Administrator’s Bi-Weekly Message – December 19, 2008

The past year has been an eventful one for St. Johns County with many challenges, but also a year in which much has been accomplished. We have continued to address a loss of $49 million due to several factors including property tax reform and decreased property values. However, we have once again managed to do so with minimal decrease in the quantity and quality of services provided.

The County welcomed two new Commissioners in November: Mark P. Miner to represent District 3 and Ken Bryan to represent District 5. While the future of the District 4 seat is unclear at this time, we also value the experience and leadership of Chairman Cyndi Stevenson representing District 1 and Vice-Chairman Ron Sanchez representing District 2. The Board members will continue to face challenges, but I am confident in their ability and desire to serve each resident of St. Johns County.

One of the main priorities for the upcoming year continues to be finding ways to reduce expenses and the overall County budget while maintaining a high level of service and quality of life. Through a hiring chill and reorganization initiative, the County has eliminated 95 full-time employees during the past year which results in annual savings of approximately $4.5 million. The reorganization also streamlined operations by consolidating 40 departments into 13, achieving greater efficiency and maximizing resources. One key component of the reorganization is a new Environmental Division of the Growth Management Department, which allows the various staff working on environmental issues to better coordinate and focus their efforts.

Staff has also diligently examined both large and small components of our operations to find ways to reduce costs. For example, by eliminating staff bottled water coolers, a seemingly minor cost, we saved $29,000. The County has also reduced costs by reviewing and revising internal policies such as the use of County vehicles and the standardization of business cards. Additionally, more substantial cost-saving actions have included outsourcing some of the mowing operations and reducing library hours. We are also conducting a thorough review of all County leased space and plan to consolidate physical offices to reduce the cost of those leases. The County also expanded its Wellness Program, which is expected to improve the overall health and wellness of employees and thus reduce the cost of health insurance.

A major cost savings came with reformed employee health insurance. Through a joint effort of the County Commission and the other Constitutional officer representatives on the Insurance Committee, a reformed employee health insurance plan was approved in July that is expected to save over $7 million annually. Additionally, the Risk Management Department coordinated the re-bidding of workers compensation and property insurance with savings totaling more than $864,000.

Despite the challenges we faced during the past year, progress has been made with County programs and services. The County celebrated the completion of the new Administration Building, officially dedicated on October 28, 2008. The new building had been planned since July 2005, when the Board gave permission to the Clerk of the Court to expand into the old administration building. Designed to enhance efficiency and public access to government, the building is expected to service St. Johns County for the next 75 years. The approximately 100,000 square feet of space is anchored by a 320-seat auditorium. A lower level parking garage provides secure storage for vehicles while elevating the first floor to 22 feet, high enough to survive a Category 3 storm surge. Several conference rooms were also included in the design for both County and public use. Because the building was designed to accommodate future growth, it includes open office space that will be used to eliminate some of the currently leased office space.

Including the new Administration Building, the Construction Services Department completed more than 184,000 square feet of new building space and managed 35 construction projects in various stages of progress. The projects ranged from the Administration complex to small boat ramp improvements and everything between. Some notable projects include the new Stratton Road Transfer Station now serving the northern part of the County, the Fire Services Administration Building, the Supervisor of Elections Expansion, and the new Solid Waste Office Building. Other projects nearing completion include the West Augustine Community Center and the new Emergency Operations Center.

The County parks network has also seen substantial additions during 2008, particularly in the Northwest. The efforts of private developers working with the County provided much needed baseball and soccer fields and other amenities at Veterans, Aberdeen, RiverTown, and Durbin Crossing Parks. Additionally, new field houses have been completed at Davis Park and Plantation Park. In Hastings, children are now using a new football field behind the elementary school. Residents throughout the County are also enjoying improved boat ramps at Green Road, Butler West, Vilano, and Shore Drive, which also includes a new park. The County also closed in 2008 on the Usina Boat Ramp, providing residents and guests with much needed waterway access.

Another celebration in October was for the completion of the Vilano Beach Town Center, a 10-year project that resulted from the government/citizen partnership of the Board of County Commissioners, the Vilano Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the North Shores Improvement Association, and Vilano Beach Main Street. The streetscape and infrastructure project included an innovative storm water management system utilizing underground drainage treatment, as well as an improved surface drainage system. Also, the project boasts 239 new on-street parking spaces to support future development and beach and pier access.  The streetscape includes native plants and a beautiful sidewalk highlighted with recycled glass pavers. With the completion of the infrastructure project, the foundation has been set for Vilano Beach to once again thrive as a revitalized community.

In other CRA news, the West Augustine CRA has successfully partnered with the County Recreation and Parks Department on the new community center and pool complex nearing completion. Also, new roads, water, and sewer systems are nearing completion, opening almost 200 lots for future development. Plus, over 100 new street lights were placed in service throughout West Augustine in 2008. The Flagler Estates CRA also had a successful year, completing an additional 19 miles of paving for a total of almost 40 miles. Working with Florida Power and Light, County staff is starting the installation of approximately 175 new street lights estimated to be completed in the fall of 2009. Additionally, the CRA worked with the Flagler Estates Road and Water Control District to acquire land to help expand the park on Oliver Street. Additional lots will be acquired in 2009 through a grant from the Florida Recreation Department Assistance Program.

St. Johns County also progressed with several roadway infrastructure projects in 2008, despite challenging budget restraints on state, federal, and local resources. The highest profile of these projects has been the I-95 / County Road 210 interchange improvements. Thanks to joint funding from St. Johns County and the Florida Department of Transportation, construction is now underway on improvements that will improve safety and increase the capacity of this interchange for many years to come. Click here to view a map of 1-95 / County Road 210 improvements. The nearby improvement of Russell Sampson Road and relocation of its intersection with County Road 210 is also under construction. Further, the intersection of Woodlawn Road with Lewis Speedway in St. Augustine was completely rebuilt to include turn lanes and a traffic signal. Overall, more than 30 projects were the subject of preliminary engineering, design and permitting, land acquisition or construction phases completed this year. Each of these projects brings safety, capacity, and operational improvement to the County’s roadway and drainage systems. 

The year 2008 has also been the first complete year of operation for the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, and the community response and success of the facility has been tremendous. The Amphitheatre exceeded all financial projections for its first year and covered 100 percent of its operating costs, an accomplishment worthy of recognition. With more than 49,000 tickets sold for national touring acts in 2008 (as reported by TicketMaster), the Amphitheatre ranks among the top five amphitheatres in the country. Additionally, the Amphitheatre was nominated for the Best Outdoor Venue under 10,000 seats by Pollstar Magazine, the leading concert magazine in the industry (the winner will be announced in January). This prestigious recognition is comparable to being nominated for an Oscar. The facility has positively impacted tourism, with 69 percent of attendees coming from outside St. Johns County. Some of the big acts who performed during 2008 included Kid Rock, Little Richard, George Thorogood, ZZ Top, Trace Adkins, Michael W. Smith, and Modest Mouse, among dozens of others. Winter Wonderland has also returned for the second year, including a new ice slide, expanded outdoor elf village, carnival games, and the crowd-pleasing outdoor ice skating rink. The Amphitheatre has continued to establish itself as a community asset, and we look forward to continued success in 2009.

The St. Johns County Pet Center has continued to grow in its second year of operation. Over the summer Animal Control staff traveled to Liles, Tennessee, to assist the United States Humane Society with a massive dog raid to rescue more than 700 animals from a puppy mill. Several dozen rescued animals needing homes were brought back to St. Johns County, and the community responded with overwhelming interest, leading staff to organize a special lottery to find homes for the animals. The media coverage of the rescued animals likely contributed to increased public awareness of the Pet Center, which has seen a 60 percent increase in the number of adoptions between 2007 and 2008. 

The Housing and Community Services Division has also offered invaluable services during 2008, particularly in light of the international financial crisis and increased number of homeowners facing foreclosure. Working together with the St. Johns Housing Partnership and Habitat for Humanity, 137 families received some sort of financial assistance. Additionally, the Homebuyer Program, through the Mortgage and Credit Center, provided credit counseling to 473 households working towards becoming first-time homebuyers, with 45 completing the process and purchasing new homes. An additional 100 plus existing homeowners have been assisted with credit counseling related to a variety of situations. The Foreclosure Intervention Program has also had a busy year, helping 14 families remain in their homes. Anyone interested in this program may confidentially call (904) 827-6895.

The past year has also been bittersweet for veterans in St. Johns County. In June members of the community joined the County Commission and the family of Sgt. Bryan Joseph Tutten for the unveiling of Sgt. Tutten Drive, named by the Commission in honor of the St. Augustine native who lost his life in Iraq on December 25, 2007. The road name will serve as a reminder to the community and the soldier’s two young children of his ultimate sacrifice. Also in June, many of the same community members gathered to break ground at the new Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans’ Nursing Home being built by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs on State Road 16 near World Golf Village. The nursing home is expected to be completed around the end of 2009 and will serve as a valuable asset to St. Johns County and all of northeast Florida.

St. Johns County also fully activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 1 status for three days in August during Tropical Storm Fay. This was the first full activation of the EOC since the busy 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season. St. Johns County was under a Tropical Storm Warning and received 11 inches of rain, and maximum sustained winds were recorded at 49 miles per hour at the St. Augustine Pier. Additionally, a tornado touched down in Hastings. Three shelters of convenience were opened during the storm, including the new Pacetti Bay Middle School as the special needs shelter and Timberlin Creek Elementary School as a pet friendly shelter. Emergency response staff managed the weather event professionally and efficiently. St. Johns County received a presidential disaster declaration for public government assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and to date has claimed over $2.2 million in damages from Tropical Storm Fay.

Additional milestones achieved during 2008 include the issues component of the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR), which was submitted to and approved by the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The evaluation report itself, which includes the issues, has been approved by the Planning and Zoning Agency and should come before the County Commission in early 2009, then submitted to DCA for final approval. The Commission also worked with the School Board and adopted the School Concurrency Plan, also approved by the State. Additionally, St. Johns County joined with four surrounding counties in September to sign a memorandum of understanding to support the creation of the St. Johns River to Sea Loop, a 260-mile trail connecting Putnam, Flagler, Volusia, Brevard, and St. Johns Counties. The off-road paved trail is to be completed by 2013 and is expected to be a valuable asset to both the tourism industry and the local quality of life. Also during 2008 residents continued to benefit from the County’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System. This voluntary incentive program encourages community floodplain management. The Class 6 rating held by St. Johns County transfers into a 20 percent discount on flood insurance for County citizens.

Our legal and environmental staff have quietly but diligently been working for much of the year on the “Water Wars” legal case, in which St. Johns County teamed with the City of Jacksonville and the St. Johns Riverkeeper in a legal action to contest the withdrawal of water from the St. Johns River by Central Florida without sufficient environmental protections and water conservation efforts. The trial portion of the litigation was held in October and the litigation has resulted in an improved measure for environmental protection for the River. The Administrative Law Judge handling the matter is preparing his Recommended Order, which will be sent to the St. Johns River Water Management District for a Final Order on the matter.

As we strive to provide meaningful and efficient services to County residents, we are proud of two new programs implemented this year. The first is a free prescription drug discount program, offered by the National Association of Counties (NACO) in partnership with the County. The program allows any resident, regardless of factors such as age or income, to get an average discount of 20 percent off the price of any prescription drug not otherwise covered under a medical plan. More details are available at www.sjcfl.us/cards. Reports from NACO show that more than 3,000 cards have been used by residents with a savings of more than $36,000.

A second program is MySJCFL.us, a new web-based application providing residents with personalized information in a single location. For instance, residents can find their voting precincts, school information, commission and congressional representatives, parcel info, library, maps, and other data simply by entering their address into the software at www.sjcfl.us/mysjcfl. This is another great feature on our continually expanding website that increases access to government and provides a valuable service to residents.

The next few paragraphs are my opportunity to brag about County staff and some of their major accomplishments of the past year. The continued hard work and dedication of the staff has been recognized with numerous awards throughout 2008. The Utility Department was honored as the first place winner of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s 2008 National Clean Water Act Recognition Award, in addition to the Northeast Florida Regional Council’s Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award.

The Health and Human Services Department also achieved major milestones this year. In November the County learned the Department had received international accreditation by the Council on Accreditation, a four-year recognition that groups the County’s agency among the best in the world. Additionally, the County’s Family Integrity Program became the first in the state of Florida to achieve the statewide initiative to reduce by 50 percent the number of children in foster care by 2012. The achievement shows the success of pretreatment and intervention programs that allow children to remain safely in their own homes.

Additional recognitions include awards from the First Coast Chapter of the Florida Planning and Zoning Association for both the new Administration Building and the I-95/County Road 210 intersection improvement project. St. Johns County was also named a “Heart Ready County” by the American Heart Association due to our program to promote Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) machines in County facilities and throughout the community. Additionally, Amy Gilboy Meide in the Land Management Department was named a TogetherGreen Fellow by the Audubon Society, an award that included a $10,000 grant for a conservation project at the St. Johns County golf course. Also, the Council on Aging’s Sunshine Bus Company was honored nationally as the 2008 Community Transportation System of the Year, as well as regionally by the Northeast Florida Regional Council with the Excellence in Public Transportation Award. Additionally, the County Finance Department and Office of Management and Budget each received Government Finance Officer’s Association (GFOA) awards for financial and budget reporting. The GFOA award is the highest quality indicator available, and the County has received these awards for 16 consecutive years.
 
I also want to commend the staff of St. Johns County who responded with great generosity to an Employee Food Drive in November and collected more than 20,000 items to be given to community members in need. The donations came from all county departments, with the Fire Rescue staff leading the way with more than 11,000 donations. The Health and Human Services staff used the food to supply Thanksgiving food baskets to more than 200 families, and then had enough left to fully stock the food pantry. The generous donations of our staff are a testament to the dedication and spirit with which they serve the residents of St. Johns County on a daily basis.

I would also be remiss if I did not recognize the hundreds of volunteers who have contributed thousands of volunteer hours to the community during 2008. As budgets continue to be reduced, the services of our volunteers are simply invaluable. Many County departments depend heavily on volunteers, including the Library, Recreation and Parks, Health and Human Services, Animal Control, Housing and Community Services, and the Extension Service. As an example of the contributions volunteers make, the Cooperative Extension Service had more than 100 volunteers contribute nearly 5,000 hours to the 4-H program, and more than 150 Master Gardener volunteers gave more than 11,000 hours to the community. The independent Sector Organization values volunteer time at $17.38 per hour, which calculates the 2008 value of the Extension Service volunteers at more than $289,000. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers throughout the County, we are able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars while still providing quality public services. 

As we celebrate the accomplishments and progress we made in 2008, we look ahead to 2009 with equal challenges on the horizon. The upcoming year may be the most difficult we will face regarding the effects of property tax reform, decreasing property values, and a struggling economy; accordingly we anticipate the need for additional budget cuts. The answers will not be easy as tough decisions will need to be made about services and priorities, essential responsibilities of government and quality of life. We also will be searching for a way to fund the Fire Rescue Master Plan and return to the schedule that will provide critical public safety to some underserved segments of the County. And we continue to address the need to increase our commercial tax base and expand economic development, as well as protect the environment and precious natural resources.

On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners and the staff of St. Johns County, I would like to thank you for your support and involvement during the past year. Regardless of the future challenges that St. Johns County may confront, I am confident that by working together we will emerge from these difficult times as a stronger community.

May you each have a safe and happy holiday season!