13 ways for Brevard to fund money to pay for road work

County commissioners on Tuesday will begin debating how to find more money for road maintenance, now that they have defeated a proposal to raise local gas taxes by 6 cents a gallon for that purpose.

Ideas on the table include everything from county departments going to a four-day workweek to eliminating year-round lifeguards. Commission Vice Chair Curt Smith has distributed a dozen ideas to other commissioners for consideration, and, separately, Commissioner Trudie Infantini has put three of her proposals on the County Commission agenda.

Among Smith’s ideas: The four-day workweek to save energy costs in county buildings; eliminate county grants to community nonprofit organizations; turn over some county parks, community centers and pools to cities and nonprofit organizations; coordinate dispatch for county and municipal law enforcement and fire protection agencies; and contract out or eliminate year-round lifeguards.

Infantini’s ideas focus on ending cash incentives for businesses that are expanding in Brevard County, and reining in community redevelopment agencies and similar entities, through dissolving or defunding them.

Smith says his staff “worked extraordinarily hard and has been spending a lot of time” culling a list of about 40 ideas down to the 12 he submitted. He also contacted officials of affected county departments about the ideas, and has received some feedback.Smith expects lively discussion at upcoming County Commission meetings about these ideas and others — including extensive public comment from those who may be affected by the proposals.

“We might have dozens of people with purple shirts and pink shirts and red shirts” in the audience, showing their support for certain budget items, Smith said. “What I am looking to do is start the discussion.

Here is a summary of some of Smith’s and Infantini’s ideas:

1. Going to a four-day workweek (estimated savings: unknown):Smith said he envisions at least some county departments switching to a four-day workweek, with 10-hour days for staff.The county would not save money on payroll, but it would save money on air conditioning, heating and electricity usage for lights and computers, for example, on the days the offices are closed.

For the public, the minus would be they might not be able to transact business one weekday a week, likely a Monday or a Friday. The plus would be they would have longer hours for transactions on the other four days, potentially until 7 p.m.”I don’t know if it’s feasible,” Smith said. “I’m throwing the ideas out there.”Smith cited Eastern Florida State College as a local entity that has successfully used a four-day workweek strategy to some extent.

2. Turning over some county parks, community centers and pools to cities and private organizations (estimated savings: $1.98 million a year):Smith listed these sites as candidates:• Cherie Down Park to Cape Canaveral.• Lori Wilson Park to Cocoa Beach.• Lipscomb Street Community Park to Melbourne.• Palm Bay Regional Park, Palm Bay Aquatic Center and Greater Palm Bay Senior Center to Palm Bay.• Cuyler Park and Mims Community Center to The Boys and Girls Club.

The transfers would help the county save money on staffing and maintenance of the facilities.The Palm Bay transaction already is on the County Commission agenda for a possible vote.

The Palm Bay Aquatic Center will be operated by the city of Palm Bay, instead of Brevard County, under a plan unanimously approved Tuesday by the Brevard County Commission.

3. Establishing a joint public safety dispatch system (estimated savings: $1 million a year): Smith proposes combining the law enforcement and fire dispatch services throughout the county, including ones involving the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Brevard County Fire Rescue, and city police and fire departments.He said he has had mixed views on the plan so far, with Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey among those who are more positive about the idea.

4. Eliminating funding for nonprofit community-based organizations (estimated savings: $510,000 a year): Currently, 12 community organizations share in the funding.Smith has talked about this idea several times during past discussions of road repair funding and the county budget.”I don’t think we should be picking winners and losers in the charity business,” Smith said.

Representatives of community organization have come before the County Commission several times to ask commissioners not to eliminate such funding, which also allows some of them to obtain matching funds.

5. Ending cash grants used as incentives for businesses that are expanding in Brevard County (estimated savings: unknown) Infantini has put a proposal on the County Commission agenda asking commissioners to vote to put a referendum on the November ballot to end such funding.According to county records, among the companies that have been approved for such cash grants in the past are Embraer and Northrop Grumman. The North Brevard Economic Development Zone has approved cash grants for Blue Origin and redevelopment of the former Miracle City Mall site in Titusville.

6. Dissolution of the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency (estimated savings: $743,060 a year)

Both Infantini and Smith have proposed this move.

In a resolution submitted for County Commission consideration, Infantini wrote that MIRA “has fulfilled its intent, and it is no longer in the best interest of the residents, visitors and businesses of the county to maintain the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency.”

Smith proposes a two-year or five-year phaseout of MIRA.

Additionally, he proposes changes in how community development agencies in Melbourne, Palm Bay, Satellite Beach and Titusville are operated. Those CRA changes could generate a total of $1.24 million a year.

7. Contracting out or eliminating year-round lifeguards (estimated savings: $900,000 a year)

Smith and others have questioned the need for year-round lifeguards on Brevard’s beaches.

8. Transferring some Brevard Cultural Alliance funding(estimated savings: $50,000 a year)

Smith proposes having $50,000 in Brevard Cultural Alliance funding that now comes from the county’s general fund instead be picked up by the Space Coast Office of Tourism budget, through money derived by the county’s 5 percent Tourist Development Tax on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals.

9. Reinstating transportation impact fees (estimated revenue: $2 million a year)

Smith proposes resuming these fees, which are charged to developers for commercial and residential construction projects, effective Jan. 1, 2017.

There has been a moratorium on those fees since 2009.

Impact fee money can be used only for road expansion projects. But, Smith said, reinstating the fees would help free up money from the general fund to go toward road maintenance.

Other proposals

Among Smith’s other proposals:

10. Eliminating county positions that have been vacant more than 90 days, are funded out of the general fund, and are vacant without a purpose.

11. Changing how the county contracts for phone service.

12. Selling excess county property.

13. Using proceeds from future leases for a road maintenance fund.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 and dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDaveBerman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54

If you go

The Brevard County Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Brevard County Government Center Commission Room, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera. County commissioners’ ideas for budget changes will come up for discussion.