You see what I'm saying? I do. Good morning. So, talk about the Tuesday, July 15, 2025, regular border county commissioners meeting will now be called to order. We'll begin with a moment of silent reflection for the first responders and members of the
armed forces. Be followed by an invocation by Vice Chairman Daryl Law. and I'll be honored to lead us in the pledge. Please rise and remove your cover. Please pray with me. Our heavenly
father, we thank you for this wonderful day in Indian River County. We thank you for having the opportunity to gather and do the things that we've been commissioned to do. Father, specifically today we'll be discussing housing
for the less fortunate as well as the children in our in our county. And Father, we know that you tell us, your word tells us in Mark, let the children come to me. Do not hinder them, for such belongs to the kingdom of God. Father,
we say this in your son's glory. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the United States of America, home of the free because of the brave. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you all. Well, at this time, I'd uh like to uh look at the agenda, and I'd like to move item 7F, uh Parks and Recreation and
Conservation Proclamation, uh to item 5B. Are there any other additions, deletions to the agenda, any emergency items? Move to approve as amended. Second.
Second. We have That was close, Joe. But we have a motion by Commissioner Moore, seconded by Commissioner Adams. Any further discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries unanimously.
Thank you. Well, first item is a a proclamation of uh longtime individual here in Indian River County. Uh probably one of one of the one of the many unsung heroes
as people have indulged in the service but they never get a chance to cross the man. So with that, I'd like to call up uh David G. Hey, that's you. Yeah,
you wonder why I was staring right at you. You could stay stay at the podium for for a moment. He's anxious. He I don't know. Just you have work to do the rest of the day. He's he's all in. I don't know.
Well, uh, I'm honored and, uh, I know who he is and I know what he does, but, uh, again, does anybody recognize him? Well, yeah. And your big boss recognized you.
That's that's the that's the main thing. But, um, let me read the proclamation and then we can talk a little bit. Okay. Yes. I want to present this proclamation honoring David MG on the retirement from
Indie River County Board of County Commissioners Department of Utility Services Wastewater Treatment. I told you you didn't know. I didn't know him. Whereas David MG retired from Indie River County Department of Utility
Services Wastewater Treatment effective July 31st, 2025. And whereas David MG began his career in In River County on October 1993 as a wastewater plant operator B
and utility services wastewater treatment where he continued in that capacity until his retirement. And whereas David MG has served his county and the public with distinction
and selflessness during the 32 years of service. He was dedicated and his work was greatly appreciated by the employer, citizens, and co-workers alike. And now therefore, be it proclaimed by the board of county commissioners of Indian River County that the board applauds David
MG's efforts on behalf of the county. The board wishes to express their appreciation for the dedication, the service that he has given in any river county and for the last 32 years. be it
further proclaimed that the board of county commissioners and staff extend a heartfelt wish for his success in his future endeavors. This has been duly adopted on the 15th day of July, 2025 and signed by all five county
commissioners. This is David's new access badge to the building. Yeah. I don't know where you're going to put it, how you're going to carry it, but this car for a while. What is that, sir? I said I'll carry it for a while.
Well, David, it's been a long time. Yes, sir. Did Did you think it was going to be this long? And it's time. Yeah, it's time. It's time. 32 years here and I worked for general development for 17 years.
So, I think 49 years is enough. Time to relax a little bit. Now, you started working when you were 12. No, just about 17. So, you find it's time. What What are we going to be doing?
Uh, I got a hunting lease up in North Florida and I do a lot of fishing and my wife and I's going to do some traveling. Very good. Very good. What's the one thing you're going to miss about this place? Uh, probably everything. It's been a long time. There's everybody's like a
family to me. Um Sean and Rich and Mike and uh Travis, it's it's been a a good ride and uh the utilities department is doing nothing but getting better. And um I will say that and like I say, I started here 32 years ago and it's
definitely been a big change. So I appreciate the board and the county um putting up with me for 32 years. So it's not putting up. We greatly appreciate your dedication and your longevity. It's very rare that an individual gets into one one particular
assignment, one groove and keeps playing that record. And you've done it, you've done it well. As I said earlier, not too many people know who you are uh on the inside, right? They may know you outside, but they don't know, but they appreciate
every day when they operate uh their facilities in their home, right? So, thank you for all you've done and the impact you've had on Indian River County and all the citizens. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You you're gonna be
shocked by this, I'm sure, but I've known David a long time. No, Kevin and a few other of these guys in utilities. Luckily, David's older than me. Not much.
Ah, but uh about to little league baseball days. Yeah, we go back to those days that far. We go back to we're 10 or 12 years old. Yeah. And uh he's he's the same guy then. Straightforward, honest as the day as
long, hard worker, just just a good guy. Same guy you see there was the same guy when we were kids. And uh he's uh never been a shoot never been afraid to work, never been afraid to have a good time and never been afraid to just be one heck of a good guy. So So David,
congratulations. All my best to you and enjoy uh enjoy your hunting lease. Thank you. I'm sure you will. 32 years. Thank you. Congratulations. come down with them. Yeah, your team is coming down. They
want to have a group shot. We're going to make these things smaller so you can handle them a little easier. David, the whole crew. David, you're supposed to stand in the middle and
then Oh, that's it. Thank you. One more time, man. Absolutely. You could say two things if you wish. Morning, Commissioner. Sean Lee,
director of utilities. Um, I just wanted to take a minute to to say thanks to David for his long extinguished career here. Um, 32 years is is nothing to shake your hand at. That's a long long career. And as he mentioned, he was 17 years with GDU. Um, so he's been in the wastewater
industry for a long time. And, you know, I look at our at our wastewater treatment operators as environmentalists. I mean, every day they are protecting the lagoon and what they do, the waste water that they treat and and you know, we are getting to a point where we're no longer discharging, but for years we would discharge. And
there's a lot to that that goes into that. And and David was a key member of that team um to help protect the lagoon with all the waste that is produced within the community. Um and we did pay him, by the way, to say thanks for all the work we do. Um, but I don't know how
many of you guys know I I have been working for a while trying to create challenge coins and I know there's challenge coins for police and fire and and other um, you know, other agencies. Um, I created one and I just wanted to present David this challenge coin today for his long distinguished career. Thank
you for everything you've done. Appreciate it. Hey, Rich Mackis, assistant director of utilities. Uh, David, it's been a pleasure working next to you for the years. Uh, thank you. Never felt like uh there was anything
you wouldn't do or couldn't do. Been through some times and I really enjoyed working with you. Appreciate it. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations. We'll move on to our uh next presentation and that will be a proclamation
and it will be delivered by Commissioner Joe Airman. Who's here? We have all our park and Rex team. Uh it quite quite flooded outside. They're not used to this environment.
They're usually out in about 95 degree weather making this place look absolutely spectacular. going on. All right. Well, welcome everybody and yeah, this came up.
It's a great thing you moved it, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for doing that. I I think this is well worth the the honor. And it's probably not enough of an honor for all the hard work that y'all do and everything that you do to to make our parks and recreation and conservation
lands what they are today. So with that, I'm going to read the proclamation. Proclamation designating the month of July 2025 as Parks and Recreation Month and designating July 18th, 2025 as Parks
and Recreation Professionals Day. Whereas county parks and conservation areas preserve the ecological beauty of our community, improve water quality, protect groundwater, prevent flooding, improve air quality are aesthetically
pleasing, and provide open green space for people and valuable habitat for wildlife. And whereas Indie River County is fortunate to have many beautiful parks, playgrounds, ball fields, golf courses, disc golf courses, swimming
facilities, nature trails, beaches, fairgrounds, campgrounds, intergenerational recreation facilities, a shooting range, and open spaces, which make our community a more attractive and desirable place to live, work, and play,
as well as contribute to our ongoing economic IC vitality through enhancing property values, increased tourism, the attraction of visitors and recreational events. And whereas services that parks and recreation professionals provide are
vital for our communities from protecting open space and natural resources to providing wellness and mental health benefits for all people. Parks and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the exponential
value parks and recreation professionals bring to communities. And whereas the United States House of Representatives has designated July as Parks and Recreation Month. And whereas the board of county commissioners values the
essential services that parks and recreation professionals and volunteers perform to provide recreational activities that build healthy, active communities that aid in the prevention of chronic diseases and also improve the
mental health and emotional health of all citizens. And now therefore, be it proclaimed by the board of county commissioners of any river county, Florida, that the board designates July as Parks and Recreation Month, where you
belong and July 18th, 2025 as Parks and Recreation Professionals Day and encourages all citizens to celebrate by participating in the diverse activities offered through the many facilities and places provided by Indian River County.
adopted this 15th day of July, 2025 and signed by all five county commissioners. And just like I said with Kevin, David, and and the rest of the crew with utilities, this probably isn't enough to to honor you all with what you do. We
definitely appreciate everything you do each and every day. So, thank you. You know, we have uh thank and thank you, Commissioner. Uh we we have a beautiful environment. Uh the quality of
life in Indian River County is earmarked by many of our facilities, our parks and uh I guess just about every meeting I look at the activities that we're doing and uh it's this group that makes it
happen. this group that makes us be on the map to have the wonderful facilities that we have and you oftent times do the work that many don't want to do. You do it because you have professional pride
and we do appreciate it. We want to see all working and you know it's not a matter of well we got to get this done. you actually I I think you possess the feel that it's your
particular piece of property that you're maintaining and you're providing for the betterment of all of our citizens and the the pro the just the programs that we have would not happen without all of your efforts. I see uh Gustavo
um got a good group here, Gustavo. Yes, sir. We're very proud of Beth Powell, Mike Cedito's here. Yes, sir. Um I you have a tremendous network and the uh the skills and abilities that you provide each and every day are greatly
appreciated. There's nothing better than going to a facility or go seeing individuals that are enjoying what the taxpayer has put forward and you maintain it and it is a very
appreciative site. Chairman, thank you so much. Thank you, uh, commissioners. We really appreciate you taking the time to acknowledge our parks, recreation, and conservation employees, 170 strong right now. And we realize that the community has spoken
and that's very loud and clear that quality of life is very important from conservation areas to green spaces, parks, trails, all of the things that the community uh needs in order to um feel a sense of community and belonging. And I would just like to thank all of
our employees. We have a very small representation here, but um it means a lot that you've taken time out of uh your meeting today to acknowledge all of our employees. Um, just some quick stats. Our employees work from about 4:30 in the morning until midnight, 365
days a year. They guard beaches, they guard pools, they provide recreational opportunities during holidays and weekends when many people are off of work and that's really what brings the quality of life. And um, I'd like to thank our administrator for his vision
uh, for the deputy county administrator for his mentorship and for also guiding with a strong sense of customer service. We've been hearing this message over and over again for seven to eight to nine to 10 years and it is sticking and I feel like um no matter what our parks and
recreation professionals are doing, they're doing it in this professional environment whether it's weed eating or they're welcoming guests at the IG center or they're guarding a beach or a pool. They're all doing it with this uh service excellence that uh John has emphasized and he set out as a standard
for us to meet and I'm so proud of each and every one of you. It is a pleasure to serve you every day. Thank you. Come on. Come on. Gather around for a Oh, yeah. No, it's okay. Come on. Gather around, Mr. Chairman, while they're getting together. Um, want to thank you for
pulling this item. You know, it was our intention to remain understated this year. Um, to accept our level of service as our jobs and let it speak for itself. But you pulled it and I want to just thank you because I see is this Michaela? Michaela, how long you been with us?
Four weeks. And I saw you nodding your head with pride about all the things that you're a part of. You're a part of a system and a team and and that was worth reading the proclamation, sir. So, I appreciate you pulling it. And Lorenzo Jefferson, thank you for your 75 years of service. Lorenzo,
we really appreciate it. No, we're blessed. We have a great team. Thank you, Mr. Zto. Thank you. I know. I know you do. Now move on. Uh we have uh someformational items
and I wanted to bring attention to uh another accolade of uh 2025 the annual achievement of excellence in procurement the award and uh this is given uh to it recognizes
the organizational excellence in public procurement with rigorous evaluation of innovation professionalism and productivity, leadership, and e-rocurement practices, better known as how we get things done or how we get our
goods into the the county. Um it it it's I believe that's the first time that we received such an honor and uh uh I want to say congrats to the team to make ensuring that our purchasing and our our
endeavors and procurement are done in such a fashionable way that they're to be applauded. Uh we have the early coalition board vacancy. We did receive a letter uh of request
uh on uh to have a a board member uh from the Early Early Learning Coalition requesting that the board of county commissioners appoint an individual to serve on the ELC's board pursuant to Florida statute. And uh I just wanted to
let the public know that the opportunity is out there to serve on the board. Uh there are applications uh on the website and uh we look forward to uh seeing a robust response so we can have a full
committee serving. Anything further on anyformational items? Well, then we'll move on to public comment. If there are any agenda related items that you may not be able to stay until the end of the meeting that you
wish to speak about now, this is your time and opportunity to be able to uh speak on any one of the agenda items. Having given ample opportunity and seeing none, we'll move on. Next is the consent agenda.
Commissioners 9 echo. 9E echo. Thank you, Commissioner Moss. 9E echo. Is there anything else? Hearing none.
Motion to approve is amended. Second. We have a motion by Commissioner, seconded by myself. Any further discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries unanimously.
And now we are going to item 9, Echo. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, this is a word of a bid for Indian River Boulevard uh bicycle and pedestrian improvements. In keeping with my uh previous voting record on this matter, I do not support
it. And that for the record has to do with a six-foot bicycle lane and hopefully it will be 7 foot if not here everywhere else in the future since that has become uh the standard. Thank you, sir. Thank you,
Mr. Chair. Be happy to make approval. Second. We have a motion by Commissioner Adams, seconded by myself. Any further discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Opposed? Nay. Thank you. Motion carries 4 to one with
Commissioner Moss dissenting. Now move on to uh there's nothing under constitutional uh offices. So we'll move on to a public hearing item 11 A1 approval of a
resolution establishing Indie River County HCV program 5-year plan. And we have certifications and administrative plan and we have a team coming down. We sure do. Good morning, Chairman Flesher and members of the board of
county commissioners. Um, today we have the opportunity to bring forward the Indian River County Housing Choice Voucher Program 5-year plan for your consideration. This plan reflects our continued commitment to providing safe and affordable housing for low-income
residents in our community. It outlines strategic goals, updates to our administrative plan, and required HUD certifications that ensure we remain aligned with federal guidelines while also addressing our local housing needs.
Joining me is Stacy Bush, our housing services manager. She brings a wealth of experience in program operations and compliance, and she has her team with you to give just a brief overview and answer any questions you may have. We're
really happy to bring this item today. Thank you. Good morning, chair and commissioners. Uh my name is Stacy Bush and I serve as the program manager for the housing services division. I oversee the housing choice voucher program, the veterans
affairs supportive housing program and the emergency housing voucher program. I am proud to be joined today by members of our housing services team, including our housing inspector, Glor Gilord, our housing specialists, Anna Ramos, Ja
Cardinus, and Cia Martinez. Uh together we provide housing assistance to 459 households within Indian River County. This includes 351 housing choice vouchers, 59 veteran affairs supportive
housing vouchers representing a 6.7% increase in veterans served over the past year, and 29 emergency housing vouchers. Through these programs and thanks to the strong partnership we maintain with 46 active landlords, we are able to positively impact the lives
of 799 individuals. This includes 291 children, 231 seniors, over 65 veterans, and more than 243 individuals living with disabilities. This year, we have seen an overall 8.6% increase in housing
subsidies provided to our voucher participants, allowing us to better meet the growing needs of our community and provide vital support to more families. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the outstanding work of our housing services team. In addition to managing
the technical and regulatory aspects of these programs, they provide compassionate, responsive service to families navigating complex and often challenging life circumstances. Our team deeply is deeply committed to customer satisfaction and we work hard
to ensure every participant feels heard, respected, and supported. We also take great pride in promoting self-sufficiency through strong case management, education, and goal planning. We've seen participants move beyond subsidy and into independence.
Whether that be through increased income, home ownership, or graduation from the program. These success stories are at the heart of what we do. We are here today to request approval of our housing choice voucher programs five-year PHA plan and administrative
plan as required by HUD. The five-year PHA plan outlines our goals and priorities for the next five years. The administrative plan, which serves as the policies and procedures manual for the housing programs, was made available for the required 45day public review period.
We did not receive any public comments during that time. As part of our submission to HUD, we are also requesting approval of the required HUD forms. U form HUD 500077SL, which is the certification by state or
local official of PHA plans consistency with the consolidated plan and HUD form 50077CR, which is a civil rights certification. Staff recommends that the board open the public hearing to receive and consider
any public comment and then vote to approve the resolution, the five-year PHA plan and the administrative plan and authorize the execution of all necessary documents. With your approval, we will submit the plans as required um and the
required certificates to HUD before the deadline. With that, we thank you for your continued support of our programs and welcome any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you. They do a good job. Thank you.
I think everybody's just so excited that the the delivery momentum that you have to ensure that people are in safe environment. Absolutely. With that, uh we would like to uh open
this up to the public. Is there any public comment? This is a public hearing. It's your opportunity to participate. There's another microphone. Having given ample opportunity, we will close the public hearing.
Now second. We have a motion by Vice Chairman Law, seconded by Commissioner Adams to move approval. Any further discussion? All in favor? I
opposed. Motion carried unanimously. Thank you all. Thank you guys. truly truly appreciate all your your efforts and uh I guess uh this meeting went a little little more
seamlessly than it is to to attain the homes for the individuals. So I don't want this to represent to be representative of the hard work that you do. Yes. Thank you. Couldn't do it without the team. Thank you very Yeah. It's getting more and more
difficult to get that housing too. So many factors. Well, then we'll move on to item 13B Bravo 1, which is the Children's Services Advisory Committee recommendated recommendation uh program
for funding allocations for the fiscal year 2526. All right. Well, obviously I'm a very proud department chair here. Um, I am so proud again to be up in front of you. Good morning again to commissioner chair
and our commissioners and members of the public joining us today. This agenda item is the annual SESAC which is the children's services advisory committee funding recommendation. I just want to say as noted in our 2023
2024 annual report, SEESAC funded programs delivered over 20,000 touch points with children and families supporting early learning, mental health, mental health, workforce housing, I'm sorry, workforce readiness
and prevention. And 88% of those programs either met or exceeded their outcomes, reflecting a really strong return on investment. This funding allows parents to stay in the workforce, gives families access to high quality
research-driven programs that are vetted for results, and provides the ultimate opportunity for parental choice. Families get to select the programs that meet their needs. From a fiscally conservative standpoint, it prevents far
more expensive downstream costs by investing in local solutions that are accountable, efficient, and community-based. This truly is home rule in action, allowing Indian River County, not Tallahassee or Washington DC, to decide
what works best for our families here in Indian River. Joining us are Megan Kendrick, our human services manager, and Robert Katapano, our human services coordinator, to walk us through the recommendation today.
Good morning, commissioners. We were number 13, so we came running over as soon as we heard it. Robert's on his way. Um, I just want to thank you all for everything you've done uh to support us. And you know, I get so nervous coming up here, but I see all your faces and it
gives me a little ease. So, thank you for that. Um, we just wanted to run over a couple things. Indian River County's return on investment from children services. We wanted to share just a little national research that shows that when
you invest in children 2.7% to 16% um you get the return on investment for that. If we apply that to the $3 million allocated by the BOCC, the potential
return on investment is $ 8.1 million to $48 million. Okay. So, what does that mean for Indian River County? Sorry, I just ran over here. I'm just going to take a quick breath. No, I'm good.
I was, you know, getting everything ready. All right, so back on track. Midyear impact. We just wanted to share quickly. We shared the annual report with you um during a previous BOCC meeting, but we just got our midyear numbers back and we've had 13,200
touch points. About 74% of our programs have already met their expectations and their goals or are on track, while 20 remain in progress, showing steady momentum. Our kindergarten numbers, or just a little more of this, over 5,000 young
learners will be more prepared to kindergarten thanks to this work. 236 students have engaged in college and career readiness programs. While uh all programs are required to promote parent engagement, over a thousand individuals have been reached
through research-based parenting and child development programs. And over 700 families have gained improved knowledge and access to prenatal care. And we can all look at the numbers, but we know that it's the stories that really matter and the impact these
programs are making in children's lives. like this family whose child received early quality early learning which we know is one of the number one predictors of child success. But not only that, these parents were able to work and continue their education knowing their
kid was in a safe environment promoting learning. Or we have do it. We had this student who did a prevention program. This program helped them realize how to treat other people,
respect differences, and become a better person. And although this was only a year program, we know that these kind of programs can change the trajectory of children's lives for the rest of their lives, not only helping him, but our community as well. Finally, we have this student who maybe
in school didn't quite fit in, didn't know where they would find themselves. They did a pre-apprenticeship program and they discovered a love um in a career field that wasn't actually offered by SDRC. So we work handinhand in tandem with the school district and some of these program fills holes and
gives kids opportunities that they wouldn't have had otherwise. And none of this would be possible without you. So we want to take this moment to thank you. We see you. We know you value this work. From the dis to rolling up your sleeves in the community, you all are making this
happen for families every day. Those 1300 touch points are directly because of your leadership and we thank you. Now, while you've been out in the community, we've been out in the community, too. And just a little update, um we've been working on our
needs assessment, which is driven by the patch framework. We work with a variety or a subcommittee of local experts that analyze hundreds of thousands of pieces of state and local data. Um, but what we really wanted to focus on this year is
really catch capturing what families and kids need in Indian River County. So, we've done community forums with which many of you have been at and we've also been all over the community collecting parent surveys. These uh
community forums have focused on health and well-being, nurturing families and community and sess success in school and life which are the funding priorities recognized in the needs assessment. And we've been to all places in Indian River County from Vero Beach to Felsmere
to Gford to Oslo to Abaso to Sebastian. We have been out collecting surveys. We've actually collected over 425 parent feedback survey surveys which makes it statistically relevant in comparison to our population size. And what do these
parents want? They want more help for mental health and behavior. They want more programs for mentorship in teens. They want more academic support for their kids, wraparound services to help
their kids succeed in school. They want more college and career readiness and real world preparation. They want more early and affordable child care. And you know, this was the things that
they need. But there was also multi Cindy said I had to cut the PowerPoint down, but there was so many slides of them thanking for the programs we have. And there were so many stories shared. I just did a couple quotes, but hundreds of quotes saying, "Thank you for allowing my child to have access to X, Y, and Z." So, they want to say thank
you from a mom. Thank you. And I hope we can continue working and building this community together. And now that we're all here, I'm going to turn it over to Robert Katapano, human services coordinator, to talk about the increased accountability measures that we put in
place. While we know the stories are great and the numbers look good, we also know that this is taxpayer dollars and we want to ensure that we staff are doing everything in our power to uh make sure there's strong accountability and also strong support with that.
Good morning, commissioners. Thank you so much for your time. I'm going to quickly dive into the increased accountability measures that we've done over the last two fiscal years. Um first I want to start with our impact driven RFP process. Uh, this of course aligns with the updated needs assessment and
funding priorities that Megan just covered. And then I really want to highlight our new scoring rubric which focuses on programs accountability, sustainability, and results. I also want to touch on the fiscal accountability and governance measures that we've taken on. Um, we have fiscal stability built
into our grant application. We have an entire section covering fiscal uh responsibility and stability covering a number of topics. We also have uh an area where programs have to explain their other funding sources and provide
realistic cost estimates giving us a full picture of the program. We also have our site visits and program monitoring. This is where we physically go to the location and see how are they delivering to the outcomes as outlined in the grant. We also uh provide they
also provide us um documentation and data that backs their claims. Um some of you have uh attended some of these site visits. So, thank you very much. Um I also want to talk or tackle the audits. So, per county policy, any
agency receiving over $100,000 is required to submit an independent audit for the fiscal year 2526 that captures only five agencies. In addition to this policy, SEESAC has added additional safeguards. Um, 21 out of the remaining
25 agencies have recommended or that were recommended for this fiscal year uh 2526 have voluntarily submitted an independent audit. In addition to that, we have worked very closely with the clerk of court going back to fiscal year 23 24. Uh we've engaged with them every
year since and we've put a game plan together for fiscal year 2526 being very proactive with these independent audits. Um thank you very much to the clerk of court for this continued partnership. As a result of these increased accountability measures, we have had the
deobligation of funds. Um in the last two fiscal years that amount has been almost $120,000. So, we have had a deobligation of funds because of these increased accountability measures. And with that, I'm gonna turn it back
over to Megan. And we'll just fly through these. But, you know, with this increased accountability, we also want to increase support to build capacity with our nonprofits. We know that if we can help them grow and improve, the impact on our community is going to be so much stronger. So, we've done a series of
professional developments starting last year before the RFP opened on backwards design, creating strong outcomes, and research-based assessments. We had probably over 30 different agencies attend these uh professional development events. We've learned after from the sub
grant subcommittee that the next trajectory they want us to go on is um increasing governance and capacity within those organizations. So, we just did building a board 101. We had 30 people show up, great reviews, and we really know that if we can increase the strength of the governance inside those
organizations, there'll be higher transparency and accountability across the board. Um, we also did a SEESAC onboarding for all new members and all existing members that wanted a refresher because when we're all on the same page and we understand everybody's roles and responsibilities, the system will just
run more smoothly and it will be more impactful. Um, and you know, here's the call to action. If there's anybody in the community that's passionate about this work or has concerns about this work, we urge you to join with us. Come see the
work in action. Be on a site visit, volunteer, join a board, help us increase that accountability, and help us spread the word about the amazing work that is going on in our community. And we're almost done. Robert's just going to go through really quickly the recommendation process.
So, let's first start with the pre-work. Um, we engaged with the attorney's office. Thank you for that. Um, to make sure that we had no conflicts of interest going into the voting process in the review process. Um, the uh grant
subcommittee uh I want to thank them for all of their hard work because they reviewed up to 52 grant applications where they read and evaluated. um that's over 3,000 pages worth of documentation um that they analyze. So it's a tremendous amount of work. That's
roughly 60 hours per um committee member. So altogether that's almost uh 900 volunteer hours dedicated to this process. Um so thank you for the hard work of our grant subcommittee. Uh they then sat through 52 presentations of
programs um going over three days and then on the fourth day they asked clarifying questions for each program that again were tied back to our new scoring rubric. Um staff then compiled all scores and adjusted for outliers by removing the highest and the lowest to
reduce bias. And then staff created spreadsheets organized by funding priority with programs ranked from highest to lowest average score. Those are what you have in front of you today. Then moving into the grant funding recommendation process, there was
discussion, deliberation. Um, subcommittee discussed each program within the funding priority area, reviewing application content, scores, relevant information from the presentations as well as any past program outcomes if applicable. Um,
after discussion, the subcommittee uh determined a funding um recommendation um for each program. Then the subcommittee through a roll call vote approved the funding recommendations for each of the three funding priority blocks uh which was then sent to SEESAC
main where they went through a similar process with a roll call vote. And that brings us to today. So of course we have our three funding uh priorities. That's our health and well-being, our nurturing families and communities, and our success in school
and life. Um, starting with health and well-being, 11 out of the 12 programs were recommended for funding in the amount of $663,500. Then for nurturing families and communities, 10 out of the 13 programs were recommended for funding in the
amount of 275,985. And then finally, our success in school and life program worth 25 out of 27 programs are recommended uh in the amount of $2.2 2 million to just quickly touch on the document that you're uh looking at. Um again,
these were sorted by impact area and focus area. So the impact area is our health and well-being. And then under health and well-being, we have subcategories. Those are our focus areas. Um in this example, the one at the very top is our advancement in positive behavioral health. And you'll
see within that color coordination, the average scores are high to low. And if you go down to the slightly darker color, the enhanced access to prenatal care, you'll see that those programs are organized by average score, high to low, and so on.
Same process for the nurturing families and communities. This only has two, so it's very easy to read, but again, the average scores are from high to low within their focus areas. And finally, success in school and life. Again, organized average scores.
All right. So, there is our presentation from Children's Services. Again, thank you for all the work you do. We are very honored to have this position and be able to serve our community in this capacity. So, thank you. Thank you.
Well, team, I know you all had the opportunity to take a look at this in great detail, and I do see a lot of uh individuals that I anticipate would like the opportunity to speak uh regarding this matter. So, before we get to that,
is there anything that this board would like to I just have one one quick question. Um, I got an I got an email actually more than one uh mentioned this and I'm not sure what the reference was. I'll just read the two sentences. It says uh it
has come to my attention that the commission is considering providing taxpayer money directly to parents and families instead of to our local nonprofits. I am very concerned that this provides little to no oversight on how funds are spent. Do you do you know
what what that I don't not sure what they're referring to. There was more than one and we got it at the last minute. I didn't have time to contact these people. Thank you. Do you want to answer that? Yeah, I don't have any information about that occurring. So,
so I can perhaps provide some background. I think that that was a completely offline conversation between um some people that happened in the lobby after the last SESAC meeting. It's nothing that has been discussed at SEESAC. It's nothing that's been brought
to us. I don't think that um anybody on the main committee or the subcommittee would in any way be in favor of that because of the oversight issues. Um so basically it's um to sum it up simply it's rumors and innuendos.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I responded to that person and we do not directly fund parents. I made that clear. I read it. I saw it also and I I attributed it to much of the misinformation of social media that
we're experiencing right now. I didn't know the convenience centers were getting closed and all kinds of stuff is happening out there right now. That's just not true. I'm sure by the time we get uh out of this meeting, there'll be something else on social media that will
surprise us and uh cause us some concern. But in the end there is a lot uh going on that again you said outside lobby talks and uh we did receive some
emails and I I don't I don't think I think it's just a matter of a faulty opinion at best. Yes. And that's why we urge everyone to come with us. Come on a site visit. Come look at the data. We're staff is always available and happy to bring information
from the source to anybody that's looking for it. Mr. Chair, if I can just add um Commissioner, do you have other question? Um I really want to thank the subcommittee, the subgrant committee. They did a ton an enormous amount of
work um in their spare time. I don't I don't know how much spare time they might have left because ultimately they spent four days um 8 o'clock to at least five o'clock if not later every day going through all these um applications
interviewing the um or listening to the presentations asking questions and then spent that that last day diving into and figuring out their recommendations for funding. It's not easy. they had to read all those applications. They had to be
there and be available and and give their insight and their input. And so I really do appreciate the time that that took. I also appreciate the SEESAC main committee and the discussions that we had there um to ultimately bring this recommendation to the commission. Uh
there is and to staff, I mean staff does a great job of helping us shepherd through this process. You know, they're there to support us. Um they're there to provide that administrative uh arm of SEESAC and they do a fantastic job. But
the one thing I would just like to point out to the commissioners is, you know, one of the things that we've heard you guys ask for is for that oversight, for the transparency, and for the accountability. And with the with what we are doing on SEESAC, you know,
Commissioner Earman was a big part of this with providing the resources to uh some of our newer groups um to help them become a better agency in and of themselves and with the clerk of the court providing that oversight and the
auditing and the site visits. You know, I know we always open those site visits up to our SESAC main committee and our grant committee. Um, so if somebody has questions or they have concerns about those programs, they can go out and see tangibly in the field what's happening.
And I would offer the same to the commissioners. If you guys have questions or about some of these um programs, um, I think we've visited all of them this year and we'll start all but one. All but one. We got one coming up. There's a summer program that's coming up.
Um, but we'll be doing that on an ongoing basis. So, if there are programs or agencies that you guys would like to see, please reach out to staff and and we can make sure you have the opportunity to go out and do that. But I I know it's been a lot of work and this has been many years coming, but I think
where we are and where we're going um is just creating that oversight that should give you guys the comfort level that these dollars are going where they need to go. There are measurable outcomes and there is accountability and the agencies and the programs are being held to those
standards. I mean you could ask any one of them. This is not this is not a simple process for them either. I mean what they have to do and adhere to from the reporting and everything else to
avail themselves of these dollars is is a huge amount of hurdles to jump through that you don't have to with other funding sources necessarily. So, I just want to give you guys the comfort level that the work is being done and in the agency within the agencies and within
the county to make sure that we are being very good stewards of our taxpayer dollars and I appreciate everybody's work and commitment. Well, at the beginning of the year um when I chose to appoint you to that committee um I
you said thank you and and I thought it was genuine. I would like to say thank you and and I would I would say that you uh have taken this committee very seriously and uh have embraced a lot of the
changes that are happening uh that have happened with the executive direction and the guidance and I truly appreciate it. I did have a a question though. Um, and I know that we researched it very
impressed at the the rubric and the the manner in which we got there, but I wanted to just discuss this letter. Okay. Okay. So, could we put it on the overhead,
Jim? Please. Can you turn that over? I know you have you have seen it. I have copy for everybody. I don't know if everybody had the opportunity to see it.
I know you did, but and the clerk will have one as well. my interpretation of this letter and there was I did hear some concern about it uh that the the program was suns
setting and in the process of the sun setting in other words it would not be completing this next coming year and in addition We um we've seen a reduction and there was a a double billing which they
apologized for and they've returned the funds. Uh they serve uh four counties. Correct. Mhm. And at this point uh it it just asked
the question if an organization is uh suns setting no longer able and double they had a a dual capacity uh practitioner that could no longer do
it. So we go forward and we look at the measurable outcomes and say this particular program is is positive and it's successful and
it's it's reaping a benefit to our citizens through taxpayer dollar. Um when we know that the organization is suns setting or no longer operating or
not going to be operating by third quarter. How do we get to the point of let's fund them? So we have a SEESAC committee that has all the oversight. So if there's ever any
questions or concerns, we always bring it back to the SEESAC main committee. Um we do quarterly reports. So we will have a first quarter, the midterm. We are just wrapping up the third quarter report. So this would be something that the main committee could look at and determine where they want to go from
here. Um, I do know that that was a unique situation um that you're referring to where somebody got promoted um and because of the loss of the mental health counselors across Indian River County um that agency decided to shift
the money over to that versus the other program that they were funding. On face value, it seems uh clear if you know if you don't have the provider, you don't have the program, uh it's time to move on. There are other entities that
provide a very similar process and uh they are available like the mental health association that uh could provide uh a the same elements of the program and uh just had a little bit of concern about that u as
far as how we go forward being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar um and it did get questioned. Yeah. uh wanted to ensure that uh we were going to address this. Mr. Chair, if I if I can um comment on
because I think this is a great example of how the process works. This is a great example of how that oversight is used to ensure that those dollars are being spent um properly, that there's not dual billing. Um, and I think that
this is why we ask the clerk to look at these programs that are receiving funding from multiple places and do those audits. Now, I will say that this particular program has been sunsetted. The program that is um in the
recommendation for funding this year, while it is the same agency, it is a different program. Um, and we have had some other programs, you know, hibiscus had to give some money back this year as well because they were not able to
fulfill the requirements and parameters of of their application and program. So, I appreciate you bringing this forward because I think it's a great example to highlight how that oversight has really helped us ensure that those dollars are being spent appropriately and being
spent with the direction under the direction of what the commission has charged that committee with doing. So, Robert um stays really on top of those dollars. Um he gives us and this is something that was discussed at the main committee meeting um and Robert gives us
a draw down report for those of you that don't know every um every meeting we we get a spreadsheet of all the funded agencies and how much they have submitted for reimbursement. And one of the reasons we get that is so we can track and make sure that those agencies
are staying on track to to provide the services that they have um contracted with us to provide through this process. So for instance, I know um he mentioned earlier that there's a couple of agencies that are at 50% of
reimbursement, but we're about threearters through the funding cycle. And that's because they are summer programs. But if they were not summer programs and they were at 25 or 50%, that would set off an alarm bell for us as a main committee that we needed to check in and make sure that those
programs are happening. Similar to TDC, you want to see that reimbursement coming on a regular basis so you can make sure that they're doing the job and not waiting till the end and then kind of like throwing everything at the wall. Um, but in this particular instance, I do really appreciate you bringing that
up to the commission because I think that that is e exactly that example that you guys have asked us to make sure that that transparency and that oversight is happening because I don't think we had that ability necessarily or really delved into that level in the past um
where maybe some of this could could have occurred without you know whether it it um and I think in this case it was just un it was very unintentional of the way those programs aligned. and trying to morph that. But a great example of exactly why this oversight
and transparency that you guys have advocated for is so important. And like Robert said, in 2324, we did audits um with the clerk of court for every single program that had dual funding from the hospital district. This year we did the a new program that had
it and next year we are already lined up to do all of the programs again. They have agreed to do it. So, we are trying to be proactive to make sure that this does not occur again and that there's always the oversight. Well, uh again, I I brought it up
because this is not their first hiccup. And uh by the same token, I've visited the site and it's uh very clean and and it's it's run. It's well attended. Uh I get that. um not detracting from the
operation of the facility but there may be uh a greater more in-depth concern. So I wanted to brought the attention and perhaps maybe we can uh send that concern back to the uh committee for
further review. I'll be happy to carry that message back. Okay, Mr. Chair, if I if I can just add a few things. One is uh I want to compliment Commissioner Adams. This is probably the
busiest subcommittee that a commissioner can have and I do appreciate that she did say thank you. She did get the short straw I believe. Uh and I do thank you and most of us I believe have been involved with SEESAC some uh longer than others. I want to
appreciate and thank the public uh that sent an enormous amount of passionate emails uh more emails than some other uh topics in in recent years or months I should say. Uh the touch points is is gigantic in my
point. uh going back maybe 15 or 18 years when I was an active member of SESAC, we had never heard of touch points and we of course went through the recession and that was our way of of weeding out the u particular nonprofits.
Uh I want to thank whoever came up with the component of the clerk of the court. Uh that is something relatively new. Uh that adds an extra uh slice of security I believe uh for all of us. Uh and again the hours that the
volunteers have have put in um we're talking entire weekends at the time and for that I say thank you. I did have one question about the composition of the main SEESAC board if you could share that. Yeah. So on the main CESC board, we have
representation from the sheriff's department, the school district. We have uh somebody from the courts, Judge White. We also have um the appointed members from the commissioners and then members at large.
And we do have a finance um a specialist. I don't know if that's the right term, but it a person that fills a financial oversight role on the Right. Yes, we do. Hospital and the hospital district. I'm sorry.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. You all said it all. I'm I'm telling you, this is the calls for transparency that we got years ago, where it was going. If we haven't met or exceeded the the the the
requirements or the the the way people look at it, I will uh I would be just floored by it because they have done such an outstanding job with this and this is just it's just so so accountable
now and and so wellrun that that uh it's just awesome. Great job. Thank you. I can't say anymore. Y'all said it all. It wasn't happening. Uh again, thank you. But uh it wasn't happening in years past because we didn't have executive
directorship. We did not have the oversight. We did not have the team working in it. It was merely applicants with 501c3 trees that wanted to be funded
and it left an opportunity for a misunderstanding of discretion action and it lied upon the the policy makers that would be us uh that uh allowed the
opportunity for distribution of funds as funds increased over the years because I can remember a time where there was just a few hundred dollars. uh there was a 400 and change in 2006
and uh whereas other jurisdictions were pailing that amount and then it gained momentum to be able to increase it because the investment on the children at their younger age uh does uh have a
significant value on the investment uh later on. Uh and that may be in the form of uh reform line of work, reform line of work. Um, it it it does give a great education opportunity and it makes our
uh community a better community by by the landscape in in which it provides. So with that and the understanding and the growing uh again uh there are some that truly don't understand the
investment of children's services. I I get it. Uh they they want to eliminate uh any of this spending and investing in other people's lives. Uh you know after all it's all about what we have to do but
it's uh very important. Uh and I want to thank uh the team for enveloping a lot of the the disciplines and understandings. Again, both of you came
from uh another entity in the county and we appreciate uh the that I'll just I'll just say it. At a recent conference, I watched these two individuals
uh do a presentation and they had the the attending public in awe because of how they delivered it and the importance of working with the community, working the children, and working with the
youthful individuals that need development. And there's a way to turn it. and I think you've accomplished that. Thank you. Well, with that, we'll uh open up for the public to be able to add anything they
wish before we go forward. Thank you. And if we did ensure that the clerk has that for the record. Okay. Good morning, chair. I'm Wilfford Hart, community liaison for the school district of Indian River County. And I
just come up here this morning to talk about two individuals that you have been talking about that I work with and one I worked under, Sydney Emerson and uh Megan. Uh they're all good friends. Now, you know, y'all went and stole them from the school district
and you did quite well. Free agent trade. Yes, sir. And you did quite well. I will say this that uh they understand the dynamics of this community, CESAC as a whole, but those two they're personal
friends of mine and uh they understand the dynamic of this community and they know what it's going to take for the school district as well as the community and some of our players. I'm on quite a few boards in this community and uh they
have you guys have been very generous to our boards. And uh we want to just ask that you continue to be generous and with your generous giving and and uh allow this this committee to keep an open eye or
open mind on who should they be giving and why should they be increasing their giving. But again, I just really came up here just to talk about those two because uh you stole them uh Commissioner and uh we don't want them back cuz they're doing a great job where
they are. I heard that. Hi, good morning. My name is Angela, 2850 Grande Way Southwest. I'm speaking today in support of the programs that uplift and support children, vulnerable youth, and working families across
Indian River. While much attention is being paid to the sheriff's budget request, it is important to also recognize the critical role that early children programs play in community safety as well as long-term well-being. The Equal Economic Institute has found
that highquality early learning and care are among the most effective tools that communities have to prevent crime and foster opportunity. And additionally, research from the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights long-term benefits of early childhood
intervention. Children from low-income families who participate in established early learning programs show significantly better education and and social outcomes into early adulthood. This is some of the strongest evidence that we have that such programs truly
work to promote children's long-term success and build brighter futures. Thank you so much for your support of our children's freedom to learn and grow and pursue their dreams by maintaining the funding for these programs that are under consideration. Thank you for
voting yes on the proposed budget. An investment in our children is an investment in the collective future of Indian River County. So, thank you. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Let's uh I realize this is not a
spectator sport and I'm sure they appreciate the applause, but uh trying to conduct a business meeting. Thank you. Is there anybody else? I'm uh Richard Baker with the on the board of the Pelican Island Ottabon
Society and I just like to thank you for the support you've given us for a little bit. We've been getting uh 26,000 from you for after school program. We're title one school uh kids from four
schools that are close to us. The kids today are only outdoors about 15 minutes and that's probably waiting for the school bus. Most of them are inside. We need to get kids out enjoying the plants, the animals and things. And they
we the schools uh come to our Ottabon house. We pick them up. uh one school comes on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, one on Thursday uh uh through the whole semester 14 times and then we have another group of kids. They're
selected by the teachers in the schools and they they get outside. They uh uh they go kayaking. We take them to your conservation areas that you have some recognizing today. Uh we give them uh uh
binoculars that they can observe birds uh and uh they uh walk around. They also uh we give them binoculars. We give them Canon cameras so they can take pictures of what they see and they'll have these pictures for the rest of their lives.
Some of these kids now we've been doing it nine years and a couple of the kids have been gone in the college and are coming back and even helping us with this program. So uh it is uh really wonderful and I hope you cons continue to to support us. It's uh it is the
whole program is very good. We need our future is depending on kids our children. Us adults have kind of screwed up but that the future is for them and uh so I appreciate all you're doing. Thank you Dr. Bet. Thank you uh for that. Uh I
recall uh it seems like yesterday, but it was many years ago looking at that sketch of the birdhouse and uh it was uh it was a great vision and I'm just uh glad that you brought it into reality and that it's so well
attended. It started about 10 years ago and the program that that we're doing with the kids started nine years ago and uh we appreciate we we hope you like your garden out here too at the entrance way. Yes. Very nice. We're getting a lot of comments about it and stuff. We have some nice people that
are helping maintain. Thank you. Anyone else? Seeing none, we have a job to do, folks. Mr. Chair, if there's no further comment or questions from the board, I'd be happy to move approval. Second.
Any further discussion? All in favor? Opposed? Motion carried unanimously. Great work. Okay. Uh before we move to the next item, we're
going to take a brief recess. The meeting will now be called back to order. And uh before we read that uh uh next item 13 I1 uh I will uh say that I want to uh thank
the county administrator uh for uh assert of action. As as you all know, this next item uh came about out of some alarm, concern, and enforcement. And uh he is the the only authority uh
in the county that can suspend or obey the uh enforcement endeavors as we go through uh the the task in which we're about to go through. And it gave time for pause and gave staff the opportunity
to be able to not be distracted by um any issues other than the issue at hand. And that is to ensure that we have a proper ordinance and not an an uncomfortable one or antiquated one that
was difficult to uh for any of the operators or the public to be able to be served. So, thank you, John. With that, uh, item 13 I1, which is an overview of the regional food truck
regulations and policy considerations for Indie River County, a community development director is here. Good morning, Mr. Chair and fellow commissioners. Chris Balter, planning and development services director. Uh so today we're going to have a presentation
on mobile food vendors, regional trends and then local options that we can move forward with. Um just to notate, so on May 6th, uh the chair had brought up a discussion item about food trucks and it was an open
discussion on some enforcement issues that were happening and then also some concerns that the board had as well as discussions back with the planning and development services staff and then a process to move forward on allowing us to be food truck friendly and a path
forward. So, purpose of this presentation is to summarize the food truck regulations in the nearby jurisdictions. That's something that you guys wanted us to bring back. Um, identify best practices compatible with the small town character
and also our way of life in Indian River County. Um, present some tailored and framework for the county itself and then address some of the common uh concerns that are raised. So in the state's fashion, which they've se shown very much this this year on preempting us, uh they have preempted
food trucks in the past. That was kind of one of their big starts of preeemptions a couple years back. Uh so what the state preempts us from doing is doing any local licensing, registrations, permits, and fees for mobile food dispensing vehicles. What it does allow us to do um local governments
are allowed to regulate zoning hours and site standards. And then furthermore, health and sanitation are overseen by DBPR and the department of health. So when we looked at our current policies and from the discussions that we had on uh May 6th, we had some
issues. Uh there was no specific targeted ordinance for mobile food vending in uh the county. the county had a land development regulation that went back to the 1990s that had bits and pieces that allowed for it in some areas, was uh accessory in some areas,
and then outright didn't allow it in others. Um, so enforcement uh was seen as a challenge because the information was all over the place in our land development regulations. It was decades old before food trucks really got their not notoriety and pop uh popularity.
um we saw a couple local vendors that had gotten shut down from enforcement issues. Uh that happened in May. So then when we came back to the board and had that discussion, there was uh an opportunity for us to move forward on a better uh regulation and also better
policies. So some of the missed opportunities we had a lack of clear policy um in the county that we were losing from benefiting from the economic and community perks of food trucks. uh we do know that they stem a lot of economic growth and also a lot of
community engagement. So that's some of the benefits that other communities have tapped into across the board and other jurisdictions and something that we should look forward to. So a regional snapshot. So uh after the May 6th meeting uh planning and development
services staff looked into jurisdictions of Bvard County, city of Melbourne, city of West Melbourne, city of Palm Bay, city of Port St. Lucy, St. Lucy County, city of Fort Pierce, and then Martin County. And out of those uh jurisdictions, we actually called each
jurisdiction because when you make code, you try to make it the best, but there's always loopholes or things that you could have done better. So, we researched all those codes and then actually called each uh jurisdiction to see what's working, what's not working, what would you have done better. Out of all of those, there was a uh common
regional theme. And out of that common regional theme was that they allowed them in cond uh commercial and industrial zoning districts. Uh they didn't allow them in everyone. They were very targeted. Uh they didn't allow them in any residential areas. They all had
self-contained units with no external hookups so that they were self-contained and a lot of them did regulate on the decibel level for generators. Now with that being said, decel decibel on generators have changed throughout the years. I mean, all of us have lived in
this state, so we know that during hurricane time, they can get quite loud. Now, they're actually very quiet. So, that's something that we'd want for compatibility and enforcement. Um, invent event-based flexibility. We know that there's a lot of events that happen both on public and private properties
that stem a lot of economic development. Uh, daily removal and strict duration limits because it does really need to be transient. It doesn't need to be a fixed structure. and then the strong fire safety and sanitation requirements that's governed by the state.
So, some of the key concerns and some ways to mitigate. So, one of the huge key concerns that we heard from every jurisdiction that we talked to and and a lot of people uh was visual clutter. So, you know, not allowing tents or freestanding signs and excessive lighting. You don't get that uh carnival
effect if you don't allow that when you're writing code. Um noise and trash. the enforcement forcement, excuse me, the enforcement of the noise code as well as doing the low decibel generator uh solves that compatibility compatibility issue when you're locating
food trucks near other businesses. Um the requirements of having a dedicated trash at the site as well as on the truck at all times. And then permanent squatting was another thing that was a big issue. That's a big issue, not not for the jurisdictions that we looked
into, but jurisdictions throughout the state. Um, Orlando and CM was kind of the first areas to have food trucks, and they had a a huge problem with permanent squatting. So, the daily removal and no overnight stays would uh building that
into the code would not allow for that squatting. So, some of the draft framework that works with Indian River County. So when we looked at our code and then what we looked at the land use and zoning code and then we also looked at where have uh food trucks in this county located
obviously illegally because it wasn't allowed. Um we've seen that they located primarily in CH which is heavy commercial IG which is industrial and IL which is light industrial and then we have two commercial PDs on state road 60
that allow them right now. So building those into those zoning districts, they've already set up there. They're compatible. You know, we build in a little bit more framework to make it more compatible. Um and then we move forward. So some of the other things that we looked at was hours of operation
throughout all of the uh jurisdictions. Most of them started anywhere between 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Uh, when I looked through all of the actual uh hours of operations for most of the restaurants around here, most all restaurants around this area close at 9:00 p.m. So, the
hours are from 7 to 9. Uh, one truck per site unless it's a special event for more. Um, and no overnight parking or and trucks would need to vacate daily so that it truly is transient. Some other things for the appearance and
the compliance would be no tables, chairs, tents, or exterior signage. The exterior signage would be allowed on the truck. Um, we've seen that a lot of social media has been a huge push for uh mobile food trucks that there's kind of a following. I don't know if anybody's
seen the uh egg roll truck, but they have a a huge national following and they are all over the place throughout the state. uh quiet generators only. So that low decibel level generator, no utility hookup, so there's not that uh
utility hookup or any permanent stay. Uh the display of the DBPR license, which is their actual state license and their recent fire inspection. Um operating on a paved surface and maintaining clear traffic flow. Generally, all of these
food trucks locate in existing parking areas. So, we want to make sure that they're not impeding any traffic or endangering any life safety issues. Um, and then obviously with any thing that we build into a code is code enforcement penalties for violations. That's just in case somebody violates outside of the
current code that we're building, uh, that there is an enforcement option just in case it gets out of hand. One of the big things that we saw and heard from you on the May 6th meeting was an actual visual aid, something easy for the public to understand as well as any of the food truck owners. So, one
thing we want to create out of this after creating the code is an appendex that's a simple friendly flyer that describes the food trucks rules and regulations within our county. Um, it contains easy information as well as it's going to be on our website and then we'll further push it out to social
media once we get to that. Uh, the picture that you see here is from St. Lucy. Uh, this is a graphic that they did that's very easy to use, very forward thinking, something that we'd like to include as well. So, the next steps, uh, if we get
consensus today to move forward with what I've discussed, we'd finalize the ordinance, um, and send it to our planning and zoning board, um, and then we'd come back to the BCC for the first and second reading and, um, targeting for the end of Q3.
That being said, I'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have. I want to thank you uh first off for um your indepth assessment of the local jurisdictions as this took place. I did
take the opportunity to visit all of those jurisdictions to see what was happening as a result of their uh ordinance and specifically when you let me know where you were studying or reflecting
and I I have to say that uh hats off to uh Martin County. Um, I I think that one of the biggest concerns about, hey, they're going to change the truck, the food truck ordinance was what's going to
happen. Here come the floodgates. We're going to start seeing lines of of uh vehicles and it's going to change. It's going to look like those other places. I have to say that uh their their ordinance
uh holds holds accountability. Uh I don't know if they mentioned inverters as opposed to generators, but inverters tend to be a lot more quieter and many of the vendors that uh are in the county are using inverters
uh because they tend to be quieter. I mean, they have to put up with the obnoxious noise too to work. So, uh, they they tend to look for the the quieter approach, but, uh, with that, uh, you know, there are some that do
allow the the sale flags and all of that. So, I I like what you have, uh, culminated and, uh, I believe that we don't have to have the the cause for alarm that we're going to turn into food
truck alley. um but it gives the opportunity for commercibility and service to the community. So with that again noticing the um the zoning uh one could never anticipate
seeing on your recommendation so far that one could never anticipate seeing food trucks on the corridors like the State Road 60 and uh some other applications that would may interfere
with the orderly flow of traffic and uh amongst other things. Is that correct? That's correct. Okay. Well, thank you. Yes. Um Chris, when this moves forward, I
think part of the problem with the illustrated issue from a couple months ago was that the code enforcement violation went to the property owner versus the food truck itself. M would when you change this is it are we
going to are you going to address that or it still would it go to both? How does that look? Sure. For enforcement purposes uh legally we have to send it to the property owner but we would also send it to the food truck owner as well. Um as part of this we would require uh
property owner authorization and keeping that property owner authorization uh up in next to the DBPR approval. Um, one of the biggest things that we've seen through all of the jurisdictions is that there's been property owner authorization to actually locate on the
property as well as um, a lot of them are using it for additional income by leasing a spot to them. And then as part of the no utility hookups and I guess being self-contained, that would also include no discharges. Correct.
That's correct. They'd have to comply with the state regulations for discharge. Well, self-contained Thank you. Um, who does the fire inspections? Our life safety uh team does the fire
inspections. Chris, how can they is having the the pave service requirement? I understand it, but is it really going to always be possible? Is it something that, you know, we should look at? I mean, if they're somebody's having an event at
their business, it may make sense to put it on a right off the pave surface, you know, person on a moral spot or something. I mean, I don't know if we can completely hold it to a paved surface. It just I say it have to be
just a substantial surface because you just don't know. Not always surface available for the best location. we could build in improved surface. So, it wouldn't have to be paved. It would have to be some type of improved surface. The thing about it is we don't
want to run into a situation where we're having trucks locate on just plain grass that's not any bit compacted or anything where it's tearing up grass or they're going into an empty field and and locating there on uh just because the zoning allows it. So with being on an
actual improved surface, we know that it's not going to be impacting or having any compatibility issues. Yeah. I mean, they might have a more old parking lot or, you know, something that's compatible. I'm good with that. I just thought paved surface kind of really restricts to what it might be on.
And then an improved imperous surface you talking about. I mean, if it was it had like uh the pebbles or gravel that's compacted, that would be appropriate. That's improved. Yes. To that level of improvement. Notre not
that it has to be an impervious surface because they have no discharge. So that's not the concern. The concern is just their footing. Okay. Well, is there any member of the public that wishes like to have input upon this
matter? Tom Sullivan, 4187 West 16th Square. I just brought up Art in the Park, but then I was It's in the city, but then I was wondering about the the county fairgrounds with uh Commissioner Man's point. Sometimes those trucks are on
grass. You know, I just wouldn't want you to make up a rule that all of a sudden they're all on on grass. No, they're not all. No. Oh, no. Most of most of them at the fairgrounds, they make the midway. Yes.
Uh for the food trucks and uh that is a special event, right? Obviously, there's a great collection of them. So, I would not that's not coupled with the food truck ordinance. That is a special event. I just wanted to make sure when I went to Art in the Park, I
could get a burger. Well, appreciate that. I don't think there's a there's an a surface available to to put all of those vehicles together. Thank you. What's the protocol here? Do I say my name and my address? Is that what I'm
observing? Yes. Yeah, you could do that. All right. My name is Mark. I live uh 1109th Lane in in District 4. Yeah. What constitutes a food truck? How do you differentiate a food truck from a hot dog cart?
Again, a food truck is a self-contained apparatus that's been inspected by the health department that has close scrutiny for health and and hygiene and
the the proper uh code uh acceptance for uh food distribution with a food handlers license. Uh there may be commissary on it. Uh in other words, there may be food preparation on it or
there may be complete food preparation or there may be partial food preparation, but it is uh one that is self-contained. So a hot dog cart with a boiler would be considered a food truck. There's a statutory definition for food trucks.
Awesome. So it actually will define and delineate the difference for Florida statute. Perfect. Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's Florida statute 509.102. 509. What? 102. Anyone else?
Two microphones. Well, the food vendors are all out working, so it's your opportunity. All right. Well, staff needs direction to go forward.
Mr. Mr. Chair, I'll be happy to move approval of codifying what we've gone over today and starting the process of bringing that forward through PNZ and whatever the process is. Thank you. Um I I really appreciate the
the work and council, did you have something to add to this that you just preparing in case if I needed to answer the question about the statute, but I think it was made clear that yes, there is a definition per the statute.
We're good. Okay. All right. We have a motion by Commissioner Adams, seconded by myself, uh to uh direct staff to move forward with the development of the ordinance with the uh legal counselors and uh
we'll get the process going. And any further comment? All in favor? I opposed. Motion carried unanimously. Thank you. Thank you.
Next item is item 13 I2 which is a planning and zoning commission's request for a joint workshop with the board of county commission is to discuss the plan development PD review approval process.
Thank you Mr. Chair, members of the commission, for the record, Ryan Sweeney, assistant planning development services director. Um, at their June 12, 2025 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission did have a formal vote to request a joint workshop with you all to discuss the plan development review and
approval process. As we all know, there's been some uh plan developments that have come through recently that have, you know, spurred conversation. Um, I don't have a formal presentation or anything for you today, but I do anticipate um hopefully scheduling, if you all direct me to um having a meeting
in the fall. I know we're about to enter the the commission's uh summer break here, and the PNZ members are also kind of all over the place at the moment. So, I think the fall would be a realistic target date. There's a a request for a time
uncertain. Yeah. Yeah. We we'll make it once we know and we'll uh work with that. Could we ask that uh we uh give ample lead time as well? Absolutely. Say this Thursday we're meeting.
No, it'll be it'll be well planned out and uh I'll coordinate the attendance. So, and that workshop would be uh obviously here, but it would be on a a P&Z day or you're going to see how it works out. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to pro I you know
realistically it probably would make more sense to be an evening meeting but I we'll we'll we'll kind of juggle schedules and see what how that works. Well the P P&G customary customarily meets on Thursday and they also have uh
they they work on a voluntary basis. Sure. So I want to sure that they're accommodated as well. So they probably have Thursdays pencled out. Sure. That might work out. I don't know if that works out for
daytime, but I I will start to, you know, pull them and see where we can land. Mr. Chair, any questions? I I think this is a a great idea because after the discussion we had uh last
meeting in reference to uh plan development, I think we need all kind of be on the same page. I mean, you could still have your um your own ideas, your recommendations, but in planning and zoning would be the same thing. I mean,
they they see a lot of things that don't even get to us and and and are able to decide things. So, I think it's a great idea at least to open up the conversation and I would ask staff to before we have this meeting to have a lot of information as to
basically what have PD is and what what problems that y'all seen and what what what what op you know what things do y'all think are important for for for all of us to talk about. But I I think this is a good idea to to to get on the
same page and and keep and not be taken advantage of because I honestly think we've been taken advantage of on some of these PDs. So I think I think this is a great idea to kind of educate everybody and move forward as to where we want
our county to go. I mean these developers are coming here wanting a PND. We ought to set the standards that that still follow state law, but we ought to set the standards as to what any river county wants, not what the developer wants.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, just a question for Ryan. Ryan, is this going to include kind of a meeting of the minds between PNZ and the commission on what a public benefit is and some of the other requirements of a
PD? Yes. Hopefully. Yeah. Realistically, um, you public benefits and then the the waiverss, which is the the part that the the developer is often seeking, are are going to be the two key items that should be discussed. And are we going and can you also just
go over just a brief intro because I think this is a good um educational opportunity for the public as well. Um, why what makes APD different from straight zoning and and that kind of stuff as maybe a slide or just a Yeah, I absolutely. Okay. Thank you. I think this is a great
idea and um happy to I don't know if you need a motion. We need a motion. I'll be happy to move approval. Second. It's a motion by Commissioner Adams, seconded by myself. Any further discussion? All in favor?
Opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Thank you. Excuse Well, I mean, well, I'll tell you what. I tell you what, there's there's another opportunity for you to speak in a few minutes. Okay.
I appreciate it. Thank you. Next is uh item 14A1 which is a resolution designating planning services as administrative authority overseeing the platting process and designating
county administrator as administrative official for approval of plat. Good morning commissioner Susan Praau deputy county attorney on behalf of the county attorney's office. Um this is being brought to you uh due to some of the changes that have taken place uh as
of July 1 with the legislature. There was an amendment to the Florida statutes chapter 177 that deals with platting um and plotting recording platting approval. Um one of the big changes that happened was to 177.081
and that particular one it allows for approval. Normally the governing body under chapter 177 is the one that approves plats as you all have done up until this point. You usually see them under consent or whatever matter they're placed on in front of this board. At
this time as of July 1, the legislature has essentially removed the authority from the local governing body and placed it on uh to be administratively approved. My understanding is the thought process at least from the little bit of research I did behind that was to
get plats removed. sorry, plats approved um more expediently. Um along with that and in line with that idea, they also placed a 7-day shot clock on there for uh plats to either be approved, approved
with conditions or denied. Um they're also requiring that an administrative authority be appointed. Um I suggested in here in this uh proposed resolution that it be the planning and services department as they already essentially serve as what is the administrative authority. They are the department that
uh takes plats in. Um they disperse them out to the different uh entities within the county whether it be public works, utilities, my department um you know environmental planning. Um, and so we can all do our review and do our fair
share and make sure that the plats meet legal requirements and other requirements um that need to be made pursuant to our code and pursuant to Florida statutes um and sent back to the uh developer. So at this time I'm asking
that uh we break forward that the board bring for the board approve a resolution that would be designating the planning and services division as the administrative authority. um so that they can continue doing their work and receiving the plat as the
receiving entity within the county um or receiving department I should say and dispersing those so that we can have review. Um the review will now be obviously the shot clock of seven days where we will be either denying if they don't meet uh the legal requirements or
with you know approving with small conditions that would usually look like something that has to do with maybe there's a typo or there's a name or something nothing that's necessarily a legal requirement um or approving if the uh developer has gotten it all right and we can move it on um to the
administrative authority who we are asking it to be um I believe our lovely county administrator, Mr. Titanic, has um said that he would be willing to take this on under his belt as the approving authority as he is the highest authority um as far as administrative. Um from the
county perspective, I will tell you that the new language in the statute did say that it should be someone that is of a higher ranking whether it be the county administrator, deputy county administrator, assistant county administrator, or someone over the um planning or public works. It would appear that as the county administrator
is above all of the different uh departments that usually a plat goes through, it would appear that he would probably be the most appropriate either himself or his designate. Um and just one last note, uh although you will not be seeing the plats for approval anymore, there is another Florida
statute section that um unfortunately the legislature did not update with this. They made this change but they failed to update another section um that says that the governing body shall accept any dedications to them like we
accept the utilities dedications or an easement or right-of-way dedication. While that may be done via plat um we would have to bring back a separate resolution for you all to accept those dedications at a later date after the plat has already been approved by the
administrative um officer. So, these are some of the changes that have been brought forth by the legislature and have gone into effect um July 1. I'm happy to discuss, answer any questions,
try to provide some clarity as best as I can, as I don't know what they think when they make the rules up there. I simply have to help um you all try to adhere to them as best as we can. If you ever did know what they think when they make the rules up there, that would be magical. that.
Well, it sounds like they wanted clear, concise, and uh they wanted to expedite the the matter with that turnaround time. Uh but uh with that uh you mentioned designate, is there any
limitation on the delegation uh as far as the from the county administrator can or it's wide open for interpretation? Um, it's the only thing the statute says. It doesn't really limit any sort of designation, if you will. It just
says that it's preferred for it to be a higher a higher ranking person, whether it be himself, a deputy, an assistant, um, or someone above on public works or planning, someone that's above and involved with the planning, um, and
plotting. Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the board. Uh, as you may know, I already review them and sign, so it's not really adding to the workload. I had a question. Um, looking at the
section itself, section 177.071, uh, number four and that, and I'll I'll just read part of the sentences. Before a plat or replat is offered for recording, it must be administratively approved. That's underlined. Yes. The following sentence says if not
approved, the governing body must return the plat. So the one sentence says it's administratively taken care of and the sentence right after it says it goes back to the governing board. So So that appears to be contradictory.
It it definitely is, Commissioner Moss. And this is the this is the difficulty that I'm facing not only in this particular subsection but in the subsection 177091 where it talks about the acceptances. Um they didn't update that section because what happens normally is well what has
happened up until now is if you all were to have a plat and it's rejected for whatever reason it gets returned by us to the applicant. In this instance I don't think it would be any different. I think even if it was um rejected by the administrative authority, it would still
just be returned to the applicant. Um it doesn't say that we have to bring it to the governing body. It just says that it would be returned by the governing body. Um if it's going to be administratively denied, I believe it would be um I believe it would be signed off still
by the administrator because it would be an administrative approval or denial and then it could be returned. Yeah. I mean, while it's definitely a lack of clarity, um, most definitely, to say the least. Um, that that being said, um, I'm a proponent of home rule,
not in favor of preeemption. This certainly qualifies as that. Uh, they're taking away the opportunity for the public to weigh in on any of this, and they're taking away um our opportunity to weigh in on any of this. It's not
going to go be before us. My understanding is the communication will be directly between the developers and staff back and forth. Is that correct? That that is correct. The communication would definitely be between developers and staff. So, I'm not in favor of that. So, I
would vote against that um against this because I'm not in favor of what they're doing. So, can I do that? Um we are legally bound uh to follow the Florida statute. So, we cannot choose to
not abide by the statute. I mean, if you'd like to uh vote however you want. You can vote. Yes, you can vote however you want, but uh sorry, this is a little difficult, but regardless, we have to comply with the Florida statute. I mean, technically, Commissioner Moss,
I guess the board as a whole could vote not to do this and then the state would come down and do something, you know, that's probably not going to be pleasant. Um, but you know, we're we still remain autonomous, so we can do what we would
like to do. You can vote the way you'd like to vote and the you know, the rest of us can we can always weigh the pros and cons of going against the state and vote how we feel. Susan can't say that, but it's a colleague, I can say that
it's almost anformational item. We we really don't have a decision here. we just had to notify and prove and that's very unfortunate but that's what we that's the deck of cards we have to deal
with. I would venture to say it's not an unfunded mandate. It's just an edict. It's just like food trucks that we just talked about. They handle all the inspections and all that stuff. They tell us to do it. Now they're telling us we have to do this. You know what? Thank you. That's a very
good point. Um because the turnaround time that they're asking for is seven days. Are we able to do that? I mean, financially, are we going to have to hire people to do a seven-day turnaround? Thank you for mentioning that. I mean, our staff, excuse me, our staff would probably
will, I would say, immediately conduct a sufficiency review and identify any potential issues and get that information out back to the applicant and to meet the 7-day because again, we have seven days to either approve, deny,
or issue comments. Um, if if I may interject just to answer that a little bit. um when we do deny if we do deny we do have to give the legal basis. So anything that we're giving comments on the actual legal basis has to be cited. So whatever statutory
reference there is whatever sort of code reference there is as to why it's insufficient. Um so I I would anticipate um there being more denials um upfront just because of that. if they don't meet that threshold
or that criteria, they're probably going to get it back with a it doesn't meet the statutory and then they would inevitably have to resubmit is what I would anticipate. But I don't know. Yeah, I would agree with that. And I think prior to this, we would work with
the applicant to address issues. And now it's going to it's going to turn into the denial with comments and citing the statutory reason why. Well, it's then it's going to have the
opposite effect of their intent. Their intent is to speed it up. This is going to slow it down. The quality of the submission. And I'll say that it always depends on the quality of the submission, how quickly a PLA or any application can move through the
process. That that would be correct. So if they submit something that is legally sufficient um and and has everything that they're supposed to have, they wouldn't get a denial letter and they would get approved off the first bat. So it depends on if they do their work up front or if they decide to not do their
work up front. Thank you. Sounds like they'll be c crossing their tees and dotting their eyes. So, they don't want to have that untimely delay because we have a time constraint as well. And that turnaround for the
additional uh denial uh will also uh I I don't think it'll slow it down. It'll probably make them uh make sure that uh all their ducks are lined up before they submit.
And Mr. chair, members of the board, I think we'll put together aformational, you know, sheet, if you will, and forward it to all those that would submit plats explaining the new process and then also emphasizing because I can
just tell you as a former planner, there was nothing more frustrating than seeing the same plat errors from the same engineer or surveyor. It's just like fix your template because you're costing your clients money. So we we would put
together something because this is in the best interest of the client and not so much the you know the person that's doing the plat and it would help us as well to to respond in an expeditious manner. Thank you.
Is there anyone else wish to speak? Seeing none. Uh we have uh the proposed resolution to duly adopt and conform to the directive which was imposed upon the legislation
uh to us and uh you see a copy of uh Senate Bill 784. Second. We have a motion by Commissioner Adams, seconded by myself. Any further discussion? All in favor?
Opposed? All nay. Motion passes 4 to one with Commissioner Moss dissenting. Thank you, commissioners. Thank you, councelor. Next item is item 15 uh bravo one which
is the quarterly updates from county administrator and county attorney and that is under vice chairman law's direction. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Um earlier we mentioned briefly that we are uh
commissioned to do a job and some view us as perhaps a board of directors and in the private sector the board of directors uh entertains and gets answers from their CEO CFO COO whomever. In our
case, uh, as everyone knows and hopefully the public knows, there's two people that report directly to the board of county commissioner, and that is our general counsel as well as our county administrator. Uh, this practice was started in uh, September, if this body
recalls, uh, just prior to general counsel coming on board. Uh, and I think it's a healthy practice. I think there's been comments that perhaps it's not a healthy practice. Uh but I think this gives us the opportunity for all five of us to engage with our general counsel and our administrator
um in the sunshine to be quite frank with you. And also think it helps and assist in reducing uh perhaps as Commissioner Man said earlier uh swirls of social media and the like. And I think it's extremely transparent
that we hear from uh the two parties that report directly to the to the board of county commissioners. So with that, uh, I would ask General Counsel Scheler to give us her update. Thank you, commissioners. Um, the first thing that you kind of asked
us to talk about are obstacles, which I try to call challenges instead. But as you can see from Miss Praau's most recent um, board item, you know, it's been a challenge. during the during the legislative session, we tried to work closely with your legislative affairs
manager and your lobbyists to to stay active and give feedback. And now we're in the process of really trying to substantively unpack um what the legislaturator's done and how they uh have um the mandates they've put on local governments. So, you know, the
plat platting measure that Miss Praau brought is really the tip of the iceberg. Um, since the session is closed, uh, we've had one, um, substantial debriefing with Kathy Copelan, we've got another one planned and we're already in the process of
really reaching out and trying to educate your different departments on these changing, educate you as the board, educate the departments. We've been talking with planning. There's more planning uh, bills that were approved, emergency services, purchasing, just to
name a few. And we're going to keep working on that. And you know, when we're doing that, we're uh sometimes those laws are driving new code changes. Um but just so you know, our office is constantly looking at our code and
trying to figure out as we go along, how can we update our code? You know, a lot of times we're dealing with code provisions that are 20 or 30 years old. How can we bring them up to date? we try to look at our code with a fresh eye and also to maybe question some assumptions.
Uh so that is an opportunity for us as well as a challenge. Um as far as achievements, one of the to to to continue with that um I it was a goal of mine to bring you a master ordinance for the creation, levy and collection of
non-advalorum special assessments to really improve that process, make it consistent and comprehensive. So, I'm glad we've been able to bring that to you. Uh, we're we're constantly working with staff to try to move forward your priorities as a board. Uh, one of the
things that I shout out to Chris Hicks. I know he's been working closely with emergency services on purchasing that land for the animal shelter. That's going to be a new challenge for Indian River County. And but along with that, we've started to have some conversations
in our office about, okay, what kind of pro policy and procedures do we need to be thinking about to run an animal shelter? Are there changes to our code that we may need to make? We're I know Susan's working with planning on the impact fee uh study and how we can
update it and whether that's going to drive some code changes and Chris Hicks has worked with ELAP. We continue to work with parks on those environmental land acquisitions. Right now, they're in the process of we're helping finalize appraisals and come up with a strategy
to make offers to these first tier properties. Um, from an internal perspective, um, we do have a new position that's not a new position, but it's been moved to our office. We're wrapping up interviews for our new land acquisition and lease
specialist position. Um and I think and we've already met with um county admin, with the building and facilities, with public works to see how we can use that position to better work with their departments, but also to work on land
acquisitions generally and really importantly to organize better organize and create to track and implement our existing leases for county facilities. So, we're excited about that position.
Um, I've been your county attorney now for 10 months, and I did take an opportunity to look back at my one-year plan that I gave you when you considered me as an applicant, and I've really tried to deliver what I promised. I've tried to uh implement my weekly updates,
find ways to communicate with you. When when I fall short, I hear from you, and I welcome that input because it's always my goal to do better. Um, I've worked hard to assess staff and I want to thank the county manager uh in the county administrator because he's really helped
me while we didn't grow as an office in this budget year. We're not proposing that we've did some reorganization so I can try to help my staff meet their professional goals but also maybe drive and expand what we can offer you and and the public from a service perspective.
So, you know, I've instituted the um quarterly lunches with our city and town attorneys to try to build some bridges. Um meet more of your constitutional officers, attend your boards, and I, you know, again, my goal is to be responsive
and effective, and I welcome feedback from you on how to best do that. Thank you, uh, General Counsel. And I'll add that um your office is very responsive uh and I don't know about the other uh four commissioners but uh
myself can be uh critical of your operations and you take that in stride for that I say thank you. Now, we'll move to the uh county administrator. And just for the public and this body to know that uh
if I were you, the public, I would feel comfortable that your board of county commissioners uh holds the county administrator accountable. Uh sometimes uh perhaps more than he would like to be held accountable. Uh but with that, Mr.
Tatanic. Yes, sir. Mr. Chair, members of the board, all much of this past quarter has been dominated in terms of working with our department directors and the office of management budget to formulate and prepare the proposed FY2526 budget. We certainly are pleased we're
able to present a balanced budget while maintaining the sixth lowest military in the state. uh in fact keeping the military the same for the general fund and municipal service taxing unit for unincorporate areas for the sixth consecutive year and the emergency
services uh district uh the same for five consecutive years. I understand that there's uh that these rates are above the roll back rates and legally considered a tax increase, but I'm not certain I agree with some of the
comments I hear from certain individuals portraying that they are large tax increases. Again, the county has not raised milit rates. Uh we've we've maintained them. Uh don't need to probably go into a lot of detail, but just remind you a lot of efforts related
to SWID this past quarter. Uh so I'll just leave it at that where I am pleased to report and we've discussed you've been re received but we've had 21 new hires for both our May and June cohorts you know participate in our new employee
orientation. Uh it's an orientation that returns in person orientation that returns after more than a 5-year absence. Uh in addition to the participants participating, many of our directors and other staff are participating. I certainly
appreciate the efforts of Autumn Sanders, our HR professional development management, and Suzanne uh Bole, our HR director, for their efforts. Uh on on the leadership front, I I do want to thank Michael Zitto in collaboration
with human resources and and Beth Pal who's kicked off an internal, you know, leadership uh mentoring trike program. Uh the program provides a solid foundation for HR professional development to move forward. Uh the leadership and management training
focuses largely on our man middle managers and the future leaders of our organization. So, I don't know if Mike's here, but I certainly appreciate and thank him for that. Additionally, the county does continue to partner with the National Association of Counties. Uh, we
currently have 16 uh staff members at various levels, not just directors, but assistant directors, managers, and even below that have completed the 14week high performance uh leadership academy. We have six registered for this August,
next August cohort and then two for September. and we are working on identifying the last four for that. Uh in terms of activities, I'll just share some. You know, we did participate in the storybook village at the Dodgertown Elementary. Uh the the staff met
quarterly with the Gford community meeting on June 2nd. In May, myself and Chris Balter met with the Indian River uh County Chamber of Commerce Government and Economic Development Committee. And then in June, I was a panelist at the
Let's Talk Economic Development in Indian River County. In addition to working with our TIP strategies and and our planning developments staff as we work to develop our economic development strategic plan, uh the board will recall we did hold our uh second annual at
least since it's been returned uh health fair on June 12th. And one of the biggest things this year is we concluded in this past quarter we concluded our centennial celebration with several events. The Jackie Robinson baseball game, USO dance event, hoses versus
handcuff softball, the music uh you know at the in the park at Jones Pier, our centennial parade. Uh fortunately we're able to make the parade without you know major rain, not so much for the event after. Uh but and then we had the pioneer family event with the you know
where they we honored all the pioneer families that were able to attend and that was capped off with our time capsule ceremony on June 30th. Many thanks to the memory the numerous community volunteers, our staff volunteers and a special thank you to Michelle Wagner for all her hard work.
Uh we celebrated the opening of the public works tra traffic operations new building. I thought that was really interesting. We had people come out for that. And then we also did the groundbreaking for this new Sand Ridge golf clubhouse. It's $12 million facility paid for by the patrons, those
who play golf of Sand Ridge, and it's not subsidized by taxpayers or taxpayer funds. Uh, as the board is aware, in May, we did um have to submit a response and comment letter to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
concerning the 2025 draft central Indian River Lagoon Basin Management Action Plan. Uh, that was productive in that secretary uh, Deputy Secretary Adam Bllelock reached out to myself. I got our subject matter expert staff together
and we held a call with him and two important things came out of that just late June is that the secretary reassured the county that D is going to continue it's going to honor its prior commitment to update the uh swill model
which would subsequently update our BMAP allocations as soon as the new data is available and additionally he recognized Indian River County is already achieving our first 5-year milestones. I think it's important and he provides us with
the reasonable assurance that for meeting target milestones over the next 5 years will include what is learned from the the new modeling results in the data. So again I think it's encouraging news. Uh over the past
quarter I will I will share that I've held employee meetings with uh planning development services public works and utility staff. Uh one of couple things that have happened uh is we have brought before you in terms of some changes to the code, the travel policy, the food
policy, our procurement policy that uh that was really a collaborative effort among all our departments and uh right now it's in the hands of working with uh both Jennifer Hyde and the county attorney's office. We appreciate her assistance. that will be coming back
before you on August 19th, you know, for that initial hearing with a subsequent hearing being either September 9th or 23rd. Uh just by way of updating you, I know road resurfacing is a common, you know, issue that comes up. Uh we did uh
you know in December reported 17.83 miles. We've done an additional 10.78 miles. We're close to for 20 late 24 25 close to 30 miles and we spent the additional funds from the ARPA allocation. We spent that. So that has
been uh achieved and we'll continue to keep you updated on that. And the other thing I would add is because one of the issues that really came up and in large measure following the Oslo but you know park issue and then some other communities that have expressed concerns is our staff has started looking at you
know what options may exist. You know I know we know we have petition paving but what other options may exist? How could we address some of the unmaintained roads and we'll move forward with some of that. On the personnel front, uh I'm I'm happy to report we've hired 49
people uh staff members over this last uh quarter and we've promoted 19. So it's 28% of our of the new hires or positions out of the 68 are, you know, coming from within. Uh in terms of true vacancies, those
where there's not been a new hire selected yet, we have 65. That's up a little bit from uh from uh the I think we at 61 if I recall last time, but we do have about six positions that we are getting ready to make an offer to. Uh
the termination uh report, you know, just kind of updating you. We did have a couple employees that were, you know, that didn't complete the probationary period. We had uh we did have two terminations, seven retirees, and then we had 20 uh staff members that uh
resigned. Uh and what I would note is some of them you're you're familiar with uh you know that just moved on to greener pastures because they were at that time in their life uh or they had addition a diff a different opportunity that existed for them. And just really
quickly, we continue to monitor our building permit activity and the the number of open permits and and the timeliness in our reviews. I continue to see the numbers going down in terms of, you know, us being able to respond more quickly and the number of permits being
issued. And this is across the board. It's not a matter if I say 1660, that's not 1660 new single family homes. That's 60. could be a fence, could be a mechanical, maybe replacing the AC, whatever the case may be. For like for the month of June, uh we're still
obviously within that 30-day time period. We have 403 open permits out of u 1660 that came in. So, I mean, we're doing better there. We still have some open for May and then as well as April. And some of those are we're waiting on
stuff that comes in. Uh in terms of looking at some KPIs just really quickly uh the going back to beginning in May we probably we we did about 88% of our uh the in terms of all permit types 88%
were uh reviewed and and completed within 88 uh excuse me 14 days. uh in in May that number was 86% and in this and in June the number is 83%. Uh I want to thank Anthony and his
staff uh Scott, you know, building permitting. They're really doing a I think a yman's job trying to work on getting these permits in and out. And I'm not going to belabor the customer service satisfaction. I just think there's two metrics it's worth reporting because I know we were in the high 60s
if I recall before our permit our satisfaction from satisfied very satisfied to somewhat satisfied is 75% now so we're seeing that continue to tick up and we're also seeing our responsiveness it's up to about 63.6%.
Gang not satisfied with that we want to continue to work on those numbers. Uh before I share some really good news, I'm just in terms of the upcoming quarter in terms of the challenges we see. Obviously, you know, we had a budget workshop last week and uh and
there's still uh OM myself and I want to thank each of you for your conversations and your Canandor are working on various scenarios as it relates and how we can provide additional resources and try to uh you know close the gap
some as it relates to uh working with the sheriff's office and the sheriff's $14.6 6 million or almost 19% increase. Uh we have in the upcoming quarter we have the EAR you you'll be seeing those
EAR based amendments coming forward. We have a deadline on that that's going to happen. We should be seeing the impact fee study where that tells us what the exact cost is of development of growth or for growth. Um the storm water management plan. We did have some public
meetings. didn't have a lot of great turnout, but we will be we we've talked about kind of doing a stakeholder meeting and then kind of having one more meeting before we bring it back. Uh we've already mentioned to you before we're or hopeful to get that strategic plan completed uh between now and
October the procurement policy I discussed with you and then also we are working on the HR employee manual. It would be my goal and I I do need to follow up with Suzanne that we get that done in the next quarter. And then the last thing I want to provide to you,
it's it's in certainly not least, um, as you all may remember, uh, we did, you know, Congressman Heropoulos reached out to us in terms of a community project and there was one that, you know, community services and and the city of
Felsmere and just even our library system and some other of our nonprofit, you know, um, service providers were are trying to do something to get out further west. And so through the department of housing, urban development, the economic development issue initiative, Congress
heropolis was successful in securing a $2 million appropriation to help us get move that further down the road and and make that uh realize that in our community, which provide pretty significant services. If you think about
it, you have to for a library, we don't really have we have, you know, north, south, central, but going west and then to be able to couple that way to make it really a community resource hub. I think this is an amazing opportunity. And we're really grateful to Congressman Heropoulos for all his efforts. And I I
thank Kathy and Cindy and everybody that worked on it. I know the chair as well as Commissioner Adams, you all expressed your and then the city of Felsmere and their staff. So we just we're excited about that. And with that, you know, absent any questions, that would be my report for this quarter.
Well, thank you, Mr. Administrator. I would just make two observations. One, um, internally, um, maybe work a bit more on your time management and some of your internal
relationships. I think that would would go a long ways in developing the agency and externally uh very similar uh some of the calls that we that I receive uh maybe that you uh you know have other
things going on within the agency of course but it is important to us that you're responsive with that appreciate your time and I'll yield back to the chair. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Vice Chair. there any uh other comments on the
presentations? I would just like to say how excited I am to hear about the um earmark of $2 million and I appreciate staff that's worked on that diligently both in the um legislative affairs realm as well as the
community services realm. So really very excited and Mr. Chair, thank you for cultivating that relationship that's allowed us to take advantage of the goodwill of the congressman. I appreciate you very much for that and um
just super duper excited. So thank you. That's fabulous news. I'll tell you what, Cong Congressman Haropoulos is a longtime friend and he was committed when he was running that he
wanted to have any river on the map and that although he lives a little north of here, uh he considers this home and he proved the point. So, we're very appreciative. Okay, great.
Uh well with that um everybody's got the information from the county administrator and our our attorney uh county attorney. I will say that uh you
you both have uh been exposed to a lot in the past few months. Uh, it's been pretty intense and I I don't know if uh well to to our county attorney, I don't know if this all of this was in the
brochure. Um, we've we've had to uh work in many different arenas and you've had each member of your staff working on something different at the same time.
Uh, so it's it's been a lot. Yes, I I will agree. I think you commented on that and I want to concur. Um and we maybe perhaps the the transition as far as the county administrator is is
concerned with all the the changes the uh uh looking at what had to be done uh to get where we want to be. Uh maybe is still
up the road. But I will say that uh the wii with with all of the assessments and the consulting work that was done uh that implementation is taking place. I
and I I will comment that u you're seeing more. I did hear that uh maybe the internal communication I I I happen to agree but by the same token uh I will
say that you have been uh far more approachable and available um especially after all of the budget setting. So thank you and thank you counselor.
Thank you Mr. Chair. With that, um, we move on to item 16, Bravo One, and that's the final pay for bio gas engineering. Does anybody want a presentation? Mr. Chair, I'll be happy to move approval.
We have a motion by Commissioner Adams, seconded by Vice Chairman Law. Any further discussion? Nothing on bio gas. Glad glad this project is is done. is done. Thank you. All in favor?
I opposed. Motion carries unanimously. And now we come to the the final move and that is to have any public comment on non-aggenda related matters or
whatever you wish. Your opportunity. Thanks for waiting. I couldn't get to the food truck. I was thinking Jennifer. I was thinking a tough job. the last guy when he left went to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. So think that through. Um I was just
curious the meeting that you're going to have with the planning and zoning and the and the county commissioners if that could be uh maybe advertised a little more maybe similar to what you did with the waste management uh thing. The only reason I say that is uh a lot of times
when I come to these meetings or watch these meetings or go to the planning and zoning meetings, most of the aggravation on the citizens part tends to be uh the inongruity that occurs between what the ordinances are and what people think
they are. Um, we even had it, I think, at your last meeting where in the context of law and order, which would be someone saying, "Well, this is what the law says." And then people saying, "Well, it might say that, but we're going to vote this." And I I think we
would eliminate those types of situations if in fact the ordinances were more clearly stated or they you know um you know I I have a pet peeve and I think it was brought up the last meeting which is the uh retention ponds
being included and and they're significant pieces of property being included in the recreational aspect of a pud. uh uh because there's only seven and a half percent that's required to be recreational. And when I look at some of
these things because after a while I just started looking at them, they started using uh buffer zones which were really uh used for utility easements and they were counting those into the
recreational area. You know, now I I just I think we've all understood and we're starting to come to the conclusion that we've been taking advantage a little of, but I think the sophistication of how they're taking advantage is growing incrementally as we
move down this process. You know, the idea that now roofs will go seven feet apart, not you the buildings will be seven feet apart, the roofs will be three feet apart. Then the counter to that was, well, now we lift the air conditioners up. So I mean I I think
there's going to be a lot more sophistication on the part of the developers in terms of moving in a direction you know the and I look at the overall thing and I talked to a friend of mine and we talked about a thing
called percolation and and and you eliminate percolation when you put these ponds in and when you cover the per the area that would be permeable. Okay. Now flows into the ponds. Now, one
of the things that I've noticed, and I I just happened to be walking my dog, is in my neighborhood recently before these recent rains, the pond or the retaining pond was way down. But when I walked to the next neighborhood, the retaining
pond was up. And I couldn't figure it out. But now I find out they're feeding that with a well so that it'll be prettier. I I think as we start to get heavy rains, this could possibly defeat the
content that that could hold. I'm not sure. I'd have to talk to a hydraologist about that. But I'm just saying these are things, you know, so all of a sudden people saying, "Well, buying I'm buying pondront property. Oh, that pond will always be high because we have we have it fed by a well." But all of a sudden, we get a
Milton and for the first time since I've been on 41st Street, we flooded at the corner of 41st in Indian River where the water was just going across the street and the front of our neighborhood and we're I think it was supposed to be at
an 11 foot elevation started putting water because the uh the um canal started rising to to the level of the street, you And and these are things that, you know, I think as you look at
these uh new areas that you want to look at when you meet with the planning and zoning people. I thought the last planning and zoning uh board meeting was rather interesting, you know, and we have new members on that board now. But, you know, I get to this, you know, I don't want to bore you and I don't want to take too long, but you made me wait.
Okay. Was like you can't get to where you want to go unless you know where it is. And I think right now sometimes when I see these developers, I know where they want to go and and I know that, you know, they're bringing people in and and
it it becomes and and I don't and I know that Commissioner Law, you you always comment to the staff and I do too. They do a great job. But what happens sometimes is when you get so many interactions with a local engineer and
you get so many interactions with a developer that pretty soon you don't even realize that you've been co-opted and that these things happen. And I'm not saying that this is a conscious decision or anything like that. I'm just saying everybody's trying to move that plan out the door. But I think as we
move and and when the planning and zoning and when you people all meet here and you talk about what you want those puds to look like, I I think that maybe the whole community should be involved. I'm just afraid that you'll have this
type, you know, I came here the I I always say to my wife, the only time I ever came to these meetings and it was crowded was over face mask issue. I'm sure you remember it. Uh I mean, you couldn't I thought they were
giving away food. You couldn't get in the door, you know, but like I walk around town. I talked to people in town. I volunteer at a few different things. Everybody's saying, "Hey, we're getting over built. Can you believe this? Can you believe that?" I said, "Well, go to a meeting, you know, but uh thank you for coming." Well, yeah. Yeah.
Thank you, bride. Yeah. And we appreciate your insight. All right. Thank you. And thank you once again, John, for doing a great job. All right. Good morning. Uh my name is Matt Redstone. I'm here on on behalf of the deputy association. Um I come back to
speak. I was spoke Wednesday and uh since that day, we still have a lot of deputies concerned. Since that meeting uh we've had a lot of guys call us. I've got um text messages um of all these application um flyers from all these different
communities on how much money they're making and they're concerned. They're sending out their applications um they're looking at this stuff. The Florida Highway Patrol just posted on their website that they're starting their troopers at $60,000 a year. Um and
it continues the Martin County has goes on their website and says they're starting at 70. Um, I I feel these concerns. I'm a lifelong resident here. I love this community. I love the sheriff's office. Uh, my dad worked here for a long time and uh I grew up at the sheriff's office. I grew up in a first
responder family. Um, so it's not ill upon me that the other first responders in this community need need the support, too. Um, you know, we should be paying our first responders like our life depends on it at the end of the day. Um, hopefully we can get there. Sounds like you made a
few comments today on still work on that and I appreciate that. Um I just look at some of the numbers that that were brought up and the sheriff has gotten an additional $21 million in the last four years and that is correct. Um but like our deputies is uh is facing is
inflation. Uh when we look at inflation and use that number in there, you're after inflationary cost, you're looking around $9 million. So, our deputies are having to handle that inflation in everyday life in in our community. Um, having to pay extra prices for food and
uh whatnot and housing. Uh, inflation is an important factor in that. And um, so I sit here today um, and support and hopefully that you guys will continue to hope to find the money to be able to fund our guys. We need it. Not just our deputies, our civilians, too. Uh, there's some passionate people that come
in and spoke about our civilians. um they're concerned about the comments that were made and the pay that was made towards them. Um they deserve every single penny the sheriff has put in their budget. Um our civilians not only um work in a jail setting, they do all
administrative stuff. I have civilians that go out to crime scenes and investigate crime scenes. They see the worst of humanity and they're expected to do a great job um every single time. So, I I hopefully you guys find in your hearts to continue to try to find the money to support our people, to support
our um the full cost. We don't not only do we need pay, but we need operational cost. We need the equipment that we need to put it put on a great product to the sheriff and put great product on the community. Um investigations are expensive. When my dad was investigating
crimes here in the 80s, um you didn't have technology. Technology wasn't a thing. So um when he put uh David Al Gore in in prison and uh ultimately to the chair they didn't they didn't have technology. Everything is now technology based. Not a single crime in our
community doesn't have a technology element. Technology costs money. Um when you guys spoke the other day, you guys spoke about rising technology costs throughout all your budgets. You guys account for that. Uh it's it's coming upon us as a law enforcement agency to make sure that we have all the necessary
tools to solve everybody's crimes. We don't have the luxury of telling somebody we can't solve your crime, especially when there's a tool out there uh to be able to solve people's crimes. We need to go after that. Our community expects that. Our community expects people to be put in jail for the crimes
they commit in our community. And if we continue to not be able to provide the resources to be able to do that, unfortunately, we're going to have to have those tough conversations of what services we cut for our community, the sheriff officers, compared to the investigations and how in depth we can
get into the investigations. So, I appreciate your time. Hopefully, you guys find your heart to continue to find the money to support our people. Thank you. We appreciate your time as well and uh again, your added uh information and
update. Uh once again, you know, I I I do personally I I I appreciate you coming forward. Um I don't want to turn this into a hearing, but I did work during that time and you know, you your dad's a great
guy. Yeah. And uh thank you for saying that because he was uh one heck of an investigator. and then subsequently in another jurisdiction and now he's still doing a little cold little bit. He's he's trying. He won't
give it up. Just like just I'll probably be on the same path. It's in my blood um to serve this community and um not only my dad's side, my mom's side, and Miss knows that very well. Um and it's it's it's been a pleasure to serve this community. I want to continue and I want
to continue to make sure that the deputies we have in our community stay in our community and serve. Uh same with all of our first responders. We want that too. The institutional law enforcement knowledge and skills and abilities that the taxpayers paid for training is uh well embraced.
Yeah. Um and once again u just getting back to the other comment about the 18.3 million and the 21.2 million. Uh th that was
dispersement that went that was intended to go to salaries. And again, the sheriff has the opportunity to and total discretion as to what he does with those funds afterwards. The record is what the record is, and uh there has been
substantial increases. Again, it's very fast-paced and there is work that uh may be done in order to bring it closer, but uh those are they're rather high expectations.
Uh again, we have to look at what we have to be able to satisfy the request. Uh we we act in great stewardship to the taxpayer and it is a collective process
and at the end of the day uh you have to look at what resources are available, what what could be applied and what could be distributed. Uh, I think you heard the comments during the actual hearing that we we want to see the
deputies rewarded to the fullest allowable available amount and sufficiently so that they can have quality of life too. I we do fully understand that and we appreciate your
comments today. Thank Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the county board, my name is Alistister Narelli. I represent the corrections deputies at the county jail. Last Wednesday at towards the end of the meeting, um it was asked where's the
money going? Where are we getting? Where's the bang for our buck? Um I'd like everything was closed at the time. and I couldn't come up here and speak so I decided to come today. One of the things that uh I would like to say is that our county jail is
first sheriff almost 10 years ago to today I sat in your office and you gave me the opportunity to represent the women and men citizens of Indie River County. When we shook hands and left you welcomed me to the best jail on the east
coast of Florida. I would like to stand here and say that we are the best in the state of Florida. Now, um, Florida Model Jail Standards rates us as a top jail in the state of Florida. The Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission
just rated us as the number one jail in the state of Florida. Even the county health inspector rates us in the top five kitchens in the county for cleanliness and well-run kitchen.
um out of 67 counties, that's uh that's quite an accomplishment that we've done over there at the county jail. Currently, our population is at 487. That's as of today. Corrections has taken over the courthouse, run security over there. Our
relationships with the courthouse has gotten to a point where we have now have pre-trial release where we have approximately 150 citizens out on pre-trial release with 80 of those being on GPS.
That saves the population of the jail. Otherwise, our population would be somewhere around 570, which means we would have to open additional space and have more overtime. Um, our relationship with the courthouse has been such over the past few years
that when somebody comes in a trespass charge and they have a medical issue, they have to go to the hospital, go to intensive care, we've been able to go to the judges and get them our reward. So, that burden's lifted off the county taxpayers. Our medical staff and mental health
staff have improved so much over the past four years. We literally have agencies from around the country coming to our jail to find out what we're doing to facilitate that. One of the creeds of
correction officers is the three C's and it's pounded into us from day one. It's care, custody, and control. The first one is always care. We have 487 people, citizens of Venary County, that we have to care for every day.
We have mental health issues. We have medical issues. We have to we have to feed them. We have to clothe them. Everything has to happen uh for those for those residents as I call them in the county jail. Recitism rate in my opinion is down.
Um I worked booking for six years. A lot of people coming in. I it became a first-name basis with these people because we see them coming in so much. My wife and I were coming from a medical appointment over here at the Marathon the other day. We stopped at the Waw Wa
and Gford to have a breakfast sandwich and get our coffee because we had to have blood work done. I was approached by a former inmate sitting out in front of Wawwa who sat down with me and my wife at the table. This young gentleman had been in and out
of our jail. I can't tell you how many times. I've known his family for years, his grandpa, everything. um hadn't seen him in a while. It's been about two years. He instead of we were able to get him
the help he needed, put him into a house of recovery and now he is a productive member of the society working as a building manager for a uh for a local person who does commercial buildings. Uh was very happy
to see him succeed and not looking back. Um, that being said, I think we're making a difference, but like Sergeant Red Redstone just said, we're going to lose people and we can't do it without the people
that are there every day. There's 487 inmates in there right now. There's 25 people on staff at the jail. Yes, our numbers are where they should be, but if we continue to lose people going to other counties looking for more money, it's we're going to we're
constantly training over and over. I left looking to become a field training deputy. My time with the sheriff's office is coming to an end in the next couple years. I wanted to pass my knowledge of 23 years of being a correction officer on to the new people coming in to give them the institutional
knowledge to teach them how Indian River does things, how we operate, how we conduct our business. I will open an invitation to everybody sitting up here from that side all the way to this side to contact me. I will
give you a personal tour of that jail. I'm authorized I've been authorized to do it. Please come see what we're doing. We're being recognized statewide by um various organizations. Our deputies
are receiving officer of the year awards all over the state because of our efforts that we're doing at the inter county jail with programs and things like that that we're doing there. Thank you. GEDs are have skyrocketed. We're helping
citizens get their GEDs so that they can go get a job in the community and and be more productive. But I do want to thank you for your time. I do want to have you take some consideration into helping us get to our goals and where we're we're
asking. We appreciate everything you guys do. We really do. Appreciate you. Thank you all. Thank you guys. Y'all have a great day. Anything further? Seeing none
opportunity. Meetings adjourned.