Budget Discussions at the COW....

The Chappie James Monument will receive some County funding, apparently, AFTER private monies are raised of an equivalent ammount....

Yesterday the BCC had a budget discussion workshop.  We heard from a lot of outside entities that have sought funding.

Most are going to get some funding--but the board was fairly uniform in NOT giving more than was requested and approved last year and NOT funding any new requests.

Of course this was simply a workshop.  

We will see what actually happens next Tuesday evening when we vote on the budget officially.

Several entities that sought funding will not get funding.  

Some because they are new requests, others because they applied after the deadline for submissions, which was last March.  

What I said at the meeting, and what I meant, was that to allow folks to come in with applications for funding in August was unfair to those that actually did the work necessary and met the actual  March deadline for funding.  It would be tantamount to "cutting in line."  Before the end of the meeting, three of us, via a straw vote, signalled to staff that late applications should not even be agendaed.  That will be the standing practice going forward.

So a couple of presenters that brought large asks of the board will not be funded--because they missed the deadline.

The Chappie James monument representatives requested $100K from TDT revenues to build a statue and static jet display.  Apparently, unbeknownst to me before yesterday, the TDC approved this expenditure.  Doug Underhill stated he would not support public money being expended on this project.  The rest of the board appeared open-minded.

I asked the lead representative of the Chappie James Monument group,  Cris Dosev, a couple of different times and a couple of different ways "How much private money have you raised for the monument?"  He didn't answer directly, even when I pressed.  Apparently some in-kind donations (engineering services) have been made.  But even that information as presented was opaque.  Did FDOT accept the plans?  What are the actual cost estimates?  Can it be completed in one year?  Who knows.....

At the end of that discussion--the decision was made to dedicate the funding, but to withhold it until that entity (Chappie James Monument group)  raised the private funds from private donors to substantially complete the "hard" scape of the project--with county money coming in at the end and only AFTER the private money and city money is expended.  This seemed like a reasonable accomodation.

The final budget hearing will be next Tuesday evening.