Collier County weighs cuts to advisory boards to save money   

A plan to dissolve numerous Collier County advisory committees that aren’t legally required or effective met pushback from conservationists, advisory members and residents, prompting commissioners to agree to gather more input before eliminating committees. 

The move, intended to cut staff time and costs, was suggested by the county’s priority-based budget consultant, ResourceX, which noted it takes about 4,150 hours of staff time to prepare for meetings by 43 advisory committees and 2,783 hours to attend them — $850,000 in staff time. Some meet infrequently, some repeatedly cancel meetings, others don’t have enough members, some could be combined — and some members should be removed due to repeated absences. 

Commissioner Chris Hall, who authored a memo to commissioners supporting the cuts, noted commissioners don’t hear from or get advice from the majority. 

“This is not about ‘We don’t value the advice,’” Hall said, adding commissioners welcome it but don’t want to dedicate staff time. “We encourage you to meet. We encourage you to take your own minutes. We encourage you to email each other, to talk about the issues, to talk about how your tax dollars could benefit you the most in these [Municipal Service Taxing Units]. 

“And if you come up with something that you really want the board to look at, we want you to come forth and tell us. You don’t need to be an official staff-funded advisory committee to do that,” he added, saying commissioners want to hear from the public and committees about which are important. 

Hall suggested adding the Pelican Bay Services Division Board to the list of committees to retain, noting it’s funded by the MSTU, pays county staff for their time and is very active and effective. 

The possible cuts won’t affect six discretionary committees: Development Services Advisory Committee, Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Local Redevelopment Advisory Board, Immokalee Local Redevelopment Advisory Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Contractor Licensing Board and Water and Wastewater Authority. 

“I hope we give these organizations a voice before we just sit here and five of us in our leather chairs say yes, no, yes, no, yes, no,” Commissioner Rick LoCastro said. “I’d like to give them a say before we just say yes or no and disband the ones that we think haven’t been as effective.” 

LoCastro offered to create a template “notice of concern” and tailor it for each committee, asking members to define their role, efficiency and impact, and “remind them of how many members they’re supposed to have and how many empty seats they’ve had — and we could even do a deeper dive and see what their attendance has been.” The letter could ask for their recommendations, he said, and whether committees want to continue, even with fewer or no county staff. 

Vice Chair Bill McDaniel Jr. suggested structuring committees to “facilitate better management of our staff’s time.” After that, they could decide whether to eliminate some, he said, adding, “I am tired of hearing, ‘Well, sir, this is the way we’ve always done it.’” 

County Attorney Jeff Klatzkow provided commissioners with a list, noting those that could be eliminated, such as the Coastal Advisory Committee, which canceled six meetings this year, and the Code Enforcement Board, which has consistently been waiving violations and fines. Some must remain, such as the state-required Planning Commission and the Floodplain Management Planning Committee, which is required due to the county’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, which provides discounts for residents. 

Klatzkow noted the Tourist Development Council cannot be entirely eliminated unless the county stops collecting the 5-cent tourist development tax. It’s a tax the county relies on to market and promote tourism and build venues that promote tourism — and voters will be asked in November whether they want the tax, paid by hotels and other short-term vacation rentals, to increase by a penny. The tax also is used to fund regular beach renourishment and other necessities. 

Commissioner Burt Saunders, who served as a commissioner from 1986 to 1994 and since 2016, pointed out county commissioners have discussed eliminating committees for years, “since the beginning of county government.” 

“Since we started creating them, we were talking about how to get rid of them,” Saunders said. “I agree that we have too many advisory boards and some are necessary and some are not.” 

He agreed they need to use a scalpel, not a hatchet, and not eliminate them all at once, noting they’re important because they allow citizen input. There are four committees involving Golden Gate, including beautification and its economic development zone, but he noted he receives valuable input from a noncounty group, the Golden Gate Civic Association, whose meetings he also attends. 

Eight speakers, including advisory board members, weighed in, urging commissioners to take time before making a decision. 

Brad Cornell, of Audubon Western Everglades, said the organization objects to eliminating the nine-member Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee, noting it’s existed for 24 years, since county voters created Conservation Collier to acquire conservation lands. 

He listed members’ expertise, including a Forest Stewardship Council member with a master’s in forestry ecology and sustainability; a biologist with a marine science degree who is a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gopher tortoise agent and conducts wetland delineations and permitting work; an FWC panther biologist; investment and money managers and businessmen with MBAs; conservationists; and others who work with Big Cypress National Preserve and Rookery Bay. 

“These are all skills we absolutely benefit from,” Cornell said. “These are the kind of folks on an advisory board that are going to benefit all of us. … This is the kind of discussion and input and board role that you need to have to make your work be more effective and your staff’s work be more effective.” 

Kaydee Tuff, vice president of the Golden Gate Civic Association, urged commissioners to retain the 42-year-old Golden Gate Beautification Advisory Committee, Golden Gate City Economic Development Zone Advisory Board, which she serves on, and Golden Gate Community Center Advisory Board. Three MSTU members representing the Haldeman Creek Dredging Maintenance Advisory Committee and Bayshore Beautification MSTU Advisory Committee noted the MSTUs fund them, but they’re open to discussing changes. 

County commissioners voted to work with the county attorney and send a letter to the committees to gather input from members and county staff. 

The discussion came as commissioners appointed or reappointed eight members to five committees and agreed to work on establishing an 11-member Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee to advise commissioners about veterans’ needs, interests, gaps and barriers to assistance. 

Establishment of that committee, pushed by Commissioner Burt Saunders after a suggestion by veteran Bradley Jewitt, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, comes as the county works toward opening a 120-bed skilled nursing and adult day care campus in East Naples that broke ground in July. Commissioners will vote on an ordinance to create the committee Nov. 10, a day before Veterans Day. Two commissioners are veterans: LoCastro is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and Dan Kowal is a retired U.S. Army combat medic.