Item Q10
.
ADD-ON
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: March 19. 2003
Division:
BOCC
Bulk Item: Yes
No~
Department: DISTRICT 5
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Discussion of a joint meeting with D.C.A., Monroe County and the municipalities to discuss the
priority of wastewater projects through the year 2010.
ITEM BBACKGROUND:
On March 5 2003, I received a letter from H. E. Sonny Timmerman Director of Community
Planning for D.C.A. responding to the letter to Governor Bush about our revenue shortfall on
wastewater, D.C.A. is requesting a meeting with County policy makers to provide direction and
flexibility on wastewater issues.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOTAL COST: NA
COST TO COUNTY:
BUDGETED: Yes
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
No
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No
AMOUNTPERMONTH_ Year
APPROVED BY: County Attorney _ OMB/Purchasing _
Risk Management _
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
MAYOR PRO TEM MURRAY NELSON
DOCUMENTATION:
Included X
To Follow_
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDA ITEM # Q. ( 0
Revised 1/03
.
STATE'OF flORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
"Dedicated to making Florida a better place to call home'
IlBlIUSH
GcM!mor
COLLI!N CASTlm
5ecreWy
March 5, 2003
The Honorable Murray E. Nelson
Monroe County Board of County Commissioners
Damaron Building, Suite 2
99198 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, FL 33037
Dear Mayor Pro Tern Nelson:
Thank you for your letter dated Peb 7, 2003. regarding the many challenges that face
Monroe County in accomplishing the wastewater mandates established by Public Law 99-395.
Your letter indicates that it is highly unlikely that the CoWtty will be able to construct wastewater
treatment plants for the entire County by 2010 due to the rising cost of land and materials. The
Governor has requested that I respond to your letter and provide guidance regarding strategies
for constructing new wastewater systems, eliminating cesspits. and upgrading wastewater plants
to meet the higher level of water quality treatment standards necessary to meet legislative
deadlines.
The WasteW8.ter Master Plan contains a Ust of priority hot spots targeted for sewer
services based upon the intensity of existing development, the number of existing cesspits, and
the financial feasibility of constructing the system. It is my Wlderstanding that the County
Commission adopted the current list of priority hot spots by resolution. We are willing to work
with the County Commission and the County staff to both evaluate the need for adjusting the
priority list and potentially adjusting the actual priority list. Ifwe agree to adjust the priority list,
we should focus on serving the most densely populated areas and developing lo~ger.tetm ~
strategies to allow for the use of onsite sewage treatment and disposal system'SiiJ. more rural, less
developed areas. In revising the priority list, we should be mindful that any area that becomes a
cold spot would no longer qualify for the "interim standards" established in Public Law 99-395.
Also Public Law 99-395 provides that interim standards will only be available after July 2004 for
areas that have a signed contract with a construction schedule for the development ofa
wastewater treatment system.
Finally, I must note that the Department has been fully engaged with Monroe County and
the efforts that have been made to date to obtain funding from federal and state funding sources
and to understand the monetary challenges being faced by the County. We will continue to
provide this assistance.
%555 SHUM^1l.0 OAK 80UL~VARO . TALlA....ASSEE, FLORI!;)A 32399.2100
Phone: 850.488.8466fSuncom 278.8466 FAX: 850.921.07811S~nc:om 291.0781
Internel addreu: ll\.p:llwww...dc:.l.ltUr..fl.u5
atnCAL STATE CCU\lr;1RN FIElD OfRet
279' Ovel!l!iI Hlahwo,. Sulle 212
Mamhon, Fl, ~~O5l).2227
COMMUNITY tol".\NNING WEIGENO'MANAGEMEI'I1
2$.55 shullllrd OM .....1e~1Jd 2S5S 5hullllld 0IIk Bauhmlld
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I10USINQ . COMMUI'fIIY DEVELorMINT
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The Honorable Murrey E. Nelson
March 5$ 2003
Page two
In order to address these issues, we recommend that a meeting be held between our
respective staffs to discuss amending the priority list and also examine other wastewater options.
These options might include creative mechanisms for connecting adjacent development to
private package plants with available capacity. If you and tbe other commissioners are
agreeable, I will ask Jim Quinn to set up a mutually convenient time for our respective 'staff to
discuss wastewater issues in Monroe County.
\
~~. ~ .
H.E. "So~ermon, Director
Divisio~ :;Y<<%n; Planning
cc: The Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor .
Colleen Castille, Secretary, Dept. ofCommu;nty Affairs
Teresa Tinker, Governor's Office of Planning and Budgeting
James L. Roberts, Monroe County Administrator
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