Polk County Annual Report 2008

People Like You & Me

Educating the Future

2008 Annual Report to the People of Polk County

Butterflies & Blooms

Polk County is... Great Hometowns History & Heritage

...responsible and innovative government A Swinging Place

Naturally Beautiful

Water Adventures Arts & Culture

POLK COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Committed to Excellence

Polk County is ...

Mission Statement

of Board of County Commissioners’ employees: We enhance the quality of life for people throughout Polk County.

Our Vision

Polk County … where people excel.

REACHIS

(living the values of this mission)

County Commissioners: Randy Wilkinson, Jean Reed, Sam Johnson, Bob English and Ed Smith

“Polk is...?”

Ask 100 people to complete that sentence and you may not get the same answer twice. Polk is many things to many people. The Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) is proud to be an important part of the Polk community.

Polk is making progress on a variety of issues important to citizens. In this report, you’ll find examples of many successes in addressing those issues, all achieved during the 2007/08 fiscal year. While Polk’s leaders faced challenges along the way, we are pleased with the results that help you, our valued citizen, keep you and your family safer and improve the quality of life for residents in this great All-America County of ours. Polk is also represented by five County Constitutional Officers: Clerk of the Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector. See pages 30-31 to learn more about their accomplishments. Polk is served by the many dedicated BoCC employees whose accomplishments for the community are highlighted in this review. Polk is a great place to live and work!

2

Results-oriented: We know what is expected of us, and we get it done on time. Excellence: We do right things right, first time, every time. Accountability: We take personal responsibility for what is expected of us. Collaboration/Teamwork: We work together to accomplish more than we could as individuals. Together Everyone Accomplishes More! Honesty/Truth: We tell the truth to the best of our knowledge and do not mask or hide it. Integrity: We act justly and honorably, consistent with our words. We walk the talk. Stewardship: We each take responsibility for the care and management of the resources entrusted to us: our communities, the environment, the financial and human resources of Polk County.

Your County & Budget News

Polk County is ...

Budget News

Polk is…

… home to an estimated population of 585,733, making it Florida’s ninth largest county in terms of population. … more than 2,000 square miles in area – that’s larger than the state of Rhode Island! … part of one of the largest concentrations of population in the southeast – approximately 8.6 million people reside within a 100-mile radius of Polk County. … home to at least 25 businesses owned by foreign corporations (countries include Germany, Canada, France, Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain, China and Italy). … green – more than 8,900 tons of recyclables were collected through the County’s curbside recycling program – that material would fill 593 garbage trucks! … seventeen municipalities that work together, as well as with County government, to serve citizens: Auburndale Bartow Davenport Dundee Eagle Lake Fort Meade

Frostproof Haines City Highland Park Hillcrest Heights Lake Alfred Lake Hamilton

Lake Wales Lakeland Mulberry Polk City Winter Haven

… your County government, responsible for a wide variety of services to residents. Some are provided countywide, whether or not you live within a city. Others, like supplying drinking water, are provided (by the County) only to residents who live in unincorporated Polk. Many services are illustrated in this report, but here are a few examples of what County government does: Provides fire protection and ALL ambulance services Coordinates emergency evacuations Determines land use and zoning Facilitates garbage collection Issues building permits Operates the County landfill Provides health and welfare programs Preserves natural ecosystems Dispatches 9-1-1 calls Builds, resurfaces and maintains roads Minimizes mosquito population Develops transportation plans to accommodate growth Provides waste and sewage collection/treatment Creates quality jobs for private sector Provides public transportation And much more! For more information about your County government, log on to our Web site at www.polk-county.net.

The passage of Amendment 1 in January 2008, combined with the impacts already felt from previous legislation, resulted in large reductions to ad valorem (property tax) revenue. The legislative property tax reform also came at a time when the economy was slowing down dramatically, which, in turn, also meant less revenue from other sources such as sales tax, state revenue sharing, impact fees and building fees. As a result, the Board of County Commissioners’ (BoCC) adopted fiscal year (FY) 2008/09 general fund budget was $38 million less than the previous year, and the total FY 2008/09 adopted budget was $101 million less than the previous year. Addressing the large deficit was not an easy task: it took a lot of hard Traffic Engineering/Operations technician ensures all roadway work and dedication from all County signage is placed correctly departments and divisions to find ways to keep budgets as low as possible. Departments and divisions in the general fund experienced the largest impact. In fact, even after initial departmental cuts, the general fund still had a $27 million deficit. This deficit was addressed in numerous ways, including reducing/eliminating programs (which provide services to the community) by utilizing rankings (results) from the recently adopted “Budgeting for Outcomes” process; eliminating all frozen positions; reductions from elected Constitutional Officers (Clerk of the Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector) and a BoCC administrative reorganization. The bout 38 percent FY 2008/09 budget includes a net reduction of 60 BoCC positions.

Did you know?

A



Lake Hancock is one of Polk County’s 554 lakes



There will be impacts to citizens due to these decreases: reductions to our social services program will mean that hundreds of people will no longer receive shelter assistance or assistance paying their utilities. The elimination of the Neighborhood Partnerships program means that many neighborhoods will lose the support this office provided by facilitating collaboration and partnerships to communicate with, inform and educate residents. Although property tax reform and the economy will continue to pose many challenges, Polk County government pledges to continue proactively addressing those challenges while working to meet the needs of citizens. For more budget information, please see the next two pages.

of Polk’s population lives in its 17 municipalities; 62 percent lives in the unincorporated area of the county.

3

Fiscally Responsible

Polk County is ...

Fiscal Year 2007/08 Budget by Category There are a number of different categories in the County budget. The chart shown below illustrates how the money is divided. As you will see, the Infrastructure category makes up more than half of the entire budget (category descriptions are on the next page). Infrastructure $939,151,425

General Fund $399,931,211

51.46%

21.92%

Grant Fund $75,668,825

4.15%

Other Fee-based Funds $130,860,483

7.17%

Internal Services $80,476,524

4.41% Utilities Operating $96,406,413

5.28% Waste Resource Management Operating $68,803,380

3.77%

Total Budget: $1,824,850,291 4

Fire Service $33,552,030

1.84%

Polk County is ...

Fiscally Responsible

Budget Categories Infrastructure Budgeted expenditures related to funding and maintaining large County assets such as roads, the landfill, water lines, sewer lines, parks, as well as payments made to support the debt (loans) we have taken out to pay for these capital assets in order to keep up with the growth the county has experienced.

Fire Services Costs of running our Fire Services within the unincorporated area of the county, as well as a few cities. Fire Protection fees are paid through what is called a Municipal Services Benefit Unit (MSBU) and are collected on the tax bill.

Waste Resource Management Operating Cost of RUNNING the landfill on a day-to-day basis. Waste Resource Management’s operating expenditures are funded through an MSBU and are collected on the tax bill (this payment is for your curbside collection). There is also a separate tipping fee that is collected from direct haulers.

Utilities Operating Cost of RUNNING the County’s Utilities Department on a day-to-day basis. The majority of these expenditures are related to water and wastewater services – running your faucet to brush your teeth as well as flushing your toilet. These expenditures are funded through utility bills which are sent out monthly to customers who use the County’s water and wastewater system.

Internal Service Costs of governmental services provided by one County department to other County departments – for things like fleet maintenance and replacement.

Other Fee-Based Funds Costs of providing governmental services which are supported by “user fees” collected in one fashion or another. Revenues collected for this type of fund can ONLY be used for the purpose for which they are collected. For example, the Lake and River Enhancement Trust Fund collects revenues from boaters through a tax on their annual vessel registration. These revenues are then used for one specific purpose – boat ramps around the county that benefit those who use our lakes and rivers.

New water main helps get water to customers

For example, with the transit grant, we receive $12.5 million federal dollars, then match it with $1.5 million general fund dollars, to provide citizens with bus service throughout the county.

General Fund The County can have only ONE general fund, and it is the ONLY fund in which all revenues received into the fund can be used to offset expenditures for ANY governmental purpose. The County’s general fund for FY2007/08 totals $400 million, of which recurring expenditures total $290 million (the difference is reserves and capital projects funded through one-time monies made available at the end of the prior year). Of this recurring $290 million budget, 56 percent funds all the constitutional officers (see pages 30-31); the remaining $129 million is used to provide services through Board departments such as Code Enforcement, Planning, Zoning, Elderly Services, Mosquito Control and some Support Service Divisions such as Purchasing, Personnel, etc., which provide services for all County departments.

Did you know? Ridership on

WHAT (Winter Haven Area Transit) increased in 2008 – the nearly 600,000 trips represented a 14 percent increase over last year.

Grant Fund Formed to capture the costs of leveraging power to provide services – this fund accounts for the grants the County receives from both the federal and state government. Some require a cash match from our general fund and some do not.

5

Keeping You Informed & Involved

Polk County is ...

Added Verizon FIOS to its cable television lineup, allowing Polk County viewers another option to access government operations on TV. Cable subscribers can now watch PGTV on Verizon channel 20, in addition to Bright House channel 622 and Comcast channel 33. E-access to information about County happenings continued via the e-newsletter and the on-line events calendar where users can find out what’s going on at any time. Feedback from the community about these communications tools has been positive.

A leadership class takes an airboat ride on Lake Hancock

Did you know? PGTV covered 131

live County meetings in the Administration Building boardroom, delivering 752 hours of government decision-making right to Polk residents and visitors.

The BoCC continues to help citizens stay involved with Polk County government – whether through the Web, via TV, in print or face-to-face. Here are some of the ways the County kept citizens informed and connected this year:

PGTV – Polk’s Government Also this year, as part of the speaker’s bureau Television (a part of the program, department and division directors spoke Communications Division) engages to more than 400 Polk County civic groups, community members and organizations organizations, homeowners associations and other in its programming in a variety of clubs – providing opportunity for residents to ways – from their interaction at Bright House Ch. 622. Verizon Ch. 20. Comcast Ch. 33. offer feedback and recommendations on how County board meetings to their 24-hour live webstreaming: www.polk-county.net County government can best serve them. performances at special events. PGTV allows residents to share their community spirit by This year, Polk County hosted five chamber leadership groups highlighting the services of non-profit organizations, demonstrating (Bartow, Lakeland, Lake Wales and Winter Haven and the inaugural the economic benefits of public/private partnerships and class of Leadership Polk, an initiative of Polk Vision). Most groups showcasing County employees and citizens at work making spend a full day learning about Polk County government and have Polk County the best place to live. This year, PGTV: the opportunity to discuss current and emerging issues with County Reformatted its local programming content to meet the fast pace of viewers’ busy lives, condensing informational features from their previous 30-minute length to shorter news-style segments and taking the cameras into the field where all the action is happening! Restructured its programming schedule into “topic blocks” that relate specifically to community interests. Viewers can watch shows that pertain to health, seniors, safety, recreation, government services, and so on. As a result of the new scheduling system, viewers have more opportunity to choose for themselves and “catch” the programs they’re interested in seeing! Enhanced its computer-based “on-demand” program archives, in conjunction with the County’s new Web site design, making board meetings and local features even more accessible to citizens (go to www.polk-county.net to see what’s available).

6

The Communications Division assisted other County offices with production of many brochures, newsletters and other materials about government services. The three most requested publications are the Budget Question/Answer Document, the County’s Annual Report and the Guide to County Services (also known as the Directory of Services – see photo left). Communications also assisted with developing presentations about government services and initiatives. The most requested is the County Manager’s perspective on the “State of the County.” County Manager Mike Herr offers his analysis of where Polk County is today – discussing both successes and challenges, and also what the future may hold for residents and visitors to the All-America County. The State of the County Address also provides information about how tax dollars are invested in our community to ensure quality of life.

Commissioners and Constitutional Officers. Leadership programs are customized to meet the needs and desires of the various groups (see photo above, left). The University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Polk County Cooperative Extension Service provided a number of informational programs to diverse groups, including: The “Winter Weather Watch Program” for commercial citrus growers. This program provides growers with agricultural weather information during the winter, allowing them to determine when or if they need to use their microsprinkler irrigation systems for cold protection. The results prevented more than 1.3 billion gallons of water from being drawn from the aquifer this year. That’s not only good for the environment, but also reserves water for other critical needs within Polk County and beyond.

Polk County is ...

Keeping You Informed & Involved

Teaching about Haunglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening. Considered the most destructive citrus disease in the world, it was found in Polk County in 2007. Cooperative Extension’s commercial citrus agent provided six classes this year educating 654 individuals on HLB, enabling growers to be better equipped to spot this disease in their groves and call upon the citrus agent for proper identification and suppression strategies. Educating citrus grove workers about the safety hazards associated with their jobs. This year, 175 grove workers participated in a one-day workshop featuring interactive lessons on pesticide safety, eye and hearing protection, pesticide spill clean-up procedures, first aid, and tractor and ATV safety. The safety day also included a tractor rodeo where drivers from competing groves demonstrated their driving skills and safety knowledge. Offering a water school to provide decisionmakers, community leaders and private citizens with factual information about Polk County’s water resources and to encourage improved public policy decision-making relative to county water issues. This year’s school, titled, “Water – Lifeblood of Planet Earth: A Water School for Polk County Decision-Makers,” met for seven sessions, including two day-long tours that gave participants the opportunity to visit various water management related projects in the region. County brochures help residents learn more about services

Conducting livestock educational programs for more than 225 participants on various topics to assist livestock producers in the

Residents participate in a public workshop on long-range land use planning goals for Polk County

production of an economical, efficient, safe and marketable product. Workshops and other meetings are often held to encourage public participation (see photo above). For example, the Transportation Engineering Division holds convenient public information workshops to gain feedback on roadway projects with significant impact to the public right-of-way, affecting adjoining private property and to address concerns of nearby residents. Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) staff also developed a Public Participation Plan that was adopted by the TPO board in August 2008.

Volunteers More than 375 citizens currently help the County by volunteering on approximately 36 boards, councils and committees that provide valuable advice and assistance on important issues and projects. One example is the Community Relations Advisory Council, which provides insight and advice regarding the creation of educational programs, projects and/or campaigns devoted to the elimination of group prejudice, racial tension, intolerance and all forms of discrimination in Polk County. This type of outreach and citizen involvement helps ensure government sensitivity, responsibility and accountability. Terms of service on the various boards are limited and openings occur regularly. Interested in serving in this capacity? Call the Communications Division at (863) 534-6090. Through the efforts of trained volunteers, the Florida LAKEWATCH program continues to make water quality data available on Polk County lakes. Currently, 35 Polk County lakes are being monitored. Volunteers collect water samples (that are

analyzed in laboratories at the University of Florida) and make visual observations of activities on the lake and nearby watershed, reporting those that could impact water quality. Water quality data on LAKEWATCH lakes is available online at http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu.

Did you know? Our volunteers

include individuals, clubs, churches and corporate employee teams – all helping make a positive impact in the community.

The BoCC also has formal volunteer programs, each with a different emphasis and age requirement: Cooperative Extension Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Services, Health Care Alliance Plan – Free Medical Clinics, RSVP Senior Volunteer Program and Volunteers Improving Polk. These 1,549 volunteers contributed 255,845 hours of service valued at $1,901,968. Programs are available for ages 14 through adult; you can choose from one of many diverse options – whether you’d like to volunteer “once a week” or “once in a while.” For more information on volunteer opportunities, visit our Web site or contact the Volunteer Services office at (863) 534-6582.

7

Legislative Successes

Polk County is ...

Legislation passed that allows Polk County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to collect fees DIRECTLY from insurance companies for services rendered. Previously, if an insured patient was transported to the hospital, the insurance company made payment to that individual – leaving Polk EMS in a position to have to collect it from the patient well after the service was rendered, sometimes without much success. The direct pay authorization will virtually eliminate these collection issues – a savings for taxpayers. Polk County successfully advocated defeat of Senate Bill 2548 which would have resulted in increased workers’ compensation litigation – driving costs of workers’ compensation coverage skyward for both the businesses of Florida and the County itself. This policy decision is an example of the many County legislative endeavors that save tax dollars for more impactful, broad-based use in the community. County officials met with Marty Bowen, (center) while she was serving as House Speaker Pro Tempore

Did you know? The legislature affects every Floridian’s life through legislation relating to how cities and counties operate, appointment of state officials, investigative and budgetary matters, and through taxes.

Each year the BoCC establishes a legislative policy package designed to represent the interests of Polk’s citizens in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. Here is a recap of the 2008 legislative endeavors:

Due to a slowing Florida economy, the State Legislature approved fewer community projects in 2008 than it did in 2006 or 2007. However, Polk County did have a couple of major successes in the funding arena:



A $15 million appropriation for University of South Florida’s Lakeland campus was the culmination of a two-year effort, spearheaded by Senator J.D. Alexander. Under provisions of the legislation, USF Polytechnic operates under the general umbrella of USF, but will be a separate budget and organizational entity, ensuring that it can determine its own future course. As a result, Polk’s residents benefit – especially students who will enjoy close-to-home, high-tech educational opportunities and Polk businesses that will benefit from greater access to an educated and skilled workforce.

Also related to the USF Polytechnic campus, approximately $26.2 million was appropriated for the Pace Road/Polk Parkway interchange. This will provide better access for students, educators and visitors while enhancing traffic flow to/from the campus to minimize motorist inconvenience.

Significant progress was made toward allowing Polk County voters to decide how to fund transit (mass transportation) services in the future. Public transit helps minimize congestion and reduces greenhouse emissions, while providing necessary transportation. Legislation was proposed that would have allowed Polk County voters to consider, through referendum, collection of a transit sales surtax. The surtax would replace federal funding that will be lost after the area is categorized “urban” based on anticipated population counts in the upcoming 2010 census. Voters in seven other Charter Counties already have this option, and the legislature was asked to ensure equity (voter parity) by providing the same opportunity to voters in Polk. Although it did not pass in 2008, the BoCC will continue to advocate for its passage during the 2009 legislative session so Polk County voters can decide how to fund transit services for their community. In addition to successes on the state level, Polk County continues to advocate in Washington, D.C. for funding and policies that directly benefit Polk’s citizens. Although Congress had not taken action on spending (appropriations) bills at the time this publication went to print, under consideration for Polk County are funding requests for several projects, including: the Polk County Gangs, Methamphetamines and Violent Crime Prevention Initiative; widening of US 98 between State Road 60 and State Road 570; Polk County Transit System enhancements (buses and technology); and finally, much-needed renovation of the Polk County Agricultural Center.

Addressing Polk County’s current and future water needs took “front and center” again during 2008. A legislative funding success of great importance to Polk County was $15 million provided for the West-Central Florida Water Resources Action Plan (WRAP) of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. An over-reliance on ground water that has spanned decades resulted in depleted aquifers in the region known as the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA). The WRAP works with local and regional partners to implement strategies to address issues such as saltwater intrusion, reduced water levels and quality, and to ensure the provision of water supplies for all users. Announcing USF Polytechnic in a big way!

8

Polk County is ...

Promoted by the Central Florida Development Council

Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Legislature approved funding for the new University of South Florida Polytechnic, which is scheduled to open in 2010 at its 535-acre campus at the intersection of Interstate 4 and the Polk County Parkway. Through the Central Florida Development Council, Inc. (CFDC), the BoCC pledged $5 million to support the state’s first polytechnic college – see page 8 for more details. In the past three years, the CFDC assisted seven international companies that created 510 new direct jobs and generated nearly $178 million in foreign direct investment. To continue that success, the CFDC will use a $60,000 grant awarded by Enterprise Florida, Inc., to build on the significant amount of foreign direct investment in the areas of manufacturing, logistics management and flavors and essences. The CFDC’s Business Development Team (BDT) continued to help our community diversify and strengthen its economy by working closely with its many countywide partners to attract quality companies (see photo right). The BDT announced the location or expansion of 13 companies representing $180 million in capital investment and 1,175 new jobs, 76 percent of which paid wages greater than 115 percent of the average annual Polk County wage of $33,010 or $15.87 hourly. Overall, the new jobs equate to $46 million in additional annual payroll to the county’s employment base.

Aldi Food Market’s 500,000-square-foot regional office and distribution center under construction in Haines City

ultimately generating new revenue and jobs for Polk County businesses and citizens. PCTSM ’s television show, “Sports Central,” on Bright House Networks, Verizon Fios and Comcast, as well as live Web streaming, promotes Polk County tourism, sports, arts, culture and special events. PCTSM also produced the hour-long “Sports Central” radio show on Talk 1430 WLKF. Both programs highlight tourism and sports in Polk County, while encouraging visitors to take part in special events and activities. Another way PCTSM promotes Polk County is through media tours and other public relations efforts, which resulted in more than $2.5 million in unpaid advertising.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the CFDC continues to provide business development assistance through training and business counseling. This year, 467 Polk County residents attended the 75 entrepreneurial training classes offered (see photo below). Staff performed 621 business counseling sessions, resulting in the creation of 40 new jobs. Six of SBDC’s clients secured $609,000 in loans, with four of those companies expanding their PCTSM once again remained a leader operations. SBDC also assisted around the state in the event market, the community by using hosting more than 226 sports events that $50,000 from the United States generated more than $126 million in economic Department of Agriculture, impact for the county. Events included Florida Rural Business Enterprise Grant Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) baseball to provide bilingual business tournaments, Florida’s Sunshine State Games, assistance to Spanish-speaking YBOA National Basketball Championships and Small Business Development Center training helps local entrepreneurs. In addition, entrepreneurs youth and adult softball tournaments. the SBDC partnered with PCTSM kicked off “Going Green,” a program that offers Polk Works to offer for the first time, the FastTrac New Venture resources for Polk County’s tourism destinations as they learn about Program for disabled veterans. The 12-week program offered how to make their lodging properties, attractions, restaurants and intense hands-on start-up training and featured volunteer business shops more environmentally friendly and energy-conserving. community speakers. Polk County Tourism & Sports Marketing (PCTSM) successfully promoted Polk County, increasing tourism revenues by approximately 4 percent in 2008. Tourism and sports are Florida’s #1 and #2 industries respectively and are critical components in Polk’s economic climate and overall quality of life. Tourism was one of two industries in Polk County that actually saw growth in 2008,

Did you know? With six companies,

five international and one based in Winter Haven, producing flavors and essences in our community, Polk is becoming the nation’s center for this industry.

Since its opening, Polk Outpost 27, Polk County’s official visitor information center, has welcomed more than 81,000 visitors. This year at the Outpost, visitors from more than 85 different countries received more than 155,000 pieces of Polk County literature as well as gracious personalized assistance and concierge services from PCTSM’s professional staff.

9

Polk County is ...

Awards and Accomplishments The Transportation Engineering Division’s Construction & Testing Section laboratory gained accreditation as a certified soil, concrete and asphalt test laboratory. It is the only county-owned materials testing lab in Florida to receive this accreditation. Performing tests that were previously outsourced to consultants saves money for Polk residents.

County officials accept the Best Places to Work and Spirit of the Family awards

Did you know? Two Fleet

Management technicians competed in a national skills competition where they were the only public sector technicians represented among techs from national firms. We’re proud our techs are in the top 84 in the country.

For the fourth consecutive year, the BoCC was honored as one of five large Polk County-based organizations to win the 2007 Best Places to Work award (see photo above). The BoCC was also named an Employer of Distinction by Polk Works. This is a new designation, and the County is among the first group of organizations to receive this honor. The three-year award was given to consistent winners of the annual Polk Works Best Places to Work award and is a hallmark of excellence, recognizing organizations that exhibit consistent commitment to improving the quality of life for their employees. For the sixth consecutive year, the Fleet Management Division earned the Blue Seal of Excellence from the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence. Fleet continues as the only Polk County Blue Seal recipient. Fleet Management was also named among the 100 Best Fleets (most efficient) in America for the fifth consecutive year (this is among more than 38,000 in the U.S.). The Housing & Neighborhood Development (HND) Division received a first place award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its Hurricane Recovery Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program. This program provides families and individuals with safe and decent housing using federal funds for rental assistance for up to two years or until such time as their financial and housing situation has improved. This program has been replicated throughout the state of Florida as an important tool in assisting families on an interim basis. HND was also honored by HUD’s Tampa field office with a first place Best Practice Award for implementing a successful rental assistance program. The Traffic Engineering and Operations Division received a certificate from the Institute of Transportation Engineers, on behalf of the National Transportation Operations Coalition, for participating in the National Traffic Signal Report Card. This program focuses attention on the operation and maintenance of traffic signal systems – an activity that can produce one of the highest benefit/ cost ratios for improvement to the roadway transportation system.

10

Donna Kay, Community Health and Social Services’ Adult Day Care Program Manager, was selected as the 2008 Administrator/ Director Award winner for the National Adult Day Services Association. This national award recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within their centers and their communities. One example of Donna’s advocating for frail, vulnerable, aging and “at risk” citizens of Polk County is her establishment of the “Polk County Standard of Care” to ensure the patients’ daily care is first and foremost in all three centers. The Communications Division received awards of excellence from the Florida Government Communicators Association, Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA), the Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter of FPRA, the American Advertising Federation, MarCom (International) and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors for more than 31 of its communications and community outreach projects, including: Publications – Directory of Services and “Pieces of Polk” internal newsletter Video productions – Children’s Burn Camp Video, Fire Diversity Recruitment, “Kris and Katy’s Tourism Adventures” and Pet Shelter Public Service Announcement* Technology – Fire Fee PowerPoint* and Thunderbolts Opening Animation/Graphics Award-winning Community Relations/Communications newsletter helps keep Campaigns – All-America County designation*, employees informed TPO poster contest *, Pet Shelter campaign*, “PGTV on Your PC” Webstreaming ad campaign, “Art of Transit” Desk Art*, “Don’t forget me!” Pet Shelter poster* and “Your Hometown Hosts” ad Special Events – “Art of Transit” ribbon cutting* and Passport to Polk – Polk County Legislative Day in Tallahassee Personnel – The Communications Director, Cindy Rodriguez, was named Polk’s “Public Relations Professional of the Year” by the Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. This award represents the chapter’s highest honor. These recognitions demonstrate the BoCC’s dedication and commitment to effective, two-way communication with citizens and communities throughout Polk County. *Project produced in collaboration with another County division

Polk County Tourism & Sports Marketing’s professional awards included being named a VISIT Florida Flagler Award finalist for Polk Outpost 27 Grand Opening Events and receiving FPRA Image Awards for Central Florida’s Travel Writers Media Tour Program and Kris and Katy’s Tourism Adventures.

Polk County is ...

Awards and Waste Resource Management

For the last 17 years, the Budget and Management Services Division has received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, which measures the budget in a number of ways, including how successfully budget information is communicated to citizens. Organization and Employee Development’s Emerging Leaders Program was awarded a 2008 National Achievement Award by the National Association of Counties (NACo). Via its Web site, NACo will share with other counties nationwide the details of the program and its successes as a model for others. In recognition of the success of SHINE, Polk’s employee suggestion program, the BoCC received the national Employee Involvement Association’s (EIA) 2007 SEER Award, which recognizes savings per 100 eligible employees within an industry group. The EIA, an internationally recognized organization serving professional managers and administrators of employee involvement and suggestion programs, also recognized two BoCC employees: Chris Chila, a Secretary IV in the County Manager’s Office and an Idea Specialist for SHINE, was named national Evaluator of the Year, an award that recognizes those who make the most impact to employee involvement programs of all the EIA members. Linda McDonnell, Organization and Employee Development Division Director, was named winner of the Executive Leadership Award for 2008. This award represents EIA’s highest honor. The premier local government leadership and management organization, the ICMA (International City/County Management Association) awarded its 2008 Program Excellence Award for Strategic Leadership and Governance to Polk’s Organization and Employee Development (OED) Division. Identified by County Manager Mike Herr as a strategic initiative critical to organizational success, this division was established in 2003 to stimulate a culture shift which values employees as a critical organizational resource. OED was recognized for its development and implementation of a wide variety of quality programs to support its mission to achieve organizational excellence through the engagement, development and recognition of employees. Twenty-two Polk County managers completed the Certified Public Manager (CPM) course work offered by Florida State University’s Center for Public Management. These graduates,

Toastmasters award winners and OED staff

Recyclables get processed for shipping at Waste Resource Management’s recycling facility

along with the additional 63 managers who have also earned the certification, ensure that a high level of skill and professionalism is at work every day for our community. Now in its fourth successful year, the BoCC Toastmasters club was given the honor of being named “Select Distinguished” for the first time in 2008. Employees who are members of this club have already earned 15 awards for public speaking expertise at the local, regional and state levels (see photo below). These efforts ensure that employee participants can successfully and professionally communicate BoCC initiatives in the community. ______________________________________________________________

Waste Resource Management The Waste Resource Management (WRM) Division (formerly Solid Waste Division) continued its stellar trend of successes. The Recycling Section reached a milestone in July 2008, generating more than $1 million in revenue in the four years since it initiated a host-fee arrangement for processing recyclables (contractors pay a per-ton price to process their recyclables through the recycling facility). More than 113,000 tons of recyclables (see photo above) were sold for profit (saving fee-payer dollars) and 332,000 cubic yards of material was diverted from the landfill (saving air space for future disposal). Due to the WRM’s diligent oversight, the Curbside Waste Collection Program hit full stride this year. With nearly 140,000 households served and weekly collection stops exceeding 530,000, there were less than one complaint for every 10,000 pick-ups (a success rate of 99.99 percent)!

Did you know? If every person in

Polk County recycled just one aluminum can per day, it would generate $3.3 million in recycling income! This extra income helps keep collection and disposal rates low.

Most significantly, the WRM did not increase landfill disposal rates for the eleventh straight year! Although costs for fuel, labor, equipment and most other expenses have increased, the division has managed to offset those increases through continual application of cost-saving technologies, finding and implementing best-management practices and hard work by employees.

11

Polk County is ...

Information Technology & Innovations The Fleet Management Division continued implementing new innovations. For example, in light of high fuel costs, Polk County placed its first propane-powered pickup into daily service to test this technology (see photo left). Another advancement is using GPS/ Telematics technology for County vehicles to monitor and measure speed, location, fuel efficiency, employee productivity and response time to citizens’ needs. Two new laboratory instruments that allow samples to be processed more accurately and efficiently (see photo right) are now being used by the Natural Resources’ Water Resources Program to test lake and stream New Metrohm titrator used in Water Resources’ lab samples for pollution.

Fleet Management is going green!

Did you know? The I.T. Division’s

Technical Services Section supports approximately 1,425 desktop and laptop PCs, as well as more than 120 servers.

The Information Technology (I.T.) Division completed redesign of the BoCC Web site (www.polk-county.net) in the spring of 2008. Built from the ground up, this new design focuses on the most popular and useful information and services. Residents are encouraged to visit the site to learn more about your County government. A team of County employees recently finished the implementation of an automated agenda (e-Agenda) system to streamline the BoCC agenda creation and approval process. Secondary benefits include the reduction of paper copies created for review and processing, and ease of publishing all material including backup documents to the County’s Web site. The system will pay for itself in less than three years. County government is connected to citizens every day and in many ways. Consider these County statistics: the Web site received 1.8 million visits this year, the phone network handles more than 13 million calls annually, approximately 4.8 million e-mails are processed annually and the Geographic Information System (GIS) Data Viewer received more than 48,000 visits by citizens. Utilities Customer Services’ Interactive Voice Response system was upgraded to allow speech recognition (in English and Spanish). Now you can access your account information and make credit card payments by speaking your account number instead of entering it on your phone key pad. Leisure Services installed wireless Internet in each of the four community resource centers it operates to allow citizens public access to services and information. Another citizen/customer convenience is now available through the Building Division thanks to new software that allows online payment of building permit fees.

12

The Transportation Engineering Division developed a way to map roadway pavement conditions from the County work flow management system into the County’s GIS viewer (aerial photo mapping). Transportation Engineering also tracks pavement management warranties through the same system. When Traffic Engineering and Roadway Maintenance create work orders, they can check the system to see if roads have warranties before performing maintenance. This helps save money by avoiding maintenance costs on work that should be done by contractors. The Traffic Engineering and Operations Division partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation to get $460,000 to install 41.3 miles of Inverted Rib Profile Markings on various roads throughout Polk County. These markings are a revolutionary safety marking system that stays visible even under the heaviest rainfall in Florida. The raised profile ridges efficiently reflect light back to the motorist and improve drainage of water to enhance driving conditions in heavy rain. The Traffic Engineering and Operations Division continued its installation of a wireless fiber network that securely communicates with Intelligent Transportation System Traffic Signals in the field via Internet Protocol (IP) addressing. Now at 26 intersections, this system provides the infrastructure to remotely analyze traffic conditions (level of service) on County roadways and identify/resolve traffic back-ups by remotely altering the traffic light patterns to reduce or eliminate the back-up (see photo left). Along with improving traffic flows and reducing delays, use of this system will produce measurable savings in commuter times, fuel emissions and consumption for the citizens and visitors of Polk County.

Traffic Engineering Operations staff monitors the Intelligent Transportation System

Community technology and Investment Web sites Projects

Polk County is ... Investing in Polk’s Future

Rapidly growing Polk County covers more than 2,000 square miles, is home to an estimated 585,000 people and is the fourth largest county in Florida. Seventeen municipalities lie within Polk’s boundaries. However, more than half of the total population lives in the unincorporated area, where recent years’ population growth has increased congestion on County roads and where limited County parks provide sites, facilities and amenities for families to play together – enjoying sports, water and recreation in the great outdoors. The influx of people inhabiting Polk County also creates the need for enhancements in library facilities; waste management services; utilities services including water, wastewater and reclaimed water services; and natural resource programs that support, protect, enhance and manage the environment including public lakes and waterways. While progress is evident everywhere in Polk County, unprecedented growth over the past several years, coupled with anticipated slower, but continued growth, has resulted in many challenges, among them the need to:

Signage used to identify Community Investment Projects – part of an award-winning public awareness campaign

Improve driving conditions by adding capacity to Polk’s roads (more lanes, etc.) Improve substandard roads (resurface or widen them to today’s standards and vehicle requirements)

Did you know?

Improve intersections (adding turn lanes to improve traffic flow, etc.) Add or improve parks and recreation facilities Increase access to libraries Signs promote spending time with family in Polk’s parks

Improve drainage . . . and more All of these quality-of-life issues affect both Polk residents and visitors to some extent every day.

investment projects will continue to provide much-needed jobs in Polk, while also helping speed economic recovery.

In 2005, the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) *subsequently reduced to 0.4219 mill for parks and 0.2109 mill for libraries addressed many critical infrastructure needs when it approved through legislative tax reform. funding for significant “Investments in Polk’s Future” in the form Over the next eight pages, you’ll find details about many of the of a one-mill ad valorem tax for roads, a 1/2-mill* Municipal projects that were completed this year, as well as some information Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) for parks, a 1/4-mill* MSTU for about upcoming projects. There are a number of other ways you can libraries and increased impact fees on new construction. As a learn about the projects and their status: via the County’s Web site result of that decision, the BoCC set in motion a community (www.polk-county.net/cip), through the local media, by e-mail (if you investment plan that includes approximately $1.6 billion for sign up for updates), by inviting a speaker to address your organization, roads, $93.5 million for parks and additional funds for library on PGTV and at town hall meetings. On PGTV, tune in to shows such operations/project expenses. While the initial timeline for as “Dateline Polk,” which recaps County Commission meetings, completion of all projects was ten years, property tax reform in or “Comunidad Viva” for our Spanish-speaking residents. If your 2007, the passage of amendment 1 in 2008, the slowdown in home or business is impacted by a project, you can expect to hear the economy (and sales tax revenues) as well as the significant directly from County officials through a growth slowdown in Polk (resulting community meeting, by postcard or door in reduced impact fee revenues) have hanger. You’ll also recognize the projects as all converged to require that some you drive around the county – just look for the projects be delayed. The extent of the “Your Road Investment Dollars at Work” delay will be determined by how quickly or “Your Park Investment Dollars the economic conditions improve, but Taking Root” signs. steady progress on these community Remodeled fire station better accommodates the

The BoCC has a

multi-year plan for investments in Polk’s infrastructure – making communities both more livable and sustainable.

revolving schedule of emergency personnel

13

Improving roads and capacity

Polk County is ...

Capacity Projects Adding lanes to existing County roads lessens congestion and delays from increased demand. New roads will also accommodate current and future growth while enhancing the existing road network through greater connectivity. Improved safety is another primary benefit of adding lanes.

Capacity projects currently under construction include:

Crews make progress on Pace Road improvements

Did you know?

Capacity projects scheduled to begin construction in fiscal year 2008/09:

To meet the needs

of Polk County residents and make our roadways safer and easier to travel, Roadway Maintenance responded to 3,497 citizen action requests for things like asphalt repair, road trash and tree trimming.

14

County Line Road (Pipkin Road West to Ewell Road) CR 54/Ronald Reagan Parkway Phase 1 (US 17/92 to Lake Wilson Road) – Complete CR 540A/Central Barn Road Phase 2 (Lakeland Highlands Road to US 98) – scheduled for completion in 2009 Pace Road (Berkley Road to future Polk Parkway interchange) – Complete Smith Lane (new road between E.F. Griffin and US 98) – Complete

Roads Overview Improving the County’s transportation system remains a major priority for the Polk County Board of County Commissioners. Maintaining and upgrading County roads enhances safety, relieves congestion, creates jobs and stimulates economic growth. A safe and effective transportation system is vital to our county. Likewise, continued roadway and right-of-way improvements enrich the quality of life for all Polk County citizens. On the following pages is information about capacity improvements, pavement management (asphalt resurfacing and stabilization), intersections, sidewalk projects, bridge maintenance and drainage maintenance within the Public Works Department Community Investment Program. For additional information, please contact the Transportation Engineering Division at 534-6700.

Berkley Road Phases 2 & 3 (Old Dixie Hwy. to Pace Road) Carl Floyd Road/Overlook Drive CR 54 Phase 2 (Lake Wilson Road to ChampionsGate Blvd.) CR 54 Phase 3 (ChampionsGate Blvd. to US 27) Ernie Caldwell Blvd. Phase 1 (FDC Grove Road to US 27) Ernie Caldwell Blvd. Phase 2 (US 27 to Pine Tree Trail) Helena Road Pine Tree Trail (CR 54 to Ernie Caldwell Blvd.)

Capacity projects under study, design or right-of-way acquisition in fiscal year 2008/09: Bartow Northern Connector Phase 1 (US 98 to US 17) County Line Road (Ewell Rd. to SR 60) CR 35A Kathleen Road Phase 2 (Galloway Road to Duff Road) CR 37B/Lakeland Highlands Road (CR 540A to Polk Parkway) CR 547 Jackson Hwy. (US 27 to US 17/92) CR 559A Auburndale Cutoff (Berkley Road to SR 559) and Berkley Road Phase 4 (Pace Road to CR 559A) Harden Blvd. (Pipkin to Polk Parkway) Northridge Trail Phase 1 (Deen Still Road to Sand Mine Road) SR 544 (US 27 to SR 17) Thompson Nursery Road Phase I (US 17 to West Lake Ruby Drive) West Pipkin Road (Old Hwy. 37 to Pipkin Road W.)

Improving Roads

Polk County is ...

Pavement Management During the past fiscal year, the annual pavement management program resurfaced nearly 133 miles of County roads at a cost of about $150,000 per mile. Roads are prioritized based on surface condition.

Roads resurfaced in fiscal year 2007/08: Adams Barn Road Alachua Drive Allspice Court Anderson Road Anise Court Anise Lane Anise Place Anise Way Appaloosa Road Archer’s Path Arkansas Court Bannon Island Road Banyan Lane Barnes Road Barnhorst Road Barton Place Basil Circle Basil Court Bates Road Bent Yoke Court Bering Road Berkley Road Black Walnut Drive Bob Rawls Road Bonito Way Bowman’s Trail Buck Board Trail Burns Avenue Caloosa Lake Circle North Caloosa Lake Circle South Canal Road Cantor Court Carriage Drive Chuck Wagon Way Clark Road Conch Drive Conch Lane Conch Way Country Lake Circle Covey Court CR 630 (Brewster Road)

Crews Lake Drive Crews Lake Road Crest Lane Crossover Road Danube Drive Danube Way Deen Still Road Delrose Drive East Delrose Drive North Delrose Drive West Detour Road Diamond Road Dixie Avenue Dogfish Court Dogfish Lane Dogfish Way Dogwood Court Dogwood Place Dolphin Drive Dolphin Way Don Place Don Way Dovehollow Drive Dovetail Lane North Dovetail Lane South Drum Court Drum Drive Drum Lane Dudley Drive E F Griffin Road Edgewood Drive Edison Road Erie Court Erie Drive Erie Lane Erie Way Escambia Lane Escambia Way Farrington Drive Farris Drive Fast Trot Trail

East Lake Buffum before and after resurfacing

Feather Drive Flatfish Court Flatfish Drive Floral Circle East Floral Circle West Florida Drive Flounder Place Flounder Road Flounder Way Fox Hunt Drive Frazier Street Friar Tuck’s Trail Gause Street Gib Galloway Road Gladys Fewox Road Grey Fox Hollow Drive Grouper Court Grouper Drive Greenway Circle Greenway Drive Haddock Way Halibut Road Hankin Road South Hemlock Avenue Herring Court

Herring Lane Herring Way Hidden Creek Lane Hidden Creek Court Hudson Court Hudson Drive Hurlbut Circle Huron Drive Huron Lane Huron Terrace Huron Way Inconnu Court Inconnu Drive Ironwood Trail Jody Road Johnson Avenue Kayworth Court King Road Kingfish Circle Kingfish Drive Kingfish Way Kitty Fox Lane Knollwood Drive Lake Boulevard Lake Buffum Road East Lake Dexter Boulevard Lake Dexter Circle Lake Eloise Drive Lake Ina Drive East Lake Ina Drive West Lake Ina Wye

Did you know? The total miles of

roads resurfaced this year is about the same distance as from Lakeland to Ft. Myers!

15

Improving Roads

Polk County is ...

Resurfacing EF Griffin Road greatly improved driving conditions

Did you know? Roadway

Maintenance graded 2,171 miles of unpaved road. That’s about the distance from Tampa to Phoenix, Arizona!

16

Pavement Management continued

Lake Miriam Circle Lake Summit Drive West Lakeview Court Lakeview Drive Lakeview Lane Lakeview Place Lakeview Road Lakeview Way Lasso Lane Longhorn Drive Lunnway Circle Mackerel Road Maggie Drive Magnolia Drive Maid Marion’s Trail Maine Avenue #1 Maine Avenue #2 Manatee Court Manatee Drive Manatee Lane Manatee Way Manitoba Court Manitoba Drive Manitoba Lane

Manitoba Way Marigold Avenue Marty Lane Mays Court Merrily Way Michigan Court Michigan Drive Michigan Lane Michigan Place Michigan Way Moore Road Morgan Horse Way Morris Drive Myakka Court Myakka Place Myakka Road Nature Trail Newman Circle East Newman Circle North Newman Circle West Ninety One Mine Road Northside Frontage Road Ohio Lane Ohio Way

Old Bartow/Eagle Lake Road Olive Drive Orchid Lane Overlook Drive Ox Bow Court Paces Trail Pacific Road Palmway Circle Parker Road Parliament Place Pasteur Road Patricia Drive Patterson Road Peace Court Peace Drive Peace Place Peace Way Pelican Court Pike Way Pine Island Drive Pinto Way Pipkin Road West Point View Lane Point Way Poley Creek Drive East Poley Creek Drive West Pollard Road Prairie Circle Quarter Horse Way Radford Road Ranch Hand Trail Ray Place Redwood Way Robin Hood’s Trail Rolling Hills Court East Rolling Hills Court West Rolling Hills Loop South Rustic Circle East Rustic Circle West Royal Crest Drive Rustic Estates Drive Saddle Way Sam Keen Road Sawfish Court

Sawfish Drive Sawfish Lane School House Road Shady Acres Drive Shadowwood Court Shadowwood Drive Shadowwood Lane Shadowwood Run Shadowwood Trail Shadowwood Way Shadywood Place Sherwood Lakes Boulevard Shetland Court Shetland Drive Silver Spur Loop Simpson Drive Singletree Court Sky Flower Court Slash Pine Drive Snapper Drive Snapper Place Snapper Way Sourwood Way Southside Frontage Road Southcrest Boulevard Southpoint Lane Southview Lane Spoonbill Court Spring Creek Drive Spruce Lane Stallion Drive Stanford Drive Stowe Place Superior Court Superior Place Superior Way Susan Road Sweet Gum Run Sweet Leaf Court Tammis Lane Taylor Court Tenth Street North Tenth Street West Tiger Circle

Improving Roads and Sidewalks

Polk County is ... Tish Road Thomas Wood Lane Tillery Road Tom Costine Road Tumbleweed Trail Valley Farm Road Valley Trail Vaughn Road Wabash Avenue North Wakulla Road Walker Road Walt Williams Road Warfield Drive West Lake Wales/Alturas Road Westminster Court Wheeler Street Whippletree Drive Whisper Trail Whispering Pines Road Whitedove Drive Will Way Windwood Drive Windwood Lane Wilson Boulevard Woodcrest Lane Wooddale Drive Woodfern Drive Woodland Drive Yeoman’s Path

Roads proposed for resurfacing in fiscal year 2008/09: Avon Park Cutoff Road Beverly Road Bradbury Road Campbell Road West Chambers Road Cherry Pocket Road Cherry Pocket Lane Cimarron Court Cimarron Drive Crews Road Crystal Lake Drive North Edgewater Drive Greenwoods Drive Greenwoods Lane Harvard Street Honeysuckle Drive Indian Ridge Trail Jennings Road Johnson Avenue K’Ville Road King James Court Kings Mont Court Kings Mont Drive Klein Court Klein Road

Sidewalks Sidewalks are constructed or replaced to enhance safety, connect neighborhoods and provide recreation for pedestrians.

New sidewalks completed during fiscal year 2007/08: Carter Road (St. John Newman Catholic Church to Eaglebrooke) Cypress Gardens Road (Tyler Road to Kipling Lane) Halibut Road (Flounder Road to north dead-end) Myakka Road (Pacific Road to school entrance) Pacific Road (Lake Marion Creek Drive to Flounder Road) Palmetto Street (Marigold Avenue to Falcon Road) Walnut Street (Tiger Road to Osceola County Line) West Campbell Road (Manor Drive to Lewis Road) Westwood Middle School (Avenue J to Woodside Drive) Yarborough Lane (Summer Glen to Royal Court)

Old Bartow Road Oldafter Bartow Eagle Lake repaving (above) andbefore and after Road before (in circle)improvements

Did you know? Lake Hatchineha Road Old Eagle Lake Road Winter Haven Road Pine Road South Rhoden Road

Robinson Drive East Sandlewood Lane Sunset Grove Court T S Wilson Road Winchester Road Woodland Avenue

Sidewalk projects proposed for fiscal year 2008/09: Auburndale area Teneroc High School entrance to Tower Manor mobile home park – Complete South Lakeland area Carter Road (from Loyce Harpe Park to Wal-Mart) – Complete Scott Lake Road (at Old Scott Lake Road) – Complete Strickland Avenue (Falcons Landing to CR 540A) – Complete Eaton Park Main Avenue (from Dawn Heights Dr. to Crystal Hills MHP) – Complete

Roadway

Maintenance mowed 32,450 acres of rights-of-way including road shoulders and medians, making necessary pull-offs safer.

Jan Phyl Village Fern Road (from Hatfield Road to Sidney Circle) – Complete Hatfield Road (Coleman Road to Fern Road) – Complete Winter Haven area Avenue C (from 15th Street to existing sidewalk inside city limits) Country Club Road (connect existing sidewalk network)

17

Improving Bridges and Intersections

Polk County is ...

Other noteworthy bridge activity: Hardee County Line Road Bridge replacement project design and permitting is complete. Construction is expected to start in early 2009. Contracted design and permitting for repairing erosion around bridge supports needed for six bridges. Bridge replacement study for Adell Road Bridge is complete. Final design is underway. Final Design for replacing Rock Ridge Road wooden bridge scheduled for fiscal year 2008/09. New guardrail installation on Rock Ridge Road bridges is complete and guardrail on Deen Still Road bridges scheduled for fiscal year 2008/09.

Intersections

Did you know? By removing 17,294

illegally placed signs in the County rightsof-way, Roadway Maintenance helped improve Polk County’s appearance for both residents and visitors.

Shepherd Road at Poley Creek before and after improvements

Bridge Maintenance The County is instituting state-of-the-art database software to aid in bridge repair and replacement. The program will incorporate data from inspection reports to help prioritize repairs, predict the extended life expectancy based on repairs and help prioritize replacement.

Bridges under construction in fiscal year 2007/08: Shepherd Road at Poley Creek – Complete

Bridges repaired in fiscal year 2007/08: Fish Hatchery Road Mann Road Old Bowling Green Road Reynolds Road Sutton Road Swindell Road Seven bridges were improved for safety with the addition of approach guardrails

18

Intersection upgrades increase level of service and safety by adding turn lanes, traffic signals and improving sightlines.

Intersection improvement projects completed during fiscal year 2007/08: Clubhouse Road at US 98 CR 54/Ronald Reagan Parkway at ChampionsGate Blvd. CR 54/Ronald Reagan Parkway at US 27 Daughtery Road at Green Road Reynolds Road at Maine Avenue

Intersection improvement projects scheduled for construction in fiscal year 2008/09: Alamo Drive at South Florida Avenue CR 544 at SR 17 Cypress Gardens Blvd. at Cypress Gardens Road Lake Miriam Drive at Cleveland Heights Blvd. Scott Lake Road at Fitzgerald Road Shepherd at Bailey Road Southern Dunes Blvd. at US 27 Thornhill Road at Recker Highway Tiger Road/Walnut Street/Country Club Road

Intersection improvement projects under study, design or right-of-way acquisition in fiscal year 2008/09: 30th Street at Hinson Avenue SR 544 at US 27 Yates Road at Ewell Road

Polk County is ...

Improving Drainage

Drainage Maintenance Drainage improvements address flooding conditions to improve roadway safety and reduce impacts to surrounding property.

Drainage projects completed during fiscal year 2007/08: 12th Street East, Wahneta Bradbury Road Camp Mack at Rosalie Oaks Carefree Cove Drive Country Ridge Lane Crystal Beach Road David Drive Fairway Avenue at East Main Street Gaskin Road Grady Polk Road Hilltop Street Knights Station Road Lake Daisy Road Lebanon Road Longfellow Blvd. Nestlewood Court North Marina Parkway Oak Avenue at Lunn Road (Ft. Meade) Oak Square South Oak Square West Peninsular Drive Snively Avenue Sourwood Way Sugar Creek Drive Warfield Drive Willow Wisp Drive

Improving drainage at Carefree Cove Drive and Old Bartow Eagle Lake Road

Did you know? Roadway

Maintenance cleaned 85 miles of ditches to help prevent roadway flooding. That’s about the distance from Haines City to Daytona Beach!

Drainage projects proposed for fiscal year 2008/09: Country Ridge Lane Eastside Drive – Complete (Feb. 2009) Faye Street Forestgreen Drive North Lake Jessie Drive – Complete (Jan. 2009) North Grady Avenue – Complete (Nov. 2008)

Perch Street – Complete (Dec. 2008) Tanager Lane West – Complete (Dec. 2008) Wakulla Drive at Suwannee Road – Complete (Dec. 2008) Walker Circle – Complete (Jan. 2009) Weston Road – Complete (Feb. 2009)

19

Community Investment Projects

Polk County is ...

them at home, more than 4,500 items a month are sent through the B-Mail project! The PCLC also entered its second year of partnership with the Lakeland Public Library System in operating the storefront Express Library at Lake Miriam Square. To learn about other PCLC accomplishments, please see page 22.

Other CIP projects

Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at Circle B Bar Reserve offers hiking, biking, picnicking and much more!

It Starts in Parks

Progress was made on three major community investment parks projects this year; all to be completed in 2009:

Did you know? The Nature Discovery Center, partnering with the Polk County School Board, plans to provide hands-on curriculum to help middle-school students understand how science is used in the real world and the importance of their connection to Polk County’s natural resources.



Simmers-Young Park Project is currently under construction with an August 2009 projected completion date. When completed, the facility will be a seven-field soccer complex that can also be utilized for football, with concession support facilities for both, plenty of parking, picnicking, trails and a playground. Christina Park Phase II renovation of Christina Park in south Lakeland – consisting of dedicated parking for Phase I ballfields, a new grand pavilion with integral restrooms, walking paths, picnic shelters and a new roadway – is now complete. Christina Park will re-open to public use mid-March 2009. Mosaic Peace River Park The Phase II boardwalk construction project is now complete and connects an additional 3,000 lineal feet of boardwalk to the existing boardwalk to provide a full loop system. The Friends of the Parks Foundation secured a Charlotte Harbor Natural Estuaries Program grant to provide interpretative signage along the new boardwalk.

In addition to these advancements, the Leisure Services Division helped meet the needs of Polk County residents through other leisure activities and facilities (see page 22).

Libraries

Construction of Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at Circle B Bar Reserve was completed (see photo left), and the grand opening was held November 1, 2008. This facility, a collaborative effort of many government agencies, provides an opportunity for visitors, students and teachers to discover Polk County’s water, wilderness and wildlife and the intriguing connection and balance between them. Several boardwalks allow for special wildlife viewing opportunities, and trails are available for walking, jogging and bicycling. This area is also one of the premier birding sites in the state, allowing visitors to see many different birds in a short period of time. Don’t miss out! If you haven’t already visited Polk’s Nature Discovery Center, make plans now to enjoy this educational and recreational adventure with your family – located at 4300 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland. The Natural Resources Drainage Program managed various phases of more than 16 Community Investment Program (CIP) projects this year. These phases consist of feasibility studies, Watershed Management Plans (WMPs), design, permitting, land acquisition and construction. Some projects are funded through Cooperative Funding Agreements (CFAs) with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) where the County funds 50 percent of the cost and SWFWMD funds the other 50 percent. These projects generally involve development and implementation of the WMPs, which are used to evaluate drainage/flooding problems within a watershed and recommend improvements. Other CFAs are developed for projects that address water quality issues or address regional flooding issues. The remaining projects in the CIP address local flooding issues or large maintenance projects. The Drainage Program also constructed three CIP projects: Frostproof/Lake Clinch Outfall, Schoolhouse/Dorman Road Intersection Drainage Improvements and Lake Lowery Outfall Pipe Repair to relieve flooding and drainage issues in these areas.

Natural Resources’ Water Resources Section worked on three projects to improve water quality in Polk County lakes and streams. The Elizabeth Place project involved the evaluation of the drainage system on CR 540A in Lakeland to address improving water quality in the Banana Lake Basin. The Lake Gwyn project included obtaining state funding for design and permitting for a lake restoration project to create some open water areas and enhance the wetlands, which will improve water quality and provide a better habitat for wildlife. The Itchepackesassa Creek project included the purchase of 262 acres on Walker Road in Lakeland for the construction of a wetland treatment system to improve water quality in conjunction with a proposed County park.

Community Library Investment dollars improve and expand library services and materials to all residents of Polk County through continuation of successful programs such as the Polk County Library Cooperative’s (PCLC) “B-Mail” (Books by Mail) project. As more and more library users discover Construction completed on Homeland the ease of having requested items mailed to Heritage’s Methodist Church

20

Polk County is ...

Community Investment & Other Projects

The Environmental Resources Department completed several projects to provide additional capacity, enhance operation and increase service to Polk County Utility customers: Completed water service projects: County Road (CR) 54 booster station – June 2008 (see photo right), ChampionsGate/Polk/ TOHO (Tohopekaliga Water Authority) interconnect – June 2008, Phases 2A – September 2007 and 3A of the CR 54 water main relocation – May 2008, CR 540A Phase 1 water main utility relocation – November 2008 and Holly Hill cooperatively funded deep exploratory well – January 2008. Completed wastewater service projects: Phase 2A - September 2007 and 3A of the CR 54 sanitary force main relocation May 2008, Lake Wilson Road/TOHO wastewater interconnect - July 2007, CR 540A Phase 1 sanitary main utility relocation - November 2008, Southwest Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility upgraded from 2.0 million gallons per day (MGD) to 4.0 MGD - January 2008, Sunray Phase 1 Lift Station - June 2008 , Oakhills Wastewater Treatment Facility - July 2007, rapid infiltration basins - March 2008 and Northeast Wastewater Treatment Facility fast track reclaimed water and headworks - October 2007. During FY 2007/08, Polk County Utilities received approximately $1.2 million in reimbursement from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for Community Investment infrastructure projects related to the development of alternative water supplies, including reclaimed water in the Northwest and Northeast Regional Utility Service Areas. Improvements such as additional reclaimed water transmission lines, ground storage facilities and pumping systems will help ensure residents have adequate water pressure and supply during peak usage times. A number of major construction projects continued this year under the direction of Facilities Management, including: The Central Energy Plant portion of the South County Jail Expansion project was completed. Construction on the Central County Jail Work Camp was completed. Repair and renovation was completed at the Homeland Heritage Park (see photo on page 20 and description on page 22).

Facilities managed the Polk’s Nature Discovery Center design and construction contracts for the Natural Resources Division (see page 20). Replacement of the Jan Phyl Fire/EMS Station and remodeling of the Providence Fire Station were completed (see page 25). The County’s comprehensive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program worked Booster station and storage tank allows for more efficient water flow with eight municipal partners to northeast portions of the county and managed several large-scale construction/public facility projects such as the completion of the $1.9 million Phase I of the Eloise Water, Sewer and Drainage Improvement Project (see photos below), city-driven improvements such as Lake Hamilton’s water improvement project and the Inwood Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA), a $505,000 comprehensive water study project for this neighborhood located between Winter Haven and Auburndale. The engineering analysis for this area led to construction plans for three Inwood projects at an additional cost of $617,442 intended to improve and prevent further deterioration of the area’s existing drainage system. Long Range Planning and Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) completed a number of projects this year:

The County processed 13 small-scale and 14 large-scale Comprehensive Plan amendments that help promote the community’s vision while addressing changes in population and development trends. Transportation Planning Organization staff kicked off the 2060 Transportation Vision Plan and the 2060 Population and Employment Forecasts to help determine where new growth is expected and how future transportation investments can meet the needs of that growth. Transportation Planning Organization staff completed the East Polk County 2030 Highway Network Plan that includes identification of a road network that will serve future travel demand in the Ridge communities.

Did you know?

The BoCC approved

a new cleaning ordinance that allows Code Enforcement staff to proceed quickly on resolving the most serious cases where there’s an immediate risk to the health, safety and welfare of our citizens.

Polk County was chosen as a pilot county by the State Department of Community Affairs, which provided a consultant to help Long Range Planning with public outreach and preparation of the Post-Disaster Redevelopment Plan.

Work in progress on Eloise Water, Sewer and Drainage Improvement Project

Completed Eloise project

In February 2008, the BoCC approved a consultant service authorization with Reiss Engineering to provide Polk County and its municipalities a comprehensive water supply plan for the next 20 years. The project is co-funded by both the Southwest and South Florida water management districts and is expected to be completed by May 2009.

21

Polk County is ...

Leisure Services have immediate needs for services including parks, the BoCC set aside $3.5 million from one-time monies during the 2008 budgeting process to acquire park acreage and approved $1 million per year for debt service in Leisure Services’ capital improvements budget. Various per-acre scenarios have been developed to provide planners a financial snapshot of a feasible purchase in this area. Coupled with funding from the other partners involved, the County may be able to purchase more than 400 acres by mid-year 2009.

Library news

New portable bleachers are an invaluable addition to Leisure Services’ inventory

Did you know? Leisure Services

distributed $40,000 through its Youth Assistance Program so financially challenged youth could participate in sports leagues.

The Methodist Church at Homeland Heritage Park was completely restored to its full beauty and glory this year with the aid of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding (the church had been severely damaged in the 2004 hurricanes). Offering a glimpse into the past and a unique setting for group outings, Homeland Heritage Park is a five-acre pioneer village and Polk County’s only historical park. Facility upgrades assure safe playing conditions for more than 15,000 adults and youth participating in league activities on the County’s 112 athletic fields. Some of the projects completed this year by Leisure Services’ park maintenance staff include constructing 16 new dugouts at Mulberry Park, renovating six baseball fields (two at Hunt Fountain and four at Mulberry) and installing shade covers over heavily used playgrounds at Loyce E. Harpe and East Central to protect children and their parents from the sun’s harmful rays. Nearly all of Leisure Services’ 52 special events are staged outdoors. With three campgrounds, four horse arenas, 42 boat ramp lanes, and 27 organized youth leagues, there are ample outdoor recreational opportunities for a wide variety of activities at little or no cost to Polk County citizens. The Recreation Unit produced and hosted special events and programs for more than 16,123 attendees this year, including: Movies in the Park, Black Heritage Festival, Easter Egg Hunts, Camp Rock summer recreation program, Hispanic Heritage Festival, Cracker Storytelling Festival, and Haunted Halloween Hayride and Happenings.

The Polk County Library Cooperative (PCLC) conducted a number of outreach programs in neighborhoods around the county and, through the use of a wireless AirCard, issued library cards on the spot. Between these events and the excellent work of the member libraries, more than 25,000 citizens signed up for new library cards. In addition, the member libraries of the PCLC broke all previous records for circulation of library materials this year, circulating more than two million items countywide! During the summer, member libraries conducted 245 programs for 13,481 children from kindergarten to sixth grade. Participants were treated to puppet shows, storytelling, crafts and games. To learn more about the PCLC, go to www.pclc.lib.fl.us. The Historical Library set a new all-time record for usage this year, serving 11,603 patrons, including people from 27 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. Use of Internet database resources at the library also increased 34 percent, with more than 9,600 database sessions documented on resources like Ancestry and Heritage Quest. Perhaps the Historical Library’s most exciting project this year was the completion of the “History of African-Americans in Polk County” scrapbooks. This 18-volume set of more than 1,500 newspaper article abstracts has been in the works for more than five years. After indexing is completed it will provide a new and absolutely unique resource for African-American research in Polk County.

Historical Museum This year, the Historical Museum produced eight rotating exhibits (see photo below) and accepted new gifts of historical objects and collections from 23 individuals and organizations. The museum hosted the Polk County History Fair for approximately 175 students, awarding trophies to students for museum-quality exhibit work.

Because residents in the growing Poinciana area in northeast Polk County Polk County Historical Museum’s 100 Years of Medicine exhibit

22

The museum continued to host and partner with community and governmental organizations by providing free meeting and event space to non-profit organizations, as well as renting to private individuals and organizations in need of safe and affordable family oriented event space. This year, 67 events brought 8,496 additional visitors to the museum – a 25 percent increase in special event usage over last year. In addition, 1,127 participants in 38 adult and youth tour groups visited the museum.

Polk County is ...

Events

The Communications Division coordinated several grand openings, ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings and special events (in collaboration with other County divisions), helping make progress more visible to citizens. Among these was the grand opening for the new Jan Phyl Fire Station (new facility and location); groundbreakings on the Pace Road improvement project and the Sheriff’s Office North Ridge substation; as well as the New Year’s Day “Here’s to Your Health Hike” special event – an endeavor that helps Polk residents and visitors start their new year off right – with healthy habits and family fun in the great outdoors. A town hall meeting was held to give citizens greater opportunity to interact with County government leaders and Commissioners. Coordinated by the Communications Division, the meeting was held on a week night (a time citizens have told us is best for them) to reach citizens in the northwest area of Polk County (Kathleen High School). Town hall meetings and other outreach efforts provide citizens an opportunity to hear about plans/projects for their communities, obtain information about County services and voice issues and concerns. Due to budget constraints and declining attendance, the BoCC plans to hold one town hall meeting in 2009, while the Communications Division/ PGTV is also exploring options for offering citizens an opportunity to ask questions and hear from County Commissioners via the Internet – using “live” webinar technology. In January 2008, the Housing and Neighborhood Development Division assisted Housing and Urban Development officials in sponsoring a major home-ownership event intended to match eligible home buyers with lenders and credit counselors.

Having fun at a Healthy Families event!

Social Services also participated in 178 community outreach events/meetings and saw 5,044 individuals. During those events, 1,890 individuals were screened for blood pressure, 1,591 for blood sugar and 1,585 for cholesterol. The Community Outreach Mobile Unit allows Polk HealthCare Plan staff to provide outreach, education and health screenings to the community. Bilingual staff and a nurse accompany the vehicle at all stops and locations. This year, the mobile unit made 149 site visits where staff saw 1,532 individuals.

Polk County Transit Services (with assistance from Bringing health care information and services into Polk County Transportation Planning Organization staff) held its first communities, Community Health and Social Services held four Human Services Transportation Summit to bring local human service family friendly health awareness expos in Poinciana, Eloise, Lake agencies together and form a coalition to bring more transportation Wales and Florence Villa. Attended by 569 adults and children, to people who desperately need it. Nearly 200 people representing these health fairs provided information on health prevention and 40 agencies (including the Community education, such as nutrition, exercise, Transportation Association of America, obesity, body mass index, smoking the Transportation Disadvantaged cessation, diabetes education, Commission, the Department of Elder disease management, safety and Affairs and others) turned out, and plans health insurance. A variety of health are underway to secure funding to assist screenings were also offered to the coalition with its efforts. attendees (see photo right). In addition, social workers assisted In an effort to raise awareness of participants in applying for Florida the issues of child abuse and neglect, KidCare, food stamps and cash the eighth annual Blue Ribbon Run was assistance (Medicaid), and determining held in Lake Wales. In additional to this their eligibility for other social service event, Healthy Families participated programs. By providing these in many local health and safety fairs, Risk Management’s Community Health and Social Services educational opportunities and brings health screenings to the community back-to-school bashes, the annual Teen hands-on assistance with accessing Summit, Step-Up Florida, Children’s Day healthcare alternatives, CHSS employees improved community and Family Week – all of which strengthen families for the benefit health while also reducing costly reliance on hospital emergency of the community (see top photo). rooms for non-emergency care.

Did you know? This year, 114

individuals attended Community Health and Social Services’ diabetic education classes where attendees had an opportunity for one-on-one disease management consultations with an LPN – improving our community’s overall health!

23

Polk County is ...

Public Safety



The County Special Needs program registration list continued expanding and now includes more than 4,100 citizens. This group is made up primarily of those county residents who would require special medical attention during disasters. Planning for the County’s new Emergency Operations Center and Joint Communications Center was completed. Construction has begun and is expected to be completed in 2010.



Two highly successful hurricane expos were held in June: one at the Winter Haven Orange Dome where approximately 4,000 residents attended, with more than 70 vendors and display booths on hand, and the Four Corners Hurricane Expo with 20 vendors and approximately 400 attendees from Polk, Orange, Lake and Osceola counties.



Emergency personnel respond to a traffic accident

Did you know? On average, every

five minutes and 42 seconds, the Polk County Communications Center dispatches emergency response for citizens. This includes County ambulance and fire services.

The Emergency Management Division develops and implements the County’s emergency plans for natural and man-made disasters, operates the County’s Emergency Operations Center, is responsible for operating the County’s E9-1-1 system and maintains and coordinates operation of the countywide radio system. This year, Emergency Management was involved in a number of major projects that improved the capability of emergency services to provide response, including: The Communications Center, in conjunction with Emergency Medical Services (EMS), continued to move forward with the implementation of the Emergency Medical Dispatch program. This program allows 9-1-1 call takers to ask callers a series of protocol-driven questions, resulting in dispatch of the most effective response for the incident. This will help provide the most appropriate level of service for each call, ultimately resulting in more cost-efficient dispatching of these critical services. Radio Services continued providing service for more than 4,500 countywide subscribers who conducted more than 12 million radio transmissions this year while attending to the public safety needs of residents and visitors. Radio Services negotiated agreements with Sprint Nextel and Motorola on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)- mandated re-banding initiative. Those negotiations netted an additional $4.6 million of replacement equipment to Polk County (at no additional cost to local property-tax payers). A new radio tower and microwave link were installed at the public safety complex. The entire community will benefit from these installations.

The Emergency Medical Services Division (EMS) responds to all requests for emergency medical assistance throughout Polk County. Included in this year’s EMS accomplishments: Increased by two the number of paramedic-staffed fire engines in the county at Lake Hamilton and Indian Lake Estates, bringing the total County-staffed paramedic engines to eight. In conjunction with various cities, EMS provided equipment and vehicle permitting for city paramedic fire engines: Lake Wales (first engine), Winter Haven (second engine) and Lakeland (fifth and sixth engines). Polk County Fire Rescue gets Through the State of Florida EMS involved in the community Grant program, EMS secured an ATV vehicle designed to provide a method of quick medical response at large gatherings. The ATV is designed to carry both patients who are able to sit up and also those needing stretcher transportation. This ATV was utilized at the 2008 Sun ’n Fun, Mayfaire and other events needing emergency medical coverage for large crowds. EMS received an “excellent” rating from an unannounced inspection by the State Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. This rating of an efficiently run and well-maintained department was earned based on reviews of areas such as records management and facility and equipment inspections.

Aeromed helicopter lands on a roadway for emergency airlift

24

Fire Services protects the lives and property of citizens and visitors to Polk County. This year, progress was made on a number of Fire Services community investment projects: Jan Phyl Fire Station – a new station in a new, but nearby, location replaced a 42-year-old station that was originally designed as an equipment-storage garage.

Public Safety

Polk County is ...

Providence Fire Station – remodeled a 39-year-old station, including adding sleeping quarters for around-the-clock emergency response personnel. Crystal Lake Station – purchased two acres to build a new station to replace the existing 40+ year-old facility. The new station is scheduled for construction in fiscal year 2009/10.

Fire administration also began work on a “green” goal of landscaping all 30 stations with Florida-friendly plants within five years. Many of the stations currently have large expanses of grass and non-native plants which require excessive amounts of water to maintain. The new landscaping will help minimize on-going maintenance costs, conserve water and enhance the neighborhoods where the stations are located by providing a positive public image. To date, improved landscaping has been completed at the Eagle Lake, Golfview, Jan Phyl, Providence and Highland City stations. The Fire Administration Building and the Fire Training Center located at the Bartow Airport have also been landscaped with Florida-friendly plants. Landscaping work is being accomplished mostly with in-house staff to minimize costs and ensure prompt and maximum return on the investment. The Fire Explorer Post, chartered through the Boy Scouts of America, has 22 active participants age 14-17. These young men and women take part in various events, learning about public safety planning/implementation while providing valuable service to the community and preparing themselves for possible careers in public service. Fire Services conducted nine advanced training courses totaling 9,184 hours with 137 students. These advanced courses prepare Fire Services members for promotion while improving their emergency response knowledge, skills and abilities in their current positions. In order to enhance levels of service for citizens and levels of safety for staff, Fire Services established, as a standard, a three-person engine company with a Lieutenant in each station as a supervisor. Other staffing improvements included securing four Firefighter Trainee positions for the diversity program and adding two new Fire Inspector positions to reduce the backlog of commercial property inspections. To accommodate the three-person staffing standard, a new fire engine capable of carrying a minimum of three personnel was placed in service. In addition, two 20-year-old aerial apparatus units were replaced with new aerials that have longer ladders and increased capabilities that can provide better insurance ratings and lowered insurance costs for residents in the service area. The existing aerials will be maintained as reserves – having four operational aerials in the fleet at all times is a definite service improvement.

Polk County personnel were an integral part of the multi-agency emergency response at the tragic, I-4, 70-car pile-up in January 2008.

Another service improvement was realized with the purchase of a modular unit to house career firefighters assigned to the Rifle Range Fire Station. These firefighters will augment the Wahneta and Alturas volunteer departments. Recognizing that the media plays an important role in providing information to Polk citizens, this year, the Communications Division continued its 24/7 media support for emergency response incidents. Having a public information officer (PIO) on-scene allows the media to more easily obtain and report on information citizens want and need to know while ensuring that first responders are able to focus their efforts on the actual emergency situation. This year’s 70-car pile up on Interstate 4 offers a prime example of the benefits of this support system, where Communications Division (PIO) staff assisted the media while first responders concentrated on rescuing, treating and transporting victims and extinguishing vehicle fires. The tragic I-4 incident also demonstrated the importance of effective collaborative communications efforts. On behalf of Polk County Public Safety and the BoCC, Polk County’s PIOs worked on-scene with communicators from multiple state and local response agencies, resulting in timely and accurate information to the media and the public to prevent other motorists from taking unnecessary risks in extremely unsafe driving conditions.

Polk County Fire and EMS hold ceremony for new joint Jan Phyl station

Did you know? Community

Emergency Response Teams (CERT) have grown to a total of 17 teams with 362 members. These volunteer groups help themselves and their neighbors in the event of a local disaster by providing basic emergency assistance.

County Probation staff coordinated the Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council, which approved distribution of $95,315 in federal/state Byrne grant funds to 16 criminal justice projects in Polk County. These projects include Mental Health Court, DUI Enforcement programs, community resource programs, and identity theft strike force – all of which benefit the community and those affected by crime.

25

Polk County is ...

Outdoor News and other recreation, provide crucial assistance to the preservation of natural lands through involvement with the Environmental Lands Program and help keep residents safe from flooding by minimizing vegetation in 47 miles of drainage canals through Polk County.

The inaugural Trek Ten Trails event was a big success

Did you know? This year, Mosquito

Control Section’s ground and aerial programs treated 830,859 acres for adult mosquitoes, and the ground program treated 16,000 acres for mosquito larvae.

Helping “save our children from nature-deficit disorder,” Leisure Services joined with Natural Resources’ Environmental Lands Program to participate in the Friends of the Parks Foundation’s inaugural Trek Ten Trails Program (see photos above). Leisure Services’ Fort Fraser and Saddle Creek Nature trails, plus five of the County’s environmental land sites were included in the program’s ten featured trails that beckoned couch potatoes to become more active in exploring the outdoors. The Foundation, staffed solely by volunteers, developed an award-winning year-long program in cooperation with Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing (PCTSM) to get visitors and residents alike “off the couch” and into the woods and the great outdoors. The program offered a “find the treasure” challenge in geo-cache hides along each of the ten trails. Geocaching, the latest phenomenon in outdoor adventure, uses the high-tech aid of GPS (Global Positioning Systems) units to locate camouflaged boxes containing trinkets for trading and a self-inking stamp that participants used to validate their treks. Some 5,000 passports for stamping/validating treks were distributed at the County’s Outpost 27 Interactive Visitors Center and at scheduled monthly hiking events. The program’s geocaching experience enticed participants from 71 Florida cities in 29 counties as well as visitors from 30 states, four Canadian provinces, England and Ireland to trek Polk County’s trails. Having trekked all ten trails, a total of 117 were honored and inducted into the Trek Ten Trails’ Trail Walkers Club following the program’s first year. The Invasive Plant Management Section keeps out unwanted invasive aquatic plants such as water hyacinth, water lettuce and hydrilla that degrade native habitat and water quality in our lakes and creeks. Current maintenance extends over 500 miles of public lake and creek shorelines. These services help keep our lakes accessible for boating, fishing

Citizens want good water quality and want to feel safe in lakes and streams. The Lake and Stream Monitoring Group in the Water Resources program (see photo below) helps achieve these goals by providing scientifically valid data to water resources professionals who plan improvement and restoration projects. This group also educates citizens about water quality issues and safe use of lakes and streams at various public events. Even though drought conditions negatively impacted water quality monitoring this year, more than 825 samples were collected and more than 11,000 laboratory tests performed to monitor water quality on Polk County’s lakes and streams. A cooperatively funded project with the Southwest Florida Water Management District began in 2007 and continued this year to evaluate the feasibility of recharging the Floridan Aquifer with surface water captured during high flow periods. The first year of the study involves water quality data collection and analyses to determine if flood waters flowing through soils adjacent to the stream banks can be purified enough to meet Florida Department of Environmental Protection drinking water criteria. If successful, large-scale aquifer recharge and recovery projects will meet the dual goals of helping alleviate flooding while also providing a public water supply source.

Forty-four percent of workshop attendees reduced their water bill as a result of attending Florida-friendly landscaping workshops through the UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) Program. Workshop participants made recommended landscape changes to reduce their water bills including replacing high-water-use plants with Florida-friendly varieties, using compost and soil amendments, updating sprinkler systems and installing rain barrels for outdoor irrigation use. As a result of this potable water use reduction, participants saved money and conserved valuable water resources. Monitoring the water quality in our lakes and streams

26

The Natural Resources Drainage Program maintained more than 314 acres of drainage systems (canals, ditches, bridges, etc.) by mowing vegetation, repairing erosion and removing sediment and debris. In order to enhance these efforts, the Drainage Program used annual contracts to perform mowing and chemical spraying of vegetation, as well as debris removal in 34 drainage systems (swales, ditches, etc.) and 31 County-owned stormwater ponds – approximately 1,200 additional acres. These and other maintenance activities performed by the Natural Resources Drainage Program, directly benefit Polk County citizens, ensuring that the drainage systems are able to drain stormwater runoff from homes, roadways, yards, commercial and industrial areas, etc.



Saving Money

Polk County is ... Saving money Responding to the high cost of fuel, the Fleet Management Division (see photo right) undertook a number of steps that are expected to reduce the County’s fuel consumption by 12 percent, including: restricting the speed of County vehicles to 55 mph, implementing an Idle Awareness Program to minimize idling (motor running while vehicle is stopped), reducing the size of vehicles and engines purchased and initiating a driver training program to teach additional fuel-saving techniques. Since its inception in February 2001, Polk County’s employee suggestion program, SHINE, has received 1,886 employee suggestions to improve the quality of County operations and services. From these ideas, 480 have been adopted, resulting in savings of $6,452,226 through enhanced service to citizens, streamlined business practices, increased safety awareness and improvements in the quality of government services. For example, a Transportation Engineering Division employee’s SHINE suggestion saved Polk County more than $362,372 in CSX-related expenses, including a $90,000 reimbursement for funds already spent. The Traffic Engineering and Operations Division continued its use of retroreflectometers (see photo below, left) to measure the useful life of traffic control signs. In addition to the safety issues related to maintaining sign reflectivity, there have also been demonstrated savings. In fact, early testing and implementation of the reflective preventative maintenance program has yielded a 32 percent reduction in sign replacement. It is estimated that approximately 4,000 signs per year will be salvaged based on reflectivity standards; this could yield an estimated annual operating cost savings of $120,000. Traffic Engineering and Operations continued its efforts to improve the safety of school children while using “green energy,” with the installation of additional solar-powered beacons, bringing the totals to 43 solar-powered school zone beacons and 14 warning beacons. The units use LED lights, which are more energy efficient than incandescent lights. In addition, the new lights have a high visibility green reflection and a larger viewable area to enhance public safety in the school zone. Traditional (non-solar-powered) beacons have a monthly electrical operating cost per beacon; however, since the solar-powered units generate their own power and cost nothing to operate, the total annual savings using these beacons is approximately $19,230. The Misdemeanor Probation staff supervised more than 4,500 individuals placed on probation for misdemeanor or criminal traffic offenses this year. Officers ensured that offenders complied with all Court-ordered conditions of probation, including paying restitution to victims, maintaining gainful employment and completing community service hours. Probationers completed 100,000 hours of community service work at non-profit or

Fleet Management technicians work to make the County’s fleet vehicles more efficient

government agencies across Polk County, providing assistance valued at $667,000. They also paid $40 per month in supervision fees to defray costs to the taxpayer. Staff collected almost $1 million in fees, all of which was returned to the County’s general fund for use in providing other critical services to citizens. Another program that saves taxpayer dollars is the Electronic Monitoring Program, which provides a direct alternative to costly incarceration. Select felony violation of probation offenders are released from jail and monitored, via Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, pending placement at a residential substance abuse treatment program. The Court also refers select pretrial misdemeanor and felony offenders, as well as misdemeanor offenders who are permitted to serve the balance of a jail sentence on GPS. Since the program began in December 2005, almost 1,000 inmates have been referred (80 percent of whom complete the monitoring period successfully), and 38,600 jail days have been avoided. Once program expenditures were deducted and monitoring fees paid by the offender added, the actual savings to County taxpayers was $1,507,740. These recovered funds are used to provide/enhance other community services.

Sign technician checks the reflection level with a retroreflectometer

Vertical hydroponic vegetable gardens save irrigation water and reduce fertilizer runoff

Did you know? By maintaining

85,411 traffic signs, Traffic Engineering & Operations keeps all drivers informed of roadway regulations and helps ensure roadway safety. If laid end to end, all those signs would reach about 14 miles!

27

Polk County is ...

Helping People The UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service’s Expanded Foods & Nutrition Education Program teaches families with limited resources strategies for purchasing healthy foods and provides food-safety classes. This year, 214 families assisted by the program learned how to use the new food pyramid and attended educational classes covering topics from food safety to hurricane preparedness. Participants took part in hands-on food preparations/demonstrations and made trips to local supermarkets, learning to use store resources to make wise and healthy purchases.

New playground equipment helps improve neighborhoods

Did you know? The Housing &

Neighborhood Development Division helped families and individuals stay within their chosen communities with 121 homes replaced and/or rehabilitated.

Polk County government recognizes the importance of being a good citizen in the community it serves. This year, the County’s Emerging Leaders (top performers in non-supervisory positions) led the BoCC’s United Way fundraising campaign to successfully raise $104,361 for agencies that provide invaluable services to the area’s most vulnerable residents. The Veterans Services unit assists all former, present and future members of the Armed Forces and their dependents. This year, Polk County veterans received $105 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs, including all compensation, pension, education, vocational rehabilitation, insurance, indemnities and medical expenditure allocations. Veterans Services proudly served more than 8,000 clients, obtaining more than $16 million in earned federal benefits for veterans and their families. In addition, the BoCC and Veterans Services provided $11,500 to the Active Duty Combat Military Grant Program for Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans of Polk County. This program provides tax grants for veterans with homesteads in Polk County. The Elderly Services Division administered a number of grant-funded programs to provide a wide range of services to elderly citizens 60 years of age and over and to disabled adults. This year, 2,730 qualifying elderly Polk citizens benefited from services such as adult day care, respite for caregivers, personal hygiene assistance and light homemaking. Elderly Services also provided 209,329 home-delivered meals and served 101,871 congregate meals. All these services help elders continue living in the community, prevent costly premature nursing home placement, and give them and their families an enhanced quality of life.

The Housing & Neighborhood Development (HND) Division currently manages a variety of Federal and State grants to assist Polk County’s citizens in improving their quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, public facility improvements, clearing slum and blighted properties, infrastructure improvements (in partnership with local municipal government utilities) and rental and homeownership initiatives. Other HND accomplishments included: While the majority of the County’s community development projects effectively improve the community as a whole, the Housing & Neighborhood Development Division’s (HND) housing initiatives assist families and individuals on a more personal basis. This year, more than $25 million (including grants such as HOME Investment Partnership and State Housing Initiative Partnership) funded minor and substantial rehabilitation, total home replacement and down-payment assistance to provide qualifying residents a variety of housing solutions. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) program funds were approved by the BoCC to provide essential services to qualifying residents throughout the county, including food service and job training provided by Talbot House, and to provide crisis counseling for women at risk of domestic violence residing in Polk County. HND also assisted very low-income families, elderly residents and residents with disabilities through federal rent subsidies and utility allowances. With funding from HND, three nonprofit agencies (Talbot House, Salvation Army and the House of Israel) supported the county’s homeless by providing emergency shelter, food boxes, homeless prevention assistance, counseling and healthcare. Community Health and Social Services (CHSS), working with the National Association of Counties, provided prescription drug discount cards that allowed 796 Polk County residents to fill 1,407 prescriptions at a monthly savings of $17,383 (most recent month of statistics at publication date). The BoCC also contracts with Health Council of West Central Florida to obtain free prescription drugs for chronically ill adults in Polk County. Through MedNet (which targets low-income, chronically ill adults of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds), the Health Council secures free medications through the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. From July 2007 to

Grand opening of Central Florida Health Care clinic

28

Polk County is ...

Helping People & Youth

June 2008, MedNet secured more than $262,000 in free medications for the 422 Polk County residents enrolled in the program. The Polk HealthCare Plan (PHP), designed to increase access to medical care for the uninsured and underinsured, served 19,031 individuals this year. Through the plan, 288,209 prescriptions were filled and 264,578 medical claims processed. This year, 98 residents were admitted to the Rohr Home, a skilled nursing facility that is part of CHSS. Twenty-four-hour nursing service is provided, along with physical therapy, occupational therapy and other health services. A dietitian, social worker and activities director are also available to meet the needs of residents. The County-run Rohr Home consistently receives the state’s highest ratings for quality care. Healthy Families (a program designed to support families in achieving improved childhood outcomes) provided home visiting services for 827 families with 818 children. Of the families served, 98 percent of the children over two had received their most recent well-baby check, 99 percent of participants were linked to a medical provider, 98 percent did not have a subsequent pregnancy within two years of the target child’s birth, and 75 percent of the families completing the program maintained or improved their self-sufficiency. This year Healthy Families held the first parenting class in Spanish, as part of its community-based parenting classes for parents of young children and parent support groups. The Communications Division led the charge for life-saving blood donations. As a result, Polk’s employees gave 252 pints; in fact, Polk’s blood donations have averaged 200+ pints per year for the past five years, a true indication of employees’ commitment to meeting this critical need in our community.

Youth Countywide, more than 800 elementary students participated in the Transportation Planning Organization’s poster art contest themed “Transportation in 2030.” The future of transportation?

Recognizing poster art contest winners

The Transportation Engineering Division taught six GPS (Global Positioning Systems) classes to student representatives from all over Florida at the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Leadership Outdoor Adventure Youth Conference at the Polk County FFA Training Center. After a classroom overview of how GPS works, the students navigated a predefined outdoor course using handheld GPS devices. The UF/IFAS Polk County Cooperative Extension Service’s 4-H and other programs create positive changes in youth, families and communities. This year, more than 8,500 youth participated, including the 38 community-based 4-H clubs in Polk County. The Polk County 4-H Shooting Sports program continued to be the fastest growing project area in the county. Youth, ages 8 through 18 years, excel in the areas of archery, hunting, rifle, skeet and trap shooting. This year, more than 182 youth participated in at least one shooting sport; 45 qualified for the state archery match and 10 for the state shotgun match. Other 4-H activities this year included: In summer 2008, 40 youth from throughout Polk County attended camp at the Ocala 4-H Center in the Ocala National Forest. Hands-on learning experiences included canoeing and kayaking, outdoor skills, communication arts and drama, archery and air rifle, wildlife walks, and general environmental stewardship education.

Did you know? Approximately

20,000 adults and youth attended this year’s Polk County Youth Fair, a character-building opportunity for all youth participants.

Twenty-five youth in Florence Villa attended 4-H Day Camp at the Wilfred Smith Community Center. Activities included fishing at Colt Creek State Park, hiking at Lake Kissimmee State Park, cooking and baking, team sports, and swimming.

Each year, youth in Polk County schools and 4-H choose projects to exhibit at the Polk County Youth Fair, held in January. In 2007-2008, 1,266 youth enrolled, 1,051 showed in the fair with a total of 2,866 exhibits in divisions such as raising livestock and small animals, photography and baking.

Healthy Families’ Blue Ribbon Run participants celebrate a fun event

29

a Dedicated Team of Constitutional Officers

Polk County is ...

Your County government is comprised of not only the BoCC, but also five Constitutional Officers: Clerk of the Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector. These pages provide a glimpse of their services and accomplishments. If you’d like to know more, please contact them.

Clerk of the Courts, Richard M. Weiss

The Clerk’s Office made a number of improvements this year to enhance customer service and access to information: The Clerk’s Web site (www.polk-countyclerk.net) has an improved layout with updated information and clearer instructions to help users find information faster and more efficiently. Now included on the site: plat maps, criminal court records, scanned images of tax deed documents and public auction information. A PowerPoint presentation and new jury video was developed for jurors to help them understand the jury process in a clear and comprehensive way. The use of image technology allows for court documents to be automatically recorded in the Clerk’s Official Records system, saving time and expense and speeding the process of having the documents available for public view. The Clerk’s Office now accepts credit card payments in all departments as a convenience to our customers; traffic citations can also be paid with a credit card via the Internet or telephone.

Did you know? All Official Records

(documents) from 1957 to present are now digitized and available on the Polk County Clerk’s Web site.

The Clerk’s Office received a number of awards this year: it was recognized as a Best Place to Work by Polk Works for the third consecutive year and received the Polk Works “Employer of Distinction Award” in August 2008. For the 28th consecutive year, Richard M. Weiss, Accountant, Auditor and Clerk to the BoCC received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting; the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting was also awarded for the seventh consecutive year. The 10th Judicial Circuit Justice Achievement Award was presented to Richard Weiss for making the legal system more accessible, responsible and effective.

Property Appraiser Marsha M. Faux, CFA, ASA

The Polk County Property Appraiser’s Office (PCPA) is charged with placing a fair and just value on each individual property in Polk County. Marsha Faux, as Property Appraiser, is an independent constitutional officer who is committed to promoting public awareness of the assessment process through educational outreach, data distribution and online resources.

30

The Property Appraiser’s Office had a busy year in 2008. On

January 29, 2008, the Florida voters approved Amendment 1, which includes an additional $25,000 homestead exemption, a $25,000 tangible personal property exemption, the ability to transfer save our homes (amendment 10) savings and the 10 percent cap on non-homestead properties that will take effect in 2009. The legislative changes resulting from the implementation of Amendment 1 provided many challenges and opportunities: Office applications, databases, processes, Web site design and Department of Revenue (DOR) submission standards were changed to accommodate Amendment 1. Even with all of these changes, the tax roll submitted by the Property Appraiser’s office was approved by the DOR on first submission and distinguished as one of the “cleanest” in the state. The Property Appraiser attended more than 100 local events to inform citizens about the effects of Amendment 1. In 2008, Truth-In-Millage (TRIM) notices also included an informative guide to help property owners better understand their property values and proposed taxes. The Web site (www.polkpa.org) was redesigned to include Amendment 1 FAQs, assessment guides, tax calculators and comprehensive TRIM data including a comparison of current and previous taxable values. The PCPA’s Fraud Investigations Unit was also busy, resulting in removal of unqualified exemptions for a total tax dollar impact of $2,413,343.

Sheriff Grady Judd

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) is a full-service law enforcement agency serving the fourth largest county in the state. Sheriff Grady Judd, who was elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2008, is an independent constitutional officer charged with the responsibility of providing primary law enforcement and detention services within Polk County. The agency also provides other services including: courtroom security, prisoner transportation, animal control, crime prevention and education programs, victim assistance services and school crossing guards for the Polk County School System. As of 2008, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office provided full law enforcement services through contracts with the cities of Frostproof, Polk City, Fort Meade, Eagle Lake and Dundee, and dispatching services for Davenport, Lake Wales, Winter Haven and Auburndale. PCSO also opened a modular substation in Poinciana. Among the agency’s recognitions this year: PCSO was awarded the Polk Works “Best Places to Work” award for the second year in a row, and the “Spirit of the Family” Award for the first time. In addition, PCSO maintains accreditation through seven different state and national distinguished organizations.

Polk County is ...

a Dedicated Team of Constitutional Officers Polk County voters enjoy the simplicity and reliability of optical scan voting equipment. Using a paper ballot and pencil, voters darken the oval next to their choice and then place the marked ballot into a scanner. Once counted, the ballot is secured in a locked box.

The PCSO continually works to find cost savings, including implementing a new jail menu that cut costs by $195,000. The Animal Control Trustee Work Program replaced six full-time positions with 14 jail inmates, providing a cost savings of $204,000 annually. In August 2008, the Polk County Jail Work Camp opened, where inmates pay to stay in the jail system while also developing essential life skills, instead of being a burden on taxpayers and taking up beds in the county jail. Learn more about the Polk County Sheriff’s Office online at www.polksheriff.org.

During 2009, elections staff will be out and about in Polk County’s many communities with voter registration, voting equipment demonstrations, speeches and educational programs for young people. To request a visit, register to vote or learn more about Polk County’s upcoming elections, visit www.polkelections.com.

Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards

The Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office is responsible for maintaining voter registration records and conducting fair elections. In addition to national, state and county elections, the Supervisor of Elections Office assists Polk’s municipalities with their elections. All 17 Polk County cities are scheduled for elections during 2009.

Tax Collector Joe G. Tedder, CFC

In 2006, the Polk County Efficiency Commission reported that “the Tax Collector has one of the most sophisticated systems for performance measurement of all Polk County agencies. Indeed, performance measurement is one of the critical elements of the organizational culture of the Tax Collector.”

During statewide elections, election workers assist at 166 precincts and six early voting sites. It takes months of planning and preparation for each election, and some people are surprised to learn that more than 1,500 members of our community pitch in to conduct an election.

Now the Tax Collector’s Office is engaging in a number of organizational system changes that will allow performance comparisons with some of America’s elite companies. This work will advance efforts for continuous improvement. The table below provides a sample of office expectations and related performance measures over the past year. More information is available online at: www.PolkTaxes.com.

Each year, more and more Polk voters take advantage of voting in advance – in person or with a mail ballot. During the 2008 elections, more than 90,000 Polk County voters cast ballots before Election Day and that number is expected to grow in 2009.

Tax Collector

EXPECTATION MEASUREMENT Answer customer service telephone calls within two minutes. Process mail payment transactions in two days. Customer service wait time is 10 minutes or less. Customers perceive staff to be courteous and knowledgeable. Real estate property tax roll amount collected. Tourist development tax remitted from customer on time. Collect $1.6 million in occupational license taxes by October. Collect current roll delinquent tangible property taxes by October. Remit tax dollars to appropriate taxing authority by deadlines. Automobile dealer work is processed in two days or less. Staffing efficiency (based on DOR statistics). Spending efficiency (based on DOR statistics). *Prior year percentage is based on a collection target of $1.5 million.

EXPECTATION 95% 98% 90% 98% 98% 90% 100% 95% 99% 98% Top 5 in State Top 5 in State

FY 2006 FY 2007 95.8% 96.8% 99.8% 99.3% 98.6% 97.6% 99.7% 94.9% 98.6% 99.4% 88.5% 87.5% 108.4% 108.5% 96.2% 96.0% 99.8% 99.8% 99.8% 99.9% #4 # 4 #5** # 3

FY 2008 97.0% 99.2% 93.3% 98.7% 99.8% 86.9% *104.9% 97.0% 99.9% 100.0% #4 #3

Did you know? The Tax Collector

is entrusted by the citizens of Polk County to collect and distribute property taxes for more than 30 governmental taxing authorities across Polk County. We do this at a cost of less than 1.3 cents per dollar.

** Due to one time expenditure associated with office renovations.

31

Frequently Called Numbers Main Switchboard (863) 534-6000 or call toll-free 1-800-780-5346 ~ol) 24-hour County Services Recorded Information 538-7600 or 235-7600 (disponsible en espan Animal Control 499-2600

County Probation 534-4125

Human Resources 534-6030

Budget and Management Services 534-6594

Courthouse 534-4000

Information Technology 534-7500

Business Development 534-4370

Elderly Services 534-5320 or 1-800-533-0741

Building Permits/Inspections 534-6080

Emergency Management 534-5600

Clerk of Courts 534-4000

Emergency Medical Services (administrative office) 519-7400

Code Enforcement 534-6054 Communications/ Intergovernmental Services 534-6090 Community Health & Social Services 533-1111 Cooperative Extension Services 519-8677 County Commissioners 534-6000 County Jail 534-6100 County Manager’s Office 534-6444

Environmental Resources 298-4240 Fire Services (administrative office) 519-7350 Growth Management 534-6084 Hazardous Waste 499-2689

Land Development 534-6792 Leisure Services 534-4340 Litter Hotline 534-0282 or 1-877-891-6430 Long-Range Planning 534-6486

Polk HealthCare Plan 533-1111 or 1-888-742-2622 Polk Outpost 27 Visitors Center 420-2586 or 1-800-828-7655

Property Appraiser 534-4777

Transit Services 534-5500

Purchasing 534-5610

Transportation Engineering 534-6700

Recycling 284-4319

Mosquito and Aquatic Weed Control 534-7377

Roadway Maintenance 534-7361

Natural Resources (drainage, lakes, etc.) 534-7377

Rohr Nursing Home 519-7579

Housing and Neighborhood Development 534-5240

PGTV (Polk Government Television) 534-5997

Tourism/Sports Marketing 534-2500 Traffic Engineering and Operations 534-7334

Risk Management 534-5275

Office of Equal Opportunity 534-5901

Tax Collector 534-4700

Polk Works/ WorkForce 2020 508-1600

Office of Supplier Diversity 534-5959

Healthy Families 603-6461

Supervisor of Elections 534-5888

Utilities Capital Projects 298-4246 Utilities Customer Service (water & sewer) 298-4100 Utilities Operations 534-7351

Sheriff’s Office 534-6200

Utilities Technical Services 298-4238

Small Business Development Center 667-7913

Veteran Services 534-5220

Social Services 534-5387

Polk County Board of County Commissioners

www.polk-county.net P.O. Box 9005 • Bartow, FL 33831-9005

Waste Resource Management 284-4319