Newberry City Commission prepares for upcoming election, creates nonprofit, negotiates with Sheriff for continued law enforcement services

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN
NEWBERRY, Fla. – At their January 13 Regular Meeting, the Newberry City Commission discussed the upcoming City election, authorized the creation of a City-owned nonprofit entity to receive grants, entered into negotiations with the Sheriff’s Office to extend the existing law enforcement contract for another four years, and approved the purchase of a pump from Watson Construction.
Mayor/City Commission election to be held on April 8, 2025
Mayor Jordan Marlowe announced that a general election will be held in the City of Newberry on April 8. Voters will select the Mayor, the Group 4 City Commissioner (the seat currently held by Tim Marden), and the Group 5 City Commissioner (the seat currently held by Tony Mazon), each for a two-year term. Marlowe said, “The election will be held at Mentholee Norfleet Municipal Building, Precinct 6, located at 25420 West Newberry Road, Newberry, Florida. The poll shall be open at 7:00 a.m. on said day and closed at 7:00 p.m.
“The candidate qualifying period begins at noon on Monday, February 24, 2025, and ends at noon on Thursday, February 27, 2025… Please don’t wait for the last day.” Marlowe said the cost to qualify ranges from about $144 for City Commissioner to about $155 for Mayor, and there are several steps that must be completed by the deadline.
Creation of a nonprofit entity to receive grants
Grants & Funding Manager Jane Sullivan gave a presentation on the creation of a municipally-owned nonprofit entity for the purpose of receiving grants. Sullivan said the IRS requires the creation of a 501(c)(3) to apply for certain types of grants, and “it has to be organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes… The Mayor and the Commissioners would appoint someone from the City career staff as the board of directors, not necessarily anyone from the public because it’s a wholly-owned entity by the City.”
Marlowe interjected, “I suggest a three-person board: City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and the Mayor.” Marlowe explained that the nonprofit will permit them to “go after” additional grants that are different from city-eligible grants.
Responding to Marlowe’s questions about whether different nonprofits would need to be created for different purposes, such as fixing historical buildings and holding an annual health fair, Sullivan answered, “No, that’s the beauty of a 501(c)(3). You can do all of that [with one entity].”
Commissioner Mark Clark made a motion to approve the creation of a City-owned nonprofit entity, and Commissioner Tony Mazon seconded the motion. Clark asked, “How long does it take to get this established?” Sullivan said it will take a few weeks to submit the application to the IRS, and then it will take the IRS about 3 months or possibly a little longer to officially recognize the new corporation as a nonprofit. The motion passed 4-0, with Commissioner Tim Marden absent throughout the meeting.
Building Strong Communities Award
City Manager Mike New gave a presentation about the City of Newberry receiving the Building Strong Communities Award from the Florida Municipal Electric Association. New explained that the award is for providing programs and services to the community, including Newberry’s willingness to not disconnect delinquent electric utility customers during times of hot or cold weather.
Marlowe said, “Every single year, these awards mean something. It means that we haven’t forgotten our roots. We haven’t forgot the people that we serve.”
Law enforcement services
City Manager New said the City has had an agreement with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services for the past seven years, since Sheriff Sadie Darnell’s tenure. He said the newly-elected Sheriff, Chad Scott, has expressed willingness to extend the agreement. New said the current contract expires in eight months, and it’s a good time to begin thinking about how to amend or tweak it, since they may want more or less of certain services.
Sheriff Scott spoke at the podium and said he grew up in Newberry and considers it his home; he said he will “put forth great effort” to provide law enforcement in the city.
Commissioner Clark made a motion to enter into negotiations with the Sheriff’s Office to extend the contract for four years. Commissioner Mazon seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0.
Pump purchase
Purchasing Specialist Stephanie Puhalla spoke at the podium and said she was seeking direction on how to proceed with an RFB (Request For Bids) for a three-phase submersible pump to be used by the water department. Puhalla said, “I want to ask for your recommendation to go ahead and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Watson Construction. I’d also like to ask you to go ahead and authorize a 10% not-to-exceed for any change orders that may occur.”
Puhalla said the City has two lift stations that are close together, and the pump will allow for the consolidation of those two lift stations. She said Watson Construction’s bid is $348,684, and the other bid is $415,016.
Commissioner Mazon made a motion to execute the agreement for the pump with Watson Construction as Puhalla requested, and Commissioner Clark seconded the motion. It passed 4-0.
Good call Newberry on extending the contract for ACSO. Small towns often like to DIY when it comes to law enforcement because ‘by golly, we can do it cheaper’. They wind up going broke shortly afterward along with disrupting employee’s lives.