At the December 8 and 15, 2020, Board of County Commissioners meetings, the board took the following action:
COVID-19 – received an update from Dr. Alina Alonso and county staff on local COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Palm Beach County’s daily positivity rate is 5.67%, a significant decrease over the past few weeks. The county’s total positivity rate is 13.36%. Dr. Alonso said the number of new cases per day has been trending downward. On December 13, the county reported 365 new cases compared to 693 on December 10.
Vaccines – Five hospitals in Florida have started receiving the Pfizer vaccine (none in PBC). All Region 7 hospital staff in contact with COVID patients are expected to be vaccinated by the end of the month. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities that registered with CVS and Walgreens for assistance will begin getting their staff and residents vaccinated next week. The Florida Dept. of Health-Palm Beach County will be receiving the Moderna vaccine, which does not require ultra-cold storage. After initial distributions to hospitals and long-term care facilities, three groups will follow; high-risk frontline healthcare workers, first responders and additional priority groups, which have not yet been identified.
Palm Tran – authorized a grant application in the amount of $1,199,742 with a required match of $133,305 for a total project cost of $1,333,047 to purchase 11 replacement paratransit vehicles. The vehicles being replaced were purchased in 2015 with Public Improvement Revenue Bond funds and have reached the end of their useful life.
Fire Rescue – adopted an ordinance repealing and replacing Sections 12-56 and 12-57 of Chapter 12, Article IV of the Palm Beach County Code. The local amendments establish requirements for life safety features and fire protection features within buildings; collection of fees for plan review and inspection services; and a Fire Code Board.
Roads – continued to 9:30 a.m. on December 22 at the BCC Zoning meeting an ordinance approving the annual update of the Palm Beach County Five-Year Road Program, which is required to be considered each year.
Legislative agenda – approved the proposed 2021 state legislative agenda that Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Affairs staff, in conjunction with the county’s contract state lobbyists, will advocate for during the upcoming 2021 Florida Legislative Session. The agenda includes general government issues with a focus on economic development, substance use and mental health, affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, and water and environmental restoration.
Building codes – approved an ordinance adopting an updated Chapter 1 "Administration" of the Florida Building Code 7th Edition for unincorporated areas of the county and in municipalities with an interlocal agreement for the provision of county plan review and inspection services. The ordinance allows for the construction of tiny houses and repeals and readopts irrigation system regulations to help conserve water and protect the public water supply.
Behavioral Health Network – approved an agreement for provisional financial assistance in the amount of $1.4 million with Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc. (SEFBHN) for the period October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021, for the continuation of recovery support and planning services, and prevention programs.
Schools – approved an interlocal agreement with the School Board of Palm Beach County for COVID-related expenses and the safe reopening of schools under the CARES Act in the amount of $10 million.
Health Care District – authorized an amended agreement with the Health Care District of Palm Beach County to increase the not-to-exceed amount if additional CARES Act funds are available for disbursement prior to the December 30, 2020 deadline.
Cleaning services – approved a budget transfer of $1.395 million from reserves to Facilities Development & Operations for the continuation of emergency cleaning services as required in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and approved an increase of $755,000 over the previous authorized amount of $5,487,413 for custodial services for the period of June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021.
Strategic planning – received a presentation on the county’s six strategic priorities focusing on inter-departmental collaborations to address needs and progress on work completed in relation to the individual strategic priorities and how they coordinate with the county’s mission and vision. The strategic priorities remain housing/homelessness, economic development, public safety, substance use and behavior disorders, environmental protection and infrastructure.
Budget – reviewed FY-2021 budget expenditures and budget projections through FY-2025. Staff was directed to begin preparing for the FY-2022 budget and future budget projections.
Code Enforcement – approved a negotiated settlement offer of $30,000 for the full satisfaction of a code enforcement lien that was entered against Matthew C. Murphy & Britani C. Murphy on June 6, 2018. Their property had been cited for parking more than seven vehicles on a residential lot; stored equipment or materials outside of the dwelling including driveways; and erecting/installing a chickee hut and a shed without first obtaining required building permits.
Stadium – approved an emergency agreement with Jupiter Stadium, Ltd. (JSL) for purchases and improvements to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in the amount of $615,670 for COVID-19 mitigation through December 30, 2020.
Equal Opportunity – approved on first reading and to advertise for public hearing on January 12, 2021, an ordinance amending the definition of “employer” to any business with five or more employees.
Greenacres – adopted a resolution authorizing commencement of negotiations for an interlocal service boundary agreement with the city of Greenacres pertaining to a designated future annexation area located outside the city’s boundaries.
Climate Change Compact – approved an interlocal agreement with Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties for the cost-share support of services for the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact effective January 1, 2021, and ending on January 1, 2024. Each county will contribute $100,000 per year for the contract with the nonprofit Institute for Sustainable Communities for the continuation of staffing coordination, project management, and facilitation services for the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact.
PACE Finance – approved an indemnification agreement between Enhanced PACE Finance, LLC, as administrator of the Florida Resiliency and Energy District and Palm Beach County.
Retirement – recognized and thanked longtime Director of Facilities Development & Operations Audrey Wolf, who is retiring after 32 years with Palm Beach County, and ratified the appointment of Deputy Director Isami Ayala-Collazo as the new director of FDO.
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