BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Staff Writer
The Union County Board of Commissioners knew the amounts of the state legislature appropriations for this fiscal year, so the arrival of a check was no big surprise. Then Representative Chuck Brannan’s office called their office to arrange to present it to the board personally at its next regular meeting. And he did, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023 at the board’s regular August meeting. A big check, in more ways than one.
Brannan began his presentation talking about the current thrust in the legislature towards helping small counties meet their needs. One way this has happened is through the now reinstated Recurring Payment in Lieu of Taxes for Union County which pays the county for ad valorem tax loss on prison property staff housing, in the amount of $300,000 a year. Brannan joked that Union County had starting something by asking for this, as he had been contacted by representatives from several counties asking when they could expect the same provision. After filling the board in on other activities in the legislature, Brannan presented the check, in the sum of $7,805,046 to the commissioners, telling them the amounts of each of four appropriations combined in it.
The programs/projects funded, at least in part, by this check include: funds for the construction of the new Union County Public Safety Complex (which will include the new jail) – $6,935,000, equipment for fire and rescue – $305,000, the Union County Courthouse Restoration Development Project – $374,996 and funds to maintain and develop Union County Recreation Department softball fields at the R.J. Phillips Park – $190,000.
The legislature was good to Union County this year, funding several programs for the school district and a project for the City of Lake Butler. Also, following the state mandated salary increases for deputy sheriffs and correctional officers employed by sheriff’s office, the legislature voted for funds to help fiscally constrained counties, like Union, pay for these increases. These are designed to be recurring funds, coming in every year. For Union County this means $388,663 each year to raise the salaries of essential personnel. Also approved for a second year is a $1,000 annual bonus for first responders.
Brannan said he is dedicated to doing as much as he can for Union County and expressed his opinion that it was a great place to live and raise a family.
In other discussion and action, the Union County Board of Commissioners heard comments from the public concerning the beginning of site prep activities on an RV park in Providence. The county has been working on land use regulations that would effectively prohibit this kind of development for at least the time being, with the matter having been a topic of discussion at several meetings in the recent past. One of the main issues is that these types of businesses create a drain on county resources, such as law enforcement, fire and EMS services. Residents of RV parks get all the benefits of being a county resident but the owners of the parks, while making a profit on their businesses, do not pay ad valorem taxes in the same way as other residents. The county is seeking a fair way to deal with this and, until the matter had been dealt with has placed a moratorium on accepting applications for permitting this type of activity.
The problem in the case of the beginning of work on a site in Providence stems from the time the project was permited and the board voted to allow a special exception to allow it. The application and special exception were granted to property owner Delbert Smith on March 18, 2019.
These approvals were given long before the discussions and recent moratorium on RV park applications and, according to County Attorney Russ Wade, this project is not subject to any of it. The discussion of the matter was begun by Commissioner Mack Johns and continued by Providence resident Emily Newsome, who spoke for about 20 Providence property owners in attendance at the meeting. She cited the records that the application was not in compliance with land development regulations when made, including an incomplete site plan. She asked the board to rescind the original approval from 2019.
Johns asked Wade if this was possible and, if not, what could be done about the situation. Johns stated that he had spoken with Smith and that he (Smith) had also been to the board office. Wade said the issue was vested rights in a project that was originally approved and now had begun. He said an action rescinding the original approval would leave the county open to a lawsuit, even if the action was allowed by law, which he did not think was possible. He said he would have to further research the matter, looking into such subjects as whether or not the permits had a expiration date, whether what is being done fits the plan submitted when the application was approved (he noted that the submitted site plan was not engineered to scale) and the details of exactly what was approved in 2019.
Commission Chairman Ryan Perez and County Coordinator Jimmy Williams asked Wade and their fellow board members whether it would be prudent to see what assistance and clarification the Suwannee River Economic Council could provide the county on the matter and all agreed that it would be a good idea. As it stands there is no way to stop the development of the property within the bounds of the original approved application, but Commissioner Jimmy Tallman noted that there were a number of permits required before the project could go much further, so the county should have time to fully consider the matter.
In other business, the board heard a request for funds from Union County Tax Collector Lisa Johnson. She said that due to a number of factors, her department was $32,500 short for the year, placing her over budget. She went on to say that this was the first time in her career as Tax Collector that she has had to make such a request and she was very sorry for having to do so. Among the reasons for the deficit were increased work load, the need for more window help because there were certain items only she was trained to deal with and the fact that the state had not raised fees in many years (a portion of which are part of the funds used to operate the office). Motion was made by Tallman to approve the funding and the board voted unanimously to approve the measure. Union County Clerk and Comptroller Kellie Rhoades said it would cause no problem to transfer the funds from the general fund to the tax collector.
