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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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