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PROGRAM PRIORITIES:
FINANCE, TRANSPORTATION & ADMINISTRATION
Home Rule Impact Fee Authority: OPPOSE efforts to diminish or eliminate county home rule authority to impose impact fees.
Homestead Exemption: OPPOSE revisions to the Homestead Exemption that diminish the fiscal capacity of Florida’s counties or that substantially shift the burden of the property tax. SUPPORT referring any proposals to revise the homestead exemption to the Century Commission and the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission to ensure the proposals receive sufficient study and deliberation in order to ascertain the full impacts to the equity, fairness and revenue raising ability of the ad valorem tax. SUPPORT reasonable revisions to the statutory application of Save Our Homes assessment cap to ensure those homeowners whose structures were destroyed by the hurricanes are treated equitably.
GROWTH, ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & AGRICULTURE
Affordable Housing: SUPPORT retaining the full amount of dedicated documentary tax revenues towards state and local affordable housing programs.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Medicaid Reform: The Medicaid program is recognized nationally as a partnership between the federal and state governments to provide medical assistance to certain individuals and families with low incomes and resources. Reforms should recognize the unique role that counties play both as payers and as providers in the Medicaid program. In order for Medicaid reform activities to be successful, counties must be integrally involved as partners in the development of reforms to ensure that they effectively meet the needs of county citizens.
Unlike many states, Florida has required counties to contribute financially to the Medicaid program, subsidizing the state’s share. This current policy leaves counties vulnerable each year to potential cost shifts when there is a state budget deficit or shortfall.
Financing Issues:
SUPPORT the state’s efforts in opposing changes to the funding formula for the Medicaid program between the federal and state government that would reduce the federal share to Florida.
SUPPORT legislation that allows the state to finance and promote the objectives of the Medicaid program without shifting additional costs to county government.
SUPPORT executive and legislative efforts to maximize intergovernmental transfers to help draw down additional federal funding and legislation that stipulates that local funds that are used for intergovernmental transfers enhance the state’s Medicaid program rather than replace monies that are already provided by the state.
OPPOSE efforts to impose additional costs on local government to compensate for lost federal funding, if intergovernmental transfers are disallowed by the federal government.
SUPPORT legislation that provides the financial infrastructure for the state to sustain Medicaid non-emergency patient transportation services by using a methodology rate process for distribution of funds to counties that does not shift financial responsibility of these services to the local level.
Program Issues:
SUPPORT legislation that fully maintains and preserves critical mandatory and optional Medicaid services such as the Medically Needy program without imposing additional costs on local governments.
SUPPORT Medicaid reform that considers the uniqueness of each of Florida’s counties.
SUPPORT efforts to ensure that County Health Departments are able to provide primary care and other health care services.
OPPOSE any legislation that eliminates statewide application of mandatory or optional Medicaid services for eligible recipients.
SUPPORT effective external choice counseling and case management that ensures Medicaid service recipients receive the level and intensity of services that meets their needs and promotes wellness.
SUPPORT external quality assurance monitoring and measures that hold managed care plans and provider service networks accountable for appropriate care.
SUPPORT modifications to Medicaid’s drug formulary that ensure access to medically necessary prescription drugs, including, but not limited to, access to medically needed psychotropic medications.
County Health Departments: SUPPORT maintaining state general revenue funding for county health departments, and OPPOSE any state reductions to the county health department trust funds.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Juvenile Justice Detention Facilities: In an effort to sever county funding from the state function of juvenile detention services, SUPPORT surrendering county revenues, under a revenue formula that can approximately capture the amount of each county’s share of juvenile predisposition detention, in exchange for a full repeal of the juvenile detention cost sharing policy adopted by the Legislature in the 2005 special Legislative session. Alternatively, if a repeal cannot be accomplished or such a revenue formula cannot be devised, SUPPORT legislation that implements juvenile detention alternatives and revises the "Detention Risk Assessment Instrument" to divert children from detention facilities. Furthermore, SUPPORT working with the state in determining the proper responsibility of the state and counties in relation to care and services to Florida’s juvenile population. SUPPORT legislation that repeals Chapters 2004-263 and 2004-473, Laws of Florida (s.985.2155, Florida Statutes), which mandates counties fund the cost of predisposition (pre-trial) detention of juveniles. OPPOSE legislation that transfers any of the operational and service responsibilities of the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice to counties.
Juvenile Justice Funding: SUPPORT increased state funding for prevention, diversion and intervention programs for at-risk juveniles. SUPPORT increased state funding of juvenile facilities for the predisposition detention and incarceration of juveniles. SUPPORT full state funding of predisposition detention costs for counties meeting the statutory definition of "fiscally constrained" and other counties identified for state funding during the 2005 Legislative session. |
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