While interrupted by tornado watch alerts and taking a recess as the worst of the weather passed, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) settled several items of business at its first regular meeting of the new year on Tuesday.
The commission approved a plan for county code enforcement to begin covering the city of Hawthorne. The plan still requires the city to adopt certain county codes, and a finalized agreement will come before both commissions in the future for a final vote.
Missy Daniels, growth management director, said discussions with Hawthorne started a while ago, but because of county staffing issues, the project has only now advanced.
Daniels added that the original plan included the cities of Waldo and Archer. Under that plan, the three cities would have shared the cost of a new county code officer dedicated to them. But both Archer and Waldo have pulled out from the discussions, she told the BOCC.
The plan with Hawthorne wouldn’t include a new county officer. Daniels said the current staff size can handle the additional work. However, she said staff will monitor the amount of extra work generated by the city and return with an update and any needed modifications in a year.
The county would keep funds from the code enforcement, and Daniels said the contract will have a fee for services—though the exact structure remains uncertain.
John Martin, Hawthorne’s city manager, said he believes the other cities remain in the same position as Hawthorne but are looking for different solutions. He said the city hasn’t had dedicated code enforcement for around three years.
Martin said the city has built up a backlog that will cause more work for the first six months before he anticipates the city’s needs will level off. He said Hawthorne, and he believes other small cities in Florida, will continue to face challenges hiring certified personnel.
He said the city would also be interested in hiring a new code enforcement officer if other cities joined in. But he said the cost would need to work.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the BOCC approved up to $1.7 million for the purchase of around 161 acres of conservation land.
The Rimes Tract, located on Cross Creek and between Little Lochloosa Lake and Orange Lake, will link other conservation lands in the area. The St. Johns River Water Management District will also cover a part of the purchase (up to $300,000) and manage the land moving forward.
The district owns the adjacent Lochloosa Wildlife Conservation Area, and the new lands will be considered a part of that area.
The BOCC also heard presentations by the GNV4ALL and the Gainesville Sports Commission, approved a preliminary development plan for Christ Community Church and amended the plan for the Newberry Village development.