The Pasco County Commission has passed a resolution requesting that CareerSource Pasco Hernando be kept in its current configuration.
The board adopted the resolution as part of its consent agenda on Dec. 6. Items on the consent agenda are approved in a single motion, without discussion, unless someone pulls an item off to be considered as a regular item.
The REACH Act, signed into Florida law in 2021, seeks to achieve a more coordinated approach in delivering and using workforce development resources and services through alignment and accountability, according to background material in the board’s agenda packet.
But Pasco is resisting any move for CareerSource Pasco Hernando to be absorbed into a larger workforce board.
The board’s agenda background materials assert that “the Pasco Hernando workforce region, region 16, is not only growing, but is thriving.”
The resolution asks state officials to allow CareerSource Pasco Hernando “to remain in its current form.”
It notes that “CareerSource Pasco Hernando has developed partnerships within the community that are not only essential to the growth and economic success of Pasco County, but are also an integral part of creating a business-friendly environment which promotes job creation.”
In its resolution, the board said it feels “it is of the utmost importance to maintain a locally developed and driven system where the local workforce board operates and performs its duties with the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness.”
As the state continues to evaluate the workforce system, Pasco is asking it to “give consideration to existing workforce regions that are functioning optimally.”
The county board does “not support a consolidation effort through realignment that would absorb Pasco County into a larger area and believes this will diminish the success and effectiveness of the local workforce board and will negatively impact Pasco County’s economy,” according to the resolution.
In other action during the Dec. 6 meeting, the board:
- Selected Coastal Design Consultants Inc., to design bus shelters countywide, along with a related professional services agreement, for a three-year contract term and two optional one-year renewals.
- Amended a lease agreement with Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., regarding office spaces in the Stallings Building, at 15029 14th St., in Dade City. The agreement is for an amount not to exceed $1 per year, plus Pasco EDC’s pro-rata share of utilities, which is $3,424.02 per year beginning Feb. 1, 2023 through Sept. 30, 2024. There are two remaining one-year renewal options, through Sept. 30, 2026.
- Acknowledged and accepted United State Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Assessment Grant Funding for $500,000. The grant will be used to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop cleanup plans, conduct public health monitoring, and support community outreach activities. Assessments will focus on the main north/south commercial corridors, including U.S. 19, Community Redevelopment Areas and the Lacoochee-Trilby industrial area.
Brownfield assessments are expected to stimulate the cleanup and redevelopment of abandoned and underused sites along regional transportation corridors.
- Approved spending $186.285 for annual dues for membership in the Tampa Bay Regional Council. The region’s six counties — Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas — are required by law to exercise regional cooperation through the membership of the Council, i.e., Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC). These counties and several other incorporated municipalities within the Tampa Bay Region are governments represented on the council by elected officials appointed by their local boards, and the governor appoints additional members representing the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Enterprise Florida.
- Approved a bid award to Will-B Enterprises LLC, for debris and noxious materials removed, mowing and/or property cleanup for $36,000 a year for three years, for cumulative amount of $108,000.
Published December 21, 2022
