Item K1
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: July 20, 2005
Division:
BOCCI
Bulk Item: Yes
No
Department: BOCCI
Staff Contact Person: J ana Johnson-Willi
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval of resolution of the Board of County Commissioner of
Monroe County delineating limits to wastewater activities of county government and supporting the
Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, the Key Largo wastewater board and the various municipalities of
the county in exercise of their statutory roles as designated wastewater authorities for the Florida Keys,
ITEM BACKGROUND:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOT AL COST:
BUDGETED: Yes
No
COST TO COUNTY:
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No
AMOUNTPERMONTH_ Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty _ OMB/Purchasing _ Risk Management_
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
~I;;J q; ~
ixie M. Spehar, Mayor
DOCUMENTATION:
Inel uded
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDA ITEM #
Revised 2/05
RESOLUTION NO.
-2005
A RESOLUTION OF THE MONROE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS DELINEATING LIMITS TO
WASTEWATER ACTIVITIES OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT
AND SUPPORTING THE FLORIDA KEYS AQUEDUCT
AUTHORITY, THE KEY LARGO WASTEWATER BOARD
AND THE VARIOUS MUNICIPALITIES OF THE COUNTY IN
EXERCISE OF TH:EIR STATUTORY ROLES AS
DESIGNATED WASTEWATER AUTHORITIES FOR THE
FLORIDA KEYS.
WHEREAS, general state law would authorize Monroe County to have authority and
jurisdiction to provide and operate wastewater treatment facilities in the Florida keys except that a
special law has pre-empted that authority and responsibility to the Florida Keys Aqueduct
Authority~ and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) seeks the removal of
conflicting, shared authority and responsibility in the fulfillment of201O wastewater goals for
the Florida Keys; and
WHEREAS, there has been concern and disagreement over siting wastewater treatment
plants, high costs, and the need to implement limitations on the use of general revenues; and
WHEREAS, the logical and prudent approach is that the entity that spends the money
should be the entity that borrows Of otherwise obtains the money~ thereby lending itself to
accountability and care in the spending half of1he equation; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) has bonding capability that
can be secured by the monetary :flow downstream of connection fees, user fees, and state or
federal grants or subsidies; and
'VHEREAS, the County has bonding capability but will not have that recovery
downstream of monies that wHl still flow to the FKAA; and
WHEREAS, the BOCC has grave concern that 'Without checks and balances such as an
elected board, FKAA has little or no incentive to keep the costs of sewering and wastewater
treatment to a level affordable by the residents of Monroe County: and
WHEREAS, the absence of County bond fimds will encourage the FKAA to .adopt
imaginative, state of the art management approaches to sewering and in the long run will accrue to
the benefit of all OUf citizens~ and
WfIEREAS, the BOCC in a desire to remove any real or perceived obstacles to the
aforementioned independent agencies' and municipalities' expeditious, effective, and cost-efficient
implementation of wastewater projects for the Florida Keys; and
WHEREAS, the BOCC recognizes the limitations of County funds and the need for and
duty of tile County to allocate sources to the meeting of pressing; though still under-funded) needs
within the County, including among them acquisition of available environmentally sensitive land
and the need to provide worktorce housing, fur all of which acquisition efforts there exists clear
mandate and authority for County action; now theref()re,
BE IT RESOLVED BY 1'I-U: BOARD OF' COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OJ;'
MONROE COUNIT, I?LORIDA tbat:
Section I: In the absence of new state legislative Of other authority the BOee hereby directs
that the County cease ti'Om further activities aimed at or which may be construed as seeking or
undertaking new and further commitments of County resources in the wastewater area.
SectlQ!L2.: The BOCe hereby directs County officers to fund those previously approved
wastewater commitments that have been incolJ)orated into Key Largo Wastewater Board's budget
asit exists to this point
Section 3: In the absence of new state legislative or other authority for the County to
provide wastewater systems for unincorporated Monroe County, including, but not limited to, the
Big CoppittiRockland!Geiger Key area, the BOCC hereby directs County officers to '.\fork with
the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority to reach, wherever possible, appropriate interlocal
agreements that will provide tor both:
(a) BOCC approval ofwastewater projects with projected hookup fees set at no more
than $4,500 per residential dwelling unit and projected monthly user service fees estimated to
begin and remain at Jevels which residents can reasonably be expected to afford vlithout undue
burden; and
(b) County recoupment from customer hook-up and future monthly user service fees
such funds as shall be required to service and retire any new bond obligations (not to exceed
$20,01\1),000,00) inculTed by the County for additional bonded investments in wastewater
projects,
Section 4: No additional County bonding shall occur without BOCe agreement that the
foregoing criteria set forth in 3(a) and 3(b) have been met.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board ofeounty Commissioners of Monroe CQunty,
Florida at a regular meeting of said Board held on the 20th day of July, 2005.
Mayor Spehar
Mayor Pro TemMcCQY
Commissioner Nelson
Commissioner Neugent
Commissioner Rice
A TrEST:
DANNY L KOLHAGE, CLERK
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OFMONROECOlmTY,FLORIDA
By:
By:
Deputy Clerk Mayor Dixie M. Spehar
MONROE COUNTY ATTO NEY
APJi'RQVr;p AS, m ,
~7 '-7"-"t '
-" 's ZANNE "WJTTON
C-o"",ASS15TAN:r;~,~)JJY )TIORNEY
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