Multi-agency criminal justice information system funding dispute

1:04:28Yes, Mr. Chairman Mariano. On October 27th, I sent a letter to this board asking the county to reconsider its decision to fully fund the multi-agency criminal justice information system and the annexed courthouse local requirement. I have not received a response. It was not on and a it was not on the agenda as an item for today's meeting. And no commissioner has brought it up for discussion as of yet. The clerk's office budget adopted by the board is inadequate, having

1:04:59exhausted all other Available options to resolve the budgetary funding dispute with the county. My office is left with no alternative. but to ask the court for clarification of the statutory obligation. And the funding requirements as presented to this board. I am confident that the budget request submitted by my office is supported by law. And commissioners, this is not the conversation I hope to have. The

1:05:29last thing I want to do is involve the courts in our dispute, and I don't want to take the board to court, but I must do the right thing for my office and the citizens of Pasco County. As the board is not willing to discuss an auspicious resolution for the clerk's office, a petition for declaratory and supplemental relief will be filed. Um those are my comments, Mr. Chairman. Okay.

1:05:51Mr. Chairman Mariano.

1:05:55Just a question then. So if you look at the twenty twenty one um budget request, there was no local requirement in there listed at all. So so my question then, there was no local requirement listed in the 21 budget. But there was one listed in the twenty two. So why was there not one in twenty one?

1:06:15The um budget that was put in for twenty one, um, I had not gone through the statutes as of yet and the pandemic occurred. in March of that year and really Hurt clerk statewide. And at the time that I submitted the budget, um, I spoke with the county administrator and said, We are going to be doing a deep dive into Florida statutes to determine our revenue sources and figure out if there is an issue with

1:06:46the revenue coming in, which we have done and the results of that deep dive into Florida statutes has the local requirement in the budget for 2022.

1:06:59So my question then would be Why wasn't it this done prior? Because you were the chief deputy in 21.

1:07:06Right.

1:07:06But nobody from years prior. Ever thought to put that in the budget?

1:07:11Right. That would be a question for the uh prior elected officials that were in this position. I can't answer that question for you.

1:07:19Okay, but you being chief deputy would have you would have been involved in the pro budgeting process. Right,

1:07:23but they said the direction of the office.

1:07:27The yes, that person does set the d uh direction of the office. So I guess my question would be then Who was the quote, budget director for that office that year. I know who it is, but who was the budget director?

1:07:40The budget director during that time was Chris Mettler.

1:07:43Okay. And who's the who was it the next year?

1:07:47So twenty one was Chris. Twenty two was Chris?

1:07:49Yes.

1:07:50Okay. So did his direction change Oh

1:07:54sorry, Christine Mettler.

1:07:56Okay. Okay.

1:07:58No, um this was um A re a review of the statutes.

1:08:02But it wasn't an it wasn't a necessity for your budget in years prior and your budget then then the budget was fine. Or the prior I'll say the prior clerks.

1:08:09I gotta tell you our budget has not been fine. Our budget has not been fine for years.

1:08:16I j I just I just you know just again, you weren't there, you said, but you know, I just find it ironic in twenty one that request wasn't made and priors wasn't made, but all of a sudden it's being now and it's, you know, the end of the world, but it wasn't prior to that. So I well I'll leave it at that.

1:08:33You know, it always has been an issue and I believe prior clerks went to the legislators and I am looking at the law and the law says that the counties required to pay for the things that I've asked for. That's why I'm asking.

1:08:45Were they paid for in twenty one? In twenty and nineteen and eighteen through your budget?

1:08:50Uh as a local requirement from the county? No.

1:08:52No, w was it paid through through your office though?

1:08:55Yeah. It was paid from by other clerks in other counties.

1:08:59But it was paid for.

1:09:01by other clerks. As a s it's asking my neighbor to pay my bills.

1:09:06Which worked out fine for all those years though.

1:09:09Yeah. The money is tight statewide. They are all all looking um at budget deficits.

1:09:15But we stepped the so the county stepped up with our money and actually passed through and gave you relief.

1:09:21The CARES Act money, yes. We did.

1:09:23Okay.

1:09:23So is it in your budget

1:09:25to pay that money back in the future to the county?

1:09:27No, no, I d I don't believe it is. It was um a request that I made. I don't think I could pay that money back if you even if you asked. I don't have the money. But it was um a money, money that the county was granted from the federal government.

1:09:43Or the correct for the county.

1:09:44For the county.

1:09:45Board of County Commissioners.

1:09:47That's correct. Ninety six million.

1:09:50So I guess I just you know that's my question is if it wasn't you know uh that was my question. If it was in it wasn't a twenty one, it wasn't a nineteen, it wasn't eighteen, it wasn't seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen.

1:09:58All

1:09:58right,