Administrative Regulation 2.01-8

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION:   AR: 2.01-8 DATE APPROVED: June 24, 2014
SUBJECT: General Organization of the County ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: County Administrator

POLICY:

The general organization of the County shall be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.

PROCEDURE:
  1. All proposed changes to the general organization of the County shall be placed on the agenda of the Board of County Commissioners for approval.
  2. The current organizational structure shall be as described in Exhibit "A" attached hereto and made a part hereof.
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR

The County Administration oversees seven county departments with twenty-one divisions and two offices under the Board of County Commissioners and serves the Board as its agent in administrative matters. The Administrator serves as the liaison between the Board of County Commissioners and the citizens of Citrus County. The Assistant County Administrator assists with routine administrative functions and agenda development and presentation.

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET

The Department of Management and Budget is responsible for the preparation of the Citrus County Annual Operating Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program in conjunction with Board policy. Truth in Millage (TRIM) requirements and the Florida Statutes. It also issues and administers debt obligations of the County, including compliance with arbitrage regulations and develops long-range programs, five-year capital budgets, and budget forecasting models and financial planning to ensure adequacy of the County’s infrastructure and public facilities.

Within the Department of Management and Budget is the Purchasing Section which provides guidance to the Departments, Divisions and Offices concerning policy and regulatory issues governing the procurement of commodities and services. This Section also administers the procurement of commodities and services whenever expenditures exceed $25,000.

OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

The Public Information Office provides communication between Citrus County residents and government through news releases, publications about County services, and contact with various news media.

COUNTY ATTORNEY

This office provides in-house legal services to the Board of County Commissioners, the numerous advisory Boards and Committees created by the Board of County Commissioners and the various departments and offices within the County government.  The County Attorney reports directly to the Board of County Commissioners. Other functions of the County Attorney’s Office include: initiation and defense of litigation at the judicial and administrative level; drafting of and revisions to ordinances and resolutions for consideration by the Board; assisting in the drafting and review of contracts; participating in contract negotiations; reviewing and revising personnel policies; and attending staff meetings where legal advice may be required. This office also monitors the continual evolution of the law, both statutory and that which is created by judicial decisions, in an effort to ensure that the County remains in compliance with 
all laws and codes.  

THE OFFICE OF UTILITY REGULATION

Utility Regulation s responsible for the regulation of 19 systems belonging to 11 for-profit owners of water and wastewater treatment facilities in the County. It was established in 1999 to return jurisdiction from the State Public Service Commission to the County. This function is funded by assessment fees as a percent of the gross income of the regulated utilities. These funds can be used only for regulation.

The Office of Utility Regulation consists of a five-member volunteer board. The Citrus County Water and Wastewater Authority (the “Authority”) is empowered to take final action in almost all areas of regulation of these utilities. In addition, there is staff to manage the daily interface with both customers and utilities, as well as undertaking such actions as rate investigations, compliance with legal filing requirements, and resolutions of conflicts.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES

Community Services Administration manages and guides divisions whose mission is to provide access to quality information, resources, and services to enrich the lives of the community. Community Services enhances the welfare of the citizens of Citrus County through services provided with federal, state, and local funds, develop and make accessible knowledge in agricultural, human and natural resources, to sustain and enhance our citizens’ quality of life; and to make available parks, beaches and other facilities and programs which provide recreational benefit to our community.

Extension Services Division provides practical, research-based educational information to residents and businesses to improve quality of life and profitability. Extension provides resources to enhance commercial agriculture and aquaculture, environmental landscape management and natural resource education, programs and resources related to food safety, family financial management, energy conservation, and housing. The 4-H program provides work force and life skills development opportunities for youth ages 8-18.

Library Services Division manages the Citrus County Library System and serves the leisure, informational, educational and research needs of Citrus County residents. The Citrus County Library System consists of the Central Ridge, Coastal Region, Floral City, Homosassa and Lakes Region branches.

Parks & Recreation Division is responsible for the operation of county recreation facilities, including parks, beaches, community buildings, cemeteries, fishing piers, an auditorium, two pools and a campground. The division also designs and develops new parks, facilities and improvements and manages instructional classes, athletic leagues and special county events.

Community Support Services Division provides essential services and programs to the people of Citrus County through federal, state and locally funded budgets including, but not limited to; meals and home care for the elderly; retired senior volunteer program; senior community centers and activities.

Transportation Division provides safe, courteous, clean and reliable transportation services to all Citrus County residents. Transit operates a shared ride, door-to-door service, Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. It is a non-emergency service, based on reservations and pre-set schedules.

Housing Services Division is dedicated to increasing the quantity and quality of decent, safe, and affordable housing for Citrus County’s moderate, low, and very low-income families. This division administers state and federally funded housing programs for home repairs and improvements, provides subsidies to first time homebuyers for down payments and closing costs, provides rental assistance, coordinates grant awards to affordable housing developers for new construction of homes for very low income and special needs families, as well as for affordable rental developments, and provides grant subsidies for utility connections and emergency energy assistance.

The Housing Services Section includes the Nature Coast Volunteer Center, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and the Senior Companion Program. The goal of these programs is to enhance services to Citrus County residents through volunteer service and at the same time provide a rewarding volunteer experience.

Animal Services Division Provides support to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Officers which investigate animal bites, citizen complaints, enforce the Animal Services Ordinance, impound stray animals, issue citations for violations, investigate cruelty and neglect, prosecute court cases, and respond to emergency calls. The shelter staff maintains the only open admission animal shelter in the County. The staff is responsible for providing humane care for all impounded animals, supervising the quarantine of all bite animals, assisting owners who are claiming their lost pets, handling the adoption of animals, and humanely disposing of unwanted animals. The shelter also provides limited services such as vaccinations, and micro-chipping as well as pet training and discipline classes.

The Visitors Convention Bureau offers free vacation planning information and advice, reaching out to potential visitors through a wide variety of advertising, public relations, promotions, and more. All with focus on the aquatic activities, ecological amenities, and heritage. The Board of County Commissioners appoints a nine-member Tourist Development Council to oversee the Visitors Bureau and make recommendations for marketing Citrus County as a tourism destination. All funding for the Visitors Bureau comes from a three percent tax on transient accommodations (hotels, motels, rentals, campgrounds and other lodging leased for six months or less).   

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

The Department of Human Resources administers a comprehensive personnel program for all departments and offices under the Board of County Commissioners. Staff prepares and distributes job announcements, manages recruitment efforts, assists in the selection process, administers the Class and Pay Plan, prepares, maintains and distributes copies of job descriptions, maintains official employee records, directs employee training and development projects and monitors county personnel practices and policies to ensure compliance with state and federal guidelines. Risk management and insurance issues are also handled by this office.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

The Development Services Department is committed to providing excellence in public service through each individual’s effort backed by the power of teamwork. Through the Divisions of Building, Land Development, Geographic Resources & Community Planning, and Code Compliance, the Planning and Development Department guides the growth and development of the County in compliance with local, regional, state, and federal rules and the community goals.

Building Division safeguards the community’s health, safety and welfare through administration and enforcement of federal, state and county development codes and regulations. The Division receives and reviews applications for commercial and residential development for compliance with applicable land use and construction standards; issues permits for development; conducts inspections for building code compliance and issues Certificates of Occupancy; enforces state and county contractor licensing regulation; and responds to building code violation complaints.

Land Development Division reviews site development plans and inspects properties for conformance with the land development regulations of the County. In addition to residential and non-residential site review, the Land Development Division processes variances, conditional uses, tree removal permits, vacations of plats, and subdivision plat application. The Land Development Division also provides staff to the Planning and Development Commission.

Code Compliance Division is responsible for ensuring that people comply with County Ordinances and the Land Development Code. The primary goal for this section is “compliance.” This is achieved by helping people understand the property laws and codes, and why it is best for everyone in the county if people do their best to meet these requirements. We all need to do our part to keep Citrus County a great place to live and work. The Code Compliance Officers respond to calls from citizens about possible Code violation and they respond with other County and State departments when warranted. In most cases, the Officer notify property owners of a violation on their property and a time period is set to remedy the violation. If violations are not corrected, the issue is heard and considered by a Code Compliance Special Master. The Special Master can impose fines on property owners who fail to comply with an order.

The Code Compliance Division also investigates reports of illegal dumping. Illegal dumping and littering are criminal acts, and violators are found and identified. Code Compliance staff pursue full prosecution by working with the Sheriff’s Office Investigators, County Solid Waste Staff, and the County and State Attorney Offices.

Geographic Resources & Community Planning is responsible for maintaining a geographically accurate base of the County. The map consists of 192,000, more than 200,000 address points, and 22,000 road segments. GRCP staff monitors development activity and adjusts the maps to reflect these changes and their associated data. GIS technology is integrated into many County enterprise information systems frameworks to improve response times, analysis, and efficiency. It also is responsible for long-rang planning and growth management activities. This includes preparation and maintenance of the Citrus County Comprehensive Plan, which serves as a frame for reference for relating day-to-day decisions on long term policies.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

The Public Works Department oversees the operations of the Aquatic Services, Engineering Services, Fleet Management, Facilities Management, Road Maintenance, and Solid Waste Management Divisions.

Public Works Administration manages and guides the activities of six divisions whose responsibilities include long range planning, development, and maintenance of the County’s infrastructure. Public Works Administration also is responsible for design, development and implementation of major County public building construction projects. Further, Public Works Administration provides liaison and project management services to the Beverly Hills and Citrus Springs Municipal Services Benefit Units (MSBUs).

Aquatic Services Division administers an aquatic plant control program designed to manage invasive aquatic weeds in approximately 25,000 surface acres of lakes and rivers in the county with appropriate aquatic herbicides and mechanical harvesters.
Additionally, this Division is involved with several grant funded activities involving maintenance of navigational aids and waterway markers, artificial reef projects, and removal of some derelict vessels.

Engineering Services Division is responsible for the design and construction of new roadways and reconstruction of existing roads. Other responsibilities include design and construction of drainage improvements, preparation of site plans for other county improvements, acquisition of land for County purposes and other property administration, preparation of legal surveys for all county needs and permitting use of the county right-of-ways. The Engineering Services Division is also responsible for the County’s annual road resurfacing program, as well as the operation, maintenance and capital improvements at the two County owned airports. This division also oversees and administers the annual Limerock Road Paving Program.

Facilities Management Division is responsible for maintaining all County owned buildings, which includes custodial and janitorial services, as well as electrical, plumbing, painting, carpentry, HVAC services, and the various County telephone systems. In addition to maintenance services, the Facilities Management Division often undertakes building remodeling, renovation and/or rehabilitation projects. This Division also oversees improvements to County Facilities to keep them in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.

Road Maintenance Division is responsible for repair and maintenance of all County paved and unpaved roads, County-owned bridges, all traffic control signage, signals, striping, and stormwater control systems. This division also conducts traffic studies, traffic counts, and analyzes traffic accident reports. The Road Maintenance Division is frequently called upon for construction of parking lots, surface drainage improvements, sports fields, demolition of structures and other county improvement projects.

Solid Waste Management Division operates the Central Landfill, recycling and household hazardous waste programs, provides long-term stewardship of the closed landfill and administers a litter prevention program as well as administration of all solid waste capital improvements. The division operates as an enterprise fund with revenues from tipping fees, residential and commercial solid waste assessments, and sale of scrap.

Fleet Management Division is responsible for repair and maintenance of all County vehicles and equipment, as well as for the vehicle/equipment replacement program. In addition to a standard repair and preventative maintenance facility, this office also has a complete welding and fabrication shop, a tire service center and operation of the County fuel site.

DEPARTMENT OF SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT 

The Department of Systems Management is responsible for all data processing and information service activities for the Board of County Commissioners. This includes the planning, purchase, installation and maintenance of all computer hardware and software, and training for same. It also designs and controls all the major database and software systems in the County. In addition, it manages all communication services for the wide area network, the Internet and Intranet web sites, and telephones for all Constitutional Offices except the Sheriff. This department designed. Wrote, and maintains many software systems used throughout the Board of County Commissioners and other Constitutional Offices.

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

The Department of Water Resources is dedicated to providing safe drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment in full compliance with local, regional, state and federal requirements to ensure that Citrus County waters are used wisely. The department is committed to protecting our rate payers investment in utility infrastructure by operating and maintaining the county utility systems to a high standard. We understand that our customers are also the owners of the county utility system and deserve our best effort to provide them with exceptional service. We are now serving about 35% of the County with either potable water, wastewater treatment, or both.

Utilities Division
The Utilities Division provides potable water and/or wastewater collection to the communities of Sugarmill Woods, Pine Ridge, Citrus Springs, and Meadowcrest, as well as many other communities within the County. Bulk water is also provided to the Ozello Water Association and Apache Shores. The county also has interconnects to the City of Crystal River and Beverly Hills.

In addition to these services, the Division operates the County’s water and wastewater treatment systems, which now includes treating the wastewater to reuse standards for use in irrigation.


FOOTNOTES & REFERENCES TO RELATED AR's: Supersedes AR 2.01-4 dated April 6, 1999; AR 2.01-5 dated October 26, 1999; AR 2.01-6 dated May 13, 2008; AR 2.01-7 dated August 12, 2008.