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BCC Minutes 08/22/1990 W Naples, F~orida, August 22, 1990 . ~ LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County Commissioners in ~nd for the County of Collier, and also acting as the Board of Zoning Appeals and as the governing board(s) of such special districts as ~,.ihave been created according to /aw end having conducted business met on this date at 9:00 A.M..in WORKSHOP SES$IO:~ in Building #F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: M~x A. Hasse, Jr. VICE-CHAIRMAN: Michael J. Volpe Richard S. Shanahan Burr L. Saunders Anne Goodnight ALSO PRESENT: James C. Giles, Clerk; John Yonkosky, Finance Director; Susan D. Klark and Wanda Arrighi, Deputy Clerks; Neil Dorrill, County Manager; Ron McLemore, Assistant County Manager; Tom Olliff, Assistant to the County Manager; Ken Cuyler, County Attorney; David Weigel and Brenda Wilson, Assistant County Attorneys; Philip Scheff and Robert Lord, Planners; William Laverty and Pa~:ricia Sikowski, Growth Management Planners; David Pettrow, Development Services Director; James Reardon, Emergency Services Adm~nistrator: David Davenport, Planning Review Supervisor; William Lorenz, Environmental Services Administrator; Stan Litsinger, Growth Management D~rector= George Archibald, Transportation Services Administrator~ Robert Blanchar~, Growth Planning Director; Russell Shreeve, HUI Director; Jeff Perry, Chief Planner Transportation; Kevin '.O~Donnell, Public Services Administrator; Mike Arnold, U~ilities .Administrator; Sue Filson, Administrative Assistant to the Board; and Byron Toml~nson, Sheriff's Office. Page August 22, 1990 ,1 REPORT REGARDING COST CONTROL AND PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT?S COMMITTEE TO RETURN IN 30-90 DAYS REGARDING FINDINGS FOR IMPLEMENTIHG PROGRAM Mr. Ross Obley, Chairman of the Cost Control and Productivity Improvement Committee, stated tn March, 1990, the Board aI~pointed a Citizen's Committee to research cost reductions and occup~ttional effi- ciencies within the Gounty Manager's area. Re stated that he orga- nized the committee by forming five sub-committees and exi~lalned that the particular departments that were reviewed by the enti~'e committee. noted that during this time the committee was assisted by Coopers & Lybrand. ~'. Mr. Obley stated that a report was submitted in July t:o the Board mild a workshop was scheduled for this date to discuss the various recommendations of the committee. He stated that the sub-.committees will discuss some of their findings and then questions can be asked. UTILITIES DIVISION SUB-COMMITTEE Mr. Brad Estes, representing the Utilities Division Sub-committee, stated that the Utilities operation has had expansive gro~,th, and many the recommendations that are being made are due to the result of growth. He stated that from the standpoint of managing the Utilities Operation, the committee would like to see more separation from from the General Fund. He noted that in the past the Oeneral Fund and the Utilities Operation has been combined together with regards to percentage increases in Collier County sp~nding, noting that Utilities has had limitations placed on the G~.neral fund in terms of the increase in expenditures. He continued by stating that Utilities could be spending money this year to save dollars in the future. i. Mr. Estes stated that the Committee feels that the billing cycle 'should be changed from a 45 day cut-off to a 30 day cut-off, with a notice sent to the customer after fifteen (15) days instead ¥ (30) days. He also s~ated that the payment period should be 000% 02 Fags 2 August 22, 1990 brought back to fifteen (15) days, and a 1~ percent interest should be ,'charged for any customer who pays after that time. He noted that it ~'ts not unusual to charge interest and it could increase the speed of lng payments. :: Mr. Estes stated that bt-monthly billing is a ma]or issue in the sense that it can save substantial dollars. He explained that every time a bill is sent out, someone has to visit the home, pull the lid the meter, read the meter, etc. He stated that with the large :number of customers in the County, this tea ma]or expense. He noted that this change In billing has worked very effectively for the City : - . of Nap/es, and has saved them substantial dollars. He said that once .people are adjusted to the new billing cycle it will work. In response to Mr. Shanahan~s question, Mr. Mike Arnold, Utilities Administrator, stated that the County ts currently on a monthly ~btlltng cycle. He noted that at one short period of time the billing changed to bi-monthly, primarily because the bills Were not getting out on time. Commissioner Hasse stated that he felt a bt-monthly billing would ~be more advantageous at this time, explaining that the meters would not have to be read as often. Mr. Hasse then asked if there ts problem with people paying on a bi-monthly billing cycle. Mr. stated that he did not feel payment was as much of a problem as if a leak were detected. He explained further stating that if there was such a problem with a customer it would not be identified until ~the second month when the mete= was read. Mr. Arnold also felt this would create customer anImosity, and most probably would generate adverse publicity. In answer to Mr. Hasse~ question, Mr. Arnold that he does feel that there would be a cost savtng~ if the cycle was changed to bt-monthly. In answer to Mr. Shanahan~$ question, Mr. Arnold stated that although there might be problems with out-of-town customer,s, he feels a late penalty payment l$ prudent~ He noted that the closing of the billing cycle should be looked at more closely before any final Page ,. August :!2, 1990 iemade. In answer to Hr. Volpe'e question on cash flow, Mr. Esl:es stated :~that the lost income from one month would not be a major con- He noted that the money goes into an operating account turns over very quickly. .~.. Utilities Finance Director Cook stated that an automatic meter ~reading device should be explored. He explained that the computer out to the customer's telephone, and the meter is read and can be billed out from the office. He stated that if a requirument was put tn for the developer to install th~s type of meter it would be a viable alternative in selected subdivisions. Mr. Arnold stated that an automatic reading device could lead to a more cost effective and efficient program. He stated that this device does offer a lot of promises. i.. In answer to Mr. Hasse' question, Mr. Arnold stated that many of i!the meters could be retrofitted with the device, however, with new development the County could actually write this Into the building : Commissioner Shanahan stated that he feels that manual meter gs will be obsolete. He added that the subcommittee should be researching the conversion of the new construction and development · ~of an automatic reading system and working toward retrofitting the device. Mr. Shanahan commented that it would be cost effective now to ~etart planning now for an automatic reader system. In answer to Mr. Volpefe question, Mr. Ron Labbe, repr%.senting the Community Development Service Sub-committee, stated that the total estimated revenues for the Utilities Department in Fiscal Year 1990 is $15 million. Mr. Volpe stated that he ie not sure if starting a monthly billing c~cle is going to solve anything at this time. d. In answer to Mr. Hasse~ question, Mr. Arnold stated that the gross revenue te $25 million, including impact fees. Mr. Estes stated that the Subcommittee fa recommendatior..s are based year 2000. He stated that tl~e County.s costs are sc. high now P~.ge 4 August 22, 1990 i:.'for monthly services; comparatively they are extremely high. He ~stated that the infrastructure costs are very high, and this should .all be taken into consideration. .. In answer to Mr. Volpe's question, Mr. Arnold stated once again ~/ that the bills are higher than the City of Naples at this time. He ~;! stated that when people get the bt-monthly bill it is typically in the ~$40 range, (approximately $20 per month) versus the Countyts which is approximately $76 per billing cycle, and includes water and sewer. He °tared that more people are at a fixed income, and to receive a bill of that size every two months might be too much to handle. He also stated that it ts possible for the Utilities Division to do some budgeting of billing similar to Florida Power & Light. Mr. Cook stated that next year the County is starting a volumetric sewer billing. He noted that it ts from the EPA grant which was t' ~' received. He explained stating that any miscalculations that were "'; made tn estimating a bill in alternate months would also impact the sewer bill, because it will be based on each gallon of water a "? customer uses. Mr. Eetes then had a discussion with the Board on lock boxes with the bank. He stated that this ts a very common practice, and recom- mends that the County start a lock box contract with the bank. He ~further noted that whatever bank is chosen would accept payments, pro- cees payments, etc. In answer to Mr. Hasse~ question, Mr. Cook stated that he had checked with two different banks and each of them give ul; 15¢ per · transaction for this, which equates to approximately $3,000 per month !i°r $36,000 per year. He stated that currently there is one clerical ~son handling this for a total cost of $23,000 - $24,0~0. He noted 'that tho Subcommittee has come up with higher costs than anticipated. Mr. Estes went on further to discuss Computer Operations. He stated that there is some considerations of upgrading and purchasing a computer. He state~ that the Subcommittee looked at the possibt- of combining that operation with~the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Page 5 August 22, 1990 ~i!i!~He noted that having separate types of computers causes concern because there is different computer language, technology, etc., and ~the Subcommittee feels it advantageous to have one language throughout the entire system. Mr. Don York, representing the Utilities Division Sub-committee, stated that he feels one data center would be able to handle the County's needs. In response to Mr. Hasse! question, County Manager Dorrlll stated that the only compatible system currently Is the all-tn-one system that is actually operated by the Clerk. There are no other systems in place. In answer to Mr. Shanahan's question, Mr. Dorrtll stated that he ~does not feel a study should be made, explaining that every department wants their own systems and currently they now have their own com- puters, however, none of them are compatible. He noted that the issue ]~should be re-evaluated. In answer to Mr. Volpets question, Mr. Dorrtll stated that the system he is referring to ts the all-tn-one system, which allows access to the financial management system that ts run by the Clerk's Finance Department for budget finance Inquiry, and then it ts tied to hie Purchasing Department. He stated that he would like to expand and get a proposa! from the Clerk or one of the other Constitutional officers to provide the utility billing and accounts :i'~ under agreement as opposed to perpetuating the IBM system that we have. Mr. Dorrtll further noted that he would like to compare the ~'ost between the ~wo. ':In answer to Mr. Volpe'e question, Mr. Don York stated that he had 'met'with Mr. Giles on this matter and found that conceptually Mr. Giles ts tn agreement, but politically it ks very d~ff~cult. He noted !~that from an overall performance concept it can be done, but does not if politically it will work. Mr. Arnold stated that by the end of the Fiscal Year something ts to have to be done with Utilities. He stated that the Utilities Page 6 August 22, 1990 is running out of space to handle the number of accounts that are currently in place. Mr. Arnold suggested that since there has been such an explosive growth, he recommends the develop;sent and expansion of a database where a work order system could be implemented to function from a computerized standpoint rather than a manual paper 'process. In answer to Mr. Volpe's question, Mr. Estes stated that the idea !{is to get a service that does this for you. He said the program should give you scheduling, productivity statistics on workers out in the field, along with meter changeouts and management statistics as well. Mr. Eetes reported to the Board the subject of telemetry. He stated that there is a system which can be set up by a two-way radio, monitor the lift stations, and see if malfunctions.occur. He noted that this is being implemented tn the East Naples project, and recom- mends an expansion of that operation where the workers will only have to go out when maintenance is required or there is a malfunction. Waetewater D/rector Tim Clemons stated that the Utilities Division ts only tn the infant stages of getting the system started, but noted what needs to be recognized is that aside from checking the lift stations, the normal functions which are continually done and are also need to be checked. In answer to Mr. Hasse' question, Mr. Clemona stated that all that can be done through a telemetry Is to monitor the rotation of the pumps, and if you had a two- way telemetry one could be shut off if It failed. Mr. Estes stated that another thing that could be done is to require developers to install telemetry when they dedicate a lift sta- tion. Mr. Clemons responded stating that the Board would have to decide what telemetry system they would want to be locked Into, and we would be locked Into that system permanently. Mr. Arnold stated that there are to be some savings down the road. He'stated that the County has an extraordinary high number of lift in this area, and that mOSt of our pipelines are force mains. 07 Page ? August 22, 1990 '~He noted that starting on some automatic system will definitely yield some benefits down the road. In answer to Mr. Hasse~ question, Mr. Clemons stated that the Utilities Division currently has 200 lift stations, but will have over 300 next year. Mr. Clemons noted that with the East and South sewer system which is now being installed, Utilities will pick up between ~ 75-100 new ones, which will come outfitted with telemetry. · . Mr. Estes called attention to the next recommendation, which is .the changeover of all water meters. He stated that the old city meters are a problem at this time. He stated that in 1979 the City of ~les dedicated to the County about 5,000 water meters ~hich were as 'old as 1968. He said the recommended life of a water meter is 7-10 /[?'years,· and after that point it starts to slow down and build up water Mr. Estes ,.reported that some figures were run on a 10~ error in accuracy, and the report showed approximately $3 mi/lion gallons of water each month, or a loss of $45,000 per year. He noted that a changeout program needs to be established, and by hiring two new employees the increased water billing would cover the cost. feels the program should be Implemented as soon as possible. Mr. Arnold stated that he totally supported this program, and He also stated that the meters should be changed before any ma/functions occur. Mr. Shanahan stated that this program is absolutely essential. Mr. Estes indicated that there are some common items that the City Utilities Department purchases, and others that the County purchases. ilHe feels both the City and County should meet and discuss what items be purchased by both. Hr. Clemons stated that in the past Joint purchases between the and the County were made. !i;, Mr. ~stes called attention to the next recommendation to combine 'water and sewer operations ~n regard to distribution and collection, the plants. He stated that these employees could work both water and sewer, and further stated that the skills necessary to per- form these functions are similar, such as pump maintenance, lab tests, Page 8 August: 22, 1990 i'! etc, '--;'~ Mr. Clemons reported that a great deal of thought needs to be given regarding this combination. He recalled that in 1987 there was an Operations Department that was water and waste water; however, at that time the combining of field crews did not happen. ]la explained several reasons for it; one, that the diversity of a field crew worker ~s there; the waste water department works on pumps, motors, and manholes; the water department works more on lines; and two, he stated a serious concern of workers from contamination by use of tools. Mr. Clemons stated that the Plant Operators certification is man- dated by the state. He stated that each plant requires a certain ~. number of operators with certain levels of certification to operate i', the facilities. He noted that certification will probably start with ' the Countyfs field crews this year or next as it is voted on every ,'~. year with the state, and once that certification does become a ~!, reality, there will no longer be a possibility of the crews working in both systems. ~%,: Water Director Mike Newman stated that as part of hid review he contacted several major utilities around the state, including the City of Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Manatee County, Tampa, Metro Dads, and Lee County. He noted that these incorporated both ' 'pub/lc and private utilities. He stated that out of all the utility companies contacted, none were currently combining their field opera- tional crews. He noted that Lee County had tried it, but because of so many problems associated with the comb~nation, it was discontinued. Mr. Newman stated that the comments he received back from these companies was mostly the contaminat~on of the water supply. He stated .,,,that it ~s extremely easy to contaminate the water w~th a tool. He continued by stating that the second concern was the nee~ for spe- i~,~i¢~altzation. He stated that the new requirements to traSn someone in .a epe¢~al~zed field usually takes ~ to ~ years. Mr. Newman also :Stated that other problems would trtclude moral problems and lower pro- i;duct~vity. 000. 09 Page 9 i~:."~ Mr. Kstes stated that his last recommendation to the Board ts to that th,s has to be a a~bsta~tlal pro,est. In answer to Mr. Volpe'a question on the liability l,;sue, Arnold stated that it ts of some benefit to contractors because if they are only bidding on labor and have a lesser bid, they are tying up less of their bonding capacity. ~ Mr. Don York stated that the Utilities 5ubcoutttee is recom- mending to the Board of Co~ty Co~tsstoners that they ~ive some thought to establishing a Utilities Division. He stated that the Utilities budget ia a $~5 ~tllton dollar operation as of 1990, and if Utilities are removed from the County budget, it is apparent that the Increase this year over last year ~as actually 33.3~. He further noted that the Uttl,ttes budget had masked the real increase by Mr. York stated that the Oo~tsston still has total responsibility. but feels that , Citizens Committee appointed by the Commission to oversee the operation of the Utilities Division could ~ozk on items more closely than the Board o~ County Commissioners has time ~or. ~, In answer to Hr. Shanahan's ~est!on, Nr. Saunders stated that he was opposed to establishing an independent authority at that time, and the reasoning ~as that there were many policy decisions that ~ould have far ranging implications tn terms o~ Growth Hanagement that needed to be made. He noted that much of that ~ork has been done, '?,f~ls that an Independent authority ~ould b~ beneficial. ~;~ ~'- ~ response to Mr. Haee.' ~..tto,, Mr. Saunders stated that Dads .Cou, ty ts a 9sod example on how a, independent authority ts set uD He noted that he felt it ts a good Idea to direct the staff to eva- ?'>luate as by looking at some of our surroundln9 this issue, and to do co~itle, that have ~o,e f~ll clrcl, on the issue a~d why. He added ~~%~:that~%~ there are definitely .o,e advantages, but ther. coult be Hr. Estes co=.nted on the issue by .,sting that he feels it ts ~age 10 August 22, 1990 · necessary to set up such a committee, because it is costing a fortune to wait on some of these very critical business decisions. Mr. Shanahan noted that with regard to the Utilities Division, budgeting certainly should be ~nvestigated carefully to make sure the budgeting process is completely separate from the general funding. ~,Mr. York concurred with Mr. Shanahan's statement and noted that it discovered by accident. iCOI~IUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICZ Mr. Ron Labbe, of the Community Development Service Subcommittee, !?!'stated that the public concern about the efficiency of th, SDS Department reached top priority when it became a concern that the County was estimated to have a half a billion dollar shortfall in the ~nfrastructure. He stated that during the past five year~J the number of County employees assigned to guide and manage the physical develop- ~i- ment of the community has increased from 60 to approximat~ly 160. He . noted that it appears that the County has sufficient manpower to achieve a favorable growth management result. Consequently, Mr. Labbe suggested that the Board ~mplement this plan. ~<~. Hr. Labbe stated that there ~s an urgent need for computer ~,generated statistics that can be shared by all departments. He said that too much time is being spent on manual reports. He noted that '~, hardware is almost generic, but that software is the important part of the computer system. He explained by showing an example of setting up & customer account. He continued, stating that within tha~ customer account there are many fi/es that can be brought up for in~ormation; ~.~'~ the information can be downloaded and people can use it. He also noted that there i8 currently a lot of software available on the open Mr. Labbe stated that revisions of the organizational plan for the Department should be directed toward a balance of public accom- ~odatlon and growth management. In answer to Mr. Haese' question, Mr. Labbe stated that with using one data entry many field~ can be built on. He state.~, as an Page Augalst 22, 1990 if you have 60 different fields, each field has a piece of information that a particular department may need. He further noted f~ ~ by example again that if a particular department needed addresses tn pertains with that criteria could be pulled up. ~., ~ Mr. Labbe stated that this is a market that is growing and i[:] 'i: expanding very quickly, and feels there is a need for a new computer ,system. ~, In answer to Mr. aasse' question on private knowledge, Mr. Labbe stated that there are securities that keep people out of those par- ttcular fields, and noted that certain fields will be locked out. Mr. Labbe continued with his next item on building codes. He stated that our current zoning subdivision ordinances are out of date and difficult to deal with. In answer to Mr. Volpe's question, Mr. Bernon Young of the :(~(~[Com~unity' Development Service Subcommittee stated that he found that the County has a horizontal type of structure. He said that it takes a lot of Interdepartmental communication, and he felt ther~ are some that it ts much like a sales company taking all of their salesmen and making them managers. He continued by stating that it 8om(:times defeats the purpose because they were 9sod salesmen, and knowing that f~ood ~.,~,.~.,~manager.~ In summary, Mr. Young stated that he feels that fJome of our best people are spending all their time administrating and are finding it hard to replace people for the work they had previously done. ~'"~'"':' In answer to Mr. Hasse' question, Mr. Young stated tha~. there are ~any good employees, but are we utilizing their abilities as well as we should be, because we may have Involved ourselves too ~ch tn the or,.lzatton with too many departments. He added that thifl makes the ,nterdepart.ental co.~nications difficult, especially if ,,veryone is not worktn; with the sale col~ut~r s~stei. '~i In answer to Mr. Volpe*8 question, Mr. Dorrlll stated that he ts .... ffi fl00 August Z2, 1990 In disagreement with Mr. Youngfs findings. He stated that the primary ithrust behind Development Services is to eliminate prevtou,~ly three ~'i different divisions and approximately a dozen different deigartments, with many different locations throughout East Naples. He stated It is an Impossible task to put all these people under one roof, and then section them off Into one of three main departments, ~htch would result tn greater efficiency· Mr. Dorrlll stated that he does agree that the County is not at !i"the point yet to where those three departments communicate amongst each other to the extent that they should. He stated that the system ~f~:' has been built to be horizontal without a management hierarchy. He noted that people are trained and taught at their level and then given .ii. the ability to make decieions. He further stated that a great deal of Stock has been put in the professional staff, noting that people are able to make a decision at their own level without having to cross Into a higher one. Mr. Saunders stated that there have been constant complaints from ,pars and builders that the process is too long. He added that the County needs to make that process more efficient. Mr. Dorrill stated that builders and developers have s/ways been critical on who ts regulating them. He noted that the accountability ihas risen and been compounded by Growth Management requirements to the ~point where sloppy work on the part of architects and engineers is no longer tolerated. He added that tn many cases the plans must be 'resubmitted. Mr. Saunders summarized by stating that there ts room for improve- ment tn any organization. Mr. Young stated that we need to achieve teamwork aa a solution. He noted that the Board needs to define what .they want the Community Development Subcommittee to accomplish. He iadded that he feels this ts the problem with Infrastructure. He that the teamwork aspect of this has to go back to the unicell so that everyone ia working with the same statistics. He s~m~_~_rtzed by stating that a monthly report should be provided to the Page 13 card relative to Infrastructure, because &t ts the only way that the ~:.~Boerd can track where the County ts ~otng ~n terms cT management · ~. Labbe repo~ted to the Board on the Building Code Compliance, stating that the County Building Department has come up with higher standards since 1986. He stated tha~ the S~te Developmen~ Plan Is ~rrent/y under revision. He noted that the object would be cross t~atntng and would result Jn ~ess departmental conflicts. N~. Labbe J~'~:Otated that the rev,s,on, of the bu,ld,ng codes should be adopted as '~" In an~er to Mr. Shanahan'l ~est~on, Mr. Young stated that he :feels that professional certlficat~on could be an important step for- )~s:- In answer to Mr. Volpe's ~estton, Mr. Labbe stated that the builders do not meet with the architects. He noted that an Individual Cowry that are extremely upset that th~s t~e of approach would even be considered. He noted that ~t ~kes sense to have some ~ndependent Inspect&on to move things along with larger projects, but not restden- 'Mr. Youn~ stated that the new budget was ~otn~ to h~r~ three new Inspectors. He questioned why the County doesn't require professional certification and save the dollars? In response to Mr. Young'e question, Mr. Shanahan stated that he c/uest~oned the addition and the cost of the new hires, and was comp/e- .rely assured that they would more than offset their cost. Mr. Ross Obley stated that he felt the cert~fication should be handled by the Inspecting architect, as he has seen it through and he certified that it has been built to what has been designed and approved. Mr. Shanahan stated that high rise condominiums would fall the category of commercial, and not residential. Page 14 ! August 22, 1990 In answer to Mr. Volpefs question, Hr. Obley stated that the indi- vidual should make the certification to the County. Nr. Heyward Boyce Compliance Services Manager, stated that it 15;Locate between $12-$16 dollars to have a building code inspection accomplished. He also stated that It Is Important to have a common superior to work with because there ts more consistency, and that '-along with responsiveness is the most important. He noted that the y policy states that 95-99~ of the inspections will be done the next business day, when actually 99~ are done. He stated that he :i~-.~:. could not conceive of the consultants in this area able to do that. He noted that cost effectiveness is also Important, and does not feel ~ :" there ts anyone more cost effective than the County. ~?'! Mr. Boyce continued on the Item of certification, and stated that ~'!i'~'the Threshold Building Law requires that all threshold b~tldtngs be certified by the structural engineer. He noted that the certification then comes to the Building Official. He stated that the}. receive ?-10 ~'reports per day from testln~ companies and engineering firms who are ~(i tn the business of Inspecting and certifying. He said that cer- ;i:~,,ttflcatton is used in conjunction with our own building inspections on a given project. He added that th® Butldlng Inspector Is very aware the Threshold Inspector.s work. .iNt.. Boyce stated that for horizontal construction, the County has [:one Utility Inspector for the entire county who relies very heavily on the engineer's records certifying that the system that goes In the ground does Indeed meet the plans and specifications for that Job. In 'summary, he stated that there is a certification program in Collier not for everything, but for the things that are important. Nr. Arnold stated that when projects are managed by Ottltttes, an ,engineer will always be retained for full time, day-to-day Inspection :~°n those projects. Nr. Frank Brutt, Administrator ~f Community Development, stated one comment was made on the department's relationship to growth growth management, and noted that the Conmuntty Development orga- Page 15 August 22, 1990 nization Is set up to follow the Board's mandates He also noted that his department now is In line with their flies by computer for all of their code enforcement activities, He noted that he is in full agreement with the loint code system of all of the Information con- rained tn the County by all of the elected heads. He added that It is an expensive goal, but an Ideal one. Mr. Brutt stated that internal communications between management and the department are utilizing a new piece of software which has been approved. He noted that the Zoning Code and Ordinance drafts ~t11.be ready in the near ~uture. He stated that the fees for the .i~:~:!%.;'vartous activities are currently being evaluated, and cannot comment at this time whether a fee should be Increased to eliminate frivolous applications. He stated that the Building Codes package will be deli- vered to the Board on September 20th or 25th. Mr. Brutt also wished to highlight on the subject of cross training by stating that building inspectors are hired, trained ~d certified In three fields. He added that the mechanical inspectors cover both the plumbing Inspection and I:~,;'.' refrigeration, the electrical inspectors are qualified for both com- mercial and residential electrical inspections, and the st~ctural t.spectors cover concrete, s~eel and .sod frames. In summary, he stated that when the inspectors go out tn the field they are able to handle m~y functions tn ~ust one building. In ~swer to Mr. Shanahan'a ~estlon, Mr. Brutt stated that all Information regarding building codes will be sent to the Board on ~er to Mr. Hesse' question, Mr. Brutt stated that if the l~:.Flre Districts do not get back to the County. the contra-tot ts i~'~'nrormedtha, thepian, are sa,,sracto~as rarasweareconcerneU. -He noted that what might be satisfactory for one fire district may not be satisfactory for another fire district, and feels this is a problem '~i~!~l<:: Nr. Dorrtll stated that the County met last week with the ::~ Narahall'a Association and had a very productive meeting. He stated Page 16 August 22, 1990 that hopefully some day there will be a single source of authority. In answer to Mr. Hasee~ question, Mr. Bruit stated that bulletins publications are sent to the Collier County Builders and i.Contractors' Assoctatton,~ ~ Mr. Labbe stated that ha believes the County ts in a downturn tn the construction industry. He stated that the County should take a [[wait and see attitude. Mr. Young stated that there are currently seven additional people added to the budget. He questioned that possibly some reassignments f can meet the needs with the staff that we currently have. He noted that this particular department Incurs liability. Mr. Young stated that 3500 properties have been downzoned, and noted that if there ts a 10-20~ request for hearings, there may be as many as ?00 hearings. Mr. Volpe stated that the Ordinance requires that that people have a right to appeal to the Board o[ County Commissioners. Mr. Young [:[stated that a line should be drawn somewhere to get the t~orkload shared. Mr. Shanahan stated that in some Counties there ts a Board of 'ZOning Appeals in place to take the burden off of the Board of County Commissioners. ; Hr. Young stated that this should be looked at more carefully. ess Recessed a~ 11~15 a.a. - Reconvened at 11:30 a.~. at which ti~ Deputy Clerk Arrtghi replaced Deputy Clerk llark Tape #2 pZ$CUISZON OF ~ RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY Edward Oates, from the Human Resource Productivity Subcommittee, said that after spending a great deal of time talking wt~h each of the Board's Division Administrators~ the Assistant County Manager; the Assistant to the County Manager; Tom Whitecotton, Director of Human Reaourcesl and others; the Human Resource Productivity Subcommittee ~'found that~the organization la extremely professional with pro- and dedicated people. In regards to the budget for Human Resources, Mr. Oate~ said he · Page Jennifer Pike, Assistant to the County ~anager, and that they felt 1~" :::: the Administrat°rs were d°lng an excellent-:" keeptng~°b tn r,vlewtng the, heir s and services for their budget dollars and budget basically "fat free". ~r. Oates stated that the human resource area has done ~uch to Leo Ochs, Administrative Se~ices Administrator, and Tom ~ttecotton, Director of H~an Resources, have been working on getting more training programs for managerial level people. · ~;~i~,,~., Mr. Oates said that the Human Resource Productivity Subcommittee i~:?:!:'found that the divisions worked very well together, noting that this ~.~: is because the dtvtston managers are relatively ne~ and have not had time to become set tn their ways. He found that all the dtvtston managers felt that their resources could be utilized mor~ and that ~?ii!~-this could be achieved through having a division managers~ retreat once a year. He said they felt retreats would give the division mana- gers a chance to work out mutual problems and see how so~e problems had been worked out in other areas and In general share information with each other. Mr. Oates emphasized that all the divtston managers brought up the matter of retreats on their o~n with no prompting from the subcommittee pe~eon Interviewing them. Mr. Oates stated that many of the division managers feel it Is very important that the Board of County Commissioners lay out the policy and the direction which they should follow. He said the divi- sion managers feel that even though they have submitted a strategic plan, it is not clear to them whether what they have submitted is what the Board expects. In answer to Mr. Haese~s question, Mr. Oates ~:.~i~clartfisd that the Board should definitely work through Mr Dorrtll Nr. Oates stated that hs ts very pleased that the Board approved the quality Improvement Program in their budget. He said that the [ttce feels It is an essential program. He further reported !!i!.:~that Jan Kantor, of the Human Resource Productivity Subcommittee, who 000,, , iS' Pa~e 18 Augus-. 22, .1.990 has extensive background in quality improvement programs, feels that the Quality Improvement Program can be very cost/savings productive to the County over a period of time especially for the tuams that will be formed to make recommendations on how the County can t,ave money. In conclusion Mr. Oates stated that the County has some excellent people working for them and a very efficient operation. Along with training programs which need to be ~mplemented for the managers and ~s being reviewed by Leo Ochs, Adm~nistrative Services Admir,~strator, and h~s division and Tom ~itecotton, D~rector of Human Resources, and h~s dlv~eion; Mr. Oates feels ~t ~s essential that the managers have t~me to get together on retreats. Also, he states that d~rectlon from ~he Board needs to be glven through Mr. Dorrlll to the division managers so they have a clear idea of what ls expected of them by the Board. Co~lesloner Hasse made a point of saying he ~s pleased wlth the County's managerial staff and In partlcular Mr. Dorrlll's staff. pI~SSION OF DEP~~ ~I~ Mr. Werner W. ~ke Haardt, of the Department Revlew Subcommittee, stated that h~e approach ~s~not adversarial ~n any case. Mr. Haardt stated that his purpose ls to assist the departments with ideas that the Department Review Subco~ttee has to offer. M=. Haardt e~arted h~s presentatlon talking about the Emergency 'Medlcal Se~ce (~S}. ~e etated he he dld no~ plan to go through the subject in detall slnce thef Board had the report in front of them, but dld mentlon hls amazement at the amount of m~leage that ~s belng obtained from the ambulance equipment being used, in one case the Mr. Haardt ea~d tha~ the key polnt regarding EMS ~e the problem of been Xn excesa of 83,000,000. M~. ~aardt feels tha~ ~f ~ere were a 30~ Xnc~ea~e in co]]ectXona, X~ would be more produc~ive ~a Sar as ne~ revenue ~ ¢oncer~ed th~ Xf there woumd be a XO% X~crease in charges. ~ee Reardon, Emergency Services Administrator, ~s working on th~s ';", Page 19 ~i~,~- August 22, 1990 some for the EMS. His ~irst recom- Mr. Haardt recommended ideas mendatton was to utilize the talent already available tn the com- their time to ambulance servtce could be develop and would be benefi- cial to both the County and high school students because ~he training th~ students r~c~tv~ from Mr. Reardon's department could lead to a possible pool of futur~ paramedics. '.~; r~tt~ In,tribally. ~r. ~dt ~ekno~l~d that thl~ t,~ not ~n · easy taa~, ho~eve~, ~oted the~e a~e thousands of vo[~tee~s at the Naples Hospital. He feels that Mr. Reardon should be ab1,, to recruit some of these retired people, and they would be of constd~rable help to the ESA department tn doing routine Jobs such as procet~slng bills, telephone calls, ~d fo/low-up letters. Mr. Haardt also suggested that within the retired community there could be people with consumer financing organization which could of tremendous value to the department . ;' ' Mr. Haardt noted the amount of free service given by EMS to local football games and other community activities which In has In the past involved over $30,000 tn free services, examples being, an ambulance and overtime for people to be at the function. Mr. Haardt feels that if a charge of only 5¢ were added to the purchase price of ?;i: the ticket f°r the function it wOuld c°ver the expenses °i the ser-~::. .vices needed. Nr. Haardt mentioned that ?0~ of the uncollected receivables come from the I~okalee area where there are Itinerant workers who when injured ask for help from the County to pay for their medical bills Mr. Haardt suggested that these t~es of areas be placed tn special tn~rance applied for these charges. ~', ": what a pleasure it was working with the subcommittee. l~(? ' Page 20 August 22, 1990 Mr. Reardon stated that this subcommittee had some good suggestions to offer and goes on to overview some of the 5deas such as the Boards appointed Citizens Advisory Board to EMS review of the past trends and future recommendations of funding for EMS which should be reported back to the Board within the year. Mr. Reardon feels that the on service demand provisions which the Board approved can offset the uncollectable receivables tn the Immokalee area because since we do not treat the people or transport them there ts no charge. Mr. Reardon stated that this provision will be brought before the Board again tn September for the next budget can or cannot be used for and clarify It through the attorneys office and Risk' Management. Mr. Reardon said he contacted the H~an Resources department to solicit vol~teers to help tn the billing department and feels that with this help along with the new clerk which has been budgeted for next year there wil~ be an increase of $35,000 in revenue ~hat is not Mr. Reardon addressed the issue of free services to th~ comuntty '.ven~. ~ referring to the fact that the budget has been reduced by approximately 50~ since this lssues was discussed a year o~ so ago ~d also an internal departmental policy for determining what ser- vices are funded by co~ty at large funds and which services are paid for by users fees has been die.seed and approved by our county year. In regards to the high school volunteer recruitment program, Mr. Reardon said that over ~00 letters of invitation were sent out to high school students at the end of the school year to see ~f there ~s an interest in such a program and once the school year begins the depart- ment will do a fol~owup to try and start a cadet program. In response to Mr. Hasse's concern about the liabilities of the under aged, Mr. Reardon responded that first an Interest from the students must be defined and then the department can identify what the students ' ,. P~ge 21 August :22, 1990 manager as well as himself and has been implemented. Mr. :.~eardon said that perhaps in the future the department may be able to r.~duce this budget down to zero funding. In conclusion Mr. Reardon asked if there are any questions and noted that he has no problems with what the subcommittee has recom- mended and will try and implement their suggestions. In referring to an article he read about tourists and their unpaid bills, Mr. Dorrill stated that because of governmental accounting principles the County has no way to write off bad debts and the $3,000,000 of unpaid receivables go back l0 years. He said that in private businesses they can write off bad debts and that ~tfter a debt becomes over 3 months old it becomes difficult to collect. He stated in reference to Mr. Reardon's comment about saving a great deal of money by being more aggressive in pursuing tourists that ~eave the County with unpaid bills that 93~ of non-county residents pay their b~lls and only ?~ do not and therefore he does not consider this a problem. lit. Reardon added that 251 years ago the County entered Into a subscription systems with two other firms which allowed the County to track those individual who did not pay their b~lls and resulted in the collection of approximately $25,000 more annually than the County could collect before. Mr. Reardon confirmed the County Manager's statement on the governmental accounting principles because the bad debt on the books ts approxtmate/y 10 years worth of service. Mr. Reardon ~atd he ts working with Mr. John Yonkosky, Finance Director, Clerk of Courts, and p~ans to report back in six months with a way to modify the system so ~tnd annualize accummulatlng them year after year. them instead O~ In answer ~o Commissioner Shanahan's ~es~lon on ~ha~ is being or no cost services being pr,,vAded by EMS, done to ~duc~ eliminate khe An particular to the school football games ~here these services are needed but should be pa~d for, Mr. Reardon sald a service contrack ~age 22 suffice and an Inter-local agreement as Commissioner Volpe suggested would not be necessary. Mr. Reardon responded to Commissioner Hasse's inquiry on how the has been able to reduce thsir costs . a i,g have developed an internal procedure to scrutinize very carefully the requests received by identifying whether the money gain at a function is going back into the community or if there is a profit being made. Mr. Reardon assured that the department is also seeking a solution to afford services for those entitles that do provide a community wide benefit. Mr. Haardt continued with his presentation discussing the Purchasing Department. He stated the regulations concerning supplies and purchase are very well covered in Resolution 90-54. He suggested that with the expertise that already exists in the purchasing depart- ment, the department could become even more efficient if a/lowed to make a study to identify suppliers tn the area which could provide small field orders that amount to between $! and $500 and that a policy be made that these small orders be purchased throu, h the tden .I - ttfted ~pplters. Mr. Dorrlll expressed that this po/lc has been Y Implemented. Regarding fleet management, Mr. Haardt found that the County has automobiles. Mr. Haardt sited that for the four employee,~ that receive an annual automoblle allowance ~t costs the County of $10,800 . He stated that the total fuel charges for most recent yea~ ~s approxi- mately $1,000,000 and the acquisition costs charged to th~ County are ~n access to $4,400,000. He explained that the administrative proce- dures for the use of County vehicles was designated according to pre- v~ous co~ssion ordinances and he quotes, "to establish ~tandards and rules fo= the use of Count~ vehicles and to =educe the us. of County ~e~ vehicles to a maximum reasonable degree in order to achieve ers- government and encourage any ener~ ~j~+.,nomy ~n the cost of County conservation." ~r. Haa~d~ s~a~ed th~ th~s first came up before a Page 23 August 22, 1990 commission in August of 1981 and again in February 1985 w/th a minor change. He suggested that this commission recommend a thorough review be made of the entire policy regarding automobiles and establish a policy keeping conservation of funds as the foremost thought. Mr. Haardt said he believes that with the talent the County already employs, this review and policy can be completed Internally with no need to go to outside consultants. Mr. Ross Oble¥, Chairman of the Cost Control and Productivity Improvement Committee, commented that any citizen's grou~ studying any branch of government will have 90~ of their findings associated with the use of automobiles by employees and felt that even though this Is an important issue it ts not an overwhelming one. Mr. Dorrlll, however, agreed with Mr. Haardt's findings and feels the county vehicles policy does need review, but he does point out that only 22 vehicles out of the 465 (4~) actually go ho~e with with employees in the evenings and these are used for for emergency employees and employees subject to call back. Mr. Dorrt]l feels this ts a very good percentage. Mr. Haardt mentioned the fact that data processing and com- munications have been pretty thoroughly discussed He ss.id he agrees that a centralized data processing department is definitely needed so everyone is working with the same principle. Mr. Haardt emphasized that the taxpayers could save close to $1,O00,00 if the ~heriff~s department and constitutional officers would try and see[: a way of combining their work so they can have the service and confidentiality they desire. In discussion on Risk Management, Mr. Haardt ts p/ear,ed to report that his findings show that workman's compensation has b~en a self insured program for several years and the health insurance has been added to self insurance. Mr. Haardt pointed out that th,~re is an outside administration claims function for hospital or e:ickness claims which costs approximately 8102,000, based on Individual ~:harges, and ts a three year contract. He said he feels the County should begin to ooo p~£ Augus': 22, 1990 prepare for self administering health claims in the even~: that this outside administration comes back at the end of three ye~trs and says that due to costs they have to raise the price to $150,0(10. Mr. Haardt stated that this is not as difficult as it may se~:m and that the County already has an employees that could do an exc{:llent Job in this function. In response to Commissioner Hasse's concern, Mr. Och~ commented that the department feels that self administering the group medical plan is a very good idea, and they are analyzing this to make sure they account for all costs associated with self administ~'ation which includes personnel, fringe, and administrative costs as ~'ell as the possibility of developing a software application which could handle the processing of al/ the group medical claims. He said he feels the cost of the software development may not be an unrealist]c amount, and Mr. Haardt added that it is a one time expenditure. Mr. Obley said that in respect to transportation that: the Department Review Subcommittes suggests the County consider toll roads where appropriate and referred to the magazine "Governin~l" siting a number of success stories regarding toll roads throughout: the country. Mr. Obley commented that if perhaps a toll road had been considered for SR 951 to Marco Island this road would now be complete and the County would be better off for it. Also, he suggested that perhaps State Route 29 where it is being relocated for panther pi'erection be considered for toll charge. Mr. Obley said he feels th'e County should review tolling as a source of getting roads built in som~ cases and more timely in others. Commissioner Shanahan responded to tolling by comment:in~ that although he agreed that toll roads do have their merits, when a toll road was considered for 951 an association was formed and the whole idea was met with great resistance throughout the County. Commissioner Volpe asked Mr. Obley if his subcommittt~e had con- ~?sidered a special surcharge for all vehicles registered within Collier County, since it is a user fee concept th~s would seem l:.ke a reaso- 000 Page 25 Augus,: 22, 1990 nable proposal. Mr. Obley replied that they really had ]tot. Because of the attention growth management will have to be spending in regards to the building, expanding, and rearI~angement of roads and the amount of dollars they will have to be conf~tdering over the next few years, Mr. Obley said he feels that the airport Issues should be handled by someone other than the transportation department. Ne suggests perhaps the Naples airport authorities handl,~ the airport show that it is functioning quite efficiently. He commented that once Mr. Obley made one more comment regarding capttal prc. Jects which ia that there seems to be a duplication of effort in regards to ache- duling invisibility which the transportation department also schedu- les. Mr. Obley noted that there may be more utilization of the [[ 000,,o 28 Page 26 the great infrastructure programs are finished then perhaps the County should look a putting the capital projects back under the community development's responsibility. For now Mr. Obley said he feels that with capital projects functioning as they are, it helps keep programs such as the Pine Ridge Industrial park and the Naples production park on schedule. Commissioner Hasse agreed that this ts a good point. Regarding capital projects, Mr. Obley said he feels ~:hat reviews acquires the Marco Island, Immokalee, and Everglades airports as public facilities then the Board should begin reviewing the option of a Collier County Airport Authority and not necessarily have the air- ports fall under Naples Airport authority. Mr. Obley added that good use could be made from the Immokalee airport facility which is not being use at this time. However, Commissioner Volpe remarked that there is a 20 year mastiff plan for that facility and it is zoned Industrial and development has been planned with that in mind. Mr. Volpe finished by saying that the air- port itself will become a small part of the uses of the property and, therefore, Immokalee cannot be considered an airport authority. Issues In the area. Commissioner Shanahan satd he feels that if and when the County August 22, 1990 centralized data processing department. Mr. Nick Carsillo, of the Business Question Subcommittee, stated that he a William Hartman were asked to look into what business Collier County has been mandated to do by the State of Florida. Mr. Carsillo said that after reading the legislative mandate~; of the State, he found that Collier County mete all legal requirements and In some instances had gone beyond what was asked. Mr. C~,rslllo added that it is in this area that gives concerns in regards to Charity. He stated that the County is in the Charity, Sheriff, Tax, ~nd other businesses, but the question becomes to what level does the State expect the Commissioners to maintain regarding the County. Mr. Carslllo referred to the $3,000,000 EMS debt which cover~ a period of 10 years, and asked to what extent does the Board intend to carry on a debt service of whatever the number? In the absence of funds for the Charity programs that the County contributes to, Carsillo continued, ad valorem tax dollars are used to meet these obltgation~. He stated that this business philosophy that has been used by the County over the past 10 years does lead "down a path of wonder." He advised that questions are'raised as to what business Collier County has been tn when areas such as Marco Island, Lely and Golden Gate ar,~ Inquiring about incorporation. Mr. Carsillo stated that his subcommittee questions ~he the per- sonnel growth in the County and from 1980 - 1990 which shows a 92~ increase. He commented that because of the charitabilit~ of the com- mission over the years that the plan for charities and business decisions by the Board have resulted tn the County manag~r~s office having to develop staff and departments to respond to th~ Boards business philosophy. Mr. Carstllo said that because of the lack of planning and strategic planning this growth has gone on ttncontrolled and feels that 92% of an increase of growth over 10 yeari: appears to be out of line. Mr. Carsillo recommended along with the concurrence of the subcommittee that a 10-~5~ reduction of personnel be planned. Mr. Carslllo stated that this personnel growth and other business Page 27 August 22, lggo decisions have been paid for by ad valorem taxes since there were basically no impact fees until 1985. He said that impact fees started -,<-. and modified to take the burden off the commission. to be received in 1988 and the plan Is to continue to increase them, but this still leaves the County in a "catch-up" mode trying to fund its infrastructure needs from the past. Mr. Carstllo stated that the Boards' schedule needs to be reviewed Page 28 He stated that the Board needs to be of free all trivia and nonsensible items such as how the high the grass is on someones property if the Board is to conduct business in the most efficient manner possible. He said he feels this change is very important and should take place immediately. Mr. Carsillo said he understands that there ts a strategic plan being worked on, but questions when this strategic plan will become part of the commissions' philosophy for the 199Os? He said that this is the most critical part of the subcommittee's observation. Commissioner Volpe added that the commission is committed as group to have this year's strategic planning more to what it shoul~ be. Mr. Dorrill commented that in the third week of September the Board will have the opportunity to review the staff's proposed strategic plan for the coming year and asked if this again will be the staff's strategic plan or will the Board give their opinion and set some objectives and priorities for direction to the staff? Mr. Carsillo agre,~d that Mr. Dorrtll's comment is exactly the point he has been trying to make. Mr. Carsillo stated that the commissioner's business philosophy must change and more direction given, keeping their strategic ~ustness phi- losophy consistent throughout the departments. He said h,~ understands the difficulty there is in working with the constitutional officer's, especially regardinG the budgets, but sa~d that the commi:3sion should give a directive as to what each department's budget is a:ld the constitutional officers will have to abide with this directive. He continued that if the constitutional officer's have furth.~r needs they should take their requests to Tallahassee. Mr. Carsillo said he feels that if it were feasible for the com- August 22, 1990 lobby to the State and make sure Collier County's needs are addressed properly. missioners to place the county manager in a more strategi= position and with the authority to handle the items mandated by the com- mission, the matters that become so burdensome to the co~nissioners could be eliminated. Mr. Carsillo emphasized the need for incentive progral~s within the County's operations. He reminded the Board of the many t;tlented people working for the County who may have suggestions th~tt could result in considerable cost savings to the County. Commit~sioner Hasse pointed out that there Is an existing incentive program in the County and Mr. Carsillo answered that these existing programs should be used to a greater extent. Nr. Carsillo concluded his preseatat~on stating that the County Commissioners must lobby more to the State in order to get more budget for the County. Commissioner Shanahan agreed with this statement completely. He said he feels that it is the Board's responsibility to ? the zoning fields. Mr. Obley requested that the commission consider '~' continuing a committee of this type in some fashion so reviews of .,?i various department are continuous. He asked that perhaps three or six months from now another of these sessions be held to see ~f this com- mtttee's suggestion was of any value and use. Page 29 Mr. Ross Obley concluded in summary the findings of the Cost Control and Productivity Improvement Committee by stating first that the subcommittees all reviewed the County's operations in a very objective manner. He reminded the commission that the county citizens view the County management as one functioning operation, not indivi- dual departments, and suggested the Board consider the the issues of strategic planning, policy setting, and budgeting. Mr. Okle¥ com- mented that the suggestion of using volunteers could be beneficial to the County, understanding the need to work out the problems of risk. He suggested that in the long term the commission consider setting up two independent boards, one being'the utility authority and the other August 22, 1990 Commissioner Hasse acknowledged that the committee's review was quite extensive and is impressed with the findings. He asked the eom- ~ mittee to continue to be available to the commissioners for advise, of which Mr. Obley said that they will. Commissioner Hasse assured that a review by the Board will be made of the findings. Commissioner Saunders expressed his thanks to the committee for the quality of their report and an excellent job well done. He said he feels this is a good start on what must be a continuing process. ~.~ Me commented that the self-analysis is good for the Board ~o help pro- vide better services to the County. Commissioner Saunders, in order to sense the willingness of the Board, puts in the form of a motion a request to give some direction to the County Manager to bring things back to the Board for actual action. Me made several points, one being that even though the Board has already accepted the report, they should direct the County Manager to take a look at and report back to the Board on the establishment of the independent water and sewer authority, on the establishment of the independent zoning appeals board, and on the computer issues that the Board has been ~truggling with for a number of years and perhaps the County Manager could come up with some ideas on how the Board could get a handle on that or what the Board needs to do to Implement some of the suggestions of the com- mitres. Me added that the increase of volunteer help and the eva- luation of the County's automobile policy are very good id,ms and would like for the County Manager to start bringing these :items back to the Board for action by the County Commission. Me also asked that the co~isslon take a position to begin the process of establishing a new productivity committee for 1990-1991, with the invttatKon to the existing committee to serve on the new committee, and to expand what has already been started. He requested that this be on the County Commissioners' agenda. Me wished to assure the community, by way of this motion, that this process will continue. Commissioner Masse commented that a motion cannot be ~de but a consensus of opinion can be made if the Board is willing to go along ffi 30 Page 30 August 22, 1990 with it. Commissioner Volpe suggested that the Board tncorpora,:e Commissioner Saunders' request into their strategic plannXng session where their staff will do the research necessary and then the Board can establish a strategic plan stating the Board's goals ;tnd obJec- rives. Commissioner Saunders responded that he has no objection to establishing an orderly process to implement the recommen,[ations in the report or the ones that the Board feels are appropria~:e to be implemented, but he does not want to see the Board start ':alking about these at a strategic planning meeting four months from no~. Commissioner Saunders said he feels that appropriate recommendations should be implemented as quickly as possible. He said he understands that perhaps the water and sewer authority may require strategic planning and should be in that process. Commissioner Goodntght referred back to Commissioner Saunders' request and asked that when a future productivity committ,:e is setup, it should be done so where the members serve for a period of two or three years so that at the end of the year some of the existing mem- bets remain and there are not all new members. Mr. Oble¥ responded to Commissioner Ooodnight's comment by referring to the report where it states that the committee be made up of nine members and -.hree are appointed for one year, three for two years, and three fo-- three years. Commissioner Goodnight said that this answers the concern. Commissioner Goodnight added that some of the mater,s! gathered in 2986 on utilities could be used now to form an independent agency. She said she feels the planning was not sufficient in 198,5 to form an independent agency, however, the recommendations of this committee have been tremendous. Commissioner Goodnight encouraged the existing committee members to continue to serve and help the Board on other reviews. She said she feels the inclusion of the constitutional officers in some of the reports that are done will give the public the understanding that the Collier County Government is trying to do the best Job po3sible and is ?age 31 August 22, 1990 open to any criticism to help the Board to improve County services. Commissioner Volpe agreed that the commission could set the example and create a standing committee making it available to the constitutional officers. Commissioner Shanahan fully supported the continuatio.a of the pro- ductivity committee. He agreed that there are a number of important considerations and mentions the water and sewer authority, the data processing central, and the zoning board. In reference t,) the data processing central, Commissioner Shanahan commented that this is essential to efficiency, a better managed community, and a less costly operation. He said he feels a way must be found to have ,:entraltzed data processing without the constitutional officers havtn,] the fear of charter government. Commissioner Shanahan said he feels That a zoning board will help keep the Board out of 45 to 50 minute dis,:usstons on nonsensible items. He concurred that better interdepartmental com- munications are needed. He stated that there is a consolidation possibility of benefit to the commission. He said he fee Is that the Board has gained a great deal from the productivity commt':tee and the Board supports It. Commissioner Saunders stated he would like the County Manager to report back to the Board in 90 days on the progress of the implemen- tation of the commttteefs recommendation. There being no further business for the Good of the C-unty, the Meeting was adjourned by Order of the Chair - Time: 1:10 P.M. ~'a~e 32