Regular Meeting
Dixie County Courthouse
Commission Meeting Room
August 15, 2013 – 6:00 PM
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
Jason Holifield, Chairman
Marvin E. Hunt, Vice Chairman
Gene Higginbotham
Jody Robson
Ronnie Edmonds
STAFF PRESENT:
Dana D. Johnson, Clerk of Court
Candace Corbin, Deputy Clerk
Jennifer Ellison, County Attorney
CALL TO ORDER:
The Meeting was called to order by Commission Chairman Holifield at 6:00 PM.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE:
The invocation was given by Commissioner Edmonds and the Pledge to the American Flag was led by Commissioner Robson.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The motion to approve the Minutes from the Regular meeting of August 1, 2013 was made by Commissioner Higginbotham and seconded by Commissioner Hunt. Board approved.
APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS:
The motion to approve the Vouchers as presented was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commissioner Robson. Board approved.
PRESENTATION:
The Board of County Commissioners presented William Earl Malone with a plaque recognizing his 10 years of service to the County. Mr. Malone'sfamily was on hand to congratulate him. The Board thanked Mr. Malone for his positive contribution.
TIM ALEXANDER, EMERGENCY SERVICES DIRECTOR:
Mr. Alexander appeared before the Board presenting his Emergency Management reports for the month. He reminded everyone we are still in hurricane season; everyone needs to be prepared and have a plan.
CARLOS HERD, SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT:
Mr. Herd appeared before the Board and gave a presentation on Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers as well as the priority springs surrounding. Mr. Herd is the Division Director of Water Supply for the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD.) He gave the environmental values accompanied by maps and graphs depicting the reaches and gauges of both rivers. Mr. Herd spoke on the baseline condition with the MFL shift and stated we have a lot of water being pumped out of the ground; however, Dixie isn’t showing any impact as a resultlike counties in the surrounding area. Commissioner Holifield asked who issues the water permits for a twelve inch well and Mr. Herd stated the SRWMD. Mr. Herd stated the average eight inch well uses one hundred million gallons of water per day. Commissioner Holifield stated he would like them to publish this information in our local papers so that our citizens can be better informed as water is a major concern at this point for our community. Mr. Herd stated that Commissioner Higginbotham sits on the North Florida Regional Water Supply Partnership for Dixie County and does a phenomenal job.
Mr. Herd presented a check in the amount of $21,647.39 for the Suwannee River Water Management District's payment in lieu of taxes. Commissioner Holifield and the rest of the Board thanked Mr. Herd and the District for this yearly payment to Dixie County.
SHERRY COFFILL:
Mrs. Sherry Coffill appeared before the Board and presented a proposal for mass food distribution in Dixie County. She stated it will be held on November 9, 2013 in conjunction with the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank and they are expecting 28 pallets of food to be distributed. There will be no qualification for a person in need and it will be held at the Trail Riders Club with the Board’s approval. Commissioner Hunt asked if the rental and cleanup fees for the Trail Riders Club could be waived and Attorney Ellison stated yes the Board and Mrs. Coffill discussed the need for event insurance as they will be hosting some games, pony rides, etc. in hopes of attracting a lot of people to the event. Attorney Ellison stated additional event insurance will need to be obtained by the group for the outside activities. Pastor Jim Hurst stated this is an excellent program and he would like to see the entire community involved. Mr. Dennis Brucker, with Hitchcock's Markets, stated he serves on the Board for the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank and the organization is well run and the quality of food is excellent.The food is not out of date and everyone involved is trained in food safety. The motion to approve the waiver of the rental and cleanup fees for the Trail Riders Club was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commissioner Robson. Board approved.
PHIL BISHOP, NORTH FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL SERVICES:
Mr. Phil Bishop appeared before the Board and stated he has officially obtained the permit for the Jena Boat Ramp. The contractor plans to begin on the project once scallop season is over. He spoke regarding the CDBG application and the cycle will open between October 2013 and January 2014. Mr. Bishop and the Board discussed a timeline for tasks and meetings that will need to be accomplished for the application process. The first public hearing will be held on September 5, 2013 at the next Commission Meeting. The motion to allow Mr. Bishop to schedule all meetings that need to take place was made by Commissioner Edmonds and seconded by Commissioner Robson. Board approved.
Mrs. Nancy Conrad inquired about the parking at the Jena Boat Ramp and if it would be included in the grant. Mr. Bishop stated parking is not included in the grant because the County has parking down the road from the current ramp. Commissioner Edmonds stated he will have more directional signs placed near the ramp for parking.
Mr. Ed Becker inquired about the Horseshoe Beach Road paving project and Mr. Bishop stated it has been funded and is slated to begin this year.
JOE RUTH, SOLID WASTE COORDINATOR/ MOSQUITO CONTROL DIRECTOR:
Mr. Joe Ruth appeared before the Board and stated his monthly report is in the Board's packet. Mr. Ruth stated he hopes to have the rest of the new dumpsters by the Labor Day Holiday. Mr. Ruth commended Mr. Herd on the District and Department of Environmental Protection working hand in hand.
JERRY PRATER, VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER:
Mr. Jerry Prater appeared before the Board and gave his monthly report. He stated the Florida Crown Workforce office in Old Town is now closed and representatives will be at the County Library once per week to help Veterans and others in need of employment. Commissioner Hunt inquired about the plaque forPrivate John Britton Glisson who was killed in action during World War I and Mr. Prater stated is has been installed in the hallway at the front of the Courthouse thanks to you all and the American Legion Post 383. Commissioner Holifield thanked Mr. Prater for all his efforts.
CHARLIE FORNACIARI, ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAM:
Mr. Charlie Fornaciari appeared before the Board and stated they are in the process of mapping the material located on the reef. They will be diving for a couple months. Mr. Fornaciari stated he is working on the paperwork to get the grant reimbursement for the reefs. The dredging permit for the McGriff Channel is expected to be in hand by the end of next week. He asked for the workshop to be rescheduled to September 5, 2013 at 9:00 AM and the Board agreed.
JOHN JENKINS, BUILDING AND ZONING:
Mr. John Jenkins appeared before the Board and presented his monthly report. He asked the Board to approve the Site Development Plan as presented by Hitchcock’sMarkets. Dennis Brucker, Vice-President of Operations for Hitchcock's Markets, was on hand to answer any questions if needed. The motion to approve was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commissioner Higginbotham. Board approved. Commissioner Hunt asked when will you all break ground and Mr. Brucker stated they are scheduled to have the ground breaking very soon and he is overwhelmed with the community support of this project.
Mr. Jenkins presented a Satisfaction of Deferred Payment Loan for Dwayne Lambert for approval. The motion to approve was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commissioner Higginbotham. Board approved.
Mr. Jenkins stated the first inspection on the cell tower in Suwannee has been completed.
MELVIN CORBIN, COUNTY ROAD SUPERINTENDENT:
Superintendent Melvin Corbin appeared before the Board and stated he and his crew have been hauling a lot of rock and trying to keep the ditches clean from debris due to the excessive rain the County has been receiving. Mrs. Nancy Conrad stated the ditches are not draining on the Jena Highway and Superintendent Corbin asked to get further information after the meeting because he stated they were draining this morning when he came to work.
CINDY BELLOT, LIBRARIAN:
Mrs. Cindy Bellot appeared before the Board and presented her monthly report. She spoke on the Florida Crown Workforce using the Library for assisting citizens with their employment needs. Mrs. Bellot added they are working diligently to get internet service to the JenaTech Cetner in DTrac Park for students who need help with school work. Commissioner Edmonds thanked Mrs. Bellot for all her hard work at DTrac. She noted the Library has 76 new patrons for the month bringing the total number of patrons to 7,062.
JENNIFER ELLISON, COUNTY ATTORNEY:
Attorney Ellison stated the ordinance for the Local Option Gas Tax and the interlocal agreements with Horseshoe Beach and Cross City has been moved to the next meeting. She stated she will provide a draft ordinance for review before the next meeting.
Attorney Ellison stated she has looked into the Boyette property which was reportedly donated to the County. She has found references in the Commission Minutes from that time but cannot find anything on a deed to that effect. This property does, however, qualify for surplus and the County can sell to an adjacent land owner if they so choose. In this case, Mrs. Willie Mae Boyette is the only adjacent property owner. The motion to declare the property as surplus was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commissioner Edmonds. Board approved.
Attorney Ellison stated she received a copy of a notice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regarding the fisheries failure and how the Department of Commerce will look at the issue. On August 12, 2013 an oyster fishery failure was declared by the United States Secretary of Commerce and Attorney Ellison recommends the Board adopt a resolution to encourage local, state, and national governmental representatives to encourage Congress to fund a program to assist those affected by the failure of the commercial oyster fishery. She presented Resolution 2013-15 and read it by title only. The motion to approve Resolution 2013-15 was made by Commissioner Edmonds and seconded by Commissioner Higginbotham. Board approved.
Attorney Ellison gave the Board a proposed Fair Housing Ordinancefor review. She stated our current ordinance was passed in 1990 and it needs to be updated. Attorney Ellison added the first public hearing will be on September 5, 2013 and if the Board or public has any questions please contact her office. A copy of the proposed ordinance may be picked up in Clerk Johnson's office.
Attorney Ellison stated the Larry Keen lawsuit depositions were set without her approval and she will be speaking to the other attorney regarding the County employees' availability.
DANA D. JOHNSON, CLERK OF COURT:
Clerk Johnson presented the Annual Medical Examiners Agreement for Dixie County which has decreased since last year. The amount of this year's agreement is $20,256.60. The motion to approve and accept was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commissioner Higginbotham. Board approved.
COUNTY COMMISION ITEMS:
Commissioner Hunt stated someone is looking at the former Georgia Pacific Mill located here in Cross City and are interested in purchasing it to reopen.
Commissioner Holifield stated we really need to get the public educated on the water usage and will be reminding the Suwannee River Water Management District.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND CONCERNS:
Nancy Conrad inquired about the RESTORE Act. Attorney Ellison stated we will be recovering funds but we don’t know how much or when. Our County Manager and Emergency Services Director have been attending meetings and can better answer questions. Commissioner Holifield asked Mrs. Conrad to leave her information and he will have Manager Cassidy call her.
ADJOURN:
The motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Edmonds and seconded by Commissioner Robson. Board approved and the meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
DIXIE COUNTY, FLORIDA
ATTEST:______
Jason Holifield, Chairman
______
Dana D. Johnson, Clerk-Auditor
Regular Meeting – August 15, 2013 – 6:00 PM – Page 1 of 5