Dallari: One-on-One (part 1)

Issues and Voices that Matter December 10, 2009

Dallari: One-on-One (part 1)

At the start of his second term as chairman of the Seminole County, Fl., Board of County Commissioners, Bob Dallari sits for a 60-minute, one on one interview addressing key issues in his first term as chairman and looking ahead to the tasks the commission and he must confront during his second term. Length - 21:06

(Produced, reported and edited by Stephen McKenney Steck)

In November 2009, the Seminole County, Fl., Board of County Commissioners re-elected its incumbent chair to serve another term as chair through 2010

The interview is divided into 2-parts, with this being the first. You may hear the 2nd part when it is posted on Thursday, December 31, 2009.

This first part includes Dallari’s remarks about 7 key subjects – groundwater withdrawal, budget cuts, staff reductions, level of service to residents, the School Board’s one cent sales tax extension, commuter rail and consideration of a strong mayor form of county government.

Part 2 of “Dallari: One on One,” will be posted Thursday, December 31, 2009. In it Dallari addresses other issues the commission confronted last year or will confront in 2010. Those issues include the termination of County Manger Cynthia Coto; the qualities of experience the commission is hoping to find in the candidates for that position; the relationship status between Dallari and the other 4 commissioners as well as with Orange County, the 7 cities in Seminole County, the state legislative delegation and the school board.

(See additional information below about Seminole County Government)

Extended Interviews & Pictures

Click on the picture(s) to enlarge.

Bob Dallari and Stephen McKenney Steck

Extended interview (30:43)

Context: Seminole County Board of County Commissioners

The government of Seminole County, Florida is led by a 5-person elected board of commissioners. Each commissioner is elected county-wide but must reside in and serve a particular district of the county.

Each commissioner serves a 4 year term in office and may be reelected as often as they continue to qualify for office and the electors vote them into office.

In 2010, each commissioner is paid an annual salary of 80,358. This salary has essentially remained at that level for the previous two years. The county considers the position of commissioner a full time job. Each commissioner has one full time executive assistant.

The board sets and controls an annual budget for the expenses necessary to run county government. For 2010 – the current budget year, they approved expenses totaling $466.2 million dollars. In the previous year, that budget was $490.4 million dollars, and in the year prior to that, it was $485.1 million dollars.

The county currently employs1,354 staff members. Last year that total was 1,459, and the year prior they employed 1,515

Each November – from among the 5 commissioners – they select a chair to serve a 1 year term. The chair — other than facilitating the commission meetings, signing official documents and externally representing county government to its residents — has no greater authority than any of the other 4 commissioners.

This is known as a “commission-manager” form of government in that the commission hires a county manager to administer the activities of the county as established by the resident-elected commission. The board also hires the county attorney. Both the manager and the attorney report to the commission. All other staff report to the county manager.