Legislative Matter

Miami-Dade Legislative Item
File Number: 090441

Printable PDF Format

Clerk's Official Copy

File Number: 090441

File Type: Resolution

Status: Adopted

Version: 0

Reference: R-223-09

Control: Board of County Commissioners

File Name: LIST OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Introduced: 2/23/2009

Requester: NONE

Cost:

Final Action: 3/3/2009

Agenda Date: 3/3/2009

Agenda Item Number: 11A2

Notes:

Title:

RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE MAYOR OR DESIGNEE TO QUICKLY DEVELOP AND PRIORITIZE A PROPOSED LIST OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS FOR SUBMISSION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE EVENT FEDERAL FUNDS ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS PART OF A PUBLIC WORKS ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN [SEE ORIGINAL ITEM UNDER FILE NO. 083615]

Indexes:	PUBLIC WORKS
	INFRASTRUCTURE

Sponsors:	Audrey M. Edmonson, Prime Sponsor
	Dorrin D. Rolle, Co-Sponsor

Sunset Provision: No

Effective Date:

Expiration Date:

Registered Lobbyist:

None Listed

Legislative History
Acting Body	Date	Agenda Item	Action	Sent To	Due Date	Returned	Pass/Fail

Board of County Commissioners	3/3/2009	11A2	Adopted				P
REPORT:	Hearing no objection, the Board proceeded to vote on this proposed resolution as presented.

County Attorney	2/23/2009		Assigned	Jess M. McCarty

Transit, Infrastructure & Roads Committee	2/11/2009	2A AMENDED	Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation with committee amendment(s)				P
REPORT:	Assistant County Attorney Bruce Libhaber read the foregoing proposed resolution into the record, and advised that a scrivener’s error existing in the fifth “WHERE AS” clause, on handwritten page 3 that should be corrected to reflect “President Barack Obama” in lieu of “President-Elect Barack Obama.” It was moved by Commissioner Edmonson that the foregoing proposed resolution and related supplemental report (Item 2A Supplement) be forwarded to the County Commission with a favorable recommendation. This motion was seconded by Commissioner Gimenez for discussion. Commissioner Seijas noted she believed the related supplemental report, Agenda Item 2A Supplement, contained a scrivener’s error in Attachment B, handwritten page 15, under the heading “Proposed Capital Projects for FY2008-09 Federal Stimulus Package” that should be corrected to reflect $15 million for the Water and Sewer Efficiency and Retrofit Program in lieu of $1.5 million. She asked staff to verify this amount and said she hoped some of these proposed projects would be discussed before the appropriate committees. In response to Commissioner Rolle’s question whether a list of prioritized projects had been developed, Assistant County Manager Susanne Torriente noted the list of projects in the supplemental report was an ongoing list prepared for lobbyist efforts, but was incomplete. She noted once the rules concerning the federal stimulus package and details regarding loans or grants were known, as well as the amount to be distributed to State and local governments were established, staff would prioritize the projects and apply for funds accordingly. Commissioner Rolle asked if a model would be established for the use of these federal funds. He noted he understood that no goals could be attached to federal dollars. Assistant County Manager Torriente noted staff was working with the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to closely monitor this legislation, interpret the rules, and prepare to apply for the funds appropriately. Commissioner Rolle asked staff to give consideration to those areas of the County with high unemployment, and to be as inclusive as possible. Commissioner Gimenez said he understood the Federal Stimulus Package had passed the House and Senate and needed to go to Conference. He questioned what the differences were and what the rules were in terms of State and Local infrastructure projects. Assistant County Manager Torriente stated she had no knowledge of the differences in the process at this time, but would meet with the OIA Director and the Grants Office later today to work through those same questions. In response to Commissioner Gimenez’ question regarding whether the process included the stimulus package going back before both the House and Senate chambers for final passage, once it went through Conference, Mr. Joe Rasco, OIA Director, noted the rules were that once the stimulus package went through conference, it must go back before both bodies in exactly the same manner, and be voted up or down. Chairwoman Jordan noted she received information regarding the breakdown of funding for the Children’s Trust and Housing. She asked the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director to provide her with a report before the February 17 BCC meeting, showing a breakdown of what the House and the Senate recommended in the proposed Federal Stimulus Package, and what was approved at the Conference. Commissioner Seijas pointed out that no one actually knew the rules yet, but suggested the Commission move forward with approving legislation urging the Federal Government to distribute as much stimulus funds as possible to local governments. She noted the County would have a tough time accessing those funds once the State received them. Commissioner Seijas noted the County needed to be supportive of Senator Boxer’s proposed Bill supporting funding for local projects. She also noted the Federal government needed to know that the County had many projects planned and ready for implementation. Chairwoman Jordan asked Assistant County Attorney Libhaber to prepare the appropriate legislation urging the Federal Government to allocate funding from the Federal Stimulus Package directly to local county governments and municipalities. Commissioner Gimenez asked that this legislation include urging Congress to allocate as much block grants as possible to local governments. Commissioner Seijas suggested that Senator Boxer and Indiana Representative Peter Visclosky be made aware of this resolution, since both supported legislation providing as much funding as possible to local governments. Chairwoman Jordan asked Mr. Rasco to provide her with the breakdown list she requested, as soon as possible, since some of the allocations would be formula driven based on category and population. She said she was very encouraged to see the breakdown for Public Housing recommending $5 million to improve public housing infrastructure. Responding to Commissioner Gimenez inquiry whether the stimulus package would provide for any block grants or was it all formula driven, Assistant County Manager Torriente said she thought the stimulus package would provide a combination of loans and grants for both the State and County; and it was anticipated that the County would receive some Energy Efficiency Block Grants. In response to Commissioner Gimenez’ question regarding whether the stimulus package would be approved prior to the County Commissioners’ arrival in Washington D.C. for the D.C. Fly-in, Mr. Rasco noted the process would continue after the passage of the stimulus package, since some new programs would need to be developed; however, some block grants would be distributed directly to state and local governments. Chairwoman Jordan clarified that block grants were formula driven and usually came through the State first. Commissioner Gimenez clarified he wanted to urge the Federal government to distribute as much money as possible to the County, quickly, for the County to determine the best use of it. In response to Commissioner Edmonson’s question whether this resolution could be addressed at the Board of County Commissions Special Meeting to be held on Friday, February 13, 2009, Assistant County Attorney Libhaber noted the action to waive this item to the Special Meeting agenda would require approval by both the Committee and BCC Chairs, and would be subject to the 4-day rule. Chairwoman Jordan said she would request the BCC Chair to waive this item on to the February 13 BCC Special Meeting agenda. Upon conclusion of the discussion, the Committee forwarded the foregoing proposed resolution to the County Commission with a favorable recommendation with committee amendment(s) to reflect “President Barak Obama” in the fifth WHERE AS clause on handwritten page 3 of this resolution, in lieu of “President-Elect Barak Obama.” Later in the meeting, Assistant County Attorney Libhaber advised the Committee that this resolution could not be added to the Special Meeting agenda scheduled for February 13, 2009 because a special meeting was bound by the way it was advertised. Chairwoman Jordan said she thought an item could be added to an agenda if twenty-four (24) hour notice was given to the public. She noted she considered this issue an emergency. Assistant County Attorney Libhaber noted an item could be calendared assuming the BCC Chair received the sufficient number of signatures pursuant to the rules, but a 24-hour notice would be required from the time the Clerk of the Board received the signatures before the item was heard. Chairwoman Jordan asked Assistant County Attorney Libhaber to prepare the appropriate memorandum for signatures before the close of business today. She said she felt they needed to try. Later in the meeting, Commissioner Gimenez noted he just received word that the House and Senate reached an agreement on the stimulus package, therefore, it would not be necessary to forward this resolution to the February 13 Special Meeting. Chairwoman Jordan concurred that the action requesting this item be added to the February 13 Special Meeting agenda would be moot at this time.

Legislative Text

TITLE
RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE MAYOR OR DESIGNEE TO QUICKLY DEVELOP AND PRIORITIZE A PROPOSED LIST OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS FOR SUBMISSION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE EVENT FEDERAL FUNDS ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS PART OF A PUBLIC WORKS ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN

BODY
WHEREAS, the National Bureau of Economic Research recently officially announced that the U.S. economy has been in a recession since December, 2007; and
WHEREAS, the official declaration came as little surprise as the evidence of a recession, including substantial job losses, stagnant wages and slower production, has been widespread for months; and
WHEREAS, since the start of the recession a year ago, the U.S. has lost 2.7 million jobs, with about 10.3 million American workers now unemployed; and
WHEREAS, the nation�s unemployment rate reached 6.7 percent in November � 1.7�percentage points higher than a year ago � and is expected to continue to rise into next year; and
WHEREAS, President[[-Elect]]1 Barack Obama has stated a goal of creating 2.5 million jobs in the U.S. by 2011; and
WHEREAS, a critical part of this two-year initiative is to rebuild the nation�s crumbling infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, investing in local government infrastructure is the quickest and most direct path to creating jobs and stimulating the businesses that can begin to reverse the current economic downturn; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County has a long list of public infrastructure projects that could be started quickly and that could stimulate the economy and create jobs if funding is made available; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors under the leadership of City of Miami Mayor Manuel A. (Manny) Diaz recently presented President[[-Elect]] Obama an 803-page report entitled �Main Street Economic Recovery, Ready to Go Jobs and Infrastructure Projects� that lists almost $180 billion in local government infrastructure projects that could be undertaken within the next two years in a wide range of areas including transportation, housing, water & wastewater, energy and public safety; and
WHEREAS, in the event the incoming Obama Administration makes funding available to local governments as part of a federal public works economic stimulus plan, Miami-Dade County should have a prioritized list of infrastructure projects that is ready to submit to the federal government,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Directs the Mayor or Designee to quickly develop and prioritize a proposed list of Miami-Dade County infrastructure projects for submission to the federal government in the event funds are made available to local governments as part of a public works economic stimulus plan. The list of infrastructure projects should consist of County projects that can be started immediately and completed within the next two years, or that otherwise comply with the requirements identified by the federal government for funding.
Section 2. Directs the Mayor or Designee to submit the proposed, prioritized list of infrastructure projects to this Board for approval within thirty (30) days of the date of this resolution.

1 Words stricken through and/or [[double]] shall be deleted. Words underscored and/or >>double arrowed<< constitute the amendment proposed. Remaining provisions are now in effect and remain unchanged.