Bronson Councilman Berlon Weeks waves a copy of an inaccurate FEMA flood hazard map of Bronson. He wants an accurate map published by FEMA before the town council supports it.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Bronson Town Council members voted unanimously Wednesday to reject an inaccurate flood hazard map of Bronson posted on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s website. The map fails to show the existence of an 85-year old drainage ditch.
The ditch was constructed in the 1930s by the federal Civilian Conservation Corps for mosquito and flood control and served a critical role recently in keeping Bronson dry in heavy rains. Massive amounts of storm water were carried away from Bronson by the ditch.
Councilman Berlon Weeks was upset that FEMA posted the inaccurate flood hazard map on its website and then asked the town to adopt an updated floodplain ordinance that might have permanently cemented the mapping mistake in federal records.
Town Clerk Shirley Miller said she is in contact with a Florida Department of Environmental Protection official who admitted the online FEMA floodplain map of Bronson was in error. She said the agency official promised to correct the problem. She didn’t think there would be a problem with FEMA posting an accurate map.
But Weeks, who has had his share of battles with FEMA over the ditch, said he didn’t want the town endorsing an inaccurate map with the hope it would be amended in the future. FEMA asked Bronson to adopt the map, the floodplain ordinance and name a floodplain manager.
The council unanimously voted to appoint Miller as the town’s flood plain manager but with the understanding the inaccurate 2019 flood hazard map posted online by FEMA would be replaced by a 2012 flood hazard map the town previously endorsed showing the location of the ditch.
Weeks also received permission from the council to approach Will Kendrick from U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn’s office to request assistance with the ditch issue. Weeks wants to have the ditch declared a public flood control structure. The ditch already serves that purpose but runs through private property and is no longer maintained by the county.
The ditch passes through James H. Park and connects on the northwest to a vast area of wetlands and swamp. It connects on the southeast to Chunky Pond and runs all the way to the Waccasassa River. The ditch was dug in early 1930s as part of a national public works program following the Great Depression and was intended to give young unmarried men work.
FEMA originally claimed the ditch was a natural waterway and a tributary of the Waccasassa River. For that to be true, the river would have to flow uphill through man-made ditches.
It doesn’t.
Tentative Millage
Council members voted Wednesday to keep property taxes low rather than spend extra money for hiring a city manager.
The council unanimously approved a tentative millage rate of 8.8471, slightly higher than the 4.8107 mills in their current budget.
Town Clerk Shirley Miller consults with Councilman James Beck and Councilwoman Beatrice Roberts at Monday’s budget hearing.
The budget hearing and the regular meeting that followed were originally scheduled for Tuesday, a day later than usual because of Labor Day, but were moved a second time to Wednesday due to Hurricane Dorian.
The new tax rate is expected to generate $208,999 in the 2019-20 budget, or put another way, just $1,570 more revenue than in the current budget.
Councilman Berlon Weeks had pushed to hire a city manager. He wanted to move the town forward and felt a good manager could find grants and make connections to bring economic development and jobs to town.
But the same problem that has plagued Bronson for years – lack of a solid property tax base – prevented the council from having sufficient revenue to hire a city manager.
The council, as part of its motion approving the lower tax rate, agreed to transfer $20,000 out of its cash reserves to make the budget balance.
Council members Berlon Weeks and Beatrice Roberts confer on the budget as Mayor Robert Partin awaits the outcome of their discussion.
“I think if Bronson’s ever going to get out of its own way someone has to show us how to do it,” Weeks said of the city manager position.
Mayor Robert Partin said he had talked to Chiefland Accountant Robert Beauchamp, who has worked with Bronson’s staff to clean up the town’s bookkeeping and is familiar with the city budget, and quoted Beauchamp as saying the hiring of a city manager should be postponed “until we’re more financially sound.”
Councilwoman Beatrice Roberts said the city manager’s position would cost the city around $100,000 annually including benefits and retirement and she didn’t think the city could afford to spend that much money.
“We don’t have the money for a city manager,” she said.
On a related subject in the budget, Council members decided city employees would receive a raise of some sort next year but they weren’t sure how much. The council decided it would budget a maximum expenditure of $8,083 for raises, enough to fund increases for employees.
Employees haven’t received a pay raise for the past two years, with the exception of Clerk Shirley Miller and Deputy Clerk Melissa Thompson who received pay hikes that brought the administrators more in line what city clerks and deputy clerks earn in the market place.
Councilman Jason Hunt felt merit pay raises should include a requirement that employees obtain certifications indicating they are gaining skills that can help the town operate more effectively. He cited one employee, without naming him, who has promised to become certified for more than two years but hasn’t done so.
Roberts and Councilman Jim Beck supported an across the board raise for all employees in the form of a cost of living increase in the neighborhood of 3 percent, but Hunt said an across the board raise would reward those who haven’t tried to better themselves by obtaining certifications.
The council didn’t make a decision on how much of a raise they would give employees. They must adopt their future budget within a couple of weeks.
Town Celebrations
The Bronson Middle High School Homecoming Parade is scheduled for Oct. 4. The town is processing a road closure request from BMHS to close off U.S. 27A from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
The council set the annual Trunk or Treat Festival for Saturday, Oct. 26. The festivities will start at 6:30 p.m.
The festival is aimed at keeping children off the streets on Halloween so children no longer have to go door to door asking for treats.
Signage Ordinance
Council members approved a resolution allowing the posting of public signs prohibiting people from congregating after hours on Town of Bronson property.
The resolution states that the director of parks and recreation and director of public works can install conspicuous public signs at all publicly maintained facilities in the Town of Bronson prohibiting congregating, loitering, mingling, lingering or assembling after hours in those locations.
Bronson posted its first sign at James H. Cobb Park prohibiting motorized vehicles from entering the park between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. The signs are aimed at stopping vandalism.
The ordinance also is intended to prevent people from loitering outside the Bronson Public Library to take advantage of the library’s Wi-Fi internet system. Vehicles park outside the library at all hours of the night to tap into free internet.
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Town of Bronson Regular Meeting September 4 , 2019; Posted September 5, 2019
