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