Lee County leaders to meet Monday with state delegation

LEESBURG — This week, for the second year in a row, all of the governing bodies of Lee County are gathering at Grand Island Golf Club to discuss plans for 2016 with members of the local state legislative delegation.

After what Lee County Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge described as a positive meeting in 2015, Muggridge and his fellow commissioners will again join members of the Lee County Board of Education, the Leesburg City Council and the Smithville City Council for a sit-down with state leaders, including state Rep. Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, and state Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, where they will discuss topics impacting the county in 2016.

“Last year was the first year we’d done this and I thought it went very well,” Muggridge said.

Scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, the meeting will also include other county officials and officers — representatives from the county planning and zoning board, the Lee County Tax Assessors Office, the Lee County Clerk of Courts, the Lee County Economic Development Commission and others.

Muggridge said the meeting, in which representatives from each agency and governing body will have an opportunity to share their thoughts on the coming year with state leaders, also opens up dialogue between each entity, which is something Muggridge feels is important if Lee County is to move forward as a whole.

“It’s a way for us to get together as the governing boards of Lee County,” said Muggridge. “We really tried to get everybody to the table. In fact, it’s probably even more about getting to know our peers on these different boards than anything else.”

Muggridge said that improved communication between the various county leaders helps ensure that before each group makes any significant decisions, it can learn how those decisions might impact the other entities.

While that inter-governmental communication is vitally important, Muggridge said that the group as a whole having the opportunity to share their hopes and plans with state leaders is crucial as well.

“This meeting gives us a chance to share our goals and let our state partners know what we want to see happen in the county,” said Muggridge. “It also allows us to say, ‘This is where we’d love to see the state move.’”

One of the most important topics Muggridge is hoping to discuss with state leaders involves a different kind of moving — moving across the county on new and improved roadways.

Lee County has several transportation projects in the works, including the Forrester Parkway Extension, the Westover Road Extension and the Marlow Lane Extension, all of which are expected to take significant progress this year.

“It’s all about growth here in Lee County,” said Muggridge. “We’re working hard on the development of the Forrester Parkway and Westover Road extensions. We hope to have Marlow complete in June of 16. Those are important projects for us moving forward.”

The one Muggridge feels is the most critical is the Westover Road Extension, which will create an important connection between Lee and Dougherty counties.

Phase II of that project, which will occur on the Lee County side, is set to get under way this year, but Muggridge shared concern that construction on the Dougherty side of the project isn’t set to begin for a few more years.

He’s hoping that with additional funds now available through House Bill 170, that the state can be influenced to get the project moving a little faster.

“We’ll be asking the state to expedite that,” said Muggridge. “Construction isn’t set to begin until 2018, but surely we can get that going a little sooner.”

Muggridge added that while some of the county’s plans don’t necessarily require any state involvement, he said the commission will be sharing some of those plans with the state delegation regardless.

Two such issues are the county’s desire to put together a completed, forward-looking strategy for fire protection and EMS services, and to hire a new county manager, both of which he hopes will be handled early in 2016.

“That’s our biggest thing for us, hiring a county manager, and to get things moving on a completed strategy moving forward for Fire and EMS services,” said Muggridge. “Look for us to have a special called meeting in January.”

As much as the local leadership is looking forward to next week’s meeting, so to our the state leaders, who rely on input from local government to gain insight into important matters.

“I always look forward to hearing what the local elected officials’ concerns are,” said Rynders. “The meeting is a great opportunity to interact with the school board, and city and county officials to get some insight on what’s on their agenda. I think last year went very well.”

Because the meeting will involve quorums of the local governing bodies, it is open to the public.