Alachua County Commission discusses department budgets, a new jail and an objection to the proposed Alachua development

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At its special meeting on August 15, the Alachua County Commission discussed budget requests from several departments, the need for a new jail in the future and a citizen's request to oppose a proposed construction project in the City of Alachua.

This is the second article about this meeting; the first part can be found here.

Budget overview

Deputy County Manager Tommy Crosby said the total budget for fiscal year 2025 is $806,653,893, an increase of $49,617,397 over last year's adopted budget. He said with the upcoming “aggressive construction program,” commissioners need to be prepared for annual debt payments of about $10 million, which will increase. Upcoming projects that will require new debt include the courthouse, animal services, renovation of the old courthouse, the “entire master plan” and vehicle purchases.

Affordable Housing Trust Fund

Commissioner Ken Cornell reiterated that he was disappointed with the limited use of funds from the Infrastructure Surcharge Tax and that he would support the use of funds from the general fund to bolster the capital of private developers building affordable housing through local contributions that would allow developers to qualify for other financing, such as state grants.

Commissioner Anna Prizzia said voters approved an affordable housing trust fund. “I don't think it's enough to just put in whatever we happen to have left over at the end of the year, or just put in a million every year… We need special money that we can count on every year… We have to decide, okay, we're going to put 1% of our budget into the affordable housing trust fund every year.”

Cornell agreed: “We can talk about the percentage.”

Election Officer

Crosby said the election commissioner requested an additional $365,058 for a Clear Ballot ballot verification system, the position of a new IT manager, additional postage for the general election, an additional Sunday for early voting at eight locations and an additional early voting location.

Sheriff's Office

The sheriff's office requested an additional $2.85 million, which will come from a variety of sources. Funds were allocated to replace vehicles and six positions (two mental health workers, a general counsel, a benefits coordinator, a civil engineer and an evidence specialist). New equipment requested by the agency (a bomb transporter and a mobile van) will be funded. Crosby said the county needs to “solve the salary issue, and next year we'll probably have to address the substation issues.” He said the sheriff also requested an additional location where officers can secure evidence and other items without having to drive all the way back to headquarters during a shift.

Alachua County Jail

Commissioner Chuck Chestnut pointed out that the prison was “in bad shape” and that a replacement plan needed to be planned, which could cost nearly a billion dollars. Chairwoman Mary Alford said a strategic plan was needed, “like an eight-year plan.”

Prizzia said before they talk about a new prison, they need to “talk about exactly how we can reduce the inmate population, and what we can do to renovate the existing building. Because the building is in bad shape – it's old, and there are parts that may need to be completely demolished, but there are parts that we could potentially renovate… We need to have a lot of conversations before we talk about a new prison.”

Alford said they could potentially “do something modular and piecemeal and really improve people's experiences in prison so they have time to take care of their own mental health, time to learn – you know, privacy.”

Courthouse

Crosby said the cost estimate for the new courthouse continues to climb, approaching “$50 million,” with some staff saying they are still concerned about the amount of space that will be available. Crosby said his staff has met with the architecture/engineering firm “to discuss specifically what needs to be changed and where we need to add space where possible, knowing that we cannot afford to build the whole thing in the first place.” He said the requests are not unreasonable, but they will need to plan for things like additional judges in the future.

Tara West development in Alachua

During the general public hearing at the end of the meeting, a man who said he was a cave diver asked the board to intervene in a pending decision by the City of Alachua regarding the Tara West development near Lowe's, north of U.S. Highway 441. The board discussed concerns about the property's location above the Mill Creek Sink; a dye study has shown that anything that goes into the sink flows into the Santa Fe River within about two weeks.

After some discussion about whether the county could be considered an affected party, which allowed him to speak for more than three minutes at the Aug. 26 Alachua Town Meeting, Cornell made a motion to ask the county attorney to file a petition for party status because the sink is a county resource, and Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler seconded the motion. Prizzia said, “It really goes beyond a county resource — it's water, it's regional.” Cornell added a request for staff to inform the board of the issue at its Aug. 22 special meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

Policies regarding pets of incarcerated persons

Prizzia asked what happens to a pet when someone is arrested, and Assistant County Manager Carl Smart said it depends on how long the person is expected to stay in jail. If they have to stay in jail for some time, arrangements could be made for the animal to be adopted. Prizzia said, “Look, I guess that's what I'm worried about. I would think it would be really bad if someone who hasn't been convicted yet had their animal adopted while they're awaiting trial. I mean, I guess we can keep the animal or place it in foster care, but place it in foster care knowing the animal isn't adoptable.” She asked staff to email her with the current policy.