Franklin County commission delays naming RESTORE council

County commissioners have still not approved the membership for the local RESTORE council.

The board tabled the creation of the council on Tuesday while it considers input from the cities of Apalachicola and Carrabelle on the makeup of the council.

Initially the county had envisioned a 15 member Council which would include representatives from all local towns and cities as well as the Tourist Development Council, The school Board, the local hospital, and the seafood workers and dealers associations.

The group would consider projects proposed for funding through any money Franklin County receives from fines levied on BP because of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Their recommendations would go to the county commission for final approval before being sent to the federal government for funding.

The cities of Apalachicola and Carrabelle, however, don’t like that set-up.

They have asked that the 15 members be made up of the city commissioners of Apalachicola and Carrabelle and the county commission.

The cities also feel that any RESTORE money the county receives should be split between the counties and the cities based on population.

County commissioners have agreed to consider remaking the board, and will take the next two weeks to think about it – but they did have some reservations.

Commissioner Smokey Parrish said the process has to be transparent and the public has to be involved, so even if only elected officials sit on the council, all projects will still have to go to a public hearing.

Commissioner Pinki Jackel said she felt the cities proposal would give the cities more representation on the council than the unincorporated areas of the county.

Commissioners said the issue of splitting the money between the county and the cities is not a decision the county commission can make.

Commissioner Pinki Jackel said the county is not going to get a big check that it can divide up – instead the money will be held by the federal government, and any projects approved locally will then be sent to the federal government for funding.

At this point there isn’t any money for the RESTORE council to work with anyway, so the question is a bit premature.

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