Williston The Levy County Sinkhole 3A Bronson FFA 1B Williston Middle FFA 1B Your Locally-Owned County Paper of Record since 1923 VOL. 91, NO. 3 JournalTHURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014 50 CENTS County Commission Lowers Its Property Tax Rate as Revenues Rise By Terry Witt The proposed overall commission budget has yet to be mills. The proposed lower rate is known as the rollback, the Senior Staff Writer approved and stands at $61.9 million, but is likely to rise millage that should generate almost exactly the same revenue between now and early September as grants are factored into as last year. Levy County Commissioners Tuesday tentatively the spending plan. But because of increasing values on the county tax roll, unanimously adopted a reduced property tax rate of 8.2741 The proposed millage rate can only be lowered. the county is generating more property tax revenues. The mills for the budget year beginning on Oct. 1. The millage rate for the current year budget is 8.3307 end result is that the proposed lower rate will generate about continued to page 5A Oyster Disaster Looms in Cedar Key Without State Help By Terry Witt Senior Staff Writer Faced with an impending economic disaster, oyster producers in Cedar Key won Levy County Commission support Tuesday for a resolution that calls on the governor and Florida Legislature to provide funding for oyster planting in Levy and Dixie counties. Jeanine Beckham, a member of the Cedar Key Oystermen’s Association, said oyster beds died just off the Cedar Key coastline when a lingering drought severely reduced fresh water from rivers and springs from flowing into the coastal Gulf of Mexico. The drought lasted from 2007 to 2012. Oysters need plenty of fresh The non-working speakers hanging from the ceiling of the Levy County Commission. Shown from the left, water flowing from rivers and springs to remain healthy and protected County Attorney Anne Bast Brown, Commissioners John Meeks, Danny Stevens, Chairman Ryan Bell, Mike from predators in the Gulf. Joyner, Chad Johnson and Clerk of Courts Danny Shipp. Photo by Terry Witt. continued to page 4A Bronson Council County Installing Speaker System to Tentatively Adopts Broadcast Sound in Board Meetings By Terry Witt Property Tax Increase Senior Staff Writer By Terry Witt Visitors to Levy County Commission meetings often strain to hear board members speak, particularly Senior Staff Writer if they are seated on the back row. When the air conditioning is running the noise can drown out commissioner comments. Bronson Town Council members Monday tentatively approved an increase The clerk’s office announced on Tuesday that Clerk Danny Shipp is setting aside $8,000 to $10,000 in his in the property tax millage rate with the understanding that they can always budget to install a speaker system in the meeting room that should make it easier to hear what is being said. go back and lower it before final adoption of the 2014-15 budget. County Coordinator Freddie Moody said one firm has been contacted continued to page 5A The council agreed to raise the millage rate from 3.6575 to 5.0166, an increase that would generate about $40,000 of additional property tax revenue over the current year’s budget ending on Sept. 30. Inmate Medical Expenses Driving Under state law, the council can adopt the tentative millage and lower the number later in the budget process, but the millage can’t be raised any higher. “We can always go down,” said Councilwoman Beatrice Roberts in Up Costs for Sheriff’s Office making the motion. The vote was 4-0. Councilman Berlon Weeks was By Terry Witt million next year citing the rising cost of inmate absent. Senior Staff Writer continued to page 4A medical care as one of the factors driving up the cost of doing business. CORRECTION: Sheriff Bobby McCallum asked Levy County McCallum said total medical expenses for the jail In the July 17 issue of the Levy Commissioners Monday for a budget of nearly $11 including contract services for nurses and doctors plus County Journal we reported that the Rent-A-Center in the Chiefland continued to page 4A Regional Shopping Center was one of the businesses that was closing. This information was based on the remarks Bell Says his Business Background Has Made made by Chiefland Commissioner Betty Walker during the July 6 Him a Better Commissioner commission meeting. We regret the By Terry Witt error. “The basic success in business is hard work,” he said. But - we are happy to report that Senior Staff Writer “You just have to buckle down and get to work. If you Rent-A-Center is alive and doing well never worked an all-nighter you’ve probably never been in with absolutely no plans on closing. District 4 Levy County Commissioner Ryan Bell business.” Visit them and see for yourself. was raised in the business world as the son of Chiefland Bell said his business work ethic influenced him as a restaurant owners who taught him the value of a dollar early county commissioner. He says he knows how to stretch a in life and the importance of managing money. dollar and manage the county’s budget while at the same He used their advice, plus his own economic skills and time keeping in mind that government work is all about hard work to operate and found many restaurants. continued to page 8A Ryan Bell Jamie Griffin Says He Will Bring Business Skills to the County Commission By Terry Witt county commission. Senior Staff Writer The first business he developed out of high school was an open-air skating rink in Bronson. A year later he built District 4 Levy County Commission candidate Jamie a skating rink (with walls) in Chiefland that he later Griffin became a Bronson businessman at a young age and converted to a bowling alley. he says he has used those skills over the years to create Griffin, the only Democrat running for the county jobs and build businesses that added to the county’s tax commission, currently owns the Bronson Restaurant, base. Betts Big T in Chiefland and the Sea Breeze Restaurant He says he will bring those same business skills to the continued to page 5A Jamie Griffin Lilly Rooks Feeling Much Better After Blood Clots; Ready to Serve By Terry Witt Rosewood. She said good medicine, prayers and her faith Senior Staff Writer brought her back from the brink of death’s door. Rooks thanked everyone who offered prayers for her District 4 Levy County commission candidate Lilly recovery and those who showed support in other ways. Rooks is attempting to retake the county commission She has been receiving physical and speech therapy at seat she lost in 2010, and is recovering from three blot home for the past six weeks. She says she gets better every clots that almost killed her at the start of her campaign a day. couple months ago. “It will be up to the Lord if He wants me to be there on She was upbeat and looked healthy when she walked up the county commission,” she said. “If not, he’ll open other Lilly Rooks to greet a reporter at the door of her daughter’s home in doors.” continued to page 3A www.levyjournalonline.com 2A The Levy County Journal Your Locally-Owned County Paper of Record since 1923 July 24, 2014 Levy County Sheriff’s Office Levy County’s Most Wanted Arrest Report Jail Media Report for 07/14/2014 to 07/21/2014 ALDRIDGE, WALTER ALLEN, 45, OF MORRISTON, FL: RE-ADMIT FROM COURT. BENO, PAVEL, 49, OF WILLISTON, FL: AGG ASSAULT/DV X 4. ALLEN, ERICA HALL, LOWELL JOHNSON, LAYFIELD, QUANT, NYDIA BOATWRIGHT SR, JAMES VIRGILL, 50, OF INGLIS WILLISTON MIAMI GARDENS CHIEFLAND, FL: RESIST OFFICER W/O CEDRICK CANDANCE WRIT OF BODILY WRIT OF BODILY OKEECHOBEE FTA AGG ASSAULT VOP POSSESSION VIOLENCE. ATTACHMENT ATTACHMENT FTA DWLSR W/DEADLY OF MARIJUANA HERNANDEZ, ALEX, 44, PROB VIOLATION, CHILD SUPORT X 2 CHILD SUPPORT BOND $ 2,000 WEAPON BOND $ 20,000 ARCHER, FL: PROB VIOLATION. PURGE $ 1,820 PURGE $ 1,160 NO BOND JORDON, COLEMAN WESLEY, 25, OF CHIEFLAND, FL: WARRANT ARREST. KERR, TAMMY, 40, OF CHIEFLAND, FL: DWLSR. COCAINE. TYNDAL, FRANKLIN LEAMON, 29, OF MCCLURG, CODY A, 25, OF WILLISTON, FL: ROESCH, FREDERICK ANTHONY, 43, OF WILLISTON, FL: BATTERY/DV. LEAVE SCENE OF CRASH INVOLVE DAMAGE BRONSON, FL: GIVE FALSE INFORMATION WRIGHT, BRIAN ELDON, 34, OF WILLISTON, TO PROP; OBSTRUCT WO VIOLENCE. OR REPORTS TO POLICE; DRIVE WHILE FL: BATTERY TOUCH OR STRIKE. MUMMERT, NICOLE, 22, OF CHIEFLAND, FL: LIC SUSP HABITUAL OFFENDER; DUI AND PETIT THEFT FROM MERCHANT 2ND OFF. DAMAGE PROPERTY. NICKERSON, CINDY MARGARET, 52, OF SMITH, TRACY JAMES, 40, OF TRENTON, BRONSON, FL: RE-ADMIT FROM COURT. FL: CNTRL SUB WO PRESCRIPTION X REGISTER, RONALD, 32, OF WEBSTER, FL: 3; OBSTRUCT WO VIOLENCE; POSS OF LEAVE SCENE OF CRASH INVOLVE DAMAGE WEAPON OR AMMO BY CONVICTED FLA TO PROP; ACC-UNATTENDED VEH OR PROP FELON. WO LEAVING ID; DUI ALCOHOL OR DRUGS; SWEAT, JESSICA, 39, OF CHIEFLAND, FL: DRIVE W LIC FROM OTHER STATE WHEN FL ANIMAL CRUELTY X 2. LIC SUSP. Of Levy County THOMAS JR, LEE JAMES, 22, OF WILLISTON, RODRIQUEZ, JORGE, 22, OF BRONSON, Call 1-877-349-Tips (8477) FL: HOLD FOR COURT. FL: OUT-OF-COUNTY WARRANT; POSS Sentencings from the Bench Circuit Judge William Davis sentenced one man two a prison As part of Operation Wrangler, the Levy County Sheriff’s Chiefland and was term and several others to jail or probationary terms when Levy Office and U.S.