At the August 17, 2021, Board of County Commissioners
meeting, the board took the following action:
COVID-19 Update – received presentation from Dr. Alina Alonso, Palm Beach
County Health Department. COVID-19 Delta variant now makes up more than 93.3
percent of new cases. The county’s daily positivity rate is at 19 percent and
58 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. 69 percent of county
residents have had at least one dose. Members of the public are still encouraged
to be vaccinated. More information can be found at www.pbchd.com or at www.hcdpbc.org.
The Board declared a local State of Emergency related to COVID-19. Here
is the link.
Administration – allocated, by a vote of 4-3, $75,000
to fund the Community Identification Card Program, administered by the Legal
Aid Society of Palm Beach County. The card will not be issued by Palm Beach
County.
Airports – approved an amendment to the General
Consulting Agreement with AECOM Technical Services Inc. for $1,583,691.58 for
the continued performance of professional planning and design services related
to the approved Palm Beach County Airports Capital Improvement Program.
Approved a contract for Ground Transportation Management
System Software Services and Support with ReserTrac LLC, for a total not to
exceed amount of $167,554.10. The contract provides a system to dispatch,
manage, track and charge commercial ground transportation vehicle operators for
trips at Palm Beach International Airport.
Community Services - received and filed the Emergency
Rental Assistance Program 2 (ERAP-2) award, which includes receipt of
$19,568,705.56, which represents 40% of PBC’s allocation; approved a budget
amendment of $49,171,764 within the ERAP-2 Fund to recognize the ERAP-2 funding
and interest earned from ERAP-1 and ERAP-2; approved access to Palm Beach County’s
Online System for Community Access to Resources and Social Services to other
governmental entities or nonprofit partners; approved nine full-time grant
funded positions for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and approved five
full-time grant funded positions for Human Services
County Attorney – approved an employment contract for
legal services with Lori Denise Coffman, for the position of County Attorney,
for a term of five years, effective November 1, 2021. Current county attorney,
Denise Marie Neiman will retire on October 31, 2021.
Facilities Development and Operations – Adopted and
approved a resolution authorizing an amendment to a concessionaire service
agreement with Hawkhaven LLC d/b/a Lazy Loggerhead Café for the continued
operation of an approximately 1,300-square-foot concession building at Carlin
Park in Jupiter.
Adopted and approved an agreement with New Cingular Wireless
PCS LLC for its continued use of the county’s communication tower site, located
at 8130 N. Jog Road, in West Palm Beach, for a period of five years.
Adopted a resolution authorizing the conveyance of the
county’s interest in a 0.104-acre parcel to the State of Florida Department of
Transportation (FDOT); approved a utility easement in favor of the City of Lake
Worth Beach; and approved a license in favor of FDOT for the occupancy and use
of county property that ties in existing property features with roadway
improvements.
Housing and Economic Development – approved a grant
of $715,000 to Autumn Ridge Apartments, for the construction of affordable and
workforce housing units to be located at 1580 – 1610 N. Congress Ave., WPB, in
the unincorporated Westgate/Belvedere Homes CRA.
Approved the FY 21-22 budget for the State Housing
Initiative Partnership Program (SHIP) and approved an amendment to the FY 20-21
Affordable Housing Trust Fund to recognize the SHIP grant award for $7,333,993.
Approved an Impact Fee Affordable Housing Assistance Program
funding award for $20,384 to Riviera Beach Community Development Corporation
for the Villas at Solana project and $366,775 to Berkeley Landing Ltd. for the
Berkeley Landing rental project.
Library – approved an update to the county library’s
Strategic and Long Range Plan for FY22-24 to reflect the anticipated changes
brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Planning Zoning & Building – staff presented an
update regarding developing and implementing a program to evaluate the safety
of certain building types in Palm Beach County following the devastating event
that took place on June 24, 2021 at Champlain Towers located in Surfside in
Miami-Dade County. The County worked with the Palm Beach League of Cities on a
draft document. A final draft is expected to be submitted to the commission at
a later date.
Water Utilities – approved a settlement
agreement and an amendment to the Reclaimed Water Agreement with Florida Power
and Light (FPL). The key terms of the Settlement Agreement/Amendment No. 2
include a mutual release of all claims that the parties has as of May 2, 2021.