[Health & Human Services]
          [00:00:12]
          >> GOOD AFTERNOON RACHEL. HOW ARE YOU? 
          >> GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? >> HELLO? 
          >> HOW ARE YOU? >> GOOD. 
          >> HI. I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. HEY JAMES. 
          >> HEY. >> HEY CHUCK. 
          >> HEY. >> HOW ARE YOU? 
          >> GOOD, GOOD. >> 
          >> OKAY. WOULD YOU LIKE TO OPEN, AND HOUSE KEEP THE TYPE OF PROCESS WERE GONG TO HAVE THIS AFTERNOON? ARE WE ON? OH, WHERE 
          ON. OKAY. >> SO, WELCOME EVERYBODY. THIS IS THE OPENING OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 ADMINISTRATORS BUDGET SESSIONS. OVER THE NEXT FOUR DAYS WERE GOING TO GO THROUGH ALL THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTY. BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENTS, AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS. 
          >> NO. NO COMMENTS. AND I'LL JUST MENTION THIS. CHUCK, YOU ARE THE ONLY PUBLIC PARTICIPANT. WELL, I GUESS CAN REPRESENT CASH REPORT. BUT, WE HAVE KIND OF STARTED FROM LAST YEAR. JUST REALLY DOING THE PROCESS WE WANTED DIP TO KEEP IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THE DIRECTORS, AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM TO WELCOME FEEDBACK. BUT, JUST NOT ON THE SET FOR THE MEETING. 
          SO, WE ARE INVITING FEEDBACK WITH EMAILS. COMMENT CARDS. 
          STUFF LIKE THAT. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE FOR ME TO HAVE 
          SOMEBODY. >> AND THEN AS WELL, ANY OF THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. THAT INFORMATION IS ONLINE. THAT 2026 BUDGET INFORMATION. THE ACCOUNTING OF ALL THIS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE. WELL, WITH THAT -- FROM HUMAN SERVICES WILL START. 
          >> DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. AND RACHEL OUR CONTRACT AND FINANCE MANAGER. PRESENTATION FOR YOU TODAY. SO, AS YOU ARE AWARE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AUTHORITY, OUR MAIN PROGRAMS. PART OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THE INDEPENDENT AGENCIES. HOUSING, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. AS PART OF THAT IS GRANT FUNDING. SO, WERE GOING TO RUN THROUGH EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS SEPARATELY. ALL RIGHT. SO, THE COMMUNITY-BASED CARE DIVISION AS YOU KNOW IS FULLY FUNDED BY THE STATE. 
          FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES. ANY EXPANSION REQUESTS USUALLY COME FROM LEGISLATIVE MANDATES. SO, ANY ADDITIONAL FTES THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY WOULD COME ABOARD IF SOMETHING WERE NEEDED. AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, AS WE KNOW, THE STATE BUDGET IS STILL BEING PREPARED. BUT, ON THE POLICY IS DONE. AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OR ANYTHING THIS YEAR. 
          MOVING ON TO SOCIAL SERVICES. NOT TOO MUCH CHANGING ON THIS. 
          NORMAL RECURRING OPERATIONS. WE HAVE NO PERSONAL OR CAPITAL REQUESTS THIS YEAR. OUR REQUESTS FOR CLIENT SERVICES REMAIN AT LAST YEAR'S FUNDING LEVEL. IF YOU INCLUDE THE CLIENT RENTS, UTILITY ASSISTANCE, AND THOSE PROGRAMS WE RUN OUT OF THE DEPARTMENT. SO, EVERYTHING IS STAYING THE SAME. WHAT'S NOTABLE IS WHEN YOU HAVE SOME OF THESE FUNDING CONTRACTUAL COMING INTO TRAINING FINES. MAINLY DUE TO SOME ONE-OFF SCENARIOS WE HAD LAST YEAR WHERE WE HAD TO STRATEGIC PLANNING, AND THE HEALTH, AND HUMAN SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENT. AND THE TRAINING REDUCTION IS BECAUSE STAFF WERE ABLE TO LOCATE SOME VIRTUAL OPTIONS THIS YEAR. MOVING INTO INDEPENDENT AGENCY FUNDING. AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS A FUNCTION THAT THE HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY 
          [00:05:11]
COUNCIL WORKS WITH. WE ARE REQUESTING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE THIS YEAR IN THE AMOUNT OF $750,000. AND THE REASON FOR THIS IS IN JANUARY, WE STARTED WITH THE COMMUNICATION OF SEVERAL OF OUR COMMUNITY PROVIDERS THAT ARE HEAVILY FUNDED BY BOTH STATE, AND FEDERAL GRANTS. THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY, AS WE ALL KNOW. AT THE FEDERAL, AND STATE LEVEL. 
          WITH FUNDING LEVELS. AND IT'S MAKING -- IT'S CREATING SOME CONCERNS FOR OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. AND THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS WITH THEIR BOOTS ON THE GROUND. WHEN WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR VULNERABLE CLIENTS, WE ARE WORKING WITH COUNCIL ON AGING. 
          SAINT AUGUSTINE YOUTH SERVICES. BASED ON OUR YOUTH CENTER HAVING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. ETHICS ARE SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND MENTAL HEALTH. SO, THEY ARE ALL IN A STATE OF GREAT UNCERTAINTY RIGHT NOW. AND I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS DOES TIE BACK TO THE COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN. HOWEVER, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT -- THE SERVICES, AND PROGRAMS ARE NOT SOMETHING OUR DEPARTMENT OFFERS, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT OUR EXPERTISE. THEY DO TIE BACK TO HAVING A HIGH SERVICES. AS YOU KNOW, WE AUDIT ALL THESE PROVIDERS THAT WE RECEIVE REGULARLY, AND THEIR PERFORMANCE IS REGULARLY PROVIDED TO THE PERFORMANCE ADVISORY COUNCIL. WE HAVE SERVICES. WE WILL HAVE THRIVING RESIDENCE, AND A THRIVING COMMUNITY. AND IT DOES STRONGLY TIE BACK TO COMMUNITY WELL-BEING IS A PRIORITY LISTED 
          IN THE STRATEGIC PLANNING. >> WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE? WHAT'S THAT 750,000 GOING TO LOOK LIKE? 
          >> SO, THEY ARE CONCERNED THEY ARE GOING TO LOSE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF FUNDING. THOSE FUNDS ARE HOMELESS PROVIDERS. SAINT FRANCIS HOUSE. YES. WE'VE GOT A SLIDE. SORRY. YEAH. SO, THIS HERE. I DID ASK FOR SOME EXAMPLES OF REAL-LIFE WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT IF THEY HAVE SOME FUNDING CUTS AT THE FEDERAL, AND STATE LEVEL. SO, YOU CAN SEE HERE WHAT THAT IMPACT WOULD BE. 
          SO, EPIC SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON. THAT HELPS KEEP PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE OFF OF RETURNING BACK TO DRUGS ONCE THEY ARE CLEAN. DETOX, AND RESIDENTIAL CLIENTS. AS YOU KNOW, EPIC HAS THE ONLY RESIDENTIAL DRUG FACILITY IN THE COUNTY. THIS WOULD ALL BE IMPACTED. COUNCIL ON AGING IS FACING SOME SIGNIFICANT CUTS . MEALS ON WHEELS. SUNSHINE BUS, AND PARATRANSIT BUS WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED. ETCH IS WORKING AT A RED INCREASE FROM $850-$1400. IT'S AN INCREASE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING IN TRANSITIONAL HOUSING OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES. THEY ALSO HAVE A REDUCTION IN THE SERVICE. OUR ONLY CERTIFIED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER WOULD BE LOSING ADVOCATES, AND LEADERSHIP. 75% OF THEIR COMMUNITY EDUCATION WILL DISAPPEAR. AND 115 SURVIVORS WILL THIS ALL GOES WITHOUT REPORTING THEY'VE DONE THEIR ANALYSIS. OF THE COACHES PROGRAM. COACH IS KIND OF A BRIDGE THAT WORKS WITH YOUTH WHILE THEY ARE SOMETIMES WAITING FOR MORE INTENSIVE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT AND ELIMINATION OF THE COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM. WHICH IS 24 TO 30 CHILDREN THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED. AND ANOTHER LONG WAIT LIST. SO, WE CAN START WITH WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. THEY WILL PUT COACH IN THERE, SO THERE IS AT LEAST SOME INTERACTION ON SOME LEVEL. BUT, WE ARE TALKING A NO LONG WAITING LIST. YES, MA'AM. SO, WHERE 
          [00:10:02]
ELSE DO PARTICIPATE AS FAR AS A RESEARCH. SOMETIMES THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL, BUT IT'S NOT AN AMOUNT MADE UP FOR WHAT. 
          >> AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS, THE BOARD REQUESTS THAT AN OPTION ROLLBACK -- WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. WE LOOK AT THE BUDGET REQUEST FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS IN THE MILLAGE FUNDS. IN PARTICULAR, THE GENERAL FUND. AND WE COMPARE THEIR REQUESTS TO WHAT AN OVERALL INCREASE WOULD BE FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS, AND ANY DEPARTMENTS WHOSE 26 REQUESTS WERE HIGHER THAN THAT AMOUNT. WE DID ASK THEM WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE FOR GOING TO A ROLLBACK RATE. MENTIONED SHE'S REQUESTING A $750,000 INCREASE FOR AGENCIES FOR VERY IMPORTANT REASONS LISTED HERE, AND I'M SURE THERE'S MANY MORE. 
          HOWEVER, IF WE WENT TO A ROLLBACK. INSTEAD OF 750,000, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO FUND FOR INDEPENDENT AGENCIES. IT WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT 100,000 ADDITIONAL. AND WE ARE MOVING THROUGH ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS. WE WILL TRY TO IDENTIFY THE AREAS WHERE WE'VE ASKED. BECAUSE THEIR 26 BUDGET WAS HIGHER THAN WHAT A CALCULATION WOULD BE AT A ROLLBACK RATE, AND WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE. THIS IS THE FIRST 
          ONE OF THE SESSION. >> SORRY. YOU STILL HAVE MORE SLIDES. I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS BY JUST LOOKING AT THE WORKSHEETS. 
          >> SO, WE ARE MOVING ON TO HOUSING, AND UNITY SERVICES DIVISION. AGAIN, MAINTAINING NORMAL RECURRING OPERATIONS. NO FTES. NO CAPITAL EXPENSES. THERE'S A SMALL INCREASE IN TRAINING DUE TO NEW STAFF. WE HAVE HAD SOME TURNOVER IN RECENT MONTHS. WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE THE NEWLY ON BOARD AND STAFF WITH SOME TRAINING. AND WE DID REQUEST A BUDGET FOR UNIFORM SHIRTS FOR SECTION -- SECTORS 11 THIS YEAR. 
          >> I WAS GOING TO ASK ABOUT SHIP. 
          >> SO, WE HAVE OUR CHIP PROJECTED ALLOCATION. HOWEVER, AGAIN WE CANNOT FIND THE BUDGET YET. SO, THE PROJECTED ALLOCATION FOR THIS WEEK. THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANT. 
          NORMALLY, WE WOULD KNOW WHAT OUR ALLOCATION WOULD BE RIGHT NOW. 
          HOWEVER, WITH THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE FEDERAL LEVEL WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL GET THAT INFORMATION SOON. SO, WE ARE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT. WE NEED TO PUT THAT INTO OUR ANNUAL ACTION PLAN. PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND ALL OF THAT BEFORE AUGUST. 
          SO, WE ARE WAITING ON THAT PATIENTLY. 
          >> YEAH. SO, THE CHIP PROGRAM FOR THE '26 REQUEST. I'M SEEING PRODUCTION. IS THAT BECAUSE THE WAIT. FROM THIS 
          ALLOCATION? >> YOU HAVE THREE YEARS TO SPEND 
          THE ALLOCATION. >> I HAVE 25 ADOPTED AT NINE. 
          AND WE ARE AT 1.6. >> SO, PART OF THAT IS EACH YEAR THEY GET THREE YEARS OF GRANT FUNDING UP FRONT. AND THEY HAVE THREE YEARS TO SPEND IT. SO, AT ANY GIVEN POINT, THEY HAVE TWO, TO THREE YEARS OF FUNDING THAT HAS TO GET THEM TO THE NEXT 
          THREE YEARS. >> OKAY, SO WE ARE NOT SEEING A MAJOR REDUCTION IN SHIPPED FUNDING ? 
          >> NO. RECORD. >> OKAY, GOOD. 
          >> OKAY, SO THE ROLLBACK SCENARIO. INDEPENDENT AGENCY ALLOCATIONS WERE  POTENTIAL ROLLBACK. I KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, WE HAD NOT OCCURRING SUPPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. AND WE HAD THE CHILDREN'S COUNSEL IN THERE. SO, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE BUDGET, IT WILL REFLECT ACTUALLY ÷150,000. AND AGAIN, DOING THE ROLLBACK RATE. WE JUST TALK ABOUT IT. OFF THE VITAL PROGRAMS. 
          >> THE COACHES PROGRAM. YES, MA'AM. FUNDED BY THE STATE. 
          [00:15:04]
          >> OKAY. DO THEY HAVE ANY OTHER FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES? 
          >> THEY DO SOME FUNDRAISING. BUT, AGAIN WE ARE TALKING $300,000 FROM THE STATE THIS YEAR, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH. 
          >> SO, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY 
          IT? >> YES, MA'AM. THE END OF OUR 
          PRESENTATION. >> OKAY. BECAUSE I SEE THAT YOUR REQUEST IS FAIRLY FLAT. WHICH IS GREAT. ARE YOU SEEING GROWING NEEDS? SAME STAFF? SAME RESOURCE? 
          >> YES WE ARE. SOCIAL SERVICES SEES A LOT OF FOOT TRAFFIC. 
          ESPECIALLY, AS IT RELATES TO OUR SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND CHILDREN FAMILIES. AS PEOPLE COME INTO APPLY FOR MEDICAID COMMENCEMENT BENEFITS. WE DO SEE A LOT OF FOOT TRAFFIC. WE ARE EMBEDDED IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY. BUT, YES. NATURALLY, WE ARE SAYING. JUST WITH THE ECONOMIES COMMAND GROCERIES BEING LIKE THAT. WE ARE SEEING IT. 
          >> OKAY. WHAT ABOUT GENERAL SUPPORT? YOU HELP PEOPLE WITH UTILITY. WITH GROCERY BILLS. ARE YOUSEEING ANY INCREASE WITH THE 
          REQUEST WITH THAT? >> SO, RENTS HAVE INCREASED. SO, WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN PEOPLE COMING IN JUST RELATED TO THAT. WE DID HAVE TO CHANGE OUR POLICIES, AND INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE WE CAN PROVIDE. JUST TO KEEP PACE WITH THAT. BUT, WE LOVE RICH FOR THE COC. THE HG GRANT. THE CHALLENGE GRANT. SO, WE LEVERAGE THE GA THAT WE PROVIDE. 
          >> LEVERAGE? OKAY. AND HOW DOES 
          >> THEY ARE DOING GREAT. THEY ARE DOING WELL, BUT AGAIN, THEIR FUNDING ALSO COMES FROM HARD IN THE STATE. SO, THEY TOO ARE 
          AMOUNT OF MONEY. Y WITH THE - >> OKAY, GOT YOU. WHAT ABOUT 
          HOUSING? >> I WOULD SAY IT'S GOING REALLY WELL. SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, THE BOARD HAS BEEN REALLY GENEROUS AS FAR AS LETTING US ADD STAFF. TO TIE BACK TO JEAN'S ., ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH ADDITIONAL STAFF IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER RESOURCES. 
          TROUBLESHOOT DIFFERENT CASES THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON COMMANDS REALLY ASSIST INDIVIDUALS SINCE THEY'VE COME IN, AND NEEDED IT. 
          SOMETIMES IT'S NOT SO MUCH AS THAT PROVIDES THE ASSISTANCE, BUT WE ARE ABLE TO CALL SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO 
          ASSIST. >> OKAY. BUT, THEN YOU HAVE TO 
          TAKE IT IN -- >> WE DO ALL THE REHAB. 
          ADMINISTRATIVE INSPECTIONS, AND THE CONTRACTING. WE DO ALL THAT 
          IN HOUSE NOW. >> AND HAVE YOU SEEN IMPROVEMENT IN COLLABORATION. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO RESPOND MORE TIMELY? 
          >> I WOULD SAY WE HAVE. THERE'S ALSO THE LEARNING CURVE OF WE ARE HITTING ON SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER TAKEN ON IN THE PAST OF COURSE. SO, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK. I'LL CALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE EVENTS WE HAD RECENTLY. BUT, REALLY OUR DIRECTOR HAS BEEN DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. 
          >> I'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT GREAT THINGS. SHE'S A ROCK STAR. 
          >> WE ARE VERY BLESSED TO HAVE HER. 
          >> WHAT ABOUT THE WEST AUGUSTINE PILOT PROGRAM? ANY UPDATE ON 
          THAT? >> THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN WRITTEN, PER SE. 
          BUT, THEY ARE GETTING READY TO ISSUE THE RMP. I THINK THERE MAY BE SOME BUDGET REQUESTS FROM THE CRA. TO HELP FUND THAT REQUEST. 
          >> OKAY. IF SO, WHERE? >> SO, PROBABLY WITH THE C AREAS 
          TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT. >> AND I THINK LAST YEAR THE BOARD OF 
          600,000? >> THAT WAS OUT OF THE TIP FUNDS 
          I BELIEVE. >> OKAY, SO THEY DO HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE TO START. WHAT'S THE BALANCE OF OUR HOUSING TRUST 
          FUND? >> I WANT TO SAY IT'S CLOSE TO 
          HALF 1 MILLION. IT'S COME DOWN. >> OKAY. AND YOU'VE BEEN USING 
          [00:20:13]
          THAT FOR VARIOUS PROJECT? >> WHAT WE DO IS COMMENT ON THE BACKEND COMMANDS LEVERAGE A FUNDING SOURCE. WHETHER IT'S A FUNDING SOURCE THAT'S GENERATED BY THE AGENCY. OR, IT'S A FUNDING SOURCE THAT MAY BE THEY GOT A GRANT. STATE FUNDS IS WHEN ALPHA, AND OMEGA HAVE REALLY BEEN PURCHASING. BUT, WE COME IN, AND KIND OF BACKSIDE COME AND FILL IN ANY GAPS. 
          >> RALPH, AND OMEGA ABLE TO? BECAUSE I REMEMBER WE MATCHED IN THEIR ACQUISITION PROGRAM. WERE THEY ABLE TO PURCHASE THE LAND 
          THEY WANTED? >> YEAH. THEY'VE DONE A LOT. 
          RECENTLY, THE PROJECT FOR THE BOARD WAS TWO CONDOS. AND WE HELPED THEM PURCHASE THEIR VARIOUS GRANT FUNDS THROUGH THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. CLOSE TO 80 UNITS. AND THEY ARE ALMOST READY. THEY'VE BEEN LAYING THE FOUNDATION. SO, THEY'VE HAD 
          SOME FUNDRAISERS. >> YEAH. 
          THE PLAN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR? ANY PROJECTS LINED 
          UP? >> THERE IS NOTHING REALLY ON OUR RADAR OTHER THAN OUR BIG PROJECT THAT'S GOING ON IS OUR LIBRARY IN HASTINGS THAT WE ARE USING FUNDS TOO. 
          >> OKAY. VERY GOOD. WELL, GOOD JOB. 
          WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE TO HOW WE NOT ONLY HAVE TO HELP THEM TO SUSTAIN A PROGRAM. BUT, YOU HAVE TO CUT THEM. WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO HELP THEM? IS THERE ANY OTHER 
          STRATEGIES YOU CAN THINK OF? >> IT'S JUST GOING TO BE REALLY COMPETITIVE. EVERYBODY IS GOING TO BE IN THE SAME BOAT. FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS FOR CUTTING THESE SAMSULA FUNDS. SO, IT'S JUST 
          GOING TO GET MORE COMPETITIVE. >> ALSO, JUST GENERAL ISSUES COMING AND PROBLEMS THAT THEY HAVE. ANYTHING OUR STAFF HAS EXPERIENCED. THAT WERE ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER DIFFERENT RESOURCES, AND KIND OF POINT THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          >> YEAH. WE WILL ENCOURAGE THEM TO USE OUR . I KNOW ALL THESE INDEPENDENT AGENTS CAN DO THEIR OWN LOGGING EFFORTS. BUT, MAYBE WE CAN COLLABORATE TO HAVE A MORE INVIGORATING IMPACT. 
          >> ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN TALK ABOUT? WE CAN DO FOR 
          Y'ALL? >> NO, WE TOOK CARE OF ALL OF 
          IT. >> GREAT. 
          >> WE WILL NOTE ON IT. YOU GUYS ARE CONTINUING TO GO THROUGH THE CDBGR PROGRAM? THAT'S THE 89, $89 MILLION PROGRAM? THERE WERE A COUPLE DIFFERENT, AND YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH THE AUDIT. AND THAT WILL CONTINUE I GUESS FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO. 
          WHERE THAT WAS A LARGE GRANT PROGRAM THAT CAME FROM HURRICANE MATTHEW. AND APPROPRIATIONS SPENT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND JUST KIND OF AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE HAD TO RAMP UP. WE ADDED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. BUT, WHEN THAT RAMP PROGRAM IS COMPLETED, THOSE POSITIONS. IT'S KIND OF JUST A HIGHLIGHT. AND YOU GUYS WILL CONTINUE WITHOUT AUDIT PROGRAM. 
          >> THE STAFF DID A GREAT JOB. WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN THOSE FTES. 
          BUT, THEY WERE ABLE TO KIND OF FILL IN SOME HOLES IN DIFFERENT 
          AREAS. >> WELL, THOSE CLOSEOUT. THOSE WERE EXTRAORDINARY THAT YOU GUYS CARRIED ON THAT YOU HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. AND WAS TRANSFERRED IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID WITH VERY LITTLE RESOURCE TO EVEN START WITH. SO, I'M GLAD YOU GUYS WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT. NOT WITHOUT A LOT OF PAIN. 
          >> SURE. THE INCLUSION PROJECT WILL BE OPENING UP IN A COUPLE -- THAT'LL BE ANOTHER HUNDRED PLUS -- 
          >> THAT'S THE NEW VILLAGE? YEAH. 
          >> AGAIN -- THAN WE'VE SEEN FOR YEARS. 
          >> YEAH, THAT'S AMAZING. AND IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT THE BOARD HELPED WITH THE IMPACT FEE, AND THAT REALLY HELPS WITH THE FINANCING. BUT, SHANNON IS A ROCK STAR I THINK IN FINDING CREDITS. WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT? AFFORDABLE HOUSING TAX CREDIT. 
          [00:25:01]
          >> AND THEN YOU ATTACHING ON THE FUNDING WE CAN BANK FOR, AND PUTTING THEM INTO 
          PROJECTS. >> IT WOULD BE GREAT TO PROBABLY 
          DO IT OURSELVES. >> THE WHOLE TAX CREDIT IS SUCH A SPECIALIZED A FIELD. AND ABILITY HOUSING IS JUST REALLY 
          THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS. >> GREAT. 
          >> ALL RIGHT, WELL YOU GUYS LOOK VERY NICE TODAY. THANK YOU FOR COMING. 
          [Office of Performance & Transparency]
          >> OKAY. SARAH? TOM? >> WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR BUDGET TODAY. SARAH TAYLOR. IN THE MINISTRY FOR PERFORMATIVE TRANSPARENCY. OUR ERP ARCHITECT. 
          WE ARE GOING TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE OFFICE OF BOARDS AND TRANSPARENCY. WHICH I'M GOING TO CALL LTP. MY APOLOGIES. IT'S A MOUTHFUL. WHAT WE ARE DOING IN HAS BEEN A RELATIVELY NEW DEPARTMENT. WE SPEND A LITTLE TIME TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED, AND WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON. THEN WE WILL CONCLUDE WITH THE REQUEST STRAIGHTFORWARD. AND JUST AS A REMINDER, AND -- CONTINUE TO THRIVE EDUCATION ABOUT WHAT IT IS WE ARE TRYING TO PUSH WHAT IT IS IN THE ORGANIZATION, AND OBVIOUSLY EXTERNAL TO THE PUBLIC. BUT, OUR ROLE IS TO ENSURE EFFICIENT, AND EFFECTIVE COUNTY OPERATIONS THROUGH DRIVEN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, AND CONTINUOUS PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS. WE REALLY ARE FOCUSED INTERNALLY ON HOW WE ARE DELIVERING SERVICES, AND COMMUNICATION. AND CONTINUING THE COUNTY'S VISION, AND MISSION, AND OUR VALUES EXTERNAL TO THE PUBLIC. SO, OUR KEY OBJECTIVES AS THIS RELATES BACK TO THE KEY PLAN, WHICH MANY OF YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS. ONE OF OUR JOBS IS TO PROLIFERATE THE STRATEGIC PLAN WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. AND TO TRY TO ALIGN OUR RESOURCES, OUR STAFF, OUR INITIATIVES, OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING. ALIGN THEM WITH THE OVERALL COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          SO, WITH EACH PRESENTATION, HOPEFULLY YOU WILL HEAR A LITTLE BIT OF A REFERENCE OF HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO PUSH THAT. BUT, WHEREVER SPECIFIC GOALS ARE TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          IMPROVE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL MEDICATION. LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. AND SECURING OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. SO, AS EVERYONE IN THE ROOM WERE MEMBERS, WE JUST RECENTLY ADOPTED THE STRATEGIC PLAN IN 2024 AFTER EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE. WHICH WILL TAKE TIME, COLLABORATION, AND WE ARE FIGHTING TO STRATEGICALLY ALIGN THOSE OPERATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITIES PRIMARY IS AS. WHICH WE WILL SHOW IN JUST A SECOND. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE BUILDING THE PERFORMANCE ANALYTICS TOOL. WE ARE INTEGRATION EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE STRATEGIC GOALS INFLUENCE OUR DAILY OPERATIONS, AND OUR LONG-TERM PLANNING. AND INTRODUCING THOSE DASHBOARDS TO TRACK THE PROGRESS AS THEY ALIGN WITH THE COMMUNITY'S PRIORITIES. 
          THESE WALLS WERE OFTEN A TRANSPARENCY TO OUR RESIDENTS THAT WERE HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH, AND IT'LL HELP THE DEPARTMENTS MEASURE THEIR SUCCESSES, AND ADAPT IN REAL TIME IF WE ARE NOT 
          [00:30:11]
MEETING THOSE GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES. SO, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE IT, COMMUNICATED, ACKNOWLEDGE WHERE WE MIGHT BE MEETING, EXCEEDING, OR FAILING. AND THEN PIVOT TO THE JOBS IN THOSE PRIORITIES. SO, WE HAVE TO BUILD THE WILL TO DO THAT. I WILL TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER, AND SAY WE HEARD A LOT LIQUIDITY AS WE WERE SEEKING BOARD APPROVAL FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN ON HOW ARE YOU ACTUALLY GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS? AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON NOW. WE HAVE TO PLAN THE INITIATIVES THAT CONNECT, ACHIEVE THE GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES THAT THE BOARD SAID THEY WANTED TO PUSH. THEN WE HAVE TO ESTABLISH THOSE MILESTONES. SO, WE CAN ACTUALLY THEN ALIGN FUNDING, AND RESOURCES, AND PLANNING INTO OUR DAILY OPERATIONS TO REACH THOSE MILESTONES. AND TO ULTIMATELY MEET PLAN OBJECTIVES. AS A REMINDER, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE OFFICE IS TO COMMUNICATE AND EDUCATE. THESE WERE APPROVED PRIORITIES FROM THE COMMITTEE FEEDBACK, AND BOARDS REFERENCE. 
          WE HAVE COMMUNITY TRUST. COMMUNITY WELL-BEING. ECONOMIC TRENDS PARITY, AND INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. YOU WILL HEAR ME PREFERRED TO THOSE AS THE PRIORITIES. THOSE ARE THE PRIORITIES IN WHICH OUR ORGANIZATION HAS FOCUSED ITS RESOURCES IN THIS TIME. SO, JUMPING INTO THE OTHER PIECE OF, AGAIN WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, AND THE OTP. OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES ARE REALLY FOCUSED AROUND COMMUNITY TRUST, AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE. 
          SO, OUR INITIATIVES YOU WILL SEE OUTLINED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN ARE TO IMPROVE THE RESIDENCE TRUST COMING AND COUNTY RESIDENTS. EVALUATE OUR INTERNAL BUSINESS PROCESSES FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCIES, AND ALL THE TECHNOLOGY WE CAN HELP TO IMPLEMENT THAT. TOM IS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR ERP PROGRAM. AND WITH IT LOOKS LIKE, AND WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT A VERY LARGE PROJECT. AND ALSO, THE WORK THAT GOES ALONG WITH ONCE WE IMPLEMENT THIS, THE GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK FOR OUR TECHNOLOGY. AND OUR BUSINESS MODERNIZATION PLAN THAT WILL ALIGN WITH I.T. OR MIS PARTNERS IN THE FUTURE. AND THAT ULTIMATELY, EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION. WE ARE GIVING THEM THE TOOLS THEY CAN TO SUPPORT THE INVESTMENTS, AND AGAIN, TRYING TO MEET WITH OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. THAT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL. AND THEN JUST REMINDS THE PUBLIC. AGAIN, INTERNALLY. WE ARE TRYING TO BE TRANSPARENT, AND PROIDE ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE PUBLIC. TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SHOW, AND DEMONSTRATE THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT THAT ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION. BUT, THE CITIZENS IN CENTRE. THESE BUDGET SESSIONS ARE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF JUST MAKING SURE THAT WHAT WE DO WHEN WE CAN, AND WHERE IT MAKES SENSE, TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC. TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO ENGAGE, AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO GIVE FEEDBACK AND HOW WE ARE MOVING FORWARD. SO, THOSE ARE THE PERFORMANCES FOR OUR TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY SIDE. HERE'S SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND, A LARGE PORTION OF OUR TEAM -- OR, A SMALL PORTION, BUT A LARGE LEFT FOR OUR TEAM IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PLAN, PERFORMANCE, AND ANALYTICS TOOL. WHICH WE HOPE TO LAUNCH LATER THIS SUMMER. SO, THE PUBLIC AND SEE WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THOSE MILESTONES. HOW ARE WE ACTUALLY GOING TO ACHIEVE THESE TASKS? I DO HAVE COPIES OF THE PLAN, WHICH INCLUDE THE INITIATIVES COME IN OBJECTIVES. 
          WHICH IS EVEN FURTHER THAN WE HAD ON THE BOARD THERE. THIS IS KIND OF THE NEXT UP OF THAT. BUT, IN ADDITION, WE HAVE SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES THAT WE ARE PROMOTING, AND SUPPORTING WITHIN THE NEW ORGANIZATION. SO, OUR JOB IS TO REALLY HELP COLLABORATE ACROSS TEAMS. BRING THEM TOGETHER. HAVE CONVERSATIONS. WHAT CAN WE DO TO TRY TO ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS? BREAK DOWN THE SILOS, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. THEN PROVIDE THEM WITH SUPPORT. ULTIMATELY, GREAT SUCCESSES IN AREAS WHERE THEY ARE MAKING LARGE IMPROVEMENTS. 
          THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OR OPA AS WE CALL IT HAS TAKEN IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. HOW CAN WE BACKUP WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION? AND BACK IT INTO A STRATEGIC PLAN? OR, VICE VERSA. TAKE THE STRATEGIC PLAN COMMITS FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY CAN DO TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE INITIATIVES. HOW CAN WE TRY TO REACH THOSE OBJECTIVES? SO, OUR ROLE IN OTP IS TO TRY TO SUPPORT THEM. WE ARE NOT NECESSARILY LEADING ON THOSE EFFORTS, SO I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE TO ALL THOSE APARTMENTS. DEPARTMENTS. WE HAVE TONS OF UPGRADES TO 365. BUT, JUST RUNNING ON THE SYSTEM REQUIRES A LOT MORE ENGAGEMENT, AND ACTIVITIES. WE NEED TO THEN LEVERAGE THAT TECHNOLOGY TO SHAREPOINT. WHICH IMPROVES ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY. UTILIZING TEAMS. WHICH AGAIN, ENCOURAGES THE COLLABORATION. SO, WE GOT TO GET THESE PROGRAM STARTED, AND FIND A WAY TO NURTURE THEM, SO THEY ARE ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE. SO, WE'VE REALLY BEEN FOCUSING ON THE NURTURING SIDE OF THAT. SO, JUST PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE 
          [00:35:09]
TAKEN ON IN CONJUNCTION WITH PURCHASING ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE POLICY. MANY OF OUR COUNTERPARTS COUNTIES HAVE MOVED TO SIGNATURES. IF YOU CAN SIGN THE HOUSE, WHICH IS A 150 PAGE DOCUMENT FOR YOUR MORTGAGE COMMANDS WOULD ELECTRICALLY, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO APPROVE AN ELECTRICIAN OR WHATEVER MIGHT BE. IF SO, WERE TRYING TO LEVERAGE THAT ABILITY, BUT IT IS ACROSS THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION. INCLUDING, THE CLERK'S OFFICE WITH THE ENGAGEMENTS THEY HAVE WITH THE COMMISSIONERS. WITH GETTING SIGNED. GET THINGS TURNED AROUND FASTER, BETTER. 
          THEN WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRACK, MANAGE, AND RETAIN THOSE DOCUMENTS IN THE LONG RUN. WE HAVE THE DRAFT READY TO GO. I JUST HAVE TO TURN IT OVER TO OCA. 
          >> I'M USING MY CRAPPY PHONE ON THE WEEKEND WITH MANY, MANY 
          PAGES. >>'S TIME CAN CIRCLE BACK, AND REFERENCE THEM WE START TALKING ABOUT THE RAP. WE JUST DO IT, BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY. IT WENT TO EACH PERSON THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO APPROVE, AND WE CAN SHOW HOW THEY APPROVED IT. INSTEAD OF IT BEING A PHYSICAL SIGNATURE, AND DOWNLOADING. YOU HAVE ALL THESE OTHER TOOLS. WE HELP SUPPORT THE HR POLICY AS PART OF THE ERP. WE ARE MOVING INTO THE HCM SYSTEM. 
          THE E.R. TEAM IS EAGER TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES. SO, WERE TRYING TO LINE HOW THE NEW SYSTEM WILL FUNCTION COMMANDS MAKE SURE WE ALIGN THE POLICY THAT MATCHES WITH THAT. THIS SHOULD BE A HUGE COMMITMENT FOR BOTH DEPARTMENTS ON HOW OUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH IMPROVED RETENTION, AND ALL OF THOSE PIECES. INCLUDING, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS. BUT, ALSO FROM THE EMPLOYEE SIDE. IF I NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING FROM MY DIRECT DEPOSIT OR OTHER SMALL PIECES. MY ADDRESS . A LIFE EVENT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A POLICY THAT DICTATES WHAT IS PRINCIPAL, AND WHAT IS NOT. THE HR TEAM HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB WORKING COLLABORATIVELY EVENLY ACROSS THEIR TEAMS. AND YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDED CHANGES. THEY WILL ROLL THOSE OUT. THEY WILL BE ROLLING THEM OUT. OTHER DEPARTMENTS I BELIEVE HAVE SOME FUNDING REQUESTS OR MAYBE EVEN CARRYFORWARDS. 
          THEY'VE BEEN MULTIYEAR PROJECTS FOR AN ENTERPRISEWIDE WORK ORDER SYSTEM. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT ACROSS ALL OUR INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS. INCLUDING, PUBLIC WORKS. WE'VE BEEN ASSISTING THEIR PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENTS. AND THEN THE ERP CHANGE MANAGEMENT, INTRINSIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF WILL SAY THAT WE'VE NEVER REALLY TAKEN ON A PROJECT . IS LARGE THAT IMPACTS EVERY SINGLE OPERATION. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN'T JUST TURN IT ON. SO, WE HAVE A LARGE CHANGE MANAGEMENT INITIATIE, AND WE HAVE TO TRAIN PEOPLE. AND WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTING STAFF, BUT CONTINUOUSLY TRAIN -- THE RFP WILL BE OUR CELL PHONES. 
          EVERY TIME THERE'S A NEW UPDATE, IT WON'T HAPPEN. BUT, WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE WE STAY AHEAD OF THAT, AND PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION COMING IN BETWEEN CONTINUOUSLY OUR STAFF, AND OUR TEAMS. NOW, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO TOM. IF SO, HE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT . BEFORE TOM STARTS, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SARAH FOR BEING THIS CHANGE AGENT FOR ALL THESE INITIATIVES, IN THE CATALYST FOR THESE NEW INITIATIVES. AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCE TO IMPLEMENT THOSE THINGS. BUT, DEPARTMENTS NEED TO CATALYST WHO ACTUALLY LAUNCHES THOSE CHANGES. 
          AND I THINK YOU WILL BE AN AMAZING CHAMPION FOR HELPING THOSE TO CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSPARENCY, AND OPEN GOVERNANCE. IN THE ONE THING I LOOK FORWARD TO IS THE MATRIX THAT WILL BECOME A LIFE FOR OUR DEPARTMENTS. SO, OUR CITIZENS CAN SEE HOW WELL OR POORLY. ON HOW WE CAN BE BETTER. 
          AND UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A PROCESS THAT WE ARE MONITORING THE LEVEL SURFACE. SO, THANK YOU SARAH. 
          >> AND TOM, EXPLAIN WHO YOU ARE. I HEARD THAT YOU ARE AN 
          ARCHITECT. >> I WON'T BE DOING ANY HOME REMODELING TODAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR HAVING% ME. I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS THE ERP PROJECT IN PROGRESS. I AM THE ERP ASSISTANT ARCHITECT. SO, YOU HAVE SYSTEMS OR ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTS. AND MAKE SURE THE GOAL IS TO TO MAKE SURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED, AND MATCHES WELL WITH YOUR BUSINESS. 
          THERE'S KIND OF AN IMBALANCE THERE THAT EITHER OF THEM ARE GETTING THE JOB DONE. SO, AGAIN I AM PART OF THE ERP PROJECT, AND I'M HAPPY TO PRESENT OUR PROJECT. SO, THE ERP SYSTEM ITSELF. WE ARE MODERNIZING OUR OUTDATED BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE ON FINANCE. WHERE 
          [00:40:05]
ALL OF OUR FINANCE ON PAYROLL FUNCTIONS. THE ERP ITSELF SUPPORTS ALL COUNTIES IN THE PARTNER COMMISSIONERS. IT ALSO SUPPORTS. ALSO, THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS. WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT LAUNCH DAY LATER. IT'S TOUCHING EVERY PERSON. SO, WHEN WE GO LIVE, WERE TALKING ABOUT ALL 1700 PEOPLE WITHIN THOSE THREE AGENCIES ARE ALIVE. THIS ITSELF IS A 200 YEAR IMPLEMENTATION. AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE'S HARD WORK, AND STRONG DILIGENCE, WE ARE ON TIME, WITHIN BUDGET, AND ON THE SCOPE FOR THE DECEMBER 25 LINE. 
          >> THE ERP DISSOLVE, WHAT WERE DISPLAYING HERE. IT IS ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE, AND I HOPE THIS EXPLAINS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT A MOMENT AGO HOW ALL OF YOUR BUSINESS, AND TECHNOLOGY HAVE TO COME TOGETHER, BUT YOU ALSO WANT TO DO A NON-SILOS, BUT ALSO IN A PHYSICAL APPROACH. AND ON THE RIGHT, WERE GOING TO GO WITH A SIMPLE PLAYBACK CARE. WE ARE MODERNIZING OUR BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE. BY DOING THAT, IT ALLOWS US TO CREATE PRODUCTIVE INFORMATION, AND STREAMLINE BUSINESS PRACTICES. AND WITH THOSE IN PLACE, WILL ALSO HAVE AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS US TO BUILD COLLABORATIVE WORKLOADS, AND STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE. AND I'M DOING MY BEST TO STAY HIGH-LEVEL, AND NOT TALKING TOO MUCH TECHNICAL JARGON.BUT, IF YOU WANT ME TO, I WILL. THE GOOD NEWS HERE IS OUR PROJECT TIMELINE. AND THE PROJECT STARTED IN 2023. AND WE ARE WELL UNDERWAY. AND WE ARE APPROACHING A RELAUNCH IN DECEMBER OF 2025. IF THE PRODUCT DOESN'T END, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, IN 2025, WE START AFTER THE LAUNCH, WE ALSO CONTINUE . 
          WE ALSO DEVELOP NEW SOLUTIONS, AND ASSISTANCE ACROSS THEIR ORGANIZATIONS. SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND EXIST, BECAUSE THIS PROJECT ITSELF IS ONE OF THOSE TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS ONLY SO MANY OF US WILL EVER TAKE. IT GOES THROUGH PHASES COMING AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO PRODUCING EARLY. AND ALSO FILLING IN ON 
          THAT INVESTMENT. >> OKAY. JUST AS A POINT FOR AN EXAMPLE. I THINK FOR US THE WHOLE GUESSES WHERE I'M PUTTING EVERYTHING INTO ONE SYSTEM. WE NEED THE DATA FROM THE OTHER SYMPTOMS TO FUNNEL INTO THE CENTRAL SOURCE. AGAIN, THE ERP IS NOT OUR WHOLE SYSTEM FOR EVERYTHING WE DO, AND EVERYTHING TECHNOLOGY. IT IS OUR CORE FINANCIALS AND HR, AND SOME OF OUR PIECES. IF YOU PAY YOUR UTILITIES, AND YOU PAY YOUR BILL, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT DATA THAT SHOWS THAT THE BILL HAS BEEN PAID. GIVE THE CUSTOMER DATA. THEN YOU HAVE THE MONEY THAT'S READY TO BE PAID THAT'S TRANSFERRED INTO ALL THESE PLACES LIKE THE BUDGET. OR, THE CIP'S OR HOWEVER IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE USED. AND THEN GETS SENT, AND SHARED BACK WITH A DEPARTMENT ON HOW THEY CAN ACTUALLY SPEND IT. AGAIN, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, YOU MIGHT HAVE THESE VARIOUS PLACES WHERE YOU ARE RECEIVING REVENUE. OR, YOUR WORK ORDERS. 
          OR, WHATEVER THE TECHNOLOGY MIGHT BE. IF IT HAS INFORMATION -- WE WANT THE DATA OUT OF THOSE SYSTEMS. SO, INTEGRATIONS THAT WILL HAPPEN POST LUNCH WILL BE FROM NOW UNTIL FOREVER IN VARIOUS WAYS. UNTIL THE COUNTY DECIDES THEY WANT TO LEVERAGE MORE, AND TECHNOLOGY. BECAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU'RE RECEIVING MONEY, YOU WANT TO BE TRACKING MONEY. ENSURE THE PUBLIC WHERE THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT. IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO HAVE A FUNNEL INTO AN ENTERPRISE TYPE OF SYSTEM. I JUST WANTED TO 
          GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. >> THANK YOU. 
          >> SO, FOR OUR NEXT SLIDE. IT'S A SUMMARY OF WHERE WE ARE AFTER THE BUDGET HEARING TODAY. SO, WE ARE DOING A TEAR PROJECT. WE ARE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR BUDGET FOR 2026 BY 2.5 MILLION. AND THAT'S BECAUSE IS BECAUSE OF THE BASIS OF THE PROJECT, AND YOU CAN SEE OUR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, AND RESULTING SERVICES. OVERALL, FOR AN ERP PROJECT, WHERE DID THOSE EXPENSES GO? AND THE IMPLEMENTATION SERVICE IS TWO YEARS OF A LARGE TEAM PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER ACROSS MULTIPLE AGENCIES. SO, YOU CAN GET IT FOR 5.9 BILLION. AND THEN HE SOLIDIFIED, AND THIS IS WHERE 
          [00:45:09]
THEY LANDED UP. NO SURPRISES, BUT THIS . THE ERP SYSTEM ITSELF. WE SET THAT UP OFF THE FISCAL 2025 YEAR BUDGET. A SIX 
          PERSON ERP TEAM. >> IS THE REDUCTION, AND CONSULTING CONTRACTUAL FROM -- IS IT BECAUSE THE FEES APPROACH THAT YOU'RE TAKING, IS THIS REALLY THE ALLOCATION FOR THIS 
          YEAR? IN TERMS OF THE COST? >> THIS IS THE PHASE APPROACH. 
          IN DECEMBER 25, WERE NOT DOING A FULL, FULL MONTH. ALSO, TO BE FAIR TO MYSELF, WE ARE A LITTLE LOW ON BUDGET. WE TOOK SOME 
          CONTINGENCY FUNDING. >> OKAY. I GUESS MOVING FORWARD 
          IN FUTURE YEARS? >> A LITTLE OF EXPERTISE THAT YOU RELIED ON. DO IT AROUND THE CLOCK. AND THEN AFTER THAT IT'S OPERATIONAL GOLF. YOUR OPERATIONAL COSTS. YOU WANT TO STABILIZE THOSE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THEN THE DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY -- IT IS A PLATFORM FOR BUILDING SOLUTIONS. SO, IF YOU WANT TO EXPAND ON THE SOLUTIONS. UTILITY BUILDING. OR, ASSET MANAGEMENT. ANY NUMBER OF THINGS. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTS, AND RELATIONS. THESE ARE ALL THINGS WE FEAR, AND NOTICE OUR 
          MINAS INVESTMENTS. >> AND YOU WILL SEE THAT IN THIS BUDGET WE HAVE. WE ARE NOT GOING LIVE UNTIL JANUARY, BUT WE WILL WORK OUT THE KINKS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CONTRACTORS ON BOARD, AND MAKE SURE OUR SYSTEM IS OPERATING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. WE WILL MAKE CHANGES, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO BUILD SOMETHING WE DON'T LIKE. BUT, THEN WE ARE ALREADY HAVE THE CONVERSATION OF, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO EXPAND TO NEXT OR WHAT WE HAVE TO BRING IN, SO THAT THERE IS A FULL PICTURE OF THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION. WE STARTED WITH THE CORE FUNCTIONS. 
          NOW, THE DEPARTMENTS OF PEAK THEIR INTEREST. IT IS IS OKAY, NOW IF I INTEGRATE THIS OR IF I DO BEACH TOLLS, WANT TO BE ABLE TO TRACK NOT JUST THE DOLLARS OF THAT BEJEWEL HAS COLLECTED, BUT I ALSO WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE. THE IDEA IS, WHEN WE HAVE THE DATA, WE KNOW THE ORGANIZATION, AND THE PUBLIC SPECIFICALLY ARE GOING TO WANT MORE DETAIL OF THAT INFORMATION. 
          SO, WE DO HAVE CONTINGENT DOLLARS TO START ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE. AND WE WILL PLAN TO DO THAT EACH YEAR WITHIN THE PLAN. 
          >> WELL, THAT'S A LOT. THANK YOU, TOM. WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE PRODUCT YET. I COULD'VE FOR YOU FOR LEAVING THE WEEK AFTER WEEK. 
          BURYING YOUR HEAD, AND NOSE INTO THAT -- DIVING INTO THE CONFERENCE ROOM. OFTEN ALL DAY, YOU DON'T SEE THEM UNTIL LATER 
          IN THE DAY. A LOT OF COFFEE. >> WELL, I'M NOT IN THE ROOM 
          ALONE. >> YOU HAVE A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE. THE CLERKS. HR. PURPOSE THING. YEAH. 
          >> IT IS EASILY THE HARDEST TECHNOLOGY PROJECT. AND POTENTIALLY, THE HARDEST DATA PROJECT -- LET ALONE, TECHNOLOGY WERE NOT. I THINK IN THE MOMENT I'M JUST SHARING THAT APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. HUNDREDS OF COUNTIES, AND EMPLOYEES THAT ARE PUTTING A LOT OF EFFORT INTO MAKING SURE THIS 
          IS DONE RIGHT. >> SO, CAN I -- BASED ON WHAT I HAVE HEARD TODAY. AND WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT FOR ONE , WHEN WE ARE HAVING -- WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A MODERNIZED TOOL, TO HELP US MAKE BETTER DATABASE DECISIONS. IS THAT ACCURATE? AND HIGHER-LEVEL ACCOUNTABILITY, BECAUSE DATA IS MORE FREE FLOW. 
          INTERNALLY, AND EXTERNALLY. SO, THERE IS A LOT MORE ACCOUNTABILITY. IS THAT ACCURATE? WHAT ABOUT FOR 
          [00:50:08]
          OPERATION, BECAUSE OF THIS TOOL? >> TO COST SAVINGS SUBSCRIPTION. 
          ONE IS YOUR CURRENT STOCK. WHATEVER YOU'RE USING, BUT IT'S VIA THIS PRESCRIPTION. SO, THAT'S A COST-SAVING. YOU'RE BUYING NEW SOFTWARE. SO, YOU HAVE THOSE NEW ELEMENTS OF COST SAVING. AND IT'S THE NUMBER OF CRITICS OR -- I WROTE IN THIS SPREADSHEET, BECAUSE I GOT FROM THIS INVOICE. BUT, THEN I HAD TO SEND IT OVER HERE. AND THEN WHEN IT GETS LOST IN THE SYSTEM, NOW IT IS THE TRUE SAVINGS ON THESE INCREMENTAL AMOUNTS THAT TIMES SAVE IN ORDER TO USE IT ONCE, AND GET A TRUE PROCESS. SO COME ON THE WEEKENDS, IF YOU GET SOMEONE TO SIGN SOMETHING. 
          THAT'S AN ELECTRONIC PAPER VERSION. THE TRUE HONEST IS WHEN YOU GET IT, ACKNOWLEDGE IT, AND SEND IT BACK. IT'S WHEN YOU SPEND 10 MINUTES ON THE PAPER. FINDING IT, AND THEN LAYING IT 
          OUT ON THE TABLE. >> THAT'S RIGHT. 
          >> AND SOMEBODY ELSE THAT'S RECEIVING IT CAN MOVE ON, AND THEY CAN START TAKING ACTION. AND THEN YOU DECIDE TO APPROVE SOMETHING. AND THAT GOES DOWN THE LINE. THAT CREATES 
          EFFICIENCY ALL DOWN THE PROCESS. >> SO, IF ONE EXPECTS THERE'S GOING TO BE ELIMINATION. THE NEXT YEAR, IT'S NOT HAPPENING. 
          BUT, IT REALLY IS THE STREAMLINING OF THE PROCESS. BUT IN THE LONG RUN, YOU WILL HAVE HIGHER EFFICIENCY. 
          >> AND INCREASING CAPACIT OF THOSE DOCUMENTS. I WOULD ARGUE A TON OF THINGS THAT MANY PEOPLE LIKE TO BE DOING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. AND THEN RECEIVED FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS OR THE PUBLIC. OR, ANYONE THEY WANT TO INITIATE. I BELIEVE THE GREATEST STRENGTH IS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE EFFICIENCY HAS INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF OUR STAFF. 
          >> OKAY. >> YOU HAVE A DOZEN SYSTEMS. SO, I WAS TALKING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT YESTERDAY. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THE SYSTEMS COMMAND GATHER UP INFORMATION. 
          IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ALL CONNECTED, AND AVAILABLE. IF IT'S IN MULTIPLE SYSTEMS, IT MEANS IT'S BEEN WRITTEN MULTIPLE TIMES. SO, YOU HAVE THAT. ALSO, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE TIME SAVINGS. UNNECESSARILY TIME SAVINGS. AND I THINK OUR DEPARTMENTS WILL USE THOSE TO ADJUST WHERE THERE IS A HIGH WORKLOAD THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ADJUST TO. OR, THERE WILL BE NEW INITIATIVES THAT HAVE COME FROM THE COUNTY. OR, EVEN THE AREA WHERE YOU SHOULD HAVE STRONGER MEASURES OF 
          CHECKS, AND BALANCES. >> SO, I WOULD CONSIDER THAT TO BE COST-SAVING. THE NEEDS FOR HIRING NEW EMPLOYEES TO COVER THOSE FUNCTIONS. THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE COVERED BY EFFICIENCY. THAT'S NOT THE SAME EMPLOYEE. ARE YOU INCORPORATING A.I. TECHNOLOGY WHILE YOU GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS? 
          >> A.I. TECHNOLOGY. THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST PUBLIC SECTOR OF THESE. WE DID IMPROVE A CONTRACT MODULE. YOU KNOW WE WILL BE ABLE TO RESEARCH THOSE. BUT, A.I. IS ALREADY BUILT IN THE SYSTEM. IT EXTENDS IT TO US. IF WE LOOK FOR PATTERNS, AND TRENDS. PERHAPS YOU NEED HELP WITH THIS. IT'S ESSENTIALLY A.I. 
          >> I GOT YOU. >> TO ELABORATE FURTHER ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN SIDE OF THINGS. THE DEPARTMENTS CAN DEVELOP WITH THEIR MILESTONES MAY BE. OR, PROJECTS OR INITIATIVES MAY BE. 
          THERE IS A.I. THAT IS INTEGRATED WITHIN THAT SYSTEM THAT SAYS, ARE THESE GOOD MILESTONES? ARE THESE GOOD ACTION STEPS? IT'LL ACTUALLY TRIGGER RESPONSES BETWEEN FUNDING, AND IMPLEMENTING THIS STEP. YOU SHOULD CONSIDER X. WE ARE FINDING THAT THE A.I. COMPONENTS. WHETHER IT'S GENITIVE. OR, THE OTHER VERSION. WHICH I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS ARE IN THESE SYSTEMS. THAT WILL HELP YIELDS. YES. THANK YOU. I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T SAY. IT'S ALREADY INTEGRATED THERE. SO, IT WILL HELP DELIVER A BETTER SERVICE, AND STATUS FOR THE COUNTING AND THE STRATEGIC PLAN APPLICATION ITSELF. AND BASED ON FEEDBACK WE'VE RECEIVED, AND ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENTS, AREAS WHERE WE CAN AUTOMATE PROCESSES USING A.I. 
          [00:55:03]
THOSE WILL BE SOME OF THE AREAS WE ARE NOT ADDRESSING UNDER THE ERP. OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS GOING FORWARD. 
          WE'VE ALREADY STARTED ISLANDS WITH THE DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY 
          THINK IT'S LIABLE. >> SO, THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO TALK ABOUT IT. BECAUSE I EVEN BROUGHT IN IN A.I. SORT OF CONVERSATION. AND TALKED WITH DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS TO START TO THINK ABOUT WHERE THEY CAN USE A.I. TECHNOLOGY MOSTLY. MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, TO HELP THEM. TO STREAMLINE. YOU CAN REMOVE THE COMPETITIVE TASKS. INSTEAD OF FOCUSING THE LABOR ON MORE CREATIVE INNOVATIVE TASKS. AND POTENTIALLY REMOVE OR ELIMINATING STAFF MEMBERS BY INTRUSION. I DID ASK ANGIE TO BE SORT OF AHEAD, AND BE THE POINT OF CONTACT OF THE A.I. 
          COMMITTEE. I THINK IT'S GOOD TO INCORPORATE THE COMMITTEE AS WE START A CONVERSATION WITH THIS ERP TECHNOLOGY. AS WE ARE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. I THINK THE BIGGEST INTEREST SO FAR, A.I. TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATING INTO OPERATION. MOSTLY, FROM PLANNING ZONING. BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF COMPETITIVE PROCESSING THAT IS BASED OFF OF VERY WELL ESTABLISHED CRITERIA. 
          AND THE OTHER ONE IS CONTEMPLATION FOR COMMUNICATION. 
          SO, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND EVEN COMMUNICATION FOR OUR COMMISSIONERS. FOR OUR OFFICES. IT HELPS US TO BE MORE AGILE BY RESPONDING QUICKLY WITH THE ACCURATE INFORMATION. AND WEBSITE DESIGN. AS I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT. 
          HOW CAN WE MAKE OUR WEBSITE MORE FRIENDLY? SO, PEOPLE CAN TYPE IN AN EASY QUESTION TO GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR. OUR WEBSITE HAS BOUNCED FROM WHAT WE HAD BEFORE, BUT IT DOES TAKE SOME NAVIGATING. SO, I'M STILL FINDING IT AS WE GO. AND THEN I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT HR, RECRUITMENT, AND ALL THE AREAS WE CAN START TO EXPLORE. I REALLY WAS HOPING THAT A.I. AT SOME POINT CAN BECOME A RELIABLE TOOL FOR DATABASE DECISION-MAKING. IN TERMS OF BUDGETING. SO, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF THE PROCESS. I THINK IT'S PER THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE IN THE ROOM, BUT ALSO IT'S REALLY THE BENEFIT OF US COLLABORATING BETWEEN THE CHIEF OF STAFF, AND THE OFFICE APARTMENTS -- PERFORMANCE. WORKING TOGETHER TO COLLABORATE THESE TECHNOLOGIES TOGETHER. SO, WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT 
          MONOPOLY BEHIND. >> AND MAKING SURE WE ARE ALLOCATING THE RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY. OUR TEAMS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT. AND IDENTIFYING WHAT RESOURCES CAN BE ALLOCATING WELL WE ARE ALL MOVING THE NEEDLE FORWARD. SO, 
          ABSOLUTELY. >> GOOD, GOOD. ANYTHING ELSE? 
          BUDGET? >> THAT'S IT. THAT'S IT. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS RELATIVELY SMALL. A PORTION OF OUR BUDGET WILL START TO WIND DOWN A LITTLE BIT. 
          >> THANK YOU. >> THIS IS VERY HEAVY LIFTING FOR BOTH OF YOU. WE STARTED FROM ZERO TO OUR SIX STAFF MEMBERSTO TAKE ON THIS ALL PRECEDENTED LARGE-SCALE PROCESS. I'M STILL 
          SMILING. >> SO FAR. 
          >> YOU HAVE DESIGNED A SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE. SO, YOU ARE AN 
          ARCHITECT. >> THERE YOU GO. 
          >> WELL, THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. 
          [Purchasing and Contract Management]
          >> THAT'S YOU. THE BLACK AND WHITE. 
          >> DID THEY SEND YOU BY YOURSELF? 
          >> ONE OF THEM IS SITTING FOR A CERTIFICATION THIS AFTERNOON. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS OUT. SO, IT'S JUST ME. 
          >> OKAY. GOOD. >> THIS IS JUST A PRESENTATION. 
          I GUESS FOR THE HOUSEKEEPING PIECE. THIS IS JUST KIND OF OF WHAT WE DO, AND WHAT WE ARE TO DO IT. WE SERVE A LOT OF FOLKS. 
          WE ARE KIND OF IN THE BACKGROUND OF EVERYBODY'S OPERATION. SARAH 
          [01:00:13]
KIND OF GAVE A GOOD SEGUE FOR THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, AND OBJECTIVES. AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO ALIGN THOSE. WE ARE IN THE BACKGROUND OF ALL OF THAT. WE FACILITATE A LOT OF THOSE OBJECTIVES. WE ARE OBTAINING THE GOODS, AND SERVICES OF INFRASTRUCTURE. ALL THOSE OBJECTIVES. AND MEETING THOSE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN SENT THROUGH THAT PLAN. SO, WE ARE A DEPARTMENT OF CURRENTLY 12.AND THOSE ARE THE LAUNDRY LIST OF OUR CLIENTS. SO, I MEAN WE WORK WITH EVERYBODY. WHETHER IT'S P CARDS, P.O.'S, CONTRACTS, PROCUREMENTS, QUOTES, 
          NEGOTIATIONS. >> NONE OF THEM WORKS FOR PUBLIC 
          WORKS? >> RIGHT. 
          >> SO, JUST KIND OF A LITTLE SNAPSHOT. SOLICITATIONS ARE OUR MAIN FOCUS OF OUR TECHNICAL RESPONSIBILITY. FORMAL SOLICITATIONS, WE DO SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 100, 130 A BUSY YEAR. 
          THAT'S THE LONG, AND PROTRACTED PROCESS OF SECURING GOODS THAT ARE OVER $250,000. BETWEEN 150, AND 200 INFORMAL PROCESSES, AND THAT'S FOR SECURING GOODS, AND PROJECTS THAT ARE LESS THAN $250,000. AND THEN WE UTILIZE COOPERATIVES, AND PIGGYBACK ON ROUGHLY 230, 40 A YEAR. THE PIGGYBACK IS A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE, AND/OR TIME APPROPRIATE MEASURE FOR ACCOMPLISHING WHAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT GOING THROUGH SOLICITATION PROCESS ON OUR OWN. AWARDS, AND CONTRACTS. WE ISSUE, AND EXECUTE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 1200, 1500 CONTRACTS A YEAR. AND WE ARE HEADING FURTHER COMMENTS FURTHER NORTH OF 3000 PURCHASE ORDERS A YEAR. JUST AS AN ENCUMBRANCE, AND FINANCIAL TRACKING MECHANISM FOR THOSE REWARDS. SO, THIS IS KIND OF A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT IT'S LOOKS LIKE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. 
          IT'S DEFINITELY TRENDING IN THE HIGHER END. WE'VE GONE FROM YOU KNOW, WHEN I STARTED IN PROCUREMENT, I THINK WE HAD ABOUT A HALF $1 BILLION BUDGET. WE ARE NOW AT A HALF $1 BILLION BUDGET. SO, IT'S JUST KIND OF A TRADE DOLLAR VALUE CORRELATION TO THE NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO BETWEEN PROCUREMENTS, AND CONTRACTS OVER THE YEARS. OUR INITIATIVES. WE ARE TRYING TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS FOR SUPPLIER TRAINING, AND OUTREACH. I'VE BEEN IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES AROUND THE STATE, AND REGION FOR DEVELOPING A PROGRAM FOR REVERSE TRADESHOWS. THAT GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPPLIERS, VENDORS, CONTRACTORS, AND FOLKS INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS WITH AGENCIES. THAT THEY CAN COME IN, AND LEARN ABOUT OUR PROCESS, AND LEARN ABOUT OUR REQUIREMENTS. IT JUST KIND OF HELPS WHEN YOU PUT A LOT OF THE AGENCIES TOGETHER. MAKE IT A ONE STOP SHOP LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM. WE ARE IN A HUGE LIFT FOR TRANSITIONING FOR ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT. AND THAT IS TIED HEAVILY TO THE ERP. WE'VE BEEN IN THE TRENCHES WITH TOM FOR THAT SINCE WAY BEFORE WE EVEN SELECTED AN ERP, BECAUSE WE SOLICITED IT A CONSULTANT FOR A SOLUTION. BUT, THIS IS A MAJOR CHANGE FOR US, BECAUSE WE ARE SHIFTING TO AN ENTIRELY ELECTRONIC PROCESS. WITH WORKDAY. AND WE WILL MOVE AWAY FROM -- WE WILL GET FOUR COPIES OF PROPOSAL THAT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED, AND IT'S ALL GOING TO BE A SYSTEM ACCOMPLISHED. SO, THAT'S A BIG LIFT BETWEEN PROCESSES, POLICIES, TEMPLATES, STRUCTURES, INSTRUCTIONS. EVERYTHING HAS TO BE MODIFIED, AND UPDATED FOR THAT PURPOSE. SO, THAT'S A BIG INITIATIVE FOR US RIGHT NOW. LEADING INTO THAT JANUARY 1 ROLLOUTS. JUST ENHANCED OUTREACH. WE ARE TALKING INTERNALLY, AND AGAIN KIND OF WITH COLLEAGUES AROUND THE STATE. A BEST WAY TO KIND OF JUST CREATE A MORE INTERACTIVE PROCESS WITH FOLKS THAT WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH US. AND HOW THEY CAN GO WITH -- ABOUT IT. 
          THE DUES, AND THE DON'TS TO PREVENT ISSUES, AND DIFFICULTIES WITH DOING BUSINESS WITH US. AS FAR AS OUR BUDGET GOES, IT'S LARGELY FLAT. THERE'S A COUPLE OF SMALL MODIFICATIONS RELATED TO OUR COPIER LEASE. LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THEN A REQUEST OF A SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR. THE SAME POSITION I REQUESTED LAST YEAR, AND DIDN'T GET IN AND 125. AGAIN, THE PURPOSE OF THE REQUEST IS BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR TRANSACTIONS HAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF ADMINISTRATIVE WORK TIME TO IT. AND RIGHT NOW, WE GOT TECHNICAL, PROFESSIONAL 
          [01:05:04]
POSITIONS BUMPED DOWN IN A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS. THAT PREVENTS THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO FOCUS HEAVILY ON THE TASK RELATED TO INITIATIVES, AND OBJECTIVES. HAVING DEMONSTRATED PERSON WILL ALLOW US TO BE PURPOSE OR BETTER PURPOSE THEIR EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES AND ASPECTS OF THE JOB. 
          >> DID I SAY NO TO THAT? >> I THINK IT WAS A COLLECTIVE. 
          IN YOUR DEFENSE, I WAS AGREEABLE -- THE CONVERSATION. SO, YEAH. 
          IT'S STILL A NEED WE HAVE. >> YOU HAVE A YEAR TO SEE THE IMPACT, AND IN NEED OF THAT. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT 
          IT. >> AGAIN, WE ARE A DEPARTMENT OF 12, AND WE SERVED 20 DEPARTMENTS IN VARIOUS DIVISIONS, AND FUND THOSE DEPARTMENTS. EVERY PROCESS -- I MEAN, IN INVITATION FOR BIDS IS A SIX-MONTH PROCESS WITH INNUMERABLE TRANSACTIONAL PROCESSES, AND THINGS. AND WE'VE GOT OUR PROCUREMENT COORDINATORS WHO HAVE TO BALANCE THE HEAVY LIFT OF THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF THOSE PROCESSES, AND PROJECTS WITH SENDING LETTERS, AND SCANNING FILES, AND CONVERTING THINGS INTO OUR VARIOUS SEGREGATED SYSTEMS RIGHT NOW. A LOT OF THAT WILL BE CONSOLIDATED WITH THE ERP SYSTEM, BECAUSE AGAIN, EVERYTHING WILL BE DRIVEN THROUGH ONE SYSTEM NOW AS OPPOSED TO SEVEN. WHICH WE ARE IN NOW CURRENTLY. BUT, THERE ARE A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE STEPS THAT OUR PROCUREMENT COORDINATORS HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO ACCOMPLISH ONE AWARD, ONE CONTRACT. ONE REQUISITION WAR P.O. THAT COULD BE SHIFTED TO AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSON TO TAKE CARE OF THINGS. THEN THEY CAN LOOK AT THE NEXT HEAVIER BURDEN ITEM THAT THEY NEED TO WORK ON. 
          >> IS IT A LOWER PAY STAFF? SO, YOU ARE PAYING A TECHNICAL STAFF TO DO THE LOWER LEVEL WORK? NOW, WITH ERP IMPLEMENTATION AND ELIMINATE OR ALLEVIATE THE NEED FOR THAT? 
          >> IT WOULD SHIFT IT. AS OPPOSED TO A LOT OF OUR HEAVILY PAPER-BASED PROCESSES, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME RIGHT NOW SKINNING RECORDS, AND MAKING RECORDS ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PURPOSES OF PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS, AND JUST COMPLYING WITH THE RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE. THE SHIFT TO THE ERP DOES ASSIST THAT. BUT, THERE ARE STILL TASKS, AND REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE TIED TO THAT IN RESPONDING TO PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND JUST MAINTAINING DOCUMENTS, AND THINGS. IT ISN'T ANOTHER THING ON A PROCUREMENTS COORDINATOR THAT ALREADY HAS 100 THINGS TO DO TIED TO SOLICITATIONS, AND CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT, ALSO REMEMBERING THE COUPLE OF DOZEN ADMINISTRATIVE THINGS THAT HAVE TO GO ALONG WITH THAT TO KIND OF CONSOLIDATE THE FILE, AND PREMIER THE FILE TO MAKE SURE WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. 
          >> ARE YOU FULLY STAFFED? >> NO. I'M ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING AN OFFER TO TWO PEOPLE THAT WILL MAKE ME 
          FULLY STAFFED. >> OKAY, GOOD. I KNOW YOU HAD 
          RECRUITMENT CALENDARS. >> I'M HOPING I GET A BREAK FROM RECRUITING FOR A WHILE ONCE THESE TWO OPERAS ARE OUT. I'M 
          HOPING THEY WORK OUT. >> IF WE GET ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, WE WILL HAVE TO RECRUIT AGAIN. 
          >> AT THIS POINT, IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE. 
          >> SO, WOULD THAT HELP WITH YOUR PROCUREMENT COORDINATORS? FOR ONE, RECRUITMENT. BUT, OVERALL, SATISFACTION IN THEIR JOB? 
          >> OH, 100%. >> HOW STRONG DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS POSITION? I CAN'T COLLABORATIVELY SAY NO. 
          >> I MEAN, THE NEED FOR IT IS DEFINITELY THERE. THE IMPACT OF HAVING IT VERSUS NOT HAVING IT IS SUBSTANTIAL. THERE IS A LOT THAT CAN BE REPURPOSED, AND RELIEVED FROM OUR PROCUREMENT COORDINATORS THAT IS THAT REPETITIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE, KIND OF PILLAR STUFF THAT IT CREATES A BURDEN ON ACCOMPLISHING -- WE WILL SAY, MORE IMPORTANT TASKS? YEAH. IF YOU ACCOMPLISH THE BIG THING, WE GET THE CONTRACT SIGNED. BUT, THEN THERE'S STILL 15, 16, OR 17 ADMINISTERED OF STEPS THAT WE NEED TO DO BETWEEN COMPLETING WORKFLOW, AND SENDING A LETTER, AND PUTTING STUFF IN A FILE, AND ENSURING STUFF IS GOING IN THE SYSTEM IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE GOING INTO. AND WE ARE NOT BOGGING DOWN THE T 
          [01:10:01]
DRIVE. ALL OF THOSE LITTLE THINGS CAN BE SHIFTED. AND THOSE THINGS ARE INCREASED IN THE AREA THAT THINGS CAN BE MORE EASILY, AND READILY MISSED. WHEN YOU HAVE SO MUCH IN BETWEEN THINGS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN ALONGSIDE THE BIGGER THINGS. AND OUR BIGGEST FOCUS IS IMPROVING OUR COMPLIANCE, AND IMPROVING OUR ACCURACY. IMPROVING OUR STRATEGIC APPROACH TO SOLICITING, AND CONTRACTING FOR THESE MAJOR PROJECTS, AND INITIATIVES THAT COME THROUGH. AND THAT'LL ALLOW US TO FOCUS MORE HEAVILY ON THAT AS OPPOSED TO WELL, WE HAD ALL THESE ADMINISTERED OF THINGS WE HAD ALL DO. OTHERWISE, IT JUST PILES UP. AND YOU'RE NOT FULFILLING THE FULL OBLIGATION OF THE 
          REQUIREMENT. >> OKAY. SO, YOU WANT IT? 
          >> YES. >> SO, HOW'S THE NEW SPACE 
          WORKING OUT? >> SO, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS WITH THE ADDITION OF BRIAN AS PURCHASING MANAGER. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REPOSITIONING THE TEAM. SO, WE GOT A FULL TEAM IN ONE SPACE, AND A FULL TEAM AND THE OTHER SPACE. I MEAN, IT'S HELPFUL, BECAUSE IT'S AVAILABLE SPACE, BUT IT'S ALSO NOT IDEAL. 
          BECAUSE THE SPACES ARE SEPARATED. BUT, IT'S NOT LIFE ALTERING. IT DOES HELP THAT WE ARE MORE PUBLIC BASED. IT'S JUST AVAILABILITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY OF FOLKS COMING INTO THE BUILDING WITH QUESTIONS, DOCUMENTS, PROPOSALS. 
          CONTRACTS. BONDS. THAT HASN'T REALLY HELPED AS FAR AS NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH SECURITY GUARD, +4 DOORS. THEN AN EMPTY LOBBY. AND THEY NEED TO TALK TO US. SO, THAT'S BEEN HELPFUL. 
          >> WHAT DO WE SAY ABOUT THE NEW PURCHASE CENTER? IS THAT 
          PURCHASING? >> YES. 
          >> DO YOU LIKE THAT IDEA? >> SO, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT US GOING INTO THE CURRENT? THE CURRENT PERMIT? NOT THE NEW 
          BUILDING? >> YES. 
          >> I LOVE THE SPACE. I THINK IT WOULD WORK WONDERFUL. 
          >> YEAH. AND YOU'LL BE TOGETHER. 
          >> IT'LL PROVIDE A SIMILAR ACCESS WERE PEOPLE CAN GET TO 
          YOU. >> THEY'VE GOT THAT FRONT KIOSK WITH AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSON. WE CAN HAVE SOMEONE KIND OF FORWARD FACING IN THAT AREA AS WELL. IT HAS IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO A VERY LARGE CONFERENCE ROOM TO HANDLE ALL OF OUR MEETINGS THAT CANNOT BE SEGMENTED INTO SMALLER SPOTS WERE JUST COLLABORATION, WORKING GROUPS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, IT'S A GREAT SPACE 
          FOR US. >> WELL, YOU ARE IN THIS OFFICE A LOT. HOW DO WE SOLVE THE EMERGENCY REAL FAST? 
          >> THAT IS LIKE HALF A MILE. >> YEAH. I MEAN, THAT WON'T CHANGE. ACCESSIBILITY TO ME, IF I NEED TO COME OVER HERE. IF IT NEEDS TO BE ONGOING THROUGH THE DAY OR WHATEVER. AND THAT WILL 
          CHANGE. >> AS LONG AS YOU PROMISE THAT. 
          >> I DO. I PROMISE THAT. >> OFTEN TIMES, YOU'RE THE LAST ONE IN THE GARAGE. SO, I KNOW THE AMOUNT OF WORK YOU DO. THANK 
          YOU. >> I'D HATE TO BURST AMY'S BUBBLE IN THIS NEW POSITION, BUT UNDER THE ROLLBACK SCENARIO. THE PURCHASING BUDGET HAS REQUESTED PRIMARILY, DUE TO THE NEW POSITION REQUEST WOULD NEED TO CUT ABOUT TWO $64,000. SO, IS 
          THAT REALLY THE SELECTION? >> IT WOULD BE ABOUT THE SAME 
          IMPACT I HAD LAST YEAR. >> DID YOU SEE INCREASE IN CONTRACTS FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR? 
          >> IT FLUCTUATES. WE ARE TRENDING RIGHT NOW TO BE A LITTLE SIMILAR, IF NOT A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. BUT, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY 1-1. WE MAY HAVE FEWER OVERARCHING OR MASTER CONTRACTS. BUT, WE HAVE MORE SUBORDINATE PROJECTS WHERE WE ARE DOING MORE UNDER TASK ORDER WORK IN ASSISTING CONTRACTS. SO, IT KIND OF ADDS, INFLOWS THAT WAY. AS FAR AS HOW MUCH WE ARE ABLE TO BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE. I WILL SAY THAT THE ADJUSTMENT IN THE FLORIDA STATUTES FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MADE A DIFFERENCE. IT ALMOST DOUBLES THE LEVERAGE FOR THOSE CONTRACTS TO BE DONE WITH THOSE PROJECTS TO BE DONE UNDER CONTINUING PROJECTS. CONTRACTS. FOR EVERY PROJECT I WAS GOING TO BE MORE THAN 4 MILLION, BECAUSE NOW THE THRESHOLD IS 7 1/2, AND IT INCREASES EVERY YEAR. AND THAT 
          DOES HELP. >> OKAY. 
          >> BUT, I MEAN, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS DO CHANGE. WE WOULD HAVE TO DO IN OUR QUEUE FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL PROJECT. OR, WE CAN UTILIZE THE CONTRACTS WE'VE ALREADY LEVERAGE TO UTILIZE 
          THOSE THINGS. >> I SEE A LOT OF YOUR AGENDAS 
          EVERY OTHER TUESDAY. >> COREY SOMETIMES TOO. 
          >> CORY IS ALWAYS GETTING MENTIONED. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? 
          [01:15:03]
          >> NO, THAT'S REALLY IT. A LARGELY STAYS FLAT. 
          >> WELL, GREAT JOB. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT. AND I KNOW HOW YOU ARE. ALWAYS THE ONE TO HAVE A CLOSE EYE ON EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. SO, I APPRECIATE YOU. 
          >> ALL RIGHT. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          [Economic Development]
          >> ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED AGAIN. 
          >> ALL RIGHT, WE CAN START NOW. I'M HERE. 
          >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. I'M TARA. 
          THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND THIS IS MY FIRST GO ROUND FOR THESE BUDGET SESSIONS. SO, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE. AND I'M HOPING YOU ALL WILL ALLOW ME A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS. IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH. JUST BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WHAT WE ARE DOING, AND HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH. SO, AN OVERVIEW WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT DOES, AND WHAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR. WE ARE DEDICATED TO FOSTERING THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ECONOMY THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, AND TARGET INITIATIVES. THE DEFENDANT FOCUSES ON ATTRACTING NEW BUSINESSES. EXPANSION OF ENTERPRISES, AND ENHANCING THE LOCAL WORKSPACE. SO, THAT'S SORT OF OUR THREE-LEGGED STOOL. 
          ASSISTING BUSINESSES. WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO MAKE THEM SUCCESSFUL. LOOKING AT NEW BUSINESSES THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR OUR COUNTY THAT WE CANNOT SUPPORT, AND CAN SUPPORT US IN OUR COUNTY ROLES. AND THAT ENHANCING THE LOCAL WORKFORCE. 
          SO, THAT OUR BUSINESSES ALL HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. 
          A CORNERSTONE OF OUR APPROACHES COLLABORATION, AND PARTNERSHIPS. 
          WE CAN'T DO IT BY OURSELVES. SO, WE RELY HEAVILY ON OUR PARTNERSHIPS THAT INCLUDES JUST A FEW ST. JOHNS COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. FIRST COAST TECHNICAL COLLEGE. THE U.S. 
          ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. JAX USA. FPL. JDA. AND THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WE WORK WITH ON A DAILY BASIS. THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SHAPING THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF OUR COUNTY. AND ENSURING LONG-TERM PROSPERITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ITS COMMUNITY. SO, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT IS REALLY ENGAGED IN LONG-TERM INITIATIVES, AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES. THESE KINDS OF REALLY IMPACTFUL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES DON'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. IN FACT, THEY TAKE QUITE A LONG TIME TO COME TO FRUITION. SO, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR US TO BE WORKING ON THE SAME PROJECT FOR THREE TO FIVE YEARS BEFORE YOU GET TO DO THAT RIBBON-CUTTING. OR, GROUNDBREAKING. BUT, THE REALLY LONG TIME IMPACTFUL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS A LONG-TERM STRATEGY. SO, THIS YEAR THE BOCS HE ADOPTED ST. JOHNS COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN. AND THIS PLAN HELPS THE COUNTY PRIORITIZE, AND INVEST IN ITS RESOURCES. AND PROVID GUIDANCE TO THE ST. JOHN'S PORT -- BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSION. AND HOW TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS, AND ASPIRATIONS. ONE OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES IS ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. THERE ARE SIX PRIORITIES. ECONOMIC PROSPERITY IS ONE OF THEM. AND THERE ARE SIX OBJECTIVES UNDER ECONOMIC PROSPERITY THAT REALLY GUIDE, AND FOCUS THE ACTIONS REALLY NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THE VISION. THE OBJECTIVES ARE HERE ON THIS SLIDE AS FOLLOWS. 
          ENHANCING THE CORRECT APPROACH OF IDENTIFYING, AND ATTRACTING INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL BUSINESS IS SUITABLE FOR ST. JOHNS COUNTY, AND TO DIVERSIFY THE COMMERCIAL TAX SPACE. INVEST IN ECONOMIC INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, AND TARGET INDUSTRIES TO EXPAND THE LOCAL ECONOMY, AND CREATE JOBS. CULTIVATE A STRONG WORKFORCE 
          [01:20:04]
PIPELINE THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYERS. BOOST LOCAL BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS, AND SUSTAINABILITY BY PARTNERING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT NETWORKS FOR ACCESS TO RESOURCES, TRAINING, AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT. 
          PROVIDE RESOURCES, AND SOLUTIONS TO AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES IT PARTNERSHIPS AIMED AT ENHANCING THEIR SUSTAINABILITY. AND CULTIVATE AN INNOVATIVE, AND CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM THAT -- ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. 
          >> SO, IN THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES I'M GOING TO DO A PRETTY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF PROJECTS, AND PROGRAMS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON SINCE I CAME ON BOARD IN SEPTEMBER. EACH ONE OF THESE, AS I SO, YOU CAN SEE THEM NOTED THERE NEXT ALL THE BULLET POINTS. WHICH OBJECTIVES THE SATISFY. SO, THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. OUR TEAM HAS BEEN LEADING THAT TO FIND A TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTION FOR WTD HALL OF FAME BUILDING. AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH PURCHASING PRACTICE SOLICITATIONS THAT'S INTERESTING IN WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO REDEVELOP THE PROPERTY IN A MANNER THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE COMMUNITY METS, AND NEEDS. THE NEXT BULLET THERE IS RATHER NEW FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND IT IS THE CONVENTION CENTER ASSIGNMENT. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO FACILITATE THE PURCHASE OF THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL. IN WHICH WE HAVE A PARTICULAR INTEREST, BECAUSE IT'S CONNECTED TO THE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER. AND IT PLAYS A ROLE IN THE LARGER ROLE, THE GULF VILLAGE REDEVELOPMENT EFFORT. THE NEXT BULLET THERE IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT , AND ADMINISTRATION GRANTS. THEY CONTRIBUTED $9.5 BILLION FROM ITS ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM . TO THE DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION OF $11.3 MILLION 20,000 SQUARE-FOOT WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER OUT THERE IN THE HASTING CRAP CAMPUS. IT WILL BE FOCUSED ON DIESEL ENGINE, AND SOLAR TECHNOLOGY. AND WE ALREADY HAVE 10 COMPANIES THAT ARE COMMITTED TO HIRING GRADUATES FROM THOSE PROGRAMS. 10 LOCAL ST. JOHNS COUNTY COMPANIES. ANOTHER MAJOR PROJECT WE HAVE MOVING FORWARD RIGHT NOW IS THE COUNTYWIDE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENTS. THIS WILL BE A FIVE TO SIX MONTHS PROCESS. AND ENGAGE IN A THREE-PHASE PROCESS TO IDENTIFY PRIORITY SITES THAT ALIGN WITH THE NEEDS OF OUR TARGETED INDUSTRIES. AND WITH THE GOALS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND OF COURSE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE ALREADY FACING. SO, WE CAN IDENTIFY SOME SITES THAT WOULD BE REALLY ATTRACTIVE TO SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT WE ARE HOPING TO ATTRACT. AND ALSO, WOULD CAUSE EFFORTS, AND IMPACTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON A STANDALONE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE. THIS WILL BE A FLAGSHIP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE FOR OUR COUNTY. IT'S A PART OF OUR AGREEMENT WITH THE I.D.A. SO, WE ARE FULFILLING ONE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES WITH THEM. IT'LL BE USER FRIENDLY, RESPONSIVE, AND IT HAS AN ACCESSIBLE DESIGN. IT SHARES COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS RESOURCES. ECONOMIC DEMOGRAPHIC DATA. AND AVAILABLE COMMERCIAL SITES. SO, COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT FEATURES WILL ALSO BE HIGHLIGHTED. AND THERE WILL BE CALLS TO ACTION TO ENCOURAGE INTERACTION. THE RP FOR THIS CLOSES ON THE 12TH OF THIS MONTH. SO, WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT MOVING. SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WERE LOOKING ON, WE HAVE BUSINESS RETENTION, AND EXPANSION PROGRAM THAT WE JUST LAUNCHED. WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON ALL THE BUSINESS SECTORS HERE. 
          THE REE PROGRAMS AS WE LIKE TO CALL THEM IN THE PROGRAM -- INDUSTRY IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PROGRAM, BECAUSE IT FOCUSES ON INDUSTRIES THAT ARE GROWING OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. THEY ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR ECONOMY, NO DOUBT. AND WHEN WE ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES, THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WELL. AND THAT GETS A LOT OF ATTENTION. THE RIBBON CUTTING. WE JUST GOT AMAZON 2.0 IN OUR COMMITTEE, BUT IT REALLY IS THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE , THAT ARE WORKING REALLY HARD, SLOW, AND UNDER THE RADAR THAT CONTRIBUTE THE MOST JOBS OUR COMMUNITY. SO, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE PAY ATTENTION TO THEM. FOCUS ON THEM. IDENTIFY ANY POTENTIAL OBSTACLES THAT THEY HAVE TO BEING SUCCESSFUL. 
          CONNECT THEM WITH RESOURCES, SO THEY CAN GROW, AND EXPAND. AND REALLY SERVE THE COMMUNITY, AND THE CAPACITY WE WANT TO SEE. 
          ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO KICK OFF IS OUR 
          [01:25:01]
BUSINESS ATTRACTION PROGRAM. THIS WILL BE FOCUSING ON THE TARGETED INDUSTRIES THAT THE COUNTY HAS ADOPTED. THAT ARE IN HIGHWAY SECTORS. LOW IMPACT INDUSTRIES. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH JACK'S USA, AND OTHER PARTNERS TO IDENTIFY SOME OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A NUANCED PROGRAM. 
          THIS IS WHERE MYSELF, AND MY TEAM. WE GO OUT, AND WE TRIED TO GET THE BUSINESSES THAT WE WANT HERE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE BUSINESSES THAT WE WANT HERE. THOSE CLEAN, TECHNOLOGY, HIGH WAGE JOBS. EVERYBODY WANTS. SO, IT'S A VERY COMPETITIVE MARKET. 
          SO, IT'S IMPORTANT WE POSITION OURSELVES IN A MANNER THAT WE ARE ATTRACTIVE TO THEM. THAT MEANS SITES, TALENTS, WORKFORCE, AND PIPELINE. SO, THE BUSINESSES ARE GOING TO COME. WE HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITY HAPPENING WITHIN OUR COUNTY. IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING AT ALL, WE WILL JUST GET WHATEVER COMES HERE. BUT, IF WE REALLY HAVE A STRONG STRATEGY, AND WE CAN REALLY PINPOINT WHAT WE WANT, AND WE CAN GO AFTER THESE BUSINESSES. THEN WE WILL BE AT A MUCH HIGHER CHANCE TO ATTRACT THOSE BUSINESSES WE WANT. AND THEN THE OTHER PROGRAM WE HAVE HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2014. IT'S OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM. 
          THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE PROGRAMS FOR THAT. THERE'S A NEW INDUSTRY, EXISTING INDUSTRY, AND SPECULATIVE DEVELOPMENTS. 
          THESE ARE REALLY REBATE PROGRAMS. SO, THE COUNTY DOESN'T OUTLINE MONEY UP FRONT. THE COMPANIES ARE THE APPLICANTS COMMIT TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMITTEE. THEY COMMIT TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF JOB CREATION IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND IF THEY FALL WITHIN THOSE GUIDELINES, AND THEY MEET THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO THE COUNTY, THEY CAN QUALIFY FOR A REBATE OF THEIR TAXES. NOT ALL OF IT. JUST SOME OF IT. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A SNAPSHOT OF OUR CURRENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REBATES THAT WILL BE ON THE DOCKET FOR FISCAL YEAR '26. IT WILL BE A TOTAL -- IF EVERYONE QUALIFIES FOR EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR, A LITTLE UNDER $1.2 MILLION. YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ONGOING PROJECTS. WE'VE GOT THE MOST RECENT ONE THAT OUR BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVED FOR ADVENT HEALTH. THAT WANT ROLL-ON UNTIL 2027. BUT, IT'S APPROVED. THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER PENDING PROJECT THAT'S LIKELY TO COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. VERMEER SOUTHEAST. THIS WAS EQUIPPED A YEAR AGO FOR CONVENTION. HOWEVER, THE PROJECT HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT. SO, WE WILL BE BRINGING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION FOR CONSIDERATION. SO, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR BUDGET REQUESTS. EXISTING LEVEL OF SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS. THESE ARE JUST FOR THE CURRENT PROJECTED EV REBATES. WE HAVE 200,014 FOR PARTNERSHIP WITH CONTRACTS. THESE ARE CONTRACTS WITH JACK'S USA, CHAMBER. WE HAVE 177 348 FOR ECONOMIC IMPACT EFFORTS. SO, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FISCAL YEAR 2025 -- I GUESS OUR FISCAL YEAR '26, WE ARE LITTLE BIT LOWER. SOME OF THAT IS DUE TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REBATE INCENTIVES. WE HAVE HAD A FEW COMPANIES THAT HAVE ROLLED OFF. ONE OF THE BIG ONES IS . SO, THE LAST PAYOUT YEAR WAS THIS YEAR. SO, NEXT YEAR THEY WILL WRITE OFF OF OUR INCENTIVE LIST. BUT, WE ARE ROUGHLY $1 MILLION LESS THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR 2026 THEN WE WERE FOR '25. I SHOULD KNOW, THE EPA GRANT IS IN -- ISN'T REFLECTED IN THE CHART ABOVE. WE REALLY AREN'T JUST A PASTOR FOR THAT. IT'S THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD THAT WILL BE THE RECIPIENT OF THAT MONEY. IT'S A REIMBURSABLE GRANT. SO, IT'LL GO THROUGH US, THROUGH MY DEPARTMENT. AND THEN THROUGH FINANCE FOR REIMBURSEMENT 
          REQUESTS. >> JUST A NOTE ON THAT. FOR PEOPLE LOOKING AT THE BUDGET. WHATEVER BALANCE OF THAT GRANT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE WILL CARRY THAT FUNDING FORWARD. ANY UNUSED BALANCE GOING FORWARD IN 2026. BUT, IT'S NOT IN THE '26 BUDGET RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT BALANCE IS IN THE FINAL ADOPTED BUDGET. ANY OF THOSE BRAND CARRYFORWARDS, AND CAPITAL CARRYFORWARDS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THAT FINAL 
          BUDGET. >> THIS IS A BOARD APPROVED. CAN YOU GIVE A HIGH LEVEL OF WHAT THAT ULTIMATE PURPOSES? 
          [01:30:02]
          >> ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION IS A FEDERAL ORGANIZATION. THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY, OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS TEAM, AND THE ST. JOHNS SCHOOL BOARD WENT AFTER AN ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT THROUGH THE EDA. THIS IS GOING TO FUND THE F CTC BUILDING OUT THERE AT THE HASTINGS CAMPUS. NOT THE EXISTING HIGH SCHOOL. THERE'S OTHER FUNDING DEDICATED TO THAT, BUT THIS IS FOR A NEW BUILDING THAT WILL HOUSE THE TWO NEW PROGRAMS. ONE IS A DIESEL MECHANIC. AND THE OTHER IS SOLAR RELATED. AND AGAIN, IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS GRANT, IT'S A COMPETITIVE GRANT PROCESS. YOU HAVE TO HAVE COMPANIES THAT WERE WILLING TO SIGN ON, AND SAY WE AGREED A HIGHER GRADUATE FROM THESE PROGRAMS TO LIVING WAGE JOBS IN OUR COMMITTEES. SO, IT'S REALLY A WIN-WIN. THE SCHOOL BOARD IS PUTTING FORTH THE REMAINDER OF THE FUNDING FOR THIS PORTION OF THE PROJECT. THE TOTAL PROJECT IS A LITTLE OVER $11 MILLION. IS THAT GOOD? SO, FOR 2026 I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR NEXT LITTLE SERVICE, AND WHAT WE ENVISION MOVING FORWARD. WE ARE HOPING TO ENGAGE IN AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SHIP ECOSYSTEM NAPPING. THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL. AND STIMULATING OUR ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING IS BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO BUILD UP. WHAT WE NEED TO RESOURCE A LITTLE BIT BETTER. HOW WE NEED TO CONNECT FOLKS TO RESOURCES IN A MORE FRIENDLY WAY. RALLY ANALYZING, AND VISUALIZING ALL THE KEY ELEMENTS, AND THE STAKEHOLDERS. AND ALL THE DYNAMICS OF THE ECOSYSTEM. AND WE WILL ENGAGE SPECIFIC PARTNERS, AND STAKEHOLDERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS. IT'S BASICALLY TO FIND OUT WHERE EVERYTHING IS, AND WHERE IT ALL LIVES, SO WE ARE NOT DUPLICATING SERVICES. SO, THE CHAMBER, AND COUNTY ARE OFFERING THE SAME THINGS TO SMALL BUSINESSES, AND ENTREPRENEURS. SO, WE ARE LEVERAGING ONE ANOTHER TO BE EFFICIENT IN OUR RESOURCES. THE INVESTMENT PROGRAM WILL COME FROM THE RESULTS OF THE REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. WHAT WE ARE HOPING TO DO IS GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS, AND WE'VE HAD INPUT FROM POLICYMAKERS. 
          FROM LEADERSHIP. ABOUT ALL THE PROPERTIES THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS FOR OUR TARGETED INDUSTRIES IS REALLY PUT DOWN, AND CREATE A MARKETING PLAN FOR THOSE PARTICULAR PROPERTIES. AND HOPING WE WILL MAYBE HAVE THREE TO FIVE PROPERTIES THAT WILL BE READY TO GO. THEY WILL BE ANALYZED ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS, AND OF COURSE AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THEY WILL BE SOCIALIZED AMONG OUR POLICYMAKERS, AND OUR COMMUNITY. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THE INTEREST IS TO HAVE ENTERPRISES SUCH AS THESE LOCATE THERE. SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WE WILL BE WORKING ON IS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT CONSOLE. AFTER WE DO THE MAPPING, AND ALONG WITH SOME OF THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE DO THE MAPPING WITH, WE WILL HAVE A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING TO TRY TO CONNECT ENTREPRENEURS WITH THE PARTICULAR RESOURCES THAT WILL OFFER OPINIONS, AND IDEAS ABOUT WHAT POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES WILL BE MORE HELPFUL TO STIMULATE THAT ECONOMIC GROWTH. AND REALLY BE A SOUNDING FOR OUR ENTREPRENEURS IN THE COMMITTEE. IT REALLY IS ABOUT IDENTIFYING WHAT KIND OF COMPANIES WE REALLY WANT. AND GOING AFTER THOSE PARTICULAR COMPANIES. THAT'S A LOT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND. 
          RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. UNDERSTANDING THEIR NEEDS. THEM UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AS A COMMUNITY, AND TRYING TO FIND WHICH OF THOSE BUSINESSES WE ALIGN WITH THE BEST. AND THEN FINALLY, I'M HOPING IN '26 TO BUILD OUT A SMALL LOCAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. I DID NOT REQUEST FUNDING FOR THAT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. I DID NOT TAKE TIME TO BUILD THAT OUT. 
          HOPEFULLY, THERE WILL BE FUNDING IN FISCAL YEAR '27. THIS GOAL WILL INCLUDE THINGS LIKE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. AGAIN, LEVERAGING OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE SVDC, AND OTHERS. IN FINDING OUT WHAT THE GAPS ARE, AND IDENTIFYING HOW WE CAN BUILD THAT PROGRAMMING SYSTEM, AND SUPPORT THEM A LITTLE BETTER. 
          SO, THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL, AND CONTINUE TO THRIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, FINALLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 2026. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF WHAT IS REALLY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO US AS STAFF, AND THE APPROPRIATE 
          [01:35:04]
STAFF. WITH THE APPROPRIATE SKILLS, AND EXPERTISE. WE ARE A MIGHTY DEPARTMENT OF THREE. HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE ONE POSITION CURRENTLY. WE DO HAVE TO HAVE THAT EXPERTISE, AND SPECIALIZATION IN OUR STAFF. PEOPLE WHO COME WITH US ON THIS JOURNEY. THEY REALLY NEED TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF PUBLIC POLICY, OF COURSE. THEY NEED TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF BUSINESS PRINCIPLES. THEY NEED TO HAVE SOME SORT OF UNDERSTANDING OF PLANNING, AND ZONING. A LOT OF INTEREST -- WE ALSO DO A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. AGAIN, THAT'S A LOT OF TIME CONSUMING. IT'S FACE-TO-FACE. IT'S MEETING OF THE COMMUNITY OUT IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY ARE. ON NIGHTS, AND WEEKENDS. GOING TO EVENTS. REALLY HOPING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY NEED, AND WHAT THEY WANT. AND BEING ABLE TO SHARE WITH THEM WHATEVER GOALS ARE, AND HOW WE PLAN TO GET THERE. AS AN APPROPRIATELY STAFFED OFFICE, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE WE HAVE TIGHT DEADLINES. IF THERE IS AN RFI. 
          THERE IS USUALLY A QUICK TURNAROUND. THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT WILL SEND IT OUT TO US, AND SO WE HAVE THIS COMPANY. THIS WILL BE FOR LOCATION. IT HAS X AMOUNT OF JOBS. DO YOU HAVE A PROPERTY OR LOCATION THAT CAN POTENTIALLY FIT THAT? THEN THERE IS A VERY LONG REQUEST FOR INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE TO COMPLETE . SO, RESPONSIVENESS, AND EFFICIENCY IS REALLY IMPORTANT. ESPECIALLY, WITH EXISTING COMPANIES THAT HAVE AN IMPENDING ISSUE OR PROBLEM. SO, THAT WE CAN CONNECT WITH THEM. WE'VE DONE THAT QUITE A BIT ALREADY THIS YEAR. IT'S NOT ALWAYS US THAT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. A LOT OF TIMES WE CONNECT WITH DEPARTMENTS INSIDE THE COUNTY OR EVEN OUTSIDE ENTITIES. BUT, BEING THE PLACE WHERE EVERYONE CAN GO TO FIND WHAT THEY NEED IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND WE TRY TO BE THAT BASE FOR THE COUNTY. STRATEGIC EXECUTION. WHICH HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS THAT I'VE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE ARE LONG-TERM EFFORTS. AND YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE FOLLOWING THROUGH ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO EXECUTE CONSISTENTLY ON THESE KINDS OF EFFORTS. AND OF COURSE, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTY. BUT, ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THE VALUE OF OUR POSITION IN THE COMMUNITY. WHAT THEY DO FOR US, AND BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
          >> WE ARE WORKING ON A COUNTYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN. THE SITE SELECTION PIECE. YOU CAN'T REALLY HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT -- SO, WE WILL BE PHONING THAT IN AS WE ARE ABLE. BUT, IT WILL ALIGN COUNTYWIDE. WE ARE THE ONLY DEPARTMENT THAT HAS A WHOLE PRIORITY, AND STRATEGIC PLAN ASSIGNED TO US. SO, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE IN TWO ELEMENTS. 
          PRETTY MUCH JUST US. >> AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO NOT IMPACT. 
          >> IT DOESN'T SHOW ON THE BUDGET? BUT, WE ARE REQUESTING SOME EXPENSE THIS YEAR, BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE ORDINANCE. AND WHEN THE ORDINANCE GETS UPDATED. 
          >> OKAY. OKAY. 
          [Public Works and Solid Waste]
          >> WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU. 
          [01:40:04]
          >> I'M JUST A SPECTATOR IN THIS. 
          >> WHO IS OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER. TO HELP US CONVEY A MESSAGE ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS. SO, TODAY WERE GOING TO GO OVER AND INTRODUCTION OF OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM. LOOK AT SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES IN '26. OVER OUR CURRENT BUDGET. BUT, ALSO TALKING ABOUT COUNSEL IMPROVEMENTS. SO, I'M VERY VALUED TO BE HERE WITH PUBLIC WORKS. RIGHT NOW, IN THE GREEN WORM, WE HAD THE LEADERSHIP TEAM. HE'S ON WEEK NUMBER TWO. 
          HERE? >> WE CAN HEAR YOU. 
          >> WE GOT FOUR SEATS. >> COME ON IN. 
          >> COME ON DOWN. >> OUR COUNTY ENGINEER. DOING EVERYTHING FOR US. 
          >> THE LAST PERSON COMING IN IS OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER. 
          >> WE ALWAYS WANT TO START ABOUT OUR PEOPLE. OUR GREATEST RESOURCE OF PEOPLE THAT DO NEED US. OUR JOB HERE IS TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO DO THEIR JOBS. THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE PEOPLE. THIS WAS OUR ANNUAL LUNCHEON FROM LAST YEAR. AND OUR PEOPLE ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN HASTINGS. THEY ACTUALLY DO THIS ON SATURDAYS. THEY LIKE BEING A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. IT JUST SHOWS A PART OF WHO WE ARE IN PUBLIC WORKS THAT I WOULD SAY IS THE COUNTY. AND WE GO OUT THERE, AND INTERACT WITH THE COMMITTEE. THAT'S ONE OF THE KEY THINGS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AS WELL TO MAKE SURE WE ARE ENGAGED. AND PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY CAN COME, AND TALK TO US. VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM. 
          >> YOU CAN COME OVER HERE A LITTLE BIT. 
          >> COME ON. 
          >> ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN '24, AND '25. 
          >> WE'RE A PART OF THE PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE SJC 101. WE INSTITUTED. AND OVERSIGHT. WE DO RECEIVE A LOT OF THAT WE NEED TO 
          [01:45:11]
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE USING APPROPRIATELY. AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT YOU LAST YEAR. 
          ALREADY GIVEN US DIVIDENDS. OVER $20 BILLION IN DF MANAGEMENT PROJECTS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. MAINTAINING OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE IS ONE KEY THING TO PUBLIC WORKS. WE ALSO TRANSFERRED. EXCEEDING $200 BILLION. CONSTRUCTION ON COUNTY ROAD 2209. 210 WEST. 210 EAST. AND WE HAVE MADE OTHER MAJOR INTERSECTIONS CURRENTLY EITHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION. 
          >> WE'VE ENHANCE TRANSPARENCY TO THE PUBLIC ACCESS DASHBOARD. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ROCKY PUT TOGETHER. IT WAS A VERY INNOVATIVE APPROACH. SO, IT'S ONE THING IF YOU'VE SEEN THE EVIDENCE OF PEOPLE HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING FOR PROVIDING FOR PUBLIC WORKS. WE GAVE AWAY 12,000 SANDBAGS LAST YEAR I BELIEVE IN JUNE OR JULY. IT WAS DIPLOMACY BY THE COMMUNITY. THE PEOPLE COME, AND GET THOSE BAGS. WE ARE PLANNING TO DO THAT AGAIN LAST YEAR. 
          >> I HOPE YOU ALSO RESPONDED TO THREE INSTALLMENTS NEXT YEAR. 
          AND THEN JUST SOME SPECIAL AWARDS. A SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT. 
          AND THEN THE TRAILBLAZER AWARD. ONE WAS HELD IN SAN DIEGO. THE OTHER ONE IN CLEVELAND. IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO GO TO THE ONE IN CLEVELAND. IF YOU WALK THROUGH SOME OF THESE CONFERENCES. THEY DO KNOW ROCKY. I GO OUT THERE. I WORK IN ST. JOHN'S COUNTY. THEY 
          SAID, YOU WORK FOR ROCKY? >> YES, I DO. 
          >> IT IS SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND I THINK OUR TEAM, AND ST. 
          JOHN'S COUNTY IS SO HIGHLY REGARDED THROUGHOUT THE NATION. 
          THAT IS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE. I THINK I WAS TELLING HER THE OTHER DAY, THE CITY OF ATLANTA HAS REACHED OUT TO ST. JOHN'S COUNTY TO SEE HOW WE RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES. I BELIEVE I HAVE A CALL WITH THEM COMING UP HERE SOON. JUST TO TALK ABOUT LEADERSHIP, AND HOW WHAT IRAQIS CREATED HELPED ME MAKE DECISIONS. THIS IS SOMETHING WE WORK WITH PUBLIC AFFAIRS. THIS IS OUR LITTER ABATEMENT INITIATIVE. IT WAS IDENTIFIED AS A BRIEF CAMPAIGN. WE HOPE IT KEEPS CONTINUING TO PROVIDE 
          DIVIDENDS. >> DO WE SEE THE RESULT? 
          >> WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THEM. LESS LITTERING PICKUP. BUT, IT'S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT, OR CONCERN WE GET. 
          BUT, I WOULD SAY THERE IS A HURRICANE SEASON. LITTER SEASON IS ALL YEAR LONG. IT'S 165 DAYS. 
          >> AND THEN LASSES THAT ADMINISTRATION. WE'VE HAD EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR. AND I'M EXTREMEL PROUD OF THAT, BECAUSE SANDY DOES SO MANY GREAT THINGS FOR ST. JOHN'S COUNTY, AND PUBLIC WORKS. HE WAS VERY DESERVING OF THAT AWARD. AND JUST ON THE LEFT IS A PROJECT WE'VE JUST COMPLETED. THIS IS A PERSPECTIVE OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED IN PUBLIC WORKS. AS WELL AS ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE. THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE WILL RECEIVE. ALMOST 90% OF THIS IS FUNDED THROUGH PIMA. THIS PROJECT WAS IMPACTED THROUGH HURRICANE MATTHEW. IT'S ABOUT $13 MILLION. THIS IS A CHALLENGING PROJECT, JUST BECAUSE IT IS A LARGE COASTLINE OF ARMY CORPS. 
          THERE ARE SO MANY COMPONENTS OF THIS. WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD TO PROVIDE THIS PROJECT. SOME OF THE THINGS WE WERE LOOKING AT IN 2026. SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD OF US. FIRST ONE IS ERP. 
          WE THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A BENEFIT TO ST. JOHN'S COUNTY. 
          AND WE HOPE THAT'S GOING TO STREAMLINE IT. BUT, WE DO HAVE MANY PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH SARAH TAYLOR, AND HER TEAM. PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN. EDUCATION MANAGEMENT ROUTE THE COUNTY IS ONE THING WE RECEIVED COMMENTS ABOUT ALMOST DAILY. HOW CAN WE IMPROVE. HOW CAN WE INCREASE THE LITTER PICKUP, AND THE OTHER CAMPAIGNS. WE HAVE AN EVENT THIS COMING SATURDAY. WE 
          [01:50:06]
HAD THE THROWDOWN. WE CONTINUOUSLY TRYING TO COME UP WITH EVENTS WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC. BUT, IT IS A LARGE AREA. 
          600 SQUARE MILES. SO, THERE'S A LOT THAT OCCURS DAILY. 
          MAINTENANCE IS ANOTHER ONE WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS YEAR. AND WERE GOING TO GIVE THESE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL. BUT, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS REALLY BEEN EXPOSED TO US AS MORE OF A NEED, AND A DISCUSSION POINTS FOR TODAY. THE PERSON BACK THERE. WE LOOK TO HIM ALMOST DAILY TO TALK ABOUT A SIGNAL TIMING. HOW DO WE OPTIMIZE IT? HOW DO WE IMPROVE IT? ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION. 
          SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES, AND CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE AS CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE GOING UP. BUT, WE ARE SEEING THAT WE ARE RECEIVING MORE DIBS ON PROJECTS. SO, THAT IS A GOOD THING FOR US TO HELP CONTROL COSTS. AND THEN FUNDING FOR FUTURE FC I.D.S. 
          THERE IS A PRESENTATION LEVEL. AND LASTLY, WE HAVE OUR FCC CONTRACT NEXT STEPS TO DISCUSS AS WELL AS OUR RATE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WAS POPPING OUT BEFORE LAST YEAR. WE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT PROCESS. ONE START HERE IN THE VERY BEGINNING. WHERE DO THE 2026 TRANSPORTATION REVENUES COME FROM? WE ARE BASICALLY FUNDED FOR OUR TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND. THAT REALLY PROVIDES ABOUT 70% OF OUR BUDGET FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE DO EXCEPT FOR SOLID WASTE. SO, WE HAVE TO SEPARATE THAT A LITTLE BIT. 
          ANOTHER REVENUE SOURCE FOR US THAT HELPS US PROVIDE SERVICES. 
          WE DO HAVE COMPLETE REVENUE THAT COMES THROUGH OUR SHOP. AND THEN SOME OTHER STATE REVENUE. A FRANCHISE PIECE AS WELL AS SOME OTHER MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE THAT MAKES UP OUR ENTIRE REVENUE, AND PROVIDES US A BUDGET FOR PUBLIC WORKS. WERE GOING TO DIVE INTO EACH DIVISION WITHIN OUR TEAM. OUR PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION. 
          IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, OUR BUDGET WAS $4,565,000. IN 2026, WE HAD REQUESTED TO GO UP TO $400,009,000. AND BASICALLY, THAT IS A PERSONAL REQUEST. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE SEEKING IS -- IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE 172. FTES. AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ACRONYM HERE. BUT, FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. 
          APPROXIMATELY 70% OF THE WORKFORCE IS ADVERTISED AT RISK. 
          WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY. WORKING WITH HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE. THERE'S A LOT OF THAT COME OUT EVERY DAY THAT WEARS A SNAKE BOOTS, BECAUSE OF . PUBLIC WORKS HAS A TRAINING OF $2019 IN THIS FISCAL YEAR 2025. AND WHAT WERE LOOKING TO DO IS SEE HOW WE CAN CONTINUOUSLY LOOK AT OUR SAFETY FOR THAT. WE HELD 67 TRAINING CLASSESLAST YEAR TO MAKE SURE THINGS ARE ALL PREPARED AROUND THERE. BUT, IN WORKING WITH RISK, AND I THINK THEY DO A GREAT JOB. BUT, I DO AGREE WITH THEIR STANCE OF WE HAVE SUCH INDIVIDUAL NEEDS, AND -- THEY DON'T GET THE SAME AS UTILITIES, AND OTHERS. WE KNOW WHAT OUR PEOPLE NEED. WITH CHAINSAW CLASSES. HAZARDOUS WASTE. WE FEEL WE CAN GET A POSITION THAT IS SLOWLY DEVOTES ALL THEIR TIME TO NOT ONLY TRAINING, BUT ALSO ORGANIZING THE TRAINING. AND THE DIVERSE ELEMENTS WE PROVIDE.  ONE, BUT ALSO REDUCING LIABILITY AS WELL. BUT, OUR FIRST ONE IS MAKING SURE WE GET COMFORTABLE IN OUR ENVIRONMENTS. WE START TO FALL BACK IN OLD ROUTINES. WE MAKE SURE SOMEBODY IS THERE ADVOCATING EVERYDAY. I BELIEVE OUR MANAGERS DO A GREAT JOB OF THAT. THEY TALK ABOUT SAFETY ALL THE TIME. I'M INTERESTED IN SOMEBODY THAT TAKES INTO THE NEXT LEVEL. 
          >> ABSOLUTELY. YES. AND SUPPORT WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO IN RISK MANAGEMENT. SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM, AND THIS IS WHERE ROCKY, AND HIS TEAM IN PUBLIC WORKS. IT IS WHAT WE CALL OUR . THAT IS OUR SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT. WE USE THIS IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR TO UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THE MISSING CUBS WERE OCCURRING WITH OUR CURRENT CONTRACT WITH FCC. SINCE YOUR OTHER CAMPING IN THE 
          [01:55:02]
AREA. ALSO, THE MIDDLE ONE IS OUR AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC. WERE ABLE TO ABSORB THE INFORMATION FROM OUR TRAFFIC COUNTS. 
          ROCKETING -- ROCKY IS ABLE TO PUT IT INTO OUR ACCOUNTS. IT'S NOT PROJECTED. THIS IS ACTUAL TRAFFIC COUNTS. AND THE BOTTOM LEFT-HAND SIDE IS OUR STORM EVENT DASHBOARD. THESE ARE AREAS THAT SHOWCASE WHEN WE ARE GOING UNDER CANVASES IN ST. JOHN'S COUNTY TO HELP PROVIDE INFORMATION TO OUR CONTRACTORS. 
          WHERE TO PUT RESOURCES TO COLLECT THE DEBRIS THAT WAS GENERATED BY STORMS. WE ALL WANT THEM COMING IN, AND WORKING FOR THE DEBRIS. WE WANT TO GUIDE THEM WHERE TO GO, AND USE THESE RESOURCES AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE. ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE IS THE DASHBOARD FOR OUR  ALLOCATION POSSIBILITY. THERE ARE LIMITED RESOURCES IN ST. 
          JOHN'S COUNTY, AND PUBLIC WORKS. SO, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF OUR INVENTORY, AND WHERE WE ARE PLACING THOSE RESOURCES. AND ROCKY, AND HIS TEAM HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB. AND YOU CAN SEE WHY THEY WON SO MANY AWARDS. THEY COME TO US. I NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY OFF OF ROCKY. 
          >> DID YOU MAKE S.W.A.M.? >> YEAH. 
          >> THAT IS AMAZING. >> WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY USE OUR SYSTEM DATA. AND THEN THE TOOLS WE HAVE NOW FROM THE CITY WERE EXCITED TO THE GIS TOOLS. SO, WE KIND OF COMPILE IT'S BASED ON THE NEED. THAT'S REALLY KIND OF WHAT WE -- WELL, MY TEAM KIND OF GOT GOT ON THESE. YEAH. IT'S BEEN NICE. 
          >> ONE OF HIS TEAM MEMBERS JUST LEFT. TALLAHASSEE. WITH A LOCAL PERSON THAT WENT TO YOU AND AND. SO, IT'S AMAZING THE TALENT HE CONTINUES TO BRING IN. I THINK PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO WANT TO WORK WITH ROCKY. SO, WERE GOING TO JUMP INTO OUR FLEET MANAGEMENT DIVISION RIGHT NOW. IN FISCAL YEAR 23 FIVE, WE HAD A BUDGET OF. WE HAD A SMALL INCREASE IN REQUESTS FOR 2026. 
          IT WAS BASICALLY THE SALARIES. BUT, YOU WILL SEE A LARGE COST RATED BUDGET. HIS TEAM PREPARED, AND PROVIDED MAINTENANCE ON ALL COUNTY VEHICLES. WE'VE BEEN OPEN TO A LOT OF THE EMERGENCY VEHICLES. OUR SERVICES INCREASE, BECAUSE OF JEFF, AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRIOR SERVICES TEAM. THAT'S REALLY MONEY IN, AND MONEY OUT. WE ALSO OVERSEE THE COUNTY GAS STATION. 
          SO, ALL THOSE FUNDS ARE LOCATED WITHIN JEFF. SO, THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE OPERATING BUDGETS. THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE WORKED WITH OFFICE MANAGEMENT ON A BUDGET TO COME UP WITH BETTER WAYS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR VEHICLES THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. JEFF, AND HIS TEAM HAVE COME UP WITH A SCORING SYSTEM. AT LEAST LEVEL EIGHT. SO, THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT WE USE DAILY. IT IS DYNAMIC. IT IS UPDATED. WE HAVE TO TAKE A SNAPSHOT, BECAUSE IT MIGHT CHANGE CONSTANTLY. ANYTIME JEFF, AND HIS TEAM PERFORM PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, THIS IS UPDATED. SO, IF YOU SEE THE VEHICLE LIST RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. IS HE A TOTAL SCORE OF 59. YOU SEE A TOTAL SCORE OF 36. 
          PHYSICALLY, WE DID THE SCHOOL RULE. IF YOU ARE BELOW 60, WE FEEL LIKE IT'S A NEED, AND RECOMMENDATION OF SEEING IF WE CAN BUDGET THE APPROPRIATE MONEY TO REPLACE THIS. THIS IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. IT TAKES AWAY THE CONVERSATION ABOUT GETTING REPLACEMENT. ALTHOUGH WORKS, UTILITIES, ANYONE IN ST. 
          JOHN'S COUNTY IS WORKING IN SAFE CONDITIONS. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS ABOUT THIS. BUT, ALSO NOW JUST PROJECTING OUT. WE KNOW NEXT YEAR MUST LOOK LIKE IN OUT YEARS. SO, WE CAN START TO PROJECT FEATURES OF WHAT WILL BE COMING DOWN, AND WHAT EVERY CLASS WILL BE. IN A WAY THAT'S APPRECIATED VERY MUCH IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          >> YEAH. USING DATA. VERY SUBJECTIVE. 
          [02:00:20]
          >> WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON DATA. AND THAT'S WHY I'M SURROUNDED BY ENGINEERS WHO LOVE NUMBERS, AND THAT'S HOW WE TALK. IF YOU WENT TO JEFF, AND SAID THERE'S A VEHICLE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT NUMBER IT IS. I CAN TELL YOU WHERE IT IS. IN FLEET MANAGEMENT, WE'VE ALSO ELEVATED THE AUTOMATIC VEHICLE LOCATORS. WHICH IS GPS UNITS. WE PLACED THEM ON ALL VEHICLES A COUPLE YEARS AGO. THAT IS NOW WRENCHED OUT. WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING ALL COUNTY VEHICLES UP ON THIS ADL SYSTEM. 
          WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS AS A SAFETY, AND SECURITY. NOT UNDERSTANDING WHEN PEOPLE ARE SPEEDING, AND WHERE THEY ARE. WE ALSO HAVE WRITING ANALYSIS. IF I GET A CALL OR MANAGER GETS A CALL, AND THEY HAVE TO GO OUT THERE, AND LOOK AT SOMETHING. 
          THEY CAN SEE WHO'S CLOSE TO THAT. CALL, OR COMPLAIN. THEY CAN SEND SOMEBODY RIGHT THERE INSTEAD OF SENDING SOMEBODY FROM FAR AWAY. MAINTENANCE, ENTER EARLY DIAGNOSTICS. THEY CAN CALL YOU UP, AND SAY HEY, WHERE GETTING NUMBERS. CAN YOU BRING IT IN? YOU HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANING. WE USE THIS FOR OUR BILLING OPERATIONS. YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WERE ALL OF OUR TRACTORS ARE WHEN THEY ARE ENGAGED TO HAVE A BETTER SYSTEM IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. THEY AREN'T IDLING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHEN THEY COULD BE CUTTING GRASS. THAT'S A SCREENSHOT ON THE LEFT FROM THE ADL PROGRAMS WEB BASE. YOU JUST LOGIN. IT GIVES YOU A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE THE VEHICLES ARE. WHAT THEY ARE DOING. OBVIOUSLY, DIFFERENT COLORS FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. SO, YOU CAN SEE WHERE 
          THINGS ARE. >> YOU CAN HAVE MULTIPLE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS WITH THE ADL. MY INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS, AND 
          WHERE THEIR VEHICLES ARE. >> EVEN WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS, YOU'RE JUST FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE THAT YOU OVERSEE. SO, YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO HUNT DOWN WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. 
          >> CAN I ASK FOR -- >> THESE ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT THAT IS. 
          >> THEY ARE A TRACKING SYSTEM. >> VERY SMALL. 
          >> WE HAVE TO PUT THE HARDWARE ON THE VEHICLES NEXT YEAR. IT COMES WITH THIS HARDWARE PROGRAM. THERE SEEMS TO BE A SYSTEM. THEY ARE A COUPLE YEARS AHEAD OF THEIR TIME. 
          >> IT SO WE DON'T PAY FOR ANYTHING IN THE UNIT THAT WE INSTALLED. A FEW IN A FILING CABINET READY TO GO. 
          >> RIGHT NOW, THAT'S BEING PAID THROUGH THE FLEET DEPARTMENT. 
          >> SO COME OUR BUDGET FOR 2025 IS 1300 $7000. AND THIS YEAR 2026, WE HAVE REQUESTED  THE AREAS. THE NUMBER ONE THING WE'VE DONE NUMEROUS YEARS AGO WITH CITY WORKS. IF WE CAN FIND IT. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU MAINTAIN. IF YOU HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF INVENTORY. THIS IS KEPT UP TO DATE. AND MADE SURE THAT WE ARE AWARE OF WHERE WE ARE PUTTING OUR RESOURCES, AND WHAT'S OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS? SO, COUPLE OF THESE, AS YOU CAN SEE. WE HAVE 586 MILES OF SIDEWALK. LAST YEAR ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, NUMBER 14,000 HOURS COLLECTION WERE CAPTURED IN OUR WORK BOARD SYSTEM. WE MAINTAIN OVER 1100 MILES OF ROAD WASTE IN ST. JOHN'S COUNTY. SO, THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT HELPS US, BUT IT IS DYNAMIC. THAT CURRENTLY DOES NOT EXIST IN OUR INVENTORY. ONCE THAT'S COMPLETE, IT'LL BE TURNED OVER TO THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. SO, THIS IS ALWAYS SOMETHING WE ARE KEEPING UP-TO-DATE WITH. COMES ON THAT INTO OUR SYSTEM. 
          [02:05:19]
          >> THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PIECES OF ROLLING STOCK THAT THEY HAVE TO KEEP UP, AND RUNNING. JUST LIKE WITH THE VEHICLES WE WANT TO PROVIDE THEM THE SAME PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, BUT FUNCTIONS AS WELL. WE HAVE QUITE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS. SO, WE USE A CIP TO MANAGE THE VARIETY OF EQUIPMENT. THE CLIPART YOU SEE HERE. OUR PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WE INTEND TO REPLACE. NEXT YEAR, EACH ONE OF THEM HAS A DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT WE LOOK TO APPLY. 
          WE LOOK AT THE MAINTENANCE. WE LOOK AT OURS. WE LOOK AT THE AGE. TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MAKING THE BEST INVESTMENT FOR THE COUNTY AT THIS TIME. THE PART WAYS WITH EQUIPMENT BEFORE WE HAVE A MAJOR BREAKDOWN. IT'S A TIME TO PART WITH -- SO, ONE OF THE MAJOR PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WE HAVE LINED UP TO REPLACE THIS YEAR IS OUR BUCKET TRUCK. A LARGE BUCKET TRUCK TO REMOVE HAZARDOUS TREES. RIGHT AWAY. OR, THE PROPERTY THAT WE MAINTAIN. 
          WE IDENTIFIED AS A REPLACEMENT CANDIDATE THIS YEAR EARLY ON AS A BUDGET CYCLE. WE PUT IT IN FOR RECERTIFICATION FOR AIR OPERATIONS LAST WEEK. SO, OUR PROCESS WORKS. WE HAVE A PLAN TO REPLACE IT. AND WITHOUT ITS SERVICE UNTIL WE GET THE NEW 
          ONE. BUT, WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES. >> I JUST WANT TO ASSESS, THIS IS REPLACEMENT. THIS IS ADHESIVE EQUIPMENT WE NEED. SO, IT'S NOTHING -- YOU KNOW? AGAIN, I'M PLACING THIS INTO A CIP SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. SO, WE KNOW -- ONE YEAR, AND THE SECOND YEAR THERE'S NOTHING. AND WE SPREAD THAT. MAKE SURE THAT THE BUDGET IS REPRESENTED APPROPRIATELY. AS YOU SEE. WE ALREADY KNOW WE WERE GOING TO BE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          >> YES. SO, ONE OF THE AREAS WE ARE REQUESTING ADDITIONAL FTES THIS YEAR IS TO IMPROVE, AND INCREASE OUR LITTER PATROL. WHAT THAT WOULD INCLUDE HIS FOUR MAINTENANCE WORKERS. WHICH IS OUR BASELEVEL ENTRY FOR ST. JOHN COUNTY WORKERS. THEY WOULD GO OUT THERE. THEY WOULD HELP ASSIST THE MELON DEPARTMENTS. TO COLLECT LITTER, AND SUPPORT THE VEGETATION MAGIC PROGRAM. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS GOING TO IMPROVE THE. AS WELL AS . THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO MAKE SURE OUR ENVIRONMENT IS ALWAYS ON OUR MINDS. THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WE FEEL LIKE WE WILL IMPROVE. AS YOU CAN SEE IN 2021, 2022, AND 2023, WE REALLY DID WRAP THIS UP. WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON LITTER. WE ACTUALLY STOLE FROM OTHER AREAS. WHICH IN PUBLIC WORKS, BURNED A BRIDGE. RESPONSE CREWS TO PUSH THEM INTO THIS LITTER. 2024, THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A SETBACK. THEY HAD TO HELP US OUT WITH FCC RESPONSE. AS WELL AS WE TRIED TO GET THEM BACK ON THEIR ROUTINE PROJECTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. BUT, THIS IS CONSTANTLY SOMETHING THAT'S 365 DAYS A YEAR. SO, THAT'S A BRAND-NEW TEEN -- ROUTINE MODE. 
          >> CURRENTLY, WE HAVE ONE HERE RIGHT NOW. WE TRY TO MAKE UP A SECOND GROUP OR WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT. AND IT'S TAKEN PEOPLE 
          AWAY FROM SOMEONE ELSE. >> THEY DID NOT MAKE IT THROUGH 
          LAST YEAR. >> I'M SURE YOU'VE WEIGHED THIS. BUT, WHY NOT OUTSOURCE A SERVICE LIKE THIS. 
          >> PERFECT. PERFECT. AS PART OF OUR SMALL MILLING OPERATION, THEY DO COLLECT LIVER AS WELL -- RIVER AS WELL. WE HAVE A SMALL BUILDING OPERATION OTHER, THEY DO COLLECT, AND WE ASK THEM TO DO THAT. WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT. WE'VE USED TEMPORARY WORKERS THAT COME IN, AND ASSIST US AT TIMES. WE FEEL LIKE HAVING SOMEBODY THERE MORE EFFICIENTLY WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE ST. 
          JOHNS COUNTY. BUT, THERE IS NOT A TEAM THAT GOES OUT THERE. SO, 
          WORRY ABOUT MOWING OPERATION . >> IF YOU CAN DO THOSE TWO THINGS, THAT'S 90% OF WHAT THE JOURNAL PERCEIVES AS ROADWAY 
          [02:10:03]
MAINTENANCE. IF YOU CONTRACT OUT THAT OPERATION, YOU LOSE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROL. NOW, A FEW YEARS AGO, WE SAW . THE CONTRACTOR FAILED TO MOBILIZE, AND START OPERATIONS. THEY PUT EVERY SINGLE PERSON THEY HAD IN THE OFFICE OUT ON THE MOWER. 
          THEY REALLY HAD SOMEBODY AT THE ROAD AND BRIDGE MANAGER LEVEL WRITING A AND BLOWUP. THERE ARE PROBABLY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM THAT REMEMBERED WHAT HAPPENED. IT'S CRITICAL FOR US. SO, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PROVIDE THAT. WERE VERY FORTUNATE WE HAVE A HIGH-QUALITY CONTRACTOR THAT PROVIDES SMALL MOWING. WERE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO ENSURE THAT THAT CONTRACT 
          FULFILLS THE NEEDS. >> IN THE TEAMS ARE ABLE TO DO THAT, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE CONTRACT PROVIDES ABOUT 10 CYCLES. SO, THEY 10 TIMES A YEAR. WHAT HAPPENS THOSE OTHER TWO MONTHS? THE TEAM IS ACTUALLY REACHING OUT TO THEM, AND SAYING, CAN WE GET THEM JUST A LITTER CYCLE? AND WHAT WOULD I WOULD BE? DECEMBER, JANUARY. BUT, WHAT IS OUR COST? AND WERE GOING TO ASKED THEM TO START PROVIDING THAT'S US. SEE IF THEY CAN INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE CONTRACT. 
          >> CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SMALL MOWING, 
          AND LARGE MOWING? >> THE WAY THE COUNTY QUANTIFIES IT. SMALL MOWING IS ANYTHING DONE WITH ZERO TURN MOWER. SO, IT'S THE SAME. IF YOU HAVE A LAWN SERVICE AT YOUR HOUSE. 
          IT'S THE ONE THEY USE. SO, WE USE THAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT WHEN WE EMPLOY CONTRACTORS THAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT. IN THE ROADS THAT HAVE CURVES, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET A LARGE TRACTOR UP ON THE CURB ROAD OR ON A LARGE SIDEWALK. AND THEN WE DO THE IN-HOUSE MOWING. WE CONSIDER LARGE MACHINE MOWING. IT'S OVER 100 HORSEPOWER. IT PULLS A MOWING DECK BEHIND IT. WE USE A 10 FOOT DECK. AND A 15 FOOT DECK. SO, THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE WHEN WE TALK SMALL, LARGE. IN THIS AREA WE REALLY TOOK A LOOK AT THIS YEAR. THE MAINTENANCE OF THE COUNTY SIDEWALKS. RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE 586 MILES OF SIDEWALK. AS YOU CAN SEE, IN 2020 TO NOW, WE STARTED AT 520 MILES IN 2020. AND WE INCREASED IT OVER 60 MILES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. JUST IN THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY PROJECTS. THESE PROJECTS INCLUDE PEDESTRIAN FEATURES. SO, ONE OF THE AREAS. AS WELL AS FROM THE COMMISSION. MAKING SURE WE CAN LOOK AT TRIP HAZARDS, AND MAKING SURE WE GET OUT THERE. BEFORE ANYBODY FOLLOWS HER THEMSELVES. 
          >> TRIPPING, AND FALLING. MAINTAINING SIDEWALKS. I KNOW INAUDIBLE ] GET PULLED INTO THESE CONVERSATIONS QUITE OFTEN. 
          THAT IS OUT THERE LOOKING AT ALL THE CORRIDORS AND ST. JOHNS COUNTY. JUST SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR 
          [02:15:01]
SIDEWALKS. 
          >> BACKED OPERATIONS. IN 2025 WE REQUESTED, AND RECEIVED $44 MILLION IN OUR BUDGET. AND IN 2026, WE ARE REQUESTING THAT . 
          ONE OF THE AREAS WE ARE SERIOUSLY LOOKING AT. A TRAFFIC ENGINEER THROUGH AND THROUGH. AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING HE DOES, BECAUSE HE SEES THE WORLD IN TRAFFIC. SO, HOW DO WE CONSISTENTLY IMPROVE THE TIMING, AND CONNECTION, AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL OF OUR SIGNALS? THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL NTE'S REQUESTED IN THIS. MAKE SURE THERE IS A BETTER CONNECTION, AND SIGNALS ARE TALKING BETTER WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          AND OTHER EQUIPMENT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO FUNCTION QUICKLY. 
          HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION AT OUR FINGERTIPS. 
          >> AND WHAT IS THE NUMBER OF THE VENDORS THAT HAVE REACHED OUT TO YOU? THE NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE OF THE SIGNAL. ONLY ABLE TO 
          UTILIZE ANY OF THIS TECHNOLOGY? >> WE TALKED TO THEM AGAIN, AND WERE ASKING THEM TO COME IN A LITTLE BIT MORE. IF THEY DIDN'T COME BACK, I KNOW THEY REACHED OUT TO HANK. NOT ONLY DO THEY DO THAT, BUT THEY ACTUALLY DISRUPT SIGNALS. WE HAVE YET TO SEE THEM COME IN, AND PUT ON OUR PROJECTS. 
          >> OKAY. ONE OF THEM MENTIONED THEY WILL EVEN DO SORT OF A FREE PILOTING OF SOME SORT. ONE OR TWO SIGNALS. THAT MAY BE GOOD. 
          >> YEAH. WE WILL MAKE CONTACT WITH THEM AGAIN. THIS IS EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN PUBLIC WORKS IS BASICALLY . ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, AND IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 173 ACTIVE SIGNALS THAT WE MAINTAIN. TO REACH 185 NEXT YEAR WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS OF THE AGAIN, PROJECTS THAT ST. JOHNS COUNTY IS BUILDING IS GOING TO BE PART OF THE NEW SIGNALS THAT IS COMING ON BOARD. 
          >> THIS BUDGET STARTED THIS YEAR IS AT 390 MILLION THOUSAND. 
          ACTUALLY REDUCED TO 2,021,000. THAT IS REALLY WITHIN THE OPERATING BUDGET. ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT WE EXPECT TO BE COMPLETD THIS YEAR. THAT IS REALLY ENGINEERING STUDIES, AND OTHER AREAS. AND HELP US GET IN FRONT OF FUTURE CID'S. AS WELL AS OUR CONSTRUCTION SERVICES TEAM. THIS BUDGET WAS 907,020 25. SALARY INCREASES FOR NEXT YEAR. AS A QUICK LITTLE SUMMARY ON OUR -- IT'S A TOTAL OF EIGHT IN PUBLIC WORKS. AND ACROSS THE $500,000 ANNUAL FOR FTES. THAN THE CURRENT EXPENSES ARE FOR EQUIPMENT THAT WILL SUPPORT SOME OF THESE TEAMS. THAT WILL NOT BE A RECURRENT THEME FOR THE FUTURE. THEN WE WANT TO JUMP INTO OUR CRP SYSTEM. SO, IN 2026 THE CRP PROJECTS ARE EXPECTING TO HAVE 30 PROJECTS PROGRAMMED TO USE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUNDS FROM THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES. AND THIS HAS MADE A BUDGET OF $53.8 MILLION. THESE PROJECTS ARE REALLY A COUNTYWIDE PROJECT. YOU HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THAT BEFORE THE COUNTYWIDE SIDEWALK PROGRAM. OR, THE COUNTYWIDE BRIDGE OR SAFETY. THESE ALLOW US TO RESPOND TO ST. 
          JOHNS COUNTY AS THE NEED ARRIVES, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A PROGRAM ASSOCIATED WITH A LOT OF THESE DIFFERENT DETAILS. OUR PAYMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMIS $13 MILLION. IT'S OUR REQUEST FOR NEXT YEAR. I THINK IT'S A VERY COMFORTABLE NUMBER THAT KEEPS OUR ROADS IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION. BUT, IT ALL GOES INTO THAT TOTAL $53.8 MILLION PER REQUEST NEXT YEAR. AND THEN IT IS ETF DOLLARS. SO, A LOT OF THE FUNDING THAT COMES IN SUPPORTS THIS PROJECT. AND A TOUCH ON THE CURRENT CONDITIONS FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. WHAT DO THEY COST PER MILE? 
          [02:20:02]
          >> I CAN'T SAY MILES PER MILE. IT'S THE SAME THING, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT. AND CHARACTERISTICS. BUT, THE CLOSEST VERSION. THREE OR FOUR YEARS. WE DO HAVE A BIT OUT RIGHT NOW FOR. WE EXPECT TO HAVE THAT IN I BELIEVE MAY 21ST IS WHEN THAT BEN COMES BACK IN. INTERNATIONAL GOLF PARKWAY. THAT IS ABOUT A MILE, PLUS INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT. TWO INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS. WE EXPECT ABOUT $25 MILLION. 
          THAT'S TWO INTERSECTIONS. DRAINAGE. IT'S ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OVER A MILE. MAYBE 1.2 MILES. IT DOES HAVE SOME KEY INTERSECTIONS ARE WORKING UNDER CONDITIONS OF. THERE IS TRAFFIC OUT THERE CURRENTLY. OUR EXPECTATION IS. THAT WILL SUPPORTS, AND ALLOW THIS PROJECT TO MOVE FLUENTLY, AND SMOOTHLY. 
          BUT, THAT IS OUR CURRENT BUDGET FOR THAT PROJECT. 
          >> IS THAT ABOUT 5.51 LANE? >> YEAH. AND LUCKILY, THEY ARE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS. THE STATE HAS PROVIDED US WITH A LOT OF THIS POLICY. WE ARE WORKING IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH JIM KNIGHT. $3 MILLION, ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THIS PROJECT. SO, IT IS STAYING AT 16 IS A D.O.T. PROJECT. OR, 
          D.O.T. ROAD. >> A LOT OF CREDITS SHOULD BE. 
          TO CHIP IN AS WELL. >> ABSOLUTELY. 
          >> WE CAN GET MONEY ANYWAY WE CAN. 
          >> ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAW EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, THESE ARE FUTURE PROJECTS. ESPECIALLY, WITH THE TRANSPORTATION. JUST TO GO OVER A QUICK THING ABOUT IMPACT FEES. 
          ONE TIME CHARGE, APPLIED TO NEW CONSTRUCTION. THE PURPOSE IS THAT CAPITAL PROJECT. OUR SCHOOLS, AND OTHER THINGS. AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE NEEDED, BECAUSE OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS. PLANS CANNOT BE USED FOR OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, OR REPAIR OF CAPITAL FACILITIES. IT WAS INVENTED IN 2024, WHICH ALLOWS THE CREDIT OWNERS TO TRANSFER UNUSED CREDITS. TWO OTHER SURROUNDING AREAS. SO, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PUBLIC WORKS, AND ENGINEERS IS KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON, BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE FUND A MAJOR PORTION OF OUR INVESTING IMPROVEMENTS. SO, WE GOT A SLIDE FOR EACH ZONE. WE HAVE FOUR IMPACTING ZONES IN ST. 
          JOHNS COUNTY. UP ON THE TOP LEFT, YOU WILL SEE A MAP OF ZONE A, WHICH IS IN THE NORTHWEST. AND YOU WILL SEE TO THE BOTTOM LEFT, IN 2023. IMPACT FEES IN THE ORANGE OR YELLOWISH COLOR WAS IMPACTING COLLECTED. THAT'S HOW MUCH MONEY WAS IN THE ST. 
          JOHNS COUNTY. ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT INDIVIDUAL ONE. WHAT WAS THE ACTUAL RESERVED AMOUNT AT THE END OF THAT YEAR? YOU CAN SEE IN '23, WE BROUGHT IN OVER 8 MILLION. WE HAD OVER 6 BILLION IN RESERVES. IN '24, WE BROUGHT IN LESS THAN THAT. AND THE IMPACT FEES FOR ZONE A. BUT, OUR RESERVES FOR UP -- OUR RESERVES WERE PRETTY HIGH, BUT YOU SEE THIS COMING INTO THE COUNTY. 
          THIS IS DEFINITELY GETTING LESS, AND LESS EACH YEAR. 
          >> THAT'S WHERE OUR BUDGETED PROJECTS ARE. IN THAT UNBALANCED 
          DOLLAR. >> NO, THAT'S PERFECT. BUT, YOU SEE IT IN 2026. ST. JOHNS COUNTY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO USE THAT FUND BALANCE TO BUILD 2209. THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE THOSE DOLLARS ARE ACTUALLY GETTING SPENT THIS YEAR. THERE'S A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION GOING ON THAT WE ARE VERY PROUD OF. BUT, THE FUNDING SOURCES, WE ARE DEPLETING THOSE FUNDS. AND THAT'S A CONCERN FOR US. WHERE DO WE START TO LOOK FOR FUNDS IN THE FUTURE FOR MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? BECAUSE WE ALWAYS MEET A RISE IN NEED, AND CAPACITY. SO, WE ARE STARTING TO SEE A TREND THAT IMPACTS THESE. ESPECIALLY, IN THE ZONE A. IT'S LOWERING DOWN. 
          >> IF I CAN JUST TOUCH ON IMPACT REVENUES, AND THE WHOLE -- THEY ARE BECOMING HARDER, AND HARDER TO KIND OF ACTIVELY PROJECT FUTURE REVENUES. AS GREG MENTIONED. THERE IS CREDITS. IF THE DEVELOPMENT BUILDS A ROAD, THERE'S CREDIT. THERE MAY NOT BE NEW DEVELOPMENTS, BUT THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL IMPACT 
          [02:25:01]
REVENUE. NOW, ON TOP OF THAT WITH THE ABILITY TO TRANSFER CREDITS, WITHOUT MINTS. THERE MAY BE A DEVELOPMENT COMING IN. 
          THEY DIDN'T BUILD A ROAD, BUT BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TO BUY CREDITS FROM ANOTHER DEVELOPER WHO HAD ACCESS CREDITS WAS STILL NOT GETTING RELEVANT -- REVENUE THROUGH THAT DEVELOPMENT. AND THAT'S KIND OF NOTED HERE. ESPECIALLY, IN THE ZONE A. WE BUDGETED. BUT, WHAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO RECEIVE IT IN THE ZONE A REVENUES AND OVER 5 MILLION. IN LOOKING AT THE TRENDS AS OF NOW. WE THINK WERE GOING TO GET LESS THAN 2 MILLION FOR THE YEAR. WE THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING MORE BASED ON HISTORICAL TRENDS. YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS AGO. NOW, WHERE SEEING THAT TREND HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED. IF YOU SEE A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN, THESE ARE A COUPLE OF PROJECTS THAT WE ARE STARTING TO DESIGN AFTER RIGHT NOW. THAT WE EXPECT TO HAVE THAT UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY NEXT YEAR. IMPACT FEES ARE NO LONGER THERE FOR US TO USE THIS AS A FUNDING SOURCE. NOW, WE HAVE TO DIP INTO OUR TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND. WHEN WE USE THAT POWER CONTINUED MAINTENANCE, AND OTHER COUNTY. AND OTHER ONGOING CONSTRUCTION IMPROVEMENTS. THIS IS GOING TO BE THE ONLY PLACE WE CAN LOOK FOR FOR FUNDING SOURCES IN CERTAIN AREAS. 
          >> SO, THE SLOWING DOWN OF CAUTION OF THE IMPACT FEE. 
          UNDERSTAND WHY THE IMPACT TRANSFERABILITY BECOMES MANY REASONS WHY THE COLLECTION OF THE REPACK FEE, AND OF COURSE SLOWING DOWN AT THE GROWTH. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT -- WHAT'S THE TOTAL OF UNFUNDED CANADA PROJECTS YOU HAVE? 
          >> IF YOU LOOK OUT IN CANADA, I HAVE $1 BILLION RIGHT NOW. 
          >> OKAY. AND THEN A POSSIBLE REVENUE SOURCES TRANSPORTATION TRENDS FUNDS. AND ALSO, IN IMPACT FEE. 
          >> SO, RIGHT NOW WE'VE HAD COMING THROUGH. WHICH WE PREPARED. AND RECEIVED A LOT OF HELP FROM THE STATE. IF THOSE FUNDS ARE STILL NOT AVAILABLE TO THE FUTURE, IT'S THE ONLY FUNDING SOURCE THAT WE'VE HAD. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE STRANGE. 
          AND I DIDN'T EVEN PUT. FOR TWO PROJECTS. 
          >> WHAT'S THE BALANCE? I'M SORRY? 
          >> 12 MILLION IN RESERVES. >> SO, HALF A YEAR. 
          >> I CAN BE A PROJECT OR TWO. SO, THAT'S ONE OF OUR CONCERNS. 
          YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU, AND SAY, WE HAVE A $13 MILLION PROJECT THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE REDUCED. AND THAT MEANS IF WE ARE NOT KEEPING UP ON AS WE SEE IT TODAY. THAT'S NOT TODAY. NEXT YEAR IS CLOSE. REALLY CONCERNING. WE ARE KEEPING AN EYE ON HIM TO MAKE SURE OUR 
          PROJECTIONS. >> JUST TO ADD TO THAT, ROLLBACKS, AND IS HIGHLY BY PROPERTY TAXES. SO, ROLLBACK MILITARY OR PTF WOULD BE ABOUT NOT QUITE 2 MILLION, BUT JUST UNDER $2 MILLION RECURRING REVENUE PRODUCTION. 1 MILLION TODAY WOULD BE ABOUT 10 MILLION UNDER A ROLLBACK. AS CRAIG MENTIONED, THE LEVEL OF FUTURE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT YOU DON'T SEE IN THIS BUDGET. THERE IS AN IMPASSE. 
          >> ALL THE DIFFERENT ZONES. ZONE B IS VERY SIMILAR TO HIS OWN A. 
          HER SLOWING DOWN. COMING IN. AS WELL AS SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY OUT THERE. WE ARE DOING A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS. SO, THAT'S THE GOOD THING WE ARE SPENDING THE MONEY, BUT NEVER LOOK -- INTO OTHER SOURCES IN THE FUTURE. ZONE C WHICH IS IN THE SOUTHEAST. THE RESOURCES, AND GENERAL BALANCE OF THE PROJECTS THAT I'M THERE. THEY ARE NOT GETTING HIT AS HARD AS THE NORTH 
          PART OF ST. JOHNS COUNTY. >> I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THOSE FIRST TWO PROJECTS LISTED THERE HAVE QUITE A FEW PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS INSISTED -- LISTED WITH THEM. THAT CAN'T GET COSTLY. AND MORE TREES AROUND 67. LET'S TAKE TIME. TO WORK 
          [02:30:11]
WITH THEM. SO, IT CAN BE A COSTLY PROCESS WITH PROPERTIES 
          FOR THESE PROJECTS. >> THANK YOU. 
          >> I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT TOO. IT'S THE SAME TERMINOLOGY THAT'S USED IN OUR SYSTEM AS WELL. BUT, FUTURE FUNDS DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN FUTURE PROJECTS. THOSE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED AS NEEDED. AND NEED FUNDING. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING SOURCE TO GO TOWARDS THOSE PROJECTS RIGHT NOW. FUTURE FUNDS IS REALLY WHAT WERE TALKING 
          ABOUT. >> USES ANYTHING FROM '27 -- SO, THIS 3 MILLION IS GOING TO BE IN 27? 
          >> RIGHT. YES, YEAH. >> A FIVE YEAR WINDOW ARE 
          OUTSIDE OF THAT. >> AND THEN I'M TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE PRIORITIZE WHERE OUR MONEY IS BEING SPENT. AND WHEN IMPACTS ARE THE MOST NEEDED. SO, DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. THAT'S A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO ARE. AND THEN THE SOUTHWEST IS DOING PRETTY DECENT ON THERE, BUT WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT'S KIND OF ALLUDING TO HOW WE . WITH AN $8 MILLION PROJECT, AND WE ARE LOOKING TO SEE IF WE CAN COME UP WITH WAYS TO REDUCE THAT COST, BUT IT MIGHT IMPACT THE RESIDENCE MORE. OR, DETOUR. BUT, AS YOU CAN SEE IN 2025, WE HAVE ABOUT $9 MILLION IN RESERVES WERE IN THE BALANCE RIGHT NOW. VERY QUICKLY. 
          >> THERE WERE GOING TO DIVE INTO OUR OTHER FUNDING SOURCE. 
          >> IT'S GETTING TO US. >> SO, JUST LIKE WE STARTED OUT WITH CTF. WHERE DID THESE COME FROM? PROVIDED 70% OF THE REVENUE. AND 23 FIVE, IT HAD REDUCED TO 64%. THERE WAS ANOTHER ISSUE WE DID IS WE GET MONEY FROM THE GENERAL FUND. WE KNEW THAT A NEW CONTRACT WAS GOING TO EXCEED THE REVENUE THAT WE HAD. BUT, WITH THE EXPECTATIONS OF NEXT YEAR SETBACK UP TO THAT 71.5% FUND. THAT OPERATION. WE ALSO HAD A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. TRANSFER STATION CELLS. TRANSFERS YOU SEE IN 2025. THAN OTHER MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE. THAT I NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK . MOSTLY IS FUNDED FOR RESIDENTIAL COLLECTION FOR A MUNICIPAL SERVICE BENEFIT. MNS -- AN MSP YOU. SO, EVERYONE PAYS EXACTLY RIGHT NOW WHAT PEOPLE PAY IS $254 TOTAL FOR RESIDENTIAL COLLECTION, AND DISPOSAL, AND RECYCLING. EVERYONE PAYS EXACTLY THE SAME. SO, OUR LANDFILL OPERATIONS. THIS IS REALLY OUR DISPOSAL CONTRACT. WHEN YOU HAVE A CONTRACT WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT THROUGH 2029. THAT ACTUALLY PICK UP ALL COMMANDS MANAGER WERE TWO TRANSFER STATIONS. ONE OF THEM IS THE ALLEN BEAST IN THE SOUTH. ACTUALLY PICK UP ALL THE TRASH DAILY. IT'S A CONTRACT THAT'S BEEN REALLY GOOD FOR ST. JOHNS COUNTY. WE'VE BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR THIS CONTRACT FOR MULTIPLE YEARS. IN 2020, WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE YEARS BEFORE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT EXTENDING OR ADVERTISING. SO, THE INCREASE, YOU WILL SEE IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, 2026 IS BASICALLY OFF OF A CPI. THERE WAS A CPI AS PART OF THE CONTRACT. SO, THE TONNAGE SHOULD BE OFFSET BY THE NEW SPU'S THAT COME INTO ST. JOHNS COUNTY. RESIDENTIAL COLLECTION. YOU CAN SEE OUR PERSONAL PART OF THIS IS VERY LOW. BUT OUR CONTRACT IS THE MAJORITY OF THIS WITH FCC CURRENTLY. THIS PROVIDES THE REVENUE FOR THE COLLECTION OF YARD WAYS, AND HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE. YOU WILL SEE 
          [02:35:01]
AN INCREASE FROM 23,800,000, TO 25 MILLION THOUSAND IN 2026. 
          THAT IS BASED OFF OF CGI INCREASES, AND BOTH OF ST. JOHNS COUTY. I THINK WE ARE ALMOST 400 HOMES MONTHLY. SO, THAT IS BASED ON THESE PROJECTIONS. AS WELL AS RECYCLING. THE MSBU IS MADE UP OF THREE DIFFERENT PARTS. DISPOSAL, $130 PER HOUSEHOLD, AND YARD WASTE COLLECTION, THIRD PART IS THE RECYCLING COLLECTION. JUST $62. SO, THIS IS GOING TO INCREASE VERY SIMILAR. AND THEN LONG-TERM SHARE. ST. JOHNS COUNTY DOES HAVE A CLOSE LANDFILL THAT IS LOCATED OFF ALLEN ROAD. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE ADHERE TO ALL DEP PERMITS REQUIREMENTS. WE CLOSED BACK IN THE 90S. STILL ANNUAL MAINTENANCE. AND WE WILL CONTINUE EVALUATIONS OF THE PIECE OF PROPERTY. WE CAN SEE AN INCREASE IN OUR CAPITAL COSTS. AND THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED THIS YEAR, AND REDUCED FOR NEXT YEAR. THAT'S 690,000 FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          SO, GOING BACK TO THE MSBU. IN 2019, ST. JOHNS COUNTY TO THE CITIZENS, AND REQUESTED, AND PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT. WE WENT TO THE PUBLIC. THOSE FIVE YEARS HAVE COME AND GONE. NOT INCREASE THE MSBU FOR YOUR ONE WITH A NEW CONTRACT. BUT, COMING BACK TO THAT, AND INCREASING IT BY ASTAIRE/STEP APPROACH. IT WOULD INCREASE NEXT YEAR'S MSBU RATING BY $80. AND THEN THE SUBSEQUENT YEARS, 20 YEARS IN ALGIERS. 
          >> WHAT'S YOUR BALANCE RIGHT NOW? OUTSIDE THIS LITIGATION. 
          >> YEAH. >> NEXT YEAR WE ARE PROJECTING A $2 MILLION -- OH, I'M SORRY. BUT, IT'S 2 MILLION ON TOP OF A 
          5 BILLION DOLLAR. YEAH, EXACTLY. >> ALL RIGHT. EVERYONE IS PAYING FOR THE SERVICES PROVIDED. AND WE DO TRUE COST ACCOUNTING EXERCISES TO SEE HOW MUCH MONEY IS COMING IN. ALL 1600 THOUSAND GOES INTO THOSE HOMES THAT ARE PROVIDED THE SERVICE. 
          >> THE SERVICE LEVELS ARE STAYING THE SAME? 
          >> THE SERVICE LEVELS WILL NOT BE ADJUSTED AT ALL. IF THAT IS UNLIMITED HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE. UNLIMITED WASTE. AND WE HAVE A RECYCLE, AND BEEN THAT'S AUTOMATED. AND YOU WILL RECEIVE ALL THE SERVICES ONCE OUT OF THE WEEK. THIS ALSO IS PART OF THE PROCESS HER TRANSPARENCY. WE WILL SEND A LETTER TO EVERYONE NEVER SEEMS OUR SERVICE. SO, EVERY INDIVIDUAL, 116,000 WILL RECEIVE A LETTER. THE NEED FOR THE INCREASED. WHAT IS GOING TO BE INCREASED? SO, EVERYBODY WILL BE AWARE. THIS IS AS TRANSPARENT AS WE CAN GET. 
          >> DO YOU HAVE AN OPTION TO OPT OUT? 
          >> YOU DO HAVE AN OPTION TO OPT OUT. VERY RARELY DOES THAT 
          [02:40:01]
HAPPEN. BUT, IF ANYTHING, A LOT OF PEOPLE OPT UP. THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL SERVICES, AND THAT'S IN CERTAIN AREAS OF ST. JOHNS, 
          AND WE ACTUALLY DO THAT. >> AVENUE -- EVEN AT THE LEVEL. 
          WHICH IS STILL LESS THAN ONE DOLLAR A DAY. TO HAVE YOUR GARBAGE, AND RECYCLING PICKED UP AT YOUR CURB. 
          >> I AGREE. AND WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO GET THE SURROUNDING AREAS OF CLAY COUNTY. SAINT AUGUSTINE. STILL UNDER SURROUNDING AREAS THAN WHAT THE COST IS FIRST LOA SERVICES. THE NEW EXPECTATION IS YOU ARE ALSO LOOKING TO PAY BACK THE GENERAL FUNDS. SO, THIS IS SICK THAT INTO ACCOUNT AS WELL. YOU DID 
          TAKE ALONE. >> WAS THAT A LOAN? HOW MUCH? 
          >> BUT, THAT'S PART OF IT. MAKING SURE IT'S PART OF THE EQUATION. YES. 
          >> I'LL PUT THE MARK ON THIS, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, 
          WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER. >> I DO LIKE THE IDEA . I DON'T KNOW HOW LEGALLY WE CAN DO THAT TO WHERE ROCKY MAKES AN APP. 
          >> AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS THIS. NOT THAT HE WOULD BE. HE ACTUALLY PROVIDES US THE INFORMATION TO DO THAT. AND YOU SAY THAT, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TO SAY LET'S DO THAT, BECAUSE I THINK THEY ARE DOING IT. BECAUSE EVERY DAY, AS YOU HEAR MY MANAGER. THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION. WHERE'S THE SUPPORT? WHERE IS THE DATA? BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS. INCOME VIEW. WITHOUT HAVING SUPPORT FROM THE TEAM BEHIND ME. IT'S WHERE WE NEED TO GO BASED ON THE INFORMATION. 
          OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. WE USED TO DO ONE CYCLE. AND THEN WE GO, AND RUN THE ENTIRE CAMP. ME, AND ROCKY STAYED UP. IT ACTUALLY SEPARATED TO THE NORTH, AND SOUTH. IT WENT FROM 6 1/2 CYCLES A YEAR TO ALMOST NINE CYCLES. SO, WE ACTUALLY IMPROVED EFFICIENCY IN GETTING MORE, AND MORE CYCLES THAT REDUCES HEALTH WORK. MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT DRIVING UP, AND DOWN. THOSE WERE OUR AREAS THAT THEY SAID, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THEM. LET'S QUESTION THE DATA. LET'S SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. THE INFORMATION WITH TRACKING EVERYTHING. THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. IT MAKES SENSE. OTHER MOTIVE -- I THINK ROCKY, AND OUR TEAM WERE DOGE BEFORE DOGE WAS A WORD. I'VE BEEN PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO. 
          >> AND I WOULD SAY, EVERY KNOWS THAT TOO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU TEAM.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.