Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
The White Springs Town Council met for its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the portable building behind the White Springs Town Hall. This month's meeting addressed the results of an audit review from 2023, the proposal of a Black walking trail, and calls for decorum and respect. All council members were present except for Jacqueline Williams, who was absent for the duration of the meeting. Vice Mayor Anita Rivers presided over the meeting in her stead. The town attorney was also not present. The meeting opened with the invocation, which was delivered by Councilor Randolf Williams, followed by the pledge of allegiance. Following the approval of the agenda and minutes, Richard Powell of Powell Consulting delivered revenue information for the first quarter of the town's fiscal year. Following Powell's presentation, Caleb Perla with Lake City firm Powell and Jones issued the results of White Springs' audit report, year ending Sept. 30, 2023. Perla delivered good news to the council: they passed their audit. "We have audited the financial statements of the Town of White Springs," Perla said. "The financial statements present fairly in all material respects. We respect the financial position of the town." Perla went on to say that the reports are an accurate representation of the town's finances and that they conducted the audit on generally accepted auditing standards and governmental auditing codes. The presentation was met with positive comments from the council, thanking Perla for his extensive review of the town's finances. Following the presentation, Town Manager Vanessa George provided updates on the town's compliance with the Hamilton County Development Authority. She also addressed the concerns of local citizens on the matter of local rate increases. She explained that due to the loss of revenue from the sweepstakes centers that were closed earlier in 2024, along with not being able to secure another loan due to existing loans, the rise in rates was necessary to keep the town operating. "Water rates are going to have to increase so we are not in the deficit," George said. "I know the citizens don't like to hear that, but that's the only thing that's going to make this work." She also urged locals to suggest ideas to bring in new revenue to the town so the sweepstakes loss could be made up. "We are $200,000 short that we are no longer going to receive." Ray Vaughn with Public Works presented next. He shared that at the November meeting, $15,000 had been approved to repair a motor part that goes to the aerator. He was able to save a significant amount of money by having the motor rebuilt. The total for the repair was $7,485, a savings of $7,515. Next, Vaughn requested $21,000 for repairs on a dump truck that the town owns. After a brief discussion, Kizzy Burch motioned to approve the request, with Williams seconding. The motion passed unanimously. Following Vaughn's reports and requests, Trent with the White Springs Fire Department shared that the department has been responding to calls and that they are providing the best quality care in the area. Following his report, Vice Mayor Rivers offered praise for Trent's actions during an emergency during the Christmas parade, noting that he responded and never left the patient's side. Tay Dickinson followed the Fire Department report, sharing information on a proposed project she was working on towards a Town Black Heritage Trail. It was in response to the presentation that Sharon Shea had made regarding the interpretive signs that she had proposed to the council in December. She shared that she joined the White Springs Historical Preservation Society on her own and helped the organization gain more traction; however, she had not been part of the DOS grant or the writing in any way. She clarified that she was on the executive board and not on the advisory board, which would have played a role in making the discussion more diverse. She said that she and another board member had left the Historical Preservation Society due to concerns about the way things were being managed. She also shared that she was concerned about the wording in the grant concerning diversity. She said that the wording offered a positive review of the contribution of AfricanAmerican citizens of White Springs and that the town had a Black majority of residents at 58 percent. However, despite the wording, Dickinson was concerned that of the 38 interpretive signs being placed throughout the town, only two showcased African-American contributions to the community. "I have listed all the accomplishments and things that Black Americans would find pride in that were listed in the book 'A Documented History of White Springs.'" She said that she also reached out to local families about sharing their stories and highlighting their accomplishments, as well as discussing a proposal she made about the Florida Black Heritage Trail. She provided the council with more information about the project and her proposal. Dickinson also provided information on the Paul Braun Grant, a historic revitalization grant that preserves history. She also clarified that the grant was not due until the wintertime. She also said that she would not ask the council to do anything she wouldn't do and that she was still collecting information for the project. Town Clerk Audrey Ruise asked if Dickinson believed that the current grant the Historical Preservation Society was working on would represent the 58 percent of African Americans in White Springs. She responded that she did not believe so. Following the presentation, Ruise shared information on the Florida Trail Fest, which will take place from Friday, Feb. 7, through Sunday, Feb. 9. She shared that the organizers have been easy to communicate with and that they are currently looking for vendors. Public comments were then opened. Walter McKenzie, a former town councilor, presented his disdain for December's meeting. McKenzie shared that during his time on the council, he and others listened to presentations and comments and requested funding. "To the best of my recollection, these were courteous and civil interactions on the council side, even in the face of lack of proper presentation or occasional outright rudeness on behalf of the presenters." McKenzie also shared that preserving the history of White Springs and its diversity was important. Then, he shared that he was disappointed in the town council at December's meeting. "How many times are you going to have a citizen organization come up with big grants if you publicly embarrass their representative and discourage their efforts?" He continued, saying that the council did not speak for him or any other citizen in the town when they acted the way they did at the last meeting. Instead, he requested that the town needed positivity rather than negativity, conversation more than confrontation. Later in the meeting, Williams echoed the same sentiments as the council began to wind down. "We need positivity in this town," Williams said. "Don't bring us down. We don't need that. We need unity." The next White Springs Town Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m., in the portable building behind Town Hall, located at 10363 Bridge St., in White Springs.