[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6161290,"mediaKeyId","5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422","parentId",5442337,"title","Economic development director cites RIF grant, Pulse rehab and mega‑site work; requests sustained funding","audioSeconds",361,"startMs",3399000,"endMs",3760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422&start=3399&end=3760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422/thumbnail_3399000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6161290/Jackson-County/Florida/Economic-development-director-cites-RIF-grant-Pulse-rehab-and-megasite-work-requests-sustained-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161290-d1af94ae261aa9e33a24e517ad61fb41/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177777&Signature=RFaqxs3ab7NV4oO30L~SkohzNAj~hUrRGvHNhBG0KHZKEJYj6CTSld1DFR-iE86WfpHfoQZj0yNett7IlsIJEsaKF-7q3bKVRiuGXW4m4R6qP3HuKhee4pn3-yStePgdOj8FNm8i6OFjVp7XYnEsypuKMvdbVv6cFu0PeHS5UiipiFhX1Xu2fSbDUh7ETmX9LIng7L99q-nvOS66TtIYEgY3y5AGvaytBmGmnUryz6HcBkG9KxEMEjpU8qSl8yDzOqaOiaHWuHcPQ2kEzJZq1KDGvB6kDc8eeGhu~IcVewAWxhtFf9B3xNLrzCGarjkCpeduD03N3wKfSPnX807LmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Jackson County, FL ","date","2025-07-22T03:23:34Z","article","An economic development official briefed commissioners on activities and funding at the Jackson County Economic Development Council and asked the commission to continue its financial support.

The director said the EDC has asked the county for the same contribution for a third straight year and hopes to double the program budget over the next couple of years if the board sees return on investment. He cited a roughly $1.7 million RIF (Rural Infrastructure Fund) grant that was awarded to support rehabilitation of the UNIMAC/Pulse building and said construction and private tenant activity is beginning.

The director also described longer-term projects, including work on a county “mega site” (approximately 2,147 acres) where recent feasibility work is outdated and would require a fresh analysis. He said updating the mega-site proposal package — including current utility and rail cost estimates and site-preparation data that developers expect — could cost $30,000–$50,000 or more. Retail recruitment and other targeted business‑attraction efforts were estimated at $2 million to $3.5 million annually for a robust campaign, the director said.

The director noted cooperation with regional partners including Opportunity Florida and Florida’s Great Northwest, ongoing outreach to private investors (including health-care providers and payers such as Florida Blue) and municipal contributions; he said some smaller municipalities had opted to request waivers from contributions but that overall private investment pledges and municipal support were expected to be similar to last year.

(Attribution: remarks by the county economic development director to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.)","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Jackson County Board of County Commissioners - FY 25-26 Budget Hearing - July 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The county’s economic development director said a $1.7 million state RIF grant will fund rehab work at the Pulse/UNIMAC building and urged continued county support to sustain recruitment and marketing efforts for manufacturing, retail and agriculture.","taxTitle","Jackson County, Florida","taxId",27854,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6161303,"Jackson County staff present balanced 2025–26 budget; millage must be advertised as a tax increase",3939,506000,4445000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422&start=506&end=4445","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422/thumbnail_506000.jpg","/articles/6161303/Jackson-County/Florida/Jackson-County-staff-present-balanced-202526-budget-millage-must-be-advertised-as-a-tax-increase","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161303-4f588826503a63213c04c0b18c84875c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177777&Signature=aqshHuAlxHLsgJKlE1HTdZl1eluvzb-0zY8YJzImRi8V1sQWYshnSKb0i6c1EdenRzK4GPfRHSKY7-njGKJacx7lb8iLzUOLMYW04kJj-IRWwdgfrS6G39OUChL3mlqMfZxB55MXIdmoyto7fj-c5~cWuTid6E2MsIgd7KOiv4djGEvJT6QFZMm6P2pEnu246-2JC-9EyY-sDjnjwLYp~DKab28CtiDuIjcyvuWzDEGOCLDuq806785iCGZ974LM4AcDsYpc2ixFBvR3YOwc2938eL5y~~UZ5EBtLO1al05dY4b5RYILYSxMeNI32VnFaDaNQbDXN4bltH6Aixo5ug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jackson County commissioners were presented a proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget that county staff said is balanced and totals about $142 million when anticipated grants are included.

The presenter said the county will advertise the millage rate as a tax increase because state law requires that notice when property values rise, even though the county is not proposing to change the millage rate. County staff told commissioners the budget is balanced in large part by using approximately $1.5 million in carryover funds from the current fiscal year and by removing contingency and reserve funds from the county utility fund.

Why it matters: the move preserves services in the near term but leaves the utility fund with no reserves. Staff said restoring a reserve and contingency for the utility fund would require transferring about $365,000 from general revenues. Commissioners were asked to consider whether to restore some of that funding.

Staff also described department cost pressures baked into the draft budget, including a countywide $1,650 pay increase that adds roughly $450,000 and higher health-insurance costs the presenter estimated at about $400,000; staff said most departments are seeing roughly a 10–12% increase in salary-and-benefit costs for operations. The draft also includes a previously approved $16.50-per-employee line item.

On outside funding requests, staff recommended several reductions from applicants’ asks: Partners for Pets’ $10,000 request was recommended at $5,000; the Jackson County Economic Development Council request was recommended at $210,000 rather than the $230,000 requested; and the Tri-County Airport’s request of “over $21,000” was recommended to be funded at $2,000 rather than the larger ask. Staff said certain capital requests (for example, the TDC mosquito program and the Russ House) are paid from dedicated funds outside general revenue and will continue to be considered separately.

Capital projects: staff presented a consolidated “wish list” of capital improvement requests that would total about $5.7 million if every item were funded. Commissioners were asked to defer final decisions on capital outlay and special projects until the end of the fiscal year so carryover dollars are known.

Next steps: staff said major department heads (road and bridge, fire rescue, jail and others) will be available at a follow-up session to answer questions after commissioners review the book at home. No formal votes on the budget were taken during the presentation.

(Attribution: budget presentation and figures reported by county budget staff and county administrative staff during the Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting.)
","Jackson County commissioners were presented a proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget that county staff said is balanced and totals about $142 million when anticipated grants are included.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6161295,"Sheriff presents staffing, training and cybersecurity costs as county budget pressures rise",267,1659000,1926000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422&start=1659&end=1926","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422/thumbnail_1659000.jpg","/articles/6161295/Jackson-County/Florida/Sheriff-presents-staffing-training-and-cybersecurity-costs-as-county-budget-pressures-rise","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161295-7097c616192ddf064d8f7a3dcdc42582/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177777&Signature=HAWQ8WoZsFF9Q93LzIVC1PTSw0m6J1~FLTYxle5h4zTc6drLTipm9m~7tiTXfmPgmA8SMkyLq6wsFhbsh~7R3qnOq3xhXDug3PWT7qZgSyZ57yB4NlSa7LRTpbGG3J~h2KKyRWcnhPTVsWDoW6zhevhIw-f~TJIlnXj3dQHnApPUR0L7KINY~i4mNsFaOXoBls~KPlQAjVFXMDI3l7lZq00YMK-1pQmccEl~lIRXSHbo9ng6mVMFJ1NdkIVvPsAlJciQo5TrQrHCZz1WTxgxC7XlO8etAX1lEHr11y2BYbHJf9d1rD79Ykv4KRUC8Sv8vIaEoXQhlYyBj4toWRHTpA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sheriff Willie presented the sheriff's office and emergency communications budgets to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, arguing that rising call volumes and statutory training and cybersecurity requirements are driving budget increases.

The sheriff said the county’s 911 budget is a state-funded pass-through and described personnel services and operating-line numbers for that fund. He then said the sheriff’s office personnel services account for the largest share of his department budget and listed operating and capital-outlay totals; the capital outlay request includes vehicle replacements ($200,000 of a $250,000 capital line) and server/infrastructure costs.

The sheriff told commissioners he requested four additional sworn positions, estimated at about $75,000 apiece for salary and benefits, and said part of the personnel increase reflects a proposed $1,650 per-employee raise that the draft budget includes. He said the office also absorbed an 11% increase in the state retirement benefit contribution since he took office.

On service demand, the sheriff said deputies answered about 40,000 calls last year — roughly 110 calls per day — and said the county occasionally covers municipal calls when local departments downsize. He pointed to mental-health and substance-use crisis responses as major drivers of demand. The sheriff also described mandatory training and said the office uses certified instructors and partnerships with neighboring agencies to reduce training costs.

The sheriff said cybersecurity work is required by statute; his office contracts with Inspire Technologies for IT services and has budgeted for a one-time investment and recurring cybersecurity licensing and maintenance.

The sheriff also identified an ADELIE state grant for sworn officers totaling about $1,493,408 shown on the budget materials. He asked commissioners to approve the budget requests to maintain operations and to provide appropriate equipment and training for new positions.

(Attribution: remarks by Sheriff Willie during the Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting.)","Sheriff Willie told commissioners the sheriff's office budget must increase for personnel, training, cybersecurity and equipment. He described rising call volumes — roughly 40,000 calls a year — and requested four additional sworn positions, equipment for new deputies and continued capital outlay for vehicles and servers.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6161298,"Supervisor of Elections requests scanner, high-speed tabulator after new petition law; cites unfunded mandate",294,1299000,1593000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422&start=1299&end=1593","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442337-5f6e4e931faf4d980907cd506254c422/thumbnail_1299000.jpg","/articles/6161298/Jackson-County/Florida/Supervisor-of-Elections-requests-scanner-high-speed-tabulator-after-new-petition-law-cites-unfunded-mandate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6161298-9c4916c8c2d26ff736371eef9559e74f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177777&Signature=d9fo3sDbVHT5rdVRgg9FdKcgA6ZA8F2YBAfzbFCIGNzaoxmj6qy-elom7IWi6L8n64uHPFn7A84ROCeQQNvRpvajesIxBDJjW-ERRP7zI2jkOaLQi209dQ0-szAK19oikJKJxXKSBw0m2t0cZpaxhJSoJRUH9CxypIC3c~tLDEyDJOeKrgIghNMcrChW0d2skcd-CRMLA1nWgR2p6sxpe7wSIFlfqtPV9H70eHu2RPM7MjM2vsB7uxqMNNK28Nf4M~pSSJbSSM2BFO8S2khewT~OCN3kN8dlQjtfsS8wMO0oG6-fw-M3ILYrNhoTklWPUOszj0dYkbVZka2wUaCiUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carol Dunaway, Jackson County supervisor of elections, asked the Board of County Commissioners to approve capital purchases for election operations tied to recent state legislation and to handle vote-by-mail processing.

Dunaway said House Bill 1205, which took effect July 1, changes how citizen initiative petitions must be processed and has increased the office’s scanning workload. She requested $9,000 for a high-speed petition scanner and a high-speed tabulator priced at $62,775 plus maintenance; she summarized the tabulator package total as about $77,000 including maintenance.

Dunaway told commissioners vote-by-mail processing is labor intensive in elections years. She said the office typically processes about 6,000 vote-by-mail ballots and hires part-time help to feed ballots; she and staff said the equipment would cut processing time and could reduce the multi-day load on staff. Dunaway also said the county’s website vendor for election-night reporting was replaced this year with ELIC Innovations after the prior vendor pulled out, which increased subscription and computer-support costs.

Dunaway said postage and communication line items increased to reflect the single election in the upcoming budget cycle and put one line (communications/postage) at $20,000 to cover vote-by-mail costs. She asked commissioners to consider the equipment as capital outlay and offered to return to the commission to explain the purchases in detail before final approval.

(Attribution: remarks by Carol Dunaway, Jackson County Supervisor of Elections.)","Supervisor of Elections told commissioners House Bill 1205 (effective July 1) requires expanded petition processing and asked for $9,000 for a high-speed scanner and roughly $77,000 for a high-speed tabulator and maintenance to handle larger petitions and vote-by-mail workloads.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Economic development director cites RIF grant, Pulse rehab and mega‑site work; requests sustained funding

Jackson County staff present balanced 2025–26 budget; millage must be advertised as a tax increase

Sheriff presents staffing, training and cybersecurity costs as county budget pressures rise

Supervisor of Elections requests scanner, high-speed tabulator after new petition law; cites unfunded mandate