Engineering Marion County: Tracy Straub

As a growing community in a growing state, Marion County is welcoming approximately 225 new residents a week. Attracted by job opportunities, affordable living, and that Florida sunshine. Coordinated planning, smart resource allocation, and efficient project execution by our local government entities help ensure our roads, water management, and other local infrastructure can keep up.  Hear from Tracy Straub, PE, Assistant County Administrator, Marion County Public Works and Growth Management as she highlights the wins and challenges of leading these initiatives for Marion County.

Nonprofit featured in this episode: The Rock

About Tracy Straub, PE:
Tracy is the Assistant County Administrator for Marion County’s Public Works and Growth Services. She began her tenure with the Marion County Board of County Commissioners in 2001 as a Drainage Engineer, where she was responsible for developing the County’s stormwater program. She progressively gained responsibilities in transportation infrastructure planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance and was appointed the County Engineer in 2015. In 2021, she assumed her current expanded role where she oversees the Office of the County Engineer (Road Maintenance, Stormwater, Transportation Design, and Traffic Management), MSTU/Assessment, Building Safety, Community Services, and Growth Services (Planning, Zoning, and Code Enforcement). 

Tracy is a graduate of the University of Central Florida’s environmental engineering program and is a Florida-licensed professional engineer with 25+ years of experience in engineering and management.  Tracy is an Ocala native and fifth-generation Marion County Floridian.  She is married to Brian Hershberger, the owner of a small business that provides awards, recognition, and engraving for the business and industrial market. They both enjoy how they make their living, and they further boost their quality of life by enjoying fishing, travel, and their dogs.  Tracy takes great pride in her community and helping to shape its public infrastructure while preserving the beauty and environment of her home.   

The Catalyst is hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, sponsored by Douglas Law Firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios, located in Ocala, Florida. New episodes, guests, and perspectives of leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

Transcript

Natalie McComb  0:06  
The Catalyst, a CEP podcast on bold leadership in the Ocala Metro, hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership, sponsored by Douglas law firm, and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios located in Ocala, Florida. Welcome to the catalyst. I'm your host Natalie McComb, Vice President for the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership Foundation. And I'm joined today by Tracy Straub, assistant county administrator for Marion County. Welcome to the show, Tracy.

@Tracy Straub  0:40  
Natalie, thanks for having me here today.

Natalie McComb  0:42  
Tracy, you have been with Marion County Board of County Commissioners for more than 20 years. In 2015, you were promoted to the role of county engineer which is the role most in our community know you for. Today you serve in an expanded role as assistant county administrator overseeing not only the office for the county engineer, but multiple other departments including building safety, community services, growth services, and MSTU assessments. So take me back to that first role that you held as drainage engineer. Some may think that would be a more straightforward role, but you are in charge of the county's stormwater program. So tell me more about that and its relevancy today.

@Tracy Straub  1:24  
Natalie, we're going back. So when I was originally onboarded with the county, I was hired as the drainage engineer, it was a two person department. The county at that time was reactive mostly to drainage problems and situations and we maintained what drainage infrastructure we had. However, the role was changing when I was hired. They knew there was a federal mandate that had been rolled out across the US. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection doesn't exist at this time. Departments of Environmental Protection don't exist in all states. We happen to have one in Florida so it made the transition a little easier for our local communities. 

But, you had to create a program that dealt with water quality, not just water quantity. Water quantities, that flooding when it rains. Where quality is how clean is the water that is going into our stormwater systems. Throughout most of the US stormwater is viewed as a surface water system. It's going into water bodies at rivers and lakes and streams. in Marion County were a little unique though. We have what's called closed drainage basins. Most of our runoff does not reach a river or a lake, except for in some few small areas of the county. Most of our water ends up being contained in enclosed basins. And oftentimes that finds its way into sinkholes in Marion County. Direct connections into our aquifer. Our drinking water is that aquifer, and it's relatively shallow. It's that same water that's coming out at Silver and Rainbow Springs. It's the same water that you and I are drinking. 

So stormwater is a vehicle. Whatever it picks up along the way, whether it's leaking oil from your automobile, or if it's too much fertilizer that your grass hasn't been able to absorb. And the bigger issue that has come to light over the years are septic tanks. You know septic tanks do great things from a health standpoint for dealing with human waste. However, it's essentially a fertilizer. So, as it rains and your septic tanks are leaching it's getting into the aquifer as well. And it's feeding all the bad things in the aquifer. So, you know, today, there's been so much more recognition of that, but that was what we were learning when I first came on board with the county, the challenges that we were facing. 

It's not just being all about, "Let's save the environment," but being more about what is great for the Marion County community. It's a really good balance here because we are so ag strong, we're ag rich, we love our horses, we love our springs. So it's a balance. You know, when I first came on board, a lot of folks thought I was a tree hugger. And who doesn't want to be a tree hugger, they're gorgeous. But, this is my community and this is where I still have to be able to live and afford to live and enjoy it all. So that's what we worked on when we first came. Today, it's become so much more just common knowledge. Huge programs are now being invested in by the state and by our local governments. Marion County included on septic to sewer conversions.

Natalie McComb  4:34  
I'm sure all of these programs that have been brought in by the government and things like that to help at least move some communities over, off septic and onto community sewer. That has been huge in at least addressing a little bit of the concern of our springs the leaching, correct?

@Tracy Straub  4:52  
It absolutely has and again, Marion County will never get rid of all of it septic tanks, it just doesn't make sense. To go out and tackle all of our rural areas. But, we've had a lot of growth in our subdivisions. We had a lot of subdivisions that were not close to town that didn't start out on municipal sewer systems. And so those subdivisions, easy example, Silver Springs Shores, Marion Oaks, they're lacking in a lot of the sewer infrastructure. Those are quarter-acre lots that're financially feasible to get to. And so the county is actively doing programs like that, and there's a lot of grant money to help complete those programs.

Natalie McComb  5:32  
Tracy, for you, coming into this expanded role as assistant county administrator having that engineering background, I'm sure it was quite an undertaking, learning all these new departments and building those relationships. What advice would you give to other leaders who are stepping into expanded roles, who may need to do similar things and learn other parts of their organization?

@Tracy Straub  5:54  
Natalie, some of this was certainly foreign territory. When I accepted the position, there were folks that I did not work with, from a technical standpoint. You know, I knew our building official, of course, but I didn't know building construction. I would never pretend to know building construction. Same thing with our planning and zoning teams, in the programs that Grow Services does and the phenomenal programs that touch the community with our community services department, those are things that are very, very foreign to me. So it's important to build relationships and listen to what is going on in their world. Listen, and look, don't react, gain knowledge gained competencies and trust people who know these things much better than you do. And, you know, one of the things that I had to put into place is not being the "know it all," not being the first person with all the answers. I had to be very cognizant and build confidence with teams and say, I don't know this, I need your help. We all want to be successful, and I need your help. And then making sure they shine with their successes as they helped me.

Natalie McComb  7:14  
And any lessons learned as a part of that? And in your early days, big change

@Tracy Straub  7:18  
Big change for me being intentional. So I've learned to be more precise with meetings, you know, be intentional about your agenda and what you're here to accomplish. And accomplish that. And then know that when you do have the occasional meeting, that is not that routine on the schedule, that when you do have those occasional team meetings, that they know that this is the team meeting that we are going to celebrate each other, we're going to have some sidebar conversations, we're gonna get caught up with the squirrels and the rabbits, the bright, shiny objects. And that those are those meetings to enjoy in a different fashion than the ones that you do need to be intentional and on point with.

Natalie McComb  8:00  
That's great advice. And how important is business and the involvement of the general public in the work that you do?

@Tracy Straub  8:09  
Natalie, I think that is by far, the most important thing that any government agency can do. Marion County Board of County Commissioners, as a staff person on that team, we are here for the public. We're here to to make sure that we can answer questions, be accessible. walk people through processes. The government is scary for a lot of folks. They don't know what they're getting into. Some folks are used to doing business with us. And that's one thing but you're an individual, and you don't know if you need a building permit to change out a fan in your house or not. And you don't need to be afraid to ask that question. So all of us have to work on making sure that we make you comfortable. That we're your neighbor. We're here to be your neighbor and to be supportive. One of the things that I like to say to anybody, local government is the most accessible government there is. We all get caught up in what's going on, you know, at the national level. Politics is just crazy. But our local commissioners and council people, they are our neighbors, you have the best opportunity to have one-on-one conversations and actually effect change. You'd be amazed at some things that people call me about that they didn't think to call me about simple stuff. You drive down your neighborhood road, so more often than I ever would. And when you call and say, Hey, is this right? Well, gosh, no, that's not let's fix that. So I think it's incredibly important for us to have meaningful relationships with our business partners, and our citizens and let them know that we are here to help and support

Natalie McComb  9:53  
And in the field that you're in, engineering and certainly, in county administration, both could be very male-dominated fields. What has this meant for your experience kind of rising through the ranks as a woman leader?

@Tracy Straub  10:12  
You know, Natalie, I am just very driven. And there is nothing that I just do. When I take on any bit of work and any bit of effort you do it right. I guess I'm a little less self centered as well. So, I didn't particularly notice if it was a man or a woman in the room. I did what I felt was right. And people began to trust me and have competences to me. I think that's important for anybody. In any career, whatever you do, do what you say you're going to do. Do it well. Be attentive to your job, your skill sets. I think that will take care of you.

Natalie McComb  10:58  
And what do you see as your biggest challenges to be addressed in the next 12 months?

@Tracy Straub  11:03  
In Marion County, we have seen so much growth over the last few years. So we're faced with some of the same challenges that individuals are at home, the financial strains, the inflation, the cost of inflation, how long it takes to find a contractor to get the services done. So those right there are just practical day-to-day challenges that we deal with that I just think everybody recognizes from your own personal lives. But with all that said, funding is always a tremendous challenge. So all those things have led to cost increases. They've led to us having to negotiate because there are only so many contractors here locally, which project is the priority? I know, we want to do all five of these. But I don't have enough contractors to get them all done. Asphalt materials are not showing up here locally like they need to. So which project do I have to get done? So juggling all of that, we look to, we hope that it gets a little bit better with materials and goods coming our way. But it's a cost strain. And then as we look in the long-range for what our needs are, I have over $600 million of unfunded road projects that I know I need to do. That's a huge dollar amount. And so funding is the challenge. I treat every project like it's my tax dollars. It's extremely important to me that I deliver a project that we're all proud of, but that we did it very affordably for the community. So we're always going to be looking for ways to make the dollar go further, make it stronger, make it last longer. That is a huge challenge. And I've been extremely lucky that our community voted in a one-cent sales tax over the last several years. I am going to be asking our county commission if they would support that option in the future. Because I don't know what other funding is available. We would have to come up with a different funding mechanism. If we don't get to continue that type of process. We tried to be very transparent about all of that work. Not only does our sales tax work but all of our budgets. We have some really good budget documents online. Anybody can access them. The Marion County website isn't always the easiest to maneuver through. But, the budget documents are very clearly there. Our meetings are on the internet. If you don't get to attend a board meeting or even a budget hearing. You can look at those online and listen to those conversations. And then certainly call and ask questions.

Natalie McComb  13:46  
Good advice. And as you look at your last 20 years of service to Marion County, what are you most proud of?

@Tracy Straub  13:53  
You know, I have a number of things that I'm really proud of. Marion County has done a lot to improve employee morale. It's very important to build relationships with our employees, which builds relationships with our communities. When I first came on board with Marion County, we were a little backward. We were a little old-fashioned, I noticed it. But you know, it was quite homey. Today, I'd like to tell you that we're quaint or homey, but we're a lot more progressive in our people skills, our relationships, and our technology. And I just think that is wonderful. That was a true evolution that occurred and I hope that we can continue that. Also, you know, road projects and funding sales tax as an example of that meant a lot to have that confidence from the community to receive sales tax and be able to deliver more road projects more timely. Because we've been so strong in our road construction over the years, and that's not just because of me, that's also because of our County Administrator. As the former county engineer, he built great relationships with the Florida Department of Transportation. We have been able to do some very successful partnerships with DOT and getting projects done. So much so that we moved the interchange, the interchange north of the city of Ocala, the one that everybody's heard is coming because of Buc-ee's. Yeah, I didn't even know Buc-ee's wasn't anywhere in the picture. When we started talking about that interchange it wasn't anywhere in the picture. When we started working with DOT to get it moved from 2045 construction to 2025. Wow! I think that says a lot about our partnerships, our relationships, doing what we said we were going to do delivering what we promised we were going to deliver. It was really meaningful.

Natalie McComb  15:56  
And a true if you build it, they will come right? New interchange, move it up and hey, now we got Buc-ee's right? What a match made in heaven there. And a new interchange for us. 

One of the things we like to do on the show here is to allow you to talk about a not-for-profit organization that you'd like to highlight. Any one in particular?

@Tracy Straub  16:21  
You know, Natalie, over the last several years, I've heard about The Rock. And when you look at their materials, and you get an opportunity to talk to their team, you see what they do. So exciting. I heard about them over the last couple of years, The Rock provides for school children in need. And they started at the high school level, and they're moving into the middle school level. I just think that's tremendous. You know, my family didn't have two nickels to rub together on many occasions. And just having somebody that can offer that kind of help and support little things. High school is so weird. You can be so uncomfortable. You know, you want to be a cool kid. I promise you. I was not a cool kid. I was the class nerd and I'm proud of it. But it's great when you have folks like that make it easier for you. 

Natalie McComb  17:10  
And now a word from our sponsor.

@Sponsor: Douglas Law Firm  17:13  
Hello, this is Jeremiah Block with the Douglas law firm. We are a full service law firm with many practice areas to serve your particular needs. We are located in downtown Ocala 110 North Magnolia Avenue. Coming from a seventh-generation family here in Ocala, I am honored for our law firm to partner with the CEP to bring you these podcasts. We hope you enjoy it.

Natalie McComb  17:34  
So now on to our lightning round questions. What trait do you value most from members of your team? 

@Tracy Straub  17:42  
Accountability and trust. 

Natalie McComb  17:44  
Best part about living in Ocala?

@Tracy Straub  17:47  
So Ocala's home. I grew up here. My family is from here. So I love it. It's beautiful. Big giant oak trees, gorgeous moss. I just love it when I come home from a vacation and I just see that look of it. And Ocala is safe. You know I love being able to call Ocala my hometown and I can tell people I still live in a safe community that looks gorgeous.

Natalie McComb  18:14  
Top band in your playlist right now? Who you listening to?

@Tracy Straub  18:18  
So right now, and most of my life actually, it's Tom Petty. I have recently been given Live at the Fillmore. That is a great set of tracks. And it's just a whole experience to hear him play over a month's period of time with a different little playlist every night and just the chatter that goes on and the fun and the vibe of it. And I think everybody should have a work environment that's that enjoyable.

Natalie McComb  18:50  
Tracy, thank you so much for being on the show. Today. Again, we were with Tracy Straub, assistant county administrator for Marion County. Thank you, Tracy.

@Tracy Straub  18:57  
Natalie, thank you for having me.

Natalie McComb  19:00  
Thank you for joining us for another episode of The Catalyst hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership sponsored by Douglas law firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios. New episodes, guests, and perspectives on leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Have a suggestion for a future guest email us at thecatalyst@ocalacep.com

Transcribed by https://otter.ai