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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final April 9, 2024 Emerson utilized a PowerPoint presentation highlighting their significant achievements. These accomplishments included a successful social media campaign, an updated website, increased fidelity measures, and a considerable increase in the frequency of the CSAC meetings. Ms. Emerson emphasized funding priorities, which included specific focus on areas ranked by priority and associated data indicators. She highlighted prevention, early identification/intervention, and the importance of building parent/guardian capacity in children's services. She concluded that the upcoming staff priorities were strategic planning, a community forum, expanding agency professional development, and increased communication. CSAC member Hope Woodhouse voiced her concerns to the County Commissioners, expressing her disappointment with the perceived lack of commitment. Despite an Ordinance that was supposed to increase the allocation from 0.125 to 0.2500 gradually, the County had reached 0.0125 only last year. Ms. Woodhouse stressed the importance of honoring commitments and expressed her hope that the Commissioners would prioritize the County's and the children's future, as agreed upon in 2022. Irene Cauwels, the Director of Operations at the Substance Awareness Center, spoke on behalf of Carrie Lester, the center's Executive Director. Ms. Cauwels highlighted the difficulty of attracting and retaining staff, citing an open position for a counselor since June of last year. The budget for this role was increased from $50,000 to $65,000, with a $3,000 bonus to attract a qualified candidate. Ms. Cauwels compared Indian River County with Martin County's Children's Services, which spends approximately $9 million yearly, while Children's Services in Indian River County spends approximately $3 million. She urged the Board to reconsider the funding for youth programs, which had been grossly underfunded. CSAC Chair and Health Officer for Indian River County Miranda Swanson praised the committee and its sub -committees for their exceptional work over the last year. She stated they had developed infrastructure, trained agencies, and built evaluation and monitoring systems. As they embarked on the strategic plan, much more was to come. Ms. Swanson believed in investing in children's services and the community. Sebastian City Council and CSAC Board member Bob McPartlan expressed his full support for the 10% increase in funding. He emphasized how this funding would contribute to the development of children, making them the best they could be and moving them forward. Moreover, it would assist families in need, bringing them out of poverty and improving their quality of life. Indian River County Florida Page 15