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September 02 - 07:00 pm County Commission •
Agenda
On the docket - Fire and Trash rates
Missed a meeting - need more info - go to the
calendar page |
Columbia County, FL (Posted Sept 02, 2010
10:45 am)
One can only wonder if the same "Court House
Royalty" would have been offended, if they had
come to work and found the word "Nigger" or
"Jew", a Swastika or a burning cross or five
feet of dog crap spread in the same spot as the
five feet of cow dung and paraphernalia, which
included the tomb stone of a former director of
Habitat for Humanity, a mother and daughter of
Columbia County, whose only crime appears to
have been asking a few...
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Columbia County, FL (updated Aug
30, 2010 05:15 pm - orig.
Sept 14,
2009)
Beginning in 2005
any person in Columbia County with a more than
five acre homestead has been ripped off by the
County Commission. The County continues to drag
its feet on reviewing the fire rates for vacant
land, while at the same time giving huge savings
to the largest landowners in the county.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted
August 30,
2010 09:59 am)
A new
telephone scam is making the rounds in Columbia
County. Several area residents have reported
bogus solicitation calls to the Columbia County
Sheriff’s Office.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted August 28, 2010 10:00
am)
The City Manager's topics for the week are the
utility system construction revenue, City health
insurance costs and three new service contracts.
For the City crime statistics, see Chief
Gilmore's report, which is included in the City
Staff Report.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted
August 27,
2010 10:49 am)
By Craig
Womer
There is no
one who loves a practical joke more than I do!
There is a time and place for everything and
such a Post Political prank on public property
in front of the Columbia County Court House is
most definitely not the proper place for such a
political display. Whoever approved such a
display... should be fired immediately, or if an
elected official is involved, they should be
removed by the Governor. (1
comment)
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The candidates and
the numbers in chart/graph format. Sorted alphabetically
by race.¶
The primaries are over and it is now time to get back to
reporting the important news of Columbia County. News
that is generally not available in the "Good Old Boy"
press...
Columbia County, FL (Posted August 25, 2010 11:05
am; updated 03:25 pm)
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Columbia County, FL (Posted August 17, 2010 08:30
am)
Last night's Community Redevelopment Authority
(CRA) meeting was where the action was as long
time business owner Marc Vann's Façade
Improvement Grant Application was the first
application considered by the CRA Board, which
is the City Council... City Councilmen Hill and
Jefferson, were not swayed by what they heard...
(photo: Marc Vann)
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 Lake City Report -
Aug. 13, 2010
City Utility Bonds up-up
and away
$600,000 airport terminal grant on the way
Columbia County, FL (Posted August 15, 2010 05:00
pm)
The agreement from the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) for the $600,000 grant Lake
City has been waiting for is in. The City
Council is being requested to approve the FAA
agreement at the August 16th regular meeting...
(click title to read more)
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Columbia County, FL (Posted August 9, 2010 11:00
am)
Hiring Freeze – Still in force for FY 2011 Lay
Offs – No layoffs planned or expected. Merit
Increases – Funding is in the FY 2011 budget for
25% of City employees to receive a 3% merit
increase. City employees have not received COLA
and/or merit increases for several years...
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Columbia County, FL (Posted
August 5,
2010 03:55 am)
By Ever Vigilant
In Columbia
County we see a microcosm of this cancer...
Closed meetings, lack of transparency, the
imposition of mandatory water hookup, character
assassination, back door deals and the Good Old
Boys that have thumbed their noses at the voters
of Columbia County for the past 50 years are
causing people, who have never been involved in
politics, to cry out for change.
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Columbia County, FL
(posted August 4, 2010 03:15 pm)
Thursday night, Columbia County's long time County
Manager, Dale Williams, is scheduled to present his
annual report, as required by the County Charter. For
years, with the stamp of approval of the County
Commission, this provision of the Charter was just
ignored and there were no annual reports...
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 31, 2010 08:05
am)
The City received exceptionally good news this
week with the issuance of our Utility System
Bonds Credit Rating.
Standard & Poor's has rated the Utility
Bonds AA, with a stable outlook.
Moody's rating is A1 with no outlook. These
ratings exceeded our expectations...
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 29, 2010 05:30
am)
County
resident, Laura "I really love Lake City" Pitman
Moody, came to the Downtown Master Plan public
meeting with pictures, magazine articles and a
ton of ideas... Over the past thirty five years,
there have been at least three downtown
redevelopment or revitalization plans... (1
comment)
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Columbia County, FL (Posted
July 27,
2010 03:30 pm)
On Thursday
evening, July 29th, Neighbors Equine Assistance
Team, "NEAT", is sponsoring a Candidate Forum
for County Commission Candidates from Districts
2 and 4 at the Fort White Community Center...
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Letters
Columbia County, FL (Posted
July 26,
2010 03:45 am)
In the tough
economic times, you would think the City of Lake
City would at least attempt to make their large
purchases in the local area... This is one time
the city should take lessons from the county.
I appreciate your concerns and it amazes me how
citizens will take the "word on the street" and
run with it...
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 23, 2010 06:30
am)
The City Financial Team and Raymond James Bond
representatives met this week to complete the
required interviews with “Credit Rating”
Agencies... The final budget changes resulting
from the last two weeks of Staff reviews is
nearing completion...
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 23, 2010 08:25 am)
At
Tuesday's July 20th Special Utility Meeting, County
Commissioner Ronald Williams has once again set meeting
decorum and common sense on its ear. The legendary
Williams, long known for his erratic behavior which runs
the gamut from charming to rude...
lived up to his billing at the County Commission Special
meeting this past Tuesday night, demonstrating once
again why many Columbia County citizens don't get
involved in county meetings...
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 22, 2010 09:05 am)
Hard economic
times mean nothing to a County Commission drunk
on its own power and known for backroom dealing
and working in the shadows... Last minute
changes and additions to county agendas are a
way of life in Columbia County, however, a
change to an ordinance, unless it is of a minor
nature, requires re-noticing of the ordinance
and subsequent public hearing...
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 22, 2010 06:50 am)
Tuesday night
the Columbia County Commission approved three
utility ordinances and rewrote one in the
continuing saga of the Ellisville Utility
Boondoggle... Citizens Against Forced Utilities
member Patrick Lee told the Commission: "I have
concerns with the economy of scale with this
program. We have not discussed the elephant in
the room"... At least 5000 residents were
opposed and silenced...
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 19, 2010 05:15
am)
During the past few months a great deal of
discussion has occurred involving the future use
of the old City Jail and property. Council had
declared the property surplus to the City's
needs and authorized demolition of the jail and
gas department buildings... Councilman...
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Columbia County, FL
(Posted July 18, 2010 02:10 pm)
The Library
developed a Florida Author Series during our
year-long 50th Anniversary Celebration in
2008-2009. The series became very popular and we
have continued it with usually one program per
month... It was fun to see her four year old
daughter respond with expertise when asked,
"Which fork do you use for salads?" (Click the
title to read the story.)
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Columbia County, FL (Posted
July 18,
2010 06:30 am)
By Terry Rauch (Op/ed
• Mr. Rauch
the Republican Candidate, Florida
State House, District 11 • His views are his own.)
Florida has
very large problems. Our taxes are too high,
people are unemployed, property values are in
the tank. What has Tallahassee done for these
problems? Not a thing.
The answer is
very simple: Shrink the government, deregulate
and lower taxes. In other words, "use common
sense."
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Columbia County, FL (posted July 15, 2010 09:25 am)
It is unknown if the latest initiative in the
Lake City Hood is going to continue to gain
traction even though funding at any level is
uncertain. For months, a group of local
government officials from various local
governmental agencies, collectively calling
itself Weed and Seed, after the terminated
federal program of the same name, has been
meeting monthly to develop a strategy to clean
up the Lake City Hood. (click title to go to
story)
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Columbia County, FL (posted July 13, 2010 10:30 am)
The Columbia County Federated Republican Women
held a candidate forum last night for the
candidates of House District 11, a seat now held
by Debbie Boyd. Moderator Sherryl Huseonica
asked the candidates a handful of questions,
which unsurprisingly had mainly to do with the
dire economic conditions in which the state now
finds itself...
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 10, 2010 12:25 pm)
During the last 12 months our conservation
measures really paid off. The City's electric bill was reduced by
$231,944 from the previous 12 month period. This
represents a 19% reduction for the past year...
(Scroll down this week's
staff report for more important
information).
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 9, 2010 009:25 am)
Lake City put its best foot forward last night as it
hosted the monthly Suwannee River League of Cities
dinner. Municipal members from the counties of Columbia,
Dixie... packed the room to listen to the Board... One
of the highlights of the evening was the cooking mastery of Lake
City's own Councilman, Jake Hill - the Barbeque
King...
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 06, 2010 04:45 pm)
Ronald
Williams, the long time Columbia County District
1 commissioner announced during the Thursday,
July 1st County Commission meeting that he is
running for another term as county commissioner.
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 06, 2010 07:30 am)
The North Central Florida 9-12 Project
invites you to join them at 7:00
p.m. on July 8, 2010 to hear and ask questions of local
and state candidates. Columbia County Commission
candidates Toby Witt, Mark Kazmierski and Stew Lilker
are scheduled to attend. Also on the 9-12 docket are
Alex Snitker, Libertarian Candidate for the U.S. Senate
and Steve Nelson, candidate for Columbia County School
Board.
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 5, 2010)
Columbia County's Chamber of Commerce, the Lake
City Reporter and the TDC's Harvey Campbell
worked hard ensuring a memorable Independence
Day celebration for the families and residents
of Columbia County and the surrounding counties
of north central Florida.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted July 3, 2010 10:35 am)
The airport project consists of a new 6,000 sq.
ft. multi-use airport terminal building and
adjacent asphalt vehicle parking areas, a 1,100
foot access road... The Energy and Operational
Enhancement Project - substantial savings can be
realized through improved efficiency....
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Columbia County, FL
(posted July 01, 2010 08:58 am)
This project,
which has been instigated by rogue commissioner
and Jack Berry protégé, Jody DuPree, is an
example of good old boy cronyism gone mad. Of
course, the laws regarding many aspects of this
Com DuPree project have apparently been violated
both in fact and spirit -- nothing new at the
Columbia County Commission. (photo: Com DuPree)
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Columbia County, FL
(posted June 28, 2010 11:30 am)
The State operated Driver License office located in
the Florida Highway Patrol building at 1350 W. US Hwy 90
in Lake City is now the West Branch office of the Tax
Collector’s office. All duties relating to the issuance of a Florida
Driver's License or Florida ID card will fall under the
direction of my office at our new West Branch office.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted June 27, 2010 10:15 am)
The City continues to be busy with the budget.
This week we met to make sure that we are
connecting all the dots and are moving in the
right direction. We also met with the bond
underwriter. We’re on schedule and things are
looking good. I also put out a call for
estimates. (The Observer
spoke with Mr. Johnson for this week's City
Manager's report)
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Columbia County, FL (Posted June 25, 2010 10:20 am)
At yesterday morning’s governmental focus group
the Columbia County Commission was invited and
chose not show up, not to send the County
Manager or any other representative of the
County government. The lack of County interest
in the downtown of Lake City continues.
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Columbia County, FL
(posted June 21, 2010 10:30 am)
The
helter-skelter world of Columbia County
continued at this past Thursday's County
Commission meeting when the County Commission
once again demonstrated that modern world
finance, accountability and plain old common
sense aren't even a dream of the legendary
Columbia County Commission.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted June 20, 2010 06:00 am)
At the
request of the City, Jones Edmunds Engineers,
Inc. has completed a Structural Engineering
Assessment and issued the final written report
on June 15, 2010... Budget ... No later than
July 19, 2010, the Staff will distribute the
draft budget and request Council to approve a
proposed millage rate for TRIM Notice purposes.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted June 15, 2010 01:15
pm)
It was business as usual in Columbia County last
night as the good old boys of the Lake Shore
Hospital Authority dug in and turned their backs
on going out to get the best deal for the
residents of Columbia County at the County Owned
Hospital, Shands at Lakeshore... Lake City
Medical Center's Attorney, Stephen Ecenia's
(photo) explanations of the law fell on the
usual deaf ears.
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 Columbia County, FL
(posted June 06, 2010 11:30 pm)
CAFU
celebrated their accomplishment of getting four
thousand signatures on their petitions to stop
mandatory water hookups in Ellisville and
countywide this past Friday night... They also
celebrated standing tough against the county,
after County Commission Chairman, Ronald
Williams, proposed a secret meeting between
himself, County Manager Dale Williams and four
members of the executive board of CAFU, in which
the press and public were banned. The purpose of
the meeting – to negotiate a compromise with the
group.
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New •
Meeting
Calendar •
New
Confused about what is going
on in the city and county. The new Observer calendar is the place to end that
confusion. Agendas and other meeting material are linked at
the bottom.
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•
County Gov't phone book
•
Save it to your desk top -
have all official county phone numbers and
emails at your finger tips
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Available for
download or viewing
•
First draft 2009-10
County budget. There are no yearly
comparisons looking backward or forward and this
is not an accident.
This file has been reduced in size
to 121kb for readability, to save space
and for for
dialup download as a service to Observer dial up
readers. While Columbia County is in the stone age of internet
access, the Observer thanks County WebMaster Patrick
Weaver for providing the raw file.
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(posted
July 24, 2009)
It is business as usual in Columbia County as
once again the County web site was behind the
times in getting information on line. Posting
information in timely fashion has been an issue
that the County Manager, Dale Williams, is not a
stranger to and an issue that he has continually
ignored.
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worst in Columbia County Commission
Lake
City out of compliance?
Boyd challengers quizzed by
River League of Cities
First
out of the gate for 2013 
Westside
Community Center on the docket
opens new office
today
County
Commission MIA
Hon
P. DeWitt Cason, the man that signs the checks
speaks out
Lake
Shore Hospital Authority