Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
During the regular meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday, Jan. 11, the commissioners took the opportunity to pass a resolution honoring first responders during First Responders Appreciation Week. January 9th-13th was set aside to honor first responders and to express gratitude for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. Madison County Sheriff, Ben Stewart expressed his gratitude to the commissioners for the resolution. “It means a lot when someone says ‘thank you,’” said Stewart. “When you see a first responder, tell them ‘thank you,’ and look them in the eye.”
In other business, the commissioners approved the consent agenda. Items on the consent agenda included a resolution authorizing the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners to execute an agreement of the Small County Road Assistance Program with the Florida Department of Transportation for road reconstruction of NE Rocky Springs Church Road. County Attorney, Tom Reeves informed the commissioners that a change needed to be made to the signature block of the lease agreement between Keith S. Mosier and Judy S. Mosier for Northern Southern Pines, LLC and Madison County for property to use as the county airport. Also on the consent agenda was a budget amendment request for general fund, per meeting minutes dated March 23, 2016.
The commissioners heard from Sgt. Dennis Pitts, the Sheriff’s Office Maintenance Officer. Pitts recommended $75,000 per year for the next four years for maintenance. This is with doing much of the needed work “in house,” utilizing outside vendors as little as possible. Items of immediate need include:
Additional DVR, encoder, and cameras at the jail - $13,000
Jail annex security cameras - $2,000
CID Investigations security cameras- $2,000
Door locks for the annex side of the jail and the Sheriff’s Office - $9,000
Recreation yard cover, security need - $15,000
Plant management system - $17,000
County communication tower generator - $35,000
Total immediate needs - $93,000
Unavoidable future costs include:
Jail fire alarm electronic control upgrade - $6,000
Water heaters, two 250 gallon - $32,000
Emergency generator for the jail annex - $65,000
Boiler system, Peerless 65 HP equivalent - $42,000
Air conditioning system, Chiller 60 tons - $36,000
Recommended security additions include:
Gate annex side, security need - $15,000
There was discussion regarding a Construction and Maintenance Agreement for the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Safety Intersection Implementation Plan. Attorney Reeves will prepare an amended agreement and send it to the FDOT for approval.
The commissioners passed a resolution guaranteeing and appropriating a salary to the Tax Collector of Madison County, Florida.
The commissioners also discussed prioritizing the list of projects for legislative requests. By consensus, the top two items were the Madison County Jail improvements and additional funding for the Agricultural Center repairs. Other items included placing a natural gas line at the I-10 and State Road 53 interchange; small county court house funding for windows, doors, HVAC, and fixtures; water and sewer at I-10 and State Road 14 interchange; and turn lanes at the Greenville Collection Center on US Hwy 221.
Further discussion took place regarding land use regulations for possible medical marijuana dispensaries. Reeves informed the commissioners that statutes will not allow the county to pass an ordinance governing incorporated areas. Reeves said he would word the ordinance in such a way as to allow the cities to insert the city name into the wording if they chose to do so.
The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Madison County Commissioners will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. in the Commissioner’s meeting room in the Courthouse Annex at 229 SW Pinckney St., in Madison.