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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/9/1999NIINUTESATTACHED BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA A G E N D A SPECIAL CALL MEETING Friday, April 9,1999 10:00 A.M. County Commission Chamber County Administration Building 1840 25th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Kenneth R. Macht, Chairman (District 3) James E. Chandler, County Administrator Fran B. Adams, Vice Chairman (District 1) ABSENT (PHONED IN FROM TALLAHASSEE) John W. Tippin (District 4) Charles P. Vitunac, County Attorney Caroline D. Ginn (District 5) Ruth Stanbridge (District 2) Jeffrey K. Barton, Clerk to the Board 9:00 a.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER BACKUP 2. Update on federal budget and efforts by Congressman Weldon PAGES on Indian River County issues I ADJOURNMENT 10:55 A.M. Anyone who may wish to appeal any decision which may be made at this meeting will need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal will be based. Anyone who needs a special accommodation for this meeting may contact the county's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator at 567-8000 x408 at least 48 hours in advance )f meeting. Meeting may be broadcast live on TCI Cable Channel 13 - rebroadcast various times throughout the week Falcon Cable Channel 35 - rebroadcast Friday evening o . BOOK 03 Fa1�t e. April 9, 1999 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY C0MNIISSIONERS The Board of County Commissioners of Indian River County, Florida, met in Special Session at the County Commission Chambers, 1840 25" Street, Vero Beach, Florida, on Friday, April 9, 1999 at 10:00 a.m. Present were Kenneth R Macht, Chairman; John W. Tippin; Caroline D. Ginn; and Ruth Stanbridge. Vice Chairman Fran B. Adams communicated via telephone from Tallahassee. Also present were James E. Chandler, County Administrator; Charles P. Vitnnac, County Attorney; and Patricia' PT' Jones, Deputy Clerk. The Board reviewed a letter of April 8, 1999: DAVE WEl00N gi .•Nwh111o150MIII.Nom.0" Ib- VOTMC'. %Q010A .April 8, 1999 WyNINpTQN JM+C!• acOA..rn cs: Aeuniinistrator 332 CANNON Howe O"WA §uha1NJ Suave Indian River County Commission NAiWWOf4. OC 2061$ ow"W".Eft" 'u°=hmm°�ong�re�� � of the niteb stateo 12�1276al71 111"M BtihnLi v. , ,. Dear Commissioner: COMMISSIO-N i+PvMn CO. GDV►. Cw1vLP� ''3v'6W OMB 2725 i.C6a i1MN.UM18s0N WAv CONSVII>� OlfcOtt suocuww TT@[ C EUTlu commr *uoe of Aoregentatibeg iL,oa. C Q61Wk7M'kNO WnANAT10KALh MONCTM7 WLCV auraaMlrrU � in MLLO WWL FL 32WO 1401 p2-1770 Mn► 2051.97 .•Nwh111o150MIII.Nom.0" '`1"s"gtTT90p=ST .April 8, 1999 Commissioners Aeuniinistrator AMr. Ken Macho Chairman RECEIVED Attorney �. Personnel Indian River County Commission [hubiic Works IRan I% Sweat APR 0 9 iggg Community Dev. ._ Vero Beech, F132960 utiphles BtihnLi v. , ,. Dear Commissioner: COMMISSIO-N Finance OMB wanted to update you on my efforts in the Con Congress with regard to the E-neI Risk Sere. — beach Risk h�gt. renourishment project for Indian River County. Other As you may recall, and as my staff has communicated to the commission previously, I was successful in securing $100,000 in the FY 1999 Energy and Water Appropria dons Bill for the Preconstruction Engineering and Design (PED) phase of the authorized federal Indian Rivcr County beach renourishment project. I secured this funding because the authorizationwas going unused and was about to be placed on the list for deauthorization. This $11m,000 has been set aside specifically for Indian River County, but its authorization was limited. The decision is now once again with dic uoutlly at W whether Q,t not td PJoca�1 with the pra'ect, a decision that will need to be made before the authorization runs out. Because federal authorization for a beach project is not always easy to secure, I did not want this to lapse and have us lose ground should you decide to pursue this project. APRIL 99 1999 -1- BOOK 1-0a PAGE 92,2 BOOK 103 FACE I thought it prudent to secure this funding last year in order to ensure that, should the county decide to move forward with the project, the federal match for the I'BD phase is available. Should the county decide to move forward with the project this year and avail itself of this funding, the project will not be placed on the deauthorization list. However, it is my understanding that should the county not act or decide not to utilize this funding, the project will be placed on the list for deauthorization, essentially forfeiting the funding for Indian River County. This is ultimately your decision. Additionally, I am working to secure language in the 1999 Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) to extend the authorimon of the project for an additional four years. This is an effort to ensure that the county has additional time to decide exactly how to proceed. There is no certainty, however, that this language will be included in the WRDA bill. Finally, I would like to make sure that you are aware of some facts as you consider federal participation for this pmjeet. Fending, in general, for heach renourishment projects has become increasingly scarce. The Clinton -Gore Administration has been a vigorous opponent of beach renourishmentpprroojects and has implemented a policy of nn funding for such projec us. This has made funding difficult for projects even where there is a federal mitigation component, lie the project just to your north in Brevard County Additionally, the Administratinn is prnrnsing that should the federal government resume funding for beach renourishment projects at some point in the future, the state and local governments should bear a larger share of the costs, approximately two -thuds. Because there is no federal mitigation in Indian River, arguing for federal funding is more difficult. So you can see that securing federal dollars for this project will at best challenging. Nonetheless, I look forward to working with you as you pursue your priorities. I also look forward to meeting with you and discussing the county's deliberations on the beach renourishment issue and other issues of importance to the residents of Indian River County. ly, �- ve Weldon Member of Congress All Commissioners Chairman Macht called the meeting to order and introduced Congressman Dave Weldon. Congressman Dave Weldon apologized for the last minute nature of the meeting and noted that his schedule is frequently unpredictable, making it difficult to schedule meetings in advance. He gave a brief presentation regarding this year's Congressional budget, particularly with regard to social security and medicare issues and noted that the Kosovo military situation has already cost the nation 2 billion dollars which was not budgeted. Congressman Weldon continued that he has secured $1001000 from last year's funding for Preconstruction, Engineering and Design (PED) regarding Indian River County beach renourishment projects in order to keep the projects authorized. If the funds are not spent, the projects will move into the " deauthorized" list. APRIL, 9, 1999 .Z_ 0 Congressman Weldon then explained that the major difference in Brevard County's renourishment projects is that the loss of sand could be traced to the Port Canaveral Inlet, which is a federal inlet, while Indian River County's loss can be traced to Sebastian Inlet, which is a state inlet. Therefore, there can be no federal funding for Indian River County's renourishmentprojects. Also, the Clinton/Gore administration opposes beachrenourishment projects, believing the process should be left to nature. He then commended the County for its support of the purchase of an additional 190 acres which has come up for sale as an additional Pelican Island buffer. He suggested that perhaps an interim buyer could be found for that property as it is a large parcel and it may be difficult to obtain funding for such a large piece in one year's budget cycle. CommissionerAdams commented thatthe Countyis verygratefulto the Congressman for keeping the federal funding alive but expressed her concern about the length of time involved in any federal funding. Any type of serious storm will further damage the County's coastline and beach renourishment is high priority for us, as well as keeping all funding sources open. She noted that the Downdrift Coalition and others are filing an "intent to sue" with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Sebastian Inlet Taxing District and had requested that the County join in that pending lawsuit. The County has declined to join at this time and prefers to seek a sand transfer facility at the Inlet. Chairman Macht believed that it is erroneous to think the federal government does not bear responsibility for the loss of sand on the County's beaches when their damming of various rivers that feed the coastline has contributed greatly to the problem. Congressman Weldon agreed that he would make that argument in Congress and support getting federal dollars for Indian River County. Commissioner Stanbridge noted that the County has initiated a Habitat Conservation Plan for the entire coastline which serves to prove that the County is committed to protecting species habitat and the renourishment of our beaches. Commissioner Ginn thanked Congressman Weldon for his support of funding and for his assistance in getting the old ordnance off South Beach. She noted that the largest sand pumping project currently underway is in Panama City and believed that 60% of the funding for that project comes from FEMA or other federal funds, while 30% is being paid by the state and 10% being paid by tourist development funds. APRIL 9,1999-3- KOK Fa�� BOOK 103 PAGE 2,5 Congressman Weldon assured the Commissioners that he would have his staff investigate those funding sources and get back to them. He believed that the federal funds are coming from a disaster supplemental and noted that, unfortunately, the erosion in response to storms has to be of sufficient caliber to show up on CNN before federal funding becomes available. Commissioner Adams commented that the County does not want to wait until it is eligible for FEMA storm damage funding. She thanked the Congressman for his support and his report on some of the national issues. Commissioner Tippin commended Commissioner Adams for her almost single- handedly obtaining so many State dollars and noted that time is of the essence regarding funding for the beach renourishment project; our beaches are disappearing and we have talked this to death. Action cannot wait any longer. Chairman Macht then introduced Mayor Art Neuberger of the City of Vero Beach. Mayor Neuberger thanked the Board and Congressman Weldon for sharing the information. Commissioner Adams noted that she needed to break offher telephone connection as she has a meeting scheduled regarding the Dodgertown issue and a later meeting with Historical Resources on the shared title issue. Chairman Macht opened the meeting for brief public comments. Bill Glynn, a Director of the Downdrift Coalition, took issue with the statement that the state-owned Sebastian Inlet Taxing District did not fall under the federal category. The Inlet was built by the US Navy and Coast Guard and then turned over to the State. Those jetties are the largest coastal armoring in our State and our beaches are being destroyed a grain of sand at a time. He advised the Congressman that it is important that he remain updated on the problems. Walt Stieglitz, President of Pelican Island Preservation Society, thanked the Commission for its support and Congressman Weldon for his help in funding to acquire the Pelican Island Refuge. He noted that the Refuge is under more threat today than since it was created in 1903. The buffer area discussed today is particularly needed as 49 acres on the south side have already been lost to a developer. Bob Bruce of the North Beach Civic Association noted that the Association's members surround the buffer area and also support the purchase. APRIL, 9,1999 -4- Jens Tripson, President of the local Audubon Society chapter, also encouraged assistance in the purchase of the buffer area. Pelican Island is the first and smallest of the Nation's refuges and must be protected. Congressman Weldon stated that the practical reality of any federal funding is that he can twist as many arms as possible but any funding will be available as a portion this year and a portion next year, etc. He suggested that the Nature Conservancy might have grant funds available. In response to a question from George Gross of the County's Beach Committee, Congressman Weldon explained that the $100,000 authorized for the beach renourishment had to be reauthorized because the plan was never developed and the funding was never appropriated. Carol McLaughlin, representing the South Beach Property Owners Association, reiterated that the funds are desperately needed and expressed the fears that some houses will be lost before development of the plan. NO BOARD ACTION REQUIRED OR TAKEN. There being no further business, on Motion duly made, seconded and carried, the Board adjourned at 10:55 a.m. ATTEST: Minutes Approved: ;� % l q 9 q APRIL 99,1999 L- -5- BOOK D' FAGS 0"026