Danny Federico
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
From grant decisions and cemetery maintenance to a contentious hiring process, the Branford Town Council covered a range of pressing topics during its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 11.
Once the meeting was called to order, Lt. Ryan Hickey, who stood in for Chief Robert Yates, gave the council an update on the Branford Volunteer Fire Department. Hickey informed attendees that the department had recently added two new members and would officially have five members in the Grow As You Go Program. He added that the department had met with Suwannee County Fire/Rescue Chief Dan Miller the previous Monday regarding the mutual aid agreement, and movement was being made to get the document updated.
After a few more updates on upcoming training programs and equipment repairs, the council moved to hear from Town Clerk Aleshia Terry. She briefly reported progress on updating the town's website and proposed transitioning to a more efficient credit card system for town accounts.
However, the most debated discussions of the evening occurred during the sections outlined for old and new business.
The evening kicked off with a discussion about publishing a request for qualifications (RFQ) to have an engineering service on deck in case of emergencies. Town Attorney Rhett Bullard brought the topic up, asking if the council wanted to move forward with advertising RFQs to get an engineering service lined up. The council agreed and approved the item unanimously.
Following this, the council began reviewing applications submitted by both North Florida Professional Services and Locklear & Associates for the Florida Department of Transportation's Small County Outreach Program (SCOP) grant. Council President Jay Hatch noted that the difference in estimates for paving projects from Locklear was significantly lower, coming in by almost $61,000 less for paving roads from Drain Street to Reynolds Street and lower than $115,000 for Kemp Street. Hatch suggested the council go with Locklear, stating, "If we're going for a limited pool of funds from the state, we're going to be more likely to get approved for even one of these projects if it's $100,000 cheaper."
As the decision was due by Friday, March 14, the council added the topic on the agenda as an emergency item under the section titled "New Business." The item was reviewed later in the meeting and, after more discussion, was unanimously approved.
This was followed by a discussion on code enforcement, which resulted in the council approving the advertisement of the position until it was filled.
A lengthy discussion centering around the old section of Oak Grove Cemetery, which is currently maintained by volunteers, then took place. Councilwoman Alice Childress stated that Randy Herndon, representing the volunteer group, expressed his concerns about the long-term sustainability of maintaining the grounds, noting that contributions have dwindled.
"Last year, they had $3,500 in contributions," Councilman Kevin Knighton stated. "It cost them $6,650 in upkeep."
The council proceeded to discuss options, including getting individuals to help volunteer time for periodic cleanups. However, the biggest issue came with the ownership.
"The property itself is not deeded to anybody," Bullard stated. "So, they can't legally turn this property over to you." He added that he would have to explore the situation, as he wasn't sure how the council could take over property that has no owner. "You could potentially be stepping into a can of several millions of worms."
It was suggested that the council revisit the matter in April, and Hatch asked that Bullard and Herndon get put in touch with each other to investigate the legal status of the property.
Afterward, the council briefly discussed and approved the fire department's purchase of cylinders to repair one of the fire engines, followed by the unanimous approval of Resolution 2025-001 regarding public records exemptions for municipal clerks and employees to protect home addresses.
The next item under new business included a proposal from Duke Energy to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at no cost to the town, which would be a roughly $300,000 investment in the town. Councilwoman Stacy Griffith expressed her concerns about potential vandalism, noting that the town already had difficulty with individuals "messing up stuff at the parks."
The council considered her concerns and also discussed several potential locations, including near the Greenway, the Branford Volunteer Fire Department and Trail Street. After a bit more discussion, the council agreed to allow Duke Energy to assess multiple locations and report back before taking formal action.
Near the end of the meeting, during council members' comments and concerns, Councilwoman Griffith brought up issues with the hiring of an administrative assistant. She stated the advertisement for the position was not sent out until Feb. 26; however, Mayor Saunders had assigned Donna Hardin to the position on Feb. 11.
"We had 10 applications, including Donna's, that were turned in," Griffith stated. "The decision was already made, which I don't feel was appropriate." Griffith argued that the council should have been the entity conducting the interviews and noted that the town "wasted $151.40 on an ad after the fact."
"You told Aleshia you spoke with every one of us on your decision," Griffith alleged. However, she claimed he had not actually spoken with anyone on the council.
Hatch spoke up at this time, stating that Saunders had texted him about his decision and added that he's not "obligated to speak to every person."
When questions arose about the appointment being a violation of Sunshine Law, Hatch stated, to his knowledge, the Charter gives the mayor the authority to hire and fire everyone except the town clerk.
Section 6(d) of the Branford Town Charter backs up Hatch's comment, as it states, "The mayor shall direct and supervise the administration of all departments and the hiring and firing of employees of the Town of Branford, excluding the town clerk, but including the assistant town clerk."
However, he agreed with Griffith about the lack of communication being an issue. "I don't want to be in a White Springs position where the state is trying to shut down our town because we went off course from our charter," Hatch added. "If you're going to be doing something before this town, I want it done in the light."
When questions arose about the appointment being a violation of Sunshine Law, Hatch stated he didn’t believe it was.
Section 6(d) of the Branford Town Charter backs up Hatch's comment, as it states, "The mayor shall direct and supervise the administration of all departments and the hiring and firing of employees of the Town of Branford, excluding the town clerk, but including the assistant town clerk."
At Councilwoman Childress's questioning, Griffith cited Hardin's prior resignation from the clerk position and her desire to avoid political responsibilities as reasons for her hesitancy with the appointment. "She sat right there and said she was resigning for political reasons," Griffith said. "Nothing has changed."
However, Childress noted that Hardin would not have to deal with the council itself. Upon more prompting, Saunders confirmed Hardin is working part-time, 24 hours a week at $18 per hour with no benefits. He added that her duties include supporting the clerk's office and reviewing town manuals for potential updates.
Following a few more final comments, the meeting was adjourned. The next regular Branford Town Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall, located at 502 SW Suwannee Ave.