BCC Briefs 4-4-2006

At the April 4, 2006 Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

Offshore Drilling – Adopted a resolution supporting federal legislation to prohibit offshore oil and gas drilling along the eastern coast of Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

KidSanctuary – Agreed to provide 5.57 acres of surplus County land near the turnpike and Pioneer Road through an RFP process to KidSanctuary, a nonprofit care provider, to allow for construction of homes and facilities for abused and disabled children.

Royal Palm Beach Utilities – Adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of up to $130 million in revenue bonds for acquisition of the Village of Royal Palm Beach Water/Waste Water Utility System ($70 million), and construction and installation of extensions as called for in a six-year capital improvement plan ($60 million).

Emergency Management – Approved a budget transfer of $245,000 from reserves to make improvements to the Special Care Unit Shelter at the South Florida Fair Expo Center, and the Emergency Operations Center on Military Trail.

Well Field Zones - Approved on preliminary reading and advertised for public hearing on April 18 an ordinance amending the Unified Land Development Code pertaining to well field zones and influence maps.

External Auditor – Approved the firm of McGladrey & Pullen, the first-ranked proposer, to provide external auditing services to Palm Beach County, as part of a three-year, $1.89-million contract.

Bioscience Development - Appointed Commissioner Marcus to serve on the newly formed Bioscience Land Protection Advisory Board with Commissioner Greene as alternate. The seven-member panel will make recommendations regarding zoning and land development requests relative to biotechnology research uses within municipal overlays in North County.

Special Masters – Agreed to begin paying Code Enforcement special masters at a rate of $200 per hour; annual cost not expected to exceed $20,000.

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