CRESTVIEW — A potential $1.3 million FEMA grant could ease some firefighters' job security fears and alleviate some budget pressure on the city, Fire Chief Joe Traylor says.

Traylor will pursue the grant, following the City Council’s unanimous vote Monday to grant permission. If he’s successful, the money would be awarded this fall, he said.

Under its Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant is available.

The grant is offered to cities with SAFER grants that have ended, but in which the firefighters hired under the program have been laid off or are threatened with layoffs.

Crestview would fall under the second category, Traylor said.

"People haven't been laid off but there is the threat of layoffs," he said.

The two-year grant requires no matching funds, as the city's first SAFER grant did, Traylor said. It would provide $1.3 million divided over two years to fund 12 existing firefighter positions.

"If we could get this, we could really end our budget discussion right now," Councilman Shannon Hayes said.

Traylor said he hopes that as the economy recovers, the city's growth increases its revenue to cover the 12 firefighters' salaries.

"If we keep our employees, there is a direct public safety benefit," Traylor said. "If we lay them off, our community is not as safe."

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 fire chief: $1.3M grant could save firefighter jobs

CRESTVIEW — The historic downtown district will follow the latest urban dining trend this fall when Crestview Commons opens on Main Street.

The City Council on Monday approved a proposal for an outdoor eatery featuring up to three mobile food services with permanent restrooms, landscaping and patio dining.

Crestview Commons will be on a currently vacant lot owned by Main Street attorney Nathan Boyles beside Foster Families of America thrift store. The project will allow innovative restaurateurs to introduce new cuisine ideas while offering patrons diverse dining choices, he said.

"Young gourmet chefs often can't afford $200,000 to start a brick-and-mortar restaurant," said Boyles, a Main Street Crestview Association member.

Some council members praised Boyles' project and his previous contributions to Main Street, including opening his office courtyard to a weekly farmers market.

"I've seen the projects you have done downtown and I have to commend you on how they look," Councilman Tom Gordon said.

"I think it would be a great benefit to the city," Councilman Shannon Hayes said.

Councilman Joe Blocker questioned the aesthetics of downtown food-preparation vehicles and cast the lone "nay" ballot in the 4-1 vote approving Crestview Commons.

"A trailer's a trailer, no matter how you sugarcoat it," Blocker said.

Crestview Commons passed all of the city's development stages, including approval by the fire department, the Technical Review Committee and the Local Planning Agency.

The process took more than a year, during which a similar project in Pensacola went from concept to opening in a matter of months, Boyles said.

Crestview's review process "stymies forward-looking projects," he said.

"We have outdated and outmoded codes that do not address the changing times," Boyles said. "Frankly, it's the young generation that's going to be the savior or sound the death-knell of the downtown district."

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: Proposed Crestview Commons follows mobile eateries trend

CRESTVIEW — The Main Street Crestview Association has received unanimous approval for three project requests, but funding for a full-time program manager has been deferred.

Association President Ellis Conner presented the non-profit organization's annual budget request to the CRA board, which City Council members comprise, Aug. 12.

Among its approved requests, Main Street asked the Community Redevelopment Agency to renew its $50,000 annual funding for the downtown Façade Improvement Grant program. Although it’s not a Main Street program, the association provides grant recommendations to the CRA. Business grant recipients receive up to half the cost of façade improvements, up to $10,000.

Conner also presented Main Street's request for $10,000 per year over the next three years to fund Crestview's 2016 Centennial Celebration events.

A further $15,000 was requested to maintain existing streetscape improvements. Some of the $3 million project components, notably some dying landscaping, need upkeep, Conner said.

No manager funding

The board agreed to consider the association's request for $38,000 to hire a full-time program manager after the city's budget process is complete.

The last program manager lost his job when funding for the position approved in November 2010 was abruptly denied in January 2011.

CRA board member Tom Gordon suggested hiring a contract program manager so the CRA would not have to fund an estimated $18,000 in city employee benefits.

Gordon also asked whether Main Street could match CRA funds toward the position. Noting its resources are limited, Conner said the program could possibly contribute up to $5,000.

The Main Street program must have a full-time manager to retain accreditation with the Main Street Florida program, which has recognized it with several awards.

The CRA is not funded with Crestview taxpayer money. It is supported through an Okaloosa County sales tax-increment process.

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: Some Main Street budget requests receive Crestview CRA approval

FORT WALTON BEACH  — The Okaloosa County Water and Sewer Department’s customer service drive-thru window will close for construction Aug. 22-23, at its main office, 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd., Fort Walton Beach. 

Okaloosa County Water and Sewer payments are welcome in person, by phone and at www.co.okaloosa.fl.us/wsweb/index.html.  

Call 850-651-7171 for the 24-hour phone and online payment service.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Water & Sewer announces Aug. 22-23 drive-thru closure

Okaloosa County officials have increased the fall advertising allocation for area beaches from $100,000 to $300,000 due to low bed tax revenues. The funds will be added to the original $2.2 million marketing plan designed to advertise local beaches from March to September.

Peter Mayer Advertising of New Orleans, the county’s advertising firm, drafted the plan, which calls for marketing Okaloosa Island and Destin as top leisure destinations, selling the area to the meetings industry, revamping the county’s tourism websites and promoting the Emerald Coast as a Christmas destination.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa County to boost fall tourism marketing

LAUREL HILL — The City Council has raised no concerns with the proposed 2014 fiscal year budget.

City leaders have reviewed the budget in two portions: the enterprise operating fund, or water department fund, and the general operating fund.  

The city expects to collect $217,400 from water department and garbage fees for the enterprise fund. It projects to spend $200,944, earning the city $16,456.

Download Laurel Hill’s proposed fiscal year budget >>

In the proposed general operating fund, the city would earn $227,374 from taxes, city fees and contracts. For expenses, the city is expected to pay $221,164, leaving $6,210.

Between the enterprise fund and the general operating fund, the city is expected to earn $22,666 for the next fiscal year.  

The proposal, produced by Mayor Robby Adams with council chairman Larry Hendren’s assistance, was presented to each council member present during Thursday’s budget workshop. Councilman Clifton Hall was absent. 

The next budget workshop is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10 at City Hall.

A public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant the city is trying to acquire will follow the workshop; the regular city council meeting will follow at 6 p.m., after which a fair housing workshop will take place.

The informational workshop, which is required for the CDBG application, will provide examples of housing discrimination.

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 could earn $22K after expenses under proposed budget

CRESTVIEW — City department heads have trimmed some $290,000 off the first round of preliminary budgets, but there is still $615,817.21 to go, City Clerk Betsy Roy said.

"The happy, happy, happy news is the utility fund is balanced," Roy said during an Aug. 7 Crestview City Council budget workshop.

However, the general fund’s deficit is based on the higher tentative millage established as a budgeting threshold. To maintain the current millage, even more cuts will be necessary.

Salaries, pensions and benefits for the city's 200-some employees comprise a major part of the budget — “and it's got us strapped,” Council President Robyn Helt said.

The city cut $137,000 off the earlier budget when the insurance broker negotiated employee health insurance at no increase with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Finance Director Patti Beebe said.

Helt suggested one way of lowering expenses is to ask city employees to pay more of the health insurance costs for their spouses and family members.

"I cannot ask 22,000 residents of the city of Crestview to provide 50 percent of employees' spouses and dependents' healthcare," Helt said. "If they can't do it for their own families, how can they be expected to do it for the city?"

None of the council members wanted to raise taxes, an action that Councilman Thomas Gordon called "hitting low-hanging fruit."

"When you're in the grocery line and you have a hundred dollars in your pocket and the bill comes to more than that, you start looking to put some things back," Gordon said. "It's time to put some things back."

Crestview Fire Department Capt. Jim Poirrier, president of the firefighters' union, said his members are eager to help Chief Joe Traylor find savings, including reducing pension costs.

"It is not the intent of the union to drive costs up for the city," Poirrier said. "The union is here to help, not to hurt."

Resident Edward Landrum said he, like many citizens, wouldn't mind paying a few extra cents for water and sewer rates to help maintain services at their current level.

Both are areas where consultants have encouraged the city to raise revenue. Gordon observed that rates for water and sewer haven't been increased "in years."

Saying his department is providing the same level of service at budgets lower than they have been in 10 years, Public Works Director Wayne Steele challenged other department heads to follow suit.

"If I can do it, every dadburn person in this room can do it," Steele said. "I have tried to be an example of how to do it but it's hard … I challenge everybody to look hard and do what you need to do."

Department heads are again revising their proposed 2013-14 fiscal year budgets. Steele added that work on the 2014-15 budget should begin the day after the next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

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: $615K still needs to be trimmed from Crestview budget

CRESTVIEW — Having the county's lowest permit fees makes the city attractive to builders, but because the fees don't cover the cost of inspecting new buildings, taxpayers subsidize new construction.

That was the message the Crestview City Council took from city building inspector Jonathan Bilby following his Wednesday afternoon report.

Council members approved of Bilby's efforts to finalize revisions to Crestview's permit fee structure. Under his proposal, the charges should cover the city's costs for mandatory new building inspections and plan reviews.

Bilby, at Council President Robyn Helt’s direction, had looked into eliminating fees for small projects such as a resident's installation of a prefabricated backyard shed.

Though eliminating the fees would take some revenue from the department, the amount would be small, Bilby said.

Crestview's revised permit fee schedule, if adopted by the council, would be less than Fort Walton Beach's fees and "slightly ahead" of, but comparable to, Okaloosa County's.

This pleased Helt, who was concerned that inequities in permit fees could encourage a homebuilder to construct in neighboring county jurisdiction instead of within city limits.

Helt noted that in some neighborhoods, it's not unusual for one house to be within the city while its neighbor is in the county and thus not subject to city property tax.

Bilby consulted with the Building Industry Association while revising the fees and reported he received favorable feedback. Builders have accepted permit fees as part of construction costs, and often expressed surprise that Crestview's fees were so low, he said.

Councilmen Thomas Gordon and Mickey Rytman sought Bilby's assurance that revised fees would make the permitting department self-sustaining.

Currently, the department's expenses are subsidized by the taxpayer-funded general fund. Rytman wanted to make sure the revised fees would not be a "moneymaker."

Bilby said by state law, all fee money must be used to support building inspection. However, excess funds could be used as a reserve if a dip in the economy causes fee intake to decrease.

"My goal is to not take in more fees than we can operate with," Bilby said, adding he doesn't want to return before the council within a year because of a shortfall.

Bilby plans to present his final recommendation during an upcoming council meeting. His goal is to have council approval and the revised fee schedule in place by the start of the Oct. 1 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: Crestview permit fee schedule revision almost ready