Newberry City Commission sets proposed maximum millage rate at 6.0623, annexes 200 acres

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN

NEWBERRY, Fla. – At the July 28 regular meeting, the Newberry City Commission updated the agreement for law enforcement service with the Sheriff’s Office, set the maximum proposed millage rate at 6.0623, and voluntarily annexed 15 properties totaling approximately 200 acres.

The meeting began with two presentations. The Early Learning Coalition was seeking $30,000 in funding for their educational programs, and Blossoming Butterfly announced a breast cancer awareness event to be held on October 11 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mentholee Norfleet Municipal Building. Free mammograms may be offered at the event if enough people express interest. Blossoming Butterfly can be contacted at https://www.blossomingbutterflyinc.org/

ASO Community Fun Day on August 2

During public announcements, Michelle Sherfield of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said the annual Community Fun Day will be held on Saturday, August 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the main Sheriff’s Office, located at 2621 SE Hawthorne Road. Sherfield said, “We’re inviting families to come out. We’ve got bounce houses, water bounce houses. The Alachua County Fire Rescue will be coming to spray water. We have a garage sale. We’ve got food. We have some of our toys from the Sheriff’s Office… We’ve got some resources that will be out there, as well, to provide information. So, we are inviting the community to come out and participate.” Sherfield said this will be the first Community Fun Day event to take place at the main Sheriff’s Office, and she encouraged everyone to check out the many resources available there.

Splash Days on August 8

Chris Mack of Newberry Main Street announced that Friday, August 8 will be the third and final Splash Days of the summer. Mack said, “It’s right down Seaboard Drive, in the parking lot there. The Fire Department is kind enough to come out and give us a heck of a good water park. We have snow cones. We have bubble machines. We have foam machines. We have great music by Twisted-H Productions. And everybody in Newberry and the surrounding communities are welcome to come down. It’s free to the public, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.”

Commissioners unanimously passed the consent agenda, which included ratification of new City Clerk Randa Paul’s offer of employment and new City Manager Jordan Marlowe’s employment contract.

Law enforcement services contract with ASO

Assistant City Manager Dallas Lee introduced the first agenda item, updating the law enforcement services agreement between the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Newberry. Lee said, “As you’re aware, a number of years ago, the City Commission made the decision to leave the County’s Municipal Service Taxing Unit and contract directly with the Sheriff’s Office for enhanced law enforcement services within the City of Newberry. Our contract is expiring in September. Staff has negotiated a new contract with Sheriff Scott and his staff. The key points of this agreement are: This time it’s a two-year agreement. There’s an annual price escalator of 3.75%, which is your current price escalator that’s been in your agreement for the last two iterations of this agreement. The one major change that would be new in this new agreement is the addition of a traffic patrol deputy stationed at Southwest 15th and 27/41 to direct traffic on school days between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. So the cost of adding that additional patrol deputy is listed for you: it’s about $34,000-ish a year to add that additional deputy. There’s no other changes in the contract.”

Commissioner Tony Mazon made a motion to approve the agreement, and Commissioner Mark Clark seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Commissioner Monty Farnsworth absent throughout the meeting.

Mayor’s Youth Council

City Attorney Scott Walker introduced the next item, the first reading of an ordinance establishing a Mayor’s Youth Council. Marlowe said, “The Board will remember that we presented this ordinance to you before. Nothing has changed in the ordinance, so you’ve had extra time to review it. But in our exuberance to get this initiative started, we actually went and did first reading on the night when we were just reviewing the draft. So we’re bringing it back to you on first reading so that we codify this ordinance in the appropriate way.” (See our coverage of the June 23 meeting for more information.)

Commissioner Rick Coleman made a motion to adopt the ordinance on first reading, and Commissioner Donald Long seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Farnsworth absent.

Maximum proposed property tax millage

Lee introduced the next item, determining and setting the proposed millage rate. Lee said, “Tonight we’re asking for you to set your preliminary millage rate. As a reminder for the Commission, this is the highest rate that you can adopt for your budget. This is not the final rate. You have two more shots to lower it and set it back when we get to September. This is the rate that will be advertised in your TRIM notices that will be mailed out to all of your taxpayers in August. Your current tax rate is 5.900 mills; that is the millage rate that we are working to balance your General Fund budget on or hopefully lower. But we do propose that you set the preliminary millage rate tonight at the adjusted rolled-back rate of 6.0623. That’ll give the Commission a little bit of wiggle room if something happens between now and September where you decide you need to adjust your property tax rate and generate additional revenue.”

Although the rolled-back rate is usually lower than the current rate, City Manager Jordan Marlowe told Alachua Chronicle that the City of Newberry’s adjusted rolled-back rate this year is higher to offset the diversion of General Fund property taxes to the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA).

Lee said the two budget hearings will take place on September 8 and September 22. Mayor Tim Marden said budget meetings or workshops are scheduled for August 13, August 20, and August 27.

Clark made a motion to set the proposed maximum millage at 6.0623, and Mazon seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Farnsworth absent.

Annexing 15 parcels totaling 200 acres into the city

Chelsea Bakaitis of the Community Development Department introduced 15 ordinances to voluntarily annex 15 parcels of property totaling approximately 200 acres, with most ranging in size from 1 to 10 acres and two properties consisting of 22 acres and 111 acres. Marden swore in everyone participating, as it was a quasi-judicial matter. Bakaitis said that, if approved, the petitions will be heard again on August 11 for second readings.

Each of the 15 ordinances had to be read and voted on individually, but all passed 4-0 on first reading, with Farnsworth absent.

Champions Park and chip sealing update

During final comments, Marlowe said, “The work on Champions Park is underway. Three quads have had the netting removed. The best quad has the net up for local programs that are practicing and those kinds of things… A lot of the misting fans and fans in the dugouts have been added. All the bathrooms have been refurbished. The fans have been fixed. So, the work is well underway out there… City Hall is also on schedule. We are slated to be moving in in September, so get ready. I believe the Mayor is going to start planning a ribbon-cutting event very soon, but we are on budget and on time with that project. 30th Avenue is being prepped today and tomorrow. The chip sealing will start Thursday, and they should be well underway by Friday.”

Legislative town hall on August 23

 Marden said, “You may have seen on Facebook: I’ve gone and arranged a legislative town hall. We don’t get those around too much anymore, but Senator Stan McClain is committed to be there. Representative Chad Johnson is also committed to be there, and Kat would love to be there, but I believe with her pregnancy, she probably is not going to be there. But we will have somebody from her office representing that office there. And that’s August 23, at 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the municipal building.”