07/22/26 Update

By JAMIE WACHTER on Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Tentative $4.3M budget approved, sent to BOCCs.

• Steven Dicks, an at-large member to the North Florida Water Utilities Authority board, questioned why an alternative utility budget was presented to the Columbia Cunty Commission before the NFWUA board. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

LIVE OAK — Sent back to the drawing board after a workshop last week, the North Florida Water Utilities Authority is seeking to limit the impact on customers in Columbia and Suwannee counties.

In return, the two counties are being asked to foot the same bill for balancing the authority’s budget in the upcoming fiscal year. The NFWUA board approved its tentative $4.379  million budget Monday morning, seeking subsidies of $520,648 from both Columbia and Suwannee counties. The tentative budget was approved by a 4-1 vote with NFWUA board member and Columbia County Commissioner Tim Murphy dissenting.

Murphy, as well as at-large NFWUA board member Steven Dicks, had previously questioned the process that led to the alternative budget presented to the board Monday morning. The alternative budget, which included reduced rates on utility customers in both counties as well as the Town of Fort White, was crafted by NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts, financial consultant Richard Powell and representatives from Raftelis, which had performed a rate study for the authority.

Roberts previously presented that alternative budget to the Columbia County Commission on Thursday after the NFWUA workshop. The NFWUA board first saw the changes Monday morning.

“My concern is the process that was used to assemble this new proposed budget,” Dicks said.

Murphy, too, thought the NFWUA board should have been made aware of the changes ahead of the commission. NFWUA Vice Chairman Franklin White, a Suwannee County commissioner, at first had also requested that he be able to present the budget request to the Suwannee board before it was approved by the NFWUA.

However, Authority Attorney Grady Williams encouraged the board to tentatively approve something Monday in order to help both commissions as they begin moving through their budget process. Williams noted that if either don’t approve the full funding request, the NFWUA could make those adjustments ahead of its final budget approval.

“This board, if possibly, should tentatively approve something so that each board of county commissioners is operating off the same sheet of music,” Williams said.

The alternative budget that the board tentatively approved also reduced the amount the NFWUA would be putting into its contingency fund and cash reserves moving forward as a way to help reduce the rates customers are paying as well.

Powell said the contingency had been set at 15% and was reduced to 12% instead. He also noted the budget looked to keep the cash balance on hand the same from this year to next year.

Murphy, though, said he felt that it was necessary to keep those reserves and contingency funds higher, noting that is critical for utilities in order to grow. He instead believed the NFWUA could try to tighten its belt internally on the administrative side to help offset the reduced rates.

Murphy questioned the need for the number of trucks the authority currently — five — as well as the budgeting for a lobbyist and leasing additional office space at a cost of around $134,000 from last year. The budget also calls for adding another 1.5 full-time employees and 3% raises.

“We violated the ultimate, you went into reserves but you didn’t go into this operation,” he said. “You’re growing, growing, growing. If this isn’t government to its fullest extent, I’ve never seen it…If you don’t start off being on a conservative measure, you’re not going to end up on a conservative measure.

“I don’t agree with this.”

Both White and Rocky Ford, the NFWUA chairman and a Columbia County commissioner, though, said they believed the lobbyist was critical to the future success of the Authority. White, while saying it was maybe not crucial this upcoming year, said the help of a lobbyist in securing funding for growth and expansion is the only way to move forward until the utilities can start standing on their own and turn a profit.

“I support the lobbyist 100% because that’s our future,” Ford said.

REVIEWING ROBERTS’ PERFORMANCE

The NFWUA board members all received an evaluation form during Monday’s meeting in order to review the performance of Roberts during his first year as executive director.

The board members will critique and rate Roberts in 10 categories on a scale of 1-5 and submit those reviews to Grady Williams, the NFWUA attorney, by July 31. Williams will then compile the evaluations and present the overall performance review at its August meeting.

The evaluation form being used is based off the evaluation that is done by the Clay County Utility Authority. Roberts will be judged on his effectiveness in customer engagement, risk management, safety, administration, Human Resources, regulatory compliance, financial performance, organizational operations performance, public stakeholder and governmental affairs engagement, and intangibles.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Rate hikes decreased as part of Utility Authority budget process.

• Franklin White, a North Florida Water Utilities Authority board member and Suwannee County commissioner, said there likely will be ‘some kicking and screaming’ over the proposed utility rate increases, but added that the NFWUA made cuts as well as the two counties contributing more to the venture so it was fair to all. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

LIVE OAK — Requests made by several North Florida Water Utilities Authority board members have led to likely reduced rate increases on customers.

The NFWUA board approved blended rate recommendations by a 4-1 vote on Monday. Those suggested rates will now go to the Columbia County Commission, Suwannee County Commission and Fort White Town Council for approval. Tim Murphy, NFWUA board member and Columbia County commissioner, voted against the suggested rates.

Those rates were reduced from what the board was initially shown during a July 13 workshop. Franklin White, the board’s vice chairman and a Suwannee County commissioner, and Rocky Ford, the board chairman and a Columbia County commissioner, both encouraged NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts to revise the planned increases after that workshop.

“I thought it was pretty outrageous about what was proposed,” Ford said about the initial proposal.

The initial rates proposed would have only led to one decrease for a group of users — commercial water users in Fort White would have seen their average bill for 24,000 gallons drop from the current cost of $663.84 to $521.04. All the other bills across the two counties would have jumped at least 32.67% with bills in Suwannee County more than doubling.

Those average bills would have increased for residential water users in Ellisville and Mason City (5,000 gallon use, $40.25 existing bill to $63.62, a 58% increase) commercial water users in Ellisville and Mason City (24,000 gallon use, $265.02 existing bill to $521.04, a 96.6% increase), wastewater users in Ellisville and Mason City (24,000 gallon use, $718.58 existing bill to $953.33, a 32.67% increase), residential water users in Fort White (4,000 gallon use, $37.49 existing bill to $56.99, a 52% increase), commercial water users in Suwannee County (24,000 gallon use, $224.47 existing bill to $521.04, a 132.12% increase) and wastewater users in Suwannee County (24,000 gallon use, $475.63 existing bill to $953.33, a 100.44% increase).

White, too, said he asked Roberts to come up with a different plan, noting it would have run some customers off.

The proposal that came back was what White was looking for, he said.

“I saw the rates were so high that it was going to cause a real problem moving forward,” he said, noting the two counties will also be asked to pay a little bit more and the Authority was taking a hit on contingencies as well. “I called Shannon that day and asked him to come up with something different to where we’re not going to kill the customers with the rate increases

“There’s still going to be some kicking and screaming. That’s why I say it’s a pretty balanced approach. Nobody wins. Everybody is going to pay. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

With the reduced rates, only users in Suwannee County will see their bills increase by at least 67%, with all the increases dropping by at least 20% from the initial proposal. The Fort White commercial water users’ bills will go down 34% to $438.55 on average.

The other new bills are expected to look like residential water users in Ellisville and Mason City paying $53.56, a 33% increase; commercial water users in Ellisville and Mason City paying $438.55, a 65% increase; wastewater users in Ellisville and Mason City paying $799.52, an 11% increase; residential water users in Fort White paying $47.98, a 28% increase; commercial water users in Suwannee County paying $438.55, a 95% increase; and wastewater users in Suwannee County paying $799.52, a 68% increase.

“I think it’s pretty well balanced out in my mind,” White said, “between cuts, adding money and cutting rates.”

Ford added: “I know it will be a lot better on the customer. At the same time, a lot of these rates hadn’t been increased in years.”

5/21/26 Update by:  

Stew Lilker’s

May 21, 2026  11:25 am | 5 min read
AI Summary in a minute

SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL – The North Florida Water Utility Authority met at 9:30 am Monday in Live Oak. The helter-skelter utility authority is composed of two county commissioners, each from Suwannee and Columbia Counties, and one citizen member. Pre- and post-meeting issues, while out of the public eye, highlight the Authority's core trust and transparency issues.

The Utility Authority Board members have canned their bowling team shirts, as things have become more serious.

One of the structural problems that the North Florida Water Utility Authority (NFWUA or Authority) has had from its sub rosa beginnings is trust and transparency, e.g., its meetings are intentionally not recorded for public view; board minutes are not available on the Authority website; agenda materials are late, or so late that the Authority board and the public are entirely left out of the loop.

Monday’s May 18 North Florida Water Utility Authority meeting was no exception, with the Executive Director outdoing his normal last-minute agendas and 12th-hour agenda web postings.

At 4:44 pm on Saturday (May 16), the Executive Director had still not posted the agenda, nor the supporting material. This prompted your reporter to text Authority Executive Director Shannon Roberts to ask whether the meeting was canceled.

The Executive Director didn’t know the agenda never made it to the Authority website. Apparently, neither did anybody else connected to the Authority, from the Board members on down to the County Managers.

Mr. Roberts sent along the agenda, posted it on the website, and explained in an email, “There was a process breakdown in the upload notification.” Your reporter asked what that meant. There was no answer.

Suwannee County resident Wayne Hannaka has appeared at most Authority meetings.

The Authority Charter, passed by both Columbia and Suwannee Counties just over two years ago, provides for the establishment of bylaws. Bylaws are “The secondary, internal rulebook detailing how the company [or a municipality] operates on a day-to-day basis. Bylaws must always comply with the articles of incorporation and higher statutory laws.” [1, 2]

The NFWUA has no bylaws. As a result, the executive director has no rules for agenda preparation, deadlines, supporting information, or other day-to-day operations. The Authority Charter (ILA) mentions a few responsibilities.

As the board meeting drew to a close, Wayne Hannaka of Suwannee County told the board:

 "There was no agenda available until yesterday [Sunday], I look every day to see when the agenda comes out, so I can do a little research and figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, things get dragged out to the very last minute, and there's not any communication."

It is likely that, before Monday’s 9:30 am board meeting, none of the Board members had seen the finalized agenda, which was not available until 8:05 am on Friday morning (the 15th), less than one business day before the meeting.

Local Florida governments are heading into budget season. This is the time of the year when counties, cities, towns, and special districts begin planning their finances for the coming year. In Florida, for these public entities, the budget year begins on October 1. Planning is characterized by preliminary budget workshops, where elected and appointed boards publicly flush out sometimes complex and controversial financial issues. While not always pretty, the process allows for citizen oversight, input, and official transparency.

The Utility Authority is responsible for at least $100 million in public assets and an operating budget of $1.77 million. Over $1 million of that is direct subsidies from the taxpayers of Columbia and Suwannee Counties.

To confuse the public, the Authority calls the subsidies "grants."

County Manager David Kraus spends a lot of time dealing with Authority business.

After the meeting was adjourned, County Manager David Kraus and Exec. Dir. Roberts discussed the Authority's budget for next year. Mr. Roberts told Mr. Kraus that he was trying to get a preliminary budget done by the end of the month.

The Authority's financial agenda includes new rates. It also covers revenue projections based on those rates and new expenses from both Columbia and Suwannee Counties.

Mr. Roberts mentioned that he was trying to have a draft budget completed by the end of June.

Mr. Roberts said he was going to meet with all the board members separately and “go over the budget. When we’ve had our meetings, they’ll be able to approve and ratify it.”

Your reporter was packing up his equipment and asked, “Why don’t you have a budget workshop – everybody has those?”

Mr. Roberts said, “I don't want to have a budget workshop. I want them to have the ability, on their own, by themselves, to go through it on their own without anybody else.”

Your reporter said, “You give them no credit. Are you telling me they can't mentally sit at a meeting? Everybody has budget workshops except this authority? That's part of the problem, not having government experience. I don't know anybody who doesn't have budget workshops.”

County Manager Kraus added, “We’re having one on Thursday.”

Mr. Roberts said, “That’s how I want to work this.”

Your reporter said to County Manager Kraus, “You need to talk to him about that, before he sinks his feet in concrete.”

Mr. Kraus agreed.

Mr. Roberts said, “You must presume, I’ve never heard of that before.”

Your reporter replied, “I’m presuming you're digging in.”

Mr. Robert said, “I'm not talking to you about that. I'm done with it. Buzz off.”

Your reporter buzzed off and finished packing up.

Utility Authority Vice-Chair Franklin White. Here he is listening to Executive Director Shannon Williams.

After your reporter packed up his car, he had a few words in the parking lot with Authority Vice-Chair Franklin White about Authority budget workshops.

Mr. Robert’s "no budget workshop" remarks were relayed.

Mr. White was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Mr. Robert’s “no budget workshop(s)” was repeated.

Mr. White didn’t beat around the bush: “Bull Shit.”

During a discussion about the NFWUA at the Suwannee County Commission meeting on Tuesday evening (May 19), Mr. White said, “We have to have a workshop with the Water Utility for a budget.”

August 1, 2025  7:45 am | 6 min read

County Attorney Joel Foreman opines as County Manager David Kraus looks on.    Columbia County Observer photo

By Stew Lilker

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The North Florida Water Utilities Authority (NFWUA) met Wednesday morning. The Authority, operating without a business plan for over a year and with an executive director who has no experience running any kind of utility, trudged forward into its self-created Never-Never Land.

The action began before the meeting got underway as NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts handed out an interlocal agreement that was not complete when posted to the Authority’s website on July 24 as part of the meeting’s agenda packet (the meeting material).

Columbia County Commissioner Rocky Ford has been at the helm of the NFWUA since the beginning. The Authority's track record speaks for itself.

Missing were the exhibits from the interlocal agreement (ILA - an agreement between Columbia and Suwannee Counties and the Authority), which identified the water and wastewater assets that were to be maintained and operated by the Authority and the budget.

Also missing was the NFWUA budget to run those utilities.

Why is this important? The Authority’s funding is coming from the pockets of all Columbia and Suwannee County taxpayers. It was on tap to be approved that morning by the Authority Board members, which included county commissioners from their respective counties.

Executive Director Roberts' lack of relevant governmental utility or other experience also resulted in the material posted on the NFWUA's website not being ADA compliant (handicapped accessible).

When the lack of ADA compliance was pointed out to the Authority members, each a county commissioner – they just shrugged.

Joel Foreman short-circuited the NFWUA enabling document

Looking back to before there was an Authority, Columbia County’s expert in legislative matters, Staz Guntek, in 2022, put together various scenarios of forming a utility authority and presented the names of multiple authorities, including the Okeechobee Utility Authority enabling documents as a suggestion.

Mr. Guntek was thrown overboard by Columbia County County Attorney Joel Foreman, who had a better idea, form the Authority after one of the most problematic special districts in North Florida, the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority. Mr. Foreman worked to shoehorn the Utility Authority into the SVTA’s enabling papers, which were eventually approved.

NFWUA Chairman Rocky Ford and Suwannee County’s Franklin White both questioned the vital missing material.

Executive Director Roberts explained that when the agenda was created, they didn't have the missing material (exhibits A, B, C), and the final assembly of the material was done "yesterday,” at which time Mr. Roberts said he printed off some copies for the public and brought them to the meeting. He did.

Columbia County printed more copies of the interlocal agreement and exhibits so that the Authority Board members had complete copies.

NFWUA Attorney Grady Williams called the interlocal a “kickoff strategy.”

The interlocal agreement can be viewed or downloaded here. The 12th hour additions begin on page nine.

The ILA: running millions of dollars of county assets -- no big deal, "like getting your learners permit... it's an experiment." County Attorney Joel Foreman

Columbia County Attorney Joel Foreman opines as County Manager David Kraus looks on.

Columbia County Attorney Joel Foreman compared turning over the running of tens of millions of dollars' worth of utility assets to "getting your learner's permit." He said, "It's sort of like handing the keys over to the car, right? You got your learner's permit, you’re 15. We're going to see how you do between 15 and 16. So this Interlocal is kind of like that learner's permit, right? You gotta do your thing. We're gonna be looking over your shoulder. We'll be checking in from time to time... Let's see what you can do…We know this is an experiment... If things go sideways, the counties are protected, because we can undo this.”

Suwannee County County Attorney Adam Morrison, who co-authored the ILA (interlocal agreement) added to Mr. Foreman’s learner’s permit scenario, “There will be growing pains; there will be screwups.”

Chairman Rocky Ford said, “I like what Mr. Morrison had to say about growing pains… I think we're making some good headway."

Commissioner Tim Murphy: He wanted a finished agreement before moving forward.

Columbia County's Tim Murphy took exception to the rush to push through the ILA, noting the 12th hour additional materials. “I don’t think we’re under a deadline here,” he said.

County Attorney Foreman protected his position, “The Interlocal allows for us to constantly come back to the table - say, hey, got an issue.” Mr. Foreman explained, “I also want to reassure you that if you don't address a disagreement at the very same meeting” we could do it at another time.

Mr. Foreman continued his explanation, “You know, we start to take that baby step, and first thing you do is step in a bear trap and it's not a catastrophe, the way we drafted it. Nothing is a catastrophe.”

Finally, someone mentioned the utility customers. Columbia County County Manager David Kraus said, “The biggest thing we want is a smooth transition for our customers. You don't want a utility billing interruption, and then suddenly you have problems collecting payments because they didn't get bills. So, you know, transition for our customers is equally important.”

At this time, it is not clear how many Suwannee County utility customers there are or if they are all being billed.

Executive Director Shannon Roberts knows, but isn’t talking. He is still doing work for Suwannee County, is using their offices, and is being paid for that work in part by Columbia County taxpayers.

Suwannee County's Attorney Adam Morrison: "There will be screwups... and growing pains."

Back to growing pains came Suwannee County’s Adam Morrison, “the one thing I like about this problem (billing) is the idea of growing pains; this is the training bill before you get the car. Because if for some reason this goes south, you don't want to spend all the money transitioning everything into this new [billing] system.”

Attorney Foreman backed up his co-ILA-author: “Everything you do, as long as this Interlocal is in place, needs to be reversible, right? Because, again, the consequence of everything falling apart is that everything goes back to where it started, right? If you do anything irrevocable, like you spend money on servers. They're not going to take them back. Somebody's getting up with servers that they didn't even want. You want to avoid creating too many of those kinds of situations during this Interlocal… You're going from the learner's permit to a full driver's license.”

County Attorney Foreman left out the part that if the Authority had hired an experienced utility director and had a business plan and model, and a rate study, they wouldn’t have to spend half their time looking over their shoulders.

Commissioner Murphy stuck to his guns, telling the Authority that the executive director should put together an agreement that “everybody understands and then bring it back to the board.”

Now comes Kevin Kirby

Assistant County Manager Kevin Kirby. "We don't track repairs." Where is the County internal auditor – Jay Swisher, Clerk of the Court.

Kevin Kirby is the long-time county public works director, and according to the County organizational chart, the co-county manager, although his payroll title is assistant county manager.

Mr. Kirby weighed in, announcing for the first time anywhere, "Since we have been in utilities, we have never documented repairs, and they happen quite frequently."

County Attorney Foreman shared that he thought “there could be some estimates.”

Mr. Forman’s ILA partner, Attorney Morrison added, “The real point of this agreement is to get a macro understanding at the 30,000-foot level as to what everybody's expectations are.”

Executive Director Roberts was taking heat because he didn’t have a monetary figure for repairs in his presented budget.

Mr. Kirby helped him out by explaining the Columbia County way of doing business: "Long story short, in your defense, I can speak to Columbia County. For clarification, it's not budgeted. That activity is not budgeted. We simply rob it out of the road department.”

Suwannee County County Administrator Greg Scott. His experience running a county came from being the Director of Recreation.

Mr. Scott said he wasn't sure if Suwannee County had a utility budget, and he explained that when something broke, they just called somebody. The person was not under any kind of emergency repair agreement; they just called.

Mr. Murphy weighed in again, “I don't see the rush. And I feel like your attorneys can hit on this and get with the proper parties involved and work these things out. I'm not going to support the MOU [sic-ILA] today.”

Commissioner Ford tried to convince Mr. Murphy.

Mr. Murphy said they were supposed to be “here for the taxpayers” and that no one on the Authority Board "would run our operations [businesses] that way."

Mr. Murphy concluded, “I just don't see the necessity for the speed of this  to be signed today.”

Suwannee County Commissioner Franklin White knew there was something wrong. In the end – he rolled over.

Suwannee County’s Franklin White said, “I think it's just a review today, is it not?”

Chairman Ford, who everyone acknowledges is driving the NFWUA ship, said, "Right now, Columbia County and Suwannee County are still gonna own all the assets. So, if there’s a major catastrophe at one of those assets, they [respective counties] still own it.”

Mr. Foreman spoke about how there would never be a perfect interlocal agreement.

Mr. Ford said, “All attorneys agree right now, this is a very good start.”

Mr. Morrison added, “Until you get started, you don't know what the problems are. Everything is theoretical.”

Mr. Ford again said he wants to get going.

Mr. Morrison said, “Joel [County Attorney Forman] and I talked about this. I don't think it sounds crude. We're just making it up.”

There was more talk.

Mr. Ford said, “I'll entertain a motion. We had plenty of discussion.” 

Suwannee County’s Franklin White, the Authority member who said he thought the ILA was for review, made the motion to approve the ILA as written. Suwannee County’s Leo Mobley seconded it.

Mr. Murphy was the only one opposed.

With no rate study, no business plan, no one running the Authority with any experience, and an incomplete budget, the NFWUA marched forward.

A word to the wise to the taxpayers and law-abiding citizens.

Keep your eye on the Columbia County landfill and the deals Suwannee County and Columbia are making.

There may be more here than meets the eye.

• Fair Use  • Privacy                              © ColumbiaCountyObserver.com 

Ellisville utility project tops list of local upgrades.

ImageSmall Image

Kraus

Body

More than $4 million in state funding appears headed to Columbia County projects.

The $115.1 billion state budget was approved Monday evening by the Florida Legislature after an extended session was required to pass a budget on time before the new fiscal year begins on
July 1.

The budget now heads to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who holds line item veto power. The governor may scrutinize each allocation individually or approve the entire budget with the stroke of a pen.

The biggest item funded for Columbia County is a $1.9 appropriation for the Ellisville water system, which was requested by the North Florida Water Utilities Authority. This group consists of Columbia and Suwannee county officials.

That project will modify an existing lift station at the interchange as well as install 12- and 6-inch mains.

Columbia County Manager David Kraus said this improvement is necessary immediately to handle the growth that will come from the planned construction of the massive Busy Bee at the Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 41 interchange in Ellisville.

“It is critical to the Busy Bee and, ultimately, to all the sewer projects in Ellisville,” Kraus said. “There will be a force main that serves the north side of the interstate and a force main that serves the south side of the interstate.

“It’s critical for future growth. It’s critical for the growth we know is coming today. We’re really excited the authority could get that funding and we will work very closely with them to make sure it goes well.”        

                    North Florida Water Utilities Authority (NFWUA)

My Take-The short version

May 11, 2025

NFWUA is a self-appointed group that wants to control water and utilities using our money. 

“No customers, no assets, no business plan, no strategic plan, a political insider book keeper, a clerk that can’t keep the Authority minutes up-to-date, and no employees.” (Reprint from Columbia County Observer) 

Early in 2024 North Florida Professional Services (NFPS) started to lobby Suwannee, Hamilton, and Columbia county commissioners to create NFWUA and the answer I got from my commissioner, was it will save money(not in my opinion),you will see why. At the time there was an effort to get more counties and cities involved but none bought in, and Hamilton never started. To get it all started Dale Williams an employee of NFPS was put in place as interim director. Almost immediately Mr. Williams signed a task order to NFPS for a director search in the amount of $64K. The result was zero since no one applied. 

Then two county commissioners Rocky Ford and Tim Murphy from Columbia County and Franklin White and Leo Mobley from Suwannee County and an independent citizen Steven Dicks were self-appointed to the board. Each county put in $250K to date in the kitty.

Here is where the money gets spent pretty quickly, as best I can tell, since meeting minutes are not on their website by the Columbia County clerk, and no video or audio.

· Hired Grady Williams as attorney for a retainer of $6,000 per month, plus litigation fees. For reference Suwannee County pays their attorney a retainer of $2,500 a month plus litigation which usually ends up about $7,000 a month. 

·  Next Ratellis Financial is hired to do a rate study to the tune of $130K. I am not sure how you do a rate study when Suwannee has 1 to 2 commercial customers (ref: Suwannee County Utility Infrastructure project update 1/7/25) and Columbia has about 15 to 16. 

· Hired Bobby Payne Consultants, LLC to do a business plan at $5,000 per month with no end date; you would think this would be the first thing to do. If you don’t know the goals and direction of a business how do you go forward?

· Hired Multi Creative, Inc. to create and maintain a website $4.7K

· Hired an auditor $15K, not quite sure who again no meeting minutes posted.

· At a meeting on 4/17/25 Shannon Roberts (Suwannee’s primary Grant Administrator) was selected as Director, salary to be negotiated, which was set at the May 7thmeeting of $125K plus benefits for a total of $199,083. Not quite sure what he will do other than collect a check, and help spend our money. There was a split vote of 3 to 2 to approve the compensation package.

· Workman’s comp insurance $$1.4K

· Average miscellaneous expenses approx. $400.00 month =$4,800 yearly

· With information available of the $500K from both counties $517,083K is committed of taxpayer money, and surely they will want much more from each this year just to survive. Rocky Ford stated at the 4/17/25 selection meeting we will need to get more money from each county at budget time.

If the goal is truly to save money then perhaps rather than hire outside consultants the authority could be using the resources currently available in each county such as: attorney, website already in use, accountants, auditors, etc. The key for me is without first doing a business plan, how do you make reasonable decisions. When asked about the business plan, the answer was it will be delayed until the rate study is complete sometime in August. To pay an administrator $200K to manage very little is not good business, and certainly not good use of taxpayer money.

When I ask questions about the Authority the general answer is this takes the politics out of it. I must be looking at something totally different County Commissioners. I have asked where the return on investment is, and the Chairman replied there is none but you have to be prepared to bring businesses into the area. My reply at what cost to the public. Both counties have previously been working on infrastructure at their business parks and have been successful receiving grants to accomplish that goal. Do we really need another layer of government to spend our money?

Here is the real kicker per the interlocal agreement section Xa.”It is the intention at this time of entering this agreement that upon further authorization and approval by each affected County, and approval of the Board itself, that the Board shall own and operate all combined water, wastewater, and reclaimed water system assets of the Counties in accordance with such rules and policies as it may adopt with the assistance of the Administrator. In the event such conveyance of ownership occurs, this Agreement may be revisited for purpose of consulting future Boards.”

This is a very short version of what has taken place in the last year, make your own decision what is really going on here with an Authority which the people have no control over spending our money with no return on investment in sight. If you agree with me contact your respective county commissioner from Columbia and Suwanee County and tell them to stop the Authority now and not fund any more of our money.

WayneF. Hannaka www.concernedcitizensofnorthfl.com                      

May 9, 2025  8:15 pm | 7 min read

By Stew Lilker

In a rush: read the 1 minute version here.

SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL – $150,000 a year plus a $51,000 yearly pension payment (plus) was too much for an executive director for two Authority board members.

The struggling North Florida Water Utilities Authority met on May 7, 2025, in Live Oak for its regularly scheduled meeting. Among other things, the Authority was trying to figure out how much to pay its chosen executive director, who has no prior experience running or operating a utility.

As reported in mid April, the Authority had finally chosen a candidate for executive director: Shannon Roberts, a Suwannee County Administrator. Even though a monkey wrench was thrown into the works, the choice was never in doubt.

Earlier, on April 2, the Authority met to interview its two and only candidates: North Florida Water Utilities Authority: NFWUA Finally Has Candidates for Executive Director, But Are They Qualified?

During that meeting, Suwannee County employee, candidate Roberts's responses to written questions were made available: "Do you possess a degree in public administration, engineering, environmental science, or a closely related field? Please list degree type (e.g., B.S., M.S.) and area (e.g., Environmental Science). Please list the degree type. Do you possess any related licenses issued by the State of Florida or another State?"

Mr. Roberts answered that he had a BA in Psychology from the University of North Florida. Mr. Roberts said he had no related licenses but could obtain them "given the proper time and financial support."

During the April 2 meeting, NFWUA Chairman Rocky Ford established a negotiating committee. NFWUA vice-chair Franklin White (Suwannee County) nominated Columbia County Commissioner Tim Murphy to “negotiate for the board.” Chairman Ford asked if Mr. Murphy “had a problem with that.” He didn’t.

Commissioner White didn’t think it was proper for Suwannee County to be negotiating with its own employee.

The negotiating session was scheduled for April 30. On Saturday, April 26, Mr. Murphy, without any authority to cancel anything, canceled the negotiating session.

The meeting cancelation notice didn’t make it to the NFWUA website until recently.

Mr. Murphy left the NFWUA board and the Suwannee County Commissioners in the position to negotiate directly every detail of the contract with Mr. Roberts at its May 7 meeting.

How much is an executive director without
utility operational experience worth?

Tim Murphy's cancelation of the negotiating session would have enabled many of the sticking points to have been either worked out or well-researched before the general meeting. They weren't.

The question before the NFWUA board: How much is an executive director without utility operational experience worth?

Shannon Roberts takes notes in the audience. He had his own ideas of his value.

Suwannee County's Shannon Roberts had his own ideas. Mr. Roberts filed documents with the Authority representing his research on how much he should be paid. He found salaries ranging from almost $300,000 to a low of 52,000. Mr. Roberts wrote that the average public utility executive compensation was $266,772 a year.

NFWUA has no customers, no assessets, no business plan, no strategic plan, a political insider book keeper, a clerk that can't keep the Authority minutes up-to-date, and no employees.

As a grant writer/manager in Suwannee County, Mr. Roberts's base salary is $97,953. His benefits would add about another 30%, making his employment package (cost to the taxpayers) worth approximately $127,000.

Mr. Roberts's initial salary request was $150,000, plus benefits, plus FRS status as senior management, which would add a $51,780 retirement payment from the taxpayers, many of whom don't earn $51,780 a year.

According to the US Census, the per capita income in
Suwannee County is $26,484; in Columbia County it is $28,030.

Mr. Roberts is requesting continuation in the Florida Retirement System (FRS). It is unclear if, at present, Mr. Roberts is included in the Senior Management Class of the FRS, although it is not likely.

The benefit for FRS senior management class is approximately 34%, while the FRS regular class rate is approximately 13%.

Were Mr. Roberts hired at $125,000, his requested senior management FRS payment would cost the taxpayers $42,500.

Columbia County's former Utility Director (classified as part-time) was budgeted for $45,728. His FRS retirement was in the regular class, and he actually supervised people, whereas the NFWUA has no employees.

After conversation about milestones and other things NFWUA board member Steven Dicks, made a motion to hire Mr. Roberts at $140,000. Ultimately, the motion died for lack of a second.

Moses Clepper. He said the proposed salary blew his mind.

Moses Clepper came to the microphone after Chairman Ford commented that there were not any constituents in the audience. Mr. Clepper introduced himself as a constituent of Suwanee County.

Mr. Clepper questioned both Mr. Roberts and Mr. Dicks salary thresholds and said they were too much. "The salary you're proposing blows my mind. It just absolutely blows my mind," he said.

Mr. Clepper was also a dissenting voice regarding Suwannee County's high praise of Mr. Roberts.

It is important to note that after two years of meetings of the Authority, in its various incarnations, it has no strategic plan, no business plan, no comprehensive list of utility assets, no up-to-date minutes, and barely a budget. While Suwannee County has provided a list of its utilities (it claims to have 16 customers (which are serviced by an outside contractor)), Columbia County has yet to provide a list of its assets or its customer base. Recently, Columbia County has outsourced its utility work, or at least most of it.

Chairman Ford reminded the board, "Mr. Dick's  made a motion for 140," adding, "I thought about 130."

Commissioner Tim Murphy was recognized.

A thoughtful Commissioner Tim Murphy during the meeting. Although he screwed up the negotiations, he appears to be working hard to up his game, be recognized before speaking out, and doing his homework.

"I gotta agree with the gentleman… I reached out to five different plant operators with 15 years of experience or more. And, you know, these are the people that deal with the Shannons of the world… But, you know, I've got my constituents… 125 would be my max at this point. That's all I can support. And I really struggle with that."

Suwannee County’s Leo Mobley said, “I make a motion on the 125." Suwannee County’s Franklin seconded the motion.”

Commissioner White was recognized, “125 [$125,000], let's not be kidding ourselves here. There's more to it than this. There's retirement, there's insurance, there's a pickup truck, there's a lot, there's more perks than the 125… Around the corner, you're going to have to hire some more people to run this. Shannon, he's very capable, and I have no doubt in his ability, but at some point, he's going to get overrun, pretty quick. I think it's a lot to handle. It's a lot to put together. And so, I feel like the 125 is fair to start with, with a six-month evaluation and a twelve-month evaluation to raise his pay up to 135 at that point.”

Commissioner White continued, explaining that a schedule of goals should be included in the motion.

Commissioner Mobley amended his motion to include goals.

Commissioner Murphy asked the clerk to read back the motion. From the audience, the clerk's remarks were mostly incomprehensible.

Commissioner Rocky Ford (Columbia) had a little trouble speaking into the microphone, however, he ran a smooth meeting, except for allowing people to blurt out from the audience without being recognized. Here he is listening to Mr. Clepper.

Chairman Ford gave a rundown of goals. He said, “If y'all agree with them, this is kind of what I've come up with.” Mr. Ford mentioned the administration of water utility grants, all utility billing and collections for both counties, and implement the rate study. Mr. Ford added, "the final and last goal will be a transition of assets from the counties to the utilities."

Those in the know are waiting for the transfer of utilities and assets to the Authority. For the past year and then some, Columbia County has not been able to come up with, or at least acknowledge, its assets, their values, and the County's liabilities. The longer the County waits – the bigger the question mark.

There was more talk by Commissioner White about extending goals to 18 months.

While this meeting was to include finalizing the Shannon Roberts contract, it became just a negotiating session. Authority attorney Grady Williams told Mr. White that the board could get back to refining the contract once more of the details were worked out.

NFWUA attorney Grady Williams.

After another thirty minutes, Commissioner Murphy interrupted NFUWA Attorney Grady Williams, asking Shannon Roberts, “I just have to. I mean. You can solve this real quick. Is the salary acceptable at this point, Shannon?”

Mr. Roberts answered, "I don't think so."

Mr. Murphy withdrew his second.

Franklin White asked Mr. Roberts, “Would the 125 ($125,000) with the cap of the 150 ($150,000) with evaluations in between on a two-year basis, be acceptable to you?”

JD Curls, without being recognized, interrupted the meeting from the audience. Chairman Ford did not ask him to come to the microphone.

JD Curls. Mr. Curls seems to represent Gallagher insurance, although his association with Tyson Johnson's firm and who Mr. Curls represents was never explained. When Mr. Curls addressed the board the first time, he knew well enough to come to the podium. By the end of the meeting, Mr. Curls forgot his manners, blurting out from the audience.

Earlier in the meeting, Mr. Curls made unsubstantiated claims about attorney approvals for Shannon Roberts's being able to be insured by Suwannee County after he resigned and was hired by the Authority.

Mr. Curls said, "You guys have been all over the place today, so I'm not even sure where we're at based on where we started. It makes me reluctant because I'm not sure what things have changed underneath. Would it be possible to just have something reduced into writing so I can see it?"

Mr. Curls was previously invited to the negotiation session, which Commissioner Murphy canceled. These things could have been worked out there.

Commissioner White, the man who didn’t want to negotiate with Suwannee County’s employee came up with a new deal for Mr. Roberts.

Commissioner White said, “If we start you at 125 with a cap at 150 over twenty-four months, with evaluations every six months, plus all the benefits, is that something that you would entertain?"

Mr. White did not wait for an answer.

He continued, "I would make a motion, Mr. Chairman, for a $125,000 base salary with a $150,000 cap over two years, with the milestones outlined, but that you've given before and negotiated out in the contract, what those increases would be as those milestones are reached over those 24 months, that's what my motion is."

Shannon Roberts said, "I would entertain that."

Somebody seconded the motion. It was not clear who. There was some more conversation with the attorney.

Chairman Ford said, "I'm kind of wondering where we are all at right now.”

There was more talk about milestones. Grady Williams read from the utility charter.

Chairman Ford called for the vote.

After an hour and 30 minutes, the talking came to an end.

Commissioner Leo Mobley (Suwannee) has been a man of few words on the Authority. He has spent a lifetime in the beef business and knows how difficult making ends meet can be.

Chairman Ford, who just said, "I'm kind of wondering where we are all at right now," voted for the motion.

Vice Chair Franklin White, who had previously said he didn't want to negotiate with a Suwannee County employee, voted for the motion he negotiated.

Steven Dicks, the Columbia County resident on the board – there are no Suwannee County residents, voted along with Mr. White and Ford.

Commissioner Murphy (Columbia) and Commissioner Mobley (Suwannee) voted against.

After two years, this is all the NFWUA could come up with.

Correction: On Saturday, April 28, was corrected to Satruday, April 26.

 What is NFWUA really doing?

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, May 2, 2025Subhead

Council still to vote on two-year agreement.

Image

• The agreement between Columbia County and the City of Lake City calls for the county funding $3.5 million toward the construction of a water line to the park, shown as the solid yellow line on a 2021 study performed by Jones Edmunds for the city. (COURTESY)

Body

Water flowing to the North Florida Mega Industrial Park from the City of Lake City cleared its first step Thursday.

The Columbia County Commission unanimously approved an interlocal agreement between the county and city on having the city provide potable water to the industrial park on the east side of Lake City.

The agreement, which is for two years with opportunities to extend it, will be amended to include clear language that any pipes laid inside the park will belong to whichever entity has the utility easement and call for quarterly true ups on the cost or revenue of providing the water between the two governments instead of monthly.

The agreement still needs to be approved by the Lake City Council.

Steve Brown, the city’s executive director of utilities, told the commission that city administration is fully committed to making the partnership work.

“We want to be the provider out there,” Brown said.

The approval of the agreement came after District 2 Commissioner Rocky Ford expressed concerns with a lack of certainty on what the true cost of the agreement would be to the county.

The county is obligated to spend $3.5 million on constructing a water main from the city’s Price Creek Water Treatment Plant, which is located between the park and Florida Gateway College, to the edge of the park. That funding will most likely be grant funding. The commission also unanimously directed County Manager David Kraus to seek modification of a grant with the Department of Environmental Protection of $5.716 million which came in a state appropriations last year toward constructing a water plant at the park to instead cover that water main.

Any cost beyond that on the water main would be the city’s responsibility.

“I think we need some reassurance where this money will come from to finish this project before we commit to a project,” Ford said since the basis of that $3.5 million cap came from an analysis performed by Jones Edmunds in 2021 that put the cost of a water line as between $1.62 million and $3.46 million.

“I think we all know $3.5 million is not going to cover this project that was estimated in 2021.”

Brown, though, said even with construction costs increasing since 2021 that he thought it would still be in the ballpark since there was such a wide range in that previous study. He also noted there are other factors — capacity needed, demand of the customers and how much the plant can pump out — that will impact the true cost as well.

The city and county will split the cost of installing lines inside the NFMIP.

“We’ve got to get a plan and stick to a plan,” said Ford, who had made a motion to wait until a workshop could be held May 22 at FGC with all the utility stakeholders in Columbia and Suwannee counties to get additional information. That motion died for lack of a second. “Right now I really don’t know what the plan is for utilities in the future for the county.

“We’re all over the board. We’re like a fish flopping around looking for a pond to get in.”

While Ford was concerned about what that cost would end up, District 3 Commissioner Robby Hollingsworth said it will be a cheaper option than the other avenue the county could take: continuing with drilling a well field near the Baker County line and then running distribution lines from that site to where the county would construct a water plant adjacent to its wastewater plant next to the Lake City Correctional Institution.

Tim Murphy, the District 5 commissioner and board chairman, added it will also expedite the process of having water available at the park.

Brown agreed.

“Will this put us in a shovel ready position? This will bring us to the closest point we’ve been since we discussed the North Florida Mega Industrial Park,” he said. “This will give us water and sewer.

“In the world of risk vs. reward, I think you stand to gain more than you stand to lose.”

Ford, though, also expressed concerns with the agreement calling for the two groups to split the cost — or revenue — generated by providing the water. He noted the county is still subsidizing its own utilities provided in Ellisville.

Kraus, though, said with the city already operating a water utility and providing water to customers, it is expected that there wouldn’t be a significant loss in providing water to someone at the park.

“If you say the city is already breaking even or making money on the rates they have, there’s no reason to assume that also wouldn’t apply in the industrial park,” Kraus said.

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, April 2, 2025Subhead

Meeting called April 17 to select director.

Image

• Former Lake City Manager Joe Helfenberger answers a question during Tuesday’s North Florida Water Utilities Authority meeting. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Body

The North Florida Water Utilities Authority’s decision on its first director is down to a former Lake City manager and a current member of Suwannee County’s administration.

The NFWUA interviewed Joe Helfenberger and Shannon Roberts as part of a nearly three-hour meeting Wednesday and will meet again April 17 to decide which applicant to turn over operations of the fledgling utility to.

Dan Hartley, the third applicant for the position, pulled his name from consideration Tuesday night according to Columbia County Manager David Kraus. Kraus said Hartley, a field rep for U.S. Congresswoman Kat Cammack, dropped out due to interest in a different position.

“We have two very qualified people,” said Rocky Ford, the NFWUA chairman and Columbia County commissioner. “I think you both bring a lot to the table.”

Helfenberger pointed to his 36 years of experience as a city manager in Wisconsin, Iowa and Florida as what would make him a good fit to head up the local joint utility effort. Helfenberger said during that time he helped oversee numerous utility construction projects as well as starting a water system at one stop in Wisconsin.

“This wouldn’t be my first rodeo,” Helfenberger said. “I already know the obstacles you run into and how you dealt with them.”

Helfenberger’s last stop as a city manager was in Lake City, which occurred from 2018 to 2021. Since then he has worked as a Realtor in Jacksonville.

However, Helfenberger told the board Wednesday that he is looking for a bigger challenge, which led to his interest in the director job for the Authority.

Ford and Tim Murphy, another Columbia County commissioner, though, were curious just how much of that challenge Helfenberger was ready to tackle. Murphy asked Helfenberger if he could handle trying to obtain grants and administer the grants without any staff to assist him. Currently the NFWUA has no employees.

Helfenberger, though, said that staff was necessary, even if it meant a contract with Columbia and Suwannee counties to use some of their staff at first.

“No, I’d need a staff,” Helfenberger said, although he labeled his work ethic as “whatever it takes to get the job done.”

Roberts, who has been intimately involved with the creation of the Authority as part of Suwannee County’s administration, said that has helped him know what the board is looking for out of the utility. He also said he brings both government experience from his eight-plus years working for Suwannee County but also experience from the private sector to the job. Roberts had previously owned his own IT company in North Carolina.

“There’s a lot of complexities with getting a utility off the ground,” he said. “I think I have a lot of skills that align with that.

“I’ve been working on this since the beginning. I understand, from the time that I’ve spent, what the board wants having lived it, having talked about it for more than a year.”

To Roberts, the biggest challenge facing the NFWUA moving forward is trying to stay on top of the barriers to consumptive use and how it impacts the Authority and the local counties to make sure it can keep up with growth and demand.

But he said the key is the Authority has to continue moving forward to make sure economic development can be supported and new jobs can come in to the communities.

“That’s what will be the death of us,” Roberts said of not having utilities to attract businesses. “That’s what creates the doom gloom.”

When asked by Vice Chair Franklin White, a Suwannee County commissioner, about what kind of help he’d need, Roberts said he doesn’t know right now. But he said he could envision the need for another person or two within two years depending on growth.

On Wednesday, both Roberts and Helfenberger said they want a salary that would be comparable to those of the two county managers/administrators. Roberts added he wanted it to be in line with what the utility, as a start-up, could handle.

Helfenberger, as part of his application, had said he wanted a salary “similar to my highest earnings.” He made approximately $120,000 as the Lake City manager.

Background checks will be performed in the next two weeks on Helfenberger and Roberts, Ford said, and the board will then vote on its choice at that April 17 meeting, which will be held at the TDC conference room at Duval Place, starting at 10:30 a.m 

April 2, 2025  8:10 am | 3 min read📷  By Stew LilkerCOLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The North Florida Water Utility Authority (NFWUA) finally has applicants for the position of executive director. None of the candidates meet the listed minimum qualifications.MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS as stated in the job posting:   

"Graduate of an accredited four (4) year college or university with a bachelor's degree in public administration, engineering, environmental sciences, or a related discipline. Must have ten (10) years of management experience directly related to water resource management and/or public water supply. Minimum five (5) years of experience in administration of a utility system or Department or agency. Must possess a valid driver's license and be able to secure a valid Florida driver's license at the time of employment. Water/Wastewater licensure or certification is preferred."

Questionnaire – Along with the requirement to file a resume with the Columbia County Clerk of the Courts, a questionnaire was included to be filled out. Question:

Do you possess a degree in public administration, engineering, environmental science, or a closely related field? Please list degree type (e.g., B.S., M.S.) and area (e.g., Environmental Science). Please list the degree type. Do you possess any related licenses issued by the State of Florida or another State?

Dan Hartley: A.A. Degree, Florida Gateway College, 2023; licensed nurse 1995 to present.Joe Helfenberger: M.A. in Public Policy and Administration, University of  Wisconsin-Madison, 1984; B.S. in Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 1980; Real Estate Sales Associate, Florida LicenseShannon Roberts: BA Psychology, University of North FL; Mr. Roberts said he has no related licenses, but could obtain them "given the proper time and financial support.”Question:

How many years of experience do you have in utilities, water, wastewater, utility infrastructure, operations, preventative maintenance, or other closely related fields? Describe your experience in utilities, water, and wastewater, or other closely related fields.

Dan Hartley: Mr. Hartley wrote: “I have 22+ years as a nurse and over seven years working in government relations.” Mr. Hartley explained his expertise in governmental relations and working with governors, senators, and folks in Congress.Joe Helfenberger:  Mr. Helfenberger wrote that he “had extensive experience in municipal management, which includes  overseeing water, wastewater, sewer, and other utility infrastructure projects.” Mr. Helfenberger explained he had thirty-six years of experience managing and overseeing water and wastewater operations.Shannon Roberts:  Mr. Roberts wrote, “I have nearly 8 years of related utility infrastructure experience since | began working for Suwannee County. Mr. Roberts provided a list of utility projects that he has been involved with since his employment with Suwannee County. However, it is not clear how he was involved with those projects.Question:

How many years of supervisory experience do you have? Explain.

Dan Hartley:  Mr. Hartley wrote that he had more than twenty years of supervisory experience in the field of nursing and also supervised employees while working for legislators.Joe Helfenberger:  Mr. Helfenberger wrote, “I have over 36 years of supervisory experience in various leadership roles,  including City Manager, Village Administrator, County Manager, and Municipal  Consultant. Mr. Helfenberger “oversaw teams ranging from  100 to 500+ employees, managing budgets up to $137 million.”Shannon Roberts:  Mr. Roberts wrote that he had 25 years of supervisory experience. He elaborated, “My supervisory roles were established in different industries that include Healthcare, IT Consulting, and Technology Companies as a Director, Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer.” Mr. Roberts wrote he was responsible for “budgets as large as $100 mil.”Question:

List any certifications you have related to the functions and duties of this position.

Mr. Hartley said he had none.Mr. Helfenberger gave his Florida real estate license and Ninja selling certification.Mr. Roberts had none, and again said he would obtain them “given the proper time and financial support.”Final question:

What are your salary and benefits requirements?

Dan Hartley requires $80k and benefits.Joe Helfenberger wrote that he is seeking a salary “in the range  similar to my highest earnings, which I can discuss in person.” Mr. Helfenberger was earning approximately $120k when he left Lake City. His earnings as a real estate agent are unknown.Shannon Roberts:  Mr. Roberts did not provide a desired salary, but wants to remain in the Florida Retirement System "with an executive level contribution rate."

📷 Dale Williams at the most recent NFWUA meeting.In today's world, many utility authorities, as well as public works departments, require their applicants to have PE (Professional Engineer) degrees. There are approximately 1 million Licensed Professional Engineers in the United States.One has to wonder why, after almost a year of searching, a search originally orchestrated by North Florida Professional Services and its lobbyist Dale Williams (Mr. Williams claims not to be a lobbyist) only three candidates applied for the job. They are all local and do not meet the educational requirements and other requirements of the job description 

By JAMIE WACHTER on Wednesday, February 5, 2025SubheadBoard wants state officials to provide guidance, plan.ImageBodyConcerned about its ability to take care of future projects, the North Florida Water Utilities Authority wants answers from state officials on water availability.During its regular meeting Wednesday, the NFWUA board expressed concerns about how local governments, and the authority, will be able to create recharge projects that would lead to additional permits to pull more water from the aquifer. The board is now hoping to have representatives from the Suwannee River Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at its April meeting to provide guidance.“They don’t really have any suggestions on recharge either, other than we need to do it,” Columbia County Manager David Kraus said about DEP.Those concerns came forward during an update from Kraus on the county’s current utility projects. During that update, Kraus mentioned he and Columbia County Commissioners met with DEP officials recently in Tallahassee to discuss the possibility of utilizing Kirby pit for a recharge project.That meeting did not result in much confidence, locally, that the project would get backing from the state.“This has to be a priority issue,” Commissioner and NFWUA Chairman Rocky Ford said.Kraus said the county was told to apply for a grant in order to do a study on that project.Tim Murphy, a Columbia County commissioner who was sworn in as an NFWUA board member Wednesday, said he thinks that study would be a waste.“Nobody has a plan,” he said. “I understand you have to throw money at this to come up with a viable (plan), but the Kirby pit thing, I’m not voting for any grant to do any research. They’re not going to go for it. It was pretty clear.“This will slow down economic development in Florida in my opinion.”Suwannee County officials said they have not developed any potential projects toward recharge.Neither has the City of Lake City, according to Executive Director of Utilities Steve Brown. Brown did say the city is nearing capacity on its consumptive use permit and would then be stuck without some type of recharge.But that also creates another issue, Brown said. The city is landlocked without annexation and is therefore limited on where it could do a recharge project anyway.“We’re stuck without the county,” Brown said.Ford agreed.He said the issue is one that all the surrounding counties and municipalities will face and one that may need to be tackled together. He also requested that both the City of Lake City and City of Live Oak be invited to attend the April meeting as well.“This is going to be an issue for everybody,” he said.Greg Bailey, the president of North Florida Professional Services, said he believed it is an issue that the local officials should bring up to their legislators. He also said that should include the fact that nobody is providing much direction on how local governments can create meaningful recharge.“They need to be aware of it,” Bailey said, adding Suwannee County currently is in better shape on that front than Columbia because it currently has more capacity left on its CUP. “It’s bigger than one entity. This is what you’re going to be faced with: the Utility Authority will get to a point where it tells Columbia County or Suwannee County don’t bring in a business because we can’t serve them.”DIRECTOR SEARCHWith a few applications starting to sprinkle in for the Authority’s executive director position, the board directed Kraus and Suwannee County Administrator Greg Scott to begin evaluating those applications and be ready to provide a recommendation to the board in April.The deadline to submit applications is currently set for March 31. The board meets April 2.Stephen Dicks, the at-large member of the board, suggested they leave the deadline open through March and then try to act quickly in April, if there are quality applicants. Kraus said there currently are at least two applicants.“This is probably the most important decision we’ll make,” Dicks said.The board also plans to invite applicants to the April meeting for interviews. 

By JAMIE WACHTER on Friday, February 7, 2025SubheadTwo-year deal calls for sharing revenue, loss.Image

• 📷Columbia County Manager David Kraus said the partnership with the City of Lake City on operating the sewer plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park will ‘take some of that burden off’ as the two will split revenues or losses for the next two years. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

BodyColumbia County’s wastewater plant at the North Florida Mega Industrial Park is nearing completion.When it comes online in the next few weeks, the City of Lake City will be operating the plant, which can potentially treat up to 1.5 million gallons per day.During its regular meeting Thursday, the Columbia County Commission unanimously approved a two-year contract to have the city operate the plant. The two entities will share in any revenue or loss from the plant during that time.“That will take some of that burden off,” County Manager David Kraus said.Kraus told the commissioners that the new plant will begin being seeded in the next week or two. The city plans to divert flow from the Lake City Correctional Facility to the new plant instead of its existing plants when it is ready to operate. The county will operate the spray fields.The plant will not start treating leachate at the plant for at least six months as “bugs settle,” according to the agreement.At the end of the two-year agreement with the city, Kraus said the board will then have to decide the future of the sewer plant. It could be turned over to the North Florida Water Utilities Authority to operate, it could be given to the city to operate or the county could choose to operate the plant itself.The board also agreed to another deal with the city.The city has been interested in 34.36 acres of county-owned property on State Road 100 being annexed into the city.The board unanimously agreed to voluntarily annex that property into the city once the city finishes placing a master water meter on U.S. Highway 90 East that would provide city water to the NFMIP until the county finished its own water plant. The master meter would allow the county to pay the city for all the water that came through that meter and then would handle the water from that point on.Kraus said the city wants that property inside the city limits so they can continue stacking contiguous properties until they reach the city-owned Lake City Gateway Airport so it can be annexed.COPPOCK, SIMMONS APPOINTED TO EDABThe county’s Economic Development Advisory Board will have a familiar face sitting on it once again.But it’s not former County Commissioner Ron Williams.During Thursday’s meeting, the commission voted against appointing Williams, who had served as a commissioner for 43 years before losing his latest re-election bid in November, by a 3-2 vote. Rocky Ford, the current EDAB chairman, and Robby Hollingsworth voted for Williams’ appointment.After that failed vote to appoint Williams and Angela Coppock, the Columbia County School District’s director of Career and Technical Education, District 1 Commissioner Kevin Parnell made the motion to appoint Coppock and Jeffrey Simmons, a longtime member of the board. Parnell defeated Williams in the November election.That appointment passed by an unanimous vote.Before Ford made the motion to have Coppock and Williams serve on the economic development board, Parnell asked Kraus for additional information on the board’s purpose.Kraus said the board is used to help vet potential businesses interested in relocating to the county and makes recommendations to the county commission on any types of incentives the county may provide to bring those companies in.“So you need to be knowledgeable and kind of have a vision for the future of Columbia County,” Parnell said.County Attorney Joel Foreman said it is important to have a diverse group serve on the board since they all bring different viewpoints and backgrounds to the table.“Those people do the heavy lifting on these economic development projects,” Foreman said. “These folks need to have a good base of experience and come from different places in the community so they bring that stakeholder perspective to those meetings.“We always get questions we never anticipated because of the diversity of people on that board.”On that note, Kraus said he believed it would be good to have a school district member serve on the board. There has never been a member of the district in that role. He added that sometimes interested companies have questions about the local schools and that representation could help answer those queries.Simmons, who is retired from a career with Florida Power & Light, has served on the economic development board “since its evolution as the IDA” and helped to develop the Chamber Business and Economic Development Board.