Quincy commissioners talk priorities when it comes to legislative funding

Last week, Quincy officials met to discuss what projects the city will seek state funding for in the 2023 legislative session.

City Manager Rob Nixon said the city is working with the county and the school district to secure funding.

Nixon said making sure the commissioners provide input, which he said wasn’t done last year.

Nixon said the next step is to gage lobbyists to figure out “hot buttons,” such as issues like public safety.

“Last year we saw that the sheriff got a good amount of money from the state legislature because it was such a hot button, but we didn’t with Quincy Police Department,” said Nixon.

Commissioner Freida Bass-Prieto had attended the earlier meeting in January with State Representative Gallop Franklin and State Senator Corey Simon, and Bass-Preito told fellow commissioners that the main thing the two representatives had stressed to Gadsden County municipalities was that the local governments needed a plan for the funds they requested from the state.

“We don’t have any plans,” Bass-Prieto said.

Nixon said the city does have a comprehensive plan, which guides all municipalities in a county.

“There are some general statements in there; they’re not all specific projects but we can tie them to statements in our comprehensive plan,” Nixon responded.

The city manager also said the city composes a five-year capital improvement plan.

“From there, the project specific plans will be developed with the engineers, architects and staff,” Nixon added.

Nixon also noted that the city does need to have an implementation plan that includes current priorities and how they plan on getting them done, what the budgets will be, and where the sources will come from.

“We really need to be putting our own agenda forward for our citizens,” Nixon said.

The city manager said Corry Field is important to the city’s young people.

“It helps us with anti violence campaigns, it also puts us in a position to support our schools and their events, and finally it helps us to start getting into games where we can attract visitors to the community to participate in leagues,” Nixon said.

Infrastructure improvement, fire services, dispatch capabilities and improvement.

Sports complex, recreation department, and

Nixon said the city needs to break the priorities up into smaller projects the give the city a better opportunity to receive funding.

Nixon said the commission has discussed moving city hall at a different location from the fire station, to make better use of that facility.

“We need to be thinking about what center of facility can we use to support the needs and desires of that broader base of the community, so it can’t be at the Joe Ferolito Center,” Nixon said. “Everything cannot be there; that is where we’re focusing athletics but what about the rest of recreation.”

Bass-Prieto recommended partnering with the county and school district for recreation facilities.

Sheila Knowles, Chief Lobbyist with ELF Associates who attended the workshop, explained the new legislative process to the commissioners.

Knowles advised that it would not be a good idea to ask for funds for recreation facilities that would be used for public schools, because one of the priorities for Florida’s speaker of the house is to expand private school vouchers.

“Things that coordinate with private schools probably aren’t going to be the best idea,” Knowles explained.

Knowles advised submitting requests to fund the three most important priorities, that have gone through most of their planning process, and work on projects that are not quite ready for next year.

Bass-Prieto said she would like infrastructure geared towards the city’s industrial park on Joe Adams Road.

“I feel like that’s going to be one of our biggest economic growth, then public safety, and then affordable housing,” Bass-Prieto said.

Knowles said affordable housing is one of State Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s priorities this year.

All of the commissioners agreed to prioritize projects that would benefit citizens in “Quincy proper” the most.

E rin Hill - erin@gadsdencountytimes.com

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Quincy commissioners talk priorities when it comes to legislative funding

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Two men sentencedin 2019 fatal Quincy robbery

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Two men sentenced
in 2019 fatal Quincy robbery