Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

He's always always been around each other. Mom and dad grew up together. Played together. So yeah, he's always been around.

Yes, ma'am. [clears throat] You know, it's a shame. [cough] When we grew up, we was over at our cousin's house. like to welcome everybody here this morning and call this meeting to order. Uh Mr. Ford, if you would give us the invocation and the pledge to the flag stand by your head, please. Lord, we come to you today. We ask you to have your hand of mercy over the Peeler family. To start with, we lost a great member of this community. Been a member of the community for a long time. Done a lot lot for this community. And uh we ask you to oversee this family and help them through this time. And we just ask that you uh help them understand. And Lord, we're fighting again in the in the Middle East. We we want you to help our military. Help our military uh people. We want you to protect them and uh let's end this as soon as possible. We ask that you help us do this.

And in your name we ask all these things. Amen. Amen. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [clears throat] Yes, sir. Staff, is there any additions resolutions?

Yes, Mr. Chair. Uh, we have one deletion. Uh, the last item on the agenda, the unity test has been uh needs to be pulled from the agenda. It's not going to happen. And we have one addition uh a letter on Water First North Florida. Okay. Okay. Seek a motion to approve the agenda. Motion to approve agenda. Second. Got a motion in the second. All in favor say I. I.

All oppose. Okay. Proclamation number 2025 P-07 flood awareness week. Kind of odd we're having proclamation for this and we're in the middle of the worst drought, [laughter] but we'll go on I think. Okay. Okay. Okay. Whereas Columbia County has experienced severe weather in the past in the form of extreme rainfall and tropical systems events resulting in flooding in all parts of the county. And this flooding has caused damage and flood losses to homes and buildings in the area. All weather, they are high risk special flood hazard areas or low to moderate risk flood zones. And whereas Columbia County is voluntary [clears throat] voluntary participant in the National Flood Insurance Program that provides residents with the opportunity to protect themselves against flood loss through the purchase of flood insurance at a reduced insurance premium rate as well as setting higher regulatory standards to reduce the flood risk and potential flood damage to their property. And whereas the reduction of loss of life and property damage can be achieved when appropriate flood preparedness control and mitigation measures are taken before a flood end. Whereas public education, awareness of potential weather hazards and methods protection are critical to the health, safety, and welfare of residents. The Florida Flood Plane Managers Association, FEMA, has declared this week, March 9th through the 15, 2026, as Flood Awareness Week to promote awareness, increase knowledge of flood risk, and the availability of flood insurance, flood protection methods, and how to prepare for emergencies. Now therefore, the board of county commissioners, Columbia County, Florida, in coordination with the cooperating local governments and agencies do hereby proclaim March 9th, 2026 through March

15, 2026 as flood awareness week in Columbia County, Florida, and further encourage the citizens of Columbia County, Florida to increase their knowledge of how to protect themselves and their property from flooding. Declared this day March 26, March 2026. Board of County Commissioners Tim Murphy, Jay Swisser, clerk of courts. Motion to approve. Second. Got a motion. Second. All in favor say I. All oppose. Anybody to receive? [cough and clears throat] All right. Okay. Uh, Miss Futch.

Well, Mr. Murphy's heard entirely too much of my voice this week. He came to our public speaking contest and was able to judge for us this week. But I want Yeah, he took Mr. Hollingworth's position. Sorry, we had to swap out the speech contest. [laughter]

But I wanted to come before you guys bright and sunshiny. And I know you've got a lot of difficult topics. You guys have been covering a lot over the last little while. So, I wanted to show you something that you've done as a commissioner to allow our office, our department, county department, to be able to help educate the public. So, we hosted Bellamy's big fourth grade field day alongside the Columbia County Sports Commission. And so, we held it there at the Southside Sports Complex. And I'm going to show you if I can get my clicker to work. Hit resume, Patrick. right button. Ah, okay. Some pictures. [laughter] So, I've got lots and lots of pictures. But the event happened February 12th. It was the day before they were out of school for a teacher workday. We brought them to Southside Sports Complex. We'd allowed them to do some activities out in the fields and do a like a snake walk with a hula hoop. We allowed them to do the caterpillar walk with balloons. We allowed them to go out and um be able to meet a lot of vendors out in the parking lot. We had City of Lake City show up. Um they were giving away free water sprinkler, sprayers, nozzles. Uh we had Pyano's Pizza. We had tons of different individuals. Then we had Department of Health show up as well, but we also questioned all of our attendees to make sure of the event. So, our coaches because we started out co Chris Coleman and myself went to all the PE coaches of the county and we chatted with them to kind of share what we were looking at of having the event and it was a way to educate our kids about water is how I wanted to make sure it maintained but we included those activities. You can see the caterpillar walk with the balloons up there. Um, you can see the kids even got taught how Pyanos makes pizza which was really

cool. U, but 100% positive response. All the coaches say yes, let's do it again next year. And then um all the kids had lots of strong teamwork. We only had one team get a little upset because they did the tractor pull and they all fell. So the tractors were pretty heavy. It was a cool experience. Um the students I asked all the fourth graders that I go before once a month and we're going to do some actual written surveys and so they loved all of them all of the actual activities and they maintained super high enthusiasm. You could see the very first picture there is kids dancing. We had kids doing uh the big cones toting them around. We had help from landscape and parks. We had help from a lot of the different county areas, a lot of different vendors. Come on there. [cough] So, just so you guys understand, this event didn't cost a whole lot of extra money. It just costed time from faculty and staff. We were able to get $9,657 of inind donations. So, stuff given to us, uh, services given to us for the event. Of the volunteer time, we had about 40 kids from Columbia County High School that came and volunteered. And then we had all of the adults that volunteered their time that day. Whenever you multiply that out and volunteer hours, $10,000 that saved you guys of help holding that event. And then I do have to brag, we always want to have a good relationship with City of Lake City. Uh we were able to get one of the mayor's matching grants and they gave us $6,700 in the mayor's matching grants to be able to get these great shirts and I've got bottles that I'm going to give you guys uh just to be able to remind the kids of things that they did and learned at the event. All right. So it supports the best standards. So all of the curriculum that your kids have to know in schools, we made sure of all of that, included all of it in um we're going to present to the school board and show them that we did some great things. We taught the kids good stuff about water um and

teamwork and all the other things that go into it. But you can see all the faces, they absolutely had a blast. Overall takeaway success. [laughter] So the coaches, the teachers, students, all of them loved it and they want to do it again. So we're definitely going to look at more funding. Um I was going to bring Bellamy today, but I didn't want to embarrass y'all and make you get a picture with him and everything, too. [laughter] So, any questions on the event? Did you enjoy seeing the photos? The smiling people at least something sunshiny whenever you go to talk about all this water stuff that I know is very difficult.

One thing I want to make sure y'all understand that every person is supposed to have at least eight glasses of water a day. And we gave the kids these water bottles that had crushers. Fresh Miami was able to help us with getting these super fast. We had a quick turnaround and these bottles actually had water trackers on each individual one so they know how many bottles of water they've had every time they refill it. So it was a really cool opportunity to get our kids interested in water, seeing the results of water and understanding why we need to conserve it, why we need to make sure the quality stays high of the water around here. Yeah. See, it all all goes [laughter] together. Our

department drink four glasses of water in another 10 years. [laughter] Never know. All right. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate it. Thank you. Okay. See a motion to approve the consent agenda. Motion approved. Second. Got a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. Motion. Go ahead. Motion to adopt. Second. Got a motion to adopt consent agenda. All in favor say I. I.

Didn't ask for your second, Kevin, but he's speaking to you. You're good. And just for a note, uh Jeff brought this to my attention on the consent agenda. I'm sure y'all picked it up. I missed it, but the extension of the burn bans there. So, I've been asked that a lot in the last couple days, but it definitely needs to be there. Jeff uh chair will be yesterday. They've had a pretty exciting uh couple weeks here relevant to field, you know, field burns. So, good deal. Okay. Uh Joel,

thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh today we've got the last settlement agreement on the Cypress Lake Road Charles Terrace project. This is uh about a third of an acre owned by Kristoff Badu Twinoa. His attorney is down in uh Miami and we've been negotiating for quite some time. Finally got all the information together. The financial terms are $55,000. That's inclusive of all of their costs and attorneys fees as we've discussed before. Once you get into this stage of imminent domain, all those costs and things tend to pile up. That's what happened here. Um, just to let you guys know, that's about $20,000 less than they were asking. So, we did negotiate that down. Um, and then the non-monetary terms are the same. We usually offer uh when we do a resurfacing project, adjoining a larger parcel of property, there's a 24 foot culvert included that we will put in within the next 3 years. Outside of that, uh, if this is approved, this will end the case. This will end the project. So, I am recommending approval.

Okay. And I apologize. There's also a budget amendment that's been added for $5,000 to bring that uh fund balanced so we can settle because it was supposed to get 50 this year. You're what you're saying, correct? We had 50 in the budget for this year. This one, I tried to get it down under that, guys. I couldn't quite get there. So the 5,000 is a BA26-26. Now budget uh review Monday. Did did I understand is this the last one or is it one more pending? This is it. This will finish the project. Yes sir. I thought okay. Okay. All right. What's the wishes of the board? I make a motion we approve budget amendment 26. That's 26. Second.

Got a motion in the second. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. All right. Okay. [sighs]

Good morning, me, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. The first item we have this morning is the Seymour agreement out at the sheriff's office. As you may recall, the board funded the sheriff to construct the evidence building in the maintenance room. The sheriff asked us, my team and I to oversee the project. So on November of this year of 25 rather, there was an agreement with O'Neal, Inc. for the construction manager at risk for the building. So I'm requesting a motion to approve the Seymour Services Columbia County Sheriff's Office evidence crime lab and fleet maintenance building agreement to O'Neal, Inc. and to approve the agreement. This is a unique agreement because the sheriff has the funding. We're going to oversee it. So basically, it's a combined agreement. That is my request. Motion, Mr. Chairman.

So move. Second. Got a motion in a second. Any discussion? All in favor say I. All oppose. Thank you. And next is that on Ty Road or your NF MIP West entrance. We received three bids. Anderson Columbia was low. Requested motion is to award bid number 20259 to Anderson Columbia Company for the total bid amount of 3,584 54471 and to approve the agreement. So move second. Got a motion second. [snorts and laughter] All in favor say I. I. All oppose.

Thank you. Uh Kevin, before you go on any further, I'd just like to bring the board up the par with uh we've got, as most of you are well aware, we've got a risk grant for the uh rail extension out there. And uh Jennifer uh invited me to sit in on a meeting a couple weeks ago. They have one every Friday. Uh Jennifer being the economic development director, some don't know. Uh so I was able to sit in on that meeting and heard discussions on where this rail could possibly go and what have you. And then uh of course David shared uh he gave me the application, what have you, and I've been reviewing it just to get up to speed with it. Uh this is uh we've got our grant situation that we're realigning the forces of. And this right here is a perfect example of uh could also sat in one on this past Friday and warehouser and uh Dabby which is with more bass. Uh they were unaware of a discussion the most relevant discussion talking about a rail crossing in this grant that Kevin just that just showed here. Kevin go back to that if you don't mind the previous screen. Uh but in this there's no rail crossing involved here. There's no engineering involved in here or nothing relevant to this to this project. So I don't want board members public to show up out there and they see a rail coming to the side of the road and it stops. But that is not inclusive in this right here. And with that being said in the future, you know, I think we've come to working through this thing this week. uh the grants are going to be more aligned to where that sight specific situations like this the proper engineering and people are going to be representing these grants in the future. Correct. Kevin, I mean you

right. Um Mr. Chairman, what we've done, we've streamlined at a staff level. We formed a committee and before any grant in the world is applied for and the committee consists of in my opinion the right people. So, Cheryl Ruis, who we funded to work for the clerk's office, we now have at public works. She's housed there. We put a team together and the thought process this and things like this before we hear about it on the back end, if you may, we're going to run it through a committee. It runs through the board and everybody in the room is aware because like in this particular situation, we told the department of the DOT, there's not going to be an act crossing. We also On our side of things, we understand that if you open an AT grade crossing, you'll close a minimum of two at grade crossings. So when we hear when I say we the operational [laughter] side of things of at grade crossings and things of that nature, we're telling two different stories. So to combat that, a couple weeks ago, I sent an email out and I had a meeting with staff, David and I, you know, moving forward, let's do it a committee style. Let's make sure everybody's on the same page. That way we don't ever get confused again. That's the goal behind it.

And and I think it's a great move because this way it takes a lot of pressure off of the in my opinion the grant originators. You know, they they come up with the idea. Nobody's done nothing wrong here, but it's I'm glad we called it early on because uh you know, we got a $2.1 million grant sitting here, but inclusively by time you go to obtaining property, shutting down legal work, you know, uh there's no way there's enough money in that grant to acquire a crossing there. the im the immediate crossing maybe but everything else that goes along with it it's not inclusive here and it's not fair to this board in the future to be bombarded we got a project we got to move in a matter of you know months now it's so proper planning up front I think relates to a better better future down the road because uh this these crossings are expensive you know we've not done one yet but [clears throat] it's in the very very near future

so to further for your comment, Mr. Chairman. I took the unit prices that we built a couple years ago on the railroad track at [clears throat] in a motor park. I took one mile of that at those unit prices. I looked at some other jobs in today's time. One mile of track inclusive of an attack grade crossing is roughly $4.25 million. That's what you're looking at totality in today's prices. Mr. Chairman, yes, sir.

I agree with Kevin. This committee is going to be very useful in making sure [snorts] everyone's at the table. Uh, a lot of times the problems you run into with organizations like this is communication issues. Uh, the reason the plan for this industrial park has been with us for over 20 years. The crossing has always been in that plan for over 20 years. So, I mean, we have been aware that there at some point the rail would have to cross Tyer Road. Um, as you know also that um the construction of the rail is going to be handled by the rail company Pinsley and would not be the county constructing the rail.

Okay. I'm glad you said that because I I got to think about this when me and you was talking about this the other day, Dave. How is it though? How is it that the state of Florida awards us a risk grant and then automatically it goes directly to this particular rail provider without it would not go directly to this. You have a contract with them to be your rail provider in the industrial park that this board approved several years back. Right. a member.

And so as rail expands from the original that Kevin and I worked on the original curve in from the putting in the connection to CSX getting it into the park all that extension that's occurred since then including for agro liquid including the rail spur has been constructed by the railroad itself and they are your contractor to run and operate and build the rail in the industrial park. Okay. Good. So, so what you're saying is that the rail you're going to put the road in and the rails going to stop at the road. Is that what I understood? The the road will stop prior to where the rail is. No, it will not. It does.

No, it will not. It does. You want to bet a job on it? [laughter] The rail crossing off this day. There's a problem. Communication. You just hit that nail on your head. Nobody has dealt with the person that has designed the road and just awarded this road. This 3.584 million goes beyond the rail. That's a fact. This road goes to the entrance of agric. You got one group over here saying one thing, another group over here not communicating. That's the problem. And this is why we've created the committee.

Exactly. But so don't tell me that this this rail is going beyond. It was on the meeting Friday. Chad Williams sat right there and told you the Robbie and Warehouser this is going beyond the rail. This past Friday I sat right behind Melissa D. He also said the rail is not part of the road construction project.

That's correct. The crossing is not but the road this 3 4.584 million is going beyond that where the rail stops right now. That's fact. And that that's it was in it's in your backup material. It shows where it's at. So again, communication. That's why the right person needs to be involved in these grants from this day on. That's why I asked is the rail going to stop? I mean, is the road going through and the rails going to stop there? Be after they put the road in. You just going to stop the rail at the road? They got a rail planned to go across the road. I plan to go across the road one day, but not in this statement. Not as this project. Yes.

Okay. So, they're going to just stop there and then they I mean, it makes better sense to me to put it in there and then put the road in. But you think the rail was not included because the grant did not have for the grant for the road did not have enough money for the rail crossing. The grant for the road covers exactly what we're building. In fact, we had to scale back the grant for the road to meet the grant limits. If you remember, it was a much higher the bids came in much higher than the grant and we scaled it back. We redid the retention so the retention only covers the road itself so we could live within the parameters of the funding of the grant. But we but I think the rail company agreed to put the rail in there, right?

Our agreement with the rail company is they put all the rail in. But they don't put the crossing in there. They just No, no, they'll at some point if they cross the road, they'll have to put in the crossing. The county has to pay the for the crossing itself. Jennifer is trying to put the money for the crossing in the RAIF grant. Yes. Okay. Okay. Kevin.

Okay. The next item is back in October, the board asked us to go out for the RFQ for civil engineering services. currently and in my opinion continuing currently you have Arcadus on board who takes care of mainly Ellisville Utilities and they're helping us with Bell Road. They did the first phase of bail. ATM, you have storm order, North Florida professional services, all types of civil. Uh, Pippen Engineering, if you recall, they went out for an RFQ for building and zoning when we did not have a planner. And Joel and I piggybacked off that for small projects. So, they handle small projects with us. Lar is out of the landfill and Jones Edmond historically NFIP utilities. So we went out for an RFQ 16 responses committee of five chose five short list of five WGI what they bring to the table in particular a design [clears throat] build option EDA zoning assistance RNH CI Kimley Horn transportation projects traffic impact study and Vulker traffic impact study FDOT experience. So the recommended motion to add these five firms to your current six firms, Mr. Chairman.

So move. Got a motion. Second. Got a second. I just want to make sure. Yeah. I just want to make sure I understand what we're doing. So, we're keeping all the contracts in place we have now. Yeah. In

in my opinion, these are continuing service contracts. They're all valid. The current contractors firms we have today. And I thought a lot about this, gentlemen. There is no legal requirement that says you have to have a continuing service contract. It's designed to expedite [clears throat] the process. So the next significant project we have is a commissioner Murphy's district whole country club road. So if you have a continuing service contract, as long as the project in totality is south of $7 million, you can use a continuing service contract. Short of that, you have to advertise for it. Well, that takes time. So, somebody decided as long as it does not exceed $7 million, if you've got these continuing service contracts on board, you just pick the phone up and say, "Hey guys, Kimley Horn, come design Old Country Club Road." Um, that's the purpose of it. But, you know, if this is cumbersome for the board, there's nothing in the world that says you have to use a continuing service contract. So, you know, the thought process like a Mr. fitment back in the day. He did a RFQ for planning and zoning. Well, we have a lot of small miscellaneous projects and Joel and I got creative enough to piggy back on that RFQ when we get hit with a quick project. You know, just out of nowhere, we got to do a dog kennels, right? Okay. We can call Brian up and say, "Design this for us." So, moving forward, if if this becomes problematic, once again, there's nothing in the world that says you have to use a continuing service contract. I I so basically

I want to stay with what we had be honest with you. But I know we can add these five. That's fine. But we can add these five and still use it now. Yes, sir. Pretty good relation. That's the reason I I I listed the ones you currently have. You they're under contract and to my knowledge and we don't have a problem with them. I've not heard they have a problem with us. So you're basically going to go from six to 11.

Okay. My only thing is I was under the understanding when we done this that the prior contract was over 13 years old or something like that and that was the whole reason it was time to do this again because the Disney contracts were negotiated 13 years ago. Um I think the it look like to me the thing to do would be to take the top 10 and negotiate top 10 and do and do new contracts. I mean, but that I say I I don't know why we've done all this is what I'm saying. If this is what we're going to do, we we we're accomplishing nothing.

Mr. Chair, on October and uh I'll quote it. I told everybody this exactly what's going to happen. That's the reason I brought my phone up here. I got the minutes for the meeting. You know, if you're going to fish in a small pond, you going to get one group. Fish in a big pond, you get a whole different group. And I I quoted that on October second. If you go with the top 10 though, you're still negotiating with the same ones. Sir, we can go with top 16. I mean, submitted. I mean, why don't we limit ourselves to five? That's what I'm saying.

Right. So, if you if to answer your question, we can put all of them on board. Once again, the challenge is is we don't have enough work. You can put 10 on board, 12 on board, all of them on board. But if a firm on our side of things, they burn your door down wanting to get to work. But the whole reason for this was to have somebody we could negotiate with.

We Mr. Chairman, what's the staff recommen? And and uh Mr. Ford, I I I agree with you. I mean, putting the other five on there, keeping what you got, it gives you a broader range as to and and and I said it in the meetings before, we've never been in control in my opinion. We did a lot of time when we budget just like we often here, you know, we'll sit there and say we got a $5 million job, say 10 15% of that that's going to normally be engineered. And for most cases that are, but like I said before, let's get the board back in control to the point of when you come up on this country club road as an example. Okay, when Chad and Kevin sit down and put the scope of work together, they got a negotiating factor say, "Okay, we want this back in 45 days. We need a price." And then then like Joel Joel if you don't mind but in here for a second what we had discussion about to I mean Monday morning about you can go through this process that we just went through but you can also do an RFP to isolate your dollars get a lower lower cost to the taxpayer.

So continuing service contract is a creature of statute that allows for you to operate outside of competitive procurement where you have sought qualifications which is what an RFQ is. tell me about your qualifications. They've submitted their information. We then negotiate a fixed rate for certain services, certain scopes of services. We put all that into a continuing services contract. It is an exemption. It is not required that you to that you funnel all of your engineering services through those continuing service contract. It's a it's a feature, right, that you're allowed to do it. We had a discussion the other day. Well, what happens if there's a project we don't really understand the scope of services? we really don't understand what's involved. You know, somebody might be able to do it in 10 hours. Somebody might be able to do it in 100 hours. Guys, that's an RFP. So, that's where you're going to go out and say, I want to get from point A to point B, but I don't know what the middle looks like. That's when you solicit proposals from different qualified biders to say, this is how we would get you to where you want to go. You evaluate the proposal and the price, right? Where we know with relative certainty, Mr. Kirby's got a lot of experience. It costs this many this much per mile to do dirt pave conversion. As you said, Commissioner Murphy, typically a percentage of that is this. We go to these continuing service contractors. We say, "Is this work for you based on your continuing service contract?" If they say yes, then we're done. If we can't know the specifics in getting from point A to point B, that's when we probably need to put these aside, go to a conventional RFP, let it run its course, just so you're always getting the highest level of service for the least amount of money. That's always the objective for the public is the highest level of service for the least amount of money uh to get these public projects done. So you have the tools in the toolbox and and as Commissioner Ford indicated, you could have 10, 15, 20. You could have every every every engineer in the state on a continuous service contract, they're going to get

upset when they don't get any work. But that's how it goes. U but that doesn't change the fact that when you don't know what the project looks like, you still probably need to go ahead and do an RFP.

And and and and exactly what you said, Joel, makes perfectly good sense that this and and and I agree with Kevin. mean he's had multiple discussions in some cases this can slow the process down a bit but it's just the you know in not put words in Kevin and if I say something wrong Kevin tell me I am but uh you know Mr. Parnell wasn't here, but just a matter of a couple months. And he recognized something that concerned him, you know, continuing boom boom boom, you know, going one way and and of course I had the problem last year with the vulnerability study, you know, and uh you know, boom, it's just a sign, you know, and and you know, then I go to get calls from Atkins worldwide, you know, I don't know how to answer it, but that's why I did my work. That's why I think that's what's gotten us to this point right here. It broadens your range. In my opinion, it gives us a harder bidding negotiating tool, you know, because you can hold it. You you can ask more for your bang for your buck. And I'm not going to say what company is, but Dave is going to smile here in a minute, but there's a person sat right there. And I said, "Well, you're on a timeline." And uh I think that person's still working on that timeline to this day. And that's been three years ago, you know. So that's where I think, you know, and don't get me wrong, I realize excruciating situations take place to hurt that, you know, to prevent that type of stuff happening. But at the end of the day, like Mr. Ford's saying, you know, it it's a it gives you a negotiating tool, you know, to uh we do it in our own business. We gota, you know, it's just a it's I'm not trying to put more work on Kevin by no means, but the uh uh I think we got the staff in place to be able to do what we could, but and I think it just gives us a better look at it to the for it's just like the other day uh we were in capital projects meeting the other day and boom, there was an assignment of task order right there. you know, there's a lot broader range

you can there's a lot of people here you can throw this task order at now and uh that's that's my feeling but go ahead Kevin I'm sorry no I was going so so the process you're doing now is that working pretty good even with adding this five here I mean

commissioner [laughter] Phillips the challenge we have is the more vendors you put on the list as you go down this path It's a continuing service contract. So we look at the project for example, you know, if it's out of the NF, I'm going use the landfield. It's easiest. Out of the landfield, John worked under Frank Robbie so long, he knows the landfield inside and out. He knows every time we have a problem. We have an expansion to get another firm in there to assist at the landfield. You're literally starting over. [clears throat]

So, in my opinion, we use lock lair at the landfill. When you have 10 or 12 or whatever vendors on the list, it's only human nature to say, "Hey, I've been on your list for 2 years and you've not called me. Why haven't you called me?" You guys are going to hear the same thing. So, the more you put on your list, it's going to be more cumbersome because I'm on your list, but you're not calling me. The other challenge is with a continuing service contract south of $7 million. And we can change anything you want to change. I'm going to use Old Country Club Roof for the best example. Whether you add five or whether you add 10, one firm's going to get the job. The other nine, the other 14 are going to wonder why not me. That's that's just the nature of

you going with competitive price. That's why not me. You work competitive. And I'm gonna let Joel get deeper into this. This is not what it seems. You cannot pit one company against another. Understand that. Okay. So, you go to engineer A and you say, "Give me a timeline and give me a price." And then Joel, [clears throat] if you don't mind, weigh in on all the details of that.

Once you're under these con, you can't you can't put three of them in a room and say who's going to do it because that's [cough] the backdoor competitive. If you want to do that, you do an RFP. So these people are all qualified. They have the you can't do what we want to do. It's not legal. We'll get in trouble for it. Right? The the the biders who don't get selected in that threeperson process will sue us and win.

So if you do the continuing service contract, it's just a tool in the box once you reach for it. Can you and now they could say no, I can't do the work, but you can't have them going headtohead. Um because again that's a backdoor competitive bid. They're not in that position. That's their price. This is what they do for and then you say how many hours is it going to take? And that's where you and and honestly we should know that, right? We should have a pretty good idea if we're using these contracts. If we don't know how many hours it's going to take, we probably need to go to an RFP. It's just it's it's a thing for Kevin to have to wrestle with. Landfill is a good example because a lot of these projects have very limited scope. It's very clear what they're going to be. Um and and Mr. Lockler has so much experience working on it, we have a good idea what his hours are going to be. Uh, road projects are another good example where we have a pretty good idea of what that costs, but some other engineering projects, you know, hydrarology, things like that. We we're we're not we're not as experienced with that. So, we lean on the engineers for a lot of the information.

Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. Just for clarity to the public, like Joel said, this is a tool. Every month you guys are approving RFPs and RFQS. So we do RFPs and RFQS for a lot of projects. So this isn't for something we're going to use for everything. So we do get different firms that get involved through the other bidding prospects. So So David, I would ask you, what are we accomplishing if we do if we go this route? Uh

what you're accomplishing is you're adding five more firms to the list of firms that we can use. So, we may look at the list of firms and say, "Well, this is a a railroad project. This is a utility project. Is there a firm on our list that we think does a good job with utilities?" And it's a small project. We just call them up and say, "Hey, we had a pipe bus. Can you come out and design it, fix it, and put it in?" It's for those things that you wouldn't do an RSP [snorts] for, or something that's timesensitive. You know, I've got something I can't wait for 30 to 60 days for the procurement process.

Guys, this is this is like going out and picking a baseball team. You've got guys that are good hitters, you got guys that are good pitchers. You know, you contract for them for the whole season, but you decide when they go in and how they go in, right? So, if you have pitchers, you might put them on a rotation, right? We got four pitchers on staff. This one pitches today, this one pitches tomorrow. That's a rotation process. The [clears throat] other one might be your hitters. Well, you know, we know we're going against the left-hander. I want a lefty up there. So, we pick that cont. It gives you the ability to have a roster.

But we still make the decisions about who we pick. What we can't do is say, I might use my left-handed batter, a left-handed batter. Let's put all three left-handed batters in there and see which one will do it for the least. We can't do that if we go this way. We just have to make the call as the coach. This is the one that's going to go. What we do accomplish with this Commissioner Ford in larger markets is you have that deeper roster, right? Well, I've already got engineer A on this road project. I got another one that needs attention right now. I'm going to go to engineer B. I'm not going to ask A because I know I've already got them busy. That's what you're accomplishing and you're cutting out the time that gets consumed by the procurement process. And the rotation thing gives you, you know, that's

if you have a rotation, but again, it doesn't it's not always rotation. Sometimes it's who's best suited for that particular job as with Mr. locker, you know, that's it's it's the coach's call. You're allowing your public works director to make the coach's call. Um, but what you're doing by expanding this is you're giving him a deeper roster. So, you guys are like the general manager. You're picking out who all the players are, and he decides when to play. And again, all projects won't use this particular process. This is only, [clears throat] you know, used in certain cases, not every case. You see a lot of RFPs and RFQS on your agenda all the time. M Mr. Chair.

Yes, sir. [clears throat] If I may to echo what Joel said, that's what I'm concerned about if you put many more on the roster that that is tough because you know we know like out at the landfield lot layer he he knows all the history. So it's kind of like had wives I guess you would call it you know I mean if I've got five wives up here and it's hard to keep everybody satisfied. I've got 10 wives that's a little harder. I got 15. That's almost impossible because quite frankly, [laughter] if you put 15 vendors on the or however many vendors, you're only going to use engineering services 15 or 20 times a year of significance.

So, are we having problems not being able to take care of our engineering problems now? No. No, sir. We should [laughter] I know you won't add these. No, no, sir. Kevin Kirby doesn't staff is satisfied. Okay.

There there there's concern that local firms, for lack of a word, are getting so much one or two are getting so much of the work at the landfield. You have had two engineering firms in the last 40 years. Okay. What I think brought this to head and if I speak out of turn, I just did. I think the combination of the vulnerability study and affirm or two or three of getting the majority of the county work bothered some people. Okay. So, in October, and I'll quote and Commissioner Murphy, you come by yesterday and I read the minutes of the meeting. I said, "Guys, you're going to invite everybody in the world into Columbia County by going through this process." And we did. Okay. Five people, your two CEI guys. They have to work with people every day. Your county engineer, your traffic operations specialist, Joe, and your building man, Donnie. That's who deals with engineers. When you look at the RFQS, you see these big companies, these big firms, it's kind of like Anders Columbia. If we went out for an RFQ for paving in Columbia County, I can tell you what the results of that's going to be. You don't look at prices, you look at staff, personnel, experience. No other firm in Columbia County is going to compete with Anders Columbia. It's just what it is. So to echo Commissioner Ford's comment, what did we accomplish? We put RFQ out. They send the P packets that thick. The guys go look there. They got X amount of employees, X amount of letters by their name. You don't look at prices. You look at their staff. That That's what we accomplished. Well, I I disagree with you that what we're trying to accomplish is not giving all of our work to local people. I think what I'm trying to accomplish really is a form of negotiation to make sure we get the

most for our money. That's what I'm trying to accomplish. I I don't care who gets the word. I just want to make sure we're getting the best deal we can get for the work. And that's, you know, that's that's my goal. I want to see some negotiation and if you do the same people every time you just give them the job there is no negotiation price.

So So if I may commissioner Ford that's an RFP and what the way you do that is you do an RFP for and it's it's doable. Like I said we're using an exemption under the statute. There's nothing says we have to use the exemption. We can go through where we RFP each project and and for your objective that's what the RFP is for. cuz I understand with RFQS though now unless I've been led down the wrong road about this you can negotiate with firm number one and if you think that you don't agree with that price you can say well we're going we're going to start negotiating firm number two

right you you can so RFQ it relates to professional services generally or you know the qualifications of the bidder and yes you do now you go down the line right so you say hey number one seems to be the most qualified to us see if you can work out a rate and they say $1,000 an hour. We can't pay for that. Now we go to number two. Number one is gone. You can't circle back and negotiate.

You can't circle back. You can't go to number two. But with RFPs, you get you actually get some pricing considerate. You like, okay, you're going to do it. This this is what it's going to take you to do it. This is we get a little bit more of a look inside their process before we start negotiating with them, right? So we have a better idea in an RFP that you're going to be able to engage this person. uh RFQS can be real wild because you're really just looking at their individual qualifications and by the time you get to the price consideration and negotiations, you know, they may be priced out of the market. We don't necessarily know that. So just it your objective, Commissioner Ford, which again I think that's that's the overall objective of all competitive bid competitive bidding processes, right? We want to get the most bang for our buck for the public's money. That's the RFP process for these kind of projects. and and and and when I went down this road during the vulnerability, I would have never said a thing about it, never struck my mind until I get a call to turn to Dena Beach,

you know, and they're doing the same vulnerability study for cheaper dollars. That's where and and no that's not Columbia County's monies that t it was funded through the legislature I think vulnerability with a grant you know but but it's still a taxpayer dollar

you know it so that's what that's where I felt like we needed to go down this road to some point I agree with Kevin then and you know Kevin just went through a a unique situation on a project that uh one minute many he was dealing with this uh field engineered and couple weeks you're deal with another one. And that's where, in my opinion, it puts it's going to give our road department, our engineering department the strength to be able to in when they have to deal with this again, you know, they uh gives you leverage. you know, well, you didn't work quite work in our plan, you know, last year because that's got to be a pain in the butt to have to deal with two different

what Commissioner [laughter] F Murphy's alluding to, when you deal with your local firms, we all have each other our cell phones. It's a convenience. And even if they lose staff, we can call the owner, the manager, whatever you want to call it, and we communicate. Nothing against non-local firms, staff changes. We just had a road dirt pave conversion. I think we went through four EOS on the job. Well, that's that's tough, right? Because you're you're such a corporate level like any other corporate level. It's not like, you know, once that EO leaves, it's not like he's got three other guys helping him that's very aware. You kind of start over if you may. So, I'm being a little selfish here. And when I say selfish emotional and to finish up and I I'm done what Joel indicated, you cannot go back. So, let's play a real weird scenario. If you deal with if you got 10 of them or you got 15 of them, you deal with number one. I can't live with that price. What if every time you go down the road it gets higher? It's a weird situation, [laughter] but what if you did?

It it could happen.

So, this is a more complex item, I think, than everybody understands. So, I'm open. You know, we're going to deal with it whatever the board decides to do. If the board decides, and you're right, Commissioner Ford, some of those RFQS are very old. They've never run up on price. They kept our hourly rate. I'm just a common sense guy. If you're leaving your price the same way per hour it was 10 years ago, why would I go out to be? I mean, that's just me. I'm not the board. So, right now on the table, the requested motion is to leave your current continuing service contracts in place, take the new five, add to them. But obviously the board has the pleasure to do whatever we want, including eliminating continuing service contracts. On staff side of things, if time was not a problem, we can end all the politics and not have one continuing service contract. Now, that's going to delay projects. But on my side of things, I'll say it that ends the politics because when we get ready to do Old Country Club Road, one firm's going to do that road, whether it be 12 others or 15 others are going to be why not me. That's the way it works, guys.

Okay. With that being said, Kevin, if I may, uh, what's st I mean, what's the board's opinion on doing a rotation? You I mean, because Kevin's right on this particular one, you know, this is job number one sitting in the on the shelf right now. And uh, so I guess what I'm saying, what's uh, I'd like to hear what the board's opinion is on, okay, so we go with these five, we continue our other five, our other continuing contracts. They're throwed into, you know, they're throwed into a hat and whoever comes out first, that's the first one you negotiate with. What's what y'all's opinion?

So, I I I've got another question. These five here, do we enter negotiations with them for prices? Is that how this works? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, the rotation once we negotiate with them for prices, we going to have to use them. you might not want a rotation at that point, you know? I mean, I I don't I'm just saying. Good point. Good point.

So, what you're what you're deciding on this is are these firms qualified? That's what you're deciding is are they qualified? Do we agree that these five are qualified? Staff will then go negotiate and figure out what their hourly rates are. Because we've used the RFQ process, price is not the determining factor, right? that price is the determining factor on a on an ITB not the determining factor on this. You want to know you have qualified people in the hopper. Going back to baseball, some of your pitchers cost, you know, $25 million a year. Some of your pitchers cost $2.5 million a year. They're both pitchers, right? They both get the ball across the plate. Some of them just do a little better than others. The ones that do a little better charge a little more money. [cough] So you won't and if you go into the rotation as Commissioner Ford indicated if if a real big project is on deck and that next one is the most expensive one that's what you're paying

because that's the process you decided to employ.

If you don't do a straight rotation again I I go back to the coaching situ oh we don't want one guy making that decision. You kind of do because he can apply his his context, his knowledge, his information about the project. It doesn't have to be Mr. Kirby. It could be Chad Williams. It could be somebody with reason to know who says the board of county commissioners determined this is a qualified contractor. They are therefore on my list. I am deciding at staff level to use them. So, you will have approved their contract. You will have approved their qualifications. You don't necessarily approve the specific projects they go to. That would be the RFP process where you would actually on a project by-pro basis be like you get this when you get this.

So Mr. Chair, using Joel's analogy, not all pitchers are created equal. Some pitchers are relievers. Some pitchers are starters. Some pitchers are better at middle innings. We have contracts with firms that are better at some things than others. It's a strict rotation. You can't take that into account. Got you have to allow Mr. Kirby to be able to take into account that this is a landfill issue. I need to fix a firm with landfill. I got you on that rotation. Yeah. Yeah. Rotation. So, so Joe, let me ask one more question. You keep talking about RFP. RFP request for price. What is the process on engineering to request for a price? Can you bend it out just like you do a road?

Request for proposals is what it is, right? And part of that component is the price, right? So, so I know I want to do a dirt pave conversion

and we want to go from point A to point B. We're asking engineers to tell us what it would take for them to engineer, supervise that project, run it from start to finish. They give you a proposal, right? We can start this time. We think it's going to take us this many months. They tell you the whole thing. Now, you have all their proposals, right? Inclusive of some pricing data, right? So we can if one says it's going to take me, you know, 3,000 hours and another one says it's going to be 300 hours, I can pretty much will tell you which one's going to be less expensive. So and you can consider that on RFP. RFP you have a lot of latitude. You can look a lot. So when they do an RFP, are they giving us a price or are they giving us a number of hours?

It depends on how we couch it in terms of the the requests. We actually that's something that we frankly will have to start doing better. Um and it's nobody's fault. is just the evolution of of the market as we've got more and more competition for work. Um what we put into those solicitations controls the back end, right? So if we ask I want your rate information as part of that RFP, everybody's got to provide the rate information to be responsive and then that's something you can consider. If I don't ask for the rate information as part of it, then we don't consider it. So, it's really up to us to make sure we're asking the right questions so the answers are on the table when you guys decide because you could very well decide, you know, and one of the things we put in the solicitation, this project's got such and such a budget, right?

R an RFP, do you have to you have to go and low bidder at that point, right? No, you do not. Okay. You do not, right? So, if somebody in an RFP is really qualified or they really fit the project, well, your committee is going to come back and say, "Look, they they're probably going to cost a little bit more, but they're better fit for this project." That's where I was fixing to go. We know this is a better qualified firm. They're it's worth the extra money. We can agree to that. Right. So, my question would be, we bid out every job. Why would we not bid while we're bid the job, bid out the engineering for the job? You do or do you have to have engineering before you can bid? You do at times. Yeah. Carell Hills, hydra acres, the engineering was bid out on those.

Yeah. A lot of these are are are smaller projects that we need engineering services on. Give give me a more give me a recent example, Kevin. Dog kennels. Yeah, the dog kennel project. We needed somebody quick. We we had somebody on hand that could do it. You just give it to them. RC track. So So RC track. So I'm looking at the agenda. I think it's the next item is a group of roads in in district 4. We know we got this many roads and we and we're bidding out these roads. Yes. We couldn't be the engineering at at the same time. Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. That's

if I'll remind you guys, there is no legal necessity to have continuing service contracts. We can do it exactly like Commissioner Ford said. Now, when the dog pound business pops up real fast or this pops up this fast, this is your tool in your toolbox to use. But we couldn't do both. You can't. Yes, sir. You can't. There's no That's what I was trying to say earlier. You could put 25 firms on this list. It there's not a legal requirement to call near one of them. Yes, sir.

You can be at every single project under an RFP just like you're referring to. I'm just trying to be very honest as Joe indicated as the coach. The more people you put on the list, the more phone calls you get, the more you look on your calendar and FarmX comes in and says, "I made it on your list. You haven't called me in three years." That that's that's the honesty of it. That's the side that I have to deal with. But if you're letting them bid, they're bid. Yes, sir. That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about a continuing service contract under RFQ.

So, it depends on the project. Some projects are ideally suited to go out and RFP engineering services. They're usually larger projects, more complex. It hasn't been thoroughly designed yet. Other projects, like Kevin was saying, the dog kennel, that's a perfect example where you would want to use that continuing contract. So it depends on the project as to whether you want to do the RFP or just a continuing series. And that's what Kevin that's Kevin makes those decisions every day. And Mr. Chair, if I may, legislation it been several years ago. It used to be a $4 million ceiling. They bumped it to seven. It's a tool in your toolbox to use. Not that you have to use it.

So not everything is a nail and not everything needs a hammer.

Correct. And I just think, you know, with the continuing the services, with the continuing contract we have on hand and adding this five, you know, because we're going to be relying on Kevin and Chad and the people because that that's one of the advantages Columbia Countyy's that versus, in my opinion, Swany counties, uh, you know, other counties that don't have people that have road building experience, you know, as a because when our staff sees that job going this way, they go in and they start working that job to bring that job very in 10 years time. I've not sat in this room very many times and you know due to excruciating circumstances, we need another $5 million for this because this was this was overlooked. you know, that's the advantages that we've got. And I think that's the advantages that uh Kevin and Chad and you know, the people want to know can use this to their advantage because Kevin's right. We'll get the calls. But I've also gotten just like everybody else on this board has. I guarantee [snorts] you has gotten the calls. Why haven't you know why do why do I never get a call, you know, prior to cut, you know? So, well, there there was no cut to get cut, you know. So, uh, I I'll make I'll make the motion to, uh,

we got a motion on the floor. Oh, do we? Okay. We got Is there a second on here? Okay. I didn't I didn't ask Rob. He wants to amend his motion. I don't know. I mean, what is your motion? Well, well, my motion was to follow staff recommendation, which I think means put this on our list along with our continuing services. You didn't This doesn't have anything to do with getting rid of continuing services. staff's recommendation is to retain your current six vendors I discussed and add five new. So would would you would you be willing to add on to your amendment that we go out for an RFP when time permits?

I'd have to discuss that with staff or y'all I mean what do you think? Mr. Chair, hold on a second. Mr. Kirby. So the motion on the floor is to accept staff's recommendation on this. Commissioner Ford's motion could be made immediately after that vote. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So we got a motion on the floor by Robbie if you uh say briefly one more time please. Uh well authorize a negotiation for RFQ2 2025 Y with the top five ranked firms. Okay. Okay. You got a motion? I think I seconded that earlier. Okay. Kevin got the second. Okay. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. I. All. Okay.

Now I would like to make a motion that we go out for bid with an RFP for engineering services on jobs that the time frame allows. Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. Before y'all vote. Explain. Yes. Please explain that process because here's where I'm going to have a challenge. Opinion of where time allows. Right. So if if I think I understand Commissioner Murphy, he wants me to get started on Old Country Road Club Road pretty quick, right? Yeah. So my now my opinion, we can go out RP for it, but I don't know that he agrees with that. But we've already went out for bid on Have we went out for bid yet on

No, I got I'm waiting on you guys this decision this morning. When I leave here, one of my tasks is going to get engineering started on Old Country Club Road. Right. So that's the part I do not understand. You know, in my opinion, I'm kind of being funny here. It's no hurry to get on country club road, but commissioner Murphy, I think it's sure enough for her to get on country road. So, I don't know. I don't know if I go out. Do I just go out use one of my continuing service contracts to do it or do I go out for RFP and just make sure I understand how that process works? What's the two process? What's the process on RFP take you? 60 days for a typical RFP. I'd say 90 days. 90 days

to get a price back. Oh yeah, you got to advertise it. It's all legal requirements. You got to advertise it for x amount of days. You got to do all that. I think it's 30 days. Then that they have time to review it. They then they get it back. Then I got to come back from this board. It's 60 to 90 days all day long. So does the engineering have to be done before you can send it out for bid? Yes, sir. That's how the plans are developed. That's what they do. They just resurface. Oh no, sir. No, sir. Just resurfacing jobs we do in house. We don't and Old Country Club Road is going to some firm. So, so and and I understand Old Country Club, but Old Country Club has been in the making now for how long? Six years. Six years.

So, what I'm saying is I understand that, Ruth. But that's just like you just said, that's been in the making for six years. We could have engineered this three years ago. No, sir. You just got your money. Huh? You You just got your money. It was 5 years in the making. We just got our money 3 months ago. Yeah. Yeah. You can you cannot expend $1. Was it a grant? Is that [laughter] a grant? So that's so the engineering that's going to be included in the grant, right? Absolutely. That's why you wait to get your money to do the engineering. Yeah.

But you're you're not you're not following my point right now on the decision you guys are fixing to make. Unless I have clarity. I'm I'm I'm kind of being hypothetical. In my opinion, it's not time sensitive. So if I say let's go out to RFP right and I do that behind the scenes as Joel indicated that doesn't come back from the board right now. Commissioner Murphy reaches out to me two months from now and says when are we going to get started on Old Country Club Road? My response is I'm waiting on my RFP to come back for engineering. That might might or might not upset him.

And and just for the record uh it's mine and every trade. Yeah, [laughter] but uh second but what Kevin is saying is right and I'll be honest with you uh because I think the first round Kevin six seven years ago we got turned down it did you know so we went through the process and uh just for the uh to work this process and let this process work itself out me as 50% of the commissioners ever say well he wants to I don't have a problem with sending this one out the RFP and let let it work itself out. I have no problem. And then when I get them calls, I'll keep them off Kevin because me and Kevin Kevin gets a call about every two months on box cover down there because this needs engineering because there's issues on that road, especially on every side of the road. Keep it up.

I got a hold on my side. Mr. J, if I may, before y'all vote, what what I'll do if this makes sense to everybody, if we decide on my on my team, if we decide that we want to go out to RFP for a project, I'll just bring it from this board going forward and that that way it's calm. I just want everybody to be takes the heat off you. Yeah. Then [laughter] it ain't in your And we picked an engineer, by the way, for old project. You mean old coach club? Old coach club. No, sir. I'm waiting on this meeting. Yeah. to make sure this this was a big meeting. Yeah. So, what we didn't want to do before this is go out. I mean, we've only had the money a couple months. So, I wanted this meeting to happen.

Here's a good example. We've been messing with this for almost 3 months getting it out. The RFQ advertisement, same deal. That's my point. I want to make sure we accomplish something by doing it. If we're not accomplishing anything, we wasted three months. No. So, at the end of the day, staff has no problem with the motion that's on the floor with the understanding if we do not use, you know, over 7 million, I got to go out. If it's south of 7 million and my team says we need to do an RFP, I'll bring that to the attention of this board. How about that? There you go. Then you don't have any where we

I think we're going to end up getting the best buck for everybody. Okay. Okay. So, we got our Okay. So, there's no need for there's no need for uh your amendment. Your your your uh proposal. Correct. Bring it before the board. It's going to go for the board. It's going to break. Well, I think we need to pass that in a motion. Okay. But recite it. Reside it again. I just saying when time allows we RFP. Okay. For engineering purposes. Okay. Got a motion. Second. Got a second. All in favor say I. All

oppose. Okay. Okay. [laughter] I understood it now. I would said that. Gotcha. Okay, the next one's easy. Out on what I call steel road or makowski. This is out by Mayor Fertilizer. Uh, FOP proposes the installation of a new signal crossing. They're asking us to partner up. They're requested motion to approve and execute triparty railroad reimbursement agreement for the grade crossing traffic control devices for the rail crossing at Pakolski Avenue with FDOT and Florida Gulf Atlantic. Second. Got a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. All oppose. That leaves some attention for a while.

Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you, gentlemen. The next item is in D4 and in D5. Um, this is Mr. Ever in little bit of Mr. Kim's district. This is your annual resurfacing. You have four responsive bidters requesting a motion award to Anderson Columbia and approving the contract agreement for 94989880. Got a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. All oppose. Kevin, real quick, touch on that jumping across the line on that drainage issue you're fixing for us.

Yes, sir. So, the reason I mentioned district 5 and Mr. Evers district, so Tuskanooi Road is the district line between the two districts. Um, there was a drainage project necessary on the corner of uh help me out, Mr. Murphy. What's the name of the road? Uh, beatball. Beat. So, Mr. Ever we're taking care of all your roads including your box 12 on proc highway that you talked to me about and then Mr. Murphy had a drainage issue. So in an effort to cooperate we went ahead and did the rest of beat and ball conducive during the district lines split it. This is is an example of shared resource eliminate mobilizations etc. Worked out worked out perfect. Good. Okay. Okay. Kind of like me and Robbie done on Bley Road. Correct. That's right.

That's great. [laughter] Okay. You got you paid 85% I paid 15. [laughter] Okay. [cough]

So the next item to bring your memory back if not [cough] receive the money for Tallahassee to do the infrastructure improvements down in Ellisville. There are three phases of construction. Phase one is complete. Page two and phase three is underway and ahead of schedule. In this particular case, FOT took that money as a pass through and give it to us, the county, for us to administrate the funds and the operational sense of things. Tallahassee felt compelled that this is an important enough interchange and everything's moving fast. They want to get the south side done. They want to continue making it on the other side of the highway, meaning the interstate. So, though it's ahead of schedule, etc., Tallahassee said, "We want to give the contractor $900,000, an incentivization bonus to ensure all project is complete before July of this year. The only reason I'm up here talking and Joe indicated it was not really a board requirement because we're a pass through, but I wanted to be transparent. Tallahassee is saying because we're handling the project there, I've got I've got to sign off on it basically." So therefore, I want the board to understand exactly what we're doing. So I'm requesting a motion to agree with FDOT's request to allow them transfer $900,000 to incentivize the project to be done before July. All two projects that are left fourth July of this year.

What is the projected timeline right now without doing this? How much speed it up? I guess you know. Yeah, it's the fall of the year. It's okay. Yeah. Like I say, I I I know you wasn't prepared for that. I wouldn't go home today. It's the fall of the year someday. But at the end of the day though, I'll be honest with you guys. I was kind of shocked because we already had a schedule, but Tallahassee is really interested in G obviously. I mean, obviously. So once again, Mr. Chairman, just request a motion is to approve FDOT's request and they can send us another $9,000. Got a motion by Commissioner. Got a second.

Any further question? All in favor say I. I. Okay. The gift that keeps giving your current humane society is not taking out. So everybody's burning us up. Now we are currently in the animal enforcement deal. So when guy calls says bad dogs, Joel and I dealt with situation Monday, I believe it was. You know, Rottweilers got into a man's yard for the third or fourth time, killed his turkey, man goes killing Rottweilers. That's what we deal with today. So, we are currently paying ZooTech, if y'all recall, we contract with him for $300,000 annually and we estimated a thousand dogs annually. That process is working perfectly. He comes by once a week. He picks all the dogs up. We're rocking and rolling based on the new event that's happening. We're getting inundated with calls to pick up animals not as problem animals but as rescue animals if you may. So Doug the owner of Zooek has agreed as long as this I want to make sure this is crystal clear at this time this will not be a budget impact at this time. If we get inundated beyond what we think we are, that could change. But the way we're proposing to do it is we if you go and if Mr. Parnell calls up says bad dog killing my goats, right? I'm not going to charge Mr. Parnell. We're dealing a nuisance in this case. We're going to charge you $70 if you just don't like Fred no more. A little bit.

All right. You pay us $70. If it's not vaccinated, you pay us $100. Okay? and then we'll take Fred off your hands. And Zoo Techch is saying we're not going to go up on the $300,000 annual cost unless now right now based on the animals we're getting request. He's not saying unless. So my requested motion is to allow us to basically take surrendered animals at [clears throat] no cost to the county with our current contractor. And Mr. Chair before I request that work. After I request that motion, this is in your best interest because our phones are ringing off the hook. Mine, too. Yeah, mine's ringing. Got got a motion.

Second. Got a second. All in favor say I. I. All right. Thank you, gentlemen. Kevin, wait a minute. Get a call yesterday afternoon from [cough] a constituent lives in the city right behind DOT. Say something real quick. Finish up. Okay. I want to ask how do they're saying the city's not picking up animals. They No, they're the city's got their separate contract with the humane society. We cannot pick them up because we do not have my guys are saying do not jump in the city yet. Well,

okay. I'm not I'm not recommending that. We're on a test run. So, here's what my fear is. Once everybody figures out, guys, we're going to go broke in the dog business. Once everybody figures out that for 70 bucks up to 100 bucks, they can bring Fred to us. We got 40 kennels we're building right now. My contractor comes by once a week. He he [clears throat] picks dogs up. We're we're cooking. If that boy's going to come by three or four times a week, he's not going to do it for $300,000, nor would I. But we can always go up on taking dollars at some point if we need to.

Yes, sir, you can. But yeah, but remind one thing. You you can I'm I'm building 40 kennels. We're under construction as we speak. We got slab work done, plumbing work done. We're going vertical. We're pretty much on schedule with that job. I don't want to build 100 kennels. Right. Yeah. So, this thing is becoming we're always in here talking about big big projects. I think this animal control animal enforcement business as we continue down this path there's going to be a little more talking about paying money. [laughter]

Thank y'all so much Mr. Chair. That was the point I wanted to make sure was emphasized particularly for Dennis. I don't see Dennis. Where's he at? Uh if he was going to do a story on this or any sort of a notice to the public. This will be only if there's room at the end, right? So, we'll have the contractor coming to take the home, take the dogs for rehousing as frequently as possible, but we need to make sure the public understands there's no guarantee if you bring the dog down because we're not an adoption facility. We're not a placement facility. We're an animal enforcement facility. If the kennels are full, you might be sent away. So, we just we want to be fair with people [clears throat] because I kind of think Kevin's right that you might have an initial influx of these and uh and when we're full, we're full.

Okay. Okay, David.

Thank you very much for letting me be here today. Um, first thing I have is the Municipal Taxing Service. you talked back in October about possibly doing an STU [cough] for law enforcement and you mentioned uh or Heather mentioned Heather and Senoso mentioned that it could also cover EMS services. So uh we looked into it and for you to do this there has to be a study that would have to be done but we uh kind of wanted to give you the idea. An MSTU is not a special district. It is literally just an area designated to be taxed. you have one in the industrial park. So, if there's costs that occur in the industrial park, the people that live in the industrial park pay that tax. Uh there's no referendum requirement. This does not have to go for a vote. If you approve it, it moves forward. Uh it can include municipality areas if the municipality consents. That'll become important on the EMS side of things. And [clears throat] then finally, the adorum taxes still cannot violate state constitutional. So, you can charge 10 mills for county and 10 mills for municipal services. So, but what happens is as you create these taxing districts, that causes you then to have to lower your mills on the other side. So, it's not meant as a way to just boost taxes and create more taxes. It's meant as a way to adjust the taxing so people know where their money's going to. So like in law enforcement, some of the law enforcement things you cannot charge to the MSTU. We will still have to pay from them in the general funds. Things like the courts, things like the jails, the rest of it that's out in the county that can be charged to an MSTU. So you know, that's why you have to do a study to go through the costs and figure out what can be charged to the MSTU and what can't. Theoretically, if you're

taking it out of the county side of it and putting it in the MSTU side, you reduce the county side and increase the MSTU side. Try and get as close to a wash as you can. Uh, again, it's got to be done by an ordinance. The deadlines are January 1st or July 1st, and we talked about it then. We were talking about possibly doing it in April. Um, consent. If you want to include the city, they have to consent to it. Uh, and the mill is levied through your annual trim process. It's actually on your trim notices just like we did with the one for the industrial park last year. And part of the reason I want to go through this today is so you know what to look forward to or you direct Joel to actually start writing up the ordinance. So he would then have to write up the ordinance and bring it back to you. So Florida statutes says it can be fire protection, law enforcement, beach erosion control and other essential facilities and municipal services derived from taxes. Um so this is not like an MSBU where the property has to benefit. So like in your assessments, your fire assessment, your solid waste assessment, there has to be a benefit to the property because this is a tax. There has not does not have to be that benefit to the property, but it's got to be an appropriate service and EMS Heather said was part of fire protection. So, it is included. You could do a MSTU for EMS. So, we contacted Benesh said, "You got any of these contracts out there?" They said, "Light county has one. All right. If we wanted to piggyback on your contract, what would the cost be?" So, for just doing the law enforcement study, it's $53,745. And that will tell you what rates you should charge, what millage you should levy in that MSTU. If you add EMS,

it only goes up to 61,525. So, clearly EMS is a much easier study because EMS is we have this much money we're spending on EMS. We're contracting it. It's easy to calculate, but law enforcement is a much more difficult study. So again, an MSTU for law enforcement and or EMS requires this specific study to be done, which will tell you what your potential levy could be. Don't have to set it to that, but it could be and corresponding reduction to your current tax levies. [clears throat] Uh and uh if you wish to move forward with an MSTU, I would recommend doing the one for both for 61,525 on a piggyback with Lake County with Banesh. They used to do our studies all the time. Um and if you do decide to do that, that then tells Joel you want him to write the ordinance.

Okay, questions board. I thought this is something we need to do needed to do for two or three years now. So I I'll make a motion that we approve RSQ23-536. Second. Got a motion and a second. No further discussion. All in favor say [laughter] I. I. All. So I will work with Joel and we'll get an ordinance written very much. Definitely need this. That's that's this would be a good move. Okay. The next one is a utilities update. Now, I'm sorry I got to this one's a little longer. Trying to hurry it up as much as I can. First thing, the water transmission line between Ellisville and Fort White is in use.

Fort White is receiving water. There's still some things we're working on with D in terms of testing requirements and uh what we're going to do with the wells that are in Fort White. Um, and we strongly have recommended to the utility authority because there have been people that complain about their water being cloudy or discolored. they most likely are on the dead end lines and the lines don't circulate enough. So, we're encouraging the utility authority to get into a flushing program either through automatic flushes or physically going out and flushing the dead end lines. Possibly seeking grants to loop the lines. I know the water management district does that frequently as part of the river program because it reduces the amount of water wasted. I think there's some grants out there right now that they're working on to loop some of these lines off.

Yeah, one of our engineering fingers I think is working with the authority on that. Shannon, then we're working on a cost analysis on that too right now. Yeah. Good. Good.

So, the next one is [cough] you have regulations on nitrogen removal that changed. So, your current plant in Ellisville was not designed or built to meet those levels, which is why we're in the consent order. We also know we need 100,000 gallons per day sewer capacity by December to meet the busybe needs when we only have a current capacity of 50,000 GP. Now, our fix to meet the 100,000 gallons was to use the rest area FDOT sewer plant. And we know that's only a temporary fix because the rest area says the minute you get your capacity up to the level of 100,000 gallons, we're taking our plant offline. We'll just let you use it until you can handle the flow without us. At that point, all the flow that's flowing to the rest area will be reversed. the pumps will be reversed and they'll pump it to our sewer plant. So 100,000 gallons gets you to BusyB and no further growth. Uh so it will not meet the long-term capacities in Ellisville and you have a USDA application out there and the engineers that have been working on it have basically said we need to know are you want to going want to go forward or does the authority need to sign it or what? So we're at a point where we've got to make a decision. So, and then I'll get to 4775 later. I already did the for here's the uh information on the Fort White Water main where they said, "Yep, we're good to go. It's operational. It's in use." Um, so the utility authority with Chad Williams and myself helping them went out and got three quotes. Arcadus is the engineer and from three different types of vendors to do this type of work. This is what we call the band-aid fixing the trains at our plant. So we meet the nutrient reductions and eventually have our current plant get to 100,000 capacity.

Three firms we looked at Mac Industries, theirs was 7 million, was 7.339 and H2O was $10 million. It's looking at a plant the size of a 100,000 gallons per day with a maximum flow of 250,000 gallons per day. So you have to have that for seasonal fluctuations. you're not going to be at that 100,000 a day every day, but that only gets you through the busy people and nothing else. Um, realistically, the new Terra and H2O are different technologies and what they would do is take your existing trains, put media filters in it, uh, and through that process and additional tankage, expand the capacity of your existing trains. MAC is the oldfashioned technology that we've always used where you now have two trains that are MAC trains. If you take their option, you would have four trains that are max trains. Um, there's advantages. Quite frankly, this the real fancy technology does produce a better quality result, but operationally it's a lot more expensive and obviously initial capital investment is more expensive. The map which is type of process we have now has advantages in that you now have four trains. If there's any problems you then have three trains. So you have more capacity if there is a problem. It's technology we know we have equipment for. It's repeatable with our existing trains currently and it still meets the nutrient reductions. What I'm asking is this board to uh refer this to the utility authority to make a recommendation to this board. I'm confident. I think what I know what they'll do, but that's why you have a utility authority.

So guys, what I would say is MAC is back is less expensive. It's less one, but it's also the least expensive to operate in the long run. So, and your operators know how to operate it. If you go with new terra, it will treat the effluent to a higher level, but it's an added cost to maintain and operate that also because you have to take these screens out, you have to clean them, you have to it's a lot more labor intensive, right? So, if we can achieve our goal with Mike, that would be my recommendation. I mean, legalist. Yeah.

Lowest and legalist. And the reason the packet we passed out today is different than the packet you have in your agenda packet is because yesterday at 4:13 they sent us an update. So that package you have that was given on your desk today reflects these numbers and this thing. Okay. And that information was provided us 4:15 yesterday afternoon. I mean about the easier the least lease expensive to operate that was provided us by our engineer. I am by Sean at Arcadus. At Arcadus, right? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And I asked him, I said, "If you didn't have money was not a cost,

what would be the difference?" He says, "Well, the newer technology does polish the water to a higher level, but the old technology polishes it to the level you need. But the higher polish comes with the cost, you know. And that's it is more expensive. That's something we seem to overlook sometimes is your your continuing cost, you know, later on down the road.

The No, I seem that you beat me to the number thing because I seen the difference there. But but I see your point. 415 wouldn't quite time to change it on the thing. But the good news is if you look at the very bottom, if a train fails, you still have 75,000 gallons capacity with the other three trains working. On the other ones, you're using the existing. So if a train fails, I see that you don't have as much capacity. Yeah. Now hopefully your trains never fail, your sewer plant never breaks, but they're mechanical. Someday it'll happen. Could happen. [clears throat] Yeah. Do we need to do this in a motion to recommend it to the utility authority? Uh if we have a consensus of the board to re recommend it to the utility authority, I can live with that.

Do it in a motion. I make a motion. We recommend to y got a motion and a second. Any further questions or discussion? All in favor say I. I.

That leaves the next decision. This one I will want a motion on. We're at a point where we got to decide. We've done all the work, spent all the money to get ready to apply for the USDA funding. Uh we don't know if it will be how much of it will grant, how much it will be long-term low interest loans until we submit the application. It is a plan for a 250,000 gallon a day wastewater treatment plant with advanced wastewater treatment in Ellisville. That's the plan. The reason I say the next fact is so you know the impact of economic development in Ellisville. I asked Jeff Hampton yesterday and he gave me these numbers. In 2018, the taxable value in Els was 19,900,000. Today, current year up to date, it'll increase because he's still doing his job. We're up to 39,182 359 in taxable value. That's a significant increase because you've had economic development in Ellisville. So if you have capacity, you can get more economic development. If you've maxed your capacity, you're stopped. There is no economic development. BusyB reports a capex of $34 million plus they'll pay sales tax and fuel tax. So you can calculate how much just that one company will bring. So we feel strongly we want Ellis to grow. We know DOT feels strongly they want Ellis to grow. We know the state wants Ellisville to grow. Even after we finish the current projects Kevin's working on, he can tell you they're planning the next step over by the Dollar General right in line. There is a lot of reason that the infrastructure will drive more growth in the Ellisville region. We have reason to believe that. Um but if you don't estimate for if you don't go after USDA funding

um building a 250,000galon plant is not feasible. So we're what I'm asking is for the board to give us direction. Do you want to proceed with the USDA application? It'll still come back to you when you get the terms or are we just happy with the bandaid? David, we don't have a choice in this matter. Yeah, we we need a motion. Yeah, pursue it. We move that we pursue the USDA grants. Exactly. For sure. Got a motion in a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. I. All oppose. Sweet. [clears throat] That's a given there.

So, I guess the last item was the other utility options. [clears throat] Uh, so we are still working with the city on 4775. The developer has already started building the pump station. Um, we're working on how whether we're going to write a check to the city or the city's going to write a check to us for the incentives for that pump station that the board approved, but we are working with the city on that. Uh, at the NFMIP, obviously the we're finishing up the last details on the agreement to transfer ownership of the sewer plant to the city. That will come back to you once we finish those details. Uh the last thing was we got a letter from the state yesterday saying well about the loan from commerce. Does the city want to restructure it? Who's going to be responsible? Uh we answered them, you know, told them talk to the two attorneys, talk to the city manager. The city wants to do anything different. But right now, we all believe they're happy with the terms, happy to go forward. So the state where commerce where we have the loan is willing to assign the loan to the city of Lake City. So that's not going to be a problem. So we are working on the technical details to get that finalized so we can get that to you so you can make a decision. Having said that, um the water project, so we um went to the water management district and said we need an easement if we're going to run a water line from the city water plant, the NFMIP across your land. Because the city water plant was on water management district property. What we ended up with is they gave the land entirely to the city of Lake City. While it has not closed yet, that property will be owned by the city of Lake City. So now our next step is to get easements from Warehouser for the path that Chad and the other engineers selected. If you remember, go straight across the woods out to Ty Road and then

down Ty Road to 90. We still believe the budget is intact. Um, we just got modification three which memorializes this with the state. That will be on your next agenda. Um, so we're working very hard to get this done. It was always a question about how are we going to do this? Is the city going to do the work or are we going to do the work? Well, D was very straightforward. They would like us to piggyback on the city's contract with Jones Edmonds since they're the contractor. They're the engineering firm. Um, we would do all the paperwork. The city would do, you know, the construction inspection, so they make sure it's to their work. They'll do lot most of the field work. Obviously, we'll check on them, but we would still be responsible for the grant paperwork.

Sense. And that's for the water. That's for the water man. Water man. I believe it's a 12 inch water man. Not positive, but I think it is. I'd have to go back and look at Jones Edmond's estimate. So this now if you agree to the piggybacking um would allow us then to get the design started. So I guess I'm asking for a vote or a motion to allow us to piggyback on the city of Lake City's contract with Jones Advent. Got a motion in a second. Any further questions, discussions? All in favor say I. All oppose. So, anybody have any questions on any other utility issues?

All right. So, this one is the updated position descriptions, and Troy made a change this morning on one of them on the job description in there for the building and zoning director. wants and I agree with this that we strike from the position description as well as serving as building official for the county. So under this scenario, it's a kind of transition [snorts] for when Troy does retire. Troy will become solely the building official and over the building department or the building section division. So he will be over all the inspections. will be over training his successor, if you will, to be the next building official. And that's all he wants to do. That's he feels that is something that will allow him to continue working with the county for a lot more years. Um, which leaves a vacuum on the rest of the department, building and zoning side, the code enforcement side, the assessment side. And so we're recommending you create a position or redo the position of the director, building and zoning director to focus strictly on the running of the department, zoning issues, planning issues, code enforcement issues, and those types of things. They still would be over the chief building official, but you know, obviously our chief building official legally has more authority when it comes to building issues. So we're asking you to approve those two job description changes as amended. And then finally, the sports group sales marketing specialist position was placed under the landscaping and parks department um with the secession plan in the landscaping and parks department. Uh Clint is recommending that that position be moved back under the brand new TDC director uh who's coming on board next week. And so we're asking you to change the job description so that this person reports to the TDC director. I'll make a motion we approve changes to the position.

You got a motion in a second. All in favor say I. I. All oppose. Okay. And I believe that's it except for the addition. A letter. There's a letter in your packet that [snorts] uh Commissioner Hollingsworth brought to our attention and uh it's a letter basically other counties are sending them out. Uh quite frankly, some of it was written based on what other counties sent out. Um, we need to know if the board is going to authorize us to move forward with the letter or not.

I think we need to send a letter because we represent the people of the county. We don't represent other people. We represent the people of our county and I can't find one person, you know, has it already been passed by? Has it already been passed by the senator? It was in committee. It's in committee. Committee approved.

Committee approved it. So, I mean, we learned about this a month ago and they're already approving it in Tallahassee. So, it was a it I mean it I I almost don't know. I don't know. But anyhow, it's it sounds like it's a moot point anymore, but I appreciate the people that tried to put their two cents in. And I just feel like, you know, we're doing something that and nobody's talked about any kind of restrictions on Jacksonville or JA. So, I just feel like, you know, I don't I don't even know how to talk about it. Tell you the truth. It's just

I think [laughter] I've been trying to get an answer and I haven't got an answer yet. Here's here's my question. Are they getting any kind of more use, water use out of this project? as far as that county or JA goes, you know, because David didn't touch on it a while ago, but when we're talking about utilities, one of our biggest another one of our biggest hurdles right now that we've got to face is the capac our water capacity our C we're about at the limit in Lville and Fort Worth from what I heard.

So, we have got to start investing in some kind of recharge project to increase our cup. But I don't want that project from Jacksonville pumping that water over there to give them more use of our water over here. From what I heard by doing this project because it is if if you're just going to pump this water back over here and and and reclaim it and take it back to Jacksonville, what are we what are we accomplishing? I asked one of the water management guys out. What is that going to help our cup or is it just And it doesn't sound like may a little may a little but it sounds like. So

what my whole problem with it is this. We're taking a lot of water off Jacksonville's hands. And in all honesty, it was our water management that wanted this. So when you do that, Jacksonville is just going to be open season. They're going to be pumping it. You think they're pumping it now? I mean, I just can't believe we're not doing something to go and study their restrictions. We've studied ours to the hill and our restrictions are a lot tougher than theirs are because of the open closed basin situation. So, they use more water than we us even if they were as small as us, they still have the right to use more water than us, I believe, because of the the way the open and closed basin work. But, it just it it's like we just threw this out here a month ago. They've been working on it for several years, I'd say. I don't know how long. It has to be

well they've got other projects in the state to fight this project in the state. So So I just can't believe there's not any answers about what the cup will be for us. Will that help us if we're taking water nobody else wants get that answer? Yeah. I have not got an answer. I've asked it. The answer is in the is in the wind really because whatever the answer is has already been passed in committee. So it's, you know,

well, you know, the the calls, the three calls I've got from Tallahassee is simply, you know, why aren't we mad? We're not mad. We're just concerned, you know, asking qu because that question right there because you know as well as I do, that [snorts] cup situation is a big deal because if we can't get [laughter] what we've got right now, but how much we spent. So So how's it going to benefit us from it? Nobody say and is anybody is anybody saying all right J Jacksonville and JA you're having to feel this much can we look into your usage I don't think that's even been approached I don't even think any restriction I think it's probably been talk about but ain't nobody

Robbie at this point in time okay they're asking for $40 million it should have been brought to us when they came here they no no $40 million appropriated for the study this year yeah so what I'm saying, "Okay, we're asking the citizens for $40 million to continue his study to come back to you at a latter date." But it was almost like all this has been decided now that you send me the money. You know, that's that's the approach that I think I took. I think I think all the infrastructurees pretty much in not in place, but is planned and engineered and ready to go. But as far as the letter, Robbie, I agree with you. We we should pass this and send it in. So, Swany County did it. I mean, our people have spoken. We need to listen to them.

Madison Madison's do it. I don't I don't represent Tallahassee. We need to send two or three letters because my three cents didn't even count either and we all five here and we all know we decided we didn't want it and none of the people here wanted it. You can see all the people that was here and then they take it over there and go ahead and pass it and we don't know nothing about it. That's wrong. And you know they're saying the science is right and all that but I haven't seen anything like what you're talking about. What credit are we going to get for this?

What credit is Jacksonville gonna get? What are we going to do to make sure that JEA because now when they start spilling that all that they're spilling they're going to take more than that and you know what I mean it's it's a never ending it's a never end their hose is this big is this big and they're getting it and and it's just like I say I have a lot of questions and and and not many answers yet. And you're a tank man you know those you know about all those chemicals. Well, do they claim that you can drink that water? Ah, that ain't nobody said it was drinkable. I know they say, "Oh, it's almost drinkable." I seen Mary Lee on some picture the other day drinking out of toilets. I guess

And you know [laughter] what? If the answer to that is yes, then pump it back into your pipes in Jacksonville, Florida. [laughter] If it pipes, well, I don't think the water is drinkable because I can tell you if it was drinkable, they wouldn't be wanting to filter it back through. No, the the right Yeah. the basically the ground they're using the ground and the and the uh eco you plants and stuff like that as a filter. That's why they want a thousand gallons. So basically the they're they're filtering this water partly through the natural ground system that filtered water all the time as part of the treatment for this. But when they're popping it,

they're based on the same design the city has out here off of Brford Highway. They they're creating a big lagoon for this water to seep through the sand and the dirt to go back into the aquifer. And you know it's true you do get a lot of treatment. That's what S tanks are based on. You know that's that's the whole deal with the mound system. I don't know if everybody realize that the whole system with that mound system is create 24 in of sand separation between the bottom of the drain field and the water table. So what they're saying is that 24 in of sand when that effluent seats through that sand it's like 90% pure after it goes through that 24 in of sand

well you probably you probably are drinking quite a bit you don't know [laughter] when they get through but I tell you this there's 15 million gallons of septic tank and sewage dumped in this or put in the ground in this county now get ready cuz when you get to drinking it it's going to be 40 million so there going to be three or four more times when they start. So, we we'll probably all be dead by the time it happens. But you know, the research we and and I think the approach would have been a lot more accommodating if they would have just come and said, "Hey, we're still in the very early stages. We're asking $40 million and we'll get back to you. We got more research." But that wasn't what I heard up here.

A year and a half ago when y'all didn't hear that. They come up here and tell us where this is what we're doing. Yeah. That's really what they did. This is what we're going to do and y'all can deal with. Thank you. You going to make a motion that we do the letter? Move. I move that we do the letter. I'll second. Got a motion in second. All in favor say I. All oppose. Okay. Uh open public comments. Yes, sir. What's the letter? Come on. Come on. Come on up and we'll explain it to you real quick. Why don't you read it, Rob? Yeah. Where's it at? What's the letter say? Which page? The additions. the addition page on beh

I can read it but I can't I don't have my glasses on my sunglasses wait where's on the very back of the edition edition there you still want me to read it y'all want me to read it somebody else want to read hey go ahead let's read it

with your sunglass subject opposition to I got readers in my son. [laughter] So opposition to the water first north Florida project to whom it may concern the Columbian county board of county commissioners formally opposes the proposed water first north Florida project. We believe the project poses unacceptable risk to the longterm welfare of our county and region. Our key concerns are as follows. Environmental impact on springs and rivers. Our springs and rivers are already under stress. Additional withdrawals or impacts had caused invers irreversible damage. We need clarity on which contaminants are monitored and what treatment wetlands cannot remove. Public health and water security. Residents have expressed certain uncertainty about the safety of purified reclaiming drinking water. Protecting the reliability of local wells and public water system remains essential. Economic consequences. Our economy depends on healthy natural resources including ecoourism, agriculture and recreation. Any harm to spring systems could compose significant financial cost. We request clear evaluation of these risks. Lack of local benefit. Current documentation shows limited benefit to our community while placing disproportionate risk disproportionate risk on Columbia County. We cannot support a project may compromise local resources without clear direct value to our residents. For those reason, the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners opposes the Water First Northter project in its current form. We urge reviewing a reviewing agencies and decision makers to pursue sustainable alternatives that protect the long toterm health of our water resources. Sincerely, Tim Murphy, chair. That's the letter.

So, that's the letter. So, u any other questions on that? [clears throat] Okay. At this point in time, any other public comments? Dennis, can you post that letter on our website or our Facebook page? Yeah. [cough] And hopefully the Lakes reporter probably in that thing. Please thank all our citizens for speaking out like they did on Facebook because that's I'm going to tell you something. That's a big deal for people to be strong and go, you know, this ain't right, you know, and they support us and and post our our things we talk about really helps keep people informed and that's our job with you, you know. All right, man. Okay. No other public comments, staff?

No, sir. Did you want an update from I thought it says onroof? Uh, sure. Why not? You mess with every You're messing with every biscuit that plunks right now. [laughter]

I'm just going to get rid of some of that coffee I drink. They getting ready. They ain't going to come get you. Well, the switch over has definitely begun. Uh Columbia EMS has all but collapsed. Uh they're only able to put up some days one truck, some days two trucks. Uh it's is going downhill very rapidly. Uh at this time, Americ is running three ALS trucks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Uh they hope if all of their uh orientations are through on Friday like they suspect they should have uh four trucks running probably by the first part of next week. Uh I asked when did they think that they could get up to their fully fully ramped five trucks 24 hours with the with the quick response and a and a 12-hour trucks and they said probably 45 days on that.

Really? Uh, yes. Uh, I thought they was going to be ready to go like the next week, too. Yeah. Wasn't ready to go the next morning, 8:00. Yeah. Next morning, they'd be ready to go. That didn't quite happen. So, are they already failing on their contract? Well, no. Their their contract, I I assume, gives them 90 days because we got to be careful about saying that people are violating contracts. They have 60 days to get ramped up. They started to work immediately. Yeah,

they really did. like were they going to have five ambulances on the ground with five paramedics the next morning? No, that was never going to happen. There's not that many medics. So, yes, they're within their contract. They have 60 days to get up to full performance. We have the 90-day overlap with CM uh Columbia EMS. I spoke to the ownership group of Columbia EMS yesterday. They are working actively with AirPro. They're going to loan out their equipment. They're going to sell some of their equipment to pro. They're also actively transitioning their medics uh from Columbia EMS to Amerro right now. So things are happening. We're in growing pains. Nobody's happy about this situation, but we need to be real careful about accusing people of not following their contracts. Everybody's everybody we've signed up is within their contract.

Additionally, they're moving into the uh stations that were formerly Columbia EMS stations. They they have already occupied the county road 18 station in Fort White. Uh America Pro has they're wanting to occupy the the one here at the fairgrounds as soon as possible as soon as Columbia EMS fully moves out. Uh excuse [clears throat] me. They are have been looking at the station on 100 where Columbia EMS was occupying a little bit had leased. Uh they're in negotiations with it also. They're looking for something between they they they're saying between 242 or two 240 and 242. They're looking for something, but I haven't been able to find anything in that area yet.

Used to be in a mobile home right there on the right hand side. Ju just south of 240. They used to be in one there. I think it's already rented out for for someone else at this time. So, it's it's they're they're actively looking. They're actively ramping up. Uh it was a a lot of people's impression that they were going to be able to ramp up quickly because of of comments that were made in in meetings and stuff, but it it's not as quick as as probably we would have liked it to be. So is the problem they don't have ambulances or

No, no, they they it's it's everything is staffing is and it will be with anybody and we've we've said that all along. There's only a EMS had staffing.

There's only a finite number of of paramedics out here in Columbia County to work all of the different ambulances and the hospitals and the different places that they work. So, it's it's staffing is hard. They they are in the pro. They've done uh I forget a job fair, I think is what they actually called it. And they got a good number of applications. They've went through them. They're they've offered a a good number of them jobs. Now they're just having to do their orientation process to get them on boarded. So like I said, if all goes as planned as it as it seems to be going with them now, they will have the fourth truck on first part of next week. And we're we're we're in better shape than we have been in in a long time. Yeah. E even at this [snorts] with a little bit of blend that we're doing uh it's it's you know it's a slow process and I've I've said that all along you know back when when Columbia EMS first started I said you can't build a business that quick it takes a little bit of time to do it and

that was the thing about hiring a company that's already established was it right well they have they they they have some inner facility trucks that are manned also that they said if if uh the need arises or or the the emergency happens that they can they can switch from inner facility and and run some 911 calls with also. So they they they say that they've got some in reserve that they can they can back up and and So how many times have we went to level zero in the last couple weeks? Uh I only a couple times. Not not very many. Not very many. Not very many. No, because like I said, it's it's my thing is, are we better off now than we were two weeks ago? Absolutely.

Okay. 100% better off today than we were two weeks ago. All right. I just want to be sure we had what we needed. That's what what you'll have both ambulance services running calls. Yes, sir. Yeah. Posting something about new jobs. If you if you want to get y'all with him back to county post and put the number and any anything that they've got

we'll we'll transfer over and that way you can can look for that too. And one other thing I have, um, those that went to the planning and zoning commission last week, uh, those folks that went to the planning and zoning commission meeting last week, uh, learned that there was a email that was sent out with Jack Phelps's signature on it that didn't come from Jack Phelps and was basically telling this applicant,

"The permit cost $4,000. You paid $900, you owe us $3,400." And it looked very, very official. did not come from the county, did not come from Jock Phelps. And so we started posting about that. Well, now I'm getting notifications from those email from those engineering firms that bid on the uh continuing services. They're getting emails from me about that service, trying to solicit their business, but it's the wrong email address, it's the wrong phone number, it's the wrong street address. It lists me as assistant county manager, which I think is hysterical. Um, and I thought, okay, it was one this morning. We got three more of them from different engineering firms saying this is going out. We were referring all of this to the sheriff's office and uh intend to prosecute if they can find the person that does it.

That's we want to encourage the public if you get an email from us, do not listen to it necessarily. Call us and find out. It's all about call somebody. That That's the problem. And I want to tell people this. It happen with bail bonds. People will get calls. I'm a bail bonds when you want to get your son out of jail. Oh yeah. They'd say, "Yeah." And I even had one customer say, "Well, I always use Robbie at 81." You know what I mean? And she still

used them. They said, "We don't do it that way anymore." Well, if you went up on A1 bail bonds on Lake City, you'll see a picture of me standing in front of office looking at you. I mean, [laughter] but they went ahead and did it and they got ripped off. I don't know why people I guess Amazon has taken us here. Anything you can buy a husband on Amazon, anything you want. So, [laughter] if you if you'll stop using the internet to buy things, especially special things like this, and just stop using the internet for that. You want to buy a hat, go buy a hat. But when they tell you owe money to your lawyer or owe money to the bail bondsman, call the man. Call the bail bondsman. You got a thing called Google that has every business in the world on it. When you look that business up and it's not on Google in your county, don't send them any money.

Here's one thing, and I I I used to tell my father-in-law and my my mother this. Look, if they call you on the phone, don't talk to them. More more than likely, they're not. That's right. Now, if you get a letter in the mail and it's a IRS or somebody Yeah, we need to look at that. [laughter] I mean, these people pray on the on the older on older folks that are so nice and so so straight that they want to make sure they don't know nothing to nobody.

Well, they think they're in trouble. You know what I'm saying? They make trouble me. I can get him out of jail. And I said, "Well, he ain't in he's not. That guy called you from Zimbabwe. He ain't got nothing to do with I had an attorney called had an attorney called me the other day want to talk to me about a current lawsuit going on within the county and [laughter] I just I want to know if you're a human being. I says you guys call Joe for I called Joe. I said is this thing real? And he said yeah she's real call talk to her. So [laughter] that's a good she called me back. She said I never had that said. So, I don't know if it's AI or AQ or whatever they call it.

Dennis, there's a we need to get together with planning and zoning and our other offices that take payment because I know one of the ways banks fight this is they send out things like we will never ask you to pay this way and and so we need to find out what those statements are that we can release. Um, you're not going to stop this. I had a very very big company up in New England that got popped. They stole their CFO's signature and their letterhead and it it all came out of North Africa. We traced it. You can't they they converted into Bitcoin real quick and it's gone. [clears throat] Within about 36 hours, they sent some falsified wiring instructions to the uh it was engineering up in New England. uh to the uh finance department for this engineering company said, "Hey, here's a $600,000 invoice." They intercepted it. When you pay that, make sure you use our new wiring instructions. They plugged in the new wiring instructions. They wire that much gone.

So, it happens at the very, very high. It's happened at First Federal, right? It involved First Federal. The money, the reason I got involved is the money actually said, "Hey, cuz we do a lot of wiring said don't." It bounced through First Federal straight to North Africa. like they they were able to trace the money, but it's gone. So, the only thing I think we can reasonably do is is try to make sure people know we only accept payment this way. The other thing is encouraging people to be like Commissioner Murphy. Be skeptical of everything. You know, I got something. Be skeptical of everything. I quun [laughter] the money the beekeeper from.

We need more beekeepers. [laughter] Kirby says, "No, that one's real." It's a king and king quail hunt. [laughter] It's mostly It's mostly old folks. Young folks are pretty smart, but older folks, they just don't know. They They get a call, they think they're supposed to pay it, you know? They don't know. I don't talk commissioners. Any

I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. real quick. We had a me and David was at a workshop the other day of the planning zoning. Uh it was really really good, wasn't it, David? I mean that a lot of good points. They're trying to get things more streamlined and there's going to be some more workshops in the very near future coming up. So when it is uh we'll do what we can to notify everybody a little bit better than maybe we did this. They invited me to come to it, but it was definitely a good trip. It was So can we attend those meetings? We have one. Excuse me. Are we allowed to attend those meetings? workshop. I mean there's no I mean as what was it? You can attend their workshops as part of the audience but not as a board member.

So So to be clear, yeah, you guys can go to the movies at the same time. You can go, you know, you can be there at the same time. You can't convene, right? So yeah, if somebody's putting on a workshop and you guys all want to go watch it, go watch it. Absolutely. And and Rocky, once I got there the other day, that's what I said to myself. Dang, the commissioners should be hearing this, you know, because you get the same calls everybody else does about, you know, what's this LDR and all that mess mean, you know? So, but I'll assure you as soon as uh when Seth puts the next one together, we'll definitely do that because it was very very uh got a lot of got a lot of things accomplished, you know, really did. And uh so for putting that thing together,

I'm I'm not done yet.

Okay, go right ahead, sir. We had a study done on stop signs and lights and all kind of stuff here last year, whatever it was. I'm trying to figure out what what can we do? We need to do something. And I was looking at some of those things the guys put at the end of a road yesterday. Matter of fact, I drove down to those red things at the end of the road and it stopped me because I feel could could we put some of those on stop sign or can we not? Should I answer your first question? You now have a study that tells you all your bad intersections, etc. you do not have any funding in place currently to apply towards the study. Okay.

Okay. And ironically enough, I was over in another county a few days ago and I thought about you with no funding in place. I agree with you. We have got to do something. Um I was in Gilchrist County ball game the other night and I wasn't real familiar with the road and if they wouldn't had an indicator four-way if they wouldn't had some lights and stuff going on, I would have run through it. It was like 11:00 at night and it come up over there real fast. It was a curve and ironic enough yesterday I got my guys. I said, "Look guys, we've got to do something because we are growing more traffic." And I do not know what the answer that is, Mr. Phillips, you It's just a lot of money.

Yeah. And you know what I asked my guys yesterday to yesterday to do? Let's go and take a look at the uh Tuscanoogi [snorts] uh Yeah. Well, Tustinooi down there is that's what that's real county and Trenton and all that just put those up and you saw Commission

and they look like little old trinkets but they were it was like 11:00 at night. I was tired. So to answer your question to Mr. Phillips as recent as yesterday I went about getting up last I come back guys I said guys I don't know what we're going to do so let's go down to Gil Chris County let's take a look at what they just did and we we're actively working on it but to answer your question about your study there is no funding in place right now to tackle that I know all about I know the study I know why and all that but well let's do something if we have to go away from that study and go do something Kevin we know that stuff works because look at Junction Road for an example exactly we done all that where Junction We haven't had an incident like that since we done that.

The ch Yes, sir. The ch the ch and you're right. That's a good example. The challenge is is in this current budget, there's not funding in place. And I'm going to just lay it on the table. Once we started, they're going to say, "What about that one? What about that one?" That's always been my fear. But at least now that we got that [cough] because that was a great study because now we got a prioritized list. you know that well this is why you don't have it here because this here outrank it so but but somewhat premature but just keeping in mind board that the money that we set aside for five years I think it was right Kevin given the uh improvements at 247 and bassar correct

I say just keep in mind you know that's already in our coffers as far as I believe this last year we put some fun we just the one we just there's some money available right there that we consider during budget time but we definitely agree with Mr. Everett. We we definitely need to set forth because it's uh he's definitely been patient on his side and I know I've been patient at two at 240. They got they got them right there [laughter] at 240 and uh what watermelon park them things work. You come up here and them approach lights they're

You know what the problem is, don't you? You're getting up at our age now. And at night, you don't see that stuff like you used to. That one at 3:40. That one [laughter] at 340 and 129. Man, I'm telling you, a lot of people died there. So dark. That one you came out too. And I I looked in things. I told my girlfriend, I said, "We need to put them on our stuff." That's brightened that one right there. Sure enough. Yeah. So, I would like to have something if you can come back with some kind of plan or something.

So, so keep in mind I will it kind of go back to the engineering deal. Now, we do have a list. It's got a pecking order. Well, yes, but that list can be gone around a little bit. I agree with every hero and trust me. I don't know where it's on that list, but that is a bad It ain't on the list. It's on the list. It is, but it ain't. So, so I was talking to Commissioner Phillips about this earlier, and I've said this to y'all a few times over the years, but I want to make sure it's very, very clear. I give you legal advice about risks is risk assessment. The five of y'all still vote on things, right? Like the five of y'all can vote to put a speed hump in the middle of any county road you want.

Oh, boy. Just telling you like y'all's policy directive. So, and that's why there's five of you. If three of you want something, it's going to happen. Okay? And and [laughter] So, I just I just I just And that's part of the reason y'all all have to do all this in public, too, so they can watch you do this stuff. But in any event, I've heard you say for years that this intersection is problematic. I don't drive that intersection, right? I go through that. It's just like he said he went through that almost run through that other night. He knows the road, right? Well, I know the road and I almost ran through. Well, it just looks like the road continues on. I mean until you see that stop sign at 100 feet right there. You know

you guys are elected. There's a reason you have to be from your districts, right? You can't be elected to represent a district you don't live in. This is why. Right? So I'm certainly not suggesting that y'all, you know, put together a a punch list and say we want all these done at once because there's funding issues and then there's a little quid proquo with the one district gets it, another district wants it. But where you have something that's particularly problematic and you advocate for it and they vote with you. Yeah. Welcome. I know. He knows he's got one. He's got one. Probably Rob probably don't have one. Yeah, I do. Sister's welcome. Sisters welcome. I got you. Now, you ain't doing yours before I do mine on my list. [laughter] As a board, y'all will wrestle with that. Same way you do with resurfacing projects.

Yeah. [clears throat] Hey, I got to go. Yeah. I remember people raised Kane about that thing. Now you can't you can't say nothing bad about they put that round about at live oak there. Oh yeah. I remember I was sold on roundabout. But I'm going to tell you what the county over there got voted out over there. Now people love that's the best thing ever happened live right there. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Kevin.

You'd have some. Oh.