Making the county’s wetlands protection regulations the law of the land throughout the county — except for certain exempted areas — will be discussed during a meeting Tuesday by Alachua County commissioners.

The County Commission will discuss and probably vote on whether to approve a proposed amendment to its Water Quality Code. If approved, it will establish a county-wide ordinance that will govern minimum water quality requirements for protecting wetlands, said Chris Bird, director of Alachua County Growth Management.

The issue will be discussed at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the County Administration Building at 12 SE First St.

The commission also will probably decide if it wants to give municipalities the authority to opt in or out of the ordinance.

"That’s definitely a policy decision to be made by the commission," Bird said.

After studying the issue, Bird said it’s the growth management department’s recommendation that the county extend its wetlands protection requirements throughout the county, and not just in unincorporated parts of the county, which is currently the case.

If passed, the ordinance will be the law for protecting wetlands in the county, except for those areas that will be excluded, Bird said.

Some of the areas that will be exempt include agricultural, certain redevelopment areas, historical wetlands, areas with projects that have already received site plan approval by local or state agencies, and areas currently exempted by the county’s surface water and wetlands code, Bird said.

The proposed ordinance will help ensure wetlands continue to play their role in mitigating flooding and protecting water quality and watersheds, Bird said.

Municipal officials throughout the county say the county should not mandate that their cities be required to adhere to the requirements of the proposed ordinance. Some are flat out opposed to the ordinance, while others say they should have the ability to opt in or out of the ordinance.

The city of Archer would like to be able to opt in or out of the ordinance, said Archer City Manager Zeriah Folston.

"That gives our citizens and commission the chance to choose which way we want to go with development in our community," Folston said.

Folston’s counterpart in Waldo feels the same way.

"We believe in home rule and we believe we should have the option to opt in or out," said Kim Worley, Waldo city manager.

Hawthorne Mayor Matthew Surrency said his city, along with the Florida Department of Transportation and CSX Corporation, a national railroad company, are addressing the wetlands issues in the city and parts of unincorporated Alachua County near Hawthorne.

"Our plan is to have a system that takes care of the issues in Hawthorne," Surrency said. "The county should choose to partner with the municipalities instead of mandating to them."

The large scale plan for protecting wetlands in the Hawthorne area won’t include property owners having to foot the bill because the city is "piggybacking" off the work being done by CSX and FDOT, Surrency said.

In a September letter to county environmental officials, High Springs City Manager Ed Booth said his city commission doesn't support the proposed wetlands protection amendment, and Newberry officials are also on the record saying they oppose the amendment.

Later this year, the county also will look at adopting a stormwater amendment to its water quality code, Bird said.