Board seeks continuation on 5.5‑acre annexation next to Kelly Smith site after neighbor concerns

Putnam County School Board members on Sept. 9 discussed two land‑use petitions before the City of Palatka — a 9.9‑acre parcel that the board had already annexed and a 5.5‑acre parcel for which annexation remained under consideration — and asked the school attorney to request a continuance from the city so the board can review neighborhood concerns.

Mister Palm summarized background: the district pursued annexation and comprehensive‑plan changes for parcels adjacent to Kelly Smith school and completed annexation for the 9.9‑acre parcel; the 5.5‑acre parcel remained pending. Palm said residents had raised repeated concerns about potential changes to development density and asked the board to pause the 5.5‑acre action. “My recommendation…is to withdraw that application for the time being,” Palm said, later clarifying that he wanted the board to request a continuation so the matter could return to the board’s agenda rather than be completely withdrawn from the city’s docket.

Attorney Thomas Holmes explained that asking the city to call up the item and continue it to a date certain avoids readvertising and additional fees. Board members discussed utility tap capacity and whether water and sewer access would differ if the parcel remained outside the city. Mister Leary noted the city previously ran a tap for the original Kelly Smith site and said city infrastructure could serve the school without a new tap fee.

There was no final vote to annex or withdraw the 5.5‑acre parcel on the record; the board’s direction was procedural: the attorney was asked to request that the City of Palatka call up the matter at its upcoming meeting and continue it to a date certain so the board can place it on a future regular meeting agenda for fuller consideration.