BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
LAKE BUTLER—The annual Union County Legislative Delegation meeting was held Oct. 23 at the commission meeting room at Lake Butler City Hall.
State Representative Chuck Brannan chaired the meeting, with State Senator Jennifer Bradley serving as vice-chair. Both were accompanied by several members of their staffs.
After an opening prayer, given by Brannan, and the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Bradley, the attendees were made aware of several dates and deadlines for the state next year. It was announced that the 2024 legislative session would convene on Jan. 9, 2024, a little earlier since it was an election year according to Brannan. It was also noted that any requests for appropriations by local governments would need to be submitted for consideration to the House by Nov. 13, 2023.
Pretty good year for Union County
Brannan quipped that the day was one of his and Bradley’s “road show” days and said they had already been to Lake City and were off to MacClenny when they left Union County. He said that he and Bradley served two of the largest districts in the state and dealt mostly with policy and money. He noted that the previous session had been a “pretty good year” for Union County with a great deal of appropriation funding.
Bradley joined in, first thanking the City of Lake Butler for providing the space for the meeting. She agreed that she and Brannan shared many counties and they both share the same budget silo – law enforcement and justice – of which Bradley is the chair. She noted that the two worked well together in getting what their districts needed in the way of funding and service.
The remainder of the meeting was very informal and casual, with the agenda listing predetermined speakers from the county and all of the municipalities and then providing time for anyone else who wished to speak who had filled out a provided appearance card.
Broadband coverage not adequate
First on the agenda were the members of the Union County Board of Commissioners. None of the commissioners were able to attend but were represented by County Coordinator Jimmy Williams. Williams first spoke to the delegates about advertising issues, where the issue of a weekly paper very often made following the Florida Statutes concerning advertising requirements for special meetings, the pending consideration of ordinances and other actions. He said the county would continue to send advertising on these matters to the paper, but the statute required quicker public access to the information. He said the county had been looking at publishing the notices on a website, but the lack of broadband in some areas of the county was a handicap. He said that most people had internet access on their cell phones and asked if the statute could be modified to allow blanket emails to county residents to get the word out as required.
“We are not looking at getting away from the paper, but we need help,” Williams said. “For some matters, we will be over the required time limit, which for some items is only 10 days. If we make a decision that requires a legal announcement on Monday night and cannot get it ready for submittal to the paper by its deadline, then it has to wait until the Thursday of the next week to be published – over the 10-day requirement.”
Williams also asked for help in getting broadband for the county, especially in areas that have poor or no internet access at present. He said there had been a program established, but most of the grant money seemed to be going to the larger counties. He told the delegates that the county was working on its own to see if a local provider could be secured, but there could be difficulties with getting that done as well.
“A new provider comes in and then rents the lines from the existing service. If the existing service is inadequate in its coverage, then often the new provider will be no better,” Williams said, noting that the county had been in discussions with Clay Electric to see if they might be interested in becoming providers.
Money for fire station, public safety complex
Williams also told the delegates that the county was in dire need of a new fire and EMS station. He said that the county was trying to put together a consolidated fire and rescue service that would offer 24-hour staffing in both areas and to make it work well would require a new building to house the services.
Both lawmakers said they would look into all of the problems outlined by Williams and see what could be done to assist with any requested appropriations.
Next to speak was Union County Sheriff Brad Whitehead. He thanked the delegates for their assistance in securing an appropriation for the county to build both the new Emergency Operations Center and the new Public Safety Complex, telling them that a contractor had been selected and that they were in the process of lining up subcontractors for the work. Whitehead said if all went as planned the projects should break ground the first of the year (2024). He told them that it might be necessary to request more funds for the project, however, due to inflation and the subsequent increase in the cost of materials.
He said the contractor had already told him that the project was going to cost more than the total of the grants and appropriations already in hand and that he was now getting the figures together to determine how much more would be needed and an estimate of the project’s completion date.
Brannan asked Whitehead if the county would be using inmate labor to help cut costs. The sheriff responded that the county had already used inmates to help clear and prepare the site and planned to use them whenever possible.
Caution advised on new election laws
Union County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Kellie Rhoades and Property Appraiser Bruce Dukes were not in attendance at the meeting and Union County Tax Collector Lisa Johnson was present but had no comment other than to thank the delegates for their support of the county and its needs.
The next speaker was Union County Supervisor of Elections Deborah Osborne, who asked the delegates to please take the time to talk with elections supervisors in the state before voting on any changes that might be proposed to change any of the existing election laws and to vote against additional law enforcement involvement in the election process.
She also asked them for assistance in the area of public records requests as her office and many others in the state were being bombarded by public records requests, many from groups, organizations and parties, asking for personal information about voters and poll workers.
New elementary school sought
Union County Superintendent of Schools Mike Ripplinger first invited the delegates to attend the unveiling of a Consolidated School monument at the sight once occupied by that institution and now home to Lake Butler Elementary School, to be held in February 2024 at a yet unnamed date.
He also told the representatives that the district was formally moving forward to secure special facility funds to build a new elementary school due to the age and condition of the existing buildings, crowding issues and the desire to return the fifth grade to the elementary school. Fifth graders now attend Lake Butler Middle School.
Brannan told him to put together a good plan and get on the list. Ripplinger said he had already talked to officials from Bradford and Baker counties, both which recently built new schools, to see what worked for them in getting funding and what had not worked.
Union County School Board member Becky Raulerson represented the board for the meeting but simply thanked them for all their attention to county needs and asked for their continued support in the future.
No one was present from the City of Worthington Springs or Raiford, but Lake Butler Mayor and interim City Manager David Stegall told the delegates that he and the city commission were happy to have hosted the event at City Hall. The final name on the agenda list of preapproved speakers, County Judge, the Honorable Mitchell Bishop, was among the others not able to attend the meeting.
Brannan and Bradley listened attentively, took notes and made comments on the issues raised by the various government officials. Both said they would look into the matters and see what could be done.
