Bunny isn't sure about MSBU idea

Bunny has no comment.

As you can see from our photo, I watched the second half of Tuesday’s County Commission meeting from the World Headquarters with my new best friend. Here’s a rundown:

— The board voted 4-1 (Janet Barek voted no) to allow “Home Depot” access to Kensington. I put the store in quote marks because nothing is official, even though the company applied for a building permit.

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Anywhos, the general feeling from commissioners is they really wanted to make this work for Citrus Hills. Commissioner Jeff Kinnard made a valid point: Home Depot (or whoever) is going to need to do significant improvements to Kensington before the county will allow the store.
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Kinnard and Commissioner Holly Davis said having the main entrance to a major box store on Kensington won’t increase traffic through Citrus Hills neighborhoods. Logic would suggest otherwise, but what do I know?

If nothing else, Mr. Home Depot now knows he’s on the hook to widen Kensington in that area near S.R. 44, provide turn lanes, and any other improvements to the intersection. That won’t be cheap.

— “One for All” passed its second minor hurdle. Commissioners agreed on a timeline to vote by November to place a local-option sales tax referendum on the November 2026 ballot.

The Chamber of Commerce is creating a countywide steering committee that will solicit public input, both on whether we should consider the tax at all, and if it passes, how it should be used. At Chair Rebecca Bays’ suggestion, each commissioner will submit three names from his/her district to the chamber for inclusion onto the steering committee.

Expect town hall meetings in April, May, and June. The steering committee will issue a report to commissioners, who then will create a draft ordinance for public hearings prior to voting on the referendum language.

I know this is heavy government stuff. It’s necessary to ensure this process doesn’t go off the rails. Everyone’s going to get their say. Nothing is being rushed or skipped over.

— Something incredible happened with Inverness Villages 4. Oh, wait…no…wrong notes…here it is: Nothing incredible happened with Inverness Villages 4.

— If anyone needed a win, it’s Commissioner Diana Finegan. And she got one, sorta.

The board gave unanimous consensus to consider Finegan’s suggestion of a youth sports complex on 33 acres of county-owned land in the Homosassa/Lecanto region of C.R. 490. We’ll see what the staff comes back with, but it’s a start.

You know, we view commissioners a certain way. It’s very black and white. Some people get into office and will never have support from segments of citizens. That’s just the way it is.

County commissioners see it differently. The good ones rarely hold a grudge against one another. There’s only five. It’s a team, and each member wants the others to succeed.

Commissioners couldn’t wait to support Finegan. First off, it’s a youth sports complex idea, so who’s coming out against that? More importantly, though, it’s an idea commissioners can get behind and show support for a colleague.

Still miles to travel before this comes to reality.

— There was quite a bit of budget talk that I’m not going to delve into today. However, I’m curious how folks feel about this one idea.

As you know, residential road resurfacing is a major board priority. The county has increased spending annually for the last several years to meet public outcry. Citizens on crumbling roads aren’t happy and they want their streets fixed NOW.

Well, one way to accelerate that program is through an MSBU. That’s a flat fee, not a tax, used for specific purposes.

Some commissioners think we should have MSBUs for residential road resurfacing. That way we’re not poaching from the general fund, and citizens are paying for their own roads.

That concept makes perfect sense. Except…it doesn’t seem fair. Let me explain.

Had the county begun its residential road resurfacing program with an MSBU 10 years ago, that’s one thing. But we’ve already resurfaced hundreds of miles of residential streets under the current tax structure. Residents on those roads didn’t pay an extra dime.

The county now wants people to pay because we’re short on cash. I’m not dismissing the financial situation at all, but how is that equal? I pay extra to have my road resurfaced, but my neighbor on another street didn’t?

Seems ripe for a conversation.

That’s it from me and Bunny. Enjoy your Wednesday, friends.

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