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BCC Minutes 11/17/1980 S Naples, Florida, November 17, 1900 LET IT BE REMEMBERED. that the Board of County Commissioners in and for the County of Collier, and also acting as the Governing Board(s) of such special districts as have been created according to law and having conducted business herein, met on this date at 7:00 P.M. in Special Meeting (Public Hearings on Budgets for FY 1980-81) in the East Naples Middle School Auditorium, Estey Avenue, East Naples, Florida, with the following men~ers present: CHAIRMAN: John A. Pistor VICE-CHAIRHAN: Clifford Wenzel C. R. "Russ" Wimer Thomas P. Archer David C. Brown ALSO PRESENT: William J. Reagan, Clerk; Harold L. Hall, Chief Deputy Clerk/Fiscal Officer; Edna Brenneman and Virginia Magri, Deputy Clerks; C. William Nurman, Count~. ~1nager; H. Gene Willett, Administrative Assistant to County Manager; Robert Best, Budget Coordinator; arId various Department Heads and Staff Personnel. ~O~)( 057 PACE 19 November 17, 1900 11001( 057 PAGE 20 BOARD OF COUNTY cOMHISSIONERS COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA SPECIAL MEETINO Public Hearings on Budgets for FY 1980-1901 November l7, 1980, 7:00 P.M. East Naples Middle School Estey Avenue East Naples, Florida 1. INVOCATION 2. PLEDGE 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 4. PUBLIC HEARINGS ON BUDGETS AND MILLAGES FOR 1980-l98l A. Explanation of the proposed budgets' impact on property taxes. B. Explanation of proposed budgets. C. Review of Budgets by Fund* l. County-wide Funds (General Fund, Road and Bridge, Water Management and Debt Service) . 2. Unincorporated Area Municipal Service Taxing Districts (Unincorporated Area MST - General and Unincorporated Area MST - Roads). J. All other special funds and MST's. D. Close public hearings. E. Approval of Budgets. F. Approval of Millage Resolution setting forth millages for each funJ refl~cting ad valorem tax revenue. 5. ADJOURN. *The county-wide funds and each MST will be discussed by the Board and, after corrments by the public, will be finalized and voted upon for final approval. r'-- -....... I-_..J. LJ .l-_i November 17. 1980 AGENDA - APPROVED Commissioner Archer moved. seconded by Commissioner Wenzel and unanimously carried, that the aeenda be approved as prepared. INTRODUCTION OF NEWLY-ELECTED COMMISSIONER ~~RY-FRANCES KRUSE Chairman Pis tor introduced the newly-elected District 3 Commissioner Mary-Frances Kr'Jse to the audience, observing that Commissioner Kruse will be assuming her position on the Board at the Regular Bo~rd meeting on November 18, 1980. EXPLANATION OF THE PROPOSED BUDGETS' IMPACT ON PROPERTY TAXES Fiscal Officer Harold Hall began his presentation by summarizing what the Truth in Millage (TRIM) bill has done pertaining to the establishment of property taxes. The Bill, said Mr. Hp.ll, is the result of legislation, primarily starting with the Governor's program to increase property assessments to 100%. All other things be~ng equal, he continued, the persons whose assessment increased more than the average would have had a sl~ght tax increase and the perbons whose assessment ificreased less than the average would have a slight decrease. On top of that, explained Mr. Hall, is the matter of Homestead Exemptions - the school's Homestead Exemptions went to $25,000 for persons having such exemption five years or more and, later, tl:e remainde of the County's tax exemption increased from $5,000 to $15,000 for persons having the exemption five years or more. As a result of the exemptions, taxpayers with the five-year exemptions receive a tax decrease and persons not having it receive a tax increase to make up for those decreases. At the local level, Mr. Hall continued, there is a decrease in County taxes for property owners in the City and an increase for those living in the unincorporated areas as a result of the agreement entered into with the City to settle the lawsuit agains the County with regard to Double Taxation. Had it not been for ~O~)( 057 PACE f.1 November 17, 1980 eo~x 057 PACf 22 the settlement, individual taxes levied by the Board of County Commissioners for the regular County-Wide budget would not have gone up, said Mr. lIal1, and individual taxes would have been held at the same level for the third consecutive year. He also referred to the many new taxing districts which w~re created in selected geographical areas which have resulted in new taxes. At this point, Mr. Hall explained in detail the tax notices which every property owner received, reviewing the information contained in each of the three dollar columns on the forms. He added the observation that the changes in the tax structure in Florida in 1980 are some of the most far-reachin~ changes that he has ever seen come about in one year. To illustrate what "rolled-back millage" means, Mr. Hall referred to the third column on the subject form and said that those figures represent what the tax .;ould have been had there beel". no budget :ncreases, which he said is arrived by taking last year's dollars of taxes that came in to each taxing authority, and determining what millage rate would be required to produce those same dollars und~r the new lOO% assessmAnt. He further stated that it is requi~ed by law that if there are any millages proposed to be levied bv the Board that exceeds the rolled-back rate it must be shown in the publish~d Notice of Tax Increase which he said has been done, referring to the advertisement. published in the Na~les Daily News on N0vember 14, 1980, copies of same havin~ been made available to all those present. To summarize the net impact of the proposed budget on taxes, Hr. Hall said that for County-Wide taxes that everyone Days, including the City of Naples, there is a decrease of 25%; for those persons living in the unincorporated areas there are two new HSTD's, one for G~neral and one for Roads, which means that those persons so affected will pay an average of 187. more in County taxes that those persons paid the previous year; and, additionally, there are other new MSTD's, primarily lighting L_l L_J 1____1 November 17, 1980 districts. EXPLANATION OF PROPOSED BUDGETS County Manager C. William Norman called attention to the newspaper handout which he said lists the entire Tentative County Budget proposed for 1980-81, pointing out that the proposed changes madc during the Workshop Meeting this date ar~ not in- cluded. He revicwed briefly the information contained in each of ' the several columns. An additional handout furnished to those present consists of a comparison of Ad Valorem taxes, County-Wide Funds and Unincorporated Area Funds, Budgeted 1979-80 and Tenta- tive 1980-81, which' was also briefly explained by Mr. Norman who called attention to the fact that, as shown on the subject handout, the budge~ reflects only a 9.8% increase for the coming Year. Mr. Norman recalled that, following the Board's public hearing on the TCi1tative Budget held Novp.mber. 5, 1980, all of the County's Constitutional Officers and deoartments were directec to review their budget and he was directed to recommend to the Board Items which might be considered for further re- ductions in order to make every effort to "hold the line". These reviews have been conducted, continued Mr. Norman and, in response to the Boa~d's concern, and that of the public, alter- natives have been prepared in terms of additional items for consideration other than those cuts which were made prior to the presentation of the Tentative Budget. A many-paged list was provided to the Board for their review and discussion during the aforesaid Workshop Sessionj however, said Mr. Norman, for several reasons ther.e were no conclusions reached following that session. There was sufficient consensus in his opinion, said Mr. Norman, on reductions which "might flv" which he listed, reading from a prepared exhibit, as follows: aoo~ 057 PAGE 23 60:< 057 PACE 24 Novomber l7, l?80 1. Four mutters pertaining to water management, three of which involve consulting services which the Engineering Dcpartmcnt has suggcsted they can assumc reoponsibility for with their existing professional staff. 2. Due to recent resignation of Environmental Consultdllt to Lhe Doard, altern<:ltives nre being considered including part-time con- sulting scrvice, thcreby reducing that budget. 3. Reduction in the number of times the airports at In~okalee and Everglades City are mowed. 4. Three changes in the services being provided by the Health Department. 5. Ccncellation of Foster Home Care assistance in the Social Services Department. 6. Three Library Headquarters items which can be deleted. 7. Savings of one-quarter of the salaries projected for positions included in the budget which have not been filled. B. Reduction in projected fuel costs due to costs not rising as dramatically 3S anticipated. Mr. Norman snid that he is not recommending a lower figure on the last item in light of recent developments; however, the balance of the list detailed above he fecls "comfo::-table" with, following the Workshop Session during which it was discussed. Mr. Hall added thnt, although thern is no conclusive in for- mation at this point, it looks as if Federal Revenue Sharing Funds, of which there are $650,000 budgeted as a part of the General Fund portion of the budget, would pass in the House of r~presentatives; however, he said that there is some speculation that it may not pass in the Senate. In the event the funds are not received, Mr. Hall said it would be necessary to look for $650,000 of additional revenue or reduced budgets in order to balance the revenue and expenditures at the end of the present fiscal year. He elaborated further on the subject of Federal Revenue Funds, its impact on local governments, and the like, follOWing which there was brief discussion on the Contingency Funds, and other related matters. · i: a.._.. Li L.J November 17, 1900 The list of proposed cuts was again addressed with doll~r figures for each of the various segments provided, and Commissioner Wimer polling many of the various departments to gain their opinion on the reductions. Public Works Administrator, Engineer Barksdale, said that he would suffer no ill effects from the reductions proposed in Water Management; Library Director Joder commenting that he can "get along" without the items proposed for deletion from his budget; and Mr. Norman stating that he would not recommend a cut in the projected fuel costs based on the instability of the supply. County Hcalth Dircctor Cox responded to Commissioner Wimcr by stating that he is recommer.iing doing away with the prcsent system of weed control due to the fact that the pertinent orJinance is too costly to enforce, medical personnel are not needed to determine that an overgrowth of weeds exists, and it is his belief that a better system can be devised which would be more effective, have better results, and be less costly. Commissioner Wimer voiced his opposition to deleting the $3,000 in the Library budget for the purchase of additional book&. Commissioner Brown concurred and, referring to the proposed deletion of water management matters, r~quested the opinion of the WMAB in this regard. Commissioner Pistor said that it is his understanding that the advisory board has no objection to cutting the four items suggested, explaining how the duties wi II be undertaken by ,)ther en ti ties or, as in the case of the Lely Outfall Canal project, funds will not be needed for approximately two years due to the length of time for the preparation of the EIS by the Corps. Commissioner IHmer moved, seconded by Commissioner Brown, that the $3,000 appropriation for Library Headquarters for Book Publications/Materials remain in the pertinent budget. Dr. Vernon MacKenzie, local retired surgeon, congratulated the Con~ission and the staff for keeping the increase in the County budget at a relatively low level. Dr. MacKenzie stated ~OC)( 057 PAGE 25 BO~~ 057 PAGE 26 November 17, 19BO. that he was not in favor of decrea~ing or cutting out support of the clinic at Progress Village nor was he in favor of deleting the monitoring of Naples Day for health reasons. It was pointod out that neither of these two items were involved in the recom- mendations mode up to this time. Upon call for the question with regard to the Library budget, the motion carried 3/2 with Commissioners Wenzel and Archer voting in opposition. Commissioner Archer moved to remove $l76,970 from the budget covering those items listed by Mr. Norman, as follows: l. Co~n. Dev. - EnVironmental/Environmental Service!; 2. Water Management - General Consultant to \~HAB - Eng. Fees 3. Water Management - Lely Outfall Canal 4. Water Management - G.G. Red. Consulting Eng. - Vincs & Assoc. 5. Water Management - G.G. Red. Eng. Servo - Cli2M lUll G. Immokalee Airport Inter-Dept. Payment for Service 7. Everglades Airport Inter-Dept. Payment for Service R. Health - All Sections Travel - Private Vehicles 9. Social Services - Assistance Foster Home Care lO. Library - licadquartdrs A/V and non-book ll. Library - Headquarters Other Machinery & Equip. l2. Health Department Weed Control .Program l3. Health - Env. Health Automated Data Processing System l4. Salaries Savings $4,142. 8,333. 12,500. l2,500. lO,OOO. 6,425. l,OOO. 4,653. 1, 200. 2,000. 1,000. 23,467. Total l5,OOO. 74,750. $176,970. The motion was seconded by Commissioner \~enze1 and carried 4/1 with Commissioner Brown voting in opposition due to the inclusion of water mQnagement matters in the deletions. Mr. Robert Ferguson, retired Lakewood resident, requested furt~er details pertaining to the new positions included in the tentative budget. Mr. Norman listed the positions and the departments involved together with the reasons for the additional personnel. 1::1 (::J LI November 17, 1980 At thin point, M~. Norman read into tho record a letter dated November 17, 1980 from local taxpayer Paul Dayton, noting that, although the writer was in attendance, the faet that he has a hearing problem requires communicating in writing. Among the comments contained in the letter were that the public should be provided with additional information in the news media such as population figures compared to the number of employep.s, and the like, together with statements concerning his opposition to the increase in property taxes. Chairman Pistor noted that the Parks & Recreation budget was discussed at the Horkshop Session with a number of items recommended as possibie deductions. Commissioner Wimer mov~d that these proposed deductions, listed as Items 55, 96, 97 and 56 on the aforementioned Exhibit I, be retained in the budget. commissioner Brown seconded the motior. The following persons expressed strong disagreement with the proposed cuts: l. Mari-Bea Coles - Naples Junior Women's Club 2. Don Bar~on - Everglades City 3. Esther Clark - Gulf Coast Little League 4. Jerry Primus - ~resident of Evening Optimist Club 5. Marshall l~ebb - Naples Manor Property Owners Assoc. 6. Ray Jones - Naples resident and taxpayer 7. John Iomurri - Little League pioneer 8. Ron Dawson - Bonita Shore resident Speaking in support of removing the Parks & Recreation maintenanc~ of ballfields, and the like, from the budget were Marvin Bell, who suggested that it is the parents' responsibility to maintain the ball parks, and North Naples' resident Mike Zewalk who voiced the opinion that the Parks & Recreation budget of $579,000 is excessive. The motion not to remove tr~ four Parks & Recreation items from the budget carried 4/l, following roll call vote, with Commissioner Henzel voting in opposition to all but item 1197 - P & R Parks & Other Properties, Service to Little Leagues, suggesting his support for that program. BOO~ 057 PACE 2,7 BOJX 057 PACE 28 November 17, 1980 Mr. Robert Cooling, with the Lokewood SinQle-Family Home- owners' Association, objocted to havinQ to speak aQainst emotional matters such as Littlo League when, in his opinion, there are significantly larger dollar amounts in tho budQet which should be considered for removal. RECESS: 9:00 P.M. until 9:08 P.M. Chairman Pis tor brought up for discussion the suggested reduction in operating hours at the Marco and Naples Transfer Stations and the closure of the Carnes town Station. Commissioner Archer moved, seconded by Commissioner Wimer, tnot the subject items remain in the budget without change. Mayor Herman Askren of Everglades City said that closing the Carnestown Transfer Station would be a mistake, commenting or. the benefits of the Station to not only Everglades bu~ also to the Ochopee, Chokoloskee, and adjacent communities. Mr. Ira Evans, representing the Marco Isla~d Taxpayers Association, opposed closing down the Transfer Station on Marco Island, if that is what is bJing recommended. However, he said a bigger concern is the fact that, even though the increase in the budget is only 8' to 9', it is still $3,000,000 more than the previous year and suggested that between 5' and lOX be arbitrarily cut from the budget and a ceiling be placed on personnel effective immediately. Mr. Evans called attention to the large cash carryover from the previous year with Mr. Hall explaining that it is the Board's philosphy that revenues carried ov~r from prior current revenues be used to offset taxes rather than used for special projects. Chairman Pistor also pointed out that cash carryover is needed to fund the budget from the beginning of the fiscal year until tax monies are received, as well as being used for cutting taxes. ...-- K-f. L.I Ei November 17, 1980 Dr. MacKenzie spoke in favor of the motion on tho floor to not alter the Transfer Station operations because it is an important function to dispose of solid waste in a sanitary way that docs not impair health or offend the senses of the people. It WQS Mr. Zewalk's viewpoint that the hours of operation of the stations could be curtailed without harm. Upon call for the question, the motion carried 4/1 with Commissioner Wenzel opposing that portion of the motion for not reducing ~he hours of operation of the Naples and Marco Transfer Stations. Commis~' loner l'Ienzel moved to "put a hold" on all future hiring for the balance of the year, except for replacements, and to put a "freeze" on all wages except whe!re cor..mitted. Chairman Pistor seconded the motion for discuSsion. Following a roll call vote, the motion failed 1/4 with Commissioners Pistor, Archer, Brown and Wirer voting in opposition. Commissioner h'en7.el moved that Item #5 on the list of recommendations for possible reductions in the budget, Exhibit I, which Culls for a reduction of $8,024 in the Planning Department for Technical Map Drafting & Redrafting be acc~plad. Commissioner Wimer seconded the motion. It was pointed out by the Chairman that 1981 is the year .during which all precinct and district lines must be redrawn, whereupon Commissioner Wenzel made the offer "to do it for nothing. Don't worry about it." Mr. Al Serenty, Marco Island, commented that one possibility for reducing the budget in order to possibly fund the maintenance fer the Little League's ballfields was overlooked by the Board by their failure to consider reducing the Transfer Stations' operations to four days a week, adding the further comment that "you have to run a more efficient ship". Upon call for the question, the motion carried 4/l with Commissioner Archer voting in opposition. eo~~ 05 7 pm Z9 BOO~ 057 PAGE 30 November 17, 1980 Commissioner Wcnzel movcd to accept management's recom- n~ndation to further reduc~ the budget by $37,583, as contained in Item H75 on Exhibit I, Transportation - Road & Bridge, Roadside Mowing-County Roads. Commissioner Archer inquired if consideration had been givcn to the hazard insurance which may be involved. Publie Works Administrator/Engineer Barksdale explained that, when he was asked to recommend possible cuts, it was recognized that there would be a minimum level of service in all of the pcrtinent areas contained in the recommendations. Mr. Barksdale said that the recommendation under consideration is not one which he would support because a safety hazard would be creatcd, explaining the erosion, fires, drainage off the roadway and vision hazards involved. He said that for the amount of moncy it costs to keep the roadways mowed the money would be well spent statj,~g that he c~nsiders it preventive maintenance. It I,as pointed out that the reco~r.endation is not for discon- tinuing the operation altogether, but, rather, to reduce the I".Ur.IDer of ti~,es for mo.....ing the areas from approximately four to ~hree times annually. Co~missior.~r Wenzel reiterated his motion to accept the recomrnendatior. under' discussion. Commissioner Pistor seconded the motion wh~ch failed l/4 with Commissioners Pistor, Wimer, Archer and Brown voting in opposition. A further reco~~~~d~tion was brought up for Boara consi- deration, listed as Item 83 on the aforementioned Exhibit I, deleting the Environmental Health - Monitoring of Naples Bay program, in the amount of $ll,692. Mr. Paul Gunther Moore, Pine Ridge Civic Association, requested a summary of what has been cut, so far, from the budget for FY 80-8l. When the ~esponse was that $l76,570 had been deducted, his comment was "I think we'd bette:r get to work". ,. . .. ~.. (_._J i-.J November 17, 1980 Commh.sioner Wenzel moved that the recommendation for deleting Items Nos. 83 and 8l, curtailing the Monitoring of Naples Bay, and Hcalth Department-Nursing, Progress Village Clinic, respectively, be approved. Mr. Thad W. Forbcs, President of the Royal Harbor Association, read into the record his letter of November 17, 1980 setting forth the reasons why the important function of Monitoring the Bay should not be eliminated from the budget. It was Commissioner Wenzel's observation that it was the consensus of opinior., when the suggestion was previously dis- cussed, that the Bay is within the boundaries of the City of Naples and that the monitoring of it should be the responsibility of the City. Mr. Forbes responded that the condition of the Bay affects the entire community, not only the City, but the county surroundir.g :.t. Commissioner Brown said that he made the motion when the program was first adopted, recognizing ct the ti~e that the Bay is within the City; however, he said that it is his feeling that continued monitoring is necessary to keep the Bay from becoming a "filthy body of water". He commended Mr. Forbes for his remarks. City Councilman Wade Schroeder, appearing not as a Council- man but as a resident of Collier County, said that cutting out funding for the program would be doing a great disservice to the total County. Hc reminded the Board that the sewage problem of the total area also includes the lBO Water/Sewer District which is partially in the County. He concluded his statement by saying "If I were you, I would not play around with the health of some 80,000 people in the County". Mr. Zewalk said that to continually monitor "something" is not effcctive unless "you do something about it" and, responding to Commissioner Wimcr, said that if there is money in the next budget to correct pollution in the Bay he will support it. BOJ~ 057 PAGE 3f .. 80:J~ 057 PACE 32 November 17, 1980 '. COlrunis5ion~r Wenzel withdrew his previous motion, motioning instead to accept the rec~mmendation deleting Item H83 - Moni- toring Naples Bay - from the budget. Commissioner Pistor secondcd tho motion which f~ilod 3/2, following roll call voto, CommisSioners Brown, Wimer and Archer voting in opposition. Tho ncxt item for possible deletion was Item H81 - Health- Nursing, Progress Village Clinic, in the amount of $12,569. Commissioner Wenzel recalled that the matter was discussed during the morning's \,orkshop Session with Dr. Cox providing input. CO~i5sioner Wimer moved, seconded by Commissioner Archer, that the rcco~cndation not be accepted and the program be left in the budget. The motion carried 3/2 wi th' Commissioners Wenzel and Pis tor voting in opposition. There was nc d'scussion concerning Item #45 - Animal Control Department-Public Safety, Neutering & Spaying Program, whereupon Commissioner Wenzel moved that the appropriation be left in the budget, stating that it would cost more than the $5,000 involved to pick up stray animals which would be necessary without the program. Commissioner Archer seconded the motion which carried unanimously. The recormendation for reducing the mowing program with regard to the Immokalee Cemetery ~rom five times annually to four times was briefly discussed. CO~i5sioner Wenzel mov~j that the recommendation be accepted. The motion died for lack of a second with Commissioner Wenzel requesting that the record reflect his vote in favor of the reduction. Commissioner Brown also requested that his opinion be included in the minutes - that the Cemetery has never been maintained in the proper manner. Mr. Norman explained that Item H142 - Library-Headquarters, Salaries, in the amount of $23,968, represents salaries for a new Librarian III to assist Mr. Joder in the Library Headquarters, a=-~ r3 r=:J November 17, 1980 and a pagc to replace a CETA position which has expired. Commissioner Wenzel moved that the Board accept the reduction with the motion dying for a lack of a second, the minutes to refloct Commissioner Wenzel's vote of support for the reduction. Commissioner Archer observed that all' of the items to be considered in Category l, on Exhibit I, have been addressed and action taken, and moved that the recommendations listed in Category 2 and Category 3, excluding Item 44, Weed Control Program, and Item 80, Automated Data Processing System-Health Department, which ~ave already been approved for deletion, be retaincd in the budget. The motion was seconded by Commissioner lHmer. Pursuant to Mr. Zewalk's suggestion that the Motor Pool items with regard to a reduction in projected fuel costs be deducted from the budget, as were previously recommended by Mr. Norman and recommendation subsequently withdrawn, COiT..ni.s::;io..cr \';cnzc.'. moved that the items, Nos. 60 and l03 on Exhibit I, be approved for deletion. It was pointed out by the Chairman that there was a motion on the floor which had not been acted upon, whereupon he called for the question. The motion carried 3/2 with Commissioners Wenzel and Pistor voting in opposition. Mr. Hall said that the next order of business before the Board would be for approval of the County-Wide Budget, as amended with those cuts made thus far, following which would be approval of the other budgets, unless there are discussions forthcoming on the MSTD's which have not as yet been addressed. Commissioner Archer voiced the opinion that up to this point the public has not had an opportunity to be heard on the items that make up the General County-Wide funds, such as General Fund, Road & Bridge, and the like. 80~~ 057 rAGE 33 80J.< 057 PACE 34 November 17, 1980 Mr. Elbert Tripp, Vice-President of the Collier County Civic Fed~ration, expressed the viewpoint that the many small items which modo up tho cuts in the budget will have the effeet of reducing tho taxes by only a small fraction of a mill which J1e said i:J not the "meat" of the ,...hole issue. Nnong the areas deserving additional attention for possible reductions, said Mr. Tripp, are in the area of personnel, the unincorporated areas MSTD's,the Sheriff's Budget, the practice of choosing the highest bid for studies and ~ppraisals, some of which could be undertaken by County Personnel, and the like. To start, said Mr. Tripp, ~ moratorium could be placed on hiring and no expansion of any functions until an explanation of the need is given to the taxpayers for their consideration. Comnissioner Wenzel moved that a lOX reduetion be made in the overall budget and that where the cuts would be made be left up to the discretion of the County Manager, recalling that the same motion was made by Commissioner Brown during the previous puhlic hCi'lrin<] and r'?jected. Commissie:;er BrO'.':n stated that he would not reverse the stand he took following the disrespectful manner in which his prior mocion was received, and which caused him to reconsider the motion. Following additional comments by Mr. Tripp, Mr. Norman said that it would be an admission of guilt if he 'Were to sit by and allow accusations to be made of waste and tinconcern about trying to provide the best service possible for the taxes people pay. He said that he can only protest in respect to those accusations which apply to his efforts and those of the staff for which he is responsible, adding the comment that the statements do not apply and arc not correct. Continuing, Mr. Norman said that he must assume that the statements were made because the members of the audience were not present when the Board spent day after day going over every line item in the budget. examining all tho justifications that were provided in great detail, and concluded I.-i I-I j. ...) November 17, 1980 that the rcduc~ions that had been made up to that point, and during those reviews, did roduce the budQat to a reasonable level. He said that this is not understood by the majority of the p~oplo becauoe they wero not praoont and that tho meetinQs were not widely publicized; however, he said he did not want his silence to be construed as acquiescence. It was noted for the record that Commissioner Wenzel's motion died for laCK of a second. Mr. William Snelling asked for a show of hands from the audience a~ to whether or not; l) If the taxpayers want to lower taxes; 2) If they are willing to give up something to have the taxes lowered; and, 3) If the Commissioners are fairly representing the taxpayers in the way they have been voting during the evening, particularly with regard to the manner in which four of the Commissioners refused to lOOK at the hiring and the freezing of future hiring. The response was pre- dominantly positive on thn first two questions, and negative on the third one. Mr. Gerald Finger voiced his objection to the hiring of an additional attorney and, also, to the proposea hiring of an Assistant Manager to perform an industrial engine~ring type of study. Mr. Marvin Bell, Naples resident, touk exception to the coniusion he experienceu in attempting to understand the budget, the possible duplicity involved in the recommendation that the Health Clinic in Progress Village be cut, noting that it is his understanding that other cuts were recommended which could be made more equitably, the emotion expressed by the Library Director in his comments regarding the services which were going to be hurt if a particular function was curtailed or cut, and other areas of the budget. He said it is his opinion that more perso:.s did not attend the budget \~orkshop meetings because it was felt to be unnecessary because the Commissioners had done BO~~ 057 rm 35 a00X 057 PACE 36 Novcmber 17, 1980 ~ good job in ycars past. After working with tho experts in the County, he has como to the conclusion that tho overall budQet "mado pretty good senao" and conQratulated tho Commissioners with the commcnt that a lot of effort must have been put forth in the workshops. Other speakers commenting on the budget were, as follows: l. Florence Nofrio - Objected to putting back into the budQet all of the deletions recommended by Mr. Norman. 2. Marshall Webb, Collier County Federation of Civic Associations - Expressed appreciation for permitting the public to provide input and urged at least a lO~ cut in the budget. 3. Guy DeLoach - Urged deletion of items not essential, such as tl1r: $57,000 for helicopter expenses. At this point, Commissioner Wimer stated his desire to see the Board adopt a philosophy for contracting out to private enterprise, if cost effective, for such operations and activities as roadside-molo'ing, mowing and maintenance for the Immokalee and Everglades Airports, maintenance of ballfields, as well as parks, ir.te=ior ~air.~er.ar.cc of ~overn~er.t buildinqs, and the like. He said proper specifications should be drawn up and advertising for bids from private contractors solicited on a comparison basis. Mr. Bruce Holley, East Naples resident, questioned the need for East Naples Sewer Area B and the MSTD which has been established. He said that Dr. Cox has been quoted as stating that there is no documented case of septic tank failure which he said is presumed to be the justification for the system. Commissioner Archer moved, seconded by Commissioner Brown, that the public hearing be closed, all persons presumably having been heard. Mr. Richard Freeman requested to be heard regarding the millage rates on the various lighting districts. He explained that the millage rate shown for the Victoria Park II Lighting MSTD is 5.5+ mills and requcsted further information due to the fact that it is such a small subdivision. Mr. Hall said that the calcul~tions would be rechecked. .. 1-... 1:.1 ~ November 17, 1980 Lator in the Session, Mr. Randy Randall, Manager of Victoria Park, also questioned the millage for strect lighting. Mr. Hall explaincd that the millagc calculation is correct, noting that the budQ"ct submittcd requires ad valorcm taxes of $799. The taxable value of thc property, so far, is $144,900 which will requirc a millage of 5.5+ to fund the budget. County Manager Norman said that the Board has previously been putting in the lights and then levying the taxes; however, it was discovered that "we were going in the hole in a hurry" because the County has to start paying for the lights on a monthly basis as soon as they are installed. Therefore, t~e policy which has been implemcnted is to levy the tax and the lights will be installed to coincide as closely as possible to when the tax will be received. Hr. Norman said that he is puzzled about the value of $l44,OOO on the 60+ lots involved with Mr. Randall commenting that there appears to be an error since the cheapest lot is $23,0~0. It was Chairman Pistor's suggestion that Mr. Randall confer with Property Appraiser Colding with regard to the valuation. Mr. Randall continued his comments by stating that he cannot agree with taxing the property owners before the lights are installed and said that he was informed by the utility company that there is no specified time period for the installation - they are awaitin~ instructions from the County. Public Works Administrator Barksdale explained that the $799 figure represents only about two or three months of the coming year's budget at which time it is estimated that the lights will be installed. He further explained that funds were budgeted for only the length of time that the lights will be in for the coming year - July, August and September, the last three months of the budget year. Mr. Barksdale suggested that when the propcrty was appraised, it could have been based on raw land since thc subdivision was not completed, noting that this will be corrected January 1, 1981. BO~~ 057 pm 37 BOJ.( 057 PAGE 38 ~ovcmbcr 17, 1980 Mr. Erccll Bishop, East Naples, said that the people in that area worked very hard to vote down sowers for East Naples and ask~d why and how the project qot on the tax rolls. Chairman Pistor cxplained that there have been enQineerinQ services provided which have to be paid for and, with regard to the vote, it was to dctcrminc whethcr thc voters wanted to borrow the nccessary funding from F~l^ or turn it down and borrow on the open market. Furthermore, said the Chairman, there has been a mandate that the scwer system must be put in. Utilities Division Dircctor Derzon provided additional information with regiJrd to the system which included the fact that $5l2,000 is the total involvcd so far to cover the complete set of drawings and specifications for the entire system, pointing out that the estimated cost for the project - one year ago - was $l6,OOO,OOO:. As requested by Mr. Robert Cooling, Lakewood resident, Nr. Bcrzon explained that residents of Lakewood would have no assessment for the construction of the sewer system itself but would be paying a monthly user charge. Nr. ThoLlas Gormley, Naples Park res ident, ques tioned the millagc on the lighting district in his area with Mr. Barksdale expla~ning that the millage of .0437 was for 2~ months. Responding to Mr. Bruce Holley's question about street lights, Commissioner Wimer explained that the only charge is a monthly rental fee ana that t'1ere is no charge for installation. Mr. Darksdale answered an additional query from Mr. Cooling regarding whether or not Lakewood residents are included in the East Naples Fire Hydrant NSTD by advising that they are not. All persons indicating a desire to be heard having been provided the opportunity, Chairman Pistor called for the question on closing the public hearing, motion having been made earlier by Commissioncr Archer and seconded by Commissioner Brown. The motion carried by unanimous vote. L_! L-I November 17, 1980 The followl.ng correspondence was filed for the record: 1, Letter dated November 17, 1900 from tho Citizen Inflation FiQhtcrs, Inc. urQing that the Board inform the public of the budgeted costs for FY 1980-81 which the State should bear duo to State mandates. 2. Petition dated November 17, 1980 submitted by the Naples Junior Women's Club urging that the County Parks and Recreation Department proposed budget not be cut. (34 signatures) 3. Copy of letter received November 13, 1980 from Peter Mann to the Property Appraiser's office objecting to the proposed tax increase. 4. Letter dated November ll, 1980 from M/M T. Chema stating that they favor cutting the budget so that property taxes, in dollars, are not above those of last year. 5. Letter dated November 2, 1980 addressed to Property Appraiser's Office from Norman L. Marxen registering his objection to the recently proposed great increase in the taxes on his home on Tarpon Road, Naples. BOOK 057 PAGE 39 L-J 80~~ 057 PACE 40 November 17.. 1980 bl'.ffiOVAL OF ElUDGET:::; commissioner Archer moved, seconded by Commissioner Brown and c~rried 4/l with Commissioner Wenzel voting in opposition, that the Dudget for FY 80-8l, as amended, be approved. RESOLUTION 80-266 ADOPTING THE MILLAGE RATES FOR THE 1980-8l Il17DGET - ADOPTED Following the reading of the proposed resolution adopting the millage rates for the 1980-8l Budget by Commissioner Archer, Fiscal Officer Elarold Hall read the complete list of millages, as follows: FUND General Fund Road & Bridge iRegular) Debt Service Water Management U~incorporated MSTD - Roads General MST District 1 - Road Construction 2 3 4 5 Lighting - Collier County Lighting Dist. Imnokalee Lighting Marco Lighting District Naples Park Lighting District Pine Wood Lighting District Imperial G0lf Estates Lighting Palm River Estates Unit 7 Kings Lake unit 1 Lakewood Unil 5 Pelican Bay Forest Lake Home Unit 1 Victoria Park II Riviera Colony Golf Estates Lak~wood Unit 6 Lely Palm Dunes Fire Control - County Fire Districe No. 1 Golden Gate Fire Control Henderson Creek Fire Cont. Ochopee Fire Control Isles of Capri East Naples Fire Hydrant Water and Sewer - Sewer Area B - South 1/2 (East Naples) MILLS 2.2767 .0030 .0307 .005l .7898 .5427 .0968 .1401 ,l645 .2041 .2375 .3999 .0998 .0RlO .0437 .2790 .6228 .5463 1.9747 .5285 1. 2174 .9275 5.514l .9584 1. 8073 3.064l .4525 .6597 .5969 .7506 .5985 .4852 .9524 (_~~ I L.l [".-1 November 17, 1980 Other Special Funds: Wcstlake Beautification Port-Au-Prince Engincering Golden Gate COIIUIl, Center .l535 7.0266 .4958 ConunissionCL" Archer moved, seconded by Commissioner Brown, that Resolution 80-266 adopting the millage rates, as adjusted to reflect the budget changes for the 1980-81 Budget be adopted, setting forth thc millages as detailed above. Following roll call vote, the motion carried 4/l with Commissioner Wenzel voting in opposition. 600~ 057 PACE 41 aOJ'. 057 PAGE 44 f\pJOURNMENT Novl~",be r 17, 1980 Following motion, duly seconded and unanimously carried, the meeting adjourned at 9:50 P.M. ATTEST: WILLIMl J. REAGAN: &;~- ~ "-' -, ~:-:......, ~ . ..: ~~. ce~ ~. .' , 7 - ' c" ..... ...., x.- ..... / ., r " ., . \ ' , , '''01,1 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS/EX OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARD(S) OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS UNDER ITS CONTROL \ 0 /7 . )---L--- <6-1~ Li. )1.--<-<1IL0 JOHN A. PISTOR. CHAIRMAN