CRESTVIEW — Because of Councilman Mickey Rytman’s absence due to illness, city leaders couldn’t make changes to water and sewer rates.

Councilmen Thomas Gordon and Shannon Hayes voted in favor of a one-year 5 percent increase, while council president Robyn Helt and council member Joe Blocker voted against the motion.

Gordon's motion, seconded by Hayes, would have included a $1 monthly fee for storm water assessments.   

"We haven't had a (water) rate increase in the past 14 years," Gordon said. "We are past due." 

Customers would have noticed a 59-cent increase in their water bills if the motion had passed, City Clerk Betsy Roy said.

Helt agreed that a rate increase is necessary, but said such an increase should exceed the proposed amount.

Helt based her decision on information presented by Tetra Tech, an engineering and consulting firm that provided water-mapping services to the city.

"It was advised four years ago to have a 2 percent increase per year," Helt said. "By my estimation, we're 8 percent behind." 

 The council will discuss the issue during a future workshop, Roy 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: Crestview Council split on rate increase for city water service

CRESTVIEW — The divide between residents who see the Confederate flag as a symbol of southern heritage and those reminded of segregated times is coming to the forefront, as one resident petitions the City Council to remove a memorial’s flag.

At issue is the Confederate flag flying at the William "Uncle Bill" Lundy memorial on the corner of East 1st Avenue and North Ferdon Boulevard. The Crestview Lions Club dedicated the memorial to Lundy, Florida's last living Confederate soldier. Lundy died at age 109 in 1957.

"This is still a city problem," Mae R. Coleman said during Monday’s city council meeting. "It's not the monument; it's the flag."

Coleman said she wants the flag to come down because it divides the community.

The issue is a sensitive topic, Mayor David Cadle said.

 "I am deeply concerned about the emotions that arise with this issue," he said. “It is a divisive issue, sadly, to this day."

In addition, the memorial’s placement has raised concern for traffic safety, Cadle said, adding he has often witnessed motorists traveling on East Hickory Avenue failing to use turn signals when approaching the memorial.

"It’s really poorly placed," he said.

 Cadle and council member Shannon Hayes said they have received little public input on the issue, but they want to hear from more residents.

Hayes shares Coleman’s concern, but he said he wants to find "a workable solution."

"I don't have mixed feelings about it, but I do have concern for our citizens," he said.  

Public Services Director Wayne Steele said the city maintains the memorial’s grounds, treating it as a right of way. Still, it is unclear who holds the property's land title. The council voted unanimously for Steele to conduct a title search.  

What is certain, he said, is that “the city of Crestview does not provide the Confederate flags for this memorial. The flags are donated by the family and friends of William ‘Bill’ Lundy."

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: Crestview Council seeks public input on Confederate flag

CRESTVIEW — Passage of state Senate Bill 50 was the impetus for an in-depth update of the City Council's meeting procedures.

City attorney Jerry Miller spearheaded the rules’ revision, which passed unanimously during Monday evening's council meeting.

The senate bill helps make public meetings more open to the public, which, Miller said, has not been a local problem.

"I can tell you it wasn't directed at Crestview," Miller said, adding that Destin is also known for its willingness to allow public participation in meetings.

One area of Crestview's code that will be changed when the new rules go into effect Oct. 1 is use of the consent agenda, which is currently used to "deal with non-controversial issues," Miller said.

Under SB 50, the consent agenda will be limited to administrative issues. Miller had said that he hoped the council would revise its policy of adding its approval to matters that city regulatory boards already had approved.

Miller's new Rules of Procedure, adopted as Resolution 13-12, also re-order City Council meeting agendas, allowing three opportunities for public input, including "yellow card" requests to address the council as well as "unscheduled presentations."

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 Council approves new meeting procedures

CRESTVIEW — On two 3-2 votes, the City Council has approved a .25 percent increase in property taxes and a $29,110,313.35 budget.

Council President Robyn Helt and Councilman Tom Gordon voted nay on both resolutions.

The motions to adopt the tax increase and budget were both made by Councilman Shannon Hayes and seconded by Councilman Joe Blocker. Councilman Mickey Rytman also voted in favor of the resolutions.

Crestview resident Thomas Simms chastised the council for not addressing operational issues that led to the increased budget and for failing to curb personnel expenses.

"It's impossible to live with 80 percent of the budget going to personnel," Simms said. "If my mortgage was 80 percent of my income, I couldn't survive."

After the vote, Helt, who had strongly implored her fellow council members to address these and other issues, said, 'I'm disgusted. I might as well trade in my car and go back to horse-and-buggy days."

During discussion she cautioned that increasing taxes without addressing operational issues was "unsustainable."

"If we're going to increase rates, we need to see some changes," Helt said.

Gordon also felt not enough cuts had been made, and called raising taxes "going after low-hanging fruit."

The adopted budget, which will come before the council for a final vote in two weeks, does not include any personnel cuts, but does require every city employee to take 32 hours of unpaid furlough.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council approves raising millage and $29 million budget

HOLT — The Holt Volunteer Fire District has nearly reached its $3,000 goal for repairing a 2001 Dodge brush truck.

The fire district raised $2,656 from an Aug. 30-31 rib sale, which inched members closer to their target.

The district sold out of racks of smoked barbecue ribs, fire district treasurer Jim Connors said.

"We sold 396 racks of ribs," Connors said. "We actually had people buy racks of ribs and say, 'Give (them) to someone else.'"

The district, with First Baptist Church of Holt’s assistance, found four needy residents who received free meals.  

"We got great support from the community," Connors said of the sale. "People told us they smelled the smoke from Highway 90 and they followed it (to the fire station)."

The district maintains and insures the 160,000-mile brush truck while it is on loan from the Florida Forestry Service. Members use the truck when they respond to calls in wooded areas with dirt roads, Connors said.

From raffles to fishing tournaments, the fire department has several fundraisers throughout the year. Fundraising helps the department cover rising fuel costs, insurance costs and other district needs.

The fire district, which has 13 volunteer firefighters, responded to 346 medical and fire calls in 2012, Connors 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: Holt Volunteer Fire District closer to $3K goal, brush truck repair

CRESTVIEW — Three of five City Council members have reluctantly nodded to raising ad valorem taxes while the firefighters union presented a proposal to force senior management members into early retirement.

City Clerk Betsy Roy left Thursday’s budget workshop — which Fire Chief Joe Traylor called "a spirited debate” — with somewhat of a council consensus to finalize a budget based on a .25 percent millage increase.

Most of the three-and-a-half-hour meeting focused on the Crestview Fire Fighters Association’s proposal to force Traylor, Deputy Chief Cedric Peterson and Battalion Chief John Rydell into retirement.

Traylor confirmed that the three firefighters are eligible to retire, and that at least three more will be eligible for retirement during the next fiscal year, but said that it should be up to the firefighter to decide if it is time he should retire.

"The offer of early retirement is probably an appropriate thing to do," Traylor said. "If people accept it, then they accept it."

Capt. Jim Poirrier, the firefighters union’s president, said forcing the three department leaders into early retirement would be preferable to laying off a junior firefighter, who would receive no pay.

"If you can send a person home without a paycheck, you can send someone home with a retirement check for the rest of his life,” he said.

Of the three, two, including Traylor, have fewer than 20 years of service and could retire with about $60,000 in annual retirement pay. Peterson, with 30 years of service, would be eligible for $89,000 annually in retirement, Poirrier said, using data he received from Finance Director Patti Beebe.

Junior firefighters' starting pay is between $25,000 and $28,000.

The union estimated the city would trim $301,000 from its budget by retiring the more highly paid senior management and replacing them with lower salaried junior leaders.

Council members were cautiously receptive to the idea, but generally agreed it was not feasible to implement the plan this year. Council President Robyn Helt pointed out that previous realignments in other departments have been successful.

Councilmen Joe Blocker, Shannon Hayes and Mickey Rytman spoke in favor of accepting the budget as presented by Roy at the start of the meeting, while Helt and Councilman Tom Gordon continued their stance that a tax increase was unacceptable.

"I don't think it's reasonable, I don't think it's fair, and most importantly, I don't think it's sustainable,” Helt said of a millage increase.

The meeting abruptly adjourned at 8:30 p.m. in mid-debate upon Hayes’ motion and a voice vote of approval.

Want to go?

A public hearing on the proposed 2013-14 city budget is 5 p.m. Sept. 10 at City Hall.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's latest proposed budget to include millage increase

CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections staffers Louise McGirr and Shirley Young have been designated Certified Elections/Registration Administrators.

This award is the highest designation available to elections and voter registration officials. Nationwide, 800 election officials have achieved the CERA status. McGirr and Young were recognized during ceremonies conducted Aug. 16 at the Election Center in Savannah, Ga.

The Okaloosa County Elections Office now holds three CERAs, with the third being Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux, who earned the designation in 2007.

The title is achieved through a multi-year course conducted by The Election Center’s Professional Education Program and completion of 12 core courses taught by the Auburn University Masters in Public Administration faculty.

Course topics include ethics, voter registration and elections law, planning, communications and voter participation, among others. The goal is to professionalize voter registration management and elections administration, promoting and preserving public trust in the democratic process.

“McGirr and Young both celebrate their 10th anniversary with the elections office this year,” Lux said. “In addition to their combined 20 years of elections experience, they now have their CERA status. I’m especially proud of their accomplishments. Not many people know what we do, but we really serve as the voters' representatives to make sure the process is fair to all.  The CERA program teaches us that we act as the referees to make sure the rules are followed by all.”

The Professional Education Program is sponsored by The Election Center, a non-profit association of voter registrars and elections administrators throughout America. Its membership is comprises township, city, county and state elections officials.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview staff awarded highest honor for elections officials