Ms. Huey,
Ramon Gavarrete, the Alachua County Public Works Director, has asked me to contact you regarding the possibility of chip sealing NW 222nd Avenue. This process is governed by Chapter
37 of the Alachua County Code of Ordinances and Section 197 of the Florida Statutes.
For paving or chip sealing of limerock roads, the Board has not authorized any new road segments to be paved or chip sealed unless the cost is paid for directly by the property owners or through a Special Assessment District (SAD). The Board reserves
the right to assess an administrative fee (usually 10%) and a nominal interest rate. Such assessment is usually over 10 years and each benefitted property would be assessed.
The procedure is as follows:
As per Chapter 37 of the Alachua County Code of Ordinances the following is a summary of the process required by the code for chip seal SAD.
1. Resident contacts County and requests a petition form.
2. For petitions for unpaved road improvements, the petition must be signed by the owners of at least 60 percent of the property to be specifically benefited by the proposed improvement.
3. Resident must submit the signed petition with
a $350 fee.
4. The request must be submitted by February of the calendar year prior to the calendar year that the district may be created.
5. Staff prepares an estimate for chip seal SAD and presents the petition and estimate to the Board of County Commissioners. The Board considers conducting a Property Owner Interest
Poll.
6. If Board elects to conduct Property Owner Interest Poll, resident must pay $345 fee for drafting and conducting the Poll.
7. Staff conducts the Property Owner Interest Poll. 60% of the benefitted owners are required to respond and 75% of respondents must vote in favor of the chip seal SAD.
8. If the required signatures are obtained, staff will present the Poll results to Board. Resident must pay a fee of $360 plus the pass-through costs of advertising the public hearing.
9. At this public hearing, the Board considers approving a Notice of Intent (NOI) to use the uniform method to impose non-ad valorem assessment.
10. If the Board approves the NOI, staff will record a copy of the NOI in the Public Records of Alachua County.
11. Staff will then publish and mail the NOI to property owners via certified mail. Resident must pay a fee of $315 plus pass-through cost of advertising the second public hearing.
12. The Board will conduct another public hearing to consider adopting the non-ad valorem assessment roll.
13. If the new non-ad valorem assessment roll is adopted by the Board, the assessment for chip seal shall constitute a valid, collectible tax against the benefitted properties and
will appear on the tax bills of all benefitted property owners.
Please contact me at the phone number below if you would like to further discuss this matter.
***This Email is Being Blind Copied to All Commissioners***
Ms. Huey,
I understand your concerns regarding the dust that occurs naturally with dirt or limerock roadways. Currently, the County does not
have a dust control program for County-Maintained Graded roadways.
As for paving, since 2016 – 2017, the Board of County Commissioners has allocated General Fund (Property Taxes) dollars towards road
rehabilitation projects. For FY 2017, the Board allocated $3,000,000 and this amount has grown to approximately $3.7 million for current year. In 2016, the Board also amended its Comprehensive Plan to facilitate straight milling and resurfacing projects
on our roadways. In FY 2022, the Board increased its allocation from the General Fund towards road rehabilitation projects by an additional $4 million dollars. Unfortunately, even with this funding, our infrastructure needs greatly exceed the available funding.
Gas Tax revenues are utilized to fund the County’s transportation departments and Road & Bridge regular maintenance operations, including mowing, tree trimming, potholes, guardrails, limerock “dirt” road grading, street sweeping, bridge maintenance, and many
other everyday maintenance operations. There is a portion of the Gas Tax that can only be used for new roadways, or improvements along existing roadways, that would allow for increased capacity on our roadways. Unfortunately, this portion of the Gas Tax
cannot be used for maintenance operations due to Florida Statutes. Additionally, now three years ago, the Board adopted the Stormwater Assessment that is now allowing Stormwater crews not only maintain, but also reopen historic drainage-ways around the County.
Furthermore, thanks to the voters approving the Infrastructure SurTax, and the Board’s decision to allocate approximately $7.6 million
(see above paragraph) from General Fund (Property Taxes) in addition to 70% of the 2nd half of the Infrastructure SurTax towards the County’s Pavement Management Program. On May 23rd, 2023, the Board of County Commissioners approved the County’s Transportation
Capital Improvement Program (TCIP). The estimated value of the program (2023 – 2032) is estimated at $241.9 million dollars, including roadway surface improvements, signals, pedestrian facilities, and major bridge maintenance.
However, the voter-approved Infrastructure Surtax (Wild Spaces Public Spaces) has been allocated towards the newly adopted County’s
Transportation Capital Improvement Program (TCIP) which is primarily a pavement management system.
As for paving of limerock roads, the Board has not authorized any new road segments to be paved or chip sealed, unless the cost is
paid for directly by the property owners or through an improvement district. This the only available mechanism to either chip seal or pave a current limerock roadway. I am copying Mr. C. Perry Peeples, Real Property Coordinator, with this email and I am
asking him to provide you with the procedure to request the establishment of Special Improvement Districts (SID).
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Alachua County Public Works
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Mr. Gavarrete and Commissioners- this is the current state of our road, NW 222nd Ave, Alachua. To be clear, this is a neighborhood. We have children with asthma, elderly with COPD, kids on bikes, and mothers with strollers. We have homes, gardens, and animals,
all that we care for and love. The County has given us, by way of our tax dollars, a road to endure, and it is shameful. For years this road has needed restoration, but rather, only given repeated grading and shoulder removal. The result is that it has been
dug down and into the foundation. A vicious cycle of grading and lowering, much like the County’s standards for a well maintained road. Sincerely- Lisa Huey, Alachua County resident, taxpayer, and voter.