CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council chamber overflowed with visitors Monday in anticipation of discussion about the Uncle Bill Lundy Memorial and the Confederate battle flag fluttering above it.

At Council President Robyn Helt’s request, the council unanimously agreed to schedule a special meeting to discuss the issue in a larger venue.

Local NAACP chapter President Sabu Williams' request to address the council on the matter was scheduled as the third topic under the regular City Council meeting's 10th agenda item.

Community leaders, out-of-town Confederate heritage group members and curious residents filled every available chair and stood in the back of the chamber and in the hallway.

 Noting the large turnout and saying she wanted to assure everyone could be accommodated, Helt suggested removing the agenda item completely and rescheduling it.

Councilman Joe Blocker moved to call a special meeting to take action on the matter in a venue "that can hold a thousand people."

After caution by city attorney Jerry Miller to restrain from hyperbole in a legally binding motion, the motion was modified to holding the meeting at the Crestview Community Center.

Miller also reminded the council he had been tasked to research the actual ownership of the memorial’s small triangle of land at First and Hickory Avenues after city officials’ search proved inconclusive.

"I want to make sure when we schedule this meeting we have adequate time to research the facts and for legal counsel to prepare for it," Helt said.

After the council settled on a 6 p.m. Nov. 14 meeting, more than half the audience filed from the chamber.

WANT TO GO?

The Crestview City Council will hold a special called meeting 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Crestview Community Center to discuss the Uncle Bill Lundy Memorial.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview City Council dodges flag issue, sets Nov. 14 meeting

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council, in what some officials fear is a precedent-setting move, has unanimously agreed to fund half the cost of continuing to operate county bus service in town.

The Board of County Commissioners had established a Nov. 4 deadline for the city to find funding for local bus routes 11 and 12, which otherwise faced elimination.

The city hopes funding will come from an increased share of county gas tax money, though city clerk Betsy Roy said the amount the city will receive won't be determined for several months.

At its Monday evening meeting, council members expressed displeasure at having to pay for a service no other city in the county is asked to support.

"We do pay county taxes and this is a county transportation system," Councilman Tom Gordon said. "That means the people of Crestview who pay county taxes pay twice. I don't like that."

In exchange for agreeing to pay upward of $48,125 to keep local routes operating, the council demanded city representation on the board of Okaloosa County Transit, a private company that operates the county bus service.

"You're here to request money from our citizens, but that bus service does not fall under any line item of the city of Crestview, so we have no oversight of that service but we're asked to sign a check," Council President Robyn Helt told OCT representatives.

OCT operations manager Barry Peterson said he would have to bring the council's request before the board.

Bus advertising

Helt also asked transit coordinator Lani Birchett why the sales representative of Pensacola-based Transit Advertising Limited, the advertising agency that places ads on county buses, hasn't contacted Crestview area businesses.

"She's certainly not doing a job for you and she's certainly not doing a job for us," Helt said. "Not one bus has one ad."

Helt suggested the city itself could solicit ads from area businesses and contribute the 50 percent advertising fee OCT pays its ad agency directly toward route 11 and 12 operating costs.

Helt also questioned why the city couldn't apply for its own state and federal transportation grants if it's going to be an equal partner in funding its bus routes.

Birchett said transportation funding must be applied for through the regional Transportation Planning Organization, which funnels the money to OCT and other transit providers.

City planner Eric Davis, whom council members proposed as Crestview's representative on the OCT board, said that 2013-14 probably will not be the only year Crestview will have to fund county transit.

"I'm afraid every year going forward we're going to be stuck with that choice," Davis said. "But next year it won't just be us. It'll be Fort Walton and Mary Esther as well."

Birchett assured the council that "Okaloosa County Transit values Crestview's business."

"I should hope so," Councilman Mickey Rytman replied. "We're the biggest city in the county."

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City OKs paying half of bus operating costs, demands seat on OCT board

CRESTVIEW — Residents and city officials, along with Okaloosa County Transit management, have discussed ways of improving Crestview's bus routes if they continue operating past Nov. 4. That's the date the county will terminate routes 11 and 12 unless the cash-strapped city finds funds to match the county's share after state and federal grants.

More than a dozen residents and nine officials on Tuesday shared ideas during an informal gathering in the Crestview Community Center. Consolidating local service into one route; eliminating underused or closely located stops to expand service to unserved areas; eliminating duplicated service; and running smaller buses at slow times are among suggestions.

An essential service

Several residents described the importance of the bus service to their daily lives.

"I have to ride the bus. There is no choice for me," Winsome Houston said. "I'm legally blind and I can't drive anymore."

Linda Hermenitt took the bus to attend the workshop.

"I have to ride the bus," she said. "I don't have a vehicle. I've been to Wal-Mart, I've been to Villa Crest. I go to the library, and to LifePoint Church on the bus."

Until she retired, Carol McPherson rode the bus every day to her jobs at Walgreens and Wal-Mart.

"I take it to Publix more than anywhere," McPherson said. "I don't have a car. I never had a drivers license in my life."

City Clerk Betsy Roy said during the county commission meeting at which Crestview's bus service was discussed, people said they would willingly wait an extra half-hour if the routes were consolidated.

However, Okaloosa County Transit coordinator Lani Birchett said changing or consolidating routes is a difficult process and "is not going to happen overnight."

A unique problem

City Planner Eric Davis said no other city in the county has to find funding to maintain bus services. The county wants at least $25,000, and possibly as much as $50,000, from Crestview to match its share, he said.

Roysaid a possible source could be increased gas tax revenue expected to begin coming to the city after Jan. 1, but she noted the same source also must fun city road repairs, which are several years behind.

Barry Peterson, Okaloosa County Transit’s operations supervisor, said fares do not come close to covering the bus operating expenses.

Resident Kenny Fuller, a regular bus rider, said he believed that it was unfair to expect the city to pay for the buses. Like roads, they're an essential service, he said.

"The city, it's not their job to fund the buses, and they don't have the money anyway," Fuller said. "The buses are like roads. You don't make any money paving the roads."

However, Elliott Kamper, the county’s growth management director, said city funding is probably the only thing that will save the Crestview bus routes.

"Strategically, the best thing that could happen is for the city council to agree to fund 50 percent of the cost," Kamper said.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview residents and officials brainstorm bus route improvements

CRESTVIEW — On Oct. 2, former Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce board member Katie Sharon gave her husband, J.D., a "honey-do" list of household chores.

However, J.D. would much rather put his recently earned electrical engineering degree to use at his new Palace Acquire, or PAQ, program job at Eglin Air Force Base.

The program fast-tracks recent college graduates into engineering careers in the Defense Department, and will cover J.D.'s master's degree studies.

But due to the federal government shutdown, J.D., as one of PAQ's newest engineers, was also one of the first to be furloughed. He now wonders if he should have left his previous job with Microsystems.

"I left a good job to take this job," J.D. Sharon said. "It was a very enticing position to get. It sounded very, very good, until you come up against the budget shutdown."

Katie's job as a vice president at Coastal Bank will cover the family's financial needs until J.D. is called back to work, the Sharons said.

"But there are lots of single-parent families affected by this (shutdown) that don't have that extra income," J.D. said.

The couple's babysitter, who tends their children, Emily, 2, and Davis, 10 months, said her husband was also furloughed. She can't explain to a creditor that the family's main wage earner is temporarily receiving no income.

"She told me, 'If only they could just furlough my mortgage,'" Katie said.

Far-reaching effects

"You may have shut down the government, but that doesn't stop the electricity bill, the mortgage or the cost of groceries from continuing to rack up," Katie stated in a letter to U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla.

Civilian workers, such as J.D., and military contractor employees aren't the only people affected by the shutdown.

Thursday, Katie's parents were supposed to close on the sale of their Crestview house, but because the buyers have a government-backed loan, the sale was called off.

"It trickles down," Katie said. "Do I not send the kids to the babysitter? Do I cancel the housekeeper?"

And, she wrote to Miller, the shutdown has forced her to examine her personal political beliefs.

"We have always been Republicans," Katie wrote. "We come from a long line of Republican families, but the tact our party has taken on this issue is irresponsible and its impact is farther reaching than, I'm afraid, anyone has considered."

Meanwhile, J.D. stays near his phone while tackling Katie's honey-do list.

"Until I get called back in (to work), I sit by the phone and hope I get that call," he said.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Government closure affecting local household budgets

CRESTVIEW — The City Council has unanimously approved the first of two final steps in adopting new building permit fees. The ordinance will move to an Oct. 14 workshop before coming before the council Oct. 28 for a final vote.

City building official Jonathan Bilby has worked on revising the city's outdated code for more than a year. The new code should assure the Building Department is self-sufficient, no longer subsidized by general fund money.

Bilby, responding to a concern expressed by Councilman Mickey Rytman, said the International Building Code is referenced only in connection with guidelines for unsafe structures provisions.

To further assure the code won't be applied to Crestview's fee schedule, Bilby said he can revise the proposed schedule again to adopt the international code's provisions by reference.

Crestview's code, adopted Sept. 23, could include the International Building Code’s relevant passages as an exhibit at the end of the new city fee schedule, Bilby said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New Crestview building permit fees advance

CRESTVIEW — It took less than 15 minutes, but with a 3-1 vote, Crestview has joined other taxing districts in raising residents' taxes for the 2013-14 fiscal year.

The city council met in a second public hearing Tuesday evening for a final vote on the new millage rate and proposed budget.

The 5.8466 millage rate is expected to generate some $300,000 more than the current year's rate, with a forecast tax levy of $5,380,692.

The millage rate passed 3-1 with minimal discussion. Councilmen Joe Blocker, Shannon Hayes and Mickey Rytman voted in favor of the tax increase. Council President Robyn Helt, who throughout the budget process adamantly opposed raising the city's property tax rate, cast the lone "nay" vote. Councilman Tom Gordon was traveling abroad and did not vote, but also has steadfastly opposed raising taxes.

Before the budget passed, Capt. James Poirrier, representing the Crestview Firefighters Association, expressed his union's concern that members would be subject to furlough, or unpaid leave, during the upcoming year along with the city's other employees.

"We were not aware that the 32 (furlough) hours were going to affect everybody, including our firefighters," Poirrier said.

Poirrier also expressed concern that while most firefighters were "taking a pay reduction," one of the union's members, the department's staff assistant, received a pay raise when her position was reclassified to a higher level.

Following Hayes’ motion, a resolution to approve the $29.1 million budget passed 3-1, with Helt voting “nay.” The new budget goes into effect Oct. 1.

Crestview's city tax increase joins increases in Okaloosa County property taxes, Okaloosa School District tax and county gasoline tax.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Newly approved $29M budget with tax rise goes into effect Oct. 1

CRESTVIEW — Crestview's downtown medical facilities might soon include a new professional building for Eglin Air Force Base Hospital doctors.

Public Works Director Wayne Steele said a General Services Administration contractor expressed interest in converting the Spy Chest office building on Main Street into the facility.

The GSA would require limiting access to the alley next to the building for security. Moveable bollards would block the alley when necessary, Steele said.

The city council unanimously approved pursuing the project as long as title search results confirm that the city owns the alley.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Eglin hospital doctors' office could open in downtown Crestview

CRESTVIEW — Wal-Mart patrons added voter registration cards to their shopping lists on Tuesday as poll workers staffed tables at the store for National Voter Registration Day.

Of 66 forms completed countywide during the daylong event, 31 people at the Crestview site registered to vote, updated their addresses or changed their party affiliation.

The Crestview team had signed up 11 new voters by mid-afternoon, Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections voter education and PR coordinator Bridget Richard said.

Baker resident Ron Patton visited a table staffed by Pat Presley and Sally Yozviak to change his party affiliation from Republican to independent.

Updating his voter card wasn't Patton's primary reason for visiting the store, he said, but he couldn't pass up the convenience.

"I saw the pretty ladies and stopped by," he said. "It saved me from having to go downtown" to the Supervisor of Elections office.

Voter and worker convenience

Ed Kitchen — who, with Fletcher Williams, helped Julia and Michael Gaskin change their address at the store’s south entrance — said the service benefited voters and poll workers.

"It's nice we can do this now instead of waiting for the election to come along" when there's typically a rush of last-minute update requests, he said.

While other organizations hold periodic voter registration drives, voters often prefer to register with the official county elections office, Richard said.

"We're neutral," she said. "When we're out there, we're not trying to influence voters to register one way or another."

More than 30 poll workersvolunteered to work the four sites at Wal-Marts in Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Niceville, Richard said.

"It was the first year we did this. We enjoyed it and the rain held out," Richard said. "We think next year it'll be even bigger because it'll be between the primary and the general elections."

Richard said voters can stop by the Supervisor of Elections office in the Brackin Building in downtown Crestview to register or change their voter information.

"We work more than just twice a year," she said.

WANT TO REGISTER TO VOTE?

WHAT: Voter registration or information update

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

WHERE: Supervisor of Elections Office, Brackin Building, 302 Wilson St.

DETAILS: 689-5600 or www.govote-okaloosa.com

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Elections office helps voters at Wal-Mart during national event