[0:57] Okay, Ryan, you ready?

[1:02] All right, we will resume uh this September 3rd, 2026 meeting at 502, no

[1:11] sooner than 501. And um for the uh the public hearing on

[1:16] the annual budget and just looking around the room, like to welcome all of

[1:22] Valuchia County Sheriff's deputies. Thank you for coming. Where's all the

[1:27] firemen?

[1:31] » Where? Okay, we're Hey, Joe. [laughter] We're we're glad you're here.

[1:39] Um, so uh we will open the uh open the public hearing and I'll turn it over

[1:48] first to to you or to George to county manager.

[1:51] » Get off. Appreciate it. Mr. Chair, honorable county council. Uh I'm pleased

[1:57] to present the recommended budget for fiscal year 2627 and open up this

[2:02] hearing. Uh uh this budget reflects a full year of careful analysis beginning

[2:09] with the five mini budget workshops we had between February and April of 2026

[2:16] where we reviewed core services. Uh we followed through, if you recall, with a

[2:21] 5-year forecast presentation to council on June 2nd and June 16th.

[2:26] Um once again, uh we've taken a fiscally conservative approach in this

[2:30] recommended budget. Uh it does not include the significant

[2:35] reductions in county services that would be required if voters did approve uh

[2:40] amendment three. So just want to make sure everyone understands this is

[2:43] separate than amendment three. It did take a better part of a year to

[2:48] put this uh budget together. We always start in in January and and here we are

[2:53] in in September. Uh this bill this budget is built on uh

[2:58] providing efficient reliable services, supporting continued economic growth,

[3:04] attracting and retaining quality employees, investing in the

[3:08] infrastructure our residents rely on, and improving the quality of life for

[3:12] everyone who calls Valuchia County home. I also would like to report again that

[3:18] uh for the general fund county departments

[3:21] uh they're recommended at a net budget decrease when compared to prior fiscal

[3:26] year. This marks the second year in a row of decreases in the county uh

[3:30] department budget requests. That means that these county departments absorb the

[3:36] full cost of a proposed 3% wage adjustment, Florida retirement uh system

[3:42] rate increases, health insurance increases, corrections, staffing needs,

[3:47] and all while reducing uh the combined budget uh by $185,819.

[3:54] Um, and with that, I'm going to turn it over to uh Ryan to go through the nuts

[4:01] and bolts. Good evening, council members. Ryan

[4:03] Osowski, chief financial officer. Before you, we have our recommended

[4:09] budget, the gross budget of which is 1 bill800,271,784.

[4:16] This year, we introduced the concept of a net budget. This aligns us with Semino

[4:20] County and many other counties whereby we take that headline number and we

[4:25] reduce out duplicative uh amounts such as interfund transfers, internal service

[4:30] funds uh and we also reduce reserves. Interfund transfers and internal service

[4:35] funds are amounts that are reported twice in the budget. Once in the fund

[4:39] that uh is uh paying for such a service and the other side in the fund that's

[4:44] receiving it. Uh it does gross up your budget quite a bit. Um and our budget is

[4:51] very complicated. It has nearly a 100 budgeted funds and by the time we add

[4:56] grant resolutions that occur throughout the year, it is over a 100 funds.

[5:01] The reserve amounts that I'm deducting here to arrive at the net budget are our

[5:06] ending savings account balances. And this is across the entire budget. There

[5:09] is of course the general fund reserves which we hold for emergencies such as a

[5:14] hurricane which we are not going to have this year and uh reserves for future

[5:21] capital reserves for contingency. Uh the general fund represents uh less around

[5:28] 15% of the total reserve number. To make that equivalent to somebody listening

[5:33] online to what what does a reserve mean? It means when we budget the county's

[5:37] budget, we have to budget like a household would budget for their income

[5:42] and their expenses, but what we have to count as income is also any savings left

[5:46] over from prior years. And a lot of those savings are left over on purpose.

[5:50] They're amounts that we set aside just in case for an emergency or to build up

[5:55] for capital projects. So those amounts carry over from year to year to year and

[6:00] they're not actually amounts that are going to be planned to be spent in this

[6:03] year. So once you reduce for net uh interfund transfers, internal service

[6:07] funds and reserves, our budget for this year is 1 bill64,798,131.

[6:15] While we're not talking about amendment three, I do think that that helps put

[6:19] into place a little bit about how the scale of amendment 3 could impact us.

[6:26] Purpose of today's agenda item, it's required by Florida's truth and mill

[6:29] section 200.065 Florida statutes. We are going to discuss the millage rates,

[6:34] their percentage increases over roll back where applicable and the reasons

[6:37] for the proposed increase over roll back. Of course, we'll have uh public uh

[6:43] opportunity to speak uh setting tenative millage rates with the final adoption at

[6:48] our second hearing and adopting a tenative recommended budget with the

[6:52] final adoption also at the second hearing. While it's going to be at the

[6:56] end of the presentation, just for following along online, it is September

[7:00] 22nd that we're scheduled for our second budget hearing.

[7:05] Millage rate comparison. I have listed on the screen uh the different millig

[7:08] rates of the county. We have 10 different taxing funds and they uh vary

[7:13] in purpose and size with the general fund being the largest and the Silver

[7:17] Sands Bthoon Beach MSD being a fund with a budget of $16,000.

[7:22] It pays for an electric bill for street lights in that district. Uh it is a very

[7:27] small district. Uh so they range in size and complexity. The tentative roll back

[7:33] rates are listed here on the screen. Uh with along with our tentative adopted

[7:37] rate, the tentative sorry tentative recommended rate. The tentative

[7:42] recommended rate is equal to last year's adopted rate with no change in eight of

[7:48] the 10 taxing funds. It is proposed uh as a recommended rate at the roll back

[7:53] rate in the pon inlet port authority fund and a partial uh reduction in the

[7:58] rate uh in the fire rescue district fund. The change from roll back in all

[8:02] these various funds is approximately 3.3%.

[8:07] That is basically in line with inflation right now. And

[8:13] uh that inflation number is that that I'm quoting is what you hear in the

[8:16] media when you talk about uh core CPI for urban consumers. Uh was at a

[8:23] conference recently or not a conference but a presentation and it was pointed

[8:27] out that governments don't buy TVs and apparel, they buy fire trucks and pay

[8:34] for police officers. And the inflation rate there is different than it is when

[8:38] you factor in technology that goes down in price and uh other items like apparel

[8:43] that don't go up as much as perhaps firet trucks do.

[8:49] The general fund comparison to a roll back rate uh our proposed rate is

[8:53] 3.20007 mills which would bring in uh an adopt

[8:58] recommended budget of 200 uh 213 million822

[9:03] 389. The proposed the roll back rate would be 3.107

[9:08] mills or 27,141,91.

[9:13] The difference is an additional 6,680,488

[9:18] of advalorum tax revenue. This additional dedicated revenue is

[9:22] dedicated to elected office expenditure increases.

[9:25] uh the primary one of which is the sheriff's office uh the debt payment for

[9:30] the new sheriff's office headquarters as well as small increases in uh some of

[9:36] the other elected offices. The second largest area would be in judicial but

[9:41] that is not a single line item. That's a small increase in the clerk's budget,

[9:44] some increases in software that we're required to pay via article five of the

[9:48] constitution for the public defender and the state attorney's office. Part of

[9:52] that is uh the 3% wage adjustment that George mentioned in those areas. There's

[9:57] really not a single line item to point out in judicial, but it was the second

[10:00] largest line it uh area of increase. We also have mandatory expenditure

[10:05] increases. We have to cover required expenditure changes from the Department

[10:09] of Juvenile Justice. The state sends us a bill. We pay 50% of the cost of DJJ

[10:15] and that is controlled by the state but we have to pay whatever the bill goes up

[10:19] and it goes up every year as well as state Medicaid program and CRA payments.

[10:25] Also countywide operational expenses previously paid for by investment

[10:28] income. As I mentioned during the 5-year forecast uh we've used reserves in the

[10:34] last few years which have drawn down the size of the county's portfolio. That

[10:37] means we have less to invest. At the time that we prepared the

[10:42] recommended budget, and it probably hasn't changed too much since then, but

[10:45] definitely at the time that we uh prepared the recommended budget, we use

[10:49] the Fed Reserves dot plot to project what future investment rates would be.

[10:55] And at the time, they were looking at rate decreases over the future.

[10:59] Currently, if you're paying attention to the press, there's uh alluding to a

[11:03] potential rate increase, but that was not at the time that we had

[11:06] prepared this recommended budget. Harm general fund millage rate history.

[11:12] Uh we've been at roll back for three out of the last 10 years. We've been at

[11:18] partial roll backs for three out of the last 10 years. And I'll point out that

[11:23] there is an anomaly in this chart in the in the interest of fair disclosure. and

[11:26] FY24 is when we started the separate law enforcement fund. Nevertheless, we have

[11:32] had a steady rate of decrease over the years in the general fund.

[11:36] The law enforcement fund, which funds exclusively the sheriff's office budget,

[11:41] is proposed at the same rate it was last year, 1.5994

[11:45] mills, which would bring in6,847,730.

[11:52] At roll back of 1.5485 mills, it would bring in $13,447,361,

[12:01] the difference of which is $3.4 million. And that is dedicated to fully funding

[12:06] the sheriff's budget request this year to satisfied uh countywide law

[12:10] enforcement needs. The library fund is presented at the

[12:16] same rate that it was last year. Three uh 0.3697

[12:20] mills which brings in 24,697,765

[12:25] as compared to the roll back rate which would be 0.3576 mills which would bring

[12:29] in 23,889,426.

[12:33] The additional $88,000 of revenue is dedicated to uh primarily staffing

[12:39] issues. The library is a heavy staffing um agency. Uh so you got the 3% wage

[12:45] adjustment, increases in health insurance, uh and then an increased

[12:49] budget uh that increases with CPI for publication purchases.

[12:54] The library millage rate has been at a roll back for uh five out of the last

[13:00] seven years. And if we two of those years includes what I'm what we're

[13:05] recommending right now. So if you ignore what we're discussing here, it was five

[13:09] out of the last six years. Uh this fund has has uh survived on the

[13:16] new construction values that have come in. However, inflation that it's

[13:20] experienced in personnel and publications and the and the rest of the

[13:24] operating of the library have trended above the amount of new construction. So

[13:28] there is a need at this point to adopt a flat rate especially considering how

[13:33] many years it survived on just the new construction values.

[13:38] Busha Forever and Echko I'll cover at the same time. They're currently

[13:41] proposed at the full amount that was part of the um voter millage uh voter

[13:48] ballot initiative of 0.2 mills which each program would bring in $13,361,10.

[13:55] If each of these programs were to go to roll back, they would be each at.1936

[14:01] mills, which would bring in 12,933,457.

[14:06] Each program will bring in an additional $427,553

[14:11] at the proposed rate. Both programs are, I mentioned before, they're proposed at

[14:16] the maximum military that was approved by the voters back in uh the I think it

[14:21] was 2011 2021. The additional revenue for the Echo

[14:26] program will allow for more grant opportunities. This council uh recently

[14:31] revised some of the the grant requirements and we have seen during our

[14:34] most recent grant cycle an increase in the amount that was requested. It was

[14:38] factored into the 5-year forecast. Uh but it is above the amount that the the

[14:43] fund collects in a single year. The additional revenue for the Forever

[14:48] program will provide for more funding for land purchases and land conservation

[14:51] management. As you may recall, we've talked about

[14:54] how we set a tentative um reimbursement resolution under the IRS. If this

[15:00] program experiences significant land purchases, each one which would be

[15:04] approved by council subsequently, we may need to even borrow money in this fund.

[15:09] So, without borrowing money, uh if you set it at the maximum millage, it'll

[15:14] it'll abate the need for that borrowing partially.

[15:18] Mosquito control is proposed at the millage rate of uh last year of 0.1573

[15:23] mills. Mosquito control is an east side district. It is not taxed across the

[15:28] county. It's the first one uh that we've talked about that is not a countywide

[15:31] tax. You only pay this if you live on the east side of the county, which is

[15:35] why that mill rate doesn't bring in uh the same amount of money that it does in

[15:39] similar mill rates. It brings in 7,316,892

[15:44] at the roll back rate of 0.1525 mills. It would bring in 7,93,617.

[15:52] The additional difference is $223,275

[15:57] and that and more are are needed to make up for the increased budget in chemicals

[16:03] this year for spraying. The mosquito control fund

[16:08] has been at roll back for uh three out of the last seven years, including the

[16:13] current year. So, three out of the six if you're not including what we're

[16:16] proposing today. And the MSD or municipal service

[16:21] district is another fund that doesn't uh tax the entire county. This only is

[16:26] levied in the unincorporated area of the county. So, if you live in a city, you

[16:30] do not pay this tax. This is proposed at 1.6956 mills, which brings in 22,445,38.

[16:40] At the roll back rate of 1.6495 6495 mills. It would bring in $21,835,64.

[16:46] The additional difference of $610,244 is dedicated fully to funding the

[16:53] sheriff's budget request to satisfy unincorporated area law enforcement

[16:57] needs. The sheriff does uh patrol for the unincorporated area. Unlike the

[17:01] cities who have their own police department, this the sheriff is the only

[17:04] responder in the unincorporated area. And therefore, part of the cost of the

[17:08] sheriff's office is allocated to the unincorporated area for that increased

[17:12] level of service. The budget request from the sheriff this year that was

[17:15] allocated to the unincorporated area increased by $2.8 million. So, the 610

[17:20] is just a portion of what's funding that. The other portion of what's

[17:23] funding that is new construction values as well as increases in utility tax

[17:27] collections. The MSD millage rate history uh in the

[17:33] last seven years shown on the screen, it has been at roll back three of those

[17:37] seven years. It has been left at a flat rate since 2024.

[17:43] In 2024 was the year that we repealed the communication services tax and this

[17:47] fund started to experience a uh deficit and we are continuing deficit spending

[17:54] in this fund even in this recommended budget. Uh, as I mentioned in the

[17:59] five-year forecast for this fund, it also has a sizable reserves.

[18:04] So, to recommend an increased rate, it's not something that we would even be

[18:08] discussing at this point due to the trim process, but just for your clarity, uh,

[18:13] it has reserves that it can operate on for a little while longer before we will

[18:18] have to address this fund. But cutting it any further would just make the rate

[18:22] that we're dealing digging into those reserves to fund recurring expenses even

[18:26] larger. Silver Sands, Bthoon Beach, MSD. Uh,

[18:31] this fund is 0.0099 mills and it is a very small taxing

[18:36] district, so it collects $15,661. The difference between this and roll

[18:41] back is $158. When we're looking at what this fund

[18:45] pays for, it pays for utilities for a lighting district. The utility costs

[18:48] have gone up. If we do not get a flat mill rate in this fund and we go to roll

[18:52] back and we have to continue paying those electric bills, the funds will

[18:56] have to come from the general fund and all county taxpayers will have to pay

[18:59] for street lighting for a tiny area of the county

[19:04] budget and taxes by taxing fund. I will not read the numbers that are on this

[19:07] screen. They were in the packet. Um you can see the gross recommended gross

[19:12] budget for each fund. The net budget concept only works when you're talking

[19:15] about the total budget because remember how I said we netted interf fund

[19:19] transfers but you can't do that when you're presenting just a single fund. So

[19:22] we present the gross budget and the amount of advalorum revenue from each

[19:25] fund. Here you have a pie chart of our net

[19:29] revenues and where they come from. The $455,500,000

[19:35] of property taxes represents 42% of our net budget. Uh fund balance is

[19:42] the next largest piece and that is 192 million and that represents the capital

[19:47] projects that we're going to be funding and the savings that we're using to fund

[19:50] those one-time expenditures out of a variety of funds, most notably impact

[19:56] fee funds for roads. As far as the single largest piece of that uh charges

[20:01] for service, there are lots of different charges for service. I have a breakout

[20:04] on the side for some of the largest ones which include EMS ambulance fees,

[20:08] landfill, water, sewer contracts that the sheriff's office has with city of

[20:13] Deltona, Deerry, Pearson, and Oakill. You also have things like the airport,

[20:19] which is a self-sustaining fund, but it still makes up part of our countywide

[20:22] budget, and they operate purely on charges for service.

[20:27] And uh you got some other items there too. Got intergovernmental revenues

[20:31] listed there uh as well. I will note that the net of that fund balance gets

[20:37] you to really what our recurring revenues are in this budget, which is

[20:40] about $870 million. That's what we're we project to collect during the next year.

[20:49] Net expenditures uh by type, personnel, operating capital are all similar equal

[20:55] installments. Uh the sheriff's office transfer is shown separately here as a

[20:59] percentage of our total budget uh as well as the other uh constitutional

[21:04] offices. I like this chart a little bit better though by function. And it does

[21:08] tell you the types of areas that are funded. Uh public safety of the entire

[21:14] county budget which a lot of which is uh capital projects, those self-sustaining

[21:20] enterprises like the landfill and the ocean center and water sewer. Those are

[21:28] all in the gross budget number. And you may remember hearing much higher numbers

[21:33] for public safety like 60%. That's when you're talking about taxing funds. When

[21:38] you're talking about the entire budget, it's 35%. Public works makes up the next

[21:42] largest chunk at 27.9%. And I won't read any further from there.

[21:47] At this point, I'll pause for public participation. But first, if you have

[21:51] any questions from me or we can do that after public participation, up to you

[21:55] guys. >> Any questions before public

[21:59] participation? Okay, let's uh Thank you, Ryan. Let's

[22:04] start with uh like we have six people who want to speak. When I call your

[22:09] name, if you would just come to the microphone, make sure that there's a

[22:12] microphone in front of your mouth so that everybody

[22:16] here can can hear you. And people online. Yes, there is a button on the

[22:21] left side of the podium. Have it uh go up and down if you need to

[22:26] do that. You have three minutes to uh speak on budget issues. Um the uh and

[22:36] also you you don't have to give your full address for safety purposes. Um but

[22:42] if you would tell us what part of the county you're from, then your

[22:46] representative up here knows uh knows who you are and where you're from. Uh

[22:51] first up today is Russ Molton.

[22:59] » Thank you, Chairman Brower, members of the council. really appreciate your

[23:03] time. Hey, I'm here to talk about quality of life that our county manager

[23:08] mentioned. You know, we're in a bubble here, right? We're focused on county

[23:12] employees and county departments. >> Microphones.

[23:15] » Yeah. Thank you. But there's a whole group of folks outside here that

[23:20] couldn't be here today. The taxpayer, the working people of this county. I

[23:26] urge you to go to roll back. Prices are up. Gas is up. Rents are up.

[23:32] Insurance rates are up. Where are taxpayers, particularly working folks

[23:36] who don't have a homestead exemption, where's their protection? We got to be

[23:41] thinking about them. Roll back is misunderstood. It doesn't

[23:46] mean a cut in budget from last year. It actually means a slight increase

[23:51] because of the natural economic growth that you get. But let's talk about roll

[23:56] back a little bit because our sheriff Chitwood made a claim last night on

[24:00] social media that chairman Brower simply because he's pushing roll back or folks

[24:06] like me pushing roll back that we want to defund the police.

[24:12] You zero it out. That's what defund means. Well, let's take a look at the

[24:17] sheriff's budget. In 2024 was $133 million.

[24:22] It jumped over 150 million in one year. In one year

[24:29] with a 22% increase in the law enforcement fund with a massive tax hike

[24:33] that you all voted for and we're still paying for

[24:38] this year. It's 163 something million. And at roll back it goes to over $168

[24:46] million. Now, I'm not a PhD in math, but I can

[24:51] tell you that's about five and a half million dollars more than last year for

[24:54] the sheriff's department. So, I'm concerned that we're

[24:58] misrepresenting what roll back is. But I'm more concerned about the sheriff's

[25:02] department and Sheriff Chitwood pushing what is obviously not true. Sheriff, you

[25:08] know it's a lie and you're hurting the integrity

[25:13] and the credibility of your department when you do it. Our deputies have to go

[25:18] out in harm's way. They need to have the credibility

[25:23] and their boss doesn't have credibility right now.

[25:28] So, Sheriff, I urge you to restore the integrity of your department and speak

[25:32] the truth about your budget. Thank you, John Nicholson.

[25:48] John Don, the town of Beachside. I hate to disagree with the gentleman

[25:52] before me, but um for the last 40 years, I've talked against roll back. Roll back

[26:00] really doesn't cover the increase that we go through, especially lately. All

[26:05] right. No one likes to pay additional taxes,

[26:09] but you pay for what you want. And we want salary increases for our

[26:15] employees. We want

[26:19] uh vests for our police officers. We want uh all kinds of things. And all of

[26:25] those things come with a cost. You can't pay for increased insurance,

[26:30] which you must have. You can't pay for salaries increases

[26:35] without additional money. We've been lucky for the last 10 years that we've

[26:40] been going through a building boom. We've had money left and right that we

[26:45] don't know what to do with and we've been spending like a madman,

[26:50] but we've been building as well because all those additional people

[26:55] require additional services. And so we're lucky we have a gentleman

[27:01] that is quite good with numbers and I don't question a single thing he says

[27:06] because they're always accurate. And what he's telling me

[27:11] is this is the best he can do and if we want a solid year next year we can't go

[27:19] to a roll back because you saw the roll back how much it's going to cost and I

[27:25] think one of them was uh we need 2.8 8 million and we're going to make 400,000.

[27:30] It doesn't hit what we need. So, I'm asking you to look at it carefully. I

[27:36] know it's politically correct to go to roll back, but I've said this for years,

[27:41] but Asher went to roll back for seven years and when he left, we had a 27%

[27:47] increase in uh taxes. So, we really cannot do roll back forever. Thank you

[27:53] very much, Miller.

[28:03] Thank you, Nancy Miller. Um, Daytona Beach Shores and Matt is my

[28:07] representative. So, I want to talk a little bit today about public safety. It

[28:11] really is the foundation of a high quality of life. It extends far beyond

[28:16] the simple absence of crime. It's a sense of well-being, confidence, and

[28:21] feeling safe. I want to give you a little example of what I'm talking

[28:25] about. So during Hurricane Ian and Nicole, we had our new public safety

[28:30] director, even though he had been with us for several years. He was on the job

[28:34] two days when Ian and Nicole hit. I cannot thank Sheriff Jitwood enough for

[28:40] reaching out to our public safety director and saying, "What do you need?"

[28:45] Within hours hours, the sheriff sent over over a hundred officers, deputies

[28:52] to Daytona Beach Shores. These brave men and women went into our hund I'm sorry,

[28:59] 27 condos, high-rise buildings that were

[29:02] deemed unsafe. Did not hesitate at all. Backed up our officers when they helped

[29:08] with the evacuation that we needed to do in those buildings. They helped getting

[29:13] the residents belongings out. They helped them get to their cars into safer

[29:18] areas. They carried them along the way if they had to. Above that, they stayed

[29:24] with our officers and our command center for several days to make sure that we

[29:28] were safe. And many of you know the extreme devastation that we had in

[29:32] Daytona Beach Shores. They also did double duty by also going down to Wilbur

[29:38] by the Sea. And nobody will forget those pictures of those houses literally

[29:43] falling into the ocean with all of their appliances and their belongings on the

[29:48] ocean uh floor. So while they were doing that, they were still doing their duty

[29:54] in other parts of the country, uh, county. So I just want to tell you how

[29:58] much I appreciate those brave men and women. They do this on a daily basis.

[30:03] They never know when there's going to be an active shooter, a violent domestic

[30:07] dispute, a traffic stop, or criminal activity. It's Port Orange the best

[30:12] example of that. You never know what you're going to get. So I want to thank

[30:16] the sheriff. I want to know that he has my support and I'm asking you to please

[30:20] accept his proposed budget. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. Uh Sheriff

[30:26] Michael J. Chitwood.

[30:34] » Thank you, Jeff. I want to call you with your

[30:36] » point order. Point order. >> Um chair,

[30:39] » what is your point? the fact that uh Sheriff Chitwood is a constitutional

[30:43] officer here in Valition County. We've extended the privilege of not having the

[30:46] clock on. We do it for others. I I'd ask if we give him the same latitude. I'll

[30:51] make that motion. >> I'll second that.

[30:53] » Okay. All in favor? >> I.

[30:56] » Any opposed? >> All right,

[30:59] Jeff. I'm just going to call it what it is. You're here to defund us is what

[31:02] you're trying to do. Okay. I got my tax bill here. $42.65 65 is what my taxes

[31:09] went up for this year according to the trim notice. That's $358

[31:14] a month for Lucia County administration. They deserve kudos for what they do. And

[31:19] and you folks as well, 37th, this is according to Tax Watch. 37th per capita

[31:25] in property tax out of 67 counties. 53rd per capita in total revenue. 50th per

[31:31] capita in total county expenditures. Well, I think these folks have done an

[31:36] amazing job. And when I first took over, we had 90 vacancies, Jeff. 90. You

[31:40] didn't allow your kids to come to work for me because you didn't like the

[31:42] salaries. Remember that? That conversation? I'm sure you don't. No,

[31:46] » but it occurred. My training staff remembers that very well. That's what it

[31:50] is. This is what this is all about. Deputy River is here, shot three times.

[31:54] Did you ever reach out to his family? No. Deputy Thomas shot in the face. Did

[31:58] you ever reach out to his family? No. But what did you support for sheriff? a

[32:03] convicted felon convicted of attacking a Orman Beach police officer with a metal

[32:08] pipe. Multiple arrests, okay? Multiple bankruptcies. And you supported him to

[32:15] lead these brave men and women of this county. That's pro law enforcement. But

[32:20] I want you to look at these faces right here. I want you to look at these young

[32:23] folks that have come to work for us. They're new. I hired them without asking

[32:27] for another penny. I did it within my budget. Everything the county has come

[32:31] to me to ask to work on, we have worked on with them to figure out a way to keep

[32:35] this county safe and keep us competitive. Quarter payraises you were

[32:39] offering, I had people running out the door to go to Bies to go to work. So, I

[32:42] would like you to look at them as you move forward with your defending the

[32:46] funding project and tell them all go back to where you came from. They all

[32:50] came here under the Dantis bill to work in our county to move into our county to

[32:56] educate their children in our county. That's what they're here for. And they

[33:01] think they can get the support from the county chairman when something goes

[33:03] wrong. They're out protecting the people who voted for you. So, you think maybe

[33:07] you would look at that and say, "Hey, we understand what we're doing here. We

[33:11] understand what we're doing. We put one hell of a product out there on the

[33:13] street and we'd appreciate a little bit of support from the county chair." And

[33:16] it would be unfair to end on a bad note. I'm going to hearken back to when I had

[33:20] 90 vacancies. I'm going to hearken back to when our dispatchers were bailing out

[33:24] for to go to work at BIES. A lot of you on this dis got together with the county

[33:28] administration and you able enabled us to slowly move forward to get to where

[33:34] we are now. We're competitive in the market. We have people looking at us

[33:37] because you're competitive and Russ for a smart man. You should be able to

[33:40] figure out what happened in 2024. We took over the beach. Guess you missed

[33:45] that in your little presentation. So I appreciate you listening to my anger. Uh

[33:49] but I'm just telling you, you're a defender and you've been a defender

[33:52] since I've known you. That's why I've never supported you because you've never

[33:55] stood behind us. You You do it because you have to do it politically, but now

[33:59] that you're a lame duck, this is what the true colors are. So, take a look at

[34:02] these guys when you vote tonight and these ladies and think think of that

[34:05] what their future looks like. They wanted to come here because of what we

[34:09] have, everything that we have. Schooling, housing, everything that

[34:12] makes Felicia County special. That's why these folks are here. Thank you.

[34:18] Thank you for your comments.

[34:23] » [applause] >> Eric Eaggan.

[34:30] All right, Mr. Chair, honorable council members, my name is Eric Egan, Dand

[34:34] Florida, assistant chief of the Valuchia Sheriff's Office. I've served this

[34:38] community and public safety since 1985. Starting as a fire cadet and later a

[34:44] firefighter EMT for more than 37 years as a deputy sheriff with the sheriff's

[34:49] office. I've witnessed firsthand how critical stable and responsible funding

[34:54] is to public safety. Tonight, I need to speak earnestly about the harmful impact

[34:59] the proposed roll back tax rate will have on the sheriff's office and

[35:03] ultimately on the safety of our residents. Blue County is currently

[35:08] experiencing one of the lowest crime rates we've ever seen. Our solvability

[35:12] rate is exceptional. Our deputies and detectives consistently identify and

[35:17] apprehend suspects. Recover stolen funds and fraud cases, reduce overdoses,

[35:23] prosecute overdose deaths. We've made major strides in reducing

[35:28] traffic crashes. This outcome is not an accident.

[35:33] This is they're the direct result of sustained investment in our employees,

[35:38] their training, equipment, and modern technology. A roll back would jeopardize

[35:42] all of that. It would reduce our ability to leverage the technology that helps us

[35:47] do more with less. Technology that allows deputies to respond faster,

[35:52] investigate smarter, and keep our community safer without needing to grow

[35:56] the workforce at the same pace as our population. It would also significantly

[36:01] impact our training academy which has become a state-of-the-art highly

[36:05] respected institution recognized across the state of Florida and the nation. In

[36:11] fact, the training academy is host to the FBI National Academy leadership

[36:16] certification program and the Florida State University certified public

[36:20] manager program, highlighting the outstanding work being done by the

[36:25] sheriff's office. Cutting funding will force us to scale back the very training

[36:30] that keeps our deputies prepared, professional, and ready to respond to

[36:34] any threat. Once training quality declines,

[36:38] rebuilding it takes years. Most importantly, this roll back threatens

[36:43] the sense of security that every family, including mine,

[36:47] feels living in Valuchia County. Today, most criminals avoid the county because

[36:52] they know that they will be caught and held accountable. That reputation keeps

[36:56] crime low and once lost, it will be very difficult to regain. Council members,

[37:02] I'm asking you not to defund public safety. Our community does not deserve

[37:07] backsliding. We have worked too hard and our

[37:10] residents rely on the strong, effective law enforcement presence that your

[37:15] funding supports. Maintaining our current level of service is essential to

[37:19] keeping Blue County safe. Thank you for your time and your continued support of

[37:24] the men and women who protect this county every day. Thank you

[37:30] for your comment [applause]

[37:35] Robert Manai.

[37:40] Yes. Hello. Well, I'm I'm Robert Mooney in the land and I own two properties in

[37:46] a trucking business and I am a Valuchia County taxpayer and my experience with

[37:51] quite uh with Chitwood is quite different than what what was described

[37:55] here previously. Um I'm here to oppose Chitwood and his bully tactics against

[38:01] the county chairman and the public as he's demonstrated that made for TV

[38:05] sheriff and his theatrics and bullying from the Holy Bible. Ephesians 6:12, for

[38:11] we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against

[38:15] powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against

[38:19] spiritual wickedness in high places. I am currently a proay litigant in federal

[38:24] court, Mooney versus Chitwood, and an Amazon published book author, Trinity,

[38:29] all things, which presents my nearly two decade struggle against complete

[38:34] systemic failure. What I know to be truth and what was done to me and others

[38:39] is completely unacceptable and there will be accountability. The truth cannot

[38:44] be defeated. Valuchia County does not belong to Sheriff Chitwood. It belongs

[38:49] to God. I will expose and defeat this overwhelming evil for the glory of God.

[38:56] You can't defeat me, Satan.

[39:01] Cat pant.

[39:15] Good evening, council. As a retired law enforcement officer of the city of

[39:18] Daytona Beach, I find it especially concerning when there are discussions

[39:21] about reducing funding for law enforcement. I understand that this

[39:24] council has a difficult responsibility of balancing a budget. However, I would

[39:28] ask that you remember that law enforcement officers make decisions in

[39:31] seconds that can affect whether someone lives or dies. They don't get hours or

[39:36] days to analyze every possible outcome. They have seconds. Corporate executives

[39:41] earn six figures making decisions after having time to consider consequences.

[39:45] Our deputies and dispatchers make potentially life-changing decisions in

[39:48] real time for far less compensation. And if they make the wrong decision in those

[39:53] few seconds, they can lose their careers, their livelihoods, and much

[39:56] more, including their life. When Sheriff Chitwood took office in 2017, Valuchia

[40:01] County had more than 90 vacancies among deputies and dispatchers. At that time,

[40:05] Valuchia County ranked 46th in the state for law enforcement pay. It has taken

[40:10] years to improve compensation, recruit qualified personnel, and retain deputies

[40:13] and dispatchers we have today. We cannot afford to go backward. Our public safety

[40:18] budget also supports critical resources such as an air ambulance services. Those

[40:22] aircraft provide life-saving medical transportation for vehicle crashes and

[40:26] other emergencies throughout Valuchia County. They also support law

[40:29] enforcement by helping locate missing children and vulnerable elderly adults

[40:33] and assisting with violent criminal apprehensions and supporting fire

[40:36] suppression efforts. Law enforcement must also adapt to emerging crime

[40:40] trends. For example, exploitation of elderly residents through fraud has

[40:43] become a serious problem, which is why specialized resources have been

[40:47] dedicated to addressing these crimes. When vacancies are left unfilled because

[40:51] of budget reductions, the consequences are predictable. Response times

[40:55] increase, deputies have to operate without adequate backup, days off or

[40:59] canceled, overtime becomes mandatory, and our first responders has less time

[41:03] to decompress and spend time with their families. Ultimately, these cuts can

[41:07] cost taxpayers more. The overtime required to compensate for staffing

[41:11] shortages can quickly offset the savings from reducing the budget while

[41:14] simultaneously compromising officer safety and public safety. Public safety

[41:19] is one of the fundamental responsibilities of government. Law

[41:22] enforcement, fire rescue, lifeguards, and emergency medical services should

[41:25] never be compromised. These are not simply budget line items. These are the

[41:30] men and women who respond when someone is having the worst day of their life. I

[41:34] respectfully ask this council to fully fund the public safety professionals who

[41:37] protect the residents of Lucia County and the visitors who come here each

[41:41] year. Thank you, >> Kyle Tottton.

[41:56] Council, my name is Kyle Totten. I am a IUPA business agent. I represent the

[42:02] officers, sergeants, and lieutenants of the V Felucia County Division of

[42:05] Corrections. We are here to speak and support on

[42:09] behalf of Chief uh Sheriff Chitwood and his budget. We fully support fully

[42:14] funded budget. A matter of fact, we support Sheriff Chitwood so much, we're

[42:18] asking you to consider transferring the division of of corrections under the

[42:23] sheriff's office with all their budget. That's how much we support him.

[42:29] um you guys start rolling, you know, cutting budgets, you start to have

[42:33] problems and you can look over to the Division of Corrections or you can go

[42:37] back 20 years in any part of the county and look. I was in law enforcement in

[42:41] this area for about 30 years constantly. Every time you have a budget cut, you

[42:46] reduce pensions, reduce medical insurance, you have a flock of people

[42:50] leaving and they go wherever the money's better because they have life, they have

[42:54] families, and they have things that they want to do with themselves. So, please

[43:00] fully fund it and consider transferring the Division of Corrections under the

[43:04] sheriff's office. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh Dana Mcool.

[43:19] » Good evening, Mr. Chair and council. Um I wanted to talk about roll back for

[43:23] just a second because it's a segue into what I'm really here to talk about and

[43:28] really I've been an elected official. I understand the man in the arena concept

[43:33] and it's you're making hard decisions countywide and I understand that you

[43:37] take a lot of direction from the state. I understand that also. But roll back is

[43:42] kind of like the equivalent of political glitter. It looks sexy. It sounds sexy.

[43:47] It becomes the invogue thing of the day when we start around the cycle, right?

[43:52] Election cycle. And I understand the practicality of what we're trying to do,

[43:56] but there are areas that we simply can't touch.

[44:00] You're talking about our sheriff's department who takes care of a good

[44:03] portion of community services that aren't currently being covered. These

[44:08] are the gatekeepers right here for our homeless epidemic. These are the

[44:12] gatekeepers here for our drug and alcohol issues that we have. These are

[44:17] the people here that are seeing mental health crises every day. And so we're

[44:23] trying to take money from this. If you want to really cut back on the sheriff's

[44:29] budget, then let's start talking about what we do to solve the root cause.

[44:33] You're corporate people here. Most of you are. And if we keep putting money in

[44:38] places where it's not serving, we're going to keep having these issues and

[44:42] we're going to keep having an escalation in public safety funding. Right? Roll

[44:47] back is not the thing because we've not succinctly talked about what's coming

[44:51] down the pipe with amendment three. it. Everyone is terrified. There are now 13

[44:57] organizations terrified about this what we are trying to do. And you know, it's

[45:01] going to get worse. The economic climate, we're not going to have less

[45:04] crime. We're going to have more crime. We're not going to have less addiction

[45:08] or substance abuse. We're going to have more because people aren't going to be

[45:11] able to handle the realities of their lives. And these are the people here

[45:14] that monitor the horror stories every day.

[45:18] and you want to take money out of these guys pockets, they sacrifice mental

[45:24] health, time with family, these are not measurable. These are not measurable. I

[45:30] think it's negligible for what we're really trying to do here. I don't think

[45:34] that this is the area that we need to be pulling money from. I work on the front

[45:38] front lines every day with these issues that I just told you about and we're

[45:43] working really really hard in a fiscal responsible way to try to come up with

[45:47] ways where we can go back to a millage rate that's acceptable so we can go back

[45:53] but we can't do that until we fix the root cause. So please let's think about

[45:57] that as we move forward with any funding choices along with amendment three. We

[46:02] have some really hard decisions to make but this isn't it right here. Thank you.

[46:08] Bob Vogle.

[46:15] Sheriff Bob. >> Sir, good evening members of the county

[46:19] council. It's uh my pleasure to be here this

[46:22] evening in support of um our sheriff Mike Jitwood.

[46:26] The uh I heard that uh there there's an attempt to take $4 million out of his

[46:32] budget. I think most of you, if not all of you,

[46:37] support Sheriff Chipwood. And I know you have the uh big picture law uh the

[46:43] responsibility, but in 1996, I stood here. That's 30

[46:48] years ago and it was my third

[46:52] um election and I had to face the county council

[46:57] just like Sheriff Chipwood had has to do in an effort to uh get my budget

[47:03] approved. All the 12 years that I spent as sheriff of Lucia County, I never had

[47:09] an had uh the county council disapprove my budget or tried to cut my budget.

[47:15] They approved my budget. It was took the first term to understand what the new

[47:21] sheriff requires because I would my predecessor

[47:26] uh didn't uh oppose the county. Anything that the county wanted to do, he agreed

[47:32] with it. The uh sheriff's budget, as most of you may or may not know, there's

[47:38] two major areas in the sheriff's budget he has little control over, and that's

[47:43] the personnel matters. you have to buy equipment for them, the the deputies,

[47:48] the uh uh the cars, the guns, the all the equipment they need. Then there's

[47:53] other issues too with the public demands. The public demands these body

[47:58] cameras and things that are out of his control. So there's very little control

[48:02] that uh he can impose uh and take away from his budget. He understands that uh

[48:08] during an election year the county council wants to the budget to be flat.

[48:14] They want to even go talking about going to roll back. He knows that he cut his

[48:19] budget as as short short and as sweet as he possibly can. I encourage each and

[48:24] every one of you to approve his budget as it's submitted. Now, we know that the

[48:30] state requires certain things from uh the sheriff's in

[48:36] Florida. These are mandates just like you have mandates as a county council

[48:41] that ought that are out of his control. The uh the state estimates that we that

[48:48] we are receiving what 1,000 new residents in our state each day.

[48:54] Valuchia County estimates that we receive a thou 1,000

[49:00] uh person new residents in Valuchia County. These are out of your control

[49:05] and out of his control. Now, the dynamics of this is that every time you

[49:11] have an increase in population, rising in crime occurs. It's out of his

[49:16] control, out of your control. >> [bell]

[49:18] » But I encourage you to vote in support of his budget and uh the increase

[49:25] with that amendment number three. Who knows which way that's going to go.

[49:29] Thank you all. Thank you, Sheriff. Okay, that uh is the end of the uh

[49:35] public comments for this meeting. So, we'll go into uh council discussion. And

[49:42] first up from early on was David Santiago.

[49:48] Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to I didn't want to be the first one to come

[49:53] out the gate, but I was just so impressed with um the the new folks that

[49:57] have just joined the department. I wanted to just talk a little bit about

[50:00] that. And thanks for sitting up front. If if you were told to, that's okay.

[50:03] That's still good to see you because it was it showed um what the impact has

[50:08] been of the efforts that have happened over the last couple years with trying

[50:13] to fix the vacancy problem that we've had over years. So, thank you for coming

[50:18] to Valuchia County. We welcome you and we are very grateful that you came here.

[50:22] So, I think you've joined a good force here. Um, I also personally will share

[50:28] um I'll sit in this room because when we have these events and a lot of sheriffs,

[50:31] you know, a lot of the white shirts that I see back there back in 2003 is when I

[50:36] was first elected, I I did a lot of ride alongs. I think I I got a little I have

[50:39] a little bit over a hundred ride alongs in my tenure serving. And a lot of the

[50:43] folks that were would be sitting there are now back there with the brass and

[50:47] the white shirt. So, uh I guess I'm getting old, sheriff. Uh but thank you

[50:51] for all you uh that are staying around for years. And and I'll just say this

[50:55] before we get into the details. Um obviously we've talked over the many

[51:00] budget workshops. We had five of those throughout the year if you remember

[51:04] because we were knowing we would lead to this point and make some tough

[51:08] decisions. and the five mini budget workshops. We heard from every

[51:12] department during that time. So, I'm I'm going to be very interested in hearing

[51:18] where anybody may propose to do any potential additional cuts that have not

[51:24] already been proposed by by staff and from discussions that we've had with

[51:29] staff. But I'll leave it with we also talked with core priorities. We've said

[51:34] that and how do we narrow in? There couldn't be no more number one core

[51:38] priority than public safety. Um, and I know there's some fire folks here, too.

[51:43] So, everybody needs them when you need them and you expect them. And I've been

[51:48] a 35 year resident here of Valuchia. I feel safe to you all because of you all.

[51:54] I really feel safe in Valuchia and I welcome anywhere. When I come back home,

[51:59] if I'm outside of the area, if anything happens to me or my family or friends, I

[52:03] know that we have a good team, whether it's from medical to law enforcement

[52:08] that's going to help either solve the crime or save someone. So, I'm very

[52:12] grateful for that. And um I am not interested not interested in cutting

[52:17] your budget. So, as we go through this process, I am making it very clear that

[52:22] my position is to continue to support the efforts. We are a state-of-the-art

[52:27] agency. The the investments that you've made, Sheriff, you and your team are

[52:32] very visible and you know, in the past, I've kind of had conversations with you

[52:36] like, "Oh, we're spending money, but I see the results of that effort and I

[52:40] think Volutions is seeing it also. So, it's been good investments. Um, and um I

[52:45] will not be supporting any cuts to any public safety today. Thank you, Mr.

[52:50] Chair. >> Thank you. Welcome. So, I'm I'm going to

[52:53] go next. All of you are are here because you've you've heard the the back and

[52:58] forth. Um, most of you uh don't like me right now. I hope by the time I'm done,

[53:05] you're going to see that I'm your I'm your best friend. I do appreciate the

[53:09] new people that are here. Um, you do an an excellent job. I don't know why

[53:15] anybody in America today wants to put on a uniform and go out and and uh try and

[53:23] protect the rest of the public. You are heroes and I appreciate every one of

[53:28] you. I have always defended uh law enforcement, firefighters, lifeguards,

[53:34] the EMS people. I have always we have always held you harmless in our budget.

[53:40] Which means where we cut anywhere, we didn't cut here.

[53:46] Here's the problem that we face this year. Everybody's heard of amendment

[53:50] three. If amendment three passes, we're not talking about a 3% cut in in budget.

[53:59] um not zeroing you out, not taking millions of dollars away, slowing down

[54:05] the rate of increase of growth that the people of Valuchia County have said we

[54:11] can't keep up with it anymore. Taxes are too high. They want a tax reduction.

[54:18] They're having a hard time staying in their own houses and we have to listen

[54:23] to that as well. The problem is when we hold

[54:28] hold this many people uh harmless is that

[54:33] sorry sheriff but your budget is out of control. Since 2024

[54:39] your budget has gone up 30%. Since 2024 you've added 39,821,697.

[54:49] 2024 isn't that long ago. So holding you harmless hasn't increased. What I'm

[54:56] suggesting today is that not just for this and this isn't something that I

[55:01] thought about yesterday. I have said this every year that I've been elected

[55:07] every time we come to budget season. In fact, every January be long before we

[55:12] ever started. I have said we need to either go to roll back. In fact, the

[55:17] first year I said we need to just cut 10% or 5%. and we've had that. This is

[55:22] not something new to me. It's not something that I've sprung on you. It's

[55:27] something I want to have the strongest sheriff's department in the state of

[55:32] Florida. If amendment three passes, it's not going to be how do we cut 3%. It's

[55:38] going to be how many of you people are going to be unemployed. It's going to be

[55:43] how many helicopters do we get rid of? How many of the boats did we get rid of?

[55:47] How many programs do we get rid of? How many parks do we close down? How many

[55:51] how many libraries do we close down? We're talking about huge cuts. I'm

[55:56] trying to avoid that and protect the safety and the health and the integrity

[56:03] of Valuchia County. So, if we go to roll back in in just the sheriff's budget,

[56:10] it's not it's not that you're getting less money that you're getting uh that

[56:15] you had last year. You would get without a roll. Without a roll back, you get a

[56:20] 9,592432

[56:25] increase. With roll back, you get a 5,581819

[56:33] increase. There are no cuts. There are no giant cuts. No defunding the police.

[56:40] Sheriff, I wouldn't do I've never called for that. Nobody on this council would

[56:45] call for that. But if we don't start rolling back what we're charging the

[56:51] citizens of Valuchia County, we're not going to have a the sheriff's department

[56:56] that we have or anything that looks like Valuchia County that we have now. So,

[57:00] I'm not I'm not picking on you guys. I love you guys. I haven't supported the

[57:07] blue every time I ran just because it's politics. It's in my blood. It's how

[57:12] I've raised my kids. It's how I've talked all throughout public. I support

[57:19] law enforcement. I support our firefighters and our EMS. That is the

[57:24] most important thing. And our lifeguards. That's the most important

[57:27] thing that government does. That is the essential services

[57:33] that we provide to Valuchia County. So, what I've proposed is going to roll back

[57:38] in every fund except for uh one when we go through it. We because if we don't,

[57:46] here's my warning to you. If the if the citizens of Valuchia

[57:51] County, if the citizens of the state of Florida do not see counties and cities

[57:56] doing everything they can to keep a check on the rate of growth, to keep the

[58:02] check on their taxes and still provide good service, they're going to vote for

[58:07] Amendment Three. And then all bets are off. And we've got we're next year we're

[58:12] talking about a 28% 38% in uh decrease in spending with nothing that I can do

[58:19] about it. So that's that's where we are. Uh

[58:27] you got double dinged. That's all I'm laughing. [laughter]

[58:30] » I figured. >> Am I next? Yeah.

[58:32] » You are next. Councilman Don Dempson. >> Am I understanding this right? All you

[58:37] uh law enforcement officers in the front three rows are all new hires. Is that

[58:41] right? Man, that is awesome. Um, you may not know I'm

[58:47] a criminal defense attorney. I used to be a prosecutor. I've been here for 36

[58:50] years. And I I I have to say this. Um, historically there's always been a

[58:54] shortage of law enforcement officers in our county, municipalities as well as

[58:59] the sheriff. And um I think this is the first time I can ever recollect where

[59:04] we've been appropriately staffed with law enforcement officers, which is huge.

[59:09] Um and and my compliments to you guys and sheriff and his hiring team because

[59:14] I get to deal with you guys on a daily basis. I don't know if I've ever met

[59:18] most of you yet, but I do depositions with with your officers, Sheriff. And um

[59:24] I get and and you run at different levels of law enforcement officers. A

[59:28] lot of them are kind of learning the law as they go. Some of them are very

[59:31] knowledgeable in Fourth Amendment issues and stuff like that. And I got to say,

[59:35] and I'm not saying this just to Brown knows you guys, but I I really am

[59:38] impressed with the sheriff's office um because you guys do have a pretty have a

[59:44] good training uh uh policy, I guess, or a training

[59:49] program. And so your your your hires are great, and I don't want to see them go

[59:53] away. And I remember when the the governor was offering the incentives and

[59:56] stuff to get northern uh law enforcement officers to get down here and this this

[1:00:00] is awesome to see that we've come here. Um I I I got to say this on behalf of

[1:00:06] the the chair. Um I don't take what he was proposing as a roll back. I mean as

[1:00:10] a defunding the police. Um I would say that historically um even this past uh

[1:00:15] in the last year we approved uh nearly a $40 million project for the new

[1:00:20] headquarters. Um, so and I don't think anybody even boked at that up here. Um,

[1:00:26] I was the one that boked the the helicopters. I mean, we have a probably

[1:00:29] the most pristine helicopter uh air force or whatever you want to call it um

[1:00:34] in probably Central Florida, which is great. I mean, it serves its functions.

[1:00:37] I was kind of against it, but I wasn't trying to defund, but it it's worked

[1:00:40] out. Um, so I don't want to see the chair I don't want to see the chair be

[1:00:45] um accused of trying to defund um a uh it was I was just made aware

[1:00:52] recently about you know the house bill that came up 1329 that's going to

[1:00:55] require us on January 1st to go through a mandatory I want to call it a fire

[1:01:01] drill but we have to the council at the time has to go through a mandatory 10%

[1:01:06] budget reduction workshop anticipation of uh amendment free

[1:01:11] because if it does pass, I mean, it's going to be a a fire drill up here. I

[1:01:16] mean, there's going to be some drastic cuts having to be made and the governor

[1:01:20] signed it into law that we have to actually go through the the maneuvers to

[1:01:24] cut 10%. And where that's going to come, I don't know. But there'll be a group of

[1:01:29] maybe some other portion of the sheriff's or I'm sorry, not the

[1:01:32] sheriffs, but the county's employees that may have to lose their job or

[1:01:36] whatever. It may get ugly if this amendment three goes through. Um, so I

[1:01:40] don't I think the the chair is being proactive. I think he's just trying to

[1:01:44] be fiscally conservative. I don't see him as as anti-law enforcement. I think

[1:01:48] we're all up here pro law enforcement. I really appreciate you guys. You guys are

[1:01:52] really when I deal with you guys, you're very respectful, very polite. I've never

[1:01:57] come in contact with I don't think any um bad cops on the sheriff's office. I I

[1:02:02] really I'm not I'm just trying to be honest. Um but I think it's common. I'm

[1:02:08] going to go along with this as well. Um, but I I

[1:02:12] because they have done a good job of filling all the positions. I don't want

[1:02:15] to see them lose the new hires or the I mean they're they're actually running

[1:02:19] really a good machine right now and I don't want to see anything mess it up.

[1:02:23] But um I am worried about what next year is going to do. So that's all I have to

[1:02:28] say. Thank you guys. >> Thank you, Vice Chair Matt Reinhardt.

[1:02:31] » Thank you, Chair. um 1986,

[1:02:36] long time ago, year I started at the jail, 30-year career, and I'm going to

[1:02:40] mix a little bit of apples and oranges with that with law enforcement. I saw

[1:02:44] time and time again what a roll back in any branch of law enforcement does in 30

[1:02:50] years. What that man back there, which I'm

[1:02:54] going to give credit for, Joe Deore, our director of corrections, what he has

[1:02:58] done with corrections and bringing our staffing back up is remarkable. We have

[1:03:02] not done that. I commend him for that. The same thing happens with the sheriff

[1:03:08] to fill those positions. So I see what happens. It's cost of equipment.

[1:03:14] Every time we turn when we started, we had this conversation the other day when

[1:03:17] I started at corrections. We didn't have I I worked started at the old jail right

[1:03:21] across the street over in Dan. We didn't have body cams.

[1:03:26] We did not have pepper spray. We did not have tasers.

[1:03:32] We had nothing. Probably the result of five knee surgeries, two neck surgeries,

[1:03:36] a head surgery, but nonetheless,

[1:03:41] we had to. And then still taking that roll back into account. We we would try

[1:03:46] to allocate for for different equipment, more equipment,

[1:03:50] and we couldn't because of that. That being said, I'm in support of what's

[1:03:56] being proposed and what the sheriff has brought forth. And I think that it's

[1:04:01] it's reasonable. So, you have my support. Always have had

[1:04:06] my support and always will have my support.

[1:04:10] And I'm going to leave it at that. Councilman Dailyaly Robbins. Thank you,

[1:04:15] Chairman. Council, I want to remind everyone that

[1:04:19] we are a law and order state. a state where all 67 counties have

[1:04:27] prioritized our law enforcement and our public safety to the highest across the

[1:04:34] boards that it can possibly be. And because of that, nationally, we have

[1:04:40] people fleeing states like New York, Baltimore,

[1:04:45] Maryland, Chicago, Dearbornne, Michigan, Minnesota,

[1:04:51] California, and many more because they've seen the

[1:04:55] firsthand effects. When you don't,

[1:04:59] they started a fire that they can no longer control.

[1:05:04] Our businesses will decline. Our tourism will suffer. Our law enforcement will

[1:05:12] have vacancies. Crime will indefinitely rise. And our

[1:05:17] residents will ultimately pay the price. Violent crime and mental illness will be

[1:05:24] rampant throughout Valuchia County. and the public health and public hygiene

[1:05:32] on our streets will most certainly decline.

[1:05:37] Everything that we have worked for as a council

[1:05:41] in public safety, our parks, you name it, across the board when it goes to

[1:05:46] improving our quality of life will be a waste if we go in the opposite

[1:05:52] direction. council in the public. The sheriff's

[1:05:56] office supports all 16 cities throughout Valuchia County and our unincorporated

[1:06:02] areas areas. Whether when it's a canine is needed, whether they need help with

[1:06:09] investigations or evidence collection or crime scene processing, additional

[1:06:14] manpower, and we can't forget that they're also the primary air ambulance

[1:06:20] service when it comes to medevac when seconds really count.

[1:06:25] Whether it's an active shooter that we see on Ridgewood several weeks ago or

[1:06:31] what happened this morning in in Port Orange where thank god everybody is

[1:06:35] okay. Um it should reiterate, be evident and

[1:06:42] solidify the fact that our law enforcement

[1:06:47] needs all the help they can get. Um I don't know if I'd go back in that uh

[1:06:52] profession right now for for any money in the world. So, um, and we need to

[1:06:57] provide them with all the tools, uh, that that we can and and and what has

[1:07:03] been submitted, I believe, is more than reasonable at this point. I urge council

[1:07:10] to reject defunding in any way, shape, or form um,

[1:07:16] in any capacity and vote in the affirmative to accept the sheriff's

[1:07:21] office budget that's being proposed. Thank you.

[1:07:25] Councilman Troy Kent. >> Thank you, Chairman. [snorts] Sheriff

[1:07:29] Chitwood, I love that you brought your tax bill in

[1:07:33] here today and you read the numbers

[1:07:39] and the increase because that's across the board. As long

[1:07:44] as you're homesteaded, that's basically what most people are getting in Valuchia

[1:07:48] County. And sheriff, you and I met way back when you were the chief of police

[1:07:53] of Daytona Beach and I was a city commissioner in Orman Beach. And you've

[1:07:58] always been good to the entire county. But I'm going to talk about my hometown

[1:08:03] a little bit, Orman Beach and Orman by the Sea, where you and your deputies

[1:08:08] take great care of those people there right now.

[1:08:14] And sheriff, you and I have had some some good discussions in the past about

[1:08:19] making sure that your department is fully funded because

[1:08:26] I can tell you, you know, my brother retired from Simo County Sheriff's

[1:08:30] Department as our longest serving sergeant and and he's retired and and by

[1:08:35] the way, he loves retired life. He loves it.

[1:08:39] But I talked to you about him then and about how important it is for us to give

[1:08:46] you all of the tools necessary to do your job.

[1:08:51] And then also people under you when you were at

[1:08:55] Daytona Beach. I think about Orman the city of Orman Beach uh Chief Jesse who

[1:09:02] was under you. So I'm appreciative of of that as well. But council, this isn't

[1:09:09] just about the sheriff's office. We've got other departments that we you heard

[1:09:14] about today. I mean, from from the library, etc., etc. And how do we as an

[1:09:21] elected body approve raises like we've done

[1:09:27] and then say we're going to go to roll back and and bring in less money? The

[1:09:33] people that elected me to serve in this rented seat elected me to make good,

[1:09:41] healthy, sound decisions so that a couple of things were going that they

[1:09:46] don't have to even think about public safety. Number one,

[1:09:50] sheriff, I'm going to just tell you, I've said this to you privately, but I'm

[1:09:54] going to say it publicly. I have heard on on from a good good

[1:09:59] source that you are the most popular elected official in Valuchia County and

[1:10:03] it's hard for me to say that being an elected official

[1:10:06] that your approval rating is over 70%. But in Orman Beach is closer to 80%.

[1:10:13] Okay, I'm going to tell you I've got that on good accord that I' I've heard

[1:10:16] that. All right. The people love that you get the bad

[1:10:21] guys and they love that you call them scumbags

[1:10:25] because you call a spade a spade [snorts] and you take care of what

[1:10:29] you've got to take care of. But council, I can't sit here. Well, let me back up a

[1:10:35] moment. This is what people expect. They expect

[1:10:39] uh public safety number one. They want to make sure that they have good police

[1:10:44] and fire. Also, they want to make sure you have a capable paramedic and

[1:10:49] ambulance to get you if you are in trouble. Number two, they want good

[1:10:55] water. It's got to be great water. Number three, your roads better not have

[1:11:00] potholes. They want to be able to get to point A to point B. And that's what they

[1:11:04] want. Then we can talk about recreation and things like that. But in that order,

[1:11:10] that is what the people that elect us expect from us with our decision-making.

[1:11:16] Um, so I I certainly will not be voting to go to roll back. And I'll just tell

[1:11:22] everybody, I'm not on the ballot. This really isn't a political decision for

[1:11:26] me. I've got two more years before I'm on the ballot for my last term as a

[1:11:30] district 4 county councilman. So, it's not political for me. It's just how do

[1:11:36] we approve raises like we've done and then say we're going to go to roll back?

[1:11:41] It just doesn't make sense. And with my last 44 seconds or so, Mr. Rectenwald, a

[1:11:47] couple of years ago, and I hate to throw you on the spot like this, but what was

[1:11:51] our vacancy rate out at the jail?

[1:11:56] » Yeah, you had about 70, I think, at a peak.

[1:11:59] » What's our vacancy rate now? >> Uh, I had to check, but it's down to

[1:12:03] just a couple. >> Just a couple. You know what we did? We

[1:12:06] met privately and said, "Pay them more. Give them more money because that's what

[1:12:12] they need so that you don't have these vacancies." And what paying people more

[1:12:17] money means, it tells you something. Says, "I appreciate you. Thank you. Come

[1:12:23] to work for us. We're not asking you to do it just on, you know, your good

[1:12:27] looks. We want you to do it. We want to thank you for it." Thank you, Chairman.

[1:12:31] » Councilman Jake Johansson. Thank you, sir. Um um for for the sheriffs and the

[1:12:38] deputies out there, uh thank you very much for everything. I'm not going to

[1:12:41] echo everybody everything else everything everybody else said, but I

[1:12:47] appreciate everything you all do. Um I have conversations with the sheriff. Uh

[1:12:53] not often. I try to leave you alone, Mike, but uh occasionally. and uh uh he

[1:13:00] knows how much you all mean to me and my family and and the citizens of Lucia

[1:13:05] County. What I do want to talk about generally, and I I do this probably too

[1:13:10] often, uh get a little bit philosophical. Um if

[1:13:16] if I'm going to look to do something that's going to affect somebody in life,

[1:13:21] I hate confrontation. and I'd rather have a conversation with them and and

[1:13:26] try to solve it uh uh not springing on them. Uh

[1:13:31] couple months ago, uh we pulled some cultural arts money and my my main

[1:13:36] argument was we promised it, now we're pulling the rug out. Um uh and and so

[1:13:44] when it comes to the budget, I think it's very important that if if we're

[1:13:48] going to do something like go to roll back with with any fund, uh that we have

[1:13:54] the conversation and and maybe um maybe if I had thought about that, the sheriff

[1:14:01] and I could have sat down with George and figured out ways to get creative

[1:14:06] without affecting wages or or other stuff. Um but but apparently that didn't

[1:14:12] happen because I didn't know what the hell was going on till this morning. So

[1:14:16] um so in the in the things that I'm going

[1:14:21] to talk about later uh in the budget and and I don't know if this is my one bite

[1:14:28] at the whole budget apple but um I'm going to possibly talk about SMA

[1:14:34] funding. Now, I've had a conversation with SMA about SMA funding. Uh

[1:14:41] I'm not going to talk about TDT restructuring, but I did have a

[1:14:45] conversation with uh all the uh tourism people about TDT restructuring.

[1:14:52] Uh, and and there's one thing that I haven't had a conversation about yet,

[1:14:56] and I'm going to try to sneak sneak in a sidebar conversation, but it's very

[1:15:02] important that that we have those frank discussions and and work those issues

[1:15:08] and work those relationships and work that network just like you all do out

[1:15:13] out in the uh on the um on the streets, right? If we community police and get to

[1:15:20] know everybody, they're less likely to flip you off, call you pigs, and do

[1:15:25] something stupid behind the back of the uh 7-Eleven.

[1:15:30] But if you don't talk to them and you boss around and you show your gun and

[1:15:36] you tell them that they they suck and you don't, it's not going to go well,

[1:15:40] right? So, we got to we got to work good relationships. And I I think that's

[1:15:46] probably where we could have done a better job. And and um uh I I think

[1:15:52] that's how you move forward with the budget. It's a little bit late in the

[1:15:55] game like some of my partners said. We have workshops in January, February,

[1:16:00] March, April, May, and June. And uh I beg people to look at cuts then and I

[1:16:08] think we all went to George and indicated where where we wanted to see

[1:16:14] or we could see uh a funding change and and I know he's made or or staff has

[1:16:20] made some hard decisions already um on how to save some money this year and

[1:16:27] next year. So, uh, uh, I I think most of us did our job. Um, and and moving

[1:16:34] forward, I I still think we need to communicate in order to collaborate and

[1:16:40] make things work. So, again, I appreciate everything you all do, even

[1:16:45] the guys in the back that are hiding behind the uh the video uh box there.

[1:16:50] and um uh I'm I'll be supporting uh at least the um the sheriff's budget here

[1:16:58] tonight. Thanks, >> Councilman Santiago.

[1:17:01] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be quick. I I just as I as I heard a lot of the

[1:17:04] commentary or some of the commentary, I don't I wanted to say I don't think

[1:17:09] considering the pending amendment three should be part of our discussion here or

[1:17:14] evaluation. At least it's not a factor for me because the voters haven't spoken

[1:17:17] yet. um they'll tell us in November whether they not they support that

[1:17:22] amendment and then then we have all counties all 67 counties will at that

[1:17:27] point have to restructure. Um I don't I I don't think we should gut our uh law

[1:17:32] enforcement or public safety uh uh budgets in [snorts] anticipation of what

[1:17:39] may or may not happen in November with amendment three. So um we should just

[1:17:43] take this budget based on its merits and make the decisions accordingly. Thank

[1:17:46] you, Mr. Chair. Uh George or Ryan, as you go as we go

[1:17:53] through the different funds, does each council member uh will they all have an

[1:17:59] opportunity to speak on that if they want? Jake said he'd like to speak

[1:18:05] about something else. Well, each of the uh

[1:18:12] I I believe I'd recommend at this point that each of the funds be addressed

[1:18:15] separately as far as a mill vote. >> Yeah.

[1:18:18] » So, okay. >> If we if we want to do each one

[1:18:21] separately, we'll vote and then you can discuss.

[1:18:23] » Yeah. And so I'll just let council let you know J

[1:18:29] um since you brought it up as we get to each fund if you want to say something

[1:18:34] about that fund we'll I I'll give you that opportunity.

[1:18:39] » 10 minutes for each one.

[1:18:43] » Maybe we won't. All right. Um I'll just close with one more thing. I I uh you

[1:18:51] can tell you're safe. I'm the lone voice here um that thinks that we need to

[1:18:56] start uh um reducing the rate of growth in our budget. Now, I do think it is

[1:19:04] absolutely plausible to consider amendment three. And I'm going to say it

[1:19:10] again. Here's why. If we can't cut 3.14% from a fund,

[1:19:18] » the public's going to look at us and say, "Okay, we've we've given up. We've

[1:19:22] asked you, we've told you to reduce tax rates. I've not proposed any cuts. I've

[1:19:28] not proposed defunding anything. Going to roll back in any one fund, especially

[1:19:35] the sheriff's fund, gives you more money, almost $6 million more than you

[1:19:41] had last year. Yeah, it's not nine, but it's a it's a small decrease to preserve

[1:19:47] what we have in Valuchia County. So, um, I'm just going to stop with that. You've

[1:19:55] you've all heard from from all of us. You know where I stand. But I will say

[1:20:00] this in closing because I just heard it again from Jake. This was just sprung on

[1:20:05] me this morning. That's not true. For as long as I've been up here, I've talked

[1:20:10] about the need to go to roll back, the need to cut the budget. Um, started last

[1:20:15] year. We need I want a 15% cut. and the county manager said, "How about if we

[1:20:20] just get to roll back?" It's a constant conversation. This is not new to me. Um,

[1:20:26] we've held first responders harmless. This year, I

[1:20:32] want to hold taxpayers harmless while preserving the maximum amount of money

[1:20:38] that you can be uh that you can operate on next year after amendment three is

[1:20:45] voted on. so that you don't have to hear me

[1:20:49] anymore tonight. That's it for me. I do thank you for coming in. I do appreciate

[1:20:54] you. I want you to be able to go home safe to your children every night just

[1:21:00] as I want for me to go home to my I don't have any children at home anymore,

[1:21:06] but I do have 15 grandchildren and I want to see them be raised safely in

[1:21:12] Valuchia County. I appreciate you. Um, I am worried what happens next year and

[1:21:20] the year after. Okay, Ryan.

[1:21:30] All right.

[1:21:33] Well, I have a slide on the screen with the uh current millage rate, the

[1:21:37] proposed millage rate, and what the change would be. Uh, the first fund

[1:21:42] that's up is the general fund. uh hearing that there may be comments from

[1:21:48] council members on it before we uh I I have a recommended motion that

[1:21:53] was in the packet. Just want to hear what where we're at.

[1:21:57] Is there a motion for general fund?

[1:22:03] Uh Councilman Santiago has a question. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[1:22:08] On this one, the roll back is 3.107, right?

[1:22:12] » Yes, it is. What would be the uh you know you may

[1:22:16] have had another slide and I apologize. What would be the uh net increase

[1:22:21] decrease sorry um going from going to the brback?

[1:22:27] » I'll show you the exact number. This is the slide that covers the

[1:22:32] difference. The difference is 6,680,488. >> Okay, that's all I need to know for now.

[1:22:38] Thank you, >> Councilman Robbins.

[1:22:42] I would just like to get a an idea if council would be um interested or if

[1:22:49] there's any support to instruct staff uh to hold the partial roll back for now

[1:22:54] because we could only go down, right? Um and bring back a budget to reduce

[1:23:00] possibly uh a little silo with road subsidies uh that we put in a few years

[1:23:06] ago. uh as well as looking at programs across the board that we pay into uh as

[1:23:12] a county that we're funding above statemandated uh levels.

[1:23:16] » Making a motion. >> Sure. Making a motion.

[1:23:19] » Second. >> Tell me the motion again to instruct

[1:23:23] staff to bring back a budget um reflecting a reduction in the road

[1:23:29] subsidy that I believe it was me and Troy put in a couple years ago. It was

[1:23:33] about 5 million uh that we subsidized from the general fund as well as looking

[1:23:38] at programs across the board that we pay to as a county that we're funding above

[1:23:43] and beyond above and beyond the statemandated amount.

[1:23:47] » Is that specific to just the general fund? Sorry, Mr. Chair.

[1:23:50] » Just just just the general fund. That's the one that we're on.

[1:23:54] » Okay. Ryan, let me ask you because our next meeting is on the 22nd. You have to

[1:23:59] have everything ready then. There's really not time to bring back, but you

[1:24:02] could if if the motion is go to partial roll back here, then that's what you

[1:24:08] would bring back on the 22nd. >> The motion can only be an exact uh it

[1:24:12] has to be a military. So, if you wanted us to bring back a budget that looked at

[1:24:17] uh modifying the road subsidy and programs that we fund that are above

[1:24:23] state mandates that are external programs,

[1:24:27] we could do that, but I don't know the exact impact of putting all that stuff

[1:24:31] together unless you tell us you have to get to roll back. I know that number. I

[1:24:35] know that's 3.107, 107. But if you want to do something in between, I would

[1:24:39] recommend just >> this is like the trim setting where you

[1:24:43] can only go, you know, from this point, you can only go down,

[1:24:46] » right? >> So my recommendation would be you can

[1:24:51] make that motion and vote on it and we'll bring it back, but I would vote

[1:24:54] the the current my suggestion would be to keep it at the proposed rate right

[1:25:00] now. You can always lower it. >> And I'll amend my motion to reflect

[1:25:03] that. uh keep it at the current rate >> until they bring that.

[1:25:07] » Actually, it would be better if you just kept your motion to direct us to do

[1:25:09] that. We'll do that separately and then I'll read the required statutory reading

[1:25:14] that has percentages in it. >> Sounds good.

[1:25:16] » Okay. So, so then therefore the motion is

[1:25:23] Danny

[1:25:28] keep it at the current rate, but to um instruct staff to bring it bring back a

[1:25:34] budget to reduce the road subsidy uh that we do from the general fund as well

[1:25:39] as looking at programs across the board that we are uh funding above and beyond

[1:25:44] the statemandated amount.

[1:25:49] Okay. And there's still a second second by Vice Chair Reinhardt.

[1:25:56] Okay. Does everybody see where we are? Chissa, would you call?

[1:26:02] » Sorry. Councilman K. >> Thank you. So,

[1:26:08] Mr. Robbins, I I'll just tell you, you know, we we talked about in the past

[1:26:12] about possibly, you know, pulling money back from the roads program, but

[1:26:18] you know how much the roads are going to be tomorrow compared to today

[1:26:22] and next year compared to this year. Council, I'm going to tell you right

[1:26:27] now, I'm looking at this list

[1:26:32] from general fund, law enforcement, library.

[1:26:35] I'm going to skip past, come back to it. Municipal Service, Silver Sands,

[1:26:39] Mosquito Control. I'm gonna skip Fire Services and come back to it. Valuchia

[1:26:43] Echo and Valuchia Forever. I I could make this go very quickly

[1:26:49] because I'm I'm going to make motions if no one else does to keep all of those

[1:26:53] proposed millage rates the exact same that they were, not going to roll back.

[1:26:58] The only ones I want to talk about are possibly Leon at a 3.03% reduction and

[1:27:04] fire service is at 0.68 68 uh% reduction because last year we had a

[1:27:10] little bit of a hiccup with fire services whenever staff it really wasn't

[1:27:14] a hiccup but um staff recommended one thing and then we heard something

[1:27:18] different from the union and as long as fire services and possibly on have what

[1:27:24] they need then then I'm okay with with those reductions as long as staff has

[1:27:27] vetted that and we're okay with it. Um, but I'm I'm not for what I said earlier.

[1:27:35] We we gave people raises. Mosquito control the chemicals costs

[1:27:41] more. We got to put boots on the ground in the

[1:27:45] library. So, I'm I'm not I'm not for reducing any of those things. And we've

[1:27:50] got roads that need attention. So, I'm not for looking at George and saying,

[1:27:54] "I'm going to pull five million bucks out of your roads program." Because we

[1:27:58] talked about Hey, George, hire some people and let us

[1:28:01] do the job. And the state says, not so fast, right?

[1:28:07] » So, they've got fail safes in place so that elected bodies can't do that.

[1:28:14] But what I'm saying, council, is I'm going to vote no on that because I'm not

[1:28:18] for taking five million bucks out of that fund.

[1:28:22] It is what it is. And uh I'll be making motions to keep the

[1:28:28] proposed millage rate that's proposed here of 2627 on each of each of the rest

[1:28:34] of those. So this is this is the public's meeting. So

[1:28:37] we can we can be here as late as we need to be. I'm fine with that. Um but I want

[1:28:42] to make sure that not just because law enforcement is here, but not only them,

[1:28:47] but every other taxing fund receives the support that they deserve. Thanks,

[1:28:56] » Councilman Robbins. >> And Mr. Ken, I think I I think we can

[1:28:58] get there, but I think there also needs to be some clarification, whether it's

[1:29:01] Ryan or county manager, to uh explain exactly what we did. Uh so there's no

[1:29:08] misunderstandings or miscommunications or um

[1:29:13] » whatot what that what that road fund, our additional subsidy has done, what

[1:29:18] it's actually done, and and how we would proceed forward if we did to decide to

[1:29:24] uh keep it or not keep it. Is that something you can do?

[1:29:27] » Yeah. Uh at least generally uh like you mentioned it is a road subsidy

[1:29:34] because for the uh 30 years I've been here at least the last 27. You know all

[1:29:41] the roads were done uh using gas tax impact fees and of course prop share

[1:29:46] which is really impact fees ahead of time. So it's really you get down to it.

[1:29:50] And then grants, we go after grants from the Florida DOT, federal government.

[1:29:56] That's your road program. And interestingly, I will just say uh you

[1:30:03] know, I think the gas tax amount is almost the same when I uh started 30

[1:30:08] years ago. So it's been a flat amount of gas tax, somewhere in the $20 million

[1:30:13] range. Um that's your old program. So the good news is though, it's steady.

[1:30:18] You have it. It's not property tax based.

[1:30:22] There is money uh I will say about $5 million in the MSD that goes to uh Roco

[1:30:29] Road, your dirt road, your side streets. Um that's what handles that. So that

[1:30:34] part is property tax. You guys uh I think Danny, like you said, uh you and

[1:30:40] Mr. Kent a couple years ago came up with the idea of how about we subsidize that,

[1:30:46] give it a little extra push. And that's with the $5 million out of the general

[1:30:50] fund. So that's the new part that was given. It's gone into various projects.

[1:30:55] It's it's either been used to do resurfacing of roads. There's been

[1:30:59] several safety projects that I they've worked on and also uh

[1:31:06] plug the gap in other funding because a lot of times these roads are put

[1:31:10] together these projects like I say with a combination of a grant, some gas tax

[1:31:14] and impact fees. So they also use that to plug that hole. Um so that that's

[1:31:21] what it is. It's not the primary source. It's it's a subsidy to uh um try to move

[1:31:27] us a little forward was the intent. Okay.

[1:31:30] » Thank you, George. And and just just so we know, we're not going to be cutting

[1:31:34] anyone's position. We're not going to be cutting any raises that we factored in

[1:31:38] out of that 5 million. >> No, that's all project based. That's the

[1:31:40] one thing about it is it's project based. Totally separate. Yeah. It's not

[1:31:44] on our day-to-day operations. >> And I think council is just gives us a

[1:31:47] little bit of an opportunity as an option to see what we're, you know,

[1:31:50] looking at. Let this marinate uh for a week or two. And I I may not commit to

[1:31:56] it, but it's an option. Uh in case this council decides

[1:32:02] um just like kind of what the public is saying, hey, if this council decides to

[1:32:05] go to roll back, here are some options. So, thank you.

[1:32:08] » I'm I'm okay with the option. We we'll have two weeks to think about. Okay,

[1:32:13] you're good with it. >> I hear the directions. So, do you want

[1:32:16] me to read the official motion that has to be made? Because as the as the

[1:32:21] manager recommended, >> uh you can't go you can't go any uh

[1:32:25] direction but down. So, right now, we'd recommend you set the proposed millage

[1:32:29] rate as listed in the agenda. And I'm going to read that now. Uh looking for a

[1:32:34] motion to move approval for tenatively adoption of general fund advalarm tax

[1:32:38] rate of 3.20007 20007 mills which is 3.23% greater than the roll back rate of

[1:32:45] 3.107 mills.

[1:32:48] » Mr. Chair, real quick because we do have a motion on the floor unless that was

[1:32:51] withdrawn.

[1:32:55] » No, sir. Don't we have I thought we had Mr. Robin's motion with a second that's

[1:32:58] still on the floor to be voted on. >> There was a motion to direct us, but

[1:33:02] I've heard the direction. So maybe we need to resolve that. Yeah. Why don't

[1:33:06] you just withdraw your motion and then U Ryan just gave you the motion.

[1:33:12] » I I've heard the direction. >> I'll withdraw my motion.

[1:33:18] » Do we have a motion for the 3.20007 mills?

[1:33:23] » Motion to approve >> with options next time.

[1:33:26] Okay.

[1:33:30] All right. Carissa, call the role, please. Can you clarify who the

[1:33:36] secondary was? >> Mr. Johansson?

[1:33:41] » Yes. >> Mr. Kent?

[1:33:43] » Yes. >> Mr. Reinhardt?

[1:33:44] » Yes. >> Mr. Robbins?

[1:33:46] » Yes. >> Mr. Santiago.

[1:33:48] » Mr. Dempsey. >> Mr. Brower.

[1:33:51] » No. >> Okay. Move to the second. The law

[1:33:55] enforcement fund. >> Law enforcement fund. Advalorum tax rate

[1:33:58] of 1.5994 mills is 3.29% 29% greater than the roll

[1:34:03] back rate of 1.5485 mills.

[1:34:08] Do I have a motion? >> Move approval.

[1:34:12] » Have a motion for approval by Troy Kent. Second by Vice Chair Reinhardt.

[1:34:19] Any questions? Chris, call the role, please.

[1:34:23] » Mr. Johansson, >> yes.

[1:34:24] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:34:26] » Mr. Reinhardt, >> yes.

[1:34:27] » Mr. Robins, >> yes.

[1:34:29] » Mr. Mr. Santiago. >> Yes.

[1:34:30] » Mr. Dempsey. >> Yes.

[1:34:32] » Mr. Brower. >> No.

[1:34:35] » And the library fund. >> Library fund out of alarm tax rate of

[1:34:39] 0.3 n sorry 0.3697

[1:34:43] mills is 3.38% greater than the roll back rate of 0.3576

[1:34:50] mills. >> Move approval.

[1:34:53] We have a motion to approve the uh the mill rate as presented by uh

[1:35:00] Councilman Kent and a second by Vice Chair Reinhardt.

[1:35:05] » Questions? Chris, call the role, please.

[1:35:09] » Mr. Johansson, >> yes.

[1:35:11] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:35:12] » Mr. Reinhardt, >> yes.

[1:35:13] » Mr. Robins, >> yes.

[1:35:15] » Mr. Santiago. >> Mr. Dempsey?

[1:35:17] » Yes. >> Mr. Brower?

[1:35:19] » No. And that takes us to Valuchia Forever.

[1:35:23] Valuchia Forever fund advalor tax rate of 0.200

[1:35:28] mills is 3.31% greater than the roll back rate of 0.1936

[1:35:33] mills. >> Move approval.

[1:35:36] » I have a motion to approve the 2 mills by Troy Kent.

[1:35:44] Did the second come from you from Vice Chair Reinhardt?

[1:35:50] Christa, would you call the role, please?

[1:35:52] » Mr. Johansson, >> yes.

[1:35:54] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:35:55] » Mr. Reinhardt, >> Mr. Robbins,

[1:35:57] » yes. >> Mr. Santiago.

[1:36:00] » Mr. Dempsey. Mr. Brower. >> Yes.

[1:36:04] » And then move to echo echo fund adorum tax rate.

[1:36:08] » Discussion. >> Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't see your name.

[1:36:11] Councilman on echo or the previous one? >> Echo.

[1:36:15] » Okay. Jack Johansson. Um [snorts] I' I've noticed that uh uh quite a few

[1:36:21] cities are ratcheting down their budgets in preparation for what might happen.

[1:36:27] And um uh I foresee uh based on my experience that a lot of cities will not

[1:36:34] be asking for uh grants because they won't be able to

[1:36:39] make the match for bigger uh grants. We have a heck of a good chunk of reserves

[1:36:48] in the echo program. And uh I I think this merits possibly going to

[1:36:56] uh going to roll back in the echo fund this year uh and let it even out, let

[1:37:02] the reserves wind down a little bit and um take a look at it uh next year if if

[1:37:10] required. um

[1:37:13] something to think about with with Danny's proposal that that may net five

[1:37:19] maybe uh $5.5 million and getting echoed down um uh I think it's about a mill uh

[1:37:30] that in effect as it appears would would get

[1:37:35] the same as what we would do if we went to roll back in the general fund as far

[1:37:40] as cost savings.

[1:37:45] Okay. So, is there a motion for echo?

[1:37:51] » Yeah, I'd like to make a motion to go roll back and echo.

[1:37:56] » Jake Johansson makes a motion to go to roll back and echo.

[1:38:01] Is there a second?

[1:38:06] » I don't think you're going to get a second.

[1:38:08] » Chairman, seeing no second, I'll go ahead and make a motion. um to approve

[1:38:11] the the echo millillage as staff uh put forward.

[1:38:15] » Second. >> Let me read into the record. The

[1:38:17] Valuchia echo fund advalorum tax rate of 0.200

[1:38:22] mills is 3.31% greater than the roll back rate of 0.1936

[1:38:27] mills. >> Move approval.

[1:38:28] » Second. >> Chris to call the role.

[1:38:35] » Can you tell me who seconded? >> I did.

[1:38:37] » Vice Chair Reinhardt.

[1:38:44] You have another question. >> I have of someone who would like to do

[1:38:48] public comment on this. >> The motion

[1:38:51] » failed. >> It failed the second.

[1:38:59] » Mr. Johansson, >> yes.

[1:39:01] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:39:02] » Mr. Reinhardt, >> yes.

[1:39:04] » Mr. Robbins, >> yes.

[1:39:05] » Mr. Santiago, >> Mr. Dempsey,

[1:39:09] Mr. Brower. >> Yes. Mosquito control. The mosquito

[1:39:13] control fund advalorum tax rate of 0.1573

[1:39:18] mills is 3.15% greater than the roll back rate of 0.1525

[1:39:23] mills.

[1:39:26] » Move approval. >> Have a motion to approve the uh uh 1.573

[1:39:33] mil rate by Councilman Kent and a second by Vice Chair Reinhardt. Any questions,

[1:39:38] comments? Carissa, call the role. >> Mr. Johansson,

[1:39:43] » yes. >> Mr. Kent,

[1:39:44] » yes. >> Mr. Reinhardt,

[1:39:45] » yes. >> Mr. Robins,

[1:39:47] » yes. >> Mr. Santiago.

[1:39:49] » Mr. Dempsey? >> Yes.

[1:39:50] » Mr. Brower? >> No.

[1:39:53] » Pon Inlet Port Authority,

[1:39:58] which is at the roll back rate of 0.06400.

[1:40:02] The pon inlet and port authority fund advor tax rate is at the rolled back

[1:40:06] rate of 0.0640 mills.

[1:40:10] » Motion I got a >> I got a question first.

[1:40:16] » Okay. Um sorry >> we have a motion by by vice chair

[1:40:21] Reinhardt. Uh no second yet. Uh Troy Kent, you have a question.

[1:40:25] » Thank you. Uh Mr. Rectald, this is one of the two that uh staff is recommending

[1:40:30] um a decrease. Tell me why

[1:40:36] we have sufficient with with what we're proposing. We'll have sufficient funds

[1:40:41] to do any of the projects that are planned, the dredging and what that

[1:40:45] comes out of that particular fund. So, we're not going to ask for more when we

[1:40:48] don't need it. >> Second.

[1:40:51] » Okay. Second is by Troy Kent. and um Hapansson. Let

[1:40:59] uh I don't think I have to call the role,

[1:41:03] but go ahead and call the role. Carissa, >> Mr. Johansson,

[1:41:07] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:41:08] » Mr. Reinhardt, >> yes.

[1:41:10] » Mr. Robbins, >> yes.

[1:41:11] » Mr. Santiago, >> Mr. Dempsey,

[1:41:14] » yes. >> Mr. Brower,

[1:41:15] » yes. >> And that brings us to the fire rescue

[1:41:19] district fund. >> Uh might not be the exact same order

[1:41:24] that's on the slides. I'm following the order that was listed. I'm sorry.

[1:41:26] Separate agenda. >> Silver sands.

[1:41:28] » I'm actually at the municipal service district. Municipal service district

[1:41:31] adarm tax rate of 1.6956 mills is 2.79% greater than the roll

[1:41:37] back rate of 1.6495 mills.

[1:41:41] » Sub move. >> Move approval.

[1:41:45] » Second. >> Troy Kent. Uh move to approve the MSD

[1:41:49] fund at its current military. Second by

[1:41:55] Councilman Robbins. Uh

[1:42:00] any conversation questions on this? Just uh please verify if I'm correct on this.

[1:42:07] We're already hurting in MSD. >> The MSD fund is using reserves to

[1:42:11] balance its budget uh for quite a few years in a row now. It does have

[1:42:15] sufficient reserves in our five-year forecast to go throughout the five-year

[1:42:18] period. That's why we didn't recommend anything like a rate increase. But re

[1:42:22] recommending this at a flat rate helps not make the gap larger.

[1:42:27] » Okay. Councilman Robbins Ryan, what's our reserves in there right now? What's

[1:42:31] the number? You know,

[1:42:42] D, you made the second on that.

[1:43:04] The recommended budget has $32 million of reserves.

[1:43:08] We are using $4 million of reserves a year at this point. That's why we it's

[1:43:12] it's a large reserve number. So even though you're unbalanced, we're not

[1:43:16] recommending to make the gap wider, but we're also not recommending to increase

[1:43:20] the tax rate to do undo the balance because it does have a sizable reserve.

[1:43:24] Thank you. >> Okay. Motion and second still stand.

[1:43:31] Carissa, please call the role on the municipal service district fund.

[1:43:36] » Mr. Johansson, >> yes.

[1:43:38] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:43:39] » Mr. Reinhardt, >> yes.

[1:43:40] » Mr. Robbins, >> yes.

[1:43:42] » Mr. Santiago, Mr. Dempsey, >> yes,

[1:43:45] » Mr. Brower. >> Yes. And that takes us to

[1:43:48] [clears throat] Silver Sand Bthoon Beach MSD.

[1:43:51] » Silver Sands Bthoon Beach MSD fund advalorum tax rate of 0.099

[1:43:58] mills is 1.02% greater than the roll back rate of

[1:44:02] 0.0098 mills.

[1:44:09] » Move approval. We have a motion to approve. I think

[1:44:12] Vice Chair Reinhardt beat you to it. I'll

[1:44:15] » second that. Yep. >> To keep the uh military at 00099.

[1:44:25] Any questions, comments? Chris, >> Mr. Johansson?

[1:44:29] » Yes. >> Mr. Kent?

[1:44:31] » Yes. >> Mr. Reinhardt?

[1:44:32] » Yes. >> Mr. Robbins?

[1:44:33] » Yes. >> Mr. Santiago.

[1:44:35] » Mr. Dempsey? >> Yes.

[1:44:37] » Mr. Brower? >> No. And the last one is fire rescue

[1:44:42] district fund at 3.5990

[1:44:50] mills 2.19% greater than the roll back rate.

[1:44:53] » Fire rescue district advalon tax rate of 3.5990

[1:44:58] mills is 2.19% greater than the rolled back rate of 3.5217

[1:45:03] mills. >> I see two people. I I hope I didn't miss

[1:45:08] you last time, Councilman Robbins. >> No, thank you. Uh staff, uh for the

[1:45:13] decrease there or the or the 68 change, uh we

[1:45:18] heard some concerns this morning from our our fire folks. Can you just hit on

[1:45:23] um some of the projects and explain what we've been doing there? Uh how the

[1:45:28] reserves are in what situation? Um >> Sure.

[1:45:31] » or how healthy they >> Yeah, they're very healthy reserves.

[1:45:34] Also, I would just say the concern this morning, uh, the the tender is been

[1:45:41] delivered, I believe. So, the the fire truck he was talking about, he just

[1:45:45] hasn't seen it yet. Uh, there are quite a few stations and so it's mean mean

[1:45:52] they just didn't see it. But anyway, the that that truck is here and we were

[1:45:56] waiting until the truck was here before we staffed it. So, now we're in the

[1:46:00] process of hiring to staff it. And the other concern about the logistics center

[1:46:05] that has to do with the fact that um uh right now they share a logistics

[1:46:13] center with EMS. EMS is going to have their own. So they'll be moving out and

[1:46:17] and that'll leave uh the uh what they call post two down in Orange City will

[1:46:22] now be uh used as the fire logistics. So,

[1:46:26] » is this going to affect any >> I know we've we had some concerns last

[1:46:31] year, you know, and obviously we want to do the best we can for for them and and

[1:46:35] our first responders. Is this going to affect any um payraises or equipment or

[1:46:41] uh anything like that? >> You uh well, you they're already in a in

[1:46:45] a middle of a contract for their for the majority of them. There are one uh

[1:46:50] smaller group, the battalion chiefs that we're working with right now, but they

[1:46:54] will not affect that. >> Okay, we're in good shape financially

[1:47:01] and that's again what we recommended. So,

[1:47:05] » uh Councilman Kent was that was going to be my question to Mr. Rectenwald and you

[1:47:09] just answered it. We're in good shape financially and Chief uh King is on

[1:47:13] board. >> He is. He's right there.

[1:47:16] » Where is Chief King? Chief, you just from from the audience, you could tell

[1:47:19] me thumbs up or thumbs down. You're good with this. That's all I need to hear.

[1:47:22] Thanks. >> He gets to keep his thumb. That's good.

[1:47:25] [laughter] >> I I had a feeling I had a feeling the

[1:47:30] response I was going to get, but I didn't want to get burned.

[1:47:34] Pun intended. [laughter]

[1:47:37] » Okay. So, I can Can I have a motion? >> Motion to approve.

[1:47:42] » Second. >> Okay. The motion is to keep the current

[1:47:46] 3.5990 millage rate by vice chair Reinhardt and

[1:47:51] second was by uh Troy Kent. Did I get that voice right?

[1:47:55] » You did. >> Okay.

[1:47:57] » Questions, concerns, and call the role on the last fund.

[1:48:02] » Mr. Johansson, >> yes.

[1:48:04] » Mr. Kent, >> yes.

[1:48:05] » Mr. Reinhardt? >> Yes.

[1:48:07] » Mr. Robbins? >> Yes.

[1:48:08] » Mr. Santiago. Mr. Dempsey? >> Yes.

[1:48:11] » Mr. Brower? No. And that takes care of all the funds for

[1:48:16] you. >> Yep. The next thing is the uh

[1:48:19] recommended budget amount which I've list I've shown on the screen here. The

[1:48:23] motion that I would be seeking would be approval to adopt the fiscal year 2026

[1:48:28] 2027 tentative gross budget of 1 bill800 million271,784

[1:48:37] which less inter fund transfers in fun uh internal services and reserves

[1:48:41] results in a net operating budget of 1 bill64 million798,131.

[1:48:52] Second. >> We have a motion to approve the

[1:48:55] recommended budget by uh Matt Vice Chair Reinhardt. Second was by Troy Kent

[1:49:06] » and Councilman Santiago for a question >> for my clarification. That is all of the

[1:49:11] U funds included. Correct. >> It's all the funds put together. These

[1:49:15] are not just taxing funds. It's nearly 100 funds including n nearly 90 that are

[1:49:20] not tax living funds. Thank you. >> Any other questions? Carissa, call the

[1:49:26] role, please. >> Mr. Johansson,

[1:49:29] » yes. >> Mr. Kent,

[1:49:31] » yes. >> Mr. Reinhardt?

[1:49:32] » Yes. >> Mr. Robbins?

[1:49:33] » Yes. >> Mr. Santiago?

[1:49:35] » Mr. Dempsey? >> Yes.

[1:49:36] » Mr. Brower? >> No.

[1:49:40] » All right. Now I have the easiest one of the night. I need a motion to approve

[1:49:44] the scheduling of the second public hearing to adopt the fiscal year 2627

[1:49:49] budget with Valuchia County Advax rates and budget set for Tuesday, September

[1:49:54] 22nd, 2026 at 50:01 p.m. in these chambers.

[1:50:00] » Motion to approve. >> Second.

[1:50:03] » Motion to approve the next meeting on September 22nd uh from Matt Reinhardt.

[1:50:08] Second was by uh Councilman Robbins.

[1:50:14] questions, concern. All in favor say I. >> I.

[1:50:17] » Any opposed?

[1:50:22] » Okay,

[1:50:26] that's all I have. >> And that that is all for the night.

[1:50:31] Unless any council member or staff has any closing comment.

[1:50:36] No. No. Then we will adjourn at 6:51. again. Thank you for coming

County Council - Thursday September 3, 2026

Transcript