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SFP 14 1993 • Backaround BOOK 90 In 1991, Indian River County and the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) jointly acquired a +300 acre parcel, known as the Oslo Riverfront property. As part of an intergovernmental management agreement between the two parties, SJRWMD agreed to manage the wetlands portion of the property, while Indian River County was given the right to use the property for public recreation purposes. With execution of that agreement, Indian River County also committed to prepare a management plan for the property. In the Fall of 1992, County planning staff coordinated with representatives from the Indian River County Mosquito Control District and the Florida Entomology Lab to prepare a management plan for the Oslo Riverfront property that would meet the requirements of the SJRWMD/IRC agreement as well as serve as a basis for a -Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) grant application. Staff's objectives in preparing the management plan were to provide limited public recreation and access opportunities consistent with protection of the environmental resources of the site. Subsequently, County staff, Mosquito Control staff and Entomology Lab representatives prepared a two phase $66,325 FIND grant application for the Oslo property. Not only did the application request funds for public access related improvements, but it also included an educational component. The Board of County Commissioners then approved staff's request to submit the application. It should be noted that the Oslo Riverfront Property acquisition occurred prior to approval of the $26 million environmental land acquisition bond referendum. The acquisition also occurred outside of the LAAC process, because the SJRWMD/IRC acquisition had been initiated prior to Board approval of the LAAC guide. • Taxpayers Association Concerns The attached letters from Mr. Palmer detail the Taxpayers Association's concern regarding the County's environmentally significant land acquisition process. Those letters from county staff reflect staff's position. Basically, Mr. Palmer's position seems to be that the County should use property acquired with environmentally significant land acquisition bond funds only for conservation purposes. This is reflected in the text of his June 18, 1993 letter to David Roach of FIND. Consistent with that position, Mr. Palmer has indicated that the County should not expend funds to provide for public access to acquired properties. He also recommended that FIND not approve the County's grant application. Besides his conservation -only position, Mr. Palmer in his correspondence addressed and took issue with various county staff positions, ranging from maintenance cost estimates to comprehensive plan requirements. In his latest letter, however, Mr. Palmer requested that two actions be taken by the Board of County Commissioners. These are: • to make sure that the Land Acquisition Guide requires a realistic projection of annual maintenance costs for future land purchases; and to cap total environmentally significant land purchases at $26 million, including both bond funds and cost share funds.