By Cindy Jackson
Reporter
January 18, 2019 7:53 a.m.
It’s been a busy week for the Board of County Commissioners with two public meetings taking place this week – the first on Monday (January 14) and the second commencing at 9am Wednesday morning (January 16).
An item that appeared on both agendas concerned the abandonment of rights-of-way (ROW) across the county. Commissioner Bell brought this issue to the attention of the other commissioners and suggested the county follow the example set by the City of Fernandina, on Gum Street, specifically.
Said Commissioner Bell, “for me, it’s a philosophical issue . . . having public property changing to private property.” Talk of who should pay for appraisals, the feasibility of ceding the ROW and perhaps charging an administrative fee were all discussed. At one point, Commissioner Edwards stated, “if they (the ultimate owner) improves it, paves it and pays taxes on it – is that not benefit enough [to the county]?” The end result, County Manager/County Attorney Michael Mullin will investigate further and get back to the commissioners with recommendations in a six to eight-week timeframe. Commissioner Bell has requested stats and facts be included with that report such as how often the issue of ROW comes up in any given year and what the outcomes have been.
Another such request on the agenda this week concerned a 60-foot right of way within the Drury Homes Plat. The owner of that plat would like to have the county’s right-of-way so that he could build a new development. As it currently stands, if the county gives him the Right of Way, the county would get nothing in return – at least not at the point of relinquishing the right of way. Consideration of that request has been postponed until January 28, 2019.
Another item discussed had to do with culverts – a subject of particular interest to folks living in west Nassau County. It seems that the county has been fixing, repairing and replacing culverts for FREE – for years on end. Not knowing what the county ordinance said, property owners would look to the county to make the necessary repairs and replacements when things failed. Facing major budget constraints, just last year, the county approved an ordinance which basically reemphasized and re-codified the fact that the county was not responsible for such repairs and would no longer be providing that service for free.
And more from meeting on January 16
On January 16, newly-elected Commissioner Tom Ford mentioned that he had received numerous calls relating to the absence of culvert repair and expressed his desire to reverse that ordinance so that culvert repair and replacement might still be done by the county.
Commissioner Bell asked Mr. Mullin to include a full list of statistics on the culvert situation county-wide. In a telephone conversation after the meeting on the 16th, Bell stated “I like to base decisions based on facts.”
Another item of interest to many members of the Nassau County Community is all about recycling – in particular the relocation of the Bailey Road Recycling Site. At the present time, the recycling site on Bailey Road (on Amelia Island) is ideal. Easy in, easy out, and most important, it is wheelchair accessible. While not an immediate threat, the Bailey Road recycling site needs to be moved as the owner of the land does plan on developing it. County Attorney/County Manager Mullin indicated that it was unlikely another suitable location would be found on the Island citing potential difficulties with compliance requirements mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Always an item on the commission’s agenda is discussion of the East Nassau Stewardship District. While there were no developments on that front, per se, the organization known as the University of Florida Jacksonville Physicians, Inc. Project did appear before the commissioners at its’ Monday night meeting in hopes they might receive the commission’s blessing for the issuance of Industrial Development Revenue Notes – for their Wildlight Project.
Richard Harb, from the law firm of Nabors, Giblin and Nickerson, acting as bond counsel explained the benefit to University of Florida Jacksonville Physicians, Inc. is simply financing and said, “the interest on the debt to the lender is tax exempt which lowers the cost of capital.” Harb went on to say having the support of the Nassau County Board of Commissioners “adds a local layer of vetting, guaranteeing that the project meets the needs of the local community.”
The project is a 42,000 square feet medical building which will offer primary care, pediatric medicine, behavioral health and other services with plans to serve its first client on December 6, 2019.
Commissioner Leeper was the first to speak of the number of phone calls he had received simply because, “it is the nature of being in Wildlight.” He and other commissioners agreed there is a perception problem. As a result, the vote on this resolution was postponed until January 28. By then, the BOCC hopes to have educated the public on what it all really means.
The University of Florida Jacksonville Physicians, Inc. simply wants to take advantage of a loan program made possible by the Florida Industrial Financing Act — at no cost to Nassau County.
By way of explanation — under this act, and very simplistically explained — a loan is made to a developer and that loan is secured at a very very low interest rate.
It follows that helping to secure such a low interest rate can lead to attracting more investors (committing to providing a healthy environment) to build an even better community.
This type of financing is attractive to all parties. The private entity is able to acquire capital at a reduced cost and the interest income is exempt from federal tax.
As a result, the bonds are offered to investors at a lower cost of interest.
The advantage to the issuer is a demonstration of support for a facility that benefits the community and attracts future development.
Important to keep in mind is the fact that the issuer of the bonds cannot be held responsible for the repayment of the bonds in the event of default. The issuer holds the title to the collateral until the bonds are paid in full. Bondholders are paid from the revenues realized from the project.
Nassau County is in no way responsible for the default of such a loan. The approval of the BOCC is simply an indication of local support.
An excellent summary of Industrial Development Bonds can be found at https://www.goodjobsfirst.org/accountable-development/industrial-revenue-bonds or can be downloaded here. A copy of the actual resolution is also available.
Something the commissioners agreed to unanimously earlier this week was to rename the Callahan County Building on Mickler Street in honor of former Nassau County Commissioner Walter “Junior” Boatright. Commissioner Pat Edwards stated that RPM Lumber would pay for the cost of the sign as a tribute to Boatright.
The Board of County Commissioners meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:00 pm, the third Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am and special meetings are called when necessary.
All meetings are held at Commission Chambers located within the James S. Page Governmental Complex at 96135 Nassau Pl., Yulee, FL
Other important dates as noted during BOCC meetings include (but are not limited to):
A joint meeting of the BOCC with the School Board, January 22.
A workshop session on regulations regarding county boat ramps, February 20.
Peters Point will be utilized for parking for the Ruck March for Veterans, a portion of the walk to be held on the beach from American Beach to Peters Point, February 23.
Editor’s Note: Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Cindy received her BA in Political Science from Dickinson College. Upon graduation, Cindy began her career on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aide and director. She later became a part of the public relations and lobbying team of the American Iron and Steel Institute and served as director of the office of state legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Cindy was involved in economic development with the state of Maryland, and served as executive director of Leadership Washington County. As a community volunteer, Cindy participates in numerous volunteer activities serving as a member of Sunrise Rotary, and as board member of Cummer Amelia Board of Directors.