BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
SEMINOLE
COUNTY, FLORIDA
SEPTEMBER
28, 2010
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 Tuesday,
September 28, 2010, in Room 1028 of the SEMINOLE
COUNTY SERVICES BUILDING at SANFORD,
FLORIDA, the usual place of meeting
of said Board.
Present:
Chairman Bob Dallari (District 1)
Vice Chairman Brenda Carey (District 5)
Commissioner Mike McLean (District 2)
Commissioner Dick Van Der Weide (District
3)
Commissioner Carlton Henley (District 4)
Acting County Manager Joe Forte
County Attorney Robert McMillan
Deputy Clerk Carylon Cohen
Commissioner
McLean gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
PUBLIC
HEARING
FINAL MILLAGE RATES
AND BUDGET FOR FY 2010/11
Proof of
publication, as shown on page _______, calling for a public hearing to consider
adoption of the final Millage Rates and Budget for Fiscal Year 2010/11,
received and filed.
Chairman
Dallari gave opening comments and reviewed the purpose of the second public hearing
tonight is to hear public comments regarding the tentative millage rates and budget,
amending the budget as desired by the Board, and adopting the final millage
rates and County budget for Fiscal Year 2010/11.
Lisa
Spriggs, Fiscal Services Director, addressed the Board to state the budget is
available to the public on the County’s web site, and the budget and this
public hearing were advertised in the Orlando Sentinel. She advised the Board has received modified
Resolutions (copies received and filed) which were done due to legal review
wording and format only; the numbers have not changed. She gave a PowerPoint presentation (not
received and filed) outlining the Budget Development Process. She said within the Second Public Hearing
Budget Proposal Book (copy received and filed), there are proposed adjustments
totaling $19,739,139, which are detailed on pages 10 through 13. She reviewed the Proposed Budget Summary,
pages 7 through 9 of the Budget Proposal Book, and the total Countywide budget
of $775,523,130. She also reviewed the
Appropriations by Activity; Appropriations by Classification; Millage Rate
Summary, page 6 of the Budget Proposal Book; 2010 Change in Taxable Valuation;
Millage Rate Summary; 2010 Change in Taxable Valuation – Countywide, Roads MSTU
& Fire Services; and Property Tax Revenue.
Ms. Spriggs said it is estimated that the operating deficit for General
Funds is between $8 and $10 million.
PROOF OF
PUBLICATION
Motion by Commissioner Van Der Weide, seconded
by Commissioner McLean, to authorize filing the proof of publication for this
meeting’s public hearing into the Official Record.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
No one
spoke in support or in opposition to the tentative millage rates and budget.
Commissioner
McLean stated the Board talked a little on Sept. 15 and he brought up the idea
of trying to come up with a way to recognize the plight a lot of the citizens
are in economically and they talked about a millage decrease and he thinks that
was a little too rich. He wants to bring
up another idea of looking at this as recognition of the challenges that the
citizens are facing. This proposal won’t
change anybody’s life significantly, but will show that they as a Board “get it”
and are responding to and recognizing the challenges. He proposed moving from a 4.9 millage rate to
4.8795 which is about a half million dollars decrease. He said this will not make a big difference
other than to say the Board recognizes the challenges and is making that plain
by moving the millage rate down slightly.
Commissioner
Carey asked what does 4.8795 represent in dollars.
Ms.
Spriggs stated that will be an additional reduction of about a half million
dollars.
Commissioner
Carey said she was thinking the Board is slightly increasing the trails debt in
order to offset the bonds. She asked if
they offset the millage by that, what would that make the rate.
Ms.
Spriggs said if they were to reduce the Countywide millage by that increase, it
would be 4.8751. Chairman Dallari said
that is about $600,000.
Commissioner
Carey said she thinks the public understands that the Board “gets it,” but a
good-faith effort in trying to show that will go a long way. It won’t go a long way in the pocket of the
citizens.
Commissioner
Henley asked what does that mean in the pockets of the individuals.
Ms.
Spriggs said for an average home, that would be about a $3 reduction.
Commissioner
Henley said he thinks they have been addressing the economic conditions for
quite some time, starting over two years ago.
He reminded the Board of the forecast at about 2013, when the County
will be upside down, and said the decisions they are making now will impact
what they have to work with in 2013. He
thinks it is great to have compassion and he would donate $3 if he thought it
would help solve the problem, but the fact is it will not help. He thinks they have to think beyond now and
look at the next year and years after that.
They are dipping into the reserves now close to $10 million because of
the shortfall and he doesn’t think it is good business to do that. He will not support what Commissioner McLean
proposed because of what they are facing in the next couple of years.
Motion by Commissioner McLean, seconded
by Commissioner Carey, to adopt the FY 2010/11 General Countywide ad valorem
tax rate of 4.8751 mills.
Commissioner
Van Der Weide stated he would not have trouble supporting that but he is aware
this is window dressing; it shows intent and compassion. When he looks at the economy, until people
have jobs and the housing market improves, he questions how they will get out
of this and how soon.
Commissioner
Carey said her thought process is in tying this down to the voted debt as an offset
for this year. Next year, they don’t
have to do that for the next several years.
She thought that was just one way to show good faith. She said there are a lot of citizens that are
just hoping to hold onto their homes. If
they can’t, the situation will get worse and faster than anticipated.
Commissioner
McLean stated if they move in this direction, the total Countywide rate that is
being paid out, including the debt service for natural lands, will be exactly
the same. They are taking the increase
of .0249 and taking that out of the millage rate, and he thinks that is
entirely appropriate, considering the challenges they have. What an individual taxpayer will actually pay
from a millage standpoint, not necessarily from the appraised value standpoint,
will stay dead even.
Chairman
Dallari stated this is a small, modest amount and, because of the increase of
debt service that they are looking at, he wouldn’t have a problem supporting it
at this time. He said that debt service
will go away three years from now as well.
Commissioner
Henley asked about taking the money out of contingency versus anywhere else,
and Commissioner Van Der Weide said that is about all they can do.
Commissioner
McLean repeated his motion and Commissioner Carey agreed to the motion.
Commissioner
Henley stated he will vote against the motion because he doesn’t think it will
have any significant difference, and he doesn’t think it is a responsible way
to deal with the budget.
Districts
1, 2, 3 and 5 voted.
Commissioner
Henley voted NAY.
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Motion by Commissioner Carey, seconded
by Commissioner McLean, to adopt the FY 2010/11 Fire MSTU ad valorem tax rate
of 2.3299 mills.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Carey, seconded
by Commissioner McLean, to adopt the FY 2010/11 Unincorporated Road MSTU ad
valorem tax rate of 0.1107 mills.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Carey, seconded
by Commissioner Van Der Weide, to adopt the FY 2010/11 Voted Debt Service ad
valorem tax rate of 0.1700 mills.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
Ms.
Spriggs read the established millage rates into the Record as follows: BCC Countywide Millage, 4.8751 mills, a
reduction of 9.95% from the rolled-back rate of 5.4136 mills; Countywide Voted
Debt Service Millage, .17 mills; Fire/Rescue MSTU Millage, 2.3299 mills, a
9.14% decrease from the rolled-back rate of 2.5642 mills; Unincorporated Roads
MSTU Millage, .1107 mills, 8.21% decrease from the rolled-back rate of .1206
mills. She stated the proposed aggregate
millage rate, exclusive of Voted Debt Service Millage, is 6.5116, which
represents 10.35% decrease from the current year’s aggregate rolled-back rate
of 7.2632 mills.
Motion by Commissioner McLean, seconded
by Commissioner Van Der Weide, to adopt the appropriate Millage Levy Resolution
#2010-R-206, as shown on page _______, for FY 2010/11, inclusive of the millage
rates announced; as described in the proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, and 5 voted AYE.
Commissioner
Henley voted NAY.
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Motion by Commissioner McLean, seconded
by Commissioner Carey, to approve the budget adjustments to the FY 2010/11
Tentative Budget totaling $19,739,139.
Districts
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 voted AYE.
Ms.
Spriggs gave modifications to the Budget Resolution that totals $774,914,521
that is inclusive of a tax reduction of $608,609, which represents a decrease
in the Countywide millage rate.
Motion by Commissioner McLean, seconded
by Commissioner Van Der Weide, to adopt the appropriate Budget Resolution #2010-R-207,
as shown on page _______, for FY 2010/11, amended as announced; as described in
the proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3, and 5 voted AYE.
Commissioner
Henley voted NAY.
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There
being no further business to come before the Board, the Chairman declared the
meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m., this same date.
ATTEST:_______________________Clerk_____________________Chairman
cc