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Lake City News 2021
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Posted
April 15, 2021 03:30 pm
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – After over
11 years on the job, Lake City Police Chief
Argatha-Rigby Gilmore cannot say that Lake City
is safer than when she began. While the LCPD has
gotten various accreditations on her watch, many
of Lake City’s residents are afraid to call the
police.
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Posted
April 7, 2021 10:59 am
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The Olustee
Park - Monument controversy, now in the lap of
the Columbia County 5 (the County Commission),
had Columbia County’s newest commissioner, Robby
Hollingsworth, signing up to speak at Monday’s
City Council meeting. Why? Olustee – Second
thoughts.
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Posted
March 31, 2021 11:59 am
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Monday’s
emergency called City Council meeting didn’t
have to be an emergency. City Administration and
City Attorney Faux Pas have once again caused
disarray, consternation, and confusion.
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Posted
March 26, 2021 09:28 am
LAKE
CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The North Florida Mega
Industrial Park needs a gas supply. Lake City
Utilities are the County gas experts. Yesterday,
the County and City sat down to discuss gas, a
necessity for industrial economic development.
They met in the County Economic Development
Office.
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Posted
March 24, 2021 06:30 pm | Op-Ed
Mr. Helfenberger [Joe Helfenberger, Lake
City, City Manager], It is with great regret that I must
tenure my resignation. Coming to work for
the City of Lake City, my hometown for the
past fifty years, was a great honor for me.
I was hopeful that I could do well in this
position and was looking forward to the
challenges that lay ahead. I was not aware
of pitfalls that are associated with working
for the City of Lake City.
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Posted
March 22, 2021 02:00 am
LAKE CITY, FL – There is an insurrection
mounting in Lake City against City Manager Joe
Helfenberger’s latest pick for Assistant City
Manager, Daniel Sweat. Mr. Sweat began his
employment with Lake City on November 2, 2020.
Complaints against Mr. Sweat have been serious,
and until recently, have been brushed aside by
City Manager Helfenberger.
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Posted
March 18, 2021 11:01 am
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
On Monday night, March 15, 2021, during
a 12th-hour walk-on by City Manager Joel
Helfenberger, he announced that a legal
opinion solicited by the City stated
that Columbia County owns Olustee Park.
The Park is home to a Confederate
Monument.
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Posted
March 16, 2021 06:59 pm
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – A milestone
was reached by the City Council last night when
it reconfigured its Utility Advisory Committee
to include two County commissioners and two
high-ranking County staff members, giving the
County equal footing on the committee.
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Posted
March 4, 2021 06:59 am
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL –
The age old utility war between Columbia
County and Lake City has reared it head
once again. Recently, with the City and
County huffing and puffing, the real
issues for the tax payers are being
obscured by chest beating and trash
talk. If the leaders don’t sit down and
resolve their issues soon, it is going
to get expensive for everyone in the
County.
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Posted
February 4, 2021 01:59 pm
LAKE CITY, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The first
two hours of Monday night’s Lake City, City
Council meeting seemed at times like an event
being held at the Roman Colosseum. Agitated by
recent events, the community's black residents
showed up in force to take a stand for
meaningful oversight of the Lake City Police
Department.
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Posted
January 22, 2021 03:40 pm
OLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Last night, Lake
City's Vice Mayor / City Utility
Advisory Committee Chair, Chris Greene,
made a surprise visit to the County 5.
Despite Mr. Greene's announced
closed-mindedness, the County agreed to
join Councilman Sampson's reconstituted
City Utility Advisory Committee.
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Posted
January 15, 2021 11:59 pm
Lake City, Columbia County, FL – Thursday
evening's Utility Sub-Committee meeting brought
out many of the movers and shakers of Lake City
– Columbia County. After years of bickering,
territorial disputes, and myopia, it appears
that the City and County are ready to begin
talking seriously about the utility future of
Lake City – Columbia County.
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Posted
January 7, 2021 11:05 am
Lake City, Columbia County, FL – The City
Council's problems with being heard continued at
Monday's Council meeting in the School Bd.
Admin. Auditorium, although listening on Zoom
was a little better. Once again, there were
issues with City Attorney Fred Koberlein, Jr.
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Posted
January 4, 2021 01:20 pm
Lake City, Columbia County, FL – Last
Tuesday's Lake City Utility Committee meeting
lasted two and a half hours. Lake City's new
Assistant City Manager Daniel Sweat, a man with
neither water nor wastewater background, nor any
institutional knowledge of Lake City utilities,
announced that the City Utility is not
interested in being Columbia County's regional
utility provider.
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Lake City Police Chief
Argatha Gilmore Makes It Clear, She Answers to
Nobody in Lake City
Olustee - ‘Second Thoughts’:
Commissioner Robby Hollingsworth Shows Up At
City Council, “It’s kinda’ strange, but here I
am.”
Lake City Utility Advisory
Committee Back on Track Again. City
Administration and Attorney Faux Pas Cause
Consternation – Confusion
Lake City – Columbia County,
Utility Progress: While They Met About Gas – The
Theme Was Cooperation
Lake City’s Assistant City
Manager Under Investigation: Will he dodge the
bullet again?
Lake
City Legal Opinion: Olustee Park – Home of
Confederate Monument – Owned By Columbia County
Lake City & Columbia County
Finally Smoke a Utility Peace Pipe. Agree to
Cooperate
Lake
City Turns Back the Clock on Utility Cooperation
– Digs In For a Utility War: Is it too late for
cooperation?
Lake City Residents Looking
for Police Oversight By a Civilian Complaint
Review Board, Not an Advisory Council
Lake City Vice Mayor Appears Before the County 5
to Discuss City Utility Policy & the City
Budget: His Appearance Not Sanctioned by the
City Council
Lake
City & Columbia County:
Finally, On the Cusp of Getting Their Utility
Act Together
Lake City's Resolutions,
Ordinances Have Issues: City Attorney Koberlein
Invents New Legal Term
Lake City Not the Regional
Utility Anymore: It's Now Up To the City Council
Decide What It Wants the Utility to Be - Time Is
Running Out