year’s budget presentations had been different than the previous years which had individual detailed department presentations; furthermore, the timeline was more compressed and what he would be presenting was more of a summary and the highlights of the budget. He related that activities to date included a budget kickoff on February 7, 2020, departmental budgets submitted on February 28, 2020, a strategies workshop on April 21, 2020, budget development workshops on May 5, 2020 and May 19, 2020, and on June 1, 2020 preliminary estimates of property values from the Lake County Property Appraiser’s Office were received as well as the Constitutional Officers’ budgets, except for the Tax Collector’s Office budget which was due August 1, 2020. He specified that while departmental budgets were due February 28, 2020, that date was before the impact of COVID-19; therefore, the numbers being presented at this meeting were prepared prior to these impacts and would most likely change when the tentative budget was presented in July 2020. He also indicated that the numbers in this presentation did not currently reflect any impact of the Florida Retirement System (FRS) rate changes, and the budgets did not reflect the full impact of COVID-19. He reported that the preliminary property valuation for FY 2021 was $24,383,632,351, which was roughly a $2 billion increase over FY 2020, or about an 8.98 percent increase, noting that it was forecasted earlier at around five percent. He explained that existing properties were about a 5.7 percent increase, with the difference due to new construction. He reported that at a status quo millage rate, the General Fund Ad Valorem revenue would yield approximately $123 million or in total 8.5 percent, noting that there were other areas within the General Fund that had projected decreases. He indicated that utilizing a rolled back rate based on preliminary values, it would be about a 4.8 millage rate for the General Fund which would yield approximately $116.5 million. He then displayed a chart of the Constitutional Officers’ budgets, except for the Tax Collector, which reflected a $2.4 million increase over FY 2020. He explained that the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) decrease was due to the approximate $1 million included in the FY 2020 budget for the presidential preference primary; furthermore, if that $1 million was factored out, then the SOE’s budget was closer to a $278,117 increase or approximately an 8.5 percent increase. He recalled that as of the previous BCC meeting, the County operations from the General Fund reflected an increase of approximately $710,737, noting that amount plus the Constitutional Officers was roughly a $3.1 million increase at the moment. He explained that most of the presentation would be for the Non-General Fund/County Operations and was intended to be a summary of the impacted changes on revenues and expenditures from FY 2020 to FY 2021 for the Offices of Library Services, Parks and Trails, Emergency Medical Services, Fleet Management, Solid Waste, Transit, and Fire Rescue as well as the County Transportation Trust (Gas Tax Fund.) He then reported on the budgets for each of these operations. He shared that Library Services had a balanced total budget of $4,507,757, which was a decrease of about $27,000 or 0.6 percent. He explained that revenues for this office included an increase in General Fund transfer for the City of Eustis Library for $15,000, a decrease in revenue from State Aid to Libraries for $36,000 which was affecting all counties, and a decrease in fund balance of $6,000. He shared that for expenditures, there was an increase of $15,000 for the City of Eustis Library support, an increase of $12,000 for personnel costs, a decrease of $5,000 in operating expenditures, and a decrease of $49,000 for online database access due to reduction in state aid. He reiterated that these numbers were a comparison of the FY 2020 adopted budget to what was being presented, noting that although online access was reflecting a decrease, it was a decrease in comparison to the previous adopted budget and the County was not losing access or functionality with anything. He then reported that the balanced total budget for Parks and Trails was $7,736,889, which was a decrease of about $117,000 or 1.5 percent. He said that changes for revenues included an increase in the Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) of about $136,000, an increase in tree mitigation of approximately $100,000, an increase in miscellaneous of $26,000, and a decrease in fund balance of about $379,000. He reported that expenditures included an increase of $47,000 in utilities for higher rates and additional security lighting at some parks, an increase of $120,000 in lease costs for vehicles, an increase of $9,000 in operating costs, a decrease in capital expenditures of approximately $167,000 due to reduced grant funding, and a decrease of $126,000 in fund balance, noting that fund balance referred to committed expenditures from the prior year or purchase order (PO) carryforwards. He recalled that the County had previously switched from County owned to leased vehicles; therefore, there was an increase in lease costs but a decrease in overall operating costs to maintain County owned vehicles. He relayed that the Gas Tax Fund had a balanced total budget of $18,401,881 which was an increase of approximately $950,000 or 5.5 percent. He said that revenue changes were an increase in fund balance of $380,000, and an increase in state shared revenues of about $570,000, noting that this might change due to possible COVID-19 impacts. He stated that expenditure changes included an increase in operating expenditures for road repair of about $230,000, an increase in lease costs for vehicles of about $154,000, an increase in capital expenditures of $475,000 largely due to the Challenger and Carlton Village Special Assessment projects, an increase in reserves of $225,000, and a decrease in personnel costs related to worker’s compensation of about $134,000. He stated that the total budget for Emergency Medical Services was $19,076,195 which was a 9.3 percent increase of about $1,626,000. He mentioned that an increase in fund balance of $2.1 million was the largest change to revenues with a decrease in operating revenues of $474,000 as well. He commented that expenditure changes included an increase in personnel costs of $241,000 for four additional positions, an increase in operating costs of $221,000, an increase in reserves of $1.7 million, and a decrease in capital expenditures of $536,000. He recalled that when EMS joined the County operations, there was a goal to have a fund balance of one million dollars, and he noted that it would be likely closer to almost two million dollars; however, he cautioned that until it was clearer what the financial impacts of COVID-19 might be, that things should remain status quo. He shared that Fleet Management, which he noted was an internal service fund, had a budget of $3,676,595 which was a decrease of $69,000, noting this was mostly due to leasing County vehicles instead of owning them and no longer maintaining the transit fleet. He remarked that revenues had a total decrease of $1.55 million which was a combination of a decrease in fund balance of $750,000 and a decrease in charges for service of $800,000. He said that expenditures showed a decrease in personnel costs of $10,000 for vacant positions not being filled, a decrease in operating expenditures of $325,000 due to lower maintenance volume and fuel costs, and an increase of $266,000 in capital due to two lifts and two vehicles. He reported that Solid Waste had a balanced total budget of $20,279,277 which was an increase of $1,100,000 or 5.7 percent. He relayed that revenues had an increase in fund balance of $690,000 and an increase in charges for service of $410,000 due to higher volume and rate. He remarked that expenditures saw a decrease in personnel costs for worker’s compensation insurance of $60,000, an increase in operating expenditures of $705,000 for hauling services, an increase in lease costs for vehicles of $65,000, and an increase in reserves of $390,000. He indicated that Transit had a balanced total budget of $10,833,773 which was a decrease of $75,000 or 0.7 percent. He stated that for revenues there was no change in the transfer amount from the General Fund, an increase in grant revenues of $1.3 million, and a decrease in fund balance of $1.375 million; furthermore, expenditures had no change in capital expenditures, but a decrease in operating expenditures of $75,000. He explained that the increase in grant revenues was partially due to the CARES Act funding. He concluded with the Fire Rescue balanced total budget of $31,391,743 which was an increase of $833,000 or 2.7 percent. He shared that revenues had a decrease in fund balance of $423,000, an increase in MSTU and assessment fees of $888,000, and an increase in Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and HAZMAT (hazardous materials) grants of $368,000. He indicated that expenditures reflected the following: an increase in personnel costs of $865,000 for wage increases and additional positions; an increase in operating expenditures of $313,000 for items such as utilities, IT, and professional services; a decrease in capital expenditures of $773,000 which was a shift of some funding from the sales tax fund; and an increase in reserves of $428,000. He reminded the Board that these reported amounts for Fire Rescue were prepared in February 2020 and did not reflect the impact of taking on services for the City of Mascotte. He then displayed a list of federal and state grant funds awarded which included the CARES Act Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) at $787,166, the SHIP at $238,000 plus $250,000 of prior year funding, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) CARES Act funding over three years at $9.7 million. He explained that the list of expenditures for the CDBG-CV grant was reflective of the action taken by the Board at their May 19, 2020 meeting, that the SHIP amount had changed since it was previously reported at $142,000, and that the FTA had changed from $8 million to the listed increase. He discussed grant funds that had been applied for which included the SAFER and Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters grants as well as a new item which was a U.S. Department of Justice 2020 Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding grant for PPE in the amount of $109,063. He recalled the CARES Act funding of $1.2 billion as mentioned earlier in the meeting, and stated that staff continued to search for revenue sources to cover operational or capital initiatives. He then indicated that Mr. Carpenter would be discussing the update to the disaster event funding.

Mr. Cole referenced slide six on the Constitutional Officers’ budgets, and noted that it would increase by $1.5 million from the County side as a result of the County and Board support for the Property Appraiser Office’s new appraisal system that had been requested for several years. He recalled that it had been a goal to build the reserves to a healthy balance in areas of the budget where there could be individual reserves so that when the revenues fluctuated for those individual funds, it avoided having to get approval from the BCC to transfer funds from the General Fund reserves to support those funds. He added that it made them more self-sustaining and kept the General Fund transfer at a static level. He also thanked the EMS staff, their leadership, and Mr. Molenda for streamlining that operation and for becoming self-sustaining in their reserve funds.

Mr. Carpenter recalled that at the previous Board meeting there had been discussion regarding disaster funding, emergency sheltering and how that might function between the County and the Lake County School Board. He remarked that since that meeting, County staff had worked with the Superintendent of the Lake County School District and had determined the terms of a proposed agreement which was under final review. He then relayed that this agreement would provide the following: allowed the County to be the applicant and submit to FEMA on behalf of the school board; the school board would accept the pass through from FEMA, noting that typically the reimbursement was no less than 75 percent and the local 25 percent would be covered by the school board; if the cost of emergency sheltering was not eligible for public assistance, then the expense of sheltering would be split 50/50 between the County and the school board; and staff supported and recommended this agreement for Board future consideration at their June 16, 2020 meeting.

Mr. Jaruszewski presented a slide depicting revenue projections, and explained that there were two sources which included revenue projections from revenue sources that originate at the state level and ones that originate at the county level. He then reported the following for the state initiated county and municipality revenue sharing reductions, which impacted the General Fund: there were decreases in sales tax receipts of 14 percent in both April and May 2020 which equated to about $221,000 monthly; there was a forecasted decrease of approximately 50 percent continuing into June 2020; the State was distributing 95 percent of the forecasted monthly available revenues; and the May revenue sharing distribution was down 47.5 percent from FY 2019 or about $282,000. He reported that for the County tax receipts, there was a 13 percent decrease in the April gas tax receipts from FY 2019 which was approximately $165,000, and the April Infrastructure Sales Tax receipts were down 15 percent from FY 2019 or about $212,000. He concluded that the total FY 2020 projected loss was $4.9 million in revenue, which meant a $2.6 million loss for the General Fund, a $1 million loss for the Gas Tax Fund, and a $1.3 million loss in the Infrastructure Sales Tax Fund. He then shared the remaining steps in the FY 2021 budget timeline as follows: a Board workshop to include a budget summary, millage rate discussion, other economic incentives, and additional projects and initiatives would be held on June 16, 2020; certified taxable property values would be available on July 1, 2020; a comprehensive budget discussion about budget considerations would take place on July 7, 2020; the tentative budget, millage rate, and fire and solid waste assessments would be set on July 21, 2020; the draft budget from the Tax Collector would be available August 1, 2020; a Board workshop on the Infrastructure Sales Tax Capital Improvement Plan would happen on August 11, 2020 with the public hearing on August 25, 2020; the public hearing to adopt the tentative budget and millage rates and set the final public hearing date, time, and location would happen on September 15, 2020; and the final hearing to adopt the budget and millage rates would be on September 29, 2020.

Commr. Parks asked if the $3.1 million was an additional increase in the General Fund budget.

Mr. Jaruszewski confirmed that was correct, and clarified that he was referring to the $2.4 million requested by the Constitutional Officers and the approximately $710,000 currently in the General Fund for County operations.

Commr. Parks inquired if that included the additional $1.5 million for the Property Appraiser. He also asked for clarity about the items discussed at previous Board meetings.

Mr. Jaruszewski responded that the $1.5 million was encompassed within the budget in total but was not included within the chart of information that was presented earlier. He added that the $1.5 million was in the non-departmental portion of the General Fund budget, and that this presentation only referenced the General Fund in as much as it was impacted by transfers to the Non-General Fund areas.

Mr. Cole explained that staff had been presenting different elements of the budget at various Board meetings, and that the focus at this meeting was on the Non-General Fund departments. He added that Mr. Jaruszewski would present a complete budget at the June 16, 2020 BCC meeting, noting that it would include the items previously discussed.

Commr. Breeden expressed an understanding that for the property appraiser’s project, the funding was already available this fiscal year; therefore, there would be an offset of revenue and expenditures when done for the next fiscal year.

Mr. Cole stated that the bigger picture would be presented and would include items discussed at previous meetings, and more up-to-date numbers; additionally, staff would have had the opportunity to evaluate the Constitutional Officers’ budgets. He thought that possibly Commissioner Parks was inquiring about the Board discussion regarding a number of potential approaches that they might want to see where funding was returned or incentives were created. He indicated that staff would need direction on those, but at this point, they were building a status quo millage budget for Board consideration in June and beginning of July, prior to setting the millage rate at the second meeting in July 2020.

Commr. Parks thanked Mr. Cole for that explanation and opined that could change the funding amounts. He also inquired if there was a desire to add any additional funding in this coming budget from the General Fund for roads, and if some funding should be set aside to offset the impact fee waivers in order to get ahead on affordable or attainable housing.

Mr. Cole answered that when the Board proceeded with a loan paid with sales tax to repave roads, that provided a fairly sizeable amount of funding that was being utilized currently as well as for the next year, noting this allowed the sales tax funding that would have been put aside for road paving to be rebuilt. He thought they had the funding needed to progress over the next few years.

Commr. Campione asked if Commissioner Parks was referencing transportation impact fee waivers.

Commr. Parks clarified that what he was referring to was if they were going to be waiving impact fees for school and transportation through an attainable housing program, then to be sure there was the ability to backfill it from the General Fund; additionally, to consider if that was the right decision for the school district and for the county’s roads.

Commr. Campione related that they were not required to backfill; however, they should determine if it was putting an extra burden on the school district. She opined it was premature to build into the budget at this point.

Commr. Parks indicated it was simply something to consider when discussing reserves.

Commr. Campione expressed support for having sufficient reserves in case the county had a heavy hurricane season especially since there would be a reduction in sales tax revenues. She opined that directing attention to the reserve funding was the prudent thing to do at this point as she felt that many things could happen between now and January 1, 2021. She believed that all of this had to be taken under consideration as the Board deliberated over the next few weeks regarding the millage rate and what might need to be placed in reserves in light of current uncertainties.

Commr. Parks agreed, and expressed a desire to increase reserves to 20 percent.

Commr. Sullivan opined that he did not want to see the County be placed in the situation they experienced with Hurricane Irma which cost the County $10 million but it took two years to be reimbursed, noting that the reimbursement was only at 75 percent. He encouraged attempting to increase the reserves to the suggested percentage guidelines.

Commr. Campione recalled that several years back, there was a time when legislature imposed a rollback situation on county governments, which was followed by the downturn in the economy and real estate values plummeted. She stated that Lake County got hit hard by that and was able to work off of reserves for a while. She encouraged thinking six to twelve months out especially in regards to what the assessments would look like when set in January 2021. She thought that if the County had to deplete reserves for hurricanes, and then faced a decline in property values in January 2021, as well as a declining economic situation, then she believed it would be extremely difficult to replenish the reserves. She encouraged caution moving forward due to the unknown.

Mr. Cole shared that he was expecting that FEMA would be quite busy with reimbursement requests from governments all across the country relating to COVID-19; therefore, he believed it could take much longer to receive hurricane relief reimbursement.

Commr. Breeden asked if there was any expected impact to the service level for disadvantaged transportation over the next year.

Mr. Cole replied that they did not anticipate having to reduce service levels due to the CARES Act funding from the FTA.

Commr. Parks then referred to a proposed 2020 Lake County Small Business Relief and Growth Grant Incentive Program which he had passed out to each of the Commissioners at the meeting. He felt that staff should continue to move forward with presenting options for assistance for small businesses if the County did receive relief funding, noting that he felt this could be done more directly than a millage rate cut. He explained that this was a topic he had discussed at several BCC meetings; therefore, these were some notes that he had compiled with his thoughts on a direction for this type of program.

Commr. Breeden thought it was too early to make a determination on this, and that possibly in July 2020 the Board might have a clearer picture of impacts and the budget. She thought it would be a great project to do; however, she felt that building reserves might be more important to focus on. She agreed that small businesses did need assistance, but she desired to have a better understanding of what the bottom line would potentially look like first.

Commr. Parks opined that budget numbers would already be decided by July 2020; therefore, if the Board wanted to do a program such as this, they would need to have an option to consider. He asked if a resolution would need to be done since this proposal was essentially an incentive program grant.

Ms. Marsh responded that it should probably be adopted by an ordinance and be part of the County Code.

Commr. Breeden opined that she did not feel that the Board would have to know exactly what the program would look like in order to set aside funding for it.

Commr. Parks believed that knowing who the program would be targeted towards would be important, and was the reason he was attempting to create a proposed program.

Comrm. Breeden commented that she did not see retail as a part of the proposed program.

Commr. Parks responded that he was not being specific in this proposal; rather, it was a general proposal so that staff could review, noting that he was open to ideas. He also suggested reaching out to the three local banks, and believed that an incentive such as this, which would be targeted to specific businesses, would be more beneficial than a tax cut.

Mr. Cole remarked that in anticipation of the Governor announcing that counties the size of Lake County could receive CARES Act funding which could potentially become grant funding for businesses, Mr. Matulka and his team were starting to develop some framework for how that could look since there might be a short time frame for spending the funding, which he thought was by the end of the calendar year.

Commr. Parks said that was helpful to know especially if the County could receive CARES Act funding; additionally, he shared that Mr. Matulka had invited staff into the conversations that Commissioner Parks was having with the banks. He encouraged the Commissioners to do their own research and have input. He reiterated his support of drafting a program at this point.

Commr. Campione cautioned that it would be important to be careful when communicating to businesses in order for them to understand that this program may or may not materialize; furthermore, this was merely to be prepared should the County receive CARES Act funding in order to establish the best process for getting funding to those who needed it.

Commr. Breeden stated that she agreed with it under that context.

Commr. Sullivan opined that the key was to be ready to implement and have a plan with official Board action prior to the funding being received. He mentioned that business owners who were a part of the TDC discussed the impacts to their businesses during their meeting the previous week. He relayed that the TDC moved marketing funding around to be utilized currently in order to have an impact right away, noting that it was funding that was already allocated and was not new funding. He agreed that a plan should be in place for any new funding that might be received through the CARES Act so the BCC could act as soon as possible once funding was received.

Mr. Cole clarified that if the County did not receive funding through the CARES Act, then staff would need to understand if the Board desired to utilize any ad valorem funding for this proposed program. He thought that the overall budget and reserve amounts might be clearer by the next Board meeting which could assist the Board with deciding if they wanted to place funding into this type of effort. He reiterated that they would not have a clear picture of revenue streams until later in the summer.

reports

county attorney

eustis isba agreement

Ms. Marsh provided an update on the Pine Meadows Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement (ISBA) between the County and the City of Eustis. She recalled that a joint meeting scheduled for May 2020 between the BCC and the Eustis City Council had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. She said that because of this, the Eustis Mayor, Eustis City Manager, County Manager, Chairman Campione and she had some phone conversations to discuss the Pine Meadows property portion of the agreement, noting that some concerns had been worked through. She indicated that this agreement was presented to the Eustis City Council for discussion purposes, and that it was her understanding that the Eustis City Council would address it on June 18, 2020 in order to adopt the Pine Meadows version. She relayed that the Eustis City Council desired to add an additional piece of property owned by Mr. John Keating; therefore, she stated that her recommendation to them was to adopt the agreement with those changes and then send it back to the County so they could present it to the BCC.

Commr. Campione commented that the City of Eustis had informed the County that the Keating property had a conservation easement on it. She explained that Mr. Keating had purchased the property from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) at the time the County had been deeded the property, which she noted became the County’s passive recreation area. She elaborated that the property Mr. Keating purchased had some uplands on it, was primarily wetlands, had limitations on the number of units that could be on it, and had the conservation easement as well. She relayed that the Eustis City Council’s concern was that if that property was not included in the ISBA, there could be a question in the future as to whether it created an enclave if Mr. Keating might desire to annex the property in the future. She said that by joining this property with the Pine Meadows property, it would take away that uncertainty and was the reason they wanted to include it with the Pine Meadows ISBA. She emphasized that it would be two separate land owners, and that if Pine Meadows decided to move towards annexation, it did not mean that Mr. Keating would have to annex his property.

Commr. Breeden asked if that agreement would come before the BCC at their first July 2020 meeting.

Ms. Marsh responded that it would depend on when the County Attorney’s Office might receive it as it would need to be adopted by ordinance which required a ten day advertising window, noting that if it came back quickly, then she could present it to the Board in July 2020.

Commr. Campione stressed the importance of timing with this agreement and inquired if there was a way for the BCC to make the change to the ordinance and help facilitate it faster.

Ms. Marsh replied that she could reach out to Ms. Cecelia Bonifay, the attorney representing the City of Eustis on this ISBA, to see if she had a draft of the agreement. She stated that if Ms. Bonifay did have a draft, then County staff could potentially get it on the BCC agenda; however, she said it would depend on whether the City decided to make any changes when they actually adopted it.

commissioners reports

commissioner sullivan – district 1

Tourist Development council marketing funding

Commr. Sullivan reiterated some of the comments he had already made regarding the TDC, noting that they planned to meet more often to discuss ways to assist businesses. He mentioned the importance of marketing the county in an effort to bring visitors to Lake County which helped many industries such as restaurants, hotels, and tourism. He explained that the TDC was working to utilize already allocated funds to support the marketing program and make it more relevant to what was happening in the world currently.

commissioner parks – district 2

RECOGNITION OF COUNTY STAFF

Commr. Parks complimented the great work of County staff, LASER, and Mr. Carpenter over the last several weeks, as well as Mr. Cole for the efforts to support the day’s hybrid BCC meeting. He also expressed support for the return of the traditional invocation at BCC meetings.

Mr. Cole shared that staff planned to return to invocations at the next BCC meeting.

commissioner BREEDEN – district 3

recognition of chairman campione

Commr. Breeden thanked Commissioner Campione for her leadership in making tough decisions, and expressed support for her judgement, noting that she believed actions were made in an effort to protect businesses and residents.

Commr. Campione commented that her preference was to make decisions as a Board; however, when she did have to make decisions as the Chairman, she took into consideration what she believed her fellow Commissioners would desire as well as utilized the best information available. She relayed that her desire was to do the right action for residents and businesses.

commissioner blake – district 5

response to current situations

Commr. Blake said it was great to gather together, and expressed agreement with Commissioner Breeden’s comments as well as Commissioner Campione’s response to concerns regarding the decision to have a curfew for the county. He felt that there should be universal condemnation for any abuse of power against anyone; likewise, he opined that rioting and arson were not appropriate ways to protest and should also be condemned. He relayed his hope and prayers for the community, state and country.

commissioner CAMPIONE – district 4

thanking staff

Commr. Campione thanked staff for working together to make this meeting successful, and felt that County staff had done a phenomenal job keeping the county running, servicing customers, and showing professionalism during these difficult times.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:11 p.m.

_________________________________

leslie campione, chairman

ATTEST:

________________________________

GARY J COONEY, CLERK