Volusia County Council Stops Short of Dissolving Citizens Boards

DELAND, Fla. – The Volusia County Council on Tuesday stopped short of dissolving several citizen advisory boards which had been placed on the chopping block back in December. They were met with multiple hours of public comment advocating for some of the boards, and ultimately landed on different solutions for different boards. The boards in question were the Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee, Cultural Council, Code Enforcement Board, Library Advisory Board, Animal Control Board, and Business Incubator Board. The two boards which had the best outcomes Tuesday were the Environmental and Natural Resource Advisory Committee (ENRAC) and Cultural Council, both of which will stay around via a unanimous vote by the County Council. Representatives from ENRAC were on-hand to present their case and, along with the input of the residents in public comment, were successful in surviving the cut. The same went for the Cultural Council, which is now on the precipice of turning 35 years old. Less safe is the Animal Control Board, which isn’t dissolved yet but may be in the near future. The county government will be exploring alternative sources of input and consultation other than the existing board, meaning it could be dissolved if a suitable replacement is found. County staff will make a later presentation on the specifics of dissolving the Animal Control Board. The same goes for the Business Incubator Advisory Board and the Library Advisory Board. The one entity which did bite the dust on Tuesday was the Code Enforcement Board, which will be replaced by a special magistrate. The decision was made by the Volusia County Council to transition from a full board due to a reported lack of participation in the years the board has existed.