HUD CDBG-DR Action Plan and legislative ask

1:27:23Okay. Mr Carbala.

1:27:25Thank you. Just two uh two items. Um I'm pleased to announce that uh HUD has accepted and approved our C D B G D R Action Plan. Wow uh as well as our financial certification. So uh you know I'd like to publicly thank uh Joanna, Marcy and Connor uh for really doing amazing work to to get this

1:27:43That's they're approving it before they we thought they would.

1:27:45So yes. Absolutely. So uh they the the the quality of the work and the output has been amazing. So don't you keep that too? Put

1:27:52that in our DOES report.

1:27:54We're now we're now moving to the uh operational phase of this and so that'll be next. So we we intend to have an agreement here soon, hopefully uh within the next uh the next few weeks at a few. With the consultant? Uh we're we're working on that. Uh don't wanna really talk about that at this point in time. There'll be plenty of time for that. Um but we are we're moving in the direction now of moving to the operational phase, which is exciting. That is phenomenal.

1:28:16So how so how quick can we put money on the street?

1:28:19Uh we are hoping to be able to do this uh by the end of the year. Um

1:28:23So that didn't move up since this came out

1:28:26a few months earlier. We'll we'll see. I mean we just gotta we gotta we gotta get through a few other things first, but uh but I'm just happy that the quality of the work and everything has been teed up uh perfectly to this point. So very, very excited. I think it's just great, great work. Uh the other thing I just wanted to mention to the board publicly, um uh Representative Maggard um held a roundtable on property tax reform. It was uh it

1:28:47was

1:28:47a meeting that uh the constitutional officers attended, uh myself, Attorney Steinschneider, as well as Eric Breitenbachman and some city, some city managers out east. He really took the opportunity, he was well prepared and just had a great, great conversation on the impacts of various types of property tax reform that the state is currently considering and so he really took uh everyone's input uh input to heart and we've availed ourselves to assist him, give him information if he continues to to do his his work, uh his homework on

1:29:18the house side uh when it when it comes to property potential property tax reform in the future.

1:29:23Um, I I wanna remind you that um FAC warned us that uh if that does come through and it's a it's a referendum, right?

1:29:35Well that that's one of the options that that are being discussed. I can tell you Representative Maggart had all kinds of things. There were things everything from referendums on elimination to additional exemptions. Uh there's a whole suite of uh of options that are out there that they're looking at and considering. The governor is obviously um stumping on some things and uh the House and the Senate too. I mean this is how our government works are are looking at at very various ideas on on how to tackle affordability of housing is really what the uh is really how the state's looking at it

1:30:05right now.

1:30:07Um It's a little scary for local governments to uh have the unknown when when our budgets are but I am sure the state knows that we have to fund certain things, so

1:30:20They can't bankrupt

1:30:21us. We're bonded and we're not going to be able to And and those those were issues that were brought up, everything from debt to public safety expenses were all we're all covered, uh even non ad valorem assessments that are made on properties. And so there's a lot to consider. But I just applaud Representative Baggard for really taking the time to sit down with with all of us uh and to be heard and uh I I believe he's truly working hard for for the citizens of Pasco and and the local governments and constitutionals to make sure that there's fair reform.

1:30:49Um can I ask you for the board? Um I was told by Ralph that that you wanted our legislative ass in like last week.

1:30:57Yeah, uh well we're we're trying to push uh September of having a legislative workshop with the board. I know there's some other deadlines. As you know, it's uh you know on the even number years they meet sooner. Um and so we we want to be well prepared and and ready to go on that. Ralph, anything to add? No?

1:31:15Um okay 'cause I I I always go through Hooper when I'm and I'm gonna call your husband uh because they overlap in my district on ideas and I think we've come up with one for mine, um but I haven't talked to Brad yet.

1:31:28I emailed staff just uh to let them know about yours. Okay, Rap Claire and our government affairs officer.

1:31:32Sorry. Stopwalks to schools. The third one on the list I think is in your district, which I won't support. Is it yours?

1:31:42No, speak like

1:31:43elephant. The for the legislative asked how we've been chipping away the most dangerous school and the second most dangerous, which we got funded now the the third most dangerous. I think in either of you list I think the third most dangerous schools in your

1:31:56district. So basically the email that I sent out for it was it was for our organization and we really had to get that back in and start the discussion. I did send it to you all. I have had some discussion with uh several of the commissioners about this. But we just want to be in place and ready so we can get this kind of whittled out and discussed this month before we do a workshop in September. And um you know, I've initiated uh a uh request for a meeting for a local bill that we were gonna

1:32:26attempt to do last year for this coming session. And I know the delegation is honing in on a date for the delegation meeting but uh it has not been confirmed but it's the beginning of November.

1:32:39Okay. Madam Chair. Yes. Just a couple of things. Quick thing about the on the property tax thing. I mean Fifty two percent of the budget goes uh to the sheriff, fire EMS gotta be a quarter thereabouts. There's that's a lot of money coming from Advalone funding all that. And I tell you what, if they ever go straight sales tax, watch out for the panhandle. Everybody's gonna be buying up to the north and that's gonna devastate them up there. So I think if it's everyone's

1:33:03gonna what?

1:33:04It'll be devastating because everyone will shop up to the north, across the across the state line.

1:33:08Oh yeah.

1:33:09I mean a lot

1:33:09of

1:33:10that happens now anyway.

1:33:11Oh yeah.

1:33:11So I th I think when everything really gets looked at it's gonna it's gonna be tough to go that way. But I'm all f all for the doge cutting as if efficiency as we can, but it it's it's gotta work for everybody. Um on a couple of things on the state ask, last year we I think asked for like five point nine or so for C Pines. We now have the four oh four permit on one on phase one. We don't need it, we're gonna go through an exemption for phase two, but phase three, uh not only is the five point nine, but we actually need about a total of

1:33:42about twenty twenty-three million dollars or so. So you're gonna see that number jump up, but that's why they didn't have they don't have all the funding for all the other things we thought was in place. So when you see that number, that's to finish the whole do the whole project, minus what we've already got from a match from Swift Mud, which I think is three point four and we put up three point four already. So that's the

1:34:00What I don't understand is I keep you know, Sean is like there's so many there's so much money for water projects, so I don't understand. I I mean like let's give that one to uh That's one that we give to our number three and Try and get it funded.

1:34:14Yeah. I'm actually working uh with

1:34:17number three lobbyists. That's what I mean.

1:34:20And I'm and just saying I'm I'm working with uh Ralph Massulo, uh he's the one who put the aquatic preserve in. Had a great conversation with him, told him what was going on with the struggles. I told him I said I know you put things in there for the dredging, how you'd want you wouldn't put the stop to it, but I was afraid that we have some uh uh some issues with it because In the aquatic reserve. That's why we tried to move it out. He goes, Let me go try to work with you. Let's go take a look at how they're dissecting and what they're making you do because maybe they're overextending what they should be doing. So we've been working with our team with Fish

1:34:50and Wildlife, which is coming down next this coming week, and DEP as well to kind of find out, let's soften up what they're doing to us, because if Homo Sasseran citrus got all their work done even as an aquatic reserve, how are we being treated differently than they are? And it looks like we are, so we're gonna kinda dissect that as well and try to work with him on that.

1:35:11I just have one thing. Yeah. Um just in closing. Can you pull up that slide for me? So when I said I couldn't remember how many counties had committed, um if anybody wants this I can email it to you. But these are all the counties that um are committed to doing. So

1:35:27the white or the black?

1:35:29The green

1:35:30or whatever.

1:35:32Those are all of them. Right here.

1:35:34Oh, I was looking at the map, not the

1:35:36And when I saw we weren't on it, I thought it was a that we were on it.

1:35:39So we could look over here and go over here and then see which color is the Well I didn't even know that was existing. So thanks for bringing it forward. So it's the dark county.

1:35:47Mike knows I've been on it for a couple of months.

1:35:50Okay. Um you I think. No, me. You