AT A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS HELD IN
AND FOR GADSDEN COUNTY, FLORIDA ON MAY 3, 2011,
AT 6:00 P.M. THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HAD, VIZ.
PRESENT:
Sherrie Taylor, Chair,
District 5
Gene Morgan,
Vice-Chair, District 3
Eugene
Lamb, District 1
Doug Croley,
District 2
Brenda Holt,
District 4
Nicholas Thomas,
Clerk
Debra Minnis,
County Attorney
Arthur Lawson,
Interim County Administrator
CALL TO ORDER
The chairman called the meeting to order
at 6:00 p.m. followed by the invocation, pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag
and the roll call. (See roll call
results as noted above.)
UPON MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HOLT AND
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER LAMB, THE CHAIR DECLARED A RECEES FOR 10 MINUTES.
AMENDMENTS
TO AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Add as Item 2A: Appointment of
Representative of the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioner for the
Torreya State Park Advisory Group
Lamb/Holt approve the amended agenda.
4 – 0 (Croley was not present)
AWARDS,
PRESENTATIONS & APPEARANCES
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1. |
Information Regarding Possible Impact
of Senior Citizen Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Property Appraiser Clay VanLandingham addressed the Board. He passed out materials to each commissioner.
Page 2 – census information 13% of population is over 65 - 349
homesteads would qualify. Calhoun County – total value that was exempted was $6.75
million $67,000 in taxes. Wakulla County – 8 million value was exempted lost $68,000 in taxes Leon County 2010 - 1,743 qualifying seniors with total value
of $39.75 million - lost $332,000 Lamb wants the committee to look at $15,000 and $20,000 exemption.
And bring this back to the Board for action. Commissioner Holt was supportive. Commissioner Croley was in favor of the full $50,000. Commissioner Taylor was in favor of the full $50,000. However, for the first two to three years,
do only $15,000 until we can gather concrete information and know the full
impact. Commissioner Holt/Lamb approve it to $25,000. Croley asked for amendment to increase
it to $50,000. Commissioner Holt would not amend. 5 – 0 to move forward with $25,000 for
discussion only with the advisory committee.
Bring this back as agenda item at the next meeting. Taylor/Holt motion to bring back at
next meeting. |
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2. |
Estimated 2011 Property Values for Ad
Valorem Purposes The county is in better shape than he had originally
anticipated. The values are down $3.5 million on property only. The result will be approximately $100,000
loss in revenue from ad valorem taxes.
Good News!! |
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2A. |
Appointment
of Representative of the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioner for the
Torreya State Park Advisory Group Lew Scruggs appeared before the board. He gave a brief explanation of why an
appointment is necessary. Mr. Lawson recommended Robert Presnell Holt/Lamb 5 – 0 |
CLERK OF
COURT
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3. |
Presentation
of County Finance and County Clerk Issues |
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Clerk Nicholas Thomas
reported that all departments are still within the budget. He recommended that they can continue their
spending as budgeted. Do not add any
more spending to your budget. Revenue
seems to be o.k. at this point. He
encouraged them to focus on next year’s budget. Just follow your budget. |
CONSENT
AGENDA (Items 4 – 10)
Item 7 was
pulled for discussion.
UPON MOTION
BY COMMISSIONER LAMB AND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HOLT, THE BOARD VOTED 5 – 0, BY
VOICE VOTE TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS LISTED IN ITEMS 4 – 6 AND 8- 10
BELOW.
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4. |
Approval
of Minutes of March 1, 2011 Regular Meeting |
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5. |
Ratification
of Approval to Pay County Bills Accounts
Payable Vouchers Dated: April
21, 2011 April
29, 2011 Payroll Dated: April 21,
2011 |
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6. |
Approval
of Resolution 2011-017 Proclaiming May 15 – 21, 2011 as Emergency Medical
Services Week and Authorization for the Chairperson to Execute |
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7. |
Approval
of Interlocal Agreement with City of Quincy for Mosquito Control Services This item was seeking BOCC approval to enter into an interlocal
agreement with the City of Quincy for the purposes of acting as a fiscal
agent for funds from the State of Florida for the City of Quincy Mosquito
Control Program. The Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services approved and authorized the
City of Quincy to perform mosquito control services under the Gadsden County
work plan. As such, Gadsden County
will act as the fiscal agent to deliver State of Florida funds to the City of
Quincy in the sum of $6,500 to fund their mosquito control program. The agreement holds the county harmless for any acts of the City of
Quincy. The county will only act as
the fiscal agent to receive the funds from the State of Florida. This interlocal agreement is required by
the county’s procurement policy. |
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8. |
Approval
to Declare Obsolete IT Equipment as Surplus and Grant Authority to Dispose of
the Surplus Equipment The county has accumulated a large amount of lap top computers,
CPU’s and copiers that are no longer functional or usable by the county. The staff has inventoried the property and
compiled a list, which describes the condition of the equipment. All the items are listed as being in
bad/poor condition. The staff has
requested permission to dispose of the property. The BOCC must first declare that the
equipment is obsolete and grant authority for it’s disposal. |
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9. |
Approval
to accept the Standard contract Between the State of Florida Department of
Revenue and the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners Contract Number
CSS20 This contract is the standard agreement between the Department of
Revenue and Gadsden County that is routinely renewed every three years. The agreement reimburses the county for
services provided for the delivery of supbpoenas and writs of bodily
attachments on all Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement actions by the
courts. Services under this contract are paid on a percentage basis and
there is no set budget amount. The
State of Florida’s performance and obligation to pay under the terms of this
contract is contingent upon annual appropriation by the Florida Legislature
with matching funds available by the Federal government. It is slightly different than past
agreements in that it doesn’t include a firm budgeted amount but will use a
Rate Agreement. It will preclude
having to do amendment sto increase the contract value as has been the case
in the past years. Invoices and
supporting documentations must be mailed to the DOR rather than emailed or
faxed. |
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10. |
Steritech
Pest Control, Inc. – Post Approval of the Contract and Renewal Agreement
between Gadsden County and Steritech The above named agreement is for pest control services for the
unused portion of the hospital space and the grounds. Steritech is the choice vendor of Capital
Regional Medical Center who is leasing a portion of the hospital. As a large corporation, they were able to
facilitate the service at a lower rate due to the volume of work that
Steritech does for them. The only contract in place bears the signature of Clyde Collins,
Building Inspector who is not authorized to sign contracts that will obligate
the county to pay. However, due to
the urgent situation to get the hospital open by the June deadline date,
under the emergency provisions granted by the board dealing with the
hospital, the county administrator authorized the services and Mr. Collins
signature. It was an oversight by
staff that the agreement was not brought to the board for ratification of the
contract. However, almost a year has
passed and it is now up for renewal. Finance
Director Connie McLendon has requested that the original agreement be brought
to the BOCC for post approved and be signed
by the chairman. As well, she has
requested approval of the extension of the contract until May 30, 2012. |
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CONSENT
ITEMS PULLED FOR DISCUSSION |
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7. |
Approval
of Interlocal Agreement with City of Quincy for Mosquito Control Services This item was seeking BOCC approval to enter into an interlocal
agreement with the City of Quincy for the purposes of acting as a fiscal
agent for funds from the State of Florida for the City of Quincy Mosquito
Control Program. The Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services approved and authorized the
City of Quincy to perform mosquito control services under the Gadsden County
work plan. As such, Gadsden County
will act as the fiscal agent to deliver State of Florida funds to the City of
Quincy in the sum of $6,500 to fund their mosquito control program. The agreement holds the county harmless for any acts of the City of
Quincy. The county will only act as
the fiscal agent to receive the funds from the State of Florida. This interlocal agreement is required by
the county’s procurement policy. Lamb/Holt change language to disperse quarterly upon
proper documentation to finance department 5 - 0 |
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CITIZENS
REQUESTING TO BE HEARD ON NON AGEDNA ITEMS |
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Alice
Dupont – invited commissioners to Quincyfest on Friday night downtown
Quincy |
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PUBLIC
HEARINGS |
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11. |
Request
by Charlie Harris and Agent Auburn Ford for Gadsden County to Apply for 2011
CDBG Economic Development Grant and to
Hold Two Public Hearings in Support of
the Application Chairman declared opening of a public hearing. (The first of two required hearings) The purpose of the CDBG grant would be to install infrastructure at
the site of Gussie’s Garden Inn Assisted Living Care Facility located on West
US 90 next to Bradwell’s Funeral Home.
Mr. Harris is converting his Sirrah
Mini Strorage Facility into the 48 bed Assisted Living Facility. It will create 11 jobs that will benefit
low to moderate income people. The site is currently serviced by septic tanks. With the improvement of infrastructure, Mr.
Harris would be able to hook up to the sewer lines from the City of
Quincy. In addition to the sewer
lines, the grant would allow for lighting and paving of the access roads. The county staff is proceeding with the grant. Auburn Ford addressed the board.
He read into the record the proposed use of the grant funds. He asked the board to make a
recommendation for which category the staff should apply for. Chair Taylor called for public input. There was no response. Board discussion followed. Commissioner Holt – Enterprise Zone or Empowerment Zone funds – are
there any out there from the federal government. Commissioner Croley supported the project. He asked the diameter of the sewer
line. 8 inch. Other businesses would have adequate
capacity to tap in. Holt/Lamb
moved approval to move forward to apply for economic development funds for
the 2010 funding cycle for $400,000.00 5 – 0 |
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GENERAL
BUSINESS |
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12. |
Board
Discussion and Approval of New Fire Service Contracts for all Volunteer Fire
Departments in Gadsden County Chief Crum appeared before the board. Current contracts expire September 30,
2011. Howard McKinnon, Town Manager, appeared on behalf of Town of Havana – they will take a
significant decrease in funding. They
have one of the highest call volume in the county, yet they received a
decrease. He asked for
reconsideration to restore them to full funding. They maintain 52 fire hydrants that are
actually in the county. He asked for
an additional $7,000. That amount will
reimburse them for their direct cost. Commissioner Croley – half of Havana is in District 2 – want to make
sure the formula is fair. Chief Crum
did not take that into consideration in his calculations. Other municipalities do not maintain
hydrants. Commissioner Croley was in support of the additional consideration
in light of the fact that they maintain hydrants in the county. Commissioner Lamb – communicated to Mr. Crum re the allocation. He did a good job, but he asked him to go
back and do something to offset the loss of funds. Mr. Lawson – they will be glad to go back and look for additional
resources for the Town of Havana. They
do sell water to residents outside the city limits. They get Commissioner Holt – opposed to the call volume system for determining the allocation. Need to tweak it and move on. Commissioner Morgan – appreciate the efforts made. The proposal is fair, but all departments
are looking at increases except for Chattahoochee and Havana. They are both water providers, yet they got
hit the hardest in terms of revenue.
He was in favor of meeting the shortfall for the city of Havana. Lamb/Croley
direct administrator find additional
$7,000 for the Town of Havana approve
the contracts. 5 – 0 |
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13. |
Board
Approval to Continue Florida State Hospital’s Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) until Revoked or Suspended by the Gadsden
County Board of County Commissioners and Authorization for the Chairman to
Execute Morgan/Croley
approve – 5 – 0 |
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14. |
Approval
to Terminate Interlocal Agreement with the City of Chattahoochee for Delivery
of Solid Waste to the Byrd Landfill Lamb/Holt
approve termination effective at the beginning of this fiscal year. 5 – 0 |
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15. |
Discussion
of a County-wide Spending Freeze Commissioner Morgan requested this item to be placed on the
agenda. We know that ad valorem revenue will be down $100,000 to
$175,000. We do not know what is
coming from the State yet. The fund
balance is going down and it is not expected to increase this year. His intent was to be very aware of the
dollars that we spend between now and the end of the year. Focus on staying within the budgeted
expenditures. Mind the store and keep
them within the budget. |
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16. |
Approval
to Retain Government Services Group to Perform Special Tax Assessment
Services for Allen Ranch Road and Approve the Chairperson to Sign the Work
Program $5,000 for the first step to come from professional services in the
public works budget. Charles Chapman addressed the board. Lamb/Taylor to move forward.
5 - 0 We need to do something to collect the money on the other roads. Taylor/Holt motion look at what we have in place to collect those
dollars and strengthen it so that we do not continue to make the same
mistake. 5 - 0 |
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COUNTY
ADMINISTRATOR’S AGENDA |
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17. |
Update on
Board Requests Legal Services contract has
expired – Lamb/Morgan motion to stay with the current firm and renegotiate
contract – bring it back to board –
Ausley Law Firm Commissioner Holt
wants history of this firm. Lamb/Holt motion to have this
item agendaed to continue with Preble Rish
4 – 1(Taylor) EAR Report Consultant
–Holt/Lamb motion to go out to bid for
this service. 5 - 0 Holt want to hear what Preble Rish has to say about what is going on
with the EAR. |
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18. |
Update on
Various Legal Issues Emergency
Management agreement with the Sheriff – Status Report |
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DISCUSSION
ITEMS BY THE COMMISSIONERS |
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19a. |
Commissioner
Lamb, District 1 |
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19b. |
Commissioner
Croley, District 2 Re-emphasize need for safety study for Salem Road. 200 people working at Coastal Lumber. The infrastructure is challenged. Bridges are failing. The
turn at Salem and Woodward Road.
Requested the commission to put it on the agenda with report from
Public Works. Croley/Morgan 5 – 0 motioned
that Salem Road and bridges and culverts
throughout the county be agendaed for discussion. What are the plans for seeking new administrator? No plans until new budget year. |
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19c. |
Commissioner
Holt, District 4 Grant Application for Restoration of Friendship Park Administrator will look to find out if there is any funds available
from the legislature. Economic Development Asked to hold workshops. Hiring of Manager |
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19d. |
Commissioner
Morgan, District 3 Install video panels
installed in the board chambers Commended Charles Chapman and Chief Crum |
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19e. |
Chair
Taylor, District 5 Salary of
Interim Want to put this item on the agenda for discussion. Present salary, benefits, etc. to be
provided as background. Retro back to
when he began. Lamb/Holt to come back on the agenda. 5 –
0 Jail
Director Needs two people to sit on the Inmate Trust Fund Board – Lawson to
submit 2 names Holt/Lamb have Mr. Lawson submit 2 names. 5 – 0 Extension
Office Roof $95,000 - Taylor recommended
that funds be taken from existing budget.
Take money from budget line items that have “soft money” at the point
of ¾ of the year is over. USDA
Rural Development 70% grant 30% loan have Mr.
Lawson move his staff into place to
dedicate time to applying for these funds immediately. Taylor/Lamb 5 – 0 Motion to Adjourn. 8: 30 p.m.
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RECEIPT
AND FILE AGEND FOR THE RECORD |
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20a. |
County’s Management Letter in Response to Audit Findings by Purvis
Gray & Company |
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20b. |
Letter to Department of Community Affairs requesting a six-month
extension to complete the EAR adoption process for Gadsden County |
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20c. |
Receipt of Budget Approval
for Grant 2011-JAGC-GADS-1-B2-072 Agreement Number 1 By Office of
Criminal Justice Grants, Florida Department of Law Enforcement -Edward Byrne Memorial JAG Program - Area Drug Taskforce |