Volusia Chair Kelley urges sales tax, moving library

Dec. 15--Volusia County Chair Ed Kelley says he wants to explore moving the Daytona Beach Regional Library off City Island and turning the land over to developers.

The future of the library, closed after flood damage during Hurricane Irma in September, will be among key questions facing the County Council next year and was one of the issues addressed by Kelley and County Manager Jim Dinneen at the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce's monthly Eggs & Issues event Friday morning.

They reflected on this year's accomplishments -- the county's funding commitment to three homeless shelters, improvements to beach access, and its support for economic development opportunities in Daytona Beach -- but also looked ahead to 2018, when they will be faced with questions about the future of not just the library, but the County Administration Building at 250 N. Beach St., as well as a plan to ask voters to raise the sales tax by a half-cent on the November ballot to help fund transportation projects.

Need for sales-tax hike?

A lot of the discussion involved traffic and transportation shortcomings as Kelley lobbied the business community to support the sales-tax initiative. "I didn't realize traffic could be so bad at 7:30 in the morning," Kelley joked, before pointing to building traffic snarls on Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach, Dunlawton Avenue in Port Orange and State Road 44 in DeLand.

"People yell and scream that they can't get out anywhere," he said. "A half-cent sales tax will take care of these issues."

City and county leaders have been working toward that referundum all year during meetings of the Roundtable of Elected Officials. A list developed by city leaders in April identified $1.6 billion in unmet needs and the CEO Business Alliance agreed in June to fund a study that will gauge public opinion and help elected leaders determine how money should be split among cities and projects. There hasn't been a meeting since October, but the results of the study will be presented during at a Jan. 8 meeting.

"It's going to be on the ballot," Kelley said with certainty after the breakfast. "I think it's on track to be on the ballot."

South Daytona City Manager Joe Yarbrough, who also chairs the Volusia County Managers Association, didn't disagree with Kelley's assertion, qualifying that by saying he hasn't reviewed the study results. "Early indications say the public is in support of a sales tax paying for roadway, sidewalk and storm-water improvements," he said Friday.

Supporters of the initiative say that roughly 40 percent of tax revenue would come from tourists.

Beach Street properties

Kelley and Dinneen said the City Island library, where contractors were seen working inside Friday afternoon, may not reopen until April. There's more uncertainty surrounding the administration building, which had housed license tag services and more.

"That may be damaged beyond repair," Dinneen said, later adding that the council will have to ultimately decide if it's worth saving. "It's worse than we thought it would be."

Downtown Daytona Beach will likely see changes with plans announced by insurance giant Brown & Brown to open a 10-story headquarters plus a new five-story county courthouse and a four-story office building under study near the S. James Foxman Justice Center. That project is expected to come before the County Council for a vote late next year.

That plan hinges on demolishing the Volusia County Courthouse Annex on City Island and freeing up land for development. Asked if it's time to look at moving the City Island library for the same purpose, Dinneen said funding hasn't been identified at this time.

But Kelley said he supports "reallocating some funds" to make it happen.

"Now would be the time," Kelley said. "You have a situation where the library flooded. Do we want to go down this road again? I think if the opportunity presents itself, along with everything that's happening, with Brown & Brown and (the courthouse), to have the ability to move or relocate the library only makes sense from an economic standpoint."

In a later phone call, Kelley speculated on what might replace the library. "It could be a private use that could generate jobs or provide residences, but it's not up to me to say what should go there. ... We (the council) should evaluate the situation."

The county is paying nearly $2 million to a contractor to assess damage and clear out ruined flooring and walls at the two buildings, Dinneen said.

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