Board of County Commissioners (Budget)

Polk County Board of County Commissioners (Budget) Meeting Minutes - Final September 12, 2022 Public Hearing on FY 22/23 Budget In accordance with the American with Disabilities Act, persons with disabilities needing special accommodations to participate in this proceeding should contact the Communications Office not later than 48 hours prior to the proceeding. Their office is located in the County Administration Building, 330 West Church Street in Bartow. Telephone (863) 534-6090 or TTY (863) 534-7777. If hearing impaired dial 7-1-1 for Florida Relay services or call (800) 955-8771 (TTY); dial (800) 955-1339 if you are using a computer. Any invocation that may be offered before the official start of the Commission meeting shall be the voluntary offering of a private citizen, to and for the benefit of the Commission. The views or beliefs expressed by the invocation speaker have not been previously reviewed or approved by the Commission, and the Commission is not allowed by law to endorse the religious beliefs or views of this, or any other speaker. If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the board with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. 1st Hearing - Tentative FY22-23 Budget CALL TO ORDER (Martha Santiago, Chair) Commissioner George Lindsey, Commissioner Bill Braswell, Commissioner Rick Wilson, Chair Martha Santiago, and Commissioner Neil Combee Present A. FINAL ASSESSMENT RESOLUTIONS AND NON-AD VALOREM ASSESSMENT ROLLS (Randy Mink, County Attorney) Minutes: County Attorney Randy Mink A.1. Public hearing to consider adoption of the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-23 Street Lighting Assessments. Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Street Lighting Assessments. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Bill Braswell SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.2. Public hearing to consider adoption of the Final Assessment Resolutions for 2022-23 for Angus Road, Asherwoods Road, Black White & Huggins Roads, Estate Road, JEH Road, Moore Road, Pete's Lane, Pioneer Drive, Ridge Road and Roy Burt Road Assessment Areas for roadway paving improvements. Page 1 of 9 Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Assessment for roadway paving improvements. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Bill Braswell SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.3. Public Hearing to consider adoption of the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-23 Skyview Utility Municipal Service Benefit Unit ("MSBU"). Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Skyview Utility Municipal Services Benefit Unit. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Bill Braswell SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.4. Public hearing to consider adoption of the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-23 Island Club West Utility Municipal Service Benefit Unit ("MSBU"). Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Island Club West Utility Municipal Service Benefit Unit. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.5. Public hearing to consider adoption of the final Rate Resolution for the 2022-23 East Bimini Bay Utility Municipal Service Benefit Unit ("MSBU"). Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the 2022-2023 Final Rate Resolution for the East Bimini Bay Utility Service Benefit Unit. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Rick Wilson SECONDER: Bill Braswell Page 2 of 9 AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.6. Public hearing to consider adoption of the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-23 Fire Services Non-Ad Valorem Assessments. Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Fire Services Non-Advalorem Assessments. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.7. Public hearing to consider adoption of the Residential Waste Program Services Final Assessment Resolution and Setting the Assessment Rate for Fiscal Year 2022-23. Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Residential Waste Assessments. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.8. Public Hearing to consider adoption of the Final Rate Resolution and Assessment Roll for the 2022-23 Nuisance Abatement Assessments. Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution and Assessment Roll for the 2022-2023 Nuisance Abatement Assessments. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Bill Braswell SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.9. Public Hearing to consider the adoption of the Final Assessment Resolution and Assessment Roll for the 2022-23 Excessive Bulk Waste Assessments. Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Assessment Resolution and Assessment Roll for the 2022-2023 for the Excessive Bulk Waste Assessments. She recommended approval. Page 3 of 9 The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.10. Public Hearing to consider adoption of the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-23 Southwest Inwood Street Lighting Municipal Service Benefit Unit ("MSBU"). Minutes: Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard discussed the Final Rate Resolution for the 2022-2023 Southwest Inwood Street Lighting Municipal Services Benefit Unit. She recommended approval. The Chair opened a public hearing; no one spoke. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Bill Braswell SECONDER: Rick Wilson AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee A.11. Request the Board designate Deputy County Attorney Sandra Howard to certify the 2022-23 Final Assessment Rolls to the Tax Collector. Minutes: County Attorney Randy Mink said this item designates Sandra Howard to certify the 2022-2023 Final Assessment Rolls to the Tax Collector. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee B. PURPOSE OF PUBLIC HEARING B.1. Discuss the purpose of the Public Hearing for the FY 22/23 Budget - Randy Mink, County Attorney Minutes: County Attorney Randy Mink discussed the purpose of public hearings. B.2. Budget Presentation - Bill Beasley, County Manager Minutes: There was a video presentation from County Manager Bill Beasley. Mr. Beasley said many in our communities have experienced unprecedented challenges. He said Polk County government continues to be a stabilizing factor in providing essential and routine services. He expressed appreciation for the men and women of staff, the Constitutional offices, the State Court System, and the Medical Examiner's office and said all of these entities have worked cooperatively helping to prepare the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget. He thanked the citizens who have directly or indirectly participated in helping shape this budget by serving on Citizen Advisory Committees, participating in public hearings, making phone calls, and sending e-mails. Page 4 of 9 He said preparing a reasonable budget that reflects the communities needs and Board's priorities is a challenging process under normal circumstances. He said the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget totals $2,436,087,123 and said this reflects a 3% reduction in the county millage rates. He said in commitment to public safety the budget reflects a 5% indexing of the fire assessment fee and allocates $95 million to one-time capital project needs towards public safety, transportation and facility asset management. He said this reflects a one-time reduction to the Solid Waste Assessment Collection fee as acknowledgment of service disruptions. He said this budget maintains the general fund operating reserve to the highest possible level which reflects fiscal solvency and financial health. He said the budget reflects the Board's commitment to public safety, public health, needed capital infrastructure to support public safety and health, public water supply, transportation capacity, intersection improvements, storm water management and water quality improvement projects and environmental stewardship. He said the budget continues to address quality of life issues. He said the budget invests in technology upgrades and the employees by a 5% salary increase and no increase to employee health care insurance premiums. Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson showed slides and discussed the budget. She said the proposed budget is $2.4 million, the general fund budget is $563.7 million and one time revenue is $94 million to use for projects. She said the taxable property value increase is 17.75%. She said the Board made the decision to decrease the county-wide and unincorporated area MSTU millage rates by 3% to alleviate that burden on property owners. She said there was a 5% index to the Fire Assessment and a one-time reduction of $17.21 to the Waste Assessment collection assessment. She gave a breakdown of the one-time funding of projects for $94 million. She reviewed the budgeted revenue from the millage. She outlined the total FY 2022-2023 proposed tentative budget and reviewed the budget changes by fund . She reviewed the general fund budget of $563,655,083. She reviewed the operating budget revenue and expenses. She discussed the operating reserves 42-45 days policy and said they are at the fully funded mark of 45 days with $1,133,812 needed per day for this. She reviewed the total fiscal year 2023-2027 CIP Budget of $1,184,538,864. She reviewed the 35 total proposed new positions and 24 positions that are moving from courts to the BoCC. She gave historical information on the position count. A video was presented with final comments from Mr. Beasley. He said that the budget is expanding in direct relation to service demands generated by continued substantial growth. He thanked the Board for policy guidance, for allowing staff to think creatively and for having the confidence in the staff to rise to the occasion. C. DISCUSS PROPOSED TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES FOR FY 22/23 (Christia Johnson, Budget and Management Services Director) C.1. Discuss the FY 22/23 Board of County Commissioners proposed tentative operating millage rate Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson discussed the items on the agenda for the tentative millage rate and the tentative budget. She said the proposed fiscal year 2022-2023 millage rate is 6.6920 which is a 3% decrease. She reviewed the rolled-back rates. Page 5 of 9 C.2. Discuss the FY 22/23 proposed tentative millage rate for the Polk County Parks Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU), Polk County Library MSTU, Polk County Stormwater MSTU, and Polk County Rancho Bonito MSTU Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson presented a chart and discussed the tentative millage rate of 0.5450 mills for the Polk County Parks MSTU; the tentative millage rate of 0.2046 mills for the Polk County Library MSTU; and the tentative millage rate of 0.0970 for the Polk County Stormwater MSTU. She stated there is a 3% reduction from the current year to the proposed year. She discussed the tentative millage rate of 9.1272 for Rancho Bonito. She reviewed the rolled-back rates and the revenue for the millage rates. D. DISCUSS PROPOSED TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR FY 22/23 (Christia Johnson, Budget and Management Services Director) D.1. Discuss the FY 22/23 proposed tentative budget totaling $2,436,087,123 Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson said the proposed tentative budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 is $2,436,087,123. D.2. Discuss the FY 22/23 Polk County Parks MSTU proposed tentative budget totaling $38,228,771, Polk County Library MSTU proposed tentative budget totaling $7,645,393, Polk County Stormwater MSTU proposed tentative budget totaling $11,517,686, and Polk County Rancho Bonito MSTU proposed tentative budget totaling $61,020. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson said the 2022-2023 tentative budget is $38,228,771 for the Polk County Parks MSTU of which $15,629,839 is from property tax; the 2022-2023 tentative budget of $7,645,393 for the Polk County Library MSTU of which $5,867,642 is from property tax; the 2022-2023 tentative budget of $11,517,686 for the Polk County Stormwater MSTU of which $2,781,825 is from property tax; and the 2022-2023 tentative budget of $61,020 for the Rancho Bonito MSTU of which $8,685 is from property tax. E. PUBLIC HEARING ON FY 22/23 PROPOSED TENTATIVE BUDGET AND MILLAGE RATES (Martha Santiago, Chair) E.1. Requests from the public to speak in regard to the FY 22/23 Proposed Tentative Operating Budget and Millage Rates, which include the Parks MSTU, Library MSTU, Stormwater MSTU, and Rancho Bonito MSTU Minutes: The Chair opened a public hearing; there was no one present to speak. F. SET THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATES FOR FY 22/23 (Martha Santiago, Chair) F.1. Recommend Board adopt the tentative operating millage rate of 6.6920 mills, which is a 8.21% increase over the rolled-back rate of 6.1841 mills. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board adopt the tentative operating millage rate of 6.6920 mills, which is a 8.21% increase over the rolled-back rate of 6.1841 mills. Page 6 of 9 RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Rick Wilson SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee F.2. Recommend Board adopt the tentative millage rate of 0.5450 mills for the Polk County Parks MSTU, which is a 8.80% increase over the rolled-back rate of 0.5009 mills; the tentative millage rate of 0.2046 mills for the Polk County Library MSTU, which is a 8.83% increase over the rolled-back rate of 0.1880 mills; and the tentative millage rate of 9.1272 mills for the Polk County Rancho Bonito MSTU, which is a 3.50% increase over the rolled-back rate of 8.8187 mills. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board adopt the tentative millage rate of 0.5450 mills for the Polk County Parks MSTU, which is a 8.80% increase over the rolled-back rate of 0.5009 mills; the tentative millage rate of 0.2046 mills for the Polk County Library MSTU, which is a 8.83% increase over the rolled-back rate of 0.1880 mills; and the tentative millage rate of 9.1272 mills for the Polk County Rancho Bonito MSTU, which is a 3.50% increase over the rolled-back rate of 8.8187 mills. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Rick Wilson SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee F.3. Recommend Board adopt the tentative millage rate of 0.0970 mills for the Polk County Stormwater MSTU, which is an 8.87% increase over the rolled-back rate of 0.0891 mills. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board adopt the tentative millage rate of 0.0970 mills for the Polk County Stormwater MSTU, which is an 8.87% increase over the rolled-back rate of 0.0891 mills. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Rick Wilson SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee G. SET THE TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR FY 22/23 (Martha Santiago, Chair) G.1. Recommend Board adopt the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $38,228,771 for the Polk County Parks MSTU, the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $7,645,393 for the Polk County Library MSTU, and the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $61,020 for the Polk County Rancho Bonito MSTU. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board adopt the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $38,228,771 for the Polk County Parks MSTU, the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $7,645,393 for the Polk County Library MSTU, and the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $61,020 for the Polk County Rancho Bonito Page 7 of 9 MSTU. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Rick Wilson SECONDER: Neil Combee AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee G.2. Recommend Board adopt the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $11,517,686 for the Polk County Stormwater MSTU, which is included in the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $2,436,087,123. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board adopt the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $11,517,686 for the Polk County Stormwater MSTU, which is included in the FY 22/23 tentative budget of $2,436,087,123. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Rick Wilson SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee G.3. Recommend Board adopt the tentative budget of $2,436,087,123 for FY 22/23. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board adopt the tentative budget of $2,436,087,123 for FY 22/23. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Rick Wilson AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee H. SET THE FY 22/23 SECOND PUBLIC HEARING DATE/TIME (Martha Santiago, Chair) H.1. Recommend the Board Set the date, time, and place for the Public Hearing to adopt a final millage rate and budget on September 19, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Boardroom. Minutes: Budget and Management Director Christia Johnson recommended that the Board set the date, time, and place for the Public Hearing to adopt a final millage rate and budget on September 19, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Boardroom. RESULT: APPROVED MOVER: Neil Combee SECONDER: Bill Braswell AYE: Lindsey, Braswell, Wilson, Santiago, and Combee ADJOURNMENT (Martha Santiago, Chair) Page 8 of 9 Minutes: Meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m. Page 9 of 9