Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
During the regular meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners, on Wednesday, June 14, the Commissioners had a public hearing on a Small Scale Land Use Amendment from residential to commercial. The discussion stemmed from a desire on the part of a local resident, Ben Jones, to open a real estate office on US Hwy. 90. The property is currently zoned as residential. If the zoning were changed to commercial, that would open the area for other commercial businesses to open in the same area. Several local residents spoke in opposition to the zoning change. The primary opposition was that although a real estate office would not cause a great deal of change in the nearby neighborhood, other businesses could bring a great deal of change in terms of traffic, noise, etc. After hearing from both sides, including from Jones, Commissioner Alston Kelley moved that the land use change be denied. The motion passed unanimously. Jones will be able to apply for a special exception with a much more narrowly defined land use amendment. Jones will be able to begin the process for a land use amendment to the land development code. After that, Jones will be able to apply for a special exception. Commissioner Kelley expressed a desire to assist Jones throughout the process.
In other business for the Board, the Commissioners approved the consent agenda. Items on the consent agenda included the re-appointment of Edwin McMullen, Brenda Graham, Jackie Blount, Roy Milliron, and Wayne Vickers to the Tourist Development Council; an agreement between Madison County and the District 2 Medical Examiner; a budget amendment request for BOCC/Library to amend to actual revenue and expenditures; approval of Sheriff’s Office confiscated currency expenditures of $439.74 and $6,244; and approval of the Tax Collector’s recapitulation of the tax roll for Madison County for the 2016 tax year.
The Board passed a resolution for a lease agreement for the Road Department for a 2017 Mack dump truck.
Following the final public hearing, the Board passed an Ordinance regarding fertilizer use in the unincorporated area of Madison County.
There was a public hearing for consideration of a resolution authorizing the execution of a contract for the exchange of county property for private property. It has been proposed that $26,000 be paid to the Peacock family to cover the cost of relocating a mobile home on the property. The property in question is prone to flooding. The money would come from a grant from the Suwannee River Water Management District.
The Commissioners voted to designate the week of July 16 through July 22 as Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week. According to Julie Eveslage, Department of Corrections Circuit 3 Administrator, there are 284 people currently under supervision. Over 4,000 hours of community service has been mandated and $82,000 in fines have been collected.
The Board approved the termination of a contract with Mindshift for managed computer services in favor of Inspired Technologies to provide managed computer services. This change will result in a savings to the county of $8,000 per year.
Sheriff Ben Stewart addressed the Board concerning an inmate who had recently been released. This inmate is pregnant with twins and in Sheriff Stewart’s opinion posed no threat to the public safety. Sheriff Stewart told the Board his department is already $32,000 over budget for inmate medical expenses and trying to cover a high-risk pregnancy would put the department into even further financial trouble.
Tommy Hardee, Supervisor of Elections, informed the Board that his office had worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during the recent election cycle. Hardee reassured the Board that Florida’s ballots and election system had not been “hacked.” Madison County’s ballot machines, etc. are completely internal with no outside lines.
The next meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners will take place on Wednesday, July 5, at 9 a.m. The meeting will be in the Boardroom, located in the Courthouse Annex at 229 SW Pinckney St., in Madison.