Oakley financial audit and legislative concerns

2:18:30Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Yes, I have good news. Um you know every year um we go through a comprehensive financial audit. Um we have a firm CRI um that goes through it and audits all of our financials and I wanted to let you know that well in every year we create a Comprehensive or annual comprehensive plancial report, and we submit it to the Government Officers Finance Association, GFOA, and we have won the excellence

2:19:01in financial reporting for fiscal year ended in twenty twenty two and that is the fortieth consecutive year of excellence in financial reporting. So um congratulation goes out to um your team. All of your departments work with my financial department as well. So big congratulations to my financial department as well. And I wanted to give a shout out to Jess Jessica Blesser on your team. She really did a lot of heavy lifting and she's pretty um pretty amazing. So thank you to Jessica

2:19:31and uh and Matt Lazar from my team. Um And Richard Van Steen from my team as well. They worked really well together. Um we had great collaboration. And yesterday we just submitted to GFOA the fiscal year ended 23 financial report. So we hope to make it 41 consecutive years in the near future.

2:19:54Yep. Sounds great.

2:19:56I have car copy in the Heinz vote. Waiting on me so I'll listen to you as I walk it back then.

2:20:02Hey, so don't

2:20:03think I'm walking out on you. What I'm walking at.

2:20:05Yeah, no you're We still got a quorum. We'll take care of some things. In your district while you're in your district while you're gone. We'll take care of it.

2:20:14I'm just walking over the crossover.

2:20:17We're good. Um you'll see the uh solar eclipse for those of you that didn't drive to Missouri and couldn't see that. My assistant did and her husband did drive to Missouri. And they came back and arrived back home. on Tuesday morning around seven thirty in the morning to get back here to work. So but that's she actually her and her husband went out there. They they thought they'd rather see that one. They couldn't believe

2:20:48they'd wait two hundred more years and wouldn't be able to see, so Yeah, there you go. Yeah. Put her in arrested. But I have a couple of things. Um Uh one of one of them concerns me and it it's I guess it's uh to me it's in Ralph's Ralph's area, is the fact that when we have local independent businesses reaching out through consultants that work with us and other people, And

2:21:18they're doing that in Pasco County. We get credited for money that they get. that we really don't get and it knocks out because they've given us that for an independent Developer. has gotten this money. And they count that as going to Pasco. So when we're asking for things we really want to ask for, we're not asking for that item. Sometimes we get knocked out of our items based on the fact that an independent

2:21:49business is asking for the same kind of money as for the state. Which I don't think that's right they should get that money anyway. That's my opinion. But um I d I didn't know if y'all realize that or not, where we're getting accredited for those asked, even though they weren't asked by our board. So We need uh somehow we need to Work with that. 'Cause when it when it goes to Tallahassee They

2:22:19think it's Pasco County asking for it. And it's not Pasco County asking at all. Now the monies come back and go into Pasco? Yeah, but they go into a private Developer

2:22:33or firm.

2:22:33Yeah.

2:22:34Mr. May we need to put in when we do put our S in that we put in these are the things we're asking for. We're not asking for anything else that's not on this list. Just to be clear.

2:22:45Yes, sir. Yeah, I think that's probably something we can address through our next legislative workshop. And as we come into that, yes we're and whether we can bring folks to the table earlier, because some of these items that come forward, uh you know, they they could have a public benefit that maybe we want to explore. May not be the Board's priorities, but could be a priority for for the citizens. So I think we we should discuss that and and how we want to approach that. So I think that's fair.

2:23:09Legislators they don't realize it, they they just think that's a Pasco County At. They don't know the difference, so You know, not being told that. So it's something I think we need look out for and and just watch and I've made Ralph aware of it too. So and then another thing I've had was the fact that In some issues that's happening with our planning commission. I've noticed that sometimes they They're making

2:23:39statements toward policy which This board has already set aside our policies that we want to move forward that we want to happen for Our citizens? But the It seems like some members of the Planning Commissioner acting like they're policymakers and they're not. So Maybe in satisfying some of that is and David Engel maybe step up to the podium. Um maybe and I don't know whose

2:24:09responsibility that is of the Planning Commission, but maybe they need to be retrained to what their duties really are because it seems like they're a step I heard one time and this is several months back that one planning commission and decided he he wasn't sure he wanted to um vote on this particular development 'cause he wasn't sure we had he had heard Zephyrhills didn't have water and he figured we didn't have water anymore and he couldn't put that many homes on a piece of land not knowing

2:24:39if we had water or not. Well we have water. That's not our issue. So we have plenty of water. So what do

2:24:47you think? Well Mr. Chairman M we have had a workshop in the past to uh to educate the Planning Commission with their role and Robert's rules and their duties. Um I also feel that there's a desire amongst the Planning Commission to consult the board regarding planning items. And I've approached the Chair about establishing quarterly workshops. We've got discussions and make recommendations to the Board

2:25:13of

2:25:13Commissioner.

2:25:18I mean they're just some of them just kinda get out of place when they're not doing what what we're asking 'em to do for us. And I appreciate all they do 'cause th they don't get paid for that job and They're tied up in meetings kinda like we are at times but they don't get paid for it. So there's a lot of knowledge. Time's very important.

2:25:38Well yeah. I mean it's my My my take is uh we got some engineers on there, some pretty skilled people on there that I think all I all I've and I've listened to several Planning Commission meetings with different things, but if they're fire enough with the ordinance is in place, et cetera, that's good. if they're fighting what maybe staff's policy changes are to be and they're implementing those and they're pushing back on that. I don't mind they're having a debate on it. You know, if they're saying like you know like today we approved one for one point nine. Had

2:26:09a lot of walkability, we generally threw it. That's why I'd let it go 'cause I don't like those either. I want to see at least two or better. But I want to give them the freedom to go look at the code. And uh we got a county attorney that sits in that office, that in that room, when it's going on. If they're out of line, he can call them out. But I haven't seen any issues like that that would wouldn't quarterly meetings and I think that I think we all have enough meetings to go to the M.

2:26:31Now don't get me wrong, we we have some smart individuals on on the meeting and we're we're very lucky to have those individuals there. I appreciate that. But the fact of it is when when they kind kinda leave what their role is to possibly trying to make policy. Then I think they're going too

2:26:48far. I I think that's the attorney's office a at that meeting to call it out for specifics. Unless you got some specifics you want to bring up. I think I I I I mean David's as sharp as can be. If he sees something I've seen him do it. He's jumped over the top of them playing the commission to someone.

2:27:01I'm well aware of that. Right,

2:27:03David? So I mean I d I don't I don't see any need for me.

2:27:07Yes, that's right. If he gets asked then he steps in. Yeah. So but I've just noticed some lately that Kinda concerns me a little bit. Anything to say, Mr. Steiner?

2:27:23Well it's a fine line for us. Um we're not we're not really there to chastise the Planning Commission. I know David has in the fact reminded them that there has been board direction on something that they were going in a different direction on. Um and to a certain extent

2:27:48Their role is clearly not policy in developments. Um

2:27:57their role is recommendor uh is to make you a recommendation on policy for when the code and the comp plan. Right.

2:28:10th without knowing the specifics I don't I can't say they've stepped over or they haven't stepped over, but But that you know. between the County Attorney's Office and the Planning Director We should be able to To get the planning commission to stay in their lane.

2:28:30And I and I think with the Chairman and and and you yourself, Mr. County Attorney, you sh should have a discuss discussion and kind of delve into it further. You think you bring it back, bring it back.

2:28:39Yeah. Yeah? I mean, it's it hadn't come to the point they've changed policy, but their staff knows our policy. So if I guess if it's riding on the edge to to moving away from what our policy is then it needs to be spoke to. So and we don't do that. We're not there to do that. So And and other other than that, that Planning Commission is we're adding a new member too, which would be very good for that that group

2:29:10to uh move forward. They do a good job. Yeah, I agree.

2:29:14Yeah.

2:29:16All right.