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BOOK 88 NK 65 -1 <br />The Board's first choice would be.to abolish the Treasure Coast Regional <br />Planning Council entirely, or, if that is not possible, to restrict its <br />powers to planning and mediation only without any direct control over local <br />governing bodies power to plan and zone. The Board feels that any regional <br />cooperation necessitated by any project can be handled better by the counties <br />of Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Indian River through the local council of <br />governments, 'which is in existence in the four -county area, or through other <br />non-governmental groups, which may provide a better forum. <br />We request your'support for the ideas mentioned in this letter and would be <br />happy to meet with you or your staffs in our county or in Tallahassee at any <br />hearings which might be scheduled on bills relating to these matters. <br />Please let us know how we can assist you. <br />Sincerely, <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />Richard N. Bird, Chairman <br />RNB/Vk . <br />Chairman Bird explained that this special meeting was <br />requested by Dan Carey, Executive Director of the Treasure Coast <br />Regional Planning Council (TCRPC) as a result of the above letter. <br />Dan Carey related that the TCRPC was formed because local <br />governments wanted to create a new region that would be more <br />responsive to their shared concerns. All four member counties of <br />the TCRPC - Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River - are <br />coastal counties and important agricultural counties. He stressed <br />that Palm Beach County is the largest agricultural county in <br />Florida. Mr. Carey explained that regional planning councils <br />enable local governments to participate in decisions regarding <br />developments of regional impact. If a large regional mall is built <br />in one county, it results in wear and tear on the road systems of <br />neighboring counties, and it is important to ensure that some of <br />the taxes and impact fees are allocated for road improvement. <br />Another function of regional planning councils is to provide a <br />person to conduct studies or handle projects rather than four <br />different people in four different counties. For example, the <br />TCRPC hired one licensed contracting engineer to evaluate all the <br />hurricane shelters in the region at a much lower cost than if each <br />local government performed an individual study. Mr. Carey added <br />that regional planning councils provide technical assistance to <br />small municipalities that do not have their own planning staff, and <br />counties can rely on regional planning councils for highly <br />E <br />