BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RESOLUTION NO._______
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA, ESTABLISHING THE PASCO COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL LAND ACQUISITION TASK FORCE; ESTABLISHING MEMBERSHIP AND PROCEDURES; ESTABLISHING THE TASKS OF THE TASK FORCE; PROVIDING FOR A FINAL REPORT; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County (“Board”) recognizes the potential public benefits of an environmental lands acquisition program such as, but not limited to, the opportunity to acquire environmentally sensitive lands, including water resource protection areas, habitat for endangered species, coastal preservation areas, and providing for public recreation and land management; and
WHEREAS, the Board desires to determine the best procedures, policies and priorities of such a program; and
WHEREAS, the Board desires to utilize a Task Force composed of citizens to evaluate options and establish procedures, policies and priorities for a comprehensive environmental land acquisition program and make recommendations to the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Board wishes to delineate the membership and the responsibilities and duties of the Task Force;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA:
Section 1. There is hereby established the Pasco County Environmental Land Acquisition Task Force, the purpose of which is to recommend the economic feasibility and validity of an environmental lands acquisition program (“program”), to compile all useful information available to identify potential acquisitions, recommend an overall monetary figure for all potential acquisitions, analyze all methods of acquisition and recommend those best suited to a program, evaluate options for funding sources and partnership potentials, establish a program structure and the criteria for selection of lands, and any other task that the Board may assign for analysis.
Section 2. Membership and procedures.
a. The Task Force shall consist of eleven (11) Pasco County citizens appointed by the Board. These appointees shall have knowledge, experience or expertise in public land acquisition, environmental evaluation or assessment, real estate financing or large land development, land management or agricultural operations. One (1) appointee shall be from the current membership of any environmental group with at least one year of existence and 25 or more members residing in Pasco County (ENVIRO), one (1) appointee shall be from the Technical Advisory Committee for the Wildlife and Habitat Study (TAC), and at least one (1) appointee shall be a professional whose expertise is in land acquisition. One appointee shall be a Pasco County Staff member. Appointments to the Task Force shall be representative of expertise in the environmental / biological sciences, banking/financing, real estate / land development, agriculture, and business. The choice of environmental group will be at the discretion of the Board. b. Meetings. Meetings of the Task Force shall be held in County Commission Boardrooms, be open to the public and the media, be noticed on the County’s Public Notice Agenda, and shall be conducted in compliance with the Sunshine Law, Section 286.011, Florida Statutes. The Clerk’s office shall audio tape the meetings and prepare minutes in accordance with the Public Records Act, Section 119.001, Florida Statutes. The minutes shall be distributed through the County Administrator or his designee. The Task Force shall meet according to a set regular schedule and arranged through the County Administrator’s Office. Special meetings may be called by the Task Force Chair and coordinated through the County Administrator or his designee. c. Agenda. The County Administrator or his designee shall distribute the meeting agenda, which shall be prepared by the Task Force Chair and follow the work plan and time table set forth by the Task Force.
d. Quorum. A simple majority of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum. Recommendations and decisions of the Task Force must be made by a majority vote of those present and voting. Action on the Final Report/Recommendations shall be taken by an affirmative vote of the majority of the eleven task force members.
e. Attendance. A member of the Task Force shall voluntarily resign membership as soon as it is apparent to him or her that he or she will not be able to attend meetings regularly. Automatic removal shall occur if attendance is less than 50% during a six-month period. When a vacancy occurs, the Task Force Chair shall notify the County Administrator, and the Board shall take appropriate actions as soon thereafter as possible to appoint a replacement.
f. Compensation. Members of the Task Force shall receive no compensation for the performance of their duties and responsibilities.
g. Reports. There will be a final report that shall include recommendations for action on all task assignments. Interim reporting shall be determined by the work plan and time table. Recommendations of the Task Force shall be in writing and shall be forwarded to the Board and County Administrator, or his/her designee. The County Administrator may provide to the Board, under separate cover, any comments he or she may have regarding the Task Force’s report.
Section 3. Tasks.
a. The Task Force shall develop a work plan and time table for implementing its charge.
b. The Task Force will compile all useful data identifying potential acquisitions of environmentally sensitive lands. Using all sources including, but not limited to: “The Assessment of Measures to Protect Wildlife Habitat in Pasco County”, the Southwest Florida Water Management’s five (5) year acquisition plan, the Department of Environmental Protection’s land acquisition priorities, Florida State land acquisition priorities, the Pasco County Parks and Recreation Master Plan acquisition needs, and other outside private and /or public organization or agency’s priorities for land protection in Pasco County.
c. The Task Force will recommend a dollar figure for all potential acquisitions considered critical, using the data from task A to guide them to such lands. The Task Force will also recommend a dollar figure for those lands deemed important, but not necessarily critical and lands that might be considered for an agricultural reserve. Included in that dollar figure shall be an estimate of program and land management costs.
d. The Task Force will analyze all possible methods for acquisition and management of environmentally sensitive lands available including, but not limited to fee simple purchase, less-than-fee purchase, transfer of development rights, donation and contribution, mitigation banking and / or credits, public / private partnerships and incentive for private land management of natural communities. The Task Force will recommend which methodologies best suit a Pasco County Environmental Land Acquisition Program.
e. The Task Force will analyze the various methodologies of payment for acquisition and management, and the funding sources available that can be reasonably expected for Pasco County. This exploration should include, but is not limited to, various tax reduction or exemption possibilities and taxation methods or other funding sources that are available and would encourage the public acceptance of a program.
f. The Task Force shall analyze the Florida Rural and Family Lands Protection Act and recommend its value and use for furthering the goals of an environmental lands acquisition and management program.
g. The Task Force will recommend the committee structure and procedures for the environmental land acquisition nomination and selection process.
h. The Task Force will recommend specific criteria to determine the environmental value of land for acquisition to be used in the selection of nominated lands, the basis for rejection of nominated lands, the basis on which to accept easements or donations, and the basis on which to encourage or facilitate transfer of development rights, and the criteria for any other method of acquisition determined in Section 3c.Section 4. Final Report.
a. The Task Force shall prepare and submit interim reports as determined by the work plan and time table. The Task Force shall prepare and submit a final report to the Board which evaluates the options for establishing a program for acquisition and management of environmentally sensitive lands in Pasco County, and makes recommendation including, but not limited to, initial identification of potential acquisitions, acquisition and management methodologies, program costs and revenues (funding sources), and the structure and selection criteria of a program. The Task Force will make a recommendation of its findings and further action to the Pasco Board of County Commissioners no later than December 31, 2003.
Section 5. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.
DULY ADOPTED in regular session, this _____ day of ______ in the year of _______.
ATTEST: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA
________________________________ By _______________________________
Jed Pittman, Clerk Ann Hildebrand, Chair
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY
Office of the County Attorney
____________________________________
Attorney