COMMUNITY
DISCUSSIONS WITH D.R. HORTON OVER POSSIBLE WELL SITE
By LEGION TAYLOR Reporter
The Sopchoppy City Council meeting last Monday once again was focused on the issue of wells and water, progressing the acquisition of land that had been discussed in previous meetings.
Stewart Haire came to the meeting on behalf of the D.R. Horton construction company to discuss the possibility of trading land for a well for the city water system. Haire asked for a letter from the city that would allow Horton to go ahead with purchasing land for a new subdivision.
The city commission is considering the offer, as it would likely be much cheaper for the city if they were given this land rather than purchasing a different location for $150,000. The commission was still unsure, however, because if they did go through with the deal with Horton, they don’t know if they’d be able to have the well up and running by the time the proposed subdivision would be constructed, which could potentially mean costly expansion to an already overtaxed water grid, or leave a hundred-plus new homes without water.
Rather than make a decision they’re unsure of, the city commissioners decided to have a dialogue with Horton’s representatives, and have some studies done to make sure the property is good for the well site before proceeding any further.
They haven’t yet gone through with the purchase of land that has been discussed at the last few meetings, as the sttate Department of Environmental Protection hasn’t sent through all the paperwork needed to determine if the site is good or not.
City commissioners said they would rather wait rather than make a rushed decision and end up regretting it.
The city commission also discussed putting proportional share fees on the wells that new developments are tapping into, which would force the developers building and selling these homes to pay a percentage of the well’s cost based on the percentage of the well’s output their development will use.
This would mean that if a new development were to use 5% of the maximum amount of water that well could pump, it would have to pay 5% of the costs to construct the well. That way, the City of Sopchoppy would lose far less money on the wells, and be able to use that money to improve things elsewhere.
In other matters:
• The local 4-H club came to the meeting to request the monetary support of the City of Sopchoppy, and after a brief presentation about what 4-H is all about, the city commission decided to support them at the same level they did last year, which amounts to $1,000.
• The city commission unanimously adopted the operating budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year, with no debate.
• A motion was read to close an alley on Wakulla Street. The city commission decided that rather than closing all alleys all at once, they would close them down as they were requested to save staff the hassle of paperwork. They were fine with closing the alley, but some paperwork still needs to be done by the city staff before it can be officially closed.
• The “Light the Night” event was approved to be held at Sopchoppy’s Depot Park on Oct. 28th.