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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCBC Minutes 02_17_2023 APPROVED CITIZENS’ BUDGET COMMITTEE ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA Regular Meeting February 17, 2023 Convened: 7:31 AM Adjourned: 9:47 AM 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:31 AM by Chair, Mr. John Culverhouse. He announced the recent resignation of Jake Sanders who was appointed by Commissioner Linda Bartz. Mr. Culverhouse welcomed new committee member Sheffield Abood who has been appointed by Commissioner Larry Leet. MEMBERS PRESENT: John Culverhouse, Chair Barry Mucklow Hector Rodriguez, Vice Chair Jeff Emmeluth Richard Pancoast Carl Hensley Tavaris Williams Ed Lounds Gwen Morris Harvey Alligood Ron Parrish Sheffield Abood MEMBERS ABSENT: Chris Cicio OTHERS PRESENT: Jennifer Hill Mark Lauzier Lori Rocky Ron Guerrero Patrick Dayan Katherine Hensley Jennifer Krause Amy Griffin Jamie Fowler Jaime Morales Regular Meeting Friday, February 17, 2023 7:30 AM 2 | Page 2. PUBLIC COMMENT No member of the public spoke. Mr. Ed Lounds expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the marvelous job the road patching crews have done west of Jenkins Road. He asked that his thanks be passed along for the work they have also completed on North FFA Road. 3. APPROVAL OF JANUARY 20, 2023 MINUTES A motion was made by Mr. Richard Pancoast to approve the minutes and seconded by Mr. Hector Rodriguez. All being in favor, the Committee unanimously approved the January 20, 2023 minutes. 4. AGENDA ITEMS A. PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW Public Safety Director Mr. Ron Guerrero introduced himself and shared an overview of the department. He explained there are 73 employees serving its 5 divisions. The divisions are Animal Safety Services, Emergency Management, Ocean Rescue/Marine Safety, Public Safety Communications (911 & 800 MHz Radio), and Radiological Emergency Preparedness. He gave a brief summary of each division’s responsibilities. Animal Safety plays a very important role in enforcing the County’s ordinances concerning the welfare and protection of pets within unincorporated areas of St. Lucie County. The team’s mission is to safeguard the pets from neglect and cruelty as well as educate the public about responsible pet ownership and provide programs such as the Spay/Neuter Assistance, and Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return (TNVR) to decrease the number of unwanted pets in the community. In March of 2022, the first county-owned animal holding facility opened with a capacity of 34 kennels and 6 stainless steel cages available for smaller dogs. In FY22 a total of 1,061 pet licenses were issued, 168 pets were reunited with their owners, and 159 were transferred to area animal rescue agencies that have partnered with our County. Another 116 owned pets participated in the Spay and Neuter Assistance Program. St. Lucie’s population growth has impacted the number of calls for service. In the last two fiscal years (From FY20 to FY22), calls have increased 96%. Due to the limited number of Animal Safety Officers providing coverage countywide, call logs are backed up, which have added additional overtime as well as having the officers work through their lunch. Mr. Guerrero’s proposed solution is to add 2 additional Animal Safety Officer positions to fiscal year 24 to ensure all calls are handled in a timely manner and to decrease OT. Mr. Guerrero explained that many people think Emergency Management is just for hurricanes, but it is much more than that. Emergency Management is the organization and management of the resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies (prevention, preparedness, Regular Meeting Friday, February 17, 2023 7:30 AM 3 | Page response, mitigation, and recovery). The aim is to reduce the negative impacts of all hazards, including natural and human-made disasters. The Emergency Management Division prepares for disasters and emergencies by reviewing and updating county emergency plans, conducting drills and exercises, coordinating with internal and external partners, and educating our community in disaster preparedness. One of the current Emergency Management priorities is the completion of the Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government plan. This plan works to ensure St. Lucie County Government and all constitutional offices have procedures to continue providing essential services following a catastrophic event. In the event of an EOC activation, the sleeping quarters do not have the capacity to accommodate all staff deployed to the EOC. Additionally, parking space is maximized during routine trainings and activations. EOC is focused on building and parking lot expansion to provide adequate space. The Ocean Rescue/Marine Safety Division provides marine-animal and water safety education and medical response to emergencies at St. Lucie County's 2 designated beaches. The Ocean Rescue Division is committed to ensuring residents and visitors have a safe and enjoyable visit to our beautiful beaches, 365 days a year. The fine group of men and women are Florida certified emergency medical technicians. St. Lucie County has been dealing with the effects of the nationwide lifeguard shortage. Due to the shortage and competitive pay in other jurisdictions, it has been challenging having an optimal number of lifeguards. In order to be competitive and bring qualified lifeguards, a solution for discussion is to implement a salary adjustment for current staff and increase the starting salary by ten percent to $44,638 or $21.46 per hour. The Communications Center serves the residents and visitors of St. Lucie County as the 911 Public Safety Answering Point. The team at the 911 Center received a total of 390,852 911 calls last year, a 32% increase from last year. In addition, they received a total of 229,510 administrative-line calls (non- emergency), a 7.7% increase from 2021. Additionally, they received 699 texts to 911. The county has experienced challenges filling vacancies due to the national shortage of 911 dispatchers. With 22 vacancies (18 full-time and 4 part-time) County dispatchers work mandatory overtime shifts every week. The challenge the County is experiencing is the hiring and retention of 911 dispatchers due to salaries being higher in neighboring jurisdictions. Director Guerrero suggests a solution for discussion be to implement a salary adjustment for current staff and increase the starting salary to $53,000 per year. The Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Division develops and exercises methods and plans in order to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from incidents involving St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. This team’s responsibility includes protection of the public’s health and safety in the event of a radiological incident at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. The REP Division plans, educates, and exercises with our local partners (law enforcement and fire) in compliance with federal regulations and the FEMA REP manual. This program relies on effective technology to communicate notifications and evaluate safety precautions as required. The REP Program purchases and coordinates maintenance of radiological detection equipment, which is utilized by the law enforcement agencies and the fire district. Regular Meeting Friday, February 17, 2023 7:30 AM 4 | Page Mr. Sheffield Abood asked what oversight Public Safety is planning to provide in terms of public safety for Brightline. Mr. Guerrero stated that the department will coordinate with the Sheriff’s Office, Fire District, and through Brightline. He explained that Brightline has someone in charge of their security and safety program, just like FPL, who will work and coordinate with the County for any emergency that occurs. Public Works Director Patrick Dayan explained that the County has been getting updated road crossings at all the crossings along the FEC corridor. They have been issuing permits and making sure that all of their crossings meet what’s called sealed corridor designs. Effectively, that means there is either a median, 4 gates, or something else to prevent people from trying to snake around the crossing as the arms are dropping down. A huge component of this is education on Brightline’s part. He stressed this train will be remarkably different than what the people that are living here have been used to for the last 100 years the train has been running. Average freight speeds are around 50-60 miles per hour, and this one will be doing 110, so it is tremendously different. B. AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN UPDATE Mrs. Lori Rocky gave an update presentation on the American Rescue Plan. Mrs. Lori Rocky provided an update on the American Rescue Plan with information current as of December 31, 2022. She handles the compliance and reporting for the American Rescue Plan. The County aims: to ensure compliance with the Treasury guidelines to limit funding claw back, ensure reporting is accurate and timely, to focus on transparency for use of funds, communicate the investments being made in our community, and to implement projects within timeframes established by the Treasury. The County received $63.7 million dollars which is required to be obligated or encumbered by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026. Mrs. Rocky highlighted a few BOCC local recovery allocations. The County has contracted with the counseling center Integrated Health Systems for the Veterans Mental Health program. The $200,000 for that service is being used by the Community Services division to allow for outreach to veterans that currently have no benefits but may qualify for services. This counselling service helps get them on track to receive the VA benefits they’re entitled to. There is $200,000 allocated for the Medical Examiner’s Office needs study. The interlocal agreement for the was signed in November. The 4 counties included are Indian River, Okeechobee, Martin, and Saint Lucie. The Board allocated $500,000 for the Housing Hub program, a homeless shelter through the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council. The funds are paid $250,000 annually for 2 years, paid quarterly as reimbursements for expenses to ensure that $53,000 remains available each quarter. The Housing Needs Assessment has $150,000 allocated. This program focuses on affordable workforce housing, not to be confused with low-income housing programs such as Section 8. Regular Meeting Friday, February 17, 2023 7:30 AM 5 | Page The Jail Medical Wing Study’s contract was executed in August of 2022. The gathering of data took place from August 2022 through January 2023. The site visit was last week, and the estimated completion is June 2023. Mrs. Rocky introduced the ongoing stormwater projects. She gave an update on the statuses and phases of each. Seven of the stormwater projects are under design and on track. The Utility infrastructure projects were discussed, and Mrs. Rocky gave the status and estimated costs of a few. Some projects are under design for construction, awaiting DEP permits, or waiting for proposals. Mr. Ed Lounds had questions about why the County would spend money to take water out of the aquifer, and then have to spend money on a deep injection well to put it back in. Mr. George Landry explained that about 20% of water pulled from the aquifer is brine, which can’t be used and has to be put back in. The wells to pull the water out of the ground are about 700-800 feet deep, however the wells to put the water back in are about 4,000 feet deep and must be encased in cement all the way down. Mr. Tavaris Williams asked if it would be possible to share the written policy and procedure for the Veterans mental health project. Mrs. Rocky and Mrs. Hill said they would discuss getting that information and distribute to the members. C. FY24 BUDGET UPDATE OMB Director Jennifer Hill gave a budget update with a presentation on budget challenges and considerations. Because values are determined by estimates on January 1st, OMB feels the tax base will grow again this year in both new construction and existing tax base, however, the real estate market has softened significantly. She stated it is highly unlikely that the total tax base growth would be anywhere near the level in 2022 which provided a tax base increase of 17.8% above the prior year. The budget prep tax base growth assumption has not been determined. The new County Commission previously expressed a desire to implement additional property tax relief, however, at the informal meeting with the BOCC on Feb. 7th, no further tax policy guidance was obtained. The Board of County Commission’s tax rate policy decision requires finding the sweet spot where budget demands and tax rate considerations achieve maximizing services, addressing needs, and minimizing tax impacts. Balancing these issues within the current tax base growth environment is the challenge. Her presentation addressed cost increases, tax relief revenue impacts, population growth, and current and future infrastructure investments. Mr. Harvey Alligood offered to write a recommendation from the Committee regarding the balance between infrastructure, maintenance and keeping with best practices. Mrs. Hill agreed that some recommendations are helpful. The Committee agreed that would be a good plan and that OMB will distribute it to the members. Regular Meeting Friday, February 17, 2023 7:30 AM 6 | Page 5. OTHER ISSUES No other issues were brought forth. 6. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Culverhouse adjourned the meeting at 9:47AM. The next CBC meeting is scheduled for March 17, 2023 at 7:30AM, in Conference Room 3, of the St. Lucie County Roger Poitras Administration Annex. Respectfully submitted by: Lenita Evans