By REID TUCKER
The Paxton Town Council unanimously passed the much-discussed ordinance enabling future changes to rates and fees to be set via resolution rather than by ordinance.
By adopting the new ordinance the Council’s Sept. 16 meeting , Paxton will not only move more in-line with the practices of other small cities, including nearby DeFuniak Springs and Freeport, it will also save time, said City Attorney Clay Adkinson. Paxton has 11 different amendments to its original water rate ordinance, reflecting all the times the rates were changed in the past – an ordeal of several months each time when discussion, then advertising and holding first and second readings of the amendment is considered. The new ordinance should also make things easier for city staff during the budget-making process, Adkinson said.
The Council also voted 5-0 in favor of Florala Pharmacy employee Joy Warren’s request to provide flu vaccinations to visitors at Town Hall on Sept. 22 and Oct. 14. Pharmacy employees will begin setting up at 10 a.m. both days in order to best service the lunch crowd that frequently shows up for meals provided by the Tri-County Community Council’s senior center. Warren said individuals with approved insurance can receive their shots free of charge, while those without will by charged $26 for vaccinations.
Walton County Economic Development Alliance Director Steve Jaeger gave the board members an update on the effort to bring a retail business into the city, but he unfortunately didn’t have the best of news for the Council. While the initial feedback from Dollar Tree looked positive after talks began between Paxton city staff and representatives of the discount retailer several months ago, the recent merger of Family Dollar and Dollar Tree threw a kink in the plan, Jaeger said. The now-joined companies shifted their priorities away from expanding their operations in new locations for the time being, but Jaeger told the Council that company reps have indicated they will get back in touch with Paxton after the first of the coming year.
Jaeger also invited the board members to attend an upcoming meeting in Marianna for the Alabama/Florida Mega-Site Project. The meeting, to be held at the Florida Welcome Center on Oct. 8, will host officials from surrounding counties in the two states to discuss the particulars of a plan to market a 4,000-acre site near Marianna for development by a major manufacturer – ideally an auto manufacturer.
Finally, the Town Council voted to convene a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 30, to adopt the Fiscal Year 2015 budget and approve over-expenditures. The meeting will begin at 12:05 p.m.