REGULAR MEETING
LEVY COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
February 4, 1997
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Levy County Commissioners was held on February 4, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. in the Levy County Board of County Commissioners’ meeting room, with the following Commissioners present:
Chairman Sammy Yearty
Vice Chairman Don Foley
Comm. Wilbur Dean
Comm. Don Lindsey
Comm. Frank Davis
Also present were:
County Attorney Gregory V. Beauchamp
Clerk of Court Douglas M. McKoy
Administrative Assistant William C. Cobb
The Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.. The invocation was given by Comm. Foley followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
MINUTES
Comm. Foley moved to accept the minutes of the Regular Board meeting on January 21, 1997. Comm. Dean seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
EXPENDITURES
The following expenditures were presented for payment. Comm. Davis moved to approve payment of the bills as presented. Comm. Dean seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
FUND AMOUNT
CHECK NUMBERS: 6548-6701 (VOIDS 6548; 6697)
GENERAL FUND $210,235.62
ROAD & BRIDGE FUND 30,426.38
LOCAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE 71,644.04
FINE & FORFEITURE FUND 1,689.94
EMERGENCY 911 3,461.33
LANDFILL & RECYCLING 9,335.47
FLORIDA POWER GRANT FUND 1,019.50
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE 4,773.96
FIRE CONTROL FUND 8,367.89
CDBG GRANT 14,382.75
TOTAL $346,968.99
BUILDING & ZONING/BIDS
Board Secretary Jacqueline Martin opened the bids at 9:00 a.m. for the mid-size pickup truck. Bids were received from Scoggins Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick GEO, Inc. And White Ford. A committee of Rob Corbitt, William Cobb and Douglas M. McKoy was established to review the bids and report to the Board on the bids meeting the required specifications. The bid from White Ford was $12,826.00 and the bid from Scoggins Chevrolet was $12,995.00. Following a recess during the course of the meeting Mr. Rob Corbitt reported to the Board that the Committee had determined that both bids met the specifications and recommended awarding to the lowest bidder, White Ford. Comm. Dean moved to accept the bid from White Ford. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
DRUG FREE WORKPLACE
Mr. C. W. Gilbert was recognized by Chairman Yearty. Mr. Gilbert addressed the Board concerning the Drug Free Work Place policy. He questioned why the policy is not yet in place when the Board approved the Drug Free Workplace in March of 1996. County Attorney Greg Beauchamp informed Mr. Gilbert that details needed to be clarified in the contracts from the provider of the drug testing. The rights of the employee/individual must be protected when instituting a Drug Free Work Place policy. The language for implementing the contract has recently been clarified. Mr. Cobb, Administrative Assistant advised that he had attempted to contact Drug Programs Management and has not had a response from them in setting up the initial testings. Mr. Cobb indicated that a new testing provider may need to be located prior to implementing the Drug Free Work Place policy.
Mr. Gilbert indicated to the Board that he believed that they did not want to institute the Drug Free Work Place. He questioned the monies being lost by not having the Drug Free Work Place policy in position in the county. He questioned the discount on the Worker’s Compensation coverage which the county is not receiving as the Drug Free Work Place policy is not in operation. County Attorney Beauchamp advised that the policy is not finalized but that the county is proceeding to institute the Drug Free Work Place policy and the Board is in full agreement that the policy is needed in the county. Comm. Dean suggested that Mr. Gilbert investigate in the surrounding counties to see the length of time necessary from approval of a Drug Free Work Place policy to the initialization of the policy.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES/PUBLIC INQUIRY
Mr. Gilbert questioned the Board on their policy of hiring Joseph Bryan Gordon as Assistant Director of Emergency Medical Services. Mr. Gilbert inquired if Mr. Gordon’s past credentials qualified him for the position. Chairman Yearty requested that Mr. Gilbert meet with him and Mr. Cobb with the information he was alleging applied to Mr. Gordon. Chairman Yearty advised that he would them provide all Board members with the information.
PLANNING COMMISSION
Board Secretary, Mrs. Martin informed the Board that Mr. Austin Sims had been recommended to replace Mr. Dean Hooker on the Levy County Planning Commission for his unexpired term. Comm. Foley moved to approve the recommendation. Comm. Dean seconded and the MOTION CARRIED. It was to be noted that Mr. Sims will need to be reappointed upon the completion of the unexpired term.
ROAD DEPARTMENT/BUDGET
Mrs. Martin indicated that a request had been received from the Road Department to amend the budget by transferring $7,000.00 from reserve for contingencies to contracted services to maintain railroad crossings. This was a line item which was omitted from the budget. Comm. Dean moved to approve the amendment to the budget for a line item transfer. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT
Board Secretary, Mrs. Martin informed the Board that the inter-local agreements with Otter Creek, Bronson, Yankeetown and Inglis for Building Code Enforcement had been received. There have not been any changes in the agreements. Comm. Davis moved to accept the inter-local agreements. Comm. Lindsey seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
Administrative Assistant, Mr. Cobb advised the Board that the county needs to proceed in the bid process of obtaining an architect for the construction of the Emergency Operations Center and Building and Zoning. After Discussion, Comm. Dean moved to place an advertisement for bids for architectural services. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED. Chairman Yearty advised that the Space Committee would act as liaison for the project until an architect was hired.
SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS
Mr. William Rees inquired into the present status of the Special Assessments and lien satisfactions. County Attorney, Mr. Beauchamp informed Mr. Rees that the documents had been prepared for lien satisfactions from 1986 to 1990 and had been properly recorded by the Clerk of Court. The next issue to be addressed by the Board is the matter of the refunds and what the County policy will be. Mr. Beauchamp will be forwarding recommendations to the Board prior to the next meeting.
ROAD DEPARTMENT
Mr. Skip Hammell, Road Department made a request to repair on a one (1) time basis the following roads:
NW 61st Lane in Crestfield Trading Subdivision, 940' long, 50' dedicated r/w, 1 load of rock and grade.
NE 18th Street; from NE 128th Avenue to NE 126th Terrace, 3 loads of rock and grade, located in Williston Highlands Unit 14.
NE 126th Terrace, from NE 20th Street to NE 19th Street, grade only, located in Williston Highlands Unit 14.
Comm. Dean moved to approve the requests for maintenance on a one (1) time basis. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
Mr. Hammell recommended that the following road be taken into the county maintenance system:
NE 87th Terrace in O’Steen Subdivision, 0.17 mile long, 50' dedicated R/W.
Comm. Dean moved to accept into the county maintenance system. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
WORKER’S COMPENSATION
Mr. Hammell, Road Department advised the Board that some of the employees at the Road Department have been having problems with the medical provider in Trenton for Worker’s Compensation. Chairman Yearty referred Mr. Hammell to Mr. Cobb the Administrative Assistant. If the problem persists then the Board will take further action.
BUILDING AND ZONING
Mr. Rob Corbitt, Building and Zoning presented a Hardship Variance with a recommendation for approval.
Petition #VA-00347 - Lindell Holder, petitioning the Board to allow a second dwelling in order to care for her aunt (Mary Martin), on a tract of land in the SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 in Section 2, Township 11S, Range 14E, in Levy County. Said parcel contains 1.35 acres more or less and is located within a Agriculture/Rural Residential (A/RR) zone.
There were no letters of opposition received. Comm. Foley moved to approve the Hardship Variance. Comm. Lindsey seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
Mr. Corbitt presented a Preliminary Plat from Pardue Land Surveying representing Florida Woodlands, Inc. The Planning Commission has recommended approval of said plat.
Petition #PP-00232 - Preliminary Plat of "Rainbow Heights Addition", a subdivision located in the N 1/4 of the NE 1/4 in Section 1, Township 15S, Range 17E, in Levy County. Said parcel contains 40 acres more or less and is located within a Rural Residential (RR) zone.
Comm. Davis moved to approve the preliminary plat. Comm. Foley seconded and MOTION CARRIED.
INVENTORY
Mr. Corbitt requested permission to remove from the Building and Zoning inventory the following items:
#1375 Atlas Stand, $200.00 - $300.00 - - Disposed of in 1985
#1779 Calculator Victor 100 - $70.00 - - Disposed of in 1984, non-repair
#2743 Calculator Victor - $70.00 - - Disposed of in 1986 - 1988, non-repair
Comm. Foley moved to remove the items from the inventory list. Comm. Lindsey seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
ROAD REPAIR
Ms. Sarah Miller inquired if the road work was completed on CR 316. She advised that she had driven on the road recently and it appeared to be tearing up. Chairman Yearty directed Mr. Kelly Jerrells of the Road Department to investigate and to report if the road work was not properly completed.
WITHLACOOCHEE REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL
Ms. Donna Conquest presented the 1996-1997 Hazardous Waste Annual Verification of SQGs contract for approval by the Board. The contract has not changed from the previous year. The contract will remain at the same cost. Comm. Foley moved to approve the contract. Comm. Dean seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
SHIP
Mrs. Carol McQueen, SHIP Director presented a Deferred Payment Loan Agreement contract for approval. The agreement is for Lola Cadorette for a dwelling located on a parcel in NE 1/4 Section 34-11-14 Levy County, Florida. The Parcel Number is #00764-005-0A. Comm. Davis moved to accept the agreement. Comm. Dean seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT
Mrs. McQueen informed the Board that the grant application would be presented at the next regular meeting. The State has agreed to a courtesy review of the application prior to formal presentation. The results of the review will be available prior to the next scheduled regular meeting and a Resolution can be prepared.
SHERIFF
Sheriff Ted Glass introduced Mr. John McCathrin to the Board for information on the ruling by FCC for cellular phones and the 911 system. The ruling mandates that all wireless companies must provide information for implementation by 1998. If the county is going to take advantage of this, they must contact a cellular phone provider by April 1, 1997. Mr. McCathrin advised that if this is done the county will be charged for the equipment upgrade. Sheriff Glass recommended to the Board that the county not request the service at the present time. Presently, the county can handle any calls which originate from cellular phones for the location of the accident. The Board directed County Attorney, Greg Beauchamp to send correspondence to Representative Karen Thurman concerning this matter and the costs which a county may incur as a result of the FCC ruling.
TAX DEEDS
Attorney Beauchamp read a letter adding eight (8) parcels to the list of lands available for purchase by the County within ninety (90) days of the auction for public sale at the Tax Deed Sale on January 27, 1997.
RESOLUTION
Court of Clerk, Douglas M. McKoy read a resolution honoring Mr. Elton "Journal" Cobb for his many years of work as owner and editor of the Levy County Journal. The Board recessed at 10:30a.m. and reconvened at 1:00p.m. after a reception honoring Mr. Elton "Journal" Cobb. Comm. Dean moved to accept the resolution. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
CEDAR KEY AIRPORT
Chairman Yearty informed the Board that the Master Plan for the Cedar Key Airport had been completed and the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had presented their recommendations. A grant of $297,000.00 with matching funds from the county of $33,000.00 is available. The county would be required to comply with all of the recommendation on the master plan from the Department of Transportation. An alternative option available is to use county funds to correct the problems with the roadway and runway at the airport. For a lesser amount of funding and using the recommendations from the master plan the county can decrease the liability at the airport and retain full authority on its operation.
Mr. Don Fanzler of Cedar Key inquired if the grant would be available at a later date if the county declined it. Mr. Elgin Branch with the Department of Transportation advised that the Federal Aviation Administration would no longer consider financial assistance to the Cedar Key Airport and that state funds would not be available if the improvements were not done to the specification of the master plan.
Mr. William Hall of Cedar Key stated that he would prefer to see the county retain control of the airport, in his opinion if the grant was accepted then the county would have to be responsible to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Mr. Walt McJordan spoke to the Board regarding the recommendation that the county reject the offer of the grant and proceed with the upgrades which the county can afford without assistance. Mr. McJordan indicated that if a resolution to the problem of the automobiles and airplanes mixing, then 80% of the liability at the airport would be resolved.
Mr. Ted Coconis recommended that clearer signs be placed at the airport specifying where automobile traffic should be and where air traffic should flow.
Mrs. Rae Small inquired if a third option to consider would be to move the taxi way to the north side of the airport.
Mr. Bob Pratt of the Williston Airport recommended that the county try to upgrade the Cedar Key Airport without using a grant from the FAA and DOT.
Mr. Bill Klein of Cedar Key stated that he believed the general consensus of the population of Cedar Key was to retain the image of the airport and upgrade based on the master plan recommendations to reduce the liability exposure.
Mr. Wayne Hardee inquired if it was possible to give the airport to the City of Cedar Key.
Mr. Lester Ridgeway asked the Board if they could give any figures as to what it would cost if the county made the necessary upgrades and repairs. He indicated that from what he had heard it would cost at least $40,000.00.
Chairman Yearty advised that the main priority at this time was to reduce the liability exposure at the airport. Comm. Dean indicated that installing a fence does not have to meet the DOT specifications if the county assumes the responsibility of the work without accepting the grant.
Mrs. Barbara McJordan was in favor of rejecting the grant, and attempt to reduce the liability exposure with minimum changes to the atmosphere at the airport, but increase the safety risk.
Mr. Terry Witt of the Chiefland Citizen in a report found that the Cedar Key Airport may be covered by Chapter 14-60 Florida Administrative Code, Rev. 3/96, in which airports may remain licensed if they continue to meet the requirements under which the airport was first licensed. Mr. Lee Mills, County Engineer advised that this would need to be investigated and its effect on the airport. Comm. Lindsey moved to reject the Florida Department of Transportation grant and for the county to assume the responsibility to repair the airport to the best of its ability using county employees. Comm. Foley seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
Mr. Elgin Branch, FDOT, advised Chairman Yearty that the Board should send a letter to the State to terminate the joint participation agreement. Chairman Yearty directed Mr. Cobb to draft the letter to the state terminating the agreement.
PERSONNEL
Administrative Assistant, William Cobb, recommended correcting the salary of Sammy Pruitt from $9.8001 to $10.1921. Mr. Pruitt was hired as a Master Mechanic, 58-1 on January 6, 1997 and was not brought up to the correct rate. Comm. Dean moved to correct the salary for Mr. Sammy Pruitt. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
Mr. Cobb recommended a salary increase for Jacqueline Martin, Administrative Assistant III from $10.3088/hr to $11.3088/hr. Comm. Dean moved to accept the salary increase. Comm. Foley seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
LANDFILL/MOSQUITO CONTROL/PERSONNEL
Mr. Cobb notified the Board that the Personnel Committee was recommending that the position of Administrative Director at Mosquito Control be approved. His recommendation included the placement of Mrs. Donna Conquest in the position. The position is responsible for the fiscal and administrative duties concerning the Landfill, Recycling, Parks and Recreation, Mosquito Control and Animal Control. Mr. Wayne Hardee, agreed to the creation of the position to share the responsibilities in the five (5) departments. Mrs. Conquest will be responsible for the grants, licensing, timely reports, budgets and proper use of funds. Mr. Hardee will still be responsible for any purchases over $500.00 and the day to day operations of the departments. Along with the recommendation of the new position, Mr. Cobb requested an increase in the salary from $10.3088/hr to $10.8088/hr. Comm. Foley moved to appoint Mrs. Donna Conquest to the recommended position and raise in salary. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS
Mrs. Jacqueline Martin, Board Secretary advised the Board that the interlocal agreements have been received for providing ambulance and emergency medical services from the cities of Chiefland, Bronson, Williston, Inglis, Fanning Springs, Cedar Key, Otter Creek and Yankeetown.
The interlocal agreements for the landfill have also been returned by the cities of Otter Creek, Yankeetown, Cedar Key, Fanning Springs, Williston, Bronson, and Chiefland. Chairman Yearty will be meeting with the mayor of Inglis to discuss the interlocal agreement. Comm. Davis moved to accept the interlocal agreements for ambulance and emergency medical services and the interlocal agreements for the landfill for the agreements received. Comm. Dean seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
ANIMAL CONTROL
Mr. William Cobb informed the Board that he expected that the letters for the animal control policy to be mailed by the end of the week and that he would be meeting with the County Attorney for an interlocal agreement to be drawn.
ROADS
Mr. Skip Hammell, Road Department Supervisor, made a request for authority to group a number of roads on the paving list for preparation, advertising and paving in the following order:
Project I - CR411, CR232, CR230, CR208 (3.25 miles)
Project II - CR214, CR217, CR247 (4.23 miles)
Project III - CR161, CR103 (3.25 miles)
Project IV - CR336 (mileage to be determined)
Mr. Hammell said that such a program would be more efficient and save money. Mr. Hammell stated that as soon as each project roads became stabilized advertising for bids for paving would allow the Road Department to begin preparations on the next project.
Comm. Foley moved to proceed with paving of roads as time permits in project order as recommended and advertise for the next project as completion points are met. Comm. Davis seconded and the MOTION CARRIED.
ROAD DEPARTMENT/PERSONNEL
Chairman Yearty requested the Personnel committee review the status of employees and vacated positions at the Road Department.
THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS THE MEETING ADJOURNED.
Sammy Yearty, Board Chairman
ATTEST:
Douglas M. McKoy, Clerk of Court