Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter-News Analyst
On a 3-2 vote in a packed City Hall Commission chamber tonight the Fernandina Beach City Commission directed that all money borrowed as part of the Forward Fernandina strategic plan be returned EXCEPT for the unspent portion of the $600K pledge to support library expansion. This means that roughly a million dollars not yet spent will be sent back to the lender, despite calls from members of the public and the business community to take some time to workshop current needs for capital improvements first. Only 2 of the 14 speakers advocated returning the funds, but Mayor Sarah Pelican stated that the vote is about “needs, not wants.”
Check the Fernandina Observer tomorrow for a fuller account of the meeting.
February 19, 2013 9:26 p.m.
An appropriate decision. It is time for all city requirements to be put on a level field, especially infrastructure requirements.
Their decision seems more about a private personal agenda which they are not talking about. Common sense says to do the railroad crossing repairs now, which Commissioners Corbett, Pelican and Filkoff all agreed, on public record, need repairs. With over 100,000 people coming soon for ShrimpFest, they are leaving the City open to a massive liability lawsuit. Because the lawsuit will go after Both the railroad and F.B. City. Their decision defies common sense.