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Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

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This is the official Annual Report for 2014 for Alachua County. I performed comprehensive editing on this document for the Alachua County Communications Department, and am listed on the back cover for this work.
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2014 Annual Report Alachua County, FL Where Nature, Culture and Innovation Meet
Transcript
Page 1: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

2014 Annual Report Alachua County FL

Where Nature Culture and

Innovation Meet

County Commissioners from left to right

Robert ldquoHutchrdquo HutchinsonVice Chair

Lee PinkosonCommissioner

Ken CornellCommissioner

Mike ByerlyCommissioner

Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IVChair

Dr Lee A NiblockCounty Manager

Table of ContentsIn this report

02 County Commissioners03 From the County Manager 04 Mission Vision and Values05 How to Stay Engaged06 Financial Information08 Your Property Taxes

Departments

10 Public Works12 Fire Rescue14 Community Support Services 16 Administrative Services18 Court Services20 Information amp Telecommunication Services

22 Growth Management24 Environmental Protection26 General Governance

Board of County Commissioners

Michele LiebermanCounty Attorney

2 www alachuacountyus

Dear Citizens

Where nature culture and innovation meet These six words appear on the cover of this 2014 Alachua County Annual Report For those who live here and love this community these words resonate deeply For me they underscore why I took the job as County Manager and why my wife Connie and I are thrilled to become members of this amazing community For Connie this is a homecoming as she was born and raised here For me it is the culmination of everything I have done to this point in my career This is not another career stop for me ndash it is the destination

In my short time here I have immersed myself both in the organization and the community at large Organizationally I am very fortunate to have inherited a staff of dedicated experienced

and highly professional employees Some of them have had decades of experience with Alachua County some are just beginning their careers I intend to build on the Countyrsquos existing strengths but to also bring a fresh set of eyes in examining how things are done and why they are done the way they are Anytime I hear the phrase ldquobecause thatrsquos the way wersquove always done itrdquo I will be specifically scrutinizing that service or activity In the greater Alachua County community I have been to many meetings attended many events and met with many community leaders and citizens Both in the community and within my staff the diversity knowledge passion and talent of the people I have met encourages and inspires me I am honored to join with these people and groups as we all strive to create a great place to live work and play for all of our citizens

I am fortunate to come to Alachua County at a very exciting time The malaise of what I refer to as the ldquoNot So Great Recessionrdquo is beginning to subside Unemployment is down job numbers are up consumer confidence is on the rise and America is leading the world with its economic recovery Locally our housing market is rebounding exciting commercial developments are under construction and innovative high tech companies are flocking to our area As we embrace this positive news it is important to remember that not all are sharing in the recovery We must remember that issues like the income gap unemployment and under-employment poverty homelessness mental health and addiction the digital divide and many others must be addressed if we are to live up to our potential as a truly great American county

I encourage you to read our 2014 Alachua County Annual Report A very small investment of your valuable time will yield a very good understanding of your County government its finances and the myriad services it provides

Sincerely

Dr Lee A NiblockCounty Manager

From the County Manager

www alachuacountyus 3

Alachua County government is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service Alachua County is viewed as an innovative and progressive leader in the provision of effective and efficient County services recognizing the needs of its diverse community

The County provides an environment that encourages mutual respect open communication and sharing of ideas in the decision making process This process includes partnerships with public and private organizations neighborhoods and employees of Alachua County

Alachua County government works with the community to effectively plan for growth with the goal being to balance environmental social and community development needs

It is the mission of Alachua County government to provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well being within all of our programs

MissionVision and Values

IntegrityWe adhere to standards of ethical conduct

HonestyWe are truthful fair and open with our fellow employees and the people we serve

Respect We are responsive compassionate and courteous in all our interactions

DiversityWe embrace the value and power of diversity in our community

InnovationWe are committed to the consideration and implementation of new ideas

AccountabilityWe are accountable for our behavior and the quality of work performed individually and in teams

CommunicationWe encourage open communication and the sharing of ideas to enhance the decision-making process

Values

Mission

Vision

4 www alachuacountyus

5 ways to Stay Engaged

Community 123 WebsiteVideo on Demand4

Alachua Countyrsquos regularly broadcast public meetings original programming (including the award-winning Alachua County Talks) special programs and public service announcements are available on the Video on Demand webpage at here

5

Subscribe to Media Releases and the County Update Newsletter by visitinghttptinyurlcombec9jpp

Subscribe

In their meeting on the evening of December 11 2012 the Alachua County Commission revisited the location of the Archer Braid Trail and reversed

their September 2012 decision The trail will now be located along SW 91st Street and SW 46th Blvd which are County Roads

County right-of-way will be used for the project This change will allow for the use of $750000 in federal funds to be used towards the project It will

provide for safe passage of cyclists pedestrians strollers and other forms of transportation

Click to watch the Public Hearing (scroll and click item 21) For more information contact Alachua County Transportation Planning Manager Jeff Hays at 352-374-5249 or jhaysalachuacountyus

Archer Braid Trail Alignment

Alachua County Board ofCounty CommissionersRobert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson Charles S Chestnut IV Mike Byerly (Chair) Lee Pinkoson (Vice Chair) Susan Baird

Community Updateis published by Acting Alachua County Manager Rick Drummondrsquos Communications OfficeMark SextonCommunications CoordinatorBret BostockCommunity Update Editorand Graphic DesignerTakumi SullivanGraphic Designer

Alan Yeatter Video Production Coordinator

Click to Subscribe

Contents PageNew Health Clinic 2 Alachua County Talks 3 Trashformations Winners 3Legislative Program 4Invitation to Negotiate 4West Nile Virus 5 Holiday Schedules 6Commission Higlights 7

A Report on the Activities of Alachua County Government

December 14 2012

County Commission meetings are broadcast live on Cox Cable Channel 12 The meetings are rebroadcast multiple times to accommodate the various schedules of citizens Community 12 also airs original County programming the Carousel Bulletin Board Special Features and more Check Community 12rsquos schedule at here

Social Media2

To subscribe to the Countyrsquos Social Media visit the Alachua County website at wwwalachuacountyus

Contact Commissioners1

Call the County Commission 352-264-6900

Email the entire Commission boccalachuacountyus

Email individual CommissionersChair Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IV cschestnutalachuacountyusVice-Chair Robert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson hutchalachuacountyusCommissioner Mike Byerly byerlyalachuacountyusCommissioner Ken Cornell KCornellalachuacountyusCommissioner Lee Pinkoson lpinkosonalachuacountyus

Attend County Commission meetings check the meetings schedule at wwwalachuacountyus

www alachuacountyus 5

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - All Funds $287764268

Ad Valorem Taxes$117011923 - 41

Miscellaneous Revenue $8850154 - 3

Other Taxes$23813577 - 8

Intergovernmental Revenue$30333837 - 11

Transfer in From Other Funds $31692805 - 11 Fines and Forfeitures

$788524 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments$12179056 - 4

Board of County Commissioners

$112750121 - 40

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers$85597176 - 30

Interfund Transfers $28795344 - 10

Debt Service $13517909 - 5

Internal Service Programs $23957721 - 9

Capital Projects$10663699 - 4

Non-Departmental $5733408 - 2

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - All Funds - $281015378

Financial Information

bull Sheriff $70471601 - 25bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 1bull Property Appraiser $4232167 - 1bull Judicial $1827380 - 1bull Clerk of Court $2178046 - 1bull Supervisor of Elections $3208806 - 1

bull Public Works $32397375 - 11bull Fire Rescue $24486832 - 9bull Community Support Services $16544487 - 6bull Administrative Services $12844433 - 5bull Court Services $7425172 - 3bull General Government $3432810 - 1bull Growth Management $4311589 - 2bull Information Services $4400574 - 2bull Environmental Protection $3698296 - 1bull Tourist $3168553 - 1

Charges for Services $53194392 - 19

Debt Proceeds $9900000 - 3

6 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 2: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

County Commissioners from left to right

Robert ldquoHutchrdquo HutchinsonVice Chair

Lee PinkosonCommissioner

Ken CornellCommissioner

Mike ByerlyCommissioner

Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IVChair

Dr Lee A NiblockCounty Manager

Table of ContentsIn this report

02 County Commissioners03 From the County Manager 04 Mission Vision and Values05 How to Stay Engaged06 Financial Information08 Your Property Taxes

Departments

10 Public Works12 Fire Rescue14 Community Support Services 16 Administrative Services18 Court Services20 Information amp Telecommunication Services

22 Growth Management24 Environmental Protection26 General Governance

Board of County Commissioners

Michele LiebermanCounty Attorney

2 www alachuacountyus

Dear Citizens

Where nature culture and innovation meet These six words appear on the cover of this 2014 Alachua County Annual Report For those who live here and love this community these words resonate deeply For me they underscore why I took the job as County Manager and why my wife Connie and I are thrilled to become members of this amazing community For Connie this is a homecoming as she was born and raised here For me it is the culmination of everything I have done to this point in my career This is not another career stop for me ndash it is the destination

In my short time here I have immersed myself both in the organization and the community at large Organizationally I am very fortunate to have inherited a staff of dedicated experienced

and highly professional employees Some of them have had decades of experience with Alachua County some are just beginning their careers I intend to build on the Countyrsquos existing strengths but to also bring a fresh set of eyes in examining how things are done and why they are done the way they are Anytime I hear the phrase ldquobecause thatrsquos the way wersquove always done itrdquo I will be specifically scrutinizing that service or activity In the greater Alachua County community I have been to many meetings attended many events and met with many community leaders and citizens Both in the community and within my staff the diversity knowledge passion and talent of the people I have met encourages and inspires me I am honored to join with these people and groups as we all strive to create a great place to live work and play for all of our citizens

I am fortunate to come to Alachua County at a very exciting time The malaise of what I refer to as the ldquoNot So Great Recessionrdquo is beginning to subside Unemployment is down job numbers are up consumer confidence is on the rise and America is leading the world with its economic recovery Locally our housing market is rebounding exciting commercial developments are under construction and innovative high tech companies are flocking to our area As we embrace this positive news it is important to remember that not all are sharing in the recovery We must remember that issues like the income gap unemployment and under-employment poverty homelessness mental health and addiction the digital divide and many others must be addressed if we are to live up to our potential as a truly great American county

I encourage you to read our 2014 Alachua County Annual Report A very small investment of your valuable time will yield a very good understanding of your County government its finances and the myriad services it provides

Sincerely

Dr Lee A NiblockCounty Manager

From the County Manager

www alachuacountyus 3

Alachua County government is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service Alachua County is viewed as an innovative and progressive leader in the provision of effective and efficient County services recognizing the needs of its diverse community

The County provides an environment that encourages mutual respect open communication and sharing of ideas in the decision making process This process includes partnerships with public and private organizations neighborhoods and employees of Alachua County

Alachua County government works with the community to effectively plan for growth with the goal being to balance environmental social and community development needs

It is the mission of Alachua County government to provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well being within all of our programs

MissionVision and Values

IntegrityWe adhere to standards of ethical conduct

HonestyWe are truthful fair and open with our fellow employees and the people we serve

Respect We are responsive compassionate and courteous in all our interactions

DiversityWe embrace the value and power of diversity in our community

InnovationWe are committed to the consideration and implementation of new ideas

AccountabilityWe are accountable for our behavior and the quality of work performed individually and in teams

CommunicationWe encourage open communication and the sharing of ideas to enhance the decision-making process

Values

Mission

Vision

4 www alachuacountyus

5 ways to Stay Engaged

Community 123 WebsiteVideo on Demand4

Alachua Countyrsquos regularly broadcast public meetings original programming (including the award-winning Alachua County Talks) special programs and public service announcements are available on the Video on Demand webpage at here

5

Subscribe to Media Releases and the County Update Newsletter by visitinghttptinyurlcombec9jpp

Subscribe

In their meeting on the evening of December 11 2012 the Alachua County Commission revisited the location of the Archer Braid Trail and reversed

their September 2012 decision The trail will now be located along SW 91st Street and SW 46th Blvd which are County Roads

County right-of-way will be used for the project This change will allow for the use of $750000 in federal funds to be used towards the project It will

provide for safe passage of cyclists pedestrians strollers and other forms of transportation

Click to watch the Public Hearing (scroll and click item 21) For more information contact Alachua County Transportation Planning Manager Jeff Hays at 352-374-5249 or jhaysalachuacountyus

Archer Braid Trail Alignment

Alachua County Board ofCounty CommissionersRobert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson Charles S Chestnut IV Mike Byerly (Chair) Lee Pinkoson (Vice Chair) Susan Baird

Community Updateis published by Acting Alachua County Manager Rick Drummondrsquos Communications OfficeMark SextonCommunications CoordinatorBret BostockCommunity Update Editorand Graphic DesignerTakumi SullivanGraphic Designer

Alan Yeatter Video Production Coordinator

Click to Subscribe

Contents PageNew Health Clinic 2 Alachua County Talks 3 Trashformations Winners 3Legislative Program 4Invitation to Negotiate 4West Nile Virus 5 Holiday Schedules 6Commission Higlights 7

A Report on the Activities of Alachua County Government

December 14 2012

County Commission meetings are broadcast live on Cox Cable Channel 12 The meetings are rebroadcast multiple times to accommodate the various schedules of citizens Community 12 also airs original County programming the Carousel Bulletin Board Special Features and more Check Community 12rsquos schedule at here

Social Media2

To subscribe to the Countyrsquos Social Media visit the Alachua County website at wwwalachuacountyus

Contact Commissioners1

Call the County Commission 352-264-6900

Email the entire Commission boccalachuacountyus

Email individual CommissionersChair Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IV cschestnutalachuacountyusVice-Chair Robert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson hutchalachuacountyusCommissioner Mike Byerly byerlyalachuacountyusCommissioner Ken Cornell KCornellalachuacountyusCommissioner Lee Pinkoson lpinkosonalachuacountyus

Attend County Commission meetings check the meetings schedule at wwwalachuacountyus

www alachuacountyus 5

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - All Funds $287764268

Ad Valorem Taxes$117011923 - 41

Miscellaneous Revenue $8850154 - 3

Other Taxes$23813577 - 8

Intergovernmental Revenue$30333837 - 11

Transfer in From Other Funds $31692805 - 11 Fines and Forfeitures

$788524 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments$12179056 - 4

Board of County Commissioners

$112750121 - 40

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers$85597176 - 30

Interfund Transfers $28795344 - 10

Debt Service $13517909 - 5

Internal Service Programs $23957721 - 9

Capital Projects$10663699 - 4

Non-Departmental $5733408 - 2

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - All Funds - $281015378

Financial Information

bull Sheriff $70471601 - 25bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 1bull Property Appraiser $4232167 - 1bull Judicial $1827380 - 1bull Clerk of Court $2178046 - 1bull Supervisor of Elections $3208806 - 1

bull Public Works $32397375 - 11bull Fire Rescue $24486832 - 9bull Community Support Services $16544487 - 6bull Administrative Services $12844433 - 5bull Court Services $7425172 - 3bull General Government $3432810 - 1bull Growth Management $4311589 - 2bull Information Services $4400574 - 2bull Environmental Protection $3698296 - 1bull Tourist $3168553 - 1

Charges for Services $53194392 - 19

Debt Proceeds $9900000 - 3

6 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 3: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Dear Citizens

Where nature culture and innovation meet These six words appear on the cover of this 2014 Alachua County Annual Report For those who live here and love this community these words resonate deeply For me they underscore why I took the job as County Manager and why my wife Connie and I are thrilled to become members of this amazing community For Connie this is a homecoming as she was born and raised here For me it is the culmination of everything I have done to this point in my career This is not another career stop for me ndash it is the destination

In my short time here I have immersed myself both in the organization and the community at large Organizationally I am very fortunate to have inherited a staff of dedicated experienced

and highly professional employees Some of them have had decades of experience with Alachua County some are just beginning their careers I intend to build on the Countyrsquos existing strengths but to also bring a fresh set of eyes in examining how things are done and why they are done the way they are Anytime I hear the phrase ldquobecause thatrsquos the way wersquove always done itrdquo I will be specifically scrutinizing that service or activity In the greater Alachua County community I have been to many meetings attended many events and met with many community leaders and citizens Both in the community and within my staff the diversity knowledge passion and talent of the people I have met encourages and inspires me I am honored to join with these people and groups as we all strive to create a great place to live work and play for all of our citizens

I am fortunate to come to Alachua County at a very exciting time The malaise of what I refer to as the ldquoNot So Great Recessionrdquo is beginning to subside Unemployment is down job numbers are up consumer confidence is on the rise and America is leading the world with its economic recovery Locally our housing market is rebounding exciting commercial developments are under construction and innovative high tech companies are flocking to our area As we embrace this positive news it is important to remember that not all are sharing in the recovery We must remember that issues like the income gap unemployment and under-employment poverty homelessness mental health and addiction the digital divide and many others must be addressed if we are to live up to our potential as a truly great American county

I encourage you to read our 2014 Alachua County Annual Report A very small investment of your valuable time will yield a very good understanding of your County government its finances and the myriad services it provides

Sincerely

Dr Lee A NiblockCounty Manager

From the County Manager

www alachuacountyus 3

Alachua County government is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service Alachua County is viewed as an innovative and progressive leader in the provision of effective and efficient County services recognizing the needs of its diverse community

The County provides an environment that encourages mutual respect open communication and sharing of ideas in the decision making process This process includes partnerships with public and private organizations neighborhoods and employees of Alachua County

Alachua County government works with the community to effectively plan for growth with the goal being to balance environmental social and community development needs

It is the mission of Alachua County government to provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well being within all of our programs

MissionVision and Values

IntegrityWe adhere to standards of ethical conduct

HonestyWe are truthful fair and open with our fellow employees and the people we serve

Respect We are responsive compassionate and courteous in all our interactions

DiversityWe embrace the value and power of diversity in our community

InnovationWe are committed to the consideration and implementation of new ideas

AccountabilityWe are accountable for our behavior and the quality of work performed individually and in teams

CommunicationWe encourage open communication and the sharing of ideas to enhance the decision-making process

Values

Mission

Vision

4 www alachuacountyus

5 ways to Stay Engaged

Community 123 WebsiteVideo on Demand4

Alachua Countyrsquos regularly broadcast public meetings original programming (including the award-winning Alachua County Talks) special programs and public service announcements are available on the Video on Demand webpage at here

5

Subscribe to Media Releases and the County Update Newsletter by visitinghttptinyurlcombec9jpp

Subscribe

In their meeting on the evening of December 11 2012 the Alachua County Commission revisited the location of the Archer Braid Trail and reversed

their September 2012 decision The trail will now be located along SW 91st Street and SW 46th Blvd which are County Roads

County right-of-way will be used for the project This change will allow for the use of $750000 in federal funds to be used towards the project It will

provide for safe passage of cyclists pedestrians strollers and other forms of transportation

Click to watch the Public Hearing (scroll and click item 21) For more information contact Alachua County Transportation Planning Manager Jeff Hays at 352-374-5249 or jhaysalachuacountyus

Archer Braid Trail Alignment

Alachua County Board ofCounty CommissionersRobert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson Charles S Chestnut IV Mike Byerly (Chair) Lee Pinkoson (Vice Chair) Susan Baird

Community Updateis published by Acting Alachua County Manager Rick Drummondrsquos Communications OfficeMark SextonCommunications CoordinatorBret BostockCommunity Update Editorand Graphic DesignerTakumi SullivanGraphic Designer

Alan Yeatter Video Production Coordinator

Click to Subscribe

Contents PageNew Health Clinic 2 Alachua County Talks 3 Trashformations Winners 3Legislative Program 4Invitation to Negotiate 4West Nile Virus 5 Holiday Schedules 6Commission Higlights 7

A Report on the Activities of Alachua County Government

December 14 2012

County Commission meetings are broadcast live on Cox Cable Channel 12 The meetings are rebroadcast multiple times to accommodate the various schedules of citizens Community 12 also airs original County programming the Carousel Bulletin Board Special Features and more Check Community 12rsquos schedule at here

Social Media2

To subscribe to the Countyrsquos Social Media visit the Alachua County website at wwwalachuacountyus

Contact Commissioners1

Call the County Commission 352-264-6900

Email the entire Commission boccalachuacountyus

Email individual CommissionersChair Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IV cschestnutalachuacountyusVice-Chair Robert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson hutchalachuacountyusCommissioner Mike Byerly byerlyalachuacountyusCommissioner Ken Cornell KCornellalachuacountyusCommissioner Lee Pinkoson lpinkosonalachuacountyus

Attend County Commission meetings check the meetings schedule at wwwalachuacountyus

www alachuacountyus 5

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - All Funds $287764268

Ad Valorem Taxes$117011923 - 41

Miscellaneous Revenue $8850154 - 3

Other Taxes$23813577 - 8

Intergovernmental Revenue$30333837 - 11

Transfer in From Other Funds $31692805 - 11 Fines and Forfeitures

$788524 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments$12179056 - 4

Board of County Commissioners

$112750121 - 40

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers$85597176 - 30

Interfund Transfers $28795344 - 10

Debt Service $13517909 - 5

Internal Service Programs $23957721 - 9

Capital Projects$10663699 - 4

Non-Departmental $5733408 - 2

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - All Funds - $281015378

Financial Information

bull Sheriff $70471601 - 25bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 1bull Property Appraiser $4232167 - 1bull Judicial $1827380 - 1bull Clerk of Court $2178046 - 1bull Supervisor of Elections $3208806 - 1

bull Public Works $32397375 - 11bull Fire Rescue $24486832 - 9bull Community Support Services $16544487 - 6bull Administrative Services $12844433 - 5bull Court Services $7425172 - 3bull General Government $3432810 - 1bull Growth Management $4311589 - 2bull Information Services $4400574 - 2bull Environmental Protection $3698296 - 1bull Tourist $3168553 - 1

Charges for Services $53194392 - 19

Debt Proceeds $9900000 - 3

6 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 4: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Alachua County government is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service Alachua County is viewed as an innovative and progressive leader in the provision of effective and efficient County services recognizing the needs of its diverse community

The County provides an environment that encourages mutual respect open communication and sharing of ideas in the decision making process This process includes partnerships with public and private organizations neighborhoods and employees of Alachua County

Alachua County government works with the community to effectively plan for growth with the goal being to balance environmental social and community development needs

It is the mission of Alachua County government to provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well being within all of our programs

MissionVision and Values

IntegrityWe adhere to standards of ethical conduct

HonestyWe are truthful fair and open with our fellow employees and the people we serve

Respect We are responsive compassionate and courteous in all our interactions

DiversityWe embrace the value and power of diversity in our community

InnovationWe are committed to the consideration and implementation of new ideas

AccountabilityWe are accountable for our behavior and the quality of work performed individually and in teams

CommunicationWe encourage open communication and the sharing of ideas to enhance the decision-making process

Values

Mission

Vision

4 www alachuacountyus

5 ways to Stay Engaged

Community 123 WebsiteVideo on Demand4

Alachua Countyrsquos regularly broadcast public meetings original programming (including the award-winning Alachua County Talks) special programs and public service announcements are available on the Video on Demand webpage at here

5

Subscribe to Media Releases and the County Update Newsletter by visitinghttptinyurlcombec9jpp

Subscribe

In their meeting on the evening of December 11 2012 the Alachua County Commission revisited the location of the Archer Braid Trail and reversed

their September 2012 decision The trail will now be located along SW 91st Street and SW 46th Blvd which are County Roads

County right-of-way will be used for the project This change will allow for the use of $750000 in federal funds to be used towards the project It will

provide for safe passage of cyclists pedestrians strollers and other forms of transportation

Click to watch the Public Hearing (scroll and click item 21) For more information contact Alachua County Transportation Planning Manager Jeff Hays at 352-374-5249 or jhaysalachuacountyus

Archer Braid Trail Alignment

Alachua County Board ofCounty CommissionersRobert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson Charles S Chestnut IV Mike Byerly (Chair) Lee Pinkoson (Vice Chair) Susan Baird

Community Updateis published by Acting Alachua County Manager Rick Drummondrsquos Communications OfficeMark SextonCommunications CoordinatorBret BostockCommunity Update Editorand Graphic DesignerTakumi SullivanGraphic Designer

Alan Yeatter Video Production Coordinator

Click to Subscribe

Contents PageNew Health Clinic 2 Alachua County Talks 3 Trashformations Winners 3Legislative Program 4Invitation to Negotiate 4West Nile Virus 5 Holiday Schedules 6Commission Higlights 7

A Report on the Activities of Alachua County Government

December 14 2012

County Commission meetings are broadcast live on Cox Cable Channel 12 The meetings are rebroadcast multiple times to accommodate the various schedules of citizens Community 12 also airs original County programming the Carousel Bulletin Board Special Features and more Check Community 12rsquos schedule at here

Social Media2

To subscribe to the Countyrsquos Social Media visit the Alachua County website at wwwalachuacountyus

Contact Commissioners1

Call the County Commission 352-264-6900

Email the entire Commission boccalachuacountyus

Email individual CommissionersChair Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IV cschestnutalachuacountyusVice-Chair Robert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson hutchalachuacountyusCommissioner Mike Byerly byerlyalachuacountyusCommissioner Ken Cornell KCornellalachuacountyusCommissioner Lee Pinkoson lpinkosonalachuacountyus

Attend County Commission meetings check the meetings schedule at wwwalachuacountyus

www alachuacountyus 5

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - All Funds $287764268

Ad Valorem Taxes$117011923 - 41

Miscellaneous Revenue $8850154 - 3

Other Taxes$23813577 - 8

Intergovernmental Revenue$30333837 - 11

Transfer in From Other Funds $31692805 - 11 Fines and Forfeitures

$788524 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments$12179056 - 4

Board of County Commissioners

$112750121 - 40

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers$85597176 - 30

Interfund Transfers $28795344 - 10

Debt Service $13517909 - 5

Internal Service Programs $23957721 - 9

Capital Projects$10663699 - 4

Non-Departmental $5733408 - 2

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - All Funds - $281015378

Financial Information

bull Sheriff $70471601 - 25bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 1bull Property Appraiser $4232167 - 1bull Judicial $1827380 - 1bull Clerk of Court $2178046 - 1bull Supervisor of Elections $3208806 - 1

bull Public Works $32397375 - 11bull Fire Rescue $24486832 - 9bull Community Support Services $16544487 - 6bull Administrative Services $12844433 - 5bull Court Services $7425172 - 3bull General Government $3432810 - 1bull Growth Management $4311589 - 2bull Information Services $4400574 - 2bull Environmental Protection $3698296 - 1bull Tourist $3168553 - 1

Charges for Services $53194392 - 19

Debt Proceeds $9900000 - 3

6 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 5: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

5 ways to Stay Engaged

Community 123 WebsiteVideo on Demand4

Alachua Countyrsquos regularly broadcast public meetings original programming (including the award-winning Alachua County Talks) special programs and public service announcements are available on the Video on Demand webpage at here

5

Subscribe to Media Releases and the County Update Newsletter by visitinghttptinyurlcombec9jpp

Subscribe

In their meeting on the evening of December 11 2012 the Alachua County Commission revisited the location of the Archer Braid Trail and reversed

their September 2012 decision The trail will now be located along SW 91st Street and SW 46th Blvd which are County Roads

County right-of-way will be used for the project This change will allow for the use of $750000 in federal funds to be used towards the project It will

provide for safe passage of cyclists pedestrians strollers and other forms of transportation

Click to watch the Public Hearing (scroll and click item 21) For more information contact Alachua County Transportation Planning Manager Jeff Hays at 352-374-5249 or jhaysalachuacountyus

Archer Braid Trail Alignment

Alachua County Board ofCounty CommissionersRobert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson Charles S Chestnut IV Mike Byerly (Chair) Lee Pinkoson (Vice Chair) Susan Baird

Community Updateis published by Acting Alachua County Manager Rick Drummondrsquos Communications OfficeMark SextonCommunications CoordinatorBret BostockCommunity Update Editorand Graphic DesignerTakumi SullivanGraphic Designer

Alan Yeatter Video Production Coordinator

Click to Subscribe

Contents PageNew Health Clinic 2 Alachua County Talks 3 Trashformations Winners 3Legislative Program 4Invitation to Negotiate 4West Nile Virus 5 Holiday Schedules 6Commission Higlights 7

A Report on the Activities of Alachua County Government

December 14 2012

County Commission meetings are broadcast live on Cox Cable Channel 12 The meetings are rebroadcast multiple times to accommodate the various schedules of citizens Community 12 also airs original County programming the Carousel Bulletin Board Special Features and more Check Community 12rsquos schedule at here

Social Media2

To subscribe to the Countyrsquos Social Media visit the Alachua County website at wwwalachuacountyus

Contact Commissioners1

Call the County Commission 352-264-6900

Email the entire Commission boccalachuacountyus

Email individual CommissionersChair Charles ldquoChuckrdquo Chestnut IV cschestnutalachuacountyusVice-Chair Robert ldquoHutchrdquo Hutchinson hutchalachuacountyusCommissioner Mike Byerly byerlyalachuacountyusCommissioner Ken Cornell KCornellalachuacountyusCommissioner Lee Pinkoson lpinkosonalachuacountyus

Attend County Commission meetings check the meetings schedule at wwwalachuacountyus

www alachuacountyus 5

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - All Funds $287764268

Ad Valorem Taxes$117011923 - 41

Miscellaneous Revenue $8850154 - 3

Other Taxes$23813577 - 8

Intergovernmental Revenue$30333837 - 11

Transfer in From Other Funds $31692805 - 11 Fines and Forfeitures

$788524 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments$12179056 - 4

Board of County Commissioners

$112750121 - 40

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers$85597176 - 30

Interfund Transfers $28795344 - 10

Debt Service $13517909 - 5

Internal Service Programs $23957721 - 9

Capital Projects$10663699 - 4

Non-Departmental $5733408 - 2

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - All Funds - $281015378

Financial Information

bull Sheriff $70471601 - 25bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 1bull Property Appraiser $4232167 - 1bull Judicial $1827380 - 1bull Clerk of Court $2178046 - 1bull Supervisor of Elections $3208806 - 1

bull Public Works $32397375 - 11bull Fire Rescue $24486832 - 9bull Community Support Services $16544487 - 6bull Administrative Services $12844433 - 5bull Court Services $7425172 - 3bull General Government $3432810 - 1bull Growth Management $4311589 - 2bull Information Services $4400574 - 2bull Environmental Protection $3698296 - 1bull Tourist $3168553 - 1

Charges for Services $53194392 - 19

Debt Proceeds $9900000 - 3

6 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 6: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - All Funds $287764268

Ad Valorem Taxes$117011923 - 41

Miscellaneous Revenue $8850154 - 3

Other Taxes$23813577 - 8

Intergovernmental Revenue$30333837 - 11

Transfer in From Other Funds $31692805 - 11 Fines and Forfeitures

$788524 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments$12179056 - 4

Board of County Commissioners

$112750121 - 40

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers$85597176 - 30

Interfund Transfers $28795344 - 10

Debt Service $13517909 - 5

Internal Service Programs $23957721 - 9

Capital Projects$10663699 - 4

Non-Departmental $5733408 - 2

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - All Funds - $281015378

Financial Information

bull Sheriff $70471601 - 25bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 1bull Property Appraiser $4232167 - 1bull Judicial $1827380 - 1bull Clerk of Court $2178046 - 1bull Supervisor of Elections $3208806 - 1

bull Public Works $32397375 - 11bull Fire Rescue $24486832 - 9bull Community Support Services $16544487 - 6bull Administrative Services $12844433 - 5bull Court Services $7425172 - 3bull General Government $3432810 - 1bull Growth Management $4311589 - 2bull Information Services $4400574 - 2bull Environmental Protection $3698296 - 1bull Tourist $3168553 - 1

Charges for Services $53194392 - 19

Debt Proceeds $9900000 - 3

6 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 7: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

FY 2014 Actual Revenues - General Fund $122855961

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures - General Fund $123842608

Ad Valorem Taxes $94951552 - 77

Other Sources $7141031 - 6

Charges for Services $11105823 - 9

Intergovernmental Revenue $5292655 - 5

Miscellaneous Revenue $4058046 - 3

Fines and Forfeitures $9114 - lt1

Permits Fees amp Special Assessments $297740 - lt1

Sheriff Constitutional Officers and Judicial Officers $61901494 - 50

Mandated Programs$7861588 - 6

Board of County Commissioners $42765908 - 35

Countywide Capital Projects $3750106 - 3

Community Redevelopment Areas $4353138 - 3 Countywide Utilities

$3210374 - 3

bull Sheriff $49121126 - 39

bull Tax Collector $3679176 - 3

bull Property Appraiser $4232167 ndash 3

bull Judicial $1371362 - lt1

bull Clerk of Courts ndash Finance $1911523 - 3

bull Supervisor of Elections $1586140 - 2

www alachuacountyus 7

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 8: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Your Property Taxes

6cent toLibraries 1cent to

WaterManagement

District

134cent to cities for Community Redevelopment

180cent to Reserves

92cent to Capital Projects

1722cent to County Commission Programs

39cent to the County General Fund

This is to fund programs and services provided by County Departments including Public Works Fire Rescue Court Services Community Support Services Administrative Services General Governance Growth Management Information amp Telecom Services and Environmental Protection

This is a representation of how each property tax dollar is divided for property owners in the unincorporated area

All Alachua County property owners pay only 1722cent per property tax dollar for countywide programs provided by the County Commission Property owners in the unincorporated area pay a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) of only 858cent per property tax dollar for municipal services provided by the County Commission Property owners living within municipalities pay their cityrsquos property tax instead of the MSTU

1772cent to the Sheriff amp Other Constitutional amp Judicial Offices

1722cent to County Commission Programs

8 www alachuacountyus

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 9: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

36cent to the School Board

829cent to the Sheriff

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

083cent to Reserves

030cent to Capital Projects

232cent to County Commission Provided Municipal Services

18cent to the MSTUs

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for fire services Property owners in the cities of Archer Hawthorne and Waldo also pay this MSTU as they have opted into an agreement for the County to provide their fire services

This is a Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) paid by property owners in the unincorporated area for County provided municipal services such as codes enforcement planning and environmental protection

626cent to County Commission Provided Fire Services

www alachuacountyus 9

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 10: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Waste Management

bull Acquired 660 acres of land adjacent to the Leveda Brown Transfer Station which will be used to maintain institutional control of the two closed landfills and will be the main site used for disaster debris management

bull Re-negotiated the renewal of the curbside waste collection contract which includes the use of compressed natural gas vehicles the elimination of a fuel surcharge and a reduced amount for contractual increases

bull Worked with WCA Waste Corporation to place a deed restriction on their transfer station limiting its use to the processing and recycling of construction and demolition debris only

bull Achieved contractual flow control of garbage for 2015 through disposal agreements with all solid waste haulers

OVERVIEW

The Alachua County Public Works Department maintains the Countyrsquos 916 miles of roads and rights-of-way manages the Countyrsquos fleet of approximately 830 vehicles and pieces of equipment reviews the engineering-related components of new development in support of the Countyrsquos growth management activities provides waste management and recycling services provides animal control and sheltering services and plans builds and maintains the Countyrsquos 25 parks recreational facilities and fairgrounds

Engineering and Operations

bull Completed the SE 15th Street Multi-Use Path Project bull Replaced a 12000 gallon fuel tank at the Leveda Brown

Transfer Station in response to an emergency situationbull Began construction of NW 16th Avenue Transformation

Project (ongoing)bull Began construction of Archer Braid Trail from Archer Rd

to Kanapaha Park - (ongoingsubstantial completion) bull Began construction of NW 98th Street Multi-Use Path

Project (construction to resume in 1-2 months)bull Began construction of four High Springs ChipSeal

projects (ongoingnearing completion)

PUBLIC WORKSMISSION STATEMENTTo provide stewardship of assigned County-owned infrastructure and equipment and to work with the community to support growth that balances environmental social and community development needs

10 www alachuacountyus

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 11: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Fleet

bull Completed 3052 work ordersbull Achieved 98 customer satisfaction ratingbull Maintained a labor rate 45 below retail and 17

below other government agenciesbull Billed $190610 to external customers bull Reduced internal fuel expenditures from $29000 to

$15500 annually via operational changes to the fuel service truck schedule This change increased shop productivity with no impacts to user departments

bull Worked with Road amp Bridge staff to evaluate new motor graders and review acquisition options Implementation of acquisition changes are expected

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresPublic Works - $32397375

Refuse Collection - MSBU $4931352 - 15

Gas Tax Fund $7770697 - 24

Unincorporated MSTU$1684794 - 5

Enterprise Funds $11089217 - 34

Internal Service Funds

$4072421 - 13

Other Special Revenue $305080 - 1General Fund

$2543814 - 8

to save approximately $40000 per machine (for four machines) over a 10-year period In addition equipment in service continues to have the latest emission-reducing technology

bull Worked with Fire Rescue to replace two brush trucks Saved approximately $40000 each by buying the major components and building the vehicles in-house resulting in better customization of the equipment

Animal Services

bull Maddiersquos Pet Adoption Event - 134 animals adoptedbull Summer Lovinrsquo Adoption Event - 91 animals adopted bull Paws on Parole program ndash 230 dogs graduated and

adopted bull Rachael Ray Challenge - 1488 lives savedbull Responded to 8814 requests for service bull Animal intakes ndash 6156 (increased by 115 from last year)bull License Sales ndash 17589bull Adoptions or animals reclaimed by owner ndash 2322

(increased by 706 from last year)bull Transfer and adoptions to rescue groups ndash 2493 bull Animals euthanized ndash 898

Parks

bull Managed Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park utilizing 41 of available rental times

bull Managed Poe Springs Park lodge utilizing 40 of available rental times

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of 05 developed acres of activity-based recreation per 1000 unincorporated residents by 118 acres

bull Surpassed Comprehensive Plan levels of five developed acres of resource-based recreation per 1000 residents by 149 acres

www alachuacountyus 11

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 12: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

FIRE RESCUEMISSION STATEMENTTo improve the life safety of people and protection of property through preparedness response mitigation and recovery

Fire Rescue Operations

bull Completed the hiring process and orientation for Safer Grant positions and other vacancies for 43 new employees

bull Completed Phase Two of the Loften Training centerbull Completed deployment of Mass Casualty Unit 17

including a grant from Firehouse Subs for wireless headsets

bull Completed orientation training for Alachua County Sheriffrsquos Office recruits

bull Participated in an airport emergency drill and active shooter drills at Oaks Mall and in Marion County

bull Completed a new recruitment video in cooperation with the Communications Office

OVERVIEW Fire Rescue is a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive respectful and courteous customer service We are an innovative and progressive leader in emergency services The Department continues to function within its means and focus on providing core services to the citizens of Alachua County

Emergency and Non-Emergency Medical

bull Total rescue unit responses 35994bull Average responses per rescue unit 2971bull Total fire unit responses 14269bull Implemented critical care rescue service (10 hours a day

4 days a week)bull Purchased five ventilators and intravenous pumps for

advanced medical carebull Implemented supply purchase and tracking changes

resulting in a $108000 reduction in medical and drug supply expenses

Enhanced 911Communications

bull Constructed a new tower at the Public Works Hague Compound via publicprivate partnership

bull Implemented text-to-911 in Alachua County via utilization of Tier I wireless service providers

bull Completed demolition of the radio tower at Alachua County Fire Rescue Headquarters

12 www alachuacountyus

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 13: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Emergency Management (EM)

bull Participated in five Emergency Operations Center (EOC)Planning Workshops for each branch Human Services Emergency Services Infrastructure and Coordination

bull Held an Emergency Operations Center Functional Exercise at full activation

bull Facilitated the State Shelter Survey Kickoff meetingbull Negotiated a 10 discount on CodeRED and

WeatherWarning servicesbull Assisted with the development of the Oaks Mall

Functional Exercise

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresFire Rescue - $24486832

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1087924 - 5

E-911 Fees $831460 - 3

Fire Services - MSTU $12269486 - 50

General Fund $10297962 - 42

bull Implemented the Accessible Hazard Alert System for warning sensory-impaired individuals

bull Conducted a functional exercise of the newly outfitted Alternate Emergency Operations Center

bull Kicked off the Community Disaster Preparedness Coalition Sharing Together for Alachuarsquos Resilience (STAR)

Fire Rescue Administration

bull Analyzed new Emergency Medical Services revenues over a five-year period (FY09-FY13) to reveal a 48 increase while noting a 62 decrease in the General Fund during the same timeframe

bull Deployed Fire Rescuersquos first unmanned aerial vehicle ldquoFIREFLYrdquo for training and disaster reconnaissance

bull Coordinated with area hospitals to replace EKG transmission routers in rescue units with ruggedized models saving over $40000

bull Improved payroll processing by utilizing data export functions

bull Implemented new electronic online bank deposit process to allow for same-day deposits and a reduction in data entry

bull Initiated tax exemption for non-fleet fuel purchases saving unnecessary tax charges

bull Responded to and resolved 416 online help requests

www alachuacountyus 13

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 14: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

MISSION STATEMENTTo provide comprehensive health and human services and establish partnerships to positively impact the well-being of individuals families and communities

Crisis Center

bull Answered 44658 telephone calls and offered 7393 hours of face-to-face crisis intervention and counseling services

bull Provided approximately 42550 hours of service via 110 trained volunteers

Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP)

bull Awarded $962745 in grant monies to 25 various local agencies in support of 32 poverty reduction programs

Cooperative Extension

bull Assisted 51423 clientsbull UFIFAS Extension Alachua County Office had over

80000 educational contacts in 2014 providing educational information and making impacts in the lives of Alachua County citizens

bull Provided 505 educational programs to the citizens of Alachua County

OVERVIEW

The Community Support Services Department provides the following services to the citizens of Alachua County health care services suicide and crisis intervention community revitalization general assistance for low-income residents assistance to veterans and their dependents comprehensive response for sexual assault victims and other victims of crime poverty reduction and scientifically-based agricultural human and natural resources knowledge

bull UFIFAS Extension volunteers donated 24791 hours of time ($526560 in value)

bull Trained 140 Master Gardener volunteers and 150 4-H volunteers

Foster Grandparent Program

bull Received $374670 in federal grant monies bull Volunteers donated 94224 hours of service to the

community

Community Stabilization Program

bull The Community Stabilization Program sponsored a community workshop on mental health championed by Commissioner Robert Hutchinson The purpose of the workshop was to bring together citizens of Alachua County and representatives from law enforcement the Alachua County School Board local faith organizations the judicial system social service agencies and veterans service agencies to discuss mental illness in the community Panelists discussed the impact of mental

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

14 www alachuacountyus

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 15: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

illness on individuals families and society Mental health providers and social service agencies were on hand to provide information and services to citizens

bull Collection of $2927787 in Non-Ad Valorem taxes were re-invested in the community to help stabilize revitalize and sustain two at-risk neighborhoods

Social Services

bull Social Services processed 1389 requests ($243819) for rent mortgage or utility assistance to help Alachua County residents stay in their homes and avoid becoming homeless

bull Provided direct assistance to 4908 clientsbull The NACO Discount Pharmacy card saved County

residents $148928 in pharmacy costsbull Processed 144 applications for burials and cremations bull Processed 176 Vision Applications

Veteran Services

bull Staff responded to 7161 phone calls and assisted 1495 veterans

bull Successfully coordinated and participated in the 2014 Homeless Veteran Stand Down

bull Coordinated with 37 area organizations and 46 volunteers to provide goods and services to 222 homeless veterans in the Alachua County area

bull As a result of Alachua County Veteran Services officersrsquo direct efforts an average of $492561677 in annual benefits came towill continue to come to Alachua County

Victim Services amp Rape Crisis Center

bull Provided services to 13510 victims of crimebull Received $271369 in grant fundingbull Educated 15333 citizens through risk education

activities and presentationsbull Served 8405 victims via therapy sessions counseling

sessions and support groups

Health Department

bull Conducted 160415 primary care visits for patients at or below the poverty level

bull Provided 40606 communicable disease services to Alachua County residents

Unincorporated MSTU

$190000 - 1

Other Special Revenue - Grants $920007 - 6

Special Revenue CHOICES $4468321 - 27

General Fund $10966159 - 66

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresCommunity Support Services - $16544487

www alachuacountyus 15

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 16: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Equal Opportunity

bull Processed 197 intakes10 complaints of discrimination and 34 wage theft claims

bull Investigated four complaints one cause one no cause one settled with benefits and one still active Referred six complaints to other agencies and settled 68 of wage theft claims

bull Conducted targeted recruiting for under-represented female and minority job categories 40 of targeted positions filled met diversity goals

bull Coordinated 52 hours of sign language interpretation services for departments and 317 hours of closed captioning for County Commission meetings

bull Conducted Equal Opportunity training for 672 County and Library District employees

bull Conducted public education and outreach on employment law fair housing the Americans with

OVERVIEWThe Department of Administrative Services is the administrative and internal operations division of Alachua County government It provides services internally to the County in the areas of purchasing human resource management labor and employee relations diversity management facilities management equal employment opportunity retirement benefits insurance benefits employee safety and organizational development and training External programs address the Americans with Disabilities Act the Small Business Enterprise Program and administration of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Disabilities Act the Small Business Program and the Wage Recovery Ordinance for Alachua County citizens

Facilities Management

bull Completed 18856 work orders and a total of 38 Capital Improvement Projects in FY14

bull Completed a 10-year $25 million dollar jail improvement plan

bull Awarded the National Facilities Maintenance and Decision Achievement Award for the Civil Courthouse HVAC Project

bull Installed a ZERO-Tech Water treatment project at the Civil Courthouse saving 1110485 gallons of water annually

Human Resources (HR)

bull Received 10812 electronically filed applications for employment

bull Reviewed and revised 99 classification specifications

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICESMISSION STATEMENT

To provide high quality services administrative support and innovative solutions for the effective and efficient operation of County government

16 www alachuacountyus

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 17: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

bull Audited 24 positions for classification confirmation and conducted 23 salary surveys

bull Sent 400 Family Medical Leave Act notification lettersbull Processed 39 public record requestsbull Conducted nine new employee orientation sessionsbull Received 207 requests for employee relations assistance

and held 61 meetings to discuss and resolve employee issues

Organizational Development and Training

bull Conducted 56 classes with a total of 878 participants which generated $2470 in revenue for the General Fund

bull Conducted a total of five retreats five department consultations and eight department specific trainings

bull Had 21 employees graduate from the annual Management Academy four employees participated in the newly launched mentoring program

bull Coached Leaders of Tomorrow and county-wide Customer Service teams

Purchasing

bull Received the National Purchasing Institutersquos Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for the fifth consecutive year

bull Processed 1454 purchase orders and monitored 4957 Visa card transactions

bull Completed 436 Contract Invoice Encumbrance Advice forms

bull Completed 71 formal bid solicitations or bid renewals and 626 contracts

bull Conducted 14 training and public outreach events

Risk Management

bull Investigated 61 new Workersrsquo Compensation injury claims closed 30 open claims

bull Processed 226 changes and enrollments for health dental vision andor life insurance benefits from open enrollment

bull Processed 201 flexible spending account enrollmentsbull Received 65 new liability incident reports closed 19

claimsbull Conducted 15 ergonomic studiesbull Conducted 75 incident investigations and inspectionsbull Conducted 133 new employee payroll sign-upsbull Processed retirement paperwork for 33 employees and

12 DROP enrollmentsbull Sponsored 1464 fitness classes and 75 participants in

the Weigh 2 Go programbull Enrolled 33 participants in the nicotine patch programbull Administered 218 flu shots

General Fund $9574986 - 74

Internal Service Funds $3029734 - 23

Other Special Revenue $74192 - 1

Enterprise Funds $80824 - 1

Fire Services MSTU $68196 - 1

Gas Tax Fund $50926 - lt1

Unincorporated MSTU

$5575 - lt1

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Administrative Services - $12884433

www alachuacountyus 17

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 18: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

COURT SERVICES

Pretrial ServicesInvestigations

bull First Appearance was held for 9438 detainees 8035 of these had pretrial investigations or assessments completed prior to First Appearance

bull The Judiciary released 466 of eligible defendants per Florida Statute

bull The Centralized Screening Team completed 2499 release plans for eligible detainees following First Appearance

bull The judiciary approved 289 Extended Limits of Confinement for participation in the Work Release Program

Pretrial ServicesSupervision

bull Pretrial Services supervised 1453 defendants resulting in a 98 court appearance rate thereby reducing failures to appear

Clinical ProgramsDrug Court

bull Assessed and referred 100 of all clients for treatment within two weeks of admission

bull Within 60 days of entering Phase II of Drug Court 92 of participating clients were gainfully employed enrolled in an educational or vocational program or receiving disability payments

bull Achieved a 61 completionparticipation rate for diversion clients still enrolled in the program after one year

bull Assisted 61 clients with Social Security benefit initial applications or reinstatements

bull Had an average of 43 defendants participating in Mental Health Court each month

MISSION STATEMENT To reduce the need for incarceration by rendering timely and accurate information to the Courts while providing a continuum of cost-effective community-based supervision and therapeutic services to the citizens of Alachua County with emphasis onaccountability and preserving public safety

OVERVIEW

The Department of Court Services provides information to assist the Courts in deciding which adults charged or convicted of committing a crime can be safely released in our community The Department also provides community supervision as a cost effective alternative to keeping people in jail Substance abuse and mental health treatment services help people make behavioral changes to become law abiding and contributing members of our community

18 www alachuacountyus

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 19: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Clinical ProgramsMetamorphosis

bull Upon completing treatment 93 of clients were employed in school or unable to work due to disability at discharge

bull Relapse prevention post-test scores improved an average of 22

bull All clients completing treatment enrolled in the voluntary aftercare program

Clinical ProgramsOpus

bull 93 of referrals were assessed within 10 daysbull Clients completing treatment exhibited an 80

increase in motivation for change and a 68 decrease in depressive symptoms

Administration

bull Clients reported in 19793bull New intakes completed 2566bull Criminal histories completed 60612

Community Service Program

bull Work crews completed 35803 hours with an estimated dollar value of $358030

bull Supervised 249 Level 1 Probation cases monthlybull Completed 1875 intakes and collected $24042 in

supervision and orientation fee costs

Day Reporting Program

bull Achieved a 65 successful completion ratebull Of new intakes 92 received a risk assessment at

the time of orientation to determine the reporting schedule and to follow up on program needs

County Probation Program

bull Achieved a 66 successful probation supervision completion rate

bull On average each officer supervised 114 people on probation

bull Probationers paid restitution to victims in the amount of $5604396

Work Release

bull On average 52 people participate in the Work Release Program each day

bull Program participants have an 83 employment ratebull Collected $286864 in room and board feesbull Achieved an 80 completion rate for substance abuse

treatment

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Court Services - $7425172

General Fund $6010928 - 81

Other Special Revenue - Grants $1414244 - 19

www alachuacountyus 19

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 20: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Applications Division

bull Upgraded the alachuacountyus website on October 6 2014 to include a more informative home page easier navigation between and within department sites increased readability and accessibility for the vision-impaired Site design was altered to allow all content to be viewed on any web-enabled device

bull Created a way to keep track of Wage Recovery Ordinance inquiries and claims and allow for reporting on statistical data for the number of inquiries hearings costs and results

bull Worked with Finance amp Accounting to evaluate a new financial system for the County implementation is expected to take place in 2015

OVERVIEW

The Department of Information and Telecommunication Services (ITS) provides support for the Countyrsquos computer hardware software data networks and telecommunication services The ITS Department supports the computer and telephone systems for all of the Board of County Commissionersrsquo departments as well as network infrastructure for the constitutional offices

Network Division

bull Successfully installed 100 (more than 160 devices) of the County Commission and constitutional officers equipment scheduled for replacement under the County Computer Replacement Fund

bull Completed upgrading and optimization of the server virtualization infrastructure for disaster recovery purposes

bull Deployed new IBM Network Area Storage to consolidate data storage and Structured Query Language database backups

bull Expanded the use of mobile devices primarily Apple iPads and iPhones as productivity tools for County agencies

bull Deployed early voting sites for the Supervisor of Elections used during the primary and general elections

bull Upgraded the wireless network for County offices to add more data bandwidth capacity as well as more security and administrative features

MISSION STATEMENT To design and maintain a connected community environment where information can flow seamlessly between government citizens and organizations To provide high quality customer service and continue to expand the Countyrsquos use of technology

INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

20 www alachuacountyus

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 21: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Security amp Telecom Division

bull Refurbished all County telephone server uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) These UPS systems provide power during service outages from GruCom electrical service

bull Upgraded two telephone servers in the Wilson Building and Civil Courthouse to provide a more reliable telephone infrastructure for the Countyrsquos phone system

bull Replaced the Countyrsquos Conference Manager Server due to age and reliability issues

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos networking infrastructure with new hardware and cabling

bull Upgraded the Countyrsquos network firewalls to protect the network from malicious Internet attacks as well as securing the Countyrsquos data storage

bull Developed an advanced network authentication process that allows Court Services to meet strict Florida Department of Law Enforcement guidelines for signing on to the network

bull Redesigned the Countyrsquos core network infrastructure to provide enhanced security and a more redundant hardware configuration

bull Upgraded network connections for the County Fire Stations to provide faster more reliable service

bull Blocked 70 of approximately 45000 outside e-mails received per day via ITS security measures to contain SPAM and viruses

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Information and Telecommunication Services - $4400574

General Fund $3567878 - 81

Internal Service Funds $832696 - 19

www alachuacountyus 21

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 22: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Planning and Development Services

bull Coordinated the Economic Development Workshopbull Prepared staff report and coordinated four workshops

on the Envision Alachua Sector Plan Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by Plum Creek

bull Completed Unified Land Development Code changes to update the Public School Concurrency review process based on recent legislative changes and to streamline the process clarified the allowance for rooftop solar installations identified wood processing facilities as a use type and amended the sign code

bull Four privately submitted Comprehensive Plan amendments were processed for proposed land use changes and staff submitted one County-initiated small-scale amendment Staff continued work on a large-scale County-initiated amendment regarding

wood-based industrial uses in RuralAgricultural land use areas

bull Processed 12 zoning itemsbull Processed 101 Development Review applications with

a final decision by Development Review Committee or staff

bull Submitted 136 applications for Development Review Committee review

bull Issued 112 tree removal permitsbull Conducted 15 final landscaping release inspectionsbull Prepared the Moving Alachua County Forward Initiative

for the 2014 ballotbull Prepared four Multi-Modal Transportation Mitigation

Agreements for Board adoptionbull Negotiated the Santa Fe Village Developers Agreementbull Released the Full Map Genius Web Mapping

Application which was awarded a 2014 National Association of Counties Achievement Award

OVERVIEW

The Growth Management Department prepares and maintains the Alachua County Comprehensive Plan and is responsible for its implementation through the development and administration of Land Development Regulations administration of housing programs construction permitting plan review building code compliance inspections contractor licensing and enforcement of minimum housing codes investigation and enforcement of alleged violations of various codes and ordinances and maintenance of related Geographic Information Systems

MISSION STATEMENT To enhance the quality of life for present and future generations in Alachua County by guiding growth and development through policy development public participation and coordination with municipalities and other government agencies and to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of unincorporated Alachua County by ensuring compliance with building codes land use zoning development regulations nuisance ordinances and other applicable laws

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

22 www alachuacountyus

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 23: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

bull Launched E-Permitting online building permit application process

bull Conducted activities to begin implementation of the multi-year GoSolar II Grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a coordinated Statewide Online Solar Permitting application process This included signing inter-local agreements with the City of Newberry and Broward County and input on plans review website development planning and zoning and financial components

Code Enforcement

bull Received and investigated 619 Code Enforcement complaints

bull Issued 167 Notices of Violationbull Issued 131 corrected Code Violations and compliance

affidavitsbull Referred 33 Code cases to the Code Enforcement Board

for prosecution

bull Achieved 9037 compliance within 90 days for code enforcement cases in FY14

bull The Code Enforcement Board processed 30 new code cases and held 10 hearings

bull Zoning Board of Adjustment Hearings processed 12 petitions and held eight hearings

bull Received and approved 117 Home Based Business permits

bull Issued 31 Administrative Temporary Use Permits

Building

bull Issued 5062 Building Permitsbull Issued 267 new Single Family Residential Unit permitsbull Processed 236 new contractor license registrationsbull Conducted 15079 building inspectionsbull Completed 9742 of inspections within 24 hours of

requestbull Averaged 667 working days to process a building

permit application requiring plans reviewbull Served 7895 customers at the customer service

counter averaged 1933 minutes per customer visit

Housing

bull Acquired 36 foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods as part of Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 and 3 Sold 17 homes to qualifying owner-occupants (one home currently for sale) three homes being repaired 15 homes transferred to not-for-profit agencies for affordable housing

bull Provided home repairs and energy efficiency improvements to seven foreclosed homes

bull Sold nine NSP homes to eligible homebuyers in FY14bull Received a $750000 CDBG Housing Rehab Grant from

the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity repaired nine substandard homes in FY14

FY 2014 Actual Expenditures Growth Management - $4311589

Enterprise Funds $1114635 - 26

Unincorporated - MSTU $1424813 - 33

Gas Tax Fund $9600 - lt1

General Fund $955474 - 22

Other Special Revenue Grants - $807067 - 19

www alachuacountyus 23

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 24: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

OVERVIEW

The Environmental Protection Department provides natural resources protection to the citizens of Alachua County through environmental planning environmental review water resources protection environmental code enforcement pollution prevention hazardous materials management hazardous materials collection petroleum remediation and tanks compliance and conservation land acquisition and management

Land ConservationAlachua County Forever

bull Acquired four properties totaling 546 acres including 543 acres in conservation easements

bull Received a $919500 grant from the USDA Federal Ranchland Protection Program

bull Currently managing 12277 acres over 26 sites an additional 8624 acres being managed by partners

bull Currently have 18396 acres open to the publicbull The Prescribed Fire Program successfully burned 707

acres and prepared more than 1800 acres for burningbull The Land Conservation Program continues to

develop from land acquisition to land restoration and stewardship

Water Resources Protection

bull Reviewed and provided comments on the Lower Santa Fe River Minimum Flows and Levels Gainesville Regional Utilities Consumptive Use Permit application and the St Johns River Water Management District Water Supply Plan

bull Implemented a new Public Outreach program for the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership

bull Completed Hazardous Materials license renewals amp Hazardous Waste Report to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

bull Conducted 726 routine inspections of regulated facilitiesbull Investigated 198 complaints and spills bull Monitored 597 water locationsbull Conducted 120 outreach events

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMISSION STATEMENT To foster a community ethic of responsible environmental stewardship of the land air water and living resources in Alachua County

24 www alachuacountyus

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 25: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

Pollution Prevention

bull Provided local technical oversight associated with soil sampling groundwater investigations and contamination cleanup at and near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site continued inter-governmental coordination

bull Provided air permit compliance oversight for Gainesville Renewable Energy Center biomass facility and ambient air monitoring at County Public Works

bull Cleaned up 16 petroleum contaminated sites and managed $18 million in clean-up activities

bull Increased state funding by $211487 with the expanded scope of the Petroleum Clean-up program into Clay Marion and Putnam Counties

Other Special Revenue - Grants $973773 - 26

Enterprise Funds $871260 - 24

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresEnvironmental Protection - $3698296

Unincorporated - MSTU $462369 - 12

General Fund $1390894 - 38

bull Completed 811 tank facility site inspections in Alachua Marion Clay and Putnam Counties and received an outstanding performance score from FDEP

bull Completed 10 neighborhood mobile collection events eight neighboring county cooperative collection events and 92 tours and outreach events

bull Served 42752 hazardous waste collection customers collected 1467000 pounds of hazardous waste and provided 167000 pounds of re-use products to the community

Natural Resources Protection

bull Pre-Application Screening Compliance Verification Program regulated ldquonatural resources protectedrdquo and ldquoimpacts avoidedrdquo by reviewing 696 properties

bull County Environmental Review staff reviewed approximately 154 Development Review applications (including zoning Development Review Committee Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Amendment applications) no wetland impacts were approved in 2014

bull Assisted with more than 700 inquiries related to natural resource protection

bull Provided leadership and innovation in the creation of the Countyrsquos First Annual ldquoSaving My Alachuardquo Environmental Art Contest and Calendar

bull Provided outreach and education at 26 community events

www alachuacountyus 25

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 26: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

OVERVIEW

General Governance comprises the Board of County Commissioners the County Managerrsquos Office the County Attorneyrsquos Office the Office of Management and Budget the Communications and Legislative Affairs Office the County-wide Sustainability and Economic Development programs and the Visitors and Convention Bureau (funded solely by the Tourist Development Tax)

County Attorney

bull Successfully transitioned from retiring long-term County Attorney to new County Attorney

bull Continued the trend of reducing the overall department budget

bull Presented state-mandated ethics training to the Board of County Commissioners constitutional officers and other local government officials

bull Created and assisted in the creation of several ordinances including the eCigarette Ordinance the Lobbyist Registration Ordinance amendments to the Self-Insurance Ordinance and an amendment to the Noise Ordinance

bull Provided legal advice and guidance to staff on various major development applications and developerrsquos agreements such as Celebration Pointe Springhills Santa Fe Village and the Plum Creek Sector Plan

THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS AND PROGRAMS REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY MANAGER

Communications Office

bull Televisedstreamed 99 online County Commission meetings

bull Completed 31 in-house graphic design projectsbull Completed six Alachua County Talks episodesbull Issued 21 Community Update Newslettersbull Acquired 25174 new subscribers to the County Facebook

page

Legislative Affairs

bull Assisted in the $300000 Empowerment Center appropriation request

bull Assisted in defeating HB 701 Environmental Bill bull Successfully lobbied against three unfavorable local bills

GENERAL GOVERNANCEMISSION STATEMENT To provide responsive quality service to our citizens and to assure the sustainability of our County and its communities by balancing the concerns for economy environment and social well-being within all of our programs

26 www alachuacountyus

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 27: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

FY 2014 Actual ExpendituresGeneral Government - $6601363

Unincorporated - MSTU $36338 - 1

General Fund $3396472 - 51

Other Special Revenue - Tourist Tax $3168553 - 48

Office of Management and Budget

bull Received Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association ndash this marks the 21st year for earning this prestigious award

bull Coordinated agency-wide budget development to stabilize the financial position of the County

bull Conducted the 2014 ACCESS citizen outreach and educational program

Economic Development

bull Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) designation approved for Coqui Radiopharmaceutical Corp (biomedical technology company) and Optym (software company)

bull Participated in Innovation Gainesville (iG) ldquo Innovation Advocatesrdquo group

bull Participated in Council for Economic Outreach ldquoRegional Partnersrdquo group

bull Served on the board of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN)

Visitors and Convention Bureau

bull Completed a content creation project with Madden Media to place articles on VisitGainesvillecom and digitally market this content to visitors One article generated 6000 new visits to the site The article was available for 2 months and had nearly three times the average time spent on-site compared to other internal pages

bull Through the Tourist Product Development Program local arts and cultural agencies were awarded more than $515000 for marketing their events and capital improvement projects

Office of Sustainability

bull Supported renewable energy and local food production by coordinating with the School Board and the Florida Solar Energy Center to plan a North Florida Energy Whiz Expo and Solar Cook-Off that took place in April 2014

bull Supported local food production by co-hosting ldquoAg in the Classroom Workshopsrdquo for children ages K-5 These workshops were supported by Florida Agriculture in the Classroom the Alachua County Extended Day Enrichment Program and Forage Farms

bull Invested in weatherization and energy efficiency by initiating community conversations and analysis of the Property Assessed Clean Energy Finance (PACE) program

bull Assisted Growth Management with continued efforts at streamlining renewable energy production through the Department of Energy Rooftop Solar II Grant that will create an online permitting process for rooftop solar projects

www alachuacountyus 27

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond

Page 28: Alachua County 2014 Annual Report

This report was prepared by Alachua County Manager Lee A Niblockrsquos Communications Office under the direction of Communications amp Legislative Affairs Director Mark Sexton

Special acknowledgements to Graphic Designer Takumi Sullivan Public Information Specialist Bret Bostock Production Coordinator Alan Yeatter and Office of Management and Budget Director Tommy Crosby This report was completed with the assistance of all Alachua County Departments

Special thanks to Senior Staff Assistant Erika Capin and Executive Staff Assistant Amy Burns

Front and back cover photos Alachua County Environmental Protection Department Senior Planner Michael Drummond


Recommended