Michele Baker

Five candidates vie for Pasco administrator

March 1, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Five candidates, out of a potential list of 11, made the cutoff and will be brought to Pasco County to interview as the replacement for outgoing County Administrator Michele Baker.

Baker is scheduled to leave office in July.

She notified county commissioners last year that she planned to retire and would not seek to renew her contract.

A group tour of Pasco, an invitation-only meet-and-greet, and interviews at a county commission meeting are anticipated in mid-March for the candidate finalists.

County commissioners got a preview of 11 candidates at the Feb. 21 meeting in New Port Richey from Mark Morien, vice president of Chicago-based GovHR USA.

Commissioners received packets on each candidate, including resumes and comments from references, and candidate interviews. They voted to select five of the 11 candidates to interview.

GovHR USA received a total of 54 resumes, from 18 states. Gabriel Papadopoulos, manager of Pasco County’s elderly nutrition program, was the lone internal candidate to apply.

Although Papadopoulos wasn’t among the recommended candidates, Morien said he wanted to identify him “so you are aware of who your future leaders are.”

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano unexpectedly tossed in Kevin Guthrie’s name.

After a short pause, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said, “It’s a little late.”

Pasco hired Guthrie in 2016 as emergency management director and, soon after, revamped his role to director of emergency services.

Guthrie didn’t apply for the county administrator’s job.

Of the five selected candidates, one is from Florida; the others are from Illinois, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

The job advertised an annual salary of $220,000. Baker currently receives about $192,000.

The finalists are:

Daniel F. Biles, deputy county manager of Jefferson County, Alabama, located in Birmingham.

Biles has a military background and has family living in Florida.

He has 10 years of experience in engineering, including work on stormwater issues.

Morien said Biles recently received an 18 percent salary boost to $207,500 a year.

“It’s a reflection of his performance and desire of the county to keep him,” said Morien.

Mark A. Cunningham, assistant county administrator in Sarasota County.

Cunningham previously served as executive director of planning and development in Denton, Texas; and, as director of land development in Polk County.

Morien said references described him as a good problem solver and a glass-half-full person.

“You don’t have to keep reading,” said Starkey. “I really like this one.”

David M. Ross, the first county administrator of Rock Island County, Illinois, which formed its government in 2015.

Ross also is a former police officer.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore and Starkey chimed in during Morien’s presentation to say, “I like him.”

Theodore L. Voorhees, the former city manager of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

A majority of city council members asked for his resignation in April 2016.

Morien said Voorhees initially was recruited to bring change to Fayetteville. He is credited with bringing a minor league baseball team to the city.

However, an election scrambled the makeup of the council members, and resulted in tensions between Voorhees and the

new council.

Since 1980, Fayetteville has fired six city managers, Morien said.

Dale M. Walker, county manager of the Macon-Bibb County government, which consolidated in 2014.

He previously served as chief administrative officer of the City of Macon. He also worked for 30 years in Cadillac, Michigan, as its director of finance and deputy city manager.

Published March 1, 2017

Pasco testing idea of cat license fees

October 19, 2016 By Kathy Steele

A catfight nearly broke out as Pasco County commissioners couldn’t quite agree on whether to mandate $5 license fees for man’s best feline friend.

The fees are among a package of changes proposed for the county’s Animal Services, which is searching for ways to boost its budgetary bottom line.

In a compromise, county commissioners agreed to approve the entire package included in an amended ordinance, with one exception.

File photo Pasco County Animal Services wants to collect funds from mandatory cat licenses to supports its low-cost spaying and neutering program.

The mandatory cat fees and licenses will be charged as part of a one-year pilot program, with quarterly updates on the number of licenses sold. Cat licenses currently are made available on a voluntary basis.

Animal Services’ officials are working out details on how to get the word out to residents and veterinarians.

The goal with the mandate is to collect about $60,000 for an Animal Services Sterilization Fund to support the county’s low-cost spaying and neutering program.

“I’m willing to give you a year but I’m expecting you to exceed the numbers,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells. “I’m not sold on it. I hope you can prove me wrong in 12 months,” Wells said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said the fees could have unintended consequences, if cat owners balk at the costs.

“What are they going to do? Let the cats go,” he said. “It’ll get worse and worse.”

Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader said he thought the fees had been scratched from Animal Services’ proposal, when it was presented at a budget workshop.

County officials said they were trying to be creative in coping with an approaching depletion of funds for spaying and neutering. At the workshop, they projected the coffers will be empty within three years unless a funding source is found.

Currently, revenues from dog licenses are the only resource, essentially subsidizing the expense of spaying and neutering cats, said Michael Shumate, the county’s Animal Services director.

“That revenue source is drying up,” he said.

Pasco is one of three counties in the state that doesn’t require cat licenses, and collect fees, said Cathy Pearson, the county’s assistant county administrator for public services.

However, one exception to the fees raised questions with some commissioners.

No fees will be charged when feral cats are trapped and released after being sterilized. And, they won’t have to wear collars displaying their tags. Veterinarians identify those cats by clipping a notch in one of their ears.

The trap and release process is a sometimes controversial method of trying to reduce kitten populations among feral cat colonies.

County Administrator Michele Baker is a cat owner and lives in a neighborhood with a number of feral cats.

“They are producing kittens. They are walking on my car,” she said. “I would gladly buy a $5 tag if that would allow Pasco County to neuter and spay some of the cat colony in my neighborhood.”

Cat licenses aren’t the only change for pet owners and veterinarians.

The county will require that animals sold or adopted must by micro-chipped. Veterinarians and pet dealers must have license tags available for sale, report stolen tags and provide copies of rabies vaccination certificates.

A new fee schedule also was approved.

Costs for dog and cat adoptions are unchanged, at $70 and $40 respectively. But adopting a small breed dog and puppies under four months of age will cost $85. Kittens younger than four months will cost $50.

However, animal services often have special discounted adoption events.

Dog and cat owners also will be able to get three-year rabies tags.

Published Oct. 19, 2016

Connected City gets initial OK

October 19, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County’s Development Review Committee has given its first stamp of approval to a pilot program to create a futuristic, technology-based network of communities across more than 7,800 acres in northeast Pasco County.

But that’s just one step in the review process.

State legislators approved the Connected City in 2015, and selected Pasco as the site for the project.

The Pasco County Commission also gave the concept for Connected City its OK, via a resolution.

The county’s Development Review Committee voted on Oct. 13 to recommend changes to the county’s long-range land use planning and development codes to lay out the legal framework for Connected City.

Additional votes by the review committee will be needed on a range of issues, including financial and road plans. Those issues are expected to considered in November.

But those are actions are merely recommendations. The Pasco County Commission has the final word.

If Connected City gains needed approvals, it is expected to have considerable impact on the county.

It is projected to have about 96,000 employees, and about 37,000 homes and apartments when it is entirely built out, which expected to take about 50 years.

“In the long run, this is going to make Pasco a premier county,” said Ernest Monaco, the county’s assistant planning and development director.

Not everyone agrees with that vision.

Some residents who live within the district worry about losing the rural lifestyle of northeast Pasco to Connected City’s urgan lifestyle.

“I’m not willing to give up my slice of ruralness,” said Jennifer McCarthy, who lives on Kenton Road.

McCarthy opposes plans to turn Kenton into a four-lane paved roadway, that she says likely will turn a local road into a heavily travelled thoroughfare. There also will be harm done to wildlife in habitats on both sides of Kenton, she said.

“Wildlife is not going to be able to pass through here,” McCarthy said. “It doesn’t make sense to ruin conservation areas to make it a pass through for all the subdivisions to the north.”

County officials suggested a willingness to look at the issue.

“Let’s explore it and find the answers,” said Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Connected City has its fans, too.

Margaret Tingley, president of Tingley Systems, Inc. in San Antonio, described Connected City as “a dream come true.”

“You’re centrally located to all of Pasco County. It’s a great place to show what you can become,” she said. “Technology is the wave of the future. The new Connected City is the wave of the future.”

Efforts to craft a master plan have taken about 17 months.

“I’m actually proud we spent 17 months trying to do something different,” said attorney Joel Tew, who represents Metro Development Group. “This was not an accident. We purposely selected Pasco County over competing counties.”

Connected City is expected to become the first gigabit community in the nation that is built from the ground up.

Metro Development is partnering with Pasco County on the first neighborhoods that will be built in the Connected City network.

Boundaries generally are Interstate 75, State Road 52, Overpass Road and Curley Road.

Construction is under way on Metro Development’s first project within Connected City. Developers are building a mixed-use community at Epperson Ranch. An approximately 7-acre, manmade “Crystal Lagoon” will be a centerpiece of the project.

Though state lawmakers created a 10-year pilot program, build out within the entire special district will take an additional 40 years.

The district’s development plans will be locally controlled, with a minimum of state or regional oversight.

Estimates are that local review from application to permitting and construction will take only four months to five months. Not everything must be in place before early phases of construction get underway.

For example, Monaco said, “Developers won’t have to wait to decide where every shrub goes before beginning mass grading on their sites. This makes us more competitive. It’s a good thing.”

Published Oct. 19, 2016

Medical marijuana may mean big money in Pasco

September 28, 2016 By Kathy Steele

The local debate on how to regulate medical marijuana in Pasco County remains unsettled.

But, two Tampa land use attorneys recently briefed county commissioners on the legal difficulties they face, and the vast sums of money at stake as the medical marijuana industry expands.

County commissioners also received a recommendation from the county’s legal staff on limiting medical marijuana in Pasco to industrial districts, with conditions.

Title The potential use of some industrial properties for medical marijuana dispensaries didn’t go over well with Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

“I don’t want to take any more industrial off the books,” he said.

Currently, a low level form of medical marijuana, known as Charlotte’s web, is legal in Florida for patients with seizure disorders. Terminally ill patients can qualify for stronger potencies of medical marijuana.

A Nov. 8 statewide referendum, if approved, would open the door to more dispensaries statewide, while also increasing the number of illnesses that can be treated with medical marijuana.

The law currently allows only five sites, geographically dispersed across the state.

There is money to be made in this budding industry.

A Miami-Dade County study recently estimated that each eligible patient would spend up to $3,600 a year on medical marijuana.

Data from the Florida Department of Health predicted that by 2017 there would be about 450,000 patients statewide. That would translate to about $1.3 billion in medical marijuana sales, according to attorney Gina Grimes of Hill Ward Henderson.

Pro-industry data suggests the number of patients could be as many as 700,000, Grimes added.

She and Morris Massey, of the same law firm, gave a presentation on medical marijuana to county commissioners on Sept. 20 at a public workshop in New Port Richey.

“We’re not here to advocate either in support of or against marijuana,” said Grimes.

The data laid out for county commissioners offered an overview of their zoning options in deciding how many dispensaries to permit, where to locate them and what conditions to apply, such as hours of operation and distance from schools, churches and day care centers.

Some restrictions — aimed at reducing loitering — prompted a query from Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey.

“Are you saying people who are really sick go loitering outside these buildings?” she said. “Is this unfounded hysteria or based in factual experience?”

Grimes said there was a bit of both.

“People have a lot of concerns,” she said. “People have a fear of the unknown. Not knowing, they want to make sure none of these things occur. I think that’s where the regulations are coming from.”

On the financial side, the economic impact to state and local governments goes beyond a head count on patients. There will be permanent jobs in the industry, construction jobs to build cultivation facilities and dispensaries. Consultants, attorneys and accountants also will be hired.

There will be security jobs and businesses that supply cultivation sites with fertilizer, pots, containers and other materials. The county’s utility tax revenues could get a boost from facilities that use high levels of energy to grow cannabis.

And, as a tourist destination, Florida could benefit from accepting visitors’ out-of-state medical cards for medical marijuana purchases.

Grimes said Florida is predicted to rank second in the country for such sales, potentially reaping $2 billion to $3 billion annually by 2025.

“The economic impact of medical marijuana could grow exponentially when you consider our tourist industry,” she said.

Some cities and counties already have made choices in how to deal with medical marijuana.

The City of Cocoa Beach, for example, would allow dispensaries in general commercial zones with conditions, such as 1,000-foot distance from schools. Hillsborough County would allow them in all districts with retail uses, as long as they meet state regulations on operations.

A significant issue for county commissioners is whether to hold public hearings on each application or to process applications administratively.

With a favorable vote on Nov. 8, Grimes said Pasco could find as many as 100 applicants or more lining up for permits.

A Quinnipiac University poll in May found 80 percent of Florida’s voters support expanding medical marijuana uses.

County commissioners recently extended a moratorium on the growth, manufacturer and production of cannabis – from which medical marijuana is derived – until Dec. 31, to allow time to craft regulations in the event the referendum passes.

Because of the confusion of how the state will proceed, Grimes and Massey suggested that the county consider another, shorter extension of the moratorium.

It could take months for the state’s Department of Health to issue its regulations, if the referendum is approved. Legislators also could weigh-in during their 2017 session.

But, Grimes said, “At that point in time, I think you’ll be better able to adopt regulations that take into account facts you know exist.”

County commissioners praised the attorneys’ presentation, but expressed disappointment that the workshop was limited to a legal review.

“I’m frustrated right now,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells also said he expected greater participation. “I just think we all can be educated,” he said.

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said staff would need more guidance on the matter, if commissioners wanted a workshop on the advantages and disadvantages.

“Pros and cons (of medical marijuana) are not what is in the purview of the board,” she said. Rather, the issue will be decided by the state’s voters.

Though public workshops don’t typically allow public comment, county commissioners waived the rule. They also said another workshop might be needed.

A handful of people spoke in favor of medical marijuana. No one spoke in opposition.

Garyn Angel, owner of a botanical extraction company known as Magical Butter, said plant-based medicine is healthier than manufactured pills.

“There should not be a stigma to getting medicine that works for you, especially from low-level THC. This will not get you high. Let’s make people healthy naturally.”

Published September 28, 2016

Pasco eyes $1.5 billion budget

July 20, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners are looking at a projected budget of about $1.5 billion for 2017.

The proposed budget holds the line on new taxes, but allows some room for new services, programs, staff hires and capital improvements.

As county staff was completing the budget, they received news that property tax revenues would be about $1.8 million more than expected.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore is happy to see funding for a bus circulator route in Land O’ Lakes in the county’s proposed $1.5 billion budget for 2017. (File Photos) — Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore is happy to see funding for a bus circulator route in Land O’ Lakes in the county’s proposed $1.5 billion budget for 2017.
(File Photos)

The additional cash helped avoid a repeat of last year’s scrappy debates over the budget request from the Pasco County Sheriff’s office.

This year’s budget, if approved, provides an additional $6.3 million for the sheriff’s office. The money would go for salary raises, equipment and new hires.

Other expenditures in the proposed budget include $331,000 for a bus circulator route in Land O’ Lakes, and $60,000 to hire a federal lobbyist.

Still, the budget overall reflects a “modest growth philosophy” amid an economy that is slowly recovering, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker wrote in a letter to the commissioners.

The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Commissioners received a briefing on July 12 on the proposed budget.

Public hearings on the budget are scheduled on Sept. 13 in Dade City and on Sept. 27 in New Port Richey.

Overall, the 2017 budget reflects an increase of less than 6 percent, or about $85 million, over last year’s budget.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco was able to secure more funding for raises in the county’s proposed 2017 budget. The sheriff said he needs to increase salaries because he’s losing too many deputies to other area agencies that pay more.

The millage rate would remain unchanged from its current rate of about $7.60 per $1,000 of property value for the general fund, and about $1.80 per $1,000 of property value for the fire district.

However, county officials said the typical homeowner, with a homestead exemption, could pay almost $7 more in property taxes in 2017, based on rising property values.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the budget,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

The bus route in Land O’ Lakes, for example, is a significant addition to the community, he said. “It’s one of our major corridors (U.S. 41) and the only one that doesn’t have bus transit. Hopefully, it will relieve traffic congestion.”

One item not included in the budget was a request for more weekend and evening operating hours at the county’s libraries. The request was to restore the hours to 2008 levels.

County officials balked, saying the recurring costs were too high.

“I would like to see us ease back into increasing library hours,” Moore said. But that seems unlikely for now, he added.

The total tax roll increased from about $20 billion in 2016 to $22.9 billion in 2017. The assessed value of new construction increased about $777 million.

In May, the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s office had projected a 5.5 percent increase in property tax revenues. But, based on additional data, valuations rose about 7.2 percent, and accounted for the additional $1.8 million in revenues.

The initial estimates were just that – estimates, said Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells Sr. Typically, the numbers tick upward, but he said the increase was “a little larger than usual.”

“The county is doing well now,” he said. “Everybody seems to be cooking right along.”

With a fatter wallet than expected, departmental budget requests generally were easier to accommodate.

The total budget for the sheriff’s office for 2017, if approved, would be about $110 million, up from about $104 million in 2016.

The $6.3 million increase would fund a second year of salary raises of about 8 percent on average for sheriff’s employees.

The sheriff pushed for the funds in an attempt to prevent the loss of deputies to other Tampa Bay area law enforcement agencies with higher wages.

The sheriff’s office 2017 budget also includes 24 additional fulltime employees at a cost of about $4.9 million. Patrol laptops would be replaced at a cost of about $703,000.

But, not everything the sheriff initially requested was approved. A radio tester position and a traffic control officer for Moon Lake Elementary School were removed.

Other items funded in the proposed budget include:

A fire rescue ambulance and crew for Fire Station 37 on State Road 54, at Ballantrae
The design and construction of Fire Station 38 at Watergrass Town Center
A code enforcement initiative to clean up major corridors, such as U.S. 41 and U.S. 19
A 12-member special operations team for unique rescue situations
An average 4.8 percent pay raise for county employees
A pilot program with the homeless diversion program
In-house mowing, paving and sidewalk crews
An additional fire inspector to focus on new construction review and inspection
Continued upgrades on radio dispatch equipment
The addition of two arson investigators

Published July 20, 2016

Budget talks start in Pasco

June 22, 2016 By Kathy Steele

The economy is picking up steam with new housing construction leading the way, and property tax revenues on the rise.

But, that won’t mean Pasco County commissioners will have an easy time figuring out how to spend tax dollars and hold the line on tax increases.

Commissioners face large budget requests including an increase of $6.5 million from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and smaller requests, including a circulator bus route in Land O’ Lakes. The bus route would cost about $365,000 in the first year and about $308,000 a year after that.

The county’s staff is not recommending a change in the millage rate, but homeowners could see an increase in taxes based on rising property values, officials said.

Commissioners met in a June 13 workshop to gather information about the upcoming 2017 budget. They heard multiple presentations from county department heads.

The largest dollar amount increase request is from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, which is seeking a 6.1 percent increase, which amounts to about $6.4 million in new funding. If approved, the sheriff’s budget would be $110 million in 2017.

This is the second consecutive year that Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco has sought a budget increase of more than $6 million.

Last year, commissioners approved $2.7 million to cover pay raises and benefits, as well as ongoing expenses for body cameras and helicopter maintenance.

Nocco is seeking another round of pay raises to make deputies’ salaries more competitive with other law enforcement agencies in Hillsborough, Pinellas and the City of Tampa.

Data from the sheriff’s office shows the area’s average starting salary is almost $46,000, while Pasco’s is about $41,000. Pasco’s starting salary is the lowest in the region compared to Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Pinellas counties and also lags behind St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Tampa.

The sheriff’s budget also includes money for 10 new positions for the sheriff’s office and 15 for other agencies.

There also is a request for about $700,000 for laptop computers, an item previously funded from the Penny for Pasco program.

Last year’s budget discussions surrounding the sheriff’s budget often grew contentious.

But after his presentation, Nocco told The Laker/Lutz News: “Everybody has been positive. Everyone is working together.”

Other department heads also made their case for new revenues to increase staff and add services.

Libraries administrator Nancy Fredericks asked for staff needed to restore operating hours for libraries to pre-recession years.

Currently libraries are open five days a week and one night a week per location. Fredericks hopes for nearly $500,000 more to operate libraries six days a week, and on two to four nights a week.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore asked Fredericks to give commissioners options on operating hours. “Maybe we can work our way toward this in two to three years,” he said.

Commissioners approved a master plan for the county’s parks and recreation facilities in 2015. It would take an estimated $222 million to implement the plan.

As a start, Kelley Boree, parks, recreation and natural resources director, proposed hiring a consultant to craft a pilot campaign to help launch the plan. That would cost $75,000, but Boree said many counties hire consultants for this reason.

There is no one on the county’s staff that has the skill set to perform this work, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said.

“To me this is critically important because our parks are so underfunded,” said Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey. “I’m talking about all types of recreation…We’ve been lax in this forever.”

The county also is proposing to hire a lobbyist to promote Pasco’s interests in Washington D.C., at a cost of $60,000 a year.

Richard Gehring, the county’s strategic policy administrator, said Pasco would see benefits from a “closer relationship” with federal agencies, especially those dealing with transportation and environmental matters.

Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader said he wasn’t opposed to the proposal, but said the county should avoid duplicating efforts already done by the Florida Department of Transportation.

“You’ve got to be specific on lobbying efforts on the federal level,” he said.

The building department wants about $403,000 to hire four new inspectors and a records clerk to implement a code enforcement ordinance approved amid controversy among Land O’ Lakes business owners.

The ordinance is meant to focus on cleanup efforts along major corridors including U.S. 41, U.S. 301 and U.S. 19. But, building officials now say they don’t have enough staff to enforce it.

In subsequent years, enforcement costs would be about $290,000.

Commissioners will meet individually with county staff in the next weeks to make their budget preferences known.

The budget will be presented on July 12, with final approval in September.

Published June 22, 2016

Pasco has building permits backlog

June 22, 2016 By Kathy Steele

A construction boom has Pasco County receiving applications for building permits nearly at pre-recession levels, county officials say.

But, the required paperwork — coupled with the kickoff of a new software program — is straining the county’s capabilities.

At least right now.

“We think we’re on the bottom side of the problem and getting it under control,” said Don Rosenthal, assistant county administrator.

Part of the solution involves reshuffling duties within the building department and plans to hire five new employees.

The new employees will replace about a half-dozen staffers who left their jobs, often citing workloads.

“We’ve had some staff leave because of the pressure to turn things around quickly, and the overwhelming volume of work and the change,” said Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Pasco County commissioners made clear they’re tired of the complaints they’re hearing from developers about having to wait too long to get permits approved.

“It is very, very frustrating,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader. “I’m getting overwhelmed with complaints,” he said, during the commission’s June 7 meeting in Dade City.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey agreed: “I think we’ve all been getting these calls.”

Starkey said commissioners were ready to do whatever is needed to help staff get things on track.

Baker said she would ask commissioners to approve new hires at their June 21 commission meeting.

The software program, known as Accela, allows for online applications and is intended to speed up the process and be more transparent. But Rosenthal said, as with any new technology, there is a learning curve and glitches to work through.

“That was no small task,” he said.

Employees are working through about a two-week backlog of applications. That is significantly less than it was, Rosenthal said.

Right before the launch of the software program, some developers brought in bundles of plans. One delivered 200 plans.

“We concentrated on these because we were told they were an emergency,” Rosenthal said.

That proved not to be the case, and about half the plans haven’t been picked up.

That was time and work that could have been directed toward other applications, Rosenthal said.

He added that many of the complaints being heard by commissioners already have been resolved.

However, commissioners want improvements in customer service.

“Give them some explanation, so at least they have some understanding,” said Schrader. “I think you get so much more with honey.”

Schrader suggested giving applicants a letter, with their payment receipt, that explains the software program and reasons why applications could be delayed.

Commissioner Mike Wells agreed.

“They need to find a way to say yes, not a way to say no,” he said. “I know they are busy, but they are in the customer service business.”

Baker said plans are underway to create a newsletter to provide information on what’s going on at the building department.

Published June 22, 2016

Trails master plan under review

June 1, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County is mapping out its greenways, trails and blueways to preserve more of natural, wild Florida, and to give residents more opportunities for outdoor activities.

Increasingly, that brings into conflict choices between public access and private property rights.

Pasco County commissioners grappled with the issue at a May 17 workshop.

Commissioners are searching for answers on how to sort out some unique land use priorities in establishing a master plan for a county trails network.

Allen Howell, Pasco County’s senior planner for bicycles and pedestrians, talks with county commissioners about a proposed trails map for a master-planned system of greenways, trails and blueways. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley) — Allen Howell, Pasco County’s senior planner for bicycles and pedestrians, talks with county commissioners about a proposed trails map for a master-planned system of greenways, trails and blueways.
(Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

County staff are updating policies and a map that would be adopted as part of long range planning for the trails network. The map includes planned and conceptual trails, as well as existing trails, and already has the approval of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

But words carry meaning, and commissioners didn’t like the language of a proposed ordinance that struck out the word “new” in front of the word “development.”

It set off alarm bells on how existing development projects would be treated as the trails network is knit together.

“You’re not going to require existing developers to go back and upgrade to new standards,” said Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey.

“I think it opens up a can of worms,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

While there is an increasing interest in recreation and exercise, Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader said, “I’m always concerned about unintended consequences. I just want some clarity on what the real intent is so we don’t have those unintended consequences. I support the idea of providing more recreation and trails.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said county staff is in early stages of drafting the ordinance, which would deal with policy. The regulatory process then would be the next step, she said.

“We haven’t started crafting the language yet,” Baker said.

Starkey said a “hierarchy” of trails should be identified. “We need to clearly define where are the master trails.”

Some of the lines on the map are ideas of where trails might go, and can be moved, she said. “We’re trying to get from (point) A to (point) B. We’re not going to take someone’s property to do it. We need to make sure that’s plugged in there.”

Many gated communities provide trails as amenities for their residents, said Allen Howell, the county’s senior planner for bicycles and pedestrians.

“Not all trails are publicly accessible,” he said.

The county’s trails network will be developed as part of area road projects, Penny for Pasco projects, the Sun Trail projects and private development.

Schrader said the marketplace would likely determine when and how private developers want to participate in the trails network, and when public access would be allowed.

Public comment wasn’t taken at the workshop, but land use attorney Clarke Hobby spoke briefly to commissioners, suggesting “softer” language was needed for the ordinance.

Afterward, Hobby said the county’s intent with the ordinance “isn’t clear.”

He suggested the county adopt its regulations for the trails creation before adopting a new map. “No one is against trails,” he said.

But, he pointed out one trail line on the current, proposed map cuts through private property in northeast Pasco that was bought 25 years ago.

Published June 1, 2016

Pasco shops for headhunters

May 18, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker’s departure is more than a year away, but commissioners are taking the first step to hire her replacement.

Baker announced earlier this year that she would not seek to renew her contract, which expires in July 2017.

On May 10, commissioners received five proposals from headhunter firms seeking to find the next county administrator.

Two companies are headquartered in Florida; the others are in Minnesota, Texas and Illinois.

The search for a hiring consultant didn’t bear much fruit, said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader.

“I was a little disappointed we didn’t get more than five,” Schrader said. “It is what it is.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore initially suggested that commissioners rank their preferences, and then invite the top three candidates to make presentations.

Instead, invitations will be sent to representatives of all five firms to attend the June 9 commission meeting at 1:30 p.m.

Each applicant will have 30 minutes for a presentation, plus time to answer questions from commissioners.

Schrader dismissed a suggestion that commissioners use Skype to hear from consultants with long distances to travel.

“If they want the job, I want them to stand right in front of me,” he said.

The firms that applied to recruit a new county administrator are: Colin Baenziger & Associates, in Palm Beach County; GovHR USA, in Northbrook, Illinois; Strategic Government Resources, in Keller, Texas; Waters & Company, in St. Paul, Minnesota; and S. Renee Narloch & Associates, in Tallahassee.

Published May 18, 2016

Road renaming remains in limbo

April 20, 2016 By Kathy Steele

No decision has been reached on whether to rename a portion of Wesley Chapel Boulevard in honor of its historical ties to the King family ranch.

At the April 12 Pasco County Commission meeting, county officials did not give a date for rescheduling a public hearing that had been postponed in February to “a date uncertain.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sandy Graves, a member of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, asked that the commissioners settle on boundaries for Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes at their April 26 meeting. That decision is central to the dispute over the road’s naming.

“We will live with the decision you make,” she said.

The southern half of Wesley Chapel Boulevard is a short section of paved road that intersects with Grand Cypress Drive, an entry road into the Tampa Premium Outlets. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos) — The southern half of Wesley Chapel Boulevard is a short section of paved road that intersects with Grand Cypress Drive, an entry road into the Tampa Premium Outlets.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

After the meeting, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said it was unlikely that the issue would be considered, at least in 2016.

In December 2015, the Central Pasco Chamber proposed renaming the road to Circle O Ranch Parkway.

The renaming would apply only to the portion of the road that is south of State Road 56, running beside the Tampa Premium Outlets. Plans call for linking this segment of the road with County Line Road in the future.

On Feb. 17, commissioners voted to postpone the public hearing on renaming the road while county staff members met with people in the Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel communities. Representatives of Sierra Properties, which is developing a portion of the Cypress Creek Town Center on State Road 56, also were included in discussions.

According to the agenda item, the renaming would be put off until “after the community boundaries are established.”

Chamber members and others were asked to submit oral histories, videos, news articles or other documentation about the histories of Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

If anyone wants legal boundaries, Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said they would have to incorporate as a city. That procedure involves seeking state legislative approval.

“The board really can’t establish a boundary for these unincorporated areas,” Steinsnyder said.

Wesley Chapel Boulevard, south of State Road 56, dead-ends at a grove of trees. The roadway, in the future, will be linked to County Line Road. Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce wants to rename the boulevard as Circle O Ranch Parkway to honor the history of the former King ranch

“This board doesn’t have anything that it can do to settle a boundary dispute between two unincorporated areas, which are really chambers of commerce as to what’s in this area,” the county attorney added.

“The county isn’t interested in creating boundaries,” said Kristen Hughes, the county’s planning and development administrator. “We’re interested in helping everyone succeed.”

A staff member did research on the histories of both areas, and Hughes said, “There is no clearly defined boundary.”

The Circle O Ranch Parkway name, supported by the Central Pasco Chamber, would recognize the King family, whose former ranch is now the site for Tampa Premium Outlets and Cypress Creek Town Center.

Others have said changing the name would add to confusion at an intersection that has multiple roads linking up including State Road 54, State Road 56 and the northern half of Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

Graves told commissioners she had heard the issue wouldn’t come up again because no one wants “to make anyone mad” during an election year.

Baker said Graves’ comment surprised her.

The county administrator said if commissioners wished to have a presentation to receive information on the issue that one could be scheduled.

Matt Armstrong, the county’s executive planner for long range planning, previously had told commissioners he anticipated providing a staff report in March or April.

Published April 20, 2016