Rick Patrick rick@greenepublishing.com
During the regular meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday, Aug. 13, the commissioners gave their stamp of approval for Bioactive Forages to seek financing through the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program. C-PACE is a financing program that helps commercial property owners fund energy efficiency, renewal energy and resiliency improvements through a long-term, fixed rate assessment on their property tax bill. By agreeing to allow Bioactive Forages to utilize this funding option, it is believed that it will also help attract other businesses and commercial enterprises to Madison County. According to the Florida Development Finance Corp., the primary benefits to local governments in utilizing C-PACE are: • No financial liability or public funding is required • It helps attract private capital for local development • It supports sustainability and disaster preparedness • It boosts economic activity and property values • It provides flexibility for rural and urban projects alike The C-PACE program is very different from the residential R-PACE program that many criticized years ago. The C-PACE program enjoys a generally positive public perception. Madison County Fire Rescue Chief Allen Clayton made a request for a new ice machine at Station One. The machine in the fire station went down recently and the cost to repair the aging machine was estimated to be approximately $3,500. In his request, Chief Clayton stated that the existing ice bin is still in good condition and can be reused. It was Chief Clayton’s recommendation to purchase a new 500 pound head unit and reuse the current bin. “This approach provides a more reliable, long-term solution and minimizes the risk of recurring repair costs,” said Chief Clayton. The request was granted with a unanimous vote. A first reading of an ordinance amending land development requirements, adding special rules for the Corsair South Military Operations area. This area is proposed to be used for military training and testing. Most of the land is located north of the Florida/Georgia state line in Lowndes County, Ga. However, there is a small area of land located in an unincorporated area of Northern Madison County. This land could be used for the “take off and landing of manned and unmanned aircraft (consistent with Federal Aviation Administration rules) and small-scale military style field training exercises, provided field training exercises shall not be conducted within 50 yards of neighboring real property or if live-fire field training exercises, within 100 yards of neighboring real property. No field training exercises which produce loud noises which can be heard off site from inside a closed house may be conducted during nighttime hours.” When called for, there were no public comments on the matter. The next regular meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the meeting room, located at 229 SW Pinckney St., in Madison.