Legislators visit Trenton to hear from local citizens

By: Carrie A. Mizell

Representative Debbie Boyd annouced during a Legislative Delegation Hearing held in Trenton on Monday that she plans to sponsor a bill next year that would name State Road 26 from the Alachua/Gilchrist county line to Fanning Springs, “Veterans Memorial Highway.”
Boyd also plans to work toward County Road 307 being named “Sgt. Ricky Lord Road.”

Boyd and Oelrich were in town to hear residents’ and elected officials’ requests of them for the 2010 legislative session, which will begin on March 2.
Citizens were given the first opportunity to address the legislators.
“Where do we stand on shipping our water to south Florida?” asked Arthur Maruna, representing AARP.
Boyd explained that she had just attended a water forum that was held in Branford. At the forum, Boyd said she understood that north central Florida’s water is not being compromised by south Florida at this point, but instead by developments on the eastern side of the state which has moved the hydrologic line further west.
“It’s not so much what we are doing here as it is with withdrawals happening east of us,” Boyd said.
Whether or not north central Florida’s water is piped south will come down to funding, Boyd explained.
Oelrich indicated that senators representing the northern portion of the state are very protective of its water.
“I think the answer in south Florida is desalination,” Oelrich said.
Despite Oelrich’s statement that he would fight for north Florida’s water, he reminded Maruna that 73 percent of the vote in the Florida Senate is south of the I-4 corridor.
“But we are united to fight any kind of transfer,” Oelrich said.
Clerk of Court Joe Gilliam asked that the legislators work to help clerks accross the state maintain independence as elected officials and re-address the funding process.
Property Appraiser Damon Leggett said that in Gilchrist County some citizens’ home values decreased while their taxes were increasing this year. He also said that foreclosures are twice as high as they have been in the past.
Superintendent Don Thomas explained that he is concerned with what will happen after the stimulus money runs out next year.
He asked that the legislature develop a plan or give school districts advance notice if more funding would be cut.
County commissioners also addressed the legislators asking for the restoring of solid waste recycling grants, maintain funding for fiscally constrained counties, library funding grants, SHIP program funds and senior citizen programs.