August 12, 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 Monty Merchant, Commissioner Jim King, Commissioner Phillip Music, and Commissioner Raymon Thomas, 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.

Chairman Thomas opened the meeting with the pledge.

Pursuant to public notice, the Board held a Public Hearing to discuss the Fair Housing Initiative. Chairman Thomas stated that since Mr. Bob Jones, Grants Administrator, was unable to attend the meeting, that Administrator Wood would be presenting the information. Administrator Wood stated that Holmes County is a participant of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) required to hold a Public Hearing regarding this topic. He reviewed the policy of the Fair Housing Initiative, and stated that under the law, any complaints regarding fair housing may be brought to the Clerk of Court Office or the Administrator’s Office for review.

Chairman Thomas closed the Public Hearing.

Commissioner Music made a motion to approve the following consent items:

July 14, 2008 Special Session Minutes

July 24, 2008 Special Session Minutes

Solid Waste Franchise Agreements for:

Bowies Garbage Disposal

Household Disposal

Waste Management

Family Refuse

Opportunity Florida Yearly Dues

Peter Brown HVAC Work Change Order-Courthouse A/C

Tax Collector’s Recapitulation of the tax roll

Hazard Analysis-Sub-grant Agreement

Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Williams asked what the repercussion would be of not renewing the Opportunity Florida yearly dues. Chairman Thomas stated that the biggest consequence would be that the County would no longer be considered for upcoming regional economic development projects. He stated that Jackson County has been getting the bulk of the projects; but also that he is hoping that there may be some upcoming development projects soon for the County.

Administrator Wood asked the Board to consider allowing two mechanics from the Shop to attend two-day training in Altamonte Springs, so that they may learn to repair the ambulance electrical subsystems. He stated that approval is needed for the travel, and that the training itself would be free, however, that the County would need to cover the hotel costs for the mechanics. Mr. Hubert Hendrix, Shop Foreman, stated that Mr. Andrew Tharpe and Mr. Roger Williams have volunteered to attend the training. He also stated that, in his opinion, that it would save the County money by having “in house” mechanics that could service the ambulance electrical systems, rather than taking the ambulances to Altamonte Springs for repairs. Commissioner Williams made a motion to approve the travel for Mr. Tharpe and Mr. Williams to attend the training. Commissioner King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

The Board discussed building permit fees at the Doctor’s Memorial Hospital site. Administrator Wood stated that previously, during the hospital construction, the permit fees had been waived. He stated that the hospital is now building some additional facilities for physicians’ offices and stated that the Building Inspector has asked whether the fees will be waived for a doublewide or modular building that will be located at the facility as well. He also stated that the costs are estimated to be between $100 and $1500 depending on the type of structure that is set up. He clarified that the new structures are not a hospital addition, but are separate structures from the hospital. He asked the Board to consider whether to waive the inspection fees for those facilities. Commissioner Merchant made a motion for the hospital to pay the fees. Commissioner Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Administrator Wood advised that he would like the Board to consider two revisions to the Employee Manual that had been overlooked during the adoption process. He stated that policy language required mileage reimbursement to be at the Internal Revenue Service rate, but the policy needed to be changed to reimburse at the State mileage rate of forty-four and a half cents per mile which was the Board’s past policy. He also stated that another area that he would like to revise is the Comp Time section by adding that comp time should be used before utilization of any other leave time. Commissioner Merchant asked whether comp time must be used before sick leave. Administrator Wood clarified the comp time does not necessarily have to be used before sick time; however, this would apply to any other type of leave. Commissioner Williams made a motion to approve the changes to the manual. Commissioner King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Administrator Wood presented the fee proposal from Chastain Skillman for the proposed CDBG Grant which would fund second phase of the Rum Road and Gritney Fire Station project. He stated that approximately $ 8,039.00 will be needed prior to grant application to cover the additional services which include boundary and topographical survey and geotechnical evaluations for the proposed fire department site. He also advised that Mr. Jones had stated that the $20,000.00 that is in the account for the Gritney Fire Department could be used to cover the costs and also that Mr. Jones had stated that the items would still need to be completed whether grant funds were applied for now, or re-applied for in the spring. He also advised that certain engineering functions must be done by the end of September in order for the application to proceed. Citizens speaking regarding this topic were the following:

Mr. Ray Boswell

Commissioner King made a motion to approve the two items totaling $8,039.00 to proceed with the grant application. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

(Proposal)

Chairman Thomas stated that the County owns a small section of land adjoining the property of Mr. Ronald Greuel. He stated that Mr. Greuel would like the Board to consider granting him a variance so that he may build a workshop on his property. He also stated that several variances had been done in the area for like cases. Commissioner King made a motion to grant the variance to Mr. Greuel. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

(Letter of Request)

Mr. Steve Christopher, of Peter Brown Construction, updated the Board regarding the Courthouse renovation project. He stated that the rough work had started and that equipment for the project had begun to arrive. He also stated that in order not to disturb the Court by turning off the air conditioning while the weather is hot, the bulk of the work would need to be conducted in mid-October. He asked the Board to consider approving the zero cost change order to extend the contract so that the work can be completed at this later time when the temperatures will not be as warm. Mr. Cody Taylor, Clerk of Court, stated that the contract extension had been approved already. Mr. Christopher also stated that due to the needed electrical upgrades to the system, grant funds had been used to cover that cost and that the upper floor of the Courthouse would be the area that would be renovated, rather than the entire building. Commissioner Williams asked what would happen to the old chiller once it had been removed from the Courthouse building. Commissioner Music asked whether it would be allowable to use the chiller at the Jail facility. Mr. Christopher stated that it may be possible to use the old chiller at the Jail, and that he will look into whether this would be feasible. He commended the County for their utilization of inmate labor for project cost savings and asked the Board to consider using inmate labor for future projects as well.

(Change order)

Mr. Jonathan Harris, of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) stated that the FDOT would like to enter into an agreement to add shoulder paving to the section of 179A north of CR160 up to Highway 2. He stated that FDOT had chosen this project based on the results of the High Risk Rural Roads study, which revealed a number of traffic related fatalities that had occurred on this section of roadway. Administrator Wood clarified that the County would be responsible for the upfront costs and would be reimbursed by DOT. Mr. Harris stated that DOT would provide the design in a few months and that the bid package with plans should be available after the first of the year. Commissioner Merchant made a motion to proceed with the documents necessary for the Local Agency Participation Grant. Commissioner King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

(Project Info)

Mr. Ewan Moore and Ms. Dee Sawyer of the Bonifay Ham Radio Operators’ Club, presented information regarding HAM radio service and advised that the services of the Club can be utilized free of charge to assist the County during emergency situations. Chairman Thomas asked that the information be presented to Administrator Wood and the Emergency Management Office. Mr. Moore also added that the County should look into grants for alternative power sources, like solar power, to improve the Courthouse electrical efficiency.

Commissioner Williams stated that since the state paving projects are currently on hold, he would like the Board to consider striping CR173 North. Ms. Dee Sawyer, citizen, asked the Board to consider repairs to CR173 South as well. Commissioner Williams made a motion to gather estimates for the re-striping of CR173 North. Commissioner Music seconded the motion. Commissioner Merchant stated that he would also like the Board to consider striping CR181 from Westville to Prosperity. Commissioner Williams amended the motion to include CR181. Commissioner Music seconded the amended motion. The motion passed unanimously. Administrator Wood stated that he would like to approach this as a change order with Anderson Columbia.

Chairman Thomas asked the Board to consider approving to pay for the registration fees of $110.00 for the Gulf Power Economics Symposium that he would like to attend on September 22, 2008. Commissioner Williams made a motion for the Board to pay the registration fees. Commissioner King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Moore spoke again regarding the HAM radio topic.

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

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Clerk Chairman