BY DAN HILDEBRAN
During the Lawtey City Council’s September 5 meeting, Council Member Emily Hoffman reported progress on a memorandum of understanding with the county regarding the county using the city’s fire station. County Fire Chief Ben Carter told the council that the county is willing to operate under a previous agreement between the city and the sheriff’s office and that he will bring the proposal to the council during its October meeting.
Carter also told council members that the station’s vehicle exhaust system is in disrepair and not working. He said replacing the system would be expensive, and although a system to clear the station of carbon monoxide is required, less costly alternatives are available.
Hoffman recommended the city donate its Engine 50 to the county, eliminating Lawtey’s costs to maintain insurance on the vehicle. She said that with the city owning the vehicle and county employees driving the engine, the city is exposed to potential liability from actions arising from employees it does not control.
Council Member Amy Blom said she would not support the idea until the city and county sign the memorandum of understanding. She added that the city could sell the engine, generating revenue for the municipality’s other needs, like road repair.
Council Member Virginia Warner said she did not have a problem donating the vehicle but would not vote for the move without a signed agreement with the county. Mayor Jimmy Scott and Council Member Deborah Jordan joined Hoffman in supporting the measure, which passed 3-2.
Carter also announced that he plans to deploy one of the county’s two new fire trucks to Lawtey.
In other news from the September 5 meeting of the Lawtey City Council,
Tentative millage equals rolled-back rate
The council passed its tentative property tax rate of 2.2498 mills, which equaled the municipality’s rolled-back rate.
Council members also passed a tentative general fund budget of $2,535,138 and a water fund budget of $1,834,570.
They also set a final budget hearing time and date at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12.
Limited office hours for city hall
The council voted to extend limited office hours in city hall on Wednesdays through the remainder of 2024. In August, council members voted to close the office at noon on Wednesdays during September to allow Clerk Lisa Harley to complete necessary work on budgets, grants, and other projects without interruption.
When asked about how the limited office hours have worked during the current month, Harley said that instead of bringing their utility payments inside, water customers simply leave them in the drop box outside the building. She added that she believed the limited office hours also allowed police department staff to catch up on paperwork.
Demand to abolish garbage charges
During the public comment section of the meeting, Vyunda Strong told council members that they should abolish the $10 per month garbage fee the city charges residents.
“We pay the city $120 a year for garbage pickup, and we pay the county $125 a year to use the dump at any time,” she said. “The five of you guys can decide to do away with that $120 that we paid for garbage pickup, and the citizens wouldn’t have to pay $245 a year.”
Fines and forfeitures bring in $200k
According to the city’s financial statements, Lawtey received $215,461.50 in fines and forfeitures from October 2023 through July 2024. The municipality’s general fund ran a surplus of $84,616 through the first 10 months of the fiscal year, and its water fund cleared $84,955 over the same period.
Lawtey police official Nathan Blom announced that the city issued around 800 violation notices from its school zone speed cameras in August.
“And that’s not even counting the ones that were dismissed due to government vehicles and maybe (camera) errors (caused by) weather.”
Dump truck in shop for third or fourth time
Council Member Amy Blom reported that the city’s dump truck is back in the shop for transmission repairs. She added that the vehicle’s transmission was worked on a few months ago, and the truck is still under warranty. Some council members mentioned returning the truck under Florida’s Lemon law, but Hoffman said the state’s Lemon Law does not apply to commercial transactions. City Attorney Dan Sikes said he would look into the matter. Blom said this was the fourth or fifth time the transmission had gone out on the truck. Added Harley: “The bad thing is, if we were to have to do that, how long would it take to get a new truck? It took six months for them to build that one.”
Recreation board members no-show meetings
Council Member Deborah Jordan reported that the recreation board failed to reach a quorum for its last meeting and that the next meeting is scheduled for September 30. Jordan added that during the board’s next session, members will discuss the fact that it has failed to reach a quorum for several meetings and will propose solutions to the city council.
