The Leon County Commissioners mapped out 40 initiatives they would like to tackle over the next five years. This jumps started their 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. The goals they set at their annual retreat this week were focused on economic development, the environment and quality of life, as well as governance.
Vince Long, County Administrator, noted the difficulty of achieving lofty goals. However, he said that the county was committed in bringing them to reality. The board will vote on the ideas developed at the annual retreat.
Here’s a breakdown on where the county is heading. The retreat materials include goals for the next five years and full retreat materials. You can find it here
Economic development
The county will work hard to achieve its goal of bringing the local tourism economy up to $5 billion. The county is also looking at how to tap its $1 trillion share of federal infrastructure dollars. It is also fostering research and businesses within the magnetic technology industry as well as through public infrastructure investments.
More:A list of Tallahassee-based technology companies
Nick Maddox, Leon County Commissioner, asked for an increase in the target percentages of Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprise from 20% to 30%.
Cristina Paredes, Director of Office of Economic Vitality, stated to commissioners that there are many opportunities for these organizations through the creation of an analyst post and fellowship to assist businesses with digitization.
She said that the goal is to offer true economic assistance to these companies.
The county wants to connect 7,000 students with jobs through workforce training through the Office of Economic Vitality. However, there are concerns that there may not be enough funding to bolster the program or attract enough jobs to meet this goal due to allocations from the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency.
OEV has been able, in recent years, to attract both large and small employers such as Amazon, Danfoss Turbocor expanding, and Danfoss Turbocor.
Back story
The IA, which is made up of all 12 county and city commissioners, will vote to approve a bonding scheme for a variety of projects. One of these projects takes $20 million from OEVs budget to repair the football stadium at Florida State University. The project’s total cost will rise to almost $27 million with the bonding.
Kristin Dozier from County Commissioner said that we need jobs to connect these students to in the future. Kristin is a fierce critic of the stadium repair tax funding. I do believe that we will not be capable of achieving these goals, as well as those in the Strategic Plan, if OEV funding is not available through 2028. I will look at these goals after the IA vote and see if they are achievable.
Environment
Driven by anticipated funding, the county is bolstering itscommitmenttoremove or upgrade septic tanks along the southern border where water quality affects the health of the Wakulla Springs Basin.
The goal is to replace or upgrade 500 tanks in the Primary Springs Protection Zone within the next five years. The county has exceeded its goal in the last five years, with 610 septic systems being eliminated or upgraded.
Alan Rosenzweig, Deputy County Administrator, stated that the county should receive approximately $36 million in local sales taxes and state grant funding to address septic tank issues over the next five-years.
Quality of life
The county set a goal for supporting organizations to redirect 100 people experiencing chronic homelessness to permanent supportive housing. This is roughly half of those identified in the 2021 Point-in-Time count.
Commissioners also included their own initiatives that affect quality of life.
Commissioner Rick Minor requested that the work being done to revive the North Monroe Street corridor and strengthen partnerships between the County Commission, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, be included in the five-year plan. This would address hunger at the local level.
He also requested that the Leon County Sheriffs Office partner with him to make it a priority to raise community awareness about domestic abuse, child trafficking, and violence.
Brian Welch, County Commissioner of Leon County, directed staff members to search for federal infrastructure funds that could help rural broadband internet be brought to unincorporated Leon County.
He also requested that a dedicated group be formed to clean up roadside litter throughout the county.
More:County will decide on North Monroe taskforce, $1 million for LeMoyne Arts
More:Florida lawmakers are ready to spend federal broadband expansion money
Commissioner Jimbo Jackson asked for the county to continue researching and negotiating the purchase the FortBraden Community Center as well as the adjacent land that is currently owned the Leon County School Board.
Bill Proctor, Chairman of the Commission, urged county staff to support updating and expanding the Comprehensive Plan to include an annexation to a number of neighborhoods that make up eight voting precincts into the city.
Proctor stated that the fact that residents pay city utilities but cannot vote in city elections amounts taxation without representation.
Governance
In keeping with the previous strategic planning goal, the county wants to realize 600 citizen ideas and improvements, solutions, and opportunities. To achieve this, the county will hold a series listening sessions and surveys to solicit ideas from citizen-led groups.
Commissioners requested that ideas from the youth of the county be considered for the work.
Long explained to commissioners that we recognize that these ambitious goals will be difficult to achieve. These goals will require us all to be flexible and to seek out new ideas and partnerships to reach them.
Contact Karl Etters at [email protected] or @KarlEtters on Twitter.
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