[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[7:34] Good evening. Pact House tonight. Today is September 8, 20, 26. We're here for the budget workshop. I've got 531. We'll call the meeting to order. We start our meetings with prayer and a pledge. I've asked Commissioner Smith, if he'll lead us in an invocation and I'll lead us in the pledge. If you'll just stand as able, please. Please
[7:55] join me in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for all the many blessings you give us, Lord. Lord, we are here to do the business of the county.
[8:04] and we pray that you, or with us, guide us through this Lord. Lord, it is in you we trust
[8:12] and we put it on our seal. So let us be an example of that. But we pray all of this
[8:16] in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Please join me in the flesh. I pledge allegiance to the
[8:22] flag of the United States of America, to the Republic of which it stands. One nation under
[8:35] Thank you, Commissioner Smith. We'll move on to the MSPU public hearing. Sabrina, if you'll
[8:42] tell us about the new MSPUs? Yes, sir. So we have a slide.
[8:51] All right, there we go. So we have two new MSPUs this year for
[8:56] lighting. The first one is Jubilee Phase 101 for street lighting. There's a $200 annual fee for
[9:08] 83 lots and then a $65 fee for 260 lots so that tells you that's some pretty expensive lights
[9:16] that they have there. The second MSBU we have for lighting is for the industrial parks so we have
[9:26] several street lighting that we've been paying for several years and now that we're continuing
[9:32] to add on industrial customer Shannon has worked with them and so we're just going to put this
[9:37] into a MSVU so that all of those parcel owners can contribute to that. The county will also still
[9:44] contribute for those lots that we still own so that's why we kind of broke it up into to acres to
[9:50] make it an easy way to dissect the number.
[9:57] So next we have a few MSBUs with changes.
[10:01] With lighting, as you are all aware, we have over 110 lighting MSBUs.
[10:08] We had 21 of those that we made some increases to that averaged about $10 per parcel.
[10:17] none of the increases are past $20 and we currently still have over 73% of the
[10:26] lighting MSBUs that have negative cash balances. So the power bills have
[10:33] continued to increase over the years and the assessment rate has just not quite
[10:39] called up to that. So we are working to change out as many as we can to LED
[10:44] LED lighting to hopefully reduce that cost.
[10:49] Then we have Baypoint Boulevard Paving.
[10:53] So this is our final year for this MSPU and we were able to reduce the final year down
[10:59] to $170 per life.
[11:04] The final changes that we have are related to the stormwater MSPU, just to kind of remind
[11:10] you that this was the program that we put in place last year that works in several of the subdivisions
[11:19] for scheduled mowing and trimming of the ponds four times per year with at least two cycles
[11:25] during the growing season. It also allows for aquatic weed control and minor repairs that are needed
[11:36] to the functionality of the system.
[11:41] For the North MSPU, we were able to reduce that to $30 per parcel.
[11:47] We added 18 subdivisions, which was a total of 4,097 more lots.
[11:56] For a total of 42 subdivisions, 5,818 parcels in the North MSPU.
[12:04] For the South MSPU, we were able to reduce that cost from $71 per parcel to $65 per parcel.
[12:14] We added 10 subdivisions for a total of 1,631 additional parcels for a total of 41 subdivisions
[12:26] and 3,529 parcels.
[12:30] So, that is all of the changes related to the MSB use.
[12:37] All right, Sabrina, I had somebody on my screen here that was signed up, but it's fallen
[12:41] off of there.
[12:43] Yes, sir.
[12:44] He decided I was able to answer all his questions.
[12:46] Okay, no problem.
[12:46] I saw it for a second and it disappeared, so make sure I wasn't missing something.
[12:50] All right.
[12:51] Any comments, questions from the board?
[12:53] Any concerns?
[12:55] All right.
[12:55] Seeing none.
[12:56] I'll move approval without objection for the MSPUs.
[13:02] Seeing none, they are passed.
[13:04] Back to you for the budget.
[13:07] Yes, sir.
[13:08] So, for the budget presentation, there's not much,
[13:13] but since we have a couple members in the audience,
[13:15] I told them I would try to go over some stuff,
[13:18] so they're just wanting to learn about how the budget process works.
[13:21] So, as you could see on the screen,
[13:24] our total budget is $256,452,080, which is roughly a 3% lower than FY26.
[13:38] The main reasons this is a change is a 53% reduction in capital, which is due to the
[13:46] potential expiration of the half-sent.
[13:48] I can't budget those numbers until we have the results of the election.
[13:53] Grants and aid decline by 34%, which is mainly due to the medical examiner facility that we just finished construction on.
[14:02] We had that in last year's budget and we don't have it in the next year, so we had a decrease there.
[14:09] Non-operating also fell 5%, personnel in operating rose slightly by 1%,
[14:17] and that service increased 24% due to the new MIP wastewater treatment plant.
[14:27] So in general, I wanted to kind of break it down by the BACC departments.
[14:31] We, as you're all aware, we gave our departments guidance to cut 10 to 20% of their operating.
[14:39] And so they were able to do that as you can see over $13 million for our departments.
[14:46] Since some of that is related to the sales tax, about 8 million of that, but still our
[14:51] departments were able to cut across the board so we appreciate that and that's going
[14:57] to go a long way to help in us.
[15:00] As our funds.
[15:03] This is the total budget summary. Again, you can see per fund the revenues have to match the expenditures so that we are balanced. This is what we have to submit to the state to show that we have a balanced budget, and that is it.
[15:24] All right. Gentlemen, you have any questions or comments for Sabrina? All right. In that case, I'll entertain an emotion for approval to adopt this
[15:33] Senator is a county board of county commissioners tentative county milled rate of 3.885 mills, which is 2.98% above the rollback rate of 3.7727 mills, and to adopt the law enforcement MSTU milled rate of 2.07 mills, which is 2.78% more than the rollback rate of 2.0141 mills.
[15:57] and I'll entertain a motion.
[16:03] So moved.
[16:09] Second.
[16:10] All right.
[16:11] We have a motion in a second.
[16:12] All those in favor?
[16:14] Signify by raising your right hand.
[16:15] St. I?
[16:16] Aye.
[16:17] No, opposed.
[16:18] Passes unanimously.
[16:21] We'll move on to the, I'll entertain a motion now for approval
[16:25] to adopt the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners
[16:27] tentative operating budget for fiscal year 2027,
[16:30] and the amount of $256,452,080.
[16:35] $3.
[16:38] Make a motion to approve.
[16:41] Saga.
[16:42] All right.
[16:43] We've got a proper motion in a second.
[16:44] All those in favor raise your right hand.
[16:46] Say aye.
[16:47] Aye.
[16:48] None opposed.
[16:49] Passes to unanimon unanimously.
[16:52] All right.
[16:52] Just a quick reminder.
[16:54] The final budget hearing is scheduled for September 22nd at 5.30 p.m.
[16:58] In this boardroom here at 6495 Caroline Street.
[17:01] So anyone that's interested, we'll see you then.
[17:04] Gentlemen, thank you for coming and being here tonight and I'll just remind anyone that
[17:09] has questions about the budget.
[17:10] We are an open book.
[17:12] Reach out to any of us and Sabrina is always willing to answer questions as well.
[17:15] We are adjourned.