The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

B.C. Manion

Work resumes on State Road 52 widening

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Construction has restarted on State Road 52, near the Suncoast Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes.

A new contractor, PCS Civil Inc., began work on Oct. 25.

The contractor is expected to spend a few weeks doing cleanup, surveying and other tasks necessary to safely resume operations, according to an update from the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) District Seven office.

Work on the project stopped on July 28, 2021, when the original contractor notified FDOT that it was halting work on the project. The state transportation department declared the contractor in default on Aug. 3.

Pipes await a crew on the south side right of way, along State Road 56. Construction again has started up on a project aimed at easing congestion at the State Road 56 and Interstate 75 interchange, in Wesley Chapel. (File)

The FDOT requires its contracts to have bonds issued by a surety company.

The surety company was required to obtain a completion contractor and chose PCS Civil Inc.

The State Road 52 project calls for widening the road to a six-lane divided highway from the Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41.

The contract also includes widening U.S. 41 for approximately 1 mile, approaching the State Road 52 intersection. A 12-foot wide multi-use trail — to be built along the north side of State Road 52 — is another element of the project.

The estimated cost for the State Road 52 widening is $49.8 million, according to FDOT’s website.

While work has resumed on State Road 52, it is expected to begin again soon on the State Road 54 widening, from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road, according to the FDOT update.

The prospective completion contractor is sending the surety company an updated price proposal.

A completion contract is expected to be with the surety by Nov. 12, with execution of the contract to follow. Once that occurs, the contractor is expected to begin work within a week.

In the meantime, mowing and litter removal is expected to occur.

Another project that had been halted involves the construction of the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) project being built at the State Road 56 and Interstate 75 interchange.

That work stopped June 25, when the contractor informed FDOT it was halting work on the project. On July 1, FDOT declared the contractor in default.

Work resumed on Sept. 13, after Superior Construction Company Southeast LLC was selected by the surety company to complete the work.

The project, estimated at $33.6 million, is now expected to finished in summer 2022, according to FDOT’s website.

The project will reconfigure the State Road 56/I-75 interchange between County Road 54 and Cypress Ridge Boulevard.

The existing diamond interchange at the intersection will be converted to a DDI.

The main change will be to diverge, or cross, State Road 56 traffic to the left side of the road through the interchange, and then cross vehicles back over to the right side of the road on the opposite side of the interchange, according to a description on FDOT’s website.

The changes will help to alleviate traffic congestion to reduce travel time for motorists in this rapidly growing area.

A DDI was chosen for the State Road 56/I-75 interchange because of the proven ability of this traffic configuration to increase safety and capacity while using a large amount of the existing interchange footprint, including the existing bridge, according to FDOT.

The DDI also was chosen because of its ability to handle heavy left-turn volumes, such as the westbound to southbound movement from State Road 56 to southbound I-75.

For more information about these or other FDOT projects in Pasco or Hillsborough counties, visit FDOTtampabay.com.

Published November 10, 2021

School board approves $52.7 million magnet school

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Work is moving ahead on a new magnet school for sixth- through 12th-grade students, which is expected to usher in a broad array of new opportunities for students.

The Pasco County School Board approved a $52.7 million contract with Ajax Building Company, during the board’s Nov. 2 meeting.

The 6-12 school is planned on an 18.8-acre site within the community of Angeline, south of State Road 52, north of the future Ridge Road extension and west of Sunlake Boulevard.

The school board, acting as the Pasco County School Board Leasing Corporation, previously approved the sale of bonds to finance the new magnet school and to complete projects at Hudson and Gulf High schools. The sale of $80 million in bond was completed on Nov. 2.

The school site is within Angeline, which is being billed as a wellness community. Angeline will be developed on thousands of acres of land, east of the Suncoast Parkway and south of State Road 52.

Within that area, Moffitt is planning its Pasco County campus. The cancer center’s presence in Pasco is expected to include a massive research and corporate innovation district. It has site entitlements that encompass 24 million square feet, and include plans for a hospital, research and development space, office, manufacturing, laboratories, pharmacies, educational facility/university, hotel, and commercial space. The multiyear, multiphase project is expected to create 14,500 jobs.

At a previous school board meeting, Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent for Pasco County Schools, reported that Moffitt and Pasco-Hernando State College are working together “to develop a very unique school setting.”

The school is designed for 1,700 students, according to the Ajax contract.

Plans call for a facility with 186,882 gross square feet.

It will have:

  • A one-story administration building
  • A one-story dining/multipurpose area, with a fully functioning kitchen
  • A two-story media and band area
  • A four-story classroom wing

Other parts of the site development include parking, drives, walkway canopies, an aluminum shade system, fencing, a walking trail, sidewalks, underground utilities, landscaping, irrigation and other infrastructure.

Construction is expected to take 18 months, with the closeout taking 1.5 months, bringing the total to 19.5 months, according to the contract.

Substantial completion is expected in April of 2023, with a final completion in June of 2023.

Harvard Jolly is the architect on the school district project.

Published November 10, 2021

Planning board delays rezoning request in Land O’ Lakes

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A request to rezone 50.15 acres for a 108 single-family homes in Land O’ Lakes has been delayed until Nov. 18, to continue to explore a way to prevent cut-through traffic from future area development.

The request, by Darrell A. and Karen J. Renner, calls for rezoning agricultural land into a master-planned unit development (MPUD) on the south side of Bexley Road, about a mile west of the intersection of U.S. 41 and Wisteria Loop.

The Pasco County Planning Commission first heard the request on Sept. 30, but delayed it until Nov. 4 to give the applicant time to pursue the possibility of building a county “vision road,” which, in effect, would keep future area traffic from spilling into the existing community along Wisteria Loop.

County planners initially had recommended approval of the application, if the developer brought Wisteria Loop up to county standards.

During the Nov. 4 meeting, however, area resident Ray Gadd called for approval of the application to be contingent on the construction of the vision road. Another area resident, Chris Nocco, urged the planning board to take a long-term look and act now to protect existing communities. Gadd is deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools and Nocco is the county’s sheriff. Both made a point to say they were acting as private citizens, not in their official capacity.

Shelly Johnson, an attorney representing the applicants, told the planning board at the Nov. 4 meeting that her client would be willing to construct the vision road or improve the existing road, but not both.

However, her client subsequently found out that building the vision road would cost approximately $2.7 million and improving the existing road would cost $914,000. They also learned there’s wetlands involved, so it could take up two years to obtain the necessary permits to build the road.

Planning Commission Chairman Charles Grey said it’s not the planning board’s job to ensure that a project is financially feasible, but board colleagues Jaime Girardi and Don Anderson said they weren’t comfortable forcing the applicant to shoulder the additional costs.

One possibility would be to reconfigure three existing skewed intersections into a traditional T-intersection, a representative for the applicant said.

The planning board continued the request until Nov. 18 at 1:30 p.m., in New Port Richey, at the Pasco County government center. The delay is meant to allow the applicants to bring back a potential solution and to give area residents another opportunity to weigh in at a public hearing.

Published November 10, 2021

Pasco County pursuing new effort to curb panhandling

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The Pasco County Commission wants to follow Lee County’s lead, in enacting an ordinance that aims to reduce panhandling — while avoiding potential concerns about free speech violations.

Patrick Moore, a senior assistant county attorney, explained the approach during the county board’s Oct. 26 meeting.

In essence, the new approach makes it illegal for people to stand in a roadway area that’s less than 6 feet wide and prohibits physical interactions between motorists and pedestrians.

“The county’s current ordinance was created for the purpose of protecting vehicular and pedestrian safety, and the free flow of traffic. This purpose hasn’t changed,” Moore said.

However, he added, the county’s current ordinance “makes it unlawful to solicit or attempt to solicit with the intent to receive a charitable donation.”

Because of that, the ordinance is often referred to as the county’s panhandling ordinance, he said.

“As far as enforcement goes, historically, direct citations haven’t always been effective, which causes the sheriff’s office, in an attempt to enforce the ordinance, to utilize the county’s public roadway, public right of way, trespassing ordinance,” he said.

“However, due to recent case law, the sheriff’s office has decided not to enforce or utilize the ordinance, in order to trespass someone, moving forward.

“In fact, that’s kind of across-the-board in the state of Florida. Law enforcement agencies across the state are deciding not to enforce many panhandling ordinances in different counties,” Moore explained.

So, he said, “this discussion is something that many other jurisdictions are also struggling with.

“The reason why this new case has caused this result is because it points out the infringement on First Amendment rights, specifically related to free speech, as to requesting charitable donations and so on, in public roadways.”

The ordinance recently adopted in Lee County essentially eliminated the solicitation aspect, Moore said.

“It has the same exact purpose of our current ordinance,” Moore said.

But, it eliminates the concerns over the First Amendment because it “eliminates any mention of solicitation or panhandling, as a basis of the violation.

“It creates a violation for remaining in a median or other areas of the roadway,” Moore said.

“It is unlawful” to remain in a median, whether the area is paved or not paved, if it less than 6 feet, unless you are actively crossing in a crosswalk.

It also is unlawful in Lee County “to have a physical exchange, or physical interaction, amongst a pedestrian and a vehicle.

“It specifically notes a vehicle that’s not lawfully parked. In other words, in a roadway at an intersection, stopped at a red light, stopped at a stop sign.

“It removes any contemplation on the enforcement side, whether it’s the sheriff’s office or code enforcement, of trying to determine what the intent of the message is that the person is trying to relay. It simply says this is a violation. There is no physical interaction between a pedestrian and a vehicle.”

Commissioners Mike Moore, Kathryn Starkey and Jack Mariano all spoke in favor of the ordinance, noting panhandlers pose a danger to motorists and to themselves.

Commissioner Moore said when he came on the board in 2014, it was a problem, but lessened for a time and now seems to be on the uptick, as word gets out that enforcement isn’t happening.

Starkey noted: “I’ll drive around Holiday, which I do regularly. They’re at every intersection and it’s dangerous because they’re walking down between the cars. Who wants to hit someone walking down the street? It’s unsafe for our citizens.”

Mariano added: “This has been a very sore subject in the Hudson area. Probably the No. 1 complaint, I get is all of the panhandling.”

The Lee County ordinance appears to be an excellent approach, Mariano said.

“It addresses stopping, standing or otherwise occupying a median that is not sufficient pedestrian refuge.”

And, it seeks to get people to understand “they are in violation, if they give,” Mariano said.

“Those two things will help us tremendously.

Mariano also noted: “I can’t think of a more important thing for code enforcement to do than to attack this issue, at least in the Hudson area. It may deter this behavior from going on.”

Starkey made a motion for the county’s legal team to draft an ordinance that incorporates Lee County’s approach, to advertise it for public hearing and to bring it back for board action.

Published November 03, 2021

Special session set for Nov. 15

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The Florida Legislature will meet in special session beginning on Nov. 15 and will conclude its session by no later than Nov. 19, under a proclamation issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.

The session is intended to “provide protections for Floridians who have lost their jobs or are having their employment threatened due to vaccine mandates,” according to a posting on the governor’s web page.

DeSantis announced, in a news conference on Oct. 28, that the state had filed a lawsuit against the federal government — challenging the Biden administration’s authority to impose a vaccine requirement on federally contracted workers.

“We are not going to deny people the ability to earn a living, based on their decisions about an injection,” DeSantis said, during that news conference.

During the special session, DeSantis expects legislators to pass laws to protect Florida jobs and protect parents’ rights when it comes to masking and quarantines,” the website posting says.

The governor is calling on state legislators to address vaccination issues on a number of fronts.

According to the governor’s web page, those include considering legislation to:

  • Protect current and prospective employees against unfair discrimination on the basis of COVID-19 vaccination status
  • Ensure that educational institutions and government entities are prohibited from unfairly discriminating against current and prospective employees, students, and residents based on vaccination status
  • Appropriate enough funding to investigate complaints regarding COVID-19 vaccination mandates and to take legal action against such mandates, including mandates imposed by the federal government
  • Clarify that the Parents’ Bill of Rights, Chapter 1014, Florida Statutes, vests the decision on masking with parents, not government entities, and that schools must comply with Department of Health rules that govern student health, including rules that ensure healthy students can remain in school

In the website posting, DeSantis said: “The health, education, and well-being of our children are primarily the responsibility of parents. As long as I am governor, parents in Florida will play a strong role in determining what their kids are learning and how they’re treated in school.”

During his Oct. 28 news conference announcing the state’s lawsuit against the federal government, DeSantis said, “We want to protect people who are working now in the state of Florida. These people have been workin’ the whole doggone time, and now, all of a sudden they’re goin’ to get kicked to the curb? Give me a break.”

He added: “In Florida, we believe these things are choices based on individual circumstances. There are physicians that will recommend one course of action or another, based on your health history.”

DeSantis told those at the news conference: “We cannot have the federal government coming in and exceeding their power.

“They’re really rewriting contracts, and they’re transforming normal contracting into basically public health policy and that’s not anything Congress has ever authorized,” he said.

At the same news conference, Attorney General Ashley Moody said President Joe Biden has overstepped his authority.

“It is a complete and gross overreach of the federal government, into the personal autonomy of American workers,” Moody said.

The state attorney general also described the action as an “unlawful mandate” and added, “we will not back down.”

While issues involving COVID-19 vaccinations will play out in the state legislature and the courts, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Oct. 29 authorized the emergency use of Pfizer for children ages 5 through 11.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to take up the issue this week and must grant authorization before vaccines can be distributed.

Published November 03, 2021

Pasco commissioners push for faster completion of long-range plan

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A presentation on the county’s efforts to update its comprehensive plan was cut short last week — after a majority of commissioners raised questions about the proposed time frame for completing the work.

Nectarios Pittos, director of planning and development, began his presentation at the board’s Oct. 26 meeting by explaining — for the public’s benefit — that the purpose of the comprehensive plan is “the long-range plan to manage growth, improve quality of life and ensure long-term sustainability for the county.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore wants the county to accelerate efforts to update the county’s comprehensive plan — the tool that expresses the county’s long-term vision and guides future development.

“So, why are we doing an update of the comprehensive plan?

“We want to understand the current conditions and address the changing needs and reassess the vision that the current comprehensive plan has,” Pittos said.

Required by state law, the county’s comprehensive plan must consider: future land use, transportation, housing, conservation, coastal management, recreation/open space, public facilities, capital improvements, intergovernmental coordination and economic development.

“It’s been 16 years since the last update, 31 years since the establishment of the plan and a lot has changed since 1991 and 2006, and a lot is changing right now.

“And because the 1991 plan took us to 2025, we’re looking at the next plan to take us to 2050, hence the new name of the future comprehensive plan being the Pasco 2050 Plan,” Pittos said.

The county approved its first task order with HDR Engineering to help with the project last year, and approved a second task order with HDR, at last week’s meeting.

The county has envisioned a five-year process for updating the comprehensive plan — which lays the groundwork for the county’s vision and growth over the long-term.

“So, we’re going to be revisioning the county’s long-term plan and we’re going to be looking at a number of data, asking lots of questions and studying the county — where we’ve been and where we’re going,” Pittos said.

Public involvement is important and a public engagement plan has been created to foster that participation, Pittos said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano says much of the work needed to help update the comprehensive plan has already been done and can be used to help in the effort.

The planning director then laid out the major efforts that will be completed, as part of the update over the next four years.

He planned to hand off the presentation to a member of his staff, to go into greater detail regarding what’s been done so far, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, Commissioner Mike Moore began questioning why the process needs to take so long and asking what can be done to update the plan sooner.

When the county board discussed the update a few years ago, Moore said, he was under the impression it would be done around 2023.

“There’s a lot of things we’ve asked for. There’s a lot of things we requested. So, now we’re going to wait until 2025 for a lot of these things,” Moore said. “Hey listen, I know it’s a big project. This is a long time to wait.

“We’re going on four years or so, from when it was first brought up and first asked to initiate changes. In reality, you’re looking at about a nine-year time frame from when it was first brought up.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey told Pittos: “Every one of the steps is very important. We want you to go through all of them.”

But she asked: “Is there any way to speed it up?”

County Administrator Dan Biles told commissioners that the first year of the project was part of last year’s budget and the second year of the project is part of this year’s budget.

“It’ll be in the budget for the next two or three years, until we get this done. It’s not a short-term process,” Biles said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed with Moore and Starkey: “Should it take that long? Can we speed it up?”

Pittos wrapped up his remarks as the meeting was approaching the break for lunch.

He offered to have his staff member make her presentation after lunch.

Instead, Biles addressed Commission Chairman Ron Oakley: “Mr. Chair, I would suggest that we table this for now, we can come back and brief each of you individually, with where we are, where we’re going, what the plan is, get feedback from you directly, and then bring you back something at a later date and kind of wrap up all of this discussion.”

The county administrator noted that may include some schedule adjustments to accelerate the work.

Published November 03, 2021

Selection process set to change for planning board

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a proposal that will change the way its members are selected.

The planning board took the vote at its Oct. 28 meeting.

The action stemmed from the Pasco County Commission’s previous direction to county planners to pursue changes to the land development code to alter the selection process.

County board members said they wanted to be able to make an individual appointment to the planning board, rather than voting collectively for the entire planning board.

Under the proposed process, each of the five county board members will appoint a member to the planning board, and the board will act collectively to appoint a sixth planning board member.

One seat, which is occupied by a representative for Pasco County Schools, will not be affected by the new system.

The proposed terms of the planning board members would coincide with the term of the county board member who selected him or her.

The recommendation now goes to the Pasco County Commission for final action. Once approved, the new process would become effective Feb. 22, 2022.

While each county board member will be able to appoint one planning board member, there are no restrictions on where the planning board member must live, said Denise Hernandez, the county’s zoning administrator.

Currently three planning board members live in County Commissioner Mike Moore’s district and three live in County Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick’s district, while no planning board members live in the other three districts.

In other action, the planning board:

  • Recommended approval of a rezoning request that would allow 238 multifamily units on 37.9 acres, within a master-planned unit development on the southeast side of Dale Mabry Highway/U.S. 41 intersection and abutting Hillsborough County to the south.
  • Recommended approval of a change to the county’s land map from a residential designation to a neighborhood commercial category on 4 acres at the southeast corner of the intersection of Foxwood Boulevard and State Road 54.

Published November 03, 2021

Warning to motorists: Watch out for loose cows

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Dr. Octavio Blanco has what may seem to sound like an unusual request.

He’s urging motorists who are traveling on State Road 54 — in the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes area — and along the Suncoast Parkway in that general area, to keep an eye out for loose cows.

Blanco is concerned that criminal activities on his property, 16543 State Road 54, in Lutz, could put drivers at risk.

His 100-acre property has been the target of thieves.

Stealing his things is one thing, Blanco said, but the criminals also are making it possible for his cows to get out — which could pose a hazard to unsuspecting passing motorists.

He’s got a herd of about 40 beef cows.

Blanco thinks it’s highly likely that if these crimes continue to happen, his cows will get loose and wander onto State Road 54 or the Suncoast Parkway.

And, if that occurs at night, it could prove deadly, Blanco said.

It’s not an imaginary fear, said Blanco, who recalls when he was a child he saw the aftermath of an accident when a Volkswagen ran into a cow and the people inside of the car were killed.

Blanco has alerted the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office about his concerns.

Amanda Hunter, public information manager for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, said, via email, that the law enforcement agency is continuing to investigate these cases.

It posted this information on the agency’s Facebook page on Sept. 21:

“Help Us Solve a Crime: On two separate days within the past two months, a suspect forced their way into a home and barn in the Land O’ Lakes area off SR 54 and stole the victim’s property.

“The pictured white male was seen leaving the victim’s property the day of first burglary and may have left with the dark colored minivan. The second burglary involved the black Ford truck with attached trailer. The male has a mullet hairstyle and a tattoo on left side of his chest.

“If you have any information on this case, or know the identity of the suspect, submit a tip to the Pasco Sheriff’s Crime Tips Line at 1-800-706-2488 and refer to case number 21027615 or 21033171. Please do not submit tips on social media.

On Oct. 13, it re-posted the original post, along with this additional information:

“PSO (Pasco Sheriff’s Office) detectives continue to investigate these incidents in the SR 54 area of Land O’ Lakes. This suspect also cut the victim’s fence which was holding in cattle. This crime is a felony under Florida statute. Livestock that escape can wander onto roadways and potentially cause crashes and endanger citizens.”

In her email to The Laker/Lutz News, Hunter also noted that the sheriff’s office has “spoken with the victim for these cases at length numerous times to address his concerns.

“The agency’s agricultural unit and its property crimes unit also has been in touch with him,” she said. They are working with him to install cameras to help solve the crimes, Hunter added.

While he would like to put an end to the burglaries, Blanco said his primary concern is to alert the public, to help avert a potential tragedy.

Published November 03, 2021

Mixture of uses approved for intersections in Wesley Chapel Lakes

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a request for a mixture of uses at three intersections within the community of Wesley Chapel Lakes.

The project has been on the books for decades — and the board’s approval, during its Oct. 26 meeting, gives the developer the ability to pursue entitlements at the intersections of Meadow Pointe Boulevard and State Road 54; Meadow Pointe Boulevard and State Road 56; and Meadow Pointe Boulevard and Beardsley Drive.

The project is located south of, and adjacent to State Road 54, about 3.5 miles east of Interstate 75, and extending south to the Pasco County line.

The proposed uses will not generate more vehicle trips from the development than were previously approved and that have already been addressed through mitigation (which normally includes impact fees and/or transportation improvements), according to the agenda background materials.

Most of the residential component of the project has been developed.

The project originally was approved decades ago, as a Development of Regional Impact (DRI), which allowed an array of uses. In addition to agreeing to allow the developer to pursue entitlements, the county board also rescinded the original DRI.

The nodes had already been approved for commercial development; the change allows residential development, as well.

The property is not within the county’s current multifamily moratorium boundary.

The modification area includes about 166 acres. It calls for up to:

  • 850 single-family attached, townhome or apartment units
  • 420,000 square feet of commercial use
  • 150,000 square feet of office/light industrial
  • 700 hotel rooms

The request also seeks a variation from the county’s land development code to permit a reduction in the standard parking space size of 9-feet by 20-feet to a reduced size of 8-feet by 18-feet, with the condition that curbs and/or wheel stops will be required to prevent vehicles from overhanging required landscape buffers, or sidewalks, unless the sidewalk is 7-feet wide, to keep the sidewalk width at a minimum of 5 feet for pedestrians.

The request had received a recommendation for approval by county planners and from the Pasco County Planning Commission.

The county board approved the request as part of its consent agenda, meaning it was approved along with other items on a single vote, and there was no board discussion or public comment.

Published November 03, 2021

Pastor’s prayer request fails to gain traction

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Pastor Troy Peterson, who has been attending Pasco County Commission meetings regularly of late, asked the county board — at its meeting last week — to let him be in charge of the board’s invocations.

“Once again, I am here to address praying in Jesus’ name for the invocation,” Peterson said.

“I’ve been praying about this for quite some time,” said the Port Richey pastor, who also cited some scriptural verses at the podium.

“I don’t see any prayer or invocation with Jesus’ name in it. That’s why I’m here.

“What I’m asking is if the board would approve me, and a group of pastors that I would approve, if I could not make it, I would appoint somebody to come in that I know is going to pray according to the word of God,” Peterson said.

A couple of other speakers spoke in favor of Peterson’s request and another speaker spoke against it, noting that Pasco is a growing county, with Christian, Jewish, Muslim and people of other faiths.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder weighed in on Peterson’s request, by first providing some background on the issue.

“So, in September of 2003, the former county attorney was asked the question about invocations,” Steinsnyder said.

“That’s what led to what the clerk reads (at board meetings).

“The federal law, with regard to praying in county commission meetings, has not changed and in fact , one of your fellow counties on the East Coast has taken the case up. In 2019, the 11th Circuit affirmed all of the case law that basically says, you can’t have secular prayer.

“The Brevard County Commission was doing something very similar to what the pastor suggests, where they would have pastors, preachers, rabbis on call to come in and pray before the county commission.

“It was found to violate federal law.

“So, my advice to the board would be to continue the practice that you’ve adopted,” Steinsnyder said.

Since the speakers’ remarks came during the public comment portion of the meeting, the issue was not on the board’s advertised agenda.

Board members did not comment, and based on the county attorney’s recommendation, it appears that the board will not pursue the request.

Published November 03, 2021