Item U8
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: November 18. 2009
Division: County Attorney
Bulk Item: Yes -1L
No
Department:
Staff Contact PersonlPhone #:Suzanne Hutton x 3470-
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval of resolution requesting DCA for a rule change to revise the
scoring for Small Cities Community Development Block Grant application scoring methodology to be
updated to provide appropriate emphasis on activities consistent with wastewater treatment standards
mandated In Chapter 99-395 Laws of Florida, as opposed to emphasizing installation of septic tanks,
which is now prohibited in Monroe County.
ITEM BACKGROUND: Approximately one-third of the households still having to connect to
centralized wastewater in Monroe County are deemed by federal standards to be extremely financially
burdened by the system development fees which have been subsidized are 10% of the annual income of
that one-third of the population, and the connection costs being 2 to 4 times the subsidized system
development fees, and especially where no system development subsidy has been identified for
approximately 8,800 residences.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
Levying affordable assessments for system development charges.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Approval.
TOTAL COST:
o INDIRECT COST:
BUDGETED: Yes _No
COST TO COUNTY:
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No
AMOUNTPERMONTH_ Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty)if- OMBlPurchasing _ Risk Management_
DOCUMENTATION:
Included --L-
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDA ITEM #
Revised 1/09
Resolution No.
- 2009
A RESOLUTION OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
REQUESTING AN ADMINISTRATIVE RULE HEARING TO
PROPOSE THAT THE SMALL CITIES COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT APPLICATION SCORING
METHODOLOGY BE UPDATED TO PROVIDE
APPROPRIATE EMPHASIS ON ACTIVITIES CONSISTENT
WITH WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
MANDATED IN CHAPTER 99-395 LAWS OF FLORIDA.
WHEREAS, Monroe County is mandated by Chapter 99-395 Laws of Florida to eliminate
discharges of nutrients to surface waters and significantly reduce nutrient discharges to
groundwater; and
WHEREAS, compliance with 99-395 Laws of Florida requires elimination of septic tanks
and un-permitted onsite storage treatment and disposal systems; and
WHEREAS, the Monroe County Sanitary Wastewater Master Plan (2000) recommended
the installation of central wastewater treatment systems which meet the most stringent standards in
areas identified as hot spots; and
WHEREAS, in unincorporated Monroe County, construction of the central wastewater
system in the Big Coppitt Service Area and portions of the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment
District have been completed, and the City of Marathon reports that it is close to conclusion of its
construction of several systems; and
WHEREAS, connection to the centralized systems is estimated to cost between $9,000 and
$18,000; and
WHEREAS, the Monroe County Needs Assessment prepared by the University of North
Carolina reported that 13% of households required to connect have an annual income of less than
$15,000 and another 20% have an annual income of less than $35,000; and
WHEREAS, the Needs Assessment reported that these percentages represent
approximately 7,000 households in Monroe County; and
WHEREAS, these households qualify for assistance based on single member family HUD
standards; and
WHEREAS, funding assistance to complete connections to the newly constructed
centralized system is documented to be necessary for preservation of the existing community; and
WHEREAS, construction of the centralized system was subsidized to reduce system
development fees to the fee considered affordable by the Environmental Protection Agency's
affordability standards; and
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WHEREAS, the construction of lateral connections to a newly constructed centralized
system receives 60 points while installation of septic tanks, which is a prohibited activity in the
Florida Keys, receives 75 points; and
WHEREAS, additional central wastewater system construction throughout Monroe County
is underway to achieve compliance with Ch. 99-395 Laws of Florida; and
WHEREAS, the need for connection assistance funding is anticipated to be a multi-year
effort; and
WHEREAS, the estimated need for connection assistance funding assistance is at least
$63,000,000 to $128,000,000 (7,000 households times $9,000 to $18,000 per home); and
WHEREAS, as an Area of Critical State Concern, Monroe County's environmental
restoration and community preservation are intended to receive priority;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS FOR MONROE COUNTY that:
1. The BOCC supports an administrative hearing to request the application scoring
methodology be updated to provide goal points and grant history score points, consistent with the
required activities and financial need, necessary to achieve for compliance with 99-395 Laws of
Florida.
2. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
3. The Clerk is directed to send copies of this resolution to Secretary Thomas G. Pelham,
Florida Department of Community Mfairs, and Janice Browning, Director, Division of Housing
and Community Development, both at 2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2100.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida, at a regular meeting of the Board held on the _ day of ,2009.
Mayor George Neugent
Mayor Pro Tern Sylvia J. Murphy
Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro
Commissioner Kim Wigington
Commissioner Heather Carruthers
Attest: DANNY L. KOLHAGE, CLERK
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
By:
By:
Deputy Clerk
MAYOR
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