TED-27-0006

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TranscriptWhat was said at each appearance is below it. Machine transcription, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 100% of 23 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.

1. 1Oct 20, 2026
   Board of County CommissionersC16Consent agendaNo outcome in the minutes

   Open this item →▶ Play from 1:26:36
   ▶ 1:26:367m

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:26:36All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. Alright, item sixteen. Uh letter of understanding for County Line Road widening east of Mariner to west of Sun Coast Parkway, State Road 589. Um not.

   1:26:53Nick if you would just let's talk the details, please.

   Sun Coast

   1:26:57Sure. Good morning, Commissioners. Nick, you're in County Engineer. So details are this is a a shared roadway. County Line Road North is owned in part by Pasco and in part by Hernando County. And we are trying to widen it to a four-lane facility to address congestion and accommodate growth in northwest Pasco and southern Hernando County. DOT is offering to administer the project. They're already designing the four-lane road. They've spent about three and a half million of state funds on the design. And

   1:27:27this letter of understanding lays out the shared approach to funding the right-of-way acquisition cost and the construction cost for the road. It's about an additional $85 million needed, $20 million for right-of-way acquisition, $65 million for construction. That $20 million for right-of-way gets split half paid by the department, D OT, $5 million from Pasco, $5 million from Hernando. the sixty five million dollars for construction gets split 20 million

   1:27:57will be paid, 10 from the department, 5 from the county, 5 from Hernando. The remaining 46, 45 million rather, will be is anticipated to be paid via acquisition of a state infrastructure bank loan that would be split between Pasco and Hernando. So we would pay $5 million for construction and then we would borrow the remaining $23, $22. Two and a half million dollars needed. So that's what this letter of understanding asks the board to consent to as an approach. It

   1:28:27is an LOU. It is not a legally binding document. These details, especially the construction funding strategy, can evolve between now and when those decisions are become become finalized and payments are obligated. We will continue to look for other people's money. to fund the construction cost of this facility. But this is the best approach that we've been able to assemble at this point in time.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:28:51Okay. Comments, Commissioner Weightman. Thank you, Chairman

   Seth WeightmanVice Chair

   1:28:56So to your point of it being a letter of understanding

   1:29:02Okay. We've had some challenges working with Fernando in the past along County Line Road. And I think both counties understand the importance Of improving county line road.

   1:29:17I feel confident that Pasco's gonna uphold its end of the bargain, knowing what goes on in in that part of our county and the infrastructure improvements that are needed. What level of assureties do we have from Hernando that if we hold up our end of the deal, that they're going to continue to be a good partner in working with the with us through the remain remaining balance of the entire segment of County Line Road, not just this particular

   1:29:48stretch.

   1:29:50You

   Sun Coast

   1:29:50don't really have an answer right now. Yeah, you you widened the question at the last second, and that that made it a little more challenging to answer. Um I I will say that we are the second signature that's being sought on this letter of understanding. Hernando County has already signed it. Okay. So they they are already on board with the approach for this segment in the terms and conditions that I laid out for you just now. I will also say that the subsequent legally binding document is what's called a local funding agreement that the weak county would be asked to execute with the department. There will be two of those. There

   1:30:21will be an agreement between Hernando and the state. There will be an agreement between Pasco and the state where we commit formally commit our dollars to a specific timeline and amount. Should either of those parties fail to deliver those dollars, then the department would say to both of us, then we have to consider canceling the project. And then we would re we would receive back any contributions that we had made. Uh but at this point in time, I have no reason to believe that that's going to occur. Hernando wants this. We want it. We are recommending approval of this to you because

   1:30:51we think it's an efficient way to partner with our two. Two partner agencies, Hernando and N DOT, in order to implement this important capacity investment.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:31:03Any other questions? Move approval. Seconds. Uh a little more discussion on on my end. So this is a road that's been on our MPO plan for many, many years. Uh Hernando years ago decided not to pursue the road, but they went and pursued getting the intersections done along the way. They also did Ayers Road a few years back, uh as opposed to focus into this here. So the cost has gone like through the roof. Um the businesses up there want to see it done. It's a very vital road. It is an evacuation route that should

   1:31:33be done. And I think for that reason, I think the state should be uh helping out quite a bit more than what I what I see right here. I don't mind starting this process to go forward, but With all the growth and let's face it, the state is pushing down growth on everybody. We don't have the controls to get stuff done as we want we would like to get it done. I think we need to like to try to push the state to not only take take the road over. Um I think the business community up there, because this is like a five year deal to go buy the right-of-way as well, right?

   Sun Coast

   1:32:05But it's a two year process to acquire the right way. Okay, but when does that start? After the road is designed? Design is underway and right-of-way acquisition is funded subject to counties con contributing their share uh funded in fiscal twenty-eight and twenty-nine.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:32:19Okay. So I thought I so w what's twenty thirty one? What's what's gonna happen twenty thirty one? That's what I'm doing.

   Sun Coast

   1:32:24So um acquisition is funded, it gets it it gets spent out over that one and two year period, and then construction commencement is is anticipated in fiscal thirty thirty one time frame.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:32:33Okay. So when I had talked to um DOT years ago about this, we we talked about Hicks Road Sidewalk Project. Um we did seven springs real quick because we didn't have right-of-issues. We worked with the local community, got them all together, got them all in the room, talked to them, and a lot of those folks signed up with us on our normal appraisal, uh, signed the contract and away that went. I think DOT's got restrictions to that. But I think the I think we should have a meeting with the public. To let them know we're making this agreement and that we've got X number of

   1:33:03dollars to go spend on the right-of-way, et cetera. But if we could get all the business community to agree uh to give us the right-of-way and not give it to us, but sell us with appraised values, um, as opposed to going through that long, arduous process that costs more money. It might speed up the road project and get it funded for less money. And if we could maybe take a look at doing that, I think it's w uh a worthwhile endeavor coming up. And at a minimum, that forty six million dollars, I want you to think about if Amendment three goes through. Hernando's gonna get hit really hard. We're

   1:33:33gonna get hit really hard. They're gonna get hit really hard. That funding may not be there. As far as if if everything gets stripped out. So I think it's something we need to take a look at every precaution we can, but I think the state should look at either funding the road or taking the road over, one of the two. But that's a huge number for us to be able to take and uh and count on Hernando to be there too. Again, amendment three, transportation dolls are gonna be evaporated. Uh we have a motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. C eighteen.