2025 State Legislative Discussion

31:54Alright. We go to the regular agenda and start with item

32:02R forty seven. Presentation only. Oh there's my buddy. Ralph Welcome.

32:09Thank you. Good morning Ralph Lair, Intergovernmental Affairs Officer. Uh this morning uh at the day as I have placed uh the material I'm speaking about at your uh uh seat. So this is just kind of uh uh uh an update where are we with the twenty twenty five legislative agenda. Uh August twenty I mean August first, uh in preparation for the twenty twenty five legislative session, which begins March 4th, 2025, I asked the organization

32:39to provide me with any funding initiatives or policy proposals they would like for the board to consider for the legislative agenda for 2025. Today, September third, we're having our uh legislative discussion with you all, discuss the timeline, those policies and pro uh proposals that I've received to date, and any funding initiatives I have received to date. The plan is then on October fifteenth We will have a board workshop And

33:10this will be the opportunity for all those items that have come um before us. Uh we'll have staff in uh within the organization come and talk to you about those so you can take those into consideration to see if this is what you want to include on the 2025 agenda. So we'll have policy proposals, funding initiatives, and then you'll decide.

33:37Mm.

33:39I have not sent my list in yet.

33:41And and I know that. None of you all

33:46District Three didn't get anything last year. Didn't get to ask for anything last year. So

33:50I was gonna get there. This is a year to ask. This is a year that we can probably say we won't have any uh um caps on the number that we submit. If we're gonna ask, we're gonna ask these next few years um because we're in the um posture with the Senate um our on Senator Hooper's gonna be be the appropriations chair and he said the same thing. If we're gonna ask, might as well ask in the next two years.

34:18Of course he can't so be the one to do the asking.

34:21So let me uh Let me tell you what I've I've been working on. So it is on my list.

34:30Oh well when you get to it then. I'll get to you. I'll I'll I'll put you up. So so that'll happen on October fifteenth. Uh the next thing and this is new this year, uh for November thirteenth or fifteenth, landing on a day. Um so we can find a location. We will then um meet with our legislative delegation and have a workshop there. That way we can interact kind of discuss with them. What's the date of November thirteenth or fifteenth

35:01uh to do that. and then uh location to be determined. So, uh this will be the opportunity where we sit down over legislative delegation and go over those. I know they have some issues that uh they have on their plate. So again, we haven't We haven't gone to print yet. Uh this this will be the uh last bite of the apple to have that discussion of what you all would like to see on the agenda uh and then uh get their input uh at that meeting. My

35:31plan is then by uh we receive all that information, we'll have review, we'll do cleanup, and then uh by the beginning of December, I put December 2nd just as a date to have on there. I will then go to print. Uh committee weeks start in January through February. Uh and then like I said, session starts March fourth and ends May second. So to date The next seed that we're going to talk about are the funding initiatives, which includes the issue, Chairman,

36:02that you've included on there and want to discuss, and our policy proposals.

36:10If you want any information. W my plan will be in uh uh after I received all the information, the proposals and the initiatives, we'll review on uh Uh Mr. Karbala and uh senior staff and I will review and then I will send those out so you'll have those in advance before uh the workshop so you can uh then go through those. But again, I'll just go through these briefly. If there's one you want to discuss uh thorough, uh Mr.

36:41Chair or any of the other commissioners, I'm happy to do that. So uh from fire rescue. We've received a funding initiative for a new D contract. A new air vent truck. Uh a heavy rescue truck. Uh they've asked for uh starting to build for fire station number five. uh a new shelter expansion for our veterinary clinic with uh uh animal services. uh a a new lu uh water uh or wastewater

37:11treatment facility in the Lakouche area. Uh an East Pasco emergency shelter, recreation complex and community center. This is the one if you'd like to go ahead and discuss now

37:22we can do that.

37:24I know you have all probably heard back. Dade City was a little disappointed in Pasco County 'cause we didn't pay for or pay a big part of uh center across the tracks over at Irving, James Irving. uh rec center over there. The problem was is we felt like we couldn't get enough children to go across a new four-lane highway and a railroad track to get to use that park. So with uh Commissioner Weightman from from Dade City and and

37:55and Keith, Keith Wiley, with Recreation, we met in my office. And we decided we would work together with the city to build a new center. And it first came up about using Watson Park. And and in the process That was that was Olympic swimming pool, it was gonna be uh basketball courts and some other items for recreation for for in Dade City, that I share with Dade City. And they had funds to be able to put

38:25put part of the money in. Then it came up with uh Andrew Baxter came in our meeting, uh later meeting. Uh Ms. Woodard was not there at the time, but suggested that maybe we put this uh this recreation center and shelter at Fort King and Florida Avenue. where the VA is right now, where the VA office is, and let the VA be a part of being

38:55in that building all the time. and fix it where there're no sound from the recreation part that would affect any VA coming in. We don't want that to happen. So we we would make sure that happened. But it'd also be a shelter for the east side, very summer size and all as as a Fasano Center on the west side. As I know I'm not the only one that's heard 'em, but Randy Maggart and Danny Burgess both been talking about we needed the shelter, we needed

39:25a place for a venue for us to have meetings on the east side other than this building. And this fills all those bills that we're all talking about.

39:35W what what is the crossroad? Fort King and what?

39:38Fort King. That's where the VA building is. I don't know what that is. Fort King and Florida Avenue. It's right and it's right next to uh elementary school and the Pasco Junior High School. Right in that area. So if we needed extra parking on that and and the county owns the land. If we needed extra parking We could reach out to the schools there close by in the evening or so if we needed extra parking there. But that workout.

40:06And all those are good, but let me ask you, is that part of our parks master plan? Or are we jumping?

40:12Well it's it's part of uh a plan with that and we'll get Keith.

40:16Well we've got a bedded parks master plan. Not that I don't think this is better.

40:20I understand, but this is part of and Keith can come speak speak for parks.

40:25And it's also an emergency shelter just like Fasano. We've been having outcry for that for a long time and then we've always been trying to find a place that we could actually Have that we could have meetings too off campus here.

40:39So it's multi-purpose.

40:40So we'd have that. So it'd be multi-purpose, be a lot of recreation. You'll tie into a lot of students and people here in Dade City. And in Dade City, I want to talk to Ms. Woodard. She's on board. I'm sure the chief will be on board. Uh Chief Walters. I've spoken to him about that issue. But it's you know uh what got me started It was first they they talked like we didn't want to help 'em in in the city, but the fact of it, we got started in thinking about it. It's

41:11something good for all of us. Well

41:12sure. It's

41:13not just just 'cause it's here in my district, but it's for everybody on this board. We get this finally done. So Keith, if you want to, you can kind of tell some of that, how we got started with the city.

41:25Sure. So Keith Wiley, Director of Parks Recreation, Natural Resources, Commissioner Starkey to answer your question. Yes, it is included in the capital plan that was tied to the impact fee study that the board approved last year. So it's not an additional project. It would be We'd be moving it from the Burks Park location to be co-located to benefit, you know, quite honestly, just more residents ultimately in the Dade City uh greater area. And uh I mean Commissioner Oakley, I think you you described the history perfectly. Uh we were talking to the city of

41:55Dade City about seeing if we can partner with them to assist their improvements over at the park that they um that actually they own that we manage. Um a lot of discussions with the community residents and um ultimately I think this is this is gonna be, as Commissioner Oakley stated, the best for everyone at the end of the day if we can get it off the ground.

42:13So I hope that I um I don't think I was I was not a county commissioner when you built the Fasano shelter. I think it was part of the L PA or on the school board. And I remember but I remember Commissioner Mariano wanting that roof to be two feet higher so they could play basketball. And uh it was very unfortunate that the that the county commission did not approve to go two feet higher, so that that could have been used for that. So I hope in this building that we don't make that mistake if this is able to

42:44move forward. That's

42:44already included. Yeah, so so the the the general concept moving forward would be that it would be uh gymnasium, double gymnasium with activity rooms, multifunctional, uh through throughout the year so that way we don't have a forty thousand square foot facility sitting vacant two miles or a mile and a half away from another thirty five thousand square foot facility. So just again combin combining all the uses and we won't we won't Andrew and I will make sure that we don't uh we don't make that mistake, at least not on our watch.

43:11Another question kind of or thought, you know, we seem to Get vetoed a lot. And does this have a higher chance of going through if it's coming from the s city of Dade City than Pasco County? I don't know. I'd I'd look at the

43:30history. Randy Randy Maggard was representative. He's got on his number one list. Danny Burgess for the Senate has it on his list. Mr. Hooper is aware of it. And um also I've got um Summer with uh Gus Bill Racket's office and we got VA a part of it. They're looking for some grants. They're reaching out now to look for some grants to help in funding of this building. And so all the players that need to be players

44:01You're also a part of it, so

44:03Did you reach out to Representative Steele for the House?

44:07Uh I did not uh because it was Randy my house. Randy's house is in his district. Okay. And then um And they've been talking about a shelter over here and a in a venue for us l for two or three years. It just so happened we were sitting around a table in my office And it came to me, I said, well, this is a perfect place to have that venue and also to have for shelter. And it's high enough in basketball. And having it be high enough for basketball.

44:38uh has always been a part of it. And how I really got started on this was the fact that Ralph came to me And he says, Oh, um We're not gonna do five projects. We're gonna we're gonna allow y'all to have three. I said, Well, I'm gonna pick a good one then. I don't want to pick one one and just like picking a sideboat when it's not approved. That that bothers me. This is something we all be a part of. And even if you have another project somewhere in the county, and I would think we would. This

45:09is a very big project that stands for all of us. So

45:13I'm I'm I'm gonna go ahead and just correct one little thing. So like we did last year, we started out originally saying we were only uh gonna have three projects. One for the central, one for the east, one for the west. We ended up with four because the state said We have one that we would like you to take over. So we ended up with four. That fourth one was one that ended up getting funded. Um where our other projects did not. Um uh again, as I mentioned for

45:41Dade City.

45:42As I mentioned um at the beginning Um I I I think we'll just we won't uh set a cap like that. So you know, it one in each area or additional projects. We could have multiple projects this year. Uh if we're gonna ask, we're gonna ask in these next two years.

45:58Can they go in un under Pasco County and Dade City?

46:02No, we don't

46:05say about that project.

46:07Here on on this type of project, this is one where we can anticipate funding from local, both county and city, state and federal because of all the um uh activities will that will be done in that in that building and who it uh represents. So it's a it's a uh a three way partnership. Yeah. And so uh again the federal. Uh so But but it it it truly is a county. We want the county to uh

46:37uh well own the property and on the buildings so not the city. Um They'll have some other ask I'm sure. Okay. So I'm gonna go ahead and move on. The next one is not really an ask that we will be seeking, but we'll include it on our agenda, and that's for uh the Hudson Library. Uh the plan is we will be um applying once it's uh out on the street for the library construction grant program. Uh we did have a library

47:07on last year, but as you uh may remember, Remember, uh the governor ended up vetoing that pot of money. Uh so all those people who applied and were to receive the grants uh did not get those funds. So we just want to make sure that the legislature is aware that we'll have a project on there, uh uh or maybe even two. Um the next one um received a request in for the expansion of Sun Lake Boulevard for two uh from two lanes

47:38to four lanes. This is a metro project.

47:44Yeah. When we start doing these I wanna see these on a map To see what we're talking about.

47:50Okay. And then uh the next one proposed two lane road connection with Overpass Bridge. This is a kind of a follow-up Metro did. They didn't get all the funding they asked for this last um session, so they're going back in again. Um proposed overpass bridge uh for three million dollars for one bridge.

48:10I'm going back to the Metro Sun Lake Boulevard ask, first of all As you know, and I've said it. If we're gonna if we're gonna be asking for a project it needs to be not a developer project but a county project. Um but is it not more important for us to Connects Sun Lake to fifty Four. Then to widen the little bit that's the the bit that's there? I mean what's what's a priority for us?

48:39We have some contractual obligations to do widening as part of the the Angeline and the Office deal. Uh the connection of Sun Lake two fifty-four is in the works. Uh I Nick may be able to give it a three update on that. Yeah.

48:54uh uh I agree with you it it is a priority to have that grid completed uh

49:05Good morning commissioners. Nick Uren, County Engineer. Um the answer to the question do we want to widen Sun Lake and do we want to connect it to 54 is yes. We want both. And we are simultaneously pursuing both. Okay. We do have a contractual obligation, as Mike noted, to uh reimburse Metro for any portions of Sun Lake that are widened within the Angeline project. prior to the end of twenty twenty eight. After that we give them mobility fee credits for widening if it occurs, as uh because of their work. We

49:35are also adding the extension down to Bud Bexley Parkway into our five-year CIP, which is part of your capital improvements program. that is scheduled for approval.

49:46Say uh I'm sorry, say that again. We

49:48are adding the construction of Sun Lake Boulevard from the southern Angeline border south all the way to Bud Bexley Parkway.

49:56Okay.

49:57as a two-lane road as part of our capital improvement program. Program meaning we will do design in year two. Right of way acquisition if necessary in year three and then construction beginning in years four and five.

50:12Did we move that up in our priority list at the MPO?

50:15Is that number one on the MPO? The uh So I'm I'm gonna be can candid with you, the interaction between the list of priority projects that the MPO board adopts and the approval of a capital improvement program that this commission adopts. is complicated. The the inclusion of of of a project of especially a county road project like Sun Lake Boulevard on the list of priority projects at the MPO makes that project eligible for potential

50:45federal dollars. and or state grant funds that we could ask for, such as a county incentive grant program or a transportation regional incentive program, SIGBE or TRIP funds that we could ask for from District 7. So it's important that we have our project, the Extension of Sun Lake, on the list of priority projects approved at the MPO. That but approval on the list of priority projects does not guarantee funding. It makes you eligible for money, but it doesn't guarantee that you are going to

51:15receive money from the state or from the federal government. What we're doing with the capital improvement program is we are allocating the dollars entrusted to Pasco County to specific projects over the next five years.

51:27Okay. So

51:28we're saying we have we have mobility fees, we have gas taxes, we have TIFF funding, we have Penny for Pasco funding available to us. We think we can accomplish the project with those resources, but we would gladly accept state and federal money. for the extension of Sun Lake Boulevard. Should we choose to pursue those funds, we haven't yet. So I'm I'm looking at our county attorney and saying we have not submitted an application for federal funding for Sun Lake Boulevard because that There are there are consequences to declaring that

51:58at this point in time. So we are intending to construct it with either county resources or state resources at this time. And we're we're going to continue to advance that in our five year CIP.

52:10All right, so we had in our five-year CIP the widening of Trinity Boulevard. And it was taken out. And no one can give me a date and I'm telling you the residents of Trinity are wondering what happened. And there's a lot more traffic on that. There's a lot of traffic on Trinity Boulevard, as all of y'all know. Um And the road is actually falling apart. Um so I got a c I g got a question on How we found money for Sun Lake But Where's Trinity? And then I also have

52:40the question on Rangeland, which D O T. asked us to Accelerate. Um because it is the reliever for State Road fifty four. Um so Where are we on on rangeland then? I know we're doing a route study, but I haven't heard or seen anything of it in a long time.

53:00We are we are in full uh speed ahead on the route study. In in this case it is a uh project development and environmental study being done compliant with federal regulations to allow us the opportunity should we be able to secure them. to use federal funds on the Rangeland Boulevard project. No again, not guaranteeing we'll get money, but we are positioning ourselves to be eligible.

53:21See, this is part of my question to you and to Ralph about and I had lunch with Hooper about we're trying to, you know, I'm trying to figure out if I should be asking for rangeland, which will relieve twenty to thirty percent of the traffic on 54. As you know what 54 shut down last year with the oil spill. It was a disaster Since there's no other road but one road on State Road fifty four. If something happens and it gets blocked. So um

53:49Can we ask for design money? And will that would that mess up the federal grant application? Um, I know we tried to cut it in pieces and they said no, you gotta do it all as one to to apply for a federal grant. Um so where are we w what do I need to do? As far as

54:05rangelink goes, we are in the process of doing we're we're concluding the the planning study, the planning uh project development environmental study. That's going from essentially east of Gunn Highway to use a locally known western terminus, all the way to um Bexley Village. Bexley Village Boulevard. Yes. So we're going to get across Sun Coast Parkway, build a bridge over Sun Coast Parkway and get all the way to Bexley Village with that project. Design is funded in our capital program over the next five years. Design

54:35is funded in year two. right-of-way acquisition in year three, and then again construction in years four and five. So we are planning to accomplish that project with again county resources. Now the reason we do appropriations is because all of the predicted resources over the next five years are just that. They're predicted resources. So we think we will have enough to accomplish those two projects with the money that we anticipate receiving over the five-year period. But if we can secure secure state funds

55:06or federal funds to reduce our costs First of all, it allows us more flexibility with the actual resources that we receive. So if we get less than we were predicting, we can still build the project because of the federal and state dollars we secure externally. Second of all, it allows us to do additional projects, and this kind of brings back to the conversation about Trinity Boulevard, where we have a lot of infrastructure to construct as we try, as we're racing to keep up with growth and development in Pasco County. We are constructing transportation facilities countywide. Northeast,

55:37southeast, northwest, central, all over the place. There are projects competing for dollars. And so when we present to you a capital improvement program, we are doing our best based on the data we have on approved development and existing use of the roads to show you where we think those dollars should be put in the next five years. It's a complicated process. It is absolutely data-driven. When we present a list of projects to you, we think that that is the best allocation of resources, but we also acknowledge that this is an interactive process

56:07and that you have your ear to the ground, you know where infrastructure needs are maybe being overlooked by data. And so you're hearing from constituents, hey, what about Trinity Boulevard? And so, in response to that, we've done a very detailed analysis and I've got it in my inbox, I'm supposed to be looking through it, of the intersections along Trinity Boulevard from Penelas County all the way up to 54 to determine where can we add turn lanes and or through lanes to make that corridor operate at its maximum efficiency. We intend to do a partnership project with Public Works to

56:37say let's add capacity at the intersections. and resurface the roadway to provide a con a a comfortable driving experience for the people on the corridor. We are working on that. So that that's in the pipeline as well.

56:49Since Senator Hooper's number one project that he wants to get done is fixing the East Lake Corridor Um that this Trinity Boulevard seems to tie in um with that fix and maybe that's Ralph, maybe what I should be looking at is So are you far enough along that that can be my legislative ask? Because he's I know he's got it in for Penellas County for East Lake and Um Tarpon Springs Boulevard, you know, backs

57:20up Mm f y you go it's seven lights before you can go through. Sure. So y'all haven't experienced this. You don't want to experience this, but if you live in Pasco and you have to go work in Penellas County, it's a disaster. It's and no one will come have dinner with Senator Hooper 'cause it's the same thing in the reverse. So he's working on a fix, I think they're gonna three lane. Yeah. Or they're doing something down there. And I just wondering if we shouldn't tie in.

57:51Uh we we can certainly expedite the definition of a scope of work for Trinity Boulevard so that if you wanted to consider that as part of your appropriations request, you could do so. That would be I'm I'm going to make one more comment. I I have provided information to your county administrator and hopefully we'll have opportunity to share with you The impact of asking for appropriations on projects that we don't have designed. Oh. And so, you know, just setting expectations where if we

58:21ask for an appropriation for a transportation infrastructure project that we haven't begun design on yet. the process to getting that project designed and then uh awarded for construction is time consuming. That's what I was wrong. It's it's gonna be a two to three year time frame. Whereas if we ask for appropriations for projects that we have loaded into the pipeline and that are more much closer to shovel ready, meaning design is complete or near complete and we don't have to buy property from anyone in order to go to construction. We're

58:51much more p we're much better positioned to consume appropriated funds in in a construction contract in the time frame that they would be available.

58:59Okay, so we have one that's on a design and almost ready to go, which is the overpass the bike pet overpass at fifty-four in Sun Coast. Can we ask for help with a portion of that and then take the money that we had in there and put it somewhere else? Is that a smarter idea?

59:16Absolutely. We are we are close to needing construction funds for the shortfall at those two overpasses at both fifty-four and at fifty-two. So we have an just as a reminder to the governing board, to the commissioners, we we have an agreement with FDOT where we have paid up front for the estimated cost of design and construction for pedestrian overpasses for the Sun Coast Trail as they cross State Road 54 and as they cross State Road 52. We've given them approximately $10 million for each of those two

59:46locations because that was the entire Anticipated cost to design and construct those bridges.

59:51Way back when?

59:52The agreement we have with F DOT, which I think was executed in 2018. But again, I'm keeping in mind, I'm I I joined you in 2023, so some of my you know my history is not as sharp on the older stuff. Um it obligates us to pay the shortfall. If design ends up being more or in construction ends up being more than DOT when they get a bid back. For construction of those two bridges can say to us, here's the bid amount, here's how much we have from you, the difference is X, and we need you to write us a check for X in a very short

1:00:23amount of time. That's what our agreement obligates us to do right now. If we were to seek an appropriation for those two, and they are intended to go to construction. receive bids and and be let for uh the bidding process later this year for fifty two Mm that may be spring of at this point later. I think fifty two jumped ahead of fifty-four. I think fifty-two is going to be in the summer of twenty-five, and fifty-four is anticipated to be in the later part of twenty-five, December of twenty twenty-five.

1:00:54So if we are to be notified at that time of shortfalls and we have a legislative appropriation saying here, here's four million or here's six million dollars, we could use that money to plug the shortfall, and then instead of having to write that check out of our county resources, we could put those county resources toward another project.

1:01:11But the last thing I needed to know about was the sidewalk that was asked about last year, and I Ralph, I could not tell.

1:01:21Um my ask last year that didn't make it into our county but um project list was the sidewalk from Um I think Trinity Boulevard up to Mittel. Mitchell High School and Mitchell Middle, or Seven Springs Middle. I don't understand 'cause when I look I f I see a sidewalk, so Um but there's a there's a mess going on there now that they've changed the times and the Our office is getting a lot of emails about

1:01:52Traffic backing up. um on Little Road for a long ways. And um and that So Ralph, what was the project last year?

1:02:09Okay. And uh

1:02:10Grayson

1:02:10provided me an item.

1:02:11And the parents are saying there's no safe way for those kids to go 'cause there's no crossing guards. And so and maybe it's just as simple as getting them some crossing guards and they'll feel comfortable using what's there. I don't know, but I need to get with you guys 'cause literally we fifty emails on it. We'll get what we have. Okay.

1:02:29Mr. Chairman?

1:02:30Yes.

1:02:31Uh I think it'd be a good idea, and I've talked with Meggett Harding from the school board about this, is let's get together with the school board uh maybe a district by district and kinda find out what are their priorities as well and let's go find out work together with them this year in Tallahassee going to try to get these sidewalk projects done that need to get done.

1:02:49Yeah, and I and I am concerned that they're not building the sidewalks they're supposed to build. They're all over they're all over. They don't have the sidewalks in front of their property and they're supposed to build their sidewalks. So I mean we're supposed to connect to them.

1:03:04So I think with all of us together, I mean f g for example Shady Hills, we had a senior project coming in, Dell Webb. We had to make from their property all the way up to the schools. There's still a gap going to the north because there's nothing for development coming in, but I think like I said, all these things sitting down together and going as a united front to say we need this stuff done. might help us get capital money we otherwise wouldn't wouldn't touch.

1:03:27W

1:03:28and

1:03:28but go ahead. No, I was gonna say, Commissioner, there

1:03:31is

1:03:31a working group that is established where we we do work on that and we we do chip away at the school board's priorities. Um but more is always better.

1:03:38I think a little bit a little bit robust, especially if we align with our own c uh school board member districts to kind of figure out maybe we pick two or three that are the most important to us to to go forward.

1:03:49Mm-hmm. To to that point there's a list which is what we've been advocating on um Parkway it Just happened to be the the the most dangerous school where the Pineview Middle. I mentioned where there were two phases. Second phase was vetoed. Um and then I think the number three on the list was in Commissioner Starkey's district. So I I'm gonna support sidewalks every year until I'm no longer a commissioner and just chip away at the school

1:04:19board's list from one to twenty-five and wherever it f falls in the in whoever's district w however but that that's how I'll be supporting that

1:04:29do they have a list?

1:04:30Yes. Yep.

1:04:31Oh I'd love to see that list.

1:04:32But I know one on Pasco Road is a uh sidewalk that we're actually doing within that uh Pasco Road widening I think we're doing that That sidewalk there was cipher. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we're doing that. I saw that in up to the

1:04:47sidewalk and a multi multimodal.

1:04:48Yeah. Yeah. So anything else right from me?

1:04:52Yeah, we're just gonna get to the false thing. So policy proposals um uh so far have received county inmate medical costs. This is one we did last year. Uh we also submitted this uh to FAC this year for their discussion. I spoke with them the other day, so uh uh in a few weeks they'll be having their policy and innovation uh meeting and I'll be up there for that. I know Commissioner Starkey you'll be up there. You were still Debating on that. So w we have a couple of uh issues. Uh the other

1:05:23issue that uh we submitted to FAC was uh nine one one fee increase. Uh my counterpart in Ellis reached out to us and said this is an issue we're submitting. Would you all be willing to submit it to? Rand by the organization and they came back and said, Yes, it's a good good issue. Um We've been bleeding every year paying out of general fund uh to pay for the uh 911 issues that um have been capped by

1:05:53the state uh at 40 cents since twenty fourteen.

1:05:59Uh indexing local option fuel tax, same kind of scenario with 911. This is one where the state uh has an indexing on their local option uh or their their fuel taxes, but we do not. So theirs go up every year, ours do not. This is what helps pay for your infrastructure. So where do you get it from when you have that shortfall? Your general revenue. Um we had a proposal submitted by our um Pedestrian

1:06:29uh Commissioner Starkey you're aware of this one. The president of uh B Pack, is it?

1:06:35The president of Oh oh yeah on um yeah that Bri Brian is it Brian?

1:06:39Yeah

1:06:40Yeah that's that's a good

1:06:41one. A pedestrian safety issue that he submitted. Again, these will be issues that we'll discuss at the workshop. We'll have people there to talk about it in depth. Um so uh again I will get those to you uh in the next week or so so you'll have those readily available so you can can re start to review. Um The other one you're familiar with, this is what we weren't able to accomplish last year, and that's a live local land use exemption. We got the the um tax exemption

1:07:11portion taken care of. So now we're gonna go back in and address this issue. Um I think our legislators now realize that and are willing to possibly carry it either within our own delegation. So that's a good thing.

1:07:23Um Mr. Chairman Mariano Um Ralph, we definitely need to talk about this at fact because there are more and more counties that are understanding the challenges and I think we'll have more help this time. And we shouldn't be the tip of the spear again. But this is, you know, as you know, this is why we were vetoed so badly last year and that's why I was suggesting Dade City. Yeah. Um, but w yeah, we need to see if we could We need to fix this, but let's see if we can be a coalition

1:07:53and not Just the lone man carrying the weight of the state on our shoulders. Yeah. Right? Right.

1:08:00One question. Sure. You know, last year there was a metro product for a walkway. Was that part of our safety issues for that walkway? Because I did not think it was, but it came through the county. It did come through the county, but no, that was within

1:08:15um uh Metro's property on Angeline. Yeah.

1:08:18So that was something that they're a picking. What I'd like to do, I don't I don't mind having a project they have, but I want it one that like Nick was talking about, if if we're obligated to pay for some of these things, I want those asked to be if Metro's asking I want them to be together rather than than it one way or the other. Just I mean we can ask for our things, but if Metro's gonna ask for something special

1:08:43They can't.

1:08:44They do.

1:08:45That's because we sign on.

1:08:47You remember they got their sidewalk across the roadway last year? Yeah and

1:08:51they submitted those with our name on that.

1:08:53Yes. That's

1:08:54the point.

1:08:57They submitted those with our name, Pasco County's name. Yeah. So so the uh I've asked them, uh they will participate as well so they can come and talk to you about those projects that they are seeking for next year.

1:09:08The only issue I had on that one y was the fact that they if you talk to a legislator up there or something and we didn't get the these things they say, Oh yeah, you did you got this walkway across these roads. Well I didn't think that was something we were asking for.

1:09:23Well there's there's walkways to nothing because they didn't have trails or sidewalks. So I don't understand it.

1:09:28So I don't my problem is I don't want to see us loot sidewalks that we need for safety of children and our citizens.

1:09:34Yeah.

1:09:35over something like that. If it's something that fits both uses and we're both we're obligated to say well, I don't mind that. That's fine. Yeah,

1:09:43and I think

1:09:44that way we're working together. Not Sorry.

1:09:47Yes, sir. To Ralph's point they're gonna be at the table here it sounds like which which is good. We haven't had that kind of

1:09:52cooperation

1:09:53in

1:09:53a couple

1:09:54of years. I have to backtrack. I missed the second one. Um got a policy issue.

1:10:00Ralph, just what if I could, Mr. Chairman? Yes. Um back to the uh Live Local as well. With Regional Planning Council, I think one of the reasons I was nominee was because our stance on Live Local. I think we should try to reach out together to do a presentation with all the regional planning councils as well, including the meeting that comes up in January.

1:10:15I'll get with David Engel and uh Dave Gold's saying about that. Yeah. Um I did jump over one. Another policy issue is for a public records exemption for misdemeanor and probation. Always thought they were already included but apparently they were not, so we'll we'll try to go uh in and see if we can get that done this year. And

1:10:36this one on code, we gotta get that through.

1:10:38And then the last one, uh we're revisiting the code in municipal enforcement to allow for anonymous anonymous complaints. Um I I I think even our legislators are hearing now from their own constituency about the problems. And I think it might be an issue that they might or are willing and are receptive to revisit this year. Uh don't know if it'll pass, but willing to re uh revisit. And that's it as of right now. Any other questions?

1:11:07That's a lot of policy from us.

1:11:09And that's a good thing.

1:11:10That's our job.

1:11:11That we've been increased you know, through the years and have come up with more ideas and I like to see that. That's you know, it rather than just asking for money, you know. Uh Uh but we see day to day, you know, whether it be changes that have occurred already that we need to go back and revisit that have had a negative impact on our county, or we see ways that uh just a tweak in the uh legislative uh in the in the language uh of law will will help uh uh us to r do our jobs smoother. Check.

1:11:41Chair? Yes. Thank you. Ralph we're working with budget folks on a spreadsheet that kinda lists all of our unfunded state mandates separately as we go through this budget process. It's gonna be interesting to see what we find and maybe out of that some of these unfunded mandates can bring policy discussions with our with our folks and and show what it's actually it's costing. So it could be a fun exercise and I'm hopeful something good may come out of

1:12:07that. It really is. And and the good thing is is our our our budget people, they stay on top of this every year because they know it happens. Uh the the cost shifts down from the state back to the local area and um you know, they can at least tell the uh the the constituency we did not raise taxes or fees local government, however you have to take care of that, that's your problem now. That's not our problem. And it and it builds up over time. And so these are issues that then whittle

1:12:37away at general revenue, uh, that you all deal with, uh, with your regular operating fees and and then you w how do you make that short fall up every year?

1:12:47So it'll be a good discussion. Hence the double pull this morning.

1:12:54Okay. Okay.