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New council member is in familiar territory

Jacquie Hepfer was on the Inverness council for eight years before losing her seat in '05.

By JOHN FRANK
Published November 10, 2006

INVERNESS - Jacquie Hepfer took her seat Wednesday on the City Council after easily winning a special election to fill the vacancy left by Bill Sheen.

But calling her Inverness' new council member doesn't quite fit. She was on the dais for eight years before losing her re-election bid in 2005 to Sophia Diaz-Fonseca.

"Its like being home," Hepfer said.

Sheen resigned in August after his wife took a job in Georgia. Hepfer will finish the remainder of his term, which expires February 2009.

The duties came back to her easily. During the meeting, she was making motions to approve city ordinances, but kept her comments at the end short.

"It's good to be back," she said.

In other council news:

- The traffic congestion at U.S. 41 and State Road 44 E near Cooter Pond could get better soon, city officials announced.

Southbound drivers on U.S. 41 who want to turn left onto SR 44 will benefit. State transportation engineers plan to extend the left-turn lane light by eight seconds to accommodate the extra traffic detoured east onto SR 44 while the Gospel Island Bridge is closed.

- Council members unanimously approved granting the 84-acre Wyld Palms project a separate tax district after a brief public hearing.

The developers want taxing authority over their residents to generate dollars for projects like roads and recreation areas. The district would cover only the 350 units in the gated community being developed off Turner Camp Road along Little Lake Henderson.

- Wednesday's council meeting - pushed back a day because of the election - was the first in quite some time for City Clerk Debbie Davis, who was seriously injured in a bike accident Sept. 4 on the Withlacoochee State Trail.

She received a standing ovation from council and the audience.

- The council approved a measure that shuffled around some money to pay for a $65,500 traffic study.

City Manager Frank DiGiovanni called it an unfunded mandate passed by the state Legislature last year. The money will be used to hire a planner to look for ways to improve traffic circulation through the downtown area.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 860-7312.

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 22:48:38]