Telegraph Editor
STARKE — The county commission postponed a discussion and decision on comprehensive planning services so staff could gather additional information.
The commission is considering a split from the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council. In prior discussions, Commissioner Chris Dougherty has claimed the agency’s service level has dropped off.
In the commission’s packet for the Oct. 19 meeting was a letter from the planning council’s executive director, Scott Koons, lowering the annual fee to continue serving Bradford County from $23.500 to $13,000 based on the number of comprehensive plan and land development regulation amendments processed over the past three years.
There was also a letter form Robert Walpole, president of CHW Professional Consultants, which has a continuing services contract with the county. The firm has provided engineering services for road construction projects, for example, but could also take on planning services such as development review and updates to the comprehensive plan and land development regulations.
CHW provided a schedule of costs for development review, which varied by the type and size of the development. Other work would be based on the company’s hourly rate.
Consideration of either proposal is on hold for the moment.
In the meantime, the commission continues receiving criticism for considering a change at all. While resident Paul Still questioned the process for requesting and receiving proposals and the credentials of CHW, Carol Mosley — citing legal, logistical and ethical concerns — questioned changing consultants from an independent agency to a private company with potentially competing interests.
“A private company with the goal of getting additional work should not be writing the rules that might serve to benefit it on future paying jobs. In fact, it seems inappropriate that an industry that needs to follow rules should be writing the rules themselves,” she said.
Mosley contrasted the stated mission of the nonprofit regional planning council — “To improve the quality of life of the region’s citizens, by enhancing public safety, protecting regional resources, promoting economic development and providing technical services to local governments.” — with the potential conflicts of a private company. The regional planning council isn’t beholden to any industry of business for future work, she said, only their regional mission.
“While CHW may be a fine company and very capable of consulting for us on specific jobs, they are a company that may get other jobs from industry or businesses related to county business. Then there is potential for conflict. They are a profit-driven company obligated to do what is best for their company overall, not just one of their clients,” she said.
Speaking of the interests of industry, Mosley pointed out the county is in the middle of considering changes to its regulations on mining.
“It isn’t right to change gears at this point in the process. And it isn’t right to give industry the same weight in designing our future as you give conservation,” she said.
She reminded commissioners that their own comprehensive plan has a conservation element that states the county should be conserving resources and acquiring land for conservation and recreation.
“And it says we should ‘coordinate with adjacent jurisdictions for the protection of functionally connected ecosystems, wildlife corridors and the preservation of environmentally sensitive lands that extend into adjacent counties and municipalities.’ We are part of a region, not an island unto ourselves,” she said.
The amendments on mining to the comprehensive plan and land development regulations were drafted by the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council and adopted by Alachua and Union counties.
Objection from Chemours to prohibiting mining in all wetlands has led to a stalemate between the industry and environmentalists who support the amendments as proposed.
