07/14/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Board of County Commissioners Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes - Final July 14, 2021 (PAO), like the Tax Collector, would submit their budget to the DOR. He announced the proposed total budget for the Constitutional Officers is $68,152,430, an increase of $4,069,043. The Chairman opened the floor for public comments. Commissioner Earman sought and received clarification from County Administrator Brown with regard to the Tax Collector's budget, since it was not due until August 1, 2021. Vice Chairman O'Bryan commended Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Jeffrey R. Smith on his budget and stated that Mr. Smith was not able to attend the meeting. Vice Chairman O'Bryan sought clarification from Property Appraiser Wesley S. Davis regarding the increase on Line Item 37, Other Contractual expenses, in his budget. Mr. Davis explained as 5G wireless technology evolved, he wanted a baseline going forward and hired a consultant to assess every cell phone tower, antenna structure, and generator associated with cell phone units Countywide. He also stated that the consultant would represent the PAO at a Value Adjustment Board (VAB) Hearing in the event there was an appeal. Mr. Davis responded to Vice Chairman O'Bryan's inquiry on Line Item 93, Special Contingency, explaining the increases were salary increases, cost of living adjustments (COLAs), the Florida Retirement System (FRS) increase, and investments in technology. Mr. Davis detailed the capabilities of the PAO's new website. Sheriff Eric Flowers thanked County Administrator Jason Brown, Budget Director Kristin Daniels, the Board, and Aimee Cooper, Chief Financial Officer for the Sheriffs Office, for assisting him with the budget process. Vice Chairman O'Bryan thanked Sheriff Flowers for his cooperation in working with the County on their budget. Vice Chairman O'Bryan sought and received clarification from Sheriff Flowers and County Administrator Brown with regard to a budget amendment to fund the cost share of the nine (9) new positions, and whether the Sheriffs office was successful in obtaining the Community Oriented Policing Enforcement (COPE) Grant. Chairman Flescher appreciated the Sheriffs transparency, the changes the Sheriff had made without compromising safety and security to meet the budget needs, the increased abilities of the Sheriffs office, and for the Sheriffs accomplishments since he had taken office. Commissioner Moss thanked Sheriff Flowers for raising the level of communication with the community through social media and the Sheriffs magazine, the "Sheriffs Post", and the positive feedback she had received from the community. Sheriff Flowers announced the Sheriffs app was available to download in order to receive real time updates on what was happening in the community. Indian River County Florida Page 5