November 25, 2008

Regular Session

Bonifay, Florida

 

 

The Holmes County Board of Commissioners met in a Regular Session on the above date with the following members present: Commissioner Kenneth Williams, Commissioner Ron Monk, Commissioner Jim King, Commissioner Phillip Music, Commissioner Monty Merchant, Chairman of the Board.

 

                        Mr. Greg Wood, County Administrator, was present.

                        Mr. Brandon Young, County Attorney, was present.

                        Angie Jonas, Deputy Clerk, was present and kept the minutes.

                        Mr. Dinkins led the prayer and pledge.

                        Chairman Merchant opened the meeting.

 

Pursuant to Public Notice, the Board held a Public Hearing to discuss the Capital Improvement Plan and draft ordinance. Commissioner Music made a motion to open the Public Hearing. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Michele McDaniel read the draft ordinance which would amend volume three, chapter 2.8 of the Capital Improvements Element of the Comprehensive Plan. She explained that the amendment is necessary per the requirement of Senate Bill 360 and that a five year schedule of Capital Improvement projects for the municipalities of Esto, Noma, Westville and Ponce de Leon must be included as they are incorporated within the County’s Comprehensive Plan. She stated that it is a requirement that the County show financial feasibility for the projects listed for the first three years and that projects listed in the fourth and fifth years are simply a “wish list”. Ms. McDaniel stated that the projects listed were just those that are financially feasible and the attached draft version included strike through items that would be deleted as they are not feasible. Administrator Wood clarified that it is anticipated that the Sandpath Road project may be completed sooner, however, due to the Department of Transportation schedule, it had to be placed on the list for a later time. Commissioner King stated that some projects had been omitted from this draft. Ms. McDaniel stated that she was revising a previously drafted version from the Comprehensive Plan and that it would not be practical to add items only to strikethrough them. Attorney Young advised that she should only be revising current text as she had done on the draft and that adding text to strike through would not be permissible. Administrator Wood stated that the second reading would be taking place on December 15th. Commissioner Music made a motion to close the Public Hearing. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

(Draft ordinance, List of projects)

 

The Board discussed the upcoming workshop taking place on Monday, December 15th.  Commissioner King asked if the workshop would be held to finalize changes to the Comprehensive Plan. Chairman Merchant stated that the workshop will just be a day of discussion with representatives from the Department of Community Affairs and that changes will not be finalized at the workshop. Commissioner King asked that Ms. McDaniel contact Mr. Gilmore, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Jones, Mr. Miller, Mr. Martin and Mr. Ward to inform them of the upcoming workshop.

 

            The Board discussed the November 10, 2008 Regular Session minutes consent item. Commissioner King stated that there had been an error on page one and that Bullard Excavating was actually the contractor for “Son in Law Road” rather than “SR 79”.  

 

The Board discussed the final Library Budget consent item. Previously, the Board held a hearing to discuss necessary changes to the Budget. Mrs. Susan Harris, Library Director, explained several line items and stated that she had budgeted the extra money for summer programs. Commissioner Williams made a motion to approve the amended minutes and the Library Budget consent items. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

           

The Board discussed the Commissioner assignments. Chairman Merchant reviewed the Commissioner assignments to various County Departments.

 

(Assignment List)

 

The Board discussed the Courthouse asbestos abatement project.  Mr. Bret Lyttle, Project Engineer, clarified that Peter Brown Construction will be performing the HVAC renovation and that Marcor Remediation will be conducting the actual abatement. He stated that in order for Peter Brown to get started on their portion, the pipe insulation in the basement and asbestos located on the second floor will need to be removed. He also stated that the floor tiles will not be removed during this process since they are covered in carpet. He reviewed the proposal and explained that there were two rates included in the cost estimates for the abatement, a premium rate which included weekend and or holiday work and a basic rate which included a standard five day work week. Mr. Cody Taylor, Clerk of Court, confirmed that this project is necessary and that funding for this project is available in the Court Facilities Fund.  He also stated that the entire Courthouse will not be closed at any given time and that business should continue during the project that is tentatively scheduled to take place during mid December and January. Commissioner Williams asked whether leaving the existing carpet in the Courthouse over the tiles would resolve the rest of the asbestos issue. Mr. Jerzy Sobski, Marcor Remediation, stated that the asbestos removal will be done by Marcor and that the majority of the asbestos will be removed with the exception of the asbestos in areas such as pipe casings or inside walls which would only be reachable during an instance of demolition. He also stated that the remainder of the asbestos would be “encapsulated” to ensure that it would not be reachable. He explained the abatement process and stated that the air perimeter monitoring will be done by Southern Earth Sciences. Mr. Taylor suggested that the Board initially approve the basic rate for the work to be completed and that he and the Administrator would like the leeway to come back to the Board with a request should some premium work be necessary due to time constraints. Commissioner King made a motion to approve the basic price of $120,709.00 for the asbestos removal which included the bid from Marcor Remediation in the amount of $90,819.00, the additional work by Peter Brown Construction in the amount of $11,800.00 which included ceiling tile replacement and Southern Earth Sciences in the amount of $18,090.00 which included air sampling and clearance testing. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion.   The motion passed unanimously.

(Proposal)

 

The Board discussed the holiday work schedule. Administrator Wood stated that the Clerk’s office will be closing Thursday, December 25th and Friday, December 26, 2008 rather than Wednesday, December 24th and Thursday, December 25th. He asked the Board whether to follow the same schedule for Board employees. Commissioner Williams made a motion to close Friday, December 26th rather than Wednesday, December 24th. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Administrator Wood stated that the Library and Emergency Management had made requests to be closed Tuesday, December 23rd and Wednesday, December 24th as well as for the holiday. Chairman Merchant stated that although he did not have an issue with the closure, he believed that part of the budget discussion for the Library included the facility being open during the holiday. Commissioner Music made a motion to allow the Library and Emergency Management to be closed for the week. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

(Letter of Request)

 

Administrator Wood stated that the reorganization agenda item would not be discussed.

 

Administrator Wood stated that there is a water leak at Dogwood Lakes that is in need of evaluation. Commissioner Monk stated that he had received reports on the issue and that the lake is at an undesirable level. He also stated that the cause of the leak may be a water pipe break; however the exact cause of the problem had not been determined. Administrator Wood stated that he had received a proposal from Jeff Loflin Diving in the amount of $250.00 to conduct an underwater dive assessment and asked the Board for authorization for this service. He also stated that Boater Improvement funds could possibly be used to cover the cost of the repair and assessment. Chairman Merchant asked whether it is the responsibility of the County to make this repair. Cody Taylor, Clerk of Court, stated that the lake bottom, lake, dam and spillway belong to the County and that all County residents have the benefit of using the lake. He also stated that the County had made a repair to the spillway previously. Commissioner Music made a motion for Jeff Loflin Diving to conduct the underwater assessment. Commissioner Monk seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

(Proposal)

 

The Board discussed the cell phone allowance request for Mr. Clint Erickson. Previously, the Board had voted to allow a list of employees to receive a $50.00 per month cellular telephone allowance and he had not been included on the list. Commissioner Williams made a motion to change the amount of the stipend from $50.00 to $25.00. The motion died for lack of a second. Mr. Clint Erickson, 911 Mapping and Addressing, stated that his cellular telephone, like those of Emergency Management are grant funded. Commissioner Music made a motion to allow Mr. Erickson to receive the $50.00 stipend. The motion died for the lack of a second. Mr. Cody Taylor, Clerk of Court clarified that the Internal Revenue Service considers a County cellular telephone a benefit and that it does not matter whether the telephone is grant funded or not. He clarified that if the telephone is kept in the County’s name, a log must be kept of all calls. He stated that the stipend suggestion had been made by the auditor as an easier way to manage this benefit. Commissioner King stated that he and his foreman would not be accepting the stipend. Administrator Wood clarified that certifications forms to receive the benefit are available and that an employee does have the right to waive the stipend benefit if they would like. He stated that a list has been authorized and that should the form not be turned in, the employee will not receive the stipend. Commissioner Williams made a motion for Mr. Erickson to receive the stipend. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Administrator Wood stated that work had begun at Shoo Fly Bridge and that it was necessary for some power poles to be moved to allow for the bridge project. He stated that the cost for West Florida Electric Cooperative Association (WFECA) to move the power poles is $1,763.93 and asked for authorization to pay for this service. Commissioner King made a motion to approve the payment agreement. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. The motion passed with Commissioner Williams voting no, and all others voting yes.

(Agreement)

 

Administrator Wood stated that construction was complete on Wire Bridge. He stated that funds are available in the “Gas Tax Infrastructure Fund” and asked the Board to authorize payment in the amount of $328,000.00 from this fund. Commissioner Monk asked whether the guardrails or striping were included in the price of the bridge. Chairman Merchant stated that he believed that this price only included the piling and deck. Commissioner Music made a motion to pay the invoice from the “Gas Tax Fund”. Commissioner King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

Commissioner Monk asked for an update regarding the Shoo Fly Bridge lawsuit. Attorney Young stated that he will have an update at the next meeting.

 

Commissioner Music made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

 

 

 

 

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Clerk                                                                Chairman