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News & Notes
FAC 2008 Legislative Day
JobLine
Fire Chief/EMS Director
Jefferson County
Library Director
Jefferson County
Communications Network Supervisor
Volusia County
CALENDAR
March 25, 2008
Inaugural Connect Florida and Kids Voting Gala
Leon County, FL
March 26, 2008
FAC Legislative Day
Leon County
March 27, 2008
CCC Workshop: Understanding Charter Government
Leon County, FL
March 27-28, 2008
Local Government Finance & Tax Seminar
Orlando, FL
April 18, 2008
Establishing Stormwater Utilities in Florida
Orlando, FL
June 15-18, 2008
GFOA 102nd Annual Conference
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
June 24-27, 2008
FAC Annual Conference
Miami-Dade County
The FAC 2008 Legislative Day will be held Wednesday, March 26, in Leon County. Click here to visit the FAC Website for all of the details including a preliminary schedule of events, hotel information and online registration. This year's event is being held at the brand-new Residence Inn by Marriott - Universities at the Capitol. The hotel is located one block south of the Leon County Civic Center and near the Capitol (approx. 3 blocks). The Residence Inn offers complimentary shuttle service to the downtown area and free parking to all attendees. A hot breakfast buffet is served each morning and is complimentary for all guests of the hotel.
CCC: Understanding Charter Government
The CCC workshop, Understanding Charter Government, will be held on Thursday, March 27, 2008. This workshop will focus on charter government structure, the charter process, and home rule challenges that charter governments face in Florida. Commissioners in attendance will receive 3 Elective credit hours towards CCC certification. For a registration form please click here.
FAC 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition
The FAC 2008 Annual Conference and Exposition will be held June 24-27 at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami-Dade County. Our room block is officially open. Make your hotel reservations TODAY! Please only reserve the number of rooms you truly need so the hotel is able accommodate as many attendees as possible. Call (800) 627- 7468 and request the special Florida Association of Counties rate of $130.00 plus applicable taxes.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
TBRC Update
The Tax and Budget Commission and three of its four committees will meet on February 25- 26 in Tallahassee. The Governmental Procedures and Structure Committee will meet Monday from 8:30am-12pm and will address FAC’s unfunded mandates proposal CP46, sponsored by Duval Tax Collector Mike Hogan in addition to several other issues. This committee is the first stop for the proposal which, if approved, will next be heard by the Planning and Budgeting Processes Committee.
Meeting with DEP Secretary Sole
FAC and the League of Cities (FLC) met with Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Mike Sole on February 20 to discuss legislative priorities for each group, and to determine ways in which to coordinate efforts during the legislative session. FAC thanked Secretary Sole for DEP’s meaningful and helpful participation on the Strategic Aggregates Review Task Force. Other issues covered during the meeting were the Consumer Fertilizer Task Force, Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee efforts, state budget cuts, and the effect of property tax reform on local government environmental programs.
Clerk of Courts
HB 399 by Grant and SB 640 by Oelrich
Representative Grant coordinated a meeting this week with the Association of Court Clerks, the Attorney General’s office and the Florida Association of Counties (FAC). FAC continues to voice opposition to HB 399. The Association of Court Clerks provided a proposed amendment as a good faith effort to compromise as well as a talk sheet explaining their position. Both documents can be viewed at the following link
DJJ Reform
HB 273 by Adams
HB 273 by Representative Adams will likely be heard in the House Safety and Security Council meeting the first week of session. This link will take you to some additional comments on this bill.
Transparency in Local Government
On March 10, 2008, FAC Staff will be meeting with the Division of Financial Services for the first formal meeting in the process of revising the Uniform Chart of Accounts. The draft 2008 manual that includes some of the revisions DFS has proposed can be viewed at the following link.
Meeting with Chief Justice Lewis
On Monday, February 18, 2008, Chris Holley an Amanda Ghaffari had an opportunity to meet with the Honorable Chief Justice Lewis regarding current issues facing the Judicial Branch. The following day Chief Justice Lewis testified at the Senate Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations meeting voicing his concern over the proposed budget cuts to the State’s court system. The following link will take you to an outline of the topics discussed in the meeting on Monday.
New Addition to the FAC Family
The FAC family continues to grow and we are thrilled to announce that Hadley Madison Wildermuth was born on February 12th at 10:26 p.m. to proud parents Heather and Jason. Hadley weighed 8 lbs 5oz and measured 20.3 in. Heather will return to work on March 31st to lobby health & human service issues during the legislative session, and then will finish her maternity leave after the legislative session concludes.
Regional Conflict Counsel
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument on the constitutionality of the Legislature’s creating the offices of Regional Conflict Counsel on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 9:00 am. The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (“FACDL”) filed the challenge against Governor Crist in the fall and in December, the trial court ruled that these offices were unconstitutionally created. The main argument in the case is over a provision of the Florida Constitution, Art. V, section 18, that requires there to be a public defender for each judicial circuit and that that person be elected.
FAC Meets with New State Money Manager
On February 12, FAC and other local government stakeholders met with the state’s new cash manager for the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) and State Board of Administration (SBA, Federated Securities Corporation. Federated has a long history as a cash manager dating back to 1973 and earlier. They manage more $300 billion in investments, with more than $230 billion of that in institutional cash management. Federated created the first institutional money market fund and currently manages $25 billion for TexPool, the state run local government investment pool in Texas. Federated will be managing cash for the LGIP as well as the cash components of the SBA’s other portfolios effective March 1.
Florida Local Government Climate Protection Summit March 27, 2008
In the past year, initiative to address climate change has spread throughout the State of Florida at an unprecedented rate. Along with the Governor’s Executive Orders, many local governments throughout the State have begun taking powerful action on this complex issue. In recognition of this growing momentum, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability in partnership with Leon County will host a meeting of Florida local governments interested in advancing climate and energy policy within their municipal operations and throughout their communities. The event will be held in partnership with Leon County on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 following the legislative days of the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities.
Florida Communities Trust Announces Dates for 2008 Florida Forever Funding Cycle
Florida Communities Trust, the state’s premier program for helping local communities preserve parks and recreational space, will open its eighth Florida Forever application cycle on February 22, 2008. An expected $66 million in Florida Forever funds will be available to local governments and non-profit environmental organizations to acquire land for green space, conservation, and recreation purposes. The deadline for submitting applications is 5:00 p.m. (EDT), May 7, 2008.
For a copy of the FCT-4 grant application and more information about the workshop locations, visit the website.
2008 Call for Entries - National Award for Smart Growth Achievement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the seventh annual National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. This competition is open to public-sector entities that have used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially, and economically. For the first time, private-sector entities may apply this year in two of the five categories. Smart growth development practices support national environmental goals by preserving open spaces and parkland and protecting critical habitat.
Smart Growth Implementation Assistance
Many communities want to foster economic growth, protect environmental resources, enhance public health, and plan for development, but may lack the tools, resources, and information to achieve their goals. In response to this demand, EPA developed the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) Program. The SGIA program is an annual, competitive solicitation open to state, local, regional, and tribal governments (and non-profits that have partnered with a governmental entity) that want to incorporate smart growth techniques into their future development.
NACo Accepting Applications for the 2008 County Courthouse Award
Information on the 2008 NACo County Courthouse Award is now available on the NACo website at www.naco.org under the Awards section. Established several years ago, the County Courthouse Award is sponsored by Siemens and recognizes innovative governance by county elected officials from NACo Member counties.
Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) Grant Application Workshop
The Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) Grant Application Workshop, will be held on Thursday, March 6, 2008, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center in Atlanta, GA.
The Southeast Diesel Collaborative Grant Application Workshop is designed to provide attendees with a unique opportunity to receive in-depth training on the who, what and when of preparing a federal grant application. This meeting will focus on providing attendees information on the various funding opportunities under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), tips on completing a grant proposal, the various types of clean diesel projects, and which type of funding is appropriate for each.