CRESTVIEW — Revising the city charter may again come before voters in 2014.

Council President Robyn Helt said she will bring a draft city charter, including a city administrator position, before the council early next year. A city administrator, or manager, is a council-appointed professional who would oversee the day-to-day operation of the city.

A professional administrator who oversees all departments could address redundancy and potential liabilities, and identify cost-saving, revenue generating measures, Helt said.

Helt raised the matter during a Dec. 16 meeting while city leaders mulled a proposed water rate increase. The council sometimes debates matters it has minimal expertise with, but ignores hired experts' advice, she said.

One example, Helt said, is consultant Tetratech's evaluation of Crestview's water utility billing. The company's final report recommended raising water rates, but in September, the council instead raised property taxes.

"We spent more than $100,000 for a qualified expert to tell us whether or not we should raise water rates, and now we're debating … whether the city should raise water rates," Helt said. "That doesn't make sense to me."

"The point is, because department heads are so focused on doing day-to-day work, how much of our fiscal house is being overlooked?" she said.

Helt has supported a city manager form of government at least since 2009, when she served on a citizens advisory committee that evaluated the current 1960s city charter.

She said she is "willing to concede an elected city clerk instead of an appointed city clerk. Voters resisted a provision for an appointed clerk in a recent proposed charter. Retaining an elected city clerk was also one of the charter review committee's recommendations.

To bring public safety under the city manager's authority, the charter would have to be changed to remove the police and fire departments from the mayor's purview.

Voters have consistently rejected a city manager form of government six times since it was first voted on in 1957.

A November 2012 revised charter ballot item was rendered moot by a clerical error but was discovered too late to remove it from the printed ballot.

Though their vote was non-binding, 72 percent of registered voters — a record turnout for the charter issue — voted on the measure anyway, defeating the proposal 4,319 to 3,795.

Following the defeat, the council suggested presenting the city administrator and clerk provisions — which had generated the most opposition — and the balance of the proposed charter in a "menu" of three components.

Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux said if a new charter is brought before voters, two scheduled opportunities in 2014 include the August primary and the November general election.

"Because of the length of a normal general election ballot, I normally do not recommend any municipality place anything on a November ballot," Lux 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: Charter proposal could contain appointed city manager, elected clerk

CRESTVIEW — A nearly $1 million refund for overpayment of street lighting bills since March 2006 is on hold until city attorney Jerry Miller is consulted to see if Gulf Power owes more money.

An August report in the News Bulletin led to the electric utility working with the city to determine the amount Crestview had been overbilled.

City Public Works Director Wayne Steele reported at the time a discrepancy had been found between the number of street lights for which Gulf Power charged the city and the number of lights a Public Works survey identified.

Steele said the electric utility immediately worked with the city to reconcile the discrepancy. He said Gulf Power determined it overbilled Crestview $961,252.

"In mid-October, a keying error was discovered to have occurred in March 2006," a Dec. 11 letter from Gulf Power Lighting Services supervisor Kenneth Folsom to City Clerk Betsy Roy stated.

Folsom stated in his letter that instead of adding two new "cobra head" fixtures to Crestview's inventory, the total number of fixtures, 1,336, was accidentally entered, doubling the number of street lights for which the city was billed.

At a special meeting of the City Council on Dec. 16, Steele proposed spending slightly less than $150,000 of the refund to relieve city employees of 32 furlough hours per person this fiscal year.

The proposal places $200,000 in the street repair budget, while the $612,424 balance would go to the general fund reserve account.

Steele's proposal was immediately supported by a motion by Councilman Mickey Rytman, seconded by Councilman Joe Blocker.

'Egregious overcharging'

Council President Robyn Helt asked if anyone had consulted with city attorney Jerry Miller regarding the refund for the "egregious overcharging."

"Seven years without the (taxpayers') use of close to a million dollars, have they (Gulf Power) factored in any interest for the fact that they did overcharge?" Helt asked.

Rytman and Blocker then withdrew their motions, while Roy agreed that she would consult with Miller.

Helt also used the opportunity to renew her call for a city manager form of government to provide more oversight of city finances.

"We just raised the taxpayers' millage rate and asked them to give us additional funds, and here's a million dollars we had spent and didn't know," Helt said.

"How can we be assured we're not overpaying for other utilities and other services?"

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: Nearly $1M refund on hold while city consults attorney

CRESTVIEW — Beach Community Bank has granted easements necessary to build a larger sewer line that serves development north of Interstate 10.

The City Council on Monday unanimously voted to allow the $505,000 project to proceed.

Special staff attorney Scott Shirley and Crestview Public Works Director Wayne Steele briefed the council on the bank's unexpected decision during the council's regular meeting.

Steele's department — prior to hearing from the bank Dec. 5 — was preparing data for the council on installing a 12-inch line through a process called "pipe-bursting." The current 8-inch pipe would have been destroyed in place.

A partnership — which the city, Beach Community Bank and D.R. Horton developers signed in January 2012 — would have permitted construction of a 15-inch sewer line the city otherwise could not afford.

The larger line, originally agreed to in a special utility services agreement, would facilitate additional development in the area between the Lowe's east to Shoal River Middle and Riverside Elementary schools.

The bank requested that the city be flexible in where the line is placed on its property north and east of Lowe's — which has been considered for a shopping mall — to accommodate a future developer's needs, Shirley said.

The bank also conveyed the property to Crestview Crossing Power Center — a limited liability corporation of which the bank is the sole owner — and requested the revised agreement include the new company's name.

The bank still seeks a buyer to develop a shopping center on the site after a previous mall developer pulled out of the project.

Steele will send the new sewer line project out for bid. He said construction would take about 120 days with completion possible by May or June 2014.

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: Bank grants easements to move sewer project forward

CRESTVIEW — Construction work began Tuesday morning on a new turn lane on east-bound U.S. Highway 90 to facilitate vehicles turning south onto State Road 85.

The lane will run "almost the complete length in front of the courthouse," and will accommodate up to 30 cars, Crestview Public Works Director Wayne Steele said.

The need for the turn lane had been brought to the state Department of Transportation's attention early in the year and was finally approved, Steele said.

Construction for the $103,000 project

should conclude in three months, according to a department spokesperson.

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: New turn lane will facilitate southbound S.R. 85 turn off U.S. Highway 90

LAUREL HILL — The City Council wants to fill a seat left vacant by former city leader Clifton Hall, who resigned last month.

Laurel Hill residents interested in serving the city can submit a letter of interest to City Clerk Anita Miller before the Jan. 2 council meeting.

Hall said his resignation stems from the Nov. 7 council meeting, when city leaders declined engineer Charlie Bolen's reimbursement request for preparing Sunnyside Avenue repair and resurfacing plans.

Okaloosa County officials, who provided labor and equipment to repair the road, refused to use Bolen's plans because is not a Florida-certified engineer.

Hall and Councilwoman Betty Williamson voted in favor of reimbursing Bolen, but council members Larry Hendren, Willie Mae Toles and Johnny James did not.

Before Okaloosa County officials were involved, city leaders voted to use Bolen's plans, at Hall's suggestion.

The council appointed Hall in October 2012; he filled a council seat that remained vacant 18 months prior to his arrival.

Hall expressed discontent with city leaders in his letter of resignation.

"Since joining the city council, I have been getting more and more disappointed by the lack of professionalism, integrity and competence shown by the council," he wrote. "I feel that I can not longer be of service to the city of Laurel Hill." 

Mayor Robby Adams did not want to comment on the Bolen situation, but he expressed gratitude for Hall's time on the council.

"I want to thank him for his service to the citizens of Laurel Hill, for sacrificing his personal time … we appreciate what he did for the city," Adams said.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council seeks new member following Hall's resignation

CRESTVIEW — The P.J. Adams Parkway-Antioch Road corridor could begin providing traffic congestion relief in less than 10 years — and without raised taxes — if local and county governments support a tax increment financing proposal.

Attendees at a Dec. 2 Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce panel discussion learned that the plan, known as a TIF, could even be in place within a year.

Panelists described the virtues of a TIF, which is funded by establishing a baseline and allocating the difference between the baseline and future tax increases to a specific project.

"A TIF is a tool for financing something that you need for the public good," Okaloosa Economic Development Council Vice President Kay Rasmussen said. "People assume (that) because 'tax' is in the name, it's a new tax, and that is not what it is."

Designated by law

Money raised in the TIF district — which would encompass all of the county north of the Eglin reservation — would by law be only used for the corridor, Crestview city planner Eric Davis said.

"We must tell the public this is not a new tax and it will not get raided by future (county) commissions for other projects," Davis said.

At local attorney Mike Chesser's urging, Davis and other officials began looking into the TIF concept as a means of raising local matching dollars to attract federal and state road money.

"If the TIF can grow to $40 or $50 million, then we can come to the table for the next grant the federal government has and we can say, 'Come on: We have the plans, we have the land — give us the money,'" Davis said.

The proposed traffic corridor project would include widening P.J. Adams and Antioch to four lanes from State Road 85 to U.S. Highway 90.

A recently state-approved alternative route would branch off at Arena Road for northeast-bound traffic, allowing west-bound traffic to Holt and Baker to follow the existing route.

Ready in a year

The project's expected cost is $120 million. A University of West Florida Haas Business Center study shows a TIF could raise $47 million in matching funds in 20 years.

Construction could actually begin well before the TIF expires, using its future funds as collateral to raise bonds to finance the corridor.

TIFS are already successfully in place in several county communities, including Crestview's Community Redevelopment Agency district, Former Elections Supervisor Pat Hollarn said.

Davis said a draft TIF ordinance has been prepared and, if approved, could be in place by the next fiscal year.

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: TIF could facilitate PJ Adams/Antioch corridor without tax raise

CRESTVIEW — Area planners and community leaders have been warming to the idea of establishing a tax increment financing district to fund needed local transportation projects.

The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Government Issues Committee will host a Dec. 2 panel discussion to consider the idea's feasibility. The workshop is open to the public.

A TIF, as the plan is known, "is neither the creation of, nor an increase in taxes," committee chairperson Muncelle Mitchell said.

Under a TIF, the property tax rate in effect when the plan is adopted is used as a base. The difference in any subsequent tax increases is applied to a specific project the TIF was established to fund.

Recently, a TIF has been suggested to finance widening the P.J. Adams Parkway and Antioch Road corridor to create a southwest bypass around Crestview.

A panel — including City Planner Eric Davis, former Supervisor of Elections Pat Hollarn, county Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert and Economic Development Council Vice President Kay Rasmussen — will discuss TIFs and their viability.

Chamber of Commerce President Dennis Mitchell will serve as moderator.

Want to go?

WHAT:Tax increment financing workshop

WHEN:5:15 p.m. Dec. 2

WHERE: Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce office, 1447 Commerce Drive

DETAILS: Public panel discussion exploring tax increment financing as a means to fund transportation projects. Light refreshments served.

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: Dec. 2 workshop to examine transportation funding option

CRESTVIEW — A 283-home development off Redstone Avenue is in limbo until city officials can upgrade a sewer line serving south central Crestview.

The City Council will receive a report at its Dec. 9 meeting to consider before deciding.

The line, an integral part of the proposed Crestview Power Center shopping mall and Redstone Commons housing development, must be upgraded from its current 8-inch diameter to a 15-inch line, attorney Scott Shirley, the city's special staff counsel on the project, told city leaders at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Enlarging the line, which is close to capacity, would facilitate development in the area on either side of State Road 85, just north of Interstate 10.

A partnership between the city, developer D.R. Horton, Beach Community Bank of Fort Walton Beach and Watkins developers, with the intent to upgrade the line, fell apart this summer when Watkins abruptly withdrew from the project.

Watkins planned to build the Crestview Power Center. A subsequent developer interested in the project has cut off contact with the city. D.R. Horton is building Redstone Commons.

Project on hold

An Oct. 28 letter to Shirley from D.R. Horton's attorney stated the housing project has been "dormant" since June, "which is resulting in carrying costs for(DR Horton Incorporated), the loss of sales and other damages."

"D.R. Horton has been a very good partner throughout this whole process," Public Works Director Wayne Steele said, adding the developer "has been very patient."

He and Shirley asked the council to consider one of three options, as follows, to upgrade the sewer line:

•Obtain easements from property owner Beach Community Bank as agreed earlier this year

•Use so-called pipe-bursting to remove the existing line and replace it with a 12-inch line

•Have Okaloosa County provide water and sewer service to Horton's development.

Shirley's Nov. 4 letter to Beach Community Bank Senior Vice President Scott McCormick requesting the easements was not answered, Shirley said.

A call to McCormick for comment was not returned.

Costly alternative

The council and Public Works staff leaned toward the second option, which would entail using existing easements but would cut through the shopping mall site — "a less than optimal solution," Shirley's letter stated.

The cost of pipe-bursting, $586,000, could be partially covered by $264,000 held in escrow to build the 15-inch line, provided it could be lawfully applied to the 12-inch line, Steele said.

An additional $300,000 in sewer impact fee money is available, but Steele cautioned that using it for the sewer line would leave no money in reserve to cover an emergency.

Steele said he would review currently funded public works projects to determine if some could be delayed to allow money allocated toward them to serve as an emergency fund if needed.

"The best option would be for every party that signed that agreement to move forward," Steele 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: Redstone Commons development in limbo until city upgrades sewer line

CRESTVIEW — Citing the potential for violations of state Sunshine Law, city attorney Jerry Miller suggested the Community Redevelopment Agency "re-evaluate" a recently appointed citizens advisory committee.

With board member Joe Blocker casting the lone dissenting vote, the CRA board voted 4-1 to heed the attorney's advice, and dissolved the committee on Monday.

Miller suggested the Main Street Crestview Association could serve in the capacity as the advisory committee, which it already does to an extent.

But board president Robyn Helt said the association's purview doesn't cover the entire CRA district.

"I think they (the Main Street Association members) do a great job in promoting the Main Street area, but having more people involved would give us a broader perspective," Helt said.

Miller said the composition of the board, including a member of the media, WAAZ-WJSB radio's Cal Zethmayr, and merchants who might inadvertently discuss ideas, could be a "perfect storm as far as public meeting law is concerned."

After the vote dissolved the committee, Helt asked that the board itself consider several projects previously discussed, including a linear park connecting downtown and Twin Hills Park.

Helt said she had recently discussed the project with city consultant Jack Dorman, who said, "the state loves them" (linear parks) and called it, "one of the best ideas he's heard in a long time."

Helt also reported the Economic Development Council has been asked to assemble a workshop to gather experts in "kind of a roundtable forum" to suggest effective uses for leveraging CRA funds.

The workshop could be held soon in 2014.

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: Potential Sunshine Law conflicts lead CRA to dissolve advisory committee