Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday, March 22, the Commissioners heard from Greg Vickers and Ann Vickers, who addressed the Commissioners via phone, about the status of the Certified Service Center project. Mr. Vickers said they were waiting on fire and safety inspections, then they would possibly be ready to begin construction, by the beginning of May. Ms. Vickers told the Commissioners that talks with the Small Business Administration (SBA) on her loan guaranty approval had seemed positive. It was her intention to have a commitment letter within a few days, but there were some issues that could delay the SBA's approval by up to six months. Ms. Vickers said she still intended to meet the April 1 deadline. County Attorney Tom Reeves expressed concern to the board about the deadline being before the next scheduled board meeting. If Ms. Vickers ran into problems with the SBA prior to the April 1 deadline, she would have no way to bring it to the board without a special meeting. A motion was made to move the deadline to Monday, May 1. The board voted unanimously to move the deadline.
Leslie McLeod spoke to the board about the Always Support Kids (A.S.K.) 4-H club, with which she is involved. She told the board of plans to hold an event in conjunction with North Florida Community College (NFCC) featuring an art exhibit and silent auction. This event is to raise autism awareness and funds for camps, field trips and activities for A.S.K. participants.
Jamie Clark spoke to the Commissioners about his concerns with traffic on Corinth Church Road in the Lee area. Clark said that semi-truck traffic that had been temporarily detoured onto Corinth Church Road is still heavy, even though the construction that had made the detour necessary had been completed. Clark also expressed concern over the trucks speeding on the road. Sheriff Ben Stewart said that all complaints were taken seriously and his department would look into increased traffic enforcement in the area.
The Madison County Board of County Commissioners passed a proclamation honoring New Zion Missionary Baptist Church's 150th Anniversary. Pictured, from left to right, are: Elesta Pritchett, Commissioner Alfred Martin, Rev. Keith Cloud, James Bruton, and Gary Glee.
The Commissioners voted to accept a proclamation honoring New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville on the occasion of the church's 150th anniversary. A contract with KCCS Engineers for the required CEI bridge inspection for the County Road 158 bridge rehabilitation project was passed.
A review of bids for the replacing of the roof on the Madison County Mosquito Control chemical storage building was undertaken. The bid from Affordable Roofing for $3,550 was accepted.
Chad Cauthill, from Mobillite spoke to the board about a proposal to place a small cell cellular tower in the right-of-way at the intersection of SE Dale Leslie Dr. and County Road 255. Mobillite has agreed to enter into an agreement with Annett Bus Lines for street lighting from the intersection to the Annett Bus Lines property, at a cost of $129.60 per month. The board agreed to allow the County Coordinator and County Attorney to develop an agreement with Mobillite to bring before the board for approval.
County Coordinator Brian Kauffman presented bids for the timber sale on county owned property at the Madison County Development Complex and the Rocky Ford Road sites. Williams Timber, Inc. submitted a bid of $117,777 for the Development Complex site only. The commissioners voted to accept this bid.
The board was presented with a recommendation from the Insurance Committee to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for insurance coverage. The board voted unanimously to issue the RFP.
The board approved the Sheriff's confiscated currency expenditure request.
The board discussed Senate Bill 1774 being considered by the Florida Senate. SB 1774 proposes to increase the Homestead Exemption by $25,000. Commissioner Kelly said the bill could possibly decrease county revenues by $260,000. Kauffman said that Chris Doolin with the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) understands the impact this would have on small counties and was working on their behalf to help legislators understand the potential impacts. Kauffman will monitor the progress of the bill and the FAC's response with Doolin.
The next scheduled meeting of the Madison County Board of County Commissioners is set to take place on Wednesday, April 12, at 9 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room in the Courthouse Annex at 229 SW Pinckney St., in Madison.