NEWBERRY – Voters in the city of Newberry will have an opportunity to weigh in on election-related ordinances that passed unanimously at the Jan. 13 Newberry City Commission meeting.

The first was Ordinance No. 2019-29, which pertained to election qualifying fees. Florida Statutes permit a municipality to enact provisions governing municipal elections by several means, including by ordinance. A person seeking to qualify for nomination for election shall pay a qualifying fee consisting of a filing fee of three percent of the annual salary of the office sought and an election assessment fee of one percent of the annual salary of the office sought.

Although the one percent fee is specifically required of candidates, there is no specific Florida Statute that requires municipal candidates to pay the three percent fee. In the absence of an ordinance governing filing fees, both fees are to be paid. However, the Commission has authority to enact an ordinance to address the filing fee and modify or eliminate the statutory three percent fee. Approval of this ordinance allows the City to be able to do so, if they choose.

The Commission waived the three percent fee for this year. The fee will be reviewed on a yearly basis by the Commission as part of their review of all City fees and an amount may be set or waived at that time.

The second approved election-related item was Ordinance 2019-30. This ordinance allows the City to place recommendations for changes to the City Charter on the April 14, 2020 ballot for citizens to consider.

Following a year of review of the existing City Charter by a Charter Review Committee and workshops with Commissioners, proposed changes have been recommended to modify and simplify the Charter.

The first issue voters will consider on the April ballot is whether to replace the existing Charter with the newly-proposed 2019 Charter.

The second issue for voter consideration is whether election term lengths should be expanded to three years commencing in 2021.

A copy of the proposed changes can be viewed at Newberry City Hall.

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alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS – Since 2013, the North Florida Presidents Council (NFPC) and the Military Vets Motorcycle Club has held the annual Poker Run motorcycle charity event. The ride is to raise money for Herry’s Kids Pediatric Services. 

Each year motorcycle riders gather at the Gainesville Harley Davidson store to begin the charity ride. All motorcycle riders are welcome, not just club members. Each rider brings a new toy and pays a $10 entry fee, or $20 without a toy. The ride begins at 10 a.m. There are five locations for participants to stop during the day, and at each spot they will be given a playing card. The final location is the High Springs Lions Club, which also helps sponsor the event.
Each rider will have collected five cards, and the highest poker hand wins a cash prize. The toys and money raised from this event go to Herry's Kids, a nonprofit pediatric hospice that serves 12 counties in Florida. Herry’s Kids Pediatric Services provides specialized services to children and teens with life-threatening illnesses and offers grief support and therapeutic camps to young people who have experienced a loss. Herry's is a program with the Hospice of Citrus and The Nature Coast, a nonprofit organization that offers free programs and compassionate end-of-life services for terminally ill children and teens as well as their families.
This year, the NFPC was not involved and the Military Vets MC club (MVMC) and the High Springs Lions Club took over all duties to keep the charity event alive. Although this led to a smaller turnout and less money raised, both these organizations felt it was important to keep the event going to raise the money to help the cause.
On Jan. 29, members of the Lions Club and the MVMC gathered at the The Diner in High Springs to present a check for $8,200 to representatives of the Hospice of Citrus and The Nature Coast. A popular restaurant, The Diner has hosted the check presentation for the past three years and is one of over 20 businesses that that helps sponsor the event by contributing funds or services to make the Poker Run successful.
In the past, the Diner has arranged for a band and beer bar outside on their patio for the event. The cold rainy weather this year took its toll on attendance, and the event was moved inside with a much smaller but dedicated crowd.
For both the MVMC and the High Springs Lions Club, service to others and helping those in need is an important part of their mission, and the Poker Run represents the positive qualities of humanity.
Although the poker run could be considered a good day for a long ride and celebrations, the riders participate for another reason. The annual Poker Run is their chance to make life a little better for critically ill children and bring them joy while letting them know there are others that care.

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alachuatoday.com

HIGH SPRINGS — High Springs City Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance on final reading to change language in the Land Development Code which would allow mobile food vendors to temporarily conduct business in allowable non-residential zoning districts.

There was a slight modification made from first to second reading of the ordinance to allow state permitted toilets to be used where flushable toilets may not be available.

Although time was allotted for a public hearing to allow for citizen comments, no one addressed the issue prior to the commission vote. The item has generated considerable controversy during previous meetings so the absence of input may have been unexpected.

One of the owners of the High Springs Brewing Company, a proponent of the change to the Land Development Code, addressed commissioners following their vote and thanked them for working together to resolve this issue.

Persons wishing to set up mobile food trucks must meet all other Land Development Code requirements and would be required to submit a site plan prior to setting up.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA – City of Alachua elections for mayoral and city commission seats are held on the second Tuesday in April. This year, Election Day will be on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. In the event no candidate receives a majority of votes, there will be a runoff election held on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. 

In 2019, incumbent Robert Wilford retained his Seat 2 commission seat while Mayor Gib Coerpor won his re-election in a runoff. This year, Seat 3, currently held by Dayna Miller, will be up for election. She first came to the commission on an interim basis to replace Ben Boukari, Jr., who had resigned. Subsequently, Miller won the seat in the 2017 election, garnering a three-year term, which ends this year. 

The Commission also proclaimed Jan. 27, 2020 as Alachua Lions Club Day to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Alachua chapter of the Lions Club. The Lions Club is a not for profit service organization that raises funds for five global issues and also works in the community to help those in need. The local Alachua chapter has been involved in the community for over 80 years although they were officially recognized by the organization in 1940. In recognition of their service and the upcoming anniversary, Mayor Gib Coerper read the proclamation into the record.

The Commission also authorized the city manager, chief of police and city attorney to renew the Mutual Aid Agreement with the City of Gainesville Police Department (GPD). This agreement allows each organization to provide support to the other when needed. The existing agreement between the two cities expired June 18, 2019. GPD provided Alachua with a new agreement, which the City accepted. The new agreement will continue through Jan. 2, 2023.
City staff also requested the Commission to allow updates the City of Alachua Comprehensive Plan for the Period 2019-2035. Proposed amendments to the plan include revisions to certain goals, policies and definitions. These changes would be for administration, Future Land Use, Housing, Community Facilities and Natural Groundwater Aquifer Recharge Conservation and Open Space, Recreation, Intergovernmental Coordination, Capital Improvements and Public School Facilities. These changes comply with changes in Florida Statutes since the last Evaluation and Appraisal Report-based amendments were adopted in 2013. The Commission authorized city staff to transmit the proposed Comprehensive Plan Text Amendments to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and reviewing agencies under the State Coordinated Review Process.

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alachuatoday.com