Here are some topics from the last Board of County Commissioners meeting. If you want to know more about what was discussed and decided, you can read the agendas and minutes as they get posted. You can watch the first part of the meeting and the second part of the meeting on our Facebook page.
Saluting our 2023 Clay County Volunteer of the Year
Congratulations to Clay County’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year, Amie Hagar. Amie has volunteered at the Clay County Animal Services shelter for more than five years and has been instrumental in finding foster and permanent adoption homes for many animals. Her exceptional commitment to the welfare of dogs is demonstrated by the countless hours she spends caring for them both at the shelter and in her home, collecting donations, and transporting shelter pets. She does everything she can to foster a live release of shelter dogs and her selflessness and tireless efforts made her an exemplary candidate for this prestigious recognition. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to improving the lives of shelter animals in our community. You can watch the special presentation at the 37:35-minute mark of the first video.
Expanding emergency medical transportation services in Clay County
Commissioners approved HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital’s application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) for ambulance service within Clay County. A Class D COPCN is issued for private or municipal providers of ambulance services to conduct emergency or non-emergency interfacility medical transport services within Clay County at the advanced life support or basic life support level. This Class D certificate is contingent upon HCA Florida obtaining the needed ALS and BLS licensing as required by Florida Statutes to operate an ambulance service. Once approved by the State of Florida, HCA Florida will move toward having a dedicated ambulance service to expedite transportation between the Freestanding HCA Florida Middleburg emergency room to HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital for patients needing hospital admission or critical hospital procedures. You can learn more at the 1:19:34-minute mark of the first video.
Residential curbside recycling collection trending downward
The amount of recycling collected from residential homes has declined from 535 tons in 2019 to 262 tons in the first quarter of 2024. From January to March of this year, the County collected 30 tons of corrugated cardboard and 756 tons of comingled containers from residents. The County sold the corrugated cardboard at an average price of $92 per ton and sent the comingled containers to a processor at an average cost of $85 per ton. An analysis of the collected materials reveals the overall amount collected from residents has decreased, but the percentage of garbage and other residuals in the collected materials has increased. The collection of corrugated cardboard is also trending slightly upward. Because corrugated cardboard is one of the highest-valued items and is currently in high demand, continuing to take corrugated cardboard at the environmental convenience centers under the new collection contract makes the most sense for the County, and it can be done with small operational changes, and at no cost to residents. If you want to learn more about this topic, you can listen to the discussion at the 3:58-minute mark of the second video.
