Highlights of Tomorrow's Lake County Board Agenda Items

Tavares, FL  - Monday, Jan. 21, 2013

This posting was sent out first to our email list.

Tomorrow’s Jan 22nd Lake County Board Agenda can be found here http://lakecountyfl.suiteonemedia.com/web/home.aspx  .  – click the highlighted “Agenda” for the 1/22/2013 BCC – Regular Board Meeting & Zoning. That will take you to the “Agenda Items & Files” tab of the online agenda.   Notice there are several tabs at top. To see the normal agenda you can print, click the tab button at the top of that web page labeled “Agenda”. They are using new software which is terrible, so allow time to wade through it.   The meetings will be in the round County Administration building.  The morning meeting starts at 9am and the budget workshop at 1:30 pm. Highlights: -          Afternoon Budget Workshop:    There is an AFTERNOON 1:30 pm workshop to discuss budget issues for:  “animal services, outside agencies (any outside agency that the County gives money to), and economic development. “   The Agenda, under section XI. At the END of the agenda, only says “Budget Workshop” and intentionally does not disclose which departments are covered.   We got the above description from the Board’s staff last week.   There also are no attachments.    However, expect the staff and board to discuss

whether to increase pet owner fees and issue citations for pets who do not have tags which should raise $500,000 to $1-million per year to help offset pet related services like the animal shelter which cost the property taxpayer over $1.2-million.   We wrote an earlier article on this, and it was covered by the press.

-          Zoning Issues are discussed today in section VI: This meeting includes the planning and zoning issues and the agenda is here (Note:  A mining issue was canceled) – read the notices after the “Adjourn” line item of this agenda:

• http://www.lakecountyfl.gov/pdfs/P&Z_Agendas/012213.pdf   

-          Public Input for Consent agenda items or items not labeled a public hearing issue are given after section I. Agenda Update, under the section labeled “Citizen Question & Comment Period”.

-          TAB items 1-19 are “Consent Agenda” Items, which means the Board will approve them without discussion, so if you want to provide public comment about them, you have to do it in the Citizen Question section.  Sometimes a Board member will “pull” an item to discuss it, and that step will be discussed in the first section I – Agenda Update.

-          Tab 17 – The Board will approve issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds for Goodwill Industries for $3.6-million.   These “IRB’s” use the County credit rating to get better interest rates but my research indicates the County does not guarantee the bonds with public money.  Thus, if they fail, the County is not on the hook.   IRB’s are limited per County, so not many non-profits or businesses use them.  However, if you are in business as a competing thrift store and do not get IRB’s, then the County is giving a subsidy of lower bond rates to Goodwill and not you.   It also means all the facilities will not be subject to property taxes, unlike other businesses.  At some point, all of Lake County will become non-profit organizations due to the extensive subsidies and tax avoidance schemes given only to non-profits like these.

-          Section VII is Public Hearings for Tabs 20-23 – read them if you want to give public input when they are discussed

-          Tab 25 Motorola Radio System Service (Maintenance) Agreement Increase – This is the contract that requires annual maintenance fees over $1.5-million each year.  About three years ago, no one tracked that the first annual payment was due and had not budgeted for it.  The staff had to take funds from the EMS funds to pay for it due to lack of any system to ensure all contract terms were budgeted.  NOW they are increasing it by over $226,000 per year and we will see if the reason is discussed and reasonable.

-          Tab 26 – Roundabout at CR561 & CR455.   The staff want to spend your “Free Money” Federal funds by getting a “100% grant funded” grant to pay $271,000  for it.   So, if you believe we might as well grab any Federal funds now before we are all bankrupt, then this is a good thing.  If you think creating a roundabout for $271,000 is a waste, tell your Commissioners.  I wish we could call for a referendum of the public whether local agencies should keep applying for Federal grants, or tell them to stuff it.   It all results in the Federal government adding more debt or inflationary currency to pay for it.

-          Tab 27 – TRANSPORTATION Impact Fees & Update of Duncan Report – The Board will get an update on calculated rates to charge if currently waived Transportation Impact Fees are not renewed by the end of March.   The new “Duncan” study (see links below – I got it from the CFAC Committee – you can read both Powerpoints) has updated the fees needed to pay for new transportation infrastructure resulting from new residential and commercial construction.   The Fees have DROPPED considerably in the new study, and commercial fees were dropped in earlier years, so there are no longer huge fees of $100,000 for many new business buildings.   The Board could adopt the proposed fees at 100% or discount them by 50% or other rate, so this will affect new construction.   If you think all property owners should pay for expanding road systems due to new growth, the support continued waivers.   If you think (like me) that the owners of new construction should pay for the costs of new road systems due to their added developments, then support dropping the waivers and requiring impact fees.   The homebuilders and commercial developers fight these waivers because they want to shift the cost of new roads to everyone and not just to new construction.   Below are the two Powerpoints on the Duncan report and CFAC recommendations:

• January 14,2013 Transportation Impact Fee Update
• CFAC Impact Fee Presentation   <<< second Powerpoint published Jan. 17.
  

That’s it – don’t forget the budget workshop is at 1:30 pm.

Vance Jochim

Lake County Fiscal Rangers

Chief Fiscal Watchdog

Volunteers Searching for Ways to Improve Local Government Fiscal Management, Efficiency & Effectiveness

PO Box 1042

Tavares, FL 32778

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