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Columbia County
Commission News
Index of Stories
2009 - 2007
• 2011-2010
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Columbia County, FL (posted
December 17, 2009)
The saga of the
Columbia County – Ellisville Utility Project continued
at the December 10th Utility Sub-Committee meeting, in
what continues to be the greatest "good ole boy"
boondoggle and waste of public funds in the history of
Columbia County.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
November 13, 2009)
Ignoring the
wishes of the majority of the County Commission
and the long standing support of this project by
the Commission, Board Chairman Stephen Bailey
has been working in the shadows to put the
kibosh on the proposed federal prison, which
would pump over 100 million dollars into the
Columbia County economy. ¶ According to Ms. Lynn
Bannister of United States Senator...
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Empty computer work stations at the Columbia County main
library. The library director's policy is designed to
keep computers unused at all library branches.
Columbia County, FL (posted
November 5, 2009)
On July 1, 2002, the
Board of County Commissioners gave the library director
the authority to establish time limits for the use of
the internet computers at the County Libraries. This is
a common practice in most libraries and common sense
usually prevails. The ineffectual leadership of library
director, Debbie Paulson, is once again affecting those
most unable to defend themselves.
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The Columbia County Com, still homeless, had their
county utility meeting in the...
Columbia County, FL (posted
Sept 17, 2009)
Columbia County has
been in the utility business since 2006. The County
Commission and the County Manager did everything but
proclaim from the mountain tops that they did not want
to be in the utility business. Three years later after
the squandering of millions of dollars the Ellisville
Utility Project is still in disarray.
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This double wide on 10 acres pays the same fire
assessment as Commissioner Bailey's father pays to have
a home on 147 acres.
Columbia County, FL (posted
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 has dragged 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.¶
For years, the Observer has observed the unfairness of
...
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Columbia County, FL (posted
August 5, 2009)
Demonstrating an
arrogance and lack of respect for public property and
the law, Mr. DuPree parked on the grass again at the
county's second budget workshop on July 30th. This time,
Commissioner DuPree parked right next to Sheriff
Hunter's personal white pickup truck, a vehicle well
known to everyone.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
August 5, 2009)
Columbia County’s
Budget Workshop number two, presented on July 30, 2009,
looked like the same tired process that has gone on in
Columbia County for years. In the past few years, at the
urging of your reporter, the County has supplied a
little more information. It is highly inadequate in
determining the funding and spending requirements of the
County.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
July 29, 2009)
The July 22nd
budget work shop began with County Manager Dale
Williams explaining that there is typically only
one budget workshop in Columbia County. This
year he thought there might be as many as three
workshops.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
July 24, 2009)
Columbia County
Commissioner Jody DuPree again demonstrated his
arrogance and lack of regard for sound public policy by
parking his truck on the lawn of the School Board
Administration building, instead of in the parking lot
during the July 22nd budget work shop.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
June 4, 2009)
Unless County Manager
Dale Williams discussed the specifics of this land deal
with each county commissioner, rotating them one at a
time in violation of the spirit of the Sunshine laws of
Florida, there is no way the Columbia County Commission
could know what is going on. Of course, there is once
again no way for the public to know what is going on.
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Chairman Bailey reads from a prepared script.
Columbia County, FL
(posted May 26, 2009)
The Florida Crown
Affair took another twist in Columbia County at the May
21, 2009 County Commission meeting. Operating on the
fringes or outside the law is nothing new for Columbia
County and they did not disappoint at the May 21st
commission meeting, proving once again that operating in
the shadows and surprising the public is what they do
best.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
May 23, 2009 • 07:30pm)
Things certainly have
changed since 2007, and not for the best. It was an
earlier time, when the residents didn’t need ID cards to
speak and could ask questions, about the things that
affected their lives, their families and their pocket
books. They might not have received answers, but at
least they could ask the questions.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
April 16, 2009)
County Manager (“CM”)
Dale Williams explained some of the Columbia County
Commission issues with the FCWB: "Does my board have
some issues? Absolutely. Are they adamant in their
issues? Absolutely. They’ve got some things that even I
don’t know. We are not so bad that we will not take your
money. When you talk about the money that you do have
some latitude in distribution, they believe they have a
legal right to help determine how that money is
distributed. They believe that the budgets are supposed
to be approved in a certain legal fashion and currently
they are not." ¶ Someone asked the County Manager, “In
what way are they not being legally approved?”
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Columbia County, FL (posted
April 15, 2009)
The Columbia County Commission, long known for among
other things, rudeness and flying by the seat of its
pants was dealt a blow by long time constitutional
officer, Clerk of the Courts, the Honorable P. DeWitt
Cason, when he refused to sign two ordinances which were
not available for public inspection for the time
required by the Florida Statutes.
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Columbia
County, FL (posted March 5, 2009)
On Tuesday night,
March 3, 2009, with the blood still flowing in the
streets and the school district on its knees, the good
old boys of the Columbia County Commission, buoyed by
four of the five members of the School Board, decided to
eliminate school impact fees. Only School Board member
Charles Maxwell spoke up for the district, its students
and the working families of Columbia County, opposing
the impact fee moratorium. The official moratorium vote
is tonight.
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Columbia County, FL (posted
March 2, 2009)
by Stew Lilker
Late on Monday morning, February 16th, quick and
decisive action by South Columbia County residents
averted disaster, as a brush fire, whipped by twenty
mile an hour winds, threatened homesteads, livestock,
and a large area of south Columbia County only a mile
and a half from the Santa Fe River in Bluebird Landing.
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Columbia County, FL
(posted Feb. 5, 2009)
The 18% pay
raise of Columbia County’s new recreation
director, Mario Coppock, appears to be on hold
so that the County Commission can go over the
details, according to a statement to the
Observer late Wednesday by County Manager, Dale
Williams. ¶ County Manager Williams said that
he is going to ask the Board to put over their
deliberations until the 19th of February,
explaining that, “The Board has asked me for
more information and I don’t believe I would be
able to have it all available by the meeting
tomorrow evening.”
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Columbia
County Florida (posted Dec. 4, 2008)
It was
nothing new for a Columbia County resident to
complain about being over assessed for garbage
pickup. Billy Ray Franks told the Board, “I
haven’t used the solid waste for three years. I
recycle my own. I live alone. I don’t have much.
I’ve tried for three years for them to take this
solid waste off of my taxes, but I haven’t been
able to.”
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Columbia
County Florida (posted Dec. 4, 2008)
Commissioner
Williams yelled out from across the room: “Say
what? That’s a lie Lilker. I have never said I
put my own trash in a dumpster. And don’t you
repeat that or say it anymore, or we’ll go
behind the barn.” ¶ Was Commissioner Williams
telling the truth when he challenged your
reporter to "go behind the barn?"
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Columbia
County Florida (posted Dec. 4, 2008)
Columbia
County's working families continued to take it
on the chin as the County Commission once again
demonstrated that when it comes to giving money
to their high priced friends, it has never seen
a fee increase it doesn't like.
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Columbia
County Florida (posted Nov. 26, 2008)
At the
November 20, 2008 County Commission meeting, the
Columbia County Board of County Commissioners,
along with County Manager Dale Williams, once
again proved the old adage that all politics is
local, demonstrating that our irresponsible
representatives in Washington just will not be
out done by the the Good Old Boys of Columbia
County. ¶ At the conclusion of the meeting long
time Columbia County resident and former Marine,
Mr. LJ Johnson, told the Board, “In reference to
the letter Mr. Lilker read, I think it is a
shame that anyone in our community should be
referred to as an idiot, and I myself find that
offensive and something should be done about
that. ¶ The Board and Chairman Weaver ignored
Mr. Johnson’s remarks. Chairman Weaver’s answer
spoke for itself, “Anything else Mr. Johnson?
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Columbia
County Florida (posted Nov. 24, 2008)
On November
20, 2008, in another brazen assault on the
public trust, the Columbia County Board of
Commissioners (BCC) and the County Manager,
Dale Williams, looked the other way as contract
engineer John Colson insulted the working
families of Columbia County by refusing to
detail his billing hours and then adding insult
to injury, referred to a Columbia County
resident, or residents, who questioned his
billing practices as the "audience idiot."
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Public left in
the dark as County Manager gives annual report
with 12th hour notice to an empty room.
Columbia
County Florida (posted Sept. 25, 2008)
On August 27th, County Manager Dale Williams gave an
excellent annual report. It is a mystery why the Board did
not schedule his report for a regular meeting where the
public would have been well informed and able to ask
questions. ¶ It is curious that the notice of the annual
report was only posted to the county web site shortly before
the meeting and then just as quickly disappeared. ¶ At 10 am
the Board held its annual budget workshop. Only a few more
people arrived for the meeting, which was over by 12:30
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Columbia
County Florida (posted Sept. 25, 2008)
While Columbia County
workers hang on the edge of their chairs wondering if
the Board is going to give them a raise, bonus, or
nothing at all tomorrow night, the top brass of Columbia
County and the “good old boys” continue to reap the
profits off of the working families of Columbia County.
¶ At the conclusion of the recent budget workshop,
Commissioner Stephen Bailey said he thought the county
should look into giving the county workers a $2000
raise, instead of a bonus. ¶ District One Commissioner,
Ronald Williams, was particularly displeased with Mr.
Bailey’s suggestion, leaning over and telling him,
“You’re opening a can of worms.”
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Columbia
County Florida (posted June 5, 2008)
Columbia County's search for a public
works director to be responsible for the maintenance of
700 miles of dirt roads and 1100 miles of paved roads
are nearing a conclusion after the interviews of six
final candidates. County Manager Dale Williams said that
he was looking to put the final decision in front of the
County Commission at this week’s County Commission
meeting, but no later than June 19th, “Unless something
goes terribly wrong.”
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Columbia County Florida (posted June 5, 2008)
At the conclusion of the interviews for Columbia County’s
new Public Works Director, County Manager, Dale
Williams, said that it was obvious that there was one
standout from each day. Even more obvious was the reason
they stood out. ¶After carefully observing the interview
process as well as the resumes and applications of the
applicants, it was clear that there was one applicant
from day one and indeed both days, that stood miles
above the rest for his experience, professionalism,
management skills and knowledge – Marcel “Bo” Beauchemin,
a professional in every way.
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Columbia County
Florida (posted May 5, 2008)
On the agenda for this evening’s 7
p.m. Lake City Council meeting is the continuing
discussion of a unified county fire service and the fate
of the Lake City Fire Department. It is now up to the
City Council to not fall into the well worn trap of the
County Commission and throw in the towel before the
discussion really begins.
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Columbia County Florida (posted April 28, 2008)
April 23, 2008 should have been a bright spot in City/County
relations when representatives from the City and the
County sat down to talk about one countywide fire
department. One might have thought this would have
combined the dedicated first responders of the City with
those of the County. Unfortunately, the talks were not
pointed in that direction. The issue should have been
people. Instead it was money.
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Columbia County Florida, (posted) November 27, 2007
At its November 15, 2007 board meeting, the Columbia
County Board of Commissioners once again demonstrated that it
is an ethically challenged board. It refused to vote for the
continued financial disclosure of the members of the
Industrial Development Authority despite no objection from
them.
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Columbia
County Florida, November 14, 2007
by Stew Lilker
In another outrageous display of disrespect,
discourtesy and just plain rudeness, Columbia County’s Board
of County Commissioners outdid itself at its November 1st.
board meeting, dragging Janet Lord of the Salvation Army
through the coals. The Board’s grilling of Ms. Lord was among
the all time lows from a Board that seems to take pleasure in
disrespecting the public and skirting the law.
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