The meeting kicked off with Lyle Carter
presenting a check to VCC General Manager John Laliberte for the new clubhouse
podium. After the pledge of allegiance and member welcoming, our guest speaker,
Collier County Commissioner Mr. Tim Nance discussed:
1)
Economic development (roads and
building) in Collier County
2)
Steps being taken to make Collier
County run more efficiently
3)
Encouraging business development in
Collier County
Some of the key points from his
discussion were:
Collier County contains roughly 1.3M
acres of which approximately 80% or 1M are already in “preservation”
status. Nearly 15% of the county is
already built and only 5% of the 1.3M acres is in discussion for future
development. Much of the building will
occur near VCC with planned communities similar to Vanderbilt Country Club. The
surrounding roadways, including CR 951, are being expanded to accommodate the
anticipated additional traffic.
In addition to the roadway and building
discussion, Mr. Nance also talked about
the ways that he is making Collier County Government more efficient. He has
established a 1st Hearing Examiner position to approve
non-controversial items as well as eliminating several “Executive Director”
positions in order to flatten his organization structure. He also discussed 55 action items that are
being assessed to either simplify the operation of Collier County or to help
reduce regulation. He recognizes the need to streamline Collier County
government and is taking steps toward that goal.
Taxes in Collier County, and all other
counties in the United States, are used predominantly for providing residential
services. Business taxes provide a way to help offset the disproportionate cost
of providing these services. Mr. Nance also discussed what is being done to
encourage business development in Collier County. The Partnership for Collier’s
Future Economy was established to identify opportunities for “courting”
business. “Opportunity Naples” is a 3 year strategy that was put together to
help addresses the issues of business growth and business development in
Collier County.
Commissioner Nance answered many
questions and concerns from our members.
The meeting was adjourned at
approximately 1:30 with the group looking forward to a continuation of a strong
lineup of speakers for the 2014-2015 season, now that our fabulous club
house has reopened.
Lyle Carter presented the check to John Laliberte for the new podium.
