A3 + PLUS >> Another inaudible meeting, Opinion/4A SPORTS SPORTS NBA preps Meet new CHS for Disney X-country coach See Page 8A See Page 8A THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM TAX DOLLARS City refi Rally to be deal will save a peaceful, bundle organizer $10 million over next 20 years, says Helfenberger. By CARL MCKINNEY [email protected] promises After securing a more favorable interest rate on some existing debt, the ‘Antifa’ activists aren’t coming to take city is poised to save mil- down monument, Glenel Bowden says. lions. The debt, which was By CARL MCKINNEY taken out at least 10 years [email protected] ago for utility revenue bonds, has been refinanced Don’t call it a protest, organizers say. through Described as a rally for unity, a public gathering JPMorgan is planned for Saturday at Olustee Park in down- Chase at town Lake City. The event has nothing to do with an interest the ongoing controversy surround- rate of ing a Confederate monument on 1.338 per- display at the venue, despite online cent, far rumors suggesting otherwise, said lower than Glenel Bowden, the man behind Helfenberger what the the event. city was paying. The end “This is in response to the horri- bly upsetting incident concerning result will be that the city Bowden pays about $10 million less George Floyd,” Bowden said. “It’s over the next 20 years. about being unified in saying we would never “This kind of savings accept anything like that happening in Lake City or I’ve never had before,” Columbia County.” Helfenberger said. “It’s The rally is scheduled to run from 11:30 a.m. to the best I’ve seen in my 1:30 p.m. There will not be a march. career.” Bowden said he intends for the event to avoid Jim Gollahon of Gollahon hostile rhetoric toward law enforcement. Speeches Financing Services secured will emphasize what happened to Floyd, who the refinancing deal, suffered for eight minutes and 46 seconds with a which was finalized at a Minneapolis police officer’s knee pressed against City Council meeting on his neck, and focus on fostering a dialogue that Monday. can prevent similar tragedies from happening in The new interest rate other places. saves the city about $9.9 “I’m hoping we’ll leave there inspired to be million in interest and better, and not just puff our chests and bang our about $100,000 in service fists,” Bowden said. “Otherwise it’d just be another fees. protest.” RALLY continued on 3A Cuts loom as budget CHARTER REVIEW goes to CRC backs governor down on 1 of News Service of Florida Florida’s proposed $93.2 its proposals billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which By CARL MCKINNEY begins in two weeks, landed [email protected] on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk A measure that would limit county commission- Wednesday. ers’ power to wield the public purse strings moved The Legislature’s deliv- forward on Wednesday, along with several other ery of the budget came a La Quinta Inn proposed charter amendments. day after DeSantis warned opens its doors The practice of spending year-end cash, that he will surplus money left over from the budgeting use his line- TOP: Andrew Sullivan, gen- process, came into question during the first item veto eral manager of the new La of three public hearings held by the county’s power to Quinta Inn, poses in front charter review board. A proposal to require the county to put year-end money on the books, slash the of the hotel on Wednesday afternoon, the day of the rather than spend it on unbudgeted projects, spending was approved by the charter board despite plan to help grand opening. Plans to build the 95-room hotel some resistance from two county commission- DeSantis address a ers. coronavi- have been in motion for a Year-end money has been criticized as a slush rus-fueled loss in tax rev- couple of years. ABOVE: fund by current and former officials, including enues. He said such cuts Sullivan and employee County Commissioner Tim Murphy and former could help keep lawmak- Katheryn Porter check in charter board member Jody DuPree. Charter ers from having to read- a special guest, Sherrie board members on Wednesday said there is too dress the budget before the Janson, area director of little accountability and transparency in how the November elections. sales for the hotel’s parent money is spent. The proposed charter amendment will appear “There’s going to be a lot company, Morpheus Group. LEFT: A worker installs on the November ballot as a referendum if it is more vetoes, there’ll be a approved again during two public hearings. lot of red,” DeSantis told bulbs in the lobby fixtures at the La Quinta. County Commissioner Ron Williams challenged reporters during a news the plan during the hearing. conference Tuesday. Photos by CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter BUDGET continued on 3A CHARTER continued on 2A Vol. 145, No. 330 Obituaries . 3A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Opinion . 4A SUBSCRIBE TO Advice & Comics . 5A THE REPORTER: 90 68 Classified . 6A Voice: 755-5445 Fax: 752-9400 Partly cloudy, 2A Sports . 8A 2A THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER QUICK HITS Scripture of the Day “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?” — Proverbs 6:9 (KJV) Thought for Today Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just. — Victor Hugo, 1802-1885, French writer (‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,’ ‘Les Misérables’) Winning Lottery Numbers Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 0-4-2 Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 3-4-7-8 Fantasy 5: (Tuesday) 4-8-9-27-31 See an error? The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will run in this space. Thanks for reading. CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter County charter board members hold the first of three hearings Wednesday. A proposal dealing with a contro- Submissions versial spending practice moved forward to another hearing, as did three other proposals. The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture and information to Robert Bridges: rbridges@lakecityreporter. CRC backs down on 1 proposal com. year-end funds to be incor- budget,” Douglas said. cally, and approved sending Lake City Reporter CHARTER porated into the budget for County Commission three other measures to HOW TO REACH US ADVERTISING the following fiscal year. Chairman Toby Witt also the next hearing. Main number ....... (386) 752-1293 Director Chris Ratliff Continued From 1A Fax number ............ 752-9400 (386) 754-0417 Williams explained those spoke during the hearing, One of the measures that Circulation............. 755-5445 ([email protected]) Online .... www.lakecityreporter.com “I’m not 100 percent facts at Wednesday’s hear- saying he didn’t oppose was given a tentative green ing, while charter board the measure but also didn’t light would have the county The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate CLASSIFIED clear what this committee of Community Newspapers Inc., Kym Harrison is recommending that we member Stephen Douglas feel it would accomplish manager face annual per- is published Tuesday through (386) 755-5440 defended the need to limit anything. Commissioners formance reviews based on Saturday/Sunday at 180 E. Duval ([email protected]) do different with the year- St., Lake City, FL 32055. Periodical end funds than what we’re the use of year-end money. would vote on how to a set of specific criteria, the postage paid at Lake City, Florida, BUSINESS OFFICE “You know better than spend the money. results of which would be Member of The Associated Press Vickie Busscher doing now,” Williams said. and the Florida Press Association. (386) 754-0419 I what’s been happening, “It’ll just be at a different accessible to everyone. By law, the county is not All material herein is property of ([email protected]) what’s been done with it in time,” Witt said. Another would establish allowed to budget all of the the Lake City Reporter. No part of CIRCULATION prior years,” Douglas told After several other a formal ethics code setting the contents of this publication may revenue it expects to gen- be reproduced in whole or in part Director Sara Mercer Williams. charter board members standards of conduct for without written permission of the (386) 754-0408 erate, as it must leave some publisher. ([email protected]) as a buffer. Williams said the county engaged with Williams the County Commission, U.S. Postal Service No. 310-880. This sometimes leaves has no dedicated source of and Witt, the proposal was county employees and The Lake City Reporter is home revenue for roadwork and approved to move forward appointed members of POSTMASTER: Send address delivered Tuesday through Saturday, the county with excess changes to Lake City Reporter, P.O. except on postal holidays, via U.S. Box 1709, Lake City, FL 32056. money that can’t be includ- the year-end money covers to a hearing set for July 1. county boards. Postal Service. Please call 386-755- those projects. Also on Wednesday, the The third would remove 5445 to report any problems with ed in the budget for the PUBLISHER your delivery service. (circulation@ year in question. Continuing a back-and- charter board shot down a department heads’ abil- Publisher Todd Wilson lakecityreporter.com) forth, Douglas responded.