Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting. The board then called for public comment. The first person to approach the stand was Bo Hancock. He told the board about an event coming up where Chris-Anne Hall would be speaking at the Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 18. Next to speak was Danielle Hampton with the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce, who thanked the board and the public for their help and attendance at Christmas on the Square. Wayne Hannaka followed, continuing the trend he had started at the last meeting by pointing out the positive things that had happened in the county. He proceeded to read a list of every grant that the county had acquired in 2024. The entire list is available on the Concerned Citizens of North Florida website. The final public comment was from Moses Klepper. He stood up for two reasons: he was asking if the board would pull item 10 off the consent agenda, and asked that, in the future, the board announce what items would be pulled from the consent agenda before the public comment section. The board then moved on to its consent agenda, pulling item 11, the awarding of a bid to Joseph Hoffman Construction, for discussion. Chairman Travis Land explained that he was pulling the item to clarify that the county had a total of four bids, and they were going with the lowest bid priced at $218,120. The board then approved the consent agenda unanimously before calling for constitutional officers' items. Deputy Sheriff Buddy Williams first approached the podium. He announced to the board that the accreditation team was currently visiting the jail. Fire Chief Dan Miller followed, announcing that the Community Paramedic Team had hit its 200th patient that day. Ronald Meeks followed, making the board aware that they were doing internal evaluations. During this, they discovered that their fee structure hadn't been adjusted in 20 years. He told the board that they would be approaching with an ordinance to fix it during a future meeting. The board then asked for County Attorney Adam Morrison's items. He told the board members that they needed to approve the interlocal agreement with Live Oak and Branford for the gas tax because it was set to expire. If it expires, then the money will be withheld. The board approved it unanimously. General business was next on the agenda. First, the board approved the 2025 Annual Committee Appointments. This included Commissioner Maurice Perkins on the Airport Committee, Commissioner Don Hale on the Development Authority Committee, Commissioner Leo Mobley on the Agriculture Extension Committee, Commissioner Travis Land on the Library Committee and Commissioner Franklin White on the North Florida Economic Partnership Committee. The board then approved a grant agreement, giving the county $1.5 million for the purchase of a generator for Suwannee Springcrest Elementary, which is the special needs shelter in the county. The meeting ended with the commissioners thanking the staff and the community and wishing everyone a merry Christmas. The next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.