Santa Rosa County Commissioners tomorrow will hold a workshop to review the county budget and look ahead toward how the board will spend its new tax revenues, including the roughly $35-40 million expected from the local option sales tax for infrastructure which was approved by voters last November.
A county staff report, included in the workshop’s agenda, states the financial position of the county is “strong,” pointing out the additional monies generated by passage of the local option gas tax in 2015 and the local option sales tax for infrastructure, which went into effect in January and will remain in place for a five-year period.
Staff also presented commissioners with a wish list ahead of the board workshop which included the following:
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS
- $116,000 to make county auditorium restrooms ADA compliant and replace the facility’s roof
- $180,000 to apply a roof coating to the courthouse modular building
- $275,000 to replace the courthouse roof
- $75,000 to replace all deck material on and $222,000 to expand restrooms at Navarre Beach Fishing Pier
- $360,000 to replace restrooms in the parking area east of Navarre Beach Fishing Pier
- $30,000 to resurface the South Santa Rosa Service Center parking lot
PUBLIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS
- $338,922 toward leased fire apparatus for several fire departments
- $575,000 for additional emergency communications radio sites in Navarre and Harold
- $750,000 for emergency communications radio system upgrades
DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS
- $850,000 for Camden Drive drainage improvements
- $530,000 for Sunrise Drive drainage improvements
- $3,720,000 for Tom King Bayou channel restoration (Holley By The Sea drainage area)
- $1,200,000 for West Williams Creek channel restoration (Holley By The Sea draining area)
ROAD/SIDEWALK PROJECTS
- $606,815 to resurface Allentown Road
- $60,000 for a sidewalk connecting Walker Street and Blackwater Heritage Trail
- $1.5 million for various road paving (additional to current road paving budget)
- $409,091 to resurface Edgewood Drive from East Bay Blvd. to U.S. 98
- $5,000 for sidewalk on west side of Glover Lane from Hamilton Bridge Rd to Hobbs Middle School
- $465,000 for a pedestrian/bicycle path from Madura Road to Soundside Drive.
- $90,000 for a sidewalk on north side of Hamilton Bridge Rd. from East Spencer Field Rd to Jim Dandy Ln.
- $48,000 for sidewalks on Rosasco Street, Byrom Street and King Street near King Middle School
- $297,274 for matching construction funding for Maranatha/Chipper Ln
- $353,006 for matching construction funding for Patterson/Pace Ln
- $414,410 for matching construction funding Ranchettes/Whisper Bay
- $596,810 for matching construction funding Venetian Way/Coronado Dr
- $78,000 for sidewalks connecting Optimist Park with Avalon Blvd. and Parkmore Plaza
- $80,000 for a sidewalk on the west side of Pace Lane from Skipper Lane to 90
- $250,000 for Sweet Bay Drive Bridge construction
- $348,954 to resurface Woodbine Road from U.S. 90 to Pearl Ridge Rd
CAPITAL PURCHASES
- $30,000 to replace a high-mileage engineering department vehicle
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told South Santa Rosa News his departments needs around $2 million of the additional revenue generated by the LOST, which is expected to add up to about $7-8 million each year over its five-year span.
Tomorrow commissioners are expected to give staff direction on formulating a tentative spending plan before the ten citizens appointed to an advisory committee aimed to oversee the LOST spending have a say in recommending a “final” spending plan.
The workshop starts at 9 a.m. at the County Administrative Complex, located at 6495 Caroline Street in Milton
Other issues on this week’s regular board agenda include:
- Appointment of Liz Horton as TDC Chairwoman
- A resolution to support of Support an extension of the local option sales tax for school capital expenditures
- A request from the Sheriff’s Office to rename a portion of U.S. 90 in the Pace area near Woodbine Road in honor of former Sheriff Wendell Hall
- Renewal of the contract with the county’s lobbyist firm, Johnson and Blanton
- Donation of a construction easement on Navarre School Road at U.S. 98 to the Florida Department of Transportation to facilitate intersection improvements
- A request from the Navarre Chamber Foundation to use the Navarre Beach Boat Ramp parking lot and a route along Gulf Boulevard for the 9th Annual Run for the Reef 5k/10k on October 14, 2017
- A request from Denise Lockwood to use the Navarre Beach Boat Ramp parking lot and a route along Gulf Boulevard for the Ian Lockwood Memorial 5K Race on March 4, 2017
- Design of the Tom King Bayou Pedestrian Bridge utilizing $185,000 in federal funding
- Final plat for Sound Haven Phase 2-B
- Discussion of paved road and drainage maintenance for The Waters Phase I
- Rejection of current bid for Little Duck Circle MSBU for paving, water and sewer and direct staff to re-bid to excluding sewer
- Cancellation of the board’s March 20 and March 23 regular and committee meetings and rescheduling of the March 23 rezoning meeting to March 30, 2017 due to Santa Rosa County District School’s spring break
The regular commission meeting will take place at 9 a.m., Thursday, February 9 at the Tiger Point Lane. The full agenda and video of the meetings can be viewed at www.santarosa.fl.gov.
Commissioners can be reached by email at BOCC@santarosa.fl.gov.
