Collier County conditions $14,000 RPC quarterly payment on another county joining

The Collier County Board of County Commissioners voted to authorize a first quarterly payment to the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (RPC) only after at least one other county signs the council's updated interlocal agreement.

The motion, made by Commissioner McDaniel and passed by voice vote, directs the county clerk to issue a single quarterly payment at the revised 15-cent-per-capita rate if another county formally commits to the replacement interlocal agreement that Collier previously approved.

The move comes after staff and the county clerk raised legal and budget questions. Crystal Kinzel, Collier County clerk, told commissioners the board had repealed the older interlocal agreement in September and approved a replacement that set the per-capita rate at 15 cents. But, Kinzel said, "the agreement has not been fully executed" by other counties and the RPC's executive director continued billing under the old 30-cent rate because the council has not achieved a quorum to adopt the new documents. Kinzel asked for "direction with documentation and with budget and authority."

Commissioner McDaniel, who chairs the RPC, said he had led the county in ratifying the new interlocal, MOU and bylaws to show "leadership by example" and urged the commission to commit to a quarterly payment while he seeks other counties' approval. He described plans to take the draft interlocal and bylaws to each of the six counties statutorily required to be members of the RPC to seek ratification.

Commissioners pressed practical questions: whether the clerk could legally issue a payment without an executed multijurisdictional interlocal, whether the county had budgeted for the expense, and what the county would actually be paying. Kinzel said the county had not budgeted for the payment; staff said the RPC had billed two quarters at the 30-cent rate, and that half of a billed amount of roughly $28,000 would equal "a little over $14,000" for one quarter at the 15-cent rate. Commissioners noted the RPC's population base used in the invoice (about 390,000) and that annual cost estimates varied in materials provided by staff.

Several commissioners supported a conditional payment to give McDaniel leverage when asking other counties to join. Commissioner Saunders and Commissioner Acaster backed an amendment that limited the county's obligation: Collier would make the payment only "when one other county comes in," providing a clear trigger before funds are disbursed. The board agreed, with Kinzel confirming she would write the check for one quarter once another county commits.

The discussion also reviewed the history of the RPC: after the state's Department of Community Affairs lost authority years ago, RPCs lost several regulatory powers and member counties began withholding payments. McDaniel said the RPC had become "dysfunctional" and that the revised MOU and interlocal were an attempt to restore the council's relevance, particularly for regional issues such as water quality, beach renourishment and cross-county planning.

The commission did not set an explicit deadline for other counties to join; the motion requires only that the county clerk issue the quarter payment when at least one other county has financially committed. The voice vote approving the conditional payment was recorded as unanimous; the exact roll-call tally was not specified in the meeting minutes.