The Ponte Vedra Beach Municipal Service District held its 500th board of trustees meeting in July 8 and the budget is becoming more and more of a topic of discussion.
The board agreed by a vote of four to one to set a tentative millage rate of 0.2464%.
Treasurer Rick Brown was the lone trustee that opposed the tentative millage rate because he preferred the current millage rollback rate of 0.2225%.
The decision is not finalized and can be changed because it is currently a tentative rate at this time, because they only had to agree on a tentative millage rate at the time due to state requirements.
In other news from the latest MSD meeting, trustee Mikey White informed his fellow trustees that a group from the University of Florida would be interested in possibly testing the oxygen levels of the lagoon water in Ponte Vedra Beach to see the best approach to help improve the lagoons.
After much discussion over the months, White wants to focus on start really looking into sorting out getting title easements who currently have drainage issues and no active owners, especially on Le Master Drive, San Juan Drive and Morning Side Drive.
White is also continuing reaching out and trying to work with the county’s procurement office to see if the MSD can go ahead and use Isman & Russo for the feasibility study focusing on the drainage layout prior to and along with the sidewalk study as well on Solana Road and San Juan Drive in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Jim Priester, who is running for St. Johns County Sheriff was in attendance and spoke during the MSD meeting and mentioned to the trustees that one of his goals if he wins the sheriff position, he would be interested in coming up with a new patrol contract similar to what the MSD had previous with the county where five deputies were in charge primarily of the area.
According to trustee John Cellucci, working together to create a contract the MSD previously had with the sheriff’s office is something he and some of his fellow trustees said they would definitely be interested again.
