BCC Briefs

At the August 18, 2009, Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

Fire Rescue – recognized retiring Fire Chief Herman Brice for his 25 years with Palm Beach County and approved the promotion of Dep. Fire Chief Steve Jerauld to Chief of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

Health Department – approved the appointment by the Florida Surgeon General of Dr. Alina Alonso as director of the Palm Beach County Health Department. She replaces Dr. Jean Malecki, who resigned effective August 1.

Bond Underwriting – adopted new policies and procedures that require the competitive selection of bond underwriters and the creation of a finance committee that will be involved with decision-making aspects of county debt-related activities.

Winding Waters – approved an interlocal agreement with Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District to exchange 4.33 acres of drainage and flowage easement for the removal of 19.42 acres of canal easements within the Winding Waters Natural Area. This allows for the completion of approximately 185 acres of freshwater wetlands and the ability to raise groundwater elevation nearly 4.5 feet which will help restore degraded wetlands.

Parks – agreed to rename Light Harbor Park in Riviera Beach the Jim Barry Light Harbor Park in honor of the former director of Environmental Resources Management’s Environmental Enhancement and Restoration Division.

Water Utilities – approved a service agreement with the Glades Utility Authority (GUA) for operations, maintenance and management with the GUA Utility System. The GUA is a regional partnership established for the purpose of providing water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to the Lake Region.

Economic Development – approved the creation of an economic development specialist within the Office of Economic Development (OED) to be paid for with Housing and Community Development Economic Set-Aside funds.

Stimulus Funding – adopted a resolution authorizing the local issuance of $53.988 million in federal recovery zone facility bonds. This is Palm Beach County’s allocation from the $15 billion approved by the U. S. Treasury Department in June to foster economic development in distressed areas.

Small Business Assistance – adopted an ordinance allowing gross receipts to be used when determining the size of a small business enterprise for certification.

Affordable Housing – conceptually approved allocating up to $200,000 through the Commission on Affordable Housing’s multifamily rental development program for the Madison Springs Apartments (92 units) project with Grace Wood Senior Apartments (126 units) named as an alternate.

Annexation – approved an interlocal agreement to allow for the annexation of an enclave of less than 10 acres on Harmony Drive by the City of Greenacres.