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Jun 15, 2023

Inverness gets second chance at state money for connector trail

Reporter Inverness Government Center Inverness City Council members are again

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Inverness Government Center

Inverness City Council members are again holding their collective breath in hopes that Gov. Ron DeSantis will pass by a couple of their latest projects on the state budget and not do any veto cutting.

The city's Tallahassee lobbyists told the Inverness council this week that its proposed Withlacoochee State Trail connector once again made it on Florida's proposed budget. The $1.1 million project that includes a trail head off Forest Drive and connect to the popular Withlacoochee State Trail a year ago was vetoed by the governor in 2022.

It's unclear how much money the city would need to put toward the project.

Andrew Kalel, of Sunrise Consulting Group in Tallahassee, told the city council this week that Florida state lawmakers again appropriated the $1.1 million for the project and that City Manager Eric Williams talked with DeSantis’ staff in conveying the need for the project and to make sure they understood the popularity of the project.

Kalel also told the council that lawmakers budgeted another $1 million for a new Whispering Pines Park entrance on State Road 44 to accommodate the highway's widening.

The city's plan is to connect about 19 acres it owns west of Whispering Pines Park to the state trail.

Now it's an issue of time, Williams told the council.

"Now it's just wait and see if it hits the veto pen," he said.

Following DeSantis’ line-item veto of the project a year ago, Williams said then, "This is not one of those items I’m just going to back off (from)," Williams said. "I’ve put that West Inverness Trail in front of everything north, south, and east of it for funding."

Councilman Cabot McBride said to Kalel, "so you’re giving us some sense of optimism."

Also in city business, auditors at McDirmit Davis in Orlando told the city council that the city's books met audit standards.

While auditors annually reviewing municipal books don't give a grade for how the city or county is doing financially, auditor Tammy Campbell told the council "you did well" and that the city had general fund reserves in place and there was no need to tap into those reserves for operations.

She also said she didn't see any need for borrowing money to fund capital projects and that the city's internal financial controls were working and being followed.

Councilman Cabot McBride thanked Campbell and said the audit reflected the hard work by Williams and Inverness Finance Director Richard Lacondre.

Councilman Gene Davis also thanked city employees for their work reflected in the city's annual budget.

Fred Hiers is a reporter at the Citrus Chronicle. Email him at [email protected].

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