By LISA MACNEIL
At the October 13, 2020 regular Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, county administrator Jeff Rogers presented an update for the Ongoing Board Directives.
The “Mandatory Connection Ordinance for Sanitary Sewer” will be scheduled for a January public hearing. This is the ordinance required for the state-mandated “Septic to Sewer Program,” according to the county administrator.
Rogers reported that progress has been made in the “Building Division Ordinance Review.” “These are for specialty license ordinances, [such as] tile workers [and] people that hang drywall,” Rogers explained. These licenses are reviewed by the Board of Construction and Regulation, which is to meet in November, when they will present recommendations to the BOCC.
Regarding the popular topic of the “Weeki Wachee River Carrying Capacity Study,” Rogers reported that the initial working group meeting took place on October 9, 2020. This study is intended to provide information to assist in making decisions that will better manage impacts of recreational use on this natural system. “We’re looking at whether there are projects that we can do immediately,” Rogers said, referring to several areas of activities shown to cause problems along the river. One goal is “to prevent people from getting onto the sandbars,” with the intention of minimizing the degradation of the river. The next meeting of the Working Group concerning the agenda item will be in December.
Lastly, Valerie Pianta the Economic Development Director presented “WERC Hernando,” which currently has 97 applicants registered. With several partners such as Pasco-Hernando State College, are offering rapid learning programs to enable residents to enter into new technical careers. The initial estimate was $390,000 and depending on other factors, it may need adjustments such as program subriciptions, tools and laptops. “The number may go up or down,” Pianta explained “but it will not exceed the $500,000 of CARES ( Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) money that we set aside for the incubator.”
