Other Questions - Budget Public Hearing

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1.00 - All Questions

• 1.01) Is the County still providing $1,000,000 in tourism taxes to Disney?

  This item was specifically in reference to an agreement that required a certain amount of revenue to be generated prior to the County participating with TDT dollars. To date, no action has been taken.

• 1.02) Has the County considered a 4-day work week to save costs?

  The County Manager has considered this option. After research, it was determined that it would only save approximately $500,000. Due to the loss to the community, however, the recommendation is to keep with the traditional 5-day work week.

• 1.03) Has the County considered placing geographical positioning systems (GPS) on garbage trucks and County vehicles?

  This idea would require further research to identify potential benefits. An analysis would need to be done to determine if there is truly a benefit after equipment acquisition costs, installation and ongoing maintenance are considered.

• 1.04) How can citizens find out about the specific services/level of services that are provided by their neighborhood serving Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU)?

  The Office of Management & Budget – Special Assessments can provide specific information for each MSTU regarding what services are being provided and at what level of service. They can be reached at (407) 742-1821.

• 1.05) If the County is doing a good job of holding down expenditures, why did the millage rate go up 27%?

  Millage rates are affected by taxable values. If property values increase, the millage rate goes down. Conversely, if taxable values decrease like they did this year, then the millage rate increases.

• 1.06) What are the different types of millage rates over the County and what are they based on?

  The County imposes millage rates at a level required to provide many different services. The Countywide millage is utilized to support general governmental functions such as Public Safety (Sherriff’s Office, Corrections and Animal Control), Growth Management, Parks, Economic Development, Constitutional Offices, Court Administration, etc. The County also has millage rates that only support a specific service such as Library, Emergency Medical Services and SAVE (Environmental Lands) Maintenance. In addition, the County manages a number of Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTUs) which provide funding for services specific to that neighborhood such as street lighting, stormwater maintenance and common area maintenance.

• 1.07) Does the County charge individuals and/or their insurance companies for Fire Rescue /EMS calls in addition to their taxes?

  There is no additional cost for responding to Fire Rescue/EMS calls and/or providing service; however, Osceola County does charge patients for transport to the hospital. This cost is generally paid by the patient’s insurance, Medicare or Medicaid and brings in approximately $2.5 million annually for Osceola County. This revenue is used to offset the total Ad Valorem that must be raised to provide EMS services. Although the revenue raised from EMS billing does not cover the entire cost of providing EMS services to the community, it does provide a method of recouping costs from visitors to Osceola County who need the service but do not pay taxes to the County.

• 1.08) Does the County need Economic Development and what services do they provide?

  Osceola County needs Economic Development now more than ever. The Economic Development Department’s main focus is to retain, recruit and expand targeted industries in our County. A perfect example of their efforts was the recently announced corporate headquarters expansion of INViSiON Industries, the leader in overhead entertainment systems. This targeted industry was looking to expand their operations and was interested in relocating outside of Osceola County. Working with the State of Florida as well as Workforce Florida, the Economic Development Department was able to offer an incentive package. It included a high wage job creation incentive from the State of Florida and Osceola County, as well as a training grant from Workforce Florida. As a result, INViSiON Industries decided to remain in Osceola County, which will result in the creation of over 100 new Osceola jobs with an average wage exceeding $45,000.

  Since the inception of the Economic Development Department in 2000, $9.3 million in incentive money has been awarded to targeted industries. Of these funds, 80% ($7.5 million) has come from the State of Florida, with the remaining 20% ($1.8 million) supported by Osceola County. The Economic Development Department’s efforts have resulted in over 4,786 jobs being created and retained and Capital Investments of over $170 million. Since 2007, local businesses have received over $305,000 in training grants from Workforce Central Florida.

  What is a targeted industry? As defined by the State of Florida, a targeted industry is a company or business that creates high-wage jobs in specific sectors of the job market. Incentives can include refunds on corporate income, sales, ad valorem, intangible personal property, and certain other taxes. This list is compiled by the State of Florida, but the Economic Development Department works with community partners to refine the types of companies that are the best fit for Osceola County.

• 1.09) Why don’t the County and Cities consolidate duplicated services such as Fire Rescue/EMS?

  Consolidation of services has been pursued by the County with 911 Communications, Fire Rescue/EMS, and Building. All attempts by the County to consolidate services and eliminate duplication have been unsuccessful to date.

• 1.10) Why doesn’t the County charge Library fees for items such as late returns, damaged or lost items?

  The prior direction has been that the millage rate covered such costs. Due to the current economic times, this practice is currently being re-evaluated. There is a process to determine how to assess fees. It includes benchmarking and requires approval from the Library Advisory Board and the BOCC to change the fees for the upcoming year. We will begin this process again soon.