Tag Archive for madison county commission

Emotional Discussion at County Commission Meeting

By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Budget cuts and drug testing contracts made for some intense public input at the March 2 meeting of the Madison Board of County Commissioners. First up to speak was Marianne Green addressing the need of the entire country, particularly Madison County, to do more than just talk about budget cuts at a time when state and local funding sources that have helped Madison in the past are now drying up. Green herself, having received notice that her late husband’s Survivor Benefit Plan was cutting her monthly benefits by $30 a month, told commissioners that she had asked Congressman Ander Crenshaw to work on a “share-the-pain” plan to cut $30 from the monthly income of everyone else who has retired from government (Green’s late husband retired after 30 years in the U.S. Navy).
Budget cuts were also the initial reason the Commission had taken bids from several drug testing companies months earlier, to see if there was a less expensive, local alternative to the one currently being used, Airport Medical in Valdosta. In its January meeting, the Commission had awarded the contract to Tax Doctor and More, MD, owned by Meshalene Love-Taylor. However, at its February meeting, after reviewing the proposed contract and seeing no significant cost savings, the Commission voted 3-2 to rescind their earlier action and remain with Airport Medical.
“What in the world happened?” asked Rev. Albert Lee Barfield. “In this time of tightening belts…this is a slap in the face of every Madisonian tax-payer, when someone in the county can do it, work still goes outside the county.” Barfield went on to say that “we need a partnership between county and black-owned businesses…she (Taylor) is local, and I think we ought to take a lot of stock in our local businesses. It’s what made Madison.”
Barfield then questioned each commissioner about why he or she had voted for or against the contract at the last meeting. Those who had voted for it cited cost savings and “shopping locally,” while those who had opposed it said they had not seen any significant savings after reviewing the contract. Commissioner Justin Hamrick declined to answer.
Sheriff Ben Stewart took the floor to respond that some services needed to go out of the county, to companies that had no ties whatsoever with the community. “I’m not against her (Taylor), I’m against anyone local drug-testing.”
It would be a conflict of interest for anyone local, he added, because “we (in the Sheriff’s Office) have to deal with people in a negative fashion. We write them citations, we put them in jail, we hurt their feelings…if that place in Valdosta burned down tomorrow, I’d ask that we use a drug-testing service in Tallahassee or Perry or Lake City.”
The discussion ended with Barfield asking about the county’s minority advancement policy and Commissioner Renetta Parrish referring him to Oliver Bradley of the EEOC. Stewart assured everyone that he had an open-door policy and that anyone who had any concerns with the Sheriff’s Office to come by and he would be glad to discuss them.

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County Commission Cancelled

The Madison County Commission meeting set for Wednesday, Feb. 16, has been cancelled. Any special meetings will be announced.

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Feb. 2 County Commission Agenda

 AGENDA FOR THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MADISON COUNTY, FL,

 TO BE HELD AT THE COMMISSIONERS MEETING ROOM

COURTHOUSE ANNEX, WEDNESDAY, 

February 2, 2011, 9:00 a.m.

 

 

 

 

 

ROLL CALL

 

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

 

PETITIONS FROM THE PUBLIC – FIVE (5) MINUTE LIMIT

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MEETING HELD January 19, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

 

1.              Constitutional Officers

2.              County Attorney

3.              County Coordinator

CONSENT AGENDA

1.     Budget Amendment Request for CTTF-Capital Projects to Amend Budget to Include the Board Approved Grant for NW Hare Ave.

2.     Budget Amendment Request for Community Development Block Grant to Bring Forward End of the Year Balances of 2010.

3.     Budget Amendment Request for Capital Projects Fund for Budget Rollovers from FY 2010 Grant and FY 2010 Board Approved Road Projects.

4.     Budget Amendment Request for Emergency Management to Increase Budget to Actual.

5.     Budget Amendment Request for BOCC Finance to Add UF/Shands Grant to the FY 2011 Budget.

6.     Budget Amendment Request for Library to Increase Budget to Actual Revenues Received.

7.     Budget Amendment Request for Fire Special Assessment to Amend Budgets to Include FY 2010 Rollover Funds.

8.     Approval to Include America Saves Brochure in Employee Pay Check Stubs.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

1.     .

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1.     Review with Approval of Contract for Drug Testing Services – County Attorney.

NEW BUSINESS

1.     Appointment of At-Large Member to the Planning and Zoning Board – County Coordinator.

2.     Appointment of Member to the Historic Design Review Board – County Coordinator.

3.     Appointment of Member to the Code Enforcement Board – County Coordinator.

4.     Update from Suwannee River Economic Council – Mr. Matt Pearson.

5.     Discussion Regarding Possible Change of February 16, 2011 Meeting Date – County Coordinator.

      Planning & Zoning Board

Jimmy King – District 1 – Term Ends January 1, 2013                                       Marianne Green – At-Large – Term Ends June 1, 2012

Brent Whitman – District 2 – Term Ends December 1, 2011                                                 Michael Akes – School Board Representative

James Brown – District 3 – Term Ends February 1, 2013                                                      Julia Shewchuck – Alternate – Term Ends February 1, 2011

Fain Poppell, Chair – District 4 – Term Ends December 1, 2011                          Elise Dawkins – Alternate – Term Ends February 1, 2011

Christy Grass – District 5 – Term Ends February 1, 2012                                                     

VACANT – At-Large – Term Ends June 1, 2012

Madison County Development Council

BOCC APPOINTEES:

Ed Meggs – Term Ends – January, 2012

Roy Ellis – Term Ends – January, 2012

Tourist Development Council

Justin Hamrick – Chair of BOCC or His Designee, Chair to be Re-Appointed Annually Prior to July 1st – Term Ends June 1, 2011

Jim Catron, Vice-Chair – Elected Municipal Official from Most Populous Municipality – Term Ends June 1, 2013

Shirley VonRoden – Elected Municipal Official from Any Municipality – Term Ends June 1, 2011

Latrelle Ragans – Involved in Tourist Industry and SUBJECT to the Tax – Term Ends June 1, 2013

Craig Waldrop, Chair – Involved in Tourist Industry and SUBJECT to the Tax – Term Ends June 1, 2011

Teresa Williamson – Involved in Tourist Industry and SUBJECT to the Tax – Term Ends June 1, 2013

Jackie Blount – Involved in Tourist Industry and NOT SUBJECT to the Tax* – Term Ends June 1, 2011

Roy Milliron – Involved in Tourist Industry and NOT SUBJECT to the Tax* – Term Ends June 1, 2011

Ben Harris – Involved in Tourist Industry and NOT SUBJECT to the Tax* – Term Ends June 1, 2013

*Not More Than One of the Positions Marked with an Asterisk May Also be Filled by a Person who is Subject To the Tax.

Madison County Design Review Board

Marianne Green – Term Ends – February 1, 2010                           Dr. Julie Pestella – Term Ends – February 1, 2012

VACANT – Term Ends – February 1, 2010                                                      Michael San Filippo – Term Ends – February 1, 2011

Steve Hart – Term Ends – February 1, 2012                                                    Jerome Wyche – Term Ends – February 1, 2011

Stanley James – Term Ends – February 1, 2012

 

Competency Board                                                                                   Code Enforcement Board

                                    Gary Williams                                                                                                           Brian Leonardson

                                    Travis Renfroe                                                                                                           Gary Williams

                                    Richard Edwards                                                                                       Bill Steves

                                    Jayson Williams                                                                                       Curtis Johnson

                                    Curtis Johnson                                                                                                            VACANT

                                    Dewayne O’Quinn                                                                                     Freddie Simmons

                                                                                                                                                Walter Jarvis

 

 

 

 

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Justin Hamrick, District 1,

Wayne Vickers, District 2

Renetta Parrish, District 3, Chair

Alfred Martin, District 4, Second Vice-Chair

Roy Ellis, District 5, Vice-Chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURAL RULES FOR THE MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

 

                  The following notices are hereby given to all persons concerning the meetings of the Board of County Commissioners of Madison County, Florida (hereinafter the “Board”):

1.  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the meetings of the Board in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the law, these rules or are otherwise waived by the Board.

2.  No comments from the floor will be allowed under any circumstances.

3.  The Board shall hear as many comments from the public as practicable during any meeting.

4.  No member of the public may address the Board who has not previously signed up to address the Board, unless he or she is requested to do so by the Chair.

5.  Any member of the public who wishes to address the Board on any topic, which appears on the agenda or otherwise, must sign up with the County Manager or his designee before the scheduled time for public comments.

6.  All speakers will be limited to five (5) minutes per topic, unless leave is given by the Chair.

7.  Any identifiable group of three (3) persons or more shall be limited to a total of ten (10) minutes per topic.

8.  All members of the public given the privilege of addressing the Board, shall do so at the beginning of its scheduled meeting, or immediately following the lunch time break, if the scheduled meeting continues past the lunch time break.

9.  The Chair may rule any speaker out of order and require that speaker to cease addressing the Board and if necessary order the bailiff to remove that speaker from the Commission Chambers if:

A.      The speaker refuses to confine his remarks to the topic at hand.

B.        The speaker becomes belligerent, irrational, or in any way disruptive to the meeting of the Board, or,          

C.      The speaker refuses to cease addressing the Board after his allotted time.

10.  No agenda item will be designated for any specific time other than a time during the first three (3) hours of the meeting, unless leave is given by the Chair.  All times shown on the agenda are approximate.

11.  No item may be added to the agenda of the Board of County Commissioners except upon request of the Chair, a Board member, the County Manager, the Clerk of the Board or the County Attorney.

12.   All decisions of the Chair concerning parliamentary procedures, decorum, or rules of order will be final, unless they are overcome by a majority of the members of the Board in attendance.

13.   The Chair shall vote on all issues that come before the Board in the same manner as a member of the Board.

Notices

 

All items listed on the agenda are for discussion and possible action including vote by the Board.

The Board reserves the right to amend the agenda of any meeting to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a person requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting of the Board, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance.  Please contact Tim Sanders, Clerk of Court, at Post Office Box 237, Madison, Florida 32341, telephone: (850)973-1500, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.  If you are hearing or speech impaired, please call 711.

If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at this meeting he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she will need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

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