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SEP 111985 <br />BOX Fr1Ut <br />Commissioner Bird asked Public Works Director Davis about <br />our county standards, and Director Davis noted that on a county <br />level, we have more equipment and more miles. We try to shoot <br />for a 6-7 week interval, but we do have equipment problems also. <br />He informed the Board that we have been looking into establishing <br />a maintenance management system in the future working with the <br />National Association of County Engineers. <br />Representative Dale Patchett believed this discussion is <br />about as informative to him as the County from the maintenance <br />standpoint. From the Legislative standpoint, however, <br />maintenance dollars are the last on the list. With shortfalls in <br />overall funding and the demand for new bridges, new roads, <br />repaving, etc., the emphasis shifted to the safety standpoint <br />because the more traffic, the more accidents, and courts were <br />finding the D.O.T. liable. The Legislature, therefore, put more <br />pressure into correcting intersections, improving guard rails to <br />lessen impacts, and those type of things. They wanted to shift <br />monies where the counties wanted them and did change the gas tax <br />and then the price of gas fell. They tried to rewrite that and <br />need a major change of D.O.T. structure and funding. They also <br />did put out the optional gas tax to try and help the counties.: <br />Representative Patchett stated that the Legislature is trying to <br />come up with another solution for more funds, but the federal <br />government has cut the state back. Florida has some roads that <br />other states don't require and has a different budget process for <br />the D.O.T. in that we allocate a lump sum of money to the D.O.T., <br />which they internally separate into the various districts, and he <br />believed when they are done with this, the maintenance money is <br />what is left over; it is the last thing on the state's budget. <br />Representative Patchett further noted that for a long time it was <br />impossible for local government to contract with the D.O.T., but <br />now it is possible; so, he felt we are making progress slowly. <br />Discussion ensued on the percentage of the D.O.T. budget <br />44 <br />1 <br />D <br />