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Residents urge preservation of Stevens School as commissioners probe CRA/TIF match and withheld funds
Summary
Public advocates called on the board to preserve the historic Stevens School and pursue funding; commissioners asked the county attorney to seek written clarification from the Quincy CRA, the property appraiser and the clerk about outstanding TIF/CRA balances and whether CRA/TIF funds can be used as the required $1.5M match.
A packed public-comment period turned into a lengthy agenda discussion about the future of the William A. Stevens School and whether the county can assemble the roughly $1.5 million match required to move a FEMA/other-funded rehabilitation project forward.
Dorothy Thomas, who worked on the Stevens School effort since 2017, urged the board to preserve the historic building and stressed the project's potential as a community hub with workforce training, a cafeteria, health services and youth programs. "This facility has the potential to become a center for education and economic development," Thomas said, asking commissioners to exhaust all options to keep the building in the community.
The discussion shifted into a technical, legal review when commissioners and staff described barriers to using land value as a match and recounted outstanding audit findings and withheld CRA/TIF funds. Derek Elias, a Quincy resident and planning advocate, cited the city's auditor, saying the CRA audit flagged $1.2 million that should be returned to taxing authorities and that the county's clerk was withholding roughly $760,000 — assertions commissioners asked staff and counsel to verify.
The county attorney advised the board that FEMA guidance (as of 05/15/2026) indicates land value cannot be used as a match for the FEMA-funded components; only third-party design and construction costs are eligible in-kind. The attorney also told commissioners he would research the county's legal standing and reach out to the city attorney and CRA counsel for clarification on the TIF balance and any FDLE inquiries before the board pursues use of CRA funds as a match.
Commissioner Holt moved — and the board supported — a direction for the county attorney to contact the clerk and the property appraiser to obtain formal written clarification about the CRA/TIF balances cited in the city's audit and to report back. Commissioners also scheduled a CRA representative to appear at a near-term meeting and asked staff for a written packet on eligible match types and any obstacles to timely grant-obligation deadlines.
The meeting did not resolve the funding gap; advocates vowed to continue lobbying the board for preservation, and staff promised written follow-up.
