Girls weightlifting: All-county team named /B1 TAKE YOUR WEDNESDAY PICK TODAY CITRUS COUNTY DURING OUR & next morning MARCH HIGH SPRING CLEANING 63 Sunny. LOW PAGE A4 at VILLAGE TOYOTA 34 000EGXS PAGE C12 www.chronicleonline.com MARCH 27, 2013 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 118 ISSUE 232 WEDNESDAY CHRONICLE Board keeps impact fees — for now NIGHT AT FAIR Clip the “Chronicle Instead, commissioners agreed contract from Duncan and Associ- Coupon Night” Commission to push for quick review to incorporate impact-fee review ates, which conducted the county’s coupon inside with their other funding options last impact-fee review in 2011. as board members grapple with Board members said they want today’s edition and MIKE WRIGHT Commissioners said the issue is ways to balance the budget while proposals for impact fees and present it at the Cit- Staff writer much more complex. rus County Fair encouraging economic growth at other funding sources in place be- Citrus County commissioners the same time. fore giving tentative approval to ticket booth this INVERNESS — Members of the on Tuesday refused the CCBA’s re- evening and save $2 the 2013-14 property tax rate in Citrus County Builders Associa- quest to suspend impact fees until To fast-track the process, board mid-July. off the $20 midway tion had what they thought was a the next scheduled review later members voted to waive the normal armbands. Good for simple request. this year. bid procedures and instead seek a See FEES/ Page E7 Wednesday night — Chronicle Night — only. See coupon, Page A5. INSIDE Fair focus is education LOCAL: Youngsters learn life skills from projects ■ The Citrus County Fair continues through Sunday. To learn about Wednes- day discounts and fair highlights for the next few days, see Page A3. Fair cravings PAT FAHERTY Ride and feast on your Staff writer favorites at the Citrus County fair./Page A3 INVERNESS or a lot of young res- POWERBALL: idents, the Citrus FCounty Fair is a highlight of their year. It is all about educa- tion, and this is the area’s biggest event when it comes to programming for youths. While the fair presents a broad display of county agriculture and com- merce, enhanced with en- tertainment, food and Jackpot amusements, it is funda- The winner of a $338 mentally a showcase for million Powerball lottery youth. Its long heritage appears Tuesday in parallels the county’s 4-H New Jersey./Page A6 and FFA programs. BUSINESS: With 200 to 300 youths, ages 5 to 18, expected to participate, the fair- grounds is a focal point for many families this week. “They do a lot of differ- ent things in addition to just showing their animals here this week,” Amy Duncan, Citrus County 4- H agent, explained. “Steers started back in September with their reg- istration. After the fair, Housing high they have to turn in proj- Home prices on the rise ect reports and record in January./Page A9 books. And they may have multiple animals or other NATIONAL NEWS: projects entered.” Unhealthy The county has 18 4-H clubs, with 72 registered An EPA report finds club leaders and co-leaders. more than half of the “It takes an army of country’s rivers and streams are in poor volunteers,” Duncan biological health./ said. Page A11 MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Participants are usu- Lecanto Middle School FFA member Caitlyn Poteet, 12, appears to make her pig Hercules happy Tuesday ally in 4-H or FFA. SUPREME COURT: afternoon as she scrubs its back while washing the animal with soap and water. Hundreds of teens participate The former is run by in the Citrus County Fair, competing in various judged competitions through 4-H and FFA to determine superior animals. Animals such as swine, steer, rabbits and poultry are judged each year. See FAIR/ Page A5 Last budget analysis shown Board backs Gay marriage Board gets overview of administrative costs Members of the more funds Supreme Court ponder whether to rule in a CHRIS VAN ORMER sessions at meetings of provided by the adminis- case about California’s Staff writer the Citrus County Board trative branch for the ban on gay marriage. of County Commission benefit of the public and /Page A12 for Duke case The final session of (BOCC) since January. governmental body. It budget analysis was pre- Each presentation is provides for the court- INDEX sented Tuesday to county available for perusal at house, office buildings Comics . .C6 commissioners, but the county government’s and many of the services Adams objects, cites legal costs Community . .C4 the process will continue website: www.citrus to operate government. It Crossword . .C5 until the county’s pro- countyfl.org. amounts to servicing the MIKE WRIGHT additional Editorial . .A10 posed budget for the next Cathy Taylor, director, constitutional officers, Staff writer $350,000 — split Entertainment . .B6 fiscal year is ready in July. Department of Manage- which is state-mandated. about evenly be- Horoscope . .B6 “Hopefully, with ment and Budget, gave “What you are looking INVERNESS — tween legal fees Lottery Numbers . .B4 all these put together and details. at is $23 million that you Citrus County and costs associ- Lottery Payouts . .B6 they’re online, people can “Today, we’re going to have funding control commissioners ated with Greene Movies . .C6 review our $231 million be reviewing the General over,” Taylor said about voted 3-1 Tuesday conducting a full Obituaries . .A6 budget and see where our Government function,” the overall budget. to continue fund- appraisal of the Classifieds . .C7 revenue comes from, how Taylor said. “It represents The rest was nondiscre- ing Property Ap- Duke energy com- TV Listings . .C5 Scott it’s divided by percentage $34,483,658, almost 15 tionary funding. praiser Geoff Adams plex north of Crys- and how it is spent,” said percent of the (overall) Taylor then gave a Greene’s defense tal River. County Administrator budget.” timeline of board action in the Duke Energy Commissioner Scott Brad Thorpe, who had General Government lawsuit. presented five previous was defined as services See BUDGET/ Page A7 The board will pay an See DUKE/ Page A7 A2 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE 20201010 Prices Good Wednesday, March 27 through Monday, April 1, 2013 Mohawk 3/8 Strand “ Floating” Woven Oak Flooring Bamboo $ 99 $ 59 Sq. Ft. 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Enterprise Pt., Lecanto 000EFWN 746-7830 • 341-0355 V isit us at www.cashcarpetandtile.com Next to Stokes Flea Market on Hwy. 44 SPageTATE A3 - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013& LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY CHRONICLE Nuke environment report upheld The ASLB held an evidentiary ■ Evidence from the hearing mits such as the state-issued Licensing board rejects challenge for hearing in Bronson on Oct. 31 did not support the groups’ water use permit. and Nov. 1, 2012, to decide these claim of the site being underlain ■ It is reasonable to rely on issues. The ASLB is a three- by active sinkholes, groundwa- the Corps and state agencies, two new Levy County plants member board of administrative ter conduits or significant “pref- such as the Florida Department judges independent of the NRC erential pathways” for of Environmental Protection, to Special to the Chronicle — claimed the NRC’s April 27, staff that conducts adjudicatory groundwater flow. assure Progress Energy of 2012, Final Environmental Im- hearings on major agency li- ■ The Levy nuclear plant ap- Florida will actually implement An Atomic Safety and Licens- pact Statement (FEIS) failed to censing actions. plication’s groundwater modeling and successfully perform the ing Board (ASLB) has rejected a adequately identify and assess The hearing involved more was reasonable and professional. prescribed monitoring and miti- challenge by two environmental the proposed Levy nuclear than 300 exhibits and 24 wit- ■ The FEIS reasonably relies gation measures. groups to an application to li- plant’s direct, indirect and cu- nesses. The board’s more than on the concrete and highly pre- The ASLB’s decision can be cense two new nuclear power mulative environmental impacts 140-page decision — that the scriptive monitoring and mitiga- appealed to the five-member reactors in Levy County, accord- on wetlands and groundwater re- FEIS complies with legal and tion requirements imposed on commission in charge of the ing to the U.S.