Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance

  10:08 Chair welcome- prayer and pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag

Amendments and Approval of Agenda

Holt/ Chair V 

Motion passed 4-0

Awards, Presentations and Appearances

None were had

Consent

None

Citizens Requesting to be Heard on Non-Agenda Items (3-Minute Limit)

 Anyone wishing to speak on agenda items or non-agenda items should schedule or notify the County Administrator's Office before attending the meeting and will be asked to follow the Gadsden County Public Meetings Citizens Access Guidelines.  Also, Public comment for Commission meetings can be submitted via email to CitizensToBeHeard@gadsdencountyfl.gov until 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 9, 2020. Comments submitted after the deadline but prior to the meeting will be added to the official record, but the County cannot guarantee that Commissioners and staff will have adequate time to review comments prior to the meeting.

  Chair Viegbesie-

A.      Penny O’Connell- Read into record

General Business

1.          Approval of COVID-19 Resolution 2020-60 (Dr. Henry Grant, Interim County Administrator)

Dr. Grant introduced the above item.

Chair asked attorney to give update of any revisions.

Knowles- only changes were dates and resolution number. -Look at curfew and mask requirement and request for events.

Chair- are they part of the resolution document?

Knowles- Events are not in the resolution but if approved it could be or just verbally approved. -suggested it be in writing.

Chair- to be fair to other who were asking for activities to go on, it should be on the agenda like the others were.

  Holt- asked the attorney if there were any calls on changes.

Knowles – no, had not spoken to Col. Collins. Seems to be working.

Holt will find out at meeting later. - wants progress report. School numbers?

Dr. Cooksey- School report posted on department of health website weekly (Tuesday), 12 cases in schools- 5 were virtual students, 7 were on-site students. 91 contacts were quarantined- impacted 6 schools. will send the link to Dr. Grant. Will show the number of cases by school or students, teaches and staff.  

Holt- Is there an uptick in the number

Dr. Cooksey- School had a decrease in persons quarantined- County was up. 8.2% and increased slightly -last week was a little lower. Testing stable. Average 200 people tested per day.

Holt- Locations

Dr. Cooksey – CRMC on Tuesdays 9-1 or to your provider. CVS in Quincy is a self-swab, must be symptomatic. Home Depot off Capitol Circle in Tallahassee. Working with school and Emergency Management for rapid testing for student staff or symptomatic people 55 and over.

Holt- asked Dr. Grant to get report from law and dept of health each week to have numbers to judge.  

Holt/Hinson

   Taylor- wants to find out if essential workers for the County were being compensated. -needed to be talked about.  Need to meet with integrity. Made sure the curfew was 10pm and there was a mask mandate.

Knowles said yes but the County was unable to issue citations or enforce penalties.

Taylor- When will food truck request be entertained.  

Chair- asked for others to submit a plan. Suggested the plan be presented and then voted on. Follow same procedure for all.  

Commissioner Hinson- Y

Commissioner Taylor- Y

Commissioner Morgan- absent

Commissioner Holt- Y

Chair Viegbesie- Y

Motion passed 4-0

2.          Approval of the Agreement with Clemons, Rutherford and Associates, Inc. for Architectural Services (Dr. Henry Grant, Interim County Administrator)

Grant-brought back because was concern if CARES would fund. Integrity did a thorough investigation of the concern and they said CARES may be at risk of retention by FDEM if used for activities related to the permanent construction of the hospital facilities.

   Holt-asked Integrity if they would recommend to do the hospital under a different funding organization, not under CARES.

Eric Miller with Integrity- Yes, CDBG would be a good fit and they would be at the CDBG workshop.

Holt- that is through HUD, no preliminaries before reconstruction would qualify with CARES?

Mr. Miller Based on other federal grants, Architectural and engineering costs were considered part of construction.

Holt- Good to know- find out if treasury had concerns about this area. Asked if HUD was competitive. And Mr. Miller said correct. Commissioner Holt look at as many pots as possible to get a hospital. Have funds in the endowment.

Clerk Thomas about $1.3M in dividends and interest.

Holt- total in the account other than dividends and interest.

Clerk- $9 million and he stressed it was for the Hospital only. No shelter.

Holt- Build for hospital will also use as shelter during hurricane season. Purpose was so thee County could get funding from the State and Federal Government in order to build out on the hospital or until it was used s a hospital.  There is some funding in the County. Asked Integrity to consider HUD and any other place thee County could get funding.

Gary Yates with Integrity, - Best to delay and application for HUD. Another county had an earmark for a state plan for a hospital. RFP on today should be tabled.

Holt- Lobby during this session. She won’t approve until there was a funding source. Wants a company that had worked on this project and knows about it.  

Chair- had conversation with agencies that delt with this. He was told the $781,00 should be part of the $10 Million where the design, client, the construction of the project should be part of the monies. He was told that drawing plan was not providing of the service and should not be part of CARES Act.  Ambulance purchased and would be delivered before the December 31 deadline and the hospital building would not be.  This did not fit under CARES. All want a hospital. Push project during CDBG HUD.

  Taylor- Money was set aside to build temp shelter for those with COVID during COVID. CARES Act says you Can build a temporary shelter. She did not think the County would get funding for a hospital. Afraid will not be able to self-support the hospital. This will keep citizens from getting services. Look at it again and try to build a place for people with COVID. Do not wait for Integrity. Citizens need this now.

Chair- All want health services to citizens. Come back and do it piece by piece.

Taylor asking for a workshop/Emergency Meeting ASAP. Needs to be put on the agenda.

Chair- Item is on the agenda. Make your suggestion a motion. Can she make a motion to use the money to retro fit that building for a shelter for special needs?

Knowles- Did not think they could do that. They needed to be on the agenda.

Taylor agreed and she requested a workshop.

Knowles- She was asking for it to be added to the agenda, workshop next week he thought it could be added to.

Holt- Not impossible- Small hospitals being build using state and federal funds. Paying a half cent right now and no Hospital because people on the Board already voted to not build out the hospital. People are already paying for a hospital. Build out as a shelter, still need hospital and would have to go back and rebuild. No false statements. Get the hospital built through HUD and could also look at doing other healthcare there at the same time. Build shelter at stevens school and build a shelter in the cafeteria. Ready to vote.   

Hinson called the question

Taylor- Collecting less than 1 million a year and that won’t support a full fledge a hospital.

Chair called for order.

Taylor-Can’t put shelter in old stevens school in a bedrock community where 90% of the citizens were elderly. Move forward for the County. Integrity and Attorney said don’t use the money for an architect. Come back and come up with a conclusion.

  Chair wants a motion

Holt Postpone until HUD funding/ Chair   

Commissioner Hinson-N

Commissioner Taylor- Y

Commissioner Morgan- absent

Commissioner Holt- Y

Chair Viegbesie-Y

Motion to postpone until HUD funding was secured passed 3-1 Commissioner Hinson opposed

  Holt- If you have the hospital renovation for COVID patients, it had to be renovated at hospital standards (need oxygen and other things) Just a shelter would be why she wanted stevens school to be used as a general shelter not for COVID patients.  

  Chair- 2 items- for soccer and food trucks, wants a plan from Quincy main St. to make sure the activities were in accordance with the CDC guidelines as Board requested from others. Asked for a detailed plan. When was workshop?

Grant Workshop was scheduled for October 22 and BOCC meeting on October 20.

Chair- get together all plans for one item on the 20^th

Holt- City of Quincy has an activity planned near the Supervisor of elections office and streets blocked off. May cause problems with voting and wanted legal opinion. Should be no obstruction or distraction when it came to voting.

Knowles- spoke with supervisor of elections. Welcome the event but it was on a Tuesday on the street in front of the supervisor of elections office. Ballot box in front of her office is the only box in the county. County could be sued along with the City of Quincy. Get with city of Quincy Manager and attorney. May take legal action in they won’t move the event. Cannot hinder the ability to vote.  

Holt- spoke with Attorney and the young lady in the supervisor’s office and the Commissioners from Quincy. Touchy situation because only one person had to say they could not get to put the vote in. Asked that emails be sent to the city because the County would need documentation if there was a lawsuit. In 2000 Gadsden County was the only County that filed complaint with the Supervisors of Elections Office during that election. She said she filed that complaint. Make sure there were no obstructions to ballot box.  

  Chair making sure there was still a quorum to talk about a plan, and there was.  

Taylor- don’t know what Quincy was doing

Knowles- Celebrating the Coke mural. had diagram on how it would be set up. Madison and Jefferson would have a stage and 2 food trucks on Clark. Police officer at each end of Crawford St.  Adam St. open. His and the Clerks concern was voter suppression/intimidation. No conflicting ordinance. Could pass an emergency ordinance. Will forward the plan to the commissioners what he received with the diagram.  

Holt- Spoke with 2 Commissioners of Quincy. Chair, attorney and managers meet. County was not allowing anything but it was good to talk and get everyone on the same page.  

Taylor- Did get info on the mural. Celebration was 2 hours long. Did not see what the problem was. City can set up so this could be done. Should not have an effect on voting. City and supervisor of elect work together.

  Chair- Suggested schedule meting ASAP with mayor, city manager, chair, attorney of both city and county and supervisor of elections.

Knowles- did not know length may be 2 hrs. not that you will get sued, but you might. Supervisor worried you could be suppressing voting.  May go above the 50-person restriction.  

Chair- Meeting between the County and City would iron it out, peaceful.

Taylor- Meet with Integrity and moratorium she spoke about, wants these on the agenda. Look up definition for essential worker. To get them extra pay in public works.

Knowles- Workers comp and they won’t qualify- Administrator can offer administrative leave for those who test positive. Will look into it more.

Chair- direction given to staff with regards to the activities.

Taylor- when is the next meeting with Integrity.

Chair- Will be a workshop on the 22^nd

Taylor- too late.

   Chair- Gov not making any changes. Friday had been held to review those changes from the governor’s office. Suggest to suspend Friday meetings until changes come from governor.

Holt- Had no problem with not meeting on Friday and asked about the emergency status.  

Knowles- State is still under an emergency status, keep state of Emergency going for HUD FEMA Chair can just sign resolution.

Chair- Stop the Friday meeting. In phases 3 so an emergency meeting can be called if needed.

Motion to Adjourn BY Commissioner Taylor

11:15 am Meeting adjourned.