County administrator report on federal earmarks

1:27:10Thank you for taking that up. Mr.

1:27:11Karbala. I have several items. This can take just a couple of minutes. I'll go and

1:27:15think Ralph's one of them.

1:27:17Order of uh least to most difficulty here. Uh I'll start with I I met with the individually. We had to submit yesterday to the state uh department of government efficiency a letter uh essentially certifying that we were not in financial distress as a county. Uh we had the chair sign that letter and and we have put that forward. We'll send you a copy there. Madam Clerk. Yeah. Um, I'd like to bring Ralph up to talk about federal appropriation requests, real quick. Ralph, I got a

1:27:50Ron Player Intergovernmental Affairs Officer. So I have a great opportunity where I can get a helicopter, so if you could just approve that I'll be good. On the happy note. Um So I just wanted to bring up speed with the uh federal budget for twenty twenty five. Twenty twenty five the last couple of weeks the uh the last two weeks the Uh feds decided not to allow earmarks. uh to go forward for the twenty twenty

1:28:20five uh um continuing resolution to finish out for the rest of the year. So we had several projects in play with Congressman Bilarakis and Congresswoman Lee. Did not know if they would open the door to allow uh for twenty twenty six uh projects, but they did so within the past uh last week. Uh so going forward, it's been recommended to us that Um Congressman

1:28:51Bilarrakish would like us to resubmit the the exactly as they were last time last year, the four projects we had, which was for a pedestrian overpass at 54 and Sun Coast Parkway for six point two. Uh the Pasco County Area Agency on Aging, we were looking at $4 million there. Um Pasco Extension Road at Moffet Complex. This is for Moffet. They're not able to put a project in for $3 million. And

1:29:21then we have a inline chlorine booster station project for $6,844.80. To make it easier, Bill Arackus is saying keep it as is, do not make any changes, resubmit those. for the twenty twenty six time. Um And then for Congresswoman Lee, she had two projects that she had um last year, but she pulled the trigger a couple about almost a month ago, uh, seeking input

1:29:51for twenty twenty six, uh, not knowing if th if that was gonna be allowed for earmarks. So we we came up with three projects um b b based on projects we were looking at at the state level that we did not accept for our state projects and uh we moved forward with uh a fire station number thirty one, uh which is over in the Wesley Chapel area. um Oldwoods Avenue and Winfield Boulevard Intersection Improvements

1:30:22and a Reclaimed Water Improvement Project. All these are within her district in the Wesley Chapel area. Um and then today Um sh her office reached out to me and said they would also um allow us to submit the uh two projects from 2025, which in that case was for a sidewalk at Livingston Road that we had last year and another chlorine booster in the Crystal Springs area.

1:30:52Um Near Zephyrhills.

1:30:57Now with uh Congresswoman Lee, so she'll have five projects to look at and then she will tell she'll tell us within the next two weeks, week to two weeks, which projects she will move forward on. We will probably get two projects. Uh I anticipate. I don't know if we'll get any of more. She's got several counties she's got to deal with, and each commission or each congressman only is allowed. fifteen projects. So it's kinda hard when you have multiple counties. So with your approval I'd like to

1:31:27have those uh they need to be submitted by Friday into their offices as we move forward for the twenty twenty six uh budget process with Congress.

1:31:35I I have one one question. Um uh the area Agency on aging, do they have a location already?

1:31:45For their supportive senior housing?

1:31:47Yes, uh they do. And

1:31:50just want to make sure they had a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a Anybody else anybody else have any questions? Commissioner Weightman?

1:31:55I would like to have this discussion ahead of time to to move it forward. I would also like to put something in with that Hudson Hudson Industrial Park we're trying to make happen. Um I know we put so

1:32:05Well we don't get any new projects in Bellarakus' area. He he wants us to stay with the twenty twenty five, make it as simple as possible. Yeah, the

1:32:13only the only reason we had additional projects is

1:32:14a very important thing.

1:32:15in in Congresswoman Lee's offices because they started their process so much earlier and asked us for that. So

1:32:22I'm

1:32:23I move to approve.

1:32:24Second.

1:32:25All in favor? Aye. Aye.

1:32:28Aye. Thank you.

1:32:29Let's hope it goes through this year. That was tough news when they canceled on.

1:32:33It is. It is. Um okay. Two more to go here. I I would like to bring Mr. Engel up if the board is good. He was they were almost complete with their presentation and I think there's just five minutes left that they would like to cover. So David.