Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, March 19, the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with the approval of the previous meeting's minutes before turning to public comment. First to speak was Charlene Moss, who stood up simply to show her gratitude for the board and all the work they do. Behind her was Keith Broaders, who announced that he would be teaching a class on the United States Constitution on Monday, March 25, at City Hall. Following him was Alicia Mincey, who also wanted to voice her gratitude for the commissioners, as they had helped her feel heard, especially after she lost her house during Hurricane Idalia.
The board then moved into its first time specific item for the evening, a public hearing considering a special permit request for Vickie Clark Music Depratter. The permit requested permission to build a 139 site recreational vehicle (RV) park and campground. The board approved the item with no opposition from the public or board members. The next time sensitive item was then presented, this one being the first of two hearings regarding an application by the board to amend Section 4.20.1 of the land development regulations by adding a subsection regarding backup generators on tower construction and co-location of county equipment. This meant that any new cell towers would be required to have a back up generator along with any new carriers joining the tower to either connect to that generator or provide their own. The board's only request was that the language also include a requirement for the generator to be able to run for 48 hours without refueling if activated. Due to it being the first of the two public hearings needed for the approval of the item, there was no board action on the item.
The board then moved into its third time-specific item for the evening, a public hearing regarding an application by Blackhawk Engineering to amend the zoning atlas by changing a district from Agriculture 2 to Commercial Highway Interchange. The area is a 49 acre parcel located behind Zaxby's and the hotel property on US Highway 129. Development Services Director Ronald Meeks explained that the front of the property is already zoned commercial, so that part of the property did not need to be changed. The reason for the request, he explained, is that Swanson Development would like to develop the area for multiple uses, including new commercial property options. He further explained that this area typically is used for commercial retail and lodging for those traveling by. The item was approved unanimously.
The commission then moved into the consent agenda, pulling two items for discussion and approving the rest. The first item that was pulled for discussion was the approval of an interlocal agreement continuing the North Florida Workforce Consortium. Diane Head, the Executive Director of CareerSource North Florida, was called to speak on the matter. She explained to the board how CareerSource helps the community in finding jobs, providing youth services and even helping provide tuition services. She further explained that the agreement is essentially the same as what has been approved for the past 25 years. The main changes are the removal of Jefferson County from the consortium and the addition of a new officer in the consortium. The item was approved unanimously.
The conversation then turned to the second pulled item, an extension on an agreement with Dewberry Engineers for engineering services. Attorney Adam Morrison had requested that the item be pulled simply so he could explain that there would be some paperwork involved with the extension and he just wanted to be upfront with the board. The item was approved.
The board then called for any items that county staff wished to present. Meeks once again took the podium to give a “pat on the back” to Robin Crespo, the county's code enforcement officer. Meeks explained that Crespo had been made aware of an issue where someone was illegally dumping raw sewage. Hearing this complaint, Crespo began investigating, getting help from many sources, including the Suwannee, Columbia and Alachua County Health Departments. He discovered there were four contiguous sites with illegal raw sewage dumping, and the perpetrator was fined $25,000. Meeks ended by saying he wanted to show Crespo some gratitude for helping handle something that can damage Suwannee County quickly and efficiently. Morrison further explained that the individual in question was not simply someone with an RV or camper dumping out their tank, but the perpetrator was in fact a septic tank company owner who was dumping hundreds of gallons of sewage onto his property, directly next to groundwater. The board echoed their appreciation for Crespo's diligence.
The board then moved to county attorney items. Morrison's first item was a contract with O'Neil Roofing for the work they were doing at the jail. The board approved unanimously. Morrison then moved to his second item, which also regarded Crespo and code enforcement, and the illegal dumping of raw sewage. He explained that there is an ongoing problem with individuals in an RV or camper who are dumping their sewage in unspecified areas. Morrison stated he had called surrounding counties to see if they had encountered or attempted to solve the same problem. He came back with the solution of passing an ordinance specifically pointed towards individuals dumping raw sewage that allowed code enforcement to fine $500 per occurrence of such an act. He continued, explaining that what would happen is the code enforcement officer would go out to the individual who was dumping, explain the situation and the penalty for illegally dumping, and then return a week later to see if the mess had been cleaned up. Morrison claimed that, since this was enacted in Columbia County, there has been a 99 percent decrease in complaints and illegal dumpings without a single ticket ever being written; simply the threat of the fine was enough to stop the common perpetrators, and those who chose to continue would be punished with the fine. The board agreed this was necessary and requested that Morrison draft the ordinance.
After receiving a few updates from consultants that the county works with, the board moved to general business. The only item on the agenda was a discussion about the North Florida Water Utilities Authority Interlocal Agreement. County Administrator Greg Scott explained that the idea was for multiple counties to work together and share resources to ensure that all utilities are well maintained without having to pour a large amount of money into them from one singular county. Commissioner Franklin White further explained that it is essentially a maintenance agreement with surrounding counties that will also allow them to pursue larger grants. The board then asked for any input from the public. First to speak was Bo Hancock, who voiced his concern about who would own the utilities and now it would increase the size of the government in Suwannee County. The board refuted the claims saying that Suwannee would own their utilities and that they would save money by sharing things, such as a vacuum truck. Commissioner White also refuted the claim that it would be bigger government, arguing this would actually be smaller government, as one contractor would be able to help multiple counties at the same rate rather than individually. Hancock continued voicing his concerns about another government agency having control over the county. Commissioner Don Hale asked if it would be possible for the board to be provided a side-by-side comparison of the cost of running utilities on their own and with the new interlocal agreement. Eventually, the board and Hancock agreed to disagree, with Hancock voicing his opposition to the interlocal agreement.
Moses Klepper was next to comment on the item, immediately voicing concern about there being no caps on the salary for those involved in this new entity. He also pleaded with the board to be cautious when setting this up so it doesn't go awry. Furthermore, he requested, if it was possible, that the board look into not paying additional money for people serving in this new entity until it was self-sustaining. Commissioner White did clarify that the new entity would only be focused on maintenance and operations at first, and wouldn't start collecting money until it started to grow. Attorney Morrison also clarified that the commissioners were not allowed to accept any more money if they served on the new board, as that would be illegal. The next speaker was Joe Fontana, who was concerned that the other counties might not do their due diligence with grant requirements and that Suwannee County would be left on the hook. Following general discussion, the item passed unanimously. After some more general board discussion the meeting was adjourned. The next Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 2, starting at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Judicial Annex, located at 218 Parshley St. SW, in Live Oak.