HIGH SPRINGS ‒ In a 3-2 vote, the High Springs City Commission opted to keep the City’s current attorney. At the Sept. 19 commission meeting, they continued the discussion begun at the previous meeting on hiring an additional attorney. In reviewing the 2016 contract, City Attorney Scott Walker noted that a three percent cost of living increase per year was part of the contract. He said that amount has not been charged to the City since it was approved in 2016. The way the contract is structured the City has paid $5,300 monthly and has not included the cost-of-living increase.

Commissioner Linda Jones questioned Walker, asking him if he was expecting the City to make up for that cost of living increase since 2016. Walker responded “no,” but said he thought it should be included from this point forward.

In response to a question about whether special attorney services would need to go through his firm, Walker said it would and explained that this has happened in the past when a bond issue or other specialized issue has arisen.

Commissioner Katherine Weitz pushed to issue a request for proposal (RFP) for a second attorney at the next Commissio meeting. Weitz said the City “was not getting the needed attorney, representation or backup” they should have.

Commissioner Linda Jones agreed with Weitz and brought up issues relating to murals and the mural ordinance. Mayor Byran Williams intervened by reminding Commissioners that the subject was not on the murals but instead it was on hiring a second attorney. Commissioner Ross Ambrose said he was not interested in having two attorneys guiding the City.

Weitz made a motion to include sending out an RFP for a replacement attorney on the next city commission meeting agenda. Jones seconded the motion. However, the motion died in a 2-3 vote with Commissioner Ross Ambrose, Vice Mayor Gloria James and Mayor Byran Williams voting against.

In other City business, following a brief presentation by High Springs Finance Director Diane Wilson, Commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution 2022-M establishing the final millage rate for FY 2022-23 at 5.99 mills. This rate is an 8.2 percent increase from the current rolled-back rate of 5.5251 mills. In a separate action, Commissioners also unanimously adopted the FY 2022-23 budget of $17,630,150.

In other matters, the Commission considered issuing $2.35 million in water and sewer revenue bonds to provide funding for capital improvement to the water and sewer system, which also included advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham said the City is not currently able to account for 38 percent of the water being used. The use of “AMI will bring in at least 10 percent more on water and sewer,” he said.

Finance Director Wilson explained the City would be borrowing $2,350,000 at a 3.2 interest rate with $2,310,000 for direct project costs and $40,000 for the cost of issuance for Bond Counsel, Financial Advisor and Bank Counsel. Wilson said payments have already been included in the FY 2022-23 budget. The term would be for 15 years, but could be paid off earlier with a penalty. The closing date on the bond has been set for Sept. 29.

Commissioner Weitz disagreed with issuing bonds, contending that the City should use ARPA funds to offset the amount the City would have to borrow.

The measure, Resolution 2022-P, authorizing the issuance of the water and sewer revenue bonds was approved in a 4-1 vote with Weitz casting the dissenting vote.

The Commission approved unanimously to amend the Land Development Code to add impact fees for new construction for roads, parks and general services for police, fire and other City facilities at the maximum allowable amount. The new fees are in response to a 2021 study by Duncan and Associates to establish the need and determine the appropriate amount to assess impact fees to pay for the costs associated with new development.

According to the results of the study, the maximum impact fees that the City may assess on new development are for single-family detached dwelling units at $4,989, multi-family dwelling units at $3,130, retail/commercial units per 1,000 square feet at $4,502, office per 1,000 square feet at $3,242, industrial per 1,000 square feet at $1,448, warehouse per 1,000 square feet at $549 and public/institutional per 1,000 square feet at $1,498.

Funds from impact fees may only be used on costs associated with new development. They may not be used for maintenance, rehabilitation, repair or replacement of existing facilities, or the acquisition of vehicles or equipment with a useful life of less than five years, provided that the minimum useful life does not apply to public safety vehicles.

The Commission will consider Ordinance 2022-17 again on Nov. 29 due to state mandated notification requirements. City staff will be emailing the impact fee study in electronic format to residents, but should anyone desire a hard copy, Stathatos said City staff will provide one.

Gillingham provided an update on projects being funded with ARPA funds. These projects include roofs for City Hall and the fire station, law enforcement body cameras, elevator replacement, and lift station pumps. The second half of the funds are expected to arrive on Sept. 22. At the next City Commission meeting, Gillingham will provide an list with assigned priorities.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ three new officers have joined the High Springs Police Department (HSPD).  A special presentation was made at the beginning of the Sept. 8 High Springs City Commission meeting to welcome the new officers.  Police Chief Antoine Sheppard explained that although the officers are new, as they are hired, they go through a tough training program.  The training program consists of three phases that includes monitoring by three different field training officers.  The new officers are James Davis, Dennis Clayton and Markel Parks. 

Davis joined the HSPD on Feb. 2, 2022.  He was born and raised in Lake City, where he graduated from Columbia High School.  He worked for the Department of Corrections for several years before attending Florida Gateway College to pursue a career in law enforcement.  

Clayton joined the High Springs Police Department on April 18, 2022.  He was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he resided until his family relocated to High Springs, when he was six years old.  Clayton attended the High Springs Community School and later received his diploma from Fort White High School.  When he is not dedicating his time to his career with HSPD, he loves spending quality time with his family.  

Parks also joined the HSPD on April 18, 2022, but started his career in law enforcement in his hometown of Starke in 2018 with the Starke Police Department.  Parks worked for the Starke Police Department for four years before coming to the HSPD to further his career.  Parks enjoys going to the gym and practicing martial arts.

Following the introductions, Chief Sheppard administered the oath of office to each of the officers to a round of applause from the audience and Commissioners.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Alachua County has approached High Springs to see if the City would be willing to share the cost of purchasing a local landmark. The purchase price of the Priest Theater is $300,000 - $350,000. Renovations just to bring the building up to code are estimated at $1.5 million. The cost to bring in equipment to shore up the building to keep it from collapsing is estimated to be $30,000 with an additional $8,000 per month to keep the equipment in place. The cost to replace the roof is another $300,000 - $500,000 and it is estimated to cost $100,000 per year for upkeep.

Anticipated funding would come from a combination of Wild Spaces Public Places and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funds. Although some individuals prefer that the money be spent on roads, the two funding options cannot be used for road maintenance.

At the Sept. 8 High Springs City Commission meeting, the Commission took no action about the purchase, but did indicate that they would like to see what the County is willing to put into the project before making a decision. The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners heard this item at a Special Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The idea of possibly helping with part of the $300,000 purchase was discussed, but no commitment was made. “We are now taking a look at it to advise the Commission at a future meeting,” said Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton.

The item is anticipated to be considered again at the next High Springs City Commission meeting scheduled for Sept. 19.

Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant

In other City business, Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe was on hand to talk about the possibility of including High Springs in a regional wastewater facility proposed by the City of Newberry. If approved by the state, the proposed $40 million facility would serve Archer, Newberry and High Springs and may also serve Trenton.

The project site is approximately 92 acres just south of Newberry’s existing wastewater treatment plant facility. Marlowe said 40-42 acres would be needed for the facility. He would like to see the remaining acreage used as a wetland area with walking and biking capability, among other environmental options. Marlowe said that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has said they would pay for the lines to run from Archer to the Newberry facility if the project goes forward. “They may do the same for High Springs,” he said. “I’m not making any promises, but it is a possibility.”

The High Springs City Commission voted unanimously for staff to explore the possibility of being included in the proposed regional wastewater project.

Tractor Supply Site Plan

The commission also unanimously approved a 5.01 +/- acre site plan for a proposed Tractor Supply to be located on Santa Fe Boulevard. The parcel is located on the west side of Northwest U.S. Highway 441, approximately one mile north of County Road 236.

Due to limitations on the site, the High Springs Plan Board approved a variance on Aug. 30 that granted the applicant a reduction in required parking spaces from 110 to 75 spaces and a reduction to the Highway Enhancement Zone Front Yard setback from 35 to 13 feet. City Manager Ashley Stathatos said that the site plan is consistent with the Land Development Code and staff recommended approval.

Citizens who had expressed concern about the lighting were told the lighting would be dark sky, meaning that the lights are directed to the ground. Another citizen concern raised was about proposed tree removals. Stathatos said the plan had not yet been addressed regarding trees, but that the City has a tree ordinance, which will be considered regarding the final plan review.

Mini-storage Facility to Expand

Clay Sweger of eda Consultants, Inc. requested a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) on the property known as People's Choice Storage High Springs LLC. The 8.01 +/- acre parcel located at 26029 W. U.S. Highway 27 is zoned C2 and already contains a mini-storage facility within an existing RV/boat storage facility. The original CUP was approved in 2017.

The total square footage of the two existing buildings on site is 10,850 square feet. The five new proposed buildings total 79,750 square feet. The Plan Board recommended approval at their July 26 meeting with conditions present in the original 2017 CUP. The 2017 conditions included provision of a landscape design to the Commission, permanent maintenance of all plantings/buffers agreed to and reassurance that vehicle maintenance not be allowed on the property.

Commissioners unanimously agreed to the new CUP with the existing conditions and the addition of dark sky lighting and that the emergency access entrance not be allowed to be a regular use entrance going forward.

City Budget Set at $17.6 Million

Following budget workshops over the past several weeks the Commission set the tentative ad valorem millage rate for Fiscal Year 2022-23 at 5.99 mills, the same rate set for FY22. Although the millage rate was not increased, property owners are likely to see an increase in their property taxes due to increased property values. Consideration of the final millage rate and budget is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Prior to budget approval, the Commission briefly discussed the $12,000 Commission salary increase included in the FY23 budget. Finance Director Diane Wilson reported that a survey of area commission salaries showed that High Springs’ commissioners were paid less than other similarly-sized cities. Wilson also suggested the $12,000 increase could be allocated differently in the future if the Commissioners decided to use the funds for another purpose.

K9 Brix Retiring

High Springs Police Department K9 Brix will be retiring early and going home with his handler, Officer John Frickie. Brix has been trained to locate marijuana. With the legalization of marijuana for medical use, Brix is no longer needed to fulfill that need for the department.

“FHP and other agencies are moving away from using K9s for sniffing out marijuana,” said HSPD Chief Antoine Sheppard.

Retraining the dog for other uses would take approximately nine months. As Brix would be older by that time, his usefulness to the department would be limited. His handler has agreed to pay the pro-rated value of the dog and plans to take him home to join his family permanently.

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TRENTON ‒ The swimming area at Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park is currently closed. The popular recreation area encompasses a collection of natural springs, including a large second-magnitude spring that produces an average of 44 million gallons of water per day. One of its most popular springs provides a pristine swimming area of crystal-clear water.

Due to the impact of heavy rains, the park had to close its spring swimming area on Friday, Aug. 26, as well as the suspension bridge until further notice.

According to State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) workers, heavy rains eroded and partially collapsed the seawall around the swimming area. The rains also created a mudslide that blocked access to the swimming area. There are concerns that more rains may cause the mudslide to pollute the spring head.

The park service is waiting for DEP to determine what can be done to repair the damage and rebuild the seawall to stabilize the surrounding area. There is no current estimate on cost or timeline for reopening the swimming area.

The park is still open for other activities including hiking and picnicking, but the popular swimming hole is off limits for now. The park is located in Gilchrist County about five miles west of high springs.

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