Okaloosa County BOCC — August 6, 2013 — August 6 Budget Workshop — reading text

August 6, 2013 Budget Workshop A Budget Workshop of the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners was called to order at 1:05 p.m. at the Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview. Members present were Don Amunds, Chairman; Dave Parisot, Vice Chairman; Wayne Harris; Nathan Boyles, and Kelly Windes. Also present were Gary Stanford, Finance Director, and Dave Skarzynski, Budget Analyst, Clerk's Office; Ernie Padgett, County Administrator; and members of the press. State Attorney No one was representing the State Attorney’s Office was present at this time but did appear later in the meeting. Please see Page 5. Public Defender Mr. David Lambert, IT Director for the Public Defender, stated the commissioners have a copy of the proposed budget and he is available to answer questions. Upon inquiry by Mr. Amunds, Mr. Lambert advised there are no changes since last year. Mr. Boyles asked for an explanation of what the Board is responsible for funding. Mr. Stanford said last week the IT budget was included in the commissioners’ books. Primarily, the Board is responsible for funding IT, communications, and facilities for the Public Defender and State Attorney. He said the Public Defender is only requesting telephone service. Mr. Stanford advised the funding for IT comes from recording fees. Court Administration uses those funds in a percentage split to fund IT needs. Mr. Stanford said the State Attorney, Public Defender, and Court Administration have a reserve fund with access to more than $30,000 in the budget. He pointed out the money is sent to Escambia County and it is split within the district. Upon inquiry by Mr. Boyles, Mr. Stanford said the Public Defender’s only request is $780 for cell phone service. Mr. Amunds commented that any surplus equipment purchased in Okaloosa County comes back to this county. Mr. Lambert confirmed the surplus equipment is returned to the county where it is purchased. August 6, 2013 -1- Minute Book 69, Page 279 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Mr. Boyles asked when the last time we looked at the interlocal agreement. Mr. Amunds estimated it was four or five years ago. Mr. Boyles suggested all interlocal agreements should be reviewed. Mr. Tom Murphy, Chief Assistant, stated they have identified some excess property and will return it after inventory. Airports Mr. Sunil Harman, Airports Director, stated he has a PowerPoint presentation to better explain revenues and operating expenses of this enterprise fund. The first slide showed the actual revenues at Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS) for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012, as well as the original budget for FY 2013 and the proposed budget for FY 2014. He advised that revenues are generated from concession agreements, revenue parking, landing fees, and terminal rents. The Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) and Customer Facility Charges (CFCs) generated from airline tickets and rental car subcharges are used to fund specific projects and/or service their debts. Mr. Harman said the bar graph for the period FY 2011 through FY 2014 shows revenues, miscellaneous, cash, and PFCs & CFCs, and indicates a slower growth at VPS. The projected expenditures for VPS for FY 2014 are lower by. 3%. Charts were shown summarizing the revenues and expenditures for FY 2014 budget for all three airports: Northwest Florida Regional (VPS), Bob Sikes Airport (CEW), and Destin Airport (DTS) . The Financial Bottom Line for FY 2014 showed VPS with projected revenues over expenditures of $338,644 and Destin with revenues over expenditures of $351,101. However, Bob Sikes Airports showed expenses exceeding revenue by $441,829. The primary reason for this is land acquisition and = an infrastructure bank loan. Mr. Harman concluded his presentation with the benchmarks for FY 2013. Upon inguiry by Mr. Harris, Mr. Harman explained the land acquisition at Bob Sikes was to provide a direct access in conjunction with Highway 90. The access road, as well as the infrastructure improvements, will complete the plans to draw new businesses to this airport. Upon inguiry by Mr. Boyles, Mr. Harman said the Board’s decision to stand up its own Airport Police was a good business decision and resulted in significant savings. The commissioners August 6, 2013 -2- Minute Book 69, Page 280 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners continued to pose questions. When asked about the plans for a Control Tower at Destin Airport, Mr. Harman recommended the Board go forward with those plans. Mr. Steve Czonstka, Niceville, asked if there is any link between the Airport enterprise funds and Tourist Development bed taxes. Mr. Harman replied that under grant assurances, there can be no comingling of funds with the Tourist Development Department. 9-1-1 Coordinator and County Warning Point Mr. Dino Villani, Public Safety Director, Stated 9-1-1 Communications and the 9-1-1 Coordinator is a small division and is responsible for maintenance of the 9-1-1 system throughout the county. He advised this is not funded through the General Fund but receives funding through an assessment on telephone lines. Mr. Villani listed some of the accomplishments of the division, saying it maintained 175,000 record data bases and received more than 129,000 9-1-1 calls in one year. Mr. Villani used pie charts to show that of the $§.50 fee collected by the State on telephone lines, Okaloosa County E911 receives $.48 for land line devices and $.35 for wireless devices. He pointed out that revenue from wired lines (land lines) has declined as consumers are migrating to wireless lines. Upon inquiry by Mr. Parisot, Mr. Villani replied revenues are covering the costs. Mr. Villani stated the County Warning Point is the dispatch side of this division. This program receives $109,936 in 9-1-1 funds for four call takers. Major accomplishments for the past year were dispatching 23,591 EMS calls and 18,712 fire-related calls. 70,491 administrative calls were are also taken. Beach Safety The Beach Lifeguard Program provides year-round lifeguard protection, preventative oversight, heavy surf and rip current rescue services on the beaches and waterways of Okaloosa County. In addition, the personnel in this division maintain the universal flag warning and signage system on the beaches and provides public education information to the citizens and visitors to the county on the hazards that exist in the aquatic and marine environment. August 6, 2013 -3- Minute Book 69, Page 281 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Mr. Villani reported there were more than 94,000 documented preventative actions this past year. Other accomplishments included performing more than 200 rip current and heavy surf rescues with no drowning fatalities on guarded beaches, responding to 77 reports of lost children on the beach (all were found and returned to their families), and responding to 478 calls for medical help on the beaches. Additional funds were allocated for extending lifeguard hours to 8:00 p.m. and the purchase of an ATV. Mr. Boyles termed this money well spent. Mr. Amunds stated any TDD funds used for this division should be identified for the public. Mr. Windes concurred, saying the ATV purchased with TDC funds should have the TDC logo on it. Mr. Parisot also suggested the lifeguard towers have appropriate signage on them. Emergency Medical Services Mr. Villani stated the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) division is an enterprise fund but it is subsidized because it does not produce enough revenue to cover the service. He stated an option is to cut the number of ambulances from 11 to 6 but that will affect service. This division has 107 employees who have responded to more than 24,000 calls for assistance during the calendar year 2012. Additionally, Okaloosa County EMS provides mutual aid to Santa Rosa and Walton Counties and provides support to all military bases/operations within Okaloosa County. Other areas discussed were locations of ambulances in the county, Destin seasonal coverage, and a recommendation to change the Advance Life Support (ALS) ambulances from the medium-duty International to a GM 4500. Emergency Management Mr. Villani stated this division maintains the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) which provides a central command location for emergency response and recovery efforts before, during, and after emergencies and disasters. This division is funded by General Fund dollars. He detailed the many functions of Emergency Management. Upon inquiry by Mr. Czonstka, Mr. Villani said the percentage of EMS calls from tourists is 13%. August 6, 2013 -4- Minute Book 69, Page 282 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Upon inquiry by Mr. Mike Griffith with The Bay Beacon, Mr. Villani stated people do receive a bill for ambulance calls. The charge is $800 plus $15 per mile. He stated EMS has a contract with a third party billing company. Mr. Steve Menchel, Destin, said he has been working to get more data on calls for emergency services for visitors versus residents. He stated he is working to get the Legislature to amend the laws for use of tourist development tax revenues to support emergency services which are tourist-related. State Attorney Mr. Bill Bishop appeared to answer questions regarding the State Attorney’s request for funding. At Mr. Boyles’s request, Mr. Bishop provided a “30-second” overview of the Board's responsibilities with regard to funding for the State Attorney. Board of County Commissioners Mr, Rick Owen, Administrative Manager, stated there are three assistants (2 in South Office, 1 in North Office) and one courier in this budget. He listed the responsibilities/ functions of this department. This department is funded in the General Fund. County Administrator Mr. Owen stated the County Administrator’s Office integrates activities with the Board of County Commissioners’ offices. The County Administrator's Office has an Administrative Manager, Public Information Officer, and Executive Assistant. The County Administrator serves as the administrative head of the county and is responsible for the administration and operations of all departments (with the exception of County Attorney) under the direction of the Board of County Commissioners. Discussion: MSBU for Unincorporated Parks; Gas tax formula Mr. Hofstad said the first step has been put into place regarding possible revision to the ordinance for the MSTU for unincorporated parks. That hearing is scheduled for August 20. He also said staff has a proposal which he believes will be acceptable to the cities regarding the formula for distribution of gas tax revenues. That subject is also scheduled for consideration at the August 20 meeting. August 6, 2013 -5- Minute Book 69, Page 283 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board, the workshop was adjourned at 2:50 p.m. DON W. HOWARD DON R. AMUNDS, CHAIRMAN CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS (These minutes were transcribed by Teresa Ward.) August 6, 2013 -6- Minute Book 69, Page 284 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners