Local News

After some opening pleasantries, the Williston City Council focused on the subject that concerns everyone in the nation: finances. Paying expected bills, authorizing some unexpected expenditures, contracting for budgeted items and suggestions for new revenue streams were the primary thrust of the meeting.

Williston's City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday evening to determine which among the 24 candidates for city manager they wanted to interview.

Each council member and Mayor Gerald Hethcoat had been asked to rate the candidates based on criteria that could total 100 points. Those criteria included education (the advertisement had specified at least a bachelor's degree in business or public administration) and employment history (the ad specified three to five years of public employment in Florida, at either the city manager level or below with increasing responsibility.)

The Williston City Council gave final approval to resolutions 2008-23 and 2008-24 at a special meeting on Tuesday evening.

The first of those resolutions set the millage rate for the 2008-2009 fiscal year at 5.9025 mills. That was the rollback rate recommended by Finance Director Mark Schiefer and accepted at earlier meetings by the council. The roll back rate represents the millage rate that is necessary for the city to realize the same ad valorem revenues as in the last fiscal year, based on property values.

This is one of those weekends in Williston where, if you can't find something to do, you aren't looking very hard.

One of the big events is for parents to bring their children to the Masonic Lodge on State Road 121 headed toward Gainesville. It's Child Safety Day, and it runs from 10 a.m. to about 3 p.m. The Levy County Sheriff's Office, Williston fire and police departments, Ocala Shriners, AARP, which will be holding a flu shot clinic, and other agencies will be on hand to provide information and demonstrations.