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for $175,000. The current EOC is no longer large enough to house all necessary personnel during a storm event, as well as accommodate the necessary Fire Administration offices. Construction of the expansion is scheduled to begin in FY 2023/24. An additional Lieutenant Training Officer position totaling $100,060 is being proposed in FY 2022/23 in order to ensure adequate training is provided to all incoming and existing 40 employees. The County is currently engaged in ongoing labor contract negotiations with the International Association of Fire Fighter's (IAFF) Local Union 2201. Although an agreement has yet to be reached, staff has included additional funding to support an increase in these contract benefits, as it is important for the County to stay competitive in the local job market for first responders. General Fund divisions include the addition of three public safety related positions. The Animal Control division contains two (2) additional Animal Control Officer I positions at a combined cost of $126,336. These positions are being added in order to provide Animal Control support during weekend hours. The addition of a Mitigation & Recovery Specialist for $79,336 is proposed in the Emergency Management division. This position will assist the County in recovering more hazard mitigation grants as well as provide recovery support in getting our community back to normal functions after an emergency event has occurred. In addition to Public Safety, conservation and the health of the Indian River Lagoon remain priorities as well. Next year's budget request includes muck mapping of portions of the lagoon, additional outreach for public education, water quality assessments, and funding earmarked for monitoring programs that will be finalized once the Lagoon Management Plan has been completed. A streetsweeper and Heavy Equipment Operator position have been added to the Stormwater division for a total cost of $370,714. Capturing roadway dirt and debris from the miles of County roads before it gets carried away by stormwater run-off prevents this material from ultimately ending up in the Indian River Lagoon. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) recognizes the material collected from residential street sweeping for Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) credits, which will assist the County is making progress towards its • required Nitrogen and Phosphorus reductions. The Conservations Land division contains an additional Conservation Land Program Specialist at a cost of $66,243. This position will coordinate public/volunteer events, implement educational programming, provide support with environmental grant preparation, and assist in the execution of land management activities. In the upcoming fiscal year, the County's Conservation Lands division will be opening four new and/or expanded facilities including the Jones' Pier Conservation Area, Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Kroegel Homestead, and Hallstrom Farmstead. An additional Parks Maintenance Worker position is being proposed in the Parks division for a total cost of $50,764. This position is necessary to provide support for mowing of the new facilities as well as opening/closing of gates, routine maintenance, pavilion cleaning, and upkeep of the parking areas of the newly opened conservation areas. The position will also assist Parks in their daily tasks. The County continues to focus on catching up on deferred maintenance and capital item replacement in the proposed budget. Funding for these items was drastically reduced to absorb the funding reduction during the previous economic downturn. While a concerted effort has been made to catch up on these items over the last several years, a substantial amount of work remains. The proposed budget, which is the fourth year into the original five-year plan, includes $9,705,533 in funding for these projects. In total, $9,737,227 has been spent through September 30, 2021 on deferred maintenance and capital projects, with an additional $16,145,433 planned to be spent through September 30, 2022. Staff will continue to prioritize these projects until the plan is completed. • 4