BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Editor
LAKE BUTLER — At its May 13, meeting the Union County Board of County Commissioners approved a franchise fee with Florida Power and Light that will bring the county needed funds for one or more new projects under discussion.
There were no public comments concerning the fee in the opening segment of the meeting and the fee had been discussed at previous meetings by the board. Representatives of Florida Power and Light (FPL) were on hand to answer questions and present pertinent information.
The fee, which required and ordinance and a contract between the county and FPL. The ordinance states the in exchange for the county agreeing to grant FPL nonexclusive rights to supply electricity and offer electric services throughout the county free of competition from the county that FPL would provide the county a fee of 6 percent of the amount of electric bill payments it receives.
The City of Lake Butler has had such an agreement for a number of years and it brings in about $120,000 a year to city coffers. The agreement that the county has entered into will have no effect on residents of the city. Affected Union County citizens will be limited to those in the unincorporated areas of the county that are currently served by FPL. Resident served by other electric suppliers would not be affected. The franchise fee will raise about $90,000 for the county.
Whether or not the electric bills of affected residents, and the amount they might increase is unknown, the county will garner about $90,000 a year from the fee. The money has not been budgeted for as of yet, but the county has several projects under discussion that are being considered to be funded. One of these is the hiring of a code enforcement officer – a need that Sheriff Brad Whitehead voiced at the April meeting of the board as being critical. Other uses under consideration include needed work, expansion and/or the hiring of a groundskeeping position at the R.J. Phillips Recreation Complex and the use of the money to make up matching funds for grants. Another expense looming in the near future for which some of the funds may be used in the state mandated increase in the minimum wage.
“While it is true that FPL customers in the county may see a slight (up to six percent) increase in their electric bills, they will be no more affected by this than the residents of the City of Lake Butler are now,” said County Coordinator Jimmy Williams. This will not affect all county residents and much of the area that is affected is the most expected to grow in coming years.”
FPL representatives declined to comment as to what the effect on affected resident’s bills could be but based on the agreement it should be no more than $6 on every $100, they are now paying.
In other discussion and action the Union County Board of Commissioners:
—Approved an offer made by resident Billy R. Elixson to install new asphalt paving on Southwest 150th Boulevard. Elixson offered to pave 3960 linear feet of the road, from the end of the existing pavement on C.R. 231A, continuing south down the road. The paving would be 16 feet wide and 1 ½ inch thick and done with FDOT certified mix and construction would be done by an FDOT approved contactor. There would be no cost to the county for the work and Elixson stated in his letter to the board that the work would be a donation to the county to facilitate more road improvements in the county.
Also included in materials presented to the commissioners was a petition signed by all of the residents on the part of the road that would be paved, all of whom were in favor of the improvements and excited to see the work done.
The letter stated that there was a precedent for the donation, as such projects had been completed in Alachua, Bradford and Taylor counties in the past. The board voted unanimously to accept the paving project as a donation with no cost to the county.
—Heard a request for confirmation from Williams on a previous discussion about using ARPA funds for the shortfall in the FRDAP grant funds granted the county for a perimeter fence for the ball fields at R.J. Phillips Recreation Complex. Williams reminded the board that since the time of the application the cost of the materials needed for the project had increased by $30,000. In response to his request the board clarified that they had said the funds could be used and voted unanimously to approve it.
