Select Dec. 21 MCBOCC meeting briefs

The Florida State Fire College, whose rescue tower is shown in the middle of their campus, poisoned the wells of nearby homes in Lowell, Florida with the fire retardant foam the firefighters train with. For the past several years, residents have been drinking bottled water and waiting for filtration systems. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]

Above is an aerial shot of the Florida State Fire College. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]

Mary Elizabeth Burgess, director of Growth Services for the county briefed the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) meeting Tue. Dec. 21, on the results of the 2020 Census. According to the results, Marion County now has a population of 375,908, compared with 331,298 in 2010. In the last decade, the county’s population has increased 10.6%, which is higher than the national average of 6.3%, but lower than the state’s average of 14.2%.

During her presentation, Burgess detailed issues COVID presented in collecting census information, as data collectors were not able to go out into the community as they were in previous years, and explained that “The census population count determines how many representatives each state will have in Congress for the next 10 years and how much federal funding communities will receive for roads, schools, housing, and social programs.”

The board also declined to begin examining redistricting possibilities in 2023. Redistricting can only take place in odd-numbered years.

Marion County Public Library System wins state ARPA grant

The Marion County Public Library System was awarded a Division of Library and Information Services (DLIS) Florida American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant for $150,278.

According to Julia H. Sieg, the director of the Marion County Public Library System (MCPLS), the grant funds will be used for “purchasing e-audio for general interest and developing a collection of e-books to expand access to vocational and career electronic resources. This collection will assist job seekers, those seeking to learn new skills and advance job opportunities, as well as those who may wish to start their own business. The expanded digital resources will be available for check out to all those with a Marion County public library card.”

In addition to the expansion of their digital collection, the MCPLS will add self-checkout kiosks at the MCPLS headquarters, Belleview, Dunnellon, Freedom, Forest, and the new library branch in the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place.

As the funds were awarded as part of a grant from the state, no local budget impact will be felt. The item was approved as part of the consent agenda.

County ARPA update

Angel Roussel, the assistant county administrator of Public and Environmental Services updated the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (MCBOCC) on Tue, Dec. 21. on the progress of the various ongoing projects involving ARPA funding. According to Roussel, the county hired Kimley-Horn as the overall project manager and the CPA firm of Carr, Riggs and Ingram as consultants.

Additionally, programs for both line extensions and revolving funds are under legal review, and the request for proposals regarding design and build packages should be published by the end of 2021.

Finally, Roussel briefed the board that a selection committee is evaluating proposals for a broadband feasibility study and that the county secured a $20 million grant to address the septic tank and sewer program in Silver Springs Shores.

Commissioner Kathy Bryant noted that Ocala Ridge may be an area that was initially overlooked as it pertained to ARPA funds, and workforce housing projects in that area might be beneficial. Commission Chair Carl Zalak agreed and asked Roussel to put together some recommendations on how the county could target that area.

Rousel will next update the board in March 2022.