BOARD OF
SEPTEMBER 13, 2006
The
following is a non-verbatim transcript of the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING OF SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA,
held at 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, September 13, 2006, in the SEMINOLE COUNTY SERVICES BUILDING at
Present:
Chairman
Vice Chairman Bob Dallari (District 1)
Commissioner Randy Morris (District 2)
Commissioner Brenda Carey (District 5)
Commissioner Dick Van Der Weide (District
3)
County Manager Cindy Coto
Deputy Clerk Eva Roach
The
Invocation was given by Commissioner Van Der Weide.
Commissioner
Dallari led the Pledge of Allegiance.
PROOFS
OF PUBLICATION
Motion by Commissioner Van Der Weide,
seconded by Commissioner Dallari to authorize filing the proofs of publication
for this meeting's scheduled public hearings.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
TENTATIVE
SEMINOLE
The
booklet for the proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2006/2007 was received and
filed.
Chairman
Henley reviewed the purpose of the public hearing and the preliminary comments
as outlined in the budget book. He
stated a second public hearing for the adoption of the non-ad valorem
assessment rolls for Street Lighting Districts and
Municipal Services Benefit Units will follow
the proposed budget hearing.
Cindy
Coto,
Lisa Spriggs, Fiscal Services Director,
addressed the Board to advise that page 5 of the Budget Book shows the summary
table of the proposed millage rates for FY 2006/2007.
Lin
Polk, Acting Budget Manager, addressed the Board to read into the Record the proposed
millage:
Ms.
Spriggs advised the voted debt millage levy for voter approved natural lands
trails rates levy is .1451, which is down .059 from prior years’ levy and .1049
below the 2000 voter approved levy of .25 mills. This levy will continue to decline to 2013
when the program expires. She stated
pages 7 and 8 shows a summary of the budget as submitted to the Board and subsequently
adjusted to reflect the proposed budget of $744,863,491. The adjustments column totals $3,133,716,
which represents certain adjustments to fund revenues, and it is detailed on page
9 through 12.
Ms.
Polk stated the proposed budget for the General Fund is $269,915,137; total
Special Revenue Funds is $302,326,089; total Debt Service Funds is $13,318,463;
total Capital Projects Funds is $38,074,538; total Enterprise Funds is $105,654,264;
total Internal Revenue Funds is $15,575,000, and the total proposed budget for
FY 2006/2007 is $744,863,491.
Kathleen
Clark,
Chairman
Henley informed Ms. Clark that she is referring to the assessment and the State
law as it relates to the 3% cap.
Ms.
Clark stated she feels the Board needs to be made aware of what is happening. She stated since she bought a home that is
safer, she’s going from a normal tax bill to a tax bill that represents
something more than a $1/2 million to a $1 million home.
Commissioner
Morris stated the BCC is a separate individually elected Constitutional officer
representing their budget. He stated the
Property Appraiser sent out different information this year. He said the 3% “Save Our Homes” Act is
causing major disparities with people living in a home for a while and those
who just recently bought a home. He
recommended meeting with the Property Appraiser’s office to see if they can fix
this problem.
Commissioner
Van Der Weide stated those problems are State problems and the one thing the
BCC can do is lower the millage to help the residents relieve their problems.
Ms.
Clark stated this is a huge change and the 3% cap is supposed to protect your
home and it is not protecting it. She
stated she is in favor of lowering the millage.
Matt
Powell indicated that he does not wish to speak.
Edward Dedelow,
Ramin
Kalhor,
Commissioner
Morris stated this government is a very conservative government but government
costs have gone up incredibly. Most governments
in
Don
Asumu,
Chairman
Henley reminded everyone that those who buy higher priced homes and those who
are being reevaluated due to property price increases are the ones getting hit
the most.
Robert
Kissinger,
Commissioner
Van Der Weide stated he feels the people in
Chairman
Henley stated the Legislature needs to put a cap on the costs they pass onto
local government.
Commissioner
Morris stated everyone loves the tax-free holidays, but it comes back on the
local government to pay for those services.
He stated he believes the “Save Our Homes” is going to be expanded and
they are not going to put restrictions on local governments.
Mr.
Kissinger stated people will not want to move to
Mr.
McMillan left the meeting at this time.
John
West,
Chairman
Henley explained to Mr. West where the money goes that is being generated from
sales of property and how the public has access to this information.
Ms.
Spriggs advised that there is a detailed version of the proposed budget on the
web site as well as the summary document.
She said information is also included on the Property Appraiser’s web site. She advised it will include every source of
revenue and changes from previous years.
Mr.
McMillan reentered the meeting at this time.
Chairman
Henley stated the decisions made tonight are tentative and the final decision
will be made at the next public hearing.
He stated he feels it is important the Board considers the services that
the people are demanding and that it is sustainable.
No
one else spoke in support or in opposition.
Speaker
Request and Written Comment Forms were received and filed.
Commissioner
Van Der Weide stated he feels due to an increase in property taxes and drastic
increase of homeowner’s insurance, the citizens are getting caught in the
middle. If the Board doesn’t adjust the
budget a little, there will be an exodus from this State, which could create a
bigger problem than what they have now.
He feels the Board can at least lower the millage at one point and
readdress this next year through the budget process. He suggested rolling back the millage from
4.9989 to 4.9575, which is $1.2 million.
He recommended taking that money out of the reserves. Discussion ensued.
Commissioner
Carey stated she doesn’t want to take the money out of reserves, but she would
like staff to take a look at the budget as there are a lot of things in it where
they can make some adjustments. She said
she would also like to see what a 5-year projection would be.
Commissioner
Morris stated
Commissioner Van Der Weide stated the people
are here to get relief and it is the Board’s job to address that issue. He is recommending that Ms. Spriggs come back
with a history of the County’s reserves before the second public hearing.
Ms.
Spriggs stated the undesignated General Fund reserves are $13.1 million.
Chairman
Henley stated a large majority of the people in the County have not bought a
new home and are not impacted to the extent of those who have upgraded. He stated he feels the Board needs to look at
the whole picture. The popular thing to
do is roll back taxes, but he is not sure that is the most responsible thing to
do.
Motion by Commissioner Van Der Weide to
approve lowering the millage from 4.9989 to 4.9575.
Chairman
Henley called for a second to the motion three times without response,
whereupon, the motion died for lack
of same.
Commissioner
Carey stated she would like to look at reducing the millage by 5% taking the
millage to 4.7903, and look at how that would impact the County on a 5-year
projection.
Commissioner
Van Der Weide stated he would support that.
Commissioner
Morris stated the
Commissioner
Carey stated she feels there are lots of things the
Commissioner
Dallari stated he has no problem with the Board looking at the millage rates,
but he would like to know where the
Chairman
Henley asked for consensus to ask the
Commissioner
Dallari stated he would like to know what savings that will be for the
citizens.
Commissioner
Morris stated they are in a county where unemployment is below 3% with rising
property values and income. He would
like to know what they would do to help the citizens in hard times.
Commissioner
Dallari stated he would like to ask staff to give them the number of dollars
that is passed through from the State as well.
At
the request of Chairman Henley, Ms. Spriggs reiterated that the proposed FY 2006/2007
millage rate is 4.9989, an increase of 19.84% over the rolled-back millage rate
of 4.1713; Special District Fire/Rescue MSTU is 2.6334, an increase of 18.94%
over the rolled-back rate of 2.2141; Unincorporated Road MSTU is 0.1228 an
increase of 17.50% over the rolled-back rate of 0.1046; Voter Debt Service for
the Natural Lands Program is .1451, which there is no applicable roll-back on
that rate. She stated the proposed
“aggregate” millage rate, exclusive of voted debt service millage, is 6.6783,
which represents a 19.59% increase over the “aggregate” rolled-back millage
rate of 5.5845.
Motion by Commissioner Van Der Weide,
seconded by Commissioner Morris to adopt the tentative millage rates for Fiscal
Year 2006/2007, as described in the proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Morris, seconded
by Commissioner Van Der Weide to adopt the tentative budget for all funds for
Fiscal Year 2006/2007, as described in the proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
Chairman
Henley advised the second public hearing for the final action of the millage
rate is scheduled for September 26, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
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Chairman
Henley recessed the meeting at 8:40 p.m., reconvening it at 8:55 p.m.
NON-AD
VALOREM ASSESSMENT ROLL
Proof
of publication, as shown on page ________, calling for a public hearing to
consider request to approve the Non-Ad Valorem Assessment Roll, received and
filed.
Kathy
Moore, MSBU Program Manager, addressed the Board to present the request as
outlined in the agenda memorandum.
At
the request of Chairman Henley, Ms. Moore gave a breakdown of what the non-ad
valorem program is.
Kathleen
Clark stated she does not wish to speak on this issue.
No
one else spoke in support or in opposition.
Speaker
Request Form from David Gray was received and filed.
Written
Comment Form from Elgan Stappe objecting to the assessment assigned against
single-family residences that are not occupied was received and filed. Also an e-mail from Elgan Stappe relating to
garbage pickup being charged to his residence when no one lives there and several
e-mails from residents responding to the proposed non-ad valorem assessments
were received and filed.
Motion by Commissioner Van Der Weide,
seconded by Commissioner Dallari to adopt appropriate Resolution #2006-R-206,
as shown on page ________, and Certificate, as shown on page ________, adopting
the non-ad valorem assessment roll, as described in the proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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There
being no further business to come before the Board, the Chairman declared the
meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m., this same date.
ATTEST______________________Clerk_____________________Chairman
er