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Board of County Commissioners <br />Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2017 <br />Chuck Mechling, 5070 North Highway AIA, proposed to provide the ability for <br />those in the industry to interact with staff to create a more streamlined process <br />in an effort to reduce the need for fees and increase efficiency. He made <br />mention of a past Professional Services Advisory Committee (PSAC) that was <br />established to allow input before an item came to the Board. He stated that he <br />was in support of phasing -in fee increases if necessary, but was hopeful for a <br />solution to eliminate the need for the fee increase. <br />Attorney Paul Amos, Rossway, Swan, Tierney, Barry Lacey & Oliver, <br />representing Franzia Properties, provided his opinion about the proposed fee <br />structure and the potential harmful impacts to the smaller businesses who are <br />considering development in the area. He asked the Board to consider applying <br />the permit fee based on the size or number of units in the development, as <br />opposed to the overall dollar value of the development. <br />Honey Minuse, Indian River Neighborhood Association, stated that what staff <br />had proposed seemed reasonable, but expressed her concerns about how the <br />item on landscape regulations was presented on the Agenda. Attorney Reingold <br />clarified that the item she was referring to was item 10.C.3., which was actually <br />a Public Hearing scheduled specifically dealing with landscaping in remote <br />agricultural areas, and was not an issue pertaining to the subject at hand. <br />Debb Robinson, Laurel Builders, provided information about the construction <br />business and explained that the construction industry is hit the hardest with <br />fees, and the last to recover in the down economy. She described her <br />involvement with the PSAC, and requested that the Board consider forming a <br />new committee with the hope of providing the ability to work with staff to <br />streamline the process. She also spoke in opposition of the proposed increase of <br />fees. <br />Steve Melchiori commented on the inspection fees for land development <br />permits, and expressed his frustration with paying for professional engineers to <br />do inspections for a project, only to have to pay the County to re -inspect the <br />project. He felt as though he should be able to depend on the engineer's <br />professional license to ensure the project has been done correctly, and not have <br />to pay the County to provide the same service. <br />Vice Chairman O'Bryan made inquiries as to how often plans are submitted <br />from a certified engineer/architect that are completely correct with all the <br />Florida Building Codes. Rich Szpyrka responded that he had yet to receive a set <br />of plans from a professional engineer that were completely correct and followed <br />code. <br />Chuck Mechling made additional comments on the professional engineers, <br />inspections, and bonding issues. <br />Indian River County Florida <br />Page 16 <br />