Holiday Cards

An announcement came out several days ago for non-profits and churches to begin placing their annual holiday greetings on the lawn of the old courthouse in downtown Brooksville. While sign board sizes and lighting requirements were noted in the announcement, nothing was mentioned for the content of the message in the greeting. Yes, it did say holiday greetings in the announcement but being consistent with years past, the lawn program at the courthouse has been a wonderful way for all of us in this community to celebrate the Christmas season regardless of our religious denomination or the message of the non-profit organizations. It is refreshing to see our county continue this card celebration while many other local governments are prohibiting any mention of Christmas on public property. Thank you, Hernando County for being sensitive to everyone's religious belief's, including Christianity.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!"

Annual FDOT Five Year Plan

Each year the Florida Department of Transportation initiates the process for review of the State's Five Year Tentative Work Program. This district-wide FDOT public hearing is scheduled for December 6, 2005 in the Hernando County Government Center from 5 p.m to 7 pm. The purpose of the hearing will to be receive input from the public prior to the final adoption of the FDOT Five Year Work Program.

Betting on the Future

The Hernando County School Board approved a financing plan for school construction this week that is estimated to cost approximately $222 million dollars for a period of 30 years. The estimated repayment figures from the school district's chief financial officer are $2.9 to $9.8 million per year, with the projected money coming from impact fees and existing local property taxes. Pat Fagan was the lone dissenting vote to reject this plan because he was concerned with exceeding the $100 million mark. Please recall the comments warning about this type of new project funding made by our property appraiser, Alvin Mazourek last spring during budget talks. Mr. Mazourek cautioned that if the housing growth bubble popped, the monies may not be available through property tax revenue to fund projects based on projected earnings. He also remarked how the current market prices were over-inflated. It looks like this loan program approved by the Hernando County School Board may just fall into that category. What happens if the housing and construction starts substantially level off or slow down during this 30 years period. Will impact fee money reach the target level to repay this loan? For example, after 20 years of collecting impact fees in Pinellas County, they suspended their (impact) program because their county was essentially built out and now is in re-development mode. With the explosive growth in this county when will we reach the mark of build-out here? Two major steps have taken in the last year to ease construction money woes for the school system. Taxpayers approved a 1/2 cents sales tax last year in a referendum to build new schools for the district. And the Hernando County Commission took the initial step this week in becoming the lead agency in School Concurrency which will have development help pay for itself in the future. Now the School Board is considering a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education in reference to the classroom size amendment to attack the source of their financial problems. Only time will tell if the School Board put the cart before the horse by approving this funding program before solving the problems at the state level with the classroom size amendment.

60-unit Affordable Housing for Elderly on Barnett Rd.

Rusty Sibley, of the Greater Miami Neighborhoods, gave a brief presentation at the Hernando County Housing Authority meeting last night for the proposed 60-unit Affordable Housing project for the elderly on Barnett Road. This proposed project is located behind the Applebees at SR 41 and SR 50. All the units are projected to be one-bedroom units specifically designed to serve the low income elderly residents of our county. The Greater Miami Neighborhoods will begin the application process in January of 2006 at the state level. During Mr. Sibley's presentation he indicated that no elderly housing funding has been approved in Hernando County by the state of Florida in three years. His firm wanted to increase the units to 100 for their funding application stating they may have a better chance for approval. Although discussion took place to increase the number of units, the Housing Authority Commissioners cautioned that this may be unwise because of the timeline necessary to complete the approval process at the county level and still meet the deadline for application requirements for the state. A motion was made for Hernando County Housing Authority approval and backing for the 60-unit elderly complex at the suggestion of Chairman Sullivan to indicate the Board's solidarity on the issue. The motion passed 4-0.

The Hernando County Housing Authority agenda had several more items on their agenda that required a vote by the board. One was the appeal by Mr. & Mrs. Christa Cabrea for their continued housing assistance. Mr. Singer, Executive Director of the Housing Authority, had terminated their assistance based on guidelines governing arrests of tenants. The Cabrea's appealed to the Housing Authority to overturn Mr. Singer's termination notice by asking forgiveness and stating that they would be homeless without this assistance. A motion was made by Commissioner Anna Liisa Covell for the continued assistance with strict guidelines to include mandatory drug counciling and monthly drug-screening reports be submitted to Mr. Singer by Mr. Cabrea's probation officer. Her motion died for a lack of a second. A second motion to terminate assistance was passed by a 3-1 vote, with Covell voting nay. The other item was the 4-0 approval of the portability request by the client, Ms. Aprecio for a transfer back to San Francisco.

Other items of interest on the agenda were the election of officers. Paul Sullivan was elected chairman and Beth Garman as vice chair.

Senator Fasano Hits the Big Time

I hope everyone saw our very own State Senator Fasano on Fox and Friends this morning! Fox hosts, Steve & E.D., had many questions about Senator Fasano "Pink License Plate" bill. As per my post on November 14th, I mentioned that Senator Fasano will probably face an uphill battle with the ACLU on this issue. It is good to see our Senator having a pro-active approach to reduce drunken driving incidents on our roadways and not shrink from a challenge. Senator Fasano will need our support to push this controversial bill to the Governor's desk.

Skyrocketing Homeowners Insurance Premiums

Last Wednesday, a state Senate committee heard projections that some Citizens Property Insurance policyholders will face premium increases that will be equal or more than their mortgage payments. In fact, all Florida property owners will face steep increases in early 2006, in part, because of the massive deficit's faced by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Citizens was set up by the Florida Legislature to cover home owners who cannot get coverage in the private sector and is funded by every other policy holder in the state when it loses money. Citizens' deficit of $950 billion in claims from hurricane damage will probably translate into an extra assessment to non-Citizen policyholders of 10 to 11 percent of their premium. This surcharge would add $220 to $2,000 bill to some policyholders. This estimated 11% surcharge is in addition to the 6.8% surcharge all policyholders will be required to pay with policy renewals next year. Governor Bush and Senate leaders are now suggesting broad changes are in order to correct the problems with Citizen Insurance. Last spring, facing the forecast of massive insurance premium increases for all property owners of the state, Tom Gallagher, the Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida, requested the Legislature assist homeowners with the more than $800 million in hurricane related sales tax revenue collected in 2004 to offset the substantial deficit that was apparent with the Citizens Insurance. Mr. Gallagher also estimated that the state would reap millions more in additional sales tax revenue as people buy supplies to repair their homes from this year's hurricanes destruction. His request to the Florida Legislature was accompanied by a method to allow condominium associations to build catastrophe reserves. Mr. Gallagher also called for a $1 million cap on policies issued by Citizens Property Insurance. Unfortunately, Mr. Gallagher did not have a legislative sponsor to carry the proposals to fruition. Hindsight is never a good policy but the $800 million in sales tax revenue from 2004 would have certainly eased the pain that all homeowners will feel over the coming months when their homeowners insurance comes up for renewal, or worse yet, when they receive a cancellation notice. We can only hope our Legislature, with Governor Bush's assistance, begin immediately to correct the problems we all are enduring with the insurance crisis in this state.

George Washington, The Rules of Civility, circa 1748

"Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."

Living Wage Discussion Again?

This morning during Citizen's Input at the Board of County Commission meeting, Jennifer Sullivan requested that a public workshop be scheduled to discuss the Living Wage again. This subject was discussed at length by our commissioners over two years ago during the passing of the ordinance brought forward by Mike McHugh of the Hernando County Business & development Department. This previous discussion revolved around the manufacturing sector and perks for relocations to entice new business to our community. One of the stipulations to receive these perks was a living wage implementation for employees of the business receiving the perks. Commissioner Stabbins commented on Ms. Sullivan's suggestion for a new workshop to discuss the Living Wage saying he thought it would be a good idea for this free exchange of ideas to discuss the difficulty families endure while trying to live on a minimum wage. A public workshop to discuss the working poor, with associated low wages, while trying to find solutions, is always a good idea but some forethought in planning this Living Wage workshop will be necessary to achieve a level playing field. All sides of this issue need to be invited to the table for a discussion of the low wages in our county, starting with the low income workers, to the many businesses in this county. The discussion should be broad to include reasons for low income jobs, such as training and educational opportunities currently available in our county to get an honest evaluation of the current base wages. A good start for gathering information for this workshop would be to review the bill signed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2003 preventing local county governments from implementing a Living Wage over the federally mandated Minimum Wage amount (except in certain circumstances regarding government contracts and employees).

Pink License Plates!

Senator Fasano filed Senate Bill 538 on November 1, 2005 that would require "bright pink" license plates on vehicles driven by people convicted of DUI with restricted licenses. This bill calls for the first three characters on the pink plate to read DUI. This bill will also give the police the right to stop these vehicles without probable cause to check the driver. Senator Fasano researched the information leading to this bill after a constituent suggested he check how other states dealt with the serious issue of drunken driving. The passage of this bill may find an uphill battle in the Senate based on vocal opposition from the ACLU in Florida but something needs to be done with the ever-rising number of drunken driving incidents since education programs have done little to stem the flow of law breakers in our state. Various methods of embarrassment have worked for law breakers in other areas using innovative ways of imposing sentences. In St. Petersburg, the city council decided to post names of individuals soliciting prostitutes in the downtown area. This posting of names worked to clean up the image and streets of St. Petersburg. Don't forget the pink underwear that the sheriff of Phoenix Arizona makes the prisoners wear in custody while eating their baloney sandwiches and sleeping in tents. Who knows, maybe Senator Fasano's bill will lower the number of drunken driving incidents in our state by pure, public humiliation.

P & Z Recommendation

Today, the Hernando County Planning & Zoning Commission made a recommendation to the BOCC for the appointment of Mr. Robert Widmar for the vacancy created by Thomas Richards resignation by a 5-0 vote. Lisa Hammond was chosen as the replacement for the alternate position of the P & Z Board by a 4-1 vote with Mr. DeWitt the descending vote.

School Concurrency

Recommendations have been made by the Growth and Development Director Larry Jennings for the Board of County Commission to serve as the lead agency in an intergovernmental agreement between the School District and the City of Brooksville for the process to begin the implementation of School Concurrency system(under their BOCC consent agenda) for November 15, 2005. School Concurrency was mandated in the 2005 Legislative Session. This is a major step in the right direction to help ease school overcrowding in our county. School concurrency has been a portion of state legislation since 1998 as voluntary but became mandatory in the 2005 Legislative Session. School concurrency will be a major tool to have development help pay its own way in our county (and state). Just imagine if the Hernando County School Board had voluntarily pushed for school concurrency in 1998. Would the school board landscape been filled with the 100's of portable classrooms? Would we have the massive overcrowding in the school rooms if concurrency had taken place in 1998? Would the School Board budget been stretched to the limit today if school concurrency had taken place in 1998? The mandatory requirement of the State Legislature is a step in the right direction to make sure our children & grandchildren have adequate classroom space. Hopefully, the Board of County Commission will agree with Mr. Jennings and will take the lead in this most crucial step of smart growth within our county.

Brooksville Art Gallery

The Brooksville City Hall Art Gallery will host a fall and winter exhibit at 201 Howell Avenue in downtown Brooksville beginning on November 16th at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a reception . The public is invited to enjoy the refreshments and entertainment while viewing the exhibit by the following artists:

• The Exhibiting Society of Artists (TESA)
• Nature coast Decorative Artists
• The Hernando Quilters
• Spring Hill Camera Club
• Just Poets
• The Suncoast Ship Model Society

Thank a Veteran Today

Armistice Day officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926 and then a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, by an Act of Congress, the name changed to Veterans Day to honor all United States Veterans. The time and date has carried on throughout the years being the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. As you go about your usual routine today, please take a few minutes to think about the significance of Veterans Day and the freedoms we all share in this country and just say thank you to a veteran.

Remarks at Veterans' Day ceremony on November 11,
1985 by President Ronald Reagan:

"It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country...in wars far away. The imagination plays tricks. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and grey-haired. But most of them were boys when they died and they gave up two lives-the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their country, for us. All we can do is remember."

Happy 230th Birthday to the Marines

Today is the 230th birthday of the United States Marines. As a wife of a Marine Corp Veteran, I learned the meaning of the term, Once a Marine, Always a Marine early in our marriage and the pride that goes with that slogan. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Marines a very Happy Birthday today, November 10th, in recognition of their 230 years of the US Marine Corp.

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by the Commandant of the Marine Corp:

On November 10th, 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of Continental Marines marking the birth of our United States Marine Corps. As Major General Lejeunes message reminds us, the ensuing generations of Marines would come to signify all that is highest in warfighting excellence and military virtue. Each November as Marines the world over celebrate the birth of our Corps, we pay tribute to that long line of Soldiers of the Sea and the illustrious legacy they have handed down to us.

The sense of honor, courage, and patriotism that epitomized those who answered that first call to arms two hundred and thirty years ago is still indelibly imprinted on our ranks today. In commemorating our anniversary, let us strengthen our ties to the past by paying homage to those who have gone before us. As we honor the sacrifices of our wounded and fallen comrades, our commitment to one another remains unshakable. We take special pride in the actions of the Marines now serving in harms way, and rededicate ourselves to the service of our Nation and our Corps.

Happy Birthday, Marines. Semper Fidelis, and Keep Attacking!
M. W. Hagee General, U.S. Marine Corps

Farewell Send Off

Last night the Hernando Chamber of Commerce and the Hernando County Government hosted a farewell gathering for our out-going county administrator, Gary Adams. This was a time for old friends to wish Mr. Adams the best while enjoying finger sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks and cake provided by Publix, Coca Cola and the Rising Sun Cafe. Commissioner Robert Schenck addressed the crowd with brief comments and presented Mr. Adams with two gifts. One was a plague from the Board of Commissioners and the other a framed photo of our coastline at sunset to remind Mr. Adams of the warm weather he will be missing in the cold month of February in Illinois. Jeanne Gavish, president of the Chamber expressed sadness from the business community with the impending departure of Mr. Adams and stated he was just getting through the honeymoon period. She presented him with a beautiful plague, too. Many from the community were in attendance like City Manager Dick Anderson, former Commissioner Mary Aiken, City Councilman David Pugh, Jr. and Jeff Webb from Hernando Times. Mr. Adams spoke briefly at the end the evening by thanking everyone that had come out and said that he never realized how many good friendships that he had forged while serving as administrator in our county. Good luck on your new job, Mr. Adams. Your optimism and sense of fair play will be missed by many in our community.

An Inspiration to Young and Old

This morning Hernando Today ran a story about Joe Harrin, the new band director for Hernando High School. Believe it or not, this article brought a smile to my face because I truly admire and respect Mr. Harrin. I met him during his first year of teaching at Central High School in 2001 when he brought the band to the Veterans Parade. The kids only knew one marching tune at that point but the enthusiasm Mr. Harrin had instilled in this young adults was remarkable. Mr. Harrin has attended the veterans parade with the school bands 4 out of the 5 years. At the parade last Saturday, I watched Mr. Harrin marching backwards, in formation, with his young musicians throughout most of the route giving instruction and support. At the end of the parade in the city hall parking lot, Mr. Harrin called out to his musicians to remove their heavy uniform jackets. The temperature was well over 8o degrees and the kids were extremely overheated at this point. I watched him assist the drummers with their uniforms, by marching backwards, to open theirs collars. The love and respect Mr. Harrin shows to his kids comes back tenfold with their admiration for him. Angela Taylor of Hernando Today could not have stated it better when she wrote that Joe Harrin, Jr is an inspiration to the young and old. The Hernando Royal Regiment Marching Band is fortunate to have Mr. Harrin as their new music director. Our county is truly blessed to have this remarkable teacher in our community!

Mission Expansion On Track

Jericho Road Ministries development project on Wiscon Road for their new Thrift Store Ministry is nearing completion. They hope to be in their new building by mid December. The mission's expansion is largely due to their founder, Pastor Bruce Gimbal and their Board of Directors, president Reverend Scott Simmons. Bruce and Scott have worked endless hours to make everyone aware of the plight of the homeless in our community. Now they need some additional help from the community moving into their new facility. Equipment, merchandise and storage trailers need to be moved to their new location. They are also asking for help to set up and prepare for the opening of their store. I know everyone is extremely busy in December with family and friends but if you can spare a few minutes, or possibly a small donation for Jericho Roads, it would be greatly appreciated by all those who work so hard for this ministry. Their current Thrift Store phone number is 797-9009. The mailing address is: Jericho Road Ministries, Inc., P.O. Box 864, Brooksville, Florida 34605. Jericho Road Minisitries stands as a beacon in the darkness for those who need a hand up, not a hand out.

Clarification

Just a few points to clarify my previous post on the Veterans Appreciation Parade. Both Judge Stephen Rushing and his wife, Mia are veterans. Steve is a proud Vietnam vet and his wife served proudly in the Air Force. The Gulf Ridge Council's Withlacoochee District Cub Scout Pack #443 and Boy Scout Troop #446 was proudly lead by their troop leader, John J. Ricciardi. Mr. Ricciardi who is also veteran looked sharp in his dress Marine uniform.

A Special Thank You to Our Veterans

Today's Veterans Appreciation Parade was a spectacular success. Participation in this year's parade was the best in our 5 year history. The parade was so long this year that the lead met the middle momentarily becoming logjammed but Chief Tincher quickly had the parade moving again with the flow going in both directions down Main Street. The parade was lead by our city and county's finest with the Brooksville Police in the front vehicle with the Hernando County Sheriff's Honor Guard. The many participants were:

• WWII Sea Bees
• Young Marines
• Moose #1676
• Women's Army Corp
• Military Officers Association
• Operation Pride with Rose Rocco
• National Federation of the Blind
• City Council members Staib, Burnett & Weaver w/Karen Phillips
• Commissioners Schenck, Robinson, Rowden & Kingsley
• Rep. David Russell & Sandi Nicholson/School Board
• Judge Stephen Rushing, wife Mia who is a vet and their family
• Clover Leaf Convertible Club
• Clover Leaf Veterans & Color Guard
• Hernando Sportsman Club
• Military Vehicle Preservationist Association/7 vehicles
• Jesse Saylor & the American Legion Post 99
• American Legion Post 186
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• VFW 8713/w float
• Bay Pines Hospital (from Pinellas city) volunteers w/float
• 5 Thunderbirds - thunderbird Nest
• Vietnam Legacy Veterans Motorcycle Club
• Gulf Ridge Council Cub Scouts & Boy Scouts
• Girl Scouts-Troop 575
• Hernando High School Band
• Pow/Mia
• D.A.V.
• Pearl Harbor Survivor Allan Hartzhorne & wife
• Bob Haa-WWJB Radio
• Brooksville Fire Department-Ladder truck & 2 Rescue Trucks

My special thanks goes out to each of you for giving a few minutes this morning to participate in the parade. Your presence today was a very special way to say thank you to all our veterans and our current active duty military, along with their families, for their service to our country. I hope to see each of you next year!

Highlights - Hernando County Legislative Delegation Meeting

The Hernando County Legislative Delegation assembled this afternoon for their annual meeting in downtown Brooksville to take public testimony in reference to the needs and concerns that our residents face in our county. Representatives David Russell and Charles Dean along with Senators Paula Dockery and Mike Fasano intently listened to everyone's concerns from county elected officials, school board officials, city representatives along with many appointed boards, nonprofits and citizens in the community. The Hernando County School Board voiced future financial impacts to the county that will be felt when they implement the Class Size Amendment. They also brought up concerns about the co-teaching requirements. Karla Grimsley, circuit administrator for the Guardian Ad Litem Program, asked for increased assistance for the children that are not represented by an attorney in these difficult circumstances. Mark Berry of The Arc Nature Coast asked for increased funding and consideration to cover the increases his nonprofit organization faces each day with their operational costs. Anna Liisa Covell, Chairwoman of the Hernando County Planning Commission brought up concerns with current statutes that govern Assisted Living Facilities requesting serious thought be given to owner occupancy being required in ALF's under 6 occupants. Many residents came to this meeting to address this same issue of ALF's and the impacts to their residential communities. Rep. Russell indicated that he would be looking into the language in the current statutes. Morris Porton of the Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee came with a letter of thanks to the delegation. David Beardon, president of the National Federation of the Blind asked for increased transportation disadvantaged funding. Rose Rocco of the United Communities spoke on the massive increases in home owners insurance along her concerns on legislation for home owners associations. Representative Russell was pleasantly surprised by two plaques he received for his service in the Florida Legislature. Mr. Russell received one award from the Hernando County Commission and one from the City of Brooksville along with their a city resolution. Our dedicated elected officials patiently listened to everyone that wished to speak even though the meeting ran over by almost an hour.

Leadership Hernando Graduation

Tonight, the 2005 class of Leadership Hernando will graduate with a dinner celebration at Glen Lakes Country Club. Leadership Hernando is sponsored by the Hernando Chamber of Commerce with the support of many businesses in our community, along with the Hernando County Government and the the City of Brooksville. As a past graduate of this great program, I can proudly say congratulations to the 2005 class. Everyone that participated in this 2005 Leadership Hernando class needs to be thanked by our community for their hard work and contribution to Jericho Road Ministries. This 2005 class organized a Talent Showcase for Rev. Bruce Gimbal of Jericho Road to raise funds to purchase a replacement vehicle for the ministry which netted over five thousand dollars. Thanks for your service to our community, Class of 2005!

Thanks Rep. Russell & Governor Jeb Bush

Thanks go out to our own Rep. David Russell and Governor Jeb Bush for the $44-million in transportation funds to widen SR 50. This funding is part of the state's growth management plan and will help to expand the overburdened four lane highway to 6-lane. According to Hernando County's Transportation Planning Coordinator Dennis Dix, he said that this will help to solve this problem sooner rather later along the SR 50 corridor.

Community Board of 25

The Hernando County Commission voted on Tuesday, November 1, to form a community advisory board to review future long-term facilities needs for county government. Their decision to form a 25-member community board was a 5-0 vote. The commissioners decided to form this committee during Gary Adams presentation that discussed the projected future space needs for county government departments and courtrooms. During this discussion, commissioners voiced approval to give the county citizens , as a whole, a voice in how their government expands and how the citizens would like to see this growth develop in the future. Commissioners also voiced the need to have a well-rounded committee which should include business leaders, citizens from all areas of the county, and they even suggested to choose prior graduates of the Hernando Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Hernando program. One day after the decision was made to form this committee by a unanimous vote, Commissioner Kingsley made his position clear with his proposal to move forward on selling the old hospital site and building a new $35 million government center. This 25 member review committee should be given the opportunity to honestly access the needs for future facilities expansion of our government, and the related costs, before any commissioner publicly expresses their viewpoint.

Reception for Gary Adams

The Greater Hernando Chamber of Commerce and the Hernando County Government will hold a public reception on Wednesday, November 9th from 5-7 p.m. to bid farewell to Gary Adams during his last few days as Hernando County Administrator. The reception will be held in the atrium of the Hernando County Government Center locted at 20 North Main Street in downtown Brooksville.

Reverend Billy Graham

Reverend Billy Graham was quoted as saying, "Courage is contagious. When a brave person takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened."

Future Discussion on Civility Code

On next week's agenda of the Board of County Commission, a discussion will take place on a possible implementation of a Civility Code for Hernando County. Gary Adams broached this very subject at last week's meeting with input from Sarasota County's Civility Code and the response was cool, at best, last week. This morning at the BOCC meeting, Anna Liisa Covell made public comments at Citizen's Input to suggest a Civility Code for all county boards, commissions and committees of Hernando County stating that the county needs to lead by example. She submitted information to the commissioners on one such civility Code now in affect in the city of Dunedin. At the end of today's BOCC meeting, Commissioner Rowden brought up the topic of the Civility Code and suggested that Mr. Adams submittal from last week on civility be discussed further, along with a proposal she had previously submitted several years ago on the subject. Commissioner Schenck agreed to agendize the Civility Code topic at next week's board meeting after reaching a consensus of the his entire board.

P & Z Appointments Procedures

This afternoon at the Hernando County Commission meeting the discussion continued on potential changes to the Planning And Zoning Commission appointment procedures. Commissioner Stabbins brought forward a new recommendation that would have eliminated the P & Z method of voting on applicants verbally and just supplying written comments to the county commissioners, if they so wished, and have the Board of County Commission interview all applicants for the P & Z at the podium. Mr. Kingsley proposed removing all Planning & Zoning recommendation procedures and proposed that the administrative staff and the Planning Department make recommendations to the BOCC to eliminate political influence in the decision. Mr. Schenck called on Anna Liisa Covell, chairwoman of the Planning & Zoning Commission, to voice her concerns. Mrs. Covell stated that she did not have a problem with the BOCC conducting the entire interview process of applicants, if that was the pleasure of the County Commission but requested that no changes be made to P & Z procedures. Mr. Kingsley made his proposal into a motion that failed with a 3-2 vote. With further discussion, the consensus of the County Commissioners was to leave the existing policy intact and agreed that appropriate measures had been taken since they had previously voted to a more stringent application form at last week's meeting.