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Item O1 MEMORANDUM Office of the County Administrator TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Thomas J. Willi County Administrator DATE: October 2,2006 SUBJECT: County Divisions' Monthly Activity Report for September, 2006 MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT - SEPTEMBER, 2006 KEY WEST AIRPORT . Although we are waiting for written confirmation, we have been informed by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's office that the TSA has agreed to serve the Florida Keys Marathon Airport in time for Delta's commencement of air service on January 11, 2007; . An agreement was reached with the Morganti Group to spend the next 5 weeks putting the McCoy Terminal Project back on track; . Web site updates during this period included changes to airline and parking information. HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND MARATHON AIRPORT . Participated in the 19th Annual Statewide Affordable Housing Conference; . Representatives of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) visited the Florida Keys Marathon Airport to observe completed and on-going projects that have been funded through the federal Airport Improvement Program and to discuss various pending issues; . Revision of the Airport Certification Manual is continuing; . The annual review of the Florida Keys Marathon Airport's Emergency Plan has been completed with participation from first response agencies and the local hospital. A full-scale exercise has been tentatively scheduled for January 2007; . Repairs to the western concourse and departure lounge of the commercial passenger terminal at the Florida Keys Marathon Airport are substantially completed. Work has begun on the eastern concourse and adjacent offices; . Several property leases at the Florida Keys Marathon Airport are at various stages of revision. A lease extension with the Mosquito Control District for their existing leasehold was approved at the September BOCC meeting, a land survey for an alternate site with FedEx for its ground operations is being prepared; and leases for shade hangars addressing the provision of insurance coverage and maintenance of hangers by lessees in exchange for term extensions are pending; . Employee/workforce affordable housing initiatives are continuing: the property closing for the Park Village 40-unit Affordable Housing Project on Stock Island occurred during the last week of September; the development of an affordable housing mitigation fee is pending; coordination with the Carlisle Group for development of four county-owned properties is continuing; appraisals for Roy's Trailer Park, Stock Island, have been ordered and appraisals for North Star Resorts, Key Largo, are pending; and numerous other Workforce Housing Task Force actions and recommendations are being pursued; . Staff participated in Sterling Process presentations to the BOCC; . As a reminder, the Workforce Housing Task Force Meeting Agendas and Minutes are now available on the Housing and Community Development Division web page. EMPLOYEE SERVICES Website Updates (other than normal position vacancy updates, etc.): Human Resources: 3 job description revisions Safety: Added: New employee handouts, accident investigation form, Risk Management form, Vehicle Accident Investigation form. Benefits: KPHA Provider Directory Updates 'How to Report Injury' form - update phone number Turnover Numbers To Date: Se tember turnover: .89% Resignations: 5 Terminations: none Retired: none Total to date: 11% Deceased: none Activities: . Held monthly Supervisor meeting; . 550+ P AF' s processed for October 1 st Cost of Living Raise. Will be reflected on pay day 10/27; . Nationwide deferred compensation Workshops scheduled for Clerk of the Court and County Administration employees. 10/24/06-Marathon EOC & 10/25/06-Key West Harvey Center; . United Way presentations scheduled. 10/20/06-Key West Harvey Center & 10/23/06-Marathon EOC. Key Largo will be scheduled at a later date; . Provided 4 Safety Workshops (Provided information on Safety, Risk Management, Workers Compensation and Drugfree Workplace). Mandatory. 83 Supervisor/Safety 2 Representatives attended. EEO Coordinator recognized at workshop for being a Safety Representative for 15+ years; . Flu and Pnueumonia vaccinations scheduled. 10/16/06-Key West Gato-l0/12/06- Marathon EOC-l 0/18/06 Key Largo Library; . Safety Administrator met with Facilities Maintenance to discuss implementation of a Safety & Maintenance Inspection Database; . 1 CPR class held; . Annual Health Fair in KW September 19th. Marathon will be held on October 17th; . Application for DrugFree Workplace Premium Credit filed with the State. Performance Excellence: . Division Director participated in Senior Leader/Strategic Planning meeting; . Safety Administrator participated in Rewards and Recognition Team Presentation to the BOCC; . HR Administrator presented the Communications Team Presentation to the BOCC; . Risk Manager participated in the Employee Satisfaction Team Presentation to the BOCC. BUDGET & FINANCE . Continuing Disaster recovery services with Adjuster's International. Project worksheets have been written for DENNIS, KATRINA, RITA. An exit interview has been conducted on April 7, 2006 with the FEMA project officer. All projects identified as a result of Hurricane WILMA have been submitted except for the canal cleanup portion of category (A) projects; including Marine Debris Removal, which was submitted for the removal of various lengths of vessels from 15' 30' 40' and difficult to remove vessels. The total of the project worksheet is $3,650,000. Traps up canals down. Anticipated Total Expenses Actual Includes Federal Payment Actual Estimated County County and State Received Expenditures to Contribution Contribution Hurricane Portions To Date Difference Per Finance System (12.5% of Anticipated) To Date Deunis 2,714,842 1,893,378 821,464.00 2,475,462 339,355.25 582,084** Katrina 1,268,392 615,172 653,220.00 1,305,672 158,549.00 690,500** Rita* 1,027,393 542,547 484,846.00 1,495,079 128,424.13 952,532** Wilma 26,830,260 1 1,050,280 15,779,980.00 13,352,969 3,353,782.50 2,302,689*** Totals $ 31,840,887 $ 14,101,377 $17,739,510.00 $ 18,629,182 $ 3,980,110.88 $4,527,805 * Hurricane Rita was declared for categories A & B only, which are Debris Removal and Emergency Protective measures. Building Damage not eligible. ** Certain projects for Katrina and Rita were under estimated, and will be reopened for additional reimbursement once actual costs have been determined. Includes expenses in excess of large project worksheet amounts, which will be requested upon 3 closeout, and final inspection of projects. (This cannot take place until all invoices are received and paid.) ***The eligible total of project worksheets for Hurricane WILMA have been reduced by $7,000,000 as a result of actual debris costs coming in at less than original estimated amounts. In addition, approximately $300,000 in replacement vehicles have not yet been requested. $104,000 in marine debris/vessel removal expenses not yet obligated by FEMA. Approximately $75,000 of ineligible overtime and benefits. Approximately $76,000 in damaged equipment not yet requested. . Although the County has requested in writing that it be exempted from preparing the back-up documentation for the debris removal on Federal Roadways by the number of loads picked up on FHW A roadways, as we are more readily able to provide that documentation for reimbursement based on the percentage of County Roads that are FHW A eligible, that has been denied, and we must prepare the documentation by individual Roadway. R.W. Beck, our debris removal monitor, has provided the necessary backup documentation during September which satisfies the above requirement providing the first pass of debris removed from FHW A roads (Federal Highway Administration Roads within Monroe County). In addition, the county was audited in September by the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that FEMA reports to. In addition to their audit of debris from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, they assisted the county in preparation of the FHW A debris claims, since that funding to the County is 100% of the first pass, which will result in more than the 75% provided by FEMA and DOT grants alone. Once the FHW A funding is determined, the FEMA, and DOT funding already provided will be de-obligated, and the FHW A monies will be awarded netting additional debris funding overall. The audit report is in draft form and will not be finalized until November at which time I will provide the final audit. . During September, the two required public hearings for the county budget in accordance with the TRIM statutes, plus one additional hearing was held. The preliminary aggregate rate over rolled back was initially 16.61 % over the rolled back rate which was certified to the property appraiser on July 25, 2006. As always, once the preliminary millage rates are certified to the Property Appraiser, the budget discussions usually always result in the commission requesting lower millage rates. The Office of Management and Budget closely monitored the revenues and expenditures of the Ad valorem funds from July through September and in conjunction with the budget cuts made to the various departments and the refinement of the estimated revenues and expenditures, the aggregate percent over rolled back decreased to 14.40% to 9.67% to 8.56% to a final percentage of 7.10% over the rolled back rate which was adopted on September 20, at the final Public Hearing in Marathon. The final adopted budget was $373,184,341. . During September, the Office of Management and Budget met with the Chambers of Commerce of Key West and Key Largo whereby we attempted to answer their question and concerns regarding the dramatic tax increase in the Fine & Forfeiture fund, and various other questions that geographically pertained to these to organizations. The issues raised from both chambers were similar and speak to the inability of businesses and public entities to retain or even find qualified workers. There seems to be a countywide consensus that the workforce is 4 leaving the county due in part to the tax increases on non-homesteaded properties (many of which are rentals) that are being passed on to the renters of these properties, while the wages earned by the workers are unable to keep up with the increases in property taxes, insurances, and other costs which are all increasing for the owners of rental properties. . Worked with Sewer Project Administrator on wastewater funding allocation plan to prepare for special meeting. During September, two new properties were added to the One Cent Infrastructure Sales Tax Fund, (304) totaling $ 5.750 million. As a result of the fund being "maxed out, "we have stressed to the commission that any new projects to be budgeted in that fund must be balanced by removing other budgeted projects. As a result, 5.750 million was subtracted from the Key Largo Wastewater treatment District sewer project. The county currently has an inter-local agreement in place that commits the county to provide $20 million to the KL WWTD which includes the advances of approximately 3.7 million already paid out to the district. The balance of $16,300,000 will be paid to the district on a reimbursement basis. In addition, the district will deal directly with the DCA (Department of community affairs) for the portion of the grant funds of approximately $6 million apportioned of the $20 million by the BOCC. . Continuing roll-over requests for 2006 projects that were not completed by September 30th, 2006. . Continuing to work on the Capital plan to provide budgeted funds for various workforce, and community development land that will possibly be purchased by the County. The capital plan adopted along with the 2007 budget will require amending. These revisions will be placed on the November agenda. . Received Bank of America purchasing cards and moving forward with the implementation of the Works Software Application Manager to begin deployment of the Monroe County Procurement Card Program. Worked with a Software Implementation Engineer to collect the details necessary to begin process. We were able to complete the Project Goals, Company Setup, and Workflow Sections. During September and into October, OMB is analyzing the commodity codes that will be restricted in order to be in compliance with the purchasing card policies previously approved by the BOCC in conjunction with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. . During September, The Division Director of Growth Management requested a meeting regarding the specific revenues and expenditures of the building department, which are currently budgeted in fund 148, planning, building, zoning, code enforcement, and Fire Marshal. According to Florida Statute 553.80(7) the governing bodies of local governments may provide a schedule of reasonable fees, as authorized by s. 125.56(2) or s. 166.222 and this section, for enforcing this part. These fees, and any fines or investment earnings related to the fees, shall be used solely for carrying out the local government's responsibilities in enforcing the Florida Building Code. When providing a schedule of reasonable fees, the total estimated 5 annual revenue derived from fees, and the fines and investment earnings related to the fees, may not exceed the total estimated annual costs of allowable activities. Any unexpended balances shall be carried forward to future years for allowable activities or shall be refunded at the discretion of the local government. The basis for a fee structure for allowable activities shall relate to the level of service provided by the local government. Fees charged shall be consistently applied. (a) As used in this subsection, the phrase "enforcing the Florida Building Code" includes the direct costs and reasonable indirect costs associated with review of building plans, building inspections, reinspections, and building permit processing; building code enforcement; and fire inspections associated with new construction. The phrase may also include training costs associated with the enforcement of the Florida Building Code and enforcement action pertaining to unlicensed contractor activity to the extent not funded by other user fees. (b) The following activities may not be funded with fees adopted for enforcing the Florida Building Code: 1. Planning and zoning or other general government activities. 2. Inspections of public buildings for a reduced fee or no fee. 3. Public information requests, community functions, boards, and any program not directly related to enforcement of the Florida Building Code. 4. Enforcement and implementation of any other local ordinance, excluding validly adopted local amendments to the Florida Building Code and excluding any local ordinance directly related to enforcing the Florida Building Code as defined in paragraph (a). ( c) A local government shall use recognized management, accounting, and oversight practices to ensure that fees, fines, and investment earnings generated under this subsection are maintained and allocated or used solely for the purposes described in paragraph (a). The office of Management and budget is in the process of determining the best way to separate the building department's revenues and expenditures so as to stay in compliance with this statute, if required. In addition, it should be noted that building permit revenues appear to be more than sufficient to support the activities of the building department, and should provide an excess to be carried forward as described above. The building department is currently considering leasing space on Cudjoe Key for building permitting and building inspection personnel. I have requested a formal county opinion on the above statute as it seems to contradict itself from paragraph 7(a) to paragraph 7(b) items 1 through 4. . During September, the finalized inter-local agreement for the independent fire district formerly known as District 6 was approved by the BOCC. The inventory listing which contained 12 vehicles was provided to the finance department to transfer the titles to the new district. 6 . During September there was discussion of paying down the Debt on the Airport V.R.D.O.'s with the 2006 AlP grant in the amount of approximately $2.3 million as a result of falling behind on the schedule to build the new Airport Terminal. Since the payment of debt is an allowable expense under the Grant agreement, which is a reimbursement grant, the county's financial advisor determined that it while it appears to be a benefit to investing the AlP funds rather than defeasing the series 2006 Bonds, it should be mentioned that these funds are not in the possession of the County and will be received by the County only upon spending the funds on an allowable expenditure, either paying down debt or construction expenditures. Since there are little or no construction expenditures to date, the $2.3 million dollars grants referred to in the PFM memo would only be available to the County upon the early repayment of the debt. We have asked Bond Counsel for an opinion on this, since the total project cost is already over budget by $3 to $5 million, and early repayment of the debt could result in a further shortfall funding for the Terminal project. In addition we want to ensure that we are in compliance with the Banks expectations of the early repayment of Debt. Monthly Budget Statistics Report: 17 Budget Transfers Prepared 383 Budget Transfers posted 96 Contracts Processed 500 P AF' s Reviewed for the new year 120 Resolutions researched and created. Several Budget agenda items prepared for the three Public hearings. Grants Acquisition and Grants Administration Grants Acquisition . Abstracted and distributed Twelve Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA's) including, but not limited to funding for Community Needs, Student field trips, Substance abuse, Youth development, Prevention of hunger, Living and non-living collections assessment and Educational supplies. . Sent out grant notices to target recipients for: Working Waterfronts, National Trails, Environmental Support, Childcare and Ecotourism. Grants Administration . Proof read contracts between the human service organizations and the County to validate that the information was correct. 7 Sterling Program . Worked as a member and Core Team leader of both the Records & Recognition Team and the Employee Satisfaction Team to prepare and present the teams' findings to the Senior Leadership Team and to the Board of County Commissioners. Personnel Policies and Procedures Review Board . Distributed Memo of Acknowledgement to thank all the employees (who provided their names) for their recommendation to the Personnel Policies and Procedures Review Committee. . Officiated at a meeting of the Board on September 7, 2006 to finalize all recommendations to submit to the County Administrator for approval. . Worked with a promotional award company to create Year of Service lapel pins. Grants Administration . Continued to gather information and maintain files for FEMA project worksheets for Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. . Updated lists of all transactions posted to hurricane cost centers and matched them to project worksheets to ensure reimbursement on all eligible expenses posted. . Prepared agenda items for three Byrne Grant contracts with FDLE and three contracts with providers of the services funded, and accompanying budget resolutions. . Prepared agenda item for twenty-seven contracts with non-profit agencies funded by recommendation of the Human Services Advisory Board. . Prepared agenda item for twelve contracts with non-profit agencies funded directly by the Commission. . Prepared agenda items for program generated income agreements on two Byrne Grant programs from prior years. . Worked with auditors from Office of Inspector General, Dept. of Homeland Security, concerning audit of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. Provided copies of policies, expenses, insurance, etc. . Consulted with Chair of human services task force regarding upcoming meeting; placed public meeting ads. Purchasing . Susan Grimsley of the County Attorneys' Office has begun the process of making the necessary changes and additions to the Purchasing Policy, which will clarify and strengthen the policy. These changes will be communicated county-wide and the policy will be strictly adhered to in the future. Specifically, we will address what policies to follow after a Hurricane, and will reword and eliminate policies which contradict each other. The process will require several meetings with the county attorney, but will produce a simpler easier to follow policy with face sheets and "how to" procedures which will take the guess work out of purchasing goods and services in exception to the policy, without violating the policy. . Additionally, the Purchasing card Policy and procedures will be included as part of the entire policy document. A conference call took place on August 8, 2006 with the Bank of America in order fast track the implementation of some cards to have available immediately. Received Cards, currently working on commodity codes. 8 . The statistics were relatively unchanged in the month of September for the purchasing department. Of the 285 purchase orders that were issued, 50 were entered by the purchasing department of which 41 were for Office Depot supplies. . . We opened 3 bids and processed another 2 which was below average compared to the previous months. Addendums entered 2, contracts reviewed 91, and bills paid 2. In addition there 52 voided purchase orders. Processed 1324 pieces of mail which was more than last month. . COMMUNITY SERVICES Administration . Attended safety training; . Attended FY '07 budget hearings; . Met with Commissioner Spehar re: HSAB Task Force and animal control issues; . Advertised HSAB Task Force meetings to be held on 10/3 &17 at lOA in Gato Building, 1 st floor conference room; prepared for first meeting; . Visited Key West animal shelter on 9/11 & 25; met with FKSPCA president on 9/15; met with 1. Curtis on 9/15 re: planned letters to the editor re: animal control; . Attended emergency management meeting on 9/14 in Marathon; . Conducted various meetings with individual staff members; conducted SSD senior administrators' meeting on 9/26; facilitated CSS meeting re: BSM eligibility on 9/28; . Interviewed for and selected SSD Compliance Manager to start in mid October; . Formally visited Marathon and Big Pine Key libraries and met staff on 9/21; attended Library Advisory Board meeting in Key West on 9/26; . Liaison activities with Langton Associates relative to grants/development: o Langton assisted Public Works (PW) to submit two Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) applications for Hurricane Wilma, one for Marathon Airport, and one for Emergency Management for the new EOC. o Langton worked with Engineering on the 905 bike path project for the FDOT County Incentive Program; . South Florida Workforce Investment Board (SFWIB) involvement: o Met with One Stop Career Center Director re: training funds available for employed workers and on the job training dollars; . Represented Monroe County with Southernmost Homeless Assistance League (SHAL) at the following meetings: chaired SHAL Governmental Affairs Committee meeting on 9/25. 9 Social Services Department (SSD) Nutrition . Ten concerts were performed by local artists at the four Nutrition Sites/Senior Centers and Bayshore Manor through the NACo award winning Senior Lunchtime Concert Series; . Project Hope, a non-profit organization that educates and helps people with disaster related issues presented seven programs at the Key West, Marathon, and Plantation Key Nutrition Sites. Clients participated in awareness activities like "hurricane bingo", dancing, singing, and door prizes; . Several residents of the Plantation Key Convalescent Center have joined the T'ai Chi classes taught by Site Manager, Ken Andrews at the Plantation Key Nutrition Site; . Flu shots for older adults and those with respiratory problems will be administered by the Visiting Nurses Association of Monroe County at the four Nutrition Sites/Senior Centers. Call the Nutrition Office at 305-292-4522 for more information and a schedule. In-Home Services . Submitted August OAA Report to the Alliance for Aging; . Attended safety training; . Submitted August CCDA, CCDA/MW, CCE, ADI, ADA-MW and HCE Reports as required; . Sent out monthly co-pay; . Attended SSD senior administrators' meeting; . Exchanged outdated Parking Permits for Employees; . Case Manager for Middle/Upper Keys on vacation; caseload covered; . Amendment 1 for CCE Contract for APS referrals submitted, approved, and authorized; . Meeting with SHINE. Bayshore Manor (BSM) . Residential Census 15 Open Beds 1 (to be filled 10/01/06) . Respite Clients 8 Open Spaces 2 . Attended safety training; . Sf. Administrator attended FL Assisted Living Association Conference in Daytona Beach; . BSM received annual inspection by Key West Fire Department; BSM in compliance; . Key West Women's Club social with entertainment with Michael Emerson on guitar; . Sheriffs Department students visited BSM as part of their training. The training dealt with the aging process and law enforcement interactions with the elderly; . Sf. Administrator attended SSD administrators' meeting; . Last visit for Project Hope playing hurricane bingo with the residents; . Sf. Administrator and CSD Director met with Community Support Services staff about the requirements and application process for admission to BSM. 10 Transportation (a.k.a., Monroe County Transit - MCT) . MCT and Special Needs coordinated for a smooth and successful evacuation and return of special needs clients during the threat of Tropical Storm Ernesto to the Keys. We not only improve, but learn something new, each time there is an evacuation; . Attended safety meeting in Marathon on 9/14; and SSD senior administrators' meeting; . MST is continuing to explore the possibility of migrating to Trapeze's Web-based version of Pass Demand Response Software called "NoYUs." NoYUs is especially attractive in that it is connected using the Internet with the software and data remotely located at Trapeze's Data Center and completely supported by their staff. The speed of the system is only as fast as the user's Internet connection. Since Monroe County has one of the fastest lines available, the communication will be exceptionally fast. Community Support Services [(CSS) - previously known as Welfare Program] . For the month of 8/06, approximately 111 clients were assisted with their electric bills; . Attended Interagency Meeting about FIRM, re: insurance rates, etc.; . Attended a collaboration of Community Agencies at the Outpatient Department of the Naval Clinic addressing healthcare and needs for homeless vets in Monroe County. . Attended safety training; . All job descriptions in the CSS were reviewed and updated during the month; . Core duties of our employees were rewritten to be used as part of the Evaluation Process; . Goals and objectives for each employee were written to include emphasis and to focus on the Sterling Process for the coming year. . Installation of a new computer programming and scheduling process is being implemented at each office space and in the reception area; . Now completing cases for the Summer Cooling LIHEAP Crisis Assistance Grant ending 9/31/06;Winter Heating Assistance begins 10/1/06; . E-Grant's was installed on the Sr. Administrators computer system who participated in a training to submit electronic reports to the Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee; . Staff viewed the Sterling Process Presentation by television on 9/26; . CSS is proud that Helen Garcia, Administrative Assistant for the program department was selected Employee of the Month for August and was notified on 09/27/06 of this award. Extension Services . Director, Horticulture Agent, 4-H Agent, and Family and Community Development Agent attended the Extension Professional Associations of Florida (EP AF) 3-day conference in Marco Island (each program area association met separately); 11 . Director initiated development of a MOU between Monroe County and the University of Florida to govern operation of the Monroe County Extension Office for the next 5 years; . Four of the six staff in Extension have attended a 3-hour safety training for supervisors; . Sea Grant Agent attended the Florida Fish and Wildlife Lobster Advisory Board meeting at Hawk's Cay re: alternative potential management measures for the lobster fishery; . Sea Grant Agent attended the annual 2-day FL Sea Grant In-Service Training in Naples; . Sea Grant Agent attended FL Outdoors Writers Association annual meeting, Hawk's Cay; . Sea Grant Agent participated in FL Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association (FKCFA) board meetings to assist with planning the 1/13/07, 2nd Annual FL Keys Seafood Festival; . Environmental Horticulture Agent worked with Entomology Specialist at the Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, and Urban Horticulture Agent at the Miami-Dade Extension Service to complete 21 insect fact sheets which will be bound and distributed to South FL Extension Agents, Master Gardeners, growers, and nursenes; . Horticulture Agent gave a talk on "How to Make a Rainbarrel" to a crowd of 30 women to open the garden lecture series for the Upper Keys Garden Club; . Horticulture Agent held a meeting with three Master Gardeners in Key Largo to schedule fall workshops and plant clinics; . Horticulture Agent taught a "What's Bugging Me" workshop in Islamorada; two Master Gardeners were treated to a fresher course on identifYing the most common insect pests; . Horticulture Agent attended a "Trees in South Florida" workshop for growers, landscapers, and inspectors at the Broward County Extension office to discuss how to use the Trees Grades and Standards book; . 4-H Agent held two planning meetings with the Upper and Middle Keys SOS Clubs to plan the SOS Leadership Retreat to be held 11/3-5. Libraries . A new Library survey has been prepared, presenting several new service options for patrons to rank in order of importance to them; staff is working with Jonathan Weins hank to place it on the Library homepage for easy input; it has also been made available at all branch circulation desks; . The Library Elf service, provided through the web site to remind patrons of materials coming due and requests becoming available, has sent out 2,500 messages to cardholders over the past year; "almost due" notices are most popular; web services will be promoted more aggressively over the coming months; . August circulation reached 27,329 items, 11 % higher than last year; 12 . Audio-video circulation has shown an increase of 31 % over last year, as the branches continue to respond to customer needs and request by increasing the Library holdings, especially in DVDs and audio book CDs; . 326 new Library cards were issued in August, bringing Monroe County Library cardholders to a total of 40,184; . Library Director maintained a regular schedule of visits to the branches, meeting with Branch Managers, the Library Administrator, and the Library Business Manager; . Library Director continued to meet with Tech Services to discuss and plan the new setup for Library public access computers as well as the wireless computer access for patrons; . Continued participation in the Sterling process: committees presented their work to the Senior Leadership Team on 9/19, and to the BOCC at a special meeting on 9/25; . Met with Division Director on 9/21 for her "formal" introduction to the staff and facilities in Marathon and Big Pine Key; . Two grant applications for the Library were approved at the 9/20 BOCC meeting: the annual State Aid Grant to Libraries, which was formally submitted to the State Library at the end of the month, and the Public Access Computing Hardware Upgrade Grant, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for $22,500 to upgrade or replace 15 computers received through the original grant which was awarded to the Library in 1999; . Library Director attended the Library Advisory Board meeting on 9/26 in Key West; discussion focused on the recent and upcoming Library survey for patron input on long-range planning; . Received notice from the SLD that the Library's application for e-rate funding for telecommunications has been approved: the Library will receive $ 50,230.74 in credits toward our phone bills for the coming year. GROWTH MANAGEMENT Planning and Environmental Resources Comprehensive Planning Significant achievements: Staff has made significant strides in reducing ROGO Exemptions and the time required to complete a letter of understanding from an average of four month to 5 to eight weeks. This week the focus is reducing time to review permits. Additionally, Staff has begun looking into the issue of pavers and how to best address this problem of open space, pavers, driveways and walkways. Planners . Finalizing on ROGO Exemption template, NROGO application form. . Reviewed permits . Completed several ROGO Exemptions . Meeting/ Presentation with Raj Tuesday- KL Library for transportation alternatives. . Finalize the ROGO Exemption letter template . Finalize a ROGO Exemption 13 . Work on RaGa Exemption application form revisions . Finalize NROGO application form. . Coordinating with George Born to update application forms, requirements for application, etc. and add information onto website. Historical survey, district guidelines, forms and applications. . RaGa Exemption letters In Progress: LOU for Ocean Reef LOU for D. deHaas DRC schedule/procedure/rules Letter of Completion Template Letter of Incomplete Template Letter of Non-Compliance Template Letter of Compliance Template RaGa exemption for KL Christian Center KLOR site visit/approval Calusa Appeal TDRs - Cudjoe Key Revise Key Largo Maps into publicly owned parcels and others Review privately owned parcels being downzoned Creation of institutional overlay Condominium regulations re: building permits and residency restrictions Text amendment re: transient density Planning Techs . RaGa Exemption Letters . Reviewed Condition Permits . Training new permit tech Development Review Activities Accomplished Tasks . RaGa exemptions (4) . Letters of Understanding (3) . Administrative Waivers (2) Finally, staff conducted two very successful community workshops in Key Largo which resulted from the CommuniKey Master Planning Process. Building Department . Implemented the reorganization of the Building Department. 14 EMERGENCY SERVICES . Continued to work with All Hands Consulting on the Emergency Management Comprehensive Plan revision; . Reviewed DOH PanFlu Plan; . Formulated Reentry Plan for Monroe County Tourist Development Council Entities; . Completed ranking of Monroe County and Municipalities HMGP projects submittal under Hurricane Wilma; . Obtained Miami Dade Transit adjustment of rider charges during Hurricane Wilma recovery period; . Coordinated with Technical Services, Communications Department, Public Works and vendor the new EOC Security System installation; . Conducted LMS Prioritization Meeting; . Initiated communications with City KW, USN, other entities, regarding formation of Joint Task Force for purposes of reviewing any facilities within City KW and Stock Island which may be of sufficient structural integrity to warrant use as shelters for Category 1 & 2 Storms, or, Refuges of Last Resort; . Ongoing formulation of the Monroe County Temporary Housing for Catastrophic Events document; . Conducted hurricane preparedness presentation to Boys Scouts of America. PUBLIC WORKS . New carpeting installed in BOCC room at the Harvey Government Center; . Completed parking lot striping at the Spottswood Station; . Reinstalling dedication plaque at the Spottswood Station; . All pipes and headwalls have been installed as part of the Harry Harris Park Tidal Pool Culvert Renovation Project; . Received paperwork back from Departments regarding FY07 vehicle replacement plan, pending release of State contract info; . Resolved billing errors with Generator Contractor related to EOC/Hurricane Wilma response; . Ordered two (2) generators approved 9/20/06; . Ordered new Buzz Bar Tractor approved 9/20/06; . Several staff members on Performance Excellence Teams participated in the presentations to the BOCC on September 25,2006. ENGINEERING Murray E. Nelson Government and Cultural Center . The bid date is October 11 th, 2006. . Pedestal designed, drafted and delivered to Public Works for Construction. 15 Medical Examiner's Office . A new Notice to Proceed has been issued with a start date of September 25, 2006. . County received authorization from City of Marathon regarding Vegetation Mitigation Permit to begin the start of road construction. Freeman Justice Center . Project completion percentage: 70%. . Substantial Completion date extended to Jan. 25, 2007 Big Pine Key Park . Basin Fill and Wall Phase bid date is October 5,2006, . Front End Documents ready for legal review October 2, 2006 North Key Largo Fire Station - The job is progressing well. . The roof sheathing is on. . All windows are on site and being installed. . Rough plumbing and electrical in the building are nearing completion. Old Tavernier SchoollHealth Department Building . PO for surveys issued to Hildebrandt September 18, 2006. . Public meeting scheduled for October 5,2006. Geiger Key Bridge . Rehabilitation completed Watson Field Parking . Striping completed; project to be fully complete within next week. Key Deer Boulevard . Conducted Public Meeting on September 25, 2006; public agreed on separated paved path option. Breezeswept Beach Estates Culvert Project . Received Culvert Project Environmental Resources Permit from DEP. TECHNICAL SERVICES . Migrated all users to new Exchange server; . Implemented new County Intranet page; . Migrated Marathon users' P and U drive data from Key West servers to existing Marathon servers; . Implemented new EMC Network Attached Storage (NAS) for Server Consolidation/SAN Replacement; . Began migration of data to EMC NAS - October completion; . Wireless Access in Libraries - hardware installed - October availability to citizens; 16 . Implemented automated network trouble alert system - SolarWinds; . Addressed Issues from Ernesto EOC Activation for future activations; . Worked with County Attorney preparing RFP for Video Teleconferencing; . Cellular Telephone Vendors examined - Verizon under State Contract recommended; . Evaluating products for Technical Services work order system; . Closed 231 Work Requests. COMMUNICATION & WEBSITE COORDINATOR . Launched MonroeCountyRx discount card program(from NACo), brought to County's attention by Commissioner Spehar; o Distributed 19,000 discount cards to all 22 Monroe County pharmacies, 3 Hospitals, County Social Service Offices, Libraries, and Health Departments o MonroeCountyRx Press releases appeared in all media outlets- Newspapers, US 1 radio, Ch76, County Web site o Received numerous request for discount cards from other organizations including, AHEC, Guidance Clinic, DeePoo Hospital, doctors offices, etc. . Wrote, edited and distributed 35 press releases to all news media highlighting County activities. Including 5 items recognizing County staff for Years of Service and Employee of Month awards; . Continually manage and update County web site to improve user friendliness, functionality, and quality of information available to public and staff. County Web site www.monroecounty-fl.gov traffic for month of September 2006: o 1.31 million hits to our site with an average of 1,886 web sessions per day resulting in 43,652 hits per day. 193,006 page views o Top 10 viewed pages http://www .monroecounty - fl. gov IPageslindex IPages/MonroeCoFL Librarylindex IPages/MonroeCoFL W ebDocsl divisions IPagesIMonroeCoFL Personnel/employment IPagesIMonroeCoFL WebDocs/mcpa IPages/MonroeCoFL PlanningCal/ IPages/MonroeCoFL WebDocs/links IPages/MonroeCoFL W ebDocsl officers IPages/MonroeCoFL WebDocsl IPages/MonroeCoFL admin/about . Designed and implemented new Monroe County Intranet Portal to be more user friendly, incorporate County's Mission Statement, Vision, and Value of the week, and latest News from the County. 17