Columbia County sets proposed millage, backs emergency grant application and expands opioid-funded paramedicine program

Columbia County commissioners on a special-called meeting voted to set the county's proposed maximum millage rate at 7.815 mills, authorized staff to submit an emergency infrastructure grant application to support a prospective steel manufacturer's rail needs, and approved expansion of a community paramedicine program funded by opioid settlement dollars.

The proposed millage sets the ceiling for the 2025-26 budget process; the board will hold public hearings in September before adopting a final rate. Commissioners voted by voice to adopt the proposed maximum of 7.815 mills after a lengthy budget discussion about rising costs for insurance, utilities, retirement and capital projects.

The county's finance discussion was framed by staff estimates that recent revenue growth is outpaced by operating cost increases. "The growth in our revenues is less than the growth in our operational costs," said Mister Powell, who has estimated Columbia County revenues for years. County staff said returning the millage to the county's traditional level (8.015 mills) would add roughly $900,000 in ad valorem revenue; staff provided a baseline figure showing ad valorem collections at the current rate total $36,599,153.

Commissioners also voted to authorize staff to submit an emergency grant application to support a rail project tied to a potential steel manufacturer considering Columbia County. County staff member Jennifer, who presented the company's preliminary numbers, said Phase 1 would be about a $200,000,000 capital investment and roughly 200 jobs with an average wage "in the range of about $45 an hour, with benefits." Commissioners described the grant filing as time-sensitive and approved guidance for staff to file the application on an expedited basis by voice vote.

Separately, the board approved the annual routine resolution extending the 2025 assessment rolls until Value Adjustment Board (VAB) actions are complete (Resolution 2025R-30), a procedural step requested by the tax collector to meet a November 1 billing schedule.

The board also set the proposed millage for the North Florida Mega Industrial Park municipal service taxing unit to match the county's proposed rate at 7.815 mills.

On public-health spending, commissioners approved using a new allocation from the opioid settlement known as the Coordinated Opioid Response Network (CORE) to expand the county's community paramedicine program. Fire Chief Jeff Crawford explained the CORE allocation structure: $775,000 in year one, $387,500 in year two and $193,750 annually thereafter (for a program horizon described in the meeting as roughly 15 years), and said the combined streams tied to opioid settlements would total more than $9 million over the program period. Chief Crawford said the program has responded to 445 calls in the past year and enrolled 142 people in ongoing care, and he requested hiring a second community paramedic and an administrative support position to manage program paperwork.

"This money is there for us. We didn't have to ask for it," Chief Crawford said of the settlement funds, describing them as a non-tax revenue stream derived from litigation settlements rather than grants. Crawford and staff said the program budget is structured to roll surplus funds from early years into future years for vehicle replacement, equipment and personnel.

Why it matters: the actions set the fiscal baseline for the 2025-26 budget cycle and move forward a time-sensitive infrastructure grant that county staff and state partners said could influence whether a large private investment locates to Columbia County. The opioid-funded community paramedicine expansion would increase nontraditional emergency-care capacity and is financed by recurring settlement dollars rather than the county's general fund.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to authorize county staff to file an emergency rural infrastructure grant application to support a prospective steel manufacturer's rail needs: approved by voice vote. (Guidance to staff to apply; emergency meeting called for that purpose.) - Resolution 2025R-30, extension of 2025 assessment rolls until VAB action: approved by voice vote. - Proposed maximum county millage for FY 2025-26 set at 7.815 mills (set as maximum; final rate to be adopted after public hearings): approved by voice vote. - Proposed millage for North Florida Mega Industrial Park municipal service taxing unit set at 7.815 mills: approved by voice vote. - Approval to accept CORE (Coordinated Opioid Response Network) allocations and expand the community paramedicine program (add one paramedic position and one clerical support position as proposed): approved by voice vote.

Board comments and next steps: commissioners asked staff to prepare budget scenarios reflecting both the current millage and the higher traditional rate so the board can see trade-offs during August workshops. Staff warned that although restoring the millage to 8.015 mills would bring an estimated additional $900,000, rising fixed costs and capital project obligations mean either revenue increases or service reductions will likely be necessary. Staff said the emergency grant filing is time-sensitive and coordinated with state economic development partners and the Department of Commerce; Pinsley Rail was identified in the discussion as the industrial park's rail provider.

Public comment at the meeting was none, and staff said more detailed contracts and agreements tied to the CORE funds and any grant awards would be returned to the board for approval in coming months.