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Public commenter summarizes county actions on term limits, paratransit fees and land purchases
Summary
Melissa Thorne, a county-council candidate, reported county council actions: new eight-year term limits for several boards, an increase in paratransit fees, a Volusia Forever purchase of roughly 2,000 acres along the St. Johns River, and proposed taxation of ADUs; she urged local attention to potable-reuse proposals.
Melissa Thorne, speaking from the audience and identifying herself as a candidate for county council, told the council she attended the county session and summarized several actions. She said county council adopted eight-year term limits for many advisory boards and raised paratransit fees for riders, which she said disproportionately affects disabled residents.
Thorne also said the county used Volusia Forever funds to purchase nearly 2,000 acres along the St. Johns River to protect it from development and that county staff are discussing adding ADU (accessory dwelling unit) square footage into taxable property values for unincorporated areas. Finally, she urged local attention to county-level proposals on potable reuse ("toilet-to-tap") and said several neighboring cities are placing related charter amendments on ballots.
Her remarks were delivered as public comment; council and staff acknowledged the report and noted the county-level matters would be handled at county hearings rather than at the town council level.
