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Stew Lilker’s

Columbia County Observer

Real news for working families.

 

 

Lake City Charter Review Board
Up-Up and Away

OJ Lake and Victoria Ellis share a light moment when the legendary Herbert Darby explained that there are still parts of the charter that he is trying to understand... Chairperson Ann Skinner, like Mayor Witt who appointed her, will be representing Lake City's open style of government well.

Good ole boy and former Republican Chief gets Hospital Authority Nod

No one was surprised last night when the former Columbia County Republican Chief and Hospital Authority Chairman, Jack Berry, was hired by his old board to be the Authority's first paid manager, just months after resigning from the Lake Shore Hospital Authority. The Authority has two employees.

Lake City Report - March 5, 2010
WWTP Financing - The Blanche -- Master Plan

by City Manager Wendell Johnson and staff

Although the State Revolving Fund (SRF) was previously viewed as the most viable financing option, we will evaluate the potential for use of a new form of bonds known as Build America Bonds (BABs)... An owner representative of the Blanche contacted me late this week and delivered the “as built” construction plans... The IBI Group of Sarasota, Florida was selected by the CRA...

City Manager Wendell JohnsonThe Blanche Hotel
The seventh inning stretch

City Manager Johnson told the Observer, "I have a vision for downtown Lake City. It is a dream... It has to be researched... Step one has been determined... The most important thing right now is the safety of the people that are using and visiting the building. That is the main reason that I did this. The structural analysis is a small price to pay to assure that they are safe.

The Blanche Group Bailout
Who are they? Where are they?

Observer exclusive • A Blanche Investor Interview

Structural Evaluation of the Blanche Hotel
Now in the hands of the City Council

This Monday night, the City Council will weigh in with its thoughts and its vote on whether to accept the responsibility of the engineering study. 

Lake City CRA Master Plan Competition
And then there was one

By Stew Lilker

Kurt Easton of IBI GroupLate Thursday afternoon, Lake City again showed that it is leading the way into the 21st century in Columbia County, when the three finalists came before the City Council to present themselves and their ideas on why they should be chosen to develop Lake City's CRA Master Plan. All were at the top of their game and the cream of the urban planning and design crop.

City Manager Wendell JohnsonLake City Report -Feb 19, 2010
Community clean up, Airport Terminal Project

by City Manager Wendell Johnson and staff

The City staff and local community volunteers are planning the 2nd annual “Take Pride in Your Community” Cleanup Campaign. This “Green Team” event will take place from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon on April 24, 2010 staging at the Richardson Community Center.

Fair Comment: EMS - Unequal Taxation by Keith Blackie

As a resident of Lake City, I have serious reservations with the city having to pay any portion of the EMS services provided by Columbia County. These reservations are based on a principal that reaches to the heart of all government issues, namely taxation.

Court to decide public's right to speak, be heard

A Tallahassee appellate court will soon weigh in on whether Florida's Sunshine Law gives citizens the right to be participants, not merely spectators, in government meetings.

North Florida Broadband Authority Receives $30,000,0000 Grant

NFBA logoThanks to the dedicated commitment of the local governments who comprise the North Florida Broadband Authority, the initiative and leadership of the North Florida Economic Development Partnership and its Board of Directors, and the financial support of Enterprise Florida...

Call it a manager - call it a director
Call it another LSHA way to squander taxpayer dollars

Former Chairman Jack Berry

In August of 2009, Lake Shore Hospital Authority Chairman, Jack Berry, began laying the groundwork to establish the position of a part time Hospital Authority executive director. He told the Authority Board, at least the two who showed up at the budget work shop, "You would probably want whoever does that position to...

Lake City Report - Feb 12, 2010
Personnel Policy revision, Strategic Plan, Bond debt review

by City Manager Wendell Johnson and staff

The planning draft of the new City Personnel Manual has been on-going for several months and is approximately 40% complete. The new policy will provide information ...

Fair Comment: IDA - Norris - Education - Bringing in industry

After reading the story concerning the IDA and Ms. Norris's comment I am compelled to add to the need for a well educated job force... The record of 90% remediation is not acceptable. The big issue of having utilities in place is a given...

Columbia County Florida - Celebrating Black History Month by driving the children to drugs

The Board's only African American member, Ronald Williams, a man who has for years watched rampant drug dealing in the hood and a declining school system, told the Board, "The Chair also agree with staff recommendation... Unless somebody got a golden goose to lay a golden egg and give that gold to the County, I don’t see any silver lining in the clouds so far, so we have to do what we got to do. The library is the least thing that we have to worry about right now." (1 comment)

Columbia County - Lake City EMS debate
Soon everybody will be a winner

On Monday morning, February 8, 2010, at 10:00am, County Manager Dale Williams and City Manager Wendell Johnson met in the Courthouse Annex conference room to work out a plan to resolve the longstanding City-County EMS debate. After some small talk about the weekend's Super Bowl, they got right (1 comment)

LSHA cans self appreciation dinner - maybe?

During the Lake Shore Hospital Authority December 14, 2009, regular meeting, newly installed Hospital Authority Chairman, Marc Vann, decided that it would be a good idea for the Hospital Authority to have a self appreciation dinner on the taxpayers' tab. This dinner was to include the Board members, the LSHA staff and everybody's spouses.

Fair Comment: IDA - Norris - Education - Columbia County

"Ms. Norris also told the IDA, 'Education is a critical component ... Having an education system that is perceived as meeting the needs of potential employers, as well as the existing community, is absolutely critical.'" What ...

Lake City Report - Feb 5, 2010

On the City Manager's docket this week are the February Projects and Activities Report, a few more words on the awards banquet and all the department reports.

Technologically challenged county weighs
IT request for public funds for home use.


Mr. Manning spends much of his time at meetings playing solitaire and ...

I cannot think of a reason to justify this expenditure. At a time when the county has rolled-back the wages on their employees like Walmart having a sale, cut funding to publicly sponsored youth sports programs, cut back on library programs and moaned about budgetary woes, I find this request utterly distasteful and a potential complete waste of taxpayer money.

County EMS headed off life support
The Attorneys - The Facts - The Managers - The Solution

Tuesday morning, February 2, 2010, may mark the end game in a city – county controversy that has been stretched out for years. At 10 am in the county annex, County Manager Dale Williams, City Manager Wendell Johnson and their respective attorneys met for a preliminary sit down in what

IDA Rudderless • Web presence a mess Valdosta GA pays attention to IDA's Norris

For years, Columbia County's Industrial Development Authority (IDA), an arm of the "good ole boys" of Columbia County, operated in complete contravention of Florida's Sunshine Laws.  The IDA met in people's homes and did the bidding of the wheeling and dealing of "Mr. Columbia County,"  (photo - IDA Vice Chair - Suzanne Norris)
(1 comment)

And The Winners Are
Lake City Awards Night


Lake City's employees and guests packed the Country Club for Awards
Night.

Lake City abuzz
Awards dinner tonight

The 2010 Lake City awards banquet is more than just another Lake City annual awards dinner. 2010 marks the beginning of a new era and a major changing of the guard for Lake City. This year's awards committee chairperson was one of Lake City's own Sunshine Girls, City Clerk, Audrey Sikes (photo), the nonvoting member.

County utility boondoggle moving into high gear  • DuPree bans city participation

Like a bull in a china shop, Jack Berry protégé, County Utility Sub Committee Chairman, Jody DuPree is following in the footsteps of his mentor, former LSHA boss Berry. Instead of spending millions without a plan in order to take care of the "good ole boys" in the land scams around the Hospital Authority, the Columbia County Utility boondoggle is going to cost the working families of Columbia County tens of millions in one of

Lake City Report - Jan 22, 2010

Lake City Airport Terminal moving ahead
Blanche Hotel and Bond Debt remain on
City Manager's docket

The Rudolph Davis Affair • Employee at will


Capt. Rudolph Davis

In the United States, employees without a written employment contract generally can be fired for good cause, bad case, or no cause at all. Florida is an "employment at will" state. This means an employee in Florida can be fired -- "because." In Florida it is established law that no reason has to be given. An employee can be fired because his employer just "feels like it."

LSHA & Shands at Lake Shore ignore ADA
Physically challenged are 2nd class

I have been bound to a wheel chair my whole life and I can assure you that to me and my wife, who can now only get around in a wheel chair that ten feet can be like a mile. Unfortunately, it appears that the local agency that is responsible for seeing that the requirements of the ADA are followed, the city of Lake City, has dropped the ball and has for years been turning a blind eye on this whole situation.

Columbia County Commission digs in, puts children at risk - approves unsafe library

Anyone could walk into the new Fort White library with a gun, a fight could break out, a car could careen through the front door, a child could be abducted and no one would be able to see it. Columbia County's "good ole boys" approved this plan digging in, never admitting a mistake. (2 comments)

Lake City Report - Jan 15, 2010

Bond Debt and the Blanche Hotel
take center stage this week

The bond review continues ... At this time I am pleased to report the City has a very favorable position ...

Commentary

"Ex-Dixie officials sentenced to 3 years" in the Federal slammer ... Columbia County may not be far behind.


Former LSHA Chairman, Jack Berry, had no problem showing his distain for ADA requirements or the Observer.

Old & New LSHA bosses refuse to comply with ADA wheel chair requirements.

Former LSHA Chairman, Jack Berry, along with his protégé, Columbia County Commissioner, contractor and LSHA construction manager, Jody DuPree, didn't much care about the American's With Disabilities Act during the renovation of the old county jail, which became the new and unnecessary headquarters of the LSHA. The new regime under the leadership of Chairman Marc Vann is doing a little better, but not much. (2 comments)

Lake City Report - January 8, 2010
Going going - availability fees - almost gone

At the year's first City Council meeting the Council approved the “Water, Wastewater and Reclaimed Water Rate Study.” The City Attorney and Staff are proceeding with the legislative and public notice activity.  The implementation process should take 90-120 days.

Lake City Reporter publisher
violates basic ethical standards

Columbia County Florida's local newspaper, the Lake City Reporter, has violated basic journalistic ethical standards by accepting a free trip to North Carolina, paid for by the taxes of the working families of Columbia County, sacrificing his independence and questioning his integrity. (Photo - Todd Wilson, LC Reporter publisher)

Columbia County Commissioners MIA
for their first scheduled Board Meeting

A Columbia County Commissioner, with benefits, makes about a thousand dollars a week. Some folks think that they have a right to know why their commissioners cannot attend a Board meeting. If three out of five weren't showing up, one would think the public has a right to know where their Commissioners are. Not in Columbia County.

 
Lake City Charter Review Commission
March 9, 2010 06:00 pm City Hall
• Go to agenda and legal notice
 
The Columbia County Gov't phone book
Get it here - Save it to your desk top and have all official county phone numbers and emails at your finger tips
• Use an electron and save a tree here
 
LSHA - Special Meeting - Feb 17 - 5pm
Interviews for newly created position
Go to résumés - new position - Authority Manager - Article and job description available now
 
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All comments are displayed at the end of the article and are moderated.
Recent Comments:
EMS- Unequal Taxation, by Kieth Blackie
IDA-Norris, Education and bringing in industry, by Keeping It Simple
Driving the Children to Drugs
IDA-Norris-Education by Brian, Ft White
 
 

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.

 

 County Web Site Behind As Usual -- 55 day delay may be a record (Part I)


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.