A counter offer from representatives of I&E regarding a building that the East County Water Control District would like to purchase for its headquarters was presented to the ECWCD Board of Commissioners and was rejected.

Commissioers had 72 hours from 8 a.m., May 24 to accept a counter offer of $750,000 with a $25,000 deposit payable within 10 days of acceptance and an additional $25,000 deposit would be due at completion of the inspection period.

Instead of coming up with another offer for the building in front of Town Lakes on Williams Street, the board of commissioners voted to ask its director, David Lindsay, to seek an appraisal on the building.

Lindsay said he would seek three bidders to get an appraisal for the next meeting.

The ECWCD had offered $650,000 for the building.

On the ECWCD agenda under the action agenda, there was time set aside for a resolution regarding the Florida Municapal Loan Trust Bond of $7 million. But the discussion was tabled until the next meeting.

The $7 million Municipal Trust Bond has been controversial in Lehigh with many people asking the ECWCD not to borrow money at this time, putting what they say are the people of Lehigh in debt.

ECWCD management and staff say money is needed to repair culverts in Lehigh and to buy a building to move their general offices into since they now are working out of two trailers on ECWCD property.

At one point of the meeting, Commissioner Desmond Barrett said he thought representatives from I&E were “dragging their feet” in the matter.

Meanwhile, a Mirror Lakes Study was presented by engineers showing plans to create water retention areas over the next several years. The board accepted the study following a Powerpoint presenation.

After the meeting Commissioner Mike Welch offered the following comment in regards to the purchase of the I&E building:

“To say that after all that is said and done that the cost of the building with renovations will not raise taxes is ridiculous.

“They want to buy this building with loans. The loans have to be paid back. It will add to the debt and we are already deeply in debt. I can’t vote for tax increases.

“It was my campaign pledge and our citizens are already burdened enough,” Welch said.

Welch, who says little during meetings, was asked by another commissioner if he was going to vote no on the purchase of the building down the road. He offered a simple reply during the meeting: “I won’t vote on anything that raises our taxes.”