Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 02-10-09 special — reading text

y/O obert T. Mearns Date Acting City Manager  The Advocacy Group MEMORANDUM TO: ROBERT MEARNS, QTY MANAGER, FORT WALTON BEACH FROM: SLATER BAYLISS, SARAH BUSK SUBJECT: POST-MEETING SUMMARY DATE: 2.4. 09 CC: 26th, On Monday, January 2009, we traveled to Fort Walton Beach and visited with the Fort Walton Beach City Council and Mayor. Below is an overview of the topics discussed. Overview of 2008 Session o Appropriations Storm water Improvement Project funded at $ 200, 000 Reuse Water System Expansion funded at $ 200, 000 o State Board of Administration —Local Government Investment Pool Based on the concerns of the City Council, monitored actions by the SBA and reported to the City Manager on a regular basis with updates Legislation was passed to consolidate the healthy funds and bifurcate the illiquid fund o Legislative Policy Advocacy HB 21 by Representative Davis /SB 82 by Senator Fasano, Relating to State Aid to Public Libraries " SUPPORTED" Revised library grant calculations Passed the House and Senate and was Signed into Law by Governor Crist HB 181 by Representative Harrell /SB 392 by Senator Storms, Relating to Transparency in Local Government Contracts OPPOSED" Would have required state and local governments to post copies of contracts over $ 5, 000 on an easily accessible public website. This bill died  HB 399 by Representative Grant/SB 640 by Senator Oelrich, relating to Financial Management by Local Governments OPPOSED" This bill would have made the Clerk of Court the official accountant to Boards of County Commissioners This bill died SB 2412 by Senator Haridopolos /HB 715 by Representative Flores, relating to Local Government Revenue Sources OPPOSED" Would require a super- majority vote to levy new or increase existing taxes, expand a tax base or eliminate tax exemptions This bill died HB 7125 by the Government Efficiency and Accountability Council, relating to State and Local Government Revenue Limitations " OPPOSED" Would have capped local government revenues This bill died 2009 Session Outlook o The State of Florida, along with the nation as a whole, continues to suffer from an economic recession, our budgetary goal should be to protect funding that is already in place within the state budget. o A majority of the legislation that was unsuccessful in 2008 will be re -filed for the 2009 Session. We have proactively begun to track and monitor legislation that has the potential to affect the City of Fort Walton Beach. It is important to note that unless legislation specifically falls under the Councils 2009 legislative priorities or is something that the Manager directs us to engage upon on behalf of the Council we will simply monitor and not engage. HB 175 by Representative Soto, relating to Local Government Officers and Employees Expands eligibility for participation in state group health insurance program to include all counties and municipalities. SB 216 by Senator Justice, relating to Campaign Finance /Local Government Expenditures Prohibits a local government from expending public funds for a political advertisement concerning an issue, referendum or amendment that is subject to the vote of the electors. SB 252 by Senator Constantine, Relating to Local Government /Code of Ethics Specifies standards of conducts for local government employees SB 616 by Senator Haridopolos, relating to Construction Projects  Revises exceptions to the requirement that certain public projects be competitively awarded and encourages local governments to perform projects with its own employees SB 630 by Senator Bennett, relating to Impact Fees /Moratorium on Imposition or Collection Imposes a 3 -year moratorium on the imposition or collection of impact fees by a county or municipality. Overview of Issues discussed with the Council and Mayor o Transportation Funding. It is important to note that from an operational perspective the general appropriation the development of the Work Program is based on MPO recommendations and a balanced finance plan collaborated on by the department, the Governor's office and the legislature. Project estimates within the Work Program are converted to cash flow projections for multiple years and are considered in the finance plan models. The department compares transportation revenues against the expected cash out flows from the department's " commitments" to ensure an on -going balanced Work Program. Given the current economic situation and lower than forecasted gas tax revenues, over the past 2 years the department has been cutting projects and pushing projects back to out years as well. SR 123 Flyover Not within the city limits, however, feeds into the city and has a major impact on traffic within the City of Fort Walton Beach Moved to 2013 in the Department of Transportation' s Five - Year Work Plan Possible to include in BRAC preparation plan Potential eligibility for Federal Stimulus funds Bridges A general feeling that renovating Brooks Bridge will not bring significant benefit Alternate location for a new bridge o Every potential location will incur opposition Other Projects in the DOT Five -Year Work Program Fort Walton Beach Area -Wide Computerized Traffic Signal System o $ 595, 133 in 2010 SR 189 from Roberts Blvd. to Eglin Parkway o $ 7. 4 million in 2012 Sr 85 Miracle Pkwy. From Sr 30 (Us 98) To N Of Richbourg Avenue o $ 7. 65 million in 2012 o Reuse Water Project Military Base Implications This project would process water from Hurlburt Field Defense Infrastructure Grant Original source of funding Grant ran out Department of Environmental Protection Coordinating projects for a Federal Stimulus Package o Budget Work to mitigate any effects of further state budget reductions and the impacts such reductions may have of services that affect the City of Fort Walton Beach Work with the Legislature to seek alternative solutions to address any adverse affects that further budget reductions would have on the City Work with the Legislature to consider any financial implications of policies that may inadvertently shift more costs down to local governments and in particular the City of Fort Walton Beach Oppose any action by the Legislature with the potential to impede the ability of Local Governments to levy taxes o Beach Renourishment 2. 8 mile segment of critically eroded beach on Santa Rosa Island that is near Fort Walton Beach Dune feature was constructed in May 2005 to supplement the emergency protective berms with additional sand and vegetation Restoration is planned for 2009 o Dirt Road Paving The Okaloosa County Public Works Department oversees the Dirt Road Paving Project, which places cold -mix asphalt on dirt roads o Communications Using 2008 as an example, there were 2, 681 bills filed and a budget of 408 pages in the state of Florida. This creates a substantial amount of information to analyze. Due to the fast pace of the legislature we continue to recommend a single point of contact to facilate a " one way in/one way out" communication approach Recommend communicating with the Council via the Interim City Manager to receive the direction of the council in an expeditious manner We will continue to produce Weekly Bill Reports and send the point of contact We recommend continuing regular conference calls with the City during legislative Session We will continue to produce regular reports for dissemination to Council during the legislative session and budget signing period Suggested Action Items (pending Council approval and direction) o Federal Stimulus Funds Transportation Funding Likely Project Guidelines o Meet the NEPA guidelines o Have gone through the Federal ROI acquisition process 3. Be in the State Transportation Improvement Program ( STIP) o Be in the TIP —Transportation Improvement Program o Ready to go in 60 -90 days SR 123 o Determine whether this project falls under the aforementioned criteria Work with DOT to protect o Fort Walton Beach Area -Wide Computerized Traffic Signal System o SR 189 from Roberts Blvd. to Eglin Parkway o Sr 85 Miracle Pkwy. From Sr 30 (Us 98) To N Of Richbourg Avenue Environmental Protection Funding Hurlburt Reuse Project o Coordinate out reach to the following: DEP Secretary Mike Sole- responsible to for coordinating process for Federal Stimulus Water and wastewater funds OTTED Director