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• DATE: SUBJECT: September 30, 2002 REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF AN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY/FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS GRANT CONTRACT FOR PREPARATION OF AN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY/SCHOOL BOARD INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT It is requested that the data herein presented be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting of October 8, 2002. DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS In the 2002 session, the legislature passed Senate Bill 1906. This bill changed some of Florida's Growth Management requirements. One change mandates that counties and municipalities enter into interlocal agreements with their respective district school boards The purpose of the agreements is to jointly establish the specific ways in which the plans and processes of the school district and the local government are to be coordinated. For Indian River County and all of its municipalities, the deadline for submission of the interlocal agreement to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is August 1, 2003 The 2002 Florida Legislature also appropriated grant funds to help offset costs involved in facilitating the development and execution of an interlocal agreement for coordinated land use and public school facility planning. Because the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners has been designated as the agency responsible for facilitating the interlocal agreement for Indian River County, the county will receive a grant of $7,700.00, half of which is to be paid upon submittal of a draft interlocal agreement and related information, and the balance upon submittal of the executed agreement as outlined in the grant agreement. ANALYSIS In 1997, Florida law was revised to require local governments to establish guidelines for coordinating local comprehensive plans with school board plans. In 1998, the legislature passed additional revisions which provided for local governments to adopt school concurrency and required local governments to amend their future land use elements to provide adequate land use and locations for public schools. Senate Bill 1906 goes well beyond these two previous revisions and requires enforceable interlocal agreements addressing school siting processes, enrollment forecasting, school capacity and infrastructure and safety needs. It also: 1) requires an oversight process for implementing the interlocal agreement; 2) provides fora formal review and approval of agreements by the Department of Education and the Department of Community Affairs; and 3) allows the state to impose financial sanctions against school boards and local governments if an agreement is found to be inconsistent with the provisions of the new law or if the executed agreement is submitted late. In order to obtain DCA grant funds, the county must enter into an agreement with the State Department of Community Affairs. A copy of that Grant Agreement is attached to this staff report. As structured, the agreement identifies responsibilities and includes a budget and scope of work for grant activities. This contract needs to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners and executed by the chairman. Staff supports applying for the $7,700.00 grant. October 8, 2002 17 Lit tm •